Superlife is an unprecedented paradigm shift, the key trend of our time. If we catch its surge, rather than letting it swamp us, it can carry us to a hyper-human world of greatly expanded powers and possibilities. Thanks to scientific and social advances, we are fast evolving into a whole new self-modified species. Those of us who get with this meta-trend can look forward to six key developments. There's a big countertrend, of course. It involves super pollution, super conflict, and more. The two big trends, very positive and very negative, appear locked in mortal combat. Only one can win
NY Times Video The Marijuana State Twelve years after California voters legalized medical marijuana, it is being exploited as a cash crop and for recreational use.
Don't give up - Michael Pollan - The Guardian Friday June 6 2008 Do you feel it's a waste of time trying to prevent climate change? That reducing your carbon footprint is pointless when someone else is happy to increase theirs? That changing lightbulbs is a futile gesture? Well don't, says Michael Pollan, because even small changes in your lifestyle - and your thinking - can help save the world
Vatican Hints at Changes in Church Laws on Abuse By LAURIE GOODSTEIN - Published: April 19, 2008 A top official suggested that the Roman Catholic Church is considering changes related to the church’s statute of limitations on child sexual abuse
Huizen verplaatst naaktschilderijen van Ellen Vroegh na klachten donderdag 22 mei 2008 12:00 (Novum) - De gemeente Huizen heeft naaktschilderijen van kunstenares Ellen Vroegh verplaatst. Twee of drie mannen met een islamitische achtergrond en enkele baliemedewerkers hadden volgens een gemeentewoordvoerder over het uitzicht geklaagd. De door sommigen als confronterend ervaren schilderijen hingen sinds dinsdag in de publieksruimte van het gemeentehuis.
Geert Wilders “Fitna the Movie” film about The Quran released
Shine - New website for women - When we started talking about creating a new website for women, we wanted to avoid all of the common categories that advertisers or marketers tend to put us in. We didn’t want to be a site just for moms or just for single women or working women, or any specific demo- or psychographic. We wanted to create a smart, dynamic place for women to gather, get info and to connect with each other and the world around them. The important thing wasn’t how to talk to a 32.5 year-old with 2.2 kids but how to inspire you laugh, think, get mad, empathize, and be surprised and entertained. With Shine, we want to address the commonalities that make us such an amazing group.
Afro-centric search engine debuts
500 Million Internet Users in Asia-Pacific FEBRUARY 12, 2008 According to recent estimates there were 6.6 billion people in the world in 2007. Of that number, 1.15 billion, or 17.5%, were regular Internet users. By 2012, eMarketer projects that over 1.7 billion people worldwide (24.5%) will access the Internet at least once per month. This year will see China overtake the United States as the most populous Internet nation in the world and the Asia-Pacific region will top 500 million Internet users. By 2012, nearly 50% of the world’s Internet population will live in the Asia-Pacific region. The share of the world’s Internet users in Europe and North America will fall, though absolute numbers will continue to rise in both regions, as the share of users in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region both grow. The Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries lead the world in terms of Internet penetration, and reached something of a saturation point around 80% of the population in 2007.
About Fitna, the Netherlands and Wilders
NextBillion.net is both a knowledge repository and a space for discussion and networking among those with an interest in the “next billion”--the next billion to rise from the base of the economic pyramid (BOP) as participants in healthy economies, and the next billion in profits for businesses, from multinational to microenterprises, to earn by selling to underserved markets.
SOPHISTICATED INVESTOR - Profile The 'middle-class millionaire' - Those with net worth of $1 million to $10 million reshape U.S. culture By Thomas Kostigen, MarketWatch - Last update: 7:31 p.m. EST March 5, 2008 SANTA MONICA, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- Those with a net worth of between $1 million and $10 million -- that they have earned rather than inherited -- are being dubbed "middle-class millionaires," a group that has grown on the heels of the economic boom over the past couple decades. Middle-class millionaires now account for 10% of the U.S. population, according Russ Alan Prince and Lewis Schiff, who coined the term for research purposes and a new book by that name. They studied almost 4,000 households to better understand attitudes, values and purchasing patterns. * 7.6% of American households, or 8.4 million households are middle-class millionaires * The average middle-class millionaire works 70 hours per week * Middle-class millionaires are five times more likely than the average worker to say they are always available for work * 89% believes that anyone can attain wealth through hard work * 62% believes that networking, or knowing many people, is the key to financial success * Nine out of 10 middle-class millionaires say they made a bad career or business move, but almost three-fourths say that was crucial to their business success * They are five times more likely than the average middle-class person to continue on in the same business course in spite an earlier failure * 65% of middle-class millionaires characterize their approach to negotiating as "doing whatever you need to do to win" * They say they need a net worth of $24 million to feel wealthy, and $13.4 million to be considered rich.
The NOW project reveals big picture insight into the dynamic South African consumer landscape 2 extremely in-depth qual studies zoom in & shed light on a cross section of society and the reasoning behind the myriad of brands & media that we engage with daily. Core themes define recognisable consumer clusters - beyond demographics & racial profiles- what essentially differentiates one from the other? It’s a personal experience: an intimate immersion into the lives & hearts of the real human beings that we live, talk & sell to. And a powerfully simple strategic tool: a useful way to segment your market- and help predict where it is heading.
Africa Action is the oldest organization in the U.S. working on African affairs. We are a national organization based in Washington, DC. Our work dates back to 1953, the year our oldest predecessor organization was founded in New York. Today, in partnership with activists and civil society organizations throughout the United States and in Africa, Africa Action is working to change U.S. foreign policy and the policies of international institutions in order to support African struggles for peace and development. By changing the policies of our own government, we have proven that we can make a real difference.
The Lifeboat Foundation is a nonprofit nongovernmental organization dedicated to encouraging scientific advancements while helping humanity survive existential risks and possible misuse of increasingly powerful technologies, including genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics/AI, as we move towards a technological singularity. Lifeboat Foundation is pursuing a variety of options, including helping to accelerate the development of technologies to defend humanity, including new methods to combat viruses (such as RNA interference and new vaccine methods), effective nanotechnological defensive strategies, and even self-sustaining space colonies in case the other defensive strategies fail.
People-Powered Search For the legions of Internet users contributing to new "human-assisted search" sites, no job is too small.
The Right to Quiet Society for Soundscape awareness and Protection - We do not seek to create an absolutely quiet world. However, we do want to see a world where quiet is a normal part of life and where it is possible to listen to the sounds of nature without the constant intrusion of machine noise and artificial stimuli. Noise pollution is not easily defined because it is different from other forms of pollution. One measure of pollution is the danger it poses to health. Noise causes stress, which is a leading cause of illness and suicide. Therefore, any form of noise can be considered pollution if it causes annoyance, sleeplessness, fright, or any other stress reaction.
Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating real and lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. It is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, comprising 28 national Save the Children organizations working in more than 110 countries to ensure the well-being of children.
The Transhumanist Arts Center is designed to provide insight into the future directions of art and creativity of the 21st Century as well as a brief history of transhumanity, Transhumanist Arts, and Extropic Art. Artists and the arts, throughout history, have been a voice and a vision of civilization. Artists, as communicators, reach out to others and introduce insight and vision about society and culture. Artists and the arts bring together the passions, the dreams and the hopes of humanity and transhumanity and express these emotions in ways that touch us deeply. Whether it is filmmaking, industrial or graphic design, poetry, fiction, science fiction, digital images, video, paintings, music, dance, sculpture, architecture, literature—our work communicates to culture and affects the pulse of culture.
