Schools made of plastic bottle rising in Philippine
At Payatas Elementary School in Laguna Province, more than 70 students are crammed in the classroom, while others have to sit in makeshift classrooms.
“Some of them are not listening because of so many pupils. They re very noisy, so the teachers are facing problems for the performance of the pupils,” said Romeo Tatad, the school s vice principal.
It s a problem that persists in hundreds of other public schools in the Philippines. The education department says there is a need to build 68,000 more classrooms. A need that an underfunded education system has failed to cope with, but the private sector is helping to fill bottle classrooms.
When construction at the school is complete, eight classrooms, mostly made out of glass and plastic bottles, will rise. They are twice the size of regular classrooms and cost only a third to build.
Used plastic bottles are filled with a mixture of soil, water, and cement, which are then packed together to form the walls and foundation of each building. There are holes on either side for ventilation and large solar bulbs made out of steel drums for lighting.
“You re talking about empty land and building only in one way, which is cement, steel and glass. But maybe we re too poor to keep on just using one solution. So if education is important then we should look at all available solutions.
That is why this plastic bottle is a good start. It s a pioneering way to look at how a simple plastic bottle can be used as a brick,” said Illac Diaz, the head of My Shelter Foundation.
The bottle classrooms also go beyond just solving the problem of the lack of classrooms and the excess in garbage. They are actually built to withstand the force of typhoons that have become increasingly stronger as an effect of climate change.
“The classrooms are becoming, you know, cheaper and cheaper and less durable, climate change has become stronger and stronger. So if these are the places where people run to as a place of last resort, you know, we have to look for new ways where cheaper doesn t mean that it s less safe. You can actually run over these plastic bottles with a truck, and it won t break,” Diaz said.
The bottle classrooms are the first of their kind to be completed, but according to Diaz, every town in the Philippines produces enough waste to be able to build one every two weeks. All it takes is some political will and community effort to make it a reality.
Army pro-democracy, no need of early polls: PM
Addressing during interviews and panel discussions on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, PM Gilani said that the matter of Nato supply and review of ties with the United States is with the Defence Committee of the Cabinet.He said Pakistan wants relations with the US on the basis of mutual respect. “Pakistan wants its sovereignty be respected,” said the PM.
He said there is no need of early elections in the country. He said the country’s armed forces and the people of Pakistan are fully in favour of democracy in the country.
Pointing out that Pakistan has “excellent” relationship with India, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said cooperation between the two to tackle climate change was “doable”.
He said Islamabad wants to work with New Delhi on this front. “Yes, certainly there can be cooperation. We have excellent relationship with India and we want to work together,” Gilani said when asked if India and Pakistan can work together to tackle climate change.
“We have been having a number of delegations from both countries on various matters like finance and industry. Certainly cooperation is doable”, Gilani said during a panel discussion on climate change at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012.
Earlier in his address, Gilani said Pakistan has been hit by “horrible” droughts and floods last year and sought a “global fund” to tackle the climate risk issues.
“It (climate change) is quite visible in my country. We have suffered both drought and heavy rains in past one year. It was horrible, not just by our estimates but also as per the estimates of World Bank and Asian Development Bank,” Gilani said.
“There has to be global solution to these problems. The first step we can take is establishing a global fund to tackle the climate risk issues and Pakistan would be happy to partner,” Gilani said.
We will definitely change Britain: Ed Miliband
Newly elected leader of British Labour Party Ed Miliband vowed Tuesday to ditch the baggage of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and revamp the Labour Party to propel it back into power.
In his first major speech since taking over, Ed Miliband said that Labour had only themselves to blame for losing office after 13 years in May’s general election. Let the message go out, a new generation has taken charge of Labour, Miliband said, in a speech aimed at establishing a fresh face with British voters. This country faces some tough choices and so do we. A change is essentially required. Above all, I lead a new generation not bound by fear or the ghosts of the past, he added. He also said that Labour must acknowledge its mistakes under Prime Ministers Blair and Brown, including the highly divisive 2003 invasion of Iraq and the climate of financial deregulation blamed by some for the economic downturn. Miliband said it was no accident that the party had lost five million votes between its landslide victory in 1997 and 2010. A political force founded on its ability to adapt and change lost its ability to do so, he said.
PM says ‘tried to phone Nawaz over COAS tenure extension’
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani Sunday said he had tried to get through to Nawaz Sharif over the telephone in connection with the extension of Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani’s tenure as Chief of Army Staff.
