Astraea.net - "do the right thing the right way" body mind soul

Rapid system change is becoming inevitable. Although the call to tackle climate change is rising from a shout to a clamour, people are not finding answers easily. Perhaps you have been deluged by an avalanche of do good entreaties and information. "Save the planet this way", "use less energy", "eat less", "give more". Its all overwhelming and no one prepared us for this.

We've got all the answers, but somehow solutions are not working. We can fly to the moon and split an atom, but the planet's getting toasty, half the people in the world are hungry and we're still bombing each other. We may have the technology to achieve control of humanity, but without ethics life will die. Nanotechnology, quantum mechanics, and military science will continue to deliver fantastic advances, but the utilisation choices we make must consider big picture consequences. We must take globally responsible initiatives.

The emerging intelligence is to avoid knee jerk remedies of classic capitalist style (like fire them! or DDT it! or do it now!). Our usual prescribed knee jerk solutions are insufficient and sometimes counter productive. Meanwhile our unwillingness to forgo material luxuries for the uncertain promise of happiness, or even survival, continues. We will find soon that whole system change is needed to resolve the conflicting goals of a viable biosphere and being happy.

However, there is no prescriptive solution as we are used to. Instead our lessons will be learnt experientially and will focus on compromise. How can wars bring peace? How can consuming the planet's resources faster than they are replaced be good (or right)? As Einstein said, and others have reiterated, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." The problems of today will not be solved with the tools of yesterday. System emergence to an integral dynamic is natural and inevitable. The resulting whole system change will expand our perspectives physically, mentally and spiritually.

Reflecting on the rising importance of Africa in our world, I'm hopeful that there are signs that Africa is rising up. The continent has some challenges. At the top of the list is the frightful legacy of resource extraction by colonists and western markets. In the past half century, African oil has fueled a technological and consumption boom in the west. In return their social fabric has been ripped apart, the agricultural infrastructure has been decimated, and few resources have been left. The resources were not used to build alternative capacity, or intellectual capacity - at least not in Africa. Despite this it can still run. And Africa does not need money to do it. It will be the people of Africa. Seeds of change nurtured in middle class neighbourhoods are being catalysed via the internet throughout society. The continent is uniting in a common cause - its own emergence. As they unite they will be strong - ubuntu.

I also wondered about taking a positive approach to North Korea - carpet bomb them with comics and gossip magazines and pot noodles ... catalyse a revolution from within. And then I learnt that their food aid has been significantly curtailed because of its nuclear weapons research. It seems unnecessary to punish people for their leader's mistakes. Perhaps pot noodle diplomacy has some merit.

Geopolitics

While terrorism evokes ghastly images and fear, and economic risk focuses our attention, the preservation of the biosphere is rarely in our thoughts. But this has jumped to the top of the geopolitical agenda in a few months. At the World Economic Forum it was top of the agenda (see January News and Views), the new head of the UN has raised it to the top of the UN agenda and you yourself have probably remarked upon increasing media headlines and stories on climate change. Perhaps the conclusion you are drawing is "It's all so complicated! What is the answer? We must do something, but what?" Simply: do the right thing the right way. (30 steps to an oil free world.)

Has the world really changed? We like to think so, claiming that this time its all different. What reason would we have for saying so? Is it hubris - the belief that we are the best and brightest generation of humans yet, with the most knowledge and experience convincing us that we are different? The toys with which we play most certainly are the biggest and most powerful, from cars to nuclear weapons, from packaging to clothes, from nanotechnology to macrotechnology; there is a difference. Behaving like children in a sandpit fighting over a shiny toy is not a healthy approach to nuclear discussions.

As Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, contemplates options for a global summit to tackle climate change, UN officials said several plans were on the table but details were not yet decided. Kemal Dervis, head of the UN Development Programme said that the $ 100 billion in financial assistance to "developing countries" would need to increase each year by 50 to 100%. The challenge is to decide who pays the costs and who gets the benefits. The situation is further complicated by the fact that those countries that would be worse affected, such as Bangladesh, contribute little to global emissions so could not benefit financially from the rich countries favorite market mechanism of carbon trading.

The UNDP's Human Development Report, to be released in November ahead of UN climate talks this December in Bali, will focus on the economics of climate change.

Vested incumbent interests have had a drop in credibility. A report exposed oil firm Exxon-Mobil for funding research which refuted the existence of climate change. And another report sponsored by government agencies, has accused the Bush administration of deliberately censoring work by climate scientists. The report, published by the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Government Accountability Project, was based on questionnaire data received from over three hundred scientists. 37% of respondents had experienced statements by officials at their agencies that had misrepresented their findings, and 43%‘perceived or personally experienced’ changes or edits during review that changed the meaning of scientific findings. 46% said that they had come under pressure to remove the terms ‘climate change’ or ‘global warming’ from their documents.

While Bush and friends hype up antagonism to Iran , they cut a deal on nuclear arms with North Korea. North Korea is around 1 million tonnes short of the 5 million required for basic rations to feed the entire population at subsistence level. This is partly because the World Food Programme's contribution to North Korea is down from its peak of 1.5 million tonnes to just 150,000 tonnes and is now only feeding 1.9 million people because North Korea has used at least 30% of its GDP on armaments and in developing nuclear weapons-resources that should have been used to develop the country's economy. Despite this America has promised more resources if they continue to talk. Kim and cronies must be laughing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to assert Russia's position on the world stage. Not as a ghost of the Cold War, but as an energy rich, fast growing economy bridging Europe and Asia. While we have naturally decried shameful deprivations of humanity or justice, these are to be expected in a phoenix economy. Crime always comes with new wealth, but it also withers when stability returns - which always happens. And Russia can play a part in creating a more balanced global geopolitical dynamic - hopefully a safer one too. In a speech in Munich for example, Putin launched a systematic attack on the role the United States is playing in the world. He said: "One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way ... This is nourishing an arms race with the desire of countries to get nuclear weapons." In other words, the United States has gone beyond its legitimate reach and is therefore responsible for attempts by other countries, e.g. Iran, to acquire nuclear weapons.

