This summer, China will host the Beijing Olympics. Thousands of top athletes and millions of fans will pour into Beijing starting in August. To prepare, the city has planned a lot of new buildings, including stadiums, hotels for all the fans, and an entire village within the city where the athletes and coaches will live.
Some of the new buildings are like no others in the world. The National Stadium, for example, is called the “Bird’s Nest". Even though it’s made of steel and concrete, the stadium looks just like a giant nest made of sticks.
At one point, as many as 7,000 workers were building the huge stadium! It has 91,000 seats for fans who want to watch competitions in sports including archery, BMX biking, and wrestling.
The National Aquatics Center is nicknamed the “Water Cube”. The outside of the building looks like a shimmering pile of soap bubbles, with 624 pillow-like sections that fit together to cover it. The special covering helps keep the temperature and humidity inside the structure just right.
Swimmers, divers, and water polo teams will all compete here. And when the summer games are over, the building won’t stand empty. It will be “recycled” into a water park.
The Olympic Village, where more than 15,000 athletes and coaches will live during the games, has a dining hall that can serve 5,000 people. The village also has its own shops, entertainment center, library, and even a fire station.
The Chinese have worked hard to try to make sure the Olympics aren’t bad for the environment. In the Olympic Village, solar panels provide some of the electricity to keep the lights on. Rain will be collected to help provide water for drinking and bathing. Lots of city buses and trains will mean fewer people driving around in cars and taxis that cause pollution.
Unfortunately, China is already one of the most polluted countries in the world. The government has tried to reduce air pollution from cars and factories in Beijing, but many athletes worry that the air is still unhealthy and could make them sick. Some are planning to keep their visits as short as possible.
The Chinese have thought of everything to make their Olympic guests more comfortable—including the weather. They even plan to use special techniques to keep rain clouds from spoiling the Opening Ceremony.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Today In History; Lincoln Memorial Is Dedicated
1922: The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., is one of the most visited memorials in the United States. That's due in part to its dramatic architecture by Henry Bacon. Based on a Greek temple, the memorial is 99 feet tall and includes 36 doric columns that symbolize the number of states in the Union at the time of President Abraham Lincoln's death (1865). Inside, a 19-foot sculpture of Lincoln seated on a throne (by Daniel Chester French) greets visitors. Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address is engraved in the south wall; above it is a mural of the "Angel of Truth" freeing a slave.
Lincoln, beloved as the emancipator of slaves and protector of the Republic, has become a symbol of leadership and freedom for Americans. Because of the special place Lincoln holds in people's hearts, the Lincoln Memorial is often chosen for political speeches. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the memorial in 1963.
Ironically, at the dedication of the memorial in 1922, Tuskegee Institute president Robert Moton, a black lawyer and educator, gave an eloquent speech, but was not given a seat beside the other speakers on the platform. He sat in the segregated "Negro" section.
Lincoln, beloved as the emancipator of slaves and protector of the Republic, has become a symbol of leadership and freedom for Americans. Because of the special place Lincoln holds in people's hearts, the Lincoln Memorial is often chosen for political speeches. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the memorial in 1963.
Ironically, at the dedication of the memorial in 1922, Tuskegee Institute president Robert Moton, a black lawyer and educator, gave an eloquent speech, but was not given a seat beside the other speakers on the platform. He sat in the segregated "Negro" section.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
News; Colombia Signs Up For XO Laptop
About 65,000 children in the Caldas region of Colombia will soon be getting an XO laptop.
It has signed up to the One Laptop Per Child programme which puts cheap PCs into the hands of schoolchildren.
OLPC aims to boost the educational prospects of children in developing nations through technology.
Small towns and rural areas will get the first 15,000 XO laptops. The rest will be distributed over the next 18 months to the region's larger towns.
XO and XP
Unveiling the deal Caldas's Governor Mario Aristizabal said the region was "committed to giving each and every child of primary school age the same opportunity to access knowledge as the most privileged children in New York, Berlin or Tokyo".
A separate deal with OLPC is being negotiated to buy XO laptops for schools in and around the state capital Manizales.
In a statement announcing the deal, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte said the organisation was starting to get "good traction" from countries keen to sign up and buy the distinctive green and white XO laptops in large numbers.
The OLPC's declared aims in its early days was to create a machine that only cost $100 and sold in the millions. So far it has failed to deliver on both those objectives.
