listEntries({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-11-20T15:42:26.825-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Official google.org Blog"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":""},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://blog.google.org/feeds/posts/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d999\u0026orderby\u003dpublished"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"A Googler"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"131"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"999"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-6931362740533640124"},"published":{"$t":"2009-11-20T13:02:00.001-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-11-20T15:42:26.835-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Energy R\u0026D funding from \"Lightbulbs to Lightbulbs\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: Arial;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e(Condensed Remarks from the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cleantechopen.com/app.cgi/content/home/index\" id\u003d\"hppa\" title\u003d\"2009 California Cleantech Open\"\u003e2009 California Cleantech Open\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/i\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e \u003cp class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"font-family: Arial;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: georgia;\"\u003eThere are still power plants operating today that Thomas Edison could have seen with his own eyes. If he were to tour our electrical grid, he would recognize that too. As former Secretary of State George Shultz says, in energy \"the past must not be prologue.\"  Can we reinvent our energy system in only ten years?  I think we can -- but we need to have a clear mission, we need to aim high, and we need substantial and sustained R\u0026amp;D funding.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: georgia;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"font-family: Arial;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: georgia;\"\u003eThis funding, coupled with tax incentives, loan guarantees, and other market mechanisms, is needed to drive innovation across the entire R\u0026amp;D pipeline -- from research, to development, to demonstration, to deployment, to full-scale commercialization. At Google we like to say, “from lightbulbs to lightbulbs\" -- from the initial idea to real products. However you phrase it, investment is needed across that entire pipeline, especially from the government in the early stages where the energy industry often does not invest the large amounts needed to generate technological breakthroughs.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: georgia;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"font-family: Arial;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: georgia;\"\u003eSince 1980 U.S. federal investment in energy R\u0026amp;D has dropped by 58 percent. Back then, 10 percent of the total government R\u0026amp;D investment was in energy. Today, the percentage has shrunk to only two percent. Recent signs in Washington are definitely positive.  Earlier this year, President Obama added over $5.7 billion in 2-year stimulus funding for energy research, development, and demonstration.  But this isn't enough, and it's not sustained. We're still on a 2-lane innovation road, not a superhighway -- and the road we're currently on is headed for a big cliff.  Unless something changes, we're going to lose this significant funding after next year. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: georgia;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp class\u003d\"MsoNormal\" style\u003d\"font-family: Arial;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family: georgia;\"\u003ePresident Obama has called for $150 billion over 10 years for energy R\u0026amp;D.  Some experts go even further -- Professors Dan Kammen and Gregory Nemet at UC Berkeley propose that annual energy R\u0026amp;D levels on the order of $30 billion will be necessary to address the climate challenge. And I was delighted to see recently that ARPA-E -- the new Department of Energy agency chartered to fund breakthrough ideas -- has made its first set of grants of $151 million for 37 projects.  This is a great start, but it is only a start.  We all need do our part to help convince our leaders in Washington to follow up on this down payment with substantial and sustained investment.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Bill Weihl, Green Energy Czar\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-6931362740533640124?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6931362740533640124"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6931362740533640124"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/11/energy-r-funding-from-lightbulbs-to.html","title":"Energy R\u0026D funding from \"Lightbulbs to Lightbulbs\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-564868812144764085"},"published":{"$t":"2009-11-10T09:46:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-11-10T09:52:38.527-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Finding flu vaccine information in one easy place"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e(cross-posted from the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/finding-flu-vaccine-information-in-one.html\"\u003eOfficial Google Blog\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis year, it's especially important to have clear information on what you can do to prepare for the flu season. With this in mind, we are happy to share a new feature for the U.S. which allows you to more easily find locations near you for getting both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine. After \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/google-flu-trends-expands-to-16.html\"\u003eexpanding\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/flutrends/\"\u003eGoogle Flu Trends\u003c/a\u003e to a total of 20 countries and 38 languages, allowing more people to see near real-time estimates of flu activity, we began brainstorming with the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.hhs.gov/\"\u003eU.S. Department for Health and Human Services\u003c/a\u003e (HHS), their flu.gov collaborators and the American Lung Association on the flu shot finder and other ways Google can be helpful to people this flu season.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYou can check out the flu shot finder at \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/flushot\"\u003ewww.google.com/flushot\u003c/a\u003e. The same tool will also be available shortly on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.flu.gov/\"\u003ewww.flu.gov\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.flucliniclocator.org/\"\u003eAmerican Lung Association\u003c/a\u003e websites. It's important to note that this project is just beginning and we have not yet received information about flu shot clinics for many locations. In addition, many locations that are shown are currently out of stock. We launched this service now in order to help disseminate information about locations where vaccines are available, and also to make more vaccine providers aware of the project so that they can contribute.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SvmoDa2muMI/AAAAAAAABAM/p277URHBkwY/s1600-h/Pittsburgh_example.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 223px;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SvmoDa2muMI/AAAAAAAABAM/p277URHBkwY/s400/Pittsburgh_example.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402534004709046466\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEspecially given \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.nytimes.com/info/swine-flu-h1n1-vaccine/?scp\u003d1-spot\u0026amp;sq\u003dh1n1%20vaccine\u0026amp;st\u003dcse\"\u003eslower than expected vaccine production\u003c/a\u003e, we think it's important to bring together flu shot information in a coherent manner. We've been working with HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local health agencies to gather information on flu vaccine locations across the country, particularly for the H1N1 flu vaccine (both the nasal-spray vaccine and the shot). At the moment we have data for locations of flu vaccine directly from 20 states and counting. We are also continuing to add information from chain pharmacies and other providers in all 50 states; today, you'll find results from chains such as Walgreens, CVS and PDX participants, such as Kmart, Duane Reade, WinnDixie and Giant Eagle.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOf course you should still call flu vaccine providers ahead of time to find out more about availability and eligibility for the two vaccines.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe hope to continue providing you with relevant information to help keep you and your loved ones healthy.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Roni Zeiger, M.D., Product Manager and Jennifer Haroon, Product Marketing Manager\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-564868812144764085?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/564868812144764085"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/564868812144764085"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/11/finding-flu-vaccine-information-in-one.html","title":"Finding flu vaccine information in one easy place"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SvmoDa2muMI/AAAAAAAABAM/p277URHBkwY/s72-c/Pittsburgh_example.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4654398903820827161"},"published":{"$t":"2009-10-27T20:08:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-27T21:34:25.912-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"PowerMeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Empowering the UK with Google PowerMeter"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Electricity consumers in the United Kingdom can now access \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter\"\u003eGoogle PowerMeter\u003c/a\u003e, a free software tool that provides consumers with information on how much energy their home is using. The software receives information from utility smart meters and in-home energy management devices and visualizes this information on a personalized \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/ig\"\u003eiGoogle\u003c/a\u003e homepage. Today we're announcing both our very first UK utility partnership and our very first UK device partner.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOur utility partner, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.first-utility.com/\"\u003efirst:utility\u003c/a\u003e, is the only energy supplier in the United Kingdom to provide free smart meters to its customers, and is currently in the process of rolling them out across the country. To date, first:utility has over 30,000 customers signed up to its service. Starting in early November, all first:utility customers with smart meters will be able to sign up to use Google PowerMeter, empowering them with greater information about their home electricity use. According to Mark Daeche, first:utility’s Chief Executive, \"At the end of the day, if you can’t measure and view your energy use, it’s very difficult to make savings.”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGoogle is also partnering with \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.alertme.com/\"\u003eAlertMe\u003c/a\u003e, a self-install consumer device manufacturer and our first partner with a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.alertme.com/go/shop/energy\"\u003eproduct available\u003c/a\u003e in the United Kingdom. Starting today, AlertMe customers in the UK can access their home’s data through Google PowerMeter on their iGoogle homepage. In just a few minutes consumers can access their home energy data from anywhere they can access the Internet. Pilgrim Beart, founder and CEO of AlertMe noted, “Our partnership with Google PowerMeter puts your home energy consumption right in front of you every time you go online.”  Check out \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003dkhL19_VvQe8\"\u003ethis video\u003c/a\u003e to learn more about how you can start monitoring your home energy use today.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWith today's announcement, we've now signed up two device partners and ten utility partners serving five countries!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePosted by  Ka-Ping Yee, Software Engineer and Jens Redmer, Business Development\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4654398903820827161?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4654398903820827161"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4654398903820827161"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/10/empowering-uk-with-google-powermeter.html","title":"Empowering the UK with Google PowerMeter"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-5957082980475007648"},"published":{"$t":"2009-10-26T09:11:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-26T09:31:42.236-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Will genomics help prevent the next pandemic?