The scandal in the US over poor medical treatment given to soldiers on medical leave from Iraq is as telling as any that we have lost touch with what war means. There are few people left in western countries who remember the deprivation of war - the youngest born over 50 years ago. War has become a clinical subject. For those that decide whether it happens it is merely numbers game. For them the downside is born by others, yet they reap the rewards. Politics, like business, has become far removed from the realities of life that the communities they represent must face daily.

The short term dynamic of US domestic politics should be as expected until the presidential race heats up. In the meantime Barack Obama and black voting dynamics have risen in profile. Whatever the political outcome, the cultural impact will be positive for America as its multiethnic composition becomes reflected in society. As Bill Cosby is the first to point out, individuals must be held accountable for their behaviour regardless of ethnic profile, but it is ludicrous to blame the victim. The variety of ethnic cultures in America should be celebrated - they have so much to offer - most visibly in music, sport and media, as well as making society richer and stronger. As colour comes out of politics, society will blossom and the problems of the underclass may be approached in a healthy way.

Tension and death remains in the middle east. In Iraq the focus on the internal divide between shiite and sunni distracts from the need to build the economy.

Thailand continues to tread water since the coup. Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula, who was appointed after last September's coup, resigned. Pridiyathorn faced huge criticism after imposing capital controls in late December and a move in January to tighten rules for foreign companies that operate in Thailand. The failure of the central government also distracts form fighting in the south. Business will weather the storm but the air of uncertainty does not help.

A new kind of personal identification is becoming established - Open ID. It is briefly introduced in ICT and offers attractive solutions to some personal digital ID issues. Its further development may become applicable at national and international level.

Risk and Terror

Following revelations that the UK government hushed up an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office in to dealings of BAE there is a plan to close the Serious Fraud Office and BAE earnings soared to £1.2bn. Meanwhile the UK's SFO has launched an investigation into allegations that a number of major UK-based firms paid bribes to Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. The firms being targeted include the drug giants GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly, and UK bridge-builders Mabey and Johnson. They are on a long list of international companies accused in a UN report of paying kickbacks under the discredited oil-for-food sanctions regime, which enabled Saddam to illicitly amass an estimated $1.8 billion.

Since last month's rising alert that the US is planning to invade Iran, analysts have said it is unlikely because there are not enough troops available to launch an attack and bombing would be too volatile. The sentiment is reassuring but the track record of the current US administration is belligerent and jingoism remains strong in the "land of the free". Sober analysis tells us that the cost of not talking to Iran is unacceptably high. As Ian Davis notes "It is undermining regional stability and global hopes of stemming nuclear proliferation. While there is no guarantee that talks with Iran would succeed, the refusal of the US to talk is increasing the likelihood of transatlantic failure in too many important areas."

Alistair Horne, a British historian whose 2002 book "A Savage War of Peace" analyses the French failure to defeat insurgents in Algeria between 1954 and 1962, has also looked at Iraq. After scrutinizing the two conflicts, Horne finds five sources of peril that make victory nearly impossible in Iraq:

1. A conventional army is trying to defeat an unconventional enemy;
2. The enemy concentrates on soft targets, particularly the police, to cause maximum instability;
3. Torture and abuse have become acceptable methods (it was France's use of torture against the Algerians that disgusted the French public and ultimately led to defeat);
4. Borders are porous, allowing the incursion of money and arms from neighbouring countries; and
5. There is no viable way to disengage from the conflict -- Violence continues to breed violence.

This is the list of three things one writer for a major newspaper wanted from his government; restore habeus corpus, stop illegal spying, and ban torture. Shamefully I discovered this was a call to the American government.

For much of the 20th century, the United States led the world not only economically and militarily, but also through the soft power of its ideals. As Chas Freeman writes in Diplomacy and Empire, the decision the United States made after September 11 to rule the world by force of arms has caused it to squander the prestige and goodwill it earned during the previous century — when it led by its arguments and the force of its example. The following passage caught my eye, and I feel strongly about it, for reasons acquainted readers will guess.

And we appear to have decided that it is necessary to destroy our constitutional practices and civil liberties in order to save them. This is a trade-off we had resolutely refused to make during our far more perilous half-century confrontation with Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan and the Soviet Union.

The ultimate effects on our republic of our own slide away from long-standing constitutional norms remain a matter of speculation. But clearly, our departure from our previous dedication to the principles of comity and the rule of law has made us once again unhappy about ourselves in relation to America and the world.

It has also cost us the esteem that once led foreigners to look up to us and to wish to emulate and follow us. Our ability to recover from the damage we have done to ourselves and our leadership is further impeded by the extent to which we now cower behind barricades at home and in our embassies abroad.

Another sad snippet from the Iraq debacle. The US flew nearly $ 12 billion in shrink-wrapped $100 bills into Iraq, then distributed the cash with no proper control over who was receiving it and how it was being spent. (We're in the wrong business - we need to be contractors in Iraq.) The staggering scale of the biggest transfer of cash in the history of the Federal Reserve has been graphically laid bare by a US congressional committee. In the year after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 nearly 281 million notes, weighing 363 tonnes, were sent from New York to Baghdad for disbursement to Iraqi ministries and US contractors. Using C-130 planes, the deliveries took place once or twice a month with the biggest of $2,401,600,000 on June 22 2004, six days before the handover.

