Rake thin models look androgynous, which I suppose is the point... the mystery of sexual ambiguity. Some look like heroin users - others like walking Oxfam ads. It can get tragic too. Models Luisel Ramos and Carolina Reston, both died due to complications arising from their low weight.

There have been moves in Europe to change the perception that thin is chic. In Spain the government and fashion chains have reached an agreement that female store mannequins should at the very least be a size 10. The move is also an attempt to cater to reality. Most women don't look like Gemma Ward, so it seems counter-productive to use ultra-skinny models as a retail incentive.

The measures being taken by the Spanish go beyond window displays. Models have actually been banned from working for being too thin. Last year two fashion shows banned models whose body mass index was below 18. In the case of a model who is 1.75 meters (5 ft 7 inches), she has to weigh at least 55 kg.

The average woman on the streets of N. American cities has been entirely unrepresented by the glamor end of a fashion industry that for years has been appealing to a race of rail thin space aliens.

Arguably, an even greater threat than nuclear proliferation, is the rapidly deteriorating state of our global environment. Recently the eminent theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, spoke candidly about his concerns at the University of Cambridge. Hawking referred to the twin dangers of nuclear weapons and climate change, and called on governments to act now because in his view without concerted and focused action the planet is in grave peril.

A spokesperson for BAS, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, that operates the Doomsday Clock, warned that the environmental threat is as critical as the threat posed by nukes. Over the next two decades the world could be facing "irremediable harm to the habitats upon which human societies depend for survival.”

Our lifestyle is at the root of the problem. In addition to the environmental hazard of industrial emissions, the huge livestock industry is proving to be a threat to biodiversity - polluting land and water resources and contributing to the greenhouse effect. Recent statistics indicate that livestock is responsible for 18% of gas emissions... higher than transportation which emits some 13.5%.

People often attribute this emission level to the livestock itself, but fertilizer and feed production, manure management methods and the vast tracts of land that have been deforested in order to create pastures are also factors.

Livestock occupies some 26% of the earth's land surface. The speed with which deforestation is taking place only adds to the problem. For example 70% of the land reclaimed in the Amazon region is now being used for raising livestock.

Developing nations such as China, are also a concern because they are on a technological fast-track. China has one fifth of the world's population. It is also the world leader in coal production. The use of fossil fuels still plays a major role in its economy.

Despite Kyoto and dire warnings from scientists, politicians have been slow to respond to the growing threat posed by climate change. Some like Professor James Lovelock, in his book The Revenge of Gaia, argue that it may already be too late.

We are responsible and will suffer the consequences: as the century progresses the temperature will rise eight degrees centigrade in temperate regions and five degrees in the tropics ...

Much of the tropical land mass will become scrub and desert; before this century is over billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs that survive will be in the Arctic, where the climate remains tolerable.

The documentary "Jesus Camp" doesn't try to influence the viewer one way or the other - it just records what goes on.

Pastor Becky Fischer's rhetoric is charged with "them and us" characterizations. She informs the kids they are in "God's army" and that Harry Potter is evil and "an enemy of God." She goes on to tell her charges ... "had he been in the Old Testament, Harry Potter would have been put to death!"

Of course it doesn't take Fischer long to start on the guilt and sin routine. She asks the kids if they are living "two separate lives." She insinuates that they might be doing sinful things at school and how they ought to be ashamed.

At one point in the film a cardboard cutout of President Bush is dragged out and placed in front of an American flag. The kids are instructed to bless him and speak in tongues for him. They deliver like trained circus performers.

Evangelist Ted Haggard shows up (this was before he had been outed for purchasing drugs from a gay prostitute), and is filmed delivering one of his never ending mega sermons.

The overall impression created by the documentary is of a movement dedicated to appropriating the gospel of Jesus in the interests of ideology and mind control. That they have begun targeting young children in camp environments speaks to a determination to control recruits before they have a chance to think for themselves.

The following statement by Fischer says it all.

I want to see young people who are as committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam. I want to see them as radically laying down their lives for the gospel as they are over in Pakistan and Israel and Palestine and all those different places... excuse me, but we have the truth.

It's instructive to look at the details of how the French and American diets differ.

