Does a swallow a summer make?  It may not, but considering the deluge of patently untrue and unfair reports by the main stream media on palm oil and the issue of deforestation, it is indeed heartening for Deforestation Watch that, at last, AFP has published a report called “Palm Oil: Environmental Curse or a Blessing”, which looks at both sides of the coin.

Rather than the usual emotive, biased and irrational reports by much of the main stream media, the writer Jerome Rivet takes a dispassionate and objective look at the issue from a constructive standpoint, taking into account the economic necessity of the crop to smallholders who depend on palm oil for a living. In Indonesia, smallholders account for more than 40% of the total palm oil production.

The answer, of course is to strike a balance between sustaining the environment and feeding the impoverished millions through better forest management. Emotive, inflammatory and incendiary reporting have no place in the debate.

Deforestation Watch publishes the AFP report in full to enable readers to form their own opinions on the issue.

The current global financial crisis has caused people to pay greater attention to their credit rating.  When credit was freely available, some people became careless about how they used it. They didn’t bother to save for what they wanted; they just borrowed with some saddling themselves up to their ears with debt. To them, being in debt was no big deal.

However, in a crisis, that is no longer the case. Having good credit is suddenly very important.

After reading an advertisement for a credit rating service, a close friend of mine who’s a banker remarked: “Credit rating is not something you can buy; its something you have to work for.”

The same principle applies to our credibility.  

 

Jason Ray was a ray of hope and joy on the University of North Carolina campus.  He performed the role of Rameses (the University mascot) for 3 years, hauling his giant ram’s head costume to sporting events one day and to children’s hospitals the next. He was an Eagle Scout, Honor Student, Black Belt in Karate, Lead Singer in a Rock Band and life held much promise for this energetic and compassionate boy.

A 35-metre pine rests at a sick angle on the roof of a Washington DC home on the city's edge. The tree snapped like a toothpick midway through the storm, tearing down the electrical lines and leaving this household dark – and along with an estimated 200,000 people, reliant on battery and candle power.