(토요모임) [ 9. Mar. 2019 ] Saturday meeting topic

[Scarlet]

Howdy ! 

It's me Scarlett !   

This week we have 3 categories of topics which are connected with 'Climate Change & Space development' Do not be obsessed with all the articles too much. Just pick some articles what you have interests and prepare your opinions related to them. :)

Detailed lists are as follows.

◈ Environmental activism on Climate Change : 

---- Climate crisis and a betrayed generation

---- School strike for climate - save the world by changing the rules | Greta Thunberg | TED---- I am taking part in the school climate strike. It’s the only power I have 

---- UK climate protest: Student walk out inspired by Greta Thunberg

---- 7 Easy Steps to Becoming an Environmentally Conscious Global Citizen

◈ Space development : 

---- OneWeb launches mega-constellation pathfinder satellites

---- OneWeb of 900 internet satellites in space

Hope you enjoy the topics

With luv

Scarlett

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Preparing for Small Talk: A List of the Best and Worst Topics

November 04, 2018 / By Arlin Cuncic /| Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD 

Small talk topics are the best source of conversation between people who don't know each other well. If you live with social anxiety disorder (SAD), making small talk can be anxiety-provoking. Learning to make small talk can help to build your confidence so that you can start conversations, make connections, and develop your social skills.
One good way to alleviate anxiety is to prepare for the types of topics that are likely to come up. Making small talk involves not only knowing what to say, but also what is best kept private. At the same time, it's important to overcome your urge to avoid it altogether. Rather than being scared of small talk, make a point of overcoming your fear of it.

1 Best: Weather
Although talking about the weather may seem mundane, it is a good neutral topic that everyone can discuss. Did a big storm just blow through? Are you in the middle of a heatwave? Look no further than outside your door for some good conversation openers.
Below are some ideas of conversation starters you can use:
"Lovely day, don't you think?"
"Looks like rain is in the forecast."
"Did you order this beautiful weather?"
Practice making small talk about the weather by asking someone one of these questions the next time you find yourself in the middle of an awkward silence.

2 Best: Arts and Entertainment
Arts and entertainment topics that are good conversation starters include:
movies and television shows
popular restaurants
popular music
books
To prepare for these topics, brush up on what is popular and always be in the middle of reading a good book. Try asking someone, "Have you seen any good movies lately?" You might have to ask 10 people before you get someone interested in talking to you—that's okay. Be okay with rejection, or actually seek it out. It's all just practice, after all.

3 Best: Sports
Sports topics that you can discuss with others include:
favorite teams
sporting events
tournaments
bowl games
Keep track of what sports are played during which seasons, such as football, soccer, hockey, and golf, so that you are on top of the current action. For example, when the Olympics are taking place, everyone is sure to be buzzing about them. If you don't like sports, talk about why you don't like them.
Ask someone, "Did you catch that golf tournament on the weekend?" While this might feel uncomfortable the first few times you do it, eventually, it will feel more natural to you.

4 Best: News
A great way to prepare for small talk is to read the news every day. Be aware of what is going on in the world and in your city. While paper newspapers are going out of style, digital news either directly from news sources or fed through social media have become popular ways of keeping current.
Below are some ideas of conversation openers:
Did you hear about the new hotel they are building downtown?
What do you think about the teachers going on strike?
I read that they are going to hike up transit fares, did you hear that?
Remember that small talk is about building a bridge between you and another person. It doesn't matter so much what you talk about, but rather that you start talking.

5 Best: Family
People are likely to ask you about your family. Conversation openers about family may include the following:
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"How long have you been married?"
"Do you have any children?"
Be prepared for these types of questions and reciprocate by asking others about their families. Engaging in this type of small talk displays your communication skills, and helps you to learn a lot about a person in a short period of time.

6 Best: Work
Another popular small talk topic is work. You may be asked what you do and whether you like your job. If you do something unusual that is hard to explain, consider keeping business cards in your wallet. This works particularly well if your company or job has a website that people can visit.
Some ideas for work-related small talk include the following:
"How long have you worked as a (insert job title)?"
"Do you like your job?"
"That is an interesting line of work, how did you get into it?"
Always focus on what you'd like to learn about others and things you enjoy talking about. This will make the process of small talk feel more like fun than work.

7 Best: Travel
People like to hear about vacations. If you travel, be ready to answer questions and give your opinions about the places you have visited. Put together albums that you can show people who visit your home.
Ask others about their favorite travel spots and what they recommend. Most people like to help and will be happy to share their experiences.
As an extra tip, if you are trying to break into a group conversation, always establish eye contact, smile, and introduce yourself first. Then listen and remember the names of the other people in the group.
How can you remember people's names? Focus, repeat the name, think of someone you know with that name, use the name in conversation, and say it again when leaving a conversation.

8 Best: Celebrity Gossip
It isn't necessary to follow celebrity gossip to make small talk. However, it is a good idea to know a little bit about some of the most popular celebrities in case the topic comes up.
Save this type of small talk for informal gatherings or casual parties. Unless everyone else at your work conference is discussing a celebrity, it's best to lead with something else.

