China desalinating sea water to fight drought

The Chinese government is turning to desalinated sea water to ease its widespread drought.

From Reuters:

Apart from widespread drought, factories have ignored pollution hazards and dumped toxic industrial waste into rivers and lakes in China, home to one-fifth of the world's population but only 7 percent of its water resources.

"China is expected to desalinate 800,000 to 1 million
cubic meters of sea water per day and use 55 billion cubic meters annually by 2010," the State Development and Reform Commission said, detailing China's ninth five-year plan.

Water Resources Minister Wang Shucheng has stated that more than 600 medium to large sized cities in China are suffering from a "serious water shortage".

China is also "investing billions in a project to transfer water from its lush south to the arid north". A project which the Water Resources Minister believes is "unnecessary, unscientific and not feasible".

Canuck bloggers, eh!

Study: Blog community strong in Canada
By CNEWS - TECHNEWS

Reading blogs may be taking Canada by storm but not many people are writing them.

According to the Environics Research Group, only seven per cent of all the people surveyed have written their own blogs while nine per cent claim they have posted a response to one in the timeframe studied.

In contrast, one third (or 32 per cent) of online Canadians have read a blog in the last three months. B.C. is the most active blog market with 42 per cent stating they check out blogs while Quebec remains at the back of the pack at 28 per cent.

Canadian youth appear to be spurring the blogging trend with 51 per cent stating they read blogs on a regular basis. That is more than twice the national average. Nearly one quarter (22 per cent) say they also write their own blogs.

Boomers make up a large portion of the blogging community as well with 24 per cent of the respondents saying they read them on a regular basis.

The results of the blog survey came from two studies. One was an online survey conducted in early October of this year, with 1,391 participants. That study is said to be accurate within 2.6 percentage points. Additional insights are based on an in-home survey of 2,800 people conducted in July. That study is said to be accurate within 1.9 percentage points.

iPod turns five

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Apple's popular iPod player marked its fifth anniversary as a cultural phenomenon that helped bring music into the digital age and reap billions of dollars in sales for the US company.

The California-based company launched its mini music player on October 23, 2001 and has never looked back as sales of the trendy gadget have continued to skyrocket.

Coupled with its online iTunes music, video and movie store the iPod has grown into a thriving "ecosystem" of hip hardware, easy-to-use software and trendy media content, said analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies.

The sleek little music player has already become the "first cultural icon of the 21st century," according to Michael Bull, a media lecturer at Britain's University of Sussex, who is researching the social influence of the iPod.

by Peter Wutherich on Monday, October 23rd @ 7:55 pm ET

October 17th workout

Dumbbell Curl - 48 x 3 each arm, 48 x 4 each arm, 48 x 5 each arm
One-Arm Dumbbell Press - 48 x 20 each arm