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Sudanese Rebels Free 29 Chinese Hostages

Wed, 2012-02-08 17:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Bob Cooper

by Nicholas Bariyo - The Wall Street Journal - February 8, 2012

KAMPALA Uganda—Rebels in oil-rich Sudan on Tuesday released 29 Chinese workers, capping a hostage drama that exposed the risks of China's investments in the conflict-prone African region.

In a statement, Sudan's Foreign Ministry said that the Chinese captives were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross early Tuesday and eventually flown to Nairobi, where they were taken to China's Embassy in Kenya.

China's Foreign Ministry described the 29 as being in good physical health "and stable mood," according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

(READ ARTICLE HERE)

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U.S. Officials Concerned by Israel Statements on Iran Threat, Possible Strike

Mon, 2012-02-06 20:39 — Kathy Gilbeaux

The Washington Post - February 2, 2012

      

Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, right, walks with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in Tel Aviv last October. Barak said that time is running out for stopping Iran’s nuclear advance, as the country’s uranium facilities disappear into newly constructed mountain bunkers.

U.S. officials fear that an attack by Israel could trigger Iranian retaliation not only against the Jewish state but also against American interests around the world. A prolonged conflict could disrupt oil shipments, drive up energy prices and devastate fragile Western economies, U.S. officials say.

Administration officials have hinted that the United States might not intervene militarily in a hostile exchange between Israel and Iran unless the conflict began to threaten U.S. forces or Israeli population centers. In an interview last month on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Panetta said that in the event of an Israeli strike, U.S. military officials’ primary concern would be “to protect our forces.”

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U.S. Fears Serious Famine in Troubled Sudan Region

Sun, 2012-01-29 00:42 — Kathy Gilbeaux

      

Argil carries water to her family who are fleeing after fighting broke out, near the Blue Nile state capital al-Damazin (Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah Reuters, REUTERS / September 5, 2011)

dailypress.com - Andrew Quinn - Reuters -  January 24, 2012

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States fears a large-scale famine in Sudan's restive border states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile and is boosting pressure in Khartoum to accept aid or face a unilateral assistance operation, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.

"We are feeling a lot of pressure, if there's no international access, to look at ways in which assistance would be carried across the border without their approval," Princeton Lyman, the Obama administration's special envoy for Sudan, told reporters.

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Preliminary Results of Assessments Done in South Sudan

Sun, 2012-01-29 00:25 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Preliminary results of assessments done in South Sudan . . . CERF allocates $104 million to 13 underfunded crises (including South Sudan and Haiti) . . .

(Juba, 7 January 2012): Humanitarian agencies are mounting a major emergency operation in Jonglei State in South Sudan to help people affected by the recent wave of inter-communal violence. “The Government of South Sudan has declared Jonglei a disaster zone and asked humanitarian agencies to accelerate life-saving assistance. We’re responding to that call,” said the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan Ms. Lise Grande.
. . .

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Resilience Alliance

Sat, 2012-01-28 13:29 — mdmcdonald

There are many definitions of resilience from simple deterministic views of resilience anchored in Newtonian mechanics to far more dynamic views of resilience from a systems perspective, including insights from quantum mechanics and the sciences of complexity.  One baseline perspective of resilience sees it in terms of the viability of socio-ecological systems as the foundation for sustainability.  For those that are ready to look beyond resilience as the ability to return to the "normal state" before a disaster, take a look at:

http://www.resalliance.org/

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Solar Storms And 13 Other Unusual Risks That Should Have You Freaking Out This Year

Thu, 2012-01-26 10:45 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Jonathan King

by Sam Ro - businessinsider.com - January 25, 2012

      

Photo/NASA

Risk management is a part of our everyday lives.  Everyone knows to look both ways before crossing the street. Most also know to diversify their investment portfolios to limit the impact of a stock market crash.

But, what about the less obvious risks?

(READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Slow Response to East Africa Famine 'Cost 'Lives'

Wed, 2012-01-18 13:00 — Kathy Gilbeaux

BBC News - January 18, 2012

       

The US government says 29,000 children under five years old died between May and July 2011

Thousands of needless deaths occurred from famine in East Africa last year because the international community failed to heed early warnings, say two leading British aid organisations.

Oxfam and Save the Children say it took more than six months for aid agencies to act on warnings of imminent famine.

Between 50,000 and 100,000 people have died in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Video - Dr. Upmanu Lall - Water Shortages

Fri, 2011-12-30 22:57 — Kathy Gilbeaux
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Will the Next War Be Fought Over Water?

Fri, 2011-12-30 22:49 — Kathy Gilbeaux

by Megan Erickson - bigthink.com - December 23, 2011

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NASA: Warming Will Transform Natural World

Tue, 2011-12-20 22:58 — Kathy Gilbeaux

By PAT BRENNAN - The Orange County Register - miamiherald.com - December 19, 2011

       

21st Century Ecological Sensitivity - Changes in Plant Species

Predicted percentage of ecological landscape being driven toward changes in plant species as a result of projected human-induced climate change by 2100.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Global warming could bring a major transformation for Earth's plants and animals over the next century, a NASA study says, driving nearly half the planet's forests, grasslands and other vegetation toward conversion into radically different ecosystems.

The ecological stress could give a boost to invasive species, but at the expense of natives, reducing the diversity of plants and animals overall.

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