Its February 24th, 2003, in a 40 degree humid heat, i stepped off the train in Hangzhou City. I gasped for breath, as i dragged my western worldly belongings trying to maintain a fix on where my Teaching Manager was. Void of a teaching certificate, void of speaking any Chinese and having absolutely no teaching experience or confidence, to be able to stand up in front of 10 students, let alone what would become 2000 students at one time, i was at the mercy of the elements of Chinese society. Like a small spaceship in Saturns asteroid belt, i just let the millions of frantic chinese citizens meld around me and i was lost in the fray, however after a miracle of bearing i found my Chinese Manager, the man himself who was to trust my blaringly ignorant and drastic lack of qualifications, i was whisked into his run down Mazda Coup and taken to the nearest restaurant to feed on the latest of the day live prawns, swimming in Rice Wine, and bouncing about like gipsy moths, hardly able to grasp my chop sticks after my train lagged trip from Guangzhou, i navigated my teeth over the best place i would take my first bite of the struggling and squirming prawn. It was then i realised i was making my first crunching bite into the unknown of what Chinese life was all about.

We made our journey to Huzhou City where i would begin my first 6 months teaching assignment at the Huzhou Technical College where Hundreds of students waited patiently for me for my arrival. My pre booked and paid up 3 bedroom apartment was luxurious compared to my flat back home in Auckland and everything was clean and tidy with wide open spaces. I have never felt so dignified and honored to have such new and wonderful decor and fittings that represented China so well. A beautiful, large pane of smoked glass showed the elegant engrained potrait of a Dragon intertwined in a woods seperated the living room and large bedroom. My office itself had the floor area of a 2 bedroom house. Does China really have such fantastic, modern, and lavish western standards built into its current day architecture.? The answer i found was a resounding yes, and what i found as time moved on was this clash of culture with western traditions that China had so intricatly developed in house and apartment design.

I found my life style within China expand dramatically, and i was able to travel first class by air, and by train and to travel by taxi and buy the best food

1. St. Maarten: This tropical island, 80 kilometers to the south of Puerto Rico, is internationally divided between the Netherlands and France. Naturally, the warm weather during the winter makes it a perfect getaway for anyone trying to beat the snow and cold of January or February. The island features beautiful beaches, breathtaking scenery and literally hundreds of gourmet restaurants.

2. Montego Bay: Jamaicas tourism city is a hot destination with a hot climate and duty-free shops as far as the eye can see. It also serves as a cruise ship terminal that serves a large portion of the Caribbean. It should be noted that while it is a beautiful area of the country, it also suffers from a high crime rate outside of the resorts that is, in some cases, 28 times higher than that of New York City.

3. San Jose Del Cabo: This city of nearly 50,000 is located in Mexico along the Baja California Peninsula. Together with Cabo San Lucas it forms a major tourist destination for travelers from all corners of the continent.

4. Paris: Of course, the top three in the list are in hot spots of the world, but who can deny the appeal of Paris. The City of Love is perfect for any couple who are looking to rekindle their love or simply want to experience the holiday season in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

5. Cancun: Due to its close proximity to Canada and the United States, it is no surprise that Mexico has multiple entries on this list. If you dont feel like relaxing on the beach in this incredibly popular area, you can journey a few miles out of the city, explore some Mayan ruins and learn a little bit about the people who occupied the area centuries ago.

6. San Juan: This Argentine city has something for everyone. You can enjoy the beauty of the surrounding countryside, relax on a beach, or check out some fossils from the Triassic period, which is considered to be one of the largest collection of fossils in the world.

7. Auckland: Journey a bit further to the south and you will find Auckland, New Zealand. The countrys capital offers everything a person could desire. Night clubs, fine dining, fishing, hiking and lets not forget touring the sites where the Lord of the Rings was shot a few years ago.

8. Aruba: Not a city but an island in the Caribbean, this hugely popular destination has become an attractive place to move to due to its high-paying job, not to mention the fact it was immortalized in a Beach Boys song in the 80s.

9. London: Jolly Old London does not have much sunshine, it is often cloudy and rainy but what it lacks in warmth of climate it more than makes up for in history and culture. This city will satisfy the needs of the historian, pop culture enthusiast, partier and scholar, all at once.

10. Sydney: Heading to the land down under, where its summer in December. No trip here would be complete without checking out the world famous Sydney Opera House in the harbor.

http://early-history-auckland.blogspot.com

I wish to acknowledge the support of Mr John Tookey University of Auckland for his generously support and valuable advises.

1. Introduction

Risk management is one of the most critical project management practices, to ensure a project be successfully completed Risk management is thus in direct relation to the successful project completion. Project management literature describes a detailed and widely accepted risk management process, which constructed from four iterative phases known as risk management plan

• Risk identification

• Risk estimation

• Risk response

• Planning and execution

Risk Identification

In this stage , we identify and name the risks , there are different sorts of risks and we need to decide on a project by project basis what to do with each type.

Risk Quantification

Risk need to be quantified in two dimensions. The impact of the risk needs to be assessed. The probability of the risk occurring needs to be assessed. For simplicity, rate each on a 1 to 4 scale. The larger the number, the larger the impact or probability. By using a matrix, a priority can be established.

Fig 1 quantification scale matrix (Ref. 11)

Risk Response

There are four things you can do about a risk. The strategies are:

• Avoid the risk. Do something to remove it. Use another supplier for example.

