A Closer Look at Adventure Tourism and Its Increasing Popularity

An emerging sector of the travel and tourism industry known as Adventure Tourism combines outdoor adventure and physical activities being offered as recreations by tourist destinations.

adventure tourism and bikingAccording to Adventure Travel Trade Association, adventure tourism has been on a rising trend as vacation travellers prefer places where they can commune with nature and experience new cultures, while engaging in exciting physical activities.

Apparently new technologies play an important role in making adventure recreations popular to tourists, especially among millennials and Gen Zs.

Although adventure tourism is primarily about engaging in physical activities as a way of enhancing one’s travel, it’s not about taking risks just to be considered an adventurer.

Destination travellers look for tourist spots that offer a range of different adventure activities, from something as simple as day hiking, backpacking, mountain biking and zip lining to more daring acts like skydiving, bungee jumping, freefalling, rock climbing and river rafting.

Managing Adventure Tourism to Protect Environments and Their Wildlife

As most human activities have caused adverse impacts on the planet’s natural resources and wildlife, it’s important for local governments to impose policies and regulations that will see to their protection; especially concerning those that have been established as endangered species.

sign protecting the environment vs pollutionMoreover, tourism as a whole has had localized effects on land, air and water, of which pollution has been the constant issue.
While tourism is a major contributor to every country’s economy, federal and local governments must ensure that financial provisions are set aside to support public protection agencies and environment conservationists.

That way, private and communal lands used for adventure toursim, will have the means to build and maintain resilience against the impact of recreational activities.

Overview of the Environmental Issues and Elements that Caused the Massive Maui Wildfire.

In previous years before the recent wildfire that struck and destroyed the town of Lahaina, wildfire experts have been calling attention to the overgrown nonnative grasses. The experts have been submitting reports to the Hawaiian government that explained how the dried and overgrown grasses posed as fuel that can cause extreme wildfire destruction to the island and its towns.

As the turns of history have it, the environmental problem was left unchecked for years up to August 08, 2023. It was the day when all elements and conditions came together and resulted into the most destructive massive blaze that decimated the town of Lahaina in the island of Maui

No Exact Cause of the Wildfire was Established

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Although investigators said no single cause was established as reason for the brush fire that began in Maui’s upcountry region/ Still, drought and strong winds were determined as major reasons for the Maui brush fires that had quickly spread to the overgrown grasses in Lahaina.

Strong winds brought to the island by Hurricane Dora sent sparks flying, which found fuel in Lahaina’s overgrown nonnative grasses. The bush fires quickly grew massively as they were being fanned and fueled by strong winds. Glowing embers had spread across the town of Lahaina, which many described as fire rain,. Some residents tried desperately to save their homes but failed. They had no other choice but to evacuate and leave their burning home.

To make matters worse, the high winds caused active power lines to fall on the burning houses and buildings, which further ignited the fire that razed Lahaina to the ground.
Hundred of people died and hundreds more are still missing, as some residents were forced to take refuge in the sea of the nearby Pacific Ocean, Bill Weir, the chief climate correspondent of CNN reported that the historic town of Lahaina appeared as if a bomb had gone off and wiped out the historical buildings of Lahaina.

University Researches Propose Region-Specific Labelling Systems for Plastics

Everyone knows that plastic pollution is a growing global problem but not everyone is aware that there’s a complex mix of plastic waste polluting the planet. Today, plastics can be found every where, from the icy Arctic up to the peak of Mount Everest.

Yet science experts from the University of Queensland and the University of Exeter, recommend that there should be an internationally recognized labelling system pertaining to plastic additive content. The researchers say that plastic labelling systems should be specific to the regions and country from whence the plastic component originated.

Nevertheless, a sustainability scale about a plastic refuse can help consumers decide whether the product they are buying is using recyclable plastic or those that contain chemical additives that pose as additional harms of plastic wastes on the environment.

