Presentatie advies Veerman

Presentatie advies Veerman
4 juni 2009

Op donderdag 4 juni presenteert de Commissie Veerman haar advies over de toekomst van de Noord/Zuidlijn. Het rapport en persbericht van de commissie en de reactie van het college van B&W kunt u vanaf 12:00 uur op de website lezen.

Commentaar Trendsbridge: Onze eerste indruk is dat het een nogal propagandistische presentatie was. De gemaakte fouten zijn nog in hoge mate onduidelijk. Er is lichte kritiek op de arrogante houding van de Gemeente Amsterdam. De burgemeester (Job Cohen) was opvallend afwezig. Het komt er op neer dat de Overheid er nog meer geld in zal moeten pompen om de Noord/Zuidlijn af te laten bouwen, en dat het resultaat vooralsnog onduidelijk blijft.
Met terugwerkende kracht dank aan de in de Ferdinand Bol buurt als 'de Alien' bekend staande voormalige VVD Wethouder Geert Dales. Ergo: Het begin van "Het Geklooi".




1.Persbericht Commissie Veerman

‘Bouwen aan verbinding’
Doorgaan met Noord/Zuidlijn, nieuwe maatregelen nodig

Ga door met de aanleg van de Noord/Zuidlijn in Amsterdam, maar tref eerst een flink aantal nieuwe maatregelen, zo luidt het advies van de Commissie Veerman vandaag aan het gemeentebestuur van Amsterdam.
Onderzoek de mogelijkheid om vanuit twee richtingen de tunnel te boren, dit kan een tijdswinst van één jaar opleveren. En station Vijzelgracht krijgt dan meer tijd om in rust te worden afgebouwd. Begeleid het boorproces nauwlettend om in geval van verzakkingen direct met een vliegende brigade te kunnen ingrijpen om schade te voorkomen. Maak de projectdirecteur verantwoordelijk voor het totaal en stel een projectcommissariaat in met een onafhankelijk voorzitter dat de uitvoering controleert. Communiceer open met de Amsterdamse bevolking, versnel de afhandeling van schades en wees ruimhartig.
Dit is een aantal belangrijke aanbevelingen uit het rapport ‘Bouwen aan verbinding’ van de Commissie Veerman dat tot stand is gekomen na een gedegen studie van drie maanden en intensief beraad. De Commissie verwacht dat de voltooiing van de Noord/Zuidlijn nog acht jaar in beslag gaat nemen en dat de aanleg in totaal 3,1 miljard euro gaat kosten.
De Noord/Zuidlijn, een metroverbinding die in 16 minuten de afstand tussen Amsterdam Noord en Amsterdam Zuid gaat overbruggen, komt in februari 2009 in een impasse door weer een budgetoverschrijding. Wethouder Tjeerd Herrema stapt op. Het College van Burgemeester en Wethouders van Amsterdam vraagt dan oud-minister Cees Veerman een Commissie samen te stellen en te onderzoeken hoe het verder moet met de Noord/Zuidlijn.
De Commissie Veerman heeft drie scenario’s onderzocht: stoppen, alleen de Noordlijn en voltooien van de aanleg van de Noord/Zuidlijn. Doorgaan is volgens de Commissie als saldo van baten en kosten beter dan stopzetting of halve aanleg. Stoppen kost de stad circa 1,7 miljard Euro zonder dat het iets oplevert. Dit is exclusief het terugbetalen van de subsidie aan het Rijk (circa 600 miljoen Euro). Half aanleggen kost ongeveer 2,0 miljard Euro en levert weinig aan baten op. De totale aanleg kost 3,1 miljard Euro. Daar staan gemiddeld 1,5 miljard Euro baten, zoals reistijdwinst tegenover. Indirecte baten zoals minder auto’s in de stad en dergelijke zijn hierin niet meegenomen.
Het belang van de Noord/Zuidlijn overschrijdt de gemeentegrenzen van Amsterdam, zo meent de Commissie. De metrolijn draagt bij aan het prestige en de internationale allure van de stad Amsterdam als hoofdstad, toeristische trekpleister en handelscentrum.

De leefbaarheid en aantrekkelijkheid als woon- en werkstad neemt toe met uitbreidingsmogelijkheden naar Schiphol en Amstelveen. Met de Noord/Zuidlijn wordt aan een van de voorwaarden voldaan om de interne bereikbaarheid van de Randstad te verbeteren.

Zomaar doorgaan vindt de Commissie niet verantwoord. De Commissie constateert wezenlijke tekortkomingen op het gebied van de projectorganisatie, risicoanalyse en risicobeheersing, geschaad vertrouwen bij de bevolking en een trage afhandeling van vergunningsprocedures door de stad zelf. Niets is zonder risico, zo stelt de Commissie. Maar met nieuwe maatregelen en innovaties kunnen de risico’s tot een minimum worden beperkt.
Daarom beveelt de Commissie in haar rapport aan om de organisatie te verbeteren door onder meer de projectdirecteur verantwoordelijk te maken tot en met het rijden van de metrotreinen. Deze directeur rapporteert direct aan de verantwoordelijk wethouder. De Commissie is van mening dat een projectcommissariaat - met een onafhankelijk voorzitter en twee externe experts - dat de uitvoering controleert, moet worden ingesteld. Het projectbureau moet worden versterkt met kennis, kunde en menskracht om een volwassen opdrachtgever ten opzichte van de aannemers te kunnen zijn.
Ook de uitvoering van het project zelf moet worden verbeterd waarbij risicoanalyse, risicobeheersing en afstemming de hoogste prioriteit behoren te zijn. Tevens wordt nader onderzoek naar een andere uitvoeringsvolgorde van het werk voorgesteld om tijdswinst te behalen. Concrete voorstellen worden door de Commissie aangereikt.
Het is de plicht van de gemeente Amsterdam – zo vindt de Commissie – om voltooiing van de lijn gepaard te laten gaan met optimale zorg voor veiligheid, leefbaarheid en informatie voor de lokale bevolking en dan vooral de omwonenden van de verschillende bouwlocaties. Geef bouwlocaties tijdelijk terug aan de bevolking, wanneer het werk op die bouwlocaties langere tijd wacht op voltooiing van werkzaamheden elders, zo luidt een van de aanbevelingen.
Commissie Veerman is ervan overtuigd dat wanneer het advies integraal wordt overgenomen een goede voltooiing van de Noord/Zuidlijn kan worden bereikt. De Commissie verwacht dat per saldo de stad Amsterdam, de Randstad en Nederland voor een zeer lange periode van het dan werkende ondergrondse vervoerssysteem gaan profiteren. Het wordt een belangrijke verkeersslagader, die dagelijks 200.000 passagiers zal gaan vervoeren. De Noord/Zuidlijn wordt daarmee één van de meest intensief gebruikte metroverbindingen van Europa.

