David Mayer de Rothschild (born 25 August 1978) is a British adventurer and environmentalist, and head of Adventure Ecology, an expedition group raising awareness about climate change. He is the youngest of three children of Victoria Schott (born 1949) and Sir Evelyn de Rothschild (b. 1931) of the Rothschild banking family of England. His middle name "Mayer" is taken from the name of the founder of the Rothschild family banking empire, Mayer Amschel Rothschild.
* 1 Early life
* 2 Charity work
* 3 Adventurer
* 4 Literary work
* 5 References
* 6 External links
Early life
David de Rothschild earned a B.Sc (Honors) in Political Science and Information Systems from Oxford Brookes University, a public university in Oxford, England, and an advanced Diploma in Natural Medicine gained by distance learning. He started out as a businessman, establishing an apparel manufacturing and distributing company for licensed brands. His brother Anthony is Co-managing Director of A7 music and some of the apparel his operation produced was under license from musicians such as The Beatles.
Neither he nor his brother have shown interest in joining the family-owned N M Rothschild & Sons London banking business and when their father stepped down as chairman in 2003, cousin David René de Rothschild of the French branch of the family took over as head of the worldwide Rothschild Group.
Charity work
In 2003 David de Rothschild took up residency for a time in Sydney, Australia where he began writing a series of educational books for children and founded a naturopathic/ecological education center in New Zealand, with the additional goal buying an 1,100-acre (4 km2) farm he used to develop self-sufficient organic-farming techniques. Environmentally conscious, he is also the founder of "Sculpt the Future", a charitable organization that works with environmentally disadvantaged communities.
David founded Adventure Ecology whose stated goal is to promote a greater connection with the natural world through a series of high-profile expeditions. The first mission in the series "Top of the world" Mission 1 expedition began on March 4, 2006. The four-member team included de Rothschild and fellow Briton Martin Hartley, along with two Canadians, Paul Landry and his daughter Sarah McNair Landry. After 100 days traversing the Arctic Ocean from Russia To Canada, David de Rothschild become one of 42 people and the youngest British person to ever reach both geographical poles. David de Rothschild is a National Geographic "Emerging Explorer" for its class of 2007.[1] He was also recently made a "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum.
Adventurer
A participant in a number of extreme competitions, de Rothschild won his age group in the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. A friend of polar guide Paul Landry, he became involved with eco-adventure and was part of the team that, in June 2005, set a new record for the fastest crossing of the Greenland Icecap. He was a member of the 2004/2005 "Invesco Perpetual Trans-Antarctica Challenge", an expedition that made him the youngest Briton to cross the continent of Antarctica.
Literary work
David wrote the official Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook in 2007, featuring 77 tips to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.[2]
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Four at-risk children die from abuse every week
From The Times
November 20, 2008
Up to four children die each week in England from abuse or neglect, according to official figures that reveal the alarming scale of the problem.
The damning report by Ofsted makes clear that the death of Baby P was far from an isolated tragedy. It found that 282 vulnerable children – many of them already known to social services – died in the 17-month period to the end of August. A further 136 suffered serious harm or injury.
Two thirds of those killed or hurt were babies less than a year old.
Children’s charities had previously estimated that one child died from cruelty each week.
It is the first time that Ofsted, which regulates children’s services in England, has examined the issue of children at risk. Its findings suggest that hundreds of abused children are at risk because councils are failing to learn promptly from previous deaths.
The report was presented yesterday by Ofsted’s chief inspector, Christine Gilbert. She said: “We are still not learning enough – or fast enough – from serious case reviews which happen when a child has died or been harmed through neglect or abuse.”
She referred to “recent tragic events in Haringey, and Manchester”, where two boys were murdered last week. Their mother has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. On Baby P she said: “I wish I could guarantee something so tragic couldn’t happen again, but I can’t. Although there have been improvements in the past few years, there is absolutely no room for complacency: everyone involved in child protection in any way must take stock of the role they play.”
Ofsted said that of 92 case reviews it had evaluated since April last year, 32 were judged to be inadequate. Only 20 were considered good. One review supposed to last four months had taken four years, Ms Gilbert said. Ofsted is expected publish a detailed report into 50 serious case reviews this month.
Tim Loughton, the Shadow Children’s Minister, said: “The figures for the number of child deaths given in this report are alarmingly high. Despite the avalanche of child protection legislation and reorganisations of social services departments, the underlying problem is no less diminished.”
David Laws, the Liberal Democrats’ children’s spokesman, said: “This report makes some deeply concerning criticisms of child protection services. It is now all too clear that the lessons of the Victoria Climbié case have not been learnt.”
Yesterday Sabah al-Zayyat, the doctor accused of failing to spot Baby P’s broken back and eight broken ribs, said that she had been deeply affected by the circumstances of his death.
November 20, 2008
Up to four children die each week in England from abuse or neglect, according to official figures that reveal the alarming scale of the problem.
