I kept hearing from public figures that they had plans in place for a flu pandemic, but I wanted to see for myself.

I contacted Westminster City Council, which has legal responsibility for emergency planning in central London, and asked what they could show me.

They invited me into their Emergency Control Center which is housed in a rather non-descript public building – the exact location of which I cannot reveal.

I was directed to the back entrance via the trash cans. I was taken up in a lift, past a bank of security cameras and into windowless room that looked a bit like a computer training center.

I waited there until I was asked what I would like to do. Then I realised this WAS the Emergency Control Center. OK.

My guide was the John Barradell, the council's deputy chief executive who is also a former senior police officer and one of the country's most experienced people when it comes to emergency planning.

He explained that planning for a crisis is not nearly as exciting as we are led to believe.

It was also made clear to me that everything you needed to run London in a crisis was in this room, and you could do it all from just one of these computer terminals.

I was shown a list of folders on a monitor which gives you access to every system used to run the capital.

You could tap into the hospital network, the police, social services – health and safety.

If you made a decision in this room you could make it happen on the ground at the click of a mouse.

The control room was located next to the office for Street Services, and that is no accident.

The systems that control parking for example would be crucial in a pandemic.

The parking team have people on the ground throughout the capital in the form of traffic wardens.

They also have one of the world’s most extensive networks of street cameras at their disposal.

If there was a flu pandemic, Street Services becomes the eyes and the ears for emergency co-ordinators in one of the busiest and biggest cities in Europe.

It was a fascinating insight into the preparedness of London for a possible pandemic. The systems are all in place, but not quite in the form you would expect to see in a Hollywood movie.

ATLANTA, Georgia - There's more to global consumption than meets the eye lately. Spending money for the sake of spending is out. Spending money for a cause is in.

There something in the air, a growing global social conscience. The new global consumer is a discerning one, looking for the purpose behind the brand.

Spending money doesn't bring the kind of happiness buying with a purpose does. Global trend surveys like the annual "Good Purpose Survey" find only 25 percent of the respondents say shopping makes them happy.

More and more of us would like to become consumers with a with a cause. More than 80 percent say they're willing to change shopping habits if it will help make the world a better place and 68 percent say they're willing to stick with a more expensive brand if it serves a cause.

University enrolment in the United States, the world's biggest consumer nation, is expected to decline for financial disciplines discredited by the global financial crisis, experts say. More and more of America's young want a career with a purpose. They're signing up for science and public service seeking to make a difference in the world.

This trend may also be fueled, in part, by a hunger for quality that became apparent the night that unlikely singing sensation Susan Boyle grabbed the world's attention on "Britain's Got Talent" with her heavenly voice.

It seems to me that like other forms of consumption, entertainment becomes less frivolous in times like these. Then the question is, how long will this last.

Is consumption with a cause here to stay? We'll know when the good times come back.

U.S President Barack Obama's maiden trip to Europe is narrowing the transatlantic gap, but the Atlantic still lies in between.

President Obama seems to be moving American foreign policy closer to America's Western European allies and assuming a posture towards easing tensions with Russia. While the shift in U.S foreign policy will help bridge the transatlantic rift between Western Europe and the U.S, it is bound to disappoint some of the "new Europe" states.

Europe's reaction to Obama's pivot in Afghanistan is revealing some interesting things about post-Bush relations. The new U.S President's greater focus on rebuilding Afghanistan's ability to stand on its own, while fighting terrorist al Qaeda and Taliban threats on its soil, is yielding good will from NATO allies.

Europe is pledging some more combat troops, but mostly in civilian roles. It's also promising more money to help rebuild the country. But Obama needs more to fight a growing terrorist threat in Afghanistan, he needs European combat troops in hotspots where the insurgency is at its peak.

But for now, fighting a resurgent Taliban and al Qaeda remains primarily America's fight, even though President Obama himself pointed out al Qaeda poses a bigger threat to Europe, than to the U.S.

With weak European combat support, Obama needs all the help he can get because he faces an emboldened insurgency in Afghanistan. This is where "resetting" relations with Russia comes in.

Russia is offering a crucial supply line for U.S troops through its territory into Afghanistan, as U.S military supply routes through Afghanistan's border with Pakistan are coming under increasing militant attacks.

But narrowing the gap with Moscow comes at a price which is sure to disappoint former Soviet states who still fear Russia's intentions. It looks like support for two U.S initiatives in former Soviet block areas will be left on the back burner, to please Moscow.

The Czechs and Poles who still have Cold-War era fears of Russia, might see Obama slow, if not shelve, plans for a U.S missile defense shield on their territory. And it looks like U.S support for the NATO membership of Ukraine and Georgia is going to be left on Obama's back burner as well.

President Obama's foreign policy is helping restore America's image around the world, but the U.S will still have to rely more on self-help than its allies, when it comes to battling the biggest threat to its security abroad.

