UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Paris for CEB meeting hosted by UNESCO

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon came to Paris to attend the annual meeting of the CEB (UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination), hosted by UNESCO on 4-5 April, following his participation in the G-20 Summit in London.

On his first visit to UNESCO since his election to the head of the UN, the Secretary-General addressed delegations and staff at an information meeting at Headquarters on 3 April. The session was webcast to all UNESCO Field Offices.

On 6-7 April, Ban Ki-Moon will be in Istanbul (Turkey) for the second Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, aimed at advancing intercultural understanding.

UNESCO Director-General to G-20: “Invest in education”

Koïchiro Matsuura, the Director-General of UNESCO, has written to the leaders of the Group of 20 nations, meeting in London this week, to plead the cause of education.

Mr Matsuura said world leaders must tackle systemic and financial problems at the same time as the fundamental issues that determine long-term economic development, such as education. The Director-General stressed that “Expenditure for education is one of the most productive investments that a country can make. […] Research shows that by extending the average period spent at school by one year, per capita GDP is increased by 4 to 6 %. By injecting resources into education now, not only would we stimulate economic recovery, but we would also contribute to stronger growth in the future and guarantee global stability in the long term. This is why UNESCO proposes including education on the agendas of all international meetings aimed at resolving the current crisis.”

The Director-General added, “Investing in science, innovation and new technologies, including green technologies, is also fundamental for stimulating economic growth while contributing to a sustainable environment. UNESCO is already working with many countries, especially in Africa, to develop scientific policies and build human and institutional capacities in order to promote innovation.”

“Responding to the global crisis, which is of unprecedented magnitude and complexity, will require unfailing cooperation and international solidarity. The organizations in the United Nations System, including UNESCO, of which all the G20 countries are members, have the ability to undertake coordinated and strategic action,” said Mr Matsuura, stressing that “multilateralism will be vital for finding common solutions to the current challenges.”

The Director-General continued, “The crisis risks wiping out the gains of recent years - attained after major efforts - especially in developing countries, and compromising progress towards the development goals set by everyone, including the Millennium Development Goals. With the population of Africa expected to double in the next 35 years, cutting investments allocated to the reduction of poverty now is the best way to cause social disaster. […] I exhort the G20 to urge aid donors to reverse the current trend of decreasing aid commitments and disbursements.”

Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) Study

Principal investigator: Germaine M. Buck Louis, Ph.D., M.S.
The Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) Study (http://www.lifestudy.us ) is designed to examine the relation between ubiquitous environmental chemicals, lifestyle, and human fecundity and fertility. The primary exposures of interest include persistent chemicals (e.g., PCBs, PBDEs and PFOS) and lifestyle factors (e.g., stress, cigarette smoking, caffeine, and alcohol usage). The LIFE Study will follow 800 couples in two states as they try to become pregnant for up to 12 at-risk menstrual cycles. Women who conceive will be followed through delivery. Primary outcome measures include fecundability, pregnancy loss, infertility, and infant gestation and birth size.

DESPR Collaborators

· Enrique F. Schisterman, Ph.D.
· Aiyi Liu, Ph.D.
· Rajeshwari Sundaram, Ph.D.
Selected Publications

Lynch CD, Jackson L, & Buck Louis GM. (2006). Estimation of the day-specific probabilities of conception: Current state of the knowledge and the relevance for epidemiologic research. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 20 (Suppl 1):3-12. [Abstract]

Louis GMB, Lynch CD, & Cooney MA. (2006). Environmental influences on female fecundity and fertility. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine, 24(3):178-190. [Abstract]

Buck GM, Lynch CD, Stanford JB, Sweeney AM, Schieve LA, Rockett JC, Selevan SG, & Schrader SM. (2004). Prospective pregnancy study designs for assessing reproductive developmental toxicants. Environmental Health Perspectives, 112:79-86. [Abstract]

Rockett JC, Buck GM, Johnson CD, & Perreault SD. (2004). The value of home-based collection of biospecimens in reproductive epidemiology. Environmental Health Perspectives, 112:94-104. [Abstract]

Lobdell D, Buck, GM, Weiner MJ, & Mendola P. (2003). Using commercial telephone directories to obtain a population-based sample for mail survey of women of reproductive age. Paediatric & Perinatal Epidemiology, 17:294-301. [Abstract]

Unless trends change, 700 million adults will still be illiterate in 2015, says UNESCO’s Director-General

• © UNESCO/Sake Rijpkema

22-04-2009
The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura has voiced concern that literacy remains a preeminent global challenge, as well as being one of the most neglected Education for All goals.

