the world through my eyes: March 2008

The Chinese government is denying mountaineers to climb there side of Mount Everest this spring, this move shows the governments concern that Tibet activist may try to disrupt the plans the carry the Olympic torch to world’s tallest peak. No applications for climbing are being accepted, not for groups and not for individuals. It is said that it will be impossible to get permission between the months of March and June.

Bringing the Olympic flame to the summit of the mountain is shaping up to be one of the grandest and most politicized torch relay in history. The relay has touched on one of China’s most sensitive issues: its 57- year, frequently callous rule over Tibet. Many Tibetan activist groups have criticized the Everest run as an effort by Beijing to add legitimacy to Chinese control. The plans to bring the torch to the summit have been cloaked in secrecy, but measures taken by the Beijing Olympic organizers point to an early May ascent. The Chinese government has said that taking the torch up the peak would be a demonstrate of international sportsmanship and a point of national pride.
Beijing’s Vice Mayor Liu Jingming has said “The torch relay to Mount Everest is a highlight of the whole relay, and it also represents the idea of Green Olympics, High-Tech Olympics and People's Olympics." Jingming is supervising Olympic preparations. He says that the ascent will happen even if there is bad weather.
As a sign of anger and passion surrounding Tibet, over 300 Buddhist monks staged a demonstration in Lhasa, this is one of the largest demonstrations in nearly 2 decades. John Ackerly, president of the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet says "Beijing is using the Olympics torch ceremony, which should stand for human freedoms and dignity, to bolster its territorial claim over Tibet."

"China restricts Mount Everest ascents to clear the way for the Olympic torch." International Herald Tribune. 14 Mar. 2008 <http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/12/asia/AS-OLY-China-Everest.php>.
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Everyday the news speaks of ways to reduce your energy costs but many of the ideas they have are expensive and not that practical for the normal person. But after reading an article in the Kansas City Star I’ve realized there are many ways to reduce your energy consumption and your ever growing energy bill. Personally I think that sounds like a nice trade for the little amount of time it can take to fix up your home.
Now there are a few ways you can start to make your house more energy efficient the first is a professional house audit, and no, they won’t to send you to jail or fine you if your house isn’t very efficient. A house audit takes a few hours and can cost a couple hundred dollars, but their advice is worth the money. A professional can find the highest priority improvements that will save you the most in energy costs. They will be able to tell you if you have leaks in your home’s duct work, or that your basement has enough insulation but your attic doesn’t have enough. It is important that your house is not leaky, but also that it is well ventilated. A professional can help come up with ideas to do just that. Now if your thinking that sounds a little expensive, there are also many little fixes you can do by yourself. One idea is a fireplace stopper; this blocks air from leaving or entering your house through the fireplace and is much more efficient than your damper. A fireplace stopper can be purchased at the Energy Savings Store for about $60. Another quick fix to look at the parts of your house where pipes and wires come in, these sections are usually not very insulated. You buy insulation foam and spray it around these openings; the foam will expand to fill any crevices.
I’m sure you have heard hundreds of ads on the radio and television about buying new more efficient windows. Yes, this will make an impact on your energy bills. But they often cost a lot of money; this cost pretty much cancels out any savings you will be getting. If you thinking my windows are leaky and I can’t afford to buy new ones, you can easily and inexpensively fix them with some calk and weather- stripping.
Now those are all ways to make your house more efficient against the elements but you can also reduce your energy costs by just turning things off. No, this does not mean just turning things off because even though they are off they are still pulling in energy. The way to fix this is to actually unplug the device when you’re not using it. Since it is not practical to unplug all your electronics when you’re not using them, you can invest in the inexpensive power strip. The power strips allows you to plug-in multiple devices and easily flip an off switch when you are not using them. This is much more efficient because energy is not being pulled to the device, but it also makes it so you don’t have to unplug everything. These are simple and easy ways to reduce your energy bills and energy consumption. If a lot of people make small changes like these then there can be a significant reduction in the United States giant energy bill.

http://www.kansascity.com/238/story/515019.html