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News  from the World Future Society

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FUTURIST UPDATE   
  
News & Previews from the World Future Society    
December 2010 (Vol. 11, No. 12)    
    
Read online: http://www.wfs.org/content/futurist-update    
    
Receiving a pass-along copy or haven't joined WFS yet? Check out our   
special membership offer. http://www.wfs.org/forecasts   

Pass this newsletter along! FUTURIST UPDATE may be freely shared if    
forwarded in its entirety.    
    
In This Issue:    
* Seeing the Signals of Stress    
* Global Warming of Lakes    
* Demand for Food-Safety Products Projected to Increase    
* Jobs for World Changers    
* Click of the Month: Superfluid    
* What's Hot @WFS.ORG    
    
    
===============================    
SEEING THE SIGNALS OF STRESS    
===============================    
    
Volatility in systems tends to precede crises. This phenomenon is    
observed in cancer and heart disease patients, as well as in forests    
subject to environmental stressors, according to research led by    
mathematician Alexander Gorban of the University of Leicester in the    
U.K.    
    
Similarly, monitoring the stresses in financial systems could help    
analysts foresee changes in stock market prices, as the systems adapt    
to changing conditions. Gorban's team found that, as a crisis    
approaches, systems become more dependent on each other but react    
differently.    
    
According to the study, stocks and share prices on the FTSE 100 during    
2008 became more interdependent and volatile as that index declined; as    
the system failed to adapt to changing circumstances in the market, the    
system became less connected and more volatile, suggesting a crash.    
    
SOURCE: University of Leicester http://bit.ly/e5XYa5    
    
DETAILS: "Correlations, Risk and Crisis: From Physiology to Finance" by    
A. N. Gorban, E. V. Smirnova, and T. A. Tyukina, PHYSICA A (Vol. 389,    
Issue 16, 2010). Preprint: http://arxiv.org/abs/0905.0129    
    
    
========================    
GLOBAL WARMING OF LAKES    
========================    
    
Temperatures of the world's 167 largest lakes have increased by an    
average of 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit per decade during the past 25 years,    
according to NASA researchers using satellite data to measure surface    
temperatures.    
    
Though the trend is global, it is more pronounced in the Northern    
Hemisphere; the most warming has occurred in northern Europe, note the    
researchers.    
    
Water temperature changes affect such phenomena as algal blooms, which    
can make lakes toxic to native fish or more hospitable to invading    
nonnative species, the researchers warn.    
    
SOURCE: National Aeronautics and Space Administration    
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/nov/HQ_10-308_Global_Lakes.html    
    
    
********************advertisement************************    
    
OXFORD DIPLOMA IN STRATEGY AND INNOVATION    
    
Four Modules: January, March, June, September (beginning 26th January    
2011), Programme fee £15,000, Saïd Business School, University of    
Oxford.    
    
This part-time, masters-level Diploma for experienced executives    
focuses on strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship in an    
international business context. It will enable you to take effective    
strategic decisions and innovate for competitive advantage. Final few    
places left for January 2011 start!    
    
DETAILS/CONTACT: http://www.sbs.oxford.edu/Dipstrategy    
mailto:sarah.hayton@sbs.ox.ac.uk    
    
    
==========================================================    
DEMAND FOR FOOD-SAFETY PRODUCTS PROJECTED TO INCREASE    
==========================================================    
    
The demand for products that help ensure a safer food supply may see    
accelerating growth in the next three years, according to research by    
The Freedonia Group.    
    
Disinfectants, diagnostic products, smart labels and tags, software,    
and tracking systems are among the sectors expected to see gains as    
consumer reaction to food contamination cases and stricter safety    
regulations contribute to growing demand.    
    
Worldwide, demand for food-safety products grew at an average of 7.8%    
per year between 2004 and 2009; Freedonia projects this to increase to    
8.1% per year between 2009 and 2014.    
    
DETAILS: "World Food Safety Products" (November 2010, 315 pages) is    
available for $5,800 from The Freedonia Group Inc.    
http://www.freedoniagroup.com    
    
    
=========================    
JOBS FOR WORLD CHANGERS    
=========================    
    
Can you get paid to change the world? Careers in public service are    
suddenly "cool" again, according to career services director Heather    
Krasna of the University of Washington's Evans School of Public    
Affairs.    
    
In her new book, JOBS THAT MATTER, Krasna defines "public service" jobs    
as not just government work, but also careers at universities and other    
learning institutions, as well as nonprofit and nongovernmental    
organizations and many segments of the private sector devoted to    
improving the world.    
    
Krasna offers exercises for defining one's dreams and clarifying the    
steps to achieve them and narrowing down the aspect of the world that    
you want to improve, such as children's issues, civil rights, or urban    
development.    
    
