Business & management:
• The Fast 50: the world’s most innovative companies, is a list compiled by Fast Company of those that “dazzle with new ideas”. (This journal is also available on the Digital Libraries databases in full text.)
• As people live longer, their approach to life past the age of 50 has undergone great changes in recent years – including the possibility of “Retiring retirement”. (The book mentioned in this article is held at Libraries, and the journal is in full text on the Digital Libraries databases).
• The impact of virtual online reality worlds are already showing in the education world. In this article the former chief technology officer of Second Life writes on the impacts on collaboration & innovation, and the new structures and business models that companies and even nations could use to maximise the advantages of virtual reality. (Click on “Go to Download Document, on the left of the screen.)
• The Human Rights Commission’s 3rd report “2008 Census of women’s participation” shows that 60 of the top 100 companies in NZ have no women on their boards, while the Association of University Staff says that progress on the number of women in senior academic positions is “glacial”.
Education
• NZ Trade and Enterprise is promoting the International Knowledge Services Summit, in Auckland from 30 April to 1 May. The summit will explore how to create large scale commercial opportunities for NZ's education organisations.
Environment & sustainability:
• Studies are now showing that plastic waste in the oceans is a hidden but serious long term toxic threat to the food chain, apart from the immediate physical impact that plastic waste can have on seabirds and wildlife.
• A NZ company is almost at the point of producing commercial levels of bio-crude oil manufactured from algae, a method of producing biofuel that doesn’t impact on food production and has a beneficial by-product of clean water.
• The 2008 Foolies Fossil Fuel Awards were announced in the US last month. The awards recognise the world’s biggest contributors to the global addiction to fossil fuel.
• Cities in Europe and China have pollution problems so serious that the bad air is having serious affects on the health of their citizens, impacting on tourism to the cities, and possibly even lowering life expectancy.
•”Cities as sustainable ecosystems: principles and practice” by Peter Newman, has been ordered for the LOGIS collection. Professor Newman is Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University, Australia and Harry W Porter Visiting Professor in Urban Planning at the University of Virginia.
• A petition in America is campaigning for a way to allow people to permanently opt out of receiving junk mail – which could have a large environmental impact, given that US junk mail accounts for one third of the mail delivered in the world.
• The Instanbul Urban Water Consensus is a declaration by representatives of about 40 of the world’s cities, who are concerned about the damaging effects of climate change on urban water resources.
• It is not yet possible to have a zero waste office or corporation, but many big companies around the world are examining ways that they can start the journey to getting there.
Health & wellbeing:
• The multi-drug resistant form of tuberculosis is overwhelming the ability of health-care systems around the world to treat sufferers, according to the UN.
• Independent research by Price Waterhouse Coopers Australia on the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) is now available on the ACC website. The executive summary and terms of reference are online, but a full report (450 pages long) must be requested.
• People in the UK have been discovered to be realistic about the costs involved in aging, including the possible need to sell their homes to pay for their care rather than leaving their home to their children.
Law & Government:
• The Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (US) has presented an article on the way in which famous people are able to talk directly with (and influence) world leaders: “Beyond Hollywood and the boardroom: celebrity diplomacy.” (This journal is also available on the Digital Libraries databases in full text.)
• For an outsider's perspective on NZ’s human rights status, read the US Dept of State’s report on NZ’s human rights practices.
• A recenet Urban Land Institute blog posting is on the impact of policies in some US cities, requiring property developers to include a certain amount of affordable housing in return for some kind of benefit. A recent study of such policies seems to indicate that the design of the programs may matter considerably.
People, culture & diversity:
• The UN has released its 2007 listing of “Ten stories the world should hear more about”, with topics ranging from bird flu to girl soldiers.
• The US Population Reference Bureau has published “Managing migration: the global challenge” as the March issue of their Population Bulletin.
• From the Lowy Institute of International Policy in Sydney, comes a paper on the increasing global diasporas. They are compared to “world wide webs” in a new view of globalisation, and the issues that are faced by national governments are discussed.
• Although UK immigrants are contributing more to the UK economy in taxes and skills, they also place most public services under more strain, as well as increasing the demand for English language course and interpretation services. The government launched the Migration Impacts Forum last year “to help build the evidence base for the effects which migration is having on communities and public services”.
• The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Body in Britain, is attempting to set out the core standards and constitutions for Britain's 1,350-plus mosques and Islamic centres. The Body was set up a year ago, representing the 4 leading Muslim groups, and it is hoped the standards will help to drive out extremism.
• A survey in Britain has found that lesbian, gay and bisexual people believe that there are high levels of discrimination in public bodies (such as schools, police, healthcare, etc). Two thirds of lesbian and gay people under 19 said that they have been bullied at school.
