Global Warming or Climate Change

Opening Japan Up to the World WITH A GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS AT HAND, IT IS CLEAR THAT MAJOR CHANGE IS NEEDED among leading nations. For Japan, this comes at a time when two prime ministers have left office in barely 2 years, and support for the new prime minister, Taro Aso, is weak less than 2 months after he took up office. Perhaps the public, sensing the need for change, is pessimistic about the possibilities, given that Japan has been so resistant to change over the past decade. Clearly, today’s global competition demands entrepreneurs with distinct out-of-the-box talents. The flattening global market is also driving the need for diversity and collaboration, essential for the kind of open innovation that creates new markets. Like other nations, Japan’s investments in science, technology, and innovation are crucial to its economic growth. Universities play a key role in nurturing future talents and leaders in every sector of society. Therefore, government support for academic scienc...

A Populist Movement for Health? ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE SCIENCE-BASED MOVEMENTS TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF a global problem has been Al Gore’s efforts, complementing the science-based work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to expose the perils of global warming. Through decades of commitment, Gore and his team have laid out the science and consequences of unmitigated consumption of fossil fuels and the irredeemable impact this will have on the planet if unchecked. More than ever, this message is now resonating with the public. Human health presents a similarly massive global problem. Globalization is accelerating the spread of AIDS, drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis, and other infectious agents. Industrialization, with its accompanying sedentary life-styles and extended life spans, is creating new epidemics of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, among others. When a life-altering medical condition is diagnosed, too often even the best in the medical com...

A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits (phone numbers). The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation: Boy: "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn? Woman: (at the other end of the phone line): "I already have someone to cut my lawn." Boy: "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now." Woman: I'm very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn. Boy: (with more perseverance) : "Lady, I'll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach , Florida ." Woman: No, thank you. With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver. The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy. Store Owner: "Son... I like y...

11 Italy’s Luigina Giavotti, 11, won silver in gymnastics in 1928. 13 Marjorie Gestring, 13, of the U.S. won gold in diving in 1936—the youngest gold medalist ever. 14 Hungarian swimmer Krisztina Egerszegi, 14, won gold in 1988. 15 U.S. runner Pearl Jones, 15, won gold in the 4 x 100-m relay in 1952. 33 U.S. swimmer Dara Torres, 33, won two gold and three bronze medals in 2000. Now 41, she is swimming in Beijing. 34 U.K. sprinter Kelly Holmes, 34, won gold in the 800- and 1500-m events in 2004. 46 Ethel Seymour, 46, won a bronze medal on Great Britain’s gymnastics team in 1928. 59Bill Northam of Australia, 59, won gold in yachting in 1964. 72 Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn, 72, won silver in the team double-shot running deer event in 1920.