clipped from: Check how might the God’s Inbox looks like (check also the desktop too)? Author: Evan Eisen. Click on the image to enlarge.
5 years ago
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Under 30, online and world-beating
All it takes to make an internet fortune these days is one brilliant idea. Technology Correspondent David Smith meets the young British entrepreneurs who are shaping the future of the web.
David Smith, technology correspondent
Sunday February 25, 2007
The Observer
Like many of the best ideas, it began with a simple question. 'How many people are kissing at this moment?' Thomas Whitfield, a 25-year-old student, wanted to know. Talking over a drink in a hotel lobby, he and a friend dreamed up DesignTheTime, a website with the limitless ambition of charting 'the history of mankind' moment by moment.
Last week the site announced it had won £50m to develop its idea - a historical 'timeline' split into minutes, each of which can be bought by users to post memorable moments in their lives, for example by uploading video footage of a child's birthday or favourite pop concert. Its backers, Bright Station Ventures, were 'blown away' by the concept. Microsoft said: 'We believe DesignTheTime has the potential to be the next YouTube or Skype.' Such grand claims are commonplace in America's Silicon Valley. What makes Whitfield's venture remarkable is that it was born in Britain.
The UK's reputation as something of a backwater in the world of the web is out of date. Today The Observer reveals some of the brightest stars of this new generation, from the teenager who made a million dollars from his bedroom to the businesswoman revolutionising mobile text messaging, from the brother-and-sister team creating online social networks linked to real places to the Leeds man who started his first website at 14 and is now pioneering software to protect children. None is older than 30, all are shaping the future.
This generation of entrepreneurs is taking on, and sometimes beating, the Americans at their own game. The UK software economy is worth around £20bn, with Microsoft a huge investor. Millions are being poured into internet start-ups with a flamboyance once seen only in California, and some US venture capitalists have opened offices here for the purpose of making money. Experts say that economic and cultural changes - including TV programmes such as Dragons' Den and The Apprentice - have made entrepreneurship a fashionable career choice for young people, promising to slow the brain drain and revive Britain's pride in innovation.
But, unlike the first UK internet boom a decade ago led by Martha Lane Fox's online travel firm Lastminute.com, large-scale financial backing is not essential to get started: the spread of broadband access and the diminishing price of hardware make it possible to set up and run a virtual company from a bedroom or coffee shop. The next wave of would-be dotcom millionaires includes teenagers, university dropouts and a former Butlins redcoat. All they need is a big idea.
Whitfield, studying for a PhD in biochemistry at Oxford, spends his days researching vaccines for HIV and hepatitis C. Late at night, over eight months, he was hunched over a computer screen programming software for DesignTheTime. Eventually it wowed the judges at the university's own version of Dragons' Den. Whitfield and his two co-founders are from Germany, but will move to Britain permanently. 'Britain is very friendly for building up ventures like this,' he said. 'In Germany it's much more bureaucratic.'
Dan Wagner, a partner at Bright Station Ventures, said: 'Momentum is now gathering in this country. The fact we watch Dragons' Den on TV is illustrative of a change, and now if you ask young students what they want to do, it's start a business. They need the right funding to make their dream a reality, but the infrastructure is not there - yet.'
The poster boy of internet dreamers is Alex Tew, 22, who hit the jackpot in 2005 with his website Million Dollar Homepage. With a debt of £4,000 and more to come at university, one night Tew wrote, 'How can I become a millionaire?' on a piece of paper and began brainstorming. 'It needed to be ambitious, have a good name, grab attention, be directly about money and so simple I could build it in a couple of days,' he recalled. 'I needed a million of something to sell and I didn't have a million of anything, then pixels [the simplest graphical unit on a computer screen] came to mind. It was a lightbulb moment.'
Tew set up a website to sell advertising space in the form of a million pixels at $1 each. He borrowed £500 from family and friends to put out publicity which gained coverage from the BBC and snowballed: 'It became a self-fulfilling prophecy. People were in disbelief because I was making money for effectively nothing, and the very fact they talked about it was the reason it did well.' He made £500,000.
