Minggu, 15 Maret 2009

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Kamis, 12 Maret 2009

Jangan Pilih Politisi Penjahat Lingkungan Pada Pemilu 2009

Beberapa bulan menjelang Pemilu Legislatif 2009 pada bulan April nanti sebanyak 11.301 calon anggota DPR RI dari 38 partai politik, 1.116 calon anggota Dewan Perwakilan Daerah (DPD), serta ratusan ribu calon anggota DPRD I dan DPRD II bersaing memperebutkan kursi anggota legislatif di masing-masing tingkatan posisi. Belum lagi Pemilihan Presiden yang akan dilaksanakan sekitar bulan Juli 2009, beberapa calon Presiden dan calon Wakil Presiden sudah mulai mendeklarasikan diri.

Berkaitan hajat besar demokrasi yang akan di selenggarakan tahun 2009 ini, calon anggota legislatif (Caleg) DPR, DPRD I, DPRD II, calon anggota DPD dan Calon Presiden/Wakil Presiden tentunya membutuhkan dana yang besar untuk kampanye dan menjalankan program pemenangan lainnya.

Kebutuhan dana yang besar apabila berasal dari sumber dana yang legal tentunya tidak menjadi menjadi masalah. Yang menjadi masalah besar adalah apabila sumber dananya berasal dari sumber yang illegal seperti illegal logging dan merusak lingkungan.


Sudah menjadi rahasia umum, di berbagai daerah praktek illegal logging seringkali melibatkan birokrat, pengusaha dan elit politik lokal/nasional yang menjalankan lansung bisnis kayu illegal, membekingi praktik illegal logging dan merusak lingkungan yang secara kebetulan dalam Pemilu 2009 ini mencalonkan diri sebagai calon anggota legislatif dan calon anggota DPD.

Atas dasar fakta-fakta di atas, Illegal Logging Watch (ILW), seperti ditulis dalam siaran pers yang diterima satudunia.net, mengajak masyarakat Indonesia calon pemilih dalam Pemilihan Umum dan Pemilihan Presiden 2009 untuk menolak/tidak memilih calon anggota DPR RI, DPRD I, DPRD II, DPD, dan calon Presiden/Wakil Presiden RI yang sumber dana pemenangannya (kampanye) berasal dari menjalankan bisnis kayu illegal, membekingi praktik illegal logging dan bisnis lain yang merusak lingkungan.

Atas hal tersebut di atas ILW mengaku akan melakukan beberapa langkah-langkah. Seperti melakukan pemantauan kepada pihak-pihak di atas selama masa kampanye sampai dengan 1 (satu) hari sebelum minggu tenang pelaksanaan Pemilihan Umum. Khusus calon Presiden/Wakil Presiden pemantauan dilaksanakan sampai dengan 1 (satu) hari sebelum minggu tenang pelaksanaan Pemilihan Presiden.

Selain itu, ILW mengajak masyarakat dan media massa untuk bersama-sama memantau sumber dana pihak-pihak tersebut. Dalam siaran persnya, ILW juga mendesak Pusat Pelaporan dan Analisis Transaksi Keuangan (PPATK) untuk memantau aliran dana pihak-pihak di atas, dan mendesak Komisi Pemilihan Umum (KPU) Pusat dan Komisi Pemilihan Umum Daerah (KPUD) di berbagai wilayah untuk mengumumkan anggaran kampanye partai politik atau individu terkait DPD dan Capres/Cawapres secara periodik dan transparan.

Rabu, 11 Maret 2009

Salt Might Be 'Nature's Antidepressant'

Most people consume far too much salt, and a University of Iowa researcher has discovered one potential reason we crave it: it might put us in a better mood.
UI psychologist Kim Johnson and colleagues found in their research that when rats are deficient in sodium chloride, common table salt, they shy away from activities they normally enjoy, like drinking a sugary substance or pressing a bar that stimulates a pleasant sensation in their brains.
"Things that normally would be pleasurable for rats didn't elicit the same degree of relish, which leads us to believe that a salt deficit and the craving associated with it can induce one of the key symptoms associated with depression," Johnson said.
The UI researchers can't say it is full-blown depression because several criteria factor into such a diagnosis, but a loss of pleasure in normally pleasing activities is one of the most important features of psychological depression. And, the idea that salt is a natural mood-elevating substance could help explain why we're so tempted to over-ingest it, even though it's known to contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease and other health problems.

