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Colossal funding in manufacturing plants by fossil fuel companies will increase plastic production by 40%, risking permanent pollution of the earth
The global plastic binge which is already causing widespread damage to oceans, habitats and food chains, is set to increase dramatically over the next 10 years after multibillion dollar investments in a new generation of plastics plants in the US.
Fossil fuel companies are among those who have ploughed more than $180bn since 2010 into new “cracking” facilities that will produce the raw material for everyday plastics from packaging to bottles, trays and cartons.
The new facilities – being built by corporations like Exxon Mobile Chemical and Shell Chemical – will help fuel a 40% rise in plastic production in the next decade, according to experts, exacerbating the plastic pollution crisis that scientist warn already risks “near permanent pollution of the earth.”
Plastic waste washed up on the coast of the Philippines.
Photograph: Jes Aznar/Getty Images
Everyone can do something to reduce the amount of plastic that enters the ocean. Here are seven ways you can make a difference.
1. Reduce Your Use of Single-Use Plastics
Wherever you live, the easiest and most direct way that you can get started is by reducing your own use of single-use plastics. Single-use plastics include plastic bags, water bottles, straws, cups, utensils, dry cleaning bags, take-out containers, and any other plastic items that are used once and then discarded.
The best way to do this is by a) refusing any single-use plastics that you do not need (e.g. straws, plastic bags, takeout utensils), and b) purchasing, and carrying with you, reusable versions of those products, including reusable grocery bags , produce bags , bottles ,
utensils , coffee cups , and dry cleaning garment bags .
2. Recycle
This should go without saying, but when you use single-use (and other) plastics that can be recycled, always be sure to recycle them. This helps keep them out of the ocean and reduces the amount of “new” plastic in circulation. If you need help finding a place to recycle plastic waste near you, check Earth911’s recycling directory .
3. Participate in a Beach or River Cleanup
Help remove plastics from the ocean and prevent them from getting there in the first place by participating in, or
organizing a cleanup of your local beach or waterway. This is one of the most direct and rewarding ways to fight ocean plastic pollution. You can simply go to the beach or waterway and collect plastic waste on your own or with friends or family, or you can join a local organization’s cleanup or an international event like the
International Coastal Cleanup .
4. Support Bans
Many municipalities around the world have enacted bans on single use plastic bags , takeout containers, and bottles. You can support the adoption of such policies in your community. Here is a list of resources for legislative bodies considering limiting the use of plastic bags.
5. Avoid Microbeads
Tiny plastic particles, called “microbeads,” have become a growing source of ocean plastic pollution in recent years. Microbeads are found in some face scrubs, toothpastes, and bodywashes, and they readily enter our oceans and waterways through our sewer systems, and affect hundreds of marine species. Avoid products containing plastic microbeads by looking for “polythelene” and “polypropylene” on the ingredient labels of your cosmetic products (find a list of products containing microbeads here).
6. Spread the Word
Stay informed on issues related to plastic pollution and help make others aware of the problem. Tell your friends and family about how they can be part of the solution, or host a viewing party for one of the many plastic pollution focused documentaries, like Bag It,
Addicted to Plastic , Plasticized , or
Garbage Island .
7. Support Organizations Addressing Plastic Pollution
There are many non-profit organizations working to tackle the problem of ocean plastic pollution in a variety of different ways, including
Oceanic Society , Plastic Pollution Coalition , 5 Gyres , Algalita, Plastic Soup Foundation , and others. These organizations rely on donations from people like you to continue their important work. Even small donations can make a big difference!
These seven ideas only scratch the surface for ways you can help address the growing problem of plastic pollution in the oceans. The important thing is that we all do something, no matter how small.
Cc:Brian Hutchinson
The modern image of Santa Claus has been refined again and again.
The man we know as Santa Claus has a history all his own. Today, he is thought of mainly as the jolly man in red, but his story stretches all the way back to the 3rd century. Find out more about the history of Santa Claus from his earliest origins to the shopping mall favorite of today, and discover how two New Yorkers–Clement Clark Moore and Thomas Nast–were major influences on the Santa Claus millions of children wait for each Christmas Eve.
