2012 Trends - News and Textbook Formats for the Future

There are quite a few new trends in the news and news media industry in 2012, we see new pay-walls, and custom tailored web news for those with eReaders, Tablet Computers, and accessing their news on their mobile tech devices such as; Android, iPhone, or some other smart phone model. It seems also that the eBook and eReader are also evolving, allowing for more multi-media version and new models of eReaders to allow for eTextBooks too. Okay so let's talk about all this for a moment, as I have a few forward looking thoughts on all this new technology.
The weekend Wall Street Journal Nick named; "WSJ Weekend Edition" seems to be taking a note from The Popular Mechanics Magazine format with its; "Ideas Market" section which appears on page 3 of each week's weekend edition. Not surprisingly, also Bloomberg is moving towards this type of fast-paced format for their tech topics. Why you ask? Because it works, it's been proven, and folks like to get their information with quick bites of information and pictures. They can read it fast, and they very much enjoy that format.
Okay so, if humans like the uptake of information in this way, then why don't we create the new eTextbooks in a similar format with multimedia? Well, it just so happens that it appears that Apple is attempting to do just that, and I believe that's a good thing, rather than giving students a large textbook which reads like an encyclopedia. In that case they don't really need to memorize the information, they just need the textbook for later reference, do you see my point?
Further, there is some information which we need to know, and some which we don't, having it all spread out nicely with quick little important pieces of information, which is about all a human being can really remember anyway, is probably the proper way to do it for informational uptake and rote memorization. The other day, I was discussing all this with a retired educational psychologist on the different ways that people learn. Custom tailoring information for faster learning, imprinting, and individual preference sure makes a lot more sense than what we've been doing.
Of course, I suppose that's nothing new really, just new technology enabling us to get there faster and allow us to make it happen. Ronald G. Corwin in his book "Education in Crisis" written in 1974 stated in Chapter I - Bureaucracy in Education notes; "Each person tends to interpret his experiences from the unique vantage point of his own background" and goes on to say that they will learn in different ways and choose different styles of the information they choose to commit to memory. Certainly we all agree on that.
Thus, it only makes sense to deliver the information is such a format which suits the human mind and lay out all that information, and apparently in 2012 the personal tech vendors, eBook purveyors, and even the old media is quickly re-learning these genetic realities of human nature. I'd say "bravo!" it's about time. Please consider all this and think on it.

Facebook and Social Networks As the Ultimate Lobbyists - Should They Register As Such?

We all know the definition of a lobbyist, and we also know that companies hire lobbyists and law firms in Washington DC, but they also do a good bit of political handshaking and lobbying on their own. But a new very interesting model is emerging, and interestingly enough, it is one I have used on at least a smaller scale previously myself. It is the power of a company, in this case a social network to rile up the citizens to cause a barrage and swarm of comments to their politicians to serve the will for the company.
Some folks may not understand just how powerful this force is, but a politician who wants the votes surely does, especially in this world, and day and age when politicians are attempting to harvest the power of social networks for their campaigns and re-elections. It should come as no surprise that the social networks of today operate from a very powerful standpoint. That power has not yet been tested here the United States, but there may be a showdown coming.
We saw in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and in several Middle Eastern nations just how much power social networks have, and the way they enable the masses. No one understands the strength, or flow of social trends as much as those who own these companies and study the dynamics. On Read Write Web there was an interesting piece entitled; "Hollywood Pressures DC Lobbyists to Cut Ties With Facebook," by Dave Copeland published on February 27, 2012. The article stated;
"3 of 4 Washington, D.C. lobbying firms Facebook hired abruptly terminated their contracts citing conflicts of interest, even as Facebook had upped its lobbying efforts to $1.4 million last year from $351,000 in 2010. The Hollywood Movie and Music industry are doing everything they can to ensure that the tech industry and Facebook in particular doesn't have any talent to go up to the Hill."
Yes, and that's fine, but they are also dealing with a billionaire overgrown teenager running that company, and he will be a competitor, the likes of what they haven't seen before, and thus, the war has begun, and things are about to get quite serious, I imagine. Facebook also has a lot of power, power of the mindless masses, aka "power of the people" and it really doesn't need to pay lobbyists, it has people power up the gazzoo. If Hollywood wants to have a war with Facebook, they may end up losing billions in revenue, and all of their power in Washington DC.
Further, I wouldn't put it past the CEO and founder of Facebook, as he has run his company much like a Machiavellian Prince up until now, it's hard to say what he is capable of, or just how well his sword fits his new persona. But if he starts swinging it, look out, this could be the war of the media which makes or breaks an entire sector, and it could easily take down and change Washington DC forever.
Oh, and an FYI: I am not on Facebook, and I'm not a fan of social networks, nor do I appreciate the politics in and around Hollywood. I am taking no side on this issue, I'm just observing the battle lines being drawn in the sand for a future war of global and epic proportions. Please consider all this and think on it.

