World Affairs

We have two articles dealing with the World that's off the computer. Cosmicdude2 writes about an ancient village found near Stonehenge, where the builders of the mysterious Stonehenge may have lived. Simple013 writes about climate change, the documentary by Al Gore and what you can do.

-Prashanna

An Inconvenient Truth - By: Simple013

Or in other words, Al Gore to the rescue. First of all, I need to tell you one thing about myself: I am an absolute cynic when it comes to famous Americans hollering about our world climate. I don’t doubt at all he has the best intentions, and it has to be said the title of his documentary is exactly that: An inconvenient truth. What bothers me, however, is one thing in particular. Ever since the first global climate conference the United States has done all in its power to frustrate the process of diminishing greenhouse gasses.

When the Kyoto agreement was signed close to all countries ratified the agreement, except the United States. Now you can all point to G.W. as the culprit but that is not completely true. You see, of the world population 4% live in the US. But a staggering 25% of the world’s energy is used by that same 4%. And now all hell is breaking loose: Katrina finally showed the Americans they too are at risk. And it is a very big risk.

It seems people still don’t see what a changing climate really is. Well let me try to put it in a context some might better understand. You know the story of the little boy who put his finger in a hole in a dike in the Netherlands and thus prevented an inundation of a large area? Well, sorry to say this but that won’t happen again. When that little kid puts his finger in that hole again he will drown: The water will not come through the dike, it will flow over it. And the chances of that happening are increasing. Not only because of rising sea levels but also because of increase precipitation. We are threatened by the sea on the one hand and rivers on the other. Thus preparations are made to increase the height of the dikes. But at a certain point that exercise if futile: When sea levels rise as predicted the water will seep through the dikes because of the water pressure.

At the same time this is happening temperatures in our area will rise to those of present day Spain. Look at Norway or Sweden and they will have our present day temperatures. And Italy and Spain? They will dry out. Just like Tunisia: an arid area where little will grow. Planet Earth is in for a hard time and finally America has seen the light, well, a few at least.

Al Gore has shown the US what is happening and it seems they finally hear what has been said for years on end. Scientist agree the world is heating up faster than predicted and the ‘point of no return’ could be as early as ten years from now. And that is frightening. Energy consumption has to come down, not only in Europe but also in the US, in Australia, in Canada, in South America. Basically all over the world.

So I have a few favors to ask. Please smash all the light bulbs in your house. Then ask your parents to let you buy the new ones, then get the energy saving ones. Your parents might even be glad: They use less energy and will lower the utility bill. Think before you step into your car to do your grocery shopping: Do you really need to take the car?

The last favor is this: If you haven’t seen "An Inconvenient Truth", go see it. Ask your school teachers to show it. Enter the discussion and see where you can save energy. After all, We are the generation that will have to deal with the mess our parents left behind. Better start as soon as possible to do just that. Deal with it.

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Neolithic Village Discovered Near Stonehenge - By: cosmicdude2

Huge ancient village discovered near Stonehenge.

Archaeologists have found what seems to be an ancient village near Stonehenge. Apparently, they believe that it is where the builders of stone henge lived. There are reports that hundreds of people once lived there, in the Stonehenge world heritage site, said the group of archaeologists who unearthed it.

“In what were houses, we have excavated the outlines of floors of box beds and wooden dressers or cupboards,” Said Mark Parker Pearson, one of the archaeologists working on the excavation. The houses were found at Durrington walls, one of the world’s largest known henge, which have been dated to 2600-2800 BC. The excavation supports the theory that the monument wasn’t erected in isolation but was instead a part of a much larger religious structure. The archaeologists believe that the henge was used for burial rituals. “We think our discovery is very significant to understanding the purpose of Stonehenge,” Said Pearson. “What we’ve revealed is that it was just one half of the largest cemetery in Britan" Pearson said in a press telephone conference.

The excavation supports the theory that Stonehenge wasn’t erected in isolation, but was instead a part of a much larger religious structure. The archaeologists believe that the henge was used for burial rituals. “We think our discovery is very significant to understanding the purpose of Stonehenge,” Said Pearson. “What we’ve revealed is that Stonehenge was just one half of a larger complex in Britain at the time.”

He believes that Durrington walls and Stonehenge are closely linked, with the village receiving the dead bodies for burial, some which would be taken to the Stonehenge memorial. Six of the houses which were excavated had preserved clay floors, each room having walls constructed from wood. Each of the rooms measured 25 sq. meters with a hearth at the center.

“It’s the richest site, by that I mean the filthiest site, of this period known in Britain,” said Pearson. “We have never seen such large quantities of pottery, animal bones and flint.”

Each year thousands of tourists visit the site of Stonehenge, and it was declared a candidate for the world's seven modern wonders in 2006.

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