His comments came during the 2009 Global Action Week which this year focuses on youth and adult literacy and life-long learning.

“Achieving literacy for all is a collective responsibility”, the Director-General said. “According to estimates from the 2009 EFA Global Monitoring Report, unless current trends are changed, 700 million adults will still be unable to read and write in 2015, only 10 per cent fewer than today. We simply cannot let this happen.”

A staggering 776 million young people and adults, or 16 per cent of the global adult population, are currently on the margins of society due to a lack of literacy and numeracy skills. To this end, the Director-General mentioned UNESCO’s close collaboration with Member States and EFA partners to advocate for greater strategic collaboration, innovation and policy shifts in the field of literacy, notably through its role as global coordinator for Education for All and the UN Literacy Decade (2003-2012), as well as through country-level programmes such as the Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE).

As illiteracy continues to disproportionally affect disadvantaged populations and the gender gap remains unchanged with women still comprising two-thirds of illiterate adults, Mr Matsuura urged the international community to focus on expanding access to basic education and improving the quality of teaching and learning, beginning with an urgent scaling-up of financial resources.

This year’s Global Action Week events provide opportunities to raise the status of literacy on policy agendas and emphasize the indispensable role literacy plays in the achievement of all of the internationally agreed development goals. Under the slogan ‘Open Books, Open Doors’, coinciding with World Book and Copyright Day, a range of activities will take place at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 23 April at UNESCO HQ.

50th anniversary of Nubia Campaign

• © UNESCO/ Nenadovic
• Flooding of Philae Monuments

UNESCO, Egypt and Sudan have started commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Nubia Campaign, a defining example of international solidarity when countries understood the universal nature of heritage and the universal importance of its conservation.

The Egyptian and Sudanese governments’ request - in April and October 1959 respectively - for UNESCO’s help to save the 3,000-year-old monuments and temples of ancient Nubia from an area that was to be flooded by the Aswan Dam marked the start of unprecedented campaign.

“A moving demonstration of the miracles that can be achieved by international cooperation,” in the words of the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura who sent a message to the participants of a meeting held in Egypt to commemorate the Nubia Campaign. “Saving the temples and artefacts of Nubia became an urgent priority transcending national interests and pride, and, as we all know, the international community brilliantly rose to that challenge. Need it be further stressed that such international solidarity is more than ever timely in the current period of global, financial, environmental and social crisis…”

International expertise and funds were mobilized to dismantle and reassemble six groups of monuments in new locations. The scale of the 20-year project and the immense technological challenge it generated were unprecedented in UNESCO’s history. A total of 22 monuments and architectural complexes were relocated with the assistance of 40 technical missions from five continents.
The success of the Campaign inspired the development and adoption in 1972 of UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention and the inscription of sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List on which the Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae were inscribed in 1979.

Water and Global Change

Over the last decade much attention and many resources have been devoted to the documentation and prediction of climate variability and change. Simultaneously, there has been rapid development in advanced data capture and advanced data transfer technologies. Substantially less progress, however, has been made towards translating technical and scientific advances into information useful to water managers and policy makers world wide. Water resources and water resource systems are still generally managed under a “business as usual” framework.