Noot van de redactie:
Rapport, bijlagen en film zijn na lezen c.q. te bekijken op www.noordzuidlijn.amsterdam.nl.

Download

[~]rapport Cie Veerman: Bouwen aan verbinding (pdf 6072 Kb)

[~]persbericht Cie Veerman (pdf 145 Kb)

[~]reactie B&W advies cie Veerman (pdf 23 Kb)

Common GPS could help better track airline flights

Common GPS could help better track airline flights
GPS tracks phones, cars, but not planes; Air France crash renews call for end to radar systems

CHICAGO (AP) -- Get lost in the woods and a cell phone in your pocket can help camping buddies find you. Drive into a ditch and GPS in your car lets emergency crews pinpoint the crash site. But when a transcontinental flight is above the middle of the ocean, no one on the ground can see exactly where it is -- in the air, or worse, in the water.

The disappearance of Air France Flight 477 and its 228 passengers over the Atlantic Ocean this week has critics of radar-based air traffic control calling on the U.S. and other countries to hasten the move to GPS-based networks that promise to precisely track all planes. Current radars are obsolete more than 200 miles from land.

"The technology's there -- we've had this stuff for 15 years and little's happened," said Michael Boyd, a Colorado-based airline analyst. "My BlackBerry can be used to track me, so why can't we do it with planes?"

U.S. officials have discussed setting up such a network since the 1990s and the technology is being tested in parts of the country, including Alaska and off the Gulf Coast. A few carriers, like Southwest, already use GPS to help planes make quicker landings that burn less fuel.

But full implementation, estimated at a cost of $35 billion, has languished amid funding delays and disputes over technical complexities. Although Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has said the project will be among the Federal Aviation Administration's top priorities in the Obama administration, the existing radar system is likely to remain for at least another decade.

"It's a crude system they're using now," said Robert Poole, an aviation expert with the free market-oriented Reason Foundation. "For 100 dollars, you can run down and buy a GPS system, put it in your car and know exactly where you are. But planes don't have it."
Read Article...
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Common-GPS-could-help-better-apf-15434824.html?sec=topStories&pos=3&asset=&ccode=

Nederlandse managers reageren betrekkelijk laks en naïef op de economische crisis

Nederlandse managers reageren betrekkelijk sloom, laks en naïef op de economische crisis
Crisis blijft hier onbenut

(Bron: De Telegraaf, DFT) Nederlandse managers reageren relatief laks en naïef op de economische crisis, zo blijkt uit internationaal onderzoek van KPMG onder 850 senior managers in 29 landen.
Anders dan met name Aziatische ondernemingen lijken de meeste Nederlandse bedrijven te verwachten dat de crisis wel overwaait en grijpen ze de situatie nauwelijks aan voor strategische veranderingen, zo concludeert KPMG.
Van de onderzochte Nederlandse ondernemingen denkt slechts 24% de komende twaalf maanden veranderingen in de strategie door te voeren. Wereldwijd voorziet 50% van de ondernemingen het komend jaar wijzigingen in de bedrijfsstrategie als gevolg van de crisis. Ook op de langere termijn blijken Nederlandse bedrijven geen ingrijpende wijzigingen in de strategie te voorzien. Slechts één op de vijf ondernemingen verwacht de komende tien jaar strategische veranderingen. Internationaal ziet ruim de helft van de onderzochte bedrijven op de lange termijn strategische veranderingen als gevolg van de kredietcrisis.

KPMG Advisory partner William Koot zegt nogal geschrokken te zijn van de cijfers. ,,Nederlandse bedrijven grijpen de crisis blijkbaar niet aan voor strategische verandering. Wereldwijd wordt de crisis opgepakt om na te denken welke richting het op moet met het bedrijf. Wij denken dat, nu we een paar zwaluwen zien, we de crisis wel zullen uitzitten met alleen kostenreductie. Het lijkt er haast op dat Nederlandse bedrijven denken dat ze straks gewoon verder kunnen met hun plannen van vóór oktober.”
Lees artikel...
http://www.telegraaf.nl/dft/nieuws_dft/4076327/__Crisis_blijft_hier_onbenut__.html?p=5,1

De KPMG Advisory-organisatie bestaat uit ruim 1.000 adviseurs. Deze zijn gespecialiseerd in het identificeren en beheersen van risico's in de bedrijfsvoering.

Megan Fox Speaks Her Mind in British GQ to Spark Media Attention

Comparing Actors to Prostitutes Megan Fox Speaks Her Mind in British GQ to Spark Media Attention
Transformers 2’ starlet Megan Fox is hotter than ever on the cover of British GQ’s July 2009 issue. Mega Fox looks like a stunning, sex goddess with her long, wavy locks, black stilettos and a sexy black monokini, set against a plush green tropical background.
However, what might garner even more attention than Megan Fox’s sultry GQ photos are her words comparing actors to prostitutes.

