The Independent News story
Some 400,000 papyrus fragments were discovered in ancient dumps outside the Graeco-Egyptian town of Oxyrhynchus ("city of the sharp-nosed fish") in central Egypt at the end of the 19th century. The original papyrus documents are decayed, worm-eaten and blackened by the passage of time, and have in the past been unintelligible. "But scientists using the new photographic technique, developed from satellite imaging, are bringing the original writing back into view."
"When it has all been read - mainly in Greek, but sometimes in Latin, Hebrew, Coptic, Syriac, Aramaic, Arabic, Nubian and early Persian - the new material will probably add up to around five million words." Academics have hailed it as a development which could lead to a 20 per cent increase in the number of great Greek and Roman works in existence. It could easily double the surviving body of lesser work.
In the past four days alone, Oxford's classicists have used the new techniques on the papyrus to make a series of astonishing discoveries, including writing by Sophocles, Euripides, Hesiod and other literary giants of the ancient world, lost for millennia.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Friday, April 15, 2005
UNESCO News Blogs
I have been working for several months now with two blogs that provide news about UNESCO's programs. Those interested in Knowledge for Development, the subject of this blog, also should be interested in UNESCO -- perhaps the U.N. agency most concerned with knowledge systems, be they educational, scientific, or cultural as well as with the role of communications media and technology in the dissemination of information.
Links to these blogs are provided in the right hand column and below.
UNESCO News: Education and Culture
UNESCO News: Science and Communications
Links to these blogs are provided in the right hand column and below.
UNESCO News: Education and Culture
UNESCO News: Science and Communications
Avian Flu - What we need to know
Avian Flu Blog
This blog seeks to provide information on the avian flu. Given the danger that would be posed by a pandemic flu, and the circulation of H5N1 vuruses in parts of Asia that might trigger such a pandemic, and even the danger to agriculture involved in eliminating poultry that might harbor the disease, such a news source seems useful to the public health community, the media and indeed to the general public. The blog is perhaps prototypical of a class of uses of simple technology that can be used easily and inexpensively to disseminate information important to developing nations, and indeed to the global population.
This blog seeks to provide information on the avian flu. Given the danger that would be posed by a pandemic flu, and the circulation of H5N1 vuruses in parts of Asia that might trigger such a pandemic, and even the danger to agriculture involved in eliminating poultry that might harbor the disease, such a news source seems useful to the public health community, the media and indeed to the general public. The blog is perhaps prototypical of a class of uses of simple technology that can be used easily and inexpensively to disseminate information important to developing nations, and indeed to the global population.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Carter: Rich States 'Don't Give a Damn' About Poor
Yahoo! News report:
"Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Thursday harshly criticized his own country and other wealthy states for being stingy with foreign aid and said in rich countries 'We really don't give a damn.' "
"Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on Thursday harshly criticized his own country and other wealthy states for being stingy with foreign aid and said in rich countries 'We really don't give a damn.' "
UN video game makes hunger point
BBC NEWS article describing the game:
"A video game which aims to teach children about global hunger has been released by the United Nations.
"Food Force is the brainchild of the World Food Programme (WFP), which last year fed more than 100 million people."
"A video game which aims to teach children about global hunger has been released by the United Nations.
"Food Force is the brainchild of the World Food Programme (WFP), which last year fed more than 100 million people."
Disaster, Not Diplomacy (washingtonpost.com)
Richard Cohan's article in today's Washington Post:
In June 2003, John Bolton went to Cernobbio, Italy "to talk to the Council for the United States and Italy. Afterward he took questions. Some of them were about weapons of mass destruction, which, you may remember, the Bush administration had claimed would be found in abundance in Iraq but which by then had not materialized.
"The literal facts did not in the least give Bolton pause. Weapons of mass destruction would be found, he insisted. Where? When? How come they had not yet been discovered? The questions were insistent, but they were coming, please remember, from Italians, whose government was one of the few in the world to actively support the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
"Bolton bristled. I have never seen such a performance by an American diplomat. He was dismissive. He was angry. He clearly thought the questioners had no right, no standing, no justification and no earthly reason to question the United States of America. The Bush administration had said that Iraq was lousy with WMD and Iraq therefore was lousy with WMD. Just you wait.
