China's New and Growing Role at the World Economic Table

The G20 meeting in London is set for 2 April 2009. One of the relative new and now major participants will be the People's Republic of China. Whatever happens to the World Economy, and therefore to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, will depend to a great extent upon China.

One of my news sources is the China Daily. I took a look over the last couple of weeks to see what they were putting out as news worthy in terms of world economics.

To a great extent they pull what they want from the same sources as we do. Which can mean that their information is as conflicted as ours is, depending upon who is talking.

China Daily (Xinhua) Updated: 2009-03-19 23:07
IMF: World economy to shrink in 2009, first time in 60 years

WASHINGTON - The world economy is expected to contract in 2009 for the first time in 60 years as advanced economies will shrink sharply, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday.

In the analysis, the IMF called on G20 governments to take steps to relieve their financial systems of distressed assets and free up credit.

"Turning around global growth will depend critically on more concerted policy actions to stabilize financial conditions as well as sustained strong policy support to bolster demand," the IMF said.

For a different perspective

China Daily (Agencies) Updated: 2009-03-18 16:46
ECB chief: Growth may resume in 2010

PARIS - European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet said Wednesday that economic growth could resume next year, although 2009 will be "very, very difficult." "2010 could be the year of a moderate resumption of growth, but that depends on us," he said on France's Europe-1 radio.

He said an economic recovery depends on the confidence of governments, businesses and consumers. "The essential problem is not to make predictions in an uncertain world, it is to find confidence again," Trichet said.

That seems to be saying that our only problem is that we have a bad attitude. Others have written about the Europeans refusal to follow President Obama's economic strategy. China seems to be willing to participate with the IMF, but on its own terms. It seems that China now as a far greater ability to set its own terms than it did in the last century.

By Zheng Lifei (China Daily) Updated: 2009-03-28 08:42
Vice Premier: China will aid IMF bond scheme

China is ready to buy bonds issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if the multilateral financial institution's quota-based contributions fall short of immediate needs, Vice-Premier Wang Qishan wrote in a Friday article for the London Times newspaper.

In an article titled "G20 must look beyond the needs of the top 20", Wang said the IMF should set the scale of contributions by per-capita GDP rather than the size of a country's foreign exchange reserves.

"It is neither realistic nor fair to set the scale of contribution simply by the size of foreign exchange reserves," he wrote, "China is ready to play an active part in exploring ways to raise resources and will contribute to this effort within its ability. We hold that the IMF should mobilize resources through the quota-based system as well as voluntary contributions, striking a balance between the rights and obligations of the contributing countries."

Links to Related China Daily Articles

• China cautioned to lend less to IMF
• Increasing stake in IMF should be voluntary, Wen says
• IMF to set up 2 more technical assistance centers in Africa
• IMF: China's 8% growth this year challenging but possible
• Brown: End western control of IMF, WB
• China may offer IMF $100b during G20 summit: expert
• UK fully supports China's role in IMF
• Major IMF reforms seen at G20 summit

Making Change Making More Change Bit by Bit

One pathway of exploration that this blog has taken me is global health delivery. It was initially an interest in how business management systems could improve the efficiencies of social beneficial delivery systems such as global health. It has been a fairly frequent topic of contemplation both here and at Milestones for a New Millennium. Over time I have become interested in participating, first by blogging about the Millennium Development Goals, participating in collective actions such as BlogAction Day Against Poverty and BloggersUnite for Refugees and World AIDs Day, and now by participating with Change.org and creating a fundraising page for FightAIDSTuberculosisMalaria. There is still the internal conflict of having so much to do with the "Real World/Day Job" and not relegating one's self to mere slacktivist mode. Below is the more or less official pitch.

Hello,

I am raising money for FightAIDSTuberculosisMalaria.

Please take a moment to visit my online fundraising page and make a donation. It's really easy - you can donate by credit card and receive an immediate tax receipt for your donation.

