Clipmarks | mona's clips

North Korea revalues its Currency

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:53:31 GMT

clipped by: mona

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has taken confiscatory steps to curb unofficial economic activity and suppress inflation, issuing a revalued currency and sharply limiting the amount of old money people can exchange for new bills, South Korean news reports said Tuesday.

The measures appeared to be a crude form of shock therapy intended to severely punish people involved in black market trading, which had begun to take root in North Korea in recent years as the country’s central planning system broke down.

The value of the dollar and the Chinese currency skyrocketed as people rushed to underground money-exchangers, said the Yonhap news agency of South Korea, citing anonymous North Korean traders in China.

“It’s all chaos in markets and railway stations,” Daily NK quoted a North Korean as saying.

UN not happy with Swiss referendum outcome

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:51:50 GMT

clipped by: mona

Clip Source: www.google.com

GENEVA — The United Nations called Switzerland's ban on new minarets "clearly discriminatory" and deeply divisive, and the Swiss foreign minister acknowledged Tuesday the government was very concerned about how the vote would affect the country's image.

U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay said Sunday's referendum to outlaw the construction of minarets in Switzerland was the product of "anti-foreigner scare-mongering."

The Swiss government opposed the initiative but has sought to defend it as an action not against Islam or Muslims, but one aimed at improving integration and fighting extremism.

The referendum doesn't affect Switzerland's four existing minarets, or the ability of Muslims to practice their religion. It only bans the towers used to put out the Islamic call to prayer.

But wealthy Arab tourists might think twice now about spending their money in Geneva and other Swiss cities, and the neutral country's efforts to mediate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could also suffer.

mobile phones cut maternal deaths

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:50:02 GMT

clipped by: mona

Clip Source: www.alertnet.org

Cell phones have cut dramatically the number of women dying during childbirth in Amensie village in south-central Ghana, according to local health officials.

Health and aid workers say while other improvements in primary healthcare in Amensie – as part of the Millennium Villages project – have contributed to the drop, the availability of cell phones has been pivotal.

"When we did not have mobile telecommunication, women were dying," district nurse Madam Lydia Owusu told IRIN. "It was horrifying to be pregnant here before this project came along…Mothers used to bleed to death while waiting in their homes, hoping a health worker would come to help them."

Before cell phone and internet technology were introduced to Amensie, some 20 women died in childbirth each year, according to Owusu. In 2008 none did.

Amensie is part of a cluster of villages called Bonsaaso, 60km from Ghana's second largest city, Kumasi, in Ashanti region.

Tags: unlikely causal relationship

honeybees

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:47:49 GMT

clipped by: mona

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Over the past 50 years most of the world's wild European honeybees (the primary bee used for honey production and pollination) have disappeared as a result of a lethal parasitic mite called Varroa destructor that originated in Asia and was spread around the planet by human commerce in bees.

Inside the hive, these tiny vampires latch onto the bees and suck their blood while transmitting deadly viruses throughout the colony. The only honeybees that remain are those in managed hives where the mites are kept under control with toxic pesticides, and even the number of these hives has dropped dramatically as a result of Varroa destructor.

So far, Australia is the only country on earth to be free of the mite but its varroa-free days may be numbered.

And Varroa destructor is not the only threat.

Honeybees are the canaries in the coalmine for the state of our environment.

death of Venice?

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:19:57 GMT

clipped by: mona

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Venetians are expected to take part in a mock funeral procession to highlight the city's dwindling population.

Organisers of Saturday's event say the population has dipped below 60,000, with many native Venetians choosing to live in more affordable areas.

City officials have refuted the claims that Venice is simply a "ghost town", filled only with tourists.

Residents are expected to carry an empty coffin in a procession of boats to the mayor's office.

The city's population has dropped by two-thirds since the 1950s and much of the blame has been put on tourism.

"We promised two years ago when we got less than 60,000 inhabitants we would plan a funeral [for] the city because we think the city with less than 60,000 inhabitants is not a city any more, it's more a village," he said.

But officials say reports of the city's death are "premature".

Referring to the procession, she said: "They will have the funeral in a living village, not yet dead. And it won't die, even if it goes to 59,999."

Tags: italy, activism, tourism

struggling to combat maternal mortality

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:01:59 GMT

clipped by: mona

Clip Source: www.rferl.org

Every minute, somewhere in the world, a woman dies of complications in pregnancy or childbirth.

That means a total of around half a million maternal deaths each year. To address this alarming problem, the United Nations Population Fund has brought together international policymakers, government ministers, and lawmakers for two conferences in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, this week.

widespread failures in reducing maternal mortality represent a paradox. "In most societies in the world, motherhood is very valued and celebrated,”

But “there is a deficit of attention and seriousness in terms of addressing the issue, and it is very unlikely that in many developing countries the [UN goals on] maternal health will be achieved."

Childbirth remains a leading killer across much of the developing world

Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world.

1,800 mothers dying out of every 100,000 births

Alan comes to Stephen's rescue

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:12:00 GMT

clipped by: mona
clipper's remarks: Stephen Fry is one of the wittiest people I have ever come across ~ it's sad to see that even a celebrity such as him can be hard hit by depression.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Stephen Fry has made online peace with another user of the micro-blogging site Twitter who called his posts "boring".

The actor and presenter, who has more than 900,000 followers, had threatened to leave the site, saying there was "too much aggression and unkindness".

Fry and the user later apologised to each other, with the star saying his reaction had been "a mood thing" and he now felt "more sheepish than a sheep".

The disagreement began when the other tweeter said: "I admire and adore" Mr Fry, but added that he found his tweets "a bit... boring... (sorry Stephen)."

