Topic: Civil Engineering

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In Pictures: Top ten highest paid American CEOs
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 05/15
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/09
In Pictures: Mississippi River floods
Top 10 senators seeking earmarks

The omnibus spending bill died Thursday in the Senate amid controversy over the practice of earmarking, or inserting funding for pet projects into legislation. Here are the senators who sought the most spending for their states, ranked by the monetary value of proposed earmarks, whether alone or with others.

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Twice as many mega rainstorms in Midwest in past 50 years

Wisconsin saw the biggest rise (203 percent) in extreme rainstorms – 3 inches of rain or more in a day, new study says. Climate change is behind more Midwest flooding, say scientists.
Panama Canal expansion to ease international trade, with a grain of salt

The economic impacts of the canal expansion have been widely cited, but environmental repercussions like the contamination of drinking water with salt water may be overlooked.
Better prepared: Mexico's 7.4 quake causes damage, but no deaths

Mexico's worst earthquake in nearly 30 years was met by stricter building codes and a city prepared by evacuation drills and early warning systems.
To save buildings from quakes, architects try self-destruction by design

Architects hope to protect buildings by letting them rumble instead of crumble. A new design feature would sacrifice itself during an earthquake without harming anything else.
Gulf oil spill could result in criminal charges for BP employees

The Wall Street Journal reports that federal prosecutors are targeting several Houston-based engineers and at least one supervisor employed by British oil giant BP connected to the 2010 Gulf oil spill.
In Pictures: Top ten highest paid American CEOs
Difference Maker
Ek Sonn Chan pipes something precious into the homes of Phnom Penh: safe water

Residents of Cambodia's capital city used to have little access to safe drinking water; now more than 90 percent of homes have it.
More Western towns adopt 'toilet to tap' strategy to water conservation

Steady triple-digit temperatures and perennial dry weather across the West have forced environmentalists, politicians, and citizens to find new freshwater resources.
Souris River begins a slow retreat from Minot, North Dakota

The Souris River began retreating from Minot, N.D. on Sunday with no further flood damage in the city. But officials warn that danger would remain for several days until the highest water passed.
Flooding submerges parts of North Dakota city

The biggest flood in area history swallowed large swatches of Minot, North Dakota, Saturday as authorities worked to reinforce levees, protect the city's key infrastructure, and care for residents forced to flee their submerged homes.
Green Economics
Will Mexico City go green?

Beijing is turning into a 'green city,' and Mexico City is likely to follow, thanks to rising education and increased per-capita income
Joplin, Missouri: Why are there no tornado building codes in Tornado Alley?

The Joplin, Missouri tornado that touched down on Sunday has killed at least 89 people. While there are earthquake-proof building codes in earthquake prone zones, why are there no tornado building codes in Tornado Alley?
Letting Mississippi run its natural course could save New Orleans from hurricanes

The full diversion of the Mississippi River back down the Atchafalaya basin would flood millions of acres, permanently submerge entire communities, destroy oil refineries and farms, and leave the port of New Orleans without its river. But it could also save Louisiana from the next hurricane.
How Mississippi River floods could save Louisiana's sinking coasts

Before the current levee system was built, Mississippi River floods helped replenish Louisiana coastal wetlands with silt. Now that silt goes into the Gulf and the coastline is disappearing. But scientists have a plan, and the great flood of 2011 could help them bring it about.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 05/15
Morganza spillway: Flooding farmland to save New Orleans

The US Army of Corps of Engineers has opened the Morganza spillway to prevent the surging Mississippi from endangering New Orleans. But farms and natural habitat will be flooded as a result.
Even miles from swollen Mississippi, flood threat 'unprecedented'

As the Mississippi River floods, its tributaries are backing up, with the Yazoo River even flowing in a reverse direction. It could not come at a worse time. Cotton and rice are starting to sprout.
Mississippi flooding: In impoverished Delta, echoes of 1927 disaster

Mississippi flooding concerns are now shifting to the Delta region south of Memphis, Tenn. Residents are using tractors and building makeshift levees to avoid a repeat of the 1927 floods.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the day 05/09
Memphis and Baton Rouge brace for record-breaking Mississippi flood

Residents of the Mississippi River floodplain are sandbagging or evacuating as the flood crest pushes south. It will pass Memphis on Tuesday and hit southern Louisiana on May 23.
Watery week ahead as Mississippi floodwaters hit Memphis, move downriver

Mississippi River at record level in Memphis, Tenn., where some areas are already underwater. It's expected to get higher, with floodwaters to linger for days. Evacuations are under way.
Monsoon in the Midwest: Records fall as Mississippi floodwaters rise

In broad areas of the Midwest, April rainfall was four times normal. Now floodwaters are flowing down the Mississippi, inundating farms and threatening to break records more than 70 years old.
In Pictures: Mississippi River floods
Mississippi River flooding: After levee blast, threat shifts to Memphis

Late Monday, the US Army Corps of Engineers blasted a two-mile hole in a Mississippi River levee to relieve water pressure that was endangering Cairo, Ill. But problems remain downriver.
Record-breaking floods force engineers to blow up Mississippi River levee

On Monday evening, the Army Corps of Engineers will flood farms in southern Missouri to save river towns, after a legal challenge by the Missouri attorney general failed Sunday.