While I appreciate the positive aspect of carbon trading – that it draws attention to the problem of overconsumption of energy, in particular fossil fuels – it is a distraction from focussing on the real problem of changing the way we do things. A new report of carbon trading articulates the increasing risks of focussing …
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Author:astraea
Are you (or your children) a junkie, for junk food?
Scientific research shows that junk food is addictive. We have recognised that for a long time and that’s why our children don’t get too much access to it. It’s not just the branded burger bars, but all those brands with massive advertising like cola, crisps/chips, sweets. Consumers are brainwashed into a sense of appreciation although …
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Many walls still need to be brought down.
An open world is the solution to many of the problems humanity has created for itself, from economic instability to ecological instability, from hunger to pollution, from torture to poverty. On the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, JP Lehmann reflects on the many challenges we must all face up to today: The …
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Extinction threat to humans growing.
The headline might be more dramatic than the original: “Species’ extinction threat grows”. But it’s more to the point. If they are dying faster, nature is changing faster. Humans can not adapt to an environment much different from the one we inhabit, especially in terms of temperature, moisture, oxygen. But mostly, we’ll just run out …
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Curry for cancer, arthritis and dementia
It seems that tumeric can fight cancer, as well as arthritis and dementia. Tests by cancer researchers show that a compound curcumin tumeric kills off gullet cancer cells in the lab. Dr McKenna said “Scientists have known for a long time that natural compounds have the potential to treat faulty cells that have become cancerous …
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Are we saying goodbye to privacy in EU? and the world?
Norway, a member state of the EU, makes most tax information available to the public for free, online and with analysis tools. You can compare incomes and wealth of celebrities, friends, yourself. You can see where people live. There are positive aspects to this open approach to disclosure – it supports a more egalitarian economy. …
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No Plan “B”
The world faces a “catastrophe” of floods, droughts and killer heatwaves if world leaders fail to agree a deal on climate change. Negotiators have 50 days to save the world from global warming and break the “impasse”. There is no plan B. This is the message of Gordon Brown at the Major Economies Forum in …
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Maldives cabinet meets under water to highlight climate change.
See the video: BBC: Maldives cabinet makes a splash
Nurture emotional intelligence at primary level
Further research has been released supporting the benefits of nurturing emotional intelligence rather than cognitive intelligence up till age six. This means that education should focus on games, music, art, social skills, teamwork, nature appreciation, experiential learning rather than maths, reading and writing which can be picked up gently rather than force feeding and entrance …
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Hunger still kills people.
A child dies of hunger every 6 seconds. A nasty statistic that we’d rather ignore. The latest Hunger Report by The International Food Policy Research Institute shows that there are far more people hungry than we imagine. We, who enjoy cars, TV, wifi, chocolate and junk food should be ashamed. Maybe we would be if …
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