The recent publication of this year’s World Values survey shows that the world is getting happier. The survey is simple, but revealing and you can download much data here. Two aspects are particularly interesting: In general the Human Development trend points towards stronger secular-rational values and stronger self-expression values. There is a diminishing marginal return …
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Category:Living
The United States of Advertising and our dysfunctional perspective
This funny article and video clip give a good insight in to the difficulty we all face of having a sensible and balanced view of our world. The author mainly discusses the differences between advertising in the US and elsewhere, such as the promotion of prescription drugs – “if your doctor isn’t prescribing this, ask …
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Another giant is waking up to the urgency of biosphere preservation – IEA
The International Energy Agency is finally beginning to realise that consumption patterns and technology must change if we are to avoid a natural catastrophe. The IEA announced that $ 45,000,000,000,000 (trillion) must be spent to change the pattern of consumption of fossil fuels. It is a long overdue public recognition only catalysed by the current …
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Yoga hones Indian army
The Indian army has introduced yoga as part of the training programme for troops, and it has been found to be beneficial. This isn’t much different from investment bankers doing their 24 minutes of ashtanga before donning their red braces to take over another company. It shows that yoga really is for all! Though of …
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Parents! Tired of being harrased by your teenager? See this …
Print this image and stick it on the fridge or their door! 🙂
The 6 million dollar man becoming reality
The video and report linked here shows a monkey controlling a robotic arm via probes inserted into its brain. This certainly demonstrates the viability of robotic prosthetics (and probably some terrifying military applications). But I wouldn’t want unnecessary probes in my head and our cousin primates don’t either. It would be better if human volunteers …
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Still a primitive world – AI report on human rights 2008
Amnesty International released their annual report on human rights. It continues to paint a stark picture of humanity. Violence is the culture of too many places, and of too many rich countries. With the richest countries still failing to respect human life, despite teh intellect and wealth available to nurture, it remains a dream that …
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Making jails part of the community
The Urban Institute’s recent work on jails and recidivism in the US shows that integrating jails with other community life reduces the liklihood of reoffending and lowers the costs of incaceration. This report from the Futurist: Local jails in the United States handle 9 million individuals a year, far more than state and federal prisons …
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BT Notes April – Food and consumption …
April started off in a glorious mood – the first bluebells blossomed in the woods and by mid-April the first rhododendron was out. But the warmth didn’t last; and maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. A couple of cold, dry weeks in the middle of the month meant that the grass and weeds didn’t …
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Lifestyle at conception determines gender.
According to research reported by the BBC, a female’s diet around the time of conception may influence the gender of her baby. The study, by the Universities of Exeter and Oxford, appears in the Royal Society journal Biological Sciences, suggests a high calorie diet at the time of conception, especially proper breakfasts, might increase the …
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