Climate, water policy and management Since about 1980 there has been a distinct change in our understanding of the nature and origin of the statistics of hydrological variables, as measured in an individual catchment or region. Previously the assumption was that these statistics are entirely haphazard in nature and indeterminate in origin, and do not change with time. Thus the most important hydrological variables (such as precipitation, runoff and potential evaporation) are sampled over a calibration period (of perhaps only a few decades), and the statistics observed within that period are then used as the basis for hydrological design and water resources management. Now, however, there is increasing realisation that the nature of the locally observed statistics of hydrological variables is not stationary and may contain long-term trends caused by global-scale phenomena.At the seasonal to interannual timescale, the influence of El Niño and La Niña on hydrological statistics (and the occurrence of extreme hydrological events such as floods and droughts) is now well recognised – even catchments remote from the Pacific may be affected. There is also observational evidence of a relationship between the strength of the Asia-Australian monsoon and El Niño, and indications that these phenomena are together related to seasonal variations in Siberian snow cover. Similarly, recent studies suggest an association between the North Pacific Oscillation and precipitation in Europe and the Middle East. These relationships (and others yet to be identified) can generate seasonal distortions in the statistics of hydrological variables, thus threatening the validity of the operational rules applied to water management systems.There are indications that the strength of important fluctuations in the global climate (such as those associated with El Niño and the Asian-Australian monsoon) may themselves vary at the decadal timescale, which brings into question hydrological designs based on observations made over 30 years or less. Moreover, model studies suggest, and observational evidence tends to confirm, that an enhanced hydrological cycle is likely to be an important consequence of global climate change caused by "greenhouse warming". Some developed countries now have the capability to use models and data gathered with advanced technologies (such as remote sensing) to improve the prediction of the impact of multiple stresses present in individual catchments. Such improved management tools are, however, rarely applied in the extensive regions of the world where water-resource issues are most extreme and where their potential benefit for human welfare is greatest. Thus, it is clear that the basic paradigm, that is, the assumption of stationarity that underlies hydrological design and management (e.g. flood management), is open to question, but, in the absence of reliable alternative understanding and methods, current practice is locked in place by professional and legal precedents. There are now huge opportunities to develop hydrological understanding relevant to these policy issues. The past success of the scientific community now involved in the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX), the International Geosphere Biosphere Program (IGBP), and the Climate Variability and Predictability programme (CLIVAR) engenders optimism. It is likely that new and beneficial understanding of the Earth's hydrological cycle will emerge in the course of the next decade under the World Climate Research Program. Remote-sensing systems are now better able to provide global observations to monitor fluctuations and change in the Earth's atmosphere, oceans and continents. Field measurements using reliable, unsupervised hardware with remote data capture is now feasible. Meanwhile, the explosive growth of computer technology promises the capability to describe the entire globe with models having a grid scale of just a few tens of kilometres within a few years. Further, it has fostered a revolution in information transfer, bringing the capability to transfer data and knowledge at unprecedented rates.HELP will complement the global data that GEWEX and CLIVAR will provide with simultaneous, in situ hydrological observations in representative research catchments around the world. A particular focus of attention will be on extreme events (floods and droughts). An education programme is also required, to promulgate the use of modern hydrological monitoring and data transfer techniques and to disseminate the understanding and application of the relationship between global processes and regional hydrology.

The hydrological science contribution The overarching question that motivates research into water and climate is:

how can knowledge, understanding, and predictive modelling of the influence of global variability and change on hydrological variables and remotely sensed data be used to improve the management and design of water resource, agro-hydrological and eco-hydrological systems?

Subsidiary issues for study include:

* How significant is the relationship between the statistics of hydrological variables and observable global phenomena, and how does this change with location?
* How can remote data capture, and advanced information transfer technologies best be applied to improve the management and design of water systems?
* How can predictions of seasonal-to-interannual variations be used to improve the management of water, including for disaster prevention (floods and droughts)?
* How significant are multi-decadal fluctuations in climate, and how can knowledge of such fluctuations be used to improve the design of water systems?
* What is the hydrological significance of potential anthropogenic climate change, and how can predictions of such change best be used to improve design of water systems?

THIRD PHASE OF HELP- GLOBAL CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The first HELP phase (1999-2004) was a pilot phase and the second phase (2004-2008) operationalised the HELP principles. While the first two phase were very successful in bringing together scientists, policy makers and stakeholders implementing integrated water resources management there is still a need to help solve new challenges such as:

* Climate change-poverty-water sector adaptations
* Water-poverty-environment nexus
* Energy-water-poverty nexus
* Demand for bio-fuels ensuing competition for land and water resources used for food production
* Globalization and trade policies for food security
* The changing role of state and local actors in the water
* Gender and the feminisation of agriculture and other water-intensive sectors.

Recent progress on the HELP initiative has been captured in a special volume of Water SA 34(4) containing selected papers from the ‘HELP in Action: Local Solutions to Global Water Problems – Lessons from the South’ symposium, Johannesburg, South Africa 2007.

http://www.wrc.org.za/publications_watersa_sa_help_sp_edition.htm

HELP network is currently calling for proposals for the third phase. The next HELP call is likely to be in 2013.

During this phase HELP is being organized along the focal areas linked with IHP-VII themes. You are required to nominate focal areas of interest in your HELP basin. Please complete Form-A to renew an existing HELP basin and Form-B for the new HELP basin.

Recognizing that not all necessary information or evidence of support will be readily available by the 20th January 2009. This is not of concern, please submit your proposal and provide additional information as it becomes available.

