Singaporeans – Asia's splurge kings

Today Online 21 Dec 07;

WHEN it comes to partying and eating this festive season, Singaporeans, it seems, are the kings of Asia.

Almost half of those polled — 41 per cent — said they would put on the glad rags and make merry this Christmas, while one in two would splurge on a lavish dinner with family and friends.

This, according to a recent GE Money survey of 2,000 of its employees in seven markets across the continent — China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.

And guess what these people want most for a Christmas gift? Money.

Yes, an equal number (32 per cent) of Singaporeans and Filipinos would love a wad of notes. But certainly not as much as the Thais – with 37 per cent saying the rustle of crisp new notes in their pockets would be the best Christmas gift they could hope for.

Not the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans. Money was the least preferred present for our East Asian neighbours. They would rather opt for "accessories, including a watch".

But its also "easy come, easy go" for Singaporeans and Filipinos, who are just as fond of spending their money, with more than 50 per cent saying they would buy more than six gifts this year.

Credit card was the preferred mode of payment, with 91 per cent of Koreans using them, followed by the Chinese (78 per cent) and Singaporeans (59 per cent).

If money were no object, most Asians would want to fly away for the holidays — except the Japanese, 40 per cent of whom said they would rather stay at home. An overwhelming number of Filipinos (68 per cent) said they will attend church services.

Malls ringing up bumper festive sales
Booming economy, good bonuses have made shoppers more willing to spend
Lin Xinyi, Straits Times 21 Dec 07;

MALLS across Singapore are packing in the shoppers this festive season, with some reporting up to a third more traffic than last year.

And with four days of shopping left before Christmas, market watchers said sales are primed to shoot through the roof.

'It may very well be the best bumper Christmas ever,' said Mr Colin Tan, head of research at consultancy firm Chesterton International.

A booming economy, good bonuses and a positive outlook on the new year have all fuelled a 'feel good' mood that has consumers willing to spend, he said.

'Everywhere you go is crowded.

'I think people have been working very hard this year, so they've had less time to shop, but they are feeling generous and are looking for excuses to spend.'

Toys 'R' Us is one of the many Singapore retailers which has seen sales rise.

Some 1.3 million shoppers have walked through its doors so far this festive season, up from 950,000 for the same period last year.

Sales, too, have gone up by about 7 per cent, with Transformers figures, Lego sets and Rubik's Cubes among the top-selling items, said a Toys 'R' Us spokesman.

At Paragon, the management has noticed that shoppers have begun their Christmas hunt earlier and were willing to splurge more.

Instead of the traditional December rush, shops were thronging with buyers by the third week of November this year, said Paragon deputy general manager Patrina Tan.

Mr John Cheston, vice-president of the Singapore Retailers Association and chief executive of Robinsons department store, said the shopping climate is bullish.

Robinsons, a popular stop for many shoppers, is seeing low double-digit growth in both store traffic and sales, he said.

At Wisma Atria, where managers estimate at least 30 per cent more shoppers in the mall this year, stores are reporting good business.

Jeweller Goldheart, for instance, told The Straits Times that it was seeing 65 per cent more business this year than last.

Assistant brand manager Gary Goh said the weekly late-night shopping and in-house promotions have contributed to the sales.

That is a trend that Mr Tan of Chesterton International is seeing too. 'Shops which have promotions or specials are likely to benefit because they can capitalise on the shoppers' willingness to spend,' he said.

And people are not just spending on the city's main shopping thoroughfare, Orchard Road. Heartland malls are also experiencing brisk business.

According to Frasers Centrepoint, all its seven malls, including Northpoint (Yishun) and Compass Point (Sengkang), are getting an average of 15 per cent more traffic.

Meanwhile, people are putting pricier goods on their shopping lists this time around.

Jewellery, watches and electronics are hot gift items - possibly due to an expectation of large bonuses, said Ms Tan.

And retailers believe their busiest days are yet to come.

A Tangs Orchard spokesman said: 'Singaporeans tend to be last-minute shoppers, so we expect festive shopping to really pick up this week.'

Cash registers ring with glad tidings for retailers
Shops are jingling all the way to the bank as crowds embark on last-minute shopping sprees
Tan Dawn Wei, Straits Times 23 Dec 07;

IT WAS three days before Christmas, but at the gift-wrapping counter of Robinsons Centrepoint yesterday a hand-scrawled sign read: 'Gift tags, ribbons, boxes, gold wrappers - out of stock.'

Staffed by nine very busy workers speedily wrapping presents of all shapes and sizes, the counter was doing the briskest business in the entire department store.

Upon seeing the queue of at least 30 shoppers snaking around the counter, housewife Christine Goh, 42, decided she would wrap her presents herself.

'I still have more shopping to do, so I'd better not waste time queuing if I can help it,' she said. She was carrying two bags full of purchases.

The drizzle did not dampen shoppers' spirits as they braved the rain and crowds for some last-minute Christmas shopping.

Some, like IT consultant Raymond Chew, 38, said they had no choice but to do their shopping at the eleventh hour. He said: 'I've been too busy with work to even draw up my shopping list, so I have to be very focused today in getting all of the shopping done.'