"This kind of ferocious certainty is commendable in pit bulls and other fighting animals, but it is something of a problem in a diplomat."
In June 2003, John Bolton went to Cernobbio, Italy "to talk to the Council for the United States and Italy. Afterward he took questions. Some of them were about weapons of mass destruction, which, you may remember, the Bush administration had claimed would be found in abundance in Iraq but which by then had not materialized.
"The literal facts did not in the least give Bolton pause. Weapons of mass destruction would be found, he insisted. Where? When? How come they had not yet been discovered? The questions were insistent, but they were coming, please remember, from Italians, whose government was one of the few in the world to actively support the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
"Bolton bristled. I have never seen such a performance by an American diplomat. He was dismissive. He was angry. He clearly thought the questioners had no right, no standing, no justification and no earthly reason to question the United States of America. The Bush administration had said that Iraq was lousy with WMD and Iraq therefore was lousy with WMD. Just you wait.
"This kind of ferocious certainty is commendable in pit bulls and other fighting animals, but it is something of a problem in a diplomat."
UNDL Foundation
UNDL Foundation website
The Universal Networking Language (UNL) is a machine language that is planned to serve as an intermediate language for machine translation between (and among) human languages. The project was initiated by the Institute of Advanced Studies of the UN University in 1996, and transferred to the UNDL Foundation after it was created in 2001. There is an international network of researchers developing software to translate to and from UNL. Country teams participating in the network include those from: Japan, China, Indonesia, India, Jordan, Russia, Italy, France, Spain and Brazil.
An article describing the effort to develop translators to and from Indian languages to UNL (supported by the Development Gateway Foundation) is:
"Multilingual Information Processing Through Universal Networking Language" by Pushpak Bhattacharyya.
See also his more popular PCQuest article : "Many Languages on the Net: What is Universal Networking Language and Multilingual Information Processing"
The Universal Networking Language (UNL) is a machine language that is planned to serve as an intermediate language for machine translation between (and among) human languages. The project was initiated by the Institute of Advanced Studies of the UN University in 1996, and transferred to the UNDL Foundation after it was created in 2001. There is an international network of researchers developing software to translate to and from UNL. Country teams participating in the network include those from: Japan, China, Indonesia, India, Jordan, Russia, Italy, France, Spain and Brazil.
An article describing the effort to develop translators to and from Indian languages to UNL (supported by the Development Gateway Foundation) is:
"Multilingual Information Processing Through Universal Networking Language" by Pushpak Bhattacharyya.
See also his more popular PCQuest article : "Many Languages on the Net: What is Universal Networking Language and Multilingual Information Processing"
Science and technology for development: lessons learned from China and Japan
Download the HTML paper from the UNU-IAS website.
Abstract: "In today's economy, knowledge has become an increasingly important production factor. As World Bank's data show, a strong correlation is to be found between the percentage of GDP spent in research and development and GDP per capita. Science and technology (S&T) are critical for development: ignoring their importance is short-sighted -- it only makes the gap between the developed and the developing world larger. Luckily, there are signs that S&T is increasingly part of the agenda of both the international community and policy makers in developing countries."
Abstract: "In today's economy, knowledge has become an increasingly important production factor. As World Bank's data show, a strong correlation is to be found between the percentage of GDP spent in research and development and GDP per capita. Science and technology (S&T) are critical for development: ignoring their importance is short-sighted -- it only makes the gap between the developed and the developing world larger. Luckily, there are signs that S&T is increasingly part of the agenda of both the international community and policy makers in developing countries."
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Thoughts about John Bolton's Confirmation Hearing
New York Times article.
I recall once, years ago when John Bolton worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development, passing his office in the State Department. The building is solid and the door was closed, but I could hear him yelling for a considerable distance as I passed down the hall. I don't remember any other time in my 25 years with the U.S. government coming across so unpleasant a scene. I was not surprised to hear that he gained a reputation for intimidating people.