America's allies stand to gain from his efforts and are willing to help some, but mostly get out of the way. It's up to Obama to keep pushing them to match their words of sharing the burden with action.

What do you think? Should the Europeans do more to help in Afghanistan?

LONDON, England - I'll never forget the day an envelope from Buckingham Palace dropped through my letterbox ... the handwriting was immaculate, the paper expensive and the seal was, well, very royal.

I was a young reporter at the time, just starting out at Yorkshire Television in the north of England, and I had been invited by the Queen for an evening reception at Buckingham Palace. I must have re-read it a dozen times before it actually sunk in.

In the summer of 1998, the Queen welcomed a group of young achievers to her London residence. Included in the envelope was a booklet with the names of all the other invitees ... I remember that footballers Michael Owen and Ryan Giggs were on the list, along with actors and television celebrities.

I bought a new suit, got myself a proper haircut and tried not to cut myself shaving as the big moment approached. My proud family waved me off at the grand gold-tipped gates and although I was 25, I felt like it was my first day at school as I headed inside.

Security was tight (as were my shoelaces) and cameras were banned (this was before the days of cell-phone photography.)

If anything can be informal and formal at the same time, this was it.  And at times it resembled something of a free-for-all as everybody jostled into a long line to shake Her Majesty's hand. But etiquette and courtesy prevailed; as the Queen approached, courtiers whispered advice on how she should be addressed.

When my moment came, I nodded deferentially and said "Ma'am."  In what was then a brief conversation, she asked what I did and I said I worked in television. "Hmm," she replied, "we've had quite a few of you in here tonight."

Whatever ego I had up until that moment was crushed. Clearly my big moment wasn't quite as big a moment for the Head of State. The Queen had worthier souls to meet, and she was quickly onto the next handshake, the next gloved handshake.

Quite honestly I had felt like a fraud all night; I was surrounded by people that had served their country in the line of duty, been injured in the line of fire, worked for charitable organisations or overcome tremendous odds to succeed in their personal lives. I was just some bloke that had anchored a few live shows at a young age.

Still, I was grateful for the experience and I never thought that I'd be standing in front of the Palace more than a decade later talking to a global audience about my brief audience with the Queen.

I wonder if any of the world's top leaders will be as intimidated as I was. There is no doubt they will all be respectful and mindful of their surroundings. But it's still easy to commit faux pas's in such company, and the U.S. President should be careful about eating too many biscuits at tea or turning his back on Her Majesty.

The same will go for the rest of the leaders at their meeting later on ... but unlike in my situation, a social mis-step will be seized upon and reported right around the world!

My last blog was about people like me who, having had our basic food needs met, are now thinking about the quality of the food we eat.

But this weekend I was reminded that many people go to bed hungry and was struck by a creative idea to help those in need.

More than 200 European football teams played matches across 11 countries. The winner? The world's hungry.

The European teams played to raise awareness of the problem, which affects one in seven people.

The players are donating their own money to help the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's efforts to fight hunger around the world.

They adopted the number 963 as a symbol of their cause, to draw attention to the 963 million people who go to bed hungry every night.

The FAO's Edgardo Valenzuela told me the idea really took hold when two soccer stars joined him on a field trip.

Italy's Paolo Rossi and Germany's Hans Mueller went to Egypt with Valenzuela to see how the FAO would use their donations to help the needy.

Valenzuela watched the two players come face to face with hunger. Since that visit, the footballers have used their time and celebrity to raise awareness.

FAO's projects focus not on providing rations but on helping the neediest by subsidizing them to grow, sell and buy food.

This way the recipients can sustain themselves without being dependent on others for basic needs. For example, some of the money helps destitute people buy tools and seeds to grow food for their families and sell the surplus to cover other needs.

At the weekend hunger met its match – on the football field at least.

ATLANTA, Georgia – A friend suggested we check out a tiny eco-friendly eatery she'd discovered in Atlanta. Their customers come here because the food is healthy, not just for them but also for the environment. It serves a modest menu which changes every day, depending on what the local organic farms supply that morning. The commitment to the environment goes beyond its ingredients, even its building is Platinum LEED certified for its green practices.

One of Dynamic Dish's offerings in Atlanta

But eco-friendly meals aren't budget friendly. What about the recession, I wondered, can people afford to pay extra to dine here? Some customers told me they'd cut back on many things, but this was a different kind of expenditure, consuming with a cause! The restaurant is developing a dedicated following of customers: consumers with a cause.

It turns out that these socially minded diners are part of a growing global trend in consumption, creating a new kind of consumer, who wants to be socially engaged. I've been reading more about how people are actually becoming more socially conscious despite - and maybe even because - of the global recession!

I even found a study titled "The Good Purpose Survey" which tracked consumers who care about their community and planet. Its most recent poll shows that the global economic downturn has not diminished people's need to do good. Nearly nine in 10 feel it's their duty to contribute to a better society and environment. Seven in 10 like to buy brands that make donations to worthy causes. And despite the recession, more than half of respondents say they will still pay extra for a brand that supports a good cause.

