The NHS will in future offer acupuncture to patients suffering back pain as part of new guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). This is the first time NICE has formally backed the use of complementary therapies. NICE believes that using active therapies – such as acupuncture and spinal manipulation – …
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Category:7 Holonics and Life
The destruction of the Amazon is real (in pictures).
We are destroying the Amazon rain forest so that we can have cheap burgers. The slide show linked here shows the rapid decimation of the ancient forest. It takes centuries to regrow. Without it our biosphere is made vulnerable to climate volatility. It sounds like a foolish, short sighted trade-off doesn’t it? (The solution? Fewer …
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20 years on, the ozone hole lingers
The global recognition of CFCs’ destructive potential led to the 1989 Montreal Protocol banning the production of ozone-depleting chemicals. Scientists estimate that about 80% of the chlorine (and bromine, which has a similar ozone-depleting effect) in the stratosphere over Antarctica today is from human, not natural, sources. Models suggest that the concentration of chlorine and …
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Females more valuable, but still undervalued.
The Irish Central Statistics Office has just released a study on gender demographics for Ireland with some comparisons to the EU. The data shows that females are better educated, healthier and more peace-abiding than men, but they still earn far less and don’t get as much say on how the country is run. This may …
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Can we go “cold turkey” on fossil fuels?
Scientists now warn that we must effectively halt fossil fuel use if we are to avoid global climate warming of 2 degrees C by 2050. That’s probably a realistic estimate. But we are unlikely to do it. In fact we probably won’t even try. (See previous post.) But we could take a big step in …
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A sober perspective of the ecological crisis
In Bound to Burn, an article copied here, Peter Huber lays out a realistic perspective of the challenge of redirecting our energy consumption patterns. It is very sobering. He outlines the seemingly intractable and growing demand for carbon based fuels, comparing them with an insignificant impact of alternative fuels, concluding that carbon sequestration is the …
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Entrepreneurship Education
A new report in a valuable area has been released by the World Economic Forum. It is a bit institutionally long winded but has valuable recommendations and worthy objectives. Entrepreneurship Education Executive Summary pdf Full Report pdf
Don’t stress about swine flu.
The scare of a potential pandemic of swine flu is newsworthy, but you shouldn’t get too concerned. While the rise in deaths (now ~150) makes headlines, these numbers are modest compared to historical pandemics and compared to other causes of death. The resources available to maintain health and cure illness are far better than they …
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Losses of $ 4 Trillion (that’s 12 zeroes).
The IMF has warned that potential losses from the credit crunch could reach $4 trillion and damage the financial system for years to come. It says that even if urgent action is taken to clean up the banking system, the process will be “slow and painful”, delaying economic recovery. It says that banks may need …
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Would you all please stop bickering.
It was never going to be easy. Before it had begun important participants, like the US, had already turned up their noses. The UN conference on racism had a patchy history and was bound to raise hackles. It is unfortunate that “diplomats” walked out of a speech by a President, even if they have difficulty …
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