Chocolate at Easter.... to eat, or not to eat, that is the question

At this time of year around the Easter celebration period, many people face the question of having a guilty conscience through indulging in a splurge of chocolate eating. Various conflicting messages from a variety of studies point either to negative health effects or to some potential positive value of chocolate consumption. A study from the world renowed Karolinska Institute found that -

"Heart attack survivors who eat chocolate regularly may cut their long-term risk of dying from heart disease. The study, which is published in Journal of Internal Medicine, was conducted on more than 1000 heart attack patients in Stockholm County during the period 1992-1994. A follow-up survey was made after eight years. The result shows that chocolate consumption may be associated with lower cardiac mortality, as those heart patients who ate chocolate several times a week cut their risk of dying from heart disease about threefold compared to those who didn't eat chocolate at all..."

Any health value appears to be linked to dark chocolate only... so no luck for milk chocolate or white chocolate fans!

Good Friday and the buns

On Good Friday during the Easter celebration, hot cross buns are traditionally toasted or eaten hot with the cross on the bun symbolising The Crucifixion of Jesus. There is some evidence to suggest that hot cross buns actually pre-date Christianity, although generally it is acknowledged that the first reference to 'hot cross buns' was in 1733. However the use of a cross on bread or buns has a wider use than with the Christian festival and similar buns were eaten by Saxons in honour of the goddess Eostre as the cross represetned the four quarters of the moon. Whether correct or not is unknown although the term "Eostre" is probably the origin of the name "Easter". Apart from people of devout faith or belief, it is doubtful that many of those consuming the buns are aware of its actual meaning.

Up in the Sky - NASA releases images from Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer

NASA's Images from looking into the heavens: click here

Nebula SH 2-235

Sydney's society art show - the Archibald in 2011

Once again the the Archibald Portrait exhibition has arrived on the 2011 art calender. Amongst the 41 selected entries are portraits of Roy Ananda, John Coetzee, Matt Moran, Hugo Weaving, Robert Jacks, Dr Ann Lewis , Richard Roxburgh, Robyn Nevin, Prof Penny Sackett, Cathy Freeman, Richard morecroft, Tim Storrier (a self portrait) and the ubiquitious Margaret Olley. The awarding of the first prize to Ben Quilty for his portrait of Margaret Olley (shown below) cements her position in Australia as the most often painted artist by other artists. The Archibald is often a bit of a controversial painting contest however the 2011 exhibition is relatively steady fare with no surprises.

Earth Hour 2011

2011 - A new year and a new direction ?

As a new year beckons, its often an appropriate time to reflect back on what has transpired over the past twelve months (and in some cases further back than just a year) and formulate resolutions for the next year. Some larger questions to come to mind: will the international financial system experience further 'aftershocks' from the Global Financial Crisis with the US economy still stunted and the European Union bailing out weaker member states ? Shall the war in Afghanistan reach any milestone or achievement progressing to a point where the planned US withdrawal  appears viable? Will there continue to be some intra-state progress with environmental controls and carbon emission reduction ?  And where will technology lead us in the next year with the convergence of communication, media and computing hardware and software. These larger macro questions all have an impact on the micro individual level and even disciples of game theory would find it difficult to accurately predict the year ahead.

Rising sea levels and Australia's coastal urban communities

With the prospect of rising sea levels across the World in the next ten to twenty years and 85% of Australians living on the coastal fringe of the Continent, the maps released by the Federal Department of Climate Change and OzCoasts makes interesting scrutiny. For most locations and the State capitals, rising sea levels have only a modest impact, but for reclaimed land and waterfront developments on artificially created landmass, the situation is very different with water inundation almost impossible to prevent.

http://www.ozcoasts.org.au/climate/sd_visual.jsp

Solar energy has the appeal in Australia

Encouraging news on the uptake of a key alternative renewable energy source:

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/energy-smart/aussies-do-their-bit-as-solar-panel-use-surges-20101221-193q3.html

Christmas 2010

Christmas each year through the celebration of the Christian calendar provides an opportunity to share the holiday spirit and reflect on the past year's events and the coming year's challenges. For many people, notwithstanding the joy of sharing over the festive season, the awareness of life's passing moments and the passage of time can be a confronting experience. It was interesting to read media reports that in 2010, the major charities are reporting that volunteers are at a record high to assist at this time, and  in fact that charities have had to turn potential volunteers away. Some in fact, filled their volunteer quotas in advance some months ago. The motivations of all people have a basis in sharing and generosity but mixed with this altruism is just a tinge of guilt about having some good fortune in life when many others do not. In this sense, a feeling of being useful is often a counterpoint to match this uncomfortable feeling in what can be, in general terms, a remarkably uncomforatable period of the year.

Cancun and COP16 - progress continues in small steps

From the news reports from COP16 Cancun there appears to be some further incremental developments for international cooperation on climate change. From the Wall Street Journal -

CANCUN, Mexico—The world's nations on Saturday agreed to a package of climate initiatives, including billions of dollars in funding for poor countries, although they failed to adopt a binding climate treaty amid a stalemate among the U.S., China, Japan and other nations.

The agreement calls on rich countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by amounts nations pledged a year ago, although the cuts aren't legally binding. Developing countries are to come up with plans to cut their emissions in a worldwide effort to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The agreement includes plans for a green fund and $100 billion a year that wealthier countries would provide by 2020 to help poor countries finance programs to cut emissions and cope with drought and other effects of global warming.

A stalemate among the U.S., China, Japan, India and other countries has frozen talks on a global climate treaty and thrown into question the future of the existing Kyoto Protocol climate treaty. But diplomats said they hoped the Cancun plan could pave the way for a legally binding climate treaty when governments reconvene at next year's U.N. climate summit in Durban, South Africa.

Japan has said that it wouldn't commit to a second phase of the Kyoto treaty unless the world's largest greenhouse-gas emitters, namely China, the U.S. and India, agreed to cut their emissions under a legally binding treaty. The first phase of the treaty ends in 2012.

The U.S., which signed but never ratified the Kyoto treaty, has long argued that it wouldn't agree to mandated emission cuts unless China and other fast-growing economies also agreed to limit emissions. But at climate negotiations a year ago in Copenhagen, both the U.S. and China made voluntary commitments to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.

China has maintained that as a developing country, it doesn't have the resources—or responsibility—to aggressively cut emissions while growing its economy.

India initially had a similar position, although the country softened it this week, saying it would consider agreeing to mandated cuts at some point in the future.