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Weekly
Highlights
Demar
Tracey,Youthlink Writer
Along
with the weekly highlights,
I give my thoughts on the various issues.
Local
News
'Nature
will take 100 years to replace the sand
at coral springs'
Fact:
According to local geologist Basil Young,
the 500 truckloads of sand stolen from Coral
Springs in Trelawny could take 100 years
to be replaced by nature. Young, who has
38 years of experience in the field of geology,
arrived at the conclusion based on the amount
of sand that was taken from the area. He
said, "If you take out that amount
of sand, it will take more than a hundred
years, approximately, to get it back."
The mysterious disappearance of the sand
left authorities in disbelief, and severely
hampered a multibillion-dollar development
project that was earmarked for the area.
MY
THOUGHTS: Let's hope that Mr Young is right
because, from the look of things, the 500
truckloads of sand will not be returned
by the persons who took it, and that beachfront
property will remain ugly until then.
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The
beach at Coral Springs, Trelawny,
after sand was stolen.
- CONTRIBUTED
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'Cheaper
fertiliser by the end of september'
Fact:
Minister of Agriculture Dr Christopher
Tufton is promising local farmers cheaper
fertiliser by the end of September. The
shipment of approximately 8,000 tonnes of
fertiliser is expected to cost the Government
$300 million and will be retailed to farmers
at almost $4,000. If sold at this price,
it would almost halve the previous selling
price of $7,000. Minister Tufton was also
quick to point out that the money being
spent was not a Government subsidy, as the
money was acquired through the Jamaica Commodity
Trading Company. In explaining the reduction
of the retail price, the minister pointed
out that the Government's calculations were
made based on the difference in the grade
of the fertiliser being imported.
MY
THOUGHTS: I can't see how we could actually
be successful at eating what we grow if
farmers have to buy fertiliser at such an
enormous price; therefore, the price reduction
is a welcomed one.
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International
News
Mauritania
coup
Fact:
Upset military officers of the Mauritanian
army overthrew the government following
the sacking of the country's top-four military
officials after they had sided with lawmakers
and accused the president of being corrupt.
The bloodless coup led to the reinstatement
of three officials while the fourth, General
Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, assumed leadership
of the country's "state council".
The takeover dispatched the first freely
elected government in 20 years in a country
whose history is marred by military takeovers.
MY
THOUGHTS: Talk about history continuously
repeating itself.
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Japan
remembers nagasaki victims
Fact:
Japan marked the 63rd anniversary of the
Nagasaki atomic bombing by calling on international
superpowers to abandon their nuclear arsenal.
Thousands of survivors, elderly and children
bowed their heads for a minute of silence
at the city's peace park at 11:02, the exact
time the bomb was dropped. Nagasaki was
bombed three days after the city of Hiroshima,
by the United States, on August 9, 1945.
Of the city's estimated population of 200,000
at the time, 27,000 persons died instantly
while another 70,000 died by the end of
the year.
MY
THOUGHTS: The United States is saying
that Iran and North Korea cannot be trusted
with nuclear weaponry but, if the past is
anything to go by, can they be trusted not
to use nuclear artillery on innocent civilians?
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Dancers
wearing ancient Okinawan Ryukyu court
costume perform during a Ryukyuan
dance appearance in Naha on the southern
Japanese island of Okinawa on February
12, 2007.
- CONTRIBUTED
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Yeah
right of the week
A
team of Australian scientists have
suggested kangaroo meat should be
eaten instead of beef, in an effort
to stop global warming. The scientists
revealed that the methane gas emitted
through burping and flatulence by
sheep and cows is more potent than
carbon dioxide. Kangaroos have a different
set of microorganisms in their guts
when compared to sheep and cows; hence
they produce no methane gas. Dr George
Wilson of the Australian Wildlife
Services went on to say that sheep
and cattle accounted for 11 per cent
of the country's carbon footprint.
Yeah right!
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Kangaroo
mother Naddel and her twin joeys
enjoy the sun in their enclosure
at the zoo in Hanover on April
25, 2007.
- File
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