The Closing of Hull House

A month ago, The Hull House Association announced that it was closing its programs and filing for bankruptcy. Most people likely shrugged their shoulders and moved on, barely taking time to read the article that accompanied the headline. But the closing down of one of the longest running social service institutions has profound implications not just on the lives of the individuals and neighborhoods that it served, but also on helping professionals and on the fabric of the social safety net for our society's most vulnerable populations.
As a first year student in my MSW at UC-Berkeley, I took a class that discussed the history and context of social welfare in the US. The work of Jane Addams was presented as a seminal event within this history. Ms. Addams came from an upper class family and was drawn, as many of her peers were, to do something about the social ills that she saw within her city. But she was not one to simply hold fundraisers or volunteer. Her idea was to open a home in a poor neighborhood where she and other volunteers would live to serve the needs of the people.
She wanted to be a part of the community that she was serving. Her feeling was that it was only by getting to know who she served could she provide what was needed. Hull House, a national historic treasure, was this settlement house and was expanded through the following century into a range of services, which at last estimate provided services to 60,000 individuals yearly in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Although it was initially privately funded, the Hull House Association had come to rely on public funding for its programs. At some point, it had become almost completely dependent on the whims of political factions and what they believe about providing for the basic needs of people in this country. The debate over the size of the government which rages currently in the GOP Primary campaigns seem a bit like the death knell of organizations like the Hull House which serve the poor in our communities.
Over the past several years, proceeding even the recent recession, I have worked as a social worker in a medical setting. The benefits and programs for the aged and disabled in this country have slowly been whittled down to the nubbins. While programs like Medicare Part D coverage for medications, or recent changes in health care insurance laws allowing people with pre-existing conditions to get coverage have helped, they do not change the fact that the resources for people who are vulnerable are scarce and frightening to those who are living with disabilities day to do.
In a recent appearance, a prominent GOP front-runner, commented that he was not worried about the very poor in our society. That is what the safety net is for, he quipped. It seems like he has not been paying attention to what is happening to the safety net in our country because it is becoming frayed and on the verge of ripping open altogether.
There are some who see this as a good thing. They believe that those who must use benefits provided through government-funded programs are lazy or malingering. People need to earn the right of being considered worthy of assistance in some way. This is a direct affront to Jane Addams' ideal that all people are inherently worthy of dignity and respect, and part of treating people in such a way is to provide for basic needs when an individual or family cannot do so on their own.
Social workers and other helping professionals are being asked to do more with less and less. The options that are available are untenable for most of their clients and would seem like an affront to someone who has not had to deal with any part of the social welfare safety net. They are also suffering the losses of colleagues and friends to layoffs. In Chicago, the closing of Hull House means the loss of positions and an additional burden on surrounding social service agencies - a burden which likely they will not be able to fully shoulder.
It may seem like a local problem for Chicago, but the same is happening in cities all around the country. And despite the optimism of trickle-down economics, there are no big donors stepping in where government programs are cutting off. The middle class is too anxious about its own financial security to give in substantial amounts, and the wealthiest have not necessarily increased their giving.
So what does all this mean? It means that we are creating a more desperate impoverished class. It means that those who are middle class are closer to being poor than ever before. It means that we are choosing a government which sits back and allows those with the most needs suffer.
When I first went to Social Work school, it was recommended that students read Unfaithful Angels by Harold Specht. The book decried the flight of trained social workers into private practice therapy...they were the "unfaithful" angels. But social workers, and other helping professionals, are not angels. We are people who know how to make the most of the tools we are given in a variety of situations. The book by Specht missed the larger societal trends, however; it is our country that has become "unfaithful" to the neediest in its midst.