Thanks and best wishes,
Brian

Here's my page:

http://www.change.org/myfundraising/FightAIDSTuberculosisMalaria

News from AAAS Chicago meeting: In-Depth Reporting From Scientific American:

This blog features links to both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and to Scientific America in the right hand column under Science & SciAm Magazines. Scientific American Newsletters recently sent me an update combining both of these resources. The main link is provided below along with links to some of the articles of interest to this blog and my other blog Milestones for a New Millennium. Starting off though is the video blog from Science News. I especially enjoyed the insights regarding Digg.

In-Depth Report: News from AAAS

• At AAAS, Al Gore urges scientists to get involved in climate change debate
  "Keep your day jobs, but get involved in the debate," the former vice president said
• Climate Change Erodes Marine Reserves
  Shifting species may mean less protection for imperiled fisheries
• Rise in Malaria Rates, Drug Resistance Tied to Climate
  At AAAS, a researcher describes how treating more people for the mosquito-borne parasite could lead to more resistance to drugs
• Massive effort underway to save endangered seeds
  In many cases, only a handful of seeds remain from rare varieties of barley, rice and wheat whose history can be traced back to the Neolithic era
• Global warming seen worse than predicted
  IPCC member Chris Field says "the actual trajectory of climate change is more serious" than any of the climate predictions in the IPCC's fourth assessment report

It has been a while since I have explored these resources for new ideas and that has been a detriment for me. While it is not blind faith, I still have a great deal of confidence in addressing many of the problems we face today through technology and science, more on that in the future.

Global Warming means bannas in Iceland is a good thing?

Achieving a sustainable environment is both a paradigm shift and a Millennium Development Goal. The issues raised here also involve economics and trade. This post deals with the broader basic research from sources complied through diigo.

• MIT World » : Global and Regional Climate Change: Underlying Science and Emerging Riddles diigo tags: MIT, environment, greenhouse

  • The most recent UN report on climate change predicts that greenhouse gases already in circulation have committed the planet to a warming of 2.5 degrees. “No matter what we do today to reduce emissions, the planet will still heat up,” says Ramanathan. But, through a quirk that Ramanathan has spent 10 years uncovering, the planet actually manifests only ¼ of the warming it should based on these climate models. Air pollution, specifically brown clouds from burning biomass, Ramanathan has learned, act as a global warming mask, reducing sunlight on the ground. “On the one hand, it has protected us, but also prevented us from seeing the full blast of the greenhouse effect,” he says. “One of the dumbest things we can do is to reduce sunlight,” because it reduces ocean evaporation, which cuts down on rainfall, and shifts weather systems everywhere, shrinking harvests and glaciers.
  
  
  • We are left with “Faustian bargains,” says Ramanathan. If we cut airborne pollutants such as sulfur, the mask will drop, temperatures rise rapidly, and climate tipping elements come into play. Curing one ill causes another.
    

• Europe's Banana Republic

  Energy Probe, raises questions regarding food miles. The issue is what is the net benefit of growing bananas in Iceland as opposed to growing them in Chile. Reason Magazine chooses Chile because its climate is naturally suited for doing so, the right choice in many instances but not sure it necessarily is here.

  diigo tags: environment, economics, sustainability, energy, green
  

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Helping Myanmar (Burma) rebuild, Using Architecture to Rebuild Humanity

A number of the stories that have been held in the draft bin deal with architecture. The concept of architecture, however, applies to more than the design of individual buildings. It also applies to other things such as the web and to entire cities.

Does architecture give us a model as to how we can we use the Web to drive social change? The TED prize is one avenue created to bring about social change. Architecture for Humanity leveraged a 2006 TED Prize to build the Open Architecture Network, linking communities around the globe with architects and designers who can help them solve problems.

In 2006, Cameron Sinclair asked TED to help him build an open-source platform to help architects connect with communities in need of designs. The result was the Open Architecture Network -- a successful website that acts as both a clearinghouse for building plans and a vibrant social network, allows its users to sample, remix and customize design work for their needs. To help Sinclair's wish come true, join the community at the Open Architecture Network's website.