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The first outbreak of the new \"swine flu\" strain, now known as H1N1, earlier this year in Mexico caught the world by surprise. Public health officials around the world tried to stop the virus at the borders but were largely helpless. Shortly after, on the other side of the world from Mexico, I saw the health check posts in Cambodia at the airport and at a borderpost with Vietnam, right when the country found its first H1N1 cases which were flown in by US exchange students. The weapons used by the health officials to combat the spread of the virus were primarily paper survey forms and thermometers; the virus won, very quickly. Genomics is rapidly changing both the way diseases are diagnosed and the way medications and vaccines are developed - but will it give us the tools to prevent the next pandemic?\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e    What if countries where emerging infections originate, from Cameroon to Cambodia, could rapidly sequence suspect samples and discover new pathogens when only a few people have become sick?\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWhat if all such sequence data were immediately shared in a single global open access database?\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWhat if you could search for a string of sequence data and all associated data, annotations or publications as easily and effectively as a Google search?\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWhat if markers discovered for a new disease would quickly be incorporated into affordable hand held multi-pathogen diagnostic tests widely available at the point of care?\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eWhat if the results of those tests were uploaded to a database where surveillance tools like \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/flutrends\"\u003eGoogle Flu Trends\u003c/a\u003e could discover outbreaks?\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003eToday the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.plos.org/\"\u003ePublic Library of Science\u003c/a\u003e, a mission driven, non-profit and open access publisher, presents \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ploscollections.org/emerginginfectiousdisease\"\u003eThe Genomics of Infectious Disease\u003c/a\u003e\" a collection of essays, perspectives and reviews that explores how genomics—with all its associated tools and techniques—can provide insights into our understanding of emerging infectious disease. This collection was produced with financial support from Google.org with the editorial independence and rigor of PLoS and the expert opinion of leading researchers.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000219\"\u003eone piece\u003c/a\u003e Rajesh Gupta, Mark Michalski (of Stanford, but at Google.org last year) and I provide Google.org’s perspective and vision for how systematic application of genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics to infectious diseases could predict and prevent the next pandemic. To realize this vision, however, we feel that a focused, coordinated and scaled-up effort would be required. We urge the community to unite under an “Infectious Disease Genomics Project,” analogous to the Human Genome Project, to accelerate today's impressive progress as reviewed by this cross-journal open access collection.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYou can read more in \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.plos.org/cms/node/490\"\u003ethis blog from PLoS\u003c/a\u003e and listen to a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://ploscollections.org/downloads/emerginginfectiousdisease.mp3\"\u003efascinating audio interview debate\u003c/a\u003e with with Jonathan Eisen, Siv Andersson, and Raj Gupta, led by Kirsten Sanford.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SuXMVEtwovI/AAAAAAAAA_s/Jgp59DlQw-g/s1600-h/f_goog_col.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 51px;\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SuXMVEtwovI/AAAAAAAAA_s/Jgp59DlQw-g/s400/f_goog_col.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396944390888399602\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Frank Rijsberman, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-5957082980475007648?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5957082980475007648"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5957082980475007648"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/10/will-genomics-help-prevent-next.html","title":"Will genomics help prevent the next pandemic?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SuXMVEtwovI/AAAAAAAAA_s/Jgp59DlQw-g/s72-c/f_goog_col.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-8171968325110359084"},"published":{"$t":"2009-10-15T16:36:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-15T16:48:29.011-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Pouncing on the iCat opportunity"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"As a relatively new philanthropy ourselves, Google.org continues to explore innovative and sustainable solutions to improving the lives and livelihoods of people in the developing world.  This exploration often brings us into dialogue with many start-up social enterprises and other philanthropies trying to overcome challenges working directly with less advantaged populations.  One such group, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.lgt.com/en/private_kunden/philanthropie/index.html\"\u003eLGT Venture Philanthropy\u003c/a\u003e, has articulated a recurring theme: organizations with effective and innovative solutions to social and environmental problems often lack the manpower and expertise to implement these solutions in the most effective way, especially during the growth phase.  They have come up with a creative solution: the iCats Program.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe iCats Program was designed to bridge the gap between philanthropic organizations or social enterprises in need of professional know-how and resources, and business professionals with the desire to apply their knowledge and experience to benefit the social sector, thus acting as “impact catalysts.” This is how the name iCats was inspired.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eiCats are professionals from all over the world with diverse professional backgrounds who are willing to share their business expertise with carefully selected philanthropic organizations and social enterprises. LGT Venture Philanthropy created a web-based platform to match experienced professionals with specific needs in \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.icatsprogram.com/pages/organizations\"\u003etrusted partner\u003c/a\u003e programs.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn 2009, eight fellows are working in organizations in Africa, India, and Latin America.  Peter Shrimpton, CEO of Heart in Capetown notes of the iCAT program, “Your funds may have mobilized us, but it is your fellows who are optimizing our performance. If your funds are the vehicle, your fellows are the fuel.”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI wanted to share with you that applications for the 2010 iCat Program are now underway. A fellow works 11 months on-site with a portfolio organization from February to December 2010 and receives regular mentoring from the LGT Venture Philanthropy team. In addition, a 4-day induction workshop brings all fellows together in the Swiss mountains.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe fellow positions for 2010 are now online on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.icatsprogram.com/\"\u003ewww.icatsprogram.com\u003c/a\u003e. Application deadline is \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e26th October 2009\u003c/span\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Mark Smolinski, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-8171968325110359084?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8171968325110359084"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8171968325110359084"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/10/pouncing-on-icat-opportunity.html","title":"Pouncing on the iCat opportunity"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-6726904046878082455"},"published":{"$t":"2009-10-08T00:35:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-08T00:36:58.932-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Google Flu Trends expands to 16 additional countries"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"If you're like us, you're probably thinking a lot about how this year's flu season might affect you and your community. To help you out, we at \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/\"\u003eGoogle.org\u003c/a\u003e are excited to announce the expansion of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/flutrends/\"\u003eGoogle Flu Trends\u003c/a\u003e to 16 additional countries, including much of Europe. We've also made the site available in 37 languages. Flu is a global threat, affecting millions worldwide each year, so we're pleased to make this tool available in more regions and languages.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/tracking-flu-trends.html\"\u003eLast November\u003c/a\u003e, we launched Google Flu Trends in the United States after finding a close relationship between how many people search for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms. By tracking the popularity of certain Google search queries, we are able to estimate the level of flu, in near real-time. While some traditional flu surveillance systems may take days or weeks to collect and release data, Google search queries can be counted immediately. Google Flu Trends provides an additional surveillance tool that may help public health officials and the public make more informed decisions about preparing for the flu season.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn the past year, we've expanded our coverage to include Mexico, New Zealand and Australia and have continued to see a good correspondence between our estimates and official flu activity data. In fact, our analysis of last season shows that Google Flu Trends had a close 0.92 correlation with official U.S. flu data.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAn important aspect of Google Flu Trends is that we filter out terms that may be popular because people hear about them in the news. What we do not use in the models is a term like [swine flu] since people are more likely to type that into Google because they want to know more information about it, given the news headlines, and not because they actually have H1N1 or swine flu. For more information about how we built this model, take a peek at this video:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject width\u003d\"560\" height\u003d\"340\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/6111nS66Dpk\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\u0026amp;\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/6111nS66Dpk\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\u0026amp;\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"560\" height\u003d\"340\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf you visit Google Flu Trends for the U.S., you'll notice that the flu season is starting early this year. For tips on how to stay healthy this season, please visit our friends at the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm\"\u003eU.S. CDC\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/Pages/Influenza_A%28H1N1%29_Outbreak.aspx\"\u003ethe ECDC\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Matt Mohebbi and Dan Vanderkam, Software Engineers\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-6726904046878082455?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6726904046878082455"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6726904046878082455"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/10/google-flu-trends-expands-to-16.html","title":"Google Flu Trends expands to 16 additional countries"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-2763460871859312887"},"published":{"$t":"2009-10-07T17:09:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-08T08:15:09.518-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"PowerMeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Open enrollment for Google PowerMeter partners"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/powermeter\"\u003eGoogle PowerMeter\u003c/a\u003e team is pleased to announce an important milestone for our product -- open enrollment.  This means that utilities can enable self-serve sign-up for customers to use the Google PowerMeter gadget. More users means improved feedback on our product and this will translate into an improved product experience.  