Please send your proposal electronically to G.Gobina@unesco.org at the IHP-Secretariat by the 20th of January, 2009.

Opportunities for Students to Link with the UNESCO IHP-HELP Program

Currently there are exciting opportunities for students to link with the HELP program through targetted research with the HELP basins on various aspects of integrated water resources management. Should you be interested to join the HELP network as an intern please contact Mr Shahbaz Khan : s.khan@unesco.org.

PAST EVENTS:

HELP Participation at the IV International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management

A special HELP session on transboundary basins was organised at the IV International Symposium on Transboundary Waters Management (15-18 October 2008, Thessaloniki).

For further information on the Symposium - http://www.inweb.gr/twm4

HELP Regional Coordinating Units Planning Meeting

A meeting of the regional coordinating units was held at UNESCO HQ on the 7th and 8th of May 2008 under the guidance of Shahbaz Khan the new Global Coordinator of the international HELP Programme. This meeting was aimed at aligning HELP with the IHP-VII directions and to plan the future of HELP.

The new HELP themes are:

*
Water and global change
*
Water, food and energy nexus
*
Water and ecosystem services
*
Water and human health
*
Empowering stakeholders to resolve conflicts
*
Water education based on proven practices

Key actions from the RCU planning meeting are listed below:

* Update of HELP website for all basins
* Regular HELP Newsletter
* Self evaluation of HELP basins
* Lists of funding sources (global list including RCU contributions) made available on the web
* Publications (HELP affiliation of authors, database of publications available on the web)
* Call/invitation for new proposals (Fall 2008)

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON WETLANDS AT LAKE OF ANNECY-SILA

The French HELP basin "Pays de Savoie, Annecy, Mont Blanc, Leman" launched a new initiative related to Integrated Management in high watersheds. This new project initiated by the Syndicat Intercommunal du Lac d'Annecy (SILA) is based on the theme "Integrated Management of Wetlands". The main output of the project is the creation of a sub-network between HELP basins managers and other partners to share techniques, tools and information on wetlands management issues.

A technical workshop entitled "International workshop on wetlands at Lake of Annecy – SILA" was organized in Annecy, France on January 31st and February 1st 2008. A field trip in the wetlands of Lake of Annecy is planned on February 2nd, the international day of wetlands.

Should you be interested to join this technical sub-network and share your experiences or current projects on wetlands management please contact Mrs Charnay at: Berengere.CHARNAY@sedhs.com

HELP SOUTHERN SYMPOSIUM 2007 4-9 November 2007

Local Solutions to Global Water Problems - Lessons from the South.

The International HELP Symposium “Local Solutions to Global Water Problems- Lessons from the South” aims at bridging the gap between science and policy to solve “water related issues” at the local, national and international levels. HELP is creating a new approach to integrated catchment management through the creation of framework for water law and policy experts, water resource managers and water scientists to work together on water-related problems.

Participation of the 67 basin organizations from 56 UNESCO partner countries makes this a tremendous knowledge sharing opportunity on how to put HELP into action.

The HELP International Symposium is being organized by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) in partnership with UNESCO HELP. It will be held in Pretoria, South Africa. Highlights will include technical and poster sessions, thematic discussions, workshops, receptions and a field trip to the Olifants River HELP basin.

For all information on the HELP Symposium, see the new HELP Symposium Website

EU LAUNCH OF THE DUNDEE CENTRE FOR WATER LAW, POLICY AND SCIENCE

The European Union launch of the Centre took place in Scotland House in Brussels, Belgium, on 28 November 2006. The launch included an afternoon discussion on water issues and EU initiatives. One of the most important tools to ensure implementation of a policy regarding integrated water management is a solid and responsive legal framework. Within this context, it is most important that water lawyers, water scientists and water users work together on water-related problems. The establishment of a global centre that will uniquely interface water law and policy with the biophysical sciences and engineering would provide an opportunity to ensure this relationship is effective and develop legal frameworks in line with stakeholders' needs and requirements.

It was during its 33rd session, in 2005, that the UNESCO General Conference approved the establishment of the IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science at the University of Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom. The Centre is strongly linked to HELP and is based at the International Water Law Research Institute (IWRL) of the University of Dundee in Scotland.

Presentations, speeches and details on the event can be found on this link.

