BenettonTalk

No excuse for junk food

2008-01-23T15:55:47Z

Perhaps your logic could explain the reason why poor kids are more likely to be undernourished and skinny while wealthier children have a bigger possibility of being overweight, but here is a good example to show how our logic can brutally fail every once in a while. In USA, studies show that nearly one third of American children ages 10-17 are obese, and curiously, nearly 40 percent of those kids are from low-income households. Poor and plumpish? How is that possible, you may ask.
Previous research has suggested that poor children weren't getting nutritious food and instead ate junk, fast food. Besides those children may have eaten well when money was available, but would skip meals when cash was short, a cycle that could slow their metabolism and cause them to gain weight.
Some of you may say that it makes sense since junk food is cheaper than nutritious meals, but that is just a modern mindset that denies alternatives. It's true that healthy, organic stores are generally more expensive than popular supermarkets, but it is just a matter of smart choices to bring home nutritious and very cheap meals (grains, for example, are a wonderful alternative).
Yes, money is necessary, but even during hard times it's possible to have a complete and varied menu at home. Especially when we are talking about the health and development of those you love the most: your little ones.

Bliss Geography

2008-01-22T15:13:49Z

"Where we are affects who we are," says Eric Weiner, 44, who traveled the world for 10 years as a National Public Radio correspondent. One day, he packed a goal: to find the world's happiest places. The result was the book “The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World.” Part philosophy, part psychoanalysis, part cultural studies lesson, Weiner's work searches for the spots that rank highest and lowest regarding happiness, finding out what on earth is causing all this joy (or lack of it).
He begins in beautiful Switzerland, which ranks high on the happiness scale for reasons not just related with chocolate, but also for efficiency and democracy. Then he moved to Bhutan, where Gross National Happiness (GNH) is more important than Gross National Product. Their secret? To know limitations; to know how much is enough. He then heads to Qatar where money, surely, is a path to happiness, but where he finds that wealth does not make culture. Iceland was next; a place where even on its darkest, coldest day has an abundance of culture. And the people are happy.

]]> They are drunk and isolated and happy. Why? Because, among other things, failure is an option. Weiner tries Thailand, where happiness is having a "cool heart," remaining calm and not thinking too much; the former Soviet republic Moldova, where poverty and distrust drown out any speck of happiness. Great Britain, where happiness is a "work in progress" and, if found, will most likely appear in a pub. And in the United States, happiness seems to be in the search for happiness, cause american people are always looking for something better.
Conclusion: in the happiest places, the things we think important — money, efficiency, compromise, trust, culture, etc — are, but not in the ways we may think...

Divorce by mobile

2008-01-22T14:40:22Z

“Inti talaq”, which means “You are divorced”. Yes, according to Islamic rules, is that simple for a man to divorce his wife. Forget about Western years-lasting struggles with courts, lawyers etc. Just say the magical words three times, and the marriage will end. Hmm. The problem is that these rules were created in the 6th century. What about 21st century new ways of communicating? In fact, a singular problem has arisen in the last years in countries like Egypt, Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Qatar: is the rule still valid if “Inti Talaq” is written in a text message on a mobile? Country by country, the results are various and different depending on the specific cases.

A matter of law quibbles? For sure. But with concrete effects on people's lives, as shown by the story of a Cairo woman, whose getting-divorced situation ended up to be paradoxical. Pissed off from his wife, not answering to the phone after a quarrel, an Egyptian army officer away from duty texted her the cruel sentence. Followed by “that will teach you not to answer my calls...” The vengeful guy.

]]> Now religious and civil Egyptian authorities are discussing about the “text-message divorce”. United Arab Emirates and Qatar upheld it, while Singapore rejected it. The poor wife, at the moment, is forced to live apart from her husband - who hasn't yet appeared in court - with their 4-years-old son, still wearing the wedding ring. Because she doesn't even know if she's divorced or not. That would be decided by religious authorities and civil courts. A difficult decision that will create a law case. But at least would make this woman free from her personal limbo. One thing is sure, that is true what they say: technology can change your life. And your marriage too.