• Deflect the risk. Make someone else responsible. Perhaps contracting out or insurance against (damage , liability, personnel liability etc

• Mitigate the risk. Take actions to lessen the impact or chance of the risk occurring. If the risk relates to availability of resources, draw up an agreement and get sign-off for the resource to be available.

• Accept the risk. The risk might be so small the effort to do anything is not worthwhile or a contingency plan may be developed to deal with possible effects.

Risk Control

The final step is to continually monitor risks to identify any change in the status, or if they turn into an issue. It is best to hold regular risk reviews to identify actions outstanding, risk probability and impact, remove risks that have passed, and identify new risks.

1.1 Risk management and construction

The construction industry is subjected to more risk and uncertainty than many other industries. The process of taking a project from initial investment appraisal to completion and into use is complex, generally bespoke, and entails time-consuming design and production processes. It requires a multitude of people with different skills and interests and the co-ordination of a wide range of disparate, yet interrelated, activities. Such complexity is further compounded by many uncontrollable external factors (Flanagan and Norman, 1983). The construction industry has a poor reputation in coping with risks, many projects failing to meet deadlines and cost targets. Clients, contractors, the public and others have suffered as a result (Edwards 1995). This study will focus on applying project risk management strategies on construction of Sydney opera house which is a well-known case for cost overrun.

1.2 The aim of the study

The aim of this study is not to reduce the great achievement of construction such a complicated building that changed the face of the city but looking form management point of view to

 Identify and quantify the project risks that been overlooked.

 Highlight the dangers associated with using poor estimate.

1.3 About the Sydney Opera House

 The owner :State government of New South Wales

 Architect :Jorn Utzon

 Engineer: Ove Arup & Parteners

 Cost: $102 million

The Sydney Opera House is the busiest performing arts centre in the world. Since its opening in 1973, it has brought countless hours of entertainment to millions of people and has continued to attract the best in world class talent year after year.

1.4 About the Building

There are nearly 1000 rooms in the Opera House including the five main auditoria. There is also a Reception Hall, five rehearsal studios, four restaurants, six theatre bars, extensive foyer and lounge areas, sixty dressing rooms and suites, library, an artists’ lounge and canteen known as the “Green Room”, administrative offices and extensive plant and machinery areas. The building covers about 1.8 hectares (4.5 acres) of its 2.2 hectare (5.5 acre) site. It has about 4.5 hectares (11 acres) of usable floor space. It is approximately 185 m (611 ft) long and 120m (380 ft) wide at its widest point. The highest roof vault (above the Concert Hall) is 67m (221 ft) above sea level.

The roofs are made up of 2,194 pre-cast concrete sections. These sections weigh up to 15.5 tones (15 tons) each. They are held together by 350 km (217 miles) of tensioned steel cable. The roofs weigh 27,230 tones and are covered with exactly 1,056,056 Swedish ceramic tiles arranged in 4,253 pre-cast lids.

The entire building weighs 161,000 tones. It is supported on 580 concrete piers sunk up to 25 m (82 ft) below sea level. The roofs are supported on 32 concrete columns up to 2.5 m (8 ft) square. The exterior and interior walls, stairs and floors are faced with pink aggregate granite which was quarried at Tarana in New South Wales. The two woods used extensively to decorate the interiors are brush box and white birch plywood which were both cut in northern NSW. There are 6,225 sq m (67,000 sq ft) of glass, made in France, in the mouths of the roofs and other areas of the building. It is in two layers – one plain and the other demi-topaz tinted. About 2,000 panes in 700 sizes were installed.

There are 645 km (400 miles) of electrical cable. 120 distribution boards regulate the power supply, equivalent to the needs of a town of 25,000 people. Twenty-six air-conditioning plant rooms move more than 28,500 cubic meters (1,000,000 cubic feet) of air per minute through 19.5 km (12 miles) of ducting.

Fig 2 Sydney opera house (Ref. 6)

Fig 3 Sydney opera house during construction (Ref. 7)

Fig 4 Sydney opera house shells (Ref. 7)

Fig 4 Sydney opera house shells (Ref. 7)

1.5 Design Stage

The original concept for the project was a sketch submitted by Danish architect , Jorn Utzon .Judges selected it from an international open competition that ended with 233 entries from 11 countries. Thought happy to win the competition Utzon was mildly shocked .although his concept had caught the attention of the judges, it consisted only if simple sketches with no plans or even perspective drawings , because the design was so unique , some people presumed it would also be inexpensive to build. No one knew how it would be build , and some experts questioned that it could be built at all.

In spite all uncertainty , the initial project cost estimate was pit at $7million.The government would use profits from a series of state run lotteries to pay the project.

The government was worried that the people scrutinizing the design might raise question about the potential problems hat would stall the project they thus quickly mover ahead and divided the work into three main contracts :the foundation and the building except the roof, the roof, and the interior and equipment.

1.6 Construction stage

Many of the world’s best-known construction companies were involved in building

Sydney Opera House including Arups Structural Engineering, Hornibrook and Rider Hunt, the construction work of S.O.H was divided into three distinct stages as follows (Ref. 19)

• Stage I

Sub structure , concrete structure from the foundation up to the auditoria seating levels excluding any finishes.

• Stage II

Superstructure or shells , concrete roof vaults or major and minor halls an restaurants , including the claddings.

• Stage III

Everything not included in stages I and II , stage towers, all interior finishes, exterior paving and cladding, glass walls , all electrical and mechanical services.