“When you think about it, we actors are kind of prostitutes,” Fox tells the July issue of British GQ. “We get paid to feign attraction and love. Other people are paying to watch us kissing someone, touching someone, doing things people in a normal monogamous relationship would never do with anyone who’s not their partner. It’s really kind of gross.”
Read more...
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/megan-fox-british-gq-july-2009

Windows 7 Release Candidate: Download instructions

Windows 7 Release Candidate: Download instructions
Here's what you need to know:

This is pre-release software, so please read the following to get an idea of the risks and key things you need to know before you try the RC.

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You don't need to rush to get the RC. The RC will be available at least through July 2009 and we're not limiting the number of product keys, so you have plenty of time.
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Watch the calendar. The RC will expire on June 1, 2010. Starting on March 1, 2010, your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. Windows will notify you two weeks before the bi-hourly shutdowns start. To avoid interruption, you’ll need to install a non-expired version of Windows before March 1, 2010. You’ll also need to install the programs and data that you want to use. (Learn more about installing Windows.)
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Protect your PC and data. Be sure to back up your data and please don't test the RC on your primary home or business PC.
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http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx

Nieuwe Windows 22 oktober op de markt

REDMOND (AFN) - Het Amerikaanse softwarebedrijf Microsoft brengt zijn nieuwe besturingssysteem Windows 7 op 22 oktober op de markt. Dit liet het concern dinsdag weten.
Microsoft had eerder al gezegd dat de opvolger van het impopulaire Windows Vista voor de kerst zou verschijnen. Een concrete datum was echter nog niet genoemd. Introducties van nieuwe Windows-versies gaan altijd gepaard met veel reclamegeweld.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/dft/nieuws_dft/4063122/__Nieuwe_Windows_22_oktober_op_de_markt__.html?p=31,1

Concept Cars That Will Shape the Industry

39 Futuristic Autovations Concept Cars That Will Shape the Industry

With so many car companies in trouble, many people are wondering what the future of the auto industry will look like.
The following cluster explores some futuristic automobile ideas that will no doubt help to shape the future of what we drive.
From magnet power cars to iceberg cars, this cluster will get your motor running.

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/40-futuristic-auto-ideas-concept-cars-that-will-shape-the-industry

WHO official says world edging towards pandemic

WHO official says world edging towards pandemic

GENEVA (Reuters) - The spread of H1N1 flu in Australia, Britain, Chile, Japan and Spain has nudged the world closer to a pandemic, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.
The newly-discovered strain had caused more infections than seasonal influenza at the start of Chile's flu season, raising concern about how it would spread in the southern hemisphere, according to Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's acting assistant director-general.
The virus has mainly affected people aged below 60 and caused 117 deaths worldwide, including some otherwise healthy people, he said. For now, the WHO's pandemic scale remained at the second-highest level but the threshold may soon be crossed.

"Globally we believe that we are at Phase 5 but we are getting closer to Phase 6," Fukuda told journalists. "The future impact of this infection has yet to unfold."
He added: "It is probably fair to call the situation something like moderate right now. We do have some hesitation to call the situation mild."

The new flu, a mixture of swine, bird, and human viruses, remains most prevalent in North America but has infected nearly 19,000 people in 64 countries, according to the U.N. agency's latest toll, which tends to lag behind national figures but is considered more secure.
Read Article...
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-SwineFlu/idUSTRE5514R920090602

Remembering Tiananmen

Remembering Tiananmen
(02:01) Report Reuters Video

Jun. 2 - Wang Dan, a former student activist in China, recalls the crackdown on Tiananmen Square some 20 years ago.

SOUNDBITE: Wang DanDeborah Lutterbeck reports.




Twenty years after Tiananmen
Silence on the square

Outside the Communist Party, memories of the 1989 massacre get hazy

(Source Economist.com) AMONG journalists at a Chinese newspaper, there has been some surprising talk of publishing a story to mark the 20th anniversary on June 3rd and 4th of the massacre of hundreds of Beijing citizens by Chinese soldiers. One journalist even told his colleagues he would be ready to go to jail for doing so. But such bravado, especially if it proves more than rhetoric, is likely to be rare. For many in China the nationwide pro-democracy protests of 1989 and their bloody end have become a muddled and half-forgotten tale.
This does not stop the Communist Party worrying about the issue. It fears that the efforts of even a small number of people to keep memories alive could be destabilising. The most senior official to serve jail time for his role in the Tiananmen Square unrest, Bao Tong, has been escorted by security officials from his Beijing home to a scenic spot in central China (far from muttering journalists) where he will spend the anniversary period. Mr Bao agreed to go, says a family member. But in China an invitation from the police can be awkward to refuse. Several other dissidents report heightened police surveillance.

This year’s anniversary has spurred a hardy few to pronounce on the massacre. A Beijing academic, Cui Weiping, told a gathering of intellectuals called to commemorate it that the party’s campaign to deter public discussion of Tiananmen, and public acquiescence to it, had damaged China’s “spirit and morality”. She posted her remarks on her blog.
Read Article...
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13754101&source=hptextfeature

Recession/Crisis Meals. Can They Really Make Money Off the Dollar Menu?

Recession/Crisis Meals. Can They Really Make Money Off the Dollar Menu?

(Source Yahoo Finance) McDonald's "Dollar Menu." Subway's "$5 Footlong." Quiznos's "Million Sub Giveaway." As the U.S. tries to climb out of the recession, these bargain fast-food meals have become familiar subjects of TV ads and radio jingles -- and for many consumers, they are some of the best food values around.
But few of the hungry diners who bite into those discounted subs and burgers realize that their cut-rate meals can be a flashpoint between big fast-food companies and the franchise owners who operate local stores.
How much money are local stores making -- or losing? To find out, we surveyed franchisees about some popular current and recent promotions. On top of paying royalties (of about 11% to 12% of sales) to the franchisor, franchisees often bear the brunt of a promotion's cost. We also asked franchisees about their wholesale costs for food, as well as labor, rent and utilities, among other things. Prices and menu for a particular promotion also vary depending on location.
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/107106/Can-They-Really-Make-Money-Off-the-Dollar-Menu?mod=career-selfemployment

Tiffany Losing It's Bling?

