The Wisdom of the Ages

I have always thought about why & how the ancient world was smart in aspects such as construction and farming before the words "engineering", "ecology" and "agriculture" appeared in our vocab.

Well, I came across this letter from an Emeritus Professor Hubert N Newman to the Institute of Biology. He said that it is a shame that many of us believe that ecology is only just being applied to farming now "as the basic principles of our responsibility for nature, for the care of people, other animals and plants - as well as the avoidance and containment of infectious disease - were laid down about three thousand years ago.". He goes on to give examples (a few given below). Some of you may already know this if you read the Bible:

a) Not overgrazing pasture (Genesis 3:5-10)
b) Overall respect for farmland with weekly, 7-yr and 50-yr fallow periods (Exodus 23:10, Leviticus 25:1-22)
c) Adequate rest for humans AND other animals ie. no 24/7 on the Sabbath (many references, e.g. Exodus 23:12)
d) Care for animals (Exodus 23:5, Deuteronomy 22:10 and 25:4)
e) Warning that we are responsible for the land as its temporary tenants, not its outright owners able to do what we like with it (23:5)
f) Respect for life by not eating blood, or parts torn from a living animal (Genesis 9:14-16)

Food for thought... have a happy weekend....

Interesting video about corporations. Recommended viewing (tho I would have to say all the videos I post would be interesting and recommended! ;p esp for you J! ;p) If I'm not wrong this was shown here but I missed it that time.

This is part one. The visuals are good and they have quite a few interviews. Some of the stuff actually made me laugh though it wasn't really a laughing matter. It's just the reaction and the expression of some of the things. As an unrelated plus point, the narrator's voice is very soothing and nice - just thot to add that after I saw someone's comment on the video that they thought the voice was really really sexy! ;p haahhah Well, at least there is something to make this series interesting despite the rather serious subject matters. On the other hand, I really did find it very very sad at certain parts, as the situations are described wherein the people suffered and fought for better conditions. Topics were broad and included humanity as a whole, animal welfare and environment, economics, etc. Good for green issues, good for welfare issues. Good to know.

But...

What it made me think is how as an individual, knowing all this and wanting to make a difference, is to do so? Is there really anything we can do? or should do? Seems like there is a macroenvironment where these corporations and other entities exist and there is the microenvironment of our lives which we are in a way, more constantly and completely involved with, like when and how our next paycheck is coming, what to eat, or even where to go for a trip and how to relax. Generally, I would say, it's not, "How am I going to change the world?". The magnificence and scale of that goal seems overwhelming...and impractical.But as they say, the oceans are made of drops of water, every journey by a first step, but in this case, I think we may be one rain drop against millions. So does it still work?

Greenwashing

greenwashing, originally uploaded by Trace1388.

Will be talking more about greenwashing in future posts. Please post comments on

1. Whether we should be concerned?
2. Does this affect just manipulation of consumers (marketing) or does it affect how we see the environment?
3. Does greenwashing give us a false sense of security that we are doing something for the earth and in effect be harmful?

What other issues are of concern?

Squirrels in the park

Sigh.... spotted a few squirrels scampering about one of the remaining trees.
AND, guess what? They've already started cutting the trees on the other side of the fence!!!! Talk about fast.

Soon to be lost - update!

Pic 1. Here's a close up of one tree - it's been marked for destruction!

Pic 2. The lush side of the fence....They haven't been cut down yet, but I reckon it won't be long....

Pic 3. The other side of the fence.... well they only left a couple of trees, may be 5? My colleagues and I tried to figure out how many trees there are on the lot based on the numbers the developers spray painted on them.

Wow, these developers move fast. They started cutting down the trees last week!

Sustainable fabric

Have you heard of fabric made from bamboo? It's been touted as the sustainable fabric. Anyway, according to the Guardian (UK), "it's naturally pest-resistant, grows incredibly fast and can actually help rebuild eroded soil. It takes just three or four years to go from seed to harvest and because the root network is so big, you don't even need to replant - it just shoots right back up again. Bamboo, therefore, can be grown without any chemical fertilisers or pesticides. " Wow, this sure sounds better than cotton... but I wonder what will happen when there is a lot of demand.... will it turn out like biofuel where all the farmers will clear natural forests and plant bamboo instead? How do they extract the fibers to make the fabric? Which is the most sustainable method?

I came across this blog which helps to answer some of those questions : http://organicclothing.blogs.com/ It also has stuff on hemp, merino wool and other natural fibers! Lots of info; I'm still ploughing through it :-)

Soon to be lost....

