The mayor of New Orleans has issued a mandatory evacuation order for the entire city, as Hurricane Gustav bears down on the US Gulf Coast. Ray Nagin said residents of the city’s West Bank should begin moving out at 0800 (1300 GMT) on Sunday, with the East Bank leaving at midday (1700 GMT). He called it “the storm of the century” and added: “You need to be scared”. Gustav, which is forecast to strengthen to a Category 5 storm over the Gulf, powered through western Cuba overnight.
Archive for August, 2008
At least 55 people have died and some two million others have fled their homes after massive floods hit India’s eastern state of Bihar, local officials say.
Artificial reef: Surfers wait to catch Dorset’s £3m wave
Published August 28, 2008 COASTS Leave a Comment
You’ll change into your wetsuit in the world’s grooviest beach hut, designed by Red or Dead founder Wayne Hemingway, tuck your surfboard under your arm, trot down to the sea and paddle out like mad. Then, as long as the oceanographers did their calculations correctly, your board will be whizzed back to shore on steep waves tidied up and amplified by the first artificial surf reef to be built in Europe.
It would be pushing it to suggest that the atmosphere in the Dorset resort of Bournemouth was febrile but there was certainly some excitement yesterday as work on installing the reef began in earnest. In the coming months the reef, the size of a football pitch and made of dozens of huge specially-designed bags pumped full of sand, will take shape on the sandy seabed starting at 210 metres off the beach at Boscombe. Surfers are due to start catching the first artificially boosted waves by the end of October.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/17/conservation.wildlife
Europe of the future: Germany shrinks, France grows, but UK population booms
Published August 28, 2008 POPULATION Leave a Comment
Britain will overtake Germany and France to become the biggest country in the EU in 50 years’ time, according to population projections unveiled yesterday. A survey of demographic trends finds Britain’s positive birth rate contrasting strongly with most other large countries in Europe.
Well done to the GCSE and A Level students – your results were brilliant!
BRIGGSY