According to research data cited in Wikipedia, in 2002 the average French person consumed 108 grams of animal fat, while the average American consumed only 72 grams. The French eat four times as much butter, sixty percent more cheese and nearly three times as much pork as Americans. Overall the consumption of saturated fat is much higher in France. Yet astoundingly according to data from the British Heart Foundation for 1999, death among males 35-74 was 230 per 100,000 in the US, but only 83 per 100,000 in France.

How to explain this? The 60 minutes story attributed the French results to the red wine that is a staple of French diets. Many researchers believe red wine is the magic bullet that explains the mystery. Other factors in the French diet likely contribute to greater longevity. For example the French are less inclined to snack-on-the-run and are not as keen on fast foods as Americans. The French diet tends to be more varied and the portions smaller on average.

Scientists believe the key to the health benefits of red wine lie in the antioxidants, or flavonoids. Flavonoids help to reduce the production of LDL, low density lipoprotein - sometimes referred to as "bad" cholesterol. They also have the effect of increasing HDL, high density lipoprotein, the so-called "good" cholesterol. These combined effects improve the lipid profile overall.

Some researchers claim that the positives of drinking red wine go beyond cardiovascular benefits. A number of studies have discovered that an antioxidant concentrated in the skin of the grape, resveratrol, may actually help inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors. Research into the properties of resveratrol also indicates that it may be helpful in the formation of nerve cells, and so could potentially be a factor in the treatment of neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

However since resveratrol occurs in wine at very low levels of concentration, it's unlikely that this antioxidant alone can explain the French Paradox. It appears to be best explained by the combination of elements in wine, including oligomeric polyphenols. Some scientists believe that they offer the greatest protection to human blood vessel cells. Interestingly enough these polyphenols are found in greatest concentration in European red wines from specific areas. Wines made from the Tannat grape, grown in the Gers region of south-west France have some of the highest concentrations.

Aside from these Tannat vintages, which wines confer most health benefits? Based on flavonoid count - Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Petit Syrah rank highest. Although Merlot and Zinfandel have become more popular in recent years, they tend to have fewer flavonoids. White wine is even lower on the scale, and the sweeter the white, the fewer the flavonoids.

A study conducted by the Harvard Medical School and National Institute of Aging, involved feeding large amounts of red wine extract to mice. Even though the mice were fed a high fat diet, they lived a long and healthy life. Scientists hailed the results as "spectacular". The death rate for the mice on the wine extract supplement dropped 31%, as compared to the untreated mice. Another aspect of the study that surprised researchers, was that the organs of the overweight mice that received the extract looked entirely normal.

Based on the research over the past few years, there is little doubt that red wine does indeed confer health benefits. But as mentioned above, other factors also come into play. The benefits of red wine will be less apparent if a person has a driven lifestyle high on stress, with junk food as the primary diet. But when the eating habits are conducive to a healthy lifestyle, the benefits of red wine rank high.

A small percentage of Japanese tourists have been known to fall victim to "Paris syndrome." Sufferers claim that the rudeness they encountered in Paris was so traumatic it drove them to seek psychiatric counseling. On the face of it this seems absurd. Perhaps some tourists have unrealistic expectations about Paris to begin with which could also contribute to their disillusionment.

As with most stereotypes, prejudice is often in the mind of the beholder. Not everyone shares a negative view. Some visitors are adamant in rejecting the rude characterization of Parisians and offer examples that demonstrate courtesy and charm.

However, you have to suspect that the detractors have the edge when the French tourist industry produces a guide to Paris that emphasizes the importance of understanding local sign language. By sign language I mean gestures, and mostly of the rude variety.

The legend of the rude Parisian isn't all in the heads of the offended. In the past there have been efforts by the French tourist industry to persuade Parisians to be nicer to visitors, efforts greeted with a shrug and grimace by locals.

The new guide is an indirect admission that there might indeed be a challenge or two. Frustrated in the effort to convert Parisians to niceness, the new guide attempts to educate visitors in the "Paris attitude." This requires an understanding of visual cues, notably gestures that range from the non-committal shrug of the shoulders or "bof", to the more explicit "Camembert" when thumb and index finger are brought together in a circle to tell someone to shut up.

An online guide issued by Ile-de-France regional committee of tourism at www.cestsoparis.com shows some humor when tackling the subject of Parisian hauteur. It advises visitors that they don't need to speak French to get by in Paris. In order to blend in they just need to know how to ... . 'Stick out your lower lip, then raise the eyebrows and shoulders simultaneously.'