| July 2007
Of the 99 estuaries that had adequate data for evaluation, 64 estuaries have moderate to high level nutrient related impacts. "The team of scientists that worked on this assessment concluded that most of the problems in the estuaries are related to human activities," said lead report author Suzanne Bricker, Ph.D., of NOAA's Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment. "These impacts are occurring in a watershed that currently supports 53 percent of the nation's population, and excluding Alaska accounts for only 17 percent of the nation's land mass. The scientists' assessment is that the ecological health of our coastal waters is seriously threatened by nutrient pollution. We need to comprehensively address the influx of excess nutrients from upland watersheds to protect our nation’s estuaries." While moderate-to-high-level nutrient-related impacts were reported in systems from all coasts, the Mid-Atlantic region, stretching south from Cape Cod to the Chesapeake Bay, is the most impaired.
Voltas chases the overseas chill
Mumbai, Feb 5: Voltas Ltd, the Mumbai-based Rs 3,000-crore air-conditioning and engineering services company, is likely to bag a large overseas order that could be worth Rs 600-800 crore. The order from West Asia would be in the electro-mechanical segment and come before the end of the current fiscal, a source close to the development said. It is also learnt that the Tata group company is readying itself for bigger bets into special economic zone space for long-term contracts. M M Miyajiwala, executive vice president-finance, Voltas, said, "Bidding and bagging orders is a continuous process for us and I don't want comment anything on fresh orders at this stage." He said that Voltas order book size has swelled to Rs3,500 crore, of which Rs2,700 crore are from overseas and Rs 800 crore from the domestic market.
Harvesting Rainwater by Not Letting It Go to Waste
This book provides you with a simple series of integrated strategies for creating water-harvesting "nets" which allow rainwater to permeate and enhance our landscapes, gardens, yards, parks, farms, and ranches. Small-scale strategies are the most effective and the least expensive, so they are emphasized here. They're also the safest and easiest to accomplish. They can empower you to become water self-sufficient. The benefits are many. By harvesting rainwater within the soil and vegetation—in the land, or in cisterns that will later irrigate the land, we can decrease erosion, reduce flooding, minimize water pollution, and prevent mosquito breeding (within water standing on top of the soil for more than three days). The process also generates an impressive array of resources: It can provide drinking water, generate high quality irrigation water, support vegetation as living air conditioners and filters, lower utility bills, enhance soil fertility, grow food and beauty, increase local water resources, reduce demand for groundwater, boost wildlife habitat, and endow us and our community with skills of self-reliance and cooperation! My Rainwater-Harvesting Evolution In 1994, my brother Rodd and I began harvesting water in our backyard by digging, then mulching a basin around a single drought-stressed sour orange tree.
Jen and Violet's Pink Pants Peek-a-boo!
Jennifer Garner and Violet just going about their business may not be the most thrilling, but they certainly find ways to make the daily routine exciting for themselves. Yesterday the favorite momma/daughter duo kept it simple with a trip to Whole Foods and then to the park. They played some peek-a-boo and Violet rocked her toy cell phone around her neck. An afternoon at the grocery store and swings may have nothing on finding a maybe new pet kitty, but Violet's smile is still big as ever. So adorable and happy, how could that not brighten up your Tuesday? To see more of Jen and Violet just read more .
The winter of our content
But Jimmy Cone's betting there are enough who think otherwise to keep his latest business venture, Cone Farms LLC, growing. Cone — or, more precisely, his old friend Garry Koettel, who manages the farm's daily operations — raises organic heirloom tomatoes in a half-acre greenhouse just this side of Sheridan. They're a high-end, niche product, currently retailing for $5 a pound at the Fresh Market store in West Little Rock, but less than a year into things, demand is so strong that the farm's 6,000 plants can't keep up. Tomatoes aren't naturally a winter crop, of course, and those imported from warmer climates are infamous for their resemblance to cardboard. But Koettel insists that Cone Farms' 'maters are different because they are genuinely vine-ripened, not picked green and treated with ethylene gas to change their color.
Civic center ‘beginning to jeopardize park'
The Benton Community Park District has its back to the wall in its efforts to manage the Benton Civic Center.The group has been managing the aging facility for nearly two years. The civic center is in need of a new heat/air-conditioning system and new carpeting. Also, the gravel parking lot is in poor repair and needs to be asphalted.The problem is money - or a lack thereof. .
|