Past research has shown that the worldwide average for salt intake per individual is about 10 grams per day, which is greater than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended intake by about 4 grams, and may exceed what the body actually needs by more than 8 grams.

Johnson, who holds appointments in psychology and integrative physiology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and in pharmacology in the Carver College of Medicine, published a review of these findings in the July issue of the journal Physiology & Behavior with Michael J. Morris and Elisa S. Na, UI graduate students. In addition to reporting their own findings, the authors reviewed others' research on the reasons behind salt appetite.

High levels of salt are contained in everything from pancakes to pasta these days, but once upon a time, it was hard to come by. Salt consumption and its price skyrocketed around 2000 B.C. when it was discovered as a food preservative. Roman soldiers were paid in salt; the word salary is derived from the Latin for salt. Even when mechanical refrigeration lessened the need for salt in the 19th century, consumption continued in excess because people liked the taste and it had become fairly inexpensive. Today, 77 percent of our salt intake comes from processed and restaurant foods, like frozen dinners and fast food.

Evolution might have played an important part in the human hankering for salt. Humans evolved from creatures that lived in salty ocean water. Once on land, the body continued to need sodium and chloride because minerals play key roles in allowing fluids to pass in and out of cells, and in helping nerve cells transfer information throughout the brain and body. But as man evolved in the hot climate of Africa, perspiration robbed the body of sodium. Salt was scarce because our early ancestors ate a veggie-rich diet and lived far from the ocean.

"Most of our biological systems require sodium to function properly, but as a species that didn't have ready access to it, our kidneys evolved to become salt misers," Johnson said.

Behavior also came to play a key role in making sure we have enough salt on board. Animals like us come equipped with a taste system designed to detect salt and a brain that remembers the location of salt sources -- like salt licks in a pasture. A pleasure mechanism in the brain is activated when salt is consumed.

So the body needs salt and knows how to find it and how to conserve it. But today scientists are finding evidence that it's an abused, addictive substance -- almost like a drug.

One sign of addiction is using a substance even when it's known to be harmful. Many people are told to reduce sodium due to health concerns, but they have trouble doing so because they like the taste and find low-sodium foods bland.

Another strong aspect of addiction is the development of intense cravings when drugs are withheld. Experiments by Johnson and colleagues indicate similar changes in brain activity whether rats are exposed to drugs or salt deficiency.

"This suggests that salt need and cravings may be linked to the same brain pathways as those related to drug addiction and abuse," Johnson said.
ScienceDaily (Mar. 11, 2009)

Jumat, 27 Februari 2009

The Lightning Flash Before The Flood


Flash floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States, and because of their unpredictability they’re the leading weather-related cause of death for Americans. They usually arrive with little or no warning, but a Tel Aviv University researcher is trying to predict where and when they will occur ― using lightning.
Prof. Colin Price, coordinator of the international “Flash Project” and head of the Geophysics and Planetary Physics Department at Tel Aviv University, is studying the link between lightning and subsequent flash floods. The three-year study includes scientists from five European countries, and its results are expected to be adopted by weather forecasting agencies around the world.

The goal is to develop an early warning system for people in the path of a flood. “Flash floods are different from normal floods, which are often the product of melting snow. Flash floods are short-lived and dump a lot of rain,” says Prof. Price, a climate change specialist. “Using the radiation emitted from lightning flashes, we’ve developed a system that can give adequate warning to the public ― and save lives.”

Eventually, the Flash system may be used to send messages to cell phones, RSS feeds, GPS units and other devices to warn people in the path of a flash flood and avert disaster.

“Nowcasting” for Flood Warnings

Unlike normal floods which arrive slowly and with more warning, flash floods are particularly dangerous because they happen so quickly, developing from thunderstorms that form in a matter of hours. By measuring the radiation emitted by lightning, researchers can pinpoint the most intense thunderstorms, and the resulting rainfall can be located and tracked.

