Do you think an eartquake will destroy Tokyo in the next 50 years ?
The resaon for me making this thread is New Orleans. I watched some docus about the flooding of the New Orleans because of a hurricane. I always thought that something like this will never happen,......
I saw many docus about Tokyo,too. They said that the next big eartquake is not so far away.
What do you think?
I believe this would have a big impact on the world economy.>
Monday, April 30, 2007
Which City's Absence Would be Felt the Most?
Pure hypothetical situation, of course, but just imagine if a city disappeared overnight, just completely disappeared. Which city's loss would be most deeply felt?
I'd say Paris, just off the top of my head. It's not simply it's current importance, bust historic and cultural as well.
How about you?>
I'd say Paris, just off the top of my head. It's not simply it's current importance, bust historic and cultural as well.
How about you?>
Cairo Urban Farms May Disappear Due to Bird Flu
Avian flu could doom Cairo rooftop farmyards
CAIRO, Feb 18, 2006 (AFP) - A feature of Cairene folklore but also a means of subsistence for many Egyptians, rooftop farmyards have been singled out as a major health hazard since the first outbreak of avian influenza was confirmed.
Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif on Saturday urged all Egyptians to put an end to rooftop farming. Four out of six birds found to have been infected by the deadly H5N1 strain in Cairo came from such installations.
While no human cases have yet been reported, Health Minister Hatem Gebali gave several interviews on television Friday night, urging families to keep children away from the rooftops.
Above the commotion of Cairo's teeming streets lies an equally crowded rooftop city where the destitute fight for living space with millions of chickens, ducks and pigeons.
In Cairo's teeming neighbourhood of Bulaq Dakrur, Ismail Mahmud Mohammed's roof houses some 50 cackling ducks and hens, two satellite dishes, several families' laundry lines and a playground for the building's children.
"When there's no money to rent a bigger place, there's always space on the roof," said the 45-year-old.
"They said on television that it's dangerous to mix with the birds but they are my only source of income. Thanks to God, my birds are okay so we will eat those and then we will stop but what other job will I find?"
While the government has not yet issued an official ban on backyard and rooftop poultry rearing, the current avian flu crisis could have a drastic impact on the Cairo skyline.
"In most Egyptians farms, the level of hygiene is good. The problem is with urban yards where poultry and humans share the same living space," said Talaat Khatib, a professor at Assiut University's faculty of veterinary medicine.
"The situation is bad in these places and the threat of disease is higher. We need a huge campaign of awareness," he told AFP.
"To tackle this sanitary issue we have to change a certain lifestyle, all these rooftop cages should be removed," Khatib said.
In the streets of Bulaq Dakrur, animals and people mingle in one chaotic cluster of dirt alleys where barefoot children play and sheep graze on rubbish amidst a huge traffic jam of donkey carts, mini-buses, grocery stalls and chicken hutches.
Unfazed by the latest reports, an old woman wrapped in a white veil squeezes the neck of one of her pigeons and drop feeds water directly from her mouth to the bird's open beak in order to keep him hydrated.
Since the bird flu scare, impoverished Egyptians have been eating even more chicken than usual, as the prices of fish and other meats have doubled.
But many residents are aware that the measures promised by the authorities could spell the end of the era of unregulated urban farming.
Rooftop farms are particularly exposed "because of the sand carried in the air and because the water can be contaminated by migratory birds such as ducks," the health minister explained on the MBC channel Friday night.
"Some things never change in Cairo but I think now a lot of people are scared or understand that breeding animals on roofs and balconies is insalubrious," said Gamal Abdel Sattah, a young pharmacist from Bulaq Dakrur.
On his father's roof, a few dozen ducks and roosters squawk and flutter around the satellite dish amid children's plastic toys and cabbage leaves strewn on a thick bed of droppings.
"I will convince my father to destroy all this. We only use the birds for our personal consumption. This is probably the end of a tradition," said Gamal.>
CAIRO, Feb 18, 2006 (AFP) - A feature of Cairene folklore but also a means of subsistence for many Egyptians, rooftop farmyards have been singled out as a major health hazard since the first outbreak of avian influenza was confirmed.
Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif on Saturday urged all Egyptians to put an end to rooftop farming. Four out of six birds found to have been infected by the deadly H5N1 strain in Cairo came from such installations.
While no human cases have yet been reported, Health Minister Hatem Gebali gave several interviews on television Friday night, urging families to keep children away from the rooftops.
Above the commotion of Cairo's teeming streets lies an equally crowded rooftop city where the destitute fight for living space with millions of chickens, ducks and pigeons.
