vincent

Jiro-nomics: Destination Zero : Militancy in the Niger Delta could remain a big problem in Nigeria, writes OBODO EJIRO. At exactly 1:32am on January 30 2016, an unkn...

2016 is the U.N. International Year of Pulses, which will celebrate the sustainability of grain legumes. 2016 is the United Nations International Year of Pulses (IYP). Pulses, or grain legumes, include 12 crops such as dry beans, dry peas, chickpeas, and lentils, which  are high in protein, fiber, and micronutrients. In celebration of the global launch of IYP, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) created a short video highlighting unique opportunities for pulses to contribute to the future of food security. Pulses offer many opportunities for reducing the environmental footprint of food production, especially by fixing nitrogen to improve soil quality. Just 43 gallons of water can produce one pound of pulses, compared with 216 gallons for soybeans and 368 gallons for peanuts. And production of pulses emits only 5 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with beef production. Furthermore, improvements in pulse productivity could be especially impactful i...

T his Christmas, in a tradition almost as hallowed as carol singing and turkey dinners, more than half of all the titles sold annually in the UK will have been traded in the frantic bazaar that dominates autumn business. This festive bonanza remains one of the few landmarks in an environment that, roughly since the millennium, has been rocked by a succession of seismic aftershocks, apparently threatening the very existence of Grub Street. This year, however, has seen a breathing space, a “year of print” ( Bookseller ), in which the end of the world was postponed yet again. For a nail-biting decade it was said that e-reading would spell death to the traditional book. Actually, the reverse has been true. A body of evidence now suggests that ebooks have actually stimulated the market for hardbacks.   Waterstones, once facing meltdown, has returned to profit ; independent bookshops are making money. So the seasonal glass turns out to be (just) half full, with all kinds of pri...