CANCELLATION OF BOGUS LAND DEALS IN INDIA

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

The Cabinet on Wednesday (13th November 2008) approved a proposal for amending the Registration Act to empower the government to cancel transfer of land done using bogus documents and deeds

Briefing presspersons on the Cabinet decisions, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said the proposed amendment would make registration of sale deeds mandatory. Further, the government would specify that government and quasi- government institutions should transfer their land only on receipt of a no-objection certificate from a designated officer.

The Chief Minister said the Cabinet had approved the guidelines for implementation of the EMS Housing Scheme. Local self-government institutions should set apart 15 per cent of their annual Plan allocations for the scheme. All eligible persons should be given housing loans before 2010. Cooperative banks would extent loans.

The interest rate would be 10 per cent a year. The plan was to ensure housing for all homeless families. The coverage of the scheme would be over and above existing schemes.

WHY ARE THE JEWS SO POWERFUL

By: Dr Farrukh Saleem

The writer is an Islamabad-based freelance columnist

Why are Jews so powerful?

There are only 14 million Jews in the world; seven million in the Americas, five million in Asia, two million in Europe and 100,000 in Africa.

For every single Jew in the world there are 100 Muslims. Yet, Jews are more than a hundred times more powerful than all the Muslims put together. Ever wondered why?

Jesus of Nazareth was Jewish. Albert Einstein, the most influential scientist of all time and TIME magazine's 'Person of the Century', was a Jew. Sigmund Freud -- id, ego, and superego -- the father of psychoanalysis was a Jew. So were Karl Marx, Paul Samuelson and Milton Friedman.

Here are a few other Jews whose intellectual output has enriched the whole humanity: Benjamin Rubin gave humanity the vaccinating needle. Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine. Alert Sab in developed the improved live polio vaccine. Gertrude Elion gave us a leukaemia fighting drug. Baruch Blumberg developed the vaccination for Hepatitis B. Paul Ehrlich discovered a treatment for syphilis (a sexually transmitted disease).

Elie Metchnikoff won a Nobel Prize in infectious diseases.

Bernard Katz won a Nobel Prize in neuromuscular transmission.

Andrew Schally won a Nobel in endocrinology (disorders of the endocrine system; diabetes, hyperthyroidism)...

Aaron Beck founded Cognitive Therapy (psychotherapy to treat mental disorders, depression and phobias).

Gregory Pincus developed the first oral contraceptive pill. George Wald won a Nobel for furthering our understanding of the human eye.

Stanley Cohen won a Nobel in embryology (study of embryos and their development). Willem Kolff came up with the kidney dialysis machine.

Over the past 105 years, 14 million Jews have won 15-dozen Nobel Prizes while only three Nobel Prizes have been won by 1.4 billion Muslims (other than Peace Prizes).

Why are Jews so powerful? Stanley Mezor invented the first micro-processing chip. Leo Szilard developed the first nuclear chain reactor. Peter Schultz, optical fibre cable; Charles Adler, traffic lights; Benno Strauss, Stainless steel; Isador Kisee, sound movies; Emile Berliner, telephone microphone and Charles Ginsburg, videotape recorder.

Famous financiers in the business world who belong to Jewish faith include Ralph Lauren (Polo), Levis Strauss (Levi's Jeans), Howard Schultz (Starbuck's), Sergey Brin (Google), Michael Dell (Dell Computers), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Donna Karan (DKNY), Irv Robbins (Baskin & Robbins) and Bill Rosenberg (Dunkin Donuts).

Richard Levin, President of Yale University, is a Jew. So are Henry Kissinger (American secretary of state), Alan Greenspan (fed chairman under Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush), Joseph Lieberman, Madeleine Albright (American secretary of state), Maxim Litvinov (USSR foreign Minister), David Marshal (Singapore's first chief minister), Isaac Isaacs (governor-general of Australia), Benjamin Disraeli (British statesman and author), Yevgeny Primakov (Russian PM), Jorge Sampaio (president of Portugal), Herb Gray (Canadian deputy PM), Pierre Mendes (French PM), Michael Howard (British home secretary), Bruno Kreisky (chancellor of Austria) and Robert Rubin (former American secretary of treasury).