This data has been used to predict both the path of a storm and where heavy rainfall will appear ― crucial predictions, since the impact of flash floods depends on ground topography, slope and vegetation cover. “Nowcasting,” which predicts what conditions will be in the next few hours, versus “forecasting” a day or two in advance of expected weather conditions, is critical.

Looking at real-time lightning data, Tel Aviv University researchers can see where storms will travel over a period of a few hours, and can warn people in the path of the flood of impending danger. Such a tool will become even more relevant as erratic weather patterns, predicted by climate-change scientists today, become a reality tomorrow.

A Flood of Warnings Delivered in a Flash

The research from the Flash program can be extrapolated for use anywhere in the world, including the flash flood-prone regions of the U.S. For example, the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network could easily apply the results of the Flash research.

“This is a tool for the future,” says Prof. Price. “And it will be even more exciting in the next decade, when we’ll have continuous real-time detection of lightning activity from satellites. That data will be used to predict floods anywhere.” The U.S. will also have geostationary satellites with lightning trackers that will take a picture every 15 minutes from 36,000 kilometers above the earth.

Birds' Movements Reveal Climate Change In Action


The northward and inland movement of North American birds, confirmed by thousands of citizen-observations, has provided new and powerful evidence that climate change is having a serious impact on natural systems, according to a new report by Audubon (BirdLife in the USA). The findings signal the need for dramatic policy changes to combat pervasive ecological disruption.
Analyses of citizen-gathered data from the past 40 years of Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count reveal that 58% of the 305 widespread species that winter on the continent have shifted significantly north since 1968, some by hundreds of kilometres. Movement was detected among species of every type, including more than 70% of highly adaptable forest and feeder birds. Only 38% of grassland species mirrored the trend, reflecting the constraints of their severely-depleted habitat and suggesting that they now face a double threat from the combined stresses of habitat loss and climate adaptation.

Population shifts among individual species are common and can have many causes. However, Audubon scientists say the ongoing trend of movement by some 177 species—closely correlated to long-term winter temperature increases—reveals an undeniable link to the changing climate.

"Birds are showing us how the heavy hand of humanity is tipping the balance of nature and causing ecological disruption in ways we are just beginning to predict and comprehend", said report co-author and Audubon Director of Bird Conservation, Dr Greg Butcher. "Common sense dictates that we act now to curb the causes and impacts of global warming to the extent we can, and shape our policies to better cope with the disruptions we cannot avoid."

Movements across all species averaged approximately 56 kilometres during the period. However, it is the complete picture of widespread movement and the failure of some species to move at all that illustrates the potential for problems.

* Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus, Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus, and Boreal Chickadee Parus hudsonicus have retreated dramatically north into the Canadian Boreal, their ranges moving an estimated 500, 395, and 340 kilometres respectively over 40 years.

* Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator, Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris, and American Black Duck Anas rubripes, normally found in southern-tier states, have all taken advantage of warmer winter waters and have shifted their ranges north by an estimated 393, 272, and 226 kilometres.

* Only 10 of 26 grassland species moved north significantly, while nine moved south. Species such as Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna, Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus, and Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia were likely unable to move despite more moderate northern temperatures because essential grassland habitat areas have disappeared, having been converted to intensive human uses such as row crops, pastures, and hayfields. In combination, global warming and ongoing overuse of grasslands by humans will doom grassland birds to continued population declines.

"Birds provide some of the best evidence for species's responses to climate change, through their population size, distribution and timing of breeding and migration", said Dr Stuart Butchart, BirdLife's Global Research and Indicators Coordinator. "There is now plenty of evidence that bird species are shifting their ranges northwards and to higher altitudes, and that their timing of breeding and migration is shifting forwards in response to climate change."

New Oil Deposits Can Be Identified Through Satellite Images


A new map of the Earth’s gravitational force based on satellite measurements makes it much less resource intensive to find new oil deposits. The map will be particularly useful as the ice melts in the oil-rich Arctic regions. Ole Baltazar, senior scientist at the National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU Space), headed the development of the map.The US company Fugro, one of the world’s leading oil exploration companies, is one of the companies that have already made use of the gravitational map. The company has now initiated a research partnership with DTU Space.