Tiffany Losing It's Bling?

The luxury retailer's big drop in Q1 profit prompts its shares to trade lower, with Stacey Widlitz, Pali Research retail analyst.

Let’s Focus on Saving Journalism, Not Newspapers, Huffington Says

Let’s Focus on Saving Journalism, Not Newspapers, Huffington Says

CARLSBAD, CALIF. – With demographic changes crippling the old-guard newspaper world, all eyes are on the future of media.
While newspapers won’t go away entirely, Huffington Post Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington says the focus should be on saving and strengthening quality journalism, not being fixated on the traditional newspaper model.

Huffington says multiple working models will emerge from the current media shakeup – but a subscription-based model probably will not be among the long-term survivors, she says in the accompanying video, taped at the All Things Digital conference here. (Click here for Huffington’s presentation with Katharine Weymouth of the Washington Post.)

In the “new models” department, the Huffington Post recently launched an investigative fund, a combination of for-profit and nonprofit models and will be available on open source.
To help fund these and other new ventures, the Huffington Post closed $25 million in a third round of funding from Oak Investment Partners back in December. Huffington says her business is now breaking even, with a new push in technology coverage coming, and reach into Chicago and New York.

Job Booms Typically Follow Recessions

Job Booms Typically Follow Recessions 5/7/2009

History shows that job booms typically follow recessions. What will be the next boom industry? Stacey Delo reports. (Barrons Video)

Is the beer industry losing its fizz?

Is the beer industry losing its fizz?
Carlsberg's first quarter earnings are expected to show that drinkers are quaffing less beer as customers feel the pinch of the recession.


Economy Beers Give Brewers Lift in Downturn

(Source: Wall Street Journal)
Mark Lehr's favorite beer is Heineken, but one recent afternoon, the Chicagoan emerged from a 7-Eleven with a 12-pack of Busch that cost him $8 -- about $7 less than a dozen Heinekens.
"My funds are limited right now," said the 39-year-old house painter, noting that he has had far fewer customers during the recession.
Sales of so-called economy brews, including Busch, Miller High Life and Pabst Brewing Co.'s Pabst Blue Ribbon, are rising faster than the nation's beer sales overall, and are helping industry giants Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and MillerCoors LLC weather the economic downturn.
Anheuser, based in Leuven, Belgium, is expected to report healthy sales at its U.S. unit when it posts first-quarter results Thursday, thanks in part to its stable of low-priced brews such as Natural Light and Busch Light.
Though less profitable, these brews are helping Anheuser offset slower sales growth for its larger brands. "We feel we have brands that can meet any consumer need," said Dave Peacock, president of the company's U.S. unit.
Read Article...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124165010171893491.html

Is Google Any Help in Tracking an Epidemic?

Is Google Any Help in Tracking an Epidemic?
(Source: Time Magazine Permalink)

When the first U.S. patients fell victim to the new H1N1 flu, they may not have thought immediately to call their doctor or run to the nearest emergency room. Instead, they probably sat down in front of their computers and Googled "flu symptoms" or "fever" or "chills" or perhaps even "treatment for flu."
That behavior is exactly what the folks at Google are counting on. Since last fall, the search-engine giant has been nurturing a spin-off service called Google Flu Trends, which aims to identify outbreaks by tracking searches for flu-related terms, and provide health officials with early warnings of potential epidemics. The reasoning is that if people are searching for flu, they're probably sick themselves or know someone who is — and a geographic cluster of like-minded Googlers could represent a burgeoning outbreak or, worse, the roots of a new pandemic. (In the case of H1N1, however, the distant and initially small number of cases in the U.S. meant the search service wasn't very helpful for predicting the current epidemic, but the strategy may prove useful in keeping track of disease progression.) Read Article...
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1895811,00.html?iid=perma_share

Swine flu cases increase in Europe

Swine flu cases increase in Europe
(01:09) Report Reuters Video

Apr 29 - Germany and Austria confirm their first three cases of swine flu, as the virus arrives in the heart of continental Europe.
The Netherlands had it's first confirmed case of swine flu.
WHO raises alarm level to 5.
In the Netherlands the swine flu is called Mexican Flu (Mexicaanse Griep). In the U.S. it is also callled AH1N1 flu.

The Next 100 Years: War in Space

Posted Apr 30, 2009 10:44am EDT by Aaron Task in Newsmakers

Related: TUR, EWJ, RSX, ^DJI, SPY, EEM, DIA

With the U.S. military already space-based, war in the stars will inevitably move from the realm of science fiction and into reality later this century, says George Friedman, founder of STRATFOR.

In his latest book, The Next 100 Years, Friedman explains how war in space is unavoidable; "wherever humans go, war will follow," he writes. Moreover, any enemy that seeks to attack the United States must, ultimately, try to take out our space-based military satellites. Knowing this, U.S. military command will move toward a system of permanent bases in space - manned by humans and robots - to defend and repair those critical assets.

Auto rijdt in op toeschouwers Koninginnedag

5Auto rijdt in op toeschouwers Koninginnedag
Om 16.45 volgt er een persconferentie. Het ziet er naar uit dat het een éénmansactie is en een bewuste daad van de bestuurder. Auto(Suzuki) reed door dranghekken en publiek, 17 gewonden, enkele dodelijke (volgens de laatste berichten 5) slachtoffers. Alles gebeurde tijdens de Koninginnedag festiviteiten in Apeldoorn. In het hele land zijn de festiviteiten afgelast.

