LAWS GOVERNING THE HEAVENS
If a baby is born in
outer space, what is its nationality? If two astronauts get in a fight,
whose criminal justice system applies? If you invent something while working
in a lab on the International Space Station, where do you apply for a
patent?
Such sky-high legal
issues may become immediate concerns. Europe's space laboratory Columbus is
scheduled to ride the U.S. shuttle Atlantis in December and join the
International Space Station.
To help bring about
consensus on celestial legal issues, the European Science Foundation and the
European Space Policy Institute organized a multidisciplinary, multinational
symposium in October on Humans in Outer Space.
One initial proposal
that was rejected was for U.S. law to prevail on the International Space
Station. But the symposium participants did agree that, in matters of
criminal law, an accused astronaut's own country would have jurisdiction
over laws broken in space. The nationality of future Moon babies was not
decided.
SOURCE:
European Science
Foundation
ETHNICITY AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Latinos and African
Americans with Alzheimer's disease live longer than do whites, Native
Americans, and Asians, according to a study published by the journal
NEUROLOGY. The findings transcended socioeconomic status, education levels,
age when symptoms began, and other factors.
The study followed
31,000 Alzheimer's patients for an average of 2.4 years and found that
Latinos lived an average of 40% longer than whites, while African Americans
lived 15% longer than whites. Asian and Native American patients' longevity
was similar to that of whites.
Factors that could
account for the differences include the social support of extended families
and varying levels of health and other diseases in addition to the
Alzheimer's, according to study author Kala Mehta of the University of
California, San Francisco.
"Determining the
underlying factors behind this difference could lead to longer survival for
everyone with Alzheimer's disease," says Mehta. "Regardless of the reason
for this difference, these findings may have implications for health-care
planning for people with Alzheimer's disease."
SOURCE:
NEUROLOGY, the
medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology
|
SEE YOUR FUTURE THROUGH NEW EYES
More than
70 outstanding futurists and professionals from a wide variety of
disciplines have already been confirmed as presenters at WorldFuture 2008:
Seeing the Future Through New Eyes, the Society's next annual conference, to
be held July 26-28 in Washington, D.C.
Among those you'll have the opportunity to exchange ideas with are
international affairs professor Leon S. Fuerth, who served as Vice President
Al Gore's national security adviser; WFS founding president Edward Cornish;
NASA-Langley chief scientist Dennis N. Bushnell; and Elizabeth Carlson,
executive director of the National Association of Elementary School
Principals.
In addition
to the general sessions, an exciting program of special events,
preconference courses, professional meetings, and networking opportunities
is in the works.
LEARN MORE:
http://www.wfs.org/2008main.htm
REGISTER BY DECEMBER 31
and save $200 off the on-site registration fee:
https://www.wfs.org/2008regform.htm
CONFERENCE VOLUME
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
http://www.wfs.org/2008volguidelines.htm |
RISK ASSESSMENT: EMOTION TRUMPS LOGIC
Why would anyone choose
to live in a place that may burn in a wildfire or be swept away by a
hurricane or a flood? Because it's awe-inspiringly beautiful, and they love
it.
The proximity to ocean
views is an emotional attraction for people to live in the heavily wooded
areas of Southern California, where 2,000 homes were destroyed by October's
wildfires. This emotion led the homeowners to discount the risks, according
to National Science Foundation risk-management researchers.
If people really want to
do something that is risky, they tend to judge the risks as low, despite all
the available information about the hazards of their choice. Providing
information that is more emotionally vivid (e.g., scare tactics) may help
alter the public's judgment of risks.
But information that is
too vivid could backfire, warns researcher Jacqueline Meszaros. Studies of
fear-based anti-smoking campaigns, for instance, have found that some vivid
messages can actually lead to more kids smoking.
SOURCE: National Science
Foundation
BOOM IN THE BALTICS
The Baltic Sea region's
prospects appear bright, with four countries in the top 10 of the World
Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index: Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and
Finland. Key ingredients to the region's general success are increased labor
productivity and mobilization, according to the ScanBalt network's 2007
State of the Region report.
The region also scores
high on employment, innovation, social cohesion, and the environment. But
there are clouds on the horizon, including increasing global competition and
demographic pressures such as aging populations.
"Economic growth will
increase wage pressure, lead to shortages of skilled labor, and can easily
create social divisions between those that are well prepared to take
advantage of these new opportunities, such as young, urban and well educated
people, and those that can’t," report author Christian Ketels of Harvard
Business School told the BALTIC TIMES. "There is a danger that the Baltics
will become much less of a 'good deal' if wages continue to rise while
economic opportunities for productivity growth become smaller."