Talking informally to reporters here, the Prime Minister said: “I tried to contact Nawaz Sharif on the phone but could not get through to him because he had set off on a journey.”
He said the extension in service for COAS was purely an administrative affair, so need was not felt to consult other parties.
The Prime Minister said the gift of democracy will be presented to the tribal areas once the ongoing operation gets completed there.
He said Kalabagh Dam got highly politicized and wasted but Bhasha Dam will not be allowed to get wasted like that.
Regarding two weekly holidays, Premier Gilani said that two holidays helped save 1500 MW electricity.
He said it is not the first time that speculation has been made about al-Qaeda leaderships’ presence in Pakistan. However, he stressed on efforts aimed at improving the climate of trust between Pakistan and the US.
“We brought together the whole nation against terrorism,” he claimed, adding now no one can say that the people’s support lies with the terrorists.
Extreme poverty drops in third world: UN report
June 24, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
MANAMA: Extreme poverty has dropped in the developing world especially in Asia, an annual assessment report by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday.
“The share of people in the developing world who subsist on less than 1.25 dollars a day… dropped from 46 percent in the baseline year of 1990 to 27 percent in 2005,” the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Report 2010 said.
It said that the progress was led by “China and Southern and South Eastern Asia.”
The poverty rate “is expected to tumble to 15 percent by the target year of 2015,” said the report, given to a French news agency in Bahrain.
The economic crisis took a heavy toll on jobs and incomes around the world, but its impact does not threaten achievement of the MDG”s target of cutting extreme poverty rates in half by 2015, the report said.
“At the same time, it is clear that improvements in the lives of the poor have been unacceptably slow, and some hard-won gains are being eroded by the climate, food and economic crises,” Ban said in the report.
However, in many poor countries, especially in Africa, more children are finding their way into primary schools, the report said.
It also spoke of “strong interventions in addressing AIDS, malaria and child health” in addition to “a good chance to reach the target for access to clean drinking water” in Africa.
However, “those living in remote areas or with a disability, or due to ethnicity or gender, have sapped progress on many other fronts,” it said.
The report, based on data provided by a large number of international organisations within and outside the UN system, criticised the lack of healthcare for women during childbirth in some developing regions.
Aside from reducing poverty, MDG goals include improvements in education, gender equality as well as child and maternal health.
Other goals include fighting AIDS, improving environmental sustainability and greater global partnership.
prop 16
June 9, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
The controversial PG&E-backed Prop 16 has been defeated, and former tech execs Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina both won their races in Tuesday’s election. Those were some of the results that could effect the greentech industry in California.
Prop 16 — the proposition that sought to prohibit local governments from getting into the electricity industry — was so close this morning, that it was only officially called around 8AM. But it was narrowly defeated, despite the fact that utility PG&E spent reportedly $46 million on a campaign to get Prop 16 passed. As Gary Cook, Greenpeace analyst, wrote in an opinion column for us, if Prop 16 had passed it would have stifled innovation in the energy and smart grid industry.
While Prop 16 failing was surprising and a positive step for greentech, two candidates that aren’t exactly friendly to the industry (not surprisingly) moved ahead in their races. Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman won the Republican gubernatorial race, and will now face Attorney General Jerry Brown in November. Whitman has called for a one-year moratorium on certain parts of AB 32 (the climate change bill) saying that is needed to give the state’s businesses and economy a chance to recover from the ongoing recession. (See our Green Voter Guide to the California Governor Race.)In addition, prop 16 was called at 8:00 AM local time – and failed. This measure sought to prohibit municipalities from getting into the energy market. Those for the bill spent millions campaigning while those who opposed the bill spent a mere $100,000 on their campaign and still the measure lost support.
Now the elections are heating up and November 4th will be a big day for voters. We will be watching the California races very closely to see if Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina will meet the ultimate challenge of winning the election
mary richardson kennedy
May 19, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Wife of RFK Jr. charged in NY with drunken driving
The wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was charged with drunken driving after a police officer saw her run over a curb outside a suburban school, authorities said Tuesday.
Police had responded to the Kennedy home twice in the week before the arrest but said no crimes had been committed there.
Mary Richardson Kennedy, 50, was arrested Saturday with a blood-alcohol level of 0.11 percent, Sgt. Matt Dunn said. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.
Kennedy told police she was at the school in Bedford, about 45 miles north of New York City, to pick up people from a carnival, authorities said.