Others had procrastinated.

'This is a critical weekend for us,' said Ms Ellen Yeo, vice-president of store management at Tangs. She expected the number of shoppers to surge by 20 per cent this weekend and extended the store's opening hours till midnight for yesterday and today.

Tangs has beefed up its manpower for the season by 20 per cent compared to last Christmas and 35 per cent over the usual level. Robinsons boosted its staff strength by 50 per cent.

But it will all be worth it. This Christmas is expected to be a bumper year for retailers.

Robinsons declined to give an estimate of its expected Christmas earnings. Senior commercial manager Jane Lee would only say it would be 'above last year's figures'.

With the buoyant economy and newly paid-out bonuses, shoppers have been spending on more luxury items, said Tangs' Ms Yeo, adding that luxury watches, MP3 players and toys have seen a jump in sales this year.

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More Singaporeans choosing high-end gifts this holiday season
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Malaysia and Jakarta prepare for second wave of floods

Straits Times 21 Dec 07;

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA is on alert for an expected second wave of floods today, triggered by high tide.

The Meteorological Department yesterday issued a red alert warning on the prospect of heavy rain in north Johor.

It said moderate and occasionally heavy rain was expected in north Johor from late yesterday until today.

The red alert warning - the highest in the series of colour- coded weather alerts - is issued when heavy and widespread monsoon rains are expected to persist for several hours.

This phenomenon can cause floods in low-lying and riverine areas besides resulting in swift water currents.

The department also issued an orange alert for areas in south Johor and south Pahang. This second-highest warning is issued when moderate monsoon rain is forecast for several hours, with wind speed at 50kmh-60kmh.

The second wave of floods is expected to start today and get progressively worse until Dec 26. High tide is expected to hit 3.7m from 3.4m during the first wave of floods on Dec 10, with wind speed at 40kmh-50kmh.

The department's corporate communications director Muhammad Helmi Abdullah said the high tide phenomenon would hit Peninsular Malaysia's east coast and west Sarawak especially hard.

He said strong wind and choppy seas in the peninsula's east coast, Sarawak and west Sabah, including Labuan, are forecast to persist until Dec 29.

These conditions pose a danger to small boats, recreational activities and sea sports.

'I advise people to be extra careful on the sea and closely follow latest developments in weather conditions,' he said.

Sea water level in and around Johor during normal tide is about 2m.

He said the moderate rain now concentrated in south and east Johor and in north and south Pahang is expected to last until tomorrow, with the possibility of spreading to north Johor.

'Fine weather and less rain are expected in Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Kelantan and Terengganu,' he said.

BERNAMA

Jakarta warned of Christmas tidal floods
Jakarta Post 21 Dec 07;

JAKARTA (JP): A second high tide in less than a month is likely to hit Jakarta's shores on Dec. 23 and 24, said an Indonesian-Dutch tidal monitoring body.

The city's public works body said it has moved intopreparatory mode and is repairing coastal embankments in seven areas in North Jakarta.

Jakarta Flood Project, the Indonesian-Dutch partnership, said it has closely monitored tide levels and has calculated sea water levels on Dec. 23 and 24 would be as high as Nov. 26, when high-tides caused traffic mayhem along the city's airport toll road.

"Sea water levels are already very high," project leader JanJaap Brinkman was quoted in an email sent to The Jakarta Poston Thursday.

"The 190 centimeter mark was reached at ^YPasar Ikan^Y (Jakarta's fish market) today," JanJaap said.

"Tomorrow levels will increase again.

"It is almost certain that sea water levels will reach the same levels as on Nov. 26."

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Charity.net: How you can do good on the Web

Lynn Lee, Straits Times 21 Dec 07;

READERS always asked New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof how they could help fight poverty.

In a column in March, the writer, who focuses on human rights, suggested they do so online. He was speaking from experience.

At Kiva.org, which provides information about entrepreneurs in poor countries, he lent US$25 (S$37) each to the owner of a TV repair shop and a baker in Afghanistan, as well as a single mother running a clothing shop in the Dominican Republic.

They used the money to expand their business, hire staff and boost their inventory.

This unconventional deal is known as microfinancing.The best part: It can be done online - via sites like Kiva - making the process effortless. And you don't need to be rolling in money to play a part.

Set up by a young American couple, Kiva matches lenders with loan-seekers whose businesses could do with a cash infusion of around $1,000 or less.

Most would otherwise have no access to loans at reasonable interest rates.

Kiva is just one example of the many organisations in the United States which are using the Web to 'lower the barriers to do good', says American PhD student Fred Stutzman in an article posted on the AOL Developer Network site.

These organisations have struck gold - simply because they have found a new way to tap the vast pool of goodwill that sometimes evaporates because of inertia and ignorance. Sites like Kiva let the well-meaning participate in charitable giving from the comfort of their own homes.

Don't know which charity to give to? A few clicks of the mouse will give you the lowdown on the different charities, from what they do to the size of their coffers.

Indeed, Web-based philanthropy could catalyse more people in super-wired Singapore to 'pay it forward'.

