TIGblogs - Lorraine Siew WM's TIGBlog http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us Nokia tops latest Greener Electronics Guide http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/498999 Company scores plummeted in the previous edition of Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics, when new criteria on climate change were introduced. However, leading brands like Nokia and Samsung are now making significant progress in greening their electronics products, with improved environmental policies responding not only to these new energy criteria, but also to the more stringent chemical and e-waste criteria.

The Greener Electronics Guide is our way of getting the electronics industry to take responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products. We want them to face up to the problem of e-waste and take on the challenge of tackling climate change.

First launched in August 2006 and now in its 9th edition, the Guide ranks the leaders of the mobile phone, computer, TV and games console markets according to their policies and practices on toxic chemicals, recycling and energy.

The Guide has been a key driving force in getting many companies to make significant improvements to their environmental policies, and it continues to provoke significant change in the industry. Intel recently announced that its new Xeon 5400 processors use transistors made from hafnium, thus avoiding the use of toxic Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs).

Read More..]]> Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/498999 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Gandhi inspired Spinning Wheel generates electricity http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/498303 Mahatma Gandhi believed that the spinning wheel, or charkha, was a sign of self-reliance and independence. Now that belief is being taken to a new level with the e-charkha, a hand-driven spinning wheel that generates electricity.The e-charkha, which was designed by a follower of Gandhi’s Ekambar Nath philosophy, can generate enough electricity in its attached battery for 6-7 hours of power in rural homes. Two hours of operation can light up the e-charkha’s specially designed LED light for eight hours— so the spinning wheel provides enough light for its continued use as an instrument of clothing production.

Even though the e-charkha is only 9,000 rupees ($197), the Indian government is giving the spinning wheels away for free in the farming village of Jatwara.

The spinning wheel reminds me of the electricity-generating exercise machines in Portland’s Green Microgym. There are so many opportunities to harness the electricity we already generate in our daily lives— I’m glad to see people are taking advantage of it all over the world.

::CleanTechnica
]]> Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/498303 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Memory in a Flash http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/496843 Typical USB memory drives sure are handy for taking information on the go, but they’re often made with toxic ingredients that are difficult to recycle. Enter the world’s first recyclable USB drive: ATP’s EarthDrive. It looks and works just like other drives, except it’s made from PLA (Polylactic acid)—a biodegradable polyester derived from renewable resources like corn. And, every time an EarthDrive is sold, the company donates a portion of the profits to help plant trees. The handy little devices range from 1GB to 8GB and can be purchased for $20 to $100 in retail stores and online.

]]> Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/496843 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Wal-Mart Goes on a Plastic Diet http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/497643

Another significant environmental commitment coming out of the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting comes from an seemingly unlikely paring: The Environmental Defense Fund and Wal-Mart.

Announced in the Metropolitan Ballroom by President Bill Clinton, who was keen to point out the odd-couple nature of the situation, the Global Plastic Shopping Bag Commitment stands to make a serious dent in the plastic shopping bag waste by big box mega-retailer Wal-Mart. How much waste will be avoided:

One-Third Per Store Plastic Bag Reduction by 2013
Granted the qualifying word “potentially” prefaced this next figure in the public announcement, but this commitment could eliminate 9 million plastic shopping bags per year from Wal-Mart stores. To do this EDF will help Wal-Mart develop strategies for recycling, reusing and reducing the use of plastic bags in its stores by an average of one-third per store, from 2008 levels, by 2013.

An estimated 290,000 tonnes of carbon emissions and energy consumption equal to 678,000 barrels of oil will be eliminated through this action.

Specific Measures That EDF Will Be Taking 
Proving scientific advice to Wal-Mart on the environmental impact of plastic bag use, as well as quantifying the carbon footprint of alternative bags and packing options.

Assist in developing educational materials for Wal-Mart customers.

Evaluating Wal-Mart projections for program’s environmental benefits.

Monitor and assess the project’s progress.

