Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
construction halted: The Patna High Court has stayed the proposed construction of a shopping complex at the Sandies compound in Bhagalpur, Bihar, because the site lies in a green belt. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ravi S Dhavan and Justice S K Singh also asked the district administration to …
dubious pill: During recent lab experiments, aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs injected in newborn rats changed their sexual behaviour later in life. The drugs interfered with their brain's sex-specific development. "Our findings suggest the drugs may have a similar effect in humans,' say researchers from the University of Maryland, USA. …
People in the us, especially children, women and Mexican Americans, carry dangerously high levels of pesticides in their bodies, according to a recent study. Many of these toxic chemicals have serious health effects: cancers, infertility and birth defects. The study also zeroes in on companies responsible for the population's high …
In 1449, England's King Henry VI commissioned Flemish glassmaker John of Utynam to make stained glass windows at Eton and Kings colleges, and to teach his craft at the two institutions. In return the glassmaker asked the English monarch to grant him exclusive rights to manufacture stained glass
shocking levels of lead in Washington's tap water have prompted us lawmakers to introduce a bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act (sdwa). The new bill, called Lead-free Drinking Water Act of 2004, proposes several changes, including increasing funding to clean up tap water. One of the main recommendations …
It has come to light that the us government has given away an estimated 1.5 million hectares (ha) of its public lands, often for as little as us $2 per ha, for hardrock mining operations. These tracts were rich in gold, silver and other precious metals and minerals. After a …
Starting before industrialised Germany and the UK, India has perhaps promoted renewables the longest though a dedicated establishment. The country's Ministry of Non-conventional Energy Sources (MNES) is one of its kind in the world. India has the fifth largest installed wind capacity in the world at 2400 MW. In 2003 …
At Renewables 2004 "an international action plan will be on the agenda, including actions and commitments by governments, international organisations and stakeholders,' says the conference announcement document. "The conference outcome will include arrangements for a follow-up and a mechanism to share information on progress in implementing the international action plan.' …
According to IEA’s factsheet, Renewables in global energy supply, the wind energy sector has grown at more than 52 per cent per annum since 1971, and solar power by 32 per cent per annum. Renewables in 2000 accounted for 13.8 per cent of the world’s total primary energy supply (electricity, …
wisening up: The Kerala government has announced its decision to undertake a massive rainwater harvesting scheme throughout the state on a war-footing. The move is believed to have been triggered by its experiences in this year's severe drought (see:
There is a prominently held view that dissemination of renewable energy technology is marred by high costs. It's true that a few technologies like wind power have become cheaper, but others are still expensive. Solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind energy now cost one tenth of what they did in early …
air stinkers: Harmful smog can form inside homes through reactions between air-fresheners and the ozone pollutant, indicates findings of researchers from the US Environmental Protection Agency. The reactions generate formaldehyde, classed as a probable carcinogen, and related compounds that many experts believe are responsible for respiratory problems. touch and infect: …
• The us should reopen most of the websites shut down after the September 11 attacks because of terrorism fears, a report says. Post September 11, us authorities shut down some 36 sites and more than 600 public databases. But a Rand Corporation report says that most of these sites …
yielding to the pressure of wheat farmers of the us and Canada, agri-business giant Monsanto has deferred introducing the world's first genetically modified (gm) wheat. "The company is deferring all further efforts to introduce Roundup Ready wheat, until such time that other wheat biotechnology traits (for example, pesticide tolerance) are …