In the media, famous Jews include Wolf Blitzer (CNN), Barbara Walters (ABC News), Eugene Meyer (Washington Post), Henry Grunwald (editor-in-chief Time), Katherine Graham (publisher of The Washington Post), Joseph Lelyyeld (Executive editor, The New York Times), and Max Frankel (New York Times).

Can you name the most beneficent philanthropist in the history of the world? The name is George Soros, a Jew, who has so far donated a colossal $4 billion most of which has gone as aid to scientists and universities around the world. Second to George Soros is Walter Annenberg, another Jew, who has built a hundred libraries by donating an estimated $2 billion.

At the Olympics, Mark Spitz set a record of sorts by winning seven gold medals. Lenny Krayzelburg is a three- time Olympic gold medallist. Spitz, Krayzelburg and Boris Becker are all Jewish.

Did you know that Harrison Ford, George Burns, Tony Curtis, Charles Bronson, Sandra Bullock, Billy Crystal, Woody Allen, Paul Newman, Peter Sellers, Dustin Hoffman, Michael Douglas, Ben Kingsley, Kirk Douglas, William Shatner, Jerry Lewis and Peter Falk are all Jewish?

As a matter of fact, Hollywood itself was founded by a Jew. Among directors and producers, Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Oliver Stone, Aaron Spelling (Beverly Hills 90210), Neil Simon (The Odd Couple), Andrew Vaina (Rambo 1/2/3), Michael Man (Starsky and Hutch), Milos Forman (One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest), Douglas Fairbanks (The thief of Baghdad) and Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) are all Jewish.

To be certain, Washington is the capital that matters and in Washington the lobby that matters is The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. Washington knows that if PM Ehud Olmert were to discover that the earth is flat, AIPAC will make the 109th Congress pass a resolution congratulating Olmert on his discovery.

William James Sidis, with an IQ of 250-300, is the brightest human who ever existed. Guess what faith did he belong to?

So, why are Jews so powerful?

Answer: Education.

Why are Muslims so powerless?

There are an estimated 1,476,233,470 Muslims on the face of the planet: one billion in Asia, 400 million in Africa, 44 million in Europe and six million in the Americas. Every fifth human being is a Muslim; for every single Hindu there are two Muslims, for every Buddhist there are two Muslims and for every Jew there are one hundred Muslims.

Ever wondered why Muslims are so powerless?

Here is why: There are 57 member-countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), and all of them put together have around 500 universities; one university for every three million Muslims. The United States has 5,758 universities and India has 8,407. In 2004, Shanghai Jiao Tong University compiled an 'Academic Ranking of World Universities', and intriguingly, not one university from Muslim-majority states was in the top-500.

As per data collected by the UNDP, literacy in the Christian world stands at nearly 90 per cent and 15 Christian- majority states have a literacy rate of 100 per cent. A Muslim-majority state, as a sharp contrast, has an average literacy rate of around 40 per cent and there is no Muslim-majority state with a literacy rate of 100 per cent. Some 98 per cent of the 'literates' in the Christian world had completed primary school, while less than 50 per cent of the 'literates' in the Muslim world did the same.

Around 40 per cent of the 'literates' in the Christian world attended university while no more than two per cent of the 'literate s' in the Muslim world did the same.

Muslim-majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims. The US has 4,000 scientists per million and Japan has 5,000 per million.

In the entire Arab world, the total number of full-time researchers is 35,000 and there are only 50 technicians per one million Arabs (in the Christian world there are up to 1,000 technicians per one million).

Furthermore, the Muslim world spends 0.2 per cent of its GDP on research and development, while the Christian world spends around five per cent of its GDP.

Conclusion: The Muslim world lacks the capacity to produce knowledge.

Daily newspapers per 1,000 people and number of book titles per million are two indicators of whether knowledge is being diffused in a society.

In Pakistan, there are 23 daily newspapers per 1,000 Pakistanis while the same ratio in Singapore is 360.

In the UK, the number of book titles per million stands at 2,000 while the same in Egypt is 20.

Conclusion: The Muslim world is failing to diffuse knowledge.

Exports of high technology products as a percentage of total exports are an important indicator of knowledge application. Pakistan's exports of high technology products as a percentage of total exports stands at one per cent.

The same for Saudi Arabia is 0.3 per cent; Kuwait, Morocco, and Algeria are all at 0.3 per cent while Singapore is at 58 per cent.

