Hi everyone. I came across this very informative infographic from the World Bank and I want to share it with you. One of the powerful tools to combat poverty is to educate the people. Education equips poor people with the necessary skills they need to participate in economic activity.
This infographic shows what has been achieved so far with regards to providing education and learning to everyone.
We recently had lunch at Krazy Garlik at Resorts World Manila. We actually wanted to try something new and ended up going inside this restaurant. The first thing I noticed was the decoration and the theme of the restaurant. The walls were painted with scenes from the Mad Hatter tea party in "Alice in Wonderland" except that there was an abundance of garlic.
For starter we ordered the Amazing Krazy Garlik Salad. It's made with the usual salad mix of cucumber, bell pepper, onions with some chicken and shrimped. To give it its uniquely Asian taste, it was tossed in sesame oil. It was then topped with fried wanton and peanut oil. I find it refreshing and cool.
One of us ordered the seafood pasta and was gracious enough to let us try it. It's a bit salty for my taste though.
The Angus beef sirloin steak was my father's choice. I wasn't able to try this but my father said that it tastes good and the beef was tender.
I ordered the Tofu and Baby Eggplant. The tofu and eggplant were braised in light soy sauce and then topped with ground chicken. It reminded me of a Thai dish.
Although it is not something that I would go crazy for, eating at Krazy Garlik was still a different experience and I somewhat enjoyed it. You may want to visit it the next time you go to Resorts World Manila at the 2nd floor of the Newport Mall.
Obesity and overweight continue to be a global epidemic problem even in times of high food prices.
This is according to the latest edition of the Food Price Watch released by the World Bank Group. The report noted that while global food prices declined in the last six months, these are still very high and are close to their historical peaks. It is because of this that people choose to serve cheaper and less nutritious food for their family.
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“Unhealthy food tends to be cheaper than healthy ones, like junk food in developed countries. When poor people with some disposable income in developing countries try to cope with high and increasingly volatile food prices, they also tend to choose cheap food that is high in calories but without much nutritious value,” said Otaviano Canuto, World Bank Group’s Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management. “Half of the world's overweight people live in just nine countries -- China, United States, Germany, India, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, and Turkey -- evidence that obesity is not an epidemic restricted only to rich countries.”
The report further warned that with high and volatile food prices, millions will continue to suffer from poor nutrition, whether it is hunger, undernutrition or obesity which can cause premature death. In 2008, the number of overweight adults was 1.46 billion, of which 508 million were obese. Even conservative estimates see that number rising to 2.16 billion for overweight adults and nearly doubling to 1.12 billion for obese by 2030 across all regions and in countries like China and India.
What is sad though is that the report pointed that despite the gravity of this problem, it is not evident that reducing obesity is among the top global policy priorities. Responses to the obesity epidemic have ranged from doing nothing to trying to promote healthier behaviors through taxes, bans or restrictions on certain foods and awareness campaigns. There have also been extreme cases in Japan where fines have been imposed to employees exceeding certain waistline limits.
On March 23 at 8:30PM, million of people around the world will turn out the lights for Earth Hour. an event to raise awareness about to need to take action on climate change and the impact of human activity on the environment.
The Earth Hour movement has grown into the world’s largest voluntary action for the environment since it first took place in Sydney in 2007 with some 2.2 million participants. In 2012 an estimated 1.8 billion people joined the event around the world. This year, organizers expect some 7,000 cities in 152 countries to participate.
By the way, I read somewhere that major international landmarks will also join the observance of Earth Hour. These include Cape Town’s Table Mountain, the Statue of David in Florence, Tokyo Tower, Taipei 101, the Bird’s Nest in Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Towers, the Gateway of India in Mumbai, the walls of Dubrovnik, Buckingham Palace in London, Times Square in New York, Niagara Falls, Toronto’s CN Tower and the Las Vegas Strip, and many more.
I have been observing Earth Hour for the last five years and some of my friends also do so. You might think that it's a little strange to sit in the dark for one hour but you don't really need to just sit there and stare in the darkness. There are a lot of things one can do even in the dark.
For one, you and your friends can share new stories or jokes. With our dependence on technology such as text messaging, online chat, etc. that we have forgotten how fun it is to actually have a chat and tell stories. While at it, you may want to unplug some of your electronic devices like chargers, computers, microwave ovens and airconditioners.
One of my musical friends usually do an acoustic sing-along during Earth Hour. He and his buddies bring out their guitars and jam for 60 minutes. Sometimes they even go beyond the time especially when they're having time.
photo from earthhour.org
Me, I just sit in the darkness and try to be aware of my surroundings. I listen to the chirping of the crickets, the distant barking of dogs and the usual human activity of my neighbors. I try to shut out the noise of their televisions, their motorbikes and other stuff that contribute to what Earth Hour wants us to be aware of in the first place.
I hope this year, you join us for just one hour on Saturday. Aside from switching off your lights, you may also want to unplug other appliances like your TV, game consoles, DVD and Blu-Ray players. You will feel great after Earth Hour knowing you have contributed in a global event.
Tomorrow, March 18, Monday, McDonald’s Philippines, joins 5,000 McDonald’s restaurants in Asia, Middle East and South Africa in staging the region’s first and biggest breakfast celebration to date—National Breakfast Day.
Filipino customers will join in the fun and have another great reason to cheer ‘Hooray for Today!’.
All McDonald’s restaurants serving breakfast in the country will be offering 1,000 delicious McMuffins for FREE from 5:00 AM to 9:00 AM via Dine-In, Take-Out, or Drive-Thru.