THE LEGEND OF ST. NICHOLAS
The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends. It is said that he gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick. One of the best known of the St. Nicholas stories is that he saved three poor sisters from being sold into slavery or prostitution by their father by providing them with a dowry so that they could be married. Over the course of many years, Nicholas’s popularity spread and he became known as the protector of children and sailors. His feast day is celebrated on the anniversary of his death, December 6. This was traditionally considered a lucky day to make large purchases or to get married. By the Renaissance, St. Nicholas was the most popular saint in Europe. Even after the Protestant Reformation, when the veneration of saints began to be discouraged, St. Nicholas maintained a positive reputation, especially in Holland.
Did You Know?
The Salvation Army has been sending Santa Claus-clad donation collectors into the streets since the 1890s.
SINTER KLAAS COMES TO NEW YORK
St. Nicholas made his first inroads into American popular culture towards the end of the 18th century. In December 1773, and again in 1774, a New York newspaper reported that groups of Dutch families had gathered to honor the anniversary of his death.
The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick’s Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas (Dutch for Saint Nicholas). In 1804, John Pintard, a member of the New York Historical Society, distributed woodcuts of St. Nicholas at the society’s annual meeting. The background of the engraving contains now-familiar Santa images including stockings filled with toys and fruit hung over a fireplace. In 1809,
Washington Irving helped to popularize the Sinter Klaas stories when he referred to St. Nicholas as the patron saint of New York in his book, The History of New York. As his prominence grew, Sinter Klaas was described as everything from a “rascal” with a blue three-cornered hat, red waistcoat, and yellow stockings to a man wearing a broad-brimmed hat and a “huge pair of Flemish trunk hose.”
SHOPPING MALL SANTAS
Gift-giving, mainly centered around children, has been an important part of the Christmas celebration since the holiday’s rejuvenation in the early 19th century. Stores began to advertise Christmas shopping in 1820, and by the 1840s, newspapers were creating separate sections for holiday advertisements, which often featured images of the newly-popular Santa Claus. In 1841, thousands of children visited a Philadelphia shop to see a life-size Santa Claus model. It was only a matter of time before stores began to attract children, and their parents, with the lure of a peek at a “live” Santa Claus. In the early 1890s, the Salvation Army needed money to pay for the free Christmas meals they provided to needy families. They began dressing up unemployed men in Santa Claus suits and sending them into the streets of New York to solicit donations. Those familiar Salvation Army Santas have been ringing bells on the street corners of American cities ever since.
‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
In 1822, Clement Clarke Moore, an Episcopal minister, wrote a long Christmas poem for his three daughters entitled “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas.” Moore’s poem, which he was initially hesitant to publish due to the frivolous nature of its subject, is largely responsible for our modern image of Santa Claus as a “right jolly old elf” with a portly figure and the supernatural ability to ascend a chimney with a mere nod of his head! Although some of Moore’s imagery was probably borrowed from other sources, his poem helped popularize the now-familiar image of a Santa Claus who flew from house to house on Christmas Eve–in “a miniature sleigh” led by eight flying reindeer–leaving presents for deserving children. “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” created a new and immediately popular American icon. In 1881, political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore’s poem to create the first likeness that matches our modern image of Santa Claus. His cartoon, which appeared in Harper’s Weekly, depicted Santa as a rotund, cheerful man with a full, white beard, holding a sack laden with toys for lucky children. It is Nast who gave Santa his bright red suit trimmed with white fur, North Pole workshop, elves, and his wife, Mrs. Claus.
A SANTA BY ANY OTHER NAME
18th-century America’s Santa Claus was not the only St. Nicholas-inspired gift-giver to make an appearance at Christmastime. Similar figures were popular all over the world. Christkind or Kris Kringle was believed to deliver presents to well-behaved Swiss and German children. Meaning “Christ child,” Christkind is an angel-like figure often accompanied by St. Nicholas on his holiday missions. In Scandinavia, a jolly elf named Jultomten was thought to deliver gifts in a sleigh drawn by goats. English legend explains that Father Christmas visits each home on Christmas Eve to fill children’s stockings with holiday treats. Pere Noel is responsible for filling the shoes of French children. In Russia, it is believed that an elderly woman named Babouschka purposely gave the wise men wrong directions to Bethlehem so that they couldn’t find Jesus. Later, she felt remorseful, but could not find the men to undo the damage. To this day, on January 5, Babouschka visits Russian children leaving gifts at their bedsides in the hope that one of them is the baby Jesus and she will be forgiven. In Italy, a similar story exists about a woman called La Befana, a kindly witch who rides a broomstick down the chimneys of Italian homes to deliver toys into the stockings of lucky children.
