Monthly Archives: October 2011

The end of Qantas as we know it

The move by Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, to ground the Qantas fleet around the world, will have caused irreparable damage to the brand, regardless of his motives for doing so. To some degree, you could argue that the Australian public were conscious of the ongoing negotiations with pilots, engineers and baggage handlers (although knowing this […] … learn more→

The promise and problems of pricing Carbon

Friday, October 21st was a significant day for climate change policy worldwide and for the use of market-based approaches to environmental protection, but it went largely unnoticed across the country and around the world, outside, that is, of the State of California. On that day, the California Air Resources Board voted unanimously to adopt formally […] … learn more→

KSU and KASCT to collaborate on Wikipedia translation program

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) have signed a memorandum of understanding with King Saud University (KSU) for the translation of Wikipedia articles into Arabic, an agreement that was formalized by Dr. Abdulaziz M. Al-Swailem, KACST Vice President for Scientific Research Support, and Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi, KSU Vice Rector for Graduate Studies and […] … learn more→

Fewer drops to drink

As John Briscoe tells the story, it was President John F. Kennedy who got Harvard water experts involved in Pakistan’s agricultural crisis in the 1960s. When Pakistan’s president complained about that arid nation’s water problems, Kennedy, looking for a way to help that didn’t involve military commitments, said, “I think we have some guys up […] … learn more→

Gasoline producing material studied in detail for 1st time

Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) is a major conversion process in oil refineries that facilitates the conversion of crude oil to gasoline and diesel. The ever increasing demand for transportation fuels drives extensive research aimed at creating more efficient catalytic solids with increased activity. Until now, research was limited to activity measurements, model studies and analyses […] … learn more→

Yale University transitions to single-stream recycling

Separating paper, bottles, and cans for recycling will soon be a task of the past at Yale. Over the last year, the University has been transitioning to single-stream recycling — a system that allows recyclers to deposit cans, bottles, and other glass, plastic and metal containers in bins along with mixed paper. Yale Facilities is […] … learn more→

Enthusiasm for the environment

Most kids love to be outdoors. A two-year-old jumping onto a pile of leaves in the park is probably not aware of it, but nature is one huge outdoor learning classroom. Children enjoy touching, wondering and caring for leaves, shells, seeds, flowers, and insects. And with this enjoyment, comes heaps of unstructured learning. Nature awakens […] … learn more→

Doggie day at the Polar Museum

Dogs have long been considered ‘man’s best friend.’ Prehistoric canines – possibly early proto-domesticated dogs – were discovered in the archaeological record living 34,000 BC, at Goyet Cave in Belgium. Within the deepest cavern of the famous French cave Chauvet, recent star of Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams, are the prints of a child […] … learn more→