:: Clinton Global Initiative

]]> Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/497643 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 SynergyNet Multi-Touch Desktops for Students http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/497595 Researchers at Durham University are giving classrooms a makeover, replacing students’ wooden desktops with interactive multi-touch ones. Along with a team of educators and manufacturers, the researchers have recently unveiled SynergyNet, a hardware-software system similar to Microsoft Surface that offers an immersive and potentially more engaging learning experience for youngsters. Pupils using the interactive tables can, for example, work out math problems visually and physically (using their fingertips to move around units) or see the teacher’s blackboard demonstrations right on their desks. The system has already been implemented in one unnamed UK school and is expected to appear in other primary and secondary schools over the next few years.

[via Register Hardware]

]]> Tue, 07 Oct 2008 06:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/497595 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Big Mac Lasts Longer than Six iPods http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/496743

Above, you see two of McDonald's Finest. On the right is a Big Mac, freshly made in 2008. On the left, a rather more vintage specimen, embalmed at the factory with the usual edible preservatives to keep it juicy and tender right up until you gobble it down. But nobody ate it, and it still looks as fresh as it did the day it was made, twelve years ago.

In 1996, the iPod was but an itch in Steve Jobs' loin. When the first of the iconic white bricks rolled off the line, this burger was already five years old. If it was human, it would have started school already. At my current iPod burn rate of one every two years, this mummified pattie would outlast six of them, and it's still going strong.

The burger has been kept by nutrition teacher Karen Hanrahan in order to rather effectively demonstrate the perils of technology when brought to fast food (see, there is a gadget angle in this story):

People always ask me - what did you do to preserve it?

Nothing - it preserved itself.

Ladies, Gentleman, and children alike - this is a chemical food. There is absolutely no nutrition here.

If Hanrahan ever needs a little extra cash, she could sell this right into the collectors market: She even kept the original 1990s packaging.

1996 McDonalds Hamburger [Best Wellness Consultant via Kottke]]]> Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/496743 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 How Much is $700 Billion Really Worth? http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495595 The dollar amount of Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s government bailout plan has been hammered into all our brains by now: 700 billion. But lest we lose sight of how much that actually is, VF.com compiles its own list of other things the lump sum could have been spent on. (All figures approximate.)

• Things that would be useful:
-Preventing 200 million foreclosures 
-Paying back our debt to Japan, with enough left over for Luxembourg or Russia 
-Paying the equivalent of 10 years of total international humanitarian aid at current levels, per Jeff Sachs's estimate 
-Tripling the income of the billion people in the world who are living on $1/day or less
-Providing bi-weekly $100 psychotherapy sessions for every American for a year

• Things that would be a wee bit Socialist:
-Paying for Social Security for next 40 years 
-Providing healthcare for all Americans
-Buying Apple, Google, Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway

• Things that would be awesome:
-Throwing 100,000 lavish Las Vegas birthday parties with appearances by the Rolling Stones 
-Buying Iraq and Afghanistan, with enough left over for Sweden (or 13 Iraqs, or 90 Afghanistans), measuring by G.D.P.
-Remaking The Dark Knight 3,800 times 
-Buying 10,000 pounds of LSD, the most expensive thing in the world, per pound

• Things that would arguably be a waste of money: 
-Paying for enough ads for the next 4,000 Super Bowls (with ads at $3 million)
-Buying 10 iPhones for every American (with iPhones at $200)
-Fighting for another 5 years in Iraq and Afghanistan at current costs
-Buying every Mega Millions ticket at current circulation for next 180 years 
-Shipping five roses to everybody on the planet
-Buying the publishing and music industries wholesale
-Remaking Titanic 3,500 times

• Things that may come in handy when society collapses:
-Supplying at least two AK-47’s per person, including children (at about $1,000 a pop on the black market)
-Feeding every American on a Campbell’s soup diet for 2 years (at $1.29 a can)
-Buying 10 high-end tents for every American
-Providing a Tata—the miraculous, $2,500 Indian minicar—for every American of driving age

• Things that would quite possibly suck the Earth into black holes:
-100 Large Hadron Colliders

::VanityFair

]]> Sun, 05 Oct 2008 12:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495595 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 How Much is $700 Billion Really Worth? http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495715 The dollar amount of Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s government bailout plan has been hammered into all our brains by now: 700 billion. But lest we lose sight of how much that actually is, VF.com compiles its own list of other things the lump sum could have been spent on. (All figures approximate.)