It will allow targeted giving. People can look for a specific cause online and read all about it before deciding to donate.

They might want to put their dollars towards fitting out a Jurong housewife's kitchen so her home bakery can get off the ground. Or pay to help set up a home office for a wheelchair-bound young man, so he can offer accounting services.

They will also jump at a wealth of information on hand to aid them in picking the right cause.

This is especially useful after the charity scandals that have plagued Singapore, leaving in their wake hesitant donors who are sometimes confused by the tangle of local and foreign social causes vying for their concern.

Individuals whose fortunes run to tens of millions and more can easily pay professional bankers who can source, screen and select philanthropic causes that suit their preferences.

But for the ordinary Joe who wants to give maybe tens or hundreds of dollars, charity via the reputable online intermediaries will be a useful platform to help him navigate the terrain.

Some US-based sites deserve recognition for how they have done this.

There is Change.org, where people can find others with similar pet causes and pick from around one million credible charity organisations.

There is also Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org), an independent site which rates more than 5,000 US-based charities on a four-star scale.

It looks at how financially strong the organisation is, and how much of the funds it raises goes towards its cause, rather than on administration and fund raising - in the spirit of transparency.

Can there be a Singapore version of these two sites, which will help people make informed donations? Are there interested citizens out there willing to do the initial work?

Some groups have already made some headway in Web-based charity.

The Boys' Brigade annual Sharity Gift Box drive is one example. In its 20th year, it lists the 'wishes' of the needy online.

Donors can choose to donate essential food items such as rice and oil at emart.com.sg. This will then be distributed to needy families.

Or they can scroll through requests by children or families - who may want street soccer boots or a washing machine - and tell the Boys' Brigade via e-mail before buying them.

The Web can also serve to liven up the process of charitable giving - it does not have to be a solemn transfer of funds between the haves and the have-nots.

This year, sportswear giant Nike got in on the act by urging buyers of its sports kit -which uses Apple's iPod Nano to measure running distance - to 'clock' their results online.

For every 1km run, Nike gave $5 worth of products to underprivileged children through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organisation which works to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.

Singapore foodies could take a page out of chezpim.com, where food bloggers have put together a raffle, offering autographed cookbooks, food hampers and restaurant meals as prizes.

Donors pay US$10 for tickets. The money raised will provide lunch for school children in Lesotho in Africa.

More organisations and individuals here should see how they can better harness the Internet's potential to get people on the giving train.

In his column, Mr Kristof tells of how he went from being a columnist to a microfinancier via his laptop. It will not take much for others to do the same.

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Being green online: Let's get together

Being green's more fun when you do it with online 'friends'. Meg Carter meets the men who believe that social networking can save the planet
The Independent 20 Dec 07;

Green brands tend to fall into one of two categories, believes internet entrepreneur Andy Hobsbawm. Either they are worthy, good-cause initiatives nibbling at the mainstream, or they are wannabes – established household names now eager to be seen as green.

Which is why, a little over a year ago, when he began looking around for an eco-friendly idea to become his latest venture, one thing was clear. "Without strong brands in the environmental space it will only ever be a worthy eco-ghetto, which just isn't enough," he explains. "We set out to create a green brand as great as the great brands already out there."

The result – Green Thing – is a new online community dedicated to urging us all to adopt a greener lifestyle.

Sign up to join at www.dothegreenthing.com and you will receive a monthly challenge – such as walking instead of driving short distances, turning your lights off early, or buying fewer things that are new – and an invitation to engage at a number of different levels. It's all sugar-coated with fun and entertaining content added to the Green Thing website throughout each month.

Short films are released every couple of weeks to keep the monthly challenge top of the mind.

Members will discover, too, an array of content contributed by well-known names. John Hegley and Tracy Chevalier have written rhymes and Howie B an original musical soundtrack for people to download then walk to. Former Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins, meanwhile, has written and recorded a new track called "Do It in the Dark", inspired by one of Green Thing's November films about turning off lights, featuring a glow-in-the-dark condom. December's green thing is to "buy an old thing, not a new thing" , a gently anti-consumerist message for Christmas, reinforced by a film about Mary and Joseph and photos of members' "old things".

Top creative talent from leading advertising and design agencies, music producers and film-makers have donated original content, too – inspired by Green Thing's aim to make greener lifestyles smart and sexy.

In exchange for all this fun stuff visitors are encouraged to "do the green thing" and log it via www.dothegreenthing.com each time they do. Green Thing then calculates both the amount of carbon dioxide that individual has saved and the running total of CO2 emissions saved by the community as a whole. Slip back into your bad old ways, however, and Green Thing will give you a nudge. Members collect Green Thing monsters, for example, which can be used on their profile pages or shared with friends. Log fewer green actions and eventually your neglected monster will fade Tamagotchi-style to sepia and start to cry.

Hobsbawm, whose day job is European chairman of interactive advertising agency Agency.com, conceived and developed Green Thing with Naresh Ramchandani, one of adland's best-known creatives, whose high-profile campaigns include ads for Maxell, Tango and Ikea.