Dutch film attacking Islam

2008-01-21T17:07:43Z

They’re considered the most polite and peaceful countries on Earth. Still, if you look at the last five years, the hardest episodes of intolerance between Europe and the Islam happened here, in the very quiet and liberal states surrounding the Baltic Sea. In 2004, Dutch film-director Theo Van Gogh was assassinated in the street by a young jihadist, due to his strong opposition to Islam and to a movie he shot telling the stories of four abused Muslim women. In Autumn 2005 it was the case of Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten printing a series of controversial caricatures about prophet Muhammad, an initiative followed by a wave of violent protests involving Islam followers around the world.

]]> Now, it’s time for Geert Wilders and his upcoming anti-Muslim film to spark the crisis.
Wilders is a radical right-wing politician and claims to have shot a movie where the Koran is strongly denounced, till the point in which the sacred book is symbolically torn up. In case he finds a channel or a website willing to broadcast it, the movie will be available for a wide audience and anger will surely grow in Muslim communities against a film that describes the Koran as a 'source of inspiration for intolerance, murder and terror'.

Mad about green gadgets

2008-01-21T14:46:04Z

Wanna catch the spider or the daddy-longleg walking in your kitchen but you're worried about harming your multi-legged friend? Surf the web, there's plenty of green gadgets that fit with your environmentally friendly mood. The spider catcher is a brilliant idea. But what about - instead of the “common” solar rechargers for mobile phones and other devices – the solar bag? Basically, this US$250 stilish bag recharges all the devices carried inside of it. Wanna recharge your iPod? Place it on your back and go having a walk in a sunny day! Isn't the inventor a little genius?

]]> Different needs, different solutions. In case your son/little brother is scared of the Boogeyman hidden in the dark, you can sweetly enlighten his night without becoming the Boogeyman of the energy consumption: the ecozone night light emits a blue electro-luminescent light 24 hours a day 365 days a year for a claimed cost of less than a euro (!!!). And while your little angel is sleeping without any fear, you could take a fresh beer from your low-consumption fridge, thanks to the Sava Plug: when its red light glows, the plug is reducing the flow of electricity and the CO2 emissions. Uh, your bills as well.
These are just some of the many environmentally friendly tools. Cause the “green web” is a huge net-inside-the-net: have a look to ecohamster.co.uk, ethicalshopping.com, greenopia.com, for green devices, useful tips, lists of the companies to boycott when you'll go for shopping with your Toyota Prius, the most famous hybrid car of the world.

Son of bin Laden in horse ride for peace

2008-01-18T16:48:44Z

They say that the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree, but what would you say if I told you that Osama bin Laden’s “acorn” wants to be an "ambassador for peace" between Muslims and the West?
Omar Osama bin Laden, 26-year-old and one of bin Laden's 19 children, said in an interview with The Associated Press that there are better ways to defend Islam than militancy.
He and his British wife, Jane Felix-Browne (now Zaina Alsabah) say they want to be advocates, planning a 3,000-mile horse race across North Africa to draw attention to the cause of peace.
"It's about changing the ideas of the Western mind. A lot of people think Arabs — especially the bin Ladens, especially the sons of Osama — are all terrorists. This is not the truth".
Omar said he hasn't seen or been in contact with his father since leaving Afghanistan (2000) and says that Osama bin Laden is just trying to defend the Islamic world.
As a negotiator, he and his wife will start the horse race in March as they are seeking approval of governments along the route and need sponsors to help pay for the event and raise money for children victims of war.

The health effects of wireless communication

2008-01-18T14:32:07Z

I’ve always been longing for a world where I can fill my glass of beer directly from my couch, using a next-next generation wi-fi connection that still has to come. In meanwhile, wi-fi devices and mobiles have always been enough for my gadget-man spirit. But I have to admit, more than one time I moved from my couch to the desk, started searching: in my wi-fi internet and speakers and headphones flat – together with bluetooth and mobiles signals all around my head – should I worry about waking up one day with a third sparkling arm, or a new red square eye on my forehead?