THE NINTH REINDEER
Rudolph, “the most famous reindeer of all,” was born over a hundred years after his eight flying counterparts. The red-nosed wonder was the creation of Robert L. May, a copywriter at the Montgomery Ward department store.
In 1939, May wrote a Christmas-themed story-poem to help bring holiday traffic into his store. Using a similar rhyme pattern to Moore’s “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” May told the story of Rudolph, a young reindeer who was teased by the other deer because of his large, glowing, red nose. But, When Christmas Eve turned foggy and Santa worried that he wouldn’t be able to deliver gifts that night, the former outcast saved Christmas by leading the sleigh by the light of his red nose. Rudolph’s message—that given the opportunity, a liability can be turned into an asset—proved popular. Montgomery Ward sold almost two and a half million copies of the story in 1939. When it was reissued in 1946, the book sold over three and half million copies. Several years later, one of May’s friends, Johnny Marks, wrote a short song based on Rudolph’s story (1949). It was recorded by Gene Autry and sold over two million copies. Since then, the story has been translated into 25 languages and been made into a television movie, narrated by Burl Ives, which has charmed audiences every year since 1964.
The 33-year-old says that the title was inspired by comedian Leon Schuster, who Trevor says: “changed my life with his comedy.”
Trevor made these comments during a press conference held in Johannesburg.
there’s a Gupta On My Stoep is an idea of what I’m feeling and what South Africa feels right now, is it not? That there’s a Gupta on our stoep,” said Trevor Noah who spoke about his new stand-up show at M-Net’s press conference on Thursday.
“There’s people who are old enough to remember the reference – the title of one of my favourite movies – There’s a Zulu On My Stoep . Leon Schuster changed my life with his comedy when I was a young child.”
“Essentially I felt that’s what we’re experiencing right now: We’re a country where we are confused and trying to put together the pieces of how intense, and how much effect these people had on the running of our nation.”
“People are still trying to piece together the Gupta emails, people are still trying to piece together the extent of their influence on our government, but it definitely feels like there’s an encroachment on what we thought was ‘us’ defining ourselves.”
“And the best way I could think of that was really There’s a Gupta On My Stoep . It’s South African,” said Trevor Noah.
“It’s a hint and a nod to the past. And it’s not There’s a Gupta In My House , it’s just on my stoep. There’s also some other things that are happening that I talk about and so that’s why I went with that title.”
“It also reminded me of home. It reminded me of a piece of my childhood. And it’s a nod to the time that we are living in now.”
The host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central (DStv 122) is back in South Africa during his weekday TV show’s end-of-season break. While he has some time off Trevor decided to do a new stand-up show in Johannesburg and Durban. Cape Town was left out because he simply didn’t have the days.
Next year Trevor Noah will also reteam with M-Net (DStv 101) where he had his first TV show, Tonight with Trevor Noah in 2010 for three seasons. Trevor’s new show will be 13 episodes long and be called Trevor Noah Presents… As the host he will showcase upcoming new South African comedians in 2018.
University of Zambia
The University of Zambia ( UNZA ) is a public university located in Lusaka Zambia . It is Zambia’s largest learning institution. UNZA was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966. It is the oldest public university in Zambia. The language of instruction is English .
University of Zambia
Motto
Service and Excellence
Type
Public
Established
12 July 1966
Chancellor
Jacob Mwanza
Vice-Chancellor
Professor Luke Evuta Mumba
Location
Lusaka, Zambia
Campus
2 urban campuses
Nickname
UNZA
Affiliations
AAU, ACU , HEA
Website
History
The beginnings of UNZA can be traced back before the Second World War when the idea to set up a University in Northern Rhodesia was conceived. However, plans to set up a university were halted when the war broke out and only revived after. The colonial government instituted plans to set up a Central African University College, for Africa, due toe the development of higher education institutions in most parts of Africa.
The Central Africa council (CAC) appointed a committee to investigate requirements for a college for higher education and, it was recommended that a college for higher education be established. A subsequent investigation into the need for higher education for Africans in Central Africa was conducted by Sir Alexander Carr-Saunders in 1952, with a follow up report submitted in March 1953. The Southern Rhodesia Government accepted the establishment of a multi-racial University College and the commission consequently recommended that an institution be established in Salisbury. However, a minority report written by Dr. Alexander Kerr, provided a counter argument suggesting that the establishment of a higher education institution on the basis of equality between races was not feasible and thus recommended that a university for non-Europeans be established in Lusaka.
