YOUTH
SUMMIT BUILDS PUBLIC-SERVICE CAMPAIGN
If you want something
done, assign it to people who don’t know it can’t be done.
It took just one
weekend for a group of 20 young people from across the United States to
create a public-service campaign promoting a society that is more inclusive
of individuals with disabilities. (The accomplishment is especially
impressive when one considers how long it would take a typical organization
to complete such a task.)
The National Youth
Inclusion Summit took place January 8-10 at the Imagination Stage in
Bethesda, Maryland, organized by the Including Samuel Project and led by
filmmaker Dan Habib.
The teenage advocates
hosted viewing parties of Habib's documentary about his son, “Including
Samuel,” and then brought their insights and ideas to the Summit.
Working in small
teams, participants ultimately created two videos that could be used in
viral marketing campaigns: “I Am Norm” used the theme that everyone is
different, so we are all normal. “Inclusion: It’s That Easy” dramatized a
simple lunchroom scenario of kids noticing when someone is feeling left out.
The Including Samuel
Project is a program of the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on
Disability. Groups participating in the Summit included the National
Inclusion Project, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Kids Included
Together, Girl Scouts of the USA, Victor Pineda Foundation, and VSA arts,
with support from the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation.
DETAILS: The Including
Samuel Project
POLLUTION REDUCES RAIN
IN CHINA
High levels of air
pollution have reduced the amount of light rainfall in eastern China by
almost 25% over the past 50 years, according to an international study
supported by Sweden’s University of Gothenburg. The reduced rainfall
negatively impacts agriculture and human health (not to mention the
environment) in the most densely populated region in the country.
Excess smog, smoke,
and airborne particles reduce the size of raindrops in the atmosphere. The
smaller the water droplets, the harder it is for them to gather into rain
clouds.
China’s population
growth over the past century has contributed to an 800% increase in air
pollution, according to the researchers. China is now the world leader in
carbon-dioxide emissions.
SOURCE:
University of
Gothenburg
U.S. STATES SCRAMBLE TO
BALANCE BUDGETS
The global economic
recession has left most U.S. states focused primarily on balancing their
budgets and generating revenue, the number-one legislative priority,
according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Collectively,
the states had a nearly $146 billion budget gap at the end of 2009.
Other priorities for
the states include controlling health-care costs while increasing coverage,
lowering unemployment rates, making higher education more affordable, and
addressing the costs of prisons while maintaining public safety and reducing
recidivism.
The unexpected impacts
of new technologies also have legislators scrambling for ways to better
serve constituents. For instance, some states are now considering
prohibiting drivers from texting and talking on cell phones and expanding
the collection of DNA to all offenders and not just felons.
SOURCE:
National Conference of State Legislatures
GLOOMY MOOD MAY DOOM EUROPEAN UNION
The rapid expansion of
the European Union in the past decade parallels that of the United States
just before the Civil War. In both cases, the unions seemed strong until the
economic environment soured. Could the EU be headed for a civil war?
Perhaps not war, but
“divorce” (civil or otherwise) may be imminent for Europe, claims the
Socionomic Institute.
“Both unions appeared
to be strong when markets were rising. But once stocks reversed, the stress
of a bear market severed those bonds quickly,” explains study author Brian
Whitmer, editor of Elliott Wave International’s EUROPEAN FINANCIAL FORECAST.
“War eventually broke out among the U.S. states, and I believe that an
equally perilous period is coming for the countries of the EU.”
COMMENT: Just as money
problems often uncover long-buried grudges among married couples, leading to
divorce, economic stressors may undo the bonds that European states have
forged in recent decades. Perhaps "marriage counseling" in the form of
proactive conflict resolution could help European leaders identify and
resolve underlying tensions and avert the nightmare scenario of civil war.
SOURCE:
The Socionomics Institute
|
advertisment
OXFORD
SCENARIOS PROGRAMME
17-21 May or 6–10 September 2010, £4,750 (ex VAT) all
inclusive, Saļd Business School, University of Oxford.
In today’s uncertain business climate this programme
identifies the critical drivers of change that are shaping the wider
context. You will understand how to influence the continued success of your
team and organisation; to assess the resilience of your current resources
and activities; and, as a consequence your strategic options for success.
DETAILS/CONTACT:
mailto:caroline.williams@sbs.ox.ac.uk
http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/execed/strategy/scenarios
|
CLICK OF THE MONTH: TIMELINE OF EDUCATION 1657-2045
http://www.educationfutures.com/resources/timeline/
Education Futures
celebrates its fifth anniversary by looking back at the history of education
and forecasting the next 35 years.