“Ole Baltazar’s gravitational map is the most precise and has the widest coverage to date,” says Li Xiong, Vice President and Head Geophysicist with Fugro. “On account of its high resolution and accuracy, the map is particularly useful in coastal areas, where the majority of the oil is located.”

Satellite measurements result in high precision

Ole Baltazar’s map shows variations in gravitational force across the surface of the Earth and knowledge about these small variations is a valuable tool in oil exploration. Subterranean oil deposits are encapsulated in relatively light materials such as limestone and clay and because these materials are light, they have less gravitational force than the surrounding materials.

Ole Baltazar’s map is based on satellite measurements and has a hitherto unseen level of detail and accuracy. With this map in your hands, it is, therefore, easier to find new deposits of oil underground.

Climate change is revealing new sea regions

The gravitational map from DTU Space is unique on account of its resolution of only 2 km and the fact that it covers both land and sea regions. Oil companies use the map in the first phases of oil exploration. Previously, interesting areas were typically selected using protracted, expensive measurements from planes or ships. The interesting areas appear clearly on the map and the companies can, therefore, plan their exploration much more efficiently.

“The map will also be worth its weight in gold when the ice in the Arctic seriously begins to melt, revealing large sea regions where it is suspected that there are large deposits of oil underground. With our map, the companies can more quickly start to drill for oil in the right places without first having to go through a resource-intensive exploration process,” explains Ole Baltazar.

Based on height measurements instead of direct gravitation measurements

The success of the gravitational map is due in large part to the fact that it is not based on direct gravitation measurements but on observations of the height of the sea, which reflects the gravitation.

“Height measurements have the advantage that it is possible to determine the gravitational field very locally and thus make a gravitational map with a resolution of a few km. For comparison, the resolution of satellite measurements of gravitational force is typically around 200 km. Satellite gravitation measurements are used, for example, to explore conditions in the deeper strata of the Earth, but are not well suited to our purposes,” Ole Baltazar explains.

NASA Survey Confirms Climate Warming Impact On Polar Ice Sheets


In the most comprehensive survey ever undertaken of the massive ice sheets covering both Greenland and Antarctica, NASA scientists confirm climate warming is changing how much water remains locked in Earth's largest storehouse of ice and snow.Other recent studies have shown increasing losses of ice in parts of these ice sheets. This new survey is the first to inventory the losses of ice and the addition of new snow on both continents in a consistent way throughout an entire decade.

The survey shows that there was a net loss of ice from the combined polar ice sheets between 1992 and 2002 and a corresponding rise in sea level. The survey documents for the first time extensive thinning of the West Antarctic ice shelves and an increase in snowfall in the interior of Greenland, as well as thinning at the edges. All are signs of a warming climate predicted by computer models.

The survey, published in the Journal of Glaciology, combines new satellite mapping of the height of the ice sheets from two European Space Agency satellites. It also used previous NASA airborne mapping of the edges of the Greenland ice sheets to determine how fast the thickness is changing.


In Greenland, the survey saw large ice losses along the southeastern coast and a large increase in ice thickness at higher elevations in the interior due to relatively high rates of snowfall. This study suggests there was a slight gain in the total mass of frozen water in the ice sheet over the decade studied, contrary to previous assessments.

This situation may have changed in just the past few years, according to lead author Jay Zwally of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. Last month NASA scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., reported a speed up of ice flow into the sea from several Greenland glaciers. That study included observations through 2005; Zwally's survey concluded with 2002 data.

When the scientists added up the overall gains and loses of ice from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, there was a net loss of ice to the sea. The amount of water added to the oceans (20 billion tons) is equivalent to the total amount of freshwater used in homes, businesses and farming in New York, New Jersey and Virginia each year.

"The study indicates that the contribution of the ice sheets to recent sea-level rise during the decade studied was much smaller than expected, just two percent of the recent increase of nearly three millimeters a year," says Zwally. "Continuing research using NASA satellites and other data will narrow the uncertainties in this important issue."

NASA is continuing to monitor the polar ice sheets with the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), launched in January 2003. ICESat uses a laser beam to measure the elevation of ice sheets with unprecedented accuracy three times a year. The first comprehensive ice sheet survey conducted by ICESat is expected early next year, said Zwally, who is the mission's project scientist.

 
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