America's North Shore Journal » United Nations
SE Asian Nations Reach Freight Shipping Agreement
Most of this story is about plans, and hopes and dreams. But the actual news is interesting, especially for the men who fought in and around that terrain in the Vietnam War. Click through for the entire piece. A seemingly obscure agreement on traffic rights between Vietnam, Laos and Thailand now allows trucks to transit the three countries without having to unload cargo at border crossings for trans-shipment. This will cut costs and time for regional trade, funding agencies say, and is expected to have far-reaching consequences for the region’s trade. The formal opening of the East-West Corridor is part of a regional plan to break down barriers at borders across mainland South-East Asia, and later, beyond. Overland transport time between Vietnam and Thailand has been shortened by the agreement for commercial trucks from … Read entire article »
Filed under: Other Countries, United Nations
Green Edges on Potato Chips
In celebration of the UN’s Year of the Potato, I asked myself: Just what the heck are those green edges on some potato chips? I don’t eat them. I heard they were poison. Well, they are, kinda. A potato turns green when it gets sunburned. The University of Nebraska at Lincoln says: Ultra-violet radiation as well as visible rays are contained in many light sources such as flourescent bulbs and sunlight. Ultra-violet and visible light in the blue-violet region promotes the formation of glycoalkaloids, steroid-like compounds, and, for potatoes, most notably solanine. When potato tubers are exposed to light, the solanine content in the peel may increase as much as ten times. Toxic levels for people are about one-hundredth of an ounce for a 200-lb person. This 200-lb person would need to eat about … Read entire article »
Filed under: United Nations, Year of the Potato
2008 Is for Spuds
Not suds, spuds. It’s the UN’s International Year of the Potato. What is a potato? The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is an herbaceous annual that grows up to 100 cm (40 inches) tall and produces a tuber – also called potato – so rich in starch that it ranks as the world’s fourth most important food crop, after maize, wheat and rice. The potato belongs to the Solanaceae – or “nightshade”- family of flowering plants, and shares the genus Solanum with at least 1,000 other species, including tomato and eggplant. S. tuberosum is divided into two, only slightly different, subspecies: andigena, which is adapted to short day conditions and is mainly grown in the Andes, and tuberosum, the potato now cultivated around the world, which is believed to be descended from a small … Read entire article »
Filed under: United Nations, Year of the Potato
Big Doings for 2008
At last the UN has a program I can support. They have declared 2008 the International Year of the Potato. Next to bacon, potatoes are my favorite fruit. So, expect lots of potato content for the next year or so. … Read entire article »
Filed under: United Nations, Year of the Potato
Afghan bombers ‘foreigners’ – UN
BBC More than half the suicide bombers used by the Taleban to launch attacks in Afghanistan are not Afghan nationals, the United Nations says in a report. It says more than 80% are recruited, trained or sheltered in neighbouring Pakistan, noting a steep increase in attacks over the past two years. The UN mission in Afghanistan released the report on the sixth anniversary of the country’s first suicide attack. It killed the mujahideen leader Ahmad Shah Massoud. But it was only after 2005 that suicide strikes became common here, used by the Taleban in their insurgency. Last year there were 123 and this year 103 by the end of August. During the first six months of the year, such attacks killed 193 people – 121 of them Afghan civilians, 62 Afghan security forces, and 10 foreign … Read entire article »
Filed under: Afghanistan, United Nations, War on Terror
Tsunami: United Nations Bogus Aid?
Longview Daily News In the three weeks since the Indian Ocean tsunami ripped up coastlines in Asia and Africa, the United Nations has credited more than 40 governments, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank with unprecedented pledges of assistance valued at nearly $4 billion. But a closer look at those commitments shows that hundreds of millions of dollars in those pledges had already been committed to development projects in the region. And as much as half of the offers are for interest-free loans, which the United Nations traditionally does not count as humanitarian aid. [snip] In response to the tsunami, the United States, which promised $350 million, and other governments have pledged generously, U.N. officials and aid experts said, competing in some cases to gain the distinction of being the world’s … Read entire article »
Filed under: Charity, Tsunami relief, United Nations
Tsunami: Dumb Remarks
Reuters “I have never seen such utter destruction, mile after mile. You wonder, where are the people?,” Annan said on his return to the provincial capital, Banda Aceh. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Odd News, Tsunami relief, United Nations
Ride to the Sound of the Fighting!
Express-News BAGHDAD, Iraq – Call them crazy, but Chris Lawrence, Joey Bell and Thomas Pena really, really wanted to go to Iraq. So much so that when the Texas Army National Guard refused to send them, the three San Antonio buddies got on the Internet and found a unit that would ‘ in Arkansas. “A lot of people don’t understand it,” said Lawrence, a 1995 graduate of Lee High School. “I don’t ask them to. I don’t expect them to. Sometimes, I don’t understand myself why I’m so drawn to it.” After four months here, they admit the reality of their adventures has left them a tad less gung-ho and a little more skeptical about the size of the task before them and 150,000 U.S. troops. “I’m here because I want to be here,” … Read entire article »
Filed under: Iraq, Military, United Nations, War on Terror
Coming Soon: Future Posts
- Declaration of War 1812 (in 129 days)
- USS President vs HMS Belvidera (in 134 days)
- General Hull Invades Canada (in 153 days)
- First Battle of Sacketts Harbor (in 160 days)
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- Radioactive Water Leaks at Japanese Nuke Site
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