Google's Silent Running

ZDNet Gary Rodgers
Google isn’t shy about it’s stance on the environment — they have a huge array of solar panels that provide some energy at the Googleplex, a shuttle that transports employees to and from work, powered by biodiesel, and a public statement on google.org.

Climate Change: mitigate the effect of climate change on the poor by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency, and supporting clean energy sources.

While going through my daily list of domains today, I found that Google registered “climatesaverpc.com” on Wednesday — could this be Google’s next step in their ambition to save the environment? This domain was registered through “Mark Monitor“, a brand management company. I can guarantee it belongs to, and was intentionally registered by Google.

As far as the importance of the domain, obviously a link between it and any upcoming announcements is complete speculation — nobody but Google themselves can know exactly what is happening behind those doors. But in a feeble attempt at guessing, perhaps Google is looking to form a partnership with a company such as Enano?

Silent - Green - Smart
e2s are the latest energy-efficient computer designed for our evolving planet. Our sole mission is to make a real, honest and lasting difference in how people around the world use computer energy.

Preventing Wind Farm Bat Deaths

Could radar prevent bats dying in windfarms? Bat deaths at wind farms far exceed those of birds and, it’s feared, if action is not taken some species could eventually become endangered. Researchers at Aberdeen University believe they may have found a solution to a problem that they worry will only worsen with the proliferation of wind turbines worldwide.

Leading bat experts Professor Paul Racey and Dr Barry Nicholls studied the behaviour of bats at various distances from 10 radar installations across Scotland last summer. The pair found that the bats did not forage where electromagnetic radiation from the installations could be measured. However, the bats did forage where no radiation was detectable.

Professor Racey, Regius Professor of Natural History within the University of Aberdeen's School of Biological Sciences, said: "We found that the bats were deterred by the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the radar installations.

"This raises the possibility that radar could be used to deter bats from approaching wind turbines. And so far this would appear to be the only real possibility of preventing bats colliding with turbine blades worldwide."

Professor Racey said: "People are aware of bird deaths at windfarms but are not so aware that many bats are perishing too.

"Bat fatalities at wind turbines has been documented in Australia, North America, Germany, Spain and Sweden but really the scale of the problem in the UK has yet to emerge as the area is largely understudied.

"Three years ago nearly 3,000 bats were killed in a six week period at one windfarm in the USA, and nearly 1,700 were killed over a same period of time at another windfarm elsewhere in the States.

"If bat fatalities continue this has the potential to be really serious. For example, in the States there are three species of bats that we are worried about, and one of them, the red bat is seriously threatened. Bats migrate along ridge crests and these crests are also ideal locations for wind turbines, so we are concerned that if the killing continues more species of bats could end up becoming endangered.

"And the problem is likely to get much worse with the proliferation of turbines, not just from large power companies erecting them, but private individuals doing so as well." It was a chance remark that led Professor Racey and Dr Nicholls down the route of exploring radars as a potential deterrent to bats around wind turbines.

Professor Racey explained: "It was sparked by an anecdote which came from one of our honour students, doing Zoology at the University of Aberdeen several years ago, who was studying bats in the Buchan area of Aberdeenshire.

"When the student was driving back to Aberdeen he would wedge his bat detector in the window of his car and listen out for bats. He noticed that every time he passed the Aberdeen Airport radar he could never hear any.

The Professor added: "We think the bats either feel the heat of the radiation or can actually hear it. Either way, they appear not to like it, and forage elsewhere. "What is needed now are further studies to determine the characteristics of radar which best deters the bats."

World Democracy

I have an idea... ;-)

US Drawing Up Plan To Bomb Iran

US Generals Will Resign If Bush Orders Attack On Iran

We hear a lot of talk about democracy and a new world order, and in the background of a one world government. Well, why wait. Lets do it now. From the people, for the people and for the earth.

Let's have democracy. But not national democracy. Lets have world democracy, and lets start right now. As an attack on Iran will effect all the peoples of the world, then lets have a democratic vote on whether all the peoples of the world want the US to bomb Iran. National decisions within a country effect that country, but international decision outside a country effect all people.

