The Most Homocidal Countries [INFOGRAPHIC]

With Halloween around the corner, the idea of being stabbed by a deranged murderer is at the front of our minds. GOOD's latest transparency is a look at where in the world are you most likely to be murdered and which countries have the lowest homicide rates.

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Indian Engineer 'builds' new glaciers via Cakebelly (Amplify)

cakebelly says:

“So far, Mr Norphel’s glaciers have been able to each store up to one million cubic feet of ice, which in turn can irrigate 200 hectares of farm land. For farmers, that can make the difference between crop failure and a bumper crop of more than 1,000 tons of wheat.

The “iceman” says he has seen the effects of global warming on farmland as snows have become thinner on the ground and ice rivers have melted away never to return.

His own work has now been recognised by the Indian government, which has given him £16,000 to build five new glaciers. But time is his enemy, he told The Hindustan Times. “I’m planning to train villagers with instruction CDs that I have made, so that I can pass on the knowledge before I die,” he said. “

clipped from cakebelly.amplify.com By Dean Nelson in New Delhi Published: 6:00AM GMT 28 Oct 2009 Chewang Norphel, 76, has “built” 12 new glaciers already and is racing to create five more before he dies. By then he hopes he will have trained enough new “icemen” to continue his work and save the world’s “third icecap” from being transformed into rivers. His race against time is shared by Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister who called on the region’s Himalayan nations, including China, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan, to form a united front to tackle glacial melting. By diverting meltwater through a network of pipes into artificial lakes in the shaded side of mountain valleys, he says he has created new glaciers. A dam or embankment is built to keep in the water, which freezes at night and remains frozen in the absence of direct sunlight. The water remains frozen until March, when the start of summer melts the new glacier and releases the water into the rivers below. Read more at www.telegraph.co.uk

Will India’s Kashmir talks offer break fresh ground?

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  India: A billion aspirations » Will India’s Kashmir talks offer break fresh ground?
  
  tags: India-Pakisthan,Kashmir talks,seperatism
  
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    New Delhi said this week it will adopt “quiet diplomacy” with every section of political opinion to find a solution to the problems in India-ruled Kashmir about four years after it opened a dialogue with separatist groups there.
    The response to the announcement is on expected lines — the moderates welcoming it and pro-Pakistan hardliners reminding any effort at peace without involving Islamabad would be futile.
    
    
    
    
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    Violence is at a low in Kashmir, elections there were largely successful and last year’s angry public protests against Indian rule have now subsided.
    On the other hand, the security situation is at its worst in Pakistan and the war in Afghanistan appears to be in a decisive phase
    
    
    
    
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    The United States wants Pakistan to concentrate its military efforts on fighting the Taliban and other Islamist groups on its western border. For this Washington would like to see India and Pakistan reduce their tensions.
    So could it be that international pressure was devolving on India to resolve the Kashmir issue and New Delhi’s latest offer for talks was only aimed at deflecting that pressure by giving the impression that it was engaging with Kashmiris?
    
    
    
    
  
  

Made from bamboo.

clipped from www.greendiary.com World’s most incredible designs made from bamboo 1. The origami-inspired Folded Bamboo House: 2. The Woven House: 3. The Wind and Water Cafe: 4. The Mason Lane Farm Operations Facility: 5. Butterfly Bamboo Homes: 6. The Bamboo Forest House: 7. BamGoo: 8. Bamboo Taxi Car: 9. Bamboo Jeep: 10. Indonesian bamboo bicycle: 11. Bamboo Speakers: 12. Asus Ecobook Bamboo Laptop: 13. Cut Bamboo Table Lamp: 14. Bamboo Helmets: 15. Bamboo accessories from Micro Innovations: 16. The Bamboo Radio: 17. Bird-Electron EZ-TAKEGTF2: 18. Dell’s bamboo-encased eco-PC concept: 19. Bamboo Chandelier: 20. Bamboo Caskets: Interesting facts about bamboo:

Learning to read? Try talking to a dog

clipped from www.cnn.com Meet Bailey. She's a registered therapy dog, but you won't find her in hospitals or nursing homes. Instead, Bailey makes weekly visits to libraries and schools. She sits quietly or snuggles up to kids as they read her a book. And no, she's not napping, and the kids don't have treats in their pockets. She's actually helping these children learn to read. It sounds implausible. After all, dogs can't read. How could they possibly help someone learn a skill that they themselves can't grasp? But it's a growing trend, and it seems to be working. The philosophy is simple. Children who are just learning to read often feel judged or intimidated by classmates and adults. But reading to a dog isn't so scary. It won't judge, it won't get impatient, it won't laugh or correct if the child makes a mistake. In a nutshell, dogs are simply excellent listeners. And for shy kids or slow readers, that can make all the difference.

Under the bus....that was really close [ANIMATED GIF]

It's a good thing the guy was paying attention. The bus missed him by a fraction of a second.

Under that bus is your final destination.

clipped from d.yimg.com

Being a Woman Is Not a Pre-Existing Condition

clipped from www.change.org Being a Woman Is Not a Pre-Existing Condition Sponsored by: National Women's Law Center Health care isn’t fair. Women pay more and get less coverage than they need. Yet women have been left out of the debate on health care reform. It’s time to make our voices heard. Women are regularly denied coverage for "pre-existing conditions" including pregnancy, a previous C-Section or past domestic abuse. Insurance companies charge women as much as 48 percent more for individual health care coverage than men. And it is expensive, difficult and in some states impossible for women to find coverage for maternity care when purchasing their own health insurance plan.