JOBS THAT MATTER by Heather Krasna (JIST Publishing, 2010, $14.95):    
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1593577877/thefuturistbooks    
    
    
********************advertisement************************    
    
VISIONARIES SEEK ACTION AT WORLDFUTURE 2011!    
    
The World Future Society's conference WorldFuture 2011: Moving from    
Vision to Action, to be held July 8-10, in Vancouver, British Columbia,    
will focus on developing specific action plans for meeting--and getting    
ahead of--the challenges we face now.    
    
Approximately 150 speakers will offer their latest insights and    
strategies in governance, education, law enforcement, futures    
methodologies, marketing, and much more. Newly confirmed speakers    
include:    
    
* Peter Bishop, associate professor in the College of Technology and    
director of the graduate program in Futures Studies at the University    
of Houston, Clearwater, Texas    
    
* Michael Buerger, faculty member at Bowling Green State University,    
member of the PFI/FBI Futures Working Group, Bowling Green, Ohio    
    
* Timothy M. Daniel, chief, Strategy and Integration Office, U.S. Army    
Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.    
    
* Sheila Murray, chair, Canadian committee for the Club of Rome,    
Ottawa, ON, Canada    
    
* Ruben Nelson, executive director of Foresight Canada. He is Canada's    
most widely experienced teacher and practitioner of the next generation    
of strategic foresight. Lac des Arcs, AB, Canada    
    
* Suzanne Stein, associate professor, Foresight, OCAD University,    
Toronto, ON, Canada    
    
* Edie Weiner, vice president, Weiner, Edrich, Brown, Inc., co-author,    
FUTURETHINK, New York, New York    
    
REGISTER BY DECEMBER 30 AND SAVE $200 on the on-site registration fee    
http://www.wfs.org/content/register-worldfuture-2011    
    
    
================================    
CLICK OF THE MONTH: SUPERFLUID    
https://www.thesuperfluid.com/    
================================    
    
Superfluid is a mechanism for providing "social currency," hence    
facilitating the exchange of services via social networking.    
    
Members of the network earn "Quids" through collaborative work; Quids    
may also be borrowed against future contributions of goods or services    
to other members.    
    
Two levels of superfluid participation are available: Activities deemed    
to have commercial, monetary value are managed in superfluid:business    
while other, noncommercial activities are managed on the superfluid:p2p    
side.    
    
Douglas Rushkoff, one of the World Future Society's 2020 Visionaries    
("Life Dollars: Finding Currency in Community," THE FUTURIST,    
September-October 2010) is now chief officer of Superfluid.    
    
    
********************advertisement************************    
    
ATTENTION FUTURIST SHOPPERS!    
    
As you're shopping for the perfect gifts for friends, family, and    
colleagues, you can also give a gift to the World Future Society simply    
by using GoodShop and selecting WFS as your designated charity:    
    
GoodShop: http://www.goodshop.com/?charityid=845602    
    
Thank you for your support!    
    
    
=======================    
WHAT'S HOT @WFS.ORG    
=======================    
    
* CHANGE IS GONNA COME: Beginning with the January 2011 edition,    
FUTURIST UPDATE, the World Future Society's free e-mail newsletter,    
gets an all-new design, new content--and a new editor! As I step down    
to focus more on THE FUTURIST magazine, please join me in welcoming WFS    
communications director Patrick Tucker to the UPDATE helm.    
    
* FUTURIST OF THE YEAR: Whose work in the past 12 months has    
contributed most to the field of futurism? Nominations for the Edward    
Cornish Award: Futurist of the Year close on December 31. The award    
will be presented at WorldFuture 2011 in Vancouver on July 10. There is    
no fee to submit a nomination, nor is there a monetary award for the    
winner. GUIDELINES http://bit.ly/bVkJvi    
    
* ON THE BLOG ROLL: Don't miss these thought-provoking posts by the    
Society's growing roster of futurist bloggers. (Remember, World Future    
Society members may log in and comment freely on all blogs and    
articles):    
    
- "TWITTERING the Twitter Revolution Means It's Not a Revolution,"    
observes Samuel Gerald Collins, reporting from the American    
Anthropological Association meeting. The focus on new technologies    
distracts us from what the tools are meant to be used for, he warns.    
READ MORE http://bit.ly/ic4twx    
    
- "APPLYING Futures Knowledge Consciously" requires an understanding    
both of the thinking process and of how the futures work is intended to    
be used. Alireza Hejazi explains the concept of "futures    
metacognition." READ MORE http://bit.ly/gZa5Tq    
    