Tew, from Swindon, Wiltshire, said there are now opportunities that were unthinkable in the Nineties. 'It's so cheap these days for an internet start-up. Everyone has broadband, so the internet is a lot more appealing. Sites like MySpace and YouTube could not have existed five years ago in their current form.'
The self-confident can-do enthusiasm of Silicon Valley is now audible in the buzz of Second Chance Tuesday, a networking event in central London where hi-tech entrepreneurs, investors and visitors from the likes of eBay and Google swap ideas and business cards. The first, a year ago, was organised in 10 days with little publicity yet attracted 400 applicants; it is now invariably over-subscribed several times.
Co-organiser Judith Clegg said: 'We have businesses such as Bebo [a social networking site] and Skype [internet telephony] getting international recognition, and people all over the world are looking to London as a creative hub.'
A winning website can take just one person, a laptop and a killer concept that harnesses content generated by its users, a characteristic of so-called 'Web 2.0'. But fully fledged businesses, particularly those involving complex technology, still require initial support from venture capitalists or 'angel investors', individuals who back schemes without an aggressive profit-at-all-costs motivation. When Christina Domecq, a member of the Allied Domecq wine and spirits family, wanted to set up a hi-tech company she did not choose Spain, where she was born, or America, where she grew up. She came to Britain.
Domecq co-founded SpinVox - which turns mobile voicemails into text messages, and voice calls into internet blogs - and raised £25m from angel investors. Her staff has grown from 30 to 165 in the past year and SpinVox expects its six millionth user in 2007. 'I've found the UK amazingly welcoming,' said Domecq, 30. 'There's great opportunity for innovation and real breadth of experience here.'
Just as Stanford University is a powerhouse at the heart of Silicon Valley UK, so Oxford, Cambridge and London universities such as Imperial College are fuelling the UK surge. Venture capital investment in London, the east and south-east was £923m in 2005. But Bob Goodson, co-founder and chairman of the student society Oxford Entrepreneurs, warned that Britain still has some way to go - Silicon Valley investments for 2005 totalled £4.2bn.
'In the US, angel investors invest in people and markets at an early stage,' said the 26-year-old, now working for a social networking start-up in California. 'That concept does not seem to be prevalent in the UK, where it's more "Show me the business plan and exactly how I'm going to get my money back, times 10." That's all very well in a solid established industry, but when you're doing something for the first time you can't know everything in advance. You have to be nimble.'
Nevertheless, there is a sense of growing confidence and energy in digital Britain. Time and again, the most important ingredient has been a winning idea - and Britain's twentysomethings appear to be rich in those.
The young webmasters:
Oli Barrett
29, Reading
Site: www.connectedcapital.co.uk
Background: Dropped out of university and did a summer job as a Butlins redcoat. Went to Leeds University and started Amazingyou, a student headhunting site.
Big idea: Introduced a business version of speed-dating in which people meet for three minutes at a time.
He says: 'I'm 29 and still hungry.'
Adam Hildreth
21, Leeds
Site: www.crispthinking.com
Background: Came up with Dubit, a website for teenagers, when he was 14 and left school at 16 to run it full time. Turnover this year will be £1.5m.
Big idea: Technology to protect children from paedophiles online.
He says: 'The money isn't just handed over, there is a lot of testing to make sure it will work.'
Harjeet Johal
27, Nottingham
Site: underfivepounds.com
Background: Started his internet business in 2006. Turnover is now more than £5m.
Big idea: Online retailer selling items for less than £5.
He says: 'You don't have to be technically minded, just have an idea and drive it to its conclusion.'
Lindsay and Russell
Middleton
Sister and brother, 24 and 25, Plymouth
Site: www.wehanghere.com
Background: She read economics at University College London; he studied engineering at Cambridge.They created the site in their spare time and now have nearly 500 members .
