In this issue: RECESSION INSURANCE JESUS CHICKEN BUY LOCAL - OR ELSE And much, much more... ------------------------------------------------------------ ____ ____ ___ _____ ____ ______ ______ * / __ )/ __ \/ | / _/ | / / |/ / | / _/ / / __ / /_/ / /| | / // |/ / /|_/ / /| | / // / / /_/ / _ _/ ___ |_/ // /| / / / / ___ |_/ // /___ /_____/_/ |_/_/ |_/___/_/ |_/_/ /_/_/ |_/___/_____/ *Feeding hungry minds since 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail email issue 51 - May 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------ Brainmail is a free snack-sized newsletter dedicated to trends, innovations and other miscellany. To subscribe or unsubscribe to the world's best online cache of curiosities go to http://brainmail.nowandnext.com Tell the whole world about brainmail forward this to zillions of friends. ------------------------------------------------------------ > Men only slimming clubs Following the success of women only gyms it was perhaps inevitable that someone (WeightWatchers) would start a chain of men-only slimming clubs. Apparently slimming clubs are usually dominated by women and shy men find such places intimidating. 67% of UK men are currently classified as overweight compared to 58% of women. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) > Recession insurance The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is gauging support for a novel idea whereby governments offer individuals and institutions insurance cover against future recessions and depressions. The idea - developed by Olivier Blanchard - would aim to reduce uncertainty about the future by offering payments if GDP growth fell below a threshold level. Ref: Sydney Morning Herald (Aus) > Sharp thinking A cosmetic surgeon has come up with an idea that has cut knife crime in Cardiff (UK) by 40%. Anonymised data about the precise time and location of knife attacks has resulted in police being able to anticipate hot spots and increase manpower on specific streets at specific times. Ref: The Times (UK) > Word detective: Deglobalisation If globalisation is the integration of goods, money and jobs then deglobalisation is the reverse - a shrinking of this flow and an increase in nationalism and protectionism. Ref: Economist (UK) > Beyond carbon-neutral An interesting thought in a recent Trendwatching newsletter is eco-generosity. The idea here is that firms not only clean up their own environmental mess but clean up that of others too. For example, companies might plant more trees than are required to offset carbon emissions. Probably a bit fringe but a nice idea nevertheless. Ref: Trendwatching.com (Neth). > Jesus chicken Chick-fil-A is a chain of Christian chicken restaurants in the US that worships God and refuses to open on Sundays. Sales rose skyward by 4.6% last year and the company opened 83 new stores. Ref: Fortune (US) > Mafia-free foods A supermarket in Sicily that has refused to pay protection money to the Mafia has started to sell Mafia-free foods. Products include items such as olive oil, pasta and wine from firms that also refuse to pay protection. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) > Talking the talk Talking to yourself has long been thought of as an early sign of mental illness but it appears that the practice actually carries with it significant mental health benefits. For example, research conducted by Dr Paul Horton (author of a book called the Solace Paradigm) says that talking to oneself can lift a depressive mood. However, the medical effects are only positive when the talk is itself positive. Ref: The Times (UK) > Three degrees of separation According to a study by Nicholas Christakis and James Flowler, people may indeed be connected to everyone by six degrees of separation but they are only influenced by those up to three degrees away. In other words influence decreases as separation increases (Doh! Do you think?). Ref: Harvard Business Review (US) > Soak the rich 70% of people in the UK want taxes that will hurt the rich according to a poll conducted on behalf of the Fabian Society (a Labour think-tank). Footballers are seen as the most overpaid individuals in society closely followed by bankers. The top tax rate in the UK is currently 45%. Ref: The Guardian (UK) > Buy local - or else A group of French wine terrorists (perhaps terrierists - get it?) have started to attack French wholesalers supplying imported wine. Terrorist acts include emptying the equivalent of 1.2 million bottles of foreign wine down the drain. Tankers containing foreign wine have also been attacked. Ref: Daily Telegraph (UK) ------------------------------------------------------------ : FAST FACTS 50% of the world's population do not have access to clean water. Ref: A Brief History of the Future by Jacques Attali Polluted water kills 22,000 people every day. Ref: A Brief History of the Future by Jacques Attali The average person drinks 2 litres of water per day but actually uses approximately 3,000. Ref: Economist (UK) In the US 50 million families can't afford to pay off their credit card bills. Ref: Harvard Business Review (US) According to JP Morgan Nestle, Unilever, Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Busch together use 575 billion litres of water annually Ref: The Economist (UK) 90% of rivers near urban areas in China are severely polluted Ref: World Bank. US energy needs are around 21 million barrels of oil per day. 70% of this energy is imported. Ref: Newsweek (US) Since 1994, 5 million immigrants have entered Spain swelling its population by an estimated 10% Ref: FT (UK) In 2008 an average PC was 32,000 times more powerful and 12 times less expensive than an average PC in 1981. Ref: A Brief History of the Future by Jacques Attali Teens that play ball games are less likely to suffer from brittle bones later in life according to a UK study. Ref: British Journal of Sports Medicine (UK) Membership of cooperatives now stands at 800 million people worldwide. This is figure is up 100% from 30 years ago. Ref: Strategy + Business (US) The average Londoner creates more than 500kg of waste every year. Ref: Economist (UK) 16,000 children sleep in municipals shelters in New York every night. Ref: A Brief History of the Future by Jacques Attali The Chinese economy is currently 1/5 the size of the US economy Ref: Newsweek (US) Last year (2008) fewer Americans moved home than in any year since the 1940s. Ref: Newsweek (US) In 2008, 23,000 children died in workplace accidents. Ref: A Brief History of the Future by Jacques Attali Approximately 3m people are employed in the retail sector in the UK - about the same number that are employed in manufacturing. Ref Economist (UK) The ratio of workers to people drawing social security benefits was 16.5 to 1 in 1950. In 2050 this is predicted to increase to 2 to 1 primarily due to societal ageing. Ref: Time (US) ------------------------------------------------------------ : BOOK OF THE MONTH The Spike by Damien Brodderick ------------------------------------------------------------ : WEB SIGHT OF THE MONTH http://www.gapminder.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------ : QUOTE OF THE MONTH "As a purely demographic matter, 'white America' may cease to exist in 2040, 2050 or 2060, or later still. But where the culture is concerned, it's already finished'. Hua Hsu ------------------------------------------------------------ : STILL HUNGRY? If this snack-sized newsletter still leaves you feeling hungry feed your brain with something a little more substantial at www.nowandnext.com (and yes, that's free too). ---------------------------------------------------- : LOOKING FOR AN INSIGHTFUL AND ENTERTAINING SPEAKER? If you are looking for an inspiring speaker for your next event ask your speaker agency about Richard Watson or contact him direct via http://nowandnext.com Recent speaker clients have included IBM, McDonald's, Virgin, Commonwealth Bank and Disney. ----------------------------------------------------- : SMALL PRINT The stories, statistics and 'facts' appearing in brainmail are sourced from a variety of reliable publications worldwide. However, brainmail cannot guarantee the truthfulness of stories and a degree of commonsense should be applied before quoting or using any of this material in a commercial context.