- "THE EMERGENCE of a Global She-conomy" will have a major impact on    
everything from education to marketing and branding to fertility    
levels, says business futurist Erica Orange. READ MORE    
http://bit.ly/dNFbFU    
    
- "ANALYZING YOUR PERSONAL PLAN": Personal-futures consultant Verne    
Wheelwright shows how to put the three parts of your plan together--    
vision, action, and contingencies. READ MORE http://bit.ly/gmWadW    
    
- "FROM CHARITY to Commitment and Action": Reporting from a seminar on    
sustainable leadership at the Hunger Project in Sweden, Natascha    
Marxmeier offers ideas on how to make development assistance more    
effective. READ MORE http://bit.ly/e5Q2zM    
    
- "GREAT RECESSION Shrinks Time Horizons--and Pantries," observes David    
H. Rosen. Tightening the budget means not taking advantage of stocking    
up for the future, as consumers buy more on an as-needed basis. READ    
MORE http://bit.ly/gHr3E5    
    
- "THE FUTURIST PLAYLIST": What do Bob Dylan, the Jonas Brothers,    
Robert Downey Jr., and Little Orphan Annie have in common? All are    
included in the semi-official Futurist Playlist of songs about the    
future, compiled by FUTURIST UPDATE departing editor Cindy Wagner. READ    
MORE http://bit.ly/fQpxQU    
    
JOIN OR RENEW your WFS membership now to join in the conversation!    
http://www.wfs.org/renew    
    
    
******************************************************    
    
FUTURIST UPDATE: News & Previews from the World Future Society is an e-    
mail newsletter published monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST    
magazine. Copyright © 2010, World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue,    
Suite 450, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. Telephone 1-301-656-8274; e-mail    
mailto:info@wfs.org Web site http://www.wfs.org    
    
Editor: Cindy Wagner, mailto:cwagner@wfs.org    
    
Senior Editor: Patrick Tucker, mailto:ptucker@wfs.org    
    
Staff Editor: Aaron M. Cohen, mailto:acohen@wfs.org    
    
Publisher: Jeff Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org    
    
To subscribe, enter your e-mail at    
http://www.wfs.org/content/futurist-update    
    
To unsubscribe or change your e-mail address, REPLY to this e-mail with    
"unsubscribe" or "change address" in the subject line.    
    
Submit feedback: mailto:cwagner@wfs.org    
    
The WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY is a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and    
educational association with a global membership. Regular membership in    
the Society, including a subscription to THE FUTURIST, is $59 per year,    
or $20 for full-time students under age 25. Professional and    
Institutional membership programs are also offered; contact Society    
headquarters for details: http://www.wfs.org    
    
Networking with WFS:    
Facebook: http://bit.ly/bt2ERE    
LinkedIn (WFS Membership required):    
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=77204&trk=anet_ug_grppro    
ResearchGATE: http://www.researchgate.net/group/World_Future_Society/    
(or go to http://www.researchgate.net/home.Home.html to register and    
then search World Future Society in Groups)    
Twitter (THE FUTURIST): http://twitter.com/Theyear2030    
Twitter (WFS): http://twitter.com/WorldFutureSoc    
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/WorldFutureSociety    
Local futurist groups: http://www.wfs.org/chapters