Big idea: free website enabling users to look, via Google Maps, at their favourite venues and see who 'hangs out' there.
Lindsay says: 'We've no intention of going to Silicon Valley. We're proud to be British.'
reposted from: Observer/Guardian
my highlights / emphasis / comments
Food labelling campaign launched - The GDA v Traffic Light Wars
 Rival supermarkets are using different labelling methods |
The labels show percentages of guideline daily amounts (GDA) of sugar, salt, fat and calories in each serving.
Other firms use red, amber and green labels - where green is good and red warns not to consume too much - approved by the Food Standards Agency.
But the 21 firms and retailers using the GDA system say people will not buy products with red labels on them.
reposted from: BBC.co.uk
my highlights / emphasis / comments
The GDA campaign - supported by a coalition of the UK's biggest food and drink manufacturers as well as supermarkets Tesco, Somerfield and Morrison - begins on Monday with TV and print adverts.
Members of the GDA group say consumers will find the percentages of GDAs easier to understand than the FSA's "traffic light" system.
GDA labelling shows percentages of guideline daily amounts per serving
GDA campaign director Jane Holdsworth said the new labelling system was about "lifestyle" choices.
"We have made it simple to compare what's inside thousands of everyday foods so you can choose what best suits your diet," she said.
And Tesco said its GDA labelling had already changed the buying behaviour of its shoppers.
Tesco spokesman Jonathan Church told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Our sales data shows customers are using it to make changes towards healthier foods.
"We have seen it in ready meals, sandwiches and other product categories."
More than 5,000 products already carried GDA labelling and this would be extended to every Tesco-owned food item within the next few months, he said.
There are claims that the traffic light system is easier to use
Mr Church denied the supermarket was trying to safeguard sales at the expense of customers' health, saying fat and salt content in some products had been lowered as a result of GDA labelling.
But supporters of the FSA's traffic light system - used by firms including Sainsbury's, Waitrose , the Co-Op, Marks and Spencer and Asda - say the GDA system is flawed because many adults do not understand percentages.
The FSA says its research shows traffic light labels are easier to understand.
"Some consumers do like the extra information that GDAs provide," it said in a statement.
"However, without a traffic light colour code our research showed that shoppers can't always interpret the information quickly and often find percentages difficult to understand and use." 
HAVE YOUR SAY 
Why not simply have the supermarkets sell only healthy food? 
Marc Woodhall, Burton on Trent 
If traffic light colours were added to products with GDA labels this would "reduce the confusion in the marketplace", it added.
Diabetes UK also gave their backing to the traffic light system, saying it was the "quickest and easiest" way for consumers to know what their food contained.
"If manufacturers choose to produce their own labelling guidance, it will only serve to confuse shoppers," said chief executive Douglas Smallwood.
"Voluntary food labelling will only work if manufacturers look at it from the view of the consumer, rather than suiting themselves."
| GUIDELINE DAILY AMOUNTS | ||
| | ||
| | Women | Men |
| Energy (Calories) | 2,000 | 2,500 |
| Protein | 45g | 55g |
| Carbohydrate | 230g | 300g |
| of which sugars | 90g | 120g |
| Fat | 70g | 95g |
| of which saturates | 20g | 30g |
| Fibre | 24g | 24g |
| Sodium | 2.4g | 2.4g |
| Equivalent as salt | 6g | 6g |
| Source: Institute of Grocery Distribution | ||
| TRAFFIC LIGHT LABELLING | |||
| | |||
| | Low Per 100g | Medium Per 100g | High Per 100g |
| Fat | 0-3g | Between 3g and 20g | 20g and over |
| Saturated fat | 0-1.5g | Between 1.5g and 5g | 5g and over |
| Total sugars | 0-5g | Between 5g and 15g | 15g and over |
| Salt | 0-0.3g | Between 0.3g and 1.5g | 1.5g and over |
| Source: Food Standards Agency | |||
How to survive a heart attack when alone
HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE
Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, this article seemed in order.) Without help the person whose heart stops beating properly and who begins to feel Faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating.