Sustainability Guidelines on Disposing Plastic Items

Directions for plastic disposals will help consumers decide on the sustainability of products and their packaging. Doing so shifts the responsibility of packaging to region-specific manufacturers; making it easier for regulators to monitor compliance with plastic disposal.

 

A sustainability scale for plastics will make the mix of complex plastic products more discernible for consumers, as they will know which plastics are recyclable and which ones are not. This is of vital importance for plastics that use chemical additives for improving flexibility, resistance to fire or color. In which case, plastic manufacturers will be required to provide a list of the specific chemical additives used in plastic different products.

WMO State of the Climate Report Shows How Effects of Climate Change Continue to Worsen

World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) released its latest report indicating that extreme weather events are now taking place worldwide as the new normal. WMO’s State of the Climate report for this year revealed global rising of sea levels, while for the first time, the 20-year temperature average from 2002 is about to exceed pre-industrial levels.

WMO released the report earlier than usual in order to coincide with the beginning of the COP26, a UN climate conference scheduled to take place in in Glasgow on Nov. 01 and 02.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres commented that their analysis of the WMO report shows clearly that the planet is evidently transforming right in front of us. They have noted that communities and ecosystems from all parts of the world are getting destroyed, right from the mountain peaks all the way down to ocean depths.

Understanding the Implications of the WMO State of the Climate Report

WMO’s State of the Climate Report presents a brief summary of climate indicators such as ocean conditions, harsh weather events, sea level rises, and temperatures. According to the report, the planet is impelled into the unknown as the temperatures and sea levels rise, whilst increasing their impact worldwide.

According to WMO’s Professor Petteri Taalas, there is an increasing amount of scientific evidence that some of the extreme events carry the consequences of anthropogenic climate change. Professor Taalas listed down some of the extreme events that have occurred worldwide during 2021:

  • It rained rather than snowed at the peak of Greenland’s ice sheets;
  • In a span of several hours, months worth of rainfall downpoured in an area of China;
  • Temperatures reached almost 50°C in certain parts of USA and in Canada;
  • During one of the many heat waves in the south-western part of California, Death Valley, California reached 54.5°C.
  • Another consecutive year of drought in South America has caused reduction in the flow of river basins that in turn affected energy production, agriculture, and transport;

In their study, the rise in global sea levels is another worrisome occurrence as they are rising quickly more than ever. According to Professor Jonathan Bomber, while it was previously measured that sea levels went up by 2.1mm annually from 1993 to 2002, the rise of sea levels increased twofold from 2013 to present by with 4.4mm. Mainly as results of rapid ice loss from ice sheets and glaciers.

UM Researchers Work with Procter and Gamble to Develop Ways for Recycling Diaper Wastes

As millions of tons of diaper wastes accumulate in landfills, scientists developed a recycling technique to convert diaper polymers into usable adhesive. Researchers at University of Michigan worked with Procter & Gamble devised a chemical recycling process to unravel the matrix of polymer polyacrylic acid making up the superabsorbent materials of diapers.

Chemical recycling was deemed as the more efficient method since the diaper materials consist of a long chain of repeating polymer units. According to the researchers, chemical recycling aims to combine chemical transformations and chemistry to produce a valuable material. They also added that although they worked on clean diapers, cleanliness in recycling discarded diapers is assured as the chemical processes also aim to kill any bacteria present in used diapers.

https://youtu.be/9TK2MnXwtuc

Overview of the Method Used to Convert the Diaper Polymers into Adhesives/h3>

One of the authors, Takunda Chazovachii PhD, said that the superabsorbent polymers were created in ways that will enable the diaper materials to permanently retain water and withstand degradation. However, it makes the superabsorbent polymer much harder to recycle by way of mechanical recycling processes. As an alternative, they devised a chemical recycling process to convert the superabsorbent polymers into adhesives, since both materials are extracted from acrylic acid.