9 Best: Hobbies
People like to talk about their hobbies and are likely to be interested in yours. If you don't have any hobbies, consider trying something new. Not only will you have something to talk about, but having a hobby will give you a chance to meet others with similar interests.
Be sure to ask follow-up questions as you listen about someone's hobbies. Listen between the lines as well. If someone says, "That was the last time I ever went skiing," ask why.

10 Best: Hometown
You might be asked about your hometown. For example:
"How is where you grew up different from where you live now?"
"Why did you leave?"
Ask others about their hometowns as well. You never know who might be from the same place as you and how you might begin forming a connection. Expect that others will ask you about yours as well, and have an interesting anecdote or story read to tell.

11 Worst: Financial
Asking personal financial questions of people that you have just met is inappropriate. It is fine to ask what someone does for work or what the positive aspects are of that career, but do not ask questions about salary. Most people will find this question intrusive and inappropriate.

12 Worst: Politics
The problem with talking about politics is that you never know who in the crowd may have strong opinions. Stay away from this topic unless you want to risk ending up in the middle of a heated conversation.

13 Worst: Religion
Religion is another extremely personal and potentially sensitive topic that should be avoided.

14 Worst: Sex
Talking about sex or asking questions of an intimate nature is inappropriate during small talk. When talking with strangers, avoid talking openly about sex or making sexual innuendos. Both are likely to make others uncomfortable.

15 Worst: Death
Death is another heavy topic that should be avoided during small talk. When you are in the company of strangers, do not bring up emotional topics that have the potential to be upsetting.

16 Worst: Age/Appearance
Unless you know someone well, avoid topics related to age and appearance.
Do not ask a person's age. Although the question might seem simple to you, it can be a hot topic for some.
In addition, avoid questions related to appearance. Do not ask a woman if she is pregnant, or comment that someone has lost weight. You never know the reason for weight gain or loss, and could be left in an uncomfortable situation.

17 Worst: Personal Gossip
While celebrity gossip is fair game during small talk, gossip about people that you know personally is not. Gossiping about others not only paints you in a bad light, but you never know who might know each other. Avoid bad-mouthing others.

18 Worst: Offensive Jokes
Save your sensitive jokes for your best friends (or better yet, replace them with jokes that don't have time and place restrictions). In particular, making sexist or racist jokes is offensive and a quick way to end a conversation with strangers.

19 Worst: Narrow Topics
Avoid talking at length about topics that are one-sided. If no one else has seen the movie, don't go into detail about the plot or the funny scenes. Watch for signs that others have lost interest and find a quick ending to your story.

20 Worst: Past Relationships
Avoid talking about past relationships on a first date. Making comparisons or talking endlessly about a past love is a turnoff and a quick way to ensure you don't get a second date.
A Word From Verywell
The best small talk topics are those to which everyone can relate and that have no potential to offend. On the other hand, the worst small talk topics alienate, create discomfort, and quickly end conversations. Learn the difference between the two, and you will find it easier to talk to strangers—without feeling stressed.

Article source : https://www.verywellmind.com/small-talk-topics-3024421

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< Questions >

Q1. What is the biggest difference between the good small talk materials and the good discussion materials ?

Q2. What was your quarterly goals? How was your quarterly performance this year? Do you have any regrets for this quarter and wishes for next quarter? 

Q3. What do you know about '5G'? What does the '5G' stand for ? What do you think of high technology oriented society? 

Q4. Are you a 'Environmentally Conscious Global Citizen' ? What environmental issue are you concern the most?

Q5. What do you think of micro dust issue? What would be the main cause of this phenomena? How could we tackle it? 

Q6. What is the most sensitive issue in your community? What is your stance on that issue? 

Q7. Do you have any technologies that you are interested in currently? If you pick one word to express your interests, what would it be? 

Q8. Any celebrity gossip you want to talk about? Please make quick summary on that issue and show your stance.

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Image Video: Connect future “The world connected by 5G”

(long version)

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications introduces a series of image videos depicting the appearance of Japanese society and families for which diverse types of ICT including 5G are used.

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Teen activist on climate change: If we don't do anything right now, we're screwed

Fifteen-year-old activist Greta Thunberg talks to CNN's Fareed Zakaria about her speech at the UN climate change conference, her protest at the Swedish parliament, and what she is planning to do going forward.

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U.S. government sued over climate change | 

The Weekly with Wendy Mesley

Watch the US stall on climate change for 12 years

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Climate Change Basics

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Climate crisis and a betrayed generation

Activists behind recent youth-led climate protests say their views are being ignored in the debate about global warming

Fri 1 Mar 2019 12.00 GMT 

We, the young, are deeply concerned about our future. Humanity is currently causing the sixth mass extinction of species and the global climate system is at the brink of a catastrophic crisis. Its devastating impacts are already felt by millions of people around the globe. Yet we are far from reaching the goals of the Paris agreement.