The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a phone and, between breaths, call for help.
Tell as many other people as possible about this, it could save their lives!
from Health Cares, Rochester General Hospital via Chapter 240's newsletter AND THE BEAT GOES ON... (reprint from The Mended Hearts, Inc. publication, Heart Response)
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Differentiating Food Fats - The good, the bad, and the ugly (or the unsaturated, the saturated, and the trans)
Volume 3 Number 11 p. 10
© 2006 American Diabetes Association
Explaining different types of food fats and how to replace the bad with the good, the saturated and trans with the unsaturated, can be confusing. Healthy eating requires some fats, but the permeation of unhealthy fats in so many readily available foods makes overconsumption easy.
reposted from: http://docnews.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/3/11/10
my highlights / emphasis / edits
Yet it is imperative that clinicians emphasize the important role food and nutrition play in their patients' health, says American Dietetic Association (ADietA) spokesperson Bethany Thayer, MS, RD.
"All patients should receive dietary advice on healthy eating habits from their physicians, and all patients at risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes (the great majority of adults in the U.S.) should see a registered dietitian at least once," concurs Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, MPH, of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
To help limit unhealthy fats in patients' diets, Thayer and Mozaffarian stress two main messages: The body does not need saturated or trans fats—both are unhealthy—and patients should avoid all foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, in which trans fats are found.
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggest a total fat intake of 20–35% of daily calories, with the majority coming from unsaturated fats, <10%> saturated fats, and minimal amounts from trans fatty acids.1 Dietary guidelines for disease prevention from the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association suggest a total fat intake that does not exceed 35% of total daily calories consisting primarily of unsaturated fats, <7%> and minimal or <1%>trans fats.2,3
UNSATURATED: THE HEALTHIER FATS
The healthier food fats are unsaturated, found in foods such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated vegetable oils, oily coldwater fish, nuts and seeds, and avocados.
Studies suggest that substituting unsaturated for saturated and trans fats and increasing consumption of omega-3 fatty acids from fish and plant sources are effective nutrition strategies for prevention of cardiovascular disease.4 Research also shows that replacing some carbohydrates with unsaturated fat lowers blood pressure and triglyceride levels and increases HDL cholesterol levels.5 Additionally, polyphenols in olive oil, especially higher phenolic content virgin olive oil, may reduce cardiovascular risk factors.6
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Unsaturated fats contain omega-3 fatty acids, which inhibit blood clotting and inflammation and relax arteries, as well as omega-6 fatty acids, which promote blood clotting and inflammation and constrict arteries, Thayer explains. Since these fatty acids tend to counteract each other, it is best to balance their intake, keeping in mind that corn oils used in processed foods, restaurant foods, and home cooking are higher in omega-6, while canola and olive oils and oily coldwater fish contain higher levels of omega-3.
SATURATED AND TRANS: THE UNHEALTHY FATS
Saturated fats come primarily from animal products—the meats and cheeses most people eat, notes ADietA spokesperson Cynthia Sass, MPH, MA, RD, LD/N. Saturated fats also are found in tropical oils (such as palm, palm kernal, and coconut oils), cocoa butter, and coconut.
"Trans and saturated fats hold products together and increase shelf-life and are therefore common in processed foods," Sass says.
Trans fats or trans fatty acids form during the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils, which increases shelf-life and stability during deep-frying and creates solid fats for commercial cooking and food manufacturing.7 While they occur naturally in meat from cows, sheep, and other ruminants, dietary trans fats are found primarily in margarines, vegetable shortening, prepared and packaged baked goods, chips and crackers, commercially prepared fried foods, and fast food and restaurant foods.
"Gram for gram and calorie for calorie, trans fatty acids are the most harmful nutrient in the food supply for risk of coronary heart disease," Mozaffarian says, adding that analysis of research shows "adverse effects from trans fat intake at 1–3% of total energy, or 2–7 grams in a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet."