Meanwhile Canada is doing the right thing. Canada's Supreme Court has struck down a controversial system that allowed the government to detain and deport foreign-born terror suspects. The nine judges ruled that the security certificate system - in place since 1978 - violated Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The system allowed a suspect to be held indefinitely or deported on the basis of evidence presented in secret. The case was brought by three men who deny accusations of links to al-Qaeda. The Supreme Court has given parliament one year to rewrite the section of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act - under which the certificates are issued - to comply with the constitution.

The message of the poem The Second Coming by WB Yeats, has been used as a metaphor for the Iraq war. Written at the time of Irish independence by Senator Yeats and will be interesting to some of our readers. Lawmakers, pundits and bloggers frequently quote from Yeats's Second Coming to comment on Iraq, they seem unaware of true meaning of poem, which is powerful brief against punditry; says second part of poem, with its skepticism about predicting future, has more relevance to Iraq war than its much-quoted first eight lines.

Energy

Straight talking on energy from eminent China commentator Andrew Leung:
Much of the world's energy is wasted. China, for example, uses 7x more energy per unit GDP than Japan, 6x more than the US, and even 3x more than India. Just by attaining the energy efficiency standards in Japan will expand the world's energy capacity many times over.
This is why we must share technology instead of building barriers around it.

Renewable energy can deliver half of the world's primary energy needs by 2050, according to a report by industry group European Renewable Energy Council and Greenpeace. Publication of "Energy (R)evolution: a sustainable world energy outlook" co-incided with the EU's first Sustainable Energy Week . The main messages of the EREC-Greenpeace report are:

In order to achieve this scenario, the report recommends the following political measures :

While some politicians and business leaders, still living in the 20th century, are advocating increases in nuclear energy investment, the science and practice remains so risky that it is imprudent to pursue this source of energy. (To read The Ecologist report on nuclear power in the UK click here.) Another example of the danger was confirmed in February: the UK Atomic Energy Authority was found guilty by a court in Scotland of dumping radioactive nuclear waste into a conventional landfill site and allowing radioactive particles to leak from its Dounreay reprocessing plant (more below in Holonics - environment).

The European Commission proposed forcing carmakers to increase the fuel efficiency of new cars by 20%, by 2012. It says it is planning legislation to ensure the average car emits no more than 130g of CO2 per kilometre, compared with 162g/km in 2005. Naturally the car industry described the EU target as "arbitrary" and said it would lead to a loss of jobs and relocation of production overseas, while environmentalists said the proposal did not go far enough. The reality is that whole system change will be required in the coming years and any carmaker that has not built that into their long term strategic plan will fail - if they have not yet done so. We can expect a much more holonic dynamic to the auto industry in only 30 years' time. It will be more reflective of Japanese parts manufacturers - a symbiotic web of interdependent product and service providers.

Climate Change and Environment

The UNEP GEO report 2007 is out. as usual it make depressing reading - its message is bleak while its credibility, being complied by a global spectrum of many scientists, is as high as any.

The final draft of the IPCC report was issued in the first week of February. Its contents were widely expected as the penultimate draft had been discussed at the WEF in January. The report, like GEO, is the result of a hard-won consensus amongst many hundreds of climate scientists from many countries around the world. Every word has been fought over with careful deliberation, a process that effectively weeds out extreme views at either end of the spectrum. What remains is thus a guardedly conservative assessment about the likely effects of climate change by the end of this century.

The Summary Report for Policymakers is straight forward: “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level”, and there is now a “…very high confidence that the globally averaged net effect of human activities since 1750 is one of warming”. The term “very high confidence” is a precisely formulated scientific statement – it means that there is a 9 in 10 chance of being correct. Where would you put your money?

A special report in Nature described the current report as a turning point “not because of the figures themselves, which are largely in line with previous IPCC forecasts, but because the science behind them is now certain enough to make a serious response from policymakers almost inevitable.”

Interestingly we also noted that China's Ministry of Science and Technology, the China Meteorological Administration and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences released the country's first-ever National Assessment Report on Climate Chaos at the end of 2006. According to the report, the average temperature in China will rise 1.3 to 2.1 degrees Celsius by 2020. Glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are shrinking by 131.4 square kilometres annually, twice the size of downtown Beijing. Those in western China would be melting down by 27.2 % by 2050. These and other abnormal trends are expected to lead to an ecological catastrophe with much higher risks of floods, droughts, disease, water and food scarcity. The report calls for a dramatic transformation of China's development model by fully embracing efficient, clean and renewable energies and achieving the national goal of building a modern well-off society by 2020 based on sustainable development. These aims were reiterated in the latest NPC plan.

Climatologists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies announced that 2006 was the fifth-warmest year in the past century. GISS scientists estimated that the five warmest years on record were, in descending order, 2005, 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2006. Other climatology groups ordered the years somewhat differently due to different measuring techniques, especially in areas with sparse measurements, but they also considered these years to be the warmest. According to NASA GISS director James Hansen, 2007 is likely to see warmer temperatures than 2006 and could prove to be the warmest on record, thanks to an El Niño and continued emissions of greenhouse gases.

The global map shows temperature anomalies during 2006, blue being the coolest and red being the warmest. The very warmest regions appear in the Arctic and the Antarctic Peninsula, which is consistent with climate predictions that global warming will occur more quickly and dramatically in high latitudes. The red colors that dominate the image reveal the overall warmth of 2006 compared to the long-term average.

36 of the UK's leading construction companies, including British Land, Land Lease, HBOS and Barratt Homes, have launched a UK Green Building Council that will aim for "zero carbon, zero water and zero waste". The council estimates 50% of UK greenhouse emissions are produced from occupied housing with a further 10% coming from the production of building materials. 20% of those materials are said to end up as waste, creating 88 ‘Pyramid’ sized mounds of waste a year. The GBC believes that around a third of carbon emissions from buildings could be cut very easily with existing technology. John Garbutt, of Kingspan Ltd, said that better insulation, for example, could improve buildings' efficiency to the point where heating was no longer needed - now that's a worthy goal. The council intends to attract existing landlords as well to improve old houses as well as new. Of the 23 million homes in the UK, 9 million have cavity walls without insulation in them.