Conclusion: The Muslim world is failing to apply knowledge.

Why are Muslims powerless?

Because we aren't producing knowledge.

Why are Muslims powerless?

Because we aren't diffusing knowledge.

Why are Muslims powerless?

Because we aren't applying knowledge.

And, the future belongs to knowledge-based societies.

Interestingly, the combined annual GDP of 57 OIC-countries is under $2 trillion.

America, just by herself, produces goods and services worth $12 trillion; China $8 trillion, Japan $3.8 trillion and Germany $2.4 trillion (purchasing power parity basis).

Oil rich Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar collectively produce goods and services (mostly oil) worth $500 billion;

Spain alone produces goods and services worth over $1 trillion,

Catholic Poland $489 billion and Buddhist Thailand $545 billion.

(Muslim GDP as a percentage of world GDP is fast declining).

So, why are Muslims so powerless?

Answer: Lack of education!

All we do is shout to Allah whole day and blame everyone else for our multiple failures..!....

4 MILLION CANADIANS IN NEED OF HOUSING

With 4 million Canadians in need of housing and 40,000 sleeping in shelters every night, Canada's affordable housing shortage is not a problem that is too big to fix; it's a problem that is to big not to fix, the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada said today.

Speaking at a meeting with provincial and territorial housing ministers, the Federation of Canadian municipalities, and other national housing organizations, Nicholas Gazzard, Executive Director, made a case for co-operative housing as part of the solution.

"Co-op housing in Canada is a success story. Co-op housing iscost-effective for government and offers a truly community-driven housingsolution that puts the residents in control of their housing."

CHF Canada recognized the importance of the renewal of the three federalhousing programs just prior to the call of the federal election and called onthe provinces and territories to make a matching commitment. But Gazzard called for a long term strategy."

The renewed federal spending, while welcome, will not deliver the newaffordable housing needed to address the challenges of core housing need.

The federal government must commit to further funding and develop a strategy to respond to the expiry of existing federal housing commitments.

Canadian housing co-ops are also calling for

- A strategic partnership among different levels of government- Consultation with stakeholder groups

- New spending tied to both supply and demand solutions, and

- Efficiency in scale in program design.

CHF Canada is the national voice of co-operative housing in Canada, with more than 900 housing co-operatives and other members, representing 56,000

The Role of Tourism as one of the Principal Sectors of the International Co-operative Movement

By PARAMASVARAN S. Kandiah

President, The International Cooperative Housing Foundation for Asia & the Pacific, New Delhi, India

Past President, The Cooperative Union of Malaysia Limited, Kuala Lumpur

Chairman, The National Railway Cooperatives Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

Vice Chairman, International Cooperative Alliance (TICA), Tourism Committee/Networking, Geneva

Presented at

The INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS CONFERENCE ON COOPERATIVE TOURISM – JAIPUR , INDIA ON 14TH & 15TH OCTOBER 2008

It is a truism that Tourism and the urge to travel have now become the world’s largest industry and the creator of jobs across national and regional economies. It is forecast that Travel & Tourism will generate, directly and indirectly, 11.7% of GDP and nearly 260 million jobs in the world-wide economy by the Year 2020. Tourism has now been acknowledged as one of the important Sectoral Organisations of the International Cooperative Alliance. Tourism unfortunately thus far has not played a dominant role in the overall economic and social development of the Cooperative Movement since the inception of Cooperatives more than a century ago.

Somehow Tourism was left to the sidelines by the Cooperative Movement for such a long stretch of time.

Steps now being taken in various forms to stimulate the Tourism Sector of the Cooperative Movement through the aegis of TICA ( ICA Tourism Networking) and the untiring efforts of persons like Dr Maurizio Davolio, Chairman of TICA Networking need to be lauded

Jobs generated by Travel & Tourism are spread across the economy - in retail, construction, hospitality, medical, ecology, handicrafts’ manufacturing and telecommunications, as well as directly in Travel & Tourism companies. These jobs which employ a large proportion of women, minorities and young people; are predominantly in small and medium sized companies; and offer good training and transferability.

Tourism can also be one of the most effective drivers for the development of regional economies.

These patterns apply to both developed and emerging economies.