WATER IN MOUNTAINS. INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM 2006

The International Symposium "Eau en Montagne" took place in Megeve, France,September 20-22, 2006. Selected members of the HELP network were invited to present current research and projects on specific issues in mountainous catchments.The "Europe INBO 2006" International Conference on the Implementation of the European Water Framework Directive also occured during the Symposium.

Proposals for the 3rd Phase of HELP are currently being considered. Check publications under the You and HELP section for relevant forms.

Why H.E.L.P. ?

At present there is a "Paradigm Lock" between outdated accepted practices adopted in water resource management for the benefit of stakeholders and the application of more recent scientific findings. Scientific research is isolated by lack of proven utility, whilst water policy and management is isolated by legal and professional precedence.

The HELP Approach on the ground:

The first step is the “Assessment Stage” of HELP, which synthesises existing knowledge, integrates such information across disciplines as part of IWRM, and provides two main types of outputs:

- simulation of future change scenarios (e.g., land-use, demography, or socioeconomics) in the water cycle and supply/demand for dif­ferent future catchment states, as well as checking model predictions based on known changes in the catchment environmental-social status.

- definition of “gaps” in scientific knowledge (e.g., process hydrology under­standing) that require development of a technical implementation strategy by hy­drologists in collaboration with basin stakeholders and managers. Such steps are taken to support already-de­fined land-water management and policy issues.

The outputs from the Assessment Stage answer a common criticism from pol­icymakers, especially at the national-government level, that scientists do not share knowledge with users. Integration of knowledge across disciplines provides a product for improving IWRM as well as for informing the public. This can be achieved by simulating alternative management decisions (i.e., via DSS) linked with ecohydrology and socioeco­nomic sustainability.

After establishing an agenda for scientific research and creating a science plan, HELP advances to a Research Stage This second stage requires continued dialogue with land-water managers and policymakers to ensure that research results are used to up­date management and policy tools. The manager’s role is critical since basin managers are at the fulcrum of HELP. To be effective, managers must have a thorough appreciation of scientific research and its role in enhancing management and policy . The promotion of a “bottom-up” approach within the network of HELP basins and close linkages between those basins, allows sharing and exchange of information on IWRM across a spectrum of environmental and sociocultural/socioeconomic conditions. Such steps move beyond the macroscale and address the intri­cacies and complexities of IWRM down to basins at the mesoscale (~10 000 km2) and even to communities at the microscale (~ 10 km2).

How is HELP managed?

The HELP programme is managed at three levels:

Global Level through the Global Secretariat - Strategic Planning and Directions

Regional Level through the Regional Coordinating Units - Operational Planning and Management

Basin Level through the Basin HELP Groups - Implementation of HELP Philosophy

Key HELP contacts are given below:

- Global Secretariat:

Mr Shahbaz Khan, Chief Sustainable Water Resources Development and Management Section, UNESCO Paris

- RCU for Australasia and South East Asia:

Mr John Blackwell, Charles Sturt University, Australia

- RCU for Latin America and the Caribbean:

Ms Pilar Cornejo de Grunauer, FIMCM-ESPOL, Guayaquil, Ecuador.

http://www.fimcm.espol.edu.ec/webpages/help/index.htm

- RCU for North America:

Mr Edwin Engman, Goddard Earth Sciences and Technology Center NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

- RCU for Europe:

Ms Patricia Wouters, UNESCO HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Sciences, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK.

Finding a Buyer of Structured Settlement Payments

Many people that are currently receiving a stream of monthly structured settlement payments do not realize that it is possible to sell all or a portion of their payments for a lump sum of cash. Access to these funds could provide funding to meet the current life needs of one's family instead of waiting for a future stream of inflexible payments structured over a long period of time. This process of entering into a contract to sell ones legal right of receiving future structured payments to settlement companies in exchange for the present value of the money is called factoring. A large number of companies now offer cash for a structured settlement payment. When evaluating your options, try to work with financially sound companies that are competent and ethical. These factors are important considerations to note of when you compare the knowledge and integrity of a company or corporation as well as their dollar offers.

Sarjatik System – IX – Planets affect Environment, Life and the Earth?

New Delhi, India: February 8, 2008 – IR Summary – Released by Lord Vishnu Bhakt Swamy Raj Baldev.

The Sarjatik System of Occult Astrology is a scientific system that explains how the planets affect the Earth, Environment, Regions and Human Life? It clarifies that the planets only affect the human life maximum by 24% and not 100%. In fact, 76% influence of planets on life comes other factors like genetic properties from parents, regional effect, environment of one’s upcoming, the history of past destiny from deeds of previous birth, the paternal background, among others.