• A UK survey has discovered that social networking sites intended for teens and adults have a high number of 8-11 year-olds claiming to have profile pages on the sites, in spite of age restrictions intended to promote safety. Bebo has hired a forensic psychologist, launched safesocialnetworking.com as a resource for teachers, and placed an emphasis on basic functionality such as setting all profiles to private by default and warning under-21s if they try to make their profiles publicly searchable. (In NZ, the Dept of Internal Affairs website includes pages on child safety online, including a list of interactive websites aimed at teaching children how to be safe online.)
• In NZ, we shift our endangered species to islands. In Norway, they send offenders to an island prison that operates on environmental principles.
Science, technology & transport:
• The Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority has held its annual Biofuels Conference this week, with the conference theme being extended to include electricity as used in electric vehicles.
• Early results of a UK study on organic foods shows that some organic foods may be more nutritious than non-organic produce.
• The Commission for Environmental Cooperation is promoting their report ”Green building in North America”. Comparisons of Canada, the US and Mexico show that sustainable construction methods could be a method of lowering carbon emissions.
Friday, 4 April 2008
Thursday, 27 March 2008
From the LOGIS news alert subscriptions (ending 27/03):
Education
• A Cambridge University Study says that bad behaviour by school children is being fuelled by "overindulgent" parents who don't know how to say no to their children.
Environment & sustainability:
• Glaciers around the world are melting at an average rate that has doubled, with the most dramatic shrinking in Norway. The loss of melt water from glaciers could result in food shortages in Asian countries such as India and China, due to the loss of water for irrigation.
• A group of researchers, policymakers and environmental campaigners have identified 25 potential future threats to the environment in the UK, which they say researchers should focus on.
• The Urban Land Institute released a report at the end of last year that can be downloaded from the Smart Growth America site: “Growing cooler: the evidence on urban development and climate change.”
Health & wellbeing:
• Public toilets in the UK have been getting a lot of attention in the last few years. A new guide on public toilets has been released to help local authorities make improvements, with examples from councils taking a new approach (including Westminster’s “SatLav”).
• A recent issue of Surveyor magazine highlights 2 health reports from the UK that provide useful information to urban designers and planners about how to encourage people to be more active: “Building Health: Creating and enhancing places for healthy, active lives: What needs to be done?”, and “Physical activity and environment”. From Sport England also comes a report on generic best practice design advice and requirements for building types and sporting activities called: “Active design”.
• Over 100 million Europeans don’t have access to safe drinking water. 16% of the East European population don’t have access to drinking water in their homes.
• The Problem Gambling Foundation is concerned that NZ Lotteries is likely to move into online gambling within a month.
• New research on alcohol misuse in the UK shows that many people in the UK don’t believe that they can lead their lives enjoyably without alcohol. If the definition of a problem drinker is taken as someone who drinks to alter their mood on a regular basis, the research suggests that most people can be classified as problem drinkers.
Law & Government:
• The government is asking for comment on a new plan intended to increase the number of women breastfeeding their babies and to create supportive environments.
• Homeowners in the UK will be able to install solar panels, heat pumps and microgeneration technologies without needing to get planning permission, so long as there is clearly no impact on others.
• Public space in a city helps to define its character, but even great cities like London can have difficulty defending public space from construction and infrastructure projects.
People, culture & diversity:
• While the growth rate of cities in Asia Pacific region has been the fastest in the world over the last 15 years, the rapid growth has also meant an increase in poverty and environmental impacts.
• Parents’ fears about commercialism and the social and environmental future for their children are more serious than children’s own fears.
• The Community of West and Islam Dialogue (called C-100) has just officially launched the first Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue. The report is the first systematic overview of how Muslim and Western societies perceive and relate to each other at the political, social, economic and cultural levels.
Science, technology & transport:
• The Transportation Research Board of the US National Academies, has just released a special report on the consequences of climate change for U.S. transportation infrastructure and operations: “The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Transportation”.
• “Virtual protests” are being used to by thousands of people to demonstrate against countries accused of censoring the internet.
• A Cambridge University Study says that bad behaviour by school children is being fuelled by "overindulgent" parents who don't know how to say no to their children.
Environment & sustainability:
• Glaciers around the world are melting at an average rate that has doubled, with the most dramatic shrinking in Norway. The loss of melt water from glaciers could result in food shortages in Asian countries such as India and China, due to the loss of water for irrigation.
• A group of researchers, policymakers and environmental campaigners have identified 25 potential future threats to the environment in the UK, which they say researchers should focus on.
• The Urban Land Institute released a report at the end of last year that can be downloaded from the Smart Growth America site: “Growing cooler: the evidence on urban development and climate change.”
Health & wellbeing:
• Public toilets in the UK have been getting a lot of attention in the last few years. A new guide on public toilets has been released to help local authorities make improvements, with examples from councils taking a new approach (including Westminster’s “SatLav”).
