Mar 2011 - Michigan South Asian

Page 17 MARCH 2011 Michigan South Asian
Earth’s Rotation, Not Human Activity
Caused ‘Methane Level increase’
Melbourne, Feb 7
A new study has suggested that
it’s not human activity but the
Earth’s rotation patterns that
caused an increase in methane
levels 5000 years ago.
Dr Joy Singarayer of the University
of Bristol, and colleagues,
suggest changes in the
Earth’’s orbit and precession,
not agriculture, played a major
part.
The team used computer models,
used to estimate future climatic
conditions, to trace back
over the past 130,000 years and
then used this data to estimate
vegetation types, and hence
methane production, across the
planet.
Singarayer and colleagues
found the output of their models
matched with measurements of
methane from ice cores taken in
Greenland.
“What we found was that our
models were able to reproduce
both the decrease that was seen
around 100,000 years ago and
the increase we’’ve seen in the
last 5000 years, without having
to invoke human induced
emissions through agriculture,”
ABC Science quoted Paul Valdes,
also of the University of
Bristol, as saying.
According to Valdes, the computer
models showed wetlands
in the Southern Hemisphere, in
particular South America, were
the source of the additional
methane.
“This was based on the fact that
this had some of the biggest
changes in monsoon and because
the land area is so large,”
he said.
Valdes added that given the
models “did a good job of simulating
past changes in methane
... [it] will maybe give us a little
more confidence that the computer
models are working correctly
and therefore more
believable for future predictions.”
CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric
Research scientist,
Dr David Etheridge
said, “[They] did a
reasonably good global
climate simulation across
those periods. They don’’t
rule out early anthropogenic
causes, but they
say that it can still be explained
from wetlands.”
He says one of the concerns for
the future is how feedback of
atmospheric methane may amplify
global warming, and that
studies like this will help us better
understand the releases of
methane that can cause them.
The study was published in Nature.
New York Cab Driver Awarded For
Returning $100K Worth Of Valuables
London, Feb 16
A New York City taxi driver,
who returned 100,000 dollars
worth of jewellery and cash that
had been left in the back seat of
his cab, has been awarded.
According to the Wall Street
Journal, Zubiru Jalloh, the taxi
driver, noticed the bundle of
valuables that had been left
behind by John James after he
was dropped off at the National
Arts Club in Gramercy Park, as
he was picking up his next customer.
“I had another fare and when
I opened the back door to help
the customer, I realised the
white bag was inside,” the Telegraph
quoted Jalloh as saying.
“I saw inside, pictures and jewellery
and some money, 229
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dollars, some paperwork and
some artwork,” he told the Fox
5 news channel.
Jalloh took the bag home for
safekeeping and said he was
confident that James would contact
him because he had given
him a receipt.
With the help of a friend in city
government and the receipt
James was able to track down
Jalloh and was swiftly reunited
with his valuable bag.
James offered Jalloh 10 100
dollar bills as a reward, which
he reluctantly accepted, and
invited him to the club’s Valentine’s
Day party.
But Jalloh declined the invitation,
saying his Muslim faith
told him to return someone
else’s property.
Shankar Mahadevan Launches
By Baiju NT [February 11,
2011]
India’s multiple National Film
award winning music composer
and singer Shankar Mahadevan
has launched an online music
academy, available onwww.
shankarmahadevanacademy.
com.
Mahadevan has tied up with
Clood On, a provider of virtual
learning software, for this
project to provide step-by-step
training to students of all age
groups living in the US.
Online Music Academy
“I noticed that in Indian classical
music, the teaching methods
are very unstructured. You cannot
put it down in points anywhere.
Whereas, if you go to Berkeley
College of Music or Juilliard
School just to learn the trumpet,
for example, everything is
structured,” said Mahadevan.
Apart from the theory lessons,
Mahadevan has
also roped in
teachers to take
live classes online.
“We are replicating
two
aspects of any
form of learning
when you
go to a college:
you have a textbook
and you
have a teacher standing in front
of you.
We have created a textbook OM
(Online Music) Book, which
can be accessible all the time,
plus classes with a teacher are
scheduled at a specific time so
that you can virtually interact
with her,” he said.
The academy offers courses in
Hindustani as well as Carnatic
music.
Each course lasts 12 weeks, and
costs $240 as an introductory
offer. Starting April, the course
fee will be $300.
The first batch of classes will
begin on Mahadevan’s birthday,
March 3.
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