Apparently, there's no need to reach for your mittens and scarf just yet, even though it is almost mid-January. Scientists have claimed that the next ice age will be delayed due to higher levels of carbon emissions in the atmosphere.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge made the claim after studying the Earth's natural cycle. Their studies indicate that the planet's orbit around the sun cause an ice age to occur 11, 000 years after the previous one has ended. The arrival of the next ice age is already overdue by 600 years.  

An ice age is defined as a period in which global temperatures cool significantly, causing a growth in ice sheets and glaciers. So don't expect to see the return of the woolly mammoth. 

The scientists led by Dr Luke Skinner also revealed that the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere would have to fall below 240ppm (parts per million) before the ice age could begin. The current concentration level is approximately 390ppm. “[...] Even if emissions stopped now we'd probably have a long interglacial duration determined by whatever long-term processes could kick in and bring CO2 levels down,” said Dr Skinner. In fact, levels would remain artificially high for the next 1,000 years, preventing a global freeze.

The study is significant as it has the potential to impact upon several key arguments in the great Global Warming debate. It also has the potential to discredit the idea that increased temperatures are due to the Earth's natural cycle, and are not caused by man-made intervention. The Global Warming Policy Foundation responded to the study, saying that the results showed that increased carbon emissions were holding back a “global disaster”.

For many women around the world, the simple pleasure of being able to jump into their car and drive to where they need or want to be is taken for granted, no one really questions their right to do so – even if many joke that women aren’t the best drivers. But in Saudi Arabia women are fighting with all their hearts for the right to be able to do so.

Saudi Arabian women, according to a news report on BBC´s website, are not formally banned from driving, but are at risk of being arrested if they do.

The government argues that there will be “no more virgins” and that “women may be harassed by males chasing them” among many other, often bizarre, reasons. There are fears that women will have the freedom to date and that there will be an increase in prostitution, homosexuality, and divorce.

Although there have been rumours that King Abdullah may consider lifting the ban, many religious people and movements are fighting back to keep women from being able to have the freedom and right to drive.

In the western world, where women’s rights just about equal men’s and where governments wouldn’t think of taking away a women’s right to drive, it seems outrageous that this kind of treatment is allowed in Saudi Arabia.

There are some concerns in Saudi Arabia that with many male Arab youths not being used to women having rights and not having male chaperones, they may see hitting or chasing a car with females as a way of flirting.

Many people in Saudi Arabia believe that it is something that does need to be changed, although perhaps at a slow pace as people need to be accustomed to women being given more freedom.

Imagine living in constant fear for your life due to poverty, wars, crime and sickness. Imagine hoping to get away from that lifestyle and the home that you live in fear of leaving. For some African refugees, Brazil and the Amazon has been where hope meets reality and where new lives can be had and dreams discovered. A dream of going to bed at night unafraid of being attacked, a dream of being able to make enough money to buy the necessary food and clothing for your family. Necessary: a word that many African people have had to reinvent the meaning of, because, so many live without what we Westerners consider… necessary.

Brazil doesn’t specifically allow refugees but does grant asylum every now and then to many who come seeking it. Years ago refugees were mainly from the near or neighbouring countries of Bolivia and Columbia, but in recent years Brazil has seen a large influx of African refugees – mostly from Angola, who make up a 64 % of the refugees according to ips.news.net.

Some choose Brazil as a country to escape to because of their love for the music or football, whereas many arrive there with hopes of being accepted into the culture, religion and country. It is an interesting place to live, from whatever background you are from, and the fact that the country shares many similarities with African nations, yet is also dramatically different, can appeal to the asylum seekers.

A man with a vision, a man with determination, a man who believed in his dreams, a man who pursued and conquered his dreams, a man with initiative and so much more. Steve Jobs will forever be an example of a man who did what he set out to do and exceeded even his own expectations.

Here are some of his quotes that have inspired many:

“We don't get a chance to do that many things and everyone should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we've all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.”

“Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes…the ones who see things differently - they're not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

“Your time is limited, so don´t waste it living someone else´s life. Don´t be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”es who do.”

There has been a hot debate raging for the last few years on how important the livestock industry is to the battle against CO2 emissions. Various studies seem to prove that the meat industry is a major factor in gas emission pollution. One report concluded that up to 18% of emissions come from the Dairy industry (Livestock’s Long Shadow, 2006). As for cattle raised for human consumption, another study states that meat consumption is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions that are heating up the earth (“Meat the Truth”, 2008). This includes clearing the land for food sources for the cattle, fertilisers, producing, raising, processing, and then transportation to market. It is also estimated that British meat consumption is over double the world average. So, what can we do?

Suggestions in several studies say that if each Brit ate just vegetables for one day each week, those statistics would be considerably lower. Of course, at the other end of the debate is the idea of giving up meat entirely, to save our earth. Still, some foresee there will always be meat-eaters, so another option is to support the cutting edge ‘cultured meat’ pioneer venture. Cultured meat is meat that is grown using tissue engineering techniques. This is already being done in laboratories, and the effect on the environment would be startling positive: 96% less emissions than raising beef, 45% less energy needed, whilst land and water use would be lowered by 99%.

You can have a voice when it comes to turning negative situations around. Here are some success stories from the British Institute of Human Rights (BHIR).

