'Green' Roofs Could Help Put Lid On Global Warming

ScienceDaily — "Green" roofs, those increasingly popular urban rooftops covered with plants, could help fight global warming, scientists in Michigan are reporting. The scientists found that replacing traditional roofing materials in an urban area the size of Detroit, with a population of about one-million, with green would be equivalent to eliminating a year's worth of carbon dioxide emitted by 10,000 mid-sized SUVs and trucks.Their study, the first of its kind to examine the ability of green roofs to sequester carbon which may impact climate change, is scheduled for the Oct. 1 issue of ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

Kristin Getter and colleagues point out in the new study that green roofs are multi-functional. They reduce heating and air conditioning costs, for instance, and retain and detain stormwater. Researchers knew that green roofs also absorb carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, but nobody had measured the impact until now.

The scientists measured carbon levels in plant and soil samples collected from 13 green roofs in Michigan and Maryland over a two-year period. They found that green roofing an urban area of about one million people would capture more than 55,000 tons of carbon, the scientists say. That's an amount "similar to removing more than 10,000 mid-sized SUV or trucks off the road a year," the article notes.

Have you ever been attacked by cows?

Three people have died in as many months and many others have been injured by cows protecting their calves.

Farmers' unions have issued advice to walkers on how to protect themselves if they feel in danger around cows.

They say cattle are naturally protective towards calves and often feel threatened by dogs.

Have you ever been in danger or injured by cows? What was your experience? How did you get out of the situation? What advice would you give to avoid an attack by cows?

Johnson blitz rescues Australia

ICC Champions Trophy, Johannesburg:
Australia 275-8 (50 ovs) beat West Indies 225-9 (46.5 overs) by 50 runs
Match scorecard
Left-hander Johnson hit three sixes in his brutal innings


Mitchell Johnson's unbeaten 73 from 47 balls proved crucial as Australia beat West Indies by 50 runs in their opening Champions Trophy match in Johannesburg.

Skipper Ricky Ponting hit 79 before his side slumped to 171-7 in the 40th over.

However, number eight Johnson smashed three sixes and eight fours to help the reigning champions to 275-8 in Group A.

Andre Fletcher (54) and Travis Dowlin (55) gave the underdogs hope but they ran out of steam and finished on 225-9, with Dale Richards unable to bat.

Their second defeat means West Indies, who are fielding a weakened side because of a pay dispute between the players and their cricket board, are effectively out of the tournament.

Australia, however, take on India on Monday with high hopes of reaching the last four, although Ponting said his side would have to play better.

"Today we had a few too many extras. We expected the new ball to do a bit more for us than it did and the bowlers probably got a little bit carried away with that," he said.

"The ball seamed around a lot in the morning and we ended up batting on a pretty difficult wicket. To get that total, I thought the batsman did a really good job and Mitch finished things off really well," he added.
Darren Sammy dismisses James Hopes to reduce Australia to 171-7


West Indies captain Floyd Reifer admitted that Johnson's brutal knock had changed the course of the match.

"We had Australia 170-odd for seven but the game was taken away from us in the last 10 overs. Mitchell Johnson played well and Brett Lee also played a pretty good innings," he said.

Australia, fresh from a 6-1 thrashing of England, got off to a terrible start when Shane Watson was bowled off the first ball of the game from Kemar Roach.

Tim Paine was dropped by fellow wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton on 16 but was eventually out for 33, from 59 balls.

Ponting brought up his fifty from 62 balls but Mike Hussey's departure for six put the West Indies on top.

Nikita Miller secured the key wicket when he had Ponting stumped and the spinner then turned one through Cameron White's defences.

Roach bowled Callum Ferguson and Darren Sammy saw off James Hopes to leave Australia struggling on 171-7 in the 40th over. 606: DEBATE
Your thoughts on West Indies' display


But Johnson and Brett Lee put on 70 from 52 balls to reignite the innings, with Johnson smashing two sixes over mid-wicket off Sammy as he recorded his first one-day international half-century.

Lee was run out for 25 after attempting a third run but Johnson and Nathan Hauritz smashed 32 off the last two overs to get Australia to an imposing total.

Fletcher and Dowlin put on 86 for the second wicket but Australia got the vital breakthrough when Fletcher was run out by a direct hit from Johnson at mid-off.

Dowlin made his way to a patient 55 off 87 balls before he top-edged a delivery from Lee, and no-one else was able to make an impact as Australia wrapped up victory.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/8274523.stm

Should informal childcare be regulated?

The case of two working mums who had an informal reciprocal childcare arrangement that broke current law is to be reviewed by the Children's Minister. Should the law be changed?

The two police officers were told they contravened the Childcare Act 2006 by caring for each other's children while not registered as childminders.

Ofsted say their arrangement was illegal as it lasted for more than two hours per day and the reciprocal arrangement constituted a "reward".

The children's charity Kidscape described the decision as defying common sense, saying it imposed extra childcare costs on families.

How should informal childcare be regulated? To what extent should parents be allowed to make reciprocal arrangements? How can the need to protect children be balanced with informal childcare arrangements between friends and family?

Are pre-nuptial agreements a good idea?

Family lawyers say that in recent years they have seen a tenfold increase in couples signing pre-nuptial agreements.

Lawyers say the increasing number of independently wealthy women, coupled with greater numbers of people marrying later in life with complicated family arrangements, has increased their popularity.

The agreements are enforceable in Scotland but not in England and Wales. The Tories say they should become binding - but critics say people may feel pressured into signing them.

Would you sign a 'pre-nup'? Do you think they are a good way of dividing family assets or do they kill the romance? Should they become binding in the whole of the UK?

Do you believe Merkel will bring prosperity to Germany?
 

Chancellor Angela Merkel has been returned to power in Germany, after her conservative bloc (CDU/CSU) won more than 33% of the vote. Is this good news for Germany?

Mrs Merkel said the priority of her second term in office will be to return prosperity to Europe's largest economy. Her bloc now looks set to form a centre-right alliance with her preferred partner, the pro-reform FDP, what would give them a comfortable majority in parliament. Mrs Merkel says the alliance will get Germany out of its worst crisis in 60 years.

Her rival, SPD leader Frank Walter Steinmeier, admitted a "bitter defeat". And said his party would be "vigilant in opposition". The party has suffered one of its heaviest losses in recent history.

US President Barack Obama told Merkel that under a "strong German government" ties between the two countries would "further strengthen and deepen", the White House said.

Do you think Merkel will be able to succeed in taking the country out of the crisis? Do you believe Germany will be better off with a centre-right coalition? What are your hopes for the new government?

Should there be a Nato of the South?

The leaders of Libya and Venezuela have called on Africa and South America to create a new alliance to counter Western dominance. What do you think this alliance would achieve?

President Chavez called on the two continents to unite to secure prosperity for future generations, while Libya's Muammar Gaddafi proposed a defence alliance of South American and African nations, calling it "a Nato of the South".

The leaders were speaking at the second South-America-Africa (ASA) summit held in Venezuela where both Col Gaddafi and President Chavez said they wanted to redress the balance of power in the world.

Do you live on either continent? Should links between the two be stronger? What do you think a Nato of the South could achieve? How can the balance of power in the world be redressed?