Revisiting a Dialysis Center After 11 Years of Transplant Living

I didn't expect it-the smell. The extreme smell of disinfectant and bleach, the quiet coming and going of staff and patients. The dialysis center. I hadn't been inside a dialysis center for nearly 11 years, when I was on peritoneal dialysis or PD as those of us in the "Kidney World" call it. I agreed to participate in a study for the National Kidney Foundation as a peer mentor talking with dialysis patients. I am a certified peer mentor, however this study required additional training and all through the training I was excited to participate. The study's hypothesis is something I believe in and feel strongly will be successful. Even though I am a peer mentor, much of my work promoting organ donation has been at speaking engagements, church functions and during book signings. So I really hadn't been back to a dialysis center until today.
I was glad that the social worker and National Kidney Foundation representative met with me in the conference room first. I needed a minute to collect myself. It is not that I was afraid or changed my mind about volunteering; I just didn't anticipate the reaction of a negative déjà vu.
After our discussion about how the day would go, I gowned up to meet my patients. I remember that when I was on dialysis, I was afraid of what would happen next... after dialysis. And if I didn't do anything today, I wanted the people that I met to know that there can be a successful life after dialysis. With that mantra, my nervousness about the bleach that I smelled turned into eagerness to meet new friends.
My afternoon was spent meeting very interesting people. I interrupted one lady from her portable DVD player that she brought to watch a movie. We talked about how smart that idea was to pass the time away. I even suggested to her that bringing a laptop if possible, would allow her to write-either to chronicle her experiences or to dream up a fantastic work of fiction. Another gentleman took me through all four of his children, where they went to school, their majors, where they now work, whether they were married and if they gave him grandchildren!
Sometimes when we get caught up with disease, illness and chronic conditions, we forget about the interesting and complex lives that people live. I shared and they shared. I think we had a good day. I'll be back in a couple weeks and look forward to building the relationships I created today. Although I'm the mentor presumably offering information and ways to make it successfully through dialysis, I feel like I'm the one who benefited from today's activities.