"We had wanted to do something together for quite some time," Ramchandani explains from the far corner of the busy London media agency that has offered Green Thing's founders a rent-free floor tile or two on which to set up camp. Despite the two founders' industry profiles, both were keen Green Thing should be independent of commercial associations, so it has been developed and launched on a shoestring budget with much talent and resources provided free. "I'm all about making communications more engaging. Andy is all about creating communities online. It just made sense to pool our expertise."

It was Hobsbawm who proposed they do something positive for the environment. Despite sheepishly admitting to being the proud owner until recently of a car he will only describe as "a bit of a legacy from the dotcom boom days", he insists global warming and young children sharpened his environmental focus a number of years ago.

"My kids are six and three and a half now, but for quite a while I was wondering what I'd say to them when in 10 years' time they turn round to me and ask just what I was doing when climate change was going on," he explains. The challenge, however, was deciding just what to do. Both were keen not to get involved with selling green products.

"The trouble with other models – initiatives like Project Red, for example – is that the suggestion you can consume yourself out of a problem seems flawed," Hobsbawm says. "Even if you encourage people to buy more of the right kind of product, the fact remains you are encouraging consumption at a time when more consumption is part of the problem. So we decided to focus on something small, personal and intimate – individual action – rather than simply create yet another large, high-profile, mass-market campaign."

To be credible, however, it was essential that Green Thing was underpinned by solid insight and sound research. So having come up with the idea of setting up an environmentally focused online community, the pair sought advice and input from a cross-section of leading, international environmentalists to help them identify which tasks to encourage members to do and how best to structure the site.

With input from eco-luminaries including environmental activist Wangari Maathal; Cathy Zoi, a former environmental advisor to Bill Clinton; CarbonSense founder Antony Turner and WWF global policy advisor Jules Peck, they constructed the Green Thing site around the themes of reducing consumption, reusing and recycling across six basic categories including transport, energy, food and products. The monthly task is the simplest way that members can help to tackle each challenge, although the website is designed to lead the willing towards bigger and more far-reaching actions that generate a bigger environmental impact.

Green experts also helped the Green Thing team to calculate a value for the carbon saving of an individual member doing each monthly task once. For example, by substituting one two-mile drive with a two-mile walk – Green Thing's October challenge – you can save 0.67kg of carbon dioxide, based on recent government data analysis of research into distances travelled by different groups of people by different means. It may sound modest, but do it more often, then consider the combined saving made by the entire Green Thing community and the savings start to stack up.

www.dothegreenthing.com

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A wing and a prayer: How nature fared in 2007

It's been a tough year for many species. But others have thrived in 2007.
Peter Marren The Independent 20 Dec 07;

Winners and losers 2007

Losers

Eel (UK)
Where have all the eels gone? One of the staples of Cockney cuisine seems to have gone up in smoke. The slow rivers of eastern England, once a world stronghold for eels, have seen a 95% fall in eels since the 1970s. This is not only a misfortune for the eel, but also for rare species such as the otter and bittern which feed on it.

No one knows why eels have stopped visiting British rivers from their spawning grounds in the western Atlantic. Their journeys upriver are full of obstacles, such as weirs and dams, but many of these were there before. They are known to suffer from a parasitic worm that infests their swim bladders. But the most likely reason is changes in ocean currents triggered by climate change. Migrating eels are being fitted with satellite tags to find out.

Iberian lynx
It's enough to make a cat cry. Despite decades of legal protection, hundreds of studies, and millions of euros, this beautiful animal faces extinction in the wild. As recently as the 1980s, there were an estimated 1,000 lynxes in Spain and Portugal. Today there are just 100 left. Worse, there are only about 30 breeding females. Worse yet, their numbers are scattered, and only two small populations are viable.

Many lynxes are casualties of Spain's increasingly busy roads, but the main reason for the precipitate decline is starvation. Iberian lynxes are dependent on rabbits for food. But Spain's once-teeming rabbits have been reduced by disease: first myxomatosis, and now the VHD virus. Over large parts of Spain there are few, or no, rabbits left. Ultimately no rabbits means no lynxes. If it does die out, the Iberian lynx will be the first big cat to become globally extinct since the sabre-toothed tiger.

Humpback whales
Many people find recordings of the haunting song of the humpback whale strangely therapeutic. Gatherings of this vast and friendly whale are favourite destinations for wildlife tourists, and bring in welcome income. Very much against world opinion, Japan has decided to resume hunting them. Last month, a Japanese whaling fleet set sail for South Pacific waters with instructions to kill up to 1,000 whales, including 50 humpbacks.

Japan is exploiting a loophole in the international rules for whaling, which allow countries to kill a whale or two for the purpose of scientific study. Since 1986, Japan has harpooned 7,656 minke whales, including 1,234 last year. It has also resumed hunting the officially endangered fin whale. The meat and other whale products are sold to consumers at market.

Japan claims that humpback numbers are back to levels that can sustain hunting. This is disputed, since humpbacks live in close-knit pods, and even one death can damage their social structure. Years ago, Peter Scott pointed out that whales are the easiest animal on the planet to save. All we need to do is stop hunting them. But that, it seems, is too much to ask.

