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INFANT OBESITY The obesity epidemic has no age limitations: Children
under age 6, and especially infants, are now more likely to be overweight
than their counterparts two decades ago, according to a The number of overweight infants increased by 74% since
the beginning of the study, which covered more than 120,000 children in "These results show that efforts to prevent obesity must start at the earliest stage of human development, even before birth," says the study's senior author, Matthew Gillman, MD. "These efforts should include avoiding smoking and excessive weight gain during pregnancy, preventing gestational diabetes, and promoting breastfeeding, all of which researchers have shown to be associated with reductions in childhood overweight." SOURCE: http://web.med.harvard.edu/sites/RELEASES/html/8_09Gillman.html JOKE-MAKING SOFTWARE BEATS LANGUAGE BARRIERS Children who must use computerized speech aids to communicate tend to fall behind their peers in language development. Because kids learn much of their language through social interaction and playing word games with each other, computerized devices that don't permit such spontaneity could impair fluency. Now, a new software promises to help children develop language fluency playfully: by cracking jokes. Called the STANDUP Project (System To Augment Non-speakers' Dialogue Using Puns), the software was developed by a team of researchers in Scotland using dictionaries, information about words, and simple rules about the structure of puns. The computer acts as a helper for the children, allowing
them to browse through joke forms and try out different words and phrases,
explains computer scientist Graeme Ritchie of the When children can entertain their families and playmates by telling jokes--"What do you call a spicy missile? A hot shot!"--they become more inspired to learn and develop their language skills rather than simply use their voice aids passively to answer questions. SOURCE: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/pressreleases/2006/praug06/joke.html Your driver's license was suspended, so you can't drive your car. But that means you can't practice driving so you can get your license back. What to do? Enter the American Safety Council's first online Advanced
Driver Improvement course, a 12-hour program recently launched in Like most electronic services, the online traffic school lets you participate without having to find transportation to get there. Perhaps one day we won't even need driver's licenses. SOURCE: American Safety Council Inc., http://www.AmericanSafetyCouncil.com *********************************** "WorldFuture
2007: Fostering Hope and Vision for the 21st Century" will be held July
29-31 at the Hilton Minneapolis and Towers in "Hope is the dream of a waking man," according to Aristotle. The 2007 annual meeting of "waking futurists" will strive to turn hope into visions of tangible goals for building a better tomorrow. Join 1,000 forward-looking men and women from around the world to discuss new technologies, social innovation, sustainable development, health, education, and many other issues vital to a hopeful future. Speakers already confirmed include anthropologist Helen
Fisher, author of THE FIRST SEX and WHY WE LOVE; business futurist and
scholar Nat Irvin II, president and CEO of FutureFocus
2020; and Jay McIntosh, Americas director of consumer products for Ernst
& Young. REGISTER by September 29 and save $250 off the on-site registration fee: https://www.wfs.org/2007regform.htm SUBMIT A SESSION PROPOSAL OR LEARN MORE: http://www.wfs.org/2007main.htm READ article by *********************************** THE ROAR
OF THE OCEAN The globalizing economy and growing populations on land are now being blamed for increased noise under the sea. A tenfold increase in ocean noise off The effects of noisier underwater environments on marine life--such as whales, dolphins, and other marine animals that rely on acoustic signals--are not yet known, prompting the researchers to call for ongoing acoustic measurements. "It may be appropriate to move shipping lanes away from areas where there are concentrations of marine animals," says researcher John Hildebrand. "The impact of ocean noise pollution may be minimized by diminishing the noise source or by separating the noise from things that are sensitive to it." SOURCE: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/oceannoise06.asp http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/article_detail.cfm?article_num=744 CLICK
OF THE MONTH: DROPSHOTS FOR FAMILY NETWORKING http://www.DropShots.com DropShots, a new social networking site for families, turns MySpace into "Our Space," offering a place for parents, kids, grandkids, cousins, and others to keep up with each other's lives online. Because DropShots is private, however, the messages, videos, photos, and other personal communications are protected from strangers lurking on the Internet. Sample site: http://www.dropshots.com/MooreFamily
NEWS FROM THE FUTURIST COMMUNITY
SUMMARY: http://www.wfs.org/2006summary.htm AUDIO: http://www.intelliquestmedia.com/store/search.php?a=O&c=149 BOOKS: http://www.wfs.org/2006bookstore.htm
DETAILS: http://www.futurecheck.nl/home.php?taal=2 http://www.futurecheck.nl/Futurecheck_Knowledgeletter_2006_Index_ENG___sub_313_2_20060508313.html FUTURIST UPDATE: News & Previews from
the World Future Society is an e-mail newsletter published monthly as a
supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine. Editor: Cindy
Wagner To subscribe, send an e-mail message to mailto:majordomo@wfs.org with
"subscribe futurist-update" in the BODY of the message. 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 |
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