Here's how it works: If your utility has open enrollment enabled for your account, with just two simple steps you can have your usage data transmitted to Google and visible online via Google PowerMeter.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://google.yellostrom.de/\"\u003eYello Strom\u003c/a\u003e, a German utility and our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2009/06/german-utility-partners-with-google.html\"\u003efirst partner in Europe\u003c/a\u003e, is fully up and running with open enrollment. All of the customers who use Yello's smart electricity meter - the Sparzähler - can now also view their individual electricity consumption online using Google PowerMeter. With over 1.4 million customers, Yello is among Germany's top ten electricity companies and the very first company to offer commercial smart meters nationwide in Germany since 2008. Yello’s smart meter interacts with a PC to make energy consumption visible for the customer – both in real-time within their own household and online at fifteen-minute intervals.  Expanding the number of customers who can sign up for Google PowerMeter is just one more way this forward-thinking utility is improving access to energy information. As Executive Director Martin Vesper put it, \"We are now offering our customers even more ways to maintain an overview of their electricity consumption with the help of the internet. And when people know exactly what is going on with their energy usage, they can use energy efficiently without sacrificing convenience.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOther \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/partners.html\"\u003eGoogle PowerMeter partners\u003c/a\u003e are also working towards open enrollment capabilities. Florida's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.jea.com/\"\u003eJEA\u003c/a\u003e has built an open enrollment system and is actively rolling it out within their customer base. And National Information Solutions Cooperative (\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.nisc.coop/index.htm\"\u003eNISC\u003c/a\u003e), the latest addition to our strategic partners, is actively integrating Google PowerMeter into their offerings for all Utility Co-ops that they service.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOpen enrollment and our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/google-powermeters-first-device-partner.html\"\u003erecent device announcement\u003c/a\u003e mean that even more users can now see their electricity data to save energy and money!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Srikanth Rajagopalan, Product Manager\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-family:Arial;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-2763460871859312887?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2763460871859312887"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2763460871859312887"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/10/open-enrollment-for-google-powermeter.html","title":"Open enrollment for Google PowerMeter partners"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1646820352993429584"},"published":{"$t":"2009-10-05T15:43:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-06T16:41:21.435-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"PowerMeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Google PowerMeter's first device partner"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003eCross-posted to the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/google-powermeters-first-device-partner.html\"\u003eOfficial Google Blog\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eToday, we're very excited to announce we have secured our first official device partner. (That means having a smart meter installed by your utility is no longer a prerequisite for using Google PowerMeter!)  For the last several months, a few hundred Google employees have been testing a number of in-home electricity monitoring devices.  Those of us lucky enough to have one of these devices installed in our homes experienced first-hand how access to high-resolution \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/downloads/smart-metering-report.pdf\"\u003eenergy use information drives meaningful behavior change\u003c/a\u003e. So we set out to make that data easier for everyone to access and understand by sending the collected data to our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter\"\u003eGoogle PowerMeter\u003c/a\u003e software.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe TED 5000 from Energy Inc. is an energy monitor that measures electricity usage in real-time (TED stands for \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.theenergydetective.com/index.html\"\u003e\"The Energy Detective\"\u003c/a\u003e).  As of today, we're pleased to announce that anyone in North America can \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.theenergydetective.com/ted-5000-overview.html\"\u003epurchase and install the TED 5000\u003c/a\u003e and see personal home energy data using our free software tool, Google PowerMeter, from anywhere you can access the web \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/06/snack-time-with-new-igoogle-for-android.html\"\u003eincluding through iGoogle for mobile phones\u003c/a\u003e.  (If you already have a TED 5000, you can download a free \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.theenergydetective.com/ted-5000-firmware-upgrade.html\"\u003efirmware upgrade\u003c/a\u003e to enable this functionality.)\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCombined with Google PowerMeter, the TED 5000 device can help you understand your electricity usage to save energy and money.  Energy Inc. is just our first device partner and if you are working for a company that manufactures energy monitors, we'd like to \u003ca href\u003d\"https://services.google.com/fb/forms/powerreaderdevice/\"\u003ehear from you\u003c/a\u003e. Stay tuned for more!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Tom Sly, New Business Development \u0026amp; Charles Spirakis, Software Engineer\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1646820352993429584?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1646820352993429584"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1646820352993429584"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/10/google-powermeters-first-device-partner.html","title":"Google PowerMeter's first device partner"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1493603089939498228"},"published":{"$t":"2009-09-01T14:47:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-09-01T14:54:17.580-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Swine flu near you?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Well, there's now an app for that.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eToday Google.org grantee \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.healthmap.org/\"\u003eHealthMap\u003c/a\u003e launched a new iPhone application called \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://healthmap.org/iphone/\"\u003eOutbreaks Near Me\u003c/a\u003e\" available for free download.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCurious about what disease outbreaks have been reported in your neighborhood? Or maybe in that city you're headed to for work or vacation? \"Outbreaks Near Me\" empowers users to track and report outbreaks of infectious disease near them in real-time. In addition to following the reports near you with an automatic alerting function, you can even become a disease detective yourself by reporting on outbreaks happening around you. It's the latest and greatest in grassroots disease surveillance.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/Sp2XjztuQ8I/AAAAAAAAA_M/Gv7xT9n69Sg/s1600-h/HealthMapiPhone.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 134px; height: 201px;\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/Sp2XjztuQ8I/AAAAAAAAA_M/Gv7xT9n69Sg/s400/HealthMapiPhone.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376620171583439810\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e\u003cinsert screenshots\u003d\"\"\u003eOutbreaks Near Me pinpoints a user’s location and maps local outbreak reports.\u003c/insert\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cinsert screenshots\u003d\"\"\u003e\u003c/insert\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cinsert screenshots\u003d\"\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHealthMap co-founder Clark Freifeld explains, \"In releasing this app we aim to empower citizens in the cause of public health, not only by providing ready access to real-time information, but also by encouraging them to contribute their own knowledge, expertise and observations. In enabling participation in surveillance, we also expect to increase global coverage and identify outbreaks earlier.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHealthMap is based at Children's Hospital Boston.  They launched this new application in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab.  Please read HealthMap's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT\u003d104\u0026amp;STORY\u003d/www/story/09-01-2009/0005086352\u0026amp;EDATE\u003d\"\u003epress release\u003c/a\u003e for more information.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Corrie Conrad, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/insert\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1493603089939498228?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1493603089939498228"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1493603089939498228"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/09/swine-flu-near-you.html","title":"Swine flu near you?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/Sp2XjztuQ8I/AAAAAAAAA_M/Gv7xT9n69Sg/s72-c/HealthMapiPhone.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-603010287105374687"},"published":{"$t":"2009-08-12T14:03:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-12T16:43:28.812-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Announcing 14 Geo Challenge Grant Recipients"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"When we \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/introducing-googleorg-geo-challenge.html\"\u003elaunched\u003c/a\u003e our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/geochallenge.html\"\u003eGeo Challenge Grants\u003c/a\u003e project last fall, we hoped our small grants program would provide nonprofits with the impetus and resources they need to take advantage of powerful online mapping tools like \u003ca href\u003d\"http://earth.google.com/\"\u003eGoogle Earth\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://maps.google.com/\"\u003eGoogle Maps\u003c/a\u003e.  We were, without a doubt, not disappointed.  In fact, we were overwhelmed by the hundreds of exciting and innovative geospatial applications that poured in from around the world, addressing diverse issues from renewable energy resources to education.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe are excited to announce that we have awarded grants to fourteen organizations with creative geo applications.  These projects address important problems through creative and scalable geospatial applications.  Grants are awarded either through the Google.org Fund at Tides Foundation or directly from Google.org.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOver the next six months to one year, these Geo Challenge Grant recipients will launch their projects and open-source all of the data, making both the projects and the data accessible to people all over the world.  We hope these projects will inspire others to use geospatial platforms to address global problems:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ctable border\u003d\"1\" cellpadding\u003d\"5\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003cb\u003eGrantee\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003cb\u003eProject Name\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003cb\u003eProject Description\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmount\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.aed.org/\"\u003eAcademy for Educational Development\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eData Visualization for Global Education\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eUsing the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://epdc.org/\"\u003eEducation Policy \u0026amp; Data Center's\u003c/a\u003e existing data system, AED will develop new visual tools for better communication of education patterns, inequality, and trends to policy makers and program developers\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$21,600\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://appalshop.org/\"\u003eAppalshop, Inc.