Study author Anne McNeil stated that the polymers found in diaper materials can be compared to a loosely woven fishing net repeatedly bound together to make them superabsorbent. What they needed to discover is a way to untangle the polymers into water soluble chains. Fellow researchers Chazovachii figured out that in order to break the crosslinks, the polymers should be heated with base or acid present.

Additionally, they also needed to determine whether the chemical recycling process can be carried out on an industrial scale. Study collaborators Jose Alfaro and Madeline Somers performed a life cycle assessment and were able to determine that chemical recycling would use 10 times less energy. Moreover, their life cycle study showed that the acid-based method would have carbon dioxide emissions that is 10 times lower in terms of global warming impact.

Young Climate Activist, Been Picking Up Park Trash Daily Since 2019

At age 17, climate activist Edgar McGregor, now 20, received recognition for his amateur climatology projects, but he calls himself a trash–pickup guy. Still, McGregor will be attending San Jose State in fall, to take up meteorology and climate science.

Since May 2019, and while still in high school, young McGregor began visiting Eaton Canyon, with a mission to pick up discarded wrappers, empty bottles and cigarette butts, including those already stuck in the dirt. He still does so without fail, even if it means squeezing a few minutes after getting off from long shifts at his warehouse job.

The recent Earth Day celebration marked his consecutive 637th day of picking up trash at Eaton Canyon, even after declaring the area “completely free of municipal wastes” last March 05, the 589th day of his trash-picking mission. The young climate activist says he still goes back, just to make sure no new trash has appeared. Currently, he’s into cleaning other local parks, and with the same conviction and dedication.

Although the 20-year-old climate activist started joining school rallies for the climate crisis in front of Pasadena city hall, he wanted real change to happen. While he started picking up trash Eaton Canyon every week, he found more trash accumulating much faster each week. That’s when McGregor decided to go every day.

He says he’s always been a collector of anything, from old coins, to wooden model boats and even shards of sea glass. Becoming a trash-pick up guy makes sense for him because he sees it as just another form of collecting.

UK University Research Reveals How Global Warming Can Adversely Affect Food Production

University researchers in the UK presented information that provides an explanation on how global warming has adversely affected the efficiency of food chains.

On the premise that warmer weather conditions caused by global warming, is causing a rise in metabolic costs of growth, researchers from the Queen Mary University of London and the University of Exeter have concluded that global warming is currently reducing the energy flowing in the food chain. The occurrence has in turn, been causing depletion in the wildlife’s biomass.

Global Warming Reduces Energy Transferred to Every Food Chain Level

The study revealed that 4°C of warming lessened by 56% the energy being transferred in. That is considering that planktons are the organisms at the bottom of the aquatic food chain.

Food webs providing freshwater sustenance to marine ecosystems, on which humans are dependent as sources of food, have zooplanktons and phytoplanktons as foundations. According to the report, the study is the first to directly prove the fact that the increase in the cost of growth is caused by warmer temperatures and that it lessens the energy transferred in the food web.

Queen Mary University of London Professor Mark Trimmer stated that the consequences could be very significant, if the same findings are occurring in natural ecosystems. Dr. Diego Barneche of the AIMS and the UWA Oceans Institute explained that normally, 10% of the energy constructed on one part of the food chain makes it to the next food chain levelt. Yet if if warmer temperature is reducing the energy transferred to the predators in the food web, it also denotes that the metabolic rates among wild animals will accelerate faster than their growth rate.

Elon Musk Ranks Up; Ties w/ Bill Gates as World’s Second Richest

Tesla’s Elon Musk recently rose in the ranks of the world’s richest men when his wealth reached a networth value equaling that of second placer Bill Gates.

Musk’s net worth skyrocketed as his electric automaker’s shares reached the highest record, which according to Bloomberg Billionaires index boosted his net worth to $127.7 billion. Although the value surpassed that of Bill Gates for a short while, the Microsoft co-founder’s net worth also went on an upward trend. The final index saw the two billionaires tied as second placers for having the same net worth of $128 billion.

