By coincidence a number of comments received on last month's musings (both News and Views and Review) drew attention to hope. Whether a quantitative or qualitative observer of life, people seem to want a hopeful sign that everything is going to be alright. It would be fantastic if that could be. But it is only fantasy. Whether your god is religion or science, the fact of nature is that there is order. And that order even extends into our virtual world of money: that world which interprets participants' values.

But hope is not a strong foundation for planning for the future.   It is teh foundation upon which the sub-prime mortgage market ballooned during the past 5 years.  We must be drawn to the concerns of the World of Money because, while players continue to say its all fine, the actual foundation looks shaky. We know that we've had a good run of obtaining credit on the promise that we will pay for our consumption in the future.  But as we realise that we've borrowed more tahn we can hope to repay, we start to take desperate measures.  The delusion of asset prices increasing while the economic news is so dire and regulatory authorities are reacting as if there is a problem, suggests that we are desperate to continue the illusion.  Unfortunately this can only lead to trouble.  First inflation.  And if this becomes gross, then the efficiency of financial markets will be compromised, participants will be unwilling to risk what they have on the uncertain future and our ability to operate as a cohesive market will dissipate.

If, however, we allow our feet to resettle on the ground, bring our expectations back in to the realm of nature, and stop confusing consumption with happiness, the adjustment will be easier, even pleasant.  But it requires that we appreciate the human values upon which communities thrive, not the belligerent values upon which individuals rise.  Do not confuse this with a step backward.  It is in fact a step forward, but a big one.  It is elevating humanity from bestial constraints of a simple organism to the self-aware delight of a fully conscious being.  It is humanity working together as one and interdependent on nature.  The stimulation of space age technology will flourish, but we must be relish the stimulation of natural systems too.  This means making space for nature; which means moving aside.

A different scale of leverage has accelerated our progress and imbalances

As various reports on progress in Iraq are discussed by the US administration The Economist offered a briefing on Strategy in Iraq.  You may browse Waiting for the general (and a miracle) America agonises over the pitfalls of staying in Iraq - and of leaving.  This table sums up the dire situation, and, yet again, underlines the need for a more enlightened approach.

Iran's defiance of security council resolutions (declared again this week by President Ahmadinejad at the UN general assembly) is discomfiting, but not unreasonable. Iran's stubbornness is fueled by the autocratic approach of the security council and its members, particularly the US. Iran's testament that the security council should lead by example is more appropriate than ever, because of the history of the US-led invasion of Iraq under false pretenses. Iran may rightfully fear for its sovereignty. The arguments proved by Dr Stranglove that the doomsday deterrent does not work still stand. And Iran already has on its side the IAEA, which has earned credibility in its recent work.

While the Iranian stubbornness can be denigrated by us all, the example and attitude of western powers is no better. The US delegation left the UN as Ahmadinejad rose to speak to the general assembly - this is an example of a litany of recent insults that do not aid cooperation but antagonise. (Even Columbia University did itself a disservice by introducing him at a campus speech with ridicule - that is just plain bad manners and not appropriate to a school or enlightened leaders.) It is foolish childishness. It is sad that Ahmadinejad's words ring true, in light of ongoing scandals and gaffs, saying that US leaders "openly abandon morality" and act with "lewdness, selfishness, enmity and imposition in place of justice, love, affection and honesty." All of us could heed that entreaty to act with love and honesty. The example of world powers should be pacifist not belligerent. They should reduce armaments themselves. (Anyway the next war will be a cyberwar.) And share nuclear energy technology if they themselves are promoting it as a solution to climate change (as are US, UK and France).

Japanese leadership crisis - new PM

Despite the rhetoric being bandied about by Presidential candidates Bush has threatened to veto additional federal funding for a the State Children's Health Insurance Program which insures children from low-income families.  Another sad sign of where the current administration's priorities are.  Our hope for enlightened leadership from the global superpower dims a bit more.

Time to compost Belgium ...?

Former Israeli prime minister and Likud opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel launched an air strike against Syria on September 6, aafter weeks of refusing to confirm the operation. It appears the rationale for the strike is that Syria had nuclear weapon making materials from North Korea. While this may have been true and provide the excuse for a bombing raid, it is certainly not the right way for Israel to behave. If Israel is to develop legitimacy it must behave with the highest standards - in this case working through international bodies, especially the UN.

Israel might excuse its actions by saying that it has been at war with Syria since peace talks broke down in 2000, but that is merely convenience. Israel's actions are deeply intertwined with American foreign policy and its military is underwritten by American banks, business and government. It can not claim integrity if it does not behave with integrity and the highest morals.

Tensions between the two counties have risen in recent months as fighting over Lebanon has continued and the aggression of Israel in the region has remained high. In fact Israel uses Lebanon as an excuse for its belligerence saying that Syria first abandon its support for Lebanese and Palestinian terrorist groups before peace talks can resume, while Syria insists that peace talks are contingent upon Israel returning the Golan Heights, which it seized in 1967. Israel may be seen to have reduced the nuclear threat thanks to its propaganda machine, but the reality is that continued belligerence raises terrorist activity in the middle east and around the world.

Follow this link to read George Friedman's insightful analysis.  A revealing quote from his piece pinpoints the curiousness of the conspiracy behind the air raid:

Israel and the United States both have gone out of their way to draw attention to the fact that a highly significant military operation took place in Northern Syria, and compounded the attention by making no attempt to provide a plausible cover story. They have done everything possible to draw attention to the affair without revealing what the affair was about. Israel and the United States have a lot of ways to minimize the importance of the operation. By the way they have handled it, however, each has chosen to maximize its importance.