Perhaps businesses can find new opportunities among these consumers with a worthy cause.

I wonder how the global economic downturn is affecting you as a consumer?

LONDON, England – The people behind the 1980s phenomenon the Rubik's Cube have a new brain teaser in the pipeline.

Called the Rubik's 360, it's due to hit the shops later this year.

The original, fiendish plastic puzzle was launched on an unsuspecting public just in time for Christmas 1980.

Professor Erno Rubik, an architect and university lecturer in what was then communist Hungary had spent six years struggling to get his prototype – originally designed as a teaching aid for his students – into commercial production.

Once he did the Rubik's Cube quickly became the fastest selling toy of all time.

While sales inevitably declined over time, the Cube has enjoyed a renaissance in popularity of late, with sales of 15 million units achieved worldwide last year.

Whether his new puzzle will be as huge as its predecessor only time will tell, but according to Professor Rubik, the 360 takes the puzzle concept into another dimension. Literally.

As with the Cube gameplay is easy to grasp, but not so easy to execute. It's also not very easy to describe, but as I'm game for anything I'll give it a go...

The Rubik's 360 is 10 centimeters or so in diameter and consists of a transparent plastic sphere housing two additional transparent spheres, both independently suspended on a rotating axis, with six colored balls at its centre.

Er, are you still with me?

The object of the puzzle is to steer the colored balls through holes in the spheres and into their respective colored 'home slot' domes on the outside.

Sounds easy, right?

Wrong. Along the way you have to contend with some tricky problems thrown up by the force that keeps us all from flying off into space.

Just when you've got a ball where you want it, gravity kicks in and whips it away to the other side of the sphere. It's infuriating and great fun.

I was given one to play with at Hamleys toy store in London. After an hour or so of flipping, spinning and teeth gnashing I'd got no further than one or two colored balls locked in the wrong home slots and had to go lie in a darkened room to calm down.

I'm willing to bet that not long after its official launch there'll be eight-year-olds all over the world who'll be able to solve the 360 in under a minute.

And that thought is more annoying to this 40-something reporter than the puzzle itself!

Watch my report on Rubik's new toy.

ATLANTA – A few years ago, my job with CNN took me to a tiny village outside Bangalore, India. It was so remote, there wasn't even a paved road or signs, we just had to follow an aid worker to get there. The villagers were among the poorest of the poor. I visited with a family of nine, living in a tiny mud dwelling. The parents were day laborers; they took any job just to feed their family. Their home was immaculate, their hospitality deeply moving. Despite their own limited means, they offered me, the honored guest, cookies.

One of their daughters had borrowed money from Grameen Bank, which helps poor women in developing countries set up small businesses. It's amazing what 50 dollars can do! She used the money to buy one female goat and bred her. Now she and her growing brood of kids are providing milk and meat for the whole family, plus a little extra to sell on the side. I was thinking, this program is not just helping poor people make ends meet, it's giving them an opportunity to free themselves of dependency on aid and live a life of dignity.

The founder of Grameen Bank, Muhammad Yunus, won the Nobel Prize for this microcredit program. When he first came up with the idea 30 years ago, people thought he was crazy to loan money to the poor. They'd never repay it, they told him. But Yunus' customers proved the naysayers wrong. The bank now boasts a 95 percent repayment rate! And the project has spread around the world, most recently even to people in the most developed countries.

With American banks almost frozen, credit is very hard to get, so last month Grameen Bank started a program in Queens, New York. It's offering microloans between $500 and $3,000 to 100 women. Grameen lends to a group of people who agree to repay the debt. The philosophy is: If one member defaults, then the group is responsible for repaying the loan. Some have expressed doubt the program's dependency on peer pressure will guarantee repayments in troubled times in the U.S.

Still, after so many stories of corporate greed, it's good to remember the stories of businesses which are profitable but also serve a purpose beyond money.

Share your thoughts about credit and corporate responsibility on my blog.

BARCELONA, Spain – Well, we've arrived in Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress and have hit the ground running. As I write, producer Adam Charlton and cameraman Woj are editing video of some cool gadgets that we shot earlier at "Show Stoppers" - a pre-show curtain raiser (see Adam's earlier blog entry.)

We went straight to the sprawling Congress venue from the airport. Unusually for the press we've been given access all areas, 24-hour passes, and so set immediately to work testing our satellite and camera equipment for tomorrow's broadcast. It was hard to believe that in less than 15 hours the place would be open for business. It was a hive of activity, with carpenters, electricians and exhibitors busily constructing their stands. Everywhere you looked were piles of construction waste.

The work will continue right through the night to ensure that everything's in shape before the 9 a.m. deadline, when thousands of people arrive from all over the world to see the latest innovations in the world of mobile technology.