Another sign that big industry is taking note of climate change is endorsement by a group of companies and organizations from around the world of a post-Kyoto framework for affecting change at the levels of policy and industry, particularly in regard to creating sustainable energy systems necessary for achieving economic growth. Signatories of the statement (pdf) — endorsed by Allianz, Bayer, Citigroup, DuPont, General Electric, Volvo, and many others — calls on governments to set scientifically informed targets for greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions. The agreement also urges governments to place a price on carbon emissions and to set forth policies aimed at addressing energy efficiency and de-carbonization in all sectors. It is past time due for removal of subsidies for fossil fuels and support of alternatives.

The conclusion of researchers investigating "dead zones" off the coast of the US, where populations of marine life have been suddenly wiped out, is that the delicate interplay between the oceans and atmosphere is changing with catastrophic consequences. Researchers say that these vast graveyards occur where there are disturbances to currents driven by coastal winds. Dead zones have been recorded off the coast of California and Oregon every year for the last five years. The research was presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting.

The Virgin Earth Challenge is a prize of $25 million for whoever can demonstrate to the judges' satisfaction a commercially viable design which results in the removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases so as to contribute materially to the stability of Earth’s climate. The graphic illustrates the principal methods of carbon sequestration today.

ICT

"linux is for the 1337,
windows is for the lazy/ignorant, and
mac is for those that think they know how to use a computer, but really don't"

We read about an emerging standard for digital identification. OpenID is an "open, decentralised, free framework for user-centric digital identity". At a basic level you get a personal URL which is verifiable anonymously. For a longer explanation, see Wikipedia's description. And look forward to better, and more anonymous identification.

The first practical quantum computer was unveiled by D-Wave Systems,of Burnaby, near Vancouver. It is based on a very cool technology: continuous physical transformation at a few degrees kelvin create graduated process responses which allow a more "brain-like" function. A more capable explanation is given here: Quantum Computer, Einstein's Spooky Action or by the Economist here. On paper at least, quantum computers promise to reduce dramatically the time needed to solve a range of mathematical tasks known as NP-complete problems.

Tech focussed readers may note that the Tech Museum is awarding $250,000 in cash prizes in Using Technology to Benefit Humanity.The nomination deadline is March 26, 2007. Categories are: Education, Equality, Economic Development, Environment, Health. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged.

Half way through February my computer crashed. Not the normal blue screen of death but a hardware meltdown! I was doing a lot of processing at the time - writing, spreadsheets, web and, in the background, video processing - when black lines suddenly appeared across the screen. A reboot later and the screen permanently display a grid of squares. Two days of software surgery later, including a reformatted hard drive and three operating systems, and no change. Monday morning and a call to the distributor told me that the system board had gone (he'd seen it before) and a suggestion to ask for a warranty extension to get it repaired - which they have generously offered. While the repair of that laptop will take a while, I've invested in a new one too (- decadent!). A 17" screen, dual 64bit processor, 160 Gb HDD and all the trimmings. The surgery, installation and setup has been a enjoyable learning curve, though it did involve the unplanned investment of time. For those interested in the detailed story or advice on their prospective purchase, please give me a call. And summary conclusions of the experience are:

Windoze Haiku. In Japan, they have replaced the impersonal and unhelpful Microsoft Error messages with Haiku poetry messages. Haiku poetry has strict construction rules. Each poem has only three lines, 17 syllables:

Haiku's are used to communicate a timeless message often achieving wistful yearning and powerful insight through extreme brevity - the essence of Zen:

Holonics and LOHAS

Holonics

There were some encouraging signs that commentators and actors are getting on to the big picture band wagon. Bill McKibben discusses doing the right thing the right way in the Ecologist:

Climate change isn’t just a threat. It’s an opportunity for us to live happier, more fulfilling lives. The fossil fuel age changed every detail of western human life – where we lived, how we travelled, what we ate, how our economies worked. But there were two changes in particular that it wrought – huge changes. Changes so huge they redefine the meaning of huge. One is physical – the sudden onset of a rapid warming that will change the very geography of the planet in almost unbelievable fashion over the next century. We live on a different earth already, and it is going to get worse fast. Way worse. The other is psychological – cheap fossil fuel tipped the balance in the modern mind between self as individual and self as member of community. It made us different people. Worse people. And so here’s the good news – fighting either problem means fighting them both. We’ve been backed into a corner, and the only way out is the right way...

Also, GreenBiz.com, Harvard University Graduate School of Design and The Clark Group produced Turning the Ship, an online conversation exploring options for encouraging environmentally sustainable business practices among U.S. businesses. The dialogue will feature essays by some of the world’s leading thinkers on the environmental transformation of the U.S. economy, from climate change and U.S. business practices, to product branding and certification, to the latest developments in the fields of green chemistry and industrial ecology.

It was also good to hear that Don Beck is influencing the middle east. He is sensitive to the challenges. He and his team have met Fatah and leaders of Hamas. The Palestine Times, the only local English language newspaper that also circulates in Israel and other parts of the Arab world, will feature a column called Ask Dr. Beck, a landmark with regard to introducing spiral dynamics concepts in the area. Congratulations and best wishes!

A relevant but ignored fact of civil problems, whether in Ireland or Palestine is that in fact the people are all the same. As Dr. Oppenheimer said in his thesis genes “have no bearing on cultural history.” There is no significant genetic difference between the people of Northern Ireland, yet they have been fighting with each other for 400 years. While he is pragmatic about the effect the new information will have on relations, it at least clarifies the ground rules.