• Things that would be useful:
-Preventing 200 million foreclosures 
-Paying back our debt to Japan, with enough left over for Luxembourg or Russia 
-Paying the equivalent of 10 years of total international humanitarian aid at current levels, per Jeff Sachs's estimate 
-Tripling the income of the billion people in the world who are living on $1/day or less
-Providing bi-weekly $100 psychotherapy sessions for every American for a year

• Things that would be a wee bit Socialist:
-Paying for Social Security for next 40 years 
-Providing healthcare for all Americans
-Buying Apple, Google, Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway

• Things that would be awesome:
-Throwing 100,000 lavish Las Vegas birthday parties with appearances by the Rolling Stones 
-Buying Iraq and Afghanistan, with enough left over for Sweden (or 13 Iraqs, or 90 Afghanistans), measuring by G.D.P.
-Remaking The Dark Knight 3,800 times 
-Buying 10,000 pounds of LSD, the most expensive thing in the world, per pound

• Things that would arguably be a waste of money: 
-Paying for enough ads for the next 4,000 Super Bowls (with ads at $3 million)
-Buying 10 iPhones for every American (with iPhones at $200)
-Fighting for another 5 years in Iraq and Afghanistan at current costs
-Buying every Mega Millions ticket at current circulation for next 180 years 
-Shipping five roses to everybody on the planet
-Buying the publishing and music industries wholesale
-Remaking Titanic 3,500 times

• Things that may come in handy when society collapses:
-Supplying at least two AK-47’s per person, including children (at about $1,000 a pop on the black market)
-Feeding every American on a Campbell’s soup diet for 2 years (at $1.29 a can)
-Buying 10 high-end tents for every American
-Providing a Tata—the miraculous, $2,500 Indian minicar—for every American of driving age

• Things that would quite possibly suck the Earth into black holes:
-100 Large Hadron Colliders

::VanityFair

]]> Sun, 05 Oct 2008 12:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495715 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 What's the Buzz About Bamboo? http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495711

Bamboo this, bamboo that - What’s up with the bamboo buzz?

Technically classified as a “weed”�, the bamboo plant is strong, renewable and inexpensive. There are nearly 1000 different species of bamboo and it can be grown in almost any moderate climate. Bamboo can grow 20 meters in less than 60 days.

However, extremely fast growth is not bamboo’s only environmentally friendly virtue. Bamboo also helps repair the devastating effects of deforestation and mining to soil and communities. Bamboo actually removes toxins from soil, prevents erosion and provides jobs and food for many people.

It thrives in a diverse landscape up to 12,000 feet and releases 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees. Bamboo is the strongest plant known to humankind.

Bamboo is also extremely versatile. It has thousands of uses, from paper to clothing, fences, construction, chop sticks, flooring, musical instruments - the list is endless.

Furthermore, when manufacturing solid hardwood flooring from plantation timber, only 20-25% is used. Bamboo flooring, on the other hand, uses over 90% of the bamboo plant with no wastage.

Its strength-to-weight ratio is better than graphite. The US Navy even used bamboo to reinforce concrete in World War II.

In conclusion, the buzz about bamboo is quite legit. If you have the opportunity to buy things bamboo, we say go for it. Buy bamboo and keep the green going.

]]> Sun, 05 Oct 2008 09:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495711 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 EPOS-lite wireless menu/payment device could change restaurants forever http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495593

It's about time the whole restaurant menu/payment ritual was streamlined. To the rescue comes EPOS-lite, a design concept for a tablet that serves as both a menu and wireless payment device. It even wirelessly recharges itself as you place it on the tabletop.