After he was elected premier of New South Wales in 1965, Askin attempted to force Utzon reduce costs by withholding payments. In 1966 Utzon resigned and returned to his native Denmark. He never even returned to see his masterpiece completed.

The construction of the Sydney Opera House was now handed over to a group or Australian architects. Fortunately, the exterior had already been completed by then so that the impact of the altered design on the overall structure was minimal. The project was finally completed in 1973 after a construction period of 14 years and an expenditure of over $A100 million, almost 15 times the estimated budget.

2. Risk management strategies at S.O.H

2.1 Financial

Despite of all cost escalation , taxpayer had little to pay .Virtually all the costs were covered by the proceeds of State Lotteries. The continued need to the subside the running costs of the opera house were financed by the continuation of the Lottery State. The first estimate for the Sydney Opera House was $7.2 million in Australian dollars. Once started, however, costs kept rising and just to complete the building cost $102 million.

2.2 Political

Political risks are often occur in government project as they often hide information affecting the community’s support, which in turn affect the effectiveness of the feasibility study . S.O.H we mostly severely effect by political decisions

2.2.1 Media and public deception

In S.O.H. the original budget of seven million Australian dollars was not a real but a political budget .The labour government of New South Wales the main proponent of the S.O.H, wanted the project started before elections in March 1959-this would reduce the risk of the stopping the project in case Labour lost the elections (8).

2.2.2 Deceptive cost estimate

Kim Utzon explains in lieu of his father “It was a political decision to publicize a low budget for the building, which was expected to gain approval in the political system, but which very quickly was exceeded. So even if the cost overrun turned to be 1400% in relation to the publicized budget, this budget was an eight of the real budget of the building .So the real overrun is only 100% the rest was politics”.

2.2.3 Political construction date

The start of construction for stage I was fixed ., largely for political reasons , as the 2nd March 1959.Thus Proceeding with construction before completing the design process which is a great risk .

2.2.4 Political design changes

On 1966 major hall was changed from dual purpose for concert and opera to a single purpose concert hall, the dual purpose was a requirement of the competition .

2.3 Structural

2.3.1 The Supporting points

Arup and his engineers knew very well that the cross-section shape Utzon chose was far from ideal known structures, however they could not suggest changing to the shape as it will alter the appearance of the roof drastically.

2.3.2 The roof

A question should be asked if this design is achievable?. The competition judges choose a complex art design without asking how it will be deigned? later on it was a major cause for delaying the roof design if this point was been considered they should either choose a simple shape or a known geometry, at this stage computer program analysis was not yet been introduced that means only manual process can be used to calculate the forces acting on the structure.

2.3.3 Lack of suitable boundary condition.

Another technical problem that the engineer had to solve was the lack of boundary condition that leads to some earthwork as sub base for the structure foundation.

2.4 Technical

Utzon, ware of possible technical problems since his design required advanced technology not yet available, requested additional time to tackle those challenges Utzon faced the task of converting the concept into a design form which a structure could be built, but he had no prior experience in the design and construction of such a large building. Because of this lack of plans, detailed design drawings, and estimates of materials, little existed from which cost could be determined.

2.4.1 Design errors and omissions

• Unfortunately, the roof shells were too heavy for the supporting columns that were already built, so these were demolished and rebuilt. These and several other setbacks led to delays and increasing cost overruns.

• The original design called for two theatres. The government changed its mind and required the building to be altered and that four theatres now be incorporated into the design

• The foundation been demolished to suit the new roof design loads.

2.4.2 Fitness for purpose.

 The main design overlooked acoustic requirements which is the main purpose of the building and had to be altered at later stage.

 The Running costs for S.O.H proved expensive , it was a very labour intensive building .In 1974 , it operation cost was $A6M, of which only $A2M was covered by the revenue. Thus costs ruled out small scale opera and the Australian Opera were forced to seek a cheaper venue.

2.5 Construction

Engineers who revised the concept noted that the roof shells were much larger and wider than any shells seen so far. Further, because they stuck up so height, they would act like sails in strong winds blowing up the harbour. Thus, the roof would have to be carefully designed and constructed to resist such wind pressure.

The construction was estimated to take about five years at a cost of A$7 million. Ignoring his request, the government pressured Utzon into starting construction in 1959, two years ahead of the architect’s proposed schedule.

 The lack of preparation soon backfired. After the completion of the grand podium with an enormous, 86 meter (282ft) wide stair, several years were spent reworking the design of the roof.

• Three tower cranes imported from France for this job costing $100,000 each and it was the first building constructed in Australia using tower cranes.

• Unfortunately the roof shells were too heavy for the supporting columns that were already built, so these were demolished and rebuilt.

2.6 What goes wrong Consequences?

 Coast overrun 1300% (Ref. 18)

As feared many experts the project become an engineering financial debacle, lasting 15 years and costing $107 million ($100 million over the initial estimate).

 Schedule overrun 250% (Ref. 18)

 Media and public scandal

Fig 5 Time /cost Escalation

 Management conflict occur between the client and the architect that cause him to resign before the end of stage III .

