Articles tagged with: auction
Posted in Earth, Eco-Friendly, Efficiency, Electricity, Energy, Environment, Fuel, Global warming, Go green, Green, Pollution, Power, Tourism, World on 11 October 2008
Antarctica has been man’s last unchartered territory but only till sometime ago. Now the cold continent is seeing unprecedented growth in tourism and up to 40,000 people visited Antarctica in 2007. However, the tourists have a negative effect on the ecology of Antarctica and environmentalists have started to worry. Maastricht University in Holland seeks to solve this problem by dramatically controlling the number of tourists to the continent.
The problem lies in the fact that Antarctica has no government of its own and hence, no regulatory body. The university has proposed to auction off parts of the continent and limit tourists and their numbers in the auctioned parts. This could have a positive impact on the way the continent sustains itself and protect the unique fauna of Antarctica. Perhaps tour organizers and travel agencies must get in touch with the regulatory bodies in their own countries and inform prospective tourists about how their visit to Antarctica can affect the continent.
Posted in Health on 10 August 2008
JK Rowling never surprises us with her little deeds of kindness. First, it was the announcement to donate the proceeds of her latest book to charity. And now, she is doing it again to raise awareness of a skin condition. The creator of the ever-so-famous and loved Harry Potter has just donated a set of signed Harry Potter books to the XP Support Group, which is an organisation to help children with Xeroderma Pigmentosum, a condition that makes them extremely sensitive to sunlight. Now, all of her seven books will be auctioned in November on eBay (coinciding with the release of the sixth film in the series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) and the proceeds will go to XP.
Rowling heard of the charity when the mother of one of its members wrote to her about it. “She wrote back to David saying that she would send us some gifts to raise money. We are over the moon with Miss Rowling’s support and encouragement,” shared the boy’s mother, Sandra Webb. “It means a lot to the charity.”
Via looktothestars