News & Previews from the World Future Society August 2010 (Vol. 11, No. 8) Read online: http://www.wfs.org/futuristupdate.htm Receiving a pass-along copy or haven't joined WFS yet? Check out our special membership offer. http://www.wfs.org/forecasts Pass this newsletter along! FUTURIST UPDATE may be freely shared if forwarded in its entirety. In This Issue: * Entrepreneurship Stalls * Cloaking with Glass and Ceramics * Highest Atmospheric Carbon in 800,000 Years * Songbirds May Carry Avian Flu * Click of the Month: GoodGuide * What's Hot @WFS.ORG: Back from the Future ======================== ENTREPRENEURSHIP STALLS ======================== Business start-up activity plummeted in the first half of 2010 in the United States, reports the global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Just 3.7% of job seekers started their own business, compared with an average of 9.6% in the last two quarters of 2009. (The highest start-up rate of job seekers was 21.5%, recorded in the first half of 1989.) "Would-be entrepreneurs were either scooped up by employers or scared off by fragile economic conditions, a tight lending market, and uncertainty over the sustainability of the recovery," according to the firm. The slowdown in entrepreneurship may indicate that economic recovery is particularly weak and the U.S. economy may slip back into recession. "Start-up activity is at its lowest just as a recession hits," says CEO John A. Challenger. "In the months immediately following the end of the recession, when unemployment is at its highest and hiring is virtually nonexistent, we see a spike in job seekers starting a business." SOURCE: Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. http://www.challengergray.com ================================== CLOAKING WITH GLASS AND CERAMICS ================================== Using a type of glass that does not conduct electricity, researchers at Michigan Tech and Penn State report discovering a way to capture and route rays of visible light around objects, rendering the objects invisible. Previous attempts to build an "invisibility cloak" have used metals and wires. In the research by Michigan Tech engineer Elena Semouchkina and colleagues, tiny glass metamaterials were arranged in a cylinder shape that produced the magnetic resonance required to bend light waves around an object. These resonators are artificial materials with properties that do not exist in nature, born of the marriage between materials science and electrical engineering. The researchers are experimenting with other materials, such as ceramic resonators, and with other frequencies, such as microwave. The goal is to find applications that work at visible light frequencies, says Semouchkina. SOURCE: Michigan Technological University http://www.mtu.edu/news/stories/2010/july/story29391.html ********************advertisement************************ ANNOUNCING 2011 ANNUAL MEETING! The eyes of the future will turn to Canada in 2011, as the World Future Society assembles an outstanding collection of forward thinkers for its annual meeting, WorldFuture 2011, July 8-10, in Vancouver, British Columbia. Vancouver is an outstanding conference destination, not only for its natural beauty, but also as a setting for innovative thinking. You won't want to miss side trips to Science World, Pacific Space Center, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and Museum of Anthropology, to mention just a few highlights. World Future Society conferences are known as open marketplaces of ideas, where people from all cultures, disciplines, professions, age groups, and worldviews mix to learn from and stimulate each other with new opportunities--and new tools for meeting the challenges of building our common future. The program will include a wealth of concurrent sessions covering technology, education, health, business issues, families, communities, work trends, social change, the environment and resources, globalization, education, governance, futures methodologies, and much more. In addition, keynote speakers and special events will focus on significant global issues and breakthrough ideas. REGISTER BY AUGUST 31 and save $300 on the on-site registration fee http://beta.wfs.org/content/worldfuture-2011 =============================================== HIGHEST ATMOSPHERIC CARBON IN 800,000 YEARS =============================================== The choice to curb--or not to curb--carbon emissions in the near term will affect populations across the globe for centuries to come, says a new report from the National Research Council. The amount of carbon in the atmosphere is currently higher than at any point in the last 800,000 years. CO2 doesn't displace easily. The amount could triple by the end of the century depending on the sorts of emissions reductions choices individuals and policy makers enact today. Even if emissions stabilize, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere would continue to increase as the amount in the air already exceeds what the earth can absorb. The report details how small changes in temperature would change rainfall patterns and water availability: Rain in the North American southwest and the Mediterranean would decrease by as much as 10%, and crop yields could decrease by 15% for every one degree (Celsius) of warming according to the report. SOURCE: National Research Council http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12877 Read the report, "Climate Stabilization Targets: Emissions, Concentrations, and Impacts Over Decades to Millennia," online at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12877 =============================== SONGBIRDS MAY CARRY AVIAN FLU =============================== The migratory patterns of birds can give scientists data on future avian flu outbreaks. Analyzing more than 225 species of songbirds and perching birds, researchers found that 22 varieties are carriers of low-pathogenicity avian influenza, meaning they carry a strain of the bug that isn't dangerous enough to kill the bird but could mutate into something more lethal. The research supported by the National Science Foundation was recently published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases. Avian influenza or bird flu is most commonly associated with poultry and water fowl like chicken and ducks, but perching and songbirds--also called passerines--typically share the same habitats and may be more effective transmitters of the disease. By mapping such factors as a location's minimum temperature, date of spring thaw, and particularly the amount of land that's been converted into cropland, researchers hope to predict increases of avian flu cases. "Agricultural activity reduces the amount of natural habitat available to avian migrants," says Trevon Fuller, lead author of the paper and a biologist at the Center for Tropical Research at UCLA. When birds have less habitat, they crowd together more, which helps communicable diseases spread faster. SOURCE: National Science Foundation, http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117236&org=NSF&from=news ================================ CLICK OF THE MONTH: GOODGUIDE http://www.goodguide.com/ ================================ Is that shampoo really good for the environment? Are these organic cereals really good for me? What does it really mean when a product says it's "natural" or "organic" or "environmentally friendly"? Consumers have more choices than ever for conscientious consumption, but with few standards there may be much confusion about the true impacts of our daily purchases. GoodGuide offers ratings and "best and worst product reviews" of more than 65,000 products based on such factors as whether the item is tested on animals, is fragrance-free, reduces water consumption, or contributes to global warming. "About 33% of all new food products launched in 2008 claimed to be 'natural,' according to Dara O'Rourke, University of California, Berkeley, environmental policy professor and founder of the GoodGuide Web site," writes business futurist Erica Orange of Weiner, Edrich, Brown, Inc., in the September-October 2010 issue of THE FUTURIST. GoodGuide's goal is to help consumers interpret such vague terms. To make it even easier for shoppers to compare products on the shelves, GoodGuide also now offers an iPhone application. ============================================ WHAT'S HOT @WFS.ORG: BACK FROM THE FUTURE ============================================ We're "back from the future" once again, bidding a fond farewell to Boston, host of the World Future Society's conference, "WorldFuture 2010: Sustainable Futures, Strategies, and Technologies." As with any great adventure, we came home with more than we brought with us: more ideas, more contacts, and more energy for building the future. There were more highlights than we could possibly summarize here, but certainly the opening and closing addresses by Yale University bioethicist Wendell Wallach and journalist Michael Rogers helped frame the dialogues and debates that took place during the conference. Inventor Ray Kurzweil and NASA scientist Dennis Bushnell both spoke to packed audiences, and the luncheon speakers--oceanographer Susan Avery and workplace consultant Karen Moloney--provided overviews of the challenges we face in our physical and organizational landscapes. Another highlight was the honoring of Theodore J. Gordon during the closing session as recipient of the first Edward Cornish Award: Futurist of the Year. Gordon was nominated for his work in 2009 with the Millennium Project's Futures Research Methodology Version 3.0 and State of the Future, yet his outstanding career truly merits acclamation as a futures pioneer. On a personal note, I want to thank all the participants in the first- ever Futurist Writers Workshop, a one-day preconference course led by FUTURIST magazine senior editor Patrick Tucker and myself. Our goal was to help futurists deploy their unique environmental-scanning skills to craft interesting and useful stories for their target audience, be it public policy makers or the blogosphere. We came away from the workshop with a graduating class of outstanding futurist writers, whose work we hope you'll see a great deal of in the future! The story of the 2010 conference would not be complete without a mention of the international drama immediately preceding it! Just a week before the opening, we learned a professional member using the name Donald Heathfield--who had been a speaker at previous conferences- -was arrested on charges of espionage. Andrei Bezrukov confessed to his role in gathering intelligence while living in the United States and was deported with nine other agents in a "spy swap" with Russia. READ WFS founder Edward Cornish's account of the history of undercover interest in Society activities, "Welcome Russian Spies," http://www.wfs.org/Jul-Aug2010/Welcome_Russian_Spies.htm Though an enormous success, the conference experience also brought some unexpected sorrow: One of our members--Richard T. Anderson, former president of Waukesha County (Wisconsin) Technical College--suffered a stroke during the welcoming reception. We learned just as the conference closed that Richard passed away. We mourn his loss, yet it is inspiring to know that Richard spent these precious moments with others who shared his belief that a better future is truly a lifetime pursuit. DETAILS: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel http://www.jsonline.com/news/obituaries/98179039.html AUDIO AND SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS: http://www.intelliquestmedia.com/store/search.php?a=E&c=201026 PHOTOS from the conference: http://twitpic.com/photos/WorldFutureSoc ORDER a copy of the WorldFuture 2010 conference volume, STRATEGIES AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE ($29.95, or $24.95 for Society members): http://beta.wfs.org/node/64 Look for more coverage of WorldFuture 2010 in the November-December issue of THE FUTURIST magazine. Join or renew your membership in the World Future Society to ensure that you receive your copy! BENEFITS: http://www.wfs.org/member.htm REGISTER before August 31 to save $300 for WorldFuture 2011, to be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, July 8-10: http://beta.wfs.org/content/worldfuture-2011 ****************************************************** FUTURIST UPDATE: News & Previews from the World Future Society is an e- mail newsletter published monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine. Copyright © 2010, World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. Telephone 1-301-656-8274; e-mail mailto:info@wfs.org Web site http://www.wfs.org Editor: Cindy Wagner, mailto:cwagner@wfs.org Senior Editor: Patrick Tucker, mailto:ptucker@wfs.org Network Administrator: Jeff Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org Vice President, Membership/Conference Operations: Susan Echard, mailto:info@wfs.org To subscribe, enter your e-mail at http://www.wfs.org/futuristupdate.htm To unsubscribe or change your e-mail address, REPLY to this e-mail with "unsubscribe" or "change address" in the subject line. Submit feedback: mailto:cwagner@wfs.org The WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY is a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and educational association with a global membership. Regular membership in the Society, including a subscription to THE FUTURIST, is $59 per year, or $20 for full-time students under age 25. Professional and Institutional membership programs are also offered; contact Society headquarters for details: http://www.wfs.org Networking with WFS: Facebook: http://bit.ly/cFtw23 LinkedIn (WFS Membership required): http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=77204&trk=anet_ug_grppro MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thefuturistmagazine Twitter (THE FUTURIST): http://twitter.com/Theyear2030 Twitter (WFS): http://twitter.com/WorldFutureSoc YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/WorldFutureSociety Local futurist groups: http://www.wfs.org/chapnew.htm