Sustainable sea farming

Sustainable sea farming
Open Blue Sea Farms takes a new direction by harvesting fish in aquapods.

Outbreak Like Mexican Swine Flu Predicted 14 Months Ago

Outbreak Like Mexican Swine Flu Predicted 14 Months Ago
(Source By Robin Lloyd, LiveScience Senior Editor)
posted: 27 April 2009 04:12 pm ET

A team of scientists predicted more than a year ago that Mexico and other tropical locales were emerging "hotspots" for so-called zoonotic diseases that jump from animals to humans, getting it right on the newly reported swine flu.
This week, the scientists are analyzing the patterns of the new swine flu virus's spread and trying to predict its next moves. The researchers "should have preliminary findings by the weekend," team leader Peter Daszak of the Wildlife Trust told LiveScience.
Daszak and his colleagues cautioned in February 2008 that infectious disease-fighting resources are not effectively deployed around the globe and that the U.S. government has not always accurately investigated how flu strains will arrive here.

Hot spots
The tropics prediction came from an analysis of 335 "disease events" involving emerging infectious diseases between 1940 and 2004 — examples include Ebola, HIV, yellow fever and SARS. The analysis showed that such events peaked in the 1980s and that the threat of these diseases to global health is increasing.
The events, mostly caused by zoonotic diseases, were found to be correlated with socio-economic, environmental and ecological factors.
That allowed the scientists to make a predictive map of where emerging diseases are most likely to emerge — pointing to Latin America, tropical Africa and Asia. The map also pointed up that global resources to fight disease emergence are misguided — focusing on richer, developed countries of Europe, North America, parts of Asia and Australia, rather than in developing countries. The report was published in the Feb. 21, 2008, issue of the journal Nature. Read Article...
http://www.livescience.com/health/090427-flu-prediction.html

The disease event prediction map is like an earthquake risk map, Daszak said. "If we live in one of these 'hotspots,' we need to protect ourselves, and our trading and traveling partners from the risk of new diseases," he said.

Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry

Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry
The latest American Religious Identification Survey revealed that nonreligious Americans now outnumber American Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons combined.
Despite the stereotypes others may have of non-believers, we are law-abiding citizens, charitable members of the community, and good neighbors. In fact, a surprisingly large percentage of famous artists, writers, philanthropists, activists, composers, actors, musicians and scientists are non-believers. (See here, here, here and here for lists.) At the same time, they also make up a surprisingly small percentage of the prison population.
http://lowcountryhumanists.org/default.php?page=Home

US (New York Times Permalink)
More Atheists Shout It From the Rooftops
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN Published: April 27, 2009
Organized atheist groups liken their strategy to the gay-rights movement, which lifted off when members of a scorned minority went public.

Deadly new flu virus in US and Mexico may go pandemic

Deadly new flu virus in US and Mexico may go pandemic

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17025-deadly-new-flu-virus-in-us-and-mexico-may-go-pandemic.html

A novel flu virus has struck hundreds of people in Mexico, and at least 18 have died. It has also infected 17 people in the US, and appears able to spread readily from human to human. The World Health Organization is calling an emergency meeting to decide whether to declare the possible onset of a flu pandemic.
Ironically, after years of concern about H5N1 bird flu, the new flu causing concern is a pig virus, of a family known as H1N1.
Flu viruses are named after the two main proteins on their surfaces, abbreviated H and N. They are also differentiated by what animal they usually infect. The H in the new virus comes from pigs, but some of its other genes come from bird and human flu viruses, a mixture that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls "very unusual". http://www.cdc.gov/
On Wednesday, the CDC announced that routine surveillance had uncovered mild flu cases during late March and April, caused by a novel swine flu virus. Those affected, aged 9 to 54, live in and around San Diego, California, and San Antonio, Texas, near the Mexican border. None was severe. Symptoms were normal for flu, with more nausea and diarrhoea than usual.
Mongrelised mix
On Thursday, Canadian public health officials warned Canadians travelling to Mexico of clusters of severe flu-like illness there. Then on Friday the WHO in Geneva said in a statement there have been around 900 suspected cases of swine flu in Mexico City and two other regions of Mexico, with around 60 suspected deaths. Of those, 18 have been confirmed as H1N1 swine flu, says the WHO, and tests so far have shown that 12 of those are "genetically identical" to the California virus.

Swine influenza frequently asked questions, Download PDF (WHO)
http://www.who.int/csr/swine_flu/swineflu_qanda_20090425.pdf

Science (New York Times Permalink)
Dot Earth: Contagion on a Small Planet
By By Andrew C. Revkin Published: April 26, 2009
A spreading outbreak of swine flu is showing the global reach of disease on a small planet.

World gov'ts race to contain swine flu outbreak
US declares health emergency as world officials race to contain worrisome swine flu, panic
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/World-govts-race-to-contain-apf-15036683.html?sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Governments are racing to find and contain pockets of swine flu around the globe, seeking to stem both the threat of a pandemic and public panic.
"We're preparing in an environment where we really don't know ultimately what the size or seriousness of this outbreak is going to be," U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Sunday.
In Mexico, the outbreak's epicenter, soldiers handed out 6 million face masks to help stop the spread of the novel virus that is suspected in up to 103 deaths. Most other countries are reporting only mild cases so far, with most of the sick already recovering. Cases have been confirmed in Canada -- six -- and the U.S. -- 20 -- and other countries from Spain to New Zealand were investigating whether other people with flulike symptoms really have this new swine flu or something else.
There is not a global pandemic yet, but waiting until scientists know if the new virus is going to spread rapidly and easily would be too late.
The U.S. declared the health emergency amid confusion about whether new numbers really mean ongoing infections -- or just that health officials had missed something simmering for weeks or months. But the move allows the government to ship roughly 12 million doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile to states in case they eventually need them.