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eWise Energy Forums\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eMapping the renewable energy resources in Wise County Virginia to show the opportunity of a sustainable energy future locally\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$5,000\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ashanet.org/\"\u003eAsha for Education\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eInteractive geospatial web-based portal for dissemination of information related to the education of underprivileged children in India\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eDeveloping an interactive geospatial web based portal for dissemination of information related to the education of underprivileged children in India\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$6,000\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cartong.org/\"\u003eCartONG\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eREDD Pilot – Elaboration and displaying of forest gains and losses in two target communities in Vietnam\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eDesigning a pilot system for monitoring deforestation rates for Central Highlands of Vietnam. The project will carry out forest inventories and calculate carbon stocks using models\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$25,000\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.e-geopolis.eu/\"\u003ee-Geopolis\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003ee-Geopolis Data Dissemination Project: Urban Growth in Africa and India, 1950-2020\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eEnhancing the quality and quantity of urbanization data for communities of 10,000 people in India and Africa\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$50,000\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.esperanzadelbarrio.org/\"\u003eEsperanza del Barrio\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eStreet Vendor Mobile Mapping\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eDeveloping a mapping application and website that will accept multi-user texts to map and update street vendor locations, integrating data into websites like \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.yelp.com/\"\u003eYelp\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.urbanspoon.com\"\u003eUrbanspoon\u003c/a\u003e, and providing information about access to healthy foods to the community\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$21,600\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/\"\u003eGreen Belt Movement\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eThe Green Belt Movement Tree Planting Project Mapping in Kenya\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eCreating a web-based system to visualize and monitor the Green Belt Movement supported community tree nurseries and associated tree planting sites in Kenya\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$50,000\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.snowleopard.org/\"\u003eInternational Snow Leopard Trust\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eClimate Change Impacts on Snow Leopard Range: Prioritizing Conservation Efforts to Mitigate Human-Wildlife Conflict\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eDisplaying different climate change scenarios in regions of China where the snow leopard lives to prevent human-snow leopard conflict\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$5,000\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.kcl.ac.uk/\"\u003eKing's College London\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eMapping the potential of global hydropower to sustain renewable energy demands, the risks imposed by climate change and strategies for adaptation through land cover management\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eMapping the global distribution of dams, contributing watersheds and the role of protected areas and community reserves in providing water-based environmental services to these dams\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$25,000\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mcbi.org/\"\u003eMarine Conservation Biology Institute\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eRenewable Energy at Sea: Best Places for Wind, Wave \u0026amp; Current Generation in US Waters\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eCreating a map of offshore wind, wave and current renewable resources as well as shipping lanes, marine sanctuaries, and aquaculture that will highlight the most favorable areas for development\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$5,000\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.prbo.org/cms/index.php\"\u003ePoint Reyes Bird Observatory\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eBiodiversity Futures: Mapping Biological Responses to Climate Change\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eBuilding a dynamic and user-driven online modeling application using existing avian, climate, vegetation, and land use change data to show deviation of avian migration based on climate change scenarios\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$25,000\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rupp.edu.kh/\"\u003eRoyal University of Phnom Penh\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eMapping Healthcare Centres in Cambodia\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eMapping the health centers in the country's capital city (clinics, services, contact info, languages, etc) and using this as the foundation for a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) emergency system\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$5,000\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.slwcs.org/\"\u003eSri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eTo develop a dynamic Geo Portal interfaced with Google Earth and climate change data to provide a “one stop shop” Internet database for Asian elephant conservation and to identify individual elephants through an automated identification program \u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eDeveloping a dynamic Geo Portal with climate change data to provide a “one stop shop” Internet database for Asian elephant conservation and to identify individual elephants through an automated identification program\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$15,000\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.aidsconsortium.org.uk/\"\u003eUK Consortium on AIDS \u0026amp; International Development\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eMapping availability of HIV, AIDS and TB services in Africa\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003eUsing the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ushahidi.com/\"\u003eUshahidi\u003c/a\u003e platform, it will map organizations providing HIV, AIDS and TB related services in Kenya and create a tool that enables organizations without experience of mapping to publish data on HIV, AIDS and TB services in their own countries\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd\u003e$40,800\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Adam Borelli, Associate, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-603010287105374687?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/603010287105374687"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/603010287105374687"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/08/announcing-14-geo-challenge-grant.html","title":"Announcing 14 Geo Challenge Grant Recipients"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-2520242267116999827"},"published":{"$t":"2009-08-07T12:09:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-10T11:11:25.399-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Cash for a clunker"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Ever since college, I've been driving the same car: a 2000 Nissan XTerra.  It's been a great car and, after more than 100,000 miles, it has a lot of memories: a ski trip to Lake Tahoe through a blizzard, driving down the I5 to Los Angeles, driving across the entire country and then back!  However, over the last few years I started to feel guilty about the how much gas my car managed to guzzle.  The official stats claimed 19 miles-per-gallon on the highway, but they must have been driving slower than I do because I never saw that sort of mileage.  So, I was excited when the government approved the \"Cash for Clunkers\" program!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI talked it over with my wife, and we decided it was time to upgrade to a more environmentally friendly car.  We looked around, and decided to get a Toyota Prius.  After checking out the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cars.gov\"\u003eCash for Clunkers website\u003c/a\u003e, I figured out that because the Prius is rated at 50 mpg, well more than 10 mpg more than the 16 mpg my XTerra currently rates, we were eligible for a $4,500 trade-in value through the program.  That made the Prius not only a environmentally friendly choice, but an economically attractive one as well.  We found a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cars.gov/dealer/\"\u003eparticipating dealer\u003c/a\u003e nearby and headed over to trade in our clunker.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAfter a quick test drive and some effective negotiations, we struck a deal and bought the new car.  As always, there was quite a bit of paperwork involved, including a few extra pages for the \"Cash for Clunkers\" program. (Then again, $4,500 is certainly worth a couple of pages of paperwork.) After signing on the dotted line, the car was ours.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eJust today President Barack Obama \u003ca href\u003d\"http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/07/autos/clunkers_continues/?postversion\u003d2009080711\"\u003esigned a bill\u003c/a\u003e extending funding for this incredibly popular program, which burned through its $1 billion budget in just one week.  It's not often you can get something you want, feel like you're doing something good for the planet, and get $4,500 for doing it.  So consider trading in your clunker for a more fuel-efficient model this weekend! \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv id\u003d\"1rfk2\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePosted by Jeff Keltner, Business Development Manager \u003c/div\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-2520242267116999827?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2520242267116999827"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2520242267116999827"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/08/cash-for-clunker.html","title":"Cash for a clunker"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4944589087729645641"},"published":{"$t":"2009-08-06T13:23:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-10T11:11:25.399-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Turning on the Solar Power Tower"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SntMGqo8_eI/AAAAAAAABps/_suCWA6uafM/s1600-h/esolarxxx.JPG\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SntMGqo8_eI/AAAAAAAABps/_suCWA6uafM/s320/esolarxxx.JPG\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366967058351062498\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eIn 2007 Google.org \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2007/11/investing-in-cleaner-energy-revolution.html\"\u003elaunched\u003c/a\u003e our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/rec.html\"\u003eRenewable Energy Cheaper than Coal\u003c/a\u003e initiative and announced a $10 million investment in the early-stage clean power company\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.esolar.com/\"\u003e eSolar, Inc\u003c/a\u003e.  Yesterday in Southern California, eSolar flipped the switch on what is to be the first solar power tower facility in the U.S. that will enter full commercial operation.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSuccess here could signal the emergence of a clean energy technology by which we might -- for the first time -- economically harness the sun to produce large quantities of electricity.  And we would be harnessing a massive and, for all practical purposes, inexhaustible energy supply.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn many respects eSolar has turned conventional thinking about solar power tower technology on its head in order to drastically reduce the capital and operating cost of solar thermal power plants. Instead of employing a small number of large and expensive specialty mirrors eSolar takes the opposite approach – incorporating thousands of small mirrors that can be made cheaply in massive quantities. And instead of having to reinforce large mirrors to stand up to high winds, eSolar’s small mirrors have a low profile, reducing material costs including steel and concrete for the mounting structures.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOf course this massive number of mirrors requires more sophisticated software so they accurately track the sun leading to high heat output and system efficiency.  At Google we’re particularly intrigued with this aspect of the eSolar product -- that is, how the performance of energy technology can be enhanced by information technology. Call it ET meets IT.