The buildings of Venice are constructed on closely spaced wood piles, which were imported from Russia which penetrate alternating layers of clay and sand. Wood for piles was cut in the most western part of today's Slovenia.

Most of these piles are still intact after centuries of submersion. The foundations rest on the piles, and buildings of brick or stone sit above these footings. The buildings are often threatened by flood tides pushing in from the Adriatic between autumn and early spring.

Six hundred years ago, Venetians protected themselves from land-based attacks by diverting all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon and thus preventing sediment from filling the area around the city. This created an ever-deeper lagoon environment.

During the 20th century, many wells were sunk into the periphery of the lagoon to draw water for local industry, Venice began to subside. This sinking process has slowed markedly since artesian wells were banned in the 1960s. However, the city is still threatened by more frequent low-level floods that creep to a height of several centimeters over its quays, regularly following certain tides. In many old houses the former staircases used by people to unload goods are now flooded, rendering the former ground floor uninhabitable. Many Venetians have resorted to moving up to the upper floors and continuing with their lives.

Some recent studies have suggested that the city is no longer sinking, but this is not yet certain; therefore, a state of alert has not been revoked. This engineering work is due to be completed by 2011.
Some experts say that the best way to protect Venice is to physically lift the City to a greater height above sea level, by pumping water into the soil underneath the city.This way, some hope, it could rise above sea levels, protecting it for hundreds of years, and eventually the MOSE project may not be necessary. A further point about the "lifting" system would be that it would be permanent. In 1604, to defray the cost of flood relief Venice introduced what could be considered the first example of what became elsewhere. When the revenue fell short of expectations in 1608 Venice introduced paper with the superscription 'AQ' and imprinted instructions which was to be used for 'letters to officials'.

The newly-formed Committee of Inquiry will be looking into a possible link between the escape of terrorist Mat Alamak from a toilet at Whitley Road Detention Centre, and an outbreak of diarrhoea at its canteen.

According to Assistant Superintendent Chow Leow Loh, a spokesman for the Committee, “Mat Alamak was allowed to go to the toilet that day because a number of detainees and staff had complained of diarrhoea after consuming food from the canteen.”

The diarrhoea outbreak hampered the surveillance of Alamak when he asked to use the loo, as his accompanying officer also had to go.

The food poisoning also explains the slow pursuit of Alamak, and the several hour delay in releasing the news to the public. “Everyone at Whitley was having the squits,” said ASP Chow. “Officers would run after Alamak, and then kena u-turn back.”

The immediate cause of the diarrhoea has not been established.

“Initial investigations suggest that Prima Deli chocolate cakes and Nong Shim prawn crackers were both available at the canteen on the day in question,” said ASP Chow. “We are trying to establish a connection.”

The Committee is also looking at allegations that someone had spiked the mee siam at the canteen.

“We have found traces of cockles that had gone bad in the mee siam,” ASP Chow revealed. “We can’t say for sure, but it’s possible that someone put hum in the mee siam. If so, that could mean Alamak had inside help.”

“We take all allegations of putting hum in mee siam very seriously,” said ASP Chow. “On the direct orders of the Prime Minister’s Office, no civil service canteen is allowed to add hum to mee siam. Doing so might constitute a terrorist act.”

When told that nobody ever eats mee siam with hum anyway, ASP Chow replied, “And that’s just how the Prime Minister likes it, because he’s just a regular Singaporean guy too, just like you and me. Except more elite.”

The Committee may interrogate popular blogger Mr. Brown in connection with this inquiry. “We don’t want to leave any stone unturned. Toilets, diarrhoea, Mat Alamak’s skin pigmentation – all these have ‘brown’ connections, and we don’t want to leave anything to chance.”

Few words are as politically or emotionally charged as terrorism. One 1988 study by the US Army found that over 100 definitions of the word "terrorism" have been used. Acts of terrorism are not intended to merely victimize or eliminate those who are killed, injured or taken hostage but rather to intimidate and influence the societies to which they belong.[citation needed

Many putative definitions of terrorism define as "terrorism" only those acts which are intended to create fear (terror), are perpetrated for an ideological goal and by a member or members of a group (as opposed to being carried out in a lone attack), and which deliberately target, or else disregard the safety of, non-combatants (civilians). Many definitions also include only acts of unlawful violence as opposed to "lawful acts of war".