Findings by American academics suggest that tough leaders can be as much of a detriment as they have been touted to be useful. This contrasts with conventional wisdom espoused by the personal development industry and classic self-help books such as 'Leadership Secrets of Attila The Hun'. The truth is more nuanced and "strong leadership" can as often as not weaken a company. They compare good management to salt in the sauce: "when there's too much or too little, it's hard to notice anything else, but when it's just right you notice the other flavours". The study, which will appear in the American Psychological Association's Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, fills a gap in the existing research.

And in the spirit of holonics (and for some fun) here's your 5 minute MBA in story form:

Lesson 1:
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.
Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel, "
After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.
The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?"
"It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.
"Great," the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"
Moral of the story:
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2:
A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.
The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"
The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129
It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."
Moral of the story:
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3:
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out.
The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."
"Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."
Puff! She's gone.
"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life."
Puff! He's gone.
"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.
The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."
Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"
The eagle answered: "Sure , why not."
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story:
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson 5
A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy."
"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients."
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.
He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.
Moral of the story:
BullShit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

Lesson 6
A little bird was flying south for the Winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.
As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.
Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

This ends the 5-minute MBA in stories.

Health

The key message of the UK's National Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2007 (the first week of February) was – “Be comfortable in your genes. Wear jeans that fit the REAL you.” NEDAW, in its 20th year, is trying to convince the world that eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are “serious illnesses, not choices”. Unfortunately this is detrimental to sufferers and just not true. While it is good to raise the profile of eating disorders, it is shameful to excuse individual behaviour when clinical research shows that genetics contributes less than half to disorders, and while you can't change your genetics, you can change your state of mind. The message should be we'll help you to help yourself live a more healthy lifestyle.

Your favorite vitamin and supplement brand may label itself as "food-based" or "natural", but the overwhelming majority of today's supplements are actually laced with synthetic chemicals, genetically engineered ingredients, and even nanoparticles. The US FDA, in accordance with the wishes of the large pharmaceutical companies who supply the feedstocks for 90% of all dietary supplements, allows vitamin companies to label their products as "natural," "food-based," or even "organic," even if these supplements are composed of 90% synthetic ingredients, including genetically modified organisms. The Organic Consumers Association, along with the Naturally Occurring Standards Group, is launching a new "truth in labeling" campaign that will enable consumers to distinguish between those vitamins and supplements that are truly natural or organic, and those that simply claim to be. See the Nutri-Con section of the OCA website for further developments.

A recent US study by the Prevention Institute found that the majority of products with images of fruit on their labels actually contain little or no fruit at all. The study assessed 37 heavily marketed "fruit" products and found that 51% had absolutely no fruit and another 16% had minimal amounts of fruit (less than 10%). Products that ranked among the worst in the study included Smuckers Jam, Fruit Rollups and Froot Loops.

In a UK experiment filmed for television, nine volunteers agreed to set-up camp in a zoo and eat an ape's diet for 12 days. The goal of the experiment was to create a visual documentary of the types of reactions that would take place from giving up standard processed foods in favor of a diet eaten for hundreds of millions of years by our ancestors. The diet included 2,300 calories of fruits, vegetables, nuts and honey each day. Fish oil was introduced part way through the experiment to reflect a hunter-gatherer's diet. After getting over withdrawal symptoms from caffeine and excitotoxins in their standard diets, the volunteers reported increased energy levels. Experiment volunteers all lost weight and substantially decreased cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

A short entertaining video addressing the problems of an increasingly synthetic food supply. What would happen if all of the mouths of the world were to revolt and demand they be fed only real organic foods? Find out here: http://www.MouthRevolution.com.

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine claims to find a link between daytime siestas and good health. A team of researchers led by Androniki Naska of the University of Athens Medical School and Dimitrios Trichopoulos of Harvard's School of Public Health followed over 23,000 Greek patients with no history of coronary disease, cancer or stroke, for an average of six years. Their conclusion: napping just might save your life. The study found that the group of adults who took siestas (defined as 30-minute naps) at least three times a week had a third fewer deaths from heart disease than an equivalent group who did not sleep at all during the day. The benefit was greater for men than for women. (Whether women benefited at all was hard to estimate as there were too few deaths among them during the course of the study.) It was also greater for working men than for those who had retired.

Environment

Albert Einstein said "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would only have four years left to live." He was speaking in regard to the symbiotic relationship of all life on the planet. All part of a huge interconnected ecosystem, each element playing a role dependant on many other elements all working in concert creating the symphony of life. Should any part of the global body suffer, so does the whole body.

Now Thomas Gerber reports on the rapid recent decline in bee populations. 90% of the wild bee population in the US has died out. Recent studies in the UK and the Netherlands have shown that bee diversity is down 80% in the sites researched, and that "bee species are declining or have become extinct in Britain." The studies also revealed that the numbers of wildflowers that depend on pollination have dropped by 70%. Scientists are calling the mystery illness Colony Collapse Disorder. If bees continue to die off so would the crops they support and with that would ensue major economic disruption and possibly famine. One study says that honeybees annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in US, mostly fruits, vegetables and nuts. Michigan's USD 350 million fruit industry is in peril as a result. The Michigan Department of Agriculture has said that with honeybees dying at an alarming rate in 22 US states the 2007 fruit harvest is at risk.

At the Biofach Congress in Germany, the chair of the IFOAM EU Group, Francis Blake, said the current EC GM ‘coexistence’ proposals which would allow up to 0.9% routine GMO contamination of both organic and conventional crops without labelling, presented a “terrible dilemma”. Fortunately, European Parliament adviser to the Green Party, Hannes Lorenzen, said that MEPs were determined to exert their full rights on the GMO issue when the Parliament votes on the revised EU Organic Regulation next month. He added that he and his colleagues in the Parliament don’t like being told by the Commission that they are slowing down the process of revision, insisting there was still a way of “solving the GMO problem”. Another significant development at Biofach was the launch of a Manifesto against GMO contamination of organic food presented by a new alliance of NGOs and GM-free regions from around Europe. Backed by a number of senior politicians, this alliance is determined that the Commission should be made to listen to the deepening concern across Europe about its sledgehammer policy on GMOs.