3. Risk identification quantification

3.1 Identification

By looking at the project there are some risks appear not used have the most adverse effect on the project

1. Poor Cost Estimate.

2. Incomplete design.

3. Failure to keep within the cost estimate

4. Failure to achieve the required completion date.

5. Changes in project scope and requirements.

6. Design changes.

7. Pressure to deliver project on an accelerated schedule.

8. Inaccurate contract time estimate

9. Lack of communication between project participants.

10. Inadequately defined roles and responsibilities.

11. Insufficient skilled staff.

12. Political risks.

3.2 Qualitative risk analysis

Qualitative risk analysis assesses the importance of the identified risks and develops the prioritized lists ,using the 1 to 4 scale matrix discussed above to quantify identified risks

Risk Probability Impact Risk Importance

1. Poor Cost Estimate. 3 3 Critical

2. Incomplete design. 1 3 High

3. Failure to keep within the cost estimate 3 4 Critical

4. Failure to achieve the required completion date. 4 3 Critical

5. Changes in project scope and requirements. 1 3 High

6. Design changes. 2 2 Low

7. Pressure to deliver project on an accelerated schedule. 2 2 Low

8. Inaccurate contract time estimate 3 4 Critical

9. Lack of communication between project participants. 3 4 Critical

10. Inadequately defined roles and responsibilities. 1 4 High

11. Insufficient skilled staff. 1 2 Low

12. Political risks. 4 2 Medium

Three risks were selected for detailed qualitative risk assessment (refer to sheet 1 , 2 and 3)

Risk Risk Control

1. Poor Cost Estimate. Client, Contractor

2. Incomplete design. Client , Contractor

3. Failure to keep within the cost estimate Client

4. Failure to achieve the required completion date. Client, Contractor

5. Changes in project scope and requirements. Engineers

6. Design changes. Contractor

7. Pressure to deliver project on an accelerated schedule. Engineers

8. Inaccurate contract time estimate Contractor, Client

9. Lack of communication between project participants. Engineers, Contractor, Client

10. Inadequately defined roles and responsibilities. Engineers, Client

11. Insufficient skilled staff. Client

12. Political risks. Contractor

3.2 Risk response

3.2.1 Risk Avoidance

As discussed most of the risk could be avoided by only

• Completed design .

• Estimating at a very detailed level.

• Not selecting untested design .

• Using local Architecture office will reduce many and more communication and experienced architecture designer

3.2.2 Risk transfer

• Using a fixed price contract will transfer construction risk to the contactor.

• Obtaining Insurance to cover costly risks.

3.2.3 Mitigate the risk

Risk analysis shows that no clear management process for controlling the project however using an experienced project manager would effectively reduce probability or impact of risks to an acceptable level.

4. Assessment forms

Following a three assessment forms for 3 of the significant risks

Performa for a Qualitative Risk Assessment (sheet 1)

Reference No: 6 Date:25/06/2007

Potential risk: Importance of Risk: Low

Design changes

Probability Medium

Consequence Medium

Stage of the project affected by this risk:

Construction stage

Statement of risk:

Cost and schedule overrun

(The factor that could cause it to occur)

Political business interest

Site problems

(any relationship or dependency on other risks)

Incomplete design

(the likelihood of occurring)

Medium

(how it could be affected)

Design checking prior leaving the design office

Project:

Sydney opera house

Client:

New South Wales government Risk Analyzed by:

Khaled

Performa for a Qualitative Risk Assessment (sheet 2)

Reference No:1 Date: 25/06/2007

Potential risk: Importance of Risk: Critical

Poor Cost Estimate

Probability High

Consequence High

Stage of the project affected by this risk:

Design stage

Construction stage

Statement of risk:

major source of complaint

time consuming

(the factor that could cause it to occur)

Changes in project scope and requirements

(any relationship or dependency on other risks)

Inadequately defined roles and responsibilities.

(the likelihood of occurring)

Height

(how it could be affected)

Effective project management

Clearly defined roles

Project:

Sydney opera house

Client:

New South Wales government Risk Analyzed by:

Khaled

Performa for a Qualitative Risk Assessment (sheet 3)

Reference No:9 Date: 25/06/2007

Potential risk: Importance of Risk: Critical

Lack of communication between project participants. Probability high

Consequence high

Stage of the project affected by this risk:

Construction stage

Design stage

Statement of risk:

Insufficient working drawing details

Late and in adequate information

Major costly errors.

(the factor that could cause it to occur)

Lack of management

Interest conflict between project participation

(any relationship or dependency on other risks)

Incomplete design

(the likelihood of occurring)

Height

(how it could be affected)

Proper project management

Project:

Sydney opera house

Client:

New South Wales government Risk Analyzed by:

Khaled

5. Lessons learned

• Risk must be identified to be managed

• A poorly defined risk structure will breed more risks.

• A proper risk management strategy would planning.

• All designs and calculations should be checked before they leave the design office further check calculation should be made by the authority , many errors that escape are picked up and corrected during construction .This often cause a delay to the project and might effect the cost.

• The goal is to prevent political and business interests from interfering with design and thus to arrive at an outcome as close as possible to the original design drawings.

• Continually monitor risks to identify any change in the status, or if they turn into an issue. It is best to hold regular risk reviews to identify actions outstanding, risk probability and impact, remove risks that have passed, and identify new risks.

• Risk management is not one off activity instead, it should be applied continuously through the project life.

• The best way to control budget is not to proceed with the building unlit you have all the drawings complete.

6. Conclusion

Study clearly identify the great importance of risk management on construction projects, negligence will lead to an expensive cost effecting the project successes.

A risk analysis project shows a large number qualitatively ranked as 1 , those risks have a high probability of occurrence and height consequence shared between the client 42% , the contractor 36% and the engineer 21% .