The damning report by Ofsted makes clear that the death of Baby P was far from an isolated tragedy. It found that 282 vulnerable children – many of them already known to social services – died in the 17-month period to the end of August. A further 136 suffered serious harm or injury.
Two thirds of those killed or hurt were babies less than a year old.
Children’s charities had previously estimated that one child died from cruelty each week.
It is the first time that Ofsted, which regulates children’s services in England, has examined the issue of children at risk. Its findings suggest that hundreds of abused children are at risk because councils are failing to learn promptly from previous deaths.
The report was presented yesterday by Ofsted’s chief inspector, Christine Gilbert. She said: “We are still not learning enough – or fast enough – from serious case reviews which happen when a child has died or been harmed through neglect or abuse.”
She referred to “recent tragic events in Haringey, and Manchester”, where two boys were murdered last week. Their mother has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. On Baby P she said: “I wish I could guarantee something so tragic couldn’t happen again, but I can’t. Although there have been improvements in the past few years, there is absolutely no room for complacency: everyone involved in child protection in any way must take stock of the role they play.”
Ofsted said that of 92 case reviews it had evaluated since April last year, 32 were judged to be inadequate. Only 20 were considered good. One review supposed to last four months had taken four years, Ms Gilbert said. Ofsted is expected publish a detailed report into 50 serious case reviews this month.
Tim Loughton, the Shadow Children’s Minister, said: “The figures for the number of child deaths given in this report are alarmingly high. Despite the avalanche of child protection legislation and reorganisations of social services departments, the underlying problem is no less diminished.”
David Laws, the Liberal Democrats’ children’s spokesman, said: “This report makes some deeply concerning criticisms of child protection services. It is now all too clear that the lessons of the Victoria Climbié case have not been learnt.”
Yesterday Sabah al-Zayyat, the doctor accused of failing to spot Baby P’s broken back and eight broken ribs, said that she had been deeply affected by the circumstances of his death.
A list of stores permanently closing in the USA
Didn't take the time to check ALL of these to see if they are actually closing for sure, so I am just passing it on just in case you might have one of these store's gift cards - you may want to use it soon.
Circuit City stores... 150 stores closed
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be shuttered
Lane Bryant,, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down all stores
J. Jill closing all stores
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January.
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ (New Brunswick)
Macy's to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pacific Sunware closing stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Loews to close down some stores
Dillard's to close some stores.
Circuit City stores... 150 stores closed
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide are to be shuttered
Lane Bryant,, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 store nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down all stores
J. Jill closing all stores
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January.
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ (New Brunswick)
Macy's to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pacific Sunware closing stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/ Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Loews to close down some stores
Dillard's to close some stores.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
UK Public Sector Debt (Official statistics - govt stats)
Public Sector
October: £1.0bn current budget surplus
These are graphs showing Public Sector Finance:
In October 2008, the public sector showed a surplus on current budget of £1.0 billion, compared with a surplus of £4.0 billion in October 2007.
Concentrating on one month in isolation can give a distorted picture as movements can be erratic. Focusing on the financial year to date generally provides a better overview. Between April 2008 and October 2008 of the financial year 2008/09, the public sector recorded a deficit of £23.3 billion. At the same stage of the 2007/08 financial year, a deficit of £9.5 billion had been recorded.
More generally, the public sector recorded deficits between 1991/92 and 1997/98 before moving into surplus in 1998/99. Deficits have been recorded since 2002/03.
An alternative measure of the public sector fiscal position is public sector net borrowing. This additionally takes account of capital investment. In October 2008, there was net borrowing of £1.4 billion, which compares with borrowing of £-1.8 billion in October 2007. The Budget forecast for 2008/09 is net borrowing of £43.0 billion.
Public sector net debt, expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was 42.9 per cent at the end of October 2008, compared with 42.6 per cent at end of October 2007. Debt peaked at 44.2 per cent of GDP in 1997, its highest since the mid-1980s. The debt ratio then fell steadily as public sector finances improved, reaching a low of 29.1 per cent in February 2002. Since then it has risen. The Budget forecast for the end of March 2009 is 38.5 per cent.
Net debt was £640.9 billion at the end of October, compared with £607.1 billion a year earlier. The Budget forecast for net debt at the end of March 2009 is £581 billion.
Public sector net debt (excluding Northern Rock)
The most recent figures for public sector net debt excluding Northern Rock are for September 2008, when net debt was £563.1 billion (37.8 per cent of GDP).
October: £1.0bn current budget surplus
These are graphs showing Public Sector Finance:
In October 2008, the public sector showed a surplus on current budget of £1.0 billion, compared with a surplus of £4.0 billion in October 2007.