Young people make up more than half of the global population. Our generation grew up with the climate crisis and we will have to deal with it for the rest of our lives. Despite that fact, most of us are not included in the local and global decision-making process. We are the voiceless future of humanity.

We will no longer accept this injustice. We demand justice for all past, current and future victims of the climate crisis, and so we are rising up. Thousands of us have taken to the streets in the past weeks all around the world. Now we will make our voices heard. On 15 March, we will protest on every continent.

We finally need to treat the climate crisis as a crisis. It is the biggest threat in human history and we will not accept the world’s decision-makers’ inaction that threatens our entire civilisation. We will not accept a life in fear and devastation. We have the right to live our dreams and hopes. Climate change is already happening. People did die, are dying and will die because of it, but we can and will stop this madness.

We, the young, have started to move. We are going to change the fate of humanity, whether you like it or not. United we will rise until we see climate justice. We demand the world’s decision-makers take responsibility and solve this crisis.

You have failed us in the past. If you continue failing us in the future, we, the young people, will make change happen by ourselves. The youth of this world has started to move and we will not rest again.
The global coordination group of the youth-led climate strike

Article source : https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/01/youth-climate-change-strikers-open-letter-to-world-leaders

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I am taking part in the school climate strike. It’s the only power I have

Today, thousands of students like me will leave the classroom – and make those in charge listen to us on climate change 

Fri 15 Feb 2019 08.00 GMT/ Rosie Smart-Knight

Today, Friday 15 February, thousands of students from schools, colleges, and universities all around the UK will be going on strike, and I’m one of them. I’m taking part in the Youth Strike 4 Climate movement because I want to make a difference. I want my generation’s voice to be heard and listened to. We stand to lose the most from catastrophic climate change, yet we’re the ones who’ve been excluded from the most serious conversations.

I don’t believe that previous generations wanted to create a world that faces such catastrophe, but when confronted with the stark reality, many have pushed it to one side because it doesn’t seem an immediate threat. We can’t run down the clock on this issue. Twelve years – the amount of time climate scientists have given us to keep global warming in check – seems like a long time to me: it’s two-thirds of my life. But it’s no time at all to instigate the sort of radical change that we need. It scares me to think that my life could be defined so rigidly from so early on.

In the space of 12 years, we could have three separate governments, each with their own agendas. This issue cannot be one that is used for popularity contests, it’s one that requires immediate, unified and urgent action. Politicians are gambling with the future of all known life.

I’m often asked if I think my actions will make a difference. How can students skipping school change anything except our grades? Only time will tell, but what I do know is that the nation is suddenly talking about climate change again, and that’s because of our actions. Greta Thunberg’s individual action has shown we can get noticed, and conversations are starting. Imagine how much attention the climate crisis will get when thousands of us demand our right to a healthy planet and a future to look forward to.

I’m not striking because I know how to tackle climate change, I’m striking because I want the people with the power to do something to start addressing it. They need to listen to the scientists who have been warning us about climate change for years – and who understand how best to solve this mess. We’ve been called truants and snowflakes, but if we were really involved in this because we wanted a day off school, there are much easier ways to go about it. Standing in the cold, demanding that those in power take our futures seriously isn’t something we’re glad we have to do. I wish that the burden didn’t fall on any of our shoulders. We are being asked to write our epitaphs before most of us are even able to vote, but I refuse to be passive in the face of catastrophe.

Several of my friends and classmates are striking with me, and many who aren’t are supportive. We are aware that we will be skipping lessons for something that may not make a big difference – and we’re all conscious of how precious our education is. It’s only due to the severity of the issue that we are jeopardising it.
My college has been less than supportive, as it believes that there are better ways to make a difference than encouraging students to participate. I sent a college-wide email to let people know what I was doing and how they could get involved. I was quickly told by a staff member that I wasn’t allowed to use the college system to spread political messages. It saddened me that demanding a say in my future, and the future of all life on Earth, was regarded as a political message. Surely me doing nothing would be a breach of my duty of care for future generations, just as our leaders doing nothing now is a failure to live up to theirs?

I want the people in power to wake up, become leaders, and realise that they only have 12 years to change their legacies. The fact that the movement so far has received so much positive attention gives me hope that it will prompt change – because we need drastic and immediate action.

Even if the climate strike doesn’t prompt the change we need and demand, it has given so many young people across the country a chance to raise their voice and make it heard. This movement is allowing young people to realise they’re not alone, that others care about the climate, and are worried about the future. I will continue to raise awareness of the climate crisis, and I will continue to demand change – starting with the global school strike on Friday.

• Rosie Smart-Knight is a 17-year-old student

Article source : https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/15/school-climate-strike-classroom-climate-change

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School strike for climate - save the world by changing the rules | Greta Thunberg | TEDxStockholm

School strike for climate - save the world by changing the rules | Greta Thunberg | TEDxStockholm
Editor's note: This talk was recorded at a TEDx event organized by volunteers; speakers are selected independently of TED.