The sense of moral condemnation is built into the definition of the concept of terrorism (i.e. terrorism is deemed to be an attack on those who should be morally immune from attack). On the question of whether particular terrorist acts, such as murder, can be justified as the lesser evil in a particular circumstance, philosophers have expressed different views: While, according to David Rodin, utilitarian philosophers can in theory conceive of cases in which evil of terrorism is outweighed by important goods that can be achieved in no morally less costly way, in practice utilitarians often universally reject terrorism because it is very dubious that acts of terrorism achieve important goods in a utility efficient manner, or that the "harmful effects of undermining the convention of non-combatant immunity is thought to outweigh the goods that may be achieved by particular acts of terrorism." Among the non-utilitarian philosophers, Michael Walzer argued that terrorism is always morally wrong but at the same time those who engaged in terrorism can be morally justified in one specific case: when "a nation or community faces the extreme threat of complete destruction and the only way it can preserve itself is by intentionally targeting non-combatants, then it is morally entitled to do so."

As a form of unconventional warfare, terrorism is sometimes used when attempting to force political change by convincing a government or population to agree to demands to avoid future harm or fear of harm, destabilizing an existing government, motivating a disgruntled population to join an uprising, escalating a conflict in the hopes of disrupting the status quo, expressing a grievance, or drawing attention to a cause.

Terrorism has been used by a broad array of political organizations in furthering their objectives; both right-wing and left-wing political parties, nationalistic and religious groups, revolutionaries and ruling governments.[5] The presence of non-state actors in widespread armed conflict has created controversy regarding the application of the laws of war.

I have an important message for those who blame our esteemed Minister Wong Kan Seng for this incident. I put the blame squarely on the members of the Opposition. Here's why:
WKS as minister cannot possibly know the detention center that well - you expect minister to inspect every toilet there? You expect the minister to train every guard? He has already apologised and taken responsibility. However, the members of the Opposition are the ones I blame for this mess.

A number Opposition members have been detained under the ISA and know this detention center inside out. They probably are familiar with the toilet used by Mas Selamat and the security flaws in the detention center - the redoctrination that purges them of harmful thoughts can temporarily increase the urge to escape. Knowing that the govt was detaining terrorist there, why didn't they point out the possible ways of escape to the govt? ...I don't think the Opposition has any valid reasons for denying responsibility for the escape, many have been detained there over the years and they spend more time there than almost anyone else.

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Investigators are investigating whether there is a link between SJI and JI. Could Selamat be seeking refuge in SJI ? Find out more when we return after the break ........

The song is known for its environmental statement (from the lyrics "Paved paradise to put up a parking lot", "Hey farmer, farmer, put away that DDT now") and sentimental sound. The line, "Took all the trees, put 'em in a tree museum/And charged the people a dollar and a half just to see 'em" refers to Foster Botanical Garden in downtown Honolulu, which is a living museum of tropical plants, some rare and endangered.

In the song's final verse, the political gives way to the personal. Mitchell recounts the departure of her "old man" in the titular "big yellow taxi", referring to the old Toronto Police Service patrol cars that until 1986 were painted yellow. In many covers the departed one may be interpreted as variously a boyfriend, a husband, or a father. The literal interpretation is that he is walking out on the singer by taking a taxi; otherwise it is assumed he is being taken away by the authorities.

I think it speaks volumes about how society is just screwing up all the simple beuty in the world. Jonni is relating this to an ex boyfriend.I think this song is just about not taking for granted the things you have.She goes into how the environment is being exploited and wasted by people, and transitions into catching herself doing the same thing to someone she loves. this song is about living every moment to its fullest and appreciating everything...because tomorrow something you love could be gone and you never know how important something is to you until its gone

hi. this is my blog.

Justin.
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