• A recent issue of Surveyor magazine highlights 2 health reports from the UK that provide useful information to urban designers and planners about how to encourage people to be more active: “Building Health: Creating and enhancing places for healthy, active lives: What needs to be done?”, and “Physical activity and environment”. From Sport England also comes a report on generic best practice design advice and requirements for building types and sporting activities called: “Active design”.
• Over 100 million Europeans don’t have access to safe drinking water. 16% of the East European population don’t have access to drinking water in their homes.
• The Problem Gambling Foundation is concerned that NZ Lotteries is likely to move into online gambling within a month.
• New research on alcohol misuse in the UK shows that many people in the UK don’t believe that they can lead their lives enjoyably without alcohol. If the definition of a problem drinker is taken as someone who drinks to alter their mood on a regular basis, the research suggests that most people can be classified as problem drinkers.
Law & Government:
• The government is asking for comment on a new plan intended to increase the number of women breastfeeding their babies and to create supportive environments.
• Homeowners in the UK will be able to install solar panels, heat pumps and microgeneration technologies without needing to get planning permission, so long as there is clearly no impact on others.
• Public space in a city helps to define its character, but even great cities like London can have difficulty defending public space from construction and infrastructure projects.
People, culture & diversity:
• While the growth rate of cities in Asia Pacific region has been the fastest in the world over the last 15 years, the rapid growth has also meant an increase in poverty and environmental impacts.
• Parents’ fears about commercialism and the social and environmental future for their children are more serious than children’s own fears.
• The Community of West and Islam Dialogue (called C-100) has just officially launched the first Islam and the West: Annual Report on the State of Dialogue. The report is the first systematic overview of how Muslim and Western societies perceive and relate to each other at the political, social, economic and cultural levels.
Science, technology & transport:
• The Transportation Research Board of the US National Academies, has just released a special report on the consequences of climate change for U.S. transportation infrastructure and operations: “The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Transportation”.
• “Virtual protests” are being used to by thousands of people to demonstrate against countries accused of censoring the internet.
Thursday, 13 March 2008
From the LOGIS news alert subscriptions (ending 13/03):
Business & management:
• Over half of professionals working in Australasia are looking for another job either actively or passively – although only 17% of those surveyed were NZers.
Environment & sustainability:
• The FAO is calling on countries to begin providing data for the 2010 Global Forest Resources Assessment, the data from which will help in measuring the impact of deforestation on climate change.
• The UN Environmental Programme has launched the Green Passport, intended to make travellers aware of some of the things they can do to make tourism a sustainable activity.
• The World Meteorological Organisation says that governments, businesses and the public need more sophisticated information on weather from their national meteorological agencies, so that they can cope with climate variability and change.
• In China, so-called green energy companies manufacturing solar power cells are polluting the local environment, because they haven’t implemented the expensive waste management systems needed for photovoltaic production, and are even dumping waste near residential areas.
• Milwaukee was host earlier this month to the first Urban Agriculture Conference to have an international audience. The conference attracted academic researchers, city planners, health officials and urban farmers. The US government takes the idea of urban agriculture seriously (e.g. with the 1996 Community Food Security Act), as concerns about food security grow.
• Those parts of the world where drought is common may need to think again about electric vehicles, which need 17 times more water per mile than a petrol-powered vehicle.
Health & wellbeing:
• The Chip Group began as an ad hoc way of swapping notes on the industry. It’s now evolved to become an industry group aiming to raise the nutritional standards of takeaway chips, with the Best Chip Shop Competition, and the launch of the world’s first chip standards: “New Zealand Standards for Deep Fried Chips in Independent Fast Food Outlets”.
• Associated Press has been investigating drinking water supplies in the US, and has discovered that traces of pharmaceuticals can be found in the water supply to 41 million Americans. The concentrations found are minimal, but there are concerns about long-term exposure to unregulated and unintended combinations of drugs.
Law & Government:
• The government’s Urban Design Protocol now has 150 signatories, with Hutt City Council joining the initiative.
• The government has made a formal submission to the UK government over proposed changes to short-term (including ancestry) visas for NZers travelling to the UK. The proposed changes would mean a maximum stay of 3 months, rather than the 6-12 months available with current visas.
• Calendars printed last year are confusing some people about the last day for daylight saving this year. Beginning on the last Sunday of September, and ending on the first Sunday of April, means that daylight saving for this year ends on 6th April.
• The government’s main web portal has been upgraded and was launched today, with much work being done to improve the search function.
People, culture & diversity:
• In a paper by Phoenix Research commissioned by Persil, “Children being children: a New Zealand mother's perspective” results show that 92% of NZ mothers believe that children are growing up too quickly compared to 76% globally. However, the report shows that more Kiwi kids spend more time outside playing than children from other countries.