Reviewed by Peter Van de Ven

When I was about eight years old, I first heard about something called climate change or global warming. Apparently, that was something humans have created by our way of living. I was told to turn off the lights to save energy and to recycle paper to save resources. I remember thinking that it was very strange that humans, who are an animal species among others, could be capable of changing the Earth's climate. Because if we were, and if it was really happening, we wouldn't be talking about anything else. As soon as you'd turn on the TV, everything would be about that. Headlines, radio, newspapers, you would never read or hear about anything else, as if there was a world war going on. But no one ever talked about it. If burning fossil fuels was so bad that it threatened our very existence, how could we just continue like before? Why were there no restrictions? Why wasn't it made illegal? To me, that did not add up. It was too unreal. So when I was 11, I became ill. I fell into depression, I stopped talking, and I stopped eating. In two months, I lost about 10 kilos of weight. Later on, I was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, OCD and selective mutism. That basically means I only speak when I think it's necessary - now is one of those moments. (Applause) For those of us who are on the spectrum, almost everything is black or white. We aren't very good at lying, and we usually don't enjoy participating in this social game that the rest of you seem so fond of. (Laughter) I think in many ways that we autistic are the normal ones, and the rest of the people are pretty strange, (Laughter) especially when it comes to the sustainability crisis, where everyone keeps saying climate change is an existential threat and the most important issue of all, and yet they just carry on like before. I don't understand that, because if the emissions have to stop, then we must stop the emissions. To me that is black or white. There are no gray areas when it comes to survival. Either we go on as a civilization or we don't. We have to change. Rich countries like Sweden need to start reducing emissions by at least 15 percent every year. And that is so that we can stay below a two-degree warming target. Yet, as the IPCC have recently demonstrated, aiming instead for 1.5 degrees Celsius would significantly reduce the climate impacts. But we can only imagine what that means for reducing emissions. You would think the media and every one of our leaders would be talking about nothing else, but they never even mention it. Nor does anyone ever mention the greenhouse gases already locked in the system. Nor that air pollution is hiding a warming so that when we stop burning fossil fuels, we already have an extra level of warming perhaps as high as 0.5 to 1.1 degrees Celsius. Furthermore does hardly anyone speak about the fact that we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, with up to 200 species going extinct every single day, that the extinction rate today is between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than what is seen as normal. Nor does hardly anyone ever speak about the aspect of equity or climate justice, clearly stated everywhere in the Paris Agreement, which is absolutely necessary to make it work on a global scale. That means that rich countries need to get down to zero emissions within 6 to 12 years, with today's emission speed. And that is so that people in poorer countries can have a chance to heighten their standard of living by building some of the infrastructure that we have already built, such as roads, schools, hospitals, clean drinking water, electricity, and so on. Because how can we expect countries like India or Nigeria to care about the climate crisis if we who already have everything don't care even a second about it or our actual commitments to the Paris Agreement? So, why are we not reducing our emissions? Why are they in fact still increasing? Are we knowingly causing a mass extinction? Are we evil? No, of course not. People keep doing what they do because the vast majority doesn't have a clue about the actual consequences of our everyday life, and they don't know that rapid change is required. We all think we know, and we all think everybody knows, but we don't. Because how could we? If there really was a crisis, and if this crisis was caused by our emissions, you would at least see some signs. Not just flooded cities, tens of thousands of dead people, and whole nations leveled to piles of torn down buildings. You would see some restrictions. But no. And no one talks about it. There are no emergency meetings, no headlines, no breaking news. No one is acting as if we were in a crisis. Even most climate scientists or green politicians keep on flying around the world, eating meat and dairy. If I live to be 100, I will be alive in the year 2103. When you think about the future today, you don't think beyond the year 2050. By then, I will, in the best case, not even have lived half of my life. What happens next? The year 2078, I will celebrate my 75th birthday. If I have children or grandchildren, maybe they will spend that day with me. Maybe they will ask me about you, the people who were around, back in 2018. Maybe they will ask why you didn't do anything while there still was time to act. What we do or don't do right now will affect my entire life and the lives of my children and grandchildren. What we do or don't do right now, me and my generation can't undo in the future. So when school started in August of this year, I decided that this was enough. I set myself down on the ground outside the Swedish parliament. I school striked for the climate. Some people say that I should be in school instead. Some people say that I should study to become a climate scientist so that I can "solve the climate crisis." But the climate crisis has already been solved. We already have all the facts and solutions. All we have to do is to wake up and change. And why should I be studying for a future that soon will be no more when no one is doing anything whatsoever to save that future? And what is the point of learning facts in the school system when the most important facts given by the finest science of that same school system clearly means nothing to our politicians and our society. Some people say that Sweden is just a small country, and that it doesn't matter what we do, but I think that if a few children can get headlines all over the world just by not coming to school for a few weeks, imagine what we could all do together if you wanted to. (Applause) Now we're almost at the end of my talk, and this is where people usually start talking about hope, solar panels, wind power, circular economy, and so on, but I'm not going to do that. We've had 30 years of pep-talking and selling positive ideas. And I'm sorry, but it doesn't work. Because if it would have, the emissions would have gone down by now. They haven't. And yes, we do need hope, of course we do. But the one thing we need more than hope is action. Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come. Today, we use 100 million barrels of oil every single day. There are no politics to change that. There are no rules to keep that oil in the ground. So we can't save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change, and it has to start today. Thank you. (Applause)

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< Questions >

Q1. What do you think of the striking school children?