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos remains steadfast in his position as the world’s richest man, recording a net worth approximating $182 billion. After all, the COVID-19 pandemic, all the more boosted the performance of Amazon’s different e-commerce platforms.

Sources of Elon Musk’s Growing Fortune

While Musk mainly derives his riches directly from his 20% stock ownership of Tesla, he has other business interests outside ot his automated electric car company.

Elon Musk is the CEO of the space exploration firm called SpaceX which mainly deals with in the manufacture of aerospace space transport services,

He is also the chairman of Musk Foundation, an organization that provides assistance to researches in the development of technologies for use in medical pediatrics, in the rehabilitation of patients with critical impairments, in developing renewable energy, and in future goals of transporting humans in outer space. 

Despite the pandemic, the year 2020 brought positive results as Tesla’s stock zoomed up to 524%; resulting to a corresponding $100 billion increase in Musk’s wealth. When Tesla’s stock increased 6.6% last Monday and hit a record of $521.9 price per share, even Elon Musk was taken by surprise, as his only reaction to everything happening was a single-word tweet:“Wow!”

Can Hunting and Environmentalism Work Together?

World Archery recently announced that it is officially taking part in the UN’s call for the sport sector to join the global campaign for climate neutrality. Yet many doubt if environmentalism and hunting can work together in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The good news is that there are hunting and fishing aficionados in America who have banded together to help mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment. .

 

Can Hunting and Environmentalism Work Together to Achieve Climate Neutrality?

Governments encourage seasonal and regulated game hunting to help in wildlife conservation. However, conservationists argue that hunting is not totally good for the environment as there have been wildfire incidents that were started by careless hunters and campers. While burning of fossil fuel is the main cause of climate changes, wildfires that have been more frequent in recent years, have increased the amount of CO2 taken in by the Earth’s atmosphere.

Scientists estimate that wildfires have contributed between 5 and 10 percent in global CO2 emissions, which in the past 20 years have annually emitted as much as 8 billion tons of carbon dioxide. While some forest fires started due to natural causes, 85% of the wildfires that occurred in the U.S. were caused by humans, either accidentally or intentionally. It’s as if many are still unaware that careless acts, like leaving campfires unattended, throwing cigarettes in brush piles, or burning of debris on grasslands or in forests can lead to forest fires.

Nonetheless, there are environmentally-conscious local hunting organizations that conduct orientations on wildfire prevention. Hunters and fishers alike are joining social movements by forming non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that focus on climate activism and communication.

Inasmuch as the Trump administration does not take the calls for climate action as serious enough to require federal support, hunting NGOs are urging, as well as educating their members to observe measures for fire prevention, drought protection and wetland restoration/creation.

World Archery Participation in the UN Climate Action Initiatives

In joining the UN Climate Action Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the World Archery Federation wants to set an example that even if archery is a sport that does not contribute much to the planet’s carbon footprint, change should take place everywhere. The federation has taken initial steps by changing office policies and eliminating use of plastic bottles in international archery events.

However, on that note, we hope World Archery, will likewise encourage bowmen to come together as hunting organizations that will educate and communicate to members and to new recruits, the need to take climate actions.

While the American Crossbow Federation (ACF), for one, provides crossbow education to the general public, programs are focused mainly on the attributes of crossbows for modern hunting and for effective game management. Even as we are in the business of selling crossbow equipment, we should support the calls for climate action by carrying out initiatives in keeping the environment and the ecosystems healthy. After al,l crossbow hunting expeditions rely on their robust existence.

As an aside, those looking to engage in crossbow hunting can find a crossbow here that can meet their budget and physical abilities.