"Utilizing many of the
best resources for projecting futures for human capital development, this
timeline presents a glimpse of the past, present, and plausible futures for
education," states the site, developed by John Moravec, a faculty member of
the University of Minnesota's Innovation Studies program.
Among the timeline's
forecasts: New York City will close 80% of its public schools by 2023 due to
shifts in demographics and competition from informal modes of learning. By
2032, teachers and faculty who refuse to upgrade their cognitive functioning
will be asked to resign. By 2035, intelligent machines deciding to have
children will lead to a "golden age" of nonhuman creativity.
NEWS FOR THE FUTURIST COMMUNITY
* IS EGYPT TOO POOR
FOR FORESIGHT? In an end-of-the-year op-ed for AL-AHRAM, economics futurist
Ibrahim El-Issawy argues that futures research should not be considered a
luxury but rather a priority in developing countries such as Egypt. In fact,
it is becoming increasingly common, he notes. "A long list of future visions
for developing countries exists, including, for example, India 2020,
Malaysia 2020, and China 2050. Almost all development success stories have
involved futures research of one sort or another. Good development requires
good planning...."
READ "Selecting a Better Tomorrow"
* GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE SITUATION ROOM: The
latest venture by the Millennium Project is a situation room for deploying
collective intelligence on climate science, energy, green technology,
adaptation, mitigation, and integration of sustainable development and
climate change. The project will develop new software and user interfaces to
link networks of outstanding experts as a resource for helping the UN,
governments, businesses, NGOs, and individuals to understand climate change
and its potential impacts. DETAILS The Millennium Project
http://www.millennium-project.org ,
http://www.mpcollab.org
, or
http://www.millennium-project.org/millennium/presentations/Fact_Sheet_Dec-2009.doc
* ORGANIZING FUTURIST
INTEREST GROUPS: A special session devoted to organizing local futurist
interest groups (FIGs) is now being planned for the World Future Society's
annual meeting in Boston, July 8-10. The session will discuss what a local
FIG can do for its participants and examine opportunities and challenges for
keeping local groups vibrant. If you plan to attend, please help the
planners tailor the session to your interests and needs. CONTACT Dave Stein,
mailto:info@futuretakes.org
WHAT'S HOT @WFS.ORG
* SOLUTIONS FOR A
BETTER FUTURE: Why support futures studies? Because it helps solve major
world problems. In fact, good foresight regularly practiced can alleviate
many of the most intractable problems, such as health care, hunger, resource
shortages, and transportation issues. Many examples of futurism as problem
solving are profiled in a special report by FUTURIST senior editor Patrick
Tucker.
- READ SOLUTIONS FOR A BETTER FUTURE
-
SUPPORT THE WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY and its programs for future problem solving
* TOP 10 FORECASTS ON
FUTURE TV: Our searches for extraterrestrial intelligence, sustainable
energy solutions, and love will all get a boost in the decade ahead. A new
video Illustrates the top 10 forecasts from the World Future Society's
annual Outlook report.
-
WATCH NOW
-
VIEW in high resolution on the World Future Society Facebook page
-
ORDER OUTLOOK 2010
* THE FUTURIST
magazine and Encyclopędia Britannica are partnering for a joint blog series
on Learning and Literacy in the Digital Age, to run on Britannica.com. The
series will feature essays from FUTURIST contributors Nick Carr, Mark
Bauerlein, Patrick Tucker, and WorldFuture 2010 Speaker Janna Anderson.
READ
***************************************************
FUTURIST UPDATE: News
& Previews from the World Future Society is an e-mail newsletter published
monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine. Copyright © 2010, 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
Senior Editor: Patrick
Tucker, mailto:ptucker@wfs.org
Staff Writer: Aaron M.
Cohen
Network Administrator:
Jeff Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org
Vice President,
Membership/Conference Operations: Susan Echard,
mailto:sechard@wfs.org
To subscribe, enter
your e-mail at www.wfs.org/futuristupdate.htm
To unsubscribe or
change your e-mail address, send an e-mail to
jcornish@wfs.org with
"unsubscribe" or "change address" in the subject
line.
Submit feedback:
mailto:cwagner@wfs.org
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 $59 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
Networking with WFS:
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Future-Society/196550510888
LinkedIn (WFS
Membership required):
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=77204&trk=anet_ug_grppro
MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/thefuturistmagazine
Twitter (THE
FUTURIST):
http://twitter.com/Theyear2030
BUILD
YOUR OWN FUTURING CURRICULUM AT WORLDFUTURE 2010!