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe eSolar team has taken a giant step toward cracking the code on solar power tower technology. I’m hopeful that just a few years from now we will see this facility – and many more like it – focusing the sun’s energy to produce a brighter future for our children and the planet they will inherit.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Dan Reicher, Director of Climate Change \u0026amp; Energy Initaitives\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4944589087729645641?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4944589087729645641"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4944589087729645641"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/08/turning-on-solar-power-tower.html","title":"Turning on the Solar Power Tower"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SntMGqo8_eI/AAAAAAAABps/_suCWA6uafM/s72-c/esolarxxx.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3850281175757041298"},"published":{"$t":"2009-08-06T09:10:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-10T11:11:25.399-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The vast potential of energy efficiency"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e(Cross-posted from the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2009/08/vast-potential-of-energy-efficiency.html\"\u003ePublic Policy Blog\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIt's no surprise that the cheapest and most available solution to the climate problem is simply to use energy more efficiently. But a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/electricpowernaturalgas/US_energy_efficiency/\"\u003erecent study\u003c/a\u003e issued by \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mckinsey.com/\"\u003eMcKinsey \u0026amp; Co.\u003c/a\u003e details just how compelling an opportunity we are missing. McKinsey predicts that an annual investment of roughly $50 billion over the next 10 years would cut energy demand by 23% and yield savings to the U.S. economy worth $1.2 trillion! The energy savings would be equal to taking the entire U.S. passenger fleet of cars and trucks off the road.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSuch efficiency gains are possible only if we overcome some major hurdles. For instance, most people have no idea how much energy we use in our homes on a daily basis or which of our appliances or devices are consuming the most energy. That's one of the reasons that we created \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/\"\u003eGoogle PowerMeter\u003c/a\u003e, a software gadget that shows users detailed information on their home electricity consumption. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/energy/research/pdf/energyconsump-feedback.pdf\"\u003eStudies show\u003c/a\u003e that when people have access to this kind information they reduce their energy use by up to 15%. Greater savings are possible if people use the information to buy a more efficient refrigerator or air conditioner, insulate their home, or take advantage of off-peak electricity rates.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe McKinsey report acknowledges that energy efficiency alone won't solve our energy and climate challenges. We must continue to put major resources into low-carbon sources of energy like \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/rec.html\"\u003erenewable energy\u003c/a\u003e, and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.recovery.gov/\"\u003efederal economic stimulus\u003c/a\u003e, with its tens of billions of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.energy.gov/recovery/\"\u003etargeted dollars and incentives\u003c/a\u003e, is a good start. But the McKinsey findings are a wake up call. As we enact more comprehensive energy policies, energy efficiency -- and giving people the information, tools and incentives to take advantage of it -- should be front and center.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SnsBzRNYufI/AAAAAAAAA-U/lmmqFdx2BZ4/s1600-h/Picture-3.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 317px;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SnsBzRNYufI/AAAAAAAAA-U/lmmqFdx2BZ4/s400/Picture-3.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366885361246583282\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Michael Terrell, Program Manager, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3850281175757041298?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3850281175757041298"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3850281175757041298"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/08/vast-potential-of-energy-efficiency.html","title":"The vast potential of energy efficiency"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SnsBzRNYufI/AAAAAAAAA-U/lmmqFdx2BZ4/s72-c/Picture-3.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-885063834193677673"},"published":{"$t":"2009-08-03T15:25:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-03T15:44:22.156-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Malaria origins revealed"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"An international group of scientists, including Dr. Nathan Wolfe and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.gvfi.org/\"\u003eGlobal Viral Forecasting Initiative\u003c/a\u003e (GVFI), \u003ca href\u003d\"http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT\u003d104\u0026amp;STORY\u003d/www/story/08-03-2009/0005070969\u0026amp;EDATE\u003d\"\u003eannounced today\u003c/a\u003e their discovery of the origins of the deadliest form of human malaria - Plasmodium falciparim.  The falciparim parasite is responsible for more than one million deaths each year.  GVFI, a 2008 Google.org grantee, monitors the spread of disease from animals to humans by analyzing blood and tissue samples collected from high-risk humans (bushmeat hunters, live-market workers, and more) and the animals they are in contact with.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe finding, documented in today's edition of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.pnas.org/\"\u003eProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences\u003c/a\u003e (PNAS), disproves the long-held belief that malaria is an ancient disease that has evolved along with its human hosts for over 5 million years.  Instead, analysis of several new blood samples from chimpanzees in Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire, has shown that human malaria began as a chimpanzee disease that jumped species (presumably when a human sustained a bite from a mosquito carrying chimpanzee malaria) as recently as 10,000 years ago.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhy do we care about the origins of the disease?  Firstly, it demonstrates that interspecies disease transfer has been occurring for millennia, and is not a modern phenomenon confined to our more recent experience with HIV, SARS and swine flu.  We must monitor this important mechanism of disease emergence if we want to catch the next pandemic, for the sake of our health and the health of generations to come.  Secondly, the study has demonstrated that chimpanzees carry a greater diversity of close relatives to human malaria than previously understood.  These could be the source of lifesaving new vaccines or treatments for human malaria.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SndlNU-9_3I/AAAAAAAAA90/iPC4pto410k/s1600-h/Picture+1.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 253px;\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SndlNU-9_3I/AAAAAAAAA90/iPC4pto410k/s320/Picture+1.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365868760680759154\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:78%;\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:78%;\"\u003eDibamba is a chimpanzee in the Mfou National Park in Cameroon. This individual and other chimpanzees in Cameroon and Ivory Coast were found infected with parasites that show that human malaria originated in chimpanzees.\u003cbr /\u003e(Photo by Matthew LeBreton, Global Viral Forecasting Initiative)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Joanne Stevens, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-885063834193677673?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/885063834193677673"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/885063834193677673"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/08/malaria-origins-revealed.html","title":"Malaria origins revealed"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SndlNU-9_3I/AAAAAAAAA90/iPC4pto410k/s72-c/Picture+1.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3196691817953526627"},"published":{"$t":"2009-07-30T16:17:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-07-30T16:21:59.191-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Inaugural class of Global Health Corps"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://ghcorps.org/\"\u003eGlobal Health Corps\u003c/a\u003e (GHC) places recent university graduates to year-long assignments with public health organizations. Last night members of the Google.org team were delighted to celebrate the inaugural class of Global Health Corps Fellows as they assembled at the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://med.stanford.edu/\"\u003eStanford University School of Medicine\u003c/a\u003e before embarking on their year-long placements in Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, New Jersey, and Boston. The Fellows met for the first time during a two-week course to prepare them for their upcoming assignments.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe Global Health Corps concept was a product of some exciting brainstorming during the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.aids2031.org/\"\u003eaids2031\u003c/a\u003e conference hosted by Google.org in March 2008.  GHC's 6-person leadership team includes Barbara Bush as President, and two Googlers, Charlie Hale and Andrew Bentley. \"This has been an amazing collaborative effort. We've had an incredible amount of support from a number of partners, and are confident this first class of fellows will have a tremendous impact,\" says Charlie Hale.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe organization strives to improve the quality of health services for the poor by matching talented pairs of recent university graduates from Africa and America with health-focused non-profit organizations.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAngie Bengtson from Minnesota and Mweya Clement from Tanzania are a duo that will begin their one year assignment with SACIDs (Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance) in August.  As Research Analysts, they will develop and improve early warning systems of infectious disease.  Angie and Clement are among 22 promising young fellows chosen from a pool of 1,200 applicants. The fellows will promote cultural awareness while improving healthcare systems in need.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe salute the new class of fellows and wish them luck in their exciting new adventure!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Kataneh Sarvian, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3196691817953526627?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3196691817953526627"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3196691817953526627"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/07/inaugural-class-of-global-health-corps.html","title":"Inaugural class of Global Health Corps"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3799551394964967958"},"published":{"$t":"2009-07-28T21:00:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-07-29T11:02:57.390-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Bugs we get from the animals we live with, or eat."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Recently I was in Cambodia with a group of Googlers for \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009063026788/Business/Google-meeting-held-at-Royal-University.html\"\u003e\"Gcamp\" at the Royal University of Phnom Penh\u003c/a\u003e when the country's first H1N1 (swine flu) case was discovered - a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www1.apan-info.net/vic/Home/VICAdmin/ProductFullView/tabid/1755/ArticleID/12420/CBModuleId/3963/Default.aspx\"\u003e16-year old American girl\u003c/a\u003e on an exchange student visit. The pandemic had traveled the globe and reached South-East Asia. All visitors to the country are now greeted by quarantine unit officers, equipped with paper forms and a fishbowl-like isolation room for suspected carriers, trying to keep the bug out. For years the world feared a possible flu pandemic not traveling to, but coming from Cambodia or one of its neighbors - an H5N1 (bird flu) pandemic that has not happened yet. So far we have been lucky - \u003ca href\u003d\"http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/12/content_10495712.htm\"\u003ebird flu is quite deadly\u003c/a\u003e but has not yet been very contagious. Swine flu has quickly become a pandemic but is not yet very virulent.