Word: soiling
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...salad. The 8,800 known species of the family Formicidae make up from 10% to 15% of the world's animal biomass, the total weight of all fauna. They are the most dominant social insect in the world, found almost everywhere except in the polar regions. Ants turn more soil than earthworms; they prune, weed and police most of the earth's carrion. Among the most gregarious of creatures, they are equipped with a sophisticated chemical communications system. To appreciate the strength and speed of this pesky invertebrate, consider that a leaf cutter the size of a man could...
...Jordan's King Hussein, know well that if the showdown in Saudi Arabia begins to look like a conflict that pits the "imperialist" U.S. against a beleaguered Iraq, Arab sympathy will tilt toward Saddam. An Arab proverb instructs that if a Muslim nation invites a foreigner onto its soil to fight, then all other Islamic nations should turn against the renegade nation. Warns a Syrian official: "The Americans should realize that if they hurt Iraq, it will mobilize all the Arabs around Saddam Hussein...
...delicate natural systems that maintain water supplies. To obtain wood and clear land for homes and farms, mankind is chopping down forests at an unprecedented rate. But vegetation traps water, reducing runoff and replenishing groundwater supplies. Throughout the world, tree cutting has led to floods, mud slides and soil erosion during rainy seasons and acute water shortages during dry periods...
Even in dryer regions sparse shrubs can help maintain rainfall. Some scientists argue that once ground cover is stripped, the land hardens and evaporates less moisture into the air. At the same time, the naked soil reflects more sunlight, triggering atmospheric processes that reduce rainfall by drawing dryer air into the area...
...astonishing unanimity of purpose brought out all sorts of uncharacteristic behavior. The Saudis for the first time allowed the U.S. to stage military operations from their soil, breaking the old taboo against colluding openly with Israel's closest ally. Japan, which has assiduously avoided conflict with gulf states to guarantee a steady oil supply, chose principle over economics. Switzerland, which does not belong to NATO, the European Community or even the U.N. and ordinarily eschews economic sanctions, took sides by joining in. Even Cuba and Yemen, Security Council members that abstained in the vote for sanctions against Baghdad, fell into...