Are the US and Israel aiming to raise the ante with Syria and Iran?  The mystery is not yet revealed.

US waking up to the reality of Palestine ...?

A number of commentators have discussed a middle east worse case scenario over the past couple of months. The Futurist joined in with their September-October issue. The discussion is interesting and you can see a summary online here.

The lead article acknowledges that a regional war engulfing the Middle East is still a "low probability event," but argues that such a war would have enormous consequences for the West, particularly the United States, likely resulting in greater incidents of terrorism, a dizzying spike in petrol prices, and the possible destabilisation of the nuclear-armed regime of Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan.  A number of wild-card scenarios are also discussed such as Russia and China, less dependent on the Middle East for oil than the United States, leverage the ensuing chaos from a Middle Eastern war for their own financial gain.

What becomes clear from the WFS discussions is that the US is the solution to the Middle East (and therefore also the problem). It is the US that can mollify sectarian discontent by promoting economic and social equity throughout the region evenly, without this change in approach (which may be beginning) there is no hope of peace in the Middle East and the possibility of deterioration is real. Here are noted some of the main points and a couple of quotes:

• US disengagement from Iraq.
• Intervention with Israel on behalf of Palestine.
• Supporting reform in Islam.
• Defanging Pakistan.
• Preparation for a war in the Middle East.
• Development of shale oil.
• Develop alternative energy sources faster.

"The United States must be seen to seek peace in between Israel and its neighbors in a way that most Muslims will view as fair to the Palestinians. It is the only thing Washington can do to insulate its nation, even in part, from violence once it leaves Iraq."

"There is little evidence to indicate that the US security, economic growth, or position of leadership in the world could benefit from a regional war in the Middle East."

US changing policy; will reduce troops in Iraq

Over the past month there has been a definite change in the US administration policy of troop levels in Iraq. The surge is over and political pragmatism underpins troop reductions.

On September 13 Bush said that about 30,000 troops might return home by summer 2008 (pre-surge level), starting with 5,700 by Christmas. Then on 14 September Defence Secretary Robert Gates suggested the current level of more than 160,000 soldiers could be cut to about 100,000 by the end of 2008.

While both Gates and Bush stressed that any reduction in troop levels would be entirely dependent on the success of their mission, it appears that troop reduction is also driven by political pragmatism: high troop levels in Iraq are increasingly unpopular with Americans and Iraq solutions are more dependent on regional multilateral cooperation than soldiers. These statements also come as a White House report (Final Benchmarks Assessment Report)suggested Iraq's government has made little progress in meeting key military and political benchmarks set by the US.

General Petraeus: Report to Congress 20070910

General Petraeus: Report charts 20070910

Ambassador Crocker: Report to Congress 20070910

Iraqis want end to occupation more than ever

A great name for a security company staffed with mercenaries paid to look after top American officials in a hot spot with immunity from prosecution for killing anyone. Will Matt Damon be the good guy? In fact, Blackwater USA is a private contractor employed by the US State Department.

The ban on their operations for killing 8 civilians only lasted a few days. They're back at work now, 4 days later. I guess it was justifiable.

Soldiers have conscience and discipline, and even some convention of behaviour. It must be a tough life in Iraq, for any one. It is right for the US administration to seek the highest standards.

US-Iran tension increasing

Ahmadinejad can't visit WTC site

Watching Myanmar atrocities

This linked article by Daniel Kammen at GreenBiz offers simple options to change the US energy consumption profile. His six point plan is:

• A national commitment to saving money and energy through energy efficiency measures at every step of the economic value chain (some states, including California are fully 40 percent more efficient than the national average);

• The pursuit and steady increase of renewable energy portfolio standards as a baseline, and in the cities, states and regions with mandate to pursue more aggressive policies, the addition of feed-in laws to diversify and expand the number and type of clean energy producers;

• Low-carbon fuel standards that evolve in time into sustainable fuel standards;

• The use of carbon taxes or cap and trade'systems under which carbon emission rights are limited;

• Developing and using for business, industrial, municipal and "” critically "” personal purchases carbon footprint analyses; and

• International collaborations, and public-private partnerships designed to commercialize, or at least open market space for clean energy and energy efficient technologies.

But what is most revealing is the chart, reproduced here, which shows that Federal research funds on defence have consistently been greater than all other R&D spending combined! It is apparent that energy security is both more important and easier to manage than military security so a change in this spending pattern would yield dividends quickly.

Another source, BusinessWeek, reported on the massive benefits that accrue to defence companies that have lobbied for legislative budget earmarks:  Inside the Hidden World of Earmarks.  This table below paints the picture.  If you click the picture you'll link to an interactive, more extensive table.

Oil prices are reaching new highs as September draws to a close.  They are peaking above $82 a barrel.  If winter in north America and Europe comes in hard these prices will add to economic difficulties, though the majors will benefit as usual.

IEA reports on poor record of energy consumption

There have been several reports recently of the increasing popularity of nuclear as a solution to rapidly emerging concerns with fossil fuel energy. But this may be more a result of propaganda than pragmatism and principle.

A collaborative approach, which had been adopted in the UK, is breaking down. Recently the UK government initiated a public review of nuclear power which included environmentally aware stakeholders. Unfortunately, these stakeholders have withdrawn from the process protesting the biased review. The accusations are damaging because the government is bound by its own guidelines to keep an open mind on new nuclear power stations until after the "fullest public consultation" and if the government is forced into a third consultation it could delay major energy decisions being made for at least a year.