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe get many new infectious diseases from the animals we eat or live with - poultry, livestock, wildlife, or insects such as mosquitoes. Some diseases have been around for a long time but we know surprisingly little about them. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs207/en/\"\u003eRift Valley Fever\u003c/a\u003e, for example, periodically kills people and livestock in east Africa, most recently in early 2007 when \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_05_09/en/index.html\"\u003e300 people died in Kenya, Tanzania and Somalia\u003c/a\u003e. But we don't know where the disease hides between outbreaks, how it gets transmitted, or whether people are getting sick because they get infected by mosquitoes or by handling, or eating, sick animals. Late last year \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/\"\u003eGoogle.org\u003c/a\u003e made a $5 million grant to \u003ca style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\" href\u003d\"http://www.icipe.org/\"\u003eicipe\u003c/a\u003e (African Insect Science for Food and Health) and partners to improve the discovery and surveillance of insect-carried infectious diseases, particularly Rift Valley Fever in East Africa. The project will collect an estimated 25,000 insect, wildlife, livestock and human samples and hunt for bugs using state-of-the-art biotech methods. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.roche.com/\"\u003eRoche\u003c/a\u003e, the health care company, has now donated a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.genome-sequencing.com/\"\u003e454 Genome Sequencer FLX system\u003c/a\u003e to the project to strengthen the labs of one of the project's partners, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ilri.org/\"\u003eILRI\u003c/a\u003e-BecA, biotech center of excellence for East Africa. This is the first second generation sequencing platform to be installed in the region and will significantly increase the project capacity to discover new pathogens.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe project will screen the samples with multiplex PCR and/or sequence on the Roche 454 platform and will meet its goals if it finds, within 3 years:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e   * 5 novel Rift Valley Fever variants\u003cbr /\u003e   * 5 new disease vectors (e.g. insects)\u003cbr /\u003e   * 20 known viruses that are identified in Kenya for the first time, and\u003cbr /\u003e   * 5 novel potential pathogen variants (i.e. 5 new diseases).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf those goals are met then we will be one step closer to predicting and preventing the next pandemic that may come out of East Africa.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Frank Rijsberman, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3799551394964967958?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3799551394964967958"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3799551394964967958"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/07/bugs-we-get-from-animals-we-live-with.html","title":"Bugs we get from the animals we live with, or eat."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-6951935655006154445"},"published":{"$t":"2009-07-22T09:03:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-07-23T16:22:07.218-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Final Inch DVD - captioned for 19 languages"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Google.org is pleased to announce that \u003ca style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\" href\u003d\"http://www.thefinalinch.org/\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/a\u003e, a film produced with \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2008/11/final-inch.html\"\u003esupport from and in collaboration with Google.org\u003c/a\u003e, is now available on DVD.  The Final Inch received a 2008 \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.oscar.com/nominees/?pn\u003ddetail\u0026amp;nominee\u003dThe%20Final%20Inch%20-%20Documentary%20Short%20Subject%20Nominee\"\u003eOscar nomination\u003c/a\u003e in the category of Best Documentary (Short Film).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTo facilitate wide global distribution, the DVD has been priced inexpensively and captioned with subtitles for 19 languages.  You may \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002HMDQ3C\"\u003eorder a copy\u003c/a\u003e of the film at Amazon.com.  Purchasers of the DVD are welcome to show the film at educational events and not-for-profit fundraising events targeted at polio eradication.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGoogle.org plans to donate $2 from the purchase of each DVD, though at least December 31, 2009, to polio eradication partners such as \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rotary.org/en/Pages/ridefault.aspx\"\u003eRotary International\u003c/a\u003e and UNICEF.  In February of this year, UNICEF issued \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_48106.html\"\u003epress release\u003c/a\u003e about \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/span\u003e that effectively outlines what a crucial moment it is for the polio eradication effort in India.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Gregory Miller, Director, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-6951935655006154445?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6951935655006154445"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6951935655006154445"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/07/final-inch-dvd-captioned-for-19.html","title":"The Final Inch DVD - captioned for 19 languages"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-5495198588042970596"},"published":{"$t":"2009-06-30T02:28:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-06T16:40:11.992-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"PowerMeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"German utility partners with Google PowerMeter - willkommen!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/Sknbdpk3VrI/AAAAAAAABnw/LlbtVX8xh3E/s1600-h/yello+meters.JPG\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/Sknbdpk3VrI/AAAAAAAABnw/LlbtVX8xh3E/s320/yello+meters.JPG\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353050934529709746\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eEarlier today we announced on the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google-produkt-kompass.blogspot.com/2009/06/yello-strom-wird-erster-europaischer.html\"\u003eGoogle Germany Blog\u003c/a\u003e that \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google.yellostrom.de/\"\u003eYello Strom\u003c/a\u003e is our first Google PowerMeter partner in Europe.  With over 1.4 million customers, Yello is among Germany's ten largest electricity companies and the very first company to offer commercial smart meters nationwide in Germany.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhen Yello Executive Director Martin Vesper gave us a demo of the Sparzähler meter a few months ago, it felt like fate -- Yello's solution for making energy information easy-to-access and easy-to-act-upon aligns perfectly with our vision for \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter\"\u003eGoogle PowerMeter\u003c/a\u003e.  The Sparzähler meter's broadband connectivity makes it possible for Google PowerMeter users to see 15 minute interval data nearly in real time. (Its design is also pretty sleek, we think.)\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGoogle PowerMeter now has \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/partners.html\"\u003enine utility partners\u003c/a\u003e around the world, large and small -- and each partner shares our goal of giving customers easy access to their own home energy usage information.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe hear from utilities around the world that are interested in enabling their customers to use Google PowerMeter. At the moment, we're focused on working with those utilities that can collect a minimum of hourly data (that's 24 reads a day) and deliver it to Google within one day. If you work for a utility with these kind of capabilities and are interested in getting your customers Google PowerMeter, please \u003ca href\u003d\"https://services.google.com/fb/forms/powerreaderutility/\"\u003elet us know\u003c/a\u003e!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePosted by Tom Sly, New Business Development\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-5495198588042970596?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5495198588042970596"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5495198588042970596"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/06/german-utility-partners-with-google.html","title":"German utility partners with Google PowerMeter - willkommen!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/Sknbdpk3VrI/AAAAAAAABnw/LlbtVX8xh3E/s72-c/yello+meters.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-2820358341962796605"},"published":{"$t":"2009-06-29T06:00:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-06-29T09:05:57.120-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Google SMS to serve needs of poor in Uganda"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e(Cross-posted from \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google-africa.blogspot.com/2009/06/google-sms-to-serve-needs-of-poor-in.html\"\u003eOfficial Google Africa Blog\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eToday is a big day for the Google Africa team for several reasons. We're announcing an exciting partnership between \u003ca href\u003d\"http://mtn.co.ug/\"\u003eMTN Uganda\u003c/a\u003e, the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.grameenfoundation.org/\"\u003eGrameen Foundation\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/\"\u003eGoogle\u003c/a\u003e, along with the launch of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.co.ug/mobile/default/sms.html\"\u003eGoogle SMS\u003c/a\u003e in Uganda. This launch makes available the first suite of applications resulting from an endeavor initiated by Grameen Foundation called \"AppLab\" (\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.applab.org/\"\u003eApplication Laboratory\u003c/a\u003e) which began over a year ago. AppLab is designed to develop mobile applications that serve the needs of poor and other vulnerable individuals and communities, most of whom have limited access to information and communications technology.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject height\u003d\"344\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/dPaMe0Nj6zM\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\u0026amp;\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/dPaMe0Nj6zM\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\u0026amp;\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" height\u003d\"344\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAt Google we seek to serve a broad base of people — not only those who can afford to access the Internet from the convenience of their workplace or with a computer at home. It's important to reach users wherever they are, with the information they need, in areas with the greatest information poverty. Hence the launch of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.co.ug/mobile/default/sms.html\"\u003eGoogle SMS\u003c/a\u003e, a bundle of mobile services for users to access content on a range of topics. This not only includes traditional services such as sports scores and local news, but for the first time, also includes services such as health and agriculture tips.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe are also releasing Google Trader, an SMS-based \"marketplace\" application that helps buyers and sellers find each other, enabling greater access to markets and trade, especially for those who are most excluded today. With these services, we hope to help alleviate some of the information and access to markets barriers for the poor, especially those in rural areas. So when farmers in Iganga want to sell their maize, they can list it on Google Trader and a miller in another trading center can find and contact them to buy their goods (see picture below). If a pregnant woman has a question about prenatal services, she can text her question to 6001 and get a response right away. Now people in any part of Uganda can easily find the information that is most critical to them.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/Skjj0jO_1VI/AAAAAAAAA9U/OF7tFr282LU/s1600-h/africamobile.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 188px;\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/Skjj0jO_1VI/AAAAAAAAA9U/OF7tFr282LU/s400/africamobile.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352778649080681810\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eMiller in trading center calling women's farming group in Iganga to obtain maize.