Trump’s Claim of Breakthrough Cure is Actually an Old-School Treatment

In his presscon last Aug. 23, Trump announced the USFDA’s emergency use approval of convalescent plasma as COVID-19 cure; hailing it as a major breakthrough. . The announcement came after Trump accused the agency of slow-walking the assessment of coronavirus cures and vaccines, but was nevertheless appeased when the USFDA granted approval of convalescent plasma for emergency treatment of COVI-19 patients.

Scientists and medical professionals in the scientific community had reacted negatively to Trump’s breakthrough description of the convalescent plasma, as that is not the case. Moreover, many have reservations about the efficiency of plasma use as treatment for COVID-19.

Contrary to Trump’s claim that the USFDA’s emergency use approval was based on scientific data supporting the safety and efficiency of plasma, the agency had merely based its plasma approval on some Mayo Clinic studies that did not include scientific requirements for proper controls and randomizations.

What is Convalescent Plasma and Why the Science Community Does Not Recommend It as Treatment for the Current Pandemic

Convalescent plasma as the science experts explain is old school treatment that was in use to fight the outbreak of epidemics prior to the 1918 flu. Plasma refers to the blood taken from COVID-19 patients who recovered, as they already contain antibodies that helped in fighting the virus.

When administered as emergency use on patients critically ill with coronavirus disease, it is theoretically believed that the convalescent plasma can help the patient’s body produce additional antibodies that can strengthen their immune system

However, the transfer of convalescent plasma can only be recommended as a remedy for worst cases of COVID-19 infections. The World Health Organization gives caution that despite more than 70 clinical studies worldwide, the use of convalescent plasma for the treatment of COVID-19 has not yet been clinically proven.

Why the Scientific Community is Skeptical about the Mayo Clinic Findings on Plasma Use

The Trump Administration’s basis in pushing the USFDA to approve emergency use of plasma is said to be largely based on a report recently released by Mayo Clinic. The report said that the results of the Mayo study show that giving plasma to COVID-19 patients within 3 days of hospitalization, had lowered the hospital’s death rate by 3.2 %.

The authors of the Mayo Clinic report said that plasma is safe, but had added that on its own, the findings do not provide any proof that convalescent plasma is effective as treatment for COVID-19. Moreover, the study is still subject to peer-review, aside from the fact that Mayo Clinic’s findings lacked data based on randomization and controls.

Dr. Eric Topol, Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, told The Washington Post that the Mayo Clinic studies are merely exploratory analyses that do not prove anything. To declare the result as a medical breakthrough, jeopardizes possibilities of ever getting the truth.

Prior to the USFDA’s approval for the emergency use of plasma, top science experts including Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, hard urged the agency to reconsider. They consider the Mayo Clinic results as relatively weak due to the lack of robust data that can be derived from randomized control trials.

Harvard U Studies Link High Rates of COVID-19 Deaths to PM2.5 Pollution

Biostatisticians and public health researchers at Harvard U cited evidences linking high levels of particulate matters (PM2.5) to high COVID 19 deaths.

In a recent study conducted by researchers of the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University, statistical links established through an analysis of 3.080 U.S. counties, presented evidence that high incidences of death in certain counties were linked to high levels of particulate matters (PM2.5) circulating in the air of the affected areas.

The findings were also supported by statistical data linking the COVID-19 death tolls to data that presented huge overlaps associated with other diseases caused by long-term exposure to the dangerous miniscule particulate matter.

The study is only one of the many global researches, mostly undertaken by health experts in Europe, aimed at presenting insights on how a lifetime of inhaling dirty air could make people more vulnerable to coronavirus diseases. In the U.S., Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the first to have conducted a nationwide study that presented statistical evidence linking PM2.5 pollution to high COVID-19 death rates.