FUTURIST UPDATE News & Previews from the World Future Society June 2010 (Vol. 11, No. 6) Read online: www.wfs.org/futuristupdate.htm Pass this newsletter along! FUTURIST UPDATE may be freely shared if forwarded in its entirety. Receiving a pass-along copy or haven't joined WFS yet? Check out our special membership offer. http://www.wfs.org/foresight In This Issue: * The Edward Cornish Award for Futurist of the Year * FUTURIST Magazine Published in Turkish * Visions of Europe * Dator, Henderson, Coates Honored * 2010 High-School Essay Contest Winners * Clicks of the Month: Futurist Reading List * Citizen-Scientists and the Future =================================================== THE EDWARD CORNISH AWARD FOR FUTURIST OF THE YEAR =================================================== Theodore J. Gordon, co-founder and senior research fellow of the Millennium Project, will be honored as the first recipient of The Edward Cornish Award for Futurist of the Year. The presentation will take place during the closing plenary session on July 10 at the World Future Society's meeting, WorldFuture 2010: Sustainable Futures, Strategies, and Technologies, to be held July 8-10 at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. "In the last year, Ted Gordon has influenced greatly futures studies in many countries of the world, especially in methodologies and normative scenarios," said WFS Global Advisory Council member Eleonora Barbieri Masini, professor emeritus of Gregorian University, Rome. "Very important [is] his interest in ethical issues at the global level and as related to futures issues. In the last months he has lectured in Italy at different universities influencing thus students, lecturers and, very interesting for Italy, decision making. In Italy this has been specially important, as futures studies have not been too well accepted at the decision-making level." During 2009, the Millennium Project released Futures Research Methodology Version 3.0, a substantially updated edition of a comprehensive CD-ROM offering invaluable tools for foresight, planning, and decision making, including material that Gordon produced with colleagues at The Futures Group International. Along with Millennium Project co-founder Jerome C. Glenn, with whom he has also prepared the series of annual reports on the State of the Future, Gordon represents "the best of futures research and execution on a global basis, which improves the development of foresight around the world," said World Future Society board member Jack Gottsman. Named for World Future Society founding president Edward Cornish, editor of its magazine THE FUTURIST and author of FUTURING: The Exploration of the Future, the Award is presented to the individual or group on the basis of work completed within the past 12 months, demonstrating an effective application of foresight (including classroom work) or the public discussion of the future. Nominations were open to any individual or organization involved in futures work anywhere in the world. "This award is exciting because it honors the vision of Society founder Ed Cornish, the achievements of foresight pioneer Ted Gordon, and the inspiration that both offer to futurists following their outstanding example," said FUTURIST managing editor Cynthia Wagner. "It brings together the past, present, and future of our field." ======================================== FUTURIST MAGAZINE PUBLISHED IN TURKISH ======================================== The Turkish Futurists Society and the Aktif Group, a privately owned postal company, have teamed to produce the first Turkish language edition of the World Future Society's flagship magazine, THE FUTURIST. "Future anxiety is a very common feeling in people," said Ufuk Tarhan, Turkish Futurists Society president and founder of M-GEN Future Planning Center, during a press conference in Istanbul on May 18. "However, it is in our hands to change it. THE FUTURIST may shape our future by informing us about future trends, forecasts, and ideas about the future." The venture produced 10,000 copies of the May-June 2010 issue, according to Aktif Group Board Chairman Yusuf Köse. "This initiative is like a social responsibility project for us," he said. DETAILS: http://www.thefuturist-tr.com/ See also "Futurist Magazine Publishes in Turkey for First Time," Hürriyet Daily News (May 19), http://tinyurl.com/TurkishFut PHOTOS from the press conference: http://tinyurl.com/TRfuturist ********************advertisement************************ OXFORD SCENARIOS PROGRAMME http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/execed/strategy/scenarios 6 - 10 September 2010, £4,750 (ex VAT) all-inclusive Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. This programme helps you identify the crucial drivers of change shaping the wider context. With the future in mind, you will learn how to develop strategies, policies or programmes to prepare your organisation for tomorrow's turbulent and uncertain business climate. For details contact mailto:caroline.williams@sbs.ox.ac.uk To join this programme we welcome your Online Application: https://app.hobsons.co.uk/?id=ox-sbsee ==================== VISIONS OF EUROPE ==================== The Foundation For Future Studies in Germany, a new Institutional Member of the World Future Society, has released the English-language version of two of its 2008 reports, "Future Expectations of Europe" and "A