World Food Day 2008 provides an occasion to once again highlight the plight of 923 million undernourished people in the world. Most of them live in rural areas where their main source of income is the agricultural sector. Global warming and the biofuel boom are now threatening to push the number of hungry even higher …
Continue reading World Food Day 2008
Category:Living
Biomimicry wins Nobel prize
Biomimicry involves emulating nature in technology. A clever trick borrowed from jellyfish has earned two Americans and one Japanese scientist a share of the chemistry Nobel Prize. Read the report here.
Evolution is over and we’re living in Utopia.
An interesting perspective on how evolution of humans has ended: genetic mutations have declined, natural selection has been extinguished (by medicine and philanthropy) and may be being reversed, and biological differentiation has diminidhed by the density of humanity on the planet. Read Evolution is complete: so where do we go from here? from yesterday’s Telegraph.
Thinking recession … feeling it yet?
The past couple of weeks people have really started to pay attention to the dislocation of financial markets and their impact on the economies, especially those of US and Europe. People have started to say they think we’re in a recession. I’m afraid this is the beginning only. We will start to feel the pain …
Continue reading Thinking recession … feeling it yet?
Living in Hebron: A work of fiction. But only just.
A new film shows the reality of life for people in the middle east. A simple story of students breaking curfew to go to a school reunion it brings to life the tension and impossibility of humanity in the middle east. It will not be released till April, but this review gives a sense of …
Continue reading Living in Hebron: A work of fiction. But only just.
India bans smoking in public …
India has banned somking in public. This is a bold move. On the upside it will reduce deaths and illness from both passive and active smoking, will encourage healthier lifestyle and will also support a transition to a more enlightened social dynamic (as the “cowboy” image is depreciated). But it will not be easy to …
Continue reading India bans smoking in public …
Healthy living = longer living
Another scientific report showing that a balanced lifestyle with healthy eating habits (balanced diet and not too much) and exercise leads to a longer life is summarised here in Clean Living Slows Cell Ageing.
Home, green home
It seems that the wave of sustainable initiatives is growing. As we accelerate our eco-village development, it appears to dove tail with a growing demand for green homes. In the latest Technology Quarterly by The Economist the subject is covered in Home, green home and Another green revolution. This article highlights the trend to new …
Continue reading Home, green home
A good reason to avoid men that won’t commit – they’re genetically flawed
Research just published shows that men with a certain version of a gene find it difficult to commit to relationships and to manage relationships. While this behaviour is fine in general, it is not positive for relationships, whether personal or professional. It is useful to know that the symptom of that dysfunctional gene is superficially …
Continue reading A good reason to avoid men that won’t commit – they’re genetically flawed
The king has taken off his clothes in the UK
The UK administration has made a politically dangerous and unusual admission: the economy is in a bad situation. Making analogy with the children’s story of The King’s New Clothes, this is equivalent to a courtier saying that those fancy new clothes that we’ve all been admiring aren’t really there. The language of the UK Chancellor …
Continue reading The king has taken off his clothes in the UK