Analysis of Biostatistics that Link COVID-19 Vulnerability to High Levels of Pollution

Harvard University’s public health researchers arrived at a conclusion that even the slightest rise in levels of long-term PM2.5 pollution that also takes into account account population density and smoking, can increase serious coronavirus-related outcomes

Professor Francesca Dominici, who teaches biostatistics at Harvard, and who led the study explained their analysis shows

“That in a U.S. county with high levels of PM2.5 pollution, a resident living in that county for decades, faces 15 percen increased risks of dying from COVID-19, when compared to someone who has lived in a region that has one unit less of PM2.5 pollution.”

The research paper cited as example Manhattan; stating that had it reduced its average PM2.5 pollution level even by just a single during the past 20 years, the N.Y. borough could have seen 248 fewer COVID-19 deaths at the point of outbreak.
The study was conducted before New York City became the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S.

Sen. Romney Took the High Road, Voted Trump Guilty of Abuse of Power

Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) took the high road by being the lone Republican to vote “guilty” on the abuse of power impeachment charge against Donald Trump. It was a decision that Senator Romney knew would earn the ire of Donald Trump and all the Republican supporters behind the latter.

The Utah senator was aware of the consequences of his decision but nonetheless stood pat on his ground, because for him, it was more important to carry out his duty of defending and preserving the Constitution. Although many Republicans now brand him as a traitor, the senator’s action will be remembered well in history; as opposed to the shameless Trumpian senators who chose to ignore all evidence and testimonies, even at the start of the senate impeachment trial.

In an interview with The Washington Post before delivering his “guilty” vote, Senator Romney said there is no question the U.S. president asked a foreign leader to investigate his political adversary for a political purpose. It was clear that Trump put pressure behind the request in order to get the Ukraine President to cooperate in the Biden investigation. As a prelude to his impeachment trial speech, Sen. Romney made it clear that he will vote to convict because in his own view,

”There is not much I can think of as a more egregious assault on the Constitution than trying to corrupt an election just to maintain power, which is what president Trump did.”

Why Sen. Romney Voted to Acquit Trump on Obstruction Charge

Even before the final voting on whether to acquit or convict Trump, the senator of Utah already expressed views that threw support for the calling of more evidence and witnesses. Sen. Romney had wanted to hear what Bolton had to say because

“I was hoping beyond hope that Trump’s defense team would present exculpatory evidence, to remove me from the responsibility of voting what my conscience was telling me”…”That is one of the reasons that I wanted to hear from Bolton, as I had hoped his testimony would raise reasonable doubt.”

Senator Romney though, acknowledged the fact that Trump barred the White House key administration officials with firsthand knowledge from further releasing documents or giving testimony to the House Managers led by Representative Adam Schiff. Despite the acknowledgment, the Utah senator decided to acquit Trump of the obstruction charge. Senator Romney said he believes that the House committees who handled the impeachment proceedings should have taken the time to bring the matter to court.

Many Expats are Realizing the Benefits of Living in Canada

Many Canadian expats are now seriously considering an important decision they have been contemplating on — returning home. The benefits of living in Canada have sunk into their consciousness now that Canadian cities like Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto rank as the 5th, 6th and 7th respectively, in the 2019 list of “Top Ten Most Livable Cities in the World.”

The Tangible and Intangible Benefits of Living in Canada

Some of the important benefits that Canada offers to its expatriates include freedom and a government that citizens can trust for their safety and well-being; whilst staying close to family and being with friendly faces in congenial places. Those are some of the things that Canadian expats missed while taking up residence in another country.

Even more attractive is the idea of returning to Canada’s amazingly beautiful nature, where many of the forests, mountains, rivers and lakes remain untouched by commercial and industrial developments. Actually, living in the city of Toronto means being surrounded by 1,600 urban parks where children can recreate safely and where the entire family can spend moments of leisure without having to go far.

High Taxes and High Cost of Living in Canada

Among the drawbacks that many expats consider when deciding to return to Canada are the high taxes and the high cost of living. Yet when compared to other countries, taxes in Canada also go to providing free education and health care. In Canada, a great part of the country’s education are publicly funded, while ordinary health care costs are free, except dental costs, long-term care, in-home care and prescription drugs.