The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), the Rio Earth Summit have identified Travel & Tourism as one of the key sectors of the economy which could make a positive contribution to achieving sustainable development. The Earth Summit lead to the adoption of Agenda 21, a comprehensive program of action adopted by 182 governments to provide a global blueprint for achieving sustainable development.

Travel & Tourism is able to contribute to development which is economically, ecologically and socially sustainable, because it:

· has less impact on natural resources and the environment than most other industries;

· is based on enjoyment and appreciation of local culture, built heritage, and natural environment, as such that the industry has a direct and powerful motivation to protect these assets;

· can play a positive part in increasing consumer commitment to sustainable development principles through its unparalleled consumer distribution channels; and

· provides an economic incentive to conserve natural environments and habitats which might otherwise be allocated to more environmentally damaging land uses, thereby, helping to maintain bio-diversity.

There are numerous good examples of where Tourism is acting as a catalyst for conservation and improvement of the environment and maintenance of local diversity and culture

To a greater degree than most activities, Travel & Tourism depends on a wide range of infrastructure services - airports, air navigation, roads, railheads and ports, as well as basic infrastructure services required by hotels, restaurants, shops, and recreation facilities (e.g. telecommunications and utilities).

It is the combination of tourism and good infrastructure that underpins the economic, environmental and social benefits.

Travel & Tourism creates jobs and wealth and has tremendous potential to contribute to economically, environmentally and socially sustainable development in both developed countries and emerging nations. It is an ideal industry for small scale Co-operatives because it has a comparative advantage in that its start up and running costs can be low compared to many other forms of industry development.

Travel & Tourism take many different forms - from a trip only a few hours away from home to long distance travel overseas. A common belief is that most travels involve large numbers of visitors from developed countries travelling by air to destinations in emerging countries.

In fact, in most countries, the domestic tourism market is larger than the inbound market. Of course, the social and cultural impact of inbound visitors is often greater than that of domestic tourists. Whether tourism is domestic or international, it involves visiting a destination away from the area in which one lives and using the services available in that destination.

Therefore, tourists’ requirements are for travel services to reach their destinations and once there, for services such as shelter, water, food, sanitation and entertainment. These are all areas into which small scale Co-operatives can easily venture into.

What makes tourism special is that, many of these different products and services are often supplied by different operators: usually small or medium sized businesses in local ownership and which are most ideal for small scale Co-operative industries. This makes tourism a highly fragmented and diverse industry and as such a co-ordinated, industry-wide action may be difficult to achieve.

Despite the difficulties caused by fragmentation and lengthy supply chains, there has been a steady growth in environmental good practice across the industry in recent years. There are examples of - airlines and airports reducing pollution and noise impacts; cruise liners practising marine conservation; hotels implementing energy consumption and waste disposal programs; car rental companies investing in increasingly fuel efficient fleets and railways sound proofing to dampen noise.

The ICA and its world wide members both at National and sub national levels can become the focus for TICA to become the global leaders’ forum for the Cooperative Tourism industry.

TICA at global, regional and national or grouping of nations level is slowly setting in place an extensive strategy to promote tourism as one of the main sectoral activities of the Co-operative Movement as a whole both in the ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ sphere of tourism and travel related activities whilst at the same time giving due regard to a culture of sustainable development. In this regard the Co-operatives could follow the private sector practise of putting into place an appropriate tiered structure for its achievement.

This would involve :

Launching an action plan for Cooperatives to work towards :

“Environmentally Sustainable Development” through a series of Regional, National, Continental and International level seminars to increase awareness of the conclusions, and to adapt the programmes for local implementation.

TICA has to involve itself with the private sector as well and could or may seek affiliation to the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA), based in Paris, which represents over 700,000 establishments in more than 150 countries.

Its membership comprises some 50 national and international hotel and restaurant chains, over 110 national hotel and restaurant associations, independent hotel operators and restaurateurs, industry suppliers and 130 hotel schools.

The IH&RA has offices in Asia-Pacific and Latin America. It is also the voice of the world’s hotels and restaurants and plays a global role in representing, protecting, promoting and informing the industry to enable its members to achieve their business objectives.