Defeating the Monster of Urban Decay in Johannesburg

By 2000 the last psychological blow fell. One could argue that most businesses that were going to leave inner city Joburg had left by the mid 1990s. But when the JSE (Johannesburg Stock Exchange) picked up its skirts and strutted off to glitzy Sandton that was the symbolic blow that brought home the reality that the Joburg inner city was defeated. Something else had risen up in the inner-city, a monster fuelled by crime, public filth, building vacancy, taxi violence, car hijacking, municipal mismanagement and maladministration. A visionlessness and hopelessness pervaded the city. It would take more than one heroic blow to bring down such a monster. So what was once the commercial hub of Southern Africa, reaching its pinnacle, in the 1980s, the inner-city was hit by the flight of business to the northern suburbs.
Ownership
Ownership has been among the blows to send the inner-city decay 'monster' into decline. By the time the JSE left, the mining houses and three banks (FNB, Standard and ABSA) had already resolved to stay and rejuvenate the city, this is where ownership really took root. The Johannesburg Development Agency would be another blow to the doom and gloom providing initiative and vision. Throw in Business Against Crime and other civil initiatives and people began to believe.
By the time the Better Buildings Programme began the ownership was tangible. Alas BBP, an attempt by the city to take bad buildings and turn them into better buildings only achieved moderate success. The process proved laborious, taking as long as two years to get one building through litigation and judgment. Former Mayor Amos Masondo said: "It (the BBP) was hamstrung by factors such as the lengthy expropriation process, the screening of participants and the requirements to provide transitional housing to people who have been evicted,". He said the BBP had been only moderately successful because of the lengthy expropriation process.
Now transitional housing, BBP's biggest stumbling block, will be provided to current residents of buildings that will be refurbished by the specially formed Transitional Housing Trust (THT) which will manage the process.
The BBP has evolved into the Inner City Property Scheme (ICPS). In April this year Amos Masondo announced a new, arguably improved, scheme to deal with one of urban decay's biggest symptoms: distressed buildings. The City of Johannesburg has thus created a restoration solution, though driven by the private sector. A large portion of the City's property portfolio will be transferred to the ICPS through a series of structured sale transactions. Unfortunately during the BBP years, since 2004, out of 130 rejuvenation projects in the inner city only 2% have come from black economic empowerment (BEE) investors.
ICPS plans to put this right. Again ownership is the dynamic since the ICPS plans to empower historically disadvantaged people by creating the biggest black owned inner-city property scheme in South Africa. The City retains ownership of properties until it is satisfied with the regeneration of those properties. Participants in the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) transactions were selected through a Request for Proposal process, and are required to provide a minimum equity contribution of R 5 million. The city would ensure that the option to buy was exercised only once the dilapidated property had been refurbished. Watch this space.
Residential Real Estate Restoration
Another blow to the monster has been on the residential front. In a R41 million finance deal, Nedbank has backed the redevelopment of the existing nine-storey building at 16 Frederick Street in Marshalltown into a modern residential apartment building! Last year Nedbank provided finance for the R100 million redevelopment of an office building situated at 29 Kerk Street for sale to Diluculo Investments on completion of the refurbishment. Although there have been swings and roundabouts. Urban Ocean founders Alfonso Botha and Duan Coetzee had very lofty plans in 2004 buying up old office buildings with the view to turning the inner city into a stylish space to work, reside and recreate. But by early 2008, some of Urban Ocean's renewal efforts had stagnated, and upmarket housing diminished. But two years down the line in 2010 Aengus Property Management was administering more than 2000 trendy apartments in the city, many of these units were snapped up for the world cup last year. Most of APM's buildings in the Braamfontein area are now being let out to young professionals working in the city and student tenants attending university at nearby campuses.
In June Jawitz Properties sold an apartment of 147m in the historic headquarters of Barclays Bank at 87 Commissioner Street for a cool R1,15m! CBD loft-style developments are comparatively more reasonable than the competition from the northern suburbs tempting the trendy set back to the city.
Then there is the Maboneng Precinct: opened with Arts on Main. What was originally a complex of five out-of-commission warehouses is now home to 28 sectional title studios and offices. Even the traditionally industrial south eastern node of the city is rejuvenating. Led by Jonathan Liebmann's 'Propertuity' who is turning Fox Street, bordered by Main, Berea and Kruger, into a pulsating hub to live, work and play for artists, designers and other creative professionals.
And so there's Main Street Life, a five-storey apartment building of 194 residential units, restaurants, a cinema, a theatre, a hotel and more. All very trendy and pulsing with life and activity. Liebmann is also redeveloping three other buildings in the precinct bringing the redevelopment value up to R100 million!
Investor Confidence
More recent news is the sale on auction of Entire city block (New Doornfontein) in the Johannesburg CBD for R18.7 million. Thud, another blow bringing down the monster, investor confidence. ABSA's sprawling head office expansion of 50 000m has boosted interest in the eastern side of town. This has had infrastructural improvement spin-offs for the whole area.
Infrastructure Renewal
Bringing the monster of decay to its knees has to have infrastructural initiatives: Previous sales type pitches for the city citing the proximity of rail links and the highways and buses has been met with indifference until now. The Urban Development Zone, (UDZ) covering an 18km area east-west from Fordsburg to Jeppestown and north-south from Bellevue to the M2, has reportedly contributed R8 billion to Johannesburg's CBD with its proximity to transport hubs. Throw in the refurbished and new taxi ranks, Rea Vaya bus service, the Gautrain and both ends of the transport market are covered.
Of course the UDZ tax incentive is part of a national scheme to encourage inner-city renewal across South Africa, so Government must be thanked for that blow. The incentive offers tax allowances covering 100% of the total cost of property refurbishments over a period of five years, while new property developments can claim the allowance over 17 years.
Enter the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and Central Johannesburg Partnership's City Improvement Districts.
CIDs are designed to improve services. Specifically geographical areas where property owners agree to pay additional levies for enhanced services, including security, cleaning and maintenance. The results are visible and office workers are remarking that they feel safer, with the new CCTV cameras and visible policing. Ellis Park, Joubert Park, Gandhi Square and the Braamfontein Corporate Precinct have all seen impressive changes.
Fox street, from the Carton Centre to Eloff Street has undergone a stunning beautification project. Investments of this nature have got the ball rolling for further improvements and increased confidence in the inner city. Retail has picked up remarkably in Kerk Street after its refurbishment. The Johannesburg City Hall and the Oppenheimer Park have been appealingly upgraded reversing the wind of dereliction that had blown their way in the last decade.
It has been reported that infrastructural plans have been made for a mixed-use development to be known as Stimela Square at the corner of Sauer and Hall Streets, the historic old mining camp also known as Ferreira's Camp. The plan is for it to be an attractive garden square with retail and residential buildings surrounding.
The Newtown cultural precinct continues to grow as Gauteng's cultural hub. Johannesburg Metro Council has been a huge player here. A further 35 000m of retail space, called the Potato Sheds, as well as the 7 800m Majestic office complex, of which The Majestic Hotel will be the last phase, are being developed in the area too. The development of Anglo Gold's head office and Ashanti are a notable presence inspiring investor and consumer confidence in the area.
Looking up toward Braamfontein, infrastructure improvements have revolved around 20 buildings in particular being converted into student accommodation for Wits university students. There has also been a spill over into Parktown where a nine block commercial development, The Hill Office Park, is currently underway. The expansion of Empire Road and the construction of the BRT station is already taking place.
So when you hear that a beautiful old Johannesburg building on the corners of Biccard and Stiemans Streets will be auctioned on the 28th of September you should expect to hear the sound of investors feet. Another is the old Stuttafords building on the corner of Pritchard and Rissik. Property is moving in the Johannesburg CBD.
On the 19th of August 2011, on the Joburg website, the new Mayor of Johannesburg, Parks Tau pledged to continue on the path of his predecessor and recommitted himself to the ICPS. Time will tell if the Mayor and his co-workers have the political will to keep the momentum going, facilitating the demise of what was the monster looming over the city.
It's clear that it's taken many blows to send the monster packing. Now the mopping up is being done it's clear it takes a team to get a city on its feet. Council can't afford to sit back now. Infrastructure must never be allowed to fall into the state of disrepair of the 1990s. Maintenance with vision for even greater things is required. With a Civil society prepared to go the extra mile and the residents of the inner city prepared to take ownership of their city, there will be investor confidence enough for Business to invest in and see buildings restored, maintained or even replaced.