This indicates that it was a very risky project nevertheless risks were either downplayed or ignored , and not much was done to keep them under control, the project management strategies was only focused on keeping the project going no matter how it is going .

Finally although the opera house put Sydney on the world map, both architecturally and culturally but from project management perspective it was a spectacular failure as a consequence of ignoring risk management.

References

1. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200504/s1355304.htm [Accessed 2 May 2007].

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Opera_House [Accessed 2 May 2007].

3. Edwards, L. (1995). Practical risk management in the construction industry, Thomas Telford, London

4. Flyvbjerg, Bent, “Design by Deception: The Politics of Megaproject Approval”, Harvard Design Magazine, Volume 22, 2005.

5. http://www.hughpearman.com/articles/sydney.htm [Accessed 2 May 2007].

6. http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Sydney_Opera.html [Accessed 2 May 2007].

7. http://www.gids.nl/sydney/opera.html [Accessed 2 May 2007].

8. Murray ,21-22.

9. Murray, P: The Saga of the Sydney Opera House, 2004, Spon Press (UK), ISBN 0415325218

10. http://www.new7wonders.com/fileadmin/resources/finalists/Fun_Facts_about_Sydney_Opera_House.pdf [Accessed 25 Jun 2007].

11. Neville Turbit http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_risk_mgmt.php

12. John Tookey civil 703 lecture notes University of Auckland.

13. Office of Project Management Process Improvement “Project Risk Management Handbook”

14. Peter Murray “The dramatic storey of the design and construction of the icon of modern Australia”(London and New York: Spon Press,2004),105.

15. Roger Flangan & George Norman “Risk Management and Construction”. Blackwell Scientific Publications ISBN 0-632-02816-5.

16. http://www.theirm.org/publications/documents/Risk_Management_Standard_030820.pdf [Accessed 2 May 2007].

17. http://www.wsws.org/arts/1998/dec1998/oper-d04.shtml [Accessed 2 May 2007].

18. Woodward, Hugh PMP, PowerPoint Presentation to NASA on March 23, 2005,

19. Yozo Mikami “Utzon’s Sphere” page 46 Shokikusuha Tokyo ISBN 4-395-00712-0

20. Ziegler, Oswald L. (ed) Sydney Builds an Opera House., page 25, Oswald Ziegler Publications, 1973

The purple passion fruit is native from of the rain forest margins in southern Brazil through Paraguay to northern Argentina. . It has adapted to the cooler sub-tropics and the high altitude tropics. There are many other species spread widely around the globe and about 50 species are native to New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific and South East Asia

It has been stated that the yellow form is of unknown origin, or perhaps native to the Amazon region of Brazil, or is a hybrid between two species. Cytological studies have not borne out the hybrid theory. Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, India, South Africa, Kenya, Philippines, Indonesia and several other countries in Asia, Africa and South America in Australia the purple passion fruit was flourishing and partially naturalized in coastal areas of Queensland before 1900. In Hawaii, seeds of the purple passion fruit, brought from Australia, were first planted in 1880.

Passion fruit acquired its name from Spanish missionaries who thought parts of the plant’s flower resembled different religious symbols. The missionaries who accompanied the Conquistadors to South America saw in its striking flower a means of illustrating the Crucifixion; the 10 petals and sepals represented the apostles, the crown of thorns was seen in the filaments, the five anthers represent the five wounds, the three stigmas were allied with the nails used to pierce the hands and feet of Jesus and the vine’s tendrils were equated with the whips.

Nutrition Facts General Information:

Low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium

High in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Potassium

The nutritional value and health benefits of passion fruit make it ideal for:

Maintaining optimum health

Weight loss

Avoid including passion fruit in your diet if you’re interested in:

Weight gain

Passion fruit is a good source of vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and iron. One passion fruit has only 16 calories. When eaten with the seeds, a serving is an excellent source of fiber. Passion fruit is a good source of fiber. It relieves muscle tension and anxiety and is used to calm the nerves, headaches and muscle aches and spasms. Passion fruit is known to lower blood pressure and is especially useful for nervous insomnia.

Nutritional Highlights

Passion fruit (raw), 1 cup (236g)

Calories: 228

Protein: 5.2g

Carbohydrate: 55g

Total Fat: 1.6g

Fiber: 24.5g

Excellent source of: Vitamin A and Vitamin C (70.8mg)

Consultation of web sites for writing this article is thankfully acknowledged.

.

“Soy foods can stimulate the growth of oestrogen-dependent tumours and cause thyroid problems.” (7)

“Boosting your Soy intake could reduce your risk of breast cancer.” (5)

“A British Government report concluded that there is little evidence that soy foods protect against breast cancer or any other forms of cancer. In fact, soy foods may result in an increased risk of cancer.” (8)

Confused?