The coalition review process was forced upon the government by the high court, which ruled in February that a previous consultation was "seriously flawed" and "manifestly inadequate and unfair". At least six groups, including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, WWF and Green Alliance, claim the government is distorting the evidence by not presenting the alternative scenarios provided and say they are considering whether to take the case to court again. What is clear is that the dangers of nuclear power still appear to be at the forefront of public concern, with 89% of people worried about safety and 92% alarmed at the prospect of creating more nuclear waste.
Unfortunately, our reading of the situation is that government is leaning toward nuclear because it provides a "solution" that is sellable to the public and supported by rich lobbies, while its costs are postponed to be the problem of later incumbents. Nuclear is the GM of energy. It looks great if your listening to the people selling it, but the users and the locals where it happens have their environment and livelihoods destroyed.

Then there are the greens who support it because it can be a solution to climate change. This is an act of desperation because they are rightfully fearful that people will not change their behaviour in time to make a difference. They would rather have a planet with radioactive acne than one in which nature dies. Its not the easy choice that it is made out to be. However, if people are informed about lifestyle choices and consequences we usually do the right thing and change behaviour. That is what the review needs to promote and where it has failed.

Further reading: Nuclear's power's new age from The Economist concludes: "One of the reasons why the public turned against nuclear power last time round is that it found itself bailing the industry out. It would be wrong, not just for taxpayers but also for the industry, to set up another lot of cosy deals with governments. The nuclear industry needs to persuade people that it is clean, cheap and safe enough to rely on without a government crutch. If it can't, it doesn't deserve a second chance."

Their briefing Atomic Renaissance focuses on the expected expansion of US nuclear and its influence on policy elsewhere.

The US love of energy has been supported by subsidies and protection of the oil industry. Last month the administration took a step to reducing those subsidies in a new energy bill. And now a report confirms the collusion and apathy among regulators and the industry. A report has unsurprisingly declared that the Interior Department's program to collect billions of dollars annually from oil and gas companies that drill on federal lands is troubled by mismanagement, ethical lapses and fears of retaliation against whistle-blowers. And this was an internal report! The yearlong investigation and concluding report grew out of complaints by four auditors at the agency, who said that senior administration officials had blocked them from recovering money from oil companies that underpaid the government.

While the report stopped short of accusing top agency officials of wrongdoing this may have been pragmatism owing to insufficient specific evidence. It offered a sharp description of failures at the Minerals Management Service, the agency within the Interior Department responsible for collecting about $10 billion a year in royalties on oil and gas. Investigators also softened their internal critique by saying that the whistle-blowers were sometimes unaware of other efforts under way to recover the missing money and that they sometimes simply disagreed with top management. Nevertheless it notes that the agency is too cozy with oil companies and that internal critics had good reason to fear punishment. This article from the NYT offers some juicy illustrations.

None of this is surprising to those who have seen the cynical approach of oil companies to pollution, environmental degradation and energy security (including alternative energy). Given the history of collusion we are not hopeful of immediate change, but the report is another sign that oil is not the panacea it has been sold as and the carelessness of the industry is being brought to light.

Coincidentally, BusinessWeek reported on the intransigence of big oil to introducing ethanol mix in its forecourts.  Despite receiving billions in subsidies to provide ethanol it is using overt and covert tactics to keep E85 (85% ethanol 16% petrol, which directly substitutes for petrol) out of drivers' tanks. It is another page in the tales of deception by big oil.

That's the objective of Gordon Murray, ex-Formula 1 car designer who recently launched a new company to design a green family car, the T25.  Production will be outsourced for this concept car which Murray would like to have online in 18 months.  He's aiming for safety, efficiency and cost competitiveness.  Let's hope this initiative helps transform the personal transport industry.

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The IUCN Red List for 2007 was published in early September with the leader: Extinction Crisis Escalates. There are now 41,415 species on the IUCN Red List and 16,306 of them are threatened with extinction, up from 16,118 last year. The total number of extinct species has reached 785 and a further 65 are only found in captivity or in cultivation. These include human's close relatives and other mammals, eg the western lowland gorilla, which moves from the Endangered to the Critically Endangered category.

Our human footprint is out of control. Estimates vary greatly, but current extinction rates are at least 100-1,000 times higher than natural background rates. We must control our consumption of the biosphere.

The Blacksmith Institute, a US-based independent environmental group, published its 2007 world's most polluted places. It reports an estimated 12 million people affected by the severe pollution, which is mainly caused by chemical, metal and mining industries. Chronic illness and premature deaths are side-effects. The annual review, which debuted in 2006, is listed alphabetically, and the sites are unranked "given the wide range of location sizes, populations and pollution dynamics".

The top 10 are: Sumgayit, Azerbaijan; Potentially 275,000 affected; Linfen, China; Potentially 3m affected; Tianying, China; Potentially 140,000 affected; Sukinda, India; Potentially 2.6m affected; Vapi, India; Potentially 71,000 affected; La Oroya, Peru; Potentially 35,000 affected; Dzerzhinsk, Russia; Potentially 300,000 affected; Norilsk, Russia; Potentially 134,000 affected; Chernobyl, Ukraine; Potentially 5.5m affected; Kabwe, Zambia; Potentially 255,000 affected.

