« November 2011 | Main | January 2012 »
Boys led the first decade, with their higher spatial ability, creating the new technology.
Now we're in the decade of transforming society and creating a new infrastructure, and here's where the girls have neurological superiority.
So Molly Klatchpole, a 22 year old, was the most important player in getting the Bank of America to rescind its new and unreasonable bank charges.
Cars and suburbs continued to decline in 2011.
*Lower fatalities not safety related.
Despite what state DOTs are implying, the lower fatalities on our highways have nothing to do with safety education, and everything to do with fewer miles being driven (VMT, or vehicle miles traveled), especially among young people, who historically have higher fatality rates.
Exclusive NineShift research found conclusively this is so. In the past 20 years, death rates among the young fell as a percentage of the total, while middle age deaths doubled. To maintain that 18 year olds are better drivers than 55 year olds is, of course, not validated by the facts. The fact that 55 year olds are driving more, and 18 year olds are driving less, is validated by the facts.
*More poor people now live in the suburbs than in the city,
the New York Times reported. Urban downtowns continue to do better than suburbs. Houses near light rail experience are more valuable than ever.
This was the year that Americans realized the U.S. is in decline.
Example: the world's top light rail executive left the U.S. An American, Jay Walder upgraded the famous London England tube light rail system. He then took a job to do the same thing for the New York subway system. Right in the middle of his contract, he just got up and left the U.S. for Hong Kong. Why? Because the funding cuts meant the city, state and federal government were not serious about investing in light rail. Hong Kong is.
Gen Y is on the move. 100 years ago, young people took trains to cities where they could make cars and improve their lives. Today, Gen Y is driving to cities where they can take light rail and trains and improve their lives.
NineShift has discovered the top nine 21st Century Cities. While states like Ohio, Wisconsin and New Mexico have a "brain drain," these cities clearly have a "brain gain:" (in no order)
1.Boston 2.New York 3.Washington DC 4.Chicago 5.Minneapolis 6.San Francisco 7.San Diego 8.Seattle 9.Portland, Oregon
These cities all have light rail. They all have trains. They also have much higher percentage, between 40% and 50% of their citizens with a four year college education. And they have higher rates of workers teleworking.
Image: Painting by Jacob Lawrence showing people migrating 100 years ago from the farms of the south to the factories of the north.
The four themes of 2011 -- as well as the mood, fervor and unsettling environment- - were exactly the same as 1911.
The four themes of both 2011 and 1911:
-Democracy
-More Education
-Infrastructure
-Wealth Inequality
In 1911, the four themes were exemplified by:
-Infrastructure. The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire that killed 134 women and children, led to workplace safety rules such as the 40 hour week and specifically building codes (the electrical building code association is a member of LERN)
-More Education. Educators advocated for some of the 60 hour work week be allocated to school for children, which eventually became universal high school.
-Democracy. The suffragettes took to the streets, and the jails, much like protesters in 2011.
-Wealth Inequality. Like today, CEOs made 400 times what an average worker did. In 1911, there were actually 400 wealthy families that had parties, a symbol of the wealth and power of just a few individuals.
Amtrak ridership nationwide was a record 30.2 million in the federal fiscal year ended Sept. 30.
Just about every year since 2005 Amtrak has been setting records, even with not being able to add cars or build new routes and lines. Nevertheless, Gen Y is killing the auto, quickly in Europe and slowly but surely in the U.S.
The Gen Y sense of humor is retro and good natured.
Gen Y also admires the World War II generation. Here's a good example, found shopping this week at the local co-op. Just good wholesome fun.
The big rage in mainstream U.S. media right now is to hire British journalists as the voice of the news. What's up with that?
The main media force is the BBC, which has outshone the U.S. media in every way, with its objective, worldwide news and guests of various perspectives, especially non-American perspectives.
The U.S. media, meanwhile, has diminished its own credibility tremendously by cutting back on overseas reporters, replacing news with opinion, and only offering an American-centric view of the world.
Now the U.S. media is trying to fake someone out - - who they are trying to fool is unclear - - by presenting American-centric opinioniated and biased news, only with a British accent. Trying to substitute objective, worldwide news with a British accent won't work. Why even try?
Photo: LERN has had REAL British journalists from the BBC keynote our conference the past two years, bringing that great BBC journalism to our audience. Bill Thompson of 'Click' keynoted our conference this month.
Well, we called this one.
1) In January 2011, we asked here (you can check it out) "When Will U.S. Youth Revolt?" The answer was 3 weeks.
2) At the Nine Shift for 2012 presentation at the big LERN conference in New Orleans this month, we spent a whole section of the talk on "The Fight for the 21st Century," featuring Wisconsin's role in fostering the protests.
Just one year ago, no one was talking about income inequality, no one was challenging the Tea Party, and a few people complained about Nine Shift engaging in "politics" when we covered the Wisconsin protests. Now The Protester is person of the year, just like she was in 1911.