CO2, Green House Gases, and Ozone Holes - Oh My God, We Are Doomed?

One thing that people don't realize about air pollution is the accumulative effect, that is to say the various molecules combining into something else, making things much worse. CO2 is quite sticky so to speak and "oxygen and carbon seem to combine with just about everything, surprise, surprise," says the College Freshmen prerequisite chemistry class professor. Okay so, let's talk.
Now then, what about the accumulative effect of other things? Recently, an acquaintance who is fearful that global warming will be the death of all humans told me that the holes in the Ozone Layer plus the CO2 output and green house gases would cause everyone to get skin cancer and die, radiated like micro-waved chicken I guess, thus, the end of humanity and all life on the planet. But is this really the case?
It seems that human mitochondrial DNA is pretty darn hardy and can adapt, and humans can live underground too. Protecting the human eggs of females isn't that difficult, humans will not perish even if we don't have an ozone layer, not suggesting we ought to get rid of it mind you. And when the ozone replenishes it will be just like Terra del Fuego no more blind sheep and high tech parks manufacturing comes alive.
Yes, skin cancer could be a problem with Ozone issues, but that is a different issue from CO2. Lots of CO2 means stronger plant life, more abundant production from Agriculture. Bigger trees, bigger tree canopies to block the sun, more oxygen underneath, what's the problem? Trees, and all life will adapt to the radiation, life will find a way, and living in a green house is perhaps good for life, not bad. Besides that, I think humans are smart enough to deal with anything that comes along, not worried about it.
Personally, I think I am more worried about Ice Ages myself. Still my acquaintance points to 1816 or the year without a Sun in England, which he stated could have been from the volcanic activity in other parts of the world such as Indonesia, sure might have been although, it might not have due to the weather patterns unique to the Northern and Southern hemispheres, we don't know for sure. But whatever happened it cut down agricultural production significantly and many people died, starved.
Okay, sure could be, still we have better knowledge and engineering today. The Arab Springs were partly caused by Russia's refusal after their forest fires to export their agriculture for fear they wouldn't have enough, thus, chaos globally could ensue due to harsh weather in our time too, but we have abundance in human agriculture, and free markets seem to adjust quickly, besides people are so fat, maybe they do need to eat less? Look at all the Chinese with diabetes or pre-diabetic conditions, over 100 million now, India, it's happening too, they are eating too much processed food.
Humanity will not die off due to Global Warming Theory, CO2 emissions, Rapid Ozone Depletion, or Green House Gases, humans will be around in some form or another for millions of more years. I'd bet on it actually. Please consider all this and think on it.