Oceans in Peril report

Business for Social Responsibility and the Pacific Institute teamed up to investigate corporate water strategy.  We have seen increasing concern over water shortages globally including at major growth markets and economic centers in Asia, India and the US which already face a lack of freshwater.  If current trends continue, freshwater resources will grow more scarce and polluted, creating a global crisis where two-thirds of the world's population will live in water-stressed conditions by 2025.  "At the Crest of a Wave: A Proactive Approach to Corporate Water Strategy" urges businesses to adapt to availability concerns immediately.  Significant steps toward innovating to increase value chain and product eco-efficiency, investing in the restoration of water flow ecological systems and collaborating to maintain long-term water resources will be crucial.  The report advises companies to establish baselines and goals before implementing corporate water strategies. BSR noted "In the next two to five years, companies will need to adapt to availability, quality and access concerns. Proactive corporate action that dramatically overhauls how companies use and invest in water supplies will be crucial for mitigating risks, gaining regulatory and community goodwill, and improving reputation".

A report from the newly launched Marsh Center for Risk Insights highlights the risk of water shortages.

Marsh was under severe scrutiny in 2005 for governance issues.  They have clearly taken concerns of global sustainability to heart with the launch of their new research centre.

Their report singles out water shortage as one of the greatest and most immediate threats.   Ironically although 40% of those surveyed believe that a water shortage would be severe or catastrophic for their business operations, less than 20% of Fortune 1000 companies surveyed are prepared for a water shortage crisis.  Companies across industrial sectors could be affected by water shortage issues directly and indirectly through their supply chains, with even non-water intensive companies realizing higher costs as suppliers deliver higher costs.  And water-related costs are rising with manufacturers paying to treat both source water and wastewater.

Article here.

WBCSD  Global Water Tool.

WBCSD Business in the world of water: WBCSD water scenarios to 2025

WBCSD Water Facts and Trends

WBCSD Collaborative actions for sustainable water management

EU reports water wastage of 40%

At the beginning of the year reports of colony collapse disorder of bee populations seemed to swarm around the world.  Many causes were suggested.  Recent research reported in Science suggests that one organism, Israeli acute paralysis virus of bees, was strongly correlated with CCD.  Unfortunately, this does not mean that prevention or a cure are yet available.  And there remain other influences on bee help.  What remains true is that bees are critical to the food web as pollinators so declines in their population is bad for all of us, and organic (or similar) bee-keeping methods are more resistant to disease and reduce spreading of disease because methods are not industrial.

More on this story from the BBC.

This paper by IHS Engineering, highlighted by GreenBiz in September, surveys the environmental landscape around the world to provide an overview of environmental regulations. It projects those regulations onto corporations to identify and detail the internal use models needed to confidently support those regulations with appropriate due diligence. Finally, it details the best ways to obtain the data needed to drive the use models. When companies choose to support a regulation and use a model-driven approach, they can be confident in their compliance and successfully substantiate it. Download 2006 report here

Corporate attitudes to sustainability around the world

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A BBC World Service poll, published a day after 150 countries met at the United Nations to discuss climate change, suggests most people believe human activity is causing global warming and major action is needed to deal with the problem. More than 22,000 people were surveyed in 21 countries.

An average of 79% of respondents agreed that "human activity, including industry and transportation, is a significant cause of climate change". 9 out of 10 said action is necessary, with over 65% going further, saying "it is necessary to take major steps starting very soon".

While the world burns, America fiddles ...

Writing in the journal Nature, Science Museum head Chris Rapley and Gaia theorist James Lovelock have suggested boosting ocean take-up of CO2 using huge flotillas of vertical pipes in tropical seas, a technology already being investigated by a US firm, Atmocean. The pipes use convection currents to bring cold water nearer the surface. The colder water contains more life and can in principle absorb more carbon. For example, the tubes might promote salp, a tiny tube which excretes carbon in its solid faecal pellets which descend to the ocean floor, perhaps storing the carbon away for millennia. Though research is in its early phase, Atmocean CEO Phil Kithil has calculated that deploying about 134 million pipes could potentially sequester about one-third of the carbon dioxide produced by human activities each year.

This is another radical solution proposed by Jame Lovelock underlining the seriousness of his concern that human activity has already damaged the biosphere beyond repair. He has also suggested nuclear power simply because it produces energy without releasing CO2, despite the acknowledgement that it is polluting, requires very long commissioning lead times and is uneconomical. The real solution - humans changing their behaviour - seems unattainable.

Antartica melting: images

OpenEco is a new global on-line community that provides free, easy-to-use tools to help participants assess, track, and compare business energy performance, share proven best practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage sustainable innovation. Akin to social networks, OpenEco aims to help build support for carbon-reduction strategies though sharing information among companies, government institutions and NGOs, which all face pressure to create and meet serious goals to reduce their climate impact.  The only requirement to join OpenEco.org is for member groups to share their data, either transparently or anonymously, a requirement that is in line with the site's goals. OpenEco's GHG emissions tool lets organizations share their carbon accounting data that would otherwise be buried in their spreadsheets. Sharing the information lets means organizations of all kinds can benchmark against one another, set realistic reduction goals and share best practices to meet them.  Among the early adopters of OpenEco are Ceres, a coalition of investors and environmental groups, as well as environmental consulting firm Natural Logic.

This new cartoon, produced by Friends of the Earth Europe, sums up in comic form how Exxon worked its way into government channels to further its business interests at the expense of the planet. It could be funny, if it wasn't so sad.  Millions paid to "think tanks" to deny pollution.

The September issue of Inside Innovation offers a clutch of interesting articles as usual, but this graphic caught my eye because it so clearly shows the relatively massive impact industry can have on the biosphere. There is a small proviso though: the banks with the small footprints are the organisations that fund the chemical companies with the BIG footprints.