In Cairo's teeming neighbourhood of Bulaq Dakrur, Ismail Mahmud Mohammed's roof houses some 50 cackling ducks and hens, two satellite dishes, several families' laundry lines and a playground for the building's children.
"When there's no money to rent a bigger place, there's always space on the roof," said the 45-year-old.
"They said on television that it's dangerous to mix with the birds but they are my only source of income. Thanks to God, my birds are okay so we will eat those and then we will stop but what other job will I find?"
While the government has not yet issued an official ban on backyard and rooftop poultry rearing, the current avian flu crisis could have a drastic impact on the Cairo skyline.
"In most Egyptians farms, the level of hygiene is good. The problem is with urban yards where poultry and humans share the same living space," said Talaat Khatib, a professor at Assiut University's faculty of veterinary medicine.
"The situation is bad in these places and the threat of disease is higher. We need a huge campaign of awareness," he told AFP.
"To tackle this sanitary issue we have to change a certain lifestyle, all these rooftop cages should be removed," Khatib said.
In the streets of Bulaq Dakrur, animals and people mingle in one chaotic cluster of dirt alleys where barefoot children play and sheep graze on rubbish amidst a huge traffic jam of donkey carts, mini-buses, grocery stalls and chicken hutches.
Unfazed by the latest reports, an old woman wrapped in a white veil squeezes the neck of one of her pigeons and drop feeds water directly from her mouth to the bird's open beak in order to keep him hydrated.
Since the bird flu scare, impoverished Egyptians have been eating even more chicken than usual, as the prices of fish and other meats have doubled.
But many residents are aware that the measures promised by the authorities could spell the end of the era of unregulated urban farming.
Rooftop farms are particularly exposed "because of the sand carried in the air and because the water can be contaminated by migratory birds such as ducks," the health minister explained on the MBC channel Friday night.
"Some things never change in Cairo but I think now a lot of people are scared or understand that breeding animals on roofs and balconies is insalubrious," said Gamal Abdel Sattah, a young pharmacist from Bulaq Dakrur.
On his father's roof, a few dozen ducks and roosters squawk and flutter around the satellite dish amid children's plastic toys and cabbage leaves strewn on a thick bed of droppings.
"I will convince my father to destroy all this. We only use the birds for our personal consumption. This is probably the end of a tradition," said Gamal.>
Climate in your city - do you like it?
I'm not that much interested in statistical data, as it can not truly capture the weather, but more in your personal impression of it.
Zagreb, Croatia, Europe
We have all 4 seasons which I like, from hot summers (with temperatures often reaching over 30 degrees C) to snowy winters (which can go for too long and become depressing).
Overall weather is fine, we would be better without foggy days in the autumn and miserable cloudy damp days in february but it just makes the spring feels better.>
Zagreb, Croatia, Europe
We have all 4 seasons which I like, from hot summers (with temperatures often reaching over 30 degrees C) to snowy winters (which can go for too long and become depressing).
Overall weather is fine, we would be better without foggy days in the autumn and miserable cloudy damp days in february but it just makes the spring feels better.>
Your favourite spot/building in NYC
I'm sure enough people here have visited NYC at least once (thus why this isn't in the NYC forum). What is your favourite spot in the city? Any memories? What is your favourite building?
I was charmed by many places in Manhattan... exploring the financial district, central park, upper west side, etc. My favourite spot however is Bryant Park, right behind the library. It's a quiet place right in the heart of the city, and one of my favourite scrapers is there: the American Radiator Building.
For those who don't know, the New York Public Library is on the left, and the ARB is on the right.
>
I was charmed by many places in Manhattan... exploring the financial district, central park, upper west side, etc. My favourite spot however is Bryant Park, right behind the library. It's a quiet place right in the heart of the city, and one of my favourite scrapers is there: the American Radiator Building.
For those who don't know, the New York Public Library is on the left, and the ARB is on the right.
>
Your favourite spot/building in NYC
I'm sure enough people here have visited NYC at least once (thus why this isn't in the NYC forum). What is your favourite spot in the city? Any memories? What is your favourite building?
I was charmed by many places in Manhattan... exploring the financial district, central park, upper west side, etc. My favourite spot however is Bryant Park, right behind the library. It's a quiet place right in the heart of the city, and one of my favourite scrapers is there: the American Radiator Building.
For those who don't know, the New York Public Library is on the left, and the ARB is on the right.