190. Swamy Raj: “My reverend Lord Vishnu, You have been kind enough to explain to me various factors of different effects on life up to 76%.”

191.“ That is – Maximum 8% genetic effect, 8% labor or income, 8% strategy, 12% effect of the Earth planet, 19% family background and 21% destiny. What about stars, My Lord?”

192. Lord Vishnu: “Yes, my dear Swamy, the remaining effects on human life are 24%, caused by different planets and objects in the Solar System.”

193. “The people think that planets and stars do everything in their life, which is not correct, it is their misconception, delusion or false imagination.”

194. “They affect the life of a human being only to a certain extent and do not cover all events of life. The planets or stars or any other concerned space objects are not responsible for all proceedings of life of a person, place, region or the Earth.”

195. “The calculation of planets, if properly computed, indicates what is right time to start a thing, its middle or end and that too depending on the nature of the task or mission, whether one really qualifies it or not.”

196. “Similarly, the planets and stars can indicate the negative period for a certain type of job, travel, or any type of initiative, undertaking or task. Wherever, the stars do not support a particular or job, its alternative is the best solution to seek from expert astrologers."

197. "Each type of planet has it own potency and power and its effect is different every femto second. Their distance from the Sun and the Earth are important factors, their orbiting position count and their effect on life on the Earth is according to the strength of their degrees."

198.Lord Vishnu continued: "If the degree of the planet or object is commanding or powerful, it shall influence on the Earth, its atmosphere and life.

199. "Since all planets and objects shed their rays on the Earth collectively, each planet partly loses its individual potency and merges into the total effect of their orbiting positions on the Earth. The power of planets and concerned objects should be worked out individually and jointly for their combined effect."

200. "All planets and their shared effect do not influence every body equally; the effect changes on every person even if a thousand people are born at the same time, place and date, shall have divergent life effect since they cannot be alike in their previous birth and cannot be similar in destiny wise."

201. "All planets of an individual should be read with the planets of one’s parents and their place of birth, if possible the names of grand parents should be included in the calculation of Occult Astrology, particularly when a child born."

202. Swamy Raj: “My dear Lord of Lords, kindly let me know in short how the planets affect the human life and what’s the broader formula to work out the predictions of a person?

203.Lord Vishnu: Each planet has its own composition of either gaseous, rocky or of other natures with mixed matter and energy. According to its mass, composition, gravity, distance from the Sun and the Earth and its orbital position, it releases its energy and rays that fall on the Earth.

204. "That depending on the orbit and distance of each planet or object from the Earth and the Sun, they shed their effect on the Earth through their rays and that eventually affect the human life."

205. "The planets and objects that come in the way of the Earth by blocking its rays. touch the Earth and affects its atmosphere, which is continuously changing every femto second."

206. "Each human catches the signals of these planets through various organs of the body. The Sun affects the whole body and also affects through third finger from the thumb."

207. “To cite an example of Jupiter, it releases its rays through hair, ears, first finger from the thumb, both hands and feet. Its rays are auspicious in Cancer and inauspicious in Capricorn."

208. “When a child is born, all stars collectively shed their rays on it, the auspicious planets and concerned objects shed inject their rays as per their strength. Similarly, the inauspicious planets shed their rays and neutral planets discharge their own rays."

209. "Thus the child attains the individual as well as collective strength of all planets and as per their nature and strength the child is influenced by them as and when the planets change their course and come either closer to the Earth or go far away from the Earth."

210. Lord Vishnu continued: It is important to work out the effect of planets of the parents along with the child. The names of each parent influences the child, and while working out the details of the child astrologically, it is important also to work out the name of the mother, maiden name so as to make the calculation of the child specific. (Further publication Discontinued)."

Note: The above 210 texts published in International Reporter under Sarjatik System of Occult Astrology are derived from ‘Vishnu Jyotish Puran’,and released by Vishnu Bhakt Swamy Raj Baldev. The series of Vishnu Jyotich Puran is very long, only VIII installments are published in International Reporter earlier, and it is the IXth installment. The entire puran (Book) shall be released by Media International Limited, New Delhi, later on very shortly. The puran sheds light on Universe, Life and Occult sciences.