Swine flu outcome 'uncertain' 3:50
The director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy says the swine flu virus outcome is uncertain.

Is nuclear the next viable step to battle climate change?

Is nuclear the next viable step to battle climate change?

(Source: slashingtongue.com)
In the latest episode of Real Time with Bill Maher on 3/4/2009, there was a point made by David Frum. He made the point that should the world be serious on the point of combating climate change, there should be a whole hearted shift to nuclear power. But how credible is this point?
For one, nuclear energy is very clean. It only emits only water vapor into the air (due to water turning into steam in the cooling process of creating nuclear energy). It is being used extensively in France which has more than ¾ of her electrical energy coming from nuclear power, and France has yet to suffer any big drawbacks of nuclear energy.
Nuclear energy is also available in the United States. In fact, United States export nuclear materials to India as highlighted in the deal recently signed between India and the United States. So there is also the point of it being something that could bring down the net deficits that the United States is suffering.
The flip of this coin is that while it does not emit any carbon emissions, there still need to be place to store the solid waste that is produced by means of nuclear energy. This is rather expensive and what represents the majority of the cost incurred while creating nuclear power.
The other problem is a very simple thing : It is limited and not recyclable. You cannot use a standard rod of uranium again after you used it once. Should the world shift to nuclear energy all at once, it would only last 50-150 years.
To me that is my major bone of contention with nuclear power. While it is no doubt better than the carbon based fuels that we are using today, it is still not a permanent solution to the problem at all. I also think that because of that, nuclear power should be only used as a stop-gap measure. Nuclear energy should only be used because it can buy time for the transition to other forms of fuels.

There are several already in the market. Transportation is one of the areas of our society that emits the most carbon into the atmosphere. It is time that we look to alternatives there too. The most promising as Jay Leno can attest to is Hydrogen cars. Currently, only the Germans have the technology to split oxygen from ice (water) cost effectively. Hydrogen cars react with Oxygen to form water. The Japanese have technology that can do that but not take Hydrogen out cost effectively.
We should also be looking at solutions such as Algaculture. Algae can be harvested in a multi-story level. Ask anybody that has a pool and fish tank on what happens when you do not clean them. It is easy to produce and is more produced 10 times more fuel than bio-diesel made from the US bio-fuel of choice, corn. In fact even sugar is more efficient than corn. Read Article...
http://slashingtongue.com/opinion/is-nuclear-the-next-viable-step-to-battle-climate-change/

New York International Automobile Show: A WORLD OF CARS

New York International Automobile Show: A WORLD OF CARS
April 10-19 2009
The New York Auto Show is value-packed fun for the whole family combining the best place to compare the world’s finest cars and trucks with state-of-the-art displays, celebrities, prizes, giveaways, interactive exhibits and vehicle test drives.

For 109-years, NYIAS has ignited the passion and stirred the soul of car lovers with its futuristic concept cars and new vehicles and 2009 is no exception. Compare every new car on the market under one roof, in one day, without any pressure to buy. Whether you’re looking for a small car that makes a big impression, something fun, fast and frugal, or you want to get plugged into a hybrid or electric vehicle there is no better place to research your next new car, crossover, minivan, SUV, or truck.
http://www.autoshowny.com/

Chrysler rolls out SUV after government scolding
Chrysler plays to customer base with new Grand Cherokee, despite criticism of its SUV reliance

NEW YORK (AP) -- It sounds crazy: Just a week after the White House scolded Chrysler LLC for relying too much on gas guzzlers, the company is heading to a marquee auto show Wednesday to unveil a new SUV.
Chrysler insists the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which clocks in at 20 mpg in its two-wheel-drive version and 19 in four-wheel-drive, is a crowd favorite and a crucial part of its lineup.
"This is a very important vehicle for us. It's one of the primary legs of the Chrysler stool," Chrysler spokesman Rick Deneau said. "Customers have told us they want this vehicle and that it's the right size."
The 2011 model is 11 percent more fuel efficient than its predecessor, powered by a cleaner and more powerful engine. Still, Chrysler's decision to debut an SUV as its only new car at the New York International Auto Show

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Chrysler-rolls-out-SUV-after-apf-14876607.html

Twitter: Pipe-dream or next big thing?

Twitter: Pipe-dream or next big thing?
8 million users can't be wrong. If only it made some money.

(breakingviews.com) -- What's the big deal with Twitter? The online instant update service has become a media sensation and a supposed target for the likes of Google and Facebook. But is it an over-hyped flash in the pan or a real business opportunity? The answer could be a bit of each.
Twitter lets people or organizations send messages to "followers" - fans, clients, employees or anyone who signs up. The updates, thoughts or reactions arrive instantly via cell phone or computer updates. They're limited to 140 characters each, so pithiness is vital. (All but one of the sentences in this article qualify.)

Twitter's 8 million users run the gamut from lovelorn teenagers to celebrities like Britney Spears to the New York Times. The last of these has more than 500,000 followers receiving its story links and news updates. Some members of the U.S. Congress use Twitter to fill in their constituents. A few have even been spotted tapping away on their mobile phones in the middle of President Barack Obama's speeches.
The celebrity presence has drawn millions of users and driven media attention, but it can seem pretty inane. British actor Stephen Fry has 382,000 followers tracking updates of his peculiar daily minutiae. One example: "Me in a sarong. The freedom and ease ... Mmmm could get to like x".