But I want to discuss for a moment the issue of knowledge for development in the context of the appointment of the U.S. Representative to the United Nations. First I was struck by the fact that the Senate Committee was concerned with "credibility" of Bolton as UN Rep, but I did not hear the word "veracity". It seems to me that the government should be most concerned that the US Rep speaks the truth to the nations gathered at the United Nations.
Bolton's was the highest official in the U.S. Department of State with specific responsibility for matters of arms control and disarmament at the time that Secretary Powell made representations to the United Nations about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that later proved to be false. Does he not bear some responsibility for the lack of veracity of those statements?
The hearing yesterday suggested that Bolton had applied pressure on more than one occasion on intelligence analysts to make their analysis support his preconceptions. This of course diminishes the quality of the knowledge processes involved. If promoted to a still higher post in the U.S. foreign policy apparatus, one would worry that he would continue to try to undermine the knowledge processes, perhaps with more success than he apparently had in the past. Certainly I would hope that, at a minimum, the State Department and intelligence agencies would take special steps to assure he did not abuse intelligence analysts in the future.
It is importance to the United States that the international community give credence to the United States statements made at the United Nations. The credence will depend not only on the veracity of what is said, but on the arguments made about its veracity. Having a man in charge with a record of responsibility for misstatements and for pressuring people in his government to allow him to make statements which they believe to be inaccurate can only help those who would argue against the credibility of U.S. statements. Not a good outcome for the United States!
I recall once, years ago when John Bolton worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development, passing his office in the State Department. The building is solid and the door was closed, but I could hear him yelling for a considerable distance as I passed down the hall. I don't remember any other time in my 25 years with the U.S. government coming across so unpleasant a scene. I was not surprised to hear that he gained a reputation for intimidating people.
But I want to discuss for a moment the issue of knowledge for development in the context of the appointment of the U.S. Representative to the United Nations. First I was struck by the fact that the Senate Committee was concerned with "credibility" of Bolton as UN Rep, but I did not hear the word "veracity". It seems to me that the government should be most concerned that the US Rep speaks the truth to the nations gathered at the United Nations.
Bolton's was the highest official in the U.S. Department of State with specific responsibility for matters of arms control and disarmament at the time that Secretary Powell made representations to the United Nations about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that later proved to be false. Does he not bear some responsibility for the lack of veracity of those statements?
The hearing yesterday suggested that Bolton had applied pressure on more than one occasion on intelligence analysts to make their analysis support his preconceptions. This of course diminishes the quality of the knowledge processes involved. If promoted to a still higher post in the U.S. foreign policy apparatus, one would worry that he would continue to try to undermine the knowledge processes, perhaps with more success than he apparently had in the past. Certainly I would hope that, at a minimum, the State Department and intelligence agencies would take special steps to assure he did not abuse intelligence analysts in the future.
It is importance to the United States that the international community give credence to the United States statements made at the United Nations. The credence will depend not only on the veracity of what is said, but on the arguments made about its veracity. Having a man in charge with a record of responsibility for misstatements and for pressuring people in his government to allow him to make statements which they believe to be inaccurate can only help those who would argue against the credibility of U.S. statements. Not a good outcome for the United States!
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Judith Miller's UN Reporting | Russ Baker
The Nation's Commentary
This commentary in The Nation discusses the coverage of the UN (especially the Iraq Oil for Food scandle) by Judith Miller in the New York Times. It raises the issue of the Times continued reliance on Miller after her stories on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq proved to be problematic. It also questions the difference in tone between her coverage of the Volcker investigation as compared to other reporters and newspapers.
The article raises questions in my mind about the reliability of even the best newspapers as sources of knowledge for development. Yet all development decision makers depend to some extent on the papers.
This commentary in The Nation discusses the coverage of the UN (especially the Iraq Oil for Food scandle) by Judith Miller in the New York Times. It raises the issue of the Times continued reliance on Miller after her stories on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq proved to be problematic. It also questions the difference in tone between her coverage of the Volcker investigation as compared to other reporters and newspapers.
The article raises questions in my mind about the reliability of even the best newspapers as sources of knowledge for development. Yet all development decision makers depend to some extent on the papers.