Is Planet Earth and Life Going Extinct on Dec 21, 2012?

Why this question? So many people are asking this question lately. Such apocalyptic prophecies are told every so often by someone. They seem to misinterpret facts. This particular prophecy emanates from Mayan calendar. Mayan was a civilization in South America, extending from almost mid Mexico to the Southern tip, centered mainly on Guatemala. It went extinct about 5000 years ago.
Mayans left behind an old calendar, which is based on short and long cycles. Present long cycle of the calendar ends on Dec 21, 2012. Because the cycle just ends there, those who believe in such unusual and inexplicable possibilities believe that the world with all its life will come to an end on that day.
Disappearance of Civilizations: It is true that many civilizations have disappeared suddenly in the past without leaving any clues, of which there are several examples in history. Those that immediately come to mind are civilization around Egyptian pyramids, Mayan culture, Easter islanders, Incan empire etc. The reasons postulated for their disappearance are several theories. Such reasons are, for example, natural disasters, tsunamis, plagues and small pox epidemic, giant polar eruption, reversal of global poles, super eruption of Yellowstone caldera in US, earth to be hit by a large planet sized Asteroids or Meteorites etc.
Role of cults in such stories: Different cults have spread such apocalyptic rumors ending in many deaths, usually by suicides and killings by their security personnel raising lot of questions. One of the infamous events of recent time is that of Jonestown in Guyana, when 909 deaths occurred due to cyanide poisoning. Yet another more recent is that in France when 94 members committed suicide belonging to the Order of Solar Temple. The French government's Interministerial Mission for Monitoring and Combating Cultic Deviances delivered a mass-suicide warning last year and is vigilant on such rumors. Even NASA has added a page of FAQs on their site to dispel the worries of people about this.
My take on this rather logical and simple:
· I have heard more than a dozen such prophecies and none have come true.
· I think the Mayan calendar will have its one long cycle ending on Dec 21, 2012 and a new one will start the next day, just like we do change calendars at the end of any year.
· NASA says there is no planet or Meteorites that may cause such accident.
· The Yellowstone activity is of no worry at the moment.
· The solar activity cycle is not at its height
· If the civilization was to end radiation accident seems to be one possible way with the existing and increasing nuclear arsenals. This may be started by a mad man or a group of people creating a chain reaction of nuclear bombing all over the planet. Our information about radiation is scant; it is worth remembering that Mm Curie, who found radio-isotopes only about 100 years ago, herself died of radiation poisoning.
· History shows us many civilizations disappearing, which may happen once again, but that will be act of Nature or God.

Dr. Barkat Charania, a Fellow of Royal College of Surgeons has practiced surgery for 30 years. He developed Diabetes at age 60. After taking anti-diabetics for five years he found that diabetes is preventable and reversible. He reviewed thousands of such articles. Most suggested simple proactive measures. He just followed those. He is now off all his medications his blood sugars are well controlled. He is now "Diet Controlled Diabetic".