While it's not clear exactly how this works, the best scenario would be to give each diner an EPOS-lite, they select their meals from the menu, and then their choices are displayed on a screen in front of the chef. When dinner's done, each person can enter payment info, just like buying something online. No more strangers carrying your credit card back and forth in that goofy payment ritual that takes your credit card out of your sight with its number ending up who-knows-where.

A touchscreen might get a bit smudged at a rib restaurant, but that could be worked out with voice recognition. Imagine bypassing wait staff altogether, being served by robots (or a gravity-powered rail system), and then paying online. It would be downright revolutionary.

Behance, via Gizmo Watch

]]> Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495593 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 EPOS-lite wireless menu/payment device could change restaurants forever http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495713

It's about time the whole restaurant menu/payment ritual was streamlined. To the rescue comes EPOS-lite, a design concept for a tablet that serves as both a menu and wireless payment device. It even wirelessly recharges itself as you place it on the tabletop.

While it's not clear exactly how this works, the best scenario would be to give each diner an EPOS-lite, they select their meals from the menu, and then their choices are displayed on a screen in front of the chef. When dinner's done, each person can enter payment info, just like buying something online. No more strangers carrying your credit card back and forth in that goofy payment ritual that takes your credit card out of your sight with its number ending up who-knows-where.

A touchscreen might get a bit smudged at a rib restaurant, but that could be worked out with voice recognition. Imagine bypassing wait staff altogether, being served by robots (or a gravity-powered rail system), and then paying online. It would be downright revolutionary.

Behance, via Gizmo Watch

]]> Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495713 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 First U.S. greenhouse cap-and-trade market opens http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/494343 Ten states in the U.S. Northeast kicked off the country's first cap-and-trade market on greenhouse gas emissions on Thursday, gaining accolades from environmentalists and many businesses but also eliciting concerns about how the states will spend the money the plan raises.

The states from Maryland to Maine formed the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to limit emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants in the absence of guidance from the Bush administration on regulating planet-warming gases.

The group on Thursday conducted its first auction of permits to emit CO2 to utilities and investors who believe that their value will rise. It offered 12.5 million permits in the auction, each representing 1 ton of carbon dioxide, and will offer up to 188 million permits annually for three years.

By 2012 the region's power companies either must stabilize emissions at current levels or turn in permits they bought in the market. In the second compliance period, RGGI will lower the emissions cap 10 percent from current levels by 2019.

The states plan to spend money raised from the auctions on improving energy efficiency and alternative energy in hopes of shielding consumers from the program's costs.

But concerns have been raised about how the states will actually spend the money.

Read More..

]]> Sat, 04 Oct 2008 12:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/494343 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 New Blog http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495111
So now I will be able to write more personal updates here. Cheers!
]]> Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495111 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Über green Masdar City the United Arab Emirates, a glimpse of the future http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495059

Imagine a city whose residents have kicked the fossil fuel habit and rely solely on sun and wind for electricity. Cars are banished; instead, people walk, bicycle, and zip across town in underground, electric-powered pods.

If that sounds like science fiction, think again. In February, builders broke ground on Masdar City, a planned $22 billion zero-waste, zero-carbon community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Located on the shores of the Persian Gulf, the project is set to be completed in 2016. Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, is behind what is the world’s most ambitious “eco-city” project to date. Masdar’s 50,000 residents will push the boundaries of green living, starting with its first inhabitants, 100 alternative energy postgrads at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology who will arrive in September 2009. Powered by renewable energy, the city will recycle all of its garbage and much of its water, and grow organic produce. “We’re simply taking a very bold step,” says Masdar chief executive Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber.

Masdar is one of several efforts to create sustainable communities in response to the threats posed by climate change. A low-carbon city is being built on Dongtan, an island off Shanghai, and Iceland, Norway, Costa Rica, and New Zealand have pledged to rid their economies of carbon. Masdar, however, is the most far-ranging development planned yet. It’s also the first undertaken by a major oil producer.