Concentrating on one month in isolation can give a distorted picture as movements can be erratic. Focusing on the financial year to date generally provides a better overview. Between April 2008 and October 2008 of the financial year 2008/09, the public sector recorded a deficit of £23.3 billion. At the same stage of the 2007/08 financial year, a deficit of £9.5 billion had been recorded.
More generally, the public sector recorded deficits between 1991/92 and 1997/98 before moving into surplus in 1998/99. Deficits have been recorded since 2002/03.
An alternative measure of the public sector fiscal position is public sector net borrowing. This additionally takes account of capital investment. In October 2008, there was net borrowing of £1.4 billion, which compares with borrowing of £-1.8 billion in October 2007. The Budget forecast for 2008/09 is net borrowing of £43.0 billion.
Public sector net debt, expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was 42.9 per cent at the end of October 2008, compared with 42.6 per cent at end of October 2007. Debt peaked at 44.2 per cent of GDP in 1997, its highest since the mid-1980s. The debt ratio then fell steadily as public sector finances improved, reaching a low of 29.1 per cent in February 2002. Since then it has risen. The Budget forecast for the end of March 2009 is 38.5 per cent.
Net debt was £640.9 billion at the end of October, compared with £607.1 billion a year earlier. The Budget forecast for net debt at the end of March 2009 is £581 billion.
Public sector net debt (excluding Northern Rock)
The most recent figures for public sector net debt excluding Northern Rock are for September 2008, when net debt was £563.1 billion (37.8 per cent of GDP).
Bush sells off the desert to oil company
Gale Norton has to be happy. In 2003, Ms. Norton, then President Bush’s secretary of the interior (and now a senior oil executive at Royal Dutch Shell), struck a deal with the governor of Utah that would open about 3 million pristine acres of federal land to oil and gas drilling.
Environmental groups and the courts managed to keep the drillers at bay. No longer. In the last few days, the Bureau of Land Management has completed six long-range management plans for Utah that will expose these acres (and as many as 6 million more) to some form of commercial exploitation.
On Tuesday, the bureau announced that it would soon begin selling oil and gas leases — essentially the right to drill — in some of the most beautiful and fragile areas.
Conservationists are aghast, and rightly so. Apparently without consulting the National Parks Service, one of its sister agencies at the Interior Department, the bureau plans to auction more than two dozen leases adjacent to Arches National Park and very close to Canyonlands National Park, risking the parks’ air and water.
Also on the auction block, among other rare and spectacular vistas, is Desolation Canyon, so named by the explorer John Wesley Powell in 1869 while he traveled down the Green River to the Grand Canyon.
This sort of pillage would be hard to justify even if Utah’s reserves were large enough to make a difference, which they are not. The Energy Information Administration says that Utah has 2.5 percent of the country’s known natural gas reserves and less than 1 percent of its known oil reserves. And even if those reserves were worth going after, it would still be essential to protect areas of special cultural, scenic and recreational value.
The Interior Department’s writ is to manage the public lands for “multiple uses,” a difficult and ambiguous task. The Clinton administration issued many leases but tried hard to balance the competing claims of commerce and nature; the Bush administration heard only the voice of Vice President Dick Cheney and his one-sided mantra of “drill now, drill everywhere.”
This is but the latest of President Bush’s last-minute assaults on the environment. The incoming Obama administration will have to quickly review and reverse these decisions or find ways to mitigate the damage.
New York Times
Environmental groups and the courts managed to keep the drillers at bay. No longer. In the last few days, the Bureau of Land Management has completed six long-range management plans for Utah that will expose these acres (and as many as 6 million more) to some form of commercial exploitation.
On Tuesday, the bureau announced that it would soon begin selling oil and gas leases — essentially the right to drill — in some of the most beautiful and fragile areas.
Conservationists are aghast, and rightly so. Apparently without consulting the National Parks Service, one of its sister agencies at the Interior Department, the bureau plans to auction more than two dozen leases adjacent to Arches National Park and very close to Canyonlands National Park, risking the parks’ air and water.
Also on the auction block, among other rare and spectacular vistas, is Desolation Canyon, so named by the explorer John Wesley Powell in 1869 while he traveled down the Green River to the Grand Canyon.
This sort of pillage would be hard to justify even if Utah’s reserves were large enough to make a difference, which they are not. The Energy Information Administration says that Utah has 2.5 percent of the country’s known natural gas reserves and less than 1 percent of its known oil reserves. And even if those reserves were worth going after, it would still be essential to protect areas of special cultural, scenic and recreational value.
The Interior Department’s writ is to manage the public lands for “multiple uses,” a difficult and ambiguous task. The Clinton administration issued many leases but tried hard to balance the competing claims of commerce and nature; the Bush administration heard only the voice of Vice President Dick Cheney and his one-sided mantra of “drill now, drill everywhere.”
This is but the latest of President Bush’s last-minute assaults on the environment. The incoming Obama administration will have to quickly review and reverse these decisions or find ways to mitigate the damage.
New York Times
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
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