Under water cultural heritage

Chapter 1: Exploration and Preservation

* Submerged Cultural Sites: opening a time capsule David Nutley
* The Impact of Commercial Exploitation on the Preservation of Underwater Cultural Heritage Tatiana Villegas Zamora
*

In Situ Preservation: 'the preferred option' Martijn Manders
* Conservation of Underwater Cultural Heritage: characteristics and new technologies Jean-Bernard Memet

Chapter 2: Why Create an International Convention?

* How and Why will Underwater Cultural Heritage Benefit from the 2001 Convention? Thijs J. Maarleveld
* The 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage: advantages and challenges Ulrike Koschtial
* Safeguarding the Underwater Cultural Heritage of Brazil: legal protection and public archaeology Gilson Rambelli

Chapter 3: New Frontiers, New Concepts

* Underwater Archaeological Trails Francisco J. S. Alves
* A Resource for Sustainable Development: the case of Croatia Jasen Mesic
* Underwater Archaeological Exploration of the Mayan Cenotes Luis Alberto Martos Lopez

How to Sell Structured Settlement Payments

Many people who receive monthly annuity payments under a settlement agreement do not realize they can sell all or a portion of their stream of annuity payments in exchange for a cash lump sum. Getting paid this money can be a way to help fund the current life needs of your family. Receiving the cash now rather than waiting a period of a year or more for a stream of inflexible payments structured in the future can be a big advantage to some people. Factoring is the name of the process of selling ones legal right to receiving future structured payments in exchange for a the present value of that money. This sale becomes a legal contract with the settlement company.

Companies now offer to pay for your rights to receive future annuity payments under structured agreements. The settlement companies offer annuitants the benefit of direct access to cash.

To receive more information please fill out the form on the right.

On January 22, 2002, President George W. Bush signed new protective legislation. This law was designed to protect any individual who has received a settlement annuity as part of a lawsuit or settlement that wishes to sell their structured payments. Under the law a court would have to authorize a transaction to sell future settlement payments. A transaction must in the best interest of the annuitant, their family, dependents or estate to be approved. If a court order and approval is not received, a federal excise tax of 40% would be paid on the total payments sold. This law is intended to help people who receive offers of cash for their annuity payments from being defrauded or taken advantage of by settlement buyers or even their own families.

You have probably seen advertisements urging you to "sell a structured settlement payment". Many beneficiaries wonder if they should sell and cash out, especially if they are in a situation where they need the money. This is a major financial decision and you would be well advised to carefully evaluate your options before making a decision. You need to determine if selling all or even a portion of your guaranteed settlement payments is in your best interest. It usually takes about two months from the date you start to complete a sale and for you to receive the cash when you sell insurance payments. For more information please fill out the form on the right.

Best LIFE-Environment projects

Website: ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/bestlifeenv.htm

In October 2005, the EU Member States represented on the LIFE-Committee, together with the LIFE Unit, have identified the 24 best LIFE-Environment projects completed during 2004 and early 2005.

The main aim of the Best Projects exercise is to promote the LIFE projects selected as 'the best practices' by focusing part of the European Commission's and individual Member States communication actions on helping them to further disseminate their results. This is a pilot exercise. However, if 2005's trial run is successful, the initiative will be repeated with more substantial resources for 2005-2006.

All 24 projects will be featured in an online publication to be published in December 2005. The publication will focus on the projects' innovative qualities and results, as well as their possibilities for replication. The document will be available from the website, and those subscribed will be informed by a LIFEnews alert.

The five projects selected as the 'best of the best' included four relating to energy and transport (in no particular order):

* STIRLING Motor implemented by Mayer & Cie.
* SMILE implemented by Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Energie
* BBMpassiv implemented by BBM - Beschaffungsbetrieb der MIVA
* ENERWASTE implemented by Matadero Frigorífico del Nalón

Of the 24 projects, a total of 9 were related to energy and transport as follows:

* SMILE (France) - Sustainable Mobility Initiative for Local Environment.
* STIRLING Motor (Germany) - Miniature block-type thermal power station based on a long-lived Stirling motor.
* IEM in Hospitals (Germany) - Development of environmental management systems in hospitals from four European Regions and integration in QM-Systems.
* TANDEM (Italy) - Pilot action for promoting EMAS among local bodies operating on a large territory (provinces and main municipalities) in TANDEM with Local Agenda 21.
* ENERWASTE (Spain) - Implementation of an AD facility at a Spanish slaughterhouse for a sustainably closed energy and waste cycle.
* ECOBUS (Spain) - Collecting used cooking oils for recycling as biofuel for diesel engines.
* BBMpassiv (Austria) - Multifunctional company and administration building with logistics and cultural centre in passive house standard in sustainable timber construction.
* ENERLAB (Latvia) - Energy labelling of apartment buildings.
* EQUATION (Netherlands) - Demonstration and dissemination project for stimulating architects and local governments to build in a sustainable way with the help of innovative design tools.