This article on soy will examine the following:

- History of the humble soy bean

- It’s role in the Asian diet

- It’s role in the Western diet – where is it lurking

- Critical questions regarding its safety

- The guinea pigs

Soy Beginnings The soy plant was initially used as ‘green manure’ or a cover crop plowed under to enrich the soil, and it became known to the Chinese as ‘the yellow jewel’. Soy did not become human food till late in the Chou Dynasty (1134-246 BC), after the Chinese developed a process of fermentation to make it into soy paste, called miso, with the run-off liquid called soy sauce. Tofu came after miso and in Japan, and China it was rarely served as a main course except in monasteries where it was eaten with miso or fish stock. Around 1000 A.D fermented soy foods, natto and tempeh entered the food supply. Modern soy products such as soy-protein isolate and concentrate made using highly processed methods were unknown in Asia till after World War II. Furthermore neither soy milk nor infant formula is traditional in Asia. The first person to manufacture soy milk was actually an American missionary and physician Harry Miller. “Claims that soybeans have been a major part of the Asian diet for more than 3,000 years, or ‘time immemorial’ are simply not true.” (6)

Soy in the Asian diet According to a spokesman for Cancer Research UK “There’s a lot of research that countries with a high intake of soy in their diet, such as Japan, tend to have lower rates of prostate cancer and some other types, with the active ingredients in soy thought to be isoflavones.” (1). Sounds very compelling, however let’s elaborate how much soy is actually in the Japanese and Asian diet. According to the soy industry’s own figures Asians eat very little soy; around 9.3 to 36grams per day in China, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Taiwan. In comparison a cup of Tofu is 252grams, or soy milk 240 grams (6). More importantly the quality is hardly comparable, with the Asian countries generally eating their soy already fermented like miso soup, not as tofu, sausages or meat replacement foods. According to Sally Fallon from Weston A Price foundation (leading independent health group) approximately 65% of Japanese calories come from fish while in China the same percentage from Pork. So it is far from the backbone of their diet (8).

Soy in the Western diet Apart from the obvious where else is soy lurking? Research estimates that soy is present in 70% of all supermarket products and widely used in Fast Food chains. Soy is used to bulk out and bind many processed foods such as sausages, lasagne, beef burgers and chicken nuggets (food firms can then put a higher protein value on them). Even the husk is used for fibre in breads, cereals, and snacks. The big one is in vegetable oil- soy is the most consumed vegetable oil in the world and is used in margarines, salad dressings and cooking oils. Food labels simply list soy oil as vegetable oil As well as that 90% of the 200 million tonnes of soy produced annually is used to feed animals (3).

Soy and the Thyroid According to Mary Shomon editor of http://www.thyroid-info.com (9) “Soy products increase the risk of thyroid disease. And this danger is particularly great for infants on soy formula…More than 70 years of human, animal and laboratory studies show that soybeans put the thyroid at risk.” Dr. Mike Fitzpatrick, an environmental scientist and phytoestrogen researcher who has conducted in-depth studies on soy, particularly the use of soy formulas published in the New Zealand Medical journal. Dr. Fitzpatrick makes it clear that soy products can have a detrimental affect on both adults and infants. In particular, he firmly believes that soy formula manufacturers should remove the isoflavones — that part of the soy products that act as anti-thyroid agents — from their products (2) How do researchers induce thyroid cancers in laboratory animals? They use thyroid-inhibiting foods like soy in combination with thyroid boosting drugs like Synthroid. (6) How much soy can impair thyroid problems? Perhaps as little as 30 mg or less than a glass of soy milk. (4)

Soy and reproduction Here is an interesting fact. Tofu is consumed by Buddhist monks to reduce libido. Humans and animals appear to be the most vulnerable to the effects of soy estrogens prenatally, during infancy and puberty, during pregnancy and lactation – all the major phases of hormonal shifts with growth and development. How powerful can soy be to the hormone system? One landmark study showed “that as little as 45mg of isoflavines could alter the length of a premenopausal woman’s menstrual cycle.” (4) Obviously it’s harder to find a cause and effect relationship as there are many potentially triggers to hormonal imbalances and reproductive problems. However in animals this has been more thoroughly tested. According to Dr Mary Enig (world renowned lipid and hormone specialist) female pigs can only ingest it in amounts no greater than 1% during lactation phase or face developmental problems in the piglets (8).

Soy and the environment Soy was previously considered a good source of protein which attracted vegetarians looking for meat alternatives. But it’s a double whammy for environmental and health conscious vegetarians as the effect of soy farming on the environment is dramatic. It is predicted that 10,000 hectares of forest every year in Argentina (20 football fields an hour). If this continues at this rate in fives years time the country’s native forests will have disappeared. Similar scenarios are being played out in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia all thanks to companies like the genetic engineering giant Monsanto. The World Wide Fund for Nature published a report recently calculating that 22 million hectares of forests and savannah in South America (an area the size of Great Britain) will be wiped out by 2020. Crops have also triggered soil erosion, and the widespread use of pesticides and chemicals are destroying some of the world’s most delicate habitats. (3).

Soy Business Soy is traded as an international commodity, like oil and gold. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry. “The reason there’s so much soy in America is because they [the soy industry] started to plant soy to extract the oil from it and soy oil became a very large industry. Once they had as much oil as they did in the food supply they had a lot of soy protein residue left over, and since they can’t feed it to animals, except in small amounts, they had to find another market.” (2)

Conclusion So Soy’s reputation as a health panacea is now badly blemished. It still has some supporters, but it is important to examine their background to ensure they are not just PR mouthpieces for a very powerful Soy industry. Big Soy, like big pharmaceutical, has been a powerful force shaping an attitude to nutrition and health. Given the mounting evidence that does not support Soy as a health food I believe we need to be very nervous about accepting big Soy spin as nutritional gospel.

