food dump

The profits being made by Tesco, now running into £billions, would astonish Rev Dr RobertMalthus, the 18th Century economist who argued in 1798 tnat the population  had a natural tendency to increase faster than the means of production, and that we would soon be unable to feed ourselves. It was good sense at the time, but Dr Malthus could not reckon wioth the resources of the giant supermarkets, now able to load their shelves with nourishing foods from all parts of the world, or the ingenuity of the farming industry and what Matt Ridley (The Rational Optimist (Fourth Estate 2010) calls 'The Fertiliser Revolution'. Forecasting global doom in Robert Malthus's time was an inextact science; he was not to know how agricultural science would bless us.. Not only is there enough for us all in the well-fed west to eat, but we are eating the wrong things, and throwing away immense quantities of edible foods. It is reported  (Sunday Telegraph April 10) that households in Brtain dump 8.3million tons of food and drink a year, mostly to landfill sites. More than five million tons of this is said to be edible. What would Dr Malthus have made of the debate now taking place about 'best before' and 'use by' labels on food? What would he say to us about the huge disproportion between our plenty and the grim poverty which condemns millions to hunger and thirst while the burger and chips generation struggles with obesity? It's food for thought.

charm

You don't get a degree in it, but it is one quality that will kickstart a career rather more effectively than most academic qualifications. It's CHARM..  It is possible to work  hard to achieve a good degree and then wonder why potential employers remain unimpressed. It may be because a graduate presents little if any warmth of personality. Many successful people in a variety of careers have just about enough mastery of their subject to get by, but have progressed  because they know how to offer three simple qualities: they are an ability to LISTEN. They can SM ILE, and they MAKE TIME for the views of other people. It's an old fashioned attitude, but still vital in the art of successful human relations. A surprising number of people are successful and content with their lives, without academic qualifications, but with  a degree of empathy - they just get on with people. Can empathy be taught? perhaps not in the lecture room, but it can be encouraged and nurtured.The Campaign for Courtesy has been saying for 25 years that manners matter. As more and more graduates face frustration because they can't get a foot on their career choice ladder, it may be because they don't have the personal confidence that comes with genuine courtesy towards others. The Campaign for Courtesy offers basic guidance in this vital human resource. Contact Ian Gregory, the Campaign's Patron in Chief -  iancongist@hotmail.co.uk