One of the latest examples of their work is their attempt to help Myanmar (Burma) rebuild, with Architecture for Humanity as told by the TED TEDBlog by on 5/6/08.

Following the devastating Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (Burma), Architecture for Humanity asked for help in rebuilding the country over the long term. They wrote:

While the media will focus its attention on the loss of life, there will be millions displaced in the coming weeks -- and like most natural disasters, there's no plan for long-term sustainable reconstruction. Large aid agencies like Oxfam and Care will be knee-deep in immediate delivery of aid. How will the country respond to the long-term strategic need to rebuild the country?

In the first 6 hours of this drive, AfH raised $4,000 from over 120 donors. Learn more about this appeal >>

100 Million For The Millenium Goals

I have written before that I would stop mixing content regarding the various subjects I blog about with updates about the ongoing activities of this blog. This post demonstrates that does not work. It is this blog that connects me in an every widening and deepening manner with others across the globe.

Fellow Blogspot Blogger Aditi (who unfortunately does not have a Blogger profile) left a comment on my post "Best Intentions Unintended Consequences" which I did back in December of last year. A quick check of Google got me to Wikipedia where I learned that Aditi is an Indian Goddess.

I truly agree with consciousness awakening part of the post.!
People rating poverty as poor from their hearts is the first step towards any revolution to be taking place..

The Millennium Development goals of the UN..works this principle..!
They wants people to think..question themselves and then come forward to their bit in the cause..!
It has being doing enormous efforts on these lines….
This year UN will be shifting its focus on India, with Stand Up and Take action event and getting many hands together to fulfill the 8 goals…
Be updated….with the latest happeningss..
http://www.orkut.co.in/Community.aspx?cmm=47234928

I was interested to find out who was reaching out 6 months after I wrote the post and why beyond what was written. Feedburner told me that I had a visitor from Bombay, India. Feedburner also let me know that somebody searched for "child health end poverty" on Google. My blog was nowhere to be found that I could discover but the top choice from Google was Child Health End Poverty 2015. Hittail let me know that Aditi likely found me through Google Blog Search.

I was still interested in finding out who it was that was reaching out so I followed the link and ended up joining Orkut. The link took me to the Orkut group for End POVERTY by 2015 United Nations Millennium Campaign Stand UP Take ACTION 17-19 Oct 2008.

The group has 1,415 members, the majority seem to be from India. I joined the group to help take a small step in their goal to cross the 100 Million mark this time. I figured that if they were nice enough to reach out to me I should do the same.

I might be overstepping some bounds but I decided to take what follows straight from their site.

Be the first generation to end poverty by 2015 with the United Nations' Eight Goal Millennium Campaign. 1. End Hunger 2. Universal Education 3. Gender Equity 4. Child Health 5. Maternal Health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS 7. Environmental Sustainability 8. Global Partnership In 2007, Over 43.7 million people, in 127 countries broke the Guinness World Record for the largest number of people to “STAND UP AGAINST POVERTY” in 24 hours http://www.standagainstpoverty.org/ www.endpoverty2015.org SMS JOIN ENDPOVERTY2015 to 567673434 for mobile updates. language: English (US) category: Activities owner: EndPoverty2015 Millenium Campaign moderators: Akhil Ramaswamy, Ayesha, Charly type: public content privacy: members only forum: non-anonymous location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, 40005, India created: March 25, 2008 4:12 AM members: 1,415

It is still worthwhile to join Orkut as there are other resources available at the site. There may be similar groups from other countries. There is a similar group on Facebook. This is what is so amazing about the Internet and Web 2.o. Even though this weblog does not reach millions it does reach people around the world. Somebody from Pakistan or Thailand may read this and also take part. They in turn can be read by somebody in Germany or Argentina. Like the video below, this can go around the world.

Make this video go around the world

Listen to this 12 year old girl in her speech to the United Nations. It's going about..........you and your world. Listen and please act !
Added: Jun 14(6 days ago)
Duration: 06:42

Economic Facts And Striving For Fair Play for Kenya Farmers' Market

In the effort to understand the principles of economics and how they constrain efforts to bring about positive change through social-entrepreneurship, Africa has been a major educational source since its has been the arena of greatest challenge and opportunity for those engaged in such efforts.

