Zoo mystery: How did apes and birds know quake was coming?

For LEED Consultancy / IGBC Certifications, Green Building Design, Green Homes, Green Factory Buildings, Green SEZs, Green Townships & Energy Audits - www.greentekindika.com

By Joel Achenbach, washingtonpost.com / Thursday, August 25, 6:45 AM.

Her name is Iris, and with her straight, elegant, red-orange hair she is beyond dispute the prettiest orangutan at the National Zoo. She’s calm, quiet, unflappable. “Iris lives the life of a queen,” says great-ape keeper Amanda Bania.

On Tuesday afternoon, the queen lost her cool.

It happened a little before 2 p.m. Primate keeper K.C. Braesch was standing just a few feet away when Iris emitted a loud, guttural cry, known to scientists as belch-vocalizing. Iris then scrambled to the top of her enclosure.

Braesch stepped back and scanned the enclosure to see what might have agitated the ape. Was it Kiko, the male? Although generally a lump, Kiko can turn into a hothead and throw things. But no, Kiko was lounging.

Then — all this had happened within about five seconds — Braesch felt the earthquake.

Rest at,

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/zoo-mystery-how-did-apes-and-birds-know-quake-was-coming/2011/08/24/gIQAZrXQcJ_story.html?hpid=z2

     

GLOBAL ECONOMY: 'More dangerous' times ahead - World Bank chief!

For LEED Consultancy / IGBC Certifications, Green Building Design, Green Homes, Green Factory Buildings, Green SEZs, Green Townships & Energy Audits - www.greentekindika.com

August 13, 2011 / AFP, Sydney / DC.

World Bank chief Robert Zoellick on Saturday warned of a 'new and more dangerous' time in the global economy, with little breathing space in most developed countries as a debt crisis hits Europe.

Zoellick said the eurozone's sovereign debt issues were more troubling than the "medium and long-term" problems which saw the United States downgraded by Standard and Poor's last week, sending global markets into panic.

"We are in the early moments of a new and different storm, it's not the same as 2008," said Zoellick, referring to the global financial crisis.

"In the past couple of weeks the world has moved from a troubled multi-speed recovery -- with emerging markets and a few economies like Australia having good growth and developed markets struggling -- to a new and more dangerous phase," he said in an interview with the Weekend Australian newspaper.

People were in less debt than during the credit crunch and current events did not have the same "sudden shock" factor, but Zoellick said there was less room to manoeuvre this time around.

"Most developed countries have used up their fiscal space and monetary policy is about as loose as it can be," he said.

Zoellick said the eurozone's structure "could turn out to be the most important" challenge currently facing the world economy, with some hope for Spain and Italy but debt-crippled Greece and Portugal unable to devalue.

European Union action taken to date falls short of what is needed, the World Bank chief said.

"The lesson of 2008 is that the later you act, the more you have to do," said Zoellick, questioning whether the troubled European nations could "ever get ahead of the problems that have plagued them."

He also urged British Prime Minister David Cameron not to be deterred from austerity measures by recent riots -- the country's worst in decades -- saying his spending cuts were "really necessary."

"My concern would be if the politics knocked them off course," Zoellick said.

Full Story at,

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/business/news/more-dangerous-times-ahead-world-bank-chief-483