Bold fashion defies slowdown in South Africa

Bold fashion defies slowdown in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters Life!) - Designers defied the global economic crisis at this season's South African fashion week by showing off vibrant outfits with hints of tradition inspired by a golden era of African civilisation.
Stoned Cherrie, South Africa's best-known black design label, closed fashion week in Johannesburg with bold colors and fabrics reminiscent of royalty, influenced by the ancient Mapungubwe civilisation from southern Africa.
"Stoned Cherrie is about abundance," Nkhensani Nkosi told Reuters after the show, which featured models bedecked in brightly colored dresses covered with frills, mixing fabrics such as mesh, lycra and a delicate silky cotton.
"Inspired by the curiosity around Mapungubwe, we basically tried to imagine what it would have been like in the present day," she added.
Mapungubwe is believed to have developed into the largest kingdom in sub-Saharan Africa before it was abandoned in the 14th century and may have boasted sophisticated trade links with India and China as far back as a thousand years ago.
Fashion in post-apartheid South Africa reflects the country's journey from pariah state to a multiracial democracy, as young designers like Nkosi mirror the country's diversity and growing cultural confidence.
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE53639620090407

The Potential in Nintendo's DSi Foray

The Nintendo DSi, which went on sale Sunday, lets users play games, listen to music, take photos, surf the Web and wirelessly download applications. It’s not on a 3G network and you can’t use it to make phone calls, but it does offer a Nintendo spin on many features that define Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch.

GM and Segway unveil new two-wheeled urban vehicle

GM and Segway unveil new two-wheeled urban vehicle General Motors and Segway working together to develop electric vehicle for urban transport
(Source Yahoo Finance)
Tuesday April 7, 2009, 12:05 am EDT

NEW YORK (AP) -- A solution to the world's urban transportation problems could lie in two wheels not four, according to executives for General Motors Corp. and Segway Inc.
The companies announced Tuesday that they are working together to develop a two-wheeled, two-seat electric vehicle designed to be a fast, safe, inexpensive and clean alternative to traditional cars and trucks for cities across the world.
The Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility, or PUMA, project also would involve a vast communications network that would allow vehicles to interact with each other, regulate the flow of traffic and prevent crashes from happening.
"We're excited about doing more with less," said Jim Norrod, chief executive of Segway, the Bedford, N.H.-based maker of electric scooters. "Less emissions, less dependability on foreign oil and less space."
The 300-pound prototype runs on a lithium-ion battery and uses Segway's characteristic two-wheel balancing technology, along with dual electric motors. It's designed to reach speeds of up to 35 miles-per-hour and can run 35 miles on a single charge.
The companies did not release a projected cost for the vehicle, but said ideally its total operating cost -- including purchase price, insurance, maintenance and fuel -- would total between one-fourth and one-third of that of the average traditional vehicle.
Larry Burns, GM's vice president of research and development, and strategic planning, said the project is part of Detroit-based GM's effort to remake itself as a purveyor of fuel-efficient vehicles. If Hummer took GM to the large-vehicle extreme, Burns said, the PUMA takes GM to the other.

Ideally, the vehicles would also be part of a communications network that through the use of transponder and GPS technology would allow them to drive themselves. The vehicles would automatically avoid obstacles such as pedestrians and other cars and therefore never crash, Burns said. Read Article...
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/GM-and-Segway-unveil-new-apf-14865215.html



Introducing Project P.U.M.A.

Building upon transportation tech expertise
There are some things from Segway that make what we do truly unique. It’s not really like a kit of parts where we sprinkle a little tech here and a little there and end up with something that moves around. Instead, it’s a holistic approach – making sure that you smile whenever you try something from Segway.

Still, there are a few things that we inject in there that are worth calling out:

* Dynamic stabilization: The ability to balance on two wheels and have a true zero turning radius. It gives you incredible maneuverability.
* Electric propulsion: It’s extremely efficient and gives us significant fine control over vehicle dynamics. You also can use regenerative braking to charge back the batteries.
* Smart battery management: We’re one of the world’s largest customers of large format lithium-ion batteries. As such, we’ve become experts about the safe and efficient use of their chemistry.
* Drive-by-wire digital controls: Think about this whole thing as a digital solution to an analog problem. All steering inputs, acceleration, and deceleration are done with zeros and ones instead of levers, cables, and pads.
* Intuitive user interface: Shifting the center of mass of the vehicle controls how fast it goes and how quickly it stops. Check out the video to see it in action.
* Digital dashboard: Data from the vehicle such as speed, battery life, and other information can flow wireless to a handheld device wirelessly. Add in real-time traffic and other connectivity info. and you’ll be armed with enough information to sail through your commute.
http://www.segway.com/puma/


Testing out GM's two-wheeled oddball
The carmaker's latest balancing act involves an electric car for urban streets.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Even as General Motors executives are seriously discussing a recently-unthinkable bankruptcy back in Detroit, others were unveiling an equally implausible prototype for a futuristic personal transportation vehicle in New York City.
Believe it or not, the company best known for riding the SUV wave to the brink of collapse now says it is committed to bringing this small, weird-looking contraption to a city near you. I was among the first to get a chance to ride around in GM and Segway's sole prototype vehicle.

First impressions
Getting into the PUMA prototype was a hassle as I wrestled with a complex four-point safety harness that, I assume, will not be on the production vehicle. A technician warned me to gather up the loose ends of my overcoat lest they get caught in the wheel. (In some ways, it reminded of an experience I once had driving a Model T Ford.)
"Close the door" someone yelled and a technician came forward to lower the yellow-and-black safety bar that, for now, passes for a "door."
"Keep your legs loose," the driver warned me.
When in motion, the same sort of automatic balancing technology that holds the Segway personal transporter - commonly called a "scooter" - upright on its two wheels allows the PUMA to do the same with two seated occupants.
During a test ride - for now, only trained drivers are allowed to operate the prototype vehicle - the PUMA transporter felt perfectly stable. Other than the fact that it can rotate while standing in place, it felt similar to riding in a small car at slow speeds.Read Article...
http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/07/autos/gm_puma/index.htm?section=money_topstories

South African carmaker introduces the new Zagato at this year's Geneva auto show.