• And in London, a new policy has been introduced that requires all new housing development applications to include play and recreation facilities.
• Forced marriages are widespread and occurring over a range of ethnic minorities in the UK, with 3000 women a year coerced into marriage, according to a recent report. Although the government has a forced marriage unit, it’s only handling 300 cases a year.
• Minorities and indigenous peoples are in more danger from climate change, and are often last on any lists for aid, according to "State of the World's Minorities 2008" report from Minority Rights Group International (MRG).
Science, technology & transport:
• A “geothermal renaissance” is taking place around NZ, with at least 6 new geothermal power stations planned, including one in Northland.
• A British company has developed a security camera that can see through clothing from up to 25m away.
• In the future, you may be able to power your lights by plugging into the paint on your building. Scientists in the UK are working on a way to paint solar cells onto the steel sheets used to clad large buildings.
• Digital information is starting to outstrip the ability to store it, as there is now more digital information being created, captured or replicated than there is available storage in the form of tapes, CDs DVDs and memory.
• Over half of professionals working in Australasia are looking for another job either actively or passively – although only 17% of those surveyed were NZers.
Environment & sustainability:
• The FAO is calling on countries to begin providing data for the 2010 Global Forest Resources Assessment, the data from which will help in measuring the impact of deforestation on climate change.
• The UN Environmental Programme has launched the Green Passport, intended to make travellers aware of some of the things they can do to make tourism a sustainable activity.
• The World Meteorological Organisation says that governments, businesses and the public need more sophisticated information on weather from their national meteorological agencies, so that they can cope with climate variability and change.
• In China, so-called green energy companies manufacturing solar power cells are polluting the local environment, because they haven’t implemented the expensive waste management systems needed for photovoltaic production, and are even dumping waste near residential areas.
• Milwaukee was host earlier this month to the first Urban Agriculture Conference to have an international audience. The conference attracted academic researchers, city planners, health officials and urban farmers. The US government takes the idea of urban agriculture seriously (e.g. with the 1996 Community Food Security Act), as concerns about food security grow.
• Those parts of the world where drought is common may need to think again about electric vehicles, which need 17 times more water per mile than a petrol-powered vehicle.
Health & wellbeing:
• The Chip Group began as an ad hoc way of swapping notes on the industry. It’s now evolved to become an industry group aiming to raise the nutritional standards of takeaway chips, with the Best Chip Shop Competition, and the launch of the world’s first chip standards: “New Zealand Standards for Deep Fried Chips in Independent Fast Food Outlets”.
• Associated Press has been investigating drinking water supplies in the US, and has discovered that traces of pharmaceuticals can be found in the water supply to 41 million Americans. The concentrations found are minimal, but there are concerns about long-term exposure to unregulated and unintended combinations of drugs.
Law & Government:
• The government’s Urban Design Protocol now has 150 signatories, with Hutt City Council joining the initiative.
• The government has made a formal submission to the UK government over proposed changes to short-term (including ancestry) visas for NZers travelling to the UK. The proposed changes would mean a maximum stay of 3 months, rather than the 6-12 months available with current visas.
• Calendars printed last year are confusing some people about the last day for daylight saving this year. Beginning on the last Sunday of September, and ending on the first Sunday of April, means that daylight saving for this year ends on 6th April.
• The government’s main web portal has been upgraded and was launched today, with much work being done to improve the search function.
People, culture & diversity:
• In a paper by Phoenix Research commissioned by Persil, “Children being children: a New Zealand mother's perspective” results show that 92% of NZ mothers believe that children are growing up too quickly compared to 76% globally. However, the report shows that more Kiwi kids spend more time outside playing than children from other countries.
• And in London, a new policy has been introduced that requires all new housing development applications to include play and recreation facilities.
• Forced marriages are widespread and occurring over a range of ethnic minorities in the UK, with 3000 women a year coerced into marriage, according to a recent report. Although the government has a forced marriage unit, it’s only handling 300 cases a year.
• Minorities and indigenous peoples are in more danger from climate change, and are often last on any lists for aid, according to "State of the World's Minorities 2008" report from Minority Rights Group International (MRG).
Science, technology & transport:
• A “geothermal renaissance” is taking place around NZ, with at least 6 new geothermal power stations planned, including one in Northland.
• A British company has developed a security camera that can see through clothing from up to 25m away.
• In the future, you may be able to power your lights by plugging into the paint on your building. Scientists in the UK are working on a way to paint solar cells onto the steel sheets used to clad large buildings.
• Digital information is starting to outstrip the ability to store it, as there is now more digital information being created, captured or replicated than there is available storage in the form of tapes, CDs DVDs and memory.
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