By The Numbers: Megacities Of The Future Today, Greater Tokyo tops the megacity list with a population of 35.2 million. In 2015, it will retain the pole position with 35.5 million, according to United Nations population projections. But Tokyo's growth rate is slowing. The demographic future belongs to cities like Mumbai, Shanghai and Dhaka.
ASEAN leaders want a EU style Community by 2015
(Source Yahoo) CHA-AM, Thailand (AP) -- Southeast Asian leaders vowed Sunday to push ahead with ambitious plans to become a European Union-style economic community by 2015 despite roadblocks posed by the global financial crisis and Myanmar's dismal human rights record. The 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations concluded its 14th annual summit with a statement saying leaders had agreed to refrain from imposing new trade barriers and would stand firm against protectionism in their quest to create a single market in the next seven years.
ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok by the five original Member Countries, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined on 8 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999. As of 2006, the ASEAN region has a population of about 560 million, a total area of 4.5 million square kilometers, a combined gross domestic product of almost US$ 1,100 billion, and a total trade of about US$ 1,400 billion
The world begins 2009 in its first synchronized recession since 1974. The proximate cause of the global slowdown was the collapse of the U.S. subprime housing market, which touched off a liquidity crisis as American financial institutions that had participated in subprime were forced to set aside cash to rebalance their asset sheets. As the recession deepened, loans far healthier than those originated in subprime also went bad, compounding the need to rebalance and draining more capital out of the system. This contributed to a credit crunch that continued into the New Year. This “simple” credit crisis is hardly the end of the story.
If money is akin to water, then a liquidity crisis is analogous to a very low tide that exposes a host of dangers lurking beneath the surface. The United States sports the fewest of these dangers. Its culture of change means that inefficiencies are regularly and ruthlessly purged from its system. For example, the mortgage brokers who made subprime possible are all already out of business, and most of the investment houses that gorged on securities linked to subprime — up to and including Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch — have either gone bankrupt or been acquired by more stable institutions. This obsession with efficiency and rapid evolution results in the constant uncovering of problems, but this very constancy means that the problems tend to be small. In the current case, subprime and its related issues struck more or less at once, but the United States will be able to recover from the problems without getting caught up in unrelated issues. This hardly means that the American recession is a fun time — for one thing, the liquidity crisis has triggered a painful broad-based credit rollback — but the United States is not facing any deeper structural issues.
Stimulus to Include Tax Credit to Buy Fuel Efficient Cars?
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that legislators are likely to add a tax credit worth $4,500 to the stimulus bill for consumers that replace their older cars with more fuel efficient cars. The problem for lawmakers, and Big Three lobbyists, is how to ensure that Americans don't trade in their old cars and purchase foreign car makers hybrids. Heaven forbid. There is also no indication of how long this "cash for clunkers" plan might last. With auto sales plummeting and Obama's plan to force auto makers to get their emissions under control, the tax credit makes sense as a compromise. Unfortunately, with the ever ballooning stimulus package, the timing is a bit off, as it turns the program into another piece of pork. Then again, the time is ripe for pork. If we're going to spend a trillion dollars on the economy, why not let everyone get something. Obama is close with Oprah, so this could be his, "You get a new car, you get a new car, you get a new car!!!" moment.
World Oil Outlook 2008 OPEC’s World Oil Outlook 2008 is part of the Organization’s commitment to market stability and a means to highlight and further understand many of the possible future challenges and opportunities that lie ahead of the oil industry. The publication is also a channel to encourage dialogue, cooperation and transparency between OPEC and others within the industry. Free download of the publication.
NASA unveils lunar vehicle (01:47) Rough Cut Video
Jan 22 - NASA unveils a new prototype vehicle to explore the moon in 2020. NASA introduced the Lunar Electric Rover, which is designed to carry the space agency to the forefront of interplanetary exploration. The vehicle will allow astronauts to conduct moon research for up to 14 days and includes 12 separate wheels and a bubble window in the front for close viewing of the surface.