Oil has made Abu Dhabi fabulously wealthy—it holds nine percent of the world’s proven reserves. But that resource will run out. So the emirate is looking to cleantech industries to help wean it off its fossil fuel dependency and create new jobs. “If it’s a business someone is developing for 2015, we don’t want to be in it,” says Homaid Al Shemmari, associate director at Mubadala, a government-owned development company that oversees the project. “We’re looking way, way into the future.”

Read More..

]]> Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/495059 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Human Airbag wraps elderly in protective technology http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/494977 As the country with one of the fastest rising elderly populations on the planet (a whopping 22 percent of the population is over 65) Japan's innovators have begun planning for life in a mostly grey society. The latest invention geared towards such a reality is the human airbag. Developed by Mitsuya Uchida, the president of Japanese firm Prop, the device was originally designed to help elderly citizens with epilepsy.

The airbag deploys in just 0.1 seconds when sudden falling motion is detected, protecting both the neck and torso areas. Despite the somewhat humorous effect the device offers visually, at 138,000 yen ($1,290) this is probably one of the most thoughtful giftsyou could give the elderly loved one in your life.

Via Telegraph

]]> Sat, 04 Oct 2008 06:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/494977 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Boeing, Virgin join group committed to biofuel for commercial jets http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/493571 Boeing joined Virgin Atlantic Airways and eight other airlines this morning to pledge to speed up the development of sustainable, second-generation biofuels for use in the commercial aviation industry.

As members of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group, the aircraft maker and airlines will receive advice and support from both the World Wildlife Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

"This task force comes at just the right time to help airlines cut costs and decrease their greenhouse gas emissions," said Liz Barratt-Brown, an NRDC senior attorney.

The group, which includes leading refining technology developer Honeywell's UOP, requires any biofuel used by its members to perform as well as or better than traditional jet fuel while leaving a smaller carbon footprint. Members also pledge to use only renewable fuel sources that require minimal land, water and energy to produce, and that do not compete with food or fresh water resources.

Billy Glover, managing director of environmental strategy for Boeing, said the effort will allow airlines to take control of their future fuel supply while curbing the industry's impact on the environment. "The number one priority going forward is to complete thorough assessments of sustainable plant sources, harvesting and economic impacts, and processing technologies that can help achieve that goal," he said in a statement.

The group has announced two initial sustainability research projects to judge the viability of two leading contenders for biomass-based renewable jet fuel: Jatropha curcas and algae. Members believe the two species have the potential to become large parts of a portfolio of renewable fuel alternatives that will help the industry diversify its fuel supply.

The eight other airlines in the group are Air France, Air New Zealand, ANA (All Nippon Airways), Cargolux, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM and SAS. In total, the nine airlines account for roughly 15 percent of commercial jet fuel use.

::ENN

]]> Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/493571 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Hurricane Ike, Missing Drill Rig, And Oil Spills http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/493573 Some politicians consistently say that offshore oil drilling is safe and that drill rigs have withstood Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike without any significant damage or oil spills. The facts, as they often do, tell a very different story. On September 16, the oil drilling company Rowan announced one of its drill rig was missing, and that it had likely capsized and sunk due to Hurricane Ike.

According to the now infamous Minerals Management Service, as of September 15, 2008, one day before the Rowan rig went missing, 28 of the 3,800 offshore oil and gas production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico had been destroyed, and several other platforms were significantly damaged by Hurricane Ike.

The US Coast Guard reported that due to Katrina, Rita and Ike there were over nine million gallons of oil released from six major and five medium oil spills. For comparison’s sake, the Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil, and the Minerals Management service reported that Hurricane Rita destroyed 46 platforms and damaged 20 others, while Hurricane Katrina destroyed 69 platforms and damaged 32 others.