Avoidance is the best tactic, but since this is difficult for many Americans, the next best step is to read labels, ask questions, and monitor fat intake to minimize saturated and trans fats.
MONITORING FAT INTAKE
Food label nutrition boxes list fat content in grams and percentages. Both Thayer and Sass suggest ignoring the percentages: They are confusing and often misunderstood. Rather, the grams of fat per serving should be tallied to determine daily intake.
With so many Americans at risk for diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, a dietary fat intake goal for disease prevention seems reasonable. To maintain a total fat intake of <30%> intake of <7%,> eaten daily <33> be consumed. That would mean 1,500 kcal would consist of <50 g total fat and >2,000 kcal, <65> fat and <15>; and 2,500 kcal, <83> fat and <19>
Other tips for helping patients limit unhealthy dietary fats:
- Read labels to determine saturated and trans fat contents.
- Choose foods containing <1>
- Choose foods listing 0 g trans fats per serving. Caution: Foods labeled as such legally may contain <500> eating multiple servings of a single food or a combination of foods labeled as having zero trans fat, but which actually may contain 200–400 mg trans fats per serving (i.e., 4–5 crackers, 1–2 cookies, 1 tablespoon margarine), consumption may quickly reach 1–2% of trans fats per total calories.
- Choose foods labeled low fat, which must contain
3 g fat per serving. - Choose deli meats and cheeses with the lowest possible fat content according to nutrient content brochures located at deli counters.
- Watch serving sizes. One serving of cheese is about one slice or 1/4 cup and may contain 3–6 g fat per serving.
- Avoid foods tasting smooth or creamy and those feeling greasy or leaving a greasy stain on a napkin. They are probably high in unhealthy fats.
- Use cooking oils, such as canola, with little saturated and no trans fat.
Most important, read ingredient lists and ask questions. "For now, consumers can only definitively determine that a product contains zero trans fats if there are no partially hydrogenated vegetable oils in the ingredient list," Mozaffarian says. And unless restaurants, fast-food outlets, and supermarkets voluntarily state their use of partially hydrogenated oils, consumers must inquire whether these oils containing trans fat are used. 
NYC Bans Trans Fat
BY NICK KOLAKOWSKI
For some time, health professionals have drawn attention to the dangers of trans fat, suggesting that Americans—particularly those with diabetes—slash their intake as close to zero as possible. Now, the New York City Board of Health has taken things one giant step farther by voting for a near-total ban of the substance in the city's restaurants. A public hearing on the issue was scheduled for late October, followed by a final vote at the end of the year.
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Trans fat, created by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil in order to improve the shelf life and stability of foods, raises LDL cholesterol levels and individual risk of coronary heart disease. It is found in vegetable shortenings and some types of margarine, as well as a variety of snacks and fried foods. New York City's plan, approved unanimously by the board of health on September 26, would limit its more than 20,000 restaurants to 0.5 g of artifi cial trans fat per serving of any menu item.
"Human life is much more important than shelf life," Lynne D. Richardson, a board of health member and professor of emergency medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, told The New York Times.1 "I would expect to see fewer people showing up in the emergency room with heart attacks if this policy is enacted."
If the measure is approved, restaurants have until July 2007 to switch to oils, margarines and shortening with less trans fat and until July 2008 to eliminate menu items, including cakes or chips, that exceed the limit. The exceptions would be naturally occurring trans fat and packaged food items that remain in the packaging while served.
The typical American currently consumes some 5.8 g trans fat per day, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While this raises the risk of heart disease in all individuals, the problem is particularly acute for those with diabetes, whose heart disease death rate is two to four times higher than that of those without the condition. More than 700,000 adults in New York City have been diagnosed with diabetes. Other cities, such as Chicago, are considering similar measures, but recent news reports suggest that restaurants and food companies will fight New York's ban in the courts.
"The commissioner [Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden, MD] in New York should be commended for his efforts to remove them [trans fats] from restaurant diets," says John Buse, director of the Diabetes Care Center at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill and vice president, medicine and science, of the American Diabetes Association. "They're a clear and present danger for cardiovascular disease, for people who have diabetes as well as those who don't."