Vision for Europe from Economic Community to Community of Values." The group, which conducts original scientific and statistical research on long-term trends in attitudes and behavior, is now also producing English-language versions of its Current Research newsletter. SOURCE: Dr. Ulrich Reinhardt, BAT-Stiftung Für Zukunftsfragen (Foundation for Future Studies) http://www.stiftungfuerzukunftsfragen.de/en/research/publications.html DOWNLOAD the reports from WFS: Future Expectations for Europe, http://bit.ly/d9E7ch A Vision for Europe, http://bit.ly/d07Ywr ================================= DATOR, HENDERSON, COATES HONORED ================================= The Foresight Network has bestowed its newly created Futurist of the Year Laurel on Jim Dator (director, Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies), Hazel Henderson (founder and president, Ethical Markets Media), and Joseph Coates (consulting futurist and contributing columnist for Technological Forecasting & Social Change). The Network's 2,400 members were asked to name the futures thinkers who had the most-important influence on them. "These three have contributed so much to the field of futures thinking and it's an honor for me to present them with this recognition," said Myles Hopkins, chairman of the Foresight Network. SOURCE: Shaping Tomorrow, http://www.shapingtomorrow.com or contact Bengt-Arne Vedin, mailto:bengt-arne.vedin@telia.com ======================================= 2010 HIGH-SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS ======================================= An essay describing the impacts of technology on social values and happiness has earned first place in the World Future Society's second annual high-school essay contest. "A Hurting Society" was written by Trevor Hu, a senior at Hawaii Baptist Academy in Honolulu. As winner, Hu will receive $300, a three- year membership in the Society, and complimentary registration at WorldFuture 2010 in Boston. Second place was awarded to Jeremy Sia of the Raffles Institution in Singapore for "China's Household Registration System," an analysis of the impacts of the Hokou system on rural and urban families. Third place was awarded to Nicole Watts of Mililani, Hawaii, for "Socially Active," an essay describing the impacts of new communications and networking technologies. The winning essays will also be published in a forthcoming issue of the World Future Society's journal for professional members, WORLD FUTURE REVIEW http://www.wfs.org/wfr/ ********************advertisement************************ LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AND EDUCATION SUMMIT AT WORLDFUTURE 2010! WorldFuture 2010 will bring together a thousand futurists from around the world to the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston, July 8-10. Come early (July 7-8) for preconference courses, the MIT Media Lab tour, and the Education Summit, and stay late (July 11) for the Professional Members' Forum. Futurists looking to enhance their own skills will also have a variety of learning opportunities before the conference gets under way. Courses range from introductory to advanced, such as how to build and use scenarios and using patterns of inventions to predict the future. DETAILS, http://www.wfs.org/2010courses.htm Robots in the classroom, "power teaching," and innovative problem- solving strategies will all be explored at the annual Education Summit immediately preceding the opening of WorldFuture 2010. The Summit will address the challenges and opportunities of demographic and technological transformation to improve learning in the future. DETAILS, http://www.wfs.org/2010educsummit.htm The conference program itself boasts an outstanding lineup of speakers, such as business futurists Edie Weiner and Arnold Brown, inventors Ray Kurzweil and Stephen Thaler, and representatives from global organizations such as UNESCO, the Japan Institute of Negotiation, and the European Futures Observatory. LEARN MORE: http://www.wfs.org/2010main.htm DOWNLOAD preliminary program: http://www.wfs.org/WorldFuture_2010_PrelimPr.pdf RESERVE YOUR HOTEL ROOM AT SPECIAL CONFERENCE RATE: http://www.wfs.org/2010hotel.htm SAVE $50! REGISTER FOR WorldFuture 2010 by June 15: http://www.wfs.org/2010regform.htm ========================================================== CLICKS OF THE MONTH: FUTURIST READING LIST (AMAZON.COM) ========================================================== Get ready for this summer's most exciting learning experience! Here are recent books by some of the confirmed speakers at WorldFuture 2010: Janna Quitney Anderson and Lee Rainie: o Up for Grabs: The Future of the Internet, Volume 1 (with Susannah Fox. Cambria Press, 2008) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1604975172/thefuturistbooks o Hopes and Fears: The Future of the Internet, Volume 2 (Cambria Press, 2008) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1604975717/thefuturistbooks o Ubiquity, Mobility, Security: The Future of the Internet, Volume 3 (Cambria Press, 2009) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1604976152/thefuturistbooks Harvey Cox: o The Future of Faith (HarperOne, 2009) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061755524/thefuturistbooks Anthony Flint: o Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took On New York's Master Builder and Transformed the American City (Random House, 