The International Hotel Environment Initiative (IHEI), based in London, England, is a program of The Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum. Founded in 1992 by a consortium of chief executives from 10 multinational hotel groups and IHEI is an educational charity designed to encourage continuous improvement in the environmental performance of the global hotel industry. It does this through:

· raising environmental awareness in the hotel industry by promoting good practice internationally;

· developing hotel-specific guidance, enabling hotels of all sizes to implement environmental programs; and

· multiplying the reach and impact of IHEI by working with partners, including hotel associations, governments, NGOs, tourism bodies and businesses.

The Co-operative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism, based in Australia, was established in 1997 to enhance the strategic knowledge available to the Travel & Tourism industry through:

· long-term high-quality scientific and technological research which contributes to the development of an internationally competitive tourism industry;

·strengthening the links between research and its commercial and other applications;·promoting co-operative research; and

·stimulating education and training, particularly in graduate programs, through active involvement of researchers from outside the higher education system in educational activities, and of graduate students in major research programs.

The number of initiatives undertaken and being undertaken by individual companies is large.

This Assembly would be proud to know that the Kandalama Hotel of Sri Lanka has been a recipient of the “GREEN GLOBE” award, 3 years in a row, for its commitment to environmental excellence.

The hotel is reputed to have undertaken measures in the following areas to ensure that its operations are more sustainable:

· cultural and social - hotel employment, providing community infrastructure and development;

· natural environment - soil erosion measures and planting forests;

· pollution - sewage, solid waste and noise pollution reduction programs; and

· environmental communication

- construction of an Eco Park where all waste is treated within the park, a dry debris sorting centre, a lecture room to promote environmental awareness and a sustainable development library.

The Cooperative Movement along with the public sectors, particularly national and local government, has an important role to play by setting the agenda and providing the framework in which action should take place. The regulatory environment also plays an important role in creating the conditions suitable for sustainable tourism. Self-regulation involving the agreement and co-operation of industry is always likely to be the most effective solution.

Therefore, the role of Cooperatives and industry organisations in distributing information among their members and encouraging participation is essential.

The major partnerships to be formed are between:

· industry and the public sector - to ensure consistency with the framework;

· industry and the Cooperative Sector - to tap into the enormous resources of expertise and good will that this sector is able to generate; and

· industry and the public - both travellers themselves and the people who live in the places they visit to develop more sustainable forms of tourismA broad based approach is called for - which requires Travel related Cooperatives to work with:

· national governments to raise the profile of environmental and social issues within the education system;

· NGOs to raise awareness of tourism issues in their work and activities and provide feedback to the Travel & Tourism industry;

· development organisations to communicate with host communities to understand their needs and requirements;

· local authorities to engage local people through the inclusion of tourism issues;

· national and international trade associations, labour representative organisations and training providers to increase awareness and training of staff in environmental and social issues;

· Publications (such as travel guides);

· Journalists to raise the profile of reporting environmental and social impacts of tourism among consumers and tourism businesses; and

· the Internet as a source of information for potential travellers.

The Cooperative Movement has a solemn duty and a vested interest in protecting the natural and cultural resources that are the core of its tourism business.

There are examples, however, from around the world where the impact of Tourism has been damaging to the local environment and people. Some of the factors which contributes to the harmful impact of tourism which can be addressed by Co-operators are:

· a lack of awareness on the part of those making decisions about tourism development of the social, economic and environmental balance to be pursued in achieving sustainable development;

· a lack of commitment by tourism operators and travellers to contribute to the maintenance of the local environment and culture of the host destination;

· a weak institutional framework with inadequate controls can lead to tourism development which is both inappropriate and intrusive;

· unfairly traded tourism, whereby local communities are unable to share in its benefits;

· large flows of visitors in remote or sensitive locations can place considerable strains on local resources (particularly water) and supply systems. Travellers’ expectations of the goods and services, which should be available, can lead to these items or services, being imported from outside or local supply chains, being distorted to meet demands; and

· tourism can change a destination’s cultural make-up and, if poorly developed, can increase crime, prostitution and other social problems.

In order for tourism to realise its potential to achieve broad-based sustainable development, an effective partnership between Government and all sectors of the industry will be required.

It is understood thast in India, that the government is pump priming local “eco-tourism” activities, which are primarily driven by local women. In Mexico, the government is kick starting village development for “eco-tourism” lodges in the Chiapas region involving the whole community. In England, the government has recently held a national consultation on sustainable tourism and, as a result, is developing a new strategy for tourism, which incorporates the principles of sustainable development as a core component.