Yet on September 17, John McCain said he visited an oil rig in the Gulf, it survived the hurricane, it was safe and sound, and fish were swimming all around it. Clearly McCain visited a rig that escaped damage, but it’s a tremendous disservice to spin his visit in a way that leads people to believe there was no damage from the terrible winds of the hurricane.

Now, to be fair, the nine million gallons spilled as a result of Katrina, Rita and Ike were not spilled from offshore rigs. The oil was spilled from onshore tanks and pipelines that failed or ruptured. However, it’s not possible to drill offshore in the Gulf without an extensive network of tanks, pipelines, refineries and other infrastructure.

More offshore oil drilling will only lead to more oil spills, pollution and global warming. And global warming is the very thing that supercharges storms like Katrina, Rita and Ike, which in turn causes major oil spills and extensive damage to oil industry infrastructure. It’s a vicious cycle that any candidate for President should approach with true solutions to global warming: energy efficiency so that we get more out of every drop of oil, and a new vision for US energy that relies on renewables. Find out more about what options, besides dirty fossil fuels, are available to us right now for a clean and green future.

Image credit::Oil Slick After Hurricane Ike, High Island, Texas, Smiley N. Pool / The Houston Chronicle via SkyTruth Blog]]> Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/493573 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Michael Bloomberg http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/494207

The 108th mayor of New York City has never shied from controversy—banning smoking from restaurants and bars, switching his political affiliation, and re-awakening City Hall. Here, the self-made mogul and philanthropist laments his Spanish and ponders politics and family.

illustration by RISKOOctober 2008
Michael Bloomberg

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Having people come up to me on the street and say, “Great job, Mayor!” (And not just my relatives.)

Which living person do you most admire?
My mother. She’ll be turning 100 in January. She taught me independence, compassion, and not to get too big of a head.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Height.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Popcorn.

What is your current state of mind?
Boy, I wish popcorn was on my diet.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My Spanish. I’ve been studying for seven years and I still speak como un novato.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Emma and Georgina Bloomberg.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
I’d come back as myself. But with a better golf swing.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? 
Watching a loved one die.

What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty. Loyalty. And, of course, sincerity. (If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.)

Who are your favorite writers?
Tom Friedman, Fareed Zakaria, and Mel Brooks.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
A political candidate who’s not afraid to address the difficult issues, take on the special interests, and refrain from partisanship and pandering. (You did say fiction, didn’t you?)

Who are your heroes in real life? 
The men and women who put on a uniform and put their lives on the line for their fellow New Yorkers every day.

What are your favorite names?
I don’t know. But definitely not the ones I got called marching in the Saint Patrick’s Day parade on Staten Island after putting the smoking ban in place.

What is it that you most dislike? 
When decades of scientific discovery take a backseat to political ideology—something I refer to as “political science.” That, and smoking.

What is your greatest regret? 
That my father didn’t live to see his son do pretty well in life—or see his grandchildren go to schools he never thought someone named Bloomberg could go to.

How would you like to die?
Having given all my money away—and bouncing the check to the undertaker!

What is your greatest fear?
Eight years in City Hall, no subway series.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Curiosity.

Where would you like to live?
New York City. Why would you want to live anywhere else?


::Vanity Fair

]]> Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/494207 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 The Green Quote: Bono Rails Against $700 Billion For Wall Street http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/492785

“It is extraordinary to me that you can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can’t find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day of preventable treatable disease and hunger. That’s mad, that is mad.”

“Bankruptcy is a serious business and we all know people who have lost their jobs. But this is moral bankruptcy.”

– Lead singer of U2 Bono speaking today during day two of the Clinton Global Initiative.

]]> Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/492785 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Emoticons Jump From Web to Real World :-) http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/493385 With three simple keystrokes, Scott Fahlman brought a smile to the internet.
In a 1982 message board post, Fahlman, a computer scientist at Carnegie-Mellon University, proposed using typographical smiley faces to mark jokes and clear up confusion about writers' intentions. With his simple proposal, the emoticon was born.