Q2. Do you think your children is satisfied with the environment conditions that your generation have created? 

Q3. Above article suggested that eventhough young people make up more than half of the global population, they are not included in the decision making process in terms of urgent environmental issues. What do you think of young generation's political participation for the environmental justice ?

Q4. If you are in children's shoes, would you protest climate change? 

Q5. Do you think who the most vulnerable entities for degrading environmental issue are? 

Q6. Which one would you change for your children in the environment, if you can change one thing? 

Q7. What do you think of when you hear the word 'children'?  

Q8. Are students right to ask about learning without a future?

Q9. Would you go on strike to protest climate change or other environmental issues?

Q10. What would you go on strike for?

Q11. What is your government doing about climate change or other environmental issues?

Q12. Do you think which country's response has been the worst ever for the climate change issue? 

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7 Easy Steps to Becoming

an Environmentally Conscious Global Citizen
You do not have to be a hero to save the world.
June 1, 2018 / By Atharva Bhagwat

Dangerously smog-laden air.
Ever-decreasing forest cover.
Severe water scarcity.

This is just the beginning of a long list of ways our environment is in distress. There is a constant conflict between the planet’s well-being and human interest. Our needs as a species are becoming increasingly unsustainable and causing more damage to the planet than we can actually repair.
So, what can one do to help save the world?
While all of us have asked ourselves this question at some point in our lives, it's never too late to act upon it.

Here’s a list of some simple yet creative ways you can help save our planet.

1. Don’t throw those old clothes away.

We are all well aware of the typical life cycle of clothing in India  —  brand-new for a special occasion, then a casual daily wear item, then a potential Holi costume, and finally ending up as a rag to wipe off dirt. Reusing our old clothes is one of the simplest ways to reduce the waste we generate, as well as save the energy and resources that go into manufacturing new clothes.

2. Let the United Nations help you save the world.

One doesn't have to be a superhero to save the world — just ask the United Nations. You could play an important role in this crucial fight against environmental degradation and climate change with small changes. The UN's "Lazy Person's Guide" is a way for you to help implement the Sustainable Development Goals in your own limited capacity and contribute to the larger cause. The guide has three stages in which you can take action —the sofa superstar, the household hero, and the neighbourhood nice guy. There is something for everyone!
Find the guide here: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction/

3. Know what you account for.
We are all contributing to the gradual decay of our planet, and most of us are not even aware of it. You can now calculate your own climate footprint in four different categories : Transport, Waste, Energy, and Lifestyle. Knowing your footprint can help you make relevant changes to reduce your impact and emissions and be a more responsible resident of this planet.
Use this Calculator to find out your footprint on the environment: http://climateneutralnow.org/Pages/calculator.aspx

4. Eat less meat.

It has been scientifically confirmed that emissions from the agricultural sector are one of the biggest contributors to global greenhouse emissions. Unfortunately for the meat eaters, most of them come largely from meat processing. If not making a complete switch, even reducing one’s meat intake can help reduce emissions by a significant amount.
Another way to reduce agricultural emissions is to support and incorporate more local-organic food produce into our diets. (It saves over 13% of greenhouse gas emissions!)

5. Grow a garden on your walls.

Love green surroundings but crunched for space in your 11th-floor apartment? Decreasing average living space and high-rise apartment setups have put us all against the possibility of planting our own sweet gardens.
But vertical gardens are here to the rescue. Vertical home gardens start quite cheap and are a great addition to your home decor ideas. They are also a great way to reduce your processed agricultural intake, as they allow you to grow some basic vegetables on your own balcony, organically. Fancy some fresh homegrown basil on that pasta this Sunday? Your vertical garden can bring it straight to your plate!

6. Shop smart

It is time we start buying our machines, devices, and home appliances more consciously. There are options on the market that are way more efficient and use significantly fewer resources, be it fuel or electricity. The very basic Energy Star ratings are a great start to picking your home appliances wisely.
Here’s a list of the most efficient appliances: https://www.energystar.gov/products/most_efficient
You could also choose alternative energy options, such as hybrid or electric cars and solar-powered heaters.