Yangtze River dolphin
This strange-looking animal is one of the oldest animals on earth, the last survivor of a family that split from other dolphins 20 million years ago. It hunts fish in one of the world's great rivers, the mighty Yangtze. But the last definite sighting of one was four years ago, and in 2007 it was declared extinct. This bad news may be premature. Last August a probable survivor was spotted and videotaped. But, say scientists, even if a few individuals are still out there, the species is "functionally extinct". The last Yangtze River dolphins are too old to breed.

Some 12 per cent of the human race live within the catchment of the Yangtze. The river is a major highway, with many dams, and is in places badly polluted. The Three Gorges Dam, to supply China's growing energy needs, may have been the last straw. The Yangtze River dolphin is the first large mammal to be declared globally extinct for 50 years.

The distinguished jumper (UK)
Meet Britain's unluckiest spider. A dashing little beast, its buggy eyes and fur might remind you of a teddy bear, except that the distinguished jumper is only half an inch long. It is confined to two brownfield sites, both of them threatened by development. At one, the West Thurrock Marshes, the Post Office wants to build a giant warehouse and a lorry park. This, remember, is the institution that bases its publicity material on friendly little red ants.

Lapwing (UK)
Talk to a birder about lapwings and watch their eyes go moist. Not all that long ago it was an unusual farm that didn't have at least a couple of lapwings in the summer, and many more feeding on the stubble later on. But numbers are plummeting, especially in the lowlands. The RSPB believe it may soon be confined to nature reserves.

It seems everything has gone wrong: land drainage, drought, loss of mixed farms, over-grazing and all-autumn sowing. With such a comprehensive range of problems, turning the situation round will not be easy.

Winners

Goldfinch (UK)
A flock of tinkling, yellow-flashing goldfinches has always been known as a charm: a charm of goldfinches. They are visiting our gardens in greater and greater numbers. This year the goldfinch overtook the starling as the 11th-commonest garden bird. At this rate there will soon be more goldfinches than sparrows (there already are in my garden).

What has caused this meteoric rise? The answer is probably the changing ways in which we feed our birds. A traditional bird table with scraps held little interest for this seed-eating finch. That changed with the rise of sunflower heads, and, especially, those narrow, black niger seeds that are now available in every pet shop. These oil-rich seeds are exactly the high-energy food a busy goldfinch needs, especially in the winter.

Mauritius parakeet
Not long ago it was billed as the world's rarest parrot (a title for which there is, unfortunately, stiff competition). It is the last survivor of a group of parrots inhabiting the Indian Ocean islands off Madagascar. 30 years ago it looked set to follow the others into oblivion: at one point there were only 10 ageing birds left. Introduced pigs devoured their favourite native fruits, and introduced rats ate their eggs. Not that the parrots had many places left to lay them in any case, since, thanks to clearances, the island was also running out of suitable old trees.

A dedicated effort was made to save them, and the solution was nest boxes. Designed to resemble a cavity in a hollow tree, the boxes are hung up on specially trimmed trees, with plastic sheeting stapled to the trunk to deter rats. And to make absolutely sure, rat poison is sprinkled on the ground below. There are now more than 300 Mauritius Parakeets and this year its status was changed from "critically endangered" to merely " endangered".

The Adonis Blue (UK)
All right, 2007 was among the worst years ever for British butterflies. But after the dull, rain-drenched summer things started to pick up in late August. And if you were walking on the downs, especially near the sea, you might have seen hundreds of these brilliant butterflies, coloured somewhere between lapis lazuli and the Mediterranean sky. To see even one Adonis Blue makes your day; to see them in large numbers is unforgettable.

Being rare, pretty and a butterfly guarantees you a lot of attention. Nature reserves have helped, as have farm stewardship payments. Together they mean more land is managed in ways that suit this very fussy butterfly than in the recent past. But the Adonis Blue also seems to be benefiting from climate change, and moving into places where it has not been seen for decades.

North Sea cod (UK)
Cod and chips is back on the menu. This week it is likely that quotas for North Sea cod will be lifted. For the first time in decades British fishermen are to be allowed to catch more cod. Stocks in the North Sea have shown a modest upturn, say fishery scientists, sufficient to sustain an increased fishery. European ministers will no doubt give themselves a pat on the back that our cod stocks have not followed those of Newfoundland into oblivion.

If so, the rejoicing may be premature. Numbers of mature cod are still only half of what they were in the 1960s. Some fear that raising the quotas will start a fishing bonanza that may wreck the progress made in the past 20 years. Still, in 2007 at least, cod is among the winners.

Polecat (UK)
For an animal that is rarely seen except as a squashed corpse on a country road, the polecat is doing remarkably well. Closely related to the ferret, but distinguished by an appropriately bandit-like black marking across its eyes, the polecat is among our least-known animals. In the past it was persecuted ruthlessly by gamekeepers, and if it had not had the uplands of Wales to hide out in, it would probably be extinct by now.

A recent survey carried out by the Vincent Wildlife Trust shows that polecats have reclaimed much of their former range in the English Midlands and south. Like the buzzard, it has benefited from a more relaxed attitude to predators. As well as fewer gamekeepers.

