| Vital Signs: Safety: Assessing the National Bill for Crashes Motor vehicle accidents cost the nation almost $100 billion dollars a year, about $500 for each licensed driver, according to government data. feeds.nytimes.com |
Mapping Traffic’s Toll on Wildlife Projects in California and Maine ask people to photograph and locate dead animals to understand the impact of roads on the environment. feeds.nytimes.com |
UN plan for 'alien ambassador' a case of science fiction? Malaysian astrophysicist Mazlan Othman denies Sunday Times report that she is to become Earth's first contact for ETsIf a Martian, proverbial or otherwise, had landed on Earth in the last 24 hours the media had some practical advice. Or so it seemed. According to the Sunday Times and numerous other media outlets that followed up the story, the United Nations was "poised" to appoint an individual to be the first point of contact with aliens.Malaysian astrophysicist Mazlan Othman was being lined up for the role, the story said. As head of the UN's Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa) Othman would be the "nearest thing we have to a take me to you leader [person]", Prof Richard Crowther, from the UK Space Agency, told the Sunday Times.According to the paper, Othman is due to tell a Royal Society conference that as the detection of extraterrestrial life is more likely than ever, the UN needs to be ready to co-ordinate humanity's response.Reading all this our Martian visitor might have been encouraged to try to get in touch. They would have had a frustrating time.The Royal Society knew nothing about it. The United Nations referred all queries to the switchboard of Unoosa in Vienna. Its switchboard number wasn't much help. "The person at extension 4951 is unavailable, please leave your message after the tone," it said. Those messages might make for some interesting listening today.Finally an email from Othman herself would have prompted our Martian to trudge back to his spaceship. "It sounds really cool but I have to deny it," she said of the story. She will be attending a conference next week, but she'll be talking about how the world deals with "near-Earth objects".Our alien will just have to try someone else, or stop reading the Sunday Times.Alien lifeNewspapers & magazinesSunday TimesSpaceUnited NationsMalaysiaMatthew Weaverguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
China and U.S. Replay 'You First' Climate Skit In climate talks, Chinese officials compare the United States to a preening pig. feeds.nytimes.com |
UN: World's natural assets vital to policymaking By MALCOLM FOSTER 2010-10-20T12:12:06ZTOKYO (AP) -- Governments and businesses around the world need to recognize the immense economic value of preserving species and ecosystems and incorporate that into their decision-making, a U.N. report said Wednesday.... hosted.ap.org |