In fact, immigrants are drawn to Canada because here, people can be of any race, religion, creed or color and enjoy a life free of discrimination. Moreover, racialized citizens can earn, nearly as much as any law-abiding Canadian citizens. It is noteworthy that the Canadian Human Rights Commission is actively taking part in ensuring that there is no place for hatred and bigotry in the country.

Going back to Canada is undoubtedly challenging as far as looking for new employment and affordable housing is concerned. Yet once you get those issues covered, there is no shortage of trans moving firms that can help you transport your stuff home to Canada.

Easy Moving company for one, a Toronto-based transmoving firm employs not only highly experienced crew of movers but also throws in 100% guarantee of providing quality moving service. Their contract agreement includes insurance coverage for your personal items and furniture, as well your property.

Trump’s Big Ego Gets a Beating as World Series Crowd Shame Him with Boos and “Lock Him Up” Chant

Donald Trump’s famous “big ego” finality got hit with reality as several video footages of how he was booed and heckled with “lock him up” chants at the World Series Game 5, went viral.

The crowd’s reaction is obviously a big blow to this U.S. president’s self-conceit, as he is well-known for making claims about huge crowds warmly receiving him, (even when there is none); or for saying he is the greatest and the most adored U.S. president ever (even if he is not.)

Apparently Trump was feeling smug and confident after having announced a few hours earlier that U.S. forces had succeeded in killing ISIL/ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Trump attended the 5th Game of the ongoing World Series, for the first and probably the last time, since he took the seat of power in the Oval Office.

The announcement of Trump’s presence was timed to follow a shot of US troops that was shown after the third inning. Apparently, Trump had expected the cheers for the U.S. troops to grow louder once his presence in the lower box was announced. That of course did not happen because the cheers all to soon faded and replaced with thunderous boos and shouts of lock-him-up.

Instead of receiving cheers of approval for the ISIS feat, the “lock-him-up” chant reminded him instead that majority of the American voters want him behind bars for abusing his presidential power. In fairness to Trump, he reacted with dignity by continuing to smile and wave at the small crowd of Trump supporters nearby.

No Tweets Coming from Donald Trump

Also known for being one to react fast with tweets to either praise or berate those who oppose him, Donald Trump’s tweeting fingers seemed to be at a loss on what to type. That is considering that Twitter flooded with various tweets; all reporting and reposting videos of the thunderous boos and heckling that went his way the moment the stadium attendees saw him on the big screen.

World Series Heckling Not the First Incident in which Trump’s Big Ego was Deflated

The World Series heckling brings to mind how Trump in his usual boisterous speech drew laughter instead of applause from the attendees of the UN General Assembly held in New York last year, September 2018. In addressing world leaders, state officials and diplomats coming from different countries, Trump simply repeated his favorite rally lines about “his administration having accomplished the most ever recorded in the history of the country.”

Surprised that the crowd laughed instead of giving him a round of applause, Trump could not keep himself from saying that he did not expect such a reaction. He later told reporters that he really intended to make the audience laugh.

The World Series heckling incident is different though, because it received real-time, worldwide media coverage..

NOAA Reiterates Explanations on Why Nuking a Hurricane before Landfall is Not Feasible

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has reiterated explanations to quash suggestions of nuking hurricanes. This is because no less than the incumbent president of the United States has been reported to have been contemplating on the idea.

According to news website Axios, Trump has been asking about the nuking idea not just once but several times in the past. Well if the POTUS, who does not believe in the adverse effects of climate change had the good sense to check out the NOAA website, he would have found out for himself why nuking hurricanes is a bad move.

The NOAA has in fact dedicated a specific web page to provide the answers to that particular subject; because even if the idea is absurd, not a few and not just Trump.seem to believe that the “nuke-a-hurricane” suggestion is feasible.

