A UN report details that providing clean water and sanitation for half those currently without either under the UNMDG by 2015 would cost $30Bn.

While over $100Bn is spent on bottled water each and every year.

And at $10 per gallon, bottled water costs more than petrol in the USA.

86% of water bottles become litter or waste and can take upto 1,000 years to biodegrade.

One thing is clear for Haiti is the debacle of most aid arriving late and the bunfight amongst development agencies to be seen to be doing something.

One particular noteworthy "ethicwash" was the BA flight delivering aid - on a normal passenger jet with the aid parcels on the seats - and blocking the runway for the required cargo planes.

The UN needs to take charge via the existing OHA office and coordinate aid in known hotspots such as the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific.

It's not beyond the realms of possibility in the next decade for UN-seconded aircraft carriers to be on permannent standby as hospital ships etc.

The French hosting several Olympic teams compared to Kent with over £87M of investment:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/26/calais-in-olympic-bid

It;s clear that Kent has failed to attract any investment or teams for what is a once in a generation event on our own doorstep.

And the French even further away are running laps around us.

Of even more concern is that ever since the Games were annouced in 2005 the whiole impetus was to create legacy events in the run-up to the Games ie now - and then continue as permanent legacy events in the following decades.

As with Montreal we'll be in a position we're we've simply funded a white elephant of a couple of stadiums for a 4 week blip and then it's gone.

Gordon Brown's talk of a Tobin tax is a good idea. Except it isn't now a Tobin tax.

The Tobin tax was a fraction of 1% levy on currency transactions to kickstart Third World development.

And that's where Gordon started.

Now though the tax has become a financial levy on banks to build an insurance reserve against any future overspeculation and call for Treasury bailouts.

Not a bad idea - although doesn't the Treasury and FSA etc already provide that with the banks?

But it's certainly not the Tobin Tax - and given the banks have received over 10x all the Third World aid ever provided in just a year or so - then it does demonstrate how our global priorities are skewed.

And it certainly shows it isn't impossible to fund the UN Millennium Development Goals with an ongoing Tobin Tax and even to kickstart them with an initial Tobin Fund from the World Bank or IMF.

The structures exist, the organisations exist, the funds exist and the levy is a miniscule percentage of currency transactions.

To provide global healthcare, clean water and food.

The Tobin Tax as a global NHS or welfare if you will.

For diseases and poverty that are completely preventable and were eradicated from Europe and the US over 50 or 100 years ago.

And that currently run at 5,000 deaths or more each day.

The tripling of ethical products is less of a surprise than now 50% of UK consumers have made a purchase solely on ethical grounds.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/dec/30/co-operative-bank-ethical-sales-triple-report

A trend that can only continue as brands and organisations react to global popular culture and consumer demand.