Your 3d Coach

Craig Burton

References

1. BBC News 2004, Soy stops cancer and Baldness, 14/11/2004

2. http://www.mercola.com/2004/jan/21/soy.htm, Soy: Is it healthy or is it harmful

3. Anthony Barnett, The Observer, They hailed it a wonder food, 7/11/2004

4. http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/articles/Shadow.htm, Sean Carson, The shadow of Soy or, How I stopped loving and learned to worry about the bean

5. www.thehealthierlife.co.uk, Soy Health benefits: why boosting your intake of soy could reduce your risk of breast cancer

6. www.thewholesoystory.com, Whole soy story: The dark side of America’s favorite health food. Daniel, K, T

7. New Zealand Medical Journal (vol 113 Feb 11 2000) Soy Formulas and the effects of isoflavones on the thyroid.

8. www.westonaprice.org, Myths and Truths about soy food

9. http://www.thyroid-info.com, Mary Shomon editor.

So when a lonely Scottish woman broke the earth around her doorstep to make a cradle for seedlings she had brought with her, it’s possible to say that she watched and watered them protectively. In her diary found years later, she had written that she was worried her plant wouldn’t survive.

The story is reminiscent of a time traveling horror novel-kill one butterfly and it alters the world’s ecology in disastrous and permanent ways. The Scottish woman was planting gorse, now a common weed in New Zealand that has invaded the hills like a conquering army. Every year, New Zealand farmers spend massive amounts of time trying to rid the landscape of this nuisance, only to find the hearty yellow plant playing peek-a-boo from the other side of the hill.

But it wasn’t just gorse that settled comfortably in New Zealand. The country is plagued by introduced species that have bullied the natural environment and nearly wiped out many native birds and insects. To say that New Zealand has a homeland security problem is an understatement. New Zealand’s environment, renowned throughout the world for its unique beauty, is at serious risk of losing its biodiversity.

New Zealand’s Department of Conservation spends thousands of dollars each year combating introduced species. But they can’t, and don’t, do it alone. In a country where “a good possum is a dead possum,” New Zealanders almost consider it their patriotic duty to trap possums, or at least swerve for one darting across the road. Yet it’s not only locals that are taking this problem personally. International volunteers have heard the S.O.S and have set out to help with the rescue mission.

With recent appearances in a number of Hollywood blockbusters, New Zealand is the new “it” starlet of travel destinations. But as people around the world are becoming increasingly more aware of environmental issues, they are looking to explore New Zealand and other countries with an eye toward sustainability, ecotourism and viewing environmental crises as a universal problem.

“Instead of using all the paper in the world, you’re planting trees and replacing them,” said Anna Evely, a resident of the UK who volunteered in New Zealand for one month. “Instead of taking from the country, you’re actually giving something back. I felt like I left my mark by the trees I planted in New Zealand. As well as going somewhere and taking in all the beautiful scenery, I’m actually helping to make it more beautiful.”

Eating New Zealand

There were, of course, other reasons besides homesickness that people introduced foreign species to New Zealand. In 1837, the possum was introduced from Australia to create a fur trade. Rabbits were shipped in for hunting and sport. Stoats were introduced to hunt the exploding rabbit population. And heather was planted because somebody just thought it was pretty.

Unfortunately, no one foresaw the problems this would create for a country that had developed like a child always kept inside-with no hardened immune system. New Zealand only has one native land mammal-two species of bat-so birds and plants evolved over time without the threat of possums, rabbits, stoats and invasive weeds. Their ability to defend themselves, as one environmental field worker put it, is “pathetic.”

It’s more tragic than just unfortunate that New Zealand’s national bird, the kiwi (a flightless, awkward thing that never could see it coming), can hardly be found on the mainland. Like a refugee chased from its own home, the kiwi only lives safely on small islands where the predator populations have been eliminated.

And with it is going, though much more slowly, New Zealand’s native bush, filled with rata and kowhai trees. Possums eat 21,000 tons of vegetation per day. If New Zealand were a crescent moon, it would be the possum that took the bite out of it.

Stoats, too, stalk the bush with no real natural competition or threats. While they’ll hunt for rabbits and possums, there are other, much less adept creatures that make dinner an easy catch. As for the rabbits, well, we don’t use the saying “breeding like rabbits” for nothing. In no uncertain terms, New Zealand has become a free-for-all for introduced species.

Given this, it can be fair to say that there are no work shortages for conservation volunteers. It’s only a matter of time before volunteers set down their bags and are handed a spade.

“We need volunteers in conservation because the conservation challenges we face here are so huge,” said Toby Malcolm, team leader of the Global Volunteer Network’s New Zealand volunteer program. “New Zealand’s got some amazing biodiversity and unique flora and fauna, but it faces a lot of challenges because of that. Those challenges are almost entirely human-induced, and they’re not going to go away without intervention.”

Trading Backpacks for Work Gloves

Helen Winser and James Irving quit their jobs in the UK and sold their house. They put their cats in a kennel. Days after they arrived in New Zealand, they were wading in a stream in knee-high rubbery boots to conduct an ecological health survey of the water and the fish. It was just the holiday they had in mind.

“I’ve always wanted to come to New Zealand,” Winser said. “I heard so many horror stories about places being destroyed by tourism and I didn’t want to come here and do that. I thought, if I could come here and volunteer, I could give something back rather than just take something from the environment.”

Had Winser and Irving come to New Zealand strictly as tourists, there’s not doubt they would have been impressed. But New Zealand’s backpacker buses certainly don’t stop to point out a signing Tui or explain the mind-boggling stages of growth of the Lancewood tree.