One means of endeavoring to bringing about positive change is through "Fair Trade". Back at the end of March, the TEDBlog ran a post on Fair play for Kenya farmers' market

Ode Magazine : Small farmers, bigger markets write of the inspiring efforts of TEDGlobal Fellow and agriculture activist Thomas George to build fair-play marketplaces for poor farmers in Kenya. His organization, Vipani, is a resource for workers on small farms -- people without credit, connections or know-how -- to access networks of other farmers, buyers, suppliers and lenders.

George's work -- which he plans to expand to Rwanda and Uganda -- will resonate with fans of Eleni Gabre-Madhin, who spoke on Ethiopian commodities markets at TEDGlobal Africa in 2007, and Iqbal Quadir, who talked about empowering communities by connecting farmers with mobile phones.
"A thriving rural economy," says George, "will benefit not only farmers, but everyone in the community." -- Matthew Trost

diigo tags: farmers, economics, social-entrepreneurship, global, fairtrade

Professor Tyler Cowen via Marginal Revolution has also weighed in on the economic challenges facing Kenya through fact of the day.

The two women carried on about liquidity and profit margins, and recalled with pride attending the first shareholder meeting of KenGen this year, an event so huge that it had to be held in the city's largest soccer stadium. About 200,000 people from all corners of the country came like so many newly minted executives.

"I felt so good," Kariuki recalled. "It was just normal, common people. People dressed well. What impressed me was the number of old women -- they were coming in their traditional clothes. They were telling me, 'Yes, we bought!' "

Professor Cowen provides the full story that ran in the Washington Post.

More on the debate from a European perspective. The links below were tagged Kenya under the EUFORIC del.icio.us tagging account. There are more links available. The way this post was set up to use all of this weblog's tagging systems, you can save theoretically save to StumbleUpon or to del.icio.us, as always, this is an experiment.

Does Fair Trade contribute to sustainable development? - Audience reactions

1. stumble / save this to del.icio.us

   2008/04 - Brussels Development Briefings

   del.ico.us tags to euforic coop_life brubriefings euforic_member cta fair_trade text en dominican_republic kenya ... on april 27, 2008
   

About the briefings « Brussels Development Briefings

The ACP-EU technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), the European Commission, the EU Presidency, the ACP Group, Euforic, Concord, and other partners plan to organize regular development briefing sessions in Brussels on key issues and challenges for rural development in the context of EU/ACP cooperation.

These issues are complicated even more with concerns over diverting crops for use as bio-fuels and farm subsidies in developed countries. I gave my two-cents at a past Marginal Revolution comments section discussing Kill the Farm Subsidy Bill.

Getting Good Cyber-Karma From Site Visitors

The last post was on cyber-karma from feed readers. This one is on this weblog's site visitors.
If 00:01 is in minutes:seconds then most visitors stay only a second, though that fits what Seth Godin advises about advertising so it should be even more true here. I have already written about how cool it is to have visitors across the globe. Some of the out-of-town visitors do spent some time at this site.

Visitor	Last Visit	Duration	Client
Brentwood, TN	6 days ago	9:48
To Pathways to New Paradigms: IdeaBlob Best Idea Yet
Brentwood, TN	4 days ago	1:49
To Pathways to New Paradigms: Belmont's Andy Tabar is Finalist in B-Plan Competition and IdeaBlob
Sydney	7 days ago	0:23
To Pathways to New Paradigms: Self-Reflection thru Interconnection Self-Reflection thru Writing From Google Search
Yonkers, NY	2 days ago	0:37
To Pathways to New Paradigms: Belmont's Andy Tabar is Finalist in B-Plan Competition and IdeaBlob From pace.facebook.com
Atlanta, GA	2 days ago	23:17
To Pathways to New Paradigms: Attempting To Tag Intelligently
Manvel, TX	8 days ago	0:26
To Pathways to New Paradigms: Getting Deeper Into Creative-Destruction From Google Search
Deerfield, IL	8 days ago	9:38
To Pathways to New Paradigms: From Ideablob's Debut Newsletter: November's Winners Share Secrets to $10,000
Lima	7 days ago	30:00
To Pathways to New Paradigms: Tech Bubble Burst and Blown Again From Google Search
To Pathways to New Paradigms: A Hopeful Idea Hopelessly Mired?
Cheadle	5 days ago	0:18
To Pathways to New Paradigms: social-entrepreneurship From Bloglines
Warsaw	3 days ago	1:23
To Pathways to New Paradigms: If You Can't Change Your Mind How Do You Change The World? From Google Search
Cincinnati, OH	2 days ago	0:36
To Pathways to New Paradigms: Search results for lightheavyweight From Technorati

