The new Global Wealth Machine/ La ricchezza globale di pochi

Sovereign wealth funds have emerged in recent months as the world’s power brokers. They have used tremendous wealth to make big cross-borders investments and prop up some of Wall Street’s best-known firms (EN) These funds, unlike Private Equity Funds, are state-sponsored investment vehicles and their assets is around 2 trillion dollars (as Italy’s 2007 Gross Domestic Product!). Let’s follow the money and their centers of gravity in this infographic from New York Times with faces and names of the actors in the game. And for more reflections on the topic don’t miss Brian Holmes’ juicy post. And if you feel dynamic this summer, get ready for a Global Day of Action against Private Equity funds. In London the appointment is for the 17th of July 1:00 PM in Trafalgar Square (near the lions) ————– I fondi sovrani si sono fatti notare nei mesi scorsi come i broker del potere globale. Hanno usato l’enorme ricchezza raccolta per investimenti internazionali supportando alcune

read more The new Global Wealth Machine/ La ricchezza globale di pochi

Are you “having a life”/ Può esserci vita in un business model?

(EN) Athletics is an interesting art and design collective. They attracted my retina with this simple but dense infographic showing how their business model differenciates from those that are more traditional. They insert concepts like “big picture”, “creative happiness”, “larger cultural context” and “having a life” that usually don’t find room in everyday work experience. They also refresh designer Charles Eames‘ scheme “What is design?” and give me the chance to show you his wife 1977 video “Power of ten”, in which they depict the relative scale of the Universe in factors of ten. (IT) Athletics è un collettivo di arte e design che ha colpito la mia retina grazie alla recente infografica che hanno creato per mostrare come il loro business model si differenzia da quelli più classici. Hanno infatti inserito concetti come “felicità creativa”, “contesto culturale pià ampio”, “avere una vita” che non emergono solitamente nella vita lavorativa di cui abbiamo esperienza ogni giorno. Rinfrescano anche uno schema

read more Are you “having a life”/ Può esserci vita in un business model?

Hi rates of E-talking/ Si alzano i livelli di e-talking

(EN) Some weeks ago World Health Organization has published a new report titled: “Global alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis, and Cocaine Use” showing not only that USA and New Zealand love cannabis, but that 16% of americans use cocaine and “stringent user-level illegal drug policies did not have lower levels of use than countries with more liberal ones”. The study describes data coming from 17 countries and other interesting foundings are: USA has the highest level of legal and illegal drugs Higher income is related to drug use of all kinds Marital status is found to be linked to illegal drugs Cocaine and cannabis are more likely used by people never married or previously married Men use more drugs than women This survey remind me that E-Talking video that i chose for this post, by the belgian Soulwax, is still a precious resource 😉 ———— (IT) Qualche settimana fa l’Organizzazione mondiale della Sanità ha pubblicato una ricerca intitolata “Global alcohol, Tobacco, Cannabis,

read more Hi rates of E-talking/ Si alzano i livelli di e-talking

350ppm, 90 seconds, zero words/ 350ppm, 90 secondi, zero parole

(EN) Since the pre-Industrial Revolution concentration of carbon (Co2) in the atmosphere was roughly 275 ppm (parts per million). Carbon dioxide, mostly from burning of coal, gasoline and other fossil fuels, traps heat that otherwise would radiate into space. To decelerate Global Warming, CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm. 350 is the magic number, the safety line. The United Nations is working on a treaty, which is supposed to be completed in December of 2009 at a conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. But the current plans for the treaty are much too weak to get us back to safety. America has been producing more co2 than any other country, and leads the industrialized world in per capita emissions. Even though China now, for the first time last year, produces more co2 annually, the US still produces many times more carbon per person than China, India, and most other countries. And America

read more 350ppm, 90 seconds, zero words/ 350ppm, 90 secondi, zero parole