Canada goose (UK)
When you watch this noisy, sociable bird at a gravel pit or in a park it's hard to imagine it as anything other than a honking, screaming success. Yet a century ago it was a seriously endangered bird. In its native North America, where everyone had a gun, it was almost shot out of existence.

What saved the Canada goose was conservation. What turned it into one of the most successful large birds on earth is its tolerance to man. It likes our parks, lawns, golf courses and gravel pits. It likes the low numbers of predators in towns and even likes the bags of stale bread fed to it by urban goose fans. Pound for pound, this is the winner of winners.

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EU Seeks Unified Stance on Protecting Whales

PlanetArk 21 Dec 07;

BRUSSELS - The European Union's executive adopted proposals on Thursday to help the 27-nation bloc speak with one voice when it comes to protecting whales.

The species is already safeguarded in European waters but in all international waters. "One cause of this situation is the absence of a unified European Union position at the International Whaling Commission, which weakens the EU action and deprives it of possible leverage," the European Commission said in a statement.

It said the proposals would enable the bloc's 27 member states to agree a common stance ahead of IWC meetings -- the next one is in June 2008.

A common position would be based on support for the current moratorium on commercial whaling, the setting up of whale sanctuaries and encouraging the use of non-lethal methods to collect scientific data.

EU neighbours Norway and Iceland are the only nations to allow "commercial" whale hunts despite a two-decade moratorium on whaling by the International Whaling Commission.

By the end of August Norwegian whalers caught just over half their annual quota of 1,052 minke whales.

Japan catches hundreds of minke whales but says this is for scientific purposes. (Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Alison Williams)

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Songbird Killings in Cyprus Rise - Conservation Group

PlanetArk 21 Dec 07;

NICOSIA - Up to half a million migrating songbirds, mainly warblers and robins, were killed in Cyprus this year to end up pickled or fried as an illegal restaurant delicacy, a conservation group said on Thursday.

Wildlife groups have long campaigned against trapping of the tiny birds on the east Mediterranean island. The practice is banned but conservation group BirdLife Cyprus estimates some 500,000 birds were trapped this year.

Warblers and robins are the main targets, and the birds end up as a dish called "ampelopoulia." They are served pickled or fried in restaurants usually for three Cyprus pounds (US$7.3) each, the group said.

Trappers use fine mist nets in thickets of vegetation along the island's southeast coast to snare birds. (Writing by Michele Kambas, editing by Michael Kahn)

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Uganda chimps at forefront of pharmaceutical research

Lucie Peytermann Yahoo News 20 Dec 07;

Ugandan and French scientists have for months been observing the behaviour of a group of chimpanzees whose uncanny aptitude for self-medication could help their human cousins discover new drugs.

The great apes' ability to treat ailments by adjusting their diet has long been observed by scientists, including world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, but a project in Uganda's Kibale forest offers a unique opportunity for pharmaceutical research.

"It's the first time that a chimpanzee observation aimed at discovering new medicine for humans is conducted within a scientific framework," said Sabrina Krief, a French veterinary and professor at the Paris National History Museum.

Uganda is an ideal research ground for the scientists' double mission of better understanding the chimps' behaviour and using them as guides towards new molecules -- and potentially new drugs.

"Uganda happens to be a country where eight of the 16 centres of endemic plants in the whole of Africa converge," said John Kasenene, professor of botanics at the University of Makerere in Kampala.

The university is conducting the project in partnership with the Natural History Museum in Paris, France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

Should a new drug be discovered through the project, the memorandum of understanding signed by all the partners includes a revenue-sharing clause.

The Kibale equatorial forest, located some 250 kilometres (130 miles) west of the capital Kampala, offers a high concentration of primates.

"There are very few research stations in the world where chimps have been so well accustomed to being in the presence of human observers," said Krief, who heads the chimp project there.

The key moment in the observation is when one among the group of around 50 chimps she monitors gets sick.

The primate's choice of food -- what he pulls out of his medicine chest -- is packed with information that could lead the scientists to new discoveries.

"We want to compare which plants are used by the traditional healers or traditional practitioners, and the medicines used by chimpanzees. Is there a relation for the kind of treatment they go for?," Kasenene said.

At dawn the team collects the animal's faeces from under that night's nest and carry out a range of analyses.

Krief explained how a chimp named Yogi, suffering from intestinal worms, ingested Aneilema aequinoctiale leaves in the morning and Albizia grandibracteata bark in the evening.

Such plants have been used in traditional medicine in some areas and the Kibale team later confirmed through in vitro testing that they acted against parasites.

Another male chimpanzee who had been feverish and weak was observed eating only Trichilia rubescens leaves for a whole day.

The plants' molecules, later isolated by the scientists in a laboratory, were found to be effective against malaria.

"These findings have allowed us to discover new plant molecules with significant properties against malaria, worms or tumours," Krief said.

Dennis Kamoga, a botanics researcher from Makerere University, is tasked with collecting samples from plants ingested by chimps that will later be analysed in both France and Uganda.

