The Nature Conservancy has published a report Nature’s Investment Bank, which examines four marine protection areas in Fiji, Indonesia, Philippines and the Solomon Islands, to assess what constitutes a successful community conservation scheme that provides sustainable economics. Research into four successful schemes showed that getting villagers involved in protection projects reduced harmful overfishing and protected …
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Category:Living
Addicted
I’m addicted, you’re addicted, we’re all addicted. But not addicted to love, sadly. We might like to think that we’re immune, but facing the truth, we must own up that our addictions are open secrets. Let’s touch a few bases to see where addiction might be in our lives. From personal to popular, from body …
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Lower stress and lower calories to live longer, again
New research again supports the notion that eating less and having lower stress are significant factors in extending longevity. In a study detailed in the journal Nature, US scientists from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, exposed nematode worms were exposed to 88,000 chemicals in turn and mianserin, an antidepressant drug, extended lifespan by …
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Weight influences self-esteem in young children because of social pressure
A study Girls shout out! Under ten and under pressure, published by Girlguiding UK and eating disorders charity beat, found girls associated being overweight with being bullied and sad, while families and friends make them feel happy and good about themselves. Girls as young as seven believe being slim and attractive will mean you are …
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Making sense of the right to carry weapons
The US Supreme Court is to consider Americans’ right to bear arms for the first time in nearly 70 years. It has agreed to rule on whether a ban on handguns by the city of Washington, DC (since 1976) complies with the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court has announced it …
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The virtual world is getting harsh, with cyber-bullying
The launch by YouTube of a site where users can raise concerns about cyber-bulling puts in to sharp focus the reality of teh virtual worlds we create. While the YouTube initiative illustrates the nature and extent of personal abuse by internet or phone-text, it should not detract from awareness that traditional non-physical abuse is also …
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Another civilisation destroyed by ecological over-consumption
In August we heard about new satellite evidence that shows how the ancient Khmer civilisation around Angkor Wat collapsed when its consumption of water resources exceeded natural limits. A new study outlined at the recent Climate and Humans conference in Murcia, Spain, and appearing in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, shows that one of Western …
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Transport more important to us than children?
There are now three times more cars than children in the UK says a report commissioned by Play England who say that the disappearance of places where children can play demands a “robust and urgent response”. While the statistic in itself may be a bit misleading, since it does not reflect car ownership per family, …
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Theft in the virtual world … a step in the right direction?
A teenager has been arrested for stealing virtual furniture in a virtual hotel in a virtual world (Habbo). The furniture was paid for with real money, however. This is another step in the realisation of virtual reality. Earlier this year we heard of a real world intellectual property litigation over virtual businesses in a virtual …
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Can we walk the talk? Its harder than you think …
A fairly extensive poll by the BBC inquiring whether individuals can make lifestyle changes to redress damage to the biosphere returned a positive result. Most of us think we can and will make changes. This is a good start, but we should not be complacent for a two main reasons: The changes envisioned are modest …
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