A woman fostered babies with learning disabilities. One of the babies died while in her care, so she was investigated. The ones she cared for were taken out of her custody, including a 30 year old, extremely autistic man, whom she'd been caring for since he was two. After five months separated from her, he became disoriented and ill from stress, and was admitted to a hospital. When he wouldn't let any doctors treat him, an advocate stepped in and appealed for his right to be with his original caretaker, who was like a mother to him. Upon closer investigation, there was really no issue of why he couldn't stay with her, and was returned to her care.

Another situation arose when an older man with dementia was placed in a ward where every patient's information card had a ‘do not resuscitate' order on their file. An advocate noticed this man's DNR was unsigned by a doctor, and soon learned that everyone on that ward is automatically given DNR status. The advocate questioned this, stating the man had enough capability and he could be given a choice. After bringing this to their attention, he was taken off the DNR category.

Another lady who worked at an airline security was suddenly fired because she did not pass the anti-terrorism clearance. She could not imagine why she would be considered a risk. An advocate for human rights helped her to demand a fair hearing. During the hearing it became clear there really wasn't sufficient reason for her to be fired, and she received compensation.

Obesity has become a serious problem in the UK only in the last decade or two. The number of obese people in the UK has drastically increased in the last few years, mainly as a result of the artificial and processed foods that are so commonly consumed by the majority of the people in the country, and the subsequent decline in home cooking. Those who eat these foods suffer from being overweight, diabetic, or from having one of any number of gastrointestinal diseases.

A 2011 report on obesity in the UK showed the results of recent studies in the last few years, and the statistics are an indication of the poor physical state of the country:

• Roughly one quarter of the adults in the UK were classified as being obese in 2009, which is having a body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or more. 22% of men and 24% of women in England fall into this category.

• 44% of men fell into the overweight category in 2009, meaning they had a body mass index of between 25 and 30 kg/m2. 33% of women also fell into the category, indicating that men in England are more likely to be overweight than women.

• In the years 2009 and 2010, 24.3% of the respondents in a British survey stated that they had participated in some form of sport on between 11 and 28 days during the previous four weeks.

• A 2008 study showed that, amongst adults older than 16 years, those most likely to have problems with blood pressure were those in the obese and overweight category. 46% of women and 48% of men considered obese were likely to have high blood pressure, while only 32% of overweight adults and 17% of adults considered in the “normal” weight category were likely to have problems with blood pressure.

In recent years, environmental concerns have motivated companies, cities and governments to make the move towards cleaner energy, with countries like the US, Canada, the UK and Australia leading the race for greener power generation. Given increasing global environmental problems, it comes as no surprise to find that countries around the world are developing renewable and alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind.

A powerful example of the international move to clean energy is the recent opening of the world’s largest solar farm in the southwest of Ontario, Canada. The newly opened 950-acre Sarnia Photovoltaic Power Plant, representing a government investment of $400 million, has 1.3 million solar panels. These panels will generate 80 megawatts of clean, renewable electricity, enough to power 12,000 homes. The solar plant will reduce Canada’s CO2 output by 1.5 million tons each year, making a substantial contribution to the country’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.

However, the Ontario plant may soon lose its position as the world’s largest solar facility to its southern neighbour, the US. If government and regional development planners there are to be believed, that country is due for a massive increase in the amount of energy produced from solar, wind and other alternative forms of clean power generation.

A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a new underwater robot that will explore deeper into nuclear reactors than ever before. It has been heralded as a major breakthrough in robotic technology; and more importantly, could usher in a new era of improved safety and maintenance in nuclear power plants worldwide.

The specialised robot will voyage deep into the underground pipe network that runs beneath a nuclear reactor, and will penetrate into zones inaccessible to humans due to their deadly toxicity. The remote device will then be able to identify signs of damage and corrosion around the pipeline, as well performing rigorous checks for hazardous materials, leaks and spills.

This innovation comes after a damning report published by the Associated Press (AP) in June, on the general condition of nuclear reactors in the United States over a 12 month period. The study indicates that several reactors experience “unrelenting wear” and damage over time; but more disturbing than this, the evidence shows that 75% of nuclear power plants in the United States are leaking radioactive material into pipes used for carrying water. As a result, toxic waste is contaminating groundwater near to the nuclear reactors.

The energy industry is limited when it comes to detection and prevention somewhat, as getting to these problem areas can be near impossible with the space restrictions and the highly poisonous radiation. It is for this reason that MIT feels their robot is the ideal solution. The small, circular robot is the perfect size and shape to manoeuvre around the pipes with ease, and will be able to find potential hazards with its sensory equipment. Also, the subaquatic robot is built to survive in terribly hostile atmospheric conditions, in places where humans would perish in seconds, and it has an integrated flotation system and valve steering so it can be operated easily underwater.

Drinking water in the UK is getting cleaner. A study conducted in 2009 has shown that the water quality in Britain has improved in recent years and consumer confidence has increased as a result.

The news comes as a timely boost for the water industry in the UK as it has been falling short of the EU’s standard of purity tests in recent years. However, the 2009 studies showed that 99.95% of the 2 million tests run on the drinking water in England and Wales reached the high standards imposed by the EU.

The result of this increase in quality has seen a boost in public confidence in the standard of their drinking water. This view was stated clearly by the Drinking Water Inspectorate in her letter to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary for the UK. The number of people contacting the water companies about water quality has also dropped drastically to only 1.1 in every 1,000 people. This decrease of ¼ in the last 3 years serves to demonstrate that consumers in the UK are becoming increasingly pleased with the improved quality of their drinking water.