The results of my searching made me very, very, very sceptical: too much universities and research teams claiming there’s NO risk from wi-fi devices, NOT AT ALL. I’d rather read “yes, it harms you, but just a few, don’t worry” than “hey man, what the fuck are you worried about? Come on, are you in paranoia?!?”. Can’t avoid considering trillion of dollars in technology business a reason enough, THE reason, to drive a lot of people saying many lies.

]]> Hmm. On Thursday the US National Research Council advised that researchers should study more children and pregnant women in trying to figure out if cell phones or other wireless devices – that have become almost ubiquitous – could damage health. A few studies have indicated a possible link between mobile telephone use and brain tumors, although far more show no connection. Now, which is the truth? Dunno, but I’m very glad someone keeps on searching for it. One thing is sure: if wi-fi stuff is REALLY not dangerous, I am reserving the wireless beer refilling, whenever they will invent it.

Ten years after "Monica Gate"

2008-01-17T17:31:09Z

Ten years ago the “Monica Lewinsky Gate” went off. The Republican prosecutor Kenneth Starr was trying to hang President Clinton on a wall and deprive him of his office, in such a violent way that even some fellows of his own party were baffled. Ten years later, Hillary is trying to get in the same oval room where Bill and Monica were painting the town red. And she is not alone: Obama, Mc Cain, Huckabee, Giuliani, the fight is hard. Ten years after the Sex Gate, what will be the next Gate about?

]]> Few days ago, Hillary Clinton said that President Johnson had done more for black Americans than Martin Luther King himself, unleashing the wraths of the African American community, theoretically on her side. She could decide to payback his husband in the same office with an attractive and votes-collector black guy. That would be the Luther King Gate...

In the meantime, another black guy, the rising star Barack Obama, is eagerly supported by common people and some media. No Gates and scandals, cause all the eyes are kept on him, for a longer time than he (and we) thought: a journalist of the Fox Chicago, Andrew Finlayson, has created an ‘ObamaTracker’, claiming to “keep an eye on Barack Obama since 2004”.

For Senator John McCain the Gate, pardon, the Gates, are already on their way. Such as the Vietnam Gate: a group calling itself Vietnam Veterans Against McCain circulated in South Carolina – the state where in 2000 McCain’s presidential race screwed over – a leaflet accusing the presidential candidate of collaborating with the enemy during his years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam: the Betrayer Gate. Not bad, huh? But the following – the Pagan Gate? – maybe is even worse. His Republican fellow and opponent, Mike Huckabee, has paid for 1 million automated phone calls in South Carolina, blaming McCain to be a proponent of medical tests on fetuses and amnesty for illegal immigrants… Will God forgive this catholic extremist and “Gates-puppet master” for such a trickery?

Babel is now, get a Phraselator

2008-01-17T14:59:20Z

Have you ever tried to Google translate something from one language to another? If you have, then you probably experienced the surreal pleasure of reading a Dadaistic prose in your language that doesn’t make any sense at all. Which is fine if you were looking for a reason to smile on a rainy afternoon, whilst can be very annoying if your aim was translating your new washing machine manual. Translating languages in real time is one of the jobs technology still hasn’t managed to perform efficiently. In this field, a good human translator is still much better that any geeky computer application. Still, some steps ahead have been done. VoxTec’s Phraselator (beautiful, Star Trek sounding name) is a sort of walkie-talkie that can indeed translate some basic words, sentences and commands from one language to another in real time.

]]> The Phraselator was first used in Afghanistan by American soldiers willing to communicate with locals in Farsi, Dari, Pashto and other languages. Now, American police departments are using it to keep peace and it apparently works.