Nationwide, the FDA now requires that trans fat be listed on nutrition labels, joining the saturated fat and dietary cholesterol listings that have been there since 1993.
Footnotes
Resources for monitoring daily nutrient intakes:
• ADA's Web site, www.diabetes.org/nutrition-and-recipes/nutrition/overview.jsp
• USDA's www.MyPyramid.gov
• A free diet and exercise journal Web site, www.my-calorie-counter.com
• www.nutrition.gov, for consumer information on food and nutrition
• Diabetes Carbohydrate and Fat Gram Guide, 3rd Edition, a book by Lea Ann Holzmeister, RD, CDE, available at the ADA's online bookstore, http://store.diabetes.org.
References
1. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. Available online at www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines. Accessed September 25, 2006.
2. American Diabetes Association: Nutrition recommendations and interventions for diabetes–2006 (Position Statement). Diabetes Care 29:2140–2157, 2006.
3. Lichtenstein AH, Appel LJ, Brands M, et al.: Diet and lifestyle recommendations revision 2006: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Circulation 114: 82–96, 2006.
4. Hu FB, Willett WC: Optimal diets for prevention of coronary heart disease. JAMA 288:2569–2578, 2002.
5. Appel LJ, Sacks FM, Carey VJ, et al.: Effects of protein, monounsaturated fat, and carbohydrate intake on blood pressure and serum lipids: Results of the OmniHeart randomized trial. JAMA 294:2455–2464, 2005.
6. Covas MI, Nyyssonen K, Poulsen HE, et al.: The effect of polyphenols in olive oil on heart disease risk factors: A randomized trial. Ann Intern Med 145:333–341, 2006.
7. Mozaffarian D, Katan MB, Ascherio A, et al.: Trans fatty acids and cardiovascular disease. N Engl J Med 354: 1601–1613, 2006.
Public want food 'traffic lights' labelling of foods
| By Adam Brimelow BBC News, Health correspondent |
| There are claims that the traffic light system is easier to use |
The Netmums website surveyed more than 17,000 parents, and found 80% backed 'traffic lights'.
This offers a simple red, amber and green guide to nutrition.
But many in the food industry prefer giving percentage figures of guideline daily amounts (GDA) for things like calories, sugars and fat.
The findings come as the British Medical Association announced its backing for the traffic light idea.
The National Heart Forum also says that GDA markings are complex and misleading.
GDA labelling supporters say their system provides people with more detailed information.
To be able to look at the box straight away, know that it's all green and just grab it, is really good for young mums with very young children who want to run away
Claire Perera
They argue that the traffic lights are too crude and simplistic. Both sides reckon their schemes encourage healthy eating.
Cathy Court, a director of Netmums, said the strength of the traffic lights scheme was its simplicity.
Child friendly
She said some of the parents who responded to the survey stressed that the easy-to-use nature of the scheme made it ideal to use with their children.
She said: "An important thing nowadays is to get your children to understand what healthy food is.
"People could actually use it to teach their children about healthy food, and work out healthy options together."
Claire Perera, a mother of two, is convinced that traffic light labelling is best.
She said: "My priority isn't whether I can get a good cereal or a bad cereal. It's making sure I don't lose Luis.
"So to be able to look at the box straight away, know that it's all green and just grab it, is really good for young mums with very young children who want to run away!"
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, BMA head of science and ethics, said: "It is absolutely essential that it is simple, that you don't need to sit down and start trying to work out what that percentage means.
"And the traffic lights system is something you can even see from a distance, so you can start to hone in on the foods that are predominantly green or green and amber, and just cut down on the foods that are marked red."
Not scared of red marks
The independent watchdog the Food Standards Agency also wants the wider industry to adopt traffic light labelling.
Rosemary Hignett, FSA head of nutrition, said the evidence so far was that consumers are not running scared of red markers - as feared by critics of the traffic light scheme.
