Yesterday the World Cancer Research Fund published a report titled 'Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer, a Global Perspective' linking for the first time people's weight to the risk of having all kinds of cancers:
The reports concludes that cancer is preventable, if we take care of our eating habits and exercise regularly. The Body Mass Index, which is measured by dividing our height by our weight, can tell us if we are fit. Before one was fit if the BMI factor was between 18 and 25 points.
Now this report tells us that we need to be more near the 18 points than the 25. It suggest we should not gain weight and that we should try to keep the weight we have when we were 21 years old. I don't know you, but my weight is not the same, unfortunately.
But there is still hope! If one can practice every day 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise, or one hour of gentle exercise, only eat up to 500 grams of meat per week, don't drink carton juices, and add lots of fruits and vegetables to our diet, one might tackle the risk of cancer.
But, what does this mean for the meat producers? Yesterday Newsnight sat side by side Sir Michael Marmot, professor of epidemiology and public health at University College London and chair of the panel which reviewed 7,000 studies on causes of cancer, next to the head of the Chamber of Meat Producers of Britain. Basically the question was, does eating quantities of meat in excess of 500 grams a week will kill you? This question was answered as yes by Sir Michael Marmot, and doubtful by the head of the Chamber of Meat Producers.
What will this mean to Argentine meat exporters? Will suddenly the world become health counscious and stop eating meat? Doubtfully. There are many people that base all their meals with a piece of meat. Is this a good thing for the population? No, at least, knowing that one can maintain cancer-free by dieting and exercising, is a good incitement to start dieting and exercising.
Is this an alarm for the Meat producers association? It is, only if the theme is established in the media for a long time and the governments try to educate their populations. It might be for a little while. But only the changing people's lifestyles, will threaten the meat business. This could take some time. It will not be as striking as if a stampede of Mad Cow disease or Foot and Mouth gets undergoing.
But for the rest of us and those living in Britain, let's start exercising and eating more fish, which is good and affordable, as we are surrounded by water!
You can find a summary of the report in this link:
http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/downloads/Second_Expert_Report.pdf
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The punteros are paid to vote for the queen K (Kristina Kirchner)
This video came out in Al Jazeera, was a report of Teresa Bo. I've seen it at the now Senator Maria Eugenia Estenssoro blog (http://www.estenssorome.com.ar/blog/2007/10/30/somos-la-segunda-fuerza-de-la-oposicion-en-la-argentina/)....pretty interesting, you can find your own conclussions
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Tomorrow there will be Presidential Elections in Argentina --- whom to vote???
Tomorrow is D day in Argentina. A new President will be chosen and half of the Senate and the Deputees chamber will change. All the polls show that Cristina Kirchner (a.k.a. Kristina) will win by more than 20 points. Since the INDEC (national statistics index in Argentina) has been corrupted, nobody in Argentina believes in polls any more. Kristina is the wife of Nestor Kirchner, the actual President in Argentina and is using government funds to pay for her campaign. The Kirchners have hired a ridiculous amount of pollsters to manipulate the information on the polls.
When Kirchner became president, he made a great gamble. He was competing against former president Carlos Menem. Kirchner manipulated the media to publish polls showing that the candidate from the Centre party, Ricardo Lopez Murphy, has the opportunity to get into the ballotage. Menem's base was formed with lots of middle of the spectrum voters. These voters, thinking that their 'natural' candidate could access the ballotage, voted Lopez Murphy, instead of Menem.
Menem therefore won the first round of elections, but by a small margin and he didn't want to compete in the second round. Kirchner was named President, but was chosen by only 20%+ of the electorate. He dedicated to gain power in his first presidency.
He was favoured by the world economy recovery and the demand for crops. The soya brought loads of foreign currency to the country and helped kept the Treasury arcs filled up. But during these last years, public expenditure increased, the Central Bank had to put lots of currency into the market to keep the US dollar high and inflation started to get out of control. Suddenly, the pockets of the middle class started to fill tight again, and Kirchner's popularity start stumbling. He thought that the best way to keep in power, was to put his wife in charge of the highest echelon in politics, and try to refresh the Presidency.
The opposition did not capitalise this moment to try to show a viable option. Therefore, there are lots of different lists, and people that wants to vote against Kristina, does not know for whom to vote tomorrow.
The papers are signalising Lilita Carrio (ARI), as the second favourite, but some pollsters are showing Alberto Rodriguez Saa (actual governor of San Luis)as the second post. Whom to vote tomorrow? It is hard to say.
I do not like any of the candidates. I admire Lilita's guts to fight corruption. But I do not know her capacity for governing. There are some good people within her chosen cabinet: as Estenssoro & Pratt Gay, who formerly was the Director of the Central Bank.