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ICT

Virtual worlds are a window on human psyche

Is Apple morphing in to Microsoft ...?

In the UK a group of experts wrote an open letter to the Daily Telegraph warning that overprotection of children is injurious to their health.

Signatures to the letter were gathered by Sue Palmer, author of the book Toxic Childhood, and Dr Richard House, a senior lecturer in psychotherapy at Roehampton University. 300 signatories include more than 40 professors, 60 psychologists and psychotherapists, and leaders of the main children's charities and teaching unions.

The letter notes that play, especially when it takes place outdoors, is crucial to a child's health. ""Real play' - socially interactive, first-hand, loosely supervised - has always been a vital part of children's development, and its loss could have serious implications. Just as the epidemic of childhood obesity recently took the developed world by surprise, too much "junk play' could (like too much junk food) have alarming implications for the next generation."

The letter notes that adult anxieties about the modern world are curtailing children's freedom. Over-anxious parents, computer games and school tests are to blame. An increase in traffic, parental fears about abduction by strangers and a "test-driven" culture of education have all contributed to the trend. "The ready availability of sedentary, sometimes addictive screen-based entertainment and the aggressive marketing of over-elaborate, commercialised toys" have also played a part. The letter calls for a "wide-ranging and informed public dialogue about the intrinsic nature and value of play in children's healthy development".

We agree. And, as noted in August News and Views, there is growing evidence that liberal play combined with experiential learning (like music, art, social skills, building, games etc) in the first 8 years of life are critical to development of emotional intelligence.

http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/

Ethical guide to US business school programmes available.

Cronyism still (unfortunately) more important than ability

Over 100,000 people in Okinawa, Japan protested over proposals to change the account in school text books detailing the account of Japanese army involvement in mass suicides during World War 2. The protest was against moves to modify and tone down passages that say the army ordered Okinawans to kill themselves rather than surrender. When US soldiers invaded Okinawa at the end of World War II, more than 200,000 people died including thousands of civilians who killed themselves. Many survivors insist the military told people to commit suicide, partly due to fears over what they might tell the invaders and because being taken prisoner was considered shameful.The rally was the biggest staged on the southern island since it was returned to Japan by the United States in 1972. It is encouraging to see people prepared to face their own skeletons in the closet. As protesters said, these histories should not be forgotten. Remembering the mistakes of history allows us to learn for the future.

Rare 19th century books to go on-line

As we've said before "Many health and happiness problems today are related to stress".

A World Health Organisation report (published in the Lancet) on the largest population-based worldwide study that explores the effect of depression in comparison with four other chronic diseases on health state found that  depression is more damaging to everyday health than chronic diseases such as angina, arthritis, asthma and diabetes. And if people are ill with other conditions, depression makes them worse.

In 2000, scientists rated depression as the disease which had the fourth greatest public health impact globally. By 2020 it is predicted to have jumped to second place.

At some point in their life it is estimated that around one in every five women and one in every 10 men will suffer from depression. The study used WHO world health survey data from 250,000 people.

These reports reinforce our contention that attention to building emotional intelligence will yield dividends in increased happiness and productivity as well as lower costs.

The solution: eat less, eat better and don't forget to breathe.

Recent genetic studies reported in Nature Genetics suggest that human's ability to digest starchy foods, like the potato, may explain our success on the planet.   Compared with primates, humans carry extra copies of a gene, called AMY1, which is essential for making the salivary enzyme amylase that digests calorie-rich starches.  The University of California Santa Cruz authors suggest that the starch has been the source of extra calories crucial for feeding the larger brains of humans, rather than meat in the diet, which has been previous conjecture.

Dr Nathaniel Dominy and colleagues argue that meat is the improbable source:  "Even when you look at modern human hunter-gatherers, meat is a relatively small fraction of their diet.  To think that, two to four million years ago, a small-brained, awkwardly bipedal animal could efficiently acquire meat, even by scavenging, just doesn't make a whole lot of sense."

The team studied groups of humans with differing diets and found those with high-starch diets tended to have more copies of AMY1 than individuals from populations with low-starch diets. For example, the Yakut of the Arctic, whose traditional diet centres around fish, had fewer copies than the related Japanese, whose diet includes starchy foods like rice. The researchers believe our earliest human ancestors began searching for new food sources other than the ripe fruits that primates eat.  These were starches, stored by plants in the form of underground tubers and bulbs - wild versions of modern-day foods like carrots, potatoes, and onions. In work earlier this year, the team found that animals eating tubers and bulbs produce body tissues with a chemical signature that matches what has been measured in early fossilised humans.

Now you can be even more confident to eat more veg and eat less meat ... to develop yourself as well as save the planet.

Modest eating, red wine and longevity

Stop giving drugs to infants is the thrust of recommendations made in the US by safety experts for the Food and Drug Administration who urged an outright ban on over-the-counter, multisymptom cough and cold medicines for children under 6.  This recommendation is underpinned by the recognition that warnings about their use on infants just do not influence behaviour in our society which is hooked on convenient solutions.  Parents will opt for the numbing dose of drugged syrup for their 1 year old over diet, rest and nurturing care; and the dosages are not insignificant and are repeated.  The reviewers wrote that there is little evidence that these medicines are effective in young children, and there are increasing fears that they may be dangerous. From 1969 to 2006, at least 54 children died after taking decongestants, and 69 died after taking antihistamines, the report said. And it added that since adverse drug reactions are reported voluntarily and fitfully, the numbers were likely to significantly understate the medicines' true toll.