African autos
Apr 1, 2009 filed under Business News CNN Video
South African carmaker introduces the new Zagato at this year's Geneva auto show.

Communities print own currencies to keep cash flowing

In Detroit, three downtown businesses have created a local currency, or scrip, to keep dollars earned locally in the community.

Communities print own currencies to keep cash flowing

A small but growing number of cash-strapped communities are printing their own money.
Borrowing from a Depression-era idea, they are aiming to help consumers make ends meet and support struggling local businesses.
The systems generally work like this: Businesses and individuals form a network to print currency. Shoppers buy it at a discount — say, 95 cents for $1 value — and spend the full value at stores that accept the currency.
Workers with dwindling wages are paying for groceries, yoga classes and fuel with Detroit Cheers, Ithaca Hours in New York, Plenty in North Carolina or BerkShares in Massachusetts.
Ed Collom, a University of Southern Maine sociologist who has studied local currencies, says they encourage people to buy locally. Merchants, hurting because customers have cut back on spending, benefit as consumers spend the local cash.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-04-05-scrip_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Nike x Paule Marrot Edition - Women Skinny Dunks

Nike x Paule Marrot Edition - Women Skinny Dunks

Designed with women wearers in mind, Nike has incorporated several aspects to its Nike Sportswear program this season. First element is the new Dunk silhouette, known as “Skinny Dunk”, addressed the particularity in women’s fashion trend. Second element is the designed pattern. Where as previous edition focus more on colorways, the new collection features popular textiles of the past, such as the Liberty & Co. Collection last month to the most recent editions, seen here, from the archive of French artist Paule Marrot. Born into a creative family, her early exposure to the arts made her a natural, whether it be in music or illustrations. At just the age of 35, Marrot has won the prestigious Grand Prix à l’Exposition, one of her many accolades bestowed upon her during her lifetime.

http://www.trendhunter.com/link/paul-marrot-for-nike-1920s-prints-meet-a-1980s-shoe-design/2

Thousands bid farewell to Goody

Thousands bid farewell to Goody
(01:19) Reuters Video Report

Apr. 4 - Crowds of fans gather in Essex to mourn UK reality TV star Jade Goody.

Thousands of people turned out to bid farewell to reality TV star Jade Goody on Saturday, a fittingly public end for a woman whose life and death were pored over by the celebrity-obsessed media.
Sarah Barden reports.

Supercities And The Economy

Supercities And The Economy

Nylongkong and other centers of ideas-based commerce

Forbes Network Video Link, http://video.forbes.com/fvn/business/pm_non020209

Motorcycle minus the noise

Motorcycle minus the noise
Apr 3, 2009 filed under Fortune
With electric motorcycles, the thrill of revving the engine could be a thing of the past.

The economic crisis is spreading

The economic crisis is spreading, now in Madrid

Thursday, April 02, 2009
Spain's Unemployment Continues Its Sharp Upward Surge
(Source http://spaineconomy.blogspot.com/)
The number of unemployed in Spain was up again in March - by "only" 123,543. I say "only" since it is evidently less than the 154,508 increase registered in February, or the 198,538 registered in January. And indeed many of the newspaper stories have been full of arguments from Employment Minister Maravillas Rojo (would that she could work "Maravillas") about how Spain registered the weakest unemployment gain in six months in March (when compared to the previous month). However, as those who look into the economic analysis side of this a bit more (and who don't believe in either wonders or "miracles) point out, taking seasonal factors into account the monthly 3.55% rise in March shows a more or less steady trend, and no special sign of improvement, despite the large stimulus programme. Last March, for example, unemployment fell by 0.62%.
So when we come to look at the year on year situation (which more or less eliminates the seasonal variation) we find that the year on year rate of increase of 56.69% was the highest so far, and if we look at the chart we will see there is no sign of a softening in the curve.
Read article...
http://spaineconomy.blogspot.com/

Is Homophobia Just Narcissism?

Is Homophobia Just Narcissism?
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/04/homophobia-just-narcissism

By Debra J. Dickerson | Thu April 2, 2009 11:46 AM PST
(Source Mother Jones Blog)
Ta-Nehisi Coates thinks so:

Bigotry is the heaping of one man's insecurity on to another. Sexism, racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Islamism, anti-immigrantism, really all come from the same place--cowardice. In his history of lynching, Phillip Dray notes that mob violence against black men wasn't simply about keeping black men in their place--it was about keeping white women in their place. Lynching peaked as white women went to work outside the home in greater numbers, developing their own financial power base. White men, afraid that they couldn't compete with their women, would cowardly resort to lynching. I am not saying that the anti-gay marriage crowd is a lynch mob. But in tying opposition to the sexual revolution what you see is, beyond a fear of gay marriage, a fear for marriage itself. A fear that their way of life can't compete in these new times. It's ridiculous, of course. But bigotry always is.

DuBois wrote about racism as "the psychological wages of whiteness". Black equality would cost white people, and, of course, it did. You can't kill or rape blacks with impunity anymore, you can't make them sit in the back of the bus or stop them from drinking from 'your' fountain. So whites definitely lost things, both tangible and intangible, with the coming of equality. Of course, whites never had a right to those things. That's why the racial hierarchy had to be established, with all the attendant bennies and burdens nicely justified (whites are smart and work harder, etc.)

So, I think Coates is on to something with this notion - heteros lose one of the few advantages left to those born on the lucky side of any hierarchy, in this case, the sexuality continuum. Homophobes are manic about losing the right to have someone to openly look down on. To consider innately inferior. Which is convenient because their unworthiness then allows you to collect those psychological wages like straights only in the military, straights only in the classroom, straights only in public office (just imagine an openly gay Prez), straights only with the right to marry and all the bennies that come with it. Notice how quickly the psychological wages become all too tangible.

But this is an issue, like race, whose time has come. Enjoy the last few years left of discriminating against gays 'cuz them days is almost gone.