"What is surprising to me is that these chimps have no chemist, no lab... They simply move in and collect plants and eventually find themselves getting cured," the 27-year-old marvelled. "It's a proof that they are very close to us."

Around 100 different kinds of plants have already been sampled in Kibale since the start of 2007.

"It's quite rare to find active molecules but especially new molecules which might put us on the path to developing new pharmaceuticals," which is the ultimate goal of the project, Krief said.

The French scientist said she hoped that, while advancing medicine for humans, the research project in Kibale could also contribute to "a better understanding and protection of the flora and the great apes" in the forest, both of which include critically endangered species.

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US Crop supplies "dicey" in 2008

USDA's Conner: Crop supplies "dicey" in 2008
Charles Abbott, Reuters 20 Dec 07;

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. farmers will win the race to grow enough corn, wheat and soybeans to satisfy food, feed and biofuel needs although 2008 will be "very dicey," said acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner on Thursday.

"I would never bet against our farmers on this issue," Conner said in looking ahead to 2008 crops. For the second year in a row, zooming demand for U.S. crops will require a huge harvest to avoid shortfalls. "We have said it is going to be very dicey."

The wheat stockpile is forecast to shrink to its smallest level in 60 years before the new crop matures next summer. The soybean stockpile also could drop by 68 percent by next fall while this year's record corn crop assures an ample supply well into 2008.

Livestock feeders face "a rough patch" with grain and soybean prices at record highs, "but we are going to get through," Conner said during a year-end review with reporters. He described the 2007 and 2008 crop years as a watershed time when more corn is needed to make fuel ethanol and disappointing wheat harvests in Australia and Europe deplete supplies.

President Bush signed an energy law on Wednesday requiring use of 36 billion gallons a year of renewable fuels, by 2022 with 15 billion gallons expected to come from corn-based ethanol. Production this year is forecast for around 6.5 billion gallons.

"I think we can march that (corn) production figure right up," said Conner, with the help of biotech seeds and improved cropping practices.

Farmers shifted land into corn in order to reap a record 13.168 billion bushels this year. High yields will be needed in 2008 to help meet demand for U.S. crops, says Darrell Good, University of Illinois economist. Good says high prices will encourage larger soybean and wheat plantings while corn sowings remain large, a difficult combination.

Conner also said:

--"We're watching very, very closely" to see if cropland should be released without penalty from the long-term Conservation Reserve. About 36.8 million acres are idled in the reserve. Contracts on 2.5 million acres, much of it in wheat country, expired this fall;

--Landowners show little interest in breaking Conservation Reserve contracts to return land to crops amid high market prices. Conner said it showed commitment to land stewardship. Landowners must refund their annual rent payments if they want to take land out of the reserve early;

--"We have not written off the possibility of reform in the farm bill." Congress should drop the ideas of higher crop support rates and tax increases in the bill, he said, and stop giving crop supports to the wealthiest Americans.

--There will not be a viable sugar-to-ethanol industry "with the current (sugar support) program as it stands." U.S. sugar prices are too high for ethanol to compete with lower-cost feedstocks, he said.

(Editing by Christian Wiessner)

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McDonald's Sees Restaurants as Green Laboratories

PlanetArk 21 Dec 07;

LOS ANGELES - From low-flow water faucets to converting French fry oil to fuel, McDonald's Corp is testing ways to reduce the impact its 31,000-plus restaurants have on the world's resources.

The hamburger chain, whose iconic brand and presence in 118 countries has made it the target of anti-globalization activists, is using its scale and broad franchise ownership to address the issue.

It is trying out a slew of individualized environmental initiatives, said Bob Langert, vice president of corporate social responsibility, in an interview, adding that it did not make sense to force one solution onto its entire system.

"In Japan, which is very land constrained, it's about waste. In Australia, the big issue is water," Langert said. "There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to environmental initiatives."

In the last 20 years, McDonald's has made a variety of environmentally driven changes that are, for the most part, invisible to customers. They included reducing the amount and type of packaging it was using, moving a third of its fish purchases to more sustainable sources and implementing a program to buy goods made from recycled materials.

Langert became involved with the company's environmental initiatives after working on its 1988 move to eliminate containers made with chlorofluorocarbons, which were found to contribute to ozone depletion.

"We've eliminated the low-hanging fruit and medium-hanging fruit through the last 20 years," Langert said, but added that the pace of environmental change at McDonald's is picking up.

Increasingly, individual markets and franchisees are spearheading their own "green" initiatives, he said.

In Switzerland, for instance, the company installed dry urinals in its restaurants, cutting its water consumption by nearly 10 percent. Meanwhile in the United Kingdom, some restaurants are converting used frying oil into biodiesel that is used to fuel the trucks delivering goods to the stores.

In addition, in 2005 a franchisee in Savannah, Georgia, built the first McDonald's restaurant certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.


BREAK OUT THE LAB COATS!

The goal, Langert said, is to use the company's restaurants as "laboratories of green experimentation."

That way, something that works well in one market could later be expanded to the rest of the system. Langert likened the approach to the way some of McDonald's most popular menu items were conceived, with individual franchisees creating products such as the Egg McMuffin and the Filet-O-Fish before they were introduced in all of its restaurants.