7. Reduce the font size every time you print.

This is probably one of the most underrated weapons in our arsenal to fight climate change. Suppose you have an article you absolutely need to print out that takes up 23 pages on its default font size of 18. Decreasing the font to 11 before printing and switching from normal page margins to narrow margins can allow you to print the same information in just eight pages now. Without moving an inch, you save thousands of trees!
Saving the planet is a gigantic task, but each one of us can help by completing tiny little steps. So, what are you waiting for?

Global Citizen campaigns to achieve the UN's Global Goals, which includes taking action for creating sustainable cities and communities. You can join us by taking action on these issues here .

Article source : https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/Living-sustainably-environmental-consciousness/

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< Questions >

Q1. Are you a Environmentally Conscious Global Citizen ? Why do you think so?

Q2. What actions do you take to protect environment?

Q3. What is the most concerned environmental issue? What actions do you take to alleviate the troubles?

Q4. Would you move other clean countries to raise your kid? Why or why not?

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OneWeb launches mega-constellation pathfinder satellites

27 February 2019/ By Jonathan Amos / BBC Science Correspondent

The first six satellites for OneWeb's mega-constellation have launched on a Soyuz rocket from French Guiana.

The spacecraft are the pathfinders in a network the London-based start-up is building to take high-speed broadband internet to every corner of the globe.
Other companies have similar plans, but OneWeb believes it has first-mover advantage with an operational system.
The Soyuz left its Sinnamary base at 21:37 GMT for a flight that lasted one hour and 22 minutes.
Controllers in Virginia in the US, and in the UK capital, were primed to talk to the satellites as soon as they came off the top of the Russian rocket.

The platforms' most important task is to secure the frequencies needed to relay the coming network's internet connections.
Assuming the pathfinders perform as expected, OneWeb will then begin the mass rollout of the rest of the constellation towards the end of the year.

This will see another 20 Soyuz rockets launching every month, lofting up 32-36 satellites at a time.

To provide global internet coverage, there will need to be 648 units in orbit, but the ultimate number could rise to around 2,000.
And to underline this ambition, a further flight was added to the schedule on Wednesday; a mission aboard Europe's forthcoming Ariane-62 vehicle.
"We don't really know everything we can do," said OneWeb CEO Adrian Steckel.
"I'm thankful to be able to work at this company. It's very, very few times that you get to work in a company that has this much scale, this much impact."
He told BBC News: "We're going to connect lots of people who're not currently connected. We're going to start by focussing on connecting schools, connecting boats, connecting planes, and connecting huge swathes of the planet that don't make sense for fibre."

Who's backing OneWeb?

The company was started by American telecoms entrepreneur Greg Wyler.
He'd previously founded another constellation called O3b, which stands for "other three billion" - a reference to that half of the planet without connectivity.
O3b operates a fleet of 16 satellites moving around the equator at an altitude of 8,000km.
OneWeb is Wyler's even grander vision - a much denser network that flies just 1,200km above the ground.
The satellites' nearness, their high throughput - over one terabit per second across the constellation - and global coverage promises to transform internet provision for those who are currently underserved, or simply un-served.
At least that's the view shared by OneWeb's partners, who include companies such as chip-maker Qualcomm, Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, drinks giant Coca-Cola, satellite communications specialist Hughes, and tech financier SoftBank.
"If you look across emerging markets where there is no internet access or very limited access, generally you see poverty," said Greg Wyler after watching the first six satellites launch.
"Health-care issues, gender inequality - whatever issue you can come up with, they all fall within that same map. The fundamental underlying thing is that people don't have opportunity; they don't have opportunity to learn, to take themselves out of poverty, to build their communities, and that's why connectivity is so important."

How big an undertaking is this?

Massive. Satellite technology is much, much less expensive than it used to be, and the large number of satellites needed for the network reduces the unit cost.
Even so, the spacecraft being turned out by OneWeb partner Airbus have a price of about one million dollars.
When you add in all the ground infrastructure needed to operate the system, the overall expense runs to more than three billion.
Some past satellite ventures that sought to build big constellations went belly up. Satphone companies like Iridium and Globalstar only exist today because bankruptcy proceedings relieved them of their debt.
Several other groups have registered their interest in competing with OneWeb, including Elon Musk's SpaceX company. Musk's engineers even have a couple satellites in orbit now to demonstrate technologies.
Commentators seem sure of only one thing: the market will not support all of the proposed mega-constellations.

What's the UK angle here?

OneWeb has based itself in west London. They're actually using offices vacated by the BBC. The company has about 70 staff now and expects to raise this to roughly 200.
Satellite and network operations facilities are being built up in London - as well as in the US.
Successive UK governments have tried to foster a business and regulatory environment that encourages space businesses to make Britain their home base - and they've succeeded, believes Mr Steckel.
"We think that the UK Space Agency (UKSA) has done a fantastic job, looking at what OneWeb could be as a disruptor in the satellite industry and in terms of expanding the use cases (for our services)," he told BBC News.
"And they've been working with us, hand in hand, in terms of going through the regulatory process. And they've been a great proponent."
The UKSA spends significant sums on satellite telecoms R&D. It does this through its membership of the European Space Agency.
Esa develops new technologies that will hopefully keep European companies globally competitive. And the UKSA has just put £18m into a programme that should benefit OneWeb's later generation of spacecraft, in particular in the way they interact and work alongside the terrestrial 5G mobile networks that are now being instigated.