Currently each machine costs $188 and OLPC has sold about 600,000 of them.
In mid-May the OLPC group unveiled a deal with Microsoft to put the Windows XP operating system on the XO. Professor Negroponte said many nations wanted the laptops to run Windows before they signed up.
The project has also unveiled reference designs for a second generation machine, which will take the form of an e-book with twin touch screens.
Mr Negroponte said he hoped the device could be released in 2010 and cost $75.
It has signed up to the One Laptop Per Child programme which puts cheap PCs into the hands of schoolchildren.
OLPC aims to boost the educational prospects of children in developing nations through technology.
Small towns and rural areas will get the first 15,000 XO laptops. The rest will be distributed over the next 18 months to the region's larger towns.
XO and XP
Unveiling the deal Caldas's Governor Mario Aristizabal said the region was "committed to giving each and every child of primary school age the same opportunity to access knowledge as the most privileged children in New York, Berlin or Tokyo".
A separate deal with OLPC is being negotiated to buy XO laptops for schools in and around the state capital Manizales.
In a statement announcing the deal, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte said the organisation was starting to get "good traction" from countries keen to sign up and buy the distinctive green and white XO laptops in large numbers.
The OLPC's declared aims in its early days was to create a machine that only cost $100 and sold in the millions. So far it has failed to deliver on both those objectives.
Currently each machine costs $188 and OLPC has sold about 600,000 of them.
In mid-May the OLPC group unveiled a deal with Microsoft to put the Windows XP operating system on the XO. Professor Negroponte said many nations wanted the laptops to run Windows before they signed up.
The project has also unveiled reference designs for a second generation machine, which will take the form of an e-book with twin touch screens.
Mr Negroponte said he hoped the device could be released in 2010 and cost $75.
Today In History; Empress of Ireland Sinks
1914: While the 1912 sinking of the Titanic made headlines, the sinking of the Empress of Ireland was relatively unpublicized - even though its disastrous collision with the Norwegian coal freighter Storstad cost more lives. The Empress was not as fashionable or expensive as the Titanic, its passengers not as well known, but the damage was of epic proportions.
As the Empress sailed the icy St. Lawrence River, a thick fog rolled in suddenly. When the captain of the Empress saw the Storstad coming, he sounded the whistle to tell the Storstad he was altering course to pass the ship on the starboard (right) side. But the helmsman of the Storstad, confused by the bright lights of the cruise ship in the fog, thought the Empress was passing on the port (left) side. The bow of the Storstad, fashioned to slice through ice, cut into the Empress's side. Within minutes the Empress of Ireland sank. Of the 1,477 passengers, 1,012 died - eight more than in the Titanic tragedy. The wreck of the Empress of Ireland still lies at the bottom of the St. Lawrence, off the shore of St. Luce, Quebec. It was proclaimed a protected historic and archeological site by Quebec in 1999. Today the Empress of Ireland has become a popular attraction for scuba divers, but she is still claiming lives. The frigid temperatures, fast changing currents, and low visibility make this shipwreck dive one of the most dangerous in the world.
As the Empress sailed the icy St. Lawrence River, a thick fog rolled in suddenly. When the captain of the Empress saw the Storstad coming, he sounded the whistle to tell the Storstad he was altering course to pass the ship on the starboard (right) side. But the helmsman of the Storstad, confused by the bright lights of the cruise ship in the fog, thought the Empress was passing on the port (left) side. The bow of the Storstad, fashioned to slice through ice, cut into the Empress's side. Within minutes the Empress of Ireland sank. Of the 1,477 passengers, 1,012 died - eight more than in the Titanic tragedy. The wreck of the Empress of Ireland still lies at the bottom of the St. Lawrence, off the shore of St. Luce, Quebec. It was proclaimed a protected historic and archeological site by Quebec in 1999. Today the Empress of Ireland has become a popular attraction for scuba divers, but she is still claiming lives. The frigid temperatures, fast changing currents, and low visibility make this shipwreck dive one of the most dangerous in the world.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
News; Straw Houses: No Need to Fear the Big, Bad Wolf
In the story of the three little pigs, the one who built his house of straw did not fare well; the big, bad wolf huffed and puffed and blew his house down.
