Published on Friday, July 3, 2009 by Reuters Loss of World’s Seagrass Beds Seen Accelerating by Jim Loney MIAMI – The world’s seagrass meadows, a critical habitat for marine life and profit-maker for the fishing industry, are in decline due to coastal development and the losses are accelerating, according to a new study. A fishing boat is moored in waters near Nueva Valencia town, Guimaras Island, September 12, 2006. REUTERS/Leo Solinap Billed as the first comprehensive glob

“One swan, two swans, three swans…” Queen Elizabeth is having her swans counted. The annual Swan Upping, a tradition dating to the 12th century involving a census of swans on the River Thames, is conducted by the queen’s official Swan Marker. The process involves the Swan Marker rowing up the Thames for five days with the Swan Warden in traditional skiffs while wearing special scarlet uniforms and counting, weighing and measuring swans and cygnets. Climate change shrinks Scotland’s w

Let's not tar and feather him for it Bernard Keane in Crikey : Hockey showed substance and maturity and got kicked for it We always lament politicians’ lack of candour and preference for staying on-message, rather than treating us like intelligent people. And the problem is undoubtedly getting worse with Kevin Rudd, a thoughtful and engaging interlocutor off-the-record, who has taken rigid public messaging to heights hitherto never seen. So spare a thought for Joe Hockey, who on

Shark Bay, Western Australia, via MODIS. Isn’t it lovely? Look at those intricate estuaries. Imagine the flats fishing. But the climate is rather austere, as the brown landscape indicates.

My Guest post today will take you to Columbia - where you’ll find a warm welcome, historic cities and beautiful national parks. Andrew and Andrea are travelling around South America and provide travel advice and hostel reviews at Review-Hostel.com . The streets of Bogota Columbia. The very word alone inflicts fear into even the most laid back parents and relatives. Columbia is the land of guerilla warfare and drug lords looking to shoot backpackers. So why had we chosen Columbia o

WHO: Fanny Minka AGE: 28 OCCUPATION: I freelance doing crew work in film production and aspire to start producing my own films some day. I also co-host the Erotic Book Club in East London and keep my own exhibitionist blog . HOMETOWN: I spent all my childhood in the small town of Molong in regional Australia but then moved to Sydney in my late teens, and thus consider it to be my true hometown. FAVORITE LONDON HANGOUT: For amazing brunch, Leila's Cafe; for bicycles and good coffee,

Finally, my brother and his new bride returned home from their honeymoon in Fiji and Australia and with them came the pictures. I can finally show you the groom’s cakes that I made! The one on the right was the one that got messed up in transit…so of course, that’s the angle the photographer decided to take it from. The one in front is they cut. Copyright © 2009 Davant Photography The cakes themselves are four layer chocolate fudge with my famous, homemade chocolate buttercream frosting

Corruption runs against the grain of meritocratic capitalism. It skews the level playing-field; it imposes onerous and unpredictable transaction costs; it guarantees extra returns where none should have been had; it encourages the misallocation of economic resources; and it subverts the proper functioning of institutions. It is, in other words, without a single redeeming feature, a scourge. Strangely, this is not how it is perceived by its perpetrators: both the givers and the recipients. They

The good Slinky good looks Will likely survive World War III Quieter than a sleeping mouse Smooth, revvy engine The bad Where's my USB Mr Toyoda? 3D sat nav very old school Rear seat not commodious Exterior design When Lexus launched the second-generation IS many moons ago, we cooed softly at the company's new baby. Despite the fact that the company was still targeting Germany's finest small sedans - think Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4 and BMW 3-series - the Japanes

Artist Raewyn Haughton shares with us a few of the wonderful things that go into the making of her delicate works What is your name and where are you located Raewyn Haughton, located in Melbourne Australia Where did you learn your craft? I studied applied design, graphic art and communication design. I tried to incorporate as much illustration in my design pieces as I could get away with during those design courses. Tell us about the appeal of hand to pencil/pen and paper?