Isn't space already too crowded for this?

This is a hot topic. There is something like 2,000 working satellites in orbit now, flying at various altitudes; and a slightly larger number of legacy spacecraft that have ceased operations.
If several mega-constellations are launched, it will significantly increase the orbiting population - and that has experts worried about the potential for collisions.
A recent study - sponsored by the European Space Agency and supported by Airbus - found that the new networks would need to de-orbit their old, redundant spacecraft within five years or run the risk of seriously escalating the probability of objects hitting each other.
OneWeb says it has taken this message fully onboard. Indeed, the UKSA, as the licensing body, has worked closely with the company to make sure its old hardware will come out of the sky very quickly.
"All successful applicants for Outer Space Act licenses must demonstrate compliance with established best practice in terms of safe and sustainable operations," a spokesperson said.
"This includes reliable end-of-life disposal of satellites, for example, by de-orbiting to minimise the potential for collisions and the creation of space debris."

Article source : https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47374246

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OneWeb of 900 internet satellites in space
It's one planet, a mega-constellation of satellites, one web. Like internet for everyone, anywhere. Sounds great. Right?

The idea is simple: Get everyone on the planet on the internet. And there's a US-based company called OneWeb, which, along with European aerospace firm Airbus, hopes to achieve just that. It's not the first or even the only one to try it. But OneWeb is the first to get so far.
After starting up seven years ago, the company is finally starting to launch a fleet of about 900 satellites into a low-Earth orbit. That's closer to Earth than most communications satellites and one reason why the network might actually work, with "better web performance," as the company puts it.

Low-Earth orbit (LEO) is typically up to an altitude of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). For comparison, the International Space Station orbits at about 400 km, while other satellites in LEO tend to be for Earth observation and military purposes. Most telecommunications satellites fly twice as high in medium low-Earth orbit (MEO), or even higher at geostationary Earth orbit (GEO).

Why bother? 
Not that it's an impeccable source … but allow me to quote Mark Zuckerberg as played by Jesse Eisenberg in the 2010 movie "The Social Network."
Zucker/Eisenberg says: "Let me tell you the difference between Facebook and everybody else — We. Don't. Crash. Ever."

It's a simple line, and while perhaps not entirely true, it's one that underscores the power of Facebook and the power of our digital age as a whole.
We don't ever want to crash. Increasingly, we can't afford to crash. We don't ever want to be offline. Because when we are offline, we're lost. We've come to expect an "ubiquitous internet" so we can stream films, order drugs like pizza, and share selfies with Sumatran Tigers, or random acts of teenage violence from any phone, anywhere.
But here's the thing: The internet is not everywhere.
There are huge plots of the globe where hopping online is a dream, and patchy connectivity and total outages are the nightmares of everyday life. In fact, in some cases, being offline is worse than a nightmare — it's deadly. Think rescue workers trying to locate survivors after earthquakes, and getting information to those who need it, fast.

OneWeb lists the following use cases:

- Assured global communications in "sudden infrastructure crisis," hurricanes, earthquakes and refugee situations
- Low-latency broadband to "expand" in-flight connectivity
- Vehicle cell network for first responders
- Access to health centers, schools, libraries, and homes through a low cost user terminal, "ensuring relief to communities in need, tools to drive education, access to knowledge, and opportunities for local businesses"…
And under the heading "building a neutral network," the company says its small cell terminals and core network will […] allow OneWeb to work together with providers in any regulatory environment, anywhere in the world.

Sounds great.

But, erm, what exactly does "any regulatory environment" mean?

First, let's take a step back. Some of us may not even wish to be online … churlish, curmudgeons who refuse to fit in with the tech industry's turbo-charged capitalism … they're luddites, letting the team down, right? Either that or we, the great unwashed, ungrateful West, will say in our infinite arrogant wisdom that "they" have nothing to fight for, or that they're plain freedom-haters.
Where's Kris Kristofferson when you need him?*
But, hey, no.
A single, global internet is for the good of everyone. Surely. No matter what you want it for. And it'll be free of any earthly challenges, such as sharks biting into submarine, trans-Pacific telecommunications cables, or our having to dig up remote desert landscapes in Sub-Saharan Africa, or even Australia.
Isn't that what we mean by environment? Some.
The environment — as in the ground beneath our feet and the air we breathe — does indeed play a role in space, because even internet satellites will still have to beam our films and social media movement back down to Earth, and satellites hate cloud cover as much as the next paranoid android.
Plus, we'll need a dish or receiver on the ground to pick up those signals. OneWeb's "user terminals" are apparently good for 3G, LTE and W-iFi connectivity.