Fahlman's smiling shorthand (and its frown-face equivalent) started a wave of internet expression that's spilled over into the real world. The emoticon has been upgraded and animated, loved and hated. Emoticons have graced gadgets, T-shirts and more.
Witness the emoticon's lasting impact, and smile if you can.

Photo:
Father of the emoticon Scott Fahlman shows off his happy handiwork. His proposal to use smiley and frowney faces is credited with launching the emoticon in the internet age. Now, Carnegie-Mellon hands out an annual Smiley Award for "innovation in technology assisted person-to-person communication."]]> Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/493385 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 McCain Owns Thirteen Cars. Obama Owns One. http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/491913 When you own seven homes, you require an above-average fleet of vehicles to get you where you’re going. In John McCain’s case, this equals 13 cars. As much as the Republican nominee for president loves to champion the fact that he’s just like you and me, I really can’t grasp such an idea when he has a parking lot of vehicles. Meanwhile, how many cars do Michelle and Barack Obama have? 1. A 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid.

Now, to be fair — McCain does own three 2000 NEV Gem electric vehicles, which are bubble-shaped cars popular in retirement communities. So, there’s a bit of environmentally-friendly cruising involved. Of course, McCain could be walking everywhere and it would still be overshadowed by the fact that his wife Cindy uses private jets like they’re bicycles. In July she quipped that “in Arizona the only way to get around the state is by small private plane.”

Oh yea — they’re just like us.

Check out a slideshow of McCain’s personal fleet here. ]]> Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/491913 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 New Green School Opens in Bali http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/492609 The Green School, which will offer preschool through year eight, aims to provide a place where students can become more curious and more passionate about their education and the planet. The school's eight-hectare campus in Sibang Kaja is divided by the Ayung River, on whose western bank are the school's classrooms, libraries, laboratories and kitchens. Aquaculture ponds, organic vegetable gardens, edible mazes and permacultural gardens are interspersed throughout the vast campus, which is built entirely of low-impact and environmentally conscious materials such as bamboo, alang-alang grass and traditional Balinese mud walls. For energy supplies, the school is experimenting with micro-hydro power generation as well as producing methane from cow manure to fuel stoves and developing a gasification unit that will use rice husks and other organic materials to produce electricity. A working organic chocolate factory, large sports fields, gymnasium, high ropes course and a network of bicycle paths are also part of the campus.

The Green School's curriculum, meanwhile, combines demanding academic content taught through a holistic approach that aims to inspire and enhance all of a child’s capacities. The school's Learning Village, for example, gives students a chance to apply lessons to specific disciplines and real business situations, making abstract ideas come to practical life. Students are involved in everything from manufacturing their own chocolate to helping manage the organic fields, bamboo plantations and rice paddies that are integral to the campus. The Green School is open to children from all over the world, with boarding available starting next year for those in seventh grade and up. Villas are available for international families whose children attend the school. Tuition ranges from roughly USD 4,000 to USD 9,000 per year, depending on grade.
It doesn't get much more eco-iconic than a thoroughly green school, and eco-minded consumers with the means to afford it will surely find the Green School compelling. Of course, the concept seems like one that could also work in other parts of the world. One to watch!

Website: http://www.greenschool.org/
]]> Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/492609 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Apple iPhone: Now available in cupcake form http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/492515 The genius of these iPhone cupcakes cannot be overestimated. Nor can their tastiness, I suspect. The set of 12 cupcakes, each decorated to look like a familiar iPhone app, is so geekilicious that we're torn between admiring the artwork and wanting to eat every last one.

Baked for Cupcake Decorating Championship at Ignite NYC, the iPhone cupcakes deservedly took first prize last night. As cool as they are, they go down a little slow, so we hope the big win encourages creators Danielle and Nick Bilton (seen in the gallery below) to come out with a 3G version.