Oil shortage a myth, says industry insider By Steve Connor, Science Editor - Monday, 9 June 2008 There is more than twice as much oil in the ground as major producers say, according to a former industry adviser who claims there is widespread misunderstanding of the way proven reserves are calculated. Although it is widely assumed that the world has reached a point where oil production has peaked and proven reserves have sunk to roughly half of original amounts, this idea is based on flawed thinking, said Richard Pike, a former oil industry man who is now chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Current estimates suggest there are 1,200 billion barrels of proven global reserves, but the industry's internal figures suggest this amounts to less than half of what actually exists. The misconception has helped boost oil prices to an all-time high, sending jitters through the market and prompting calls for oil-producing nations to increase supply to push down costs. l
World's cheapest car goes on show Tata Nano The car is designed for family use in India The unveiling Tata Motors has unveiled the world's cheapest motor car at India's biggest car show in the capital, Delhi. The vehicle, called the Tata Nano, will sell for 100,000 rupees or $2,500 (£1,277) and enable those in developing countries to move to four wheels. The four-door five-seater car, which goes on sale later this year, has a 33bhp, 624cc, engine at the rear. It has no air conditioning, no electric windows and no power steering, but two deluxe models will be on offer.
Caterpillar expects boost in sales, revenues from emerging markets “They have a need to invest in infrastructure” Caterpillar Inc, which stands to benefit from 'infrastructure growth opportunities in the world's emerging market' as well as upgrade work in North America and Europe, expects to see sales and revenues approaching $60 billion by 2010, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jim Owens told analysts at a major trade show late today. The presentation marks the first time Caterpillar, which had 2007 revenues of $45 billion, has ever publicly projected annual sales of $60 billion
Tech Trends to Ignore Some are just not necessary, others aren't fully developed. From social networking sites to virtualization, take a pass for now, by Gene Marks
Global Consortium to Construct New Cable System Linking US and Japan to Meet Increasing Bandwidth Demands Construction Underway to Build 10,000 km Linear Cable System with a Capacity of up to 7.68 Tbps to Enhance Trans-Pacific Connectivity - Last update: 6:30 p.m. EST Feb. 25, 2008 TOKYO, Feb 25, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- A consortium of six international companies announced they have executed agreements to build a high-bandwidth subsea fiber optic cable linking the United States and Japan. The construction of the new Trans-Pacific infrastructure will cost an estimated US$300 million. The new cable system -- named Unity -- will address broadband demand by providing much needed capacity to sustain the unprecedented growth in data and Internet traffic between Asia and the United States. Unity is expected to initially increase Trans-Pacific lit cable capacity by about 20 percent, with the potential to add up to 7.68 Terabits per second (Tbps) of bandwidth across the Pacific. According to the TeleGeography Global Bandwidth Report, 2007, Trans-Pacific bandwidth demand has grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 63.7 percent between 2002 and 2007. It is expected to continue to grow strongly from 2008 to 2013, with total demand for capacity doubling roughly every two years.
500 Million Internet Users in Asia-Pacific FEBRUARY 12, 2008 According to recent estimates there were 6.6 billion people in the world in 2007. Of that number, 1.15 billion, or 17.5%, were regular Internet users. By 2012, eMarketer projects that over 1.7 billion people worldwide (24.5%) will access the Internet at least once per month. This year will see China overtake the United States as the most populous Internet nation in the world and the Asia-Pacific region will top 500 million Internet users. By 2012, nearly 50% of the world’s Internet population will live in the Asia-Pacific region. The share of the world’s Internet users in Europe and North America will fall, though absolute numbers will continue to rise in both regions, as the share of users in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region both grow. The Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries lead the world in terms of Internet penetration, and reached something of a saturation point around 80% of the population in 2007.