Scientists protest Texaco statement
The Scientist article:
"They argue the company's public smear of epidemiology research was designed to influence a court case "
"They argue the company's public smear of epidemiology research was designed to influence a court case "
Malaria, Science, and Social Responsibility, Mar.28, 2005
The Scientist article (Mar.28, 2005)
"Jay Keasling, at the University of California, Berkeley; Amyris Biotechnologies, in Emeryville, Calif.; the Institute for OneWorld Health in San Francisco; and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have formed a public-private partnership to produce a genetically engineered version of one of the world's most effective malaria drugs."
"Jay Keasling, at the University of California, Berkeley; Amyris Biotechnologies, in Emeryville, Calif.; the Institute for OneWorld Health in San Francisco; and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have formed a public-private partnership to produce a genetically engineered version of one of the world's most effective malaria drugs."
Friday, April 08, 2005
Realizing the Promise and Potential of African Agriculture
InterAcademy Council website for the book.
This report, published by the InterAcademy Council in June 2004, addresses the question of how science and technology can be mobilized to boost agricultural productivity, profitability and sustainability to ensure that countries in Africa have access to enough safe and nutritious food. Issues discussed include food security in Africa; African agricultural production systems and productivity; science and technology options; building impact oriented research, knowledge and development institutions; and creating and retaining a new generation of agricultural scientists.
This report, published by the InterAcademy Council in June 2004, addresses the question of how science and technology can be mobilized to boost agricultural productivity, profitability and sustainability to ensure that countries in Africa have access to enough safe and nutritious food. Issues discussed include food security in Africa; African agricultural production systems and productivity; science and technology options; building impact oriented research, knowledge and development institutions; and creating and retaining a new generation of agricultural scientists.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Counting immigrants and expatriates in OECD countries: a new perspective
Download the paper.
In July 2003 the OECD launched a data collection in collaboration with national statistical offices of OECD countries, to obtain statistics on the foreign-born population for each OECD country by country of birth and educational attainment. This report provides the results from that investigation.
In July 2003 the OECD launched a data collection in collaboration with national statistical offices of OECD countries, to obtain statistics on the foreign-born population for each OECD country by country of birth and educational attainment. This report provides the results from that investigation.
Graduate emigration
Economist.com graphs: (Registration required.)
"Guyana loses a greater proportion of its high-skilled workforce to OECD countries than any other non-member nation, the OECD reports. It finds that 83% of the country's graduates now live in an OECD country. Size is the best predictor of emigration. Smaller countries, especially African and island nations, send a higher proportion of their graduates to the OECD. Big ones, such as Bangladesh, keep most of theirs."
"Guyana loses a greater proportion of its high-skilled workforce to OECD countries than any other non-member nation, the OECD reports. It finds that 83% of the country's graduates now live in an OECD country. Size is the best predictor of emigration. Smaller countries, especially African and island nations, send a higher proportion of their graduates to the OECD. Big ones, such as Bangladesh, keep most of theirs."
IT Workforce in Ireland
IT Workforce online report in Ireland:
"Recognizing that the development of knowledge-based economies dependence on an adequate supply of people with relevant skills, the Irish Government has invested heavily in all levels of its domestic education system. The following data tables summarize Ireland?s workforce relative to its demographics, education, labor costs, productivity, supply, skills gap, and emigration/immigration. "
"Recognizing that the development of knowledge-based economies dependence on an adequate supply of people with relevant skills, the Irish Government has invested heavily in all levels of its domestic education system. The following data tables summarize Ireland?s workforce relative to its demographics, education, labor costs, productivity, supply, skills gap, and emigration/immigration. "
An Academic Question
The New York Times Opinion piece by Paul Krugman:
"It's a fact, documented by two recent studies, that registered Republicans and self-proclaimed conservatives make up only a small minority of professors at elite universities. But what should we conclude from that?"
Krugman suggests that "one answer is self-selection - the same sort of self-selection that leads Republicans to outnumber Democrats four to one in the military. The sort of person who prefers an academic career to the private sector is likely to be somewhat more liberal than average, even in engineering.