“We were able to experience things that tourists don’t,” Winser said. “Even when we did go to tourist places, we got to go off track and get right into the heart of the environment to see what it’s really like.”

Getting off the beaten track was also what Mandy Reina, a college student from Texas, had in mind when she signed up to volunteer in New Zealand.

“As a volunteer, I really could experience the ’soul’ of New Zealand by working to preserve it,” Reina said. “I saw parts of New Zealand that tourists never will by getting down on my hands and knees and planting trees that will be there for decades to come.”

Because conservation volunteers usually work with local organizations and community members, they do get to meet New Zealanders in a different capacity. If volunteers have to turn down multiple offers for morning tea, it’s just because New Zealanders are grateful to have the help.

“So many community members are very appreciative that we’re here,” Irving said. “They know it’s not easy to come all this way and pay your own expenses.”

The conservation staff that work with volunteers are often overwhelmed by these strangers’ generosity.

“It is sometimes hard to find good in humanity,” said Browyn Wall, who co-manages the Otari-Wilton Reserve restoration project. “But this reaffirms for me that there are people out there who care about other things than just themselves. It’s inspiring.”

The Value of a Volunteer

When Joseph Otari declared the forest he owned just outside of Wellington protected land, he was defying the times. There wasn’t much that was spared during the early colonial land clearing days. His foresight would result in one of the most comprehensive collections of native New Zealand botanical specimens.

So when an area of severely degraded land teeming with invasive weeds began to rub elbows with the Otari-Wilton reserve, conservationists and the city council knew they had to work quickly to stop the damage from spreading.

But to restore the already degraded land with native species while maintaining the unspoiled reserve was a chore too big for even the most well-meaning conservationist. They decided, instead, to call upon volunteers.

Four years later, with overseas volunteers taking on much of the reforestation work, the land is experiencing a rebirth. To walk among the budding trees with their still snap-able trunks is to see New Zealand the way it may have looked as a toddler. Not only is the project heralded as a success in native bush restoration, but also in volunteers’ ability to play a vital role in the conservation effort.

“In 10 years time, we want to have a complete forest canopy,” said Jonathan Kennett, who works alongside Wall. “And we believe it is possible. This really is a place of hope for the rest of New Zealand. A forest is being developed here. Volunteers have been absolutely crucial. There’s no way this would have succeeded without them. And they’re not just working for New Zealand; they’re working for the global environment.”

It’s not always this easy for conservation volunteers to see the impact their work makes. Often volunteers take on tedious, difficult tasks that give no thanks by way of visible progress. The work that volunteers are involved with in New Zealand includes weeding, planting, conducting seal and stream surveys, predator control (setting up stoat, possum and rat traps), reserve and park maintenance and making seed balls to help reforest areas with native plants.

“You might not be able to recognize the benefits immediately,” said Catherine Walker, who volunteered in New Zealand for six weeks. “But you can think that in a few years time, the tree you planted will be that big. Even if it’s just tedious tasks like making seed balls, it’s great because it’s groundbreaking research. No one’s ever done this before. If they can work out what plants to plant here, it will save so much time and energy. Then they can focus their attention on what needs to be done, rather than just randomly throwing seeds around.”

While volunteering may be unceremonious at times, there are also the moments when volunteers understand their value.

“I was able to meet a kiwi in the wild when I was working in the Coromandel,” Winser said. “It really reinforced why we are here. The kiwi is the national symbol, and yet, it’s in so much trouble. We were working some really hard days up there, so to get to grips with what we were actually doing made me think, yes, this is all worth it.”

An Ecological Revolution

If the Kiwis and the kiwis have volunteers to thank for helping to safeguard New Zealand’s biodiversity, so does the rest of the world. After all, it’s volunteers that are trying to preserve Middle Earth for generations to come.

“I’m not stupid enough to think that I’ve saved the world from the work I’ve done here,” Winser said. “But I think that I have made some small contribution to protecting the kiwi and replanting natural habitat to get the forest back. I’m quite proud of it, actually.”

Although Winser and Irving would like to continue the work they’re doing in New Zealand, they, like most other volunteers, have responsibilities calling them home-bills, mortgages, families, jobs. Their cats, for one, will be happy to see them.

And while volunteers are willing to set aside their own lives for the pursuit of saving the environment, they’re also hoping they won’t have to shoulder the burden alone.

“People are starting to wake up to global warming and other environmental problems,” Walker said. “The mentality of the world is, ‘Okay, we’ve got a slight problem here.’ But there needs to be a connection between saying we need to do something and then actually doing it. You can’t expect the world to be changed by volunteers, because dedicated volunteers need to live and eat too. We could all be out there earning a living being fat cat city brokers, but then we’ll lose the world.”

It’s this environmental consciousness that has conservationists hoping that the work done by volunteers in New Zealand will result in action taken at home.

“I’d love to try and encourage an ecological revolution,” Kennett said. “These volunteers are going home and bringing a new environmental awareness that if it can be done here, and it can done there.”

If the old adage, “planting a seed,” has any merit here, it won’t just be in terms of the trees planted around the country.

“It’s always worth remembering that although New Zealand seems like a clean, green country, environmental degradation is happening here too,” Wall said. “But I think the message that volunteers can bring home with them is, it’s never too late to start.”

For more information on volunteering check out: http://www.volunteer.org.nz/

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