SOURCES:
World Economic
Forum Global Competitiveness Index 2007-2008
"Harvard Economist
Advocates Effective Government Regulation,"
BALTIC TIMES (July 16th
2006), ScanbBalt.
|
GIVE A GIFT
THAT'S THOUGHTFUL AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING
Membership in the World
Future Society makes not only a thoughtful gift, but also a wise one--a gift
that will keep provoking thought all year long.
Insightful articles by
industry experts, creative thinkers, and leading intellectuals give you a
new way to think about the trends that are shaping your world--and fresh
ideas for managing those trends to create the future you hope for.
Ideal for clients,
customers, colleagues, teachers, students, friends, family, neighbors,
mentors, and protégés, gift memberships are just $49 for the first
membership and $39 each for additional recipients.
And if there are
full-time students under age 25 on your list, their gift memberships are
just $20 each!
GIVE GIFT MEMBERSHIPS
NOW |
CLICK OF THE MONTH:
MONKEY NEWS
Looking
for a new angle on news? The Washington, D.C., based radio station WTOP
maintains its
Monkey News department on its Web site because, frankly, the
news can be depressing and monkeys are a way of lightening things up.
And monkeys are quite
relevant to the future, since they are affected by environmental trends, are
involved in cutting-edge research, and participate (in their own monkey way)
in groundbreaking legal matters. Recent monkey headlines:
* "Monkey Clones
Unlikely to Bring New Care," on the use of stem cells cloned from monkey
embryos.
* "Court Won't Declare
Chimp a Person," on an animal rights case in Austria.
* "Chimpanzee Who Knew
Sign Language Dies," on Washoe, a female chimp thought to be the first
nonhuman to learn our language.
* "Ebola Said Depleting
Gorilla Populations," on the peril of a species now thought to be one step
away from extinction.
Of course, chimps and
gorillas are really apes, not monkeys, but WTOP reasons that few humans
would bother to click on "Primate News."
NOW PLAYING ON FUTURE
TV:
Top 10 Forecasts, 2008
NEWS FROM THE
FUTURIST COMMUNITY
*
MILLENNIUM PROJECT NODE IN DUBAI:
The
Millennium Project, an international futures research think tank supported
by the World Federation of United Nations Associations, welcomes its 31st
Node or global partner: the Innovation Unit of the Dubai government's
Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). The new Dubai Node will
focus on research to increase individual human intelligence and brain
functioning. Other nations interested in establishing Millennium Project
Nodes include Nigeria, Tanzania, and Burundi. DETAILS: KHDA,
http://www.ameinfo.com/138182.html
or contact Jerome C. Glenn, Millennium Project director, jglenn@igc.org
* EDITOR'S QUERY:
Would you be interested in receiving a separate monthly newsletter
exclusively covering News from the Futurist Community? The World Future
Society would like your input on such a project. Like FUTURIST UPDATE, the
proposed Community newsletter would be free and sent to subscribers by
e-mail each month.
Please send an e-mail
with "Yes [or No] Futurist Community Newsletter" in the subject line to cwagner@wfs.org
*********************************************
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Attention futurist authors:
The following WFS publications are constantly on the lookout for new essays
and articles presenting trends, forecasts, and ideas about the future.
THE FUTURIST magazine:
http://www.wfs.org/writguid.htm
FUTURES RESEARCH QUARTERLY:
http://www.wfs.org/frq.htm#invite
FUTURE TIMES (online):
http://www.wfs.org/futuretimesmay07.htm
WFS Web Forums (online):
http://www.wfs.org/inter.htm
The World Future Society's 2008 conference volume is also
seeking submissions.
See
http://www.wfs.org/2008volguidelines.htm
FUTURIST UPDATE: News &
Previews from the World Future Society is an e-mail newsletter published
monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine. Copyright © 2007,
World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450, Bethesda, MD
20814, USA. Telephone 1-301-656-8274; e-mail
mailto: info@wfs.org ; Web site
http://www.wfs.org .
Editor: Cindy Wagner,
mailto:cwagner@wfs.org
Associate Editor: Patrick
Tucker, mailto:ptucker@wfs.org
Network Administrator: Jeff
Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org
Vice President,
Membership/Conference Operations: Susan Echard, mailto: sechard@wfs.org
To subscribe, enter your
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To unsubscribe or change
your e-mail address, send an e-mail to
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Submit feedback: to
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The WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY is
a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and educational association with a
global membership. Regular membership in the Society, including a
subscription to THE FUTURIST, is $49 per year, or $20 for full-time students
under age 25. Professional and Institutional membership programs are also
offered; contact Society headquarters for details:
http://www.wfs.org.