If language translation systems keep developing, one day we’ll surely be able to understand each other. Unfortunately, by the time this happens the Babel may be gone already. We may all speak this bloody English.

Read our feature about languages

Hang the terrorist to the wall of your room

2008-01-16T17:24:25Z

The US National Counterterrorism Center has PROUDLY issued the new 2008 Counterterrorism Calendar. And, as they declare on their site, they are “pleased” of this interactive version (you can find it here but it weights 24,5 MB, watch out! You can get the basics here) that “contains many features across the full range of terrorism-related issues: terrorist groups, wanted terrorists, and technical pages on various threat-related issues”. Haven’t they learnt any lesson from the cheesy ‘Iraq War Enemies Cards Deck?’ Hmm. Any conflict is still a cow-boy-attitude game for US establishment. Thank God – together with the reward list of the world enemies of democracy, from Bin Laden (worth US$27 million) to the new comers of the $1-million-on-their-head club – the Calendar also takes its time to explain how this evil and enemies-inhabited world REALLY works. My favourite? “MYTH: US foreign policy is the primary cause of radicalization. REALITY: Radicalization frequently is driven by personal concerns at the local level in addition to frustration with international events”. Or with FOOLISH calendars, I suppose.

]]> Day planners, by the way, are not enough. The indoctrination activity is running eagerly. The US Marine Corps is rolling out a new ad campaign on Fox's hit-show "American Idol", in an effort to target teachers, coaches, clergy and other groups that tend to have influence on kids' career paths, because "not many youngsters nowadays have grown up with grandfathers or fathers in the service," says Lt. Col. Michael Zeliff, a spokesman for the US Navy. Read also as: if not your grandpa, American Idol will take care to explain you how fair is joining the Marines Corps. One of the commercials features a line of Marines standing in formation in front of landmarks across the US such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Independence Hall, i.e. the usual old PEP RALLY. Read more at Wall Street Journal online. Besides, the UK fellows, the Royal Marines, have launched the “Extreme Marine” campaign, featuring three short movies showing marines attempting extreme sports, such as the parkour, the urban obstacle sport seen in the Bond movie Casino Royale. Name it 00MARKETING, if you wish.

Facebook: love or hate?

2008-01-16T17:09:40Z

“Facebook is a social utility that connects you with the people around you.” Social, useful, connected. Three words that make it sound like heaven, especially to the ears of billions of people that get instantly depressed and start wandering aimlessly around their bedroom as soon as their Internet goes down. But is that really it? Does Facebook really give people the opportunity to get in touch with other people with their same interests? Or instead these web communities are more of a replacement of what real network of friendships should be? Pretty old quest. Yesterday, British writer Tom Hodgkinson cried out all his disappointment about the success of Facebook, a website that by next year will have 200 million active users, all of whom will have volunteered “their ID card information and consumer preferences to an American business they know nothing about.”

]]> In the article, Hodgkinson describes Facebook as a big machine to make money through friendship or as “a deliberate experiment in global manipulation.” In the end, it will benefit mainly big corporations, enabling them to advertise and sell more and more of their products out of the national boundaries. Hodgkinson even lists a series of points in Facebook’s privacy policy where by signing the user allow the website to violate some of his/her basic privacy rights.

All true or just an old snob’s vent? And you, aren’t you afraid of becoming another Facebook’s customer and victim?

Have your say on BTalk.

Europe to eat cloned meat

2008-01-15T16:43:06Z

You can call me a closed mind, an old fashioned, an antediluvian, even an archaic, but before supporting cloned meat, I turn vegetarian. While the FDA in USA concluded that meat and milk from cloned animals should be allowed on the market (and they are expecting to allow it onto the market sometime this year), the European Union's food safety agency said that meat and milk from cloned animals is probably safe for humans.