"But there's also, crucially, a values issue. In the 1970's, even Democrats like Daniel Patrick Moynihan conceded that the Republican Party was the "party of ideas." Today, even Republicans like Representative Chris Shays concede that it has become the "party of theocracy..........
"Think of the message this sends: today's Republican Party - increasingly dominated by people who believe truth should be determined by revelation, not research - doesn't respect science, or scholarship in general. It shouldn't be surprising that scholars have returned the favor by losing respect for the Republican Party."
"It's a fact, documented by two recent studies, that registered Republicans and self-proclaimed conservatives make up only a small minority of professors at elite universities. But what should we conclude from that?"
Krugman suggests that "one answer is self-selection - the same sort of self-selection that leads Republicans to outnumber Democrats four to one in the military. The sort of person who prefers an academic career to the private sector is likely to be somewhat more liberal than average, even in engineering.
"But there's also, crucially, a values issue. In the 1970's, even Democrats like Daniel Patrick Moynihan conceded that the Republican Party was the "party of ideas." Today, even Republicans like Representative Chris Shays concede that it has become the "party of theocracy..........
"Think of the message this sends: today's Republican Party - increasingly dominated by people who believe truth should be determined by revelation, not research - doesn't respect science, or scholarship in general. It shouldn't be surprising that scholars have returned the favor by losing respect for the Republican Party."
U.S. Drones Crowd Iraq's Skies to Fight Insurgents
The New York Times article: (registration required.)
"In the skies over Iraq, the number of remotely piloted aircraft - increasingly crucial tools in tracking insurgents, foiling roadside bombings, protecting convoys and launching missile attacks - has shot up to more than 700 now from just a handful four years ago, military officials say.
"As the American military continues to shift its emphasis to counterinsurgency and antiterrorism missions, the aircraft are in such demand that the Pentagon is poised to spend more than $13 billion on them through the end of the decade."
The article is interesting per se, but it is also suggestive of the potential for small, cheap, remotely controlled aircraft to be used in development programs in the future. For example, "the 4.5-pound Ravens that patrol 100 feet off the ground". These might be used for local remote sensing. Larger vehicles that can stay aloft at 10,000 feet for 24 hours at a time might contribute to mapping and environmental monitoring.
"In the skies over Iraq, the number of remotely piloted aircraft - increasingly crucial tools in tracking insurgents, foiling roadside bombings, protecting convoys and launching missile attacks - has shot up to more than 700 now from just a handful four years ago, military officials say.
"As the American military continues to shift its emphasis to counterinsurgency and antiterrorism missions, the aircraft are in such demand that the Pentagon is poised to spend more than $13 billion on them through the end of the decade."
The article is interesting per se, but it is also suggestive of the potential for small, cheap, remotely controlled aircraft to be used in development programs in the future. For example, "the 4.5-pound Ravens that patrol 100 feet off the ground". These might be used for local remote sensing. Larger vehicles that can stay aloft at 10,000 feet for 24 hours at a time might contribute to mapping and environmental monitoring.
Monday, April 04, 2005
Giving by U.S. Foundations Hits Record $32.4 Billion in 2004
The New York Times article:
"An estimated $32.4 billion spilled out of the nation's roughly 66,000 independent, community and corporate foundations in 2004, compared with $30.3 billion in the prior year, a 4.1 percent increase when adjusted for inflation, according to estimates to be released today by the Foundation Center."
"An estimated $32.4 billion spilled out of the nation's roughly 66,000 independent, community and corporate foundations in 2004, compared with $30.3 billion in the prior year, a 4.1 percent increase when adjusted for inflation, according to estimates to be released today by the Foundation Center."
Interactive Map: The Geography of Technological Innovation and Achievement
Interactive Map:
This map, published by the United Nations Development Program in conjunction with its 2001 Human Development Report, shows the location of global hubs of technological innovation, and the estimated status of many nations in terms of capacity to innovate technologically.
This map, published by the United Nations Development Program in conjunction with its 2001 Human Development Report, shows the location of global hubs of technological innovation, and the estimated status of many nations in terms of capacity to innovate technologically.
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