Officers had visited the Kennedy home twice in the last week, on May 10 and May 13, but Lt. Jeff Dickan said those visits were unrelated to the arrest.
In one call, Kennedy reported a dispute between children, Dickan said. The other visit resulted in a state domestic incident report, but there were “no crimes committed, no report of assault, no arrests and no need for follow-up,” Dickan said. He declined to elaborate.
Officers had visited the Kennedy home twice in the last week, on May 10 and May 13, but Lt. Jeff Dickan said those visits were unrelated to the arrest.
In one call, Kennedy reported a dispute between children, Dickan said. The other visit resulted in a state domestic incident report, but there were “no crimes committed, no report of assault, no arrests and no need for follow-up,” Dickan said. He declined to elaborate.
Police would not say whether anyone else was in the car when Kennedy was arrested or if she had a lawyer. There was no phone listing for the Kennedy home.
Robert Kennedy Jr. is the son of former Sen. Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. He did not immediately return a call to his White Plains office, where he works as an environmental attorney.
calderon
May 19, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
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80″ />White House Welcomes Mexican President for Immigration Talks
President Barack Obama Wednesday told Mexican President Felipe Calderon that he is committed to overhauling the nation’s immigration laws and is confident such a bill could pass if some Republicans jump on board.
Obama and Calderon, meeting during an official visit by the Mexican president and his delegation, discussed border security, ways they can work together to promote economic growth and immigration.
Obama and Calderon characterized an Arizona law that cracks down on illegal immigration as misguided. Obama told Calderon that his administration has asked the Department of Justice to look into whether the law violates civil rights and said he expects a final report “soon.”
Obama said the law is a result of the federal government’s failure to overhaul the immigration system. “The Arizona law I think expresses some of the frustrations that the American people have had in not fixing a broken immigration system,” he said.
Obama said he thinks he can wrangle Democratic support for an immigration bill in the House and Senate but acknowledged he’ll need some Republican support to pass legislation.
Obama and Calderon are also expected to discuss drug violence that has affected both sides of the border. More than 22,700 people have been killed since Calderon deployed tens of thousands of troops and federal police across the country in December 2006 in an offensive against drug traffickers.
The U.S. has been a strong supporter of the offensive, providing training and equipment under the $1.3 billion Merida Initiative. The Obama administration has earned praise from Mexico for repeatedly acknowledging that U.S. drug consumption is a large part of the problem.
Other issues expected to be on the agenda include:
• Climate change. Calderon has worked to make Mexico a global leader on the issue. His country hosts the next round of international climate negotiations in December in Cancun.
To create clean energy jobs and industries of the future, we’re building on a partnership we launched last year with new initiatives to promote regional renewable energy markets, green buildings and smart grid technology. These initiatives will also help us implement the commitments we made at Copenhagen, especially as we work toward the climate conference in Cancun later this year. And let me say that, as a leader in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and in helping developing countries do the same, Mexico’s leadership under President Calderón has been and will be critical.
For the sake of our shared prosperity and security, we discussed the need for immigration that is orderly and safe, and we acknowledged that both our countries have responsibilities. President Calderón is working hard to create jobs so that more Mexicans see a future of opportunity in their country.
During a joint press conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon at the White House Rose Garden, Obama said the controversial legislation resulted from “frustration over our broken immigration system.”
The new law requires officials to ask a person about their immigration status if there is reason to believe the person is in the country illegally.
SAARC agrees to work together for climate change
THIMPHU: The 16th SAARC summit concluded here Thursday also issued “Thimphu statement on climate” highlighting the issue of climate change and stressing the need for joint efforts to face this challenge in the region. Following is the text of the “Thimphu statement on Climate Change.”
The 16th meeting of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Thimphu, Bhutan, on 28-29 April 2010, recalling the high priority attached by the Leaders of SAARC at successive Summits towards preserving and sustainably managing the rich, fragile and diverse ecosystems of South Asia.