But the airwaves are dogged by interference, so it begs the question: Why not just lay a cable, instead of taking a detour through space?
Well, some countries won't let you. And that brings us to regulatory environments. And why OneWeb may be clever to refer specifically to any regulatory environments.
Because before we all start shooting hoops of joy, thinking OneWeb solves everything for the digitally oppressed of China or North Korea, the good money is on China blocking foreign satellite internet signals. No large power on this planet is above the use of jamming technology — in case you've never heard of it, jamming technology does what's written on the tin, it jams or blocks signals.

Oh, and did we mention that the US and Russia are in on it, too?

That's not to mention the fact that China has business interests to protect: Current indications suggest that China wants to develop its own broadband satellite constellation in LEO. It already has satellite customers in Nigeria, Indonesia and Cambodia.

And as a result, India will also want to flex its network muscles sometime soon. And the UK.
Russia, meanwhile, has voiced its concern over OneWeb's plans to bring the internet to remote parts of its country as it reportedly fears the company's network could be used to gather intelligence and damage national security.
Vladimir Sadovnikov, a Federal Security official there has been reported as saying "the only way to address the threats of foreign satellite networks like OneWeb, especially in the Arctic region and Far North, is to restrict their usage in Russia."

Whether they do that, or whether they even have the technology to do that, doesn't really matter. The message is abundantly clear: Avert your eyes, Five Eyes!**  

       
The business of it all

Russia's message carefully leaves the door open for it to restrict other foreign networks too, because they will come.
Google has long had its head in the clouds with "Project Loon," a kind of mesh-network built with hot-air balloons. And Facebook has had a solar-powered drone project called Aquila. Both, it seems, could be used as "just-in-time" internet services, dashing on an ad-hoc basis to where emergency connectivity is required.
But the main contenders are SpaceX, which is already deep in the satellite-launching business and has space internet plans dubbed "Starlink," and then there's also Amazon, an online retailer turned "backend" provider and rocket builder.

Amazon's sister company, Blue Origin, builds the rockets, and just recently signed a deal with Canada's Telesat to launch part of a satellite constellation. It will aim to provide high-speed internet access to governments and businesses … not least its own.
Aside from its consumer retail business, Amazon's Web Services (AWS) platform is huge. AWS offers business-level computing services, including servers and big time analytics. And the bigger it gets, the less it will want to rely on external networks.
A bit like Russian and China …
Ultimately, these networks are about controlling the flow of information, whether it's for entertainment or saving lives.

All you have to do is ask yourself whether you can trust a business to deliver a free and open, net neutral internet. Or whether you think it'll side first and foremost with its shareholder interests. Those interests may well coincide with your own, so if you're okay with that, then okay. But if not, then, Houston … we truly have a problem.
And not just the one.

Mega debris

Do the math, and you quickly realize that OneWeb's 900 satellites are just the start.
Amazon and SpaceX will each want to launch hundreds of their own satellites just to stay in the running, and then China and Russia will feel they have to add theirs to mix …

But low-Earth orbit is already over-populated with satellites, many of which are dead and inoperative. It's pure junk. And while there are technologies and ideas for how to mitigate a space-environmental-catastrophe, there's no enforceable law to have countries or companies remove all their junk. Which is a problem, because space debris is not just litter, it's also a potential danger to life and telecommunications.
OneWeb is aware of this "over-crowding" issue, up to a point.
It's developed a "Progressive Pitch" technology, which, says the company, will allow it to tilt "satellites as they approach the equator to make sure we never cause, or receive, interference."
Okay, so that's an "uninterrupted" service for you.
As for all that junk, OneWeb says its satellites will deorbit automatically when they near the end of their "intended service life."
Two years ago, DW tried to ask OneWeb for details on its sustainability plans at the European Space Agency's 7th conference on Space Debris. But they just walked off. That's one way to say "no comment."
*Kris Kristofferson, American country singer, co-wrote the line: "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose."
**The Five Eyes intelligence alliance includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Article source : https://www.dw.com/en/oneweb-of-900-internet-satellites-in-space/a-47690785

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< Questions >

Q1. How long could you survive without the internet connection?

Q2. What would life be like without the Internet?

Q3. What do you think of when you hear the word 'Oneweb'? How might the OneWeb network transform lives?

Q4. How would the world change if the Internet was everywhere?

Q5. In what ways is the Internet dangerous?

Q6. Is it expensive to access the Internet by mobile phone in your country? 

Q7. Which company is your Internet provider? Are you happy with your Internet coverage & cost?

Q8. What do you usually do with your internet connection? 

Q9. How might worldwide Internet change North Korea?

Q10. How do we stop young children from looking at Internet sites that have inappropriate content? 

Q11. If you want reliable and good information from the Internet, then you should look for sites operated by which types of organizations? 

Q12. Do you think the Internet is making people more impatient and that we are becoming a society were we all want instant satisfaction? 

Q13. Should there be so many satellites in space?