According to reports, every year, concerned citizens have been sending messages to government agencies, proposing the use of nuclear weapons as a means of averting disasters caused by hurricanes. Since news reports have come out that even the U.S. president is also broaching the idea, there is very little chance the myth about nuclear vs. hurricanes, will go away.

The NOAA Reiterates Answers to Why the “Nuke-a-Hurricane” Proposal is Not Sensible

First off, the United State is one of the countries that signed and ratified the international law called “Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty.” This is a pact signed in 1990 by leaders of countries from all over the globe, limiting the use of nuclear weapons for non-military purposes to up to 150 kilotons.

Now the NOAA explains that the main reason why using nuclear explosives to destroy hurricanes is not workable, is because it is impossible to move the huge amount of energy needed to make such actions effective. A hurricane is said to release heat that is equivalent to a 10-megaton nuclear exploding every 20 minutes.

Based on NOAA’s calculation, it would require an application of around half a ton of air on every square yard at the center of the hurricane in order to weaken a Category 5 hurricane down to a Category 2. A hurricane eye measuring 25 miles in diameter, for one, will require about half a billion (500,000,000) tons.

The NOAA finds it difficult to imagine a plausible way of moving that much air around, for whatever intents and purposes.

Most important of all is that nuking a hurricane will only lead to devastating results, if ever such an action would work at all. Radioactive fallout will likely spread quickly as this will be blown away by the tradewinds, causing greater harm and devastations to the environment and everything in it. .

New Research Shows Coffee Can Keep Obesity at Bay

Researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham made a breakthrough after their studies have proven that drinking coffee is a good way of keeping obesity at bay. Coffee as it turns out, promotes the production of Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) in the body.

BAT is also called “brown fat” because of its brown coloring. It is also called “good fat;” mainly because its chief function is to generate heat for burning calories. The theory which the researchers worked on is that if a body has more “brown fat” reserve, then it burns more calories and reduce excess calories. Excess calories on the other hand, later develop to become the White Adipose Tissue or WAT, the type of human fat that causes obesity.

The Nottingham university researchers therefore conducted an experiment to prove true, the helpful effect of “brown fat” in the human body.

How Researchers Proved that BAT Reduces Excess Calories

It was widely believed before that BAT or “brown fat” is present only in babies and in mammals that go into hibernation. The discovery that it is also present in adults was only recent. Still, “brown fat” present in adult bodies do not occur in large quantities as those present in babies and hibernating mammals.

That is why adults who frequently take in calorie-rich food need to be active in order to generate heat for burning calories. Otherwise, White Adipose Tissues (WAT), commonly known as human fat develops, being products of excessive calories stored in the body. Continuous storing of calories without burning will then lead to obesity.

In order to prove that coffee can encourage the production of “brown fat,” the University of Nottingham researchers started their experiment with a series of stem cells. Once they zeroed in on the right dose to introduce as “brown fat” stimulant, they moved on to humans in testing the “brown fat stimulating-effects of coffee.

Using the non-invasive thermal imaging technique which the University of Nottingham researchers pioneered back in 2012, they were able to trace the body’s brown fat reserves, as starting point.

 

 

Professor Michael Symonds of the Faculty of Medicine & Health Science at the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham co-directed this current study. It is worth mentioning that Professor Symonds also directed the 2012 pioneering work on the thermal imaging technique designed to locate BAT inside the body.

That being the case, the research team was able to immediately locate the BAT reserve in the neck region of the individual who drank coffee as part of the testing process. The goal was to determine if after drinking coffee, the thermal reading will show indications that the BAT reserve in the individual’s neck became hotter.

Inasmuch as the results were positive, they were able to prove that drinking coffee can indeed stimulate activation of the BAT or “brown fat reserve”

According to Professor Symonds, the next research work they will embark on is to ascertain if caffeine content was the primary component acting as stimulus, or if any other component of coffee acted as a stimulant.

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