The first comprehensive review in five years of the world’s 634 kinds of primates found that almost 50% are in danger of going extinct, according to the criteria of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Humanity’s closest relatives, the world’s monkeys, apes and other primates, are disappearing from the face of the Earth, with …
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Author:astraea
BT Notes August – Tullow’s dying, potatoes, the Irish Green Gathering …
While I can’t resist commenting on the weather, I’ll resist for a moment because something sad is happening in Tullow, our local town. It is dying. Tesco, the UK supermarket mega-group, opened a large store a month ago and already all traders in the centre of town are feeling it. Whether its the other supermarkets, …
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I don’t like being green/eco/ethical …
It’s just the way I am. So, I suppose, I do like being green/eco/ethical because I wouldn’t want to be the opposite. But I find that that is how I’m labelled by others, and that’s a shame. It should be a minimum that people are green/eco/ethical. People should then be differentiated by their professional skills, …
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Don’t stop children from playing!
Another report has been published which shows the sad increase in over-protectiveness by parents of their children. Parents are increasingly denying children the opportunity to learn naturally, to enjoy life and to be children. The consequences for those children are not just a more boring life today, but also less enjoyable and successful life as …
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The financial meltdown so far …
A succinct summary of the impact of the dislocation of financial markets so far is presented by the BBC here. It summarises the numbers; the losses to banks, homeowners, investors and policymakers. Unfortunately what is also clear is that none of the leaders in these areas have presented a way out. They talk about rebuilding …
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Is the US economy really growing?
Today’s report of 1.9% annualised growth of the US economy in the second quarter is surprising. With virtual stagnation of property markets, dry credit and inflation it seems implausible that this growth is occurring. These numbers from the Department of Commerce are preliminary and may be downgraded. Many analysts, including us, believe that the US …
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The Story of Stuff
A great video and website on our material global society. It is particularly good for education from children to adults. It is simple in its presentation but covers a lot of ground. Its focus is on the US, but its very applicable to all rich consumers. An excellent presentation of the problems with our consumer …
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Climate counts scorecard
A cute website that scores (US) companies on their commitment to fighting climate change. Focuses on the big companies. ClimateCounts.org
Voluntary defaults could solve the US financial problem …
This report from the BBC shows that the more wealthy borrowers who are able to service their mortgages are choosing to default because the negative equity is so large. For example, a borrower might face a 40% drop in marketable value and increasing interest rates, so they choose to walk away from the mortgage suffering …
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Trying to find your body …
As you get older its harder to get/keep trim. Work, children and eating out get in the way, or at least add to waistline getting in the way. My benchmark is my weight at age around 18 to 20. Right now I’m about 5kg over that and I still want to loose it. I just …
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