We don't really have a democracy dealing with international events. This is true democracy at work, and this is the new world order - a single planetary decision making body: The People. If the people of the earth want wars, then so be it. If the people of all countries want an end to wars, then so be it. As we are all sharing this planet, and as we will all be effected by wars, then lets all have a democratic world vote on the actions that effect all people of the earth.

America announced the emergence of a new world order? Let the people of the earth decide. There is your immediate new world order. A world democratic body deciding world events. Do people want war? Do people want the US to bomb Iran? The same applies to all countries. The people decide we want peace and all countries lay down their weapons and live in peace.

Iran can stop the Nuclear developments and the rest of the world can stop the nuclear developments also. If the people of the world democratically decide that all countries put an end to nuclear weapons and nuclear installations... then that is world democracy at work. It is very simple to work together and decide to put an end to wars, to put an end to fighting, to make all weapons illegal and to resolve our differences around the table with a sense of order and human dignity. Why not!

The Human Crisis

Water in the boat
is the death of the boat
water under the boat
and the boat's afloat
- Rumi

As I was researching for solutions to the increasing global crisis. I was thinking about the media and why they exist at all. Do they exist to inform or to condition? Unlike Blogs, the content is controlled by owners and editors. The Blog writers are mostly dedicated servants of their own design. The media is its own paid servant.

I have been warning people for years that water supplies will be at the center of global and local conflicts. Today you see water scarcity issues spreading across the media propaganda machine, and what is their concern? What are they telling people? That it is a problem caused by circumstance. Populations are rising and water reserves cannot replenish as the amount of water used by humans is more than the amount of water returning to the resevoirs, rives, lakes and aquifiers. The problem is external to ourselves.

Nowhere do the media address the real problem. They don't touch on it. They don't consider it. The real problem is not circumstantial. The real problem is us. The real problem is the way we live, our attitude, who and what we have become. The issue of self-responsability is as taboo to the media circus as are UFO's. They simply wont address it. Our lack of caring is the real problem, as well as our mass acceptance of dependance on the state. Capitalist or communist, humans are conditioned to depend on the state. No one takes responsability for their own water supply and the recycling of their own Water Resources. No one cares. Well, when it all breaks down people will care - only by then it is too late.

The increasing global water problem is not an external situation, it is an internal crisis. Only, we do not recognise it as such. Governments are legally responsible for the water supply, not you or I. This is totally wrong. You and I are responsible for the water supply, not Governments. Especially so when the supplies dry up, because we are the ones who will be effected. Around the world it will be a local tragedy making global headlines. The ones to blame for that tragedy are ourselves.

If chemicals or sewage pour into a river, you will be the one effected and Governments will be the ones who cover it up. Our internal lack of awareness and lack of caring for our world has allowed corporate government interests to take over ownership of the environment and use it as they wish. On a family by family level people use resources and do not care what environmental effects this will have on our world. Only when the poisons you pour into the water supply come back to haunt you, will you care about the environment. But by then it will be too late, you will be dead.

The global water crisis is an accumulated problem created by billions of people who do not care. The monolithic and centralised water systems have led to growing abuse. If people had to be directly accountable for the broken systems water loss, things would be much different today. Much of the water pumped to our homes is lost through cracks on the way. The earth pays a high price for our incompetance. Now our incompetance is squeaking at the seams.

This is not a failure of the planet, it is a failure of the people living on the planet - of mankind. We have largely destroyed our world, and as the last inches are sailed towards hitting the iceberg, the responsability lies with us. The media would have you believe these are external events outside your control. The whole point is that these are personal internal failings that are year by year leading to nature's graduation exam. Nature will give it all back to us, and ask us to deal with it. The point I am making is that the monolithic, centralised, state controlled circus is not the much needed resource that will pass nature's exam. When the sewage and poison comes choking back up into your home, you will have to deal with it. Or you can begin to do something before the drains back up.

Natural disasters are human created disasters blamed on nature

Who Are We?

