Practically one in three males in their mid-forties in Australia, New Zealand and America is obese.
That’s something to think about as you sit at your desk giving a workout to nothing but your fingers and your eyeballs.
Science journalist David Freedman says the only surprising thing about that statistic is that it’s not even higher, given most of us lead sedentary lives and eat too much of the wrong sort of food.
So who’s to blame? It does seem once you hit forty you are either fat or fit. Many of those who head to the gym at first light, pound the pavements at lunchtime and take brisk walks at dusk are quick to say it’s all about personal responsibility. But is it as simple as saying a third of us are just plain lazy?
Freedman says it is society’s problem and we all need to be involved in trying to fix it. The office is a good place to start — we spend so much time there. The payback will come in the form of increased productivity and higher staff morale. There’s a spin-off benefit that you’ll probably live longer.
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Is the EU anti-growth?
The EU is struggling right now. The Bundesbank has downgraded its 21019 GDP forecast from 1.6% down to 0.6%. The Italian government is being threatened for breaching the EU’s spending rules. Yellow vests protestors have been out on the streets of Paris for 31 weeks now, fighting against inequality. This week the European Central Bank meets to determine how to boost the bloc’s economic growth. But, Phil Dobbie asks Prof Steve Keen, isn’t it time for a fundamental rethink of how the EU is structured and operates? With reforms to the EU, would Brexit have been necessary?
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Feedback loops kill the equilibrium fantasy
Conventional economics rests on the belief of that there’s some sort of equilibrium. Steve Keen explains why this ignores the role of feedback loops, that can move prices and demand in all sorts of directions.
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Copyright protection without the court action
Will new business models cut down the amount of people breaking the law, reduce the market for pirates and remove the need for litigation?
