Japan fears for future as number of new adults falls to record low

http://m.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/10/japan-new-adults-record-low?cat=world&type=article

Haiti: One year on

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/haiti-one-year-on-from-quake-2179837.html

Interesting article from the Independent highlighting the impact of the 2010 1 year on and its impact still in a country that is struggling to cope.

A Tale of Two Floods Shows the Disaster Gap Between Rich and Poor

Interesting article from Time magazine discussing the constrasting effects of the current flooding disaster in Queensland Australia and the 2010 flooding diaster in Pakistan with some interesting points

"But economic development will be vital as well, because unless poor countries like Pakistan can develop—and boost their governance along the way—the disaster gap shown by these two floods will only grow".

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1oms3A/ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/01/04/a-tale-of-two-floods-shows-the-disaster-gap-between-rich-and-poor?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Map of Wealth Gap

http://i.imgur.com/OBeYU.jpg

Interesting Interactive Map showing the gap between developed and developing countries. The map shows the spread of 'Quality of life' cities as well as areas of healvily guarded borders.

China official warns of 300-year desertification fight

A senior Chinese official has said it
will take 300 years to turn back China's advancing deserts at the current rate
of progress.

Liu Tuo, who leads China's efforts to tackle the problem, said investment was
"seriously insufficient."


More than one quarter of China is either covered by desert or is land that is
suffering desertification.


The process is often caused by overgrazing and other unsuitable farming
techniques.


Authorities worry that expanding deserts could put crops and water supplies
in the world's second largest economy at risk.


But the official leading China's efforts against the problem said not enough
was being done.


Liu Tuo said there was a "huge gap" in the country's efforts, adding that at
current rates it would take 300 years to reclaim land which has recently become
desert.


"There is about 1.73m sq km (0.67m sq miles) of desertified land in China,
and about 530,000 sq km of that can be treated," he said.


"At our present rate of treating 1,717 sq km a year, I've just calculated
we'll need 300 years."


He also warned that global warming could exacerbate the problem by causing
drought.


Most of the desertification in China happens on the fringes of the Gobi
Desert which lies in the west of the country.

Facebook Map the World!

Facebook has used it's data to map out its 500 million members around the world.

Amazing Satellite Images of Earth

Amazing Images of Earth captured by the European Space Agency and Nasa Satelittes. The image above is of Egypt and shows the population of Egypt living concentrated over the Nile Delta, useful image to discuss populution,

The link below has other images that could be useful

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2010/dec/06/satellite-eye-on-earth?intcmp=122#/?picture=369407901&index=7