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThese activities also represent an important milestone: our first major initiative in Uganda, one of the newest locations where Google is setting up operations. Earlier this year, I joined the Google Africa team to lead our efforts in Uganda, where we want to offer valuable services that address real needs. As East African fiber optic cables begin to connect Uganda to the global Internet community, it is vital that the foundation for a thriving Internet economy also be established. Many impressive organizations are focused on this goal, and we hope to enhance these efforts.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFinally, this launch represents the team efforts of many local partners, communities and individuals, each of whom played a role in bringing this vision to life. The Village Phone Operators represent our very first set of focus group participants and product development advisors. And the participation of farmers in more distant villages was fundamental in creating the highly local content — created by them, for them, through our local partner \u003ca href\u003d\"http://brosdi.or.ug/index.php?option\u003dcom_frontpage\u0026amp;Itemid\u003d1\"\u003eBROSDI\u003c/a\u003e (Busoga Rural Open Source and Development Initiative), in collaboration with AppLab. While developing the health tips service, students, health workers, doctors and school nurses stepped forward as leaders in their respective areas and turned this humble mission into a reality. Our partners, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.straight-talk.or.ug/\"\u003eStraight Talk Foundation\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mariestopes.org.uk/Home.aspx\"\u003eMarie Stopes International\u003c/a\u003e, not only created the content with AppLab based on the input of these many constituents, but forged deep and strong links with the communities where these services are in greatest demand.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhen we return to these villages with a product that will be developed through their insights, we want to understand if the service truly is having an impact. To this end, we are conducting a social impact assessment with \u003ca href\u003d\"http://poverty-action.org/\"\u003eInnovations for Poverty Action\u003c/a\u003e, with support from \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/\"\u003eGoogle.org\u003c/a\u003e, to build from the knowledge of what users need most, to understand what works best.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe hope these services will help a variety of organizations already doing impressive work to reach a broader audience and those with the greatest need, in new and innovative ways, through the mobile phone. This is the first of many exciting collaborative efforts we will be working on to support access to information in Uganda and more broadly, across Africa. So to everyone who participated in this effort, we say \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eWebale Nyo!\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Rachel Payne, Country Manager, Uganda\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-2820358341962796605?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2820358341962796605"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2820358341962796605"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/06/google-sms-to-serve-needs-of-poor-in.html","title":"Google SMS to serve needs of poor in Uganda"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/Skjj0jO_1VI/AAAAAAAAA9U/OF7tFr282LU/s72-c/africamobile.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-454993634242919997"},"published":{"$t":"2009-06-22T08:19:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-06-22T09:10:15.352-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"All for Good: Bringing search, scale and openness to community service"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e(cross-posted with \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/all-for-good-bringing-search-scale-and.html\"\u003eOfficial Google Blog\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhile many organizations are doing great work to enable community service locally, it's not simple to search across opportunities from a variety of places to find what's right for you. We have some experience finding relevant information from among many scattered sources, and when we learned that President Obama and the First Lady were making community service \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1872152,00.html?iid\u003dfb_share\"\u003ea top priority even before taking office\u003c/a\u003e, we thought we could help make a difference.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWith our mission in mind, a group of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id\u003d4839327\u0026amp;page\u003d1\"\u003e\"20%\" engineers\u003c/a\u003e, designers, and program managers from Google and other tech companies began work on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.allforgood.org/\"\u003eAll for Good\u003c/a\u003e, a new service to help you find volunteer events in your community, and share those events with your friends.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAll for Good provides a single search interface for volunteer activities across many major volunteering sites and organizations like \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.liveunited.org/\"\u003eUnited Way\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.volunteermatch.org/\"\u003eVolunteerMatch\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.handsonnetwork.org/\"\u003eHandsOn Network\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.reachoutandread.org/about_find.html\"\u003eReach Out and Read\u003c/a\u003e. By building on top of the amazing efforts of existing volunteer organizations like these, we hope to amplify their efforts.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/Sj-ogQh3oOI/AAAAAAAAA80/3WcTUM-OEDI/s1600-h/AllforGoodscreenshot.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 228px;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/Sj-ogQh3oOI/AAAAAAAAA80/3WcTUM-OEDI/s400/AllforGoodscreenshot.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350180154485743842\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnd in the spirit of open data, All for Good has a data API that anyone can use to search the same data displayed on the All for Good site.  All for Good was developed entirely using \u003ca href\u003d\"http://code.google.com/appengine/\"\u003eApp Engine\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/base/\"\u003eGoogle Base\u003c/a\u003e, with the full code repository hosted on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://code.google.com/hosting/\"\u003eGoogle Code Hosting\u003c/a\u003e. We'll be inviting developers to contribute to the open source application soon, so stay tuned.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eJust as releasing the Maps API led to an surge of independent and creative uses of geographic information, we've built All for Good as a platform to encourage innovation in volunteerism, as much as an end product in itself. We hope software developers will use the API or code to build their own volunteering applications, some even better than the All for Good site!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnd if you want to volunteer your video-creating skills to make a difference, check out \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/videovolunteers\"\u003eYouTube Video Volunteers\u003c/a\u003e, a new platform designed to make connections between non-profits with video needs and skilled video makers who can help broadcast their causes through video.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAll for Good is a new kind of collaboration between the private, public, and nonprofits sectors to build free and open technology to empower citizens. Similar to the Open Social Foundation, we helped create a new organization called Our Good Works to make sure that the API, the platform, and social innovation that they inspire are supported for the long term. The leadership includes Reid Hoffman, Chris DiBona, Arianna Huffington and Craig Newmark on the board, and the organization aims to build support volunteerism services like All for Good.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eToday the First Lady is in San Francisco calling on Americans to improve our communities by rolling up our sleeves and putting our time and talent towards doing good. You can learn more at serve.gov, where we're proud to power search.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Paul Rademacher and Adam Sah, Engineering Tech Leads, Google\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-454993634242919997?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/454993634242919997"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/454993634242919997"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/06/all-for-good-bringing-search-scale-and.html","title":"All for Good: Bringing search, scale and openness to community service"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/Sj-ogQh3oOI/AAAAAAAAA80/3WcTUM-OEDI/s72-c/AllforGoodscreenshot.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-9128745296467804393"},"published":{"$t":"2009-06-05T11:24:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-03T15:46:19.069-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Happy World Environment Day"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Today is \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.unep.org/wed/2009/english/\"\u003eWorld Environment Day\u003c/a\u003e and I wanted to point your attention to a major initiative that just launched and is supported by Google: The Prince of Wales' \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rainforestsos.org/\"\u003ePrince's Rainforest Project\u003c/a\u003e, dedicated to protecting the Amazon rainforest. Check out this \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003dboFR2MgaqMo\"\u003evideo\u003c/a\u003e featuring supporters from around the world, including Google's very own CEO, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/corporate/execs.html#eric\"\u003eEric Schmidt\u003c/a\u003e - and some adorable frogs. Prince Charles \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003da-G-XSRqPWA\"\u003espoke\u003c/a\u003e about the destruction of the rainforest and other challenges of the 21st century at our recent European Zeitgeist. As he has said, \"If we lose the battle against tropical deforestation, we lose the battle against climate change.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Amit Sood, Sr. Product Marketing Manager\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-9128745296467804393?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/9128745296467804393"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/9128745296467804393"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/06/happy-world-environment-day.html","title":"Happy World Environment Day"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1513600472340546950"},"published":{"$t":"2009-06-03T07:01:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-06-03T07:14:37.961-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Google Flu Trends for Australia and New Zealand"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"As the flu season begins in the southern hemisphere, we're excited to announce the expansion of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/flutrends/\"\u003eGoogle Flu Trends\u003c/a\u003e to Australia and New Zealand.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBy using aggregated search data, we've been able to produce estimates of flu activity for these countries in the same manner as in the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/tracking-flu-trends.html\"\u003eUnited States\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/experimental-flu-trends-for-mexico.html\"\u003eMexico\u003c/a\u003e. We continue to see a close relationship between how many people search for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SiYdJJ3-KuI/AAAAAAAAA8U/zl_mdjK0IxY/s1600-h/historical-au-new.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 152px;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SiYdJJ3-KuI/AAAAAAAAA8U/zl_mdjK0IxY/s400/historical-au-new.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342990051028380386\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhile some existing flu tracking systems may take days or weeks to collect and release data, Google search queries can be counted immediately. Google Flu Trends is updated daily and may provide early detection of flu outbreaks. We hope that this information complements existing flu surveillance efforts in Australia and New Zealand, and proves useful for individuals and public health responders.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe're keenly aware of the trust our users place in us and our responsibility to protect their privacy. Google Flu Trends cannot be used to identify individual users. The patterns we observe are only meaningful across large populations of Google searchers.