Tourism provides an essential lifeline for many coastal communities.

Faced with the prospect of increasing financial hardship, more and more coastal communities have turned to tourism as a means of generating income and survival. Tourism’s impact on the coastal zone has, therefore, been largely positive. Of course, as in any area, if Tourism is not properly managed and developed, it can be harmful.

The development of a sustainable tourism industry in the coastal zone offers numerous opportunities. Opportunities includes, those for nature conservation – which, given the increasing interest in high quality natural and cultural experiences, can help to reverse the decline in market share of many coastal destinations.

Tourism also provides important opportunities for strengthening local industries. Where industries are in decline, tourism ventures can help supplement declining income. The following examples illustrate what can be done to make the most of the opportunities offered by tourism in the coastal zone:

We are fully aware that Tourism has a number of advantages over other industry sectors:

· it creates jobs and wealth whilst;

· at the same time, it can contribute to sustainable development;

· it tends to have low start-up costs;· is a viable option in a wide range of areas and regions;

· is likely to continue to grow for the foreseeable future; and

· the industry is, in a large part, aware of the need to protect the resource on which it is based - local culture and built and natural environment - and it is committed to these resources’ preservation and enhancement.

The Cooperatives in addition to entering into the fray of tourism at all levels should also make the attempt by making a concerted effort to build up programs for sustainable development. However, it cannot do this alone. If Tourism is to continue to flourish and to contribute to sustainable development, it needs help from all fronts and essentially from the national Governments.

This assistance is needed in two forms: - both positive encouragement for sustainable tourism initiatives and an understanding that policy decisions in other areas can effect Travel & Tourism.

Governments in most countries are already more than aware that Tourism is a core service sector which should always be considered when looking at policies to expand trade, increase employment, modernise infrastructure and encourage investment - at both domestic and Cooperatives should also seek Government intervention to minimise regulatory impediments and by offering appropriate investment incentives.

By supporting tourism and allowing it to compete in open and fair markets, tourism’s benefits can be more easily secured.

Finally, the Cooperative Movement must take the initiative to address some of the fundamental barriers to tourism growth by looking at how to expand and modernise infrastructure, to render fair services and to invest in human resource development.

ICA - ROAP - BRIEF NOTES

International Co-operative Alliance - Asia & Pacific

An international organization committed for the promotion and development of co-operatives in the spirit of ICA’s Co-operative Identity Statement (ICIS).

Vision

To be prized as the organization of reference which provides an effective and efficient global voice and forum for knowledge, expertise and coordinated action for and about co-operatives.

What do we do

ICA, a global networking organization organized at the global, regional, sectoral and thematic levels, is a world-wide representative of co-operative organizations of all kinds.

ICA is the custodian of co-operative values and principles enshrined in the ICIS and its principal role is to provide forum for the exchange of ideas, experiences, concerns and trade among co-operatives.

ICA over the years has been lobbying with the governments for the creation of favorable policy environment for the development of cooperatives and advising necessary improvements in the cooperative legislation for better regulation of the cooperatives.

ICA is also seen as the organization capable of catalyzing & mobilizing thought churning process on relevant contextual issues affecting co-operatives at global and national levels.

ICA promotes sustainable human development and further the economic and social progress of people duly ensuring equality between men and women in all decision making and activities within co-operative movement.

History

The International Co-operative Alliance - Asia & Pacific is one of the operating regional offices of the ICA, the world confederation of co-operatives in existence since 1895 and presently head quartered in Geneva.

ICA has 225 member organizations worldwide from 87 countries of which 59 member organizations come from 23 countries in the Asia Pacific region.

Most of the members of ICA are national level co-operative organizations that serve all types of co-operatives operating in all sectors of national economies including those engaged in agricultural production and marketing, wholesale and retail, small and medium scale industries, financial services, insurance, housing, transport, health and other services.

Over 530 million individual members get benefited from the services of these co-operatives in the Asia Pacific region.

The Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific was opened in 1960 and is presently located at 9, Aradhana Enclave, Sector 13, R.K.Puram, Ring Road, New Delhi 110066, India.

ICA also has a sub-office in Singapore since 1999 to promote ICA’s business interests.