But builder Michael Furbish, who made his own home from bales of straw and an elementary school of the same material, says in reality, straw houses are not only sturdy but also good for the environment.
Straw—the stalks of plants like wheat, oats, and barley—is considered a waste material and is commonly used for farm animal bedding. But more and more people are discovering that straw baled into rectangular blocks is an excellent, inexpensive building material.
"Our mental picture is that a straw bale is light," says Furbish. "But each bale weighs about 40 pounds (18 kilograms). We stack them like bricks and then spray plaster—mud, essentially—on the inside walls to coat them one and a half to two inches [3.8 to 5.1 centimeters] thick. Then we put stucco on the outside. So a straw building is really like a fortress, and it is not going to rot as long as water is kept out of the bales."
There are two ways to make a straw-bale structure. You can build load-bearing walls with them, which means the walls support the roof. Or you can build a post-and-beam wooden frame that supports the roof and fill in the walls with straw bales.
Either way, the walls are there to stay. And they provide great insulation, helping keep straw homes in cold climates cozy in winter and those built in hot places like the desert cool in summer.
Straw is considered a "green" (good for the environment) building material because it is a renewable resource: A whole new crop can be grown and harvested every year, easily "renewing" the supply.
Also, planting and harvesting straw uses relatively little energy. "Most other building materials require a lot of energy use in production and manufacturing at a factory," explains Furbish. "With straw-bale construction, you are getting a building product without using much energy at all."
Furbish used about 900 straw bales for his family's two-story, three-bedroom house. His company provided straw-bale walls for the Friends Community School of College Park in Maryland. That project used about 4,000 bales.
When asked if there are any drawbacks to living in a straw house, like mice nibbling on the walls, Furbish points out that the straw is completely covered with plaster and stucco. Besides, he has a couple of cats on mouse patrol, just in case.
"It would be hard to find a wall system that will outperform straw," he says. Looks like the big, bad wolf is just out of luck.
But builder Michael Furbish, who made his own home from bales of straw and an elementary school of the same material, says in reality, straw houses are not only sturdy but also good for the environment.
Straw—the stalks of plants like wheat, oats, and barley—is considered a waste material and is commonly used for farm animal bedding. But more and more people are discovering that straw baled into rectangular blocks is an excellent, inexpensive building material.
"Our mental picture is that a straw bale is light," says Furbish. "But each bale weighs about 40 pounds (18 kilograms). We stack them like bricks and then spray plaster—mud, essentially—on the inside walls to coat them one and a half to two inches [3.8 to 5.1 centimeters] thick. Then we put stucco on the outside. So a straw building is really like a fortress, and it is not going to rot as long as water is kept out of the bales."
There are two ways to make a straw-bale structure. You can build load-bearing walls with them, which means the walls support the roof. Or you can build a post-and-beam wooden frame that supports the roof and fill in the walls with straw bales.
Either way, the walls are there to stay. And they provide great insulation, helping keep straw homes in cold climates cozy in winter and those built in hot places like the desert cool in summer.
Straw is considered a "green" (good for the environment) building material because it is a renewable resource: A whole new crop can be grown and harvested every year, easily "renewing" the supply.
Also, planting and harvesting straw uses relatively little energy. "Most other building materials require a lot of energy use in production and manufacturing at a factory," explains Furbish. "With straw-bale construction, you are getting a building product without using much energy at all."
Furbish used about 900 straw bales for his family's two-story, three-bedroom house. His company provided straw-bale walls for the Friends Community School of College Park in Maryland. That project used about 4,000 bales.
When asked if there are any drawbacks to living in a straw house, like mice nibbling on the walls, Furbish points out that the straw is completely covered with plaster and stucco. Besides, he has a couple of cats on mouse patrol, just in case.
"It would be hard to find a wall system that will outperform straw," he says. Looks like the big, bad wolf is just out of luck.
Today In History; Restored Da Vinchi Painting on Display
1999: Always at the cutting edge of art, Leonardo Da Vinci was experimenting when he painted the famous mural The Last Supper (1498). Da Vinci decided to use oils on wet plaster - a most unusual combination. Due to the technique, the mural started to erode as soon as he completed it.