The fact that somebody from Warsaw is spending sometime looking at this site is something that I really enjoy. It is my basic nature that I would rather some stranger get some benefit out of this than find out that we like the same movies.

Below are the pages that have been the most popular over the last month.

Page	visits	Trend
Pathways to New Paradigms	109	—
Pathways to New Paradigms: Tech Bubble Burst and Blown Again	51	—
Pathways to New Paradigms: WHO Is The New Number One .	11	—
Pathways to New Paradigms: The Fine Print Of Good Design	7	—
Pathways to New Paradigms: From Ideablob's Debut Newsletter: November's Winners Share Secrets to $10,000	7	—
Pathways to New Paradigms: IdeaBlob Best Idea Yet	7	—
Pathways to New Paradigms: Attempting To Tag Intelligently	6	—
Pathways to New Paradigms: A Hopeful Idea Hopeless Mired?	6	—
Pathways to New Paradigms: Firing Up FeedBurner	5	—

Although I picked up a good number of visits because of MobusTV, my own weblog is now generating more than twice as many visits on its own. Also seems that I got my first "Stumble It!" on healthcare issues.

The Davos Question

Official Google Blog: The Davos Question

• 
  

Forwarding webpages with highlights and sticky notes, powered by Diigo

Macro-Economics and Sex

The podcasts on Macro-Economics from University of California Berkeley have been explaining the Solow Growth Model created by Robert Solow. You have to like a Nobel prize winning economist who comes up with a line like,

"Everything reminds Milton Friedman of the money supply. Everything reminds me of sex, but I try to keep it out of my papers."

Using the Google Search box within Marginal Revolution, this weblog's favorite economics blog, gets a number of hits on either Robert Solow or his model, including Solow on Schumpeter whose ideas on creative-destruction have been discussed before.

In looking for more information on Robert Solow at Marginal Revolution, I ran across a post on Rodrik vs. Stiglitz, that's Professor Randi Rodrick and Professor Joseph Stiglitz. I know I said I was cutting down on the comments until I got a bit more knowledge under my belt regarding the dismal science but I couldn't resist leaving one, especially since this weblog had featured Professor Stiglitz previously. Since I said that I appreciated many of Professor Cowen's ideas on globalization, here is a link to some of those ideas - Creative Destruction: How Globalization Is Changing the World's Cultures.

Combining Efforts, Connecting People - Nokia and Pangea Day Work on a Paradigm Shift

Nokia and Pangea Day combine efforts, to connect people around the world through film via TED | TEDBlog by on 12/4/07

Pangea Day, was the subject of my first blog post two incarnations ago so I am happy to put it back up again to promote this effort. Now they are partnering with Nokia who has been featured at one level or another in this weblog.

Pangea Day will be broadcast globally to millions on television, in digital theaters, online and via mobile devices.

"From the earliest days of movies, film has had the power to bring people together. But today, Internet technology is allowing film to bring together not only neighbors, but an entire global community," said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia president and CEO (pictured at right). "Nokia is proud to work with Pangea Day as we embark on this important shared mission of connecting people across the globe."