In the UK, leading organic businesses took their protest at being left out of a major Government GM consultation to Westminster. A delegation representing 74 organic businesses, with a combined turnover of about £950,000,000, met at the House of Commons to express their grave concern at Government proposals to allow up to 0.9% GM in organic food without it being labelled. Last Autumn the Government completed its consultation on the coexistence between GM crops, non-GM crops and organic crops in England. The consultation document, based on European Commission proposals (which are not binding on national governments) presupposes a GM content in all non-GM food, including organic food, of up to 0.9%. The Government says that organic and non-GM food containing up to 0.9% GM would not be labelled. But the organic industry says this would leave consumers in “complete ignorance” as to the GM content.

I still can not understand why supposedly sane people (regulators and politicians) will note the destruction of nature (see IPCC report, or the bee story above) while continuing to allow unethical businesses, from agri-food to nuclear to oil, to continue behaviour which is imprudent.

Investigative reporting by the Guardian revealed that Chemical company Monsanto dumped thousands of tonnes of toxic waste in an un-lined Welsh landfill site. A government report shown to the paper revealed that 67 chemicals, including highly toxic dioxins and polychlorinated bi-phenyls (PCBs), have been found leaking from the site. Brofiscin quarry, on the outskirts of Groesfaen village near Cardiff, reputedly ‘smells of sick’ when rain falls, and is the source of a bright orange stream. Barton Williams, who now owns the ground where the landfill once was, says he was not told that it contained toxic waste when he bought the land. In 2003 the 36 metre-deep quarry belched out a cloud of vile smelling gas, which alerted local people as to what might lie buried within. It has now emerged that the groundwater has been polluted since the 1970s, and that the drums holding the toxic waste are expected to corrode further. As is usual Monsanto is trying to pass the buck by blaming its contractors - sounds mafiosi.

And its not just Monsanto. The UK Atomic Energy Authority (i.e. part of the government) has been found guilty by a court in Scotland of dumping radioactive nuclear waste into a conventional landfill site and allowing radioactive particles to leak from its Dounreay reprocessing plant. The UKAEA pleaded guilty to four separate charges brought by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency :

The court also heard that between 1976 and 2006, a total of 1401 nuclear particles had been found, mostly from the local seabed and from Sandside Beach. Lorraine Mann, a long-standing campaigner against UKAEA's activities in Dounreay, believes that leaks of radioactive material are still occurring.

The threat to ocean-going sharks is more severe than previously thought, according to scientists with the World Conservation Union (IUCN), which publishes the Red Lists of Threatened Species. ICUN have upgraded the "threat" category of several sharks. Those now considered "vulnerable to extinction" include the shortfin mako, a favourite of recreational fishermen, and the long-tailed thresher shark. Over-fishing is a principal reason for the decline.

Illegal logging is destroying forests in South-East Asia quicker than had been feared, with dire implications for orangutans and many other species, according to a new UN report. If no action is taken, the report says, 98% of forests on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo may be gone by 2022. This would have serious consequences for local people and wildlife including rhinos, tigers and elephants. The rate of loss has accelerated in the past five years. The present projection of 2022 for the disappearance of most suitable orangutan habitat outstrips a UNEP report which came up with an estimate of 2032.

PwC released analysis indicating that biodiversity is becoming a tradeable commodity. The conclusion is similar to the results of a study by Shell and the World Conservation Union published last October which concluded that biodiversity can and should become a tradable commodity. PwC analyses the profitability of three businesses that promote natural habitat conservation. Two are eco-tourism projects in Costa Rica and Namibia, the third a forestry project in Brazil. All three are calculated to yield a "satisfactory" return on investment of between 10 and 25% before tax over a period of 50 years. What these studies show, more than anything else, is that nature has become a limited resource. If it is freely available capitalists are not interested. It is evident that access to nature has become restricted, and therefore is suited to economic trading. Follow-up: WWF Germany, PwC study, Shell/IUCN study

Although we've highlighted some "ethical" bottled water providers, we've noted the fundamental inappropriateness of bottled water. Here's a succinct summary of why you should avoid bottled water. (By the way, a number of people have suggested we bottle Ballin Temple water for sale because of our artesian source and our credentials are so attractive, but we've declined for reasons including those below.)

Production of HCFC-22, refrigerant that contributes to damage of ozone layer, is soaring in developing countries, especially China and India where demand is growing for air conditioning. While the chemical is being phased out in Europe and US, it is expected to be used for decades to come, especially in Chinese cities. Ownership in China soared to 87.2 air-conditioners per 100 urban households in September 2006, from 24.4 seven years ago. The countryside, home of two-thirds of nation's population, is poised for even greater growth - there were 6.4 air-conditioners per 100 rural households in 2005, a 35-fold increase decade earlier. Nearly 200 diplomats will gather in September in Montreal to determine how to speed timetable for elimination of certain gases that threaten ozone layer, in particular how to manage HCFF-22.

Education

While the following surveys are from the UK, the findings may well be applicable in other developed countries. Parents, businesses and philanthropists as well as policy makers face a need for significant improvement in education infrastructure and methods at school and at home.

