Topics
|
Topics
|
|
|
Topics 2010 - 2011 Practice Problem # 1 Healthy Living Practice Problem # 2 Air Transport Qualifying Problem Genetic Testing Affiliate Competition Water Quality IC 2011 Emergency Planning Healthy Living Fast foods, convenience foods, stress...all of these are affecting our lives today, resulting in a generation of people with disorders that were unknown twenty-five years ago. Stress-related illnesses - broken sleep patterns, obesity, lack of physical exercise, ADHD, mood swings and other psychological conditions - seem to all be part and parcel of the intensity at which people are living today. What impact will these have on the lives of the next generations? Air Transport Airport security continues to become more intense and invasive. Megaplanes will carry larger passenger loads for longer and longer distances. Budget airlines offer cutthroat prices that threaten the viability of other airlines. The competition between airlines is leading to greater luxuries for high-paying passengers and increasingly complex entertainment systems, which are compromising fuel economies by adding extra weight to planes. Airbus’s huge A380 has run into major problems. Passengers in some countries are being asked to buy carbon credits to offset the environmental impact of their air travel. The cost of jet fuel continues to rise and planes are blamed for high carbon emissions contributing to global warming. What is the future of air travel? Will people continue to travel the globe in such large numbers? Genetic Testing Scientists are currently looking into the genetic testing of humans so that we will know if we are genetically prone to obesity, smoking, violence, etc. Examples: If health insurance companies know that you will become obese and need lots of treatment they will charge you more (even if you found this out and have started eating better, etc.) If you are prone to violence, you may be monitored. Both of these are examples are scary to think about, but the even scarier thought is that these situations are starting to occur. Water Quality Over the years we have made great strides in maximizing water quality. We have also developed innovative ways to clean up messes that we have made. Filters have been devised and chemicals have been discovered that will neutralize other dangerous chemicals. While these solutions have dealt with industrial and household wastes, a new challenge has come in the back door. We are now finding that Prozac, Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine, just to name a few, in our water systems. These and many more drugs pass through our systems and enter the sewer systems. In many places, the water that is “cleaned” is water that is sent back to the drinking water sources. While many other pollutants have been filtered or neutralized, these systems do not filter or neutralize the many legal and illegal drugs that are being consumed today. We are finding these drugs in the systems of humans and animals in the wild that have never had personal access to the drugs. Is finding more new ways to filter or neutralize the water the answer or must we once again find ways to minimize the causes? Emergency Planning Major regional and national emergencies – severe weather events like the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and acts of terrorism like the attacks of September 11, 2001 – are an unavoidable reality. There are tremendous costs associated with rebuilding destroyed structures and cities, treating injured people, and rapidly moving around needed equipment and personnel. Often, governments’ and nongovernmental organizations’ ability to respond to disasters do not meet the needs and expectations of affected people. How can institutions – governments, businesses, charities, etc. – better prepare for unforeseeable disasters? Who should have primary responsibility for coordinating responses to major emergencies? What kind of planning is needed to respond to new types of disasters, like cyber-attacks?
Copyright © 2010 Future Problem Solving Program International |
|
Send mail to
suewagner@stjoelive.com
or janetfite@gmail.com
with questions or comments
about this web site.
|
