DIGITAL
GENERATION IS LOSING ITS HERITAGE
The generation of young
people who were born into the digital era may be more connected to each
other, but less connected to their cultural heritage, warns sociologist Jos
de Haan of Erasmus University Rotterdam. They are "chatting" more but
reading less; playing more, but researching and learning less than preceding
generations.
Though adept at finding
their way around the virtual world, digital-era youth are not finding their
way to institutions that connect them with the cultural riches of their
past, according to de Haan.
The Internet is
perceived as a rival to traditional culture, but it could become an ally: De
Haan challenges museums, libraries, archives, and other institutions to do
more to connect with the digital generation than merely digitize their
collections.
SOURCE: Erasmus
University Rotterdam,
http://www.eur.nl/english/pressroom/detail/article/2177/
POLLUTION AND
MEAT CONSUMPTION HABITS IN CHINA
Will pigs out-pollute
humans in China? That is one worry of a recent report on the impacts of
increasing meat consumption.
China's annual per
capita consumption of meat has been growing by 7% a year and will reach 73
kg by 2020, up from 26.2 kg in 2004. Pork claims the biggest share of meat
consumption in China, though declining in the past 20 years from 85% to 65%,
according to a report by researcher Yutian Zhao of the Research Center for
Rural Economy.
As livestock production
increases in importance to the Chinese diet and economy, its impacts on the
environment will intensify, including unpleasant smells, pollution of canal
water, and grassland degradation, says Zhao.
Human health is also at
risk, due to residues of chemical additives and heavy metals caused by
changes in livestock raising methods and use of feeds. The report stems from
a 2006 workshop on Chinese food production, organized by the European Action
on Global Life Sciences (EAGLES).
SOURCE: Livestock
Farming, EAGLES (September 2007),
http://www.efb-central.org/eagles/index.htm
or
http://econsults.org/Eagles/prints/Eagles Health Report - Lifestock-1.pdf
|
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I
OFFERS FULL-TIME, TENURE-TRACK APPOINTMENT
Teach graduate and
undergraduate courses and conduct research in futures studies and public
policy in the Department of Political Science, University of Hawai'i at
Manoa. Ph.D. required. Applications due by January 10, 2008. Appointment
begins August 1, 2008. DETAILS:
http://www.futures.hawaii.edu/2007/09/new-futures-faculty.php
|
PREDICTING SUCCESS,
I: CREATIVITY IN YOUTH
Will your junior genius
become a multiple-patent-holding engineer or a megaselling novelist?
Vanderbilt University psychologist David Lubinski and colleagues believe
they can predict which successful career path a gifted young person may take
as early as age 13.
A longitudinal study of
2,409 gifted 13-year-olds, now over age 50, examined their relative
performances on the math and verbal portions of the Scholastic Aptitude Test
(SAT), and associated these differences with their accomplishments later in
life.
A key variable in
predicting future career expression--toward scientific or artistic
breakthroughs--is the "tilt" score, or math SAT score minus verbal SAT
score.
According to the
researchers, "Whereas ability level [sum of math and verbal SAT scores]
contributes significantly to creative accomplishments, ability tilt is
critical for predicting the specific domain in which they occur (e.g.,
securing a tenure-track position in the humanities vs. science, technology,
engineering, or mathematics; publishing a novel vs. securing a patent)."
The ability to predict
at such a young age the areas in which students could excel suggests that
resources could be redirected to support their development and promote their
success, the researchers conclude.
SOURCE: Vanderbilt
University,
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/News/SAT-GiftedYouth.pdf
PREDICTING SUCCESS,
II: EXECUTIVE SKILLS
Brain-based
executive-intelligence testing could potentially help recruiters identify
the leadership candidates most likely to succeed, according to a study by
Canadian and U.S. psychologists. The result could be a significant boost in
an organization's productivity, they report in the Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology.
Neuroscientists have
long believed that good function in the prefrontal cortex enhances people's
ability to plan for the future, manipulate many ideas simultaneously, avoid
impulsive action, and react thoughtfully in novel situations--skills
described as "executive functions."