2009) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400066743/thefuturistbooks Theodore J. Gordon and Jerome C. Glenn: o Futures Research Methodology Version 3.0 [CD-ROM] (The Millennium Project, 2009) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0981894119/thefuturistbooks Ray Kurzweil: o The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology (Penguin, 2006) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0143037889/thefuturistbooks Ramez Naam: o More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement (Broadway, 2005) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0767918436/thefuturistbooks Robert R. Prechter Jr.: o Conquer the Crash: You Can Survive and Prosper in a Deflationary Depression (Wiley, 2009) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/047056797X/thefuturistbooks Arthur Shostak (editor), with contributions from Tsvi Bisk, Joseph Coates, William Crossman, William E. Halal, Timothy C. Mack, Marsha Rhea, Daniel I. Shostak, David Pearce Snyder, Marianne Solomon, Stephen Steele, and others: o Creating the School You Want: Learning @ Tomorrow's Edge (Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2010) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1607096439/thefuturistbooks Edie Weiner and Arnold Brown: o FutureThink: How to Think Clearly in a Time of Change (Prentice Hall, 2008) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/013701001X/thefuturistbooks ================================== CITIZEN-SCIENTISTS AND THE FUTURE ================================== "The Rise of the Citizen-Scientist" is the theme of the H+ Summit, to be held at Harvard University, June 12-13, and hosted by the Harvard College Future Society. Among the 60 scheduled speakers are inventor Ray Kurzweil, physicist and business leader Stephen Wolfram, biologist Andrew Hessel, and gerontologist Aubrey De Grey, who will address such issues as AI, neuroscience, transhumanism, and accelerating change. Registration is $200, but a generous discount is given for students. The Summit is organized by Humanity+, a nonprofit educational organization focused on applying technologies to human enhancement and on understanding the potential consequences of such pursuits. The Harvard College Future Society is a student organization dedicated to promoting awareness of the impacts of accelerating technological growth on future society. DETAILS: http://www.hplussummit.com or http://www.humanityplus.org ************************************************************* THE FUTURE MATTERS: Since 1966, members of the World Future Society have supported the publications, resources, research, and networking opportunities that have helped develop the field of futures studies. Now, our goals have expanded, and so has our need for your support, because "The Future Matters." Please read a special message from WFS President Tim Mack: http://www.wfs.org/futurematters.htm PARDON OUR DUST! The WFS office is getting a much-needed makeover in June, but rest assured, the staff will be on hand to assist you with any questions or problems--contact information below. Check out some of our pictures: http://twitpic.com/photos/WorldFutureSoc NEW ON FUTURE TV: Check out the latest video from the World Future Society on YouTube, "A Gathering of Futurists," and don't forget to subscribe to the WFS channel! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dRtXwQBrwU ****************************************************** FUTURIST UPDATE: News & Previews from the World Future Society is an e- mail newsletter published monthly as a supplement to THE FUTURIST magazine. Copyright © 2010, World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA. Telephone 1-301-656-8274; e-mail mailto:info@wfs.org Web site http://www.wfs.org Editor: Cindy Wagner, mailto:cwagner@wfs.org Senior Editor: Patrick Tucker, mailto:ptucker@wfs.org Network Administrator: Jeff Cornish, mailto:jcornish@wfs.org Vice President, Membership/Conference Operations: Susan Echard, mailto:sechard@wfs.org To subscribe, enter your e-mail at www.wfs.org/futuristupdate.htm To unsubscribe or change your e-mail address, REPLY to this e-mail with "unsubscribe" or "change address" in the subject line. Submit feedback: mailto:cwagner@wfs.org The WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY is a nonprofit, nonpartisan scientific and educational association with a global membership. Regular membership in the Society, including a subscription to THE FUTURIST, is $59 per year, or $20 for full-time students under age 25. Professional and Institutional membership programs are also offered; contact Society headquarters for details: http://www.wfs.org Networking with WFS: Facebook: http://bit.ly/cFtw23 LinkedIn (WFS Membership required): http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=77204&trk=anet_ug_grppro MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thefuturistmagazine Twitter (THE FUTURIST): http://twitter.com/Theyear2030 Twitter (WFS): http://twitter.com/WorldFutureSoc YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/WorldFutureSociety Local futurist groups: http://www.wfs.org/chapnew.htm

Comments (1)

Bob-RJ Burkhart said

at 3:39 am on Dec 27, 2010

Seems ironic that under TEN (10) percent of articles here demonstrate (by example) that Minnesota Futurists Chapter members exercise INFLUENCE within World Future Society (WFS)

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