The painting, which depicts Christ and his disciples sharing the Jewish Passover seder just before his arrest and crucifixion, is considered a masterpiece. Art experts have restored it many times over the centuries. The most recent restoration took 20 years! When the experts carefully removed the paint of previous restorations, they uncovered sublime details in the faces of Jesus and the apostles, the food, and the tablecloth. Although no restoration is perfect, most art admirers feel that the latest restoration is very close to the original. The restored painting was first unveiled at the Milan monastery in 1999. You can still view it there today.
The painting, which depicts Christ and his disciples sharing the Jewish Passover seder just before his arrest and crucifixion, is considered a masterpiece. Art experts have restored it many times over the centuries. The most recent restoration took 20 years! When the experts carefully removed the paint of previous restorations, they uncovered sublime details in the faces of Jesus and the apostles, the food, and the tablecloth. Although no restoration is perfect, most art admirers feel that the latest restoration is very close to the original. The restored painting was first unveiled at the Milan monastery in 1999. You can still view it there today.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
News; Polar Bears Listed As Threatened
Polar bears were added to the list of threatened species and will receive special protection under U.S. law. In his statement, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne noted that the decline of Arctic sea ice is the greatest threat to the bears.
Polar bears live in the Arctic and hunt seals and other fatty marine mammals from sea ice. They also travel, mate, and sometimes give birth on the ice. But sea ice is melting as the planet warms, and it is predicted to continue to do so for several more decades.
"Because polar bears are vulnerable to this loss of habitat, they are—in my judgment—likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future," Kempthorne said.
Although many scientists say that human activity is directly responsible for the melting sea ice, the new polar bear protections will not change U.S. climate policy.
The U.S. classifies the polar bear as a marine mammal, which means that the bear's new threatened status will not stop oil exploration within its habitat. Hunting of polar bears as a food source by certain native people and trade in native handicrafts made from polar bears will also continue. However, importing polar bear products from Canada (where trophy hunting is legal) will be banned.
Scott Bergen is a landscape ecologist with the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society and a contributing author to U.S. Geological Survey studies released in 2007 that found two-thirds of the world's polar bears could go extinct by 2050. He and other WCS staff are "almost elated" with the decision, he said.
"Even though it doesn't directly influence carbon emissions so to speak, we think it is a definite decision in the right direction and we're pleased to see the Fish and Wildlife Service is supporting the best science on this species," he added.
Bergen noted that saving the polar bear will depend on international cooperation. Permanent sea-ice habitat is likely to remain in areas outside of the U.S., particularly in Canada and Greenland.
Scientists view these areas as refuges that could allow some polar bear populations to survive over the long term and repopulate the Arctic if temperatures decrease and sea ice returns.
"If you take a long-term view—meaning a hundred-year view into the future," he said, "polar bears' existence is not necessarily totally dependent on what happens in the United States."
Polar bears live in the Arctic and hunt seals and other fatty marine mammals from sea ice. They also travel, mate, and sometimes give birth on the ice. But sea ice is melting as the planet warms, and it is predicted to continue to do so for several more decades.
"Because polar bears are vulnerable to this loss of habitat, they are—in my judgment—likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future," Kempthorne said.
Although many scientists say that human activity is directly responsible for the melting sea ice, the new polar bear protections will not change U.S. climate policy.
The U.S. classifies the polar bear as a marine mammal, which means that the bear's new threatened status will not stop oil exploration within its habitat. Hunting of polar bears as a food source by certain native people and trade in native handicrafts made from polar bears will also continue. However, importing polar bear products from Canada (where trophy hunting is legal) will be banned.
Scott Bergen is a landscape ecologist with the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society and a contributing author to U.S. Geological Survey studies released in 2007 that found two-thirds of the world's polar bears could go extinct by 2050. He and other WCS staff are "almost elated" with the decision, he said.
"Even though it doesn't directly influence carbon emissions so to speak, we think it is a definite decision in the right direction and we're pleased to see the Fish and Wildlife Service is supporting the best science on this species," he added.
Bergen noted that saving the polar bear will depend on international cooperation. Permanent sea-ice habitat is likely to remain in areas outside of the U.S., particularly in Canada and Greenland.
Scientists view these areas as refuges that could allow some polar bear populations to survive over the long term and repopulate the Arctic if temperatures decrease and sea ice returns.
"If you take a long-term view—meaning a hundred-year view into the future," he said, "polar bears' existence is not necessarily totally dependent on what happens in the United States."
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