"In the past,
psychologists have used IQ and personality tests to predict managerial and
academic performance, with real success," says senior author Jordan Peterson
of the University of Toronto. "However, this is the first demonstration of
the unique potential of prefrontal or executive function tests to more
accurately determine who will and who will not excel."
The authors calculate
that adding executive-function tests to employee interviews could result in
as much as a 33% gain in productivity per hired employee. "Neuroscience has
revolutionized our understanding of the brain in recent years," says
Peterson. "Perhaps this is the beginning of the neuroscience revolution in
management."
SOURCE: Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology (August 2007),
http://content.apa.org/journals/psp/93/2/298
|
SEE YOUR
FUTURE THROUGH NEW EYES
Seeing the Future
Through New Eyes is the theme of WorldFuture 2008, the Society's next annual
conference, to be held July 26-28 in Washington, D.C., with many pre- and
post-conference events planned.
The meeting will gather
forward-thinking men and women from around the world and from many
disciplines to examine emerging developments in technology, resources and
the environment, community building, health and medicine, and much more.
Among the speakers
already confirmed are noted bioethicist Arthur Caplan, technology policy
expert Kelly H. Carnes, and communitarian scholar and sociologist Amitai
Etzioni.
LEARN MORE: http://www.wfs.org/2008main.htm
REGISTER BY OCTOBER 15
and save $250 off the on-site registration fee:
https://www.wfs.org/2008regform.htm
SUBMIT SESSION PROPOSAL
BY OCTOBER 31:
http://www.wfs.org/2008propguidelines.htm
RESERVE your room at the
Hilton Washington! Mention that you're attending the WFS meeting to receive
your special rate of $160 per night (single) or $185 per night (double).
Call the Hilton at 202-797-5820. |
CLICK OF THE MONTH: ITALKI
http://www.italki.com
When in Rome, speak as
the Romans do: italki.com offers a variety of resources for non-native
speakers working or traveling in a foreign country, but the site takes a
particularly creative approach through "language exchanges."
Find a partner on the
site who is a native of the country you intend to visit, and start
practicing the language before you go. Once you're there, you can also use
italki's IM, text, and chat features to get real-time help from your
language partner. Language Forums are also available to discuss grammar,
cultures, and other topics.
(Thanks to Joyce Gioia-Herman,
editor of the Herman Trend Alert, for this month's "Click.")
NEWS FROM THE
FUTURIST COMMUNITY
* INTERNATIONAL FUTURES
CONFERENCE 2007: The South African Node of the Millennium Project is
sponsoring a powerful three-day learning experience November 6-8, at
Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Theology in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Topics include the role of scenarios in South Africa's transition and case
studies on the use of futuring to meet global challenges. DETAILS:
http://sampnode.co.za/content/view/33/67/
* FUTURIST UPDATE editor
Cindy Wagner mourns the loss of her father, Robert C. Wagner, who died
peacefully in his sleep on September 21. He was 87. Bob Wagner was a member
of the World Future Society, first receiving his membership as a gift from
his daughter (managing editor of THE FUTURIST), then annually renewing his
membership himself.
Bob served in the U.S.
Navy from 1939 to 1961 and for the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services and FDA until officially retiring in 2001. In addition to his
active duty during World War II, one of his Navy assignments was to assist
in setting up nuclear-medicine laboratories for President Eisenhower's Atoms
for Peace program in Cairo, Egypt (1955). He received long-term-service
commendations from HHS secretaries Louis Sullivan and Donna Shalala.
Bob was also a member of
the U.S.S. Emmons Association, an organization of surviving World War II
shipmates and family members. In addition to his daughter, he is survived by
his son Robert M. Wagner, daughter-in-law Wanda, and his grandchildren,
Daniel and Rachel, all of Orange Park, Florida, as well as by numerous
loving nieces and nephews. His son Thomas L. Wagner (also a WFS staff
member) died in 1997.
*********************************************
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
e-mail at
http://www.wfs.org
To unsubscribe or change
your e-mail address, reply to this e-mail with "unsubscribe" or "change
address" in the subject line.
Submit feedback:
http://www.wfs.org/fbjul07.htm
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.