Mazen Kerbaj, Beirut

Responsible Survival

The first phase – the relief phase – of Auroville's response to the devastating tsunami of 26 th December, 2004 , is now largely over. During this phase food and non-food items were distributed in 20 village communities to about 10,000 affected people. The non-food items included clothes, blankets, metal trunks and plastic buckets in addition to educational materials, like books, pens and schoolbags, for the children. The main distribution is now over, although late-arriving items are distributed as they become available. Auroville's response

Auroville is a place in south India where, for more than 36 years, an increasing number of people from all over the world have been quietly and painstakingly working on the construction of a new township, a new way of living, a new way of being. Something is being attempted here for the benefit of all.

"Man is a transitional being, he is not final. Evolution is not finished; reason is not the last word nor the reasoning animal the supreme figure of Nature," observes Sri Aurobindo. "There is something that he is not yet which he has to be; he is reaching always towards the something yet unrealised; his whole life and nature is a preparation, an endeavour of Nature towards what is beyond him."

Auroville is to be a major vehicle of this evolutionary thrust and, eventually, a platform for transformation.

* To shape, plan and build a city for an ideal society of the future
* let the indigenous population of Auroville's bioregion co-evolve along with it
* educate our young in a way that their deeper identity is allowed to remain at the forefront
* organise a collective life without authoritarian structures
* manifest beauty in all facets of living
* consciously, wisely and justly manage the wide variety of resources available
* heal, and to evoke healing energies
* relate to the earth in a truly appropriate manner
* artistically express newly found realities within

Diplomats of 14 countries converged at Auroville near Pondicherry on Saturday to chalk out plans for association in various activities, including research undertaken by experts and their participation in the international zone of Auroville.

The diplomats representing the USA, the UK, Russia, Singapore, Japan, France, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Malaysia, Malawi, Mauritius, Serbia and Montenegro spent half a day visiting various places at Auroville and learning about the concept and design of the township.

They visited the Industrial zone, Auroville Centre for Scientific Research and International zone, also the Indian pavilion. They were given an idea of the basis of Auroville's visions, about how the township had been planned and all their activities in various areas.

Speaking to The Hindu, the US Consul-General, Richard D Hayes, said this was his first visit to Auroville and that he was amazed at the place and all its greenery. "The concept seems very much like many communities in the US, which has a long tradition of imaginative communities. India itself has a great tradition of supporting such communities take Tagore's (Shantiniketan) for example and fostering these kinds of experiments".

The Japanese Consul-General, Kikuchi, was impressed about the way the township had been planned "like the universe". "It is a very good idea because this area has no nationality, they are all human beings", he said. Auroville was very much known in Japan and many people wanted to come over here to live.

"Auroville being an area where everyone is free to research on anything that is useful to humanity, we would love to have some kind of cooperation with people from other countries in that area. That is why we have invited all these diplomats to visit Auroville and see for themselves the kind of work that we are doing", says Saurav of Auroville's Future.

"When The Mother inaugurated Auroville on February 28, 1968, it was envisaged as a place that belongs to nobody in particular but one that belongs to humanity as a whole. The international zone, which is meant to bring together countries of the world, has at present the cultural pavilions of India (Bharat Nivas), the Pavilion of Tibet and work has started on the American Pavilion. The Foundation stones of French, Italian, Russian and German have already been laid here and we expect more nations to follow", says Tapas Bhat, one of the first Aurovilians.

The Children's Response
"On Thursday, my class and I went to Repos Beach to help clean up the dirt left by the Tsunami wave.I wanted to help cleaning up because it is our Auroville beach.It is our beach so, if something happens, we are the ones who have to take care of it.

I wanted to help cleaning really much because I felt really sad after seeing people crying near the streets or broken houses, and hearing horrifying stories.

I felt something in my chest telling me that I had to do something to help cleaning up the Tsunami disaster.

Sometimes people think of children as people that are irresponsible or that can't do anything by themselves. Usually, I find that frustrating. So, i wanted to show that I care about what is happening and I would put some energy to help out a bit." Tsunami Children