Virtual Courseware
As part of a collaborative project between faculty members at the CaliforniaState University-Los Angeles and the National Science Foundation, theVirtual Courseware website brings together a number of thematicinstructional resources for science educators. Some of the resources includeactivities that deal with earthquakes and global warming. Within eachmodule, visitors will find a number of self-guided tutorials and explanatorymaterials for instructors to use in their classrooms. One real gem here is the 'Virtual Dating' section, as students and educators will get theopportunity to learn how geologists and archaeologists determine the ages ofrocks and ancient artifacts. The site also makes the module on earthquakesavailable in Spanish, titled “Terremoto”. With a mix of activities,assessment exercises, and instructor materials, this website will be a greatfind for science teachers working with college or high school students.
The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor
With offices in Paris and Washington, DC, The Consultative Group to Assistthe Poor (CGAP) is a consortium of 33 public and private developmentagencies working together to expand access to a variety of financialservices for the poor in the developing world. The agencies involved withthis project include The World Bank, the European Commission, and the Billand Melinda Gates Foundation. For those who are less well versed in theworld of microfinance, the “About Microfinance” section is a great place tobegin, as is its counterpart, “Key Principles of Microfinance”. Included inthe other sections (such as “Financial Transparency” and “Poverty Outreach”)are well-written briefs and reports that explain a wide range of relatedmatters, including their poverty assessment tools, microfinance regulation,and documents on how to train people in the nuances of microfinance lending.Rounding out the site is a link where visitors can offer feedback or alsojust ask questions.
Ending Oil Dependence
Concerns about the United States’ dependence on oil are nothing new, andvarious policy solutions have been around for decades. A number of scholarsand experts have been attempting to address the subject, and one recentpaper from The Brookings Institution offers a number of thoughtful ideas onthis important concern. Released in January 2007, this 25-page paper writtenby David B. Sandalow offers a number of ambitious proposals aimed atreducing oil dependency in the US. Some of his proposals will soundfamiliar, as he includes references to the inherent possibilities inwidespread adoption of biofuels, the adoption of smart growth policies, andthe potential benefits of plug-in hybrid engines. Sandalow also offers somemore specific details on how the auto fleet might be transformed over time,and also how the fuel supply might be transformed as well. It’s a thoughtfulwork, and one that will be of interest to policy analysts and others who areconcerned with this vexing issue.
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Re: "Sticky Power," plus other miscellaneous class links
- Re: Global Urbanization - "The Sound of the City"
"This year, for the first time in human history, more people will live in urban areas than rural areas. Some of the quantitative statistics are staggering. Every day in the world, 200,000 people migrate to cities. Half the new buildings in the world in the next 10 years will be built in China. Mexico City has gone from three million to 20 million. In 1950 50 million people a year crossed national borders mainly from cities - last year it was 840 million." (via Linkfilter)
- Re: Global Warming - Cool the Globe!
- Re: Bottled Water's Global "Footprint" - "The True Cost of Bottled Water"
"In summary, the manufacture and transport of that one kilogram bottle of Fiji water consumed... 849 Kilograms of fossil fuel (one litre or .26 gal) and emitted 562 grams of Greenhouse Gases (1.2 pounds). [Plus. uses] nearly seven times as much water used to make it than you actually drink! Staggering is an understatement..."
- Re: World Poverty (about recently released global poverty map)
Re: World population - KQED You Decide: Overpopulation & Chinese one-child laws produce scary results
- Re: World Diet - "Hungry Planet" - A photographer visited 24 countries and photographed what 30 different families eat during the course of a typical week... (via Yahoo! Link of the Day) At left, the US. At right, Chad.
- Re: Garrett - "Convince Me" Debate online, all the time!
:-)
"The Gapminder World 2006"
With Gapminder, you can visualize World Development Indicators from The World Bank. What you see is a scatterplot where each bubble represents a country. The position of the bubble is determined by the indicators on the axes. The default indicators are income and life expectancy. The indicators can be changed by clicking on their names and selecting a new indicator from the list.The size of the bubble represents the population of the country. The color represents the country's geographic region by default, but it can be changed to show indebtness or income group instead. To see what a certain color means, move the mouse over the colored boxes to the right of the chart."
(from The Presurfer)
(from The Presurfer)
The Earth Institute at Columbia University
The Earth Institute at Columbia University
"Under the very able direction of Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, The Earth Institute at Columbia University is dedicated to addressing a number of tremendously complex issues, including the vexing question of sustainabledevelopment as well as the needs of the world’s poor. To this end, the Institute supports a number of creative projects in the biological, engineering, and health sciences, along with inculcating a spirit of cooperation across various disciplines. The homepage of the Institute israther delightful, largely due to the fact that its general layout is quite simple and user-friendly. Visitors can start their journey by looking attheir news releases, and then taking a gander at the 'Reports from the Field' area which brings to light some of the recent investigations by Institute affiliates in an engaging and informative fashion. Those looking for some of their scholarly work should take a look at the 'Research' section of their site where they can learn about the various initiativesthat are in progress at the Institute. The site is rounded out by a detailed calendar of events."
(from The Internet Scout Report, May 26, 2006)
"Under the very able direction of Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, The Earth Institute at Columbia University is dedicated to addressing a number of tremendously complex issues, including the vexing question of sustainabledevelopment as well as the needs of the world’s poor. To this end, the Institute supports a number of creative projects in the biological, engineering, and health sciences, along with inculcating a spirit of cooperation across various disciplines. The homepage of the Institute israther delightful, largely due to the fact that its general layout is quite simple and user-friendly. Visitors can start their journey by looking attheir news releases, and then taking a gander at the 'Reports from the Field' area which brings to light some of the recent investigations by Institute affiliates in an engaging and informative fashion. Those looking for some of their scholarly work should take a look at the 'Research' section of their site where they can learn about the various initiativesthat are in progress at the Institute. The site is rounded out by a detailed calendar of events."
(from The Internet Scout Report, May 26, 2006)
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