POLITICS COULD BE GOOD
FOR CHILDREN'S HEALTH
Families worried about their children's futures should get them engaged
in election issues, says a University of Michigan professor.
Young people who are highly aware about social issues may be less likely
to engage in risky behaviors such as using drugs or becoming violent, according to
research psychologist Marc Zimmerman. They are also more likely to feel better about
themselves and to help their communities. Talking to youngsters about important civic
issues--and demonstrating civic commitment by voting--is a good way to show them that they
have a say in their own futures, he suggests.
"We find that adolescents, especially high school aged kids, are
very important because they're soon going to be in that 18- to 24-year range,"
Zimmerman notes. "And if you don't instill some interest in voting, civic duty, civic
pride, and engagement in the world before they get there, you've lost them."
Involvement in civic and extracurricular activities also makes children less likely to be
depressed and more likely to feel better about themselves and to develop critical thinking
skills.
DETAILS: University of Michigan Health System,
http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2004/hmvoter.htm
BUSINESS SHIRKS CRISIS PLANNING
Americans say they are gravely concerned about future terrorist threats,
but businesses are only planning for such potential crises "if and only if they are
cost effective," reports crisis-management expert Ian Mitroff.
Crisis preparation was a priority immediately after the terrorist
attacks of September 11, 2001, and most companies invested in security and crisis
preparation. But Mitroff's survey of Fortune 1000 companies reveals that such preparations
have plummeted.
"We are back where we started, seemingly not taking the lessons of
this tragic event seriously," Mitroff charges. "September 11th may have changed
our national psyche, but it has not changed our long-term attitudes toward the importance
of crisis management in the day-to-day course of business."
Mitroff lauds the steps that a small percentage of organizations are
taking to prepare for potential crises, such as conducting simulations, constructing
worst-case scenarios, training cross-functional crisis teams, and implementing systems for
picking up early-warning signals of a failure that could induce a crisis.
"Smart organizations practice crisis management equally in good and
bad times," Mitroff concludes. "As a result, they experience substantially fewer
crises and are substantially more profitable."
SOURCE: Ian Mitroff, http://www.compcrisis.com or
http://www.mitroff.net
REDUCING ALLERGIES
The growing numbers of patients with allergies could see relief in the
future. A protein has been discovered that shuts down a reaction-signaling molecule,
reducing the effects of allergies in mice, the journal NATURE reports.
Allergies are the immune system's overreactions to stimuli such as
pollen, dust, insects, and foods. Immune cells, called mast cells, receive signals to
release inflammatory agents that result in symptoms such as itchy eyes, rashes, and--in
extreme cases--fatality.
Now, researchers at the University College, London, branch of the Ludwig
Institute for Cancer Research have discovered that inactivating the signal-sending
molecule, called p110delta, substantially reduced allergic responses in mice.
"Our work points toward a promising future for developing
inhibitors for allergic conditions, but we are still a long way from developing a drug for
human patients," says lead researcher Bart Vanhaesebroeck.
SOURCE: University College, London,
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/media/archive/archive-release/?ludwig
************************************************************
FREDERIK POHL TO SPEAK AT WORLDFUTURE 2005
Science-fiction legend Frederik Pohl, whose latest novel is THE BOY WHO
WOULD LIVE FOREVER, will speak at the World Future Society's annual conference in Chicago,
July 23-31.
Other noted futurist thinkers who will be sharing their insights at
WorldFuture 2005 include FUTURIST editor Edward Cornish, business futurist Edie Weiner,
nanotechnology specialist Raj Bawa, and Genetics Policy Institute founder Bernard F.
Siegel.
CONFERENCE DETAILS: http://www.wfs.org/2005main.htm
REGISTRATION (save $200 by registering before December 31):
https://www.wfs.org/2005regfrm.htm
************************************************************
SAVING THE BUMBLEBEES
At least five rare species of bumblebees are threatened by intensive
agricultural practices in the United Kingdom, according to biologist Dave Goulson of the
University of Southampton.
Wild flowers and hedgerows, the natural habitats of the bees, are
disappearing, and small areas such as nature reserves are unable to support the colonies.
Goulson and a team of Ph.D. students are studying rare bee populations
in the Hebrides islands, where farming is more traditional and the rare bees are more
common. They hope to devise bee-friendly farming practices, such as sowing wildflower
strips and restoring hay meadows.
SOURCE: University of Southampton,
http://www.soton.ac.uk/Press/PressReleases/Name,4266,en.php
CLICK
OF THE MONTH: THE INNOVATE
GATEWAY http://www.innovateonline.info
Applying information technologies to improving education is the goal of
the new peer-reviewed e-journal, INNOVATE, edited by longtime education-technology
observer James L. Morrison.
The journal is intended to facilitate colleague-to-colleague idea
sharing, so the portal allows users to comment on articles and participate in open forums.
Among the articles in the inaugural issue is an interview Morrison
conducted with Chris Dede, a pioneer in futures education, who emphasizes the need to
better understand the new ways in which students are learning, such as through multi-user
virtual environments.
"Read, learn, share," Morrison writes in his welcoming note.
"Help us define the future of education."
************************************
NEWS FROM WFS PARTNERS AND THE FUTURES COMMUNITY
 NANOTECH AT RENSSELAER: A symposium on
"Nanotechnology: Innovation, Opportunity, and Commercialization" will be held at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, November 15-16. World Future Society
President Timothy Mack is among the speakers at the event, which will include leading
experts from the worlds of science, technology, public policy, investment, industry, and
academia.
DETAILS: http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/nanotech.html
"ACCELERATING CHANGE 2004: Physical
Space, Virtual Space, and Interface" (AC2004) conference will be held November 5-7 at
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. There will be more than 42 world-class
speakers, including Jaron Lanier of VPL Research, Peter Norvig of Google, "The
Sims" creator Will Wright, and mouse inventor Doug Engelbart. Also on the agenda will
be interactive demonstrations at Stanford's Human Virtual Interface Lab and a collective
intelligence dinner entitled "Futuristically Incorrect."
DETAILS: http://www.accelerating.org/ac2004
"PREPARE AND UNITE!" is the theme
of Global SchoolNet's CyberFair 2005. This competition encourages students ages 5 to 19 to
prepare for the future by thinking about their own future plans, the conditions that will
affect the future of their community, and issues of global importance. The students will
create Web sites that best illustrate "future thinking." The winners will
receive a free trip to the World Future Society's annual conference in Chicago, July 2005.
DETAILS: Global SchoolNet Foundation, http://www.globalschoolnet.org/cf
FUTURIST UPDATE: News & Previews from the World Future Society is an
e-mail newsletter published monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine. Copyright ©
2004, 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
Assistant Editor: Clifton Coles
Network Administrator: Jeff Cornish
Webmaster: Sarah Warner
Vice President, Membership/Conference Operations: Susan Echard
To subscribe, send an e-mail message to mailto:majordomo@wfs.org with
"subscribe futurist-update" in the BODY of the message.
To unsubscribe or change your e-mail address, send message to Jeff Cornish,
mailto:jcornish@wfs.org.
Submit feedback at http://www.wfs.org/fbnov04.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 $45 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
Back to top |