>
I was charmed by many places in Manhattan... exploring the financial district, central park, upper west side, etc. My favourite spot however is Bryant Park, right behind the library. It's a quiet place right in the heart of the city, and one of my favourite scrapers is there: the American Radiator Building.
For those who don't know, the New York Public Library is on the left, and the ARB is on the right.
>
ASIAN CITY OF THE FUTURE: HK
ASIAN CITIES & REGIONS OF THE FUTURE 2005/06
December 12, 2005
Hong Kong earns the title of Asian city of the future with India and Australia picking up the regional honours. Courtney Fingar reports on whoÂ's doing most to attract foreign direct investment.
ASIAN CITY OF THE FUTURE:
Winner: Hong Kong
A member of the elite group of truly world-class cities on a par with London, New York and Paris, Hong Kong continues to fend off pretenders to its Asian throne. While Sydney is stunning, Singapore is serene and Shanghai is sizzling, there is still only one Hong Kong. Its status of being Chinese, yet at the same time not entirely, allows it to benefit from ChinaÂ's ascendance without being steamrollered by it.
This is, in turn, the unique advantage that Hong Kong provides to its foreign investors, and it is one not to be underestimated: come and get a piece of the Chinese action, the city says, but from a safe, stable, somewhat familiar base camp. It is an alluring pitch that will ensure Hong KongÂ's spot near the top of the FDI league tables for many years to come.
On quality of life, Hong Kong is tough to beat, as the judges in fDiÂ's first ever Asian Cities & Regions of the Future competition concluded. But, as much fun as it is to play in this exotic, cosmopolitan city, it is primarily a place for doing business – and on that front there is also much to applaud.
In addition to its first place ranking in the quality of life category, the former British colony and now Chinese special administrative region also came top in transport, IT and telecommunications, and FDI potential. It came in second place, after Sydney, in human resources.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Runner up: Sydney
Although Hong KongÂ's lead in fDiÂ's competition was comfortable, overall runner up Sydney did manage to better it in the human resources category, proving that the Australian cityÂ's primary competitive strength is to be found in sheer people power.
SydneyÂ's quality of life was deemed second only to Hong KongÂ's, impressing our judges with its high-calibre housing and excellent schools, not to mention its array of cultural offerings. Situated on beautiful Sydney Harbour, anchored by the world-famous Sydney Opera House, the capital of New South Wales boasts a culturally diverse and highly educated population, magnificent scenery and an Antipodean friendliness – all of which make it an exceedingly enticing place in which to live and work.>
December 12, 2005
Hong Kong earns the title of Asian city of the future with India and Australia picking up the regional honours. Courtney Fingar reports on whoÂ's doing most to attract foreign direct investment.
ASIAN CITY OF THE FUTURE:
Winner: Hong Kong
A member of the elite group of truly world-class cities on a par with London, New York and Paris, Hong Kong continues to fend off pretenders to its Asian throne. While Sydney is stunning, Singapore is serene and Shanghai is sizzling, there is still only one Hong Kong. Its status of being Chinese, yet at the same time not entirely, allows it to benefit from ChinaÂ's ascendance without being steamrollered by it.
This is, in turn, the unique advantage that Hong Kong provides to its foreign investors, and it is one not to be underestimated: come and get a piece of the Chinese action, the city says, but from a safe, stable, somewhat familiar base camp. It is an alluring pitch that will ensure Hong KongÂ's spot near the top of the FDI league tables for many years to come.
On quality of life, Hong Kong is tough to beat, as the judges in fDiÂ's first ever Asian Cities & Regions of the Future competition concluded. But, as much fun as it is to play in this exotic, cosmopolitan city, it is primarily a place for doing business – and on that front there is also much to applaud.
In addition to its first place ranking in the quality of life category, the former British colony and now Chinese special administrative region also came top in transport, IT and telecommunications, and FDI potential. It came in second place, after Sydney, in human resources.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Runner up: Sydney
Although Hong KongÂ's lead in fDiÂ's competition was comfortable, overall runner up Sydney did manage to better it in the human resources category, proving that the Australian cityÂ's primary competitive strength is to be found in sheer people power.
SydneyÂ's quality of life was deemed second only to Hong KongÂ's, impressing our judges with its high-calibre housing and excellent schools, not to mention its array of cultural offerings. Situated on beautiful Sydney Harbour, anchored by the world-famous Sydney Opera House, the capital of New South Wales boasts a culturally diverse and highly educated population, magnificent scenery and an Antipodean friendliness – all of which make it an exceedingly enticing place in which to live and work.>
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