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GLOBAL NEWS SOIL EROSION CRISIS Su erosion is the "silent global crisis" undermining food production and water availability. Every year, some 62,000 square miles of land loses its vegetation and becomes degraded or turns into desert. A Cornell University study, which pulls together statistics on soil erosion from more than 125 sources, has found that the US is losing soil 10 times faster—and China and India 30 to 40 times faster—than the natural replenishment rate. As a result of erosion over the past 40 years, 30 per cent of the world's arable land has become unproductive. Food production has kept pace with population growth by increasing by 50 per cent between 1980 and 2000. But it is an open question whether there will be enough food in 2050, with an estimated three billion more mouths to feed. That means more food has to be produced within the next 50 years than during the last 10,000 years combined. (Source: The Global Report, 30 August 2007, http://tinyurl.com/ 6jme2j) radiation belt to penetrate deep into the upper atmosphere to altitudes below a hundred kilometres," Mandea said. This radiation does not influence temperatures on Earth. However, the particles do affect technical and radio equipment and can damage electronic equipment on satellites and airplanes, said Olsen. (Source: National Geographic News, 30 June 2008, http://tinyurl.com/6gfyza) epicentre. The energy released was equivalent to that of an underground nuclear explosion. China News Service (CNS) reported earlier that some scientists had conducted a seismic analysis and suggested that a nuclear explosion might have occurred at the epicentre. At that time, it was being said by official military sources that the readings were due to a huge explosion of a large-scale military armoury in Sichuan. According to a another CNS report, on 23 May a medical team found a one-kilometre-wide, two-kilometre- long valley on a hill close to the epicentre, covered with concrete debris 10-20 inches [25.4-50.8 centimetres] thick at its base, as if large concrete blocks had been tossed about randomly in the immediate DID SICHUAN QUAKE TRIGGER NUKE EXPLOSIONS? high-level Chinese military source has disclosed that the 12 May earthquake in Sichuan Province caused a chain reaction of explosions in the Sichuan mountain areas. The explosions destroyed the People's Liberation Army's largest armoury, new weapons-test bases and part of their nuclear facilities including several nuclear warheads. According to sources, a nuclear accident did happen. On 27 June, the Chinese military disclosed that 2,700 chemical clean-up workers had been sent to earthquake disaster areas for nuclear chemical emergency rescue. After carefully analysing seismic data, military experts in South East Asia confirmed a non-geological shock had occurred at the earthquake area. Based on the CNS report, several experts have suggested the eruption could have been caused by a huge explosion beneath the mountain, which shattered the concrete covers of the underground facilities and pushed them to the surface. The thickness of the concrete blocks seemed to match the covering layer used in China's underground military bases. (Source: The Epoch Times, 9 July 2008, http://tinyurl.com/6hwun6) IS FRUCTOSE FUELLING THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC? ure fructose is found in fresh fruit, fruit juice and preserves. But much of it sneaks into diets though high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in soft drinks—which gets broken down into 55% fructose and 45% glucose in the body—or via sucrose (ordinary sugar), which is broken down into the same two sugars. Peter Havel at the University of California, Davis, persuaded 33 overweight and obese adults to go on a diet that was 30% fat, 55% complex carbohydrates and 15% protein for two weeks. For a further 10 weeks, they switched to a diet in which 25% of their energy came from either fructose or glucose. In those given fructose, there was an increase in the amount of intra- “THANKS, Dor, FOR UPGRADING ME TO A SMARTE SORT YVARE LAST Mow TH. IVE MANAGED pays oat youne iN THE COMPARY. You'RE Ta Work FoR ME NOW. Vv ae Somervi Ye 8 ¢ NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com AUGUST — SEPTEMBER 2008