The expert recommendation, in a 356-page safety review, is the strongest signal yet that the agency may take strong action against the roughly 800 popular medicines marketed in the US under names like Toddler's Dimetapp, Triaminic Infant and Little Colds.  The experts suggested that all "infant" cough and cold formulations be removed from the market, and that the droppers, cups and syringes included with products for children be standardized to reduce the risks of confusion and overdose.The next step in the process is a meeting of outside experts on Oct. 18 and 19 to examine the medicines' safety and offer recommendations to the agency.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, an industry trade group that has consistently defended the safety of pediatric cough and cold medicines, recommended in its own 156-page safety review, released on the same day, that the FDA consider mandatory warning labels saying that they should not be used in children younger than 2. Many cough and cold medicines now advise parents to "consult a physician" before use in such children.  But we know these warnings don't work and their recommendation is self-serving designed to mollify regulators while maintaining sales of their dope.

Marketing junk food to children

Parents are the problem with children's diets.

Another report exposing the dangers of food additives

It appears from anecdotal evidence that school cafeterias in the US have made a concerted effort to facilitate better diets: fewer fried foods, smaller servings and no cupcakes.  Growing awareness of increasing obesity and federal guidelines have encouraged a administrators to take steps to make food in schools healthier.  For example California school districts have banned deep fryers have been banned (chicken nuggets and fries are now baked).  What is encouraging, is that students appreciate the changes.  I suppose those that want a balance diet can now get it and those who want to order a pizza with extra cheese from the local Dominoes still can.  This kind of change can only be good - cheaper menu costs, more healthy people, more productive people.

Gaining calories impulsively

Aurora Organic Dairy just a few weeks ago had a portion of its organic certification suspended by the USDA for "willfully" violating National Organic Standards thanks to pressure from OCA and others. Since 2003 it has failed to pasture its animals and by bringing conventional calves onto its feedlots and then declaring them organic. But caving in to pressure from Aurora and other big corporate players, the USDA now says they can continue selling milk produced on its factory farms as "organic" to its longstanding customers including Target, Wal-Mart, Costco, Safeway, and Woodstock Farms! Where's the logic in that? That the "customer" knows its buying non-organic "organic" milk? It is institutionalised collusion.

And the new acting US Secretary of Agriculture, Chuck Connors, a notorious cheerleader for biotech and corporate agribusiness, announced that this issue, regarding Aurora's violation of the USDA National Organic Standards, "falls outside the scope of the USDA National Organic Standards. " Now that they have the USDA in their pocket, Aurora is threatening to sue the Organic Consumers Association and Cornucopia Institute for educating and mobilising consumers to oppose Aurora's blatant violations of organic standards.

Consumers must increasingly rely upon their knowledge of producers since labelling is becoming fictitious.

US FDA takes another swipe at natural ingredients

Its a nasty word, isn't it? But most of us face it sooner or later. When its not really a problem we tend to ignore it, but once it starts to get out of control its sooo difficult to rein it in. It becomes a disease, both physiological and psychological.

Whether for interest or use, this list of causes from The Irish Independent and reproduced below gives a good starting point to understanding.

What makes us fat?

Genes, lack of sleep, even air conditioning - all sorts of unlikely thiings can influence your weight, says Julia Stuart

Those who got only five hours' sleep were 50 per cent more likely to be obese than those who were getting a full night's rest, and those who slept for just six hours were 23 per cent more likely to be substantially overweight.

Dr Stephen Heymsfield, who worked on the study, said it was not as simple as saying that if people were awake for longer, they were likely to eat more.

"There's growing scientific evidence that there's a link between sleep and the various neural pathways that regulate food intake."

Previous research has shown that sleep deprivation is linked to a decrease in levels of leptin (see Hormones). Levels of the hormone grehlin, which makes people want to eat, have also been seen to increase in people who are sleep-deprived.

Too much choice

Although a varied diet is likely to be rich in nutrients, US scientists found that the availability of lots of different foods can also encourage overeating. Hollie Raynor and Dr Leonard Epstein from the University of Buffalo said that variety decreased the feeling of satisfaction, making people more vulnerable to obesity. "Both people and animals will eat more food when a meal or diet contains a greater variety of food, which can eventually cause weight gain," they said. The research showed that meals composed of foods of a similar shape, taste and colour may curb overeating.

Friends

If your friends are fat, your chances of being fat increase by 57 per cent. Researchers monitored the weight of a network of 12,067 friends and relatives between 1971 and 2003 and found that weight gain in one person apparently had a similar effect in their close friends or partners. Same-sex friends and siblings had a greater influence than did those of the opposite sex. The scientists who instigated the study, Professor Nicholas Christakis of the University of California, San Diego, and James Fowler of Harvard, concluded that obesity was "socially contagious".

Having relatives and friends who become obese changes one's idea of what is an acceptable weight. Prof Christakis said: "It's not that obese or non-obese people find other similar people to hang out with. Rather, there is a direct causal relationship." And the connection was not as simple as saying that friends adopt each other's lifestyles. "It's more subtle than that," he said. "A person becoming obese most likely causes a change of norms about what counts as an appropriate body size.

"We were stunned to find that friends who are hundreds of miles away have just as much impact on a person's weight status as friends who are next door," said Dr Fowler. The study found that a person's chances of becoming obese rose by 40 per cent if a sibling was obese and 37 per cent if a spouse was. In the closest friendships, the risk almost tripled.