MySpace China Partners With Video Site Youku By Mike Sachoff - Fri, 03/14/2008 - 8:38am. Youku is the fastest growing site in China Chinese video sharing site Youku has entered into an exclusive partnership with MySpace China aimed at the local market. "Youku has a history of partnering with strong brands and pioneers on the Internet. We believe the marriage of a video and social networking website will significantly enhance the user experience for China's online consumers, contribute to bringing more colorful experiences to the space, and multiply the ways in which Internet users can interact with each other," said Victor Koo, CEO of Youku.com.
WorldChanging.com works from a simple premise: that the tools, models and ideas for building a better future lie all around us. That plenty of people are working on tools for change, but the fields in which they work remain unconnected. That the motive, means and opportunity for profound positive change are already present. That another world is not just possible, it's here. We only need to put the pieces together.
The Child Trends DataBank Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families by providing research and data to inform decision-making that affects children. In addition to conducting its own research, Child Trends works with federal and state officials and other researchers to improve the quality, scope, and use of data on children and their families. We provide technical assistance to public agencies and private organizations that develop, analyze, track, and use statistical indicators of child and youth well-being. We also assist in the design and implementation of policy and program evaluations.
World Global Trends - top sources, key findings and extracts from major reports.
National Geographic - Free Map: Where Are the Fish? Get a global view of the waters where large predatory fish once thrived—and where the last holdouts are concentrated—with our high-resolution printable map.
Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting the human rights of people around the world. Human Rights Watch is an independent, nongovernmental organization, supported by contributions from private individuals and foundations worldwide. It accepts no government funds, directly or indirectly.
The Human Rights Web Home Page - The first WWW site on human rights, and the place to start if you want to know more about them.
Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights - On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which ...
The UNESCO Portal offers a wide range of online and interactive services tailored for specialized audiences such as media professionals, librarians, statisticians, legal officers, students, researchers and candidates for jobs at UNESCO.
Winter Warmest on Record Worldwide By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer (AP) -- This winter was the warmest on record worldwide, the government said Thursday in the latest worrisome report focusing on changing climate. The report comes just over a month after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said global warming is very likely caused by human actions and is so severe it will continue for centuries.
Chinese economic growth and pollution
International Study Finds Ways To Maximize Effective Responses After Terrorism IncidentsA multi-disciplinary panel of blast-related injury experts from eight countries that have recently experienced terrorist attacks examined and discussed their emergency medical response to blast events and identified common issues that could be used by others to enhance preparedness. The represented countries included: Colombia, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, United Kingdom, United States, Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the National Association of Emergency Medical Service Physicians.
High-level Debate Tackles Need For Improved International Health Security - WHO Political, business and opinion leaders are gathering in Singapore on 2 April for a global debate that will focus on the urgent need to improve international health security. The high-level debate, hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of Singapore, will launch the World Health Day 2007 theme of international health security and send a global message to "Invest in health, build a safer future."
The World Resources Institute (WRI) is an environmental think tank that goes beyond research to find practical ways to protect the earth and improve people's lives.
The Renewable Energy Investment Club is an initiative to promote commercial activity in renewable energy. It enables renewable energy developers in other companies to issue shares to people interested in renewable energy. It enables local people to have a real stake in sustainable energy initiatives such as solar, wind, tidal, hydro or biomass, by linking them with renewable energy developers and providing a mechanism for investment in approved projects. The concept is to enable new ways of involving local people in investment, clean electricity use, and generation.
MIT Community Solar Power Initiative - MIT Community Solar Power Initiative Grant Overview: ... the state of the art in manufacturing, installing and operating solar power equipment and systems. ...
Twice a year, the OECD Economic Outlook analyses the major trends and forces that shape the short-term economic prospects. It provides in depth coverage of the economic policy measures required to foster growth and stable prices in each Member country. The OECD groups 30 member countries sharing a commitment to democratic government and the market economy. With active relationships with some 70 other countries and economies, NGOs and civil society, it has a global reach. Best known for its publications and its statistics, its work covers economic and social issues from macroeconomics, to trade, education, development and science and innovation.