Objects of ICA AP

Promote the regional cooperative movement and facilitate global integration of cooperative movement;

Promote and protect co-operative values and principles;

Facilitate the development of economic and other mutually beneficial relations between / among its member organizations;

Promote sustainable human development and further the economic and social progress of people thereby contributing to international peace and security;

Promote equality between men and women in all decision-making and activities within the co-operative movement.

Operations

ICA AP seeks to obtain its objects by:

Serving as a forum for exchange of experience and as a source of information on co-operative development, research and statistics;

Coordinating actions for the promotion of co-operative development;

Collaborating with the global and regional institutions and with governmental and non-governmental international and national organizations, which pursue aims and importance to co-operatives.

APPLES SHOULD BE GROWN IN ALL CO-OP HOUSING PROJECTS

Putting the Apple-a-Day Adage to the Test

July 9, 2008

By Robert H. Shmerling, M.D.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

A Look at the Evidence

Okay, so maybe you've heard this one before: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. I wouldn't have considered this a myth because everyone knows it's not true, right? Well, not so fast. A number of recent studies have actually put this adage to the test, at least indirectly.

A Look at the Evidence

Consider the following studies published over the last few years:

In 2007, researchers from Pennsylvania State University found that study subjects who ate an apple before lunch — about 125 calories — consumed 187 fewer calories overall than subjects who didn't eat an apple. Applesauce and apple juice, on the other hand, had no such effect. The researchers suggested that the work of eating the apple or the time it took to eat it somehow made study subjects think they'd eaten more than they had.

Researchers from Cornell University published a study in 2004 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showing that a the flavonoid, quercetin (found primarily in apples, berries and onions) protected the nerve tissue of rats from hydrogen peroxide, a standard oxidative stressor in laboratory preparations. Based on these findings, they theorized that apple consumption might reduce the risk of brain-damaging illnesses, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

In a 2007 study, researchers in the United Kingdom found that people who ate five apples a week had better lung function and a lower risk of asthma than people who did not eat apples. A prior study suggested the same thing and also linked the beneficial effects of apples to their high concentration of quercetin. Two additional studies have linked apple intake with a lower risk of lung cancer.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition last year linked the high intake of flavonoids (a plant-based nutrient) with lower death rates from cardiovascular disease among postmenopausal women. Of course, apples weren't the only source of flavonoids associated with dodging cardiovascular death. Bran, pears, wine, grapefruit, strawberries and chocolate are also high-flavonoid foods whose intakes were associated with lower cardiovascular disease and/or death rates in this study.

According to a 2006 study, apple juice appeared to "rescue" brain function in mice with Alzheimer's-like disease or with nutritionally deficient diets. In addition to performing better in a maze after the addition of apple juice to their diets, a brain chemical called acetylcholine rose to normal.

Low levels of acetylcholine are associated with Alzheimer's disease in humans. The amount of apple juice these animals consumed was equivalent to two 8-ounce glasses or two to three apples a day for humans. By the way, this study was sponsored by the U.S. Apple Association and the Apple Products Research & Education Council

Is It Time To Get on the Apple Bandwagon?

Considering the findings of these studies, is it time to make apples a bigger part of your diet? Sure, if you like apples. But I don't think we have enough hard evidence to completely buy into the "apple cure" just yet. Some of this research is based on animals, which we know does not always apply directly to humans.

And it's notoriously difficult to perform studies of dietary intake and link them to specific health outcomes when there are so many variables to consider.

For example, when compared with people who don't like apples, maybe apple-eaters have other healthy behaviors, such as exercise, that lower their risk of heart or lung disease.

The Bottom Line

Apples may be even better for you than previously appreciated. They are a healthy food choice, especially if eaten instead of less nutritious snacks. But even if apples can't keep the doctor away, eating more apples are unlikely to cause you harm.

Regardless of how you feel about apples, this is a good example of how some "myths" are just waiting to be transformed into fact. Good research and an open mind is all that lies between the apple-a-day myth and "the next big thing" in healthy diets. Robert H. Shmerling, M.D. is associate physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

He has been a practicing rheumatologist for over 20 years at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is an active teacher in the Internal Medicine Residency Program, serving as the Robinson Firm Chief. He is also a teacher in the Rheumatology Fellowship Program.