Fry then sent a message to the user, saying: "You've convinced me. I'm obviously not good enough. I retire from Twitter henceforward. Bye everyone."

He later said he was feeling "very low and depressed at the moment".

Alan Davies, who stars with Fry in the television quiz QI, also waded in, calling the criticism of him "moronic".

The user later said there had been an "over-reaction" and he was "aghast at how far this has gone".

Tags: depression, stephen fry

code of (mobile) conduct

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:06:50 GMT

clipped by: mona

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Egypt seeks ethical mobile users

A code of ethics for the use of mobile phones has been launched by Egypt's official telecoms regulatory body.

The 16-point guide includes advice about when to switch phones off and warns against annoying others with ringtones and loud conversations.

Mobile phone technology is "considered one of the greatest technologies (to) emerge in the last few years to serve humanity," it says.

But it should not be used to "annoy or tease" others, the guide continues.

Putting pictures or videos of somebody on the internet without their consent is punishable by law, warns the guide.

Users are told to be patient with wrong numbers and not to answer calls from unknown sources.

"Use your mobile phone to report something or receive important information," instructs the code.

Calling people when they are resting or sleeping is also to be avoided.

Tags: technology, ethics

calls for south Sudan split

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:02:24 GMT

clipped by: mona

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Southern Sudan leader Salva Kiir has made his strongest call for full independence when the region's status is decided at a referendum due in 2011.

He said voting for unity with northern Sudan would make southerners "second class citizens" in their own land.

A referendum in the now semi-autonomous oil-rich south was part of the 2005 deal that ended decades of civil war.

"When you reach your ballot boxes the choice is yours. You want to vote for unity, so that you become a second-class (citizen) in your own country, that is your choice," he told the congregation at St Teresa's Catholic Cathedral in Juba.

In the past, the Khartoum government had insisted that 75% of voters must agree to independence.

Mr Machar said all southerners would be allowed to vote, including those in Khartoum and those outside Sudan.

Tags: politics, africa, separatism

food/depression link

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:58:51 GMT

clipped by: mona
clipper's remarks: according to a UK study.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Eating a diet high in processed food increases the risk of depression, research suggests.

What is more, people who ate plenty of vegetables, fruit and fish actually had a lower risk of depression, the University College London team found.

Data on diet among 3,500 middle-aged civil servants was compared with depression five years later, the British Journal of Psychiatry reported.

They split the participants into two types of diet - those who ate a diet largely based on whole foods, which includes lots of fruit, vegetables and fish, and those who ate a mainly processed food diet, such as sweetened desserts, fried food, processed meat, refined grains and high-fat dairy products.

Those who ate the most whole foods had a 26% lower risk of future depression than those who at the least whole foods.

It is not yet clear why some foods may protect against or increase the risk of depression but scientists think there may be a link with inflammation as with conditions such as heart disease.

Tags: health, research, food, depression

SMS snooping software, coming to a home near you

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:27:44 GMT

clipped by: mona
clipper's remarks: why???

"my oldest is 20 years old - we want the best for our children"

aparently "the best" does not involve things such as building trust.......if parents are worried about alienation from their children, they should work WITH them, not AGAINST them!

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Distributors for new software that allows parents to spy on their children's text messages say they are still hopeful, as they try to get approval for their product.

The software, which allows parents to see every text message their child sends and receives, was due to be on sale in August, but the earliest it will now be available is early next year.

Civil libertarians and technology experts have deep concerns about the privacy implications of the product.

"I'm a dad of three - my children have grown up, the oldest is 20 years old - but we want the best for our children," he said.

Sculpture By The Sea

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:21:29 GMT

clipped by: mona
clipper's remarks: At Sydney's Tamarama Beach, on now!

Clip Source: www.sculpturebythesea.com

Clip Source: img.sculpturebythesea.com

Tags: art, australia, sydney

This, too, is Afghanistan

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:17:37 GMT

clipped by: mona
clipper's remarks: Caption (unclippable) reads: "An Afghan girl tries out some tricks on her skateboard in Kabul, at the country's first indoor skating park".

Clip Source: newsimg.bbc.co.uk

how to use a bus

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:07:13 GMT

clipped by: mona
clipper's remarks: NOT the Onion!
UK Government initiative.

Clip Source: www.orkney.gov.uk

An Open Bus Event will run on Wednesday September 9 from 10am to 2.30pm at the St Colm’s Centre on Pickaquoy Road to show people how easy it is to use a bus.

The event is part of a project aiming to help ensure that all residents and visitors to Kirkwall and its surrounding area are familiar with and comfortable using buses, and will give people some practical experience using a bus in a controlled environment.

How America got its name

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:03:06 GMT

clipped by: mona

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Drawn half a millennium ago and then swiftly forgotten, one map made us see the world as we know it today... and helped name America. But, as Toby Lester has discovered, the most powerful nation on earth also owes its name to a pun.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

1) First use of America on map, after explorer Amerigo Vespucci. 2) The Pacific not confirmed until six years after map made. 3) Old World shown as the ancients saw it. 4) New eastern sea route to India. 5) The legendary island of Taprobane. 6) Reference to legendary king Prester John.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

in 1507, Martin Waldseemuller and Matthias Ringmann, two obscure Germanic scholars based in the mountains of eastern France, made one of the boldest leaps in the history of geographical thought

astonishing news that the world did not just consist of Asia, Africa, and Europe

A previously unknown fourth part of the world had recently been discovered, they declared, by the Italian merchant Amerigo Vespucci, and in his honour they had decided to give it a name: America.

Tags: maps, cartography, discovery