"Perhaps Nokia's greatest contribution to Pangea Day is the ability of our technology to give a voice to people who previously were unable to take part in the global community that is the Internet," Kallasvuo said. "By integrating the power of wireless technology into Pangea Day, we can help it meet its goal of bringing together people from around the world."

"Pangea Day was created by TED Prize winner Jehane Noujaim"

For more information on Pangea Day, visit www.pangeaday.org.

About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobility, driving the transformation and growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. Nokia makes a wide range of mobile devices and provides people with experiences in music, navigation, video, television, imaging, games and business mobility through these devices. Nokia also provides equipment, solutions and services for communications networks.

So Money (of any currency) Can Buy Happiness

I have run into this blog and specifically this post from The Happiness Project: how money CAN buy you happiness a few times during my recent web-wanderings. Two of those times are of particular note. The first time did not have anything to do with happiness but with connectivity or commonality. I share common interests with Ashotosh Tiwari the writer of the Nepal Times article, "It’s a blog world". Mr. Tiwari also uses Google Reader and reads marginalrevolution.com, which according to Mr. Tiwari, "is the destination if you want to learn why, among others, high brow game theorists were again awarded Nobel Prizes in economics". He also suggests that for advice on how to operate a business better, businesspundit.com , is "a useful hub of articles, blog rolls and links. With postings on topics such as “How not to run a meeting?” the site is packed with tips for hurried and harried managers". One that this site has visited in the past is blog.guykawasaki.com which "is billed as “a practical blog for non-practical people”." Another website that I may not share but others surely do is tompeters.com. Of course there are a couple which focus on Mr. Tiwari's part of the world Indianeconomy.org and chinalawblog.com , one core77.com/blog which focuses on design and zenhabits.net which provides, "workable suggestions to increase personal productivity at work and home." Finally he reads happiness-project.com which, "has test-driven both schmaltzy and serious happiness theories, and it offers advice on everything from avoiding office romances to filling up your life with simple acts of happiness." Mr. Tiwari recognizes that "Running a business is only a small slice of life. Being happily productive every day is what probably matters more to people". The post that was current on the day I visited Mr. Tiwari's article was The Happiness Project: how money CAN buy you happiness. The second time was while going through my recent web-wandering while working with the concept of achieving happiness through our choices in life especially at work. Arguably, Mr. Tiwari and I have a good deal in common, at least on the Internet, and at least in the human commonality of seeking happiness. The original discovery of Nepal It’s a blog world was through Marginal Revolution.

Creative Destruction Or Rebirth of Impermanance

Businesspundit: The Foundations of Capitalism

Businesspundit has a post on the Foundations of Capitalism, actually on one of the founders of modern capitalism Joseph Schumpeter. I have run across this name a number of times in my web-wanderings. In particular, when reading Marginal Revolution. The concept that keeps coming through is Creative Destruction.

I have a series of web articles I saved that not only need to be re-read but cogitated a good deal more about. These ideas are arguably foundational to some of the questions I have been raising about malaria nets and mobile phones. There is a biological basis for this approach that I am aware of which I need to find again. There is also the last post. Before this cartoon, by Hugh MacLeod, was only an excuse to try a new tool. Now it has a more meaningful impact.

A Paradigm Shift in Seeing the Potential of Paradigm Shifts

This is an old post brought over from the second incarnation of this weblog. It helps to show a small paradigm shift over time in terms of skepticism and even cynicism . I had participated in the Blog Day for the Environment action though with a good measure of skepticism. Following that effort, I decided to see if my skepticism was warranted. At one level it was but at another it turns out being right is not always the best thing. Regardless how right one is on a particular issue, one's own ignorance makes taking a position of generosity and equanimity the most optimal choice, if change is possible then improvement is possible. That does not make this wrong but it should not be the primary focus.

Using Sphere It!

• For "Blog Action Day" 975 in the last 24 hours 8,730 in the last 7 days
• For "Iraq" 2,375 in the last 24 hours 29,951 in the last 7 days
• For "Burma" 276 in the last 24 hours 4,146 in the last 7 days (Free Burma 86 in last 24)
• For "Britney Spears" 420 in the last 24 hours 5,035 in the last 7 days.