Using cooking oil from the restaurants to fuel its distribution system, for instance, is one idea "that we can scale over time," Langert said, adding that "our prognosis is that that actually saves us money."

In addition, the company is trying out various new restaurant designs that incorporate more natural light and energy-efficient equipment.

So far, many of the adjustments McDonald's has made to combat climate change have been behind the scenes, including implementing "environmental scorecards" for its suppliers and joining a Greenpeace-led moratorium on buying soybeans from newly deforested areas in the Amazon.

The challenge going forward, Langert said, is to make changes in the restaurants that customers will not only accept, but appreciate.

Consumers, for instance, didn't like a switch to "greener" brown bags, saying they made the food seem less clean and fresh. The company switched back to white bags, while making other changes that included downsizing napkins and increasing the recycled content of Happy Meal boxes.

"We have to meet multiple needs," Langert said, referring to the balance between pleasing customers and making decisions for the business.

Earlier this year, a Happy Meal tie-in with the animated film "Bee Movie" included games that encourage children to make a positive difference to the environment. He added that the company has an opportunity to talk more to its customers about the environment and the measures it has taken.

"We need to shed more light on this," Langert said. (Reporting by Nichola Groom)

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Mexico's Biggest Clean up to Transform Refinery Site

PlanetArk 21 Dec 07;

MEXICO CITY - Mexico's oil monopoly Pemex is taking on the country's biggest ever environmental clean-up on land at a former refinery that will be turned into a huge park to mark the 200th independence anniversary from Spain.

Pemex will throw more than US$50 million to make a toxic and potentially cancer-threatening site into a park in the north of Mexico City. The former oil refinery operated for almost 60 years until it was closed down in 1991 because of pollution.

Engineers have found residual benzene, diesel and gasoline at depths up to 15 feet in the earth at the 136 acre site inside the sprawling city, which is home to more than 18 million people.

Various soil and land clean up techniques are being used at the site ahead of the scheduled Sept. 2009 handover to the government, which will then develop its park project ahead of the Sept. 2010 anniversary.

"The aim is to leave the land totally free of pollutants so it does not represent absolutely any environmental risk to health," Pemex chief Jesus Reyes Heroles said at a presentation of the plan Wednesday.

Around 250 workers are currently employed in the clean up that so far has involved removing 100,000 cubic meters of earth and will also need the removal of untold quantities of pipeline ducts and old railway tracks.

The government of President Felipe Calderon wants to open a park on the site, which is a third of the size of London's Hyde Park, with tentative plans for an aquarium and a major reforestation.

"We want it to be another lung for Mexico City," Reyes Heroles said.

Chapultepec park is the city's main park. The old refinery site, which has little construction left as Pemex dismantled and rebuilt various parts of it at other installations after it was closed down, will be slightly smaller than Chapultepec. (Reporting by Chris Aspin; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

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Bush says nuclear energy 'best' for greenhouse gases

Yahoo News 20 Dec 07;

US President George W. Bush said Thursday that nuclear power represents the "best solution" to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and stressed he was serious about fighting climate change.

Bush said he told Nobel peace laureate and former vice president Al Gore that he takes the issue of greenhouse emissions "seriously" and that his administration was "developing a strategy that will deal with it."

At a White House press conference, Bush said his administration was working on climate issues from several fronts, including signing a bill making automobiles more fuel efficient, but said nuclear energy was another key.

"If you are truly serious about dealing with greenhouse gases, it seems like you should be a strong supporter of nuclear power," he said.

"I certainly am, and applaud efforts by members of the congress to provide incentives for the construction of new plants ... It is the best solution to making sure we have economic growth and at the same time be good stewards of the environment."

The US leader reiterated the US position that in order for any global treaty on reducing greenhouse gases to be effective all emitting countries "needed to be at the table."

"One of the main reasons I was against Kyoto was that China was not at the table," he told the press conference.

"We could do all we wanted to do, but it would not affect the greenhouse gases over the long run unless a country like China had agreed ... to participate in the strategy."

World negotiations on climate change in Bali, Indonesia, nearly collapsed this month as the US government insisted any successor to the Kyoto treaty must acknowledge a nation's sovereign right to pursue economic growth.

"It is hard to develop the technologies necessary to be able to make sure our standard of living remains strong and deal with greenhouse gases if you are broke," Bush said Thursday.

He was speaking the day after the US government rejected a request by California to be allowed to introduce tough new vehicle emissions standards, dealing a blow to its hopes of slashing greenhouse gas levels over the next decade.

The Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement that after consideration of the requests by California it had found there were no "compelling and extraordinary conditions" to grant a waiver.

The EPA instead said legislation Bush signed this week was a step towards a "clear national solution" towards curbing greenhouse gas emissions rather than a "confusing patchwork of state rules."

Bush said the issue was how to put together an effective strategy for the country as a whole.

"Is it more effective to let each state make a decision as to how to proceed in curbing greenhouse gases? Or is it more effective to have a national strategy?" he asked.

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