In the UK, a survey for Learndirect, the adult training agency, highlights the extent of weaknesses in English and maths. Based on a sample of 1,000 people, the survey projected that 14.6m workers had lost their firms money because of literacy and numeracy mistakes. It also suggested two-thirds of people relied on computer spell-checkers. The Learndirect survey examined how a lack of basic skills affects working and home lives - and found widespread anxieties. Millions of employees believe that their lack of basic skills has lost money for their companies and themselves. Spelling, currency exchange, comparing price tariffs, measuring volume and helping children with homework are among the areas where literacy and numeracy are causing problems and embarrassment. Almost two in five of the people surveyed said that they relied on someone else at work to check their calculations. The survey calculated that people were losing more than £800m of their own money each year as a result of their mistakes with numbers. And based on this sample, the survey projected that 1.4 million people believed they had missed promotion because of weaknesses with literacy and numeracy.

Meanwhile the UK's Higher Education ombudsman said that a number of undergraduate students are cheating because university teaching has become formulaic. Baroness Deech said that the expansion of higher education meant too many degrees now involved ticking boxes and absorbing hand-outs, while the emphasis on original work and creative thought was being lost. Students now think they have to "copy down accurately something that is already on screen". It is estimated that 10% of university work from across the UK is plagiarised and that most cheating goes undetected or ignored.

And further depressing news from the UK criminal reform system came to light. Research for the Prison Reform Trust says almost 6,000 people with IQs below 70 are estimated to be in UK prisons at any one time - many of them with learning disabilities, and such low IQs affect people's ability to cope with prison life, let alone reform. There is no routine screening to identify needs and these people are unlikely to benefit from schemes aimed at curbing re-offending. Changes include a requirement for individual needs assessments. The report was based on the findings from a study carried out by the University of Liverpool, at the request of local NHS commissioners, in Liverpool men's Prison, Styal women's prison and Hindley, an institution for young offenders.

Parents are going to love this one. There is also a worrying lack of knowledge and understanding about sex in the UK. A poll of 495 people by the Family Planning Association found some thought exercise or urinating after intercourse could prevent pregnancy. The FPA said better sex education was needed, with researchers at Coventry University calling for lessons to be tailored to pupils' sexual experience. All secondary schools are required to include sex education as part of their teaching programme, but there are no rules over the content, leading to complaints that lessons are too biological. The FPA survey, published to coincide with the start of Contraceptive Awareness Week, found that half of people did not know when was the most fertile point of a woman's menstrual cycle. A third thought exercise, douching or urinating after sex could stop fertilisation and 89% did not realise sperm could live inside a woman's body for up to seven days. On sex education, only 4% said their experience at school was excellent, 38% described it as poor and 18% said they did not get any. In a survey of 3,800 pupils aged 13 to 16, they found a quarter were sexually active, with nearly half of those not using contraception every time.

The government has announced a review of sustainable development in the national curriculum. Unfortunately the moves seem slow, tardy and piecemeal. It is likely that systemic change in the model of education will have to occur before an integral approach to living will imbue education systems in the UK or elsewhere. And remember, home is the best place to start.

Harvard, the US's oldest university, has named Drew Gilpin Faust, a historian of the Civil War South, to be the first female president in its 371-year history.

According to a study in the journal Current Biology, chimpanzees in Senegal have been observed making and using wooden spears to hunt other primates. Researchers documented 22 cases of chimps fashioning tools to jab at smaller primates sheltering in cavities of hollow branches or tree trunks. The report's authors, Jill Pruetz and Paco Bertolani, said the finding could have implications for human evolution because chimps had not been previously observed hunting other animals with tools.

Coincidentally scientists working in West Africa have found stone hammers used by chimpanzees more than 4,300 years ago in a discovery that undermines the idea that tool use is unique to humans. Scientists believe the discovery suggests that using tools probably evolved in the common ancestor of humans and chimps and has been passed down the generations.

A victim of the volatile confrontation between the US and Islam is the education of girls. We should be aware that children are being killed because significant groups of people in Pakistan and Afghanistan (and probably elsewhere) are reacting to "western domination".

"We have decided to bomb the school building. If any of the students shows up and dies as a result, she will be responsible for her own death." The notice pinned to the board outside the Mohammed Hussain Maila girls' school in Dara Adamkhel was uncompromising. It was a warning the young pupils at the school in Pakistan's North-West Frontier knew should be taken seriously. Four other schools in the lawless tribal region area had already been bombed. Within a matter of days, half of the 506 pupils at the school had been withdrawn. Across the border in Afghanistan, the Taliban's antipathy towards the education of girls is well-documented, and has led to the murders of at least 61 teachers in the past 18 months and the razing of 183 schools. But now hard-line Islamists in Pakistan - known as local Taliban - have launched their own campaign against girls' schools, claiming the pupils are being "westernised".

There's not much that can be done. However, if you would like to help push the scale back the other way, please support PestalozziWorld which educates children of emerging economies (including India, Nepal and Tibet) with a pro-female ratio.

Living

Having quit smoking in public, France is wondering how to treat smoking time. With a culture that created "the 35 hour work week", there is heated debate about how to treat the time now spent absconding work to have a smoke, as well as the fag-ends on the pavement ... In some cases smokers must clock out and back in when they go for a smoke. This is not as rigorous as the American company (billion dollar turnover Scotts garden care) covered by BusinessWeek that fires people who do not give up smoking - they have a rigorous healthy living programme for all employees! As a former heavy smoker, who can now not bear it, I can empathise with both sides. But since smoking is predominantly a psychological affair, efforts should attend to this area too. As Allen Carr might put it - crutch removal is required.

How to Launch a Wellness Program from BusinessWeek.