Expressing deep concern about the adverse effects of climate change and its impact on the region, particularly on the lives and livelihoods of the 1.6 billion people of South Asia;
Recognizing that effective responses, both on mitigation and adaptation should be formulated and implemented at regional and international levels;
Mindful that while South Asia’s contribution to climate change is minimal, the impacts of this global phenomenon transcends national boundaries;
Also Mindful that the Member States of SAARC as developing countries face the dual challenge of addressing the negative impacts of climate change and pursuing socio-economic development;
Emphasizing the overriding importance of socio-economic development and poverty eradication in our region, and convinced that reducing dependence on carbon in economic growth and promoting climate resilience will promote both development and poverty eradication in a sustainable manner;
Determined that South Asia should become a world leader in low-carbon technologies and renewable energy;
Reiterating the principles of equity, and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities as enshrined in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to be the basis for an agreed outcome in the global negotiations on climate change;
Also underlining that an agreed outcome of the global negotiations must emerge from an inclusive, transparent, open and democratic process of negotiations;
Noting that South Asia is particularly prone to climate change and related disasters making the need for a regional response to meet the challenge of climate change more urgent and compelling;
Welcoming the adoption of Climate Change as the theme of the Sixteenth SAARC Summit as an important initiative to galvanize and consolidate regional endeavours with the objective of making South Asia climate change resilient;
Also Welcoming the signing of the SAARC Convention on Cooperation on Environment as a significant step towards promoting and strengthening regional cooperation;
Convinced that South Asia could benefit from cooperative regional initiatives and approaches, exchange of experiences, knowledge, transfer of technology, best practices to address the challenges posed by climate change;
Aware that preservation of environment and mitigating the impacts of climate change are mutually reinforcing;
Determined to address the adverse effects of climate change in accordance with the purposes and principles of regional cooperation enshrined in the SAARC Charter;
Hereby adopt the Thimphu Statement on Climate Change and agree to undertake the following:
(i) Review the implementation of the Dhaka Declaration and SAARC Action Plan on Climate Change and ensure its timely implementation;
(ii) Agree to establish an Inter-governmental Expert Group on Climate Change to develop clear policy direction and guidance for regional cooperation as envisaged in the SAARC Plan of Action on Climate Change;
(iii) Direct the Secretary General to commission a study for presentation to the Seventeenth SAARC Summit on ‘Climate Risks in the Region: ways to comprehensively address the related social, economic and environmental challenges’;
(iv) Undertake advocacy and awareness programs on climate change, among others, to promote the use of green technology and best practices to promote low-carbon sustainable and inclusive development of the region;
(v) Commission a study to explore the feasibility of establishing a SAARC mechanism which would provide capital for projects that promote low-carbon technology and renewable energy; and a Low-carbon Research and Development Institute in South Asian University;
(vi) Incorporate science-based materials in educational curricula to promote better understanding of the science and adverse effects of climate change;
(vii) Plant ten million trees over the next five years (2010-2015) as part of a regional afforestation and reforestation campaign, in accordance with national priorities and programmes of Member States;
(viii) Evolve national plans, and where appropriate regional projects, on protecting and safeguarding the archeological and historical infrastructure of South Asia from the adverse effects of Climate Change;
(ix) Establish institutional linkages among national institutions in the region to, among others, facilitate sharing of knowledge, information and capacity building programmes in climate change related areas;
(x) Commission a SAARC Inter-governmental Marine Initiative to strengthen the understanding of shared oceans and water bodies in the region and the critical roles they play in sustainable living to be supported by the SAARC Coastal Zone Management Center;
(xi) Stress the imperative of conservation of bio-diversity and natural resources and monitoring of mountain ecology covering the mountains in the region;
(xii) Commission a SAARC Inter-governmental Mountain Initiative on mountain ecosystems, particularly glaciers and their contribution to sustainable development and livelihoods to be supported by SAARC Forestry Center;
(xiii) Commission a SAARC Inter-governmental Monsoon Initiative on the evolving pattern of monsoons to assess vulnerability due to climate change to be supported by SAARC Meteorological Research Center;
(xiv) Commission a SAARC Inter-governmental Climate-related Disasters Initiative on the integration of Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) with Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) to be supported by SAARC Disaster Management Center;
(xv) Complete the ratification process for the SAARC Convention on Cooperation on Environment at an early date to enable its entry into force; and
(xvi) The Inter-governmental Expert Group on Climate Change shall meet at least twice a year to periodically monitor and review the implementation of this Statement and make recommendations to facilitate its implementation and submit its report through the Senior Officials of SAARC to the SAARC Environment Ministers.
Unfair to relate LG poll with target killing: Mirza
KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza has said that political motives are behind incidents of target killing in Karachi.
“The provincial government will soon get rid of target killing,” he told newsmen at the Chief Minister House on Thursday.
To a question, he said it would be unfair to relate the acts of target killings with the LG election.
He argued that dozens of people were killed during the time of former nazims.