]]> Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:10:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/492515 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 CGI Highlights: Old World Is Oil, New World Is Renewables http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/490717

The Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting is in full swing in New York City. In Thursday morning’s plenary session, Integrated Solutions: Water, Food amp; Energy, Tom Brokaw moderated a discussion about the entwined issues of water, food and energy. He directed questions towards San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, Shimon Peres former president of Israel, oil mogul turned wind power evangelist T. Boone Pickens, leader of the Danish Social Democratic Party Helle Thorning-Schmidt, and World Bank President Robert Zoellick. Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s had some interesting comments on achieving energy independence, looking beyond the short-term, and just how far the market can go... 

Renewable Energy a Political Commitment...
Speaking about Denmark’s transition from importing 99% of its energy needs not too long ago to generating 30% of its power from renewable sources, Ms Thorning-Schmidt said that ultimately this sort of transition is not about the size of a nation, it is primarily about political commitment. She said that any country can take bold action and move forward.

...And a Long-Term Investment
In describing obstacles that Denmark faced in making a transition away from imported energy sources, she said that the big thing to be aware of is that renewable energy is a long term solution; the full benefits may not be realized for ten or twenty years. In concluding her remarks on energy she said that, in her view, the old world is oil and the new world is renewable energy.

Two Lessons for the World
She went on to offer two lessons for the world regarding implementing renewable energy: 1) Markets cannot do it alone. If a proper incentive structure is in place, the market can be a good vehicle, but it cannot do it alone. 2) You cannot solve global problems individually. She used the current US financial crisis as example, saying that if you simply cannot address that issue, you must also address related problems as well.

:: Clinton Global Initiative

]]> Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:09:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/490717 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7 Millions May Gain Access to Clean Water After CGI ‘Mega-Commitment’ http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/491745

Though the issue of clean water and sanitation hasn’t made it onto the environmental radar of late as much as equally critical issues such as global warming, renewable energy or tropical deforestation, it is one of monumental significance. The statistics alone are staggering: 2.6 billion people in the world lack access to sanitary toilet facilities and 1.1 billion people have no access to safe drinking water; diarrhea is the number two killer of children under age 5 in the world, ten times greater than malaria and HIV combined.

Addressing this issue is one of the most important commitments made at this year’sClinton Global Initiative's annual meeting, the so-called “Water amp; Sanitation Mega-Commitment”:

Nearly $460 Million Pledged For Water amp; Sanitation
In total, 15 CGI member organizations have come together in making collectively a commitment nearing $460 million dollars that will improve the very basic quality of life and improve the health of some 6 million of the world’s poorest people. There’s a lot being done here, to the point that I’m just providing links to the organizations so that readers can delve more into the work these organizations are doing.

This is a summary of the different programs which are part of the mega-commitment.

Aquaya Institute
$25,000 over 1 year
The Aquaya Institute will be undertaking a “Community Level Trial of the PUR Purifier of Water.” With support of the Tigerlake Foundation, this San Francisco-based NGO is working with the Safe Water and AIDS Project to develop small safe water vending businesses in Kenya.

Estamos
$2 million over 3 years
A Mozambique-based non-profit, Estamos will be providing “100% Access to Water and Sanitation in 50 Villages”. In addition, education about hygiene and HIV/AIDS will be conducted through music and theatre presentations.

Global Action and the Heinrich Family Foundation
$550,000 over 3 Years 
In “Implementing Safe Water Interventions in Tanzania” Global Action and the Heinrich Family Foundation will be reducing micronutrient malnutrition and increase access to safe drinking water for 25,000 children living in Tanzania by integrating in-house use micronutrient fortification and water purification interventions.

Global Water Challenge
$25 million over 3-5 years
A Washington DC-based coalition of 22 companies, non-profits, health organizations, and foundations, Global Water Challenge will be funding several innovative new local entrepreneurial water and sanitation projects through their Changemakerscompetition.


]]> Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:09:00 EDT http://wmsiew.tigblog.org/post/491745 3.1666667 101.73.1666667101.7