Genes

British scientists have discovered a gene that contributes to obesity. The research team, led by Professor Andrew Hattersley of the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, found a gene variant that regulates the amount of fat in the body. Those with the variant - around half of all Europeans - are on average 2.6lb heavier than those without it, while one in six Europeans carries two copies of the variant and is on average 7lb heavier. "We are eating more but doing less exercise, and so the average weight is increasing, but within the population some people seem to put on more weight," said Prof Hattersley. "Our findings suggest a possible answer to someone who might ask, "I eat the same and do as much exercise as my friend next door, so why am I fatter?'"

Hormones

Scientists have discovered that leptin, one of the key hormones responsible for reducing hunger and increasing the feeling of fullness, also controls our fondness for food. A Cambridge University team, headed by Dr Sadaf Farooqi and Dr Paul Fletcher, studied patients with a rare genetic disorder resulting in a complete lack of leptin. These patients ate excessively, liked all types of food and developed severe obesity. After treatment with leptin their hunger reduced, they became more choosy about food and lost weight.

Dr Farooqi said: "While bodyweight remains stable for many people over a long period of time, other people gain weight very easily. More studies are needed to find out how these brain responses vary in people with weight problems in general."

Air conditioning

Air conditioning keeps us in a temperature range in which we do not have to regulate our body heat. Scientists suggest that when people are out of this zone we lose weight. If it's too cold we burn fat to stay warm, and if it's too hot our appetites decrease. Studies show that people are keeping their houses warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer than they did in years past, so these natural influences on weight are negated.

Poor diet during gestation

If a mother has a poor diet during pregnancy, her foetus might predict that future food supplies will be scarce and set its metabolism to store and conserve fat, according to scientists from the universities of Auckland and Southampton. However, if this early prediction proves false, and food - particularly food high in fat - is readily available, the infant may find its metabolism programmed for adult obesity.

Researchers led by Dr Stephanie Bayol of the Royal Veterinary College, London, looked at the effect of the maternal diet on more than 300 baby rats. The young exposed to junk foods in the womb or after birth were more likely to be overweight at 10 weeks, and ate more junk food themselves.

Catching a cold

A virus that causes colds and sore throats could also lead to obesity. In tests, chicken and mice infected with a particular adenovirus, the group of bugs behind up to 10 per cent of colds and sore throats, put on weight more quickly than uninfected animals - even when they didn't eat any more food. Scientists at Louisiana State University found that the virus could trigger the development of fat cells in the body. "We're not saying that a virus is the only cause of obesity, but this study provides strong evidence that some obesity cases may involve viral infections," said LSU's Dr Magdalena Pasarica.

You are what you eat

Despite the factors above that have an effect on obesity, diet is still a huge factor:

• The majority of people put on weight simply because they consume more calories than their bodies require.

• To shift 2lbs a week, you need to eat 500 calories fewer each day, or burn off 500 calories more. This can be achieved by eating less, taking more exercise or, best of all, combining the two. A brisk 30-minute walk burns off approximately 100 calories.

• The idea that people who eat late at night will put on more weight is a myth. Scientists at Oregon Health and Science University in the United States carried out tests on 47 female monkeys and fouthe time that the animals ate and whether or not they gained weight.

• It is also a myth that eating carbohydrates will make you fat. A healthy diet depends on the right balance of protein, carbohydrates and fats. Experts recommend that meals include starchy foods such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and cereal.

A recent study by Hibernian Life in Ireland shows that children are given substantial amounts of pocket money - € 10 per week on average at primary and € 20 per week on average at secondary.  More than half of the children spend all of their pocket money.  This indicator, coupled with the continuous stream of reports on poor childhood health, it is clear that children are just spending the cash on sweets, junk food, and probably cigarettes and alcohol.

Parents are doing their children a disservice by failing to educate them as to money matters and worse, encouraging them to believe that there are no bad consequences to profligate behaviour.

Sad but unsurprising results of a UK survey show that children spend far more time watching TV than spending time with family, or anything else. A survey of of 1,800 families with primary school-age children was part of research accompanying the government-backed Booktime literacy project.  The survey suggested that children were more likely to be watching television or playing alone or with friends, playing computer games or watching DVDs than spending any time with their parents.  Family time is marginalised, with shared meals lasting an average of 43 minutes per day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and 18% of families sharing only 17 minutes together. Parents can not expect much help from children - with 38% saying their nine-year-old did no tidying up or household chores of any kind and 29% saying they helped for less than 30 minutes per week.  The biggest single home activity for children was watching television - an average of 7 hours and 46 minutes per week. Reading occupied a weekly average of 3 hours and 51 minutes.  The survey also suggested that the higher a father's earnings, the more likely he is to read with his children.  But it is the opposite for mothers - the more that they earn the less likely they are to read with their children.

While TV is useful (if nothing else it can offer exposure to new ideas and audio visual stimulation) it is plainly being used as a child-minder, to the detriment of children.  Learning social skills, which starts in the home, is critical to social interaction later in life.  Parents are compromising their children's emotional intelligence and probably their cognitive intelligence potential too.  Written communication is far more critical to success later in life and if people are not good readers, their writing will be compromised as will their comprehension.  The failure of parents to create a family in which people chat and play with each other is blamed on the need to work to earn to "make a good life for our children".  However, this is increasingly proved to be fallacy as children grow up without knowing their parents and loose out on the qualities that make being human stimulating and rewarding - social interaction.

It seems that we have replaced the well educated nanny of times past with a box of tricks, instead of using the time afforded by modern conveniences to have a family.

I've always taken issue with closed environments like office buildings, airports, hotels and conference arenas.  Invariably the first noticeable thing on entering them is teh whiff of chemistry.  Its either materials used, cleaning agents or just stagnant, fetid air.  It slows down life and in some cases can cause more sever ailments.  BusinessWeek offers a primer on the problems and solutions for turning a sick office in to a healthy one.  Perhaps it will help you improve your lifestyle.

