Category Archives: News to use

Useful news for all to advance knowledge of the world and how it works

Speaker rules tie requirement to be dropped from Parliament

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Speaker Trevor Mallard has decided it will no longer be compulsory for male MPs to wear ties at Parliament.

Did Japan Throw Away Millions of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses? – VAXOPEDIA – (earlier story on wires not entirely accurate)

Yes, but the real story is likely different from what you are imagining from the above headlines. After all, they aren’t throwing out vials of COVID-19 vaccines! Instead, they aren’t able to take advantage of the fact that those vials contain an extra dose of vaccine if you use specialized, low-dead space syringes. Source: Did Japan Throw Away Millions of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses? – VAXOPEDIA

Massive Sahara dust cloud causes Europe’s air pollution to spike

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A massive dust cloud from the Sahara Desert has covered parts of southern and central Europe over the past few days and has caused a short, but sharp, spike in air pollution across the impacted areas. 

The European Commission’s Copernicus satellite monitoring program showed on Sunday that measured levels of particles smaller than 10 micrometers (PM10s) have increased in cities such as Barcelona, Lyon, and Marseille.  

PM10 particles can cause breathing difficulties by entering the lungs, give asthma attacks, or lead to other health problems. Fortunately, the concentration levels of Sahara Dust did not increase enough to be considered harmful. 

Turning Plastic Waste Into Bricks Stronger Than Concrete

Materials engineer Nzambi Matee has started a company in her native Kenya manufacturing paving bricks made from plastic waste and sand that are cheaper, stronger, and more durable than concrete or similar bricks. For her efforts, Matee was named a Young Champion of the Earth by the United Nations.

Matee, who majored in material science and worked as an engineer in Kenya’s oil industry, was inspired to launch her business after routinely coming across plastic bags strewn along Nairobi’s streets.

In 2017, Matee quit her job as a data analyst and set up a small lab in her mother’s back yard. There, she began creating and testing pavers, which are a combination of plastic and sand. The neighbours complained about the noisy machine she was using, so Matee pleaded for one year’s grace to develop the right ratios for her paving bricks.

“I shut down my social life for a year, and put all my savings into this,” she said. “My friends were worried.”

And just FYI: not to take anything away from Matee, but the general process for making bricks out of plastic waste seems to be one that’s used widely around the world (since at least 2016). WasteAid offers step-by-step instructions for communities who want to make their own bricks from plastic waste. (via colossal)

Tags: Nzambi Matee   recycling   video

Peru kicks off Covid-19 inoculation campaign with Sinopharm vaccine

#Peru launched its -19 #vaccination campaign on Tuesday with newly arrived doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine, as the South American country struggles to control a fierce second wave of infections that has forced a lockdown in the capital Lima.

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