Schuff Steel Company Starts Structural Steel Erection on Phoenix Children`s Hospital Expansion Project

PHOENIX--(Business Wire)--
Schuff Steel Company started steel erection on Phoenix Children`s Hospital`s
11-story patient tower, which is part of the hospital`s expansion project.
Schuff Steel Company is a subsidiary of Schuff International, Inc. (OTC: SHFK),
a leading family of companies providing fully integrated steel construction
services.

Schuff is erecting approximately 6,300 tons of structural steel for the
765,000-square-foot facility and plans to complete the steel portion in
September 2009. Schuff fabricated all of the steel for the hospital at its four
Arizona steel plants located in Phoenix, Gilbert, Eloy, and Flagstaff. Kitchell
Contractors is the general contractor on the project.

Other Arizona health care projects Schuff has been involved with includes Mayo
Clinic, Banner Children`s Hospital, Banner Ironwood Hospital, Banner Gateway
Medical Center, and Scottsdale Healthcare. Across the country, Schuff has
provided steel services for over 45 health care facility construction projects.
Other major Arizona projects erected by Schuff include Casino Arizona, Phoenix
Convention Center Expansion, Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, the Arizona
Cardinal Stadium, and the Glendale Spring Training Facility for the Los Angeles
Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox.

About Schuff International, Inc.

Schuff International, Inc. (OTC: SHFK) and its family of steel companies is the
largest steel fabrication and erection company in the United States. The
32-year-old company constructs major projects throughout the country. Schuff
offers integrated steel construction services from a single source. Professional
services include design-build, design-assist, engineering, BIM participation, 3D
steel modeling/detailing, fabrication, advanced field erection, joist and joist
girder manufacturing, project management, and single-source steel management
systems. Major market segments include industrial, public works, bridges, health
care, gaming and hospitality, convention centers, stadiums, mixed-use and
retail, transportation, and international projects. Schuff International, Inc.,
which is headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, owns and operates nine steel fabrication
plants and two steel joist-manufacturing plants. Companies include Schuff Steel
Company located in AZ, NV and CA; Schuff Steel-Midwest Division located in
Overland Park, KS, Ottawa, KS, Chicago, IL and Denver, CO; Schuff Steel-Gulf
Coast, Inc., located in Houston, TX; Schuff Steel-Atlantic, Inc., located in
Orlando, FL, Albany, GA and Atlanta, GA; Schuff Steel Management
Company-Southwest, Inc., located in Gilbert, AZ; and Quincy Joist Company
located in Quincy, FL and Buckeye, AZ. Schuff employs approximately 1,500 people
throughout the country

back to Buildings & Structures Homepage Floating Floors Picture Floating floors are used extensively in new developments to prevent acoustic and vi

Floating Floors Picture

Floating floors are used extensively in new developments to prevent acoustic and vibration disturbance from propagating through a building structure especially where quiet spaces are located near noisy areas.

System function. There are two fundamental elements to a floating floor; the acoustic air gap (usually 50 – 100mm) provides the acoustic isolation whilst the elastomeric isolators act to decouple the floor from the rest of the building structure preventing the propagation of structure-borne vibration.

Farrat's floating floor systems have been developed to provide high levels of acoustic and vibration performance whilst being economical, easy and quick to install either by Farrat or the contractor with Farrat supervision. They can be used in a vast array of applications including: cinemas, performing arts facilities, bowling alleys, instrument & nanotechnology facilities etc.

Farrat can advise on the most suitable type and grade of floating floor system and provide full specification, predicted natural frequencies, damping ratios, layout drawings, installation instructions and if necessary site installation or supervision.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Paris for CEB meeting hosted by UNESCO

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon came to Paris to attend the annual meeting of the CEB (UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination), hosted by UNESCO on 4-5 April, following his participation in the G-20 Summit in London.

On his first visit to UNESCO since his election to the head of the UN, the Secretary-General addressed delegations and staff at an information meeting at Headquarters on 3 April. The session was webcast to all UNESCO Field Offices.

On 6-7 April, Ban Ki-Moon will be in Istanbul (Turkey) for the second Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, aimed at advancing intercultural understanding.