Author Archive

Today…



Intervention in Myanmar – The Free Burma Rangers

By Douglas Anderson

The Free Burma Rangers, better known simply as FBR, began humanitarian relief missions into the war-torn country of Burma (now called “Myanmar” by the ruling military junta) in 1997. The team risks their lives taking in food, medical supplies, and educational materials to the more than one million internally displaced people (IDPs), who have been forced to flee their villages leaving them shelter-less and stuck foraging for food while hiding in the jungle. Many of these once self-sustaining farmers now rely on the assistance of the Rangers for their survival. Read the rest of this entry »

What current social issue needs to have a social movement started?

I need to write a paper on a social issue and how to begin a social movement … I just need ideas!

How does Social Services work in terms of foster children?

To elaborate on this question, I mean to say this: How do Social Workers work, exactly? Is a there a Social Worker assigned to every child, or is there a Social Worker assigned to every area or every parent? Any more information would be a huge plus. Thanks.

Social Media in Plain English

The United Nations in the Twenty-First Century

The third edition of this popular text focuses on major events since 2000, including 9/11 and the war against terrorism, the Iraq War’s effect on the UN’s relevance, and the Millennium Development Goals. Thoroughly revised throughout, the text also has a new chapter on human security issues that encompasses environmental concerns and global health…. More >>

The United Nations in the Twenty-First Century

Sponsor Messages
From NASA...
Snapshot of the International Space Station

 
On March 13, 2008, the International Space Station passed across the field-of-view of Germany's remote sensing satellite, TerraSAR-X, at a distance of 195 kilometers, or 122 miles, and at a relative speed of 34,540 kilometers per hour, or more than 22,000 mph. In contrast to optical cameras, radar does not 'see' surfaces. Instead, it is much more aware of the edges and corners which bounce back the microwave signal it transmits. Smooth surfaces such as those on the station's solar generators or the radiator panels used to dissipate excess heat, unless directly facing the radar antenna, tend to deflect rather than reflect the radar beam, causing these features to appear on the radar image as dark areas. The radar image of the station therefore looks like a dense collection of bright spots from which the outlines of the space station can be clearly identified. The central element on the station, to which all the modules are docked, has a grid structure that presents a multiplicity of reflecting surfaces to the radar beam, making it readily identifiable. This image has a resolution of about one meter (about 39 inches). In other words, objects can be depicted as discrete units--that is, shown separately--provided that they are at least one meter apart. If they are closer together than that, they tend to merge into a single block on a radar image. Since this image as taken, the station has expanded and is more than 90 percent complete, including a full complement of solar arrays. Image Credit: DLR
Read More
Categories
DAILY CARTOON click to enlarge
ANDERTOONS.COM DAILY CARTOONS
About TNBS
Launched on June 4, 2009, The Next Big Story provides a variety of world news and feature reports with a focus on international events, and issues that matter to everyone: conflict, climate change, hunger and economics.