The number of religious believers in China could be three times higher than official estimates. A poll of 4,500 people by Shanghai university professors found 31.4% of people above the age of 16 considered themselves as religious. This suggests 300 million people nationwide could be religious, compared to the official figure of 100 million. Even though the extrapolation may be criticised, it is true that spiritual engagement is more possible now than it was 30 years ago, just prior to Deng Xiao Ping taking over. Believers are only allowed to attend government-approved churches, mosques and temples. Religion has been enjoying a resurgence in China over the past 20 years, as Communist Party disapproval has eased. But the party is still ready to deal harshly with any religious group it perceives to be a challenge to its authority - especially the banned spiritual movement Falun Gong, which was not mentioned in the reports. The survey found that Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Christianity and Islam are the country's five major religions - China considers Catholicism as separate to Christianity, which covers Protestantism. Interestingly, the average age of religious believers had fallen, with two-thirds of those in the poll who considered themselves religious aged between 16 and 39, which is different from the previous decade, when most religious believers were in their 40s or older.

A new study from the United Nations (Unicef) assesses the treatment of children in developed economies in six different areas - material wellbeing; health and safety; educational wellbeing, family and peer relationships, behaviours and risks; and the young people's own perceptions of their wellbeing. The report is a wake up call for many, especially the UK (bottom) and US (second last), whose children suffer greater deprivation, worse relationships with their parents and are exposed to more risks from alcohol, drugs and unsafe sex than those in any other wealthy country in the world.

"Do you have kids?" "Are you married?" While US federal law prohibits employers from asking female job applicants these questions if they don't ask the same questions of men, or to make hiring decisions based on negative stereotypes about mothers ... it happens all the time! A new group has formed - MomsRising has a goal of bringing together millions of people, who all share a common concern about the need to build a more family-friendly America. Their very human manifesto is summarised here.

In the face of growing concerns about childhood obesity, Masterfoods, which produces confectionery bars such as Mars and Snickers, has said that it will stop targeting any of its advertising at under-12s, including websites. The company already has a policy of not targeting children under six. But this is perhaps a step behind television regulator Ofcom's suggestion that it will ban 'junk food' advertising during TV shows aimed at under-16s, as well as adult programmes that are known to attract a lot of children viewers.

Researchers at King's College, UK, showed that email abuse is worse than drugs. Research discovered that email abuse reduces our cognitive powers more even than drugs, so now a method has been devised to cure us. Naturally, the American creators of the course talk in the jargon of the alcoholics 12-step programme ("involve others in conquering your addiction"). And much of the advice is fatuous: "Reduce the amount of email you receive." Try telling that to the Viagra salesmen, Nigerian fund managers and "beautiful young Russians who want to marry YOU". Nevertheless, a first step is to not touch your computer for one day every week - say Saturday or Sunday.

In the UK, a food manufacturers' labelling scheme has been shown to be misleading. The scheme has been adopted and promoted by at least 21 leading food companies and supermarket groups since January in opposition to the traffic light labelling scheme proposed by the government watchdog the Food Standards Agency. However, a report from the National Heart Foundation shows that the new industry labels, which tell shoppers how much sugar, fat and salt products contain as a percentage of their total "guideline daily amount" (GDA), use figures that are "misleading". Tesco, Nestlé and Kellogg's are among the food giants criticised for their labelling by the report, which includes accusations that industry daily amounts are based on arbitrary portion sizes and lead to products appearing healthier than they are. In particular, "misinformation" is spread by routinely using adult guideline amounts on products targeted at children, even though children's targets are different to those for adults.

Portugal's Prime Minister Jose Socrates has said abortion will be legalised in Portugal despite the turnout for a referendum being too low to be legally binding. Turnout was about 40%, far less than the 50% required, but of those who did vote, 59.3% backed a proposed change to the current law. The proposal allows all women abortion until the 10th week of pregnancy. Currently abortions are only allowed in cases of rape, a health threat to the mother or serious foetal abnormality.

And in the spirit of love for Valentine's day here are some choco facts:

Activities and Media

Golden Pig in Shanghai Chinese New Year is a special time because it retains its wholesome values that other festivals have lost. It is about family and being responsible for others, whether children or employees. This year is apparently a golden year - the year of the golden pig. The pig is the last of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac and symbolises good luck, but also turbulence. Babies born in Golden Pig years are believed to be particularly lucky, though may in fact find challenges ahead because parents try to give birth in the golden year and the baby boom means more competition for school and jobs later. We wish you all a golden year. Kung hei fat choi! (Celebrations in pictures )

Do The Right Thing is a great initiative for ranking businesses' credentials. Its easy in teh eye and is a quick valuable reference. Well done!

The shark story brought us to Care2.com - the largest online community for people who want to make a difference.

Big Picture TV has relaunched. The new site includes a number of new features and services. Among them is an embedded flash video player, meaning that all videos can now be played on an in-built screen. Streaming video content remains free. But best of all, the relaunch is celebrated with Annie Lennox! Annie Lennox is a long-term supporter of human rights and social justice issues and hasoften campaigned for Greenpeace and Amnesty International. In 2005 she was awarded the title Campaigner of the Year by the charity Make Poverty History.Annie Lennox talks about what it means to be green in her view. She speaks about the shifts that are necessary if we are to overcome the various environmental challenges that confront us. She explains why, in her opinion, real action is all too often bound by short-term thinking and the drive for profitability. She also talks about the limitations of green consumerism and suggests that tough legislation is a surer way forward. Check out Drums and Bells (3m 19sec).

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holonics
The Big Picture

body

mind

spirit

About
Astraea

Astraea News and Views
February 2007

Perspective

Geopolitics

Risk and Terror

Energy

Climate Change and Environment

ICT

Holonics and LOHAS

Holonics

Health

Environment

Education

Living

Activities and Media

holonics The Big Picture

body

mind

spirit

About Astraea

Astraea News and Views February 2007

Perspective

Geopolitics

Risk and Terror

Energy

Climate Change and Environment

ICT

Holonics and LOHAS

Holonics

Health

Environment

Education

Living

Activities and Media

holonics
The Big Picture

About
Astraea

Astraea News and Views
February 2007