Our Planet Earth

Because we have just one Planet, we are responsible for it!

Personal responsibility and accountability are two duties we have every day of our lives.

The volcano near Eyjafjallajoekull glacier

The volcano near Eyjafjallajoekull glacier

An Icelandic volcano, dormant for 200 years, has erupted, ripping a 1km-long fissure in a field of ice.

The volcano near Eyjafjallajoekull glacier began to erupt just after midnight, sending lava a hundred metres high.

Icelandic airspace has been closed, flights diverted and roads closed. The eruption was about 120km (75 miles) east of the capital, Reykjavik.

About 500 people were moved from the area, a civil protection officer said.

"We estimate that no-one is in danger in the area, but we have started an evacuation plan and between 500 and 600 people are being evacuated," Sigurgeir Gudmundsson of the Icelandic civil protections department told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

The area is sparsely populated, but the knock-on effects from the eruption have been considerable.

A state of emergency is in force in southern Iceland and transport connections have been severely disrupted, including the main east-west road.
Three Icelandair flights, bound for Reykjavik from the United States, were ordered to return to Boston, RUV radio reported.

Domestic flights were suspended indefinitely, but some international flights were scheduled to depart on Sunday.

There had initially been fears that the volcano could cause flooding, as it causes ice to melt on the glacier above it, but that scenario appears to have been avoided.

However, it could cause more activity nearby, scientists say.

"This was a rather small and peaceful eruption but we are concerned that it could trigger an eruption at the nearby Katla volcano, a vicious volcano that could cause both local and global damage," said Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland's Institute of Earth Science, Associated Press news agency reported.

As the eruption is taking place in an area that is relatively ice free, there is little chance of a destructive glacier burst like the one that washed away part of the east-west highway four years ago, after an eruption under the vast Vattnajoekull glacier.

Iceland lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the highly volatile boundary between the Eurasian and North American continental plates, with quakes and eruptions.

The last volcanic eruption in the Eyjafjallajoekull area occurred in 1821.

Information taken from the site http://www.bbc.co.uk/ (abriged)

Volcano Eruptions in Iceland

Watch this video and discuss the probable causes that led to these eruptions

The Simpsons - the Movie

Solve the companion worksheet on the first 28 minutes of the movie.

1st section – 1 to 10 minutes


1- What’s the name of the famous rock band at the beginning of the movie?

2- What theme did the lead singer want to approach after the concert?
3- According to the band, what’s the problem with Springfield?
4- Tick the right answer. The audience was:
    concerned              annoyed             indifferent

5- The church music makes a parody of an album by Green Day. Which one?
6- The grandfather has a sort of a revelation in the church. He predicted that something terrible will happen. Underline the right option.
a) The church will fall down.
b) An earthquake will hit everyone.
c) People should be aware. Time is short!
7- The pollution of Lake Springfield is due to:

    tyres     industrial waste   high levels of mercury


2nd section – 18 to 28 minutes

8- Lisa Simpson promotes a conference entitled “An irritating truth”. This title is also a parody of a famous film. Can you recognise it?
9- The Mayor declares the Emergency State in the city. Which is his new law? Circle the correct answer.
a) Dumping into the lake is now forbidden.
b) Cleaning the lake is mandatory.
c) Cultivating sea-weeds is the solution.

10- Homer is not the example of a law-abiding citizen. Does he dispose of the pig crap at the hazardous waste treatment center? Why not?
11- Due to genetic mutation in the lake, a governmental agency appears on the scene? What is the name?

a) Environmental Care Agency
b) Pollution Protection Agency
c) Environmental Protection Agency

12- The President represents the politicians. Does he take decisions after thinking about them properly?
13- Springfield is encircled inside a dome. The word “dome” is similar to the word “doom”. Is there a hidden connotation? Which one?

Weather Day

World weather day to be observed today

World Meteorological Day, or world weather day, is set to be observed on March 23 with the theme of 'Observing our planet for a better future'.

The day has been observed since 1951, one year after World Meteorological Organisation was founded, and which has since been honoured as an agency of the United Nations System.

Some 188 WMO-member countries and the world's meteorological community observe World Meteorological Day. Bangladesh will mark the day with the Bangladesh Meteorological Department holding a daylong programme at its headquarters in Agargaon.

Defence secretary Quamrul Hasan is expected to inaugurate the programme. Meteorological department director Samarendra Karmaker and other senior government officials will be present.

Samarendra Karmaker said the theme for World Weather Day, 2008, was selected at the 58th session of the executive committee of the WMO held in June, 2006

http://www.independent-bangladesh.com/200803233462/events/world-weather-day-to-be-observed-today.html