Halcyon In Kaleidoscope

According to Thor Heyerdahl, it is almost impossible grasp the meaning of time.  He didn't believe it exists and he felt this again and again, when alone and out in nature.  As Henry Ford said, it feels at such moments that "life is just one damn thing after another".  Nevertheless, in the BBC’s The Wonders of the Universe, Brian Cox argued that, thanks to the second law of thermodynamics, entropy means that does indeed flow, and in only one direction.

See also: Halcyon's Time archive.

Alain de Botton wondered out loud what many must feel inwardly, i.e. why, if many or in some cases most of our waking hours are spent at work, do we rarely challenge the basic assumptions that lie behind this time-consuming, life-altering activity?

Understanding food - where it comes from; how to get it to everyone who needs it in a cost-effective but sustainable way; what's healthy and what isn't - has never seemed a more urgent challenge.  Halcyon is therefore monitoring key food-related trends around the world, e.g.

• Major changes are needed in agriculture and food consumption around the world if future generations are to be adequately fed.
• Some communities are well on their way towards achieving food security, growing (and where appropriate giving away) all their own produce.

See also: pre-2012 Halcyon food headlines.

• Food trends over the previous decade.
   
• For many, organic was a synonym for “tasty” or “healthy” food.  But the episode of the German-grown bean sprouts reminded us that, when dealing with the so-called organic myth, a little bit of critical thinking (and eating) would stand us in good stead.
• Food prices hit a record high in early 2011, surpassing the levels seen during the 2007-08 crisis, according to a UN food index.
• By mid 2011, poor harvests and increased demand, particularly from China, have forced up food prices on world markets.
• The era of cheap food is therefore at an end, according to recent reports, with the real prices of key crops set to rise 50-100% during the next 40 years.
• Rising food prices are tightening the squeeze on populations already struggling to buy adequate food, demanding radical reform of the global food system, Oxfam warned, forecasting that, by 2030, the average cost of key crops could increase by between 120% and 180%.
• The End of Food argued that the entire system of food production will need to change radically over coming years.
• Over the next 40 years, the world’s population may increase to 9 billion plus, with most of the increase occurring in the developing world.  To avoid food shortages on an unprecedented global scale, crop yields must be increased by a similar margin during the same timeframe.
• Food - Halcyon archive
   

Recent studies suggest that one common factor can be found in the "happiest" 10% of people: the strength of their social relationships. Psychological research also seems to show that, as people get older, they generally become happier, more content, and have a more positive outlook on the world.

Meanwhile, at the societal level, tools like The Happy Planet Index (see video below) measure the happiness of countries in relation to the amount of resources each one uses, while the Mappiness (see image) app beeps users once (or more) a day to ask how they're feeling, and a few basic things to control for: who they're with, where they are and what they're doing, and builds from this a barometer of societal mood.

The Paris Marathon 2012 was my 11th overall, and my 4th in consecutive years in Paris.

Why run?  Well, there are many reasons.

The BBC allows us to take a virtual tour of the globe to find out just where we are most likely to die, and of what.

Further Halcyon death-related links: ...read more

Gandhi's maxims for change illustrated...inspiring but not so easy to live by.

Photo credit: Francesca Ramos

The concept of resilience accepts that change is inevitable and focuses on being able to withstand the unexpected.

Nassim Taleb explained recently that the best preparation for “black swan” (unexpected, unpredictable and catastrophic) events is not “resilient” systems (i.e. with ability to bounce back from these events) but “anti-fragile” systems (i.e. that actually benefit from such events).

Resilience Circles are small groups where people come together to increase their personal security through learning, mutual aid, social action, and community support.  

See also:

• Resilience - Halcyon archive

As global population increases and people become wealthier, agricultural production will need to likewise increase, but food systems may become more stressed because of competition for water.

Water is also used in everyday products at astounding rates - e.g. a single cup of coffee costs 130 litres of water, while about 18,900 litres are needed to produce 1 kg of roasted coffee.

A 2012 infographic looked at the state of the world's "water economy". 

See also:

• Water - Halcyon archive

Can we escape the prison of our own feelings and desires and embrace the lives of others, discovering ourselves by learning about other people, and finding out how they live, think and look at the world? 

Author Roman Krznaric thinks so. In this RSA video, Krznaric discusses the "habits of highly empathetic people" and why they can positively effect business practices. He argues that empathy is at the heart of open communication, allowing for clarity and precision. ...read more