“Why not build a partnership on biofuels between Europe and Africa and create an alternative market for sugar cane production? Sugar cane is an excellent raw–material for the production of biofuels like ethanol and methanol which can be blended with gasoline or diesel. Today‘s combustion engines run well on a mix of fossil fuels containing 10–15 % ethanol or methanol. And it is not space–age technology but simple existing technology which is not capital intensive. Local sugar mills could be turned into ethanol distilleries, or plants for the production of methanol and electricity. We will need biofuels more and more in the future. People are driving more cars, oil prices are rising, fossil fuels will become more scarce, we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. China, Brazil and India recognise this. Europe and Africa should work together on it as partners.”
Entries
After months of discussions with industry leaders about the potential uses for RFID, the European Union is opening talks to the public.
The EU launched on July 3 a public forum, “Your Voice in Europe,” in which citizens (and other “stakeholders”) are encouraged to discuss the potential uses and potential threats of RFID (radio-frequency identification).
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1985156,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594
Debt becomes a lifestyle
7 April 2006
The nation is spending beyond its means and using overdrafts and credit cards to pay for it, according to research out today from cahoot. The ‘Lifestyle Index’ report shows that 59 per cent of people spend more than they earn – 51 per cent in some months and 8 per cent every month.
In order to finance that overspending, people are more likely to borrow money on a credit card (49 per cent) or an overdraft (48 per cent) to finance their overspending rather than dip into savings (38 per cent), if they have any. One in ten (11 per cent) would borrow from family or friends and five per cent would use a store card.
John Goddard, Managing Director of cahoot said: “Many people borrow money from one source or another, which isn’t necessarily a problem as long as they have the means to pay it back. Much of this overspending is used to finance a lifestyle, so when it comes to the crunch, people can cut back if necessary.
“A third of people’s disposable income is spent on ‘non-essentials’, with most money being spent on meals out, takeaways, clothes, magazines and books. A further ten per cent is spent on ‘luxury’ items, the most common of which are mini-breaks and electrical gadgets. In order to help people manage their spending, cahoot offers all its current account customers free text alerts when they have reached their overdraft limit or when a debit over a pre-agreed amount has been made.”
Top three ‘non-essential’ spending:
Meals out and takeaways – £62.9 million per year
Clothes – £35.4 million per year
Magazines and books – £7.3 million per year
Top three ‘luxury’ spending:
Mini breaks and long weekends – £10.8 million
Electrical gadgets – £21 million
Designer accessories – £1.2 million
John Goddard added: “Once the bills and the mortgage are paid, people like to treat themselves, and by far the most popular way to do this going to a restaurant or having a takeaway. However, a disposable income equal to around a quarter of net salary doesn’t always stretch as far as some people would like it to. This could create problems if people aren’t managing their money properly and having to let their belts out when they should be tightening them!”
For people who sometimes spend more than they earn, cahoot automatically offers an interest-free overdraft of £100 to current account holders. Customers can also apply for a flexible loan, allowing them to borrow what they need (up to an agreed limit), when they need it. Borrowers only pay interest on the loan amount they have taken and can change their repayments every month according to their budget.
cahoot’s Lifestyle Index found evidence that a significant number of people would welcome some in help in staying in touch with their spending. 24 per cent of people who overspend would find it ‘fairly helpful’ if they were to receive a message from their bank to remind them of their spending. A further 17 per cent said that they would find it ‘very helpful’. A third of people (37 per cent) who overspend said that if they were to receive a reminder from their bank then they would like it by email and 15 per cent said that they would like it by text message.
Charles Bremner is a compelling read as the Times correspondent for France – here’s a snippet of his recent work…
National trauma would be certain if a French car maker announced the closure of one of its domestic factories and dismissed all its workers. Shutting any factory in France means public outrage, strikes and soul-searching. Such action by one of the flagship Gallic marques would be unthinkable. So it was no surprise that Peugeot-Citroen has chosen a British factory to pay the price for limp sales and its shift towards low-cost production in central Europe. In the eyes of France - and British trade unions - the shut-down of Peugeot’s Ryton plant is a cruel lesson in the pain of globalisation. There is a sadistic touch because the evil capitalist this time is French and the victim is the nation that never stops lecturing France on the merits of flexibility and the free market.
http://timescorrespondents.typepad.com/charles_bremner/2006/04/peugeots_englis.html#more
The European Dream emphasizes community relationships over individual autonomy, cultural diversity over assimilation, quality of life over the accumulation of wealth, sustainable development over unlimited material growth, deep play over unrelenting toil, universal human rights and the rights of nature over property rights, and global cooperation over the unilateral exercise of power.
Jeremy Rifkin wrote on how the European Dream is eclipsing the American Dream – I subscribe to the European Dream, to learn more this would be the best place to start:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22european+dream%22+%22american+dream%22+jeremy+rifkin