The political climate, as a result of the independence struggle, in the late 1950s and early 1960s made the idea of an all-inclusive University College of Rhodesia less attractive. As a result, plans to solicit support for the establishment of a higher education institution in Lusaka were initiated. In March 1963, the new Northern Rhodesia Government appointed a commission—The Lockwood Commission—led by Sir John Lockwood to assess the feasibility of setting up a university for Northern Rhodesia. The commission placed a lot of emphasis on autonomy and thus recommended the establishment of a university with no ties with already established universities in Britain. The report also recommended the establishment of the University of Zambia as a full-fledged university from the onset.
A Provisional Council of the University of Zambia was put in place after enactment of the University of Zambia Act, 1965. In July 1965, Dr. Douglas G. Anglin was appointed Vice Chancellor and, in October 1965, President Kenneth David Kaunda gave the assent of Act no 66 of the 1965 act.
The University of Zambia was inaugurated on July 13 1966 following the appointment of President Kenneth David Kaunda as the first Vice Chancellor on July 12 1966.
Campus
University of Zambia Sports Centre and Clinic
Its main campus, the Great East Road Campus, is on the Great East Road , about 7 km from Lusaka City. It also has the Ridgeway Campus within Lusaka City located at the University Teaching Hospital (famously called UTH ); this campus specifically houses students pursuing medical and pharmacological courses.
Organisation
The University of Zambia has over 157 degree and postgraduate degree programmes. The University of Zambia is divided into the following faculties:
School of Agricultural Sciences
Agricultural Economics and Extension Education
Animal Science
Food Science and Nutrition
Plant Science
Soil Science
School of Engineering
Agricultural Engineering
Civil and Environment Engineering
Electronic and Electronic Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Geomatic Engineering
School of Education
Adult Education and Extension Studies
Advisory Unit For Colleges Of Education
Educational Administration and Policy Studies
Educational Psychology, Socialogy and Special Education
Library and Information Science
Language and Social Sciences
Mathmatics and Science Education
Primary Education
Religious Studies
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Development Studies
Economics
History
Political and Administrative Studies
Population Studies
Psychology
Philosophy and Applied Ethics
Mass Communication
Literature and Language
Gender Studies
Social Work and Sociology
School of Law
Public Law
Private Law
School of Mines
Geology
Mining Engineering
Metallurgy and Material Processing
School of Medicine
Anatomy
Biomedical Sciences
Physiological Sciences
Nursing Sciences>
Medical Education Development
Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Paediatrics and Child Health
Pathology and MicroBiology
Pharmacy
Physiotherapy
Psychiatry
Public Health
Surgery
Internal Medicine
School of Natural Sciences
Biological Sciences
Chemistry
Mathematics and Statistics
Physics
Geography
Computer Studies
School of Veterinary Medicine
Biomedical Studies
Clinical Studies
Disease Control
Para-Clinical Studies
Central Services and Supply
Graduate School of Business
The Institute of Economic and Social Research.
The University of Zambia Library.
The Institute of Distance Education
Affiliations
UNZA is a member of the Association of African Universities, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, and the International Association of Universities.
Notable alumni
Levy Mwanawasa , the late Zambian President studied Law at UNZA
Edgar Lungu, the current Zambian President studied Law at UNZA
Inonge Wina , the current Vice President of Zambia obtained a BA degree at UNZA
Ireen Mambilima , the current Chief Justice of Zambia.
Nkandu Luo , Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and former head of Pathology and Microbiology at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.
Hakainde Hichilema , leader of the opposition political party UPND studied Economics at UNZA.
Monica Nashandi, Namibian ambassador and 1983 graduate
Edward Makuka Nkoloso , founder of the Zambia National Academy of Science, Space Research and Philosophy
Emmerson Mnangagwa ,President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Notable research
The University of Zambia has a nanotechnology research centre that was founded in 2001. The centre was founded by Elijah Mwansa, who after graduating from the University of Zambia received his Ph.D. from the
University of Cambridge and was a professor at University of Heidelberg and Carnegie Mellon University . The centre has several researchers from other African countries and Europe and is the only one of its kind on the African continent. It is financed by the government of Zambia as part of the Zambia 2020 initiative and grants from foreign science foundations. [Citation needed]
Lusaka Apex Medical University ( LAMU ), is a privately owned medical university in Zambia , established to address the shortage of qualified medical personnel in Zambia in particular, and Southern Africa in general.