But Lilita tried to conglomerate too many people from all the political spectrum, from the right to the left. It is difficult to know if she will be able to lead them if she would be elected President.
Adolfo Rodriguez Saa has a good government in San Luis. It is said that he steals, but not as much as other 'caudillos' in other provinces. At least he makes poor people work for their monthly vouchers. Everyone has a decent house and the province is tidy. He knows how to govern, but he could be confused with being a dictator.
Former Treasury Secretary, Roberto Lavagna, seems a pragmatic candidate, but he said that if he looses tomorrow, he will vote for Kristina....therefore, that has made people that do not want to vote for Kristina, not want to vote for him!
What will happen tomorrow? It seems that Argentina will continue unfortunately, under Kirchner's power for four more years...
When Kirchner became president, he made a great gamble. He was competing against former president Carlos Menem. Kirchner manipulated the media to publish polls showing that the candidate from the Centre party, Ricardo Lopez Murphy, has the opportunity to get into the ballotage. Menem's base was formed with lots of middle of the spectrum voters. These voters, thinking that their 'natural' candidate could access the ballotage, voted Lopez Murphy, instead of Menem.
Menem therefore won the first round of elections, but by a small margin and he didn't want to compete in the second round. Kirchner was named President, but was chosen by only 20%+ of the electorate. He dedicated to gain power in his first presidency.
He was favoured by the world economy recovery and the demand for crops. The soya brought loads of foreign currency to the country and helped kept the Treasury arcs filled up. But during these last years, public expenditure increased, the Central Bank had to put lots of currency into the market to keep the US dollar high and inflation started to get out of control. Suddenly, the pockets of the middle class started to fill tight again, and Kirchner's popularity start stumbling. He thought that the best way to keep in power, was to put his wife in charge of the highest echelon in politics, and try to refresh the Presidency.
The opposition did not capitalise this moment to try to show a viable option. Therefore, there are lots of different lists, and people that wants to vote against Kristina, does not know for whom to vote tomorrow.
The papers are signalising Lilita Carrio (ARI), as the second favourite, but some pollsters are showing Alberto Rodriguez Saa (actual governor of San Luis)as the second post. Whom to vote tomorrow? It is hard to say.
I do not like any of the candidates. I admire Lilita's guts to fight corruption. But I do not know her capacity for governing. There are some good people within her chosen cabinet: as Estenssoro & Pratt Gay, who formerly was the Director of the Central Bank.
But Lilita tried to conglomerate too many people from all the political spectrum, from the right to the left. It is difficult to know if she will be able to lead them if she would be elected President.
Adolfo Rodriguez Saa has a good government in San Luis. It is said that he steals, but not as much as other 'caudillos' in other provinces. At least he makes poor people work for their monthly vouchers. Everyone has a decent house and the province is tidy. He knows how to govern, but he could be confused with being a dictator.
Former Treasury Secretary, Roberto Lavagna, seems a pragmatic candidate, but he said that if he looses tomorrow, he will vote for Kristina....therefore, that has made people that do not want to vote for Kristina, not want to vote for him!
What will happen tomorrow? It seems that Argentina will continue unfortunately, under Kirchner's power for four more years...
Welcome to my new blog!
Welcome to my new blog! After graduating from my second master's I am starting to brainstorm what I will do next! I have too many interests and I want to merge them all in an exciting career!
On one hand I love to know what is going on in the world, the relationships between potencies and third world countries, and the governments' struggle of power. I like to explore why some countries can be succesful, whereas others seem they cannot get their affairs together and improve their citizen's wellbeing.
I am also interested in how people get into power and try to stay there no matter what, their alliances, backstabbings, how they trick the public information, and what amazes me most, is how the ordinary reader believes in what he reads! I am a natural sceptic and I tend not to believe too much in what I read, constantly asking myself, why? why this piece of news in this moment? What are they trying to infer or what are they hiding?
So welcome to my new blog! I will be trying to comment on different things that catch my attention and make me think! I will be looking at how well people and companies manage their images, and try to have fun while doing it! Hope you enjoy it!
On one hand I love to know what is going on in the world, the relationships between potencies and third world countries, and the governments' struggle of power. I like to explore why some countries can be succesful, whereas others seem they cannot get their affairs together and improve their citizen's wellbeing.
I am also interested in how people get into power and try to stay there no matter what, their alliances, backstabbings, how they trick the public information, and what amazes me most, is how the ordinary reader believes in what he reads! I am a natural sceptic and I tend not to believe too much in what I read, constantly asking myself, why? why this piece of news in this moment? What are they trying to infer or what are they hiding?
So welcome to my new blog! I will be trying to comment on different things that catch my attention and make me think! I will be looking at how well people and companies manage their images, and try to have fun while doing it! Hope you enjoy it!
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