My point is not that these endeavors are a waste of time. Again, as was said before we are planting seeds. It is that grandiose worldwide attempts to use the web seem often times superficial. Not only did my feeble effort make little difference, which is quite understandable, it added only a thin veneer of connection and substance to the overall effort by simply upping the numbers. I suspect that there were few blogs which did not normally write on this subject that added any real weight to the momentum. A concerted effort by those blogs with the experience and insight into this issue working in a collaborative fashion rather than just adding numbers on might have served the cause better. Especially, if there had been some real dialogs regarding balancing environmental concerns and economic development which is both sustainable and enhances human existence. It seems that the current effort was more of a Digg-type popularity contest, "I'm for good environment" whatever that means.

I do believe that the potential to use the Internet as a collaborative tool is inherent in the system but most of what I have seen of Web 2.0 falls short of that effort. Most of what I glean from the web and pass on has already been recycled at least once before I get it. The fact that I can connect with 100,000 people and have pictures of their cats does not interest me. Ok, I am not that social. The more people or tags I add on the more superficial each connection seems to become. That's fine if my interest is only one way communication or a two way communication limited to some narrowly defined purpose such as selling something. Most "conversations" within the blogs I have witnessed are unilateral monologues with no real resolution just somebody being the last to post. This though has nothing to do with the web, it is the people using it.

I am not against blogs or the dialogs that I have participated in or a number of other online activities. I enjoy them and find them interesting and informative. Still, unless it comes from an expert in the field, and do not put myself in that category, most of what is readily available from Web 2.0 so far looks like fluff. The potential of what could be done by cooperative individuals working together however looks immense. This could take place in academic, professional and social change organizations. Perhaps I am disappointed that there is often more emphasis on overall expanse of the connections rather than the substance of those connections. There are though also glimmers of hope out there.

Global Warming

Today is the 15th of October. So it is blog action day for the environment. This is similar to the same type of action taken for Burma. My contribution is a repository for articles on Global Warming from two sides of the debate that I have sympathy for but which are in apparent disagreement but in my hopefully not to optimistic view can be brought together. To be honest I can't say that I am fully buying into this. Besides some doubts as to the best way to address these problems this raises questions as to how far some one is willing to personally go. I have registered this site again with the realization that it will have limited effect. Can't help wondering if this isn't anything more than the web version of the bumper sticker. When I see a SUV with two "support our troops" ribbon stickers I have thought to my self, "Does that make them twice as patriotic as cars with one". Now I am participating in another "major action". To be truthful it might be more helpful to turn my computer off for the day.



It anybody doesn't know that Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize because of his work in informing the world on the issue of global warming it is not because of TED. A number of TED blog articles can be found here. There is still the question of his house but recognizing the good work he has done and not having a solar powered house and hybrid car myself, I won't be the one throwing stones.

Differences that make a difference

My online persona interacts occasionally with various forums. One benefit of this weblog is that it makes it possible to share knowledgeable and expert insights of one realm with another. Even though the realms are often connected far closer than the standard six degrees of separation, the ability to make our own connections creates new paradigms that can be built upon. It is still a learning process but we can take the same beginning, the same path and the same destination again and still discover new perspectives for oneself and others. This post was a nexus between TED and MIT.

The issues raised by the Fast Company article about Grameenphone needs further thought. I have hopeful confidence in the ability of Iqbal Quadir, Grameen and the MIT Program in Developmental Entrepreneurship to address them. Even though we are speaking of an impact with broad reach, the basic economics can provide lessons to those of us working at a more local level. For anybody interested here is the link to an MIT Sloan panel discussion MIT World » : Global Entrepreneurship: Inefficiency as Opportunity ...conducted prior to Iqbal Quadir's TED talk. There is also one sponsored by Technology Review in which he discusses his views on innovation MIT World » : Emerging Technologies: The Innovators' View . Although the challenges with the current credit crunch seem daunting, these videos give one a perspective on how leaders like Iqbal Quadir deal with them.