Lusaka Apex Medical University (LAMU)
Type: Private
Established: 2008
Vice Chancellor: Prof. Lupando Munkonge
Location: Lusaka, Zambia
15°28’37.0″S, 28°19’50.0″E
Campus: Urban
Website: http://www.lamu.edu.zm
Location: Main Campus in chalala Hilview park, lusaka
The main campus of the university is located along the Lusaka- Kasama road, approximately 13.1 kilometres (8 mi), by road, south of the central business district of the city of Lusaka, Zambia’s capital and largest city. The geographical coordinates of the main university campus are:15°28’37.0″S, 28°19’50.0″E (Latitude:-15.476944; Longitude:28.330556).
The University maintains other campuses, including (a) the Foxdale Campus, along Zambezi Road (b) the Mutandwa Campus, along Mutandwa Road and (c) the TICK Campus, along Kasama Road, all in Lusaka Province
Overview
The university was established by 8 Zambian professionals, and was incorporated in 2008, with the objective of complementing the government of Zambia in training competent, skilled medical and healthcare personnel to serve the people of Zambia and Southern Africa and as of december 2017 LAMU has more than 10,000 students doing various programs.
Currently Apex medical university is building an ultra modern main campus in Lusaka zambia chalala Hilview next to its current main campus.
Academics
As of December 2017, the university offers the following courses:
Undergraduate courses
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
Bachelor of Dental Surgery
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy
Bachelor of Science in Radiography
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health
Postgraduate courses
The following postgraduate courses are available:
Master of Medicine in Clinical Oncology
Master of Medicine in Diagnostic Radiology
Master of Medicine in public health
Diploma programmes
Diploma in Nursing
Diploma in Physiotherapy
Pre-Medical Foundation Programme
A programme that covers Biology , Chemistry , Mathematics and Physics at A-Level education standards.
Having initially introduced 4G services in the Copperbelt in October 2017, Airtel Zambia has now announced the ‘official’ launch of its LTE network in the nation’s capital, Lusaka. The network upgrade in the city was actually completed at the tail-end of last month, it confirmed, and Airtel is now advertising the 4G network as being fully live in Lusaka, with customers looking to take advantage of the faster speeds offered by the technology simply needing to upgrade their SIM card to do so. Airtel Zambia is now offering 1GB of data free to all those that do upgrade to an LTE-compatible SIM, while it has also revamped its entire range of data bundles to coincide with the latest launch announcement. Claiming that its new ‘Chaopena Data’ provide ‘much greater volume benefit compared to what subscribers previously used to get at the same prices’, its plans now start from ZMW3 (USD0.29) for a 60MB allowance (valid for one day), rising to ZMW1,500 for 90-day, 100GB option.
welcome to moonlight-pressline
This article is about the South African business man Atul Gupta and family. For the American professor Atul Gupta (no relation), seeAtul Gupta.TheGupta familyis an Indian-born South African business family whose most notablemembers are the brothers Ajay, Atul, Rajesh “Tony” Gupta as well as Atul Gupta’s nephews Varun, andUS-basedAshish and Amol.
The Gupta family ownsa business empire spanning computer equipment, media and mining. In 2016 Atul Gupta became the seventh-wealthiest person in South Africa, with an estimated net worth of R10.7 billion (US$773.47 million), based on JSE-listed holdings.
The family migrated from the Indian state of Uttar Pradeshto South Africa in 1993, shortly before the country’sfirst democratic elections, to establish Sahara Computers.
The family’s strong ties to South African presidentJacob Zuma, both personally and through its company Oakbay Investments, have been the subject of extensive international scrutiny and caused much political controversy. The ties have led to widespread claims of corruption,undue influenceand of state capture- a term which is used to allege that the government undertakes activities and decisions, decides some high level appointments, and determines control of some state enterprises, for the Gupta family’s direct or indirect benefit, or in agreement with the family.
In 2015 the Guptas’ influence on the presidency was described by anti-corruption campaigner and former trades unionist Zwelinzima Vavias being a”shadow government.”Multiple MPs and ministers have stated that they were offered government positions by, or on behalf of, the Gupta family, in return for beneficial commercial decisions once appointed.
MOONLIGHT-BLOG 