"They are using the information to balance their shop. They are not interpreting the red as "don't buy".
"They are interpreting it as "high in fat, salt or sugar - therefore don't eat too much of this product.
"So they are using it in a very sensible way, in fact."
Tesco insist they are not seeking any competitive advantage by sticking with GDAs.
The company said it was convinced its approach was better for working out a balanced diet through the day.
It also said traffic light labelling might appear simpler at first, but the GDA approach was more likely to change customer behaviour, and encourage a switch to healthy products.
reposted from: BBC.co.uk
my highlights / emphasis / comments
Do not believe in anything
"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find anything that agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." -Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha), 563-483 B.C.
Read on...
Our Perception - how our experience of our existence changes our perception
Universal Laws - how universal laws affect the shape of existence
Principle of Persistence - the principle that underpins existence and evolution
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History of Religion in 90 seconds - Geographical Evolution (Flash)
History - of - Religion
How has the geography of religion evolved over the centuries, and where has it sparked wars? Our map gives us a brief history of the world's most well-known religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Selected periods of inter-religious bloodshed are also highlighted. Want to see 5,000 years of religion in 90 seconds? Ready, Set, Go!
American Belief in Pseudoscience on the Rise
American Belief in Pseudoscience on the Rise
In 1988 only about 10 percent knew enough about science to understand reports in major newspapers, a figure that grew to 28 percent by 2005, according to Jon D. Miller, a Michigan State University professor. He presented his findings Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The improvement largely reflects the requirement that all college students have at least some science courses, Miller said. This way, they can better keep up with new developments through the media.
A panel of researchers expressed concern that people are giving increasing credence to pseudoscience such as the visits of space aliens, lucky numbers and horoscopes.
In addition, these researchers noted an increase in college students who report they are "unsure'' about creationism as compared with evolution.
More recent generations know more factual material about science, said Carol Susan Losh, an associate professor at Florida State University. But, she said, when it comes to pseudoscience, "the news is not good.''
One problem, she said, is that pseudoscience can speak to the meaning of life in ways that science does not.
For example, for many women having a good life still depends on whom they marry, she said.
"What does astrology speak to? Love relationships,'' Losh said, noting that belief in horoscopes is much higher among women than men.
The disclosure that former first lady Nancy Reagan consulted an astrologer resulted in widespread derision in the media, but few younger people remember that episode today, she said.
Miller said most readers of horoscopes are women, contributing to the listing of "female'' as a leading negative factor in science literacy. Women also tended to take fewer college science courses, he said.
Belief in abduction by space aliens is also on the rise, Losh said.
my highlights / emphasis / comments
25 Greatest Science Books of All Time
3. Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) by Isaac Newton (1687)
4. Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems by Galileo Galilei (1632)
5. De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres) by Nicolaus Copernicus (1543)
6. Physica (Physics) by Aristotle (circa 330 B.C.)
7. De Humani Corporis Fabrica (On the Fabric of the Human Body) by Andreas Vesalius (1543)
8. Relativity: The Special and General Theory by Albert Einstein (1916)
9. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (1976)
10. One Two Three . . . Infinity by George Gamow (1947)
11. The Double Helix by James D. Watson (1968)
12. What Is Life? by Erwin Schrödinger (1944)
13. The Cosmic Connection by Carl Sagan (1973)
14. The Insect Societies by Edward O. Wilson (1971)
15. The First Three Minutes by Steven Weinberg (1977)
16. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (1962)
17. The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould (1981)
18. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks (1985)
19. The Journals of Lewis and Clark by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (1814)
20. The Feynman Lectures on Physics by* Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, and Matthew Sands (1963)
21. Sexual Behavior in the Human Male by Alfred C. Kinsey et al. (1948)
22. Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey (1983)
23. Under a Lucky Star by Roy Chapman Andrews (1943)
24. Micrographia by Robert Hooke (1665)
25. Gaia by James Lovelock (1979)
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