A new report from Organic Monitor, UK-based organic industry analysts, shows that the natural and organic sector is the fastest growing in the North American cosmetics and toiletries industry, with sales increasing by 20% a year and strong growth projected with its share of the total US  personal care products market doubling to 15% in the coming years.

Organic Monitor notes that the North American market is evolving into a two-tier market. The first-tier comprises companies that have received a capital injection in recent years which supports large marketing budgets, and they show a large rise in market share as they expand distribution and strengthen their product portfolios. The second-tier comprises smaller companies that continue to focus on traditional markets. The gap between first and second tier companies is widening as the market evolves.  This is disappointing because larger players can sway consumers with hype, even green-wash, whereas the smaller producers are often built on core ethical principles and have underpinned this market for 20 years.

Ingredient and formulation issues are becoming increasingly important in the North American market. The growing number of pseudo-natural products is leading consumers to scrutinise the composition of natural and organic personal care products. Manufacturers are responding by launching products with high levels of natural extracts, ethical and certified organic ingredients. Organic Monitor expects to see more certified fair trade and organic products as companies move away from "natural marketing'. Indeed, major new entrants like Yves Saint Laurent (Care by Stella McCartney) and Origins Natural Resources are launching Ecocert-certified products. Intelligent Nutrients is expected to have a major impact in 2008 with its novel range of nutritional cosmetics that are made from certified organic food ingredients.

The report is available here.

An article by the New York Times based on a series of recent articles and a book, "The Happiness Hypothesis" by Jonathan Haidt, a moral psychologist at the University of Virginia, who has been constructing a broad evolutionary view of morality that traces its connections both to religion and to politics.  Here's an extract:

Of the moral systems that protect individuals, one is concerned with preventing harm to the person and the other with reciprocity and fairness. Less familiar are the three systems that promote behaviors developed for strengthening the group. These are loyalty to the in-group, respect for authority and hierarchy, and a sense of purity or sanctity.

The five moral systems, in Dr. Haidt's view, are innate psychological mechanisms that predispose children to absorb certain virtues. Because these virtues are learned, morality may vary widely from culture to culture, while maintaining its central role of restraining selfishness. In Western societies, the focus is on protecting individuals by insisting that everyone be treated fairly. Creativity is high, but society is less orderly. In many other societies, selfishness is suppressed "through practices, rituals and stories that help a person play a cooperative role in a larger social entity," Dr. Haidt said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/science/18mora.html?th&emc=th

Supermarkets' collusion costs you money

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This GreenBiz article outlines in a few paragraphs the dimensions of creating a sustainable workplace. A succinct thought-piece on social and environmental considerations internal and external to the workplace.

Why snap decisions work

In September I took over most of the parenting chores to allow Pam to study for exams at the end of the month.  This involved a minimum of 3 hours driving for the school run alone.  Plus the usual grocery shopping, cooking and laundry.  And of course giving the children something to do other than make a noise around the office!  It left about 5 hours a day for other things, which meant lots of postponement.  But it has been a very worthwhile project which I'll continue in a less intense way.  It really showed up the benefit of hands on attention to children that makes parenting interesting, challenging and productive.  The children (4 of them aged 4-12) get the kind of guidance that is missing at school and get to develop a more friendly relationship with parents.  It makes clear the undervalued trade-off that people make by handing children over to child-carers so that they can live and work without them.  I really recommend a more hands on approach to all parents.

The other big change has been the reformatting of this newsletter to a blog format.  That has been time consuming but adds much more value because it is easily segmented by subject, titles become summaries and entries can be more timely.  However, I still have catching up to do.

On the investment management side, I did reenter the markets, largely in response to market sentiment, but with great caution for limiting downside.

And in the garden some chores have been postponed till October, while essential harvesting of tomatoes, french beans and root vegetables did provide us tasty fare for the table (especially the cherry tomatoes of which we've already harvested about 10kg ).

Be The Change 2007 will take place in November.  Supported by The Independent newspaper, The Sky's The Limit is a collaboration between Be The Change, the World Future Council, The Converging World, the new economics foundation and Rights and Humanity. In three days of presentations, panels, world cafes - and with film and music - participants seek to generate new, solution-oriented responses.

Participants include Prof. C.S. Kiang (China), Vandana Shiva (India), Maude Barlow (Canada); Hermann Scheer (Germany), Frances Moore Lappe and Drew Dellinger (USA) and from the UK, Bianca Jagger, Jonathon Porritt, Nicki Gavron, Richard Reed, Rob Hopkins and many more: entrepreneurs, activists, scientists, film-makers, poets and musicians.

November 15 - 17 at the magnificent Central Hall, Westminster, where the UN General Assembly first met in 1946.

BeTheChange.org.uk for bookings

Not for sale - end slavery

Making Money

This five part YouTube series with now deceased TV newscaster Peter Jennings explores how the food industry spends billions of dollars to sabotage your health. Jennings also takes a critical look at the US government's agricultural subsidy programmes, and the consequences of misguided government policies on diet and health. For example, sugar and fat receive 20 times more government farming subsidies than fruits and vegetables. The food industry spends $34 billion per year marketing their products, $12 billion of which is spent marketing unhealthy foods to children. Learn how misleading advertising, food additives, and a corrupt subsidy system have undermined public health.

Click here for the videos: part 1. Part 2.  Part 3.  Part 4. Part 5.