Was walking to my office last week and I noticed a huge placard saying that the land would be redeveloped into office space. Well, this is the land that is going to be redeveloped....all those trees....I'm going to miss that walk....

Update! The surveyors came and marked the trees with numbers. They tied some plastic tape around some of the trees as well. I wonder which ones they are going to cut down.

Update 2: They've boarded the whole place up....have to walk to the MRT station on the path next to the road....

When you watch movies...

Embedded Video

...you're also watching advertisements...:)

Diamonds

Haven't spoken of diamonds before on this blog but there are plenty of resources on the free trade and danger issues ("blood diamonds"/conflict diamonds, Kimberley Process, etc.) etc. However, came across this article on De Beers which gives the company a positive spin. Immensely interesting read. However, it doesn't exactly persuade me to go to the jeweler's just yet. Also would like to do more research on their marketing, which I think has been very successful (they apparently coined the phrase "Diamonds are Forever"). Just a note of interest, the other famous phrase, Diamonds are a girl's best friend, is actually a song. :) (erm, is that gramatically correct?)

Artificial/Natural

well, it's been some time since I last blogged, and unfortunately I'm not sure if that will change, though I am quite certain I wouldn't be abandoning the blog! :)

Just a short note for now...I read this article about Coke repositioning its marketing on coke having “no added preservatives or artificial flavors.” Apparently Coke was actually created in 1886 by a druggist trying to make a health drink!

In the article, one academic comments that it's "an odd thing for Coca-Cola to do” but I think it is a trend for more people to be concerned about what goes into our food, with "organic", "natural", "no artificial colorings", etc being of top interest. A recent major study on colorings and their effect on children was big news too, probably influencing many parents to look twice at the processed foods they were givin their children.

Radiation-leaking Sub!

Today's "Today" paper highlighted that a nuclear-powered sub from the US docked at Changi Naval Base for 5 days in 2005. The amounts were said to be trace amounts and has caused no threat to humans or the environment. Our government says that the radioactive readings during the sub's stay in Singapore registered "within the safety limits".

In a Reuters report of concerns raised in Japan of the same sub, Lieutenant Commander David Benham, spokesman for Commander Submarine Forces, Pacific in Pearl Harbor, said that "We're talking about an extremely minute amount of radiation...it's about half as much radiation as you would find in a 50 pound bag of fertiliser."

Background Noise

At home at the moment, partly cos I'm sick and partly cos my son has started nursery. I'm writing this as I want to know who to complain to about this guy who has been on the karaoke for HOURS. Really, he's been blasting the stereo system since this morning. Doesn't he need a break?
The problem is I don't know which block or unit he's in, so even if I did make a complaint, the officials wouldn't be able to locate him. There are noise standards for factories and construction sites, but what about a nuisance problem?

Which brings me to the issue of those void deck celebrations. They don't bug me, but they do if they disturb the peace in the neighbourhood with their singing and music. You know who you are!

Fairprice Organic

(Photo courtesy of CNA)

Did you see the news on the tele about NTUC Fairprice launching their new organic line and that they have a certification programme? It's audited by Singapore's Agrifood Technologies (the private company of Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore)

My questions are:

a) Why is the farm in Thailand? Why can't we grow the vegetables in Singapore? Think of all the airmiles!!

b) What do the standards or certification comprise of? We need some transparency, please! I couldn't find any on the Fairprice or AVA websites. Can't seem to find one for the Agrifood either. Am I looking in the wrong places?

c) Why does NTUC Fairprice have to come up with thier own standard or certification? Why can't we follow an established one like those in Europe? (are we "localising" again? tee hee)

Do you dare to take a dip

Well, another piece of news that came out this week is that our seawater quality at the beaches are (shake head) not good at Pasir Ris due to the bacterial levels (enterococcus) being higher than the WHO water quality guideline.

I don't understand :
1. why it took so long to come up with these advisories. Other countries such as Canada, Australia, USA, Hong Kong (ok, not a country) and those in Europe have standards and advisories to warn swimmers for a long time. The WHO guidelines have been around since the 80s. The official said it was to "localise" them. Huh?

2. why the official said that "the water quality has not deteriorated. It's because the standards have become more stringent, so it's just a question of not being to meet the higher grade." It sounds like a "we made the exams difficult so the student grades dropped!".

3. no one admitted to where all this bacteria is coming from. It can't possibly be from the "heavy rains, the dirt, litter and other things that you find on the ground"!