]]> The 47-page draft cautioned, however, that there was "only limited data available" on animal cloning. I don’t know about you, but I find really scary to base a human diet with a “limited data available” food. Experts don’t know yet side effects, future complications or environmental issues of cloning consumption, but of course they do know about profits.
“Limited data available”? I will tell you why, because many cloned animals have not lived long enough to generate good data about how clones age. Cloned animals tend to have more compromised immune function and higher rates of infection, poor health, tumor growth and other disorders. Clones have been known to die mysteriously. Besides, reproductive cloning is expensive and highly inefficient, so, why not to respect a reproductive natural cycle?
Would you buy cloned meat? How about a delicious piece of the euthanized Dolly, with livestock disease, premature aging and crippling arthritis? Yummy!

The issue is also under review in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Canada.

Who fits in the Nano car?

2008-01-15T16:35:05Z

The Ipod is for sure one of the most successful objects created in the last ten years. Where does its secret lie? Well, easy, it’s Nano: small and basic. Considering that, why not applying this same concept to other things? For example, why not to a car?
Tata Nano, the last creation from Indian Tata Motors, is 3.1m long, 1.5m wide, 1.6m high; four to five people can seat inside it and it meets European emission standards. It has no air conditioning, no electric windows and no power steering.

]]> More than anything, it costs only 100,000 rupees ($2,500). It has been recently unveiled at the Indian biggest car show in Delhi and it’s destined to revolution the whole Indian mass transportation system, being the people’s vehicle which will allow a huge number of families to buy a car and get rid of overcrowded scooters and wobbly rickshaws. Funny detail: it looks very similar to the car literally “sculpted” by an Indian guy in a recent Peugeot commercial.
Go to the Tata Motors website

The junkie society

2008-01-11T15:58:40Z

Some years ago I had a surgery operation at my legs. In the operatory room, in order to make the bottom part of my body sleep, a mom-looking doctor with a green mask on her face injected into my spinal cord an anesthetic made of many substances. In the cocktail there was also some morphine. Later on, while my legs where waking up, I felt a funny, pleasant sensation going throughout my body. I found amazing the thing of experiencing the morphine effect without the shady process and the moral stygma of having purchased and taken an illegal drug. If you go deeper into my story and into many stories like mine, though, the result you get is not funny and not even pleasant at all.

]]> Every day, indeed, the pharmaceutical industry forces inside our bodies a quantity of chemical substances that a justice institution would severely call illegal psychotropic drugs. So, as an article on Alternet remarks, “we see the classification of millions of Americans as criminals for using certain drugs, while millions of others, using essentially similar drugs for similar purposes, are seen as patients.” Some of us use drugs to have fun on a Saturday night, whilst some others actually need them to function well, reducing anxiety and curing physical pain. For example Ricky Williams, an american football champion (as well as a pharmaceutical Glaxo testimonial) who one day declared that “he had found marijuana to be ten times more helpful than Paxil for his depression.”

In the end, whether we’re criminals or patients, we all love drugs. There’s no shame about it. The real shame is the triumph of marketing over science and of hypocrisy over human rights. The real shame is pretending we don’t love them.

Dating through smell

2008-01-11T15:03:32Z

How to make money out of people's body odour? Ask ScientificMatch.com founder Eric Holzle. His new internet-dating site, launched last December, relies on matching people by their odour. Holzle, an engineer and a serial dater, based his product upon an observation made a decade ago by Swiss researcher Claus Wedekind.
Dr Wedekind recruited female volunteers to sniff men's three-day-old T-shirts and rate them for attractiveness. He then analysed the men's and women's DNA, looking at the genes that build a part of the immune system known as the major histocompatability complex (Mhc). Mhc is supposed to play a role in sexual attractiveness by affecting the smell of human sweat.
The study found out that women preferred T-shirts from men whose Mhc was most different from their own. The biological compatibility apparently promises better orgasms, a lower likelihood of cuckoldry and more happiness.
The only people for whom MHC matching might not be expected to work are women on the Pill and pregnant women: they prefer the smell of Mhcs that are similar to their own.
Read more on The Economist.