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor those Kiwis and Aussies out there, avoid becoming part of our statistics and get a flu shot! And keep an eye on those graphs if you're curious to see how the flu season unfolds.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Dan Vanderkam, Software Engineer, and Corrie Conrad, Senior Associate, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1513600472340546950?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1513600472340546950"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1513600472340546950"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/06/google-flu-trends-for-australia-and-new.html","title":"Google Flu Trends for Australia and New Zealand"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SiYdJJ3-KuI/AAAAAAAAA8U/zl_mdjK0IxY/s72-c/historical-au-new.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-7995978444381545100"},"published":{"$t":"2009-05-20T00:01:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-15T16:49:22.609-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"PowerMeter"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Energized about our first Google PowerMeter partners"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"Apple-style-span\" style\u003d\"font-size: x-small;\"\u003e(Cross-posted from the \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/energized-about-our-first-google.html\"\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"Apple-style-span\" style\u003d\"font-size: x-small;\"\u003eOfficial Google Blog\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"Apple-style-span\" style\u003d\"font-size: x-small;\"\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eEarlier this year I blogged about \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/power-to-people.html\"\u003eenergy information\u003c/a\u003e and a tool our engineers developed called \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/howitworks.html\"\u003eGoogle PowerMeter\u003c/a\u003e, a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/webmasters/gadgets/\"\u003eGoogle gadget\u003c/a\u003e that can show consumers their personal electricity consumption right on a home computer. Our software relies on \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_meter\"\u003esmart meters\u003c/a\u003e\" (or other metering devices) as a data source. Over the past several months we've been looking to partner with utilities that are installing (or have already installed) this equipment in their customers' homes. We're energized by our very first Google PowerMeter partners:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.sdge.com/\"\u003eSan Diego Gas \u0026amp; Electric®\u003c/a\u003e (California)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.txu.com/\"\u003eTXU Energy\u003c/a\u003e (Texas)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.jea.com/\"\u003eJEA\u003c/a\u003e (Florida)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rel.co.in/Rel/default.jsp\"\u003eReliance Energy\u003c/a\u003e (India)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.wisconsinpublicservice.com/\"\u003eWisconsin Public Service Corporation\u003c/a\u003e (Wisconsin)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.whiteriver.org/highband.html\"\u003eWhite River Valley Electric Cooperative\u003c/a\u003e (Missouri)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.torontohydro.com/\"\u003eToronto Hydro–Electric System Limited\u003c/a\u003e (Canada)\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.glasgowepb.net/\"\u003eGlasgow EPB\u003c/a\u003e (Kentucky)\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003eOur initial partners include utilities with millions of customers as well as smaller ones. They are rural and urban, privately held and municipally run. Some are in the United States, others in Canada and India. They all have one thing in common — a desire to serve their customers by providing access to detailed information that helps \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/electric-metering.php\"\u003esave energy and money\u003c/a\u003e. For now, Google PowerMeter is only available to a limited group of customers, but we plan to expand our roll out later this year. Our utility partners are leading the charge to make the electricity grid smarter and we look forward to working with them and others.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn addition to utilities, we're also seeking partnerships with companies that can enable the implementation of our software. Our first such partner is \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.itron.com/\"\u003eItron\u003c/a\u003e, a leading meter and data management company that serves over 8,000 utilities and is helping some of their customers, including San Diego Gas \u0026amp; Electric, integrate with Google PowerMeter. If you're a utility or company with a smart meter project that might be interested in plugging in to our efforts, visit our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/contactus.html\"\u003ewebsite\u003c/a\u003e for more information.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/ShQmbMrXJeI/AAAAAAAAA70/teh9cjvaPuw/s1600-h/PowerMeter+screenshot.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 387px;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/ShQmbMrXJeI/AAAAAAAAA70/teh9cjvaPuw/s400/PowerMeter+screenshot.png\" border\u003d\"0\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337933707042301410\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Ed Lu, Engineering Team\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-7995978444381545100?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7995978444381545100"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7995978444381545100"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/05/energized-about-our-first-google.html","title":"Energized about our first Google PowerMeter partners"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/ShQmbMrXJeI/AAAAAAAAA70/teh9cjvaPuw/s72-c/PowerMeter+screenshot.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-8311874578752252147"},"published":{"$t":"2009-05-13T15:00:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-05-13T15:07:13.310-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Understanding health-related searches"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e(Cross-posted from \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/understanding-health-related-searches.html\"\u003eOfficial Google Blog\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAs we blogged \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/search-experiments-large-and-small.html\"\u003elast summer\u003c/a\u003e, there are lots of experiments running on Google web search all over the world. Today we've started a temporary experiment that some people might find interesting: we're researching how Google users search the Internet when they or someone they know is feeling sick.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eUnderstanding how people search when they're feeling sick is an important problem to solve, as it can help improve projects like \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google.org/flutrends\"\u003eGoogle Flu Trends\u003c/a\u003e, which uses aggregated search data to detect influenza epidemics. Statistics gathered in this experiment may also help Google deliver more relevant search results in the future. For example, someone who searches for [arthritis pain] to understand why an aging parent is experiencing joint pain might want to learn about nearby health facilities and potential treatments, whereas somebody who searches for [arthritis pain] because she is doing a research project might want results about how common arthritis is and what its risk factors are. Rather than make educated guesses about how many users are searching because they're sick, we're running this experiment to collect real statistics. This is not a permanent change, but a short-term experiment. A small percentage of random health-related searches will trigger the poll question.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor example, at the bottom of the search results for [headache], some users will see a survey which asks whether they were searching because they or someone they know has a headache:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SgtD1lJn00I/AAAAAAAAA7k/TQxv0wQmruY/s1600-h/RUSICK.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 40px;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SgtD1lJn00I/AAAAAAAAA7k/TQxv0wQmruY/s400/RUSICK.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335432771335082818\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSimilarly, if you happen to search for [ibuprofen], a common anti-inflammatory drug, you might see a survey which asks whether you were searching because you or somebody you know is taking ibuprofen:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SgtEF68slxI/AAAAAAAAA7s/1plxziq16uE/s1600-h/RUSICK2.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 40px;\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SgtEF68slxI/AAAAAAAAA7s/1plxziq16uE/s400/RUSICK2.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335433052064356114\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eData collected in this survey will be aggregated across thousands of users. Survey responses will be stored together with the original search query, but will not be associated with email addresses or other personally identifiable information. Survey data will not be used for advertising — it will only be used to help Google improve health-related search results and to help refine public health trends based on aggregated search queries, much like Google Flu Trends. You can learn more about how Google protects users' privacy at our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/privacy\"\u003ePrivacy Center\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor more information, please take a look at our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/about/flutrends/feeling-sick-faq.html\"\u003eFAQ\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Roni Zeiger, MD, Product Manager and Jeremy Ginsberg, Software Engineer\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-8311874578752252147?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8311874578752252147"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8311874578752252147"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/05/understanding-health-related-searches.html","title":"Understanding health-related searches"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SgtD1lJn00I/AAAAAAAAA7k/TQxv0wQmruY/s72-c/RUSICK.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1606306239018219182"},"published":{"$t":"2009-05-07T12:39:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-05-07T12:52:25.228-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"New resources for non-profit and humanitarian mapping"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e(Cross-posted from \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-reserouces-for-non-profit-and.html\"\u003eLat Long Blog\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOur friends at \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mapaction.org/\"\u003eMapAction\u003c/a\u003e have created a great new publication. Their Field Guide to Humanitarian Mapping was produced \"to help humanitarian organisations to make use of mapping methods using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related technologies\". You can \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mapaction.org/images/stories/publicdocs/mapaction%20field%20guide%20to%20humanitarian%20mapping%20first%20edn%20low-res.pdf\"\u003edownload the first edition for free\u003c/a\u003e (3.2MB PDF).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhile the free field guide is designed to help organizations doing emergency work, it is relevant to many other organizations, and anyone looking to take advantage of geospatial tools and methods like GPS technologies for collecting data, free \u0026amp; open-source GIS software such as \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mapwindow.org/\"\u003eMapWindow\u003c/a\u003e for processing and analyzing data, and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://earth.google.com/\"\u003eGoogle Earth\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://maps.google.com/\"\u003eGoogle Maps\u003c/a\u003e for visualization and display.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEarly last year, MapAction published a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mapaction.org/images/stories/google_earth_and_its_potential_in_the_humanitarian_sector.pdf\"\u003ebriefing paper\u003c/a\u003e (1MB PDF) on the use of Google Earth in the humanitarian sector.  Since then, we've added several new features, like imagery acquisition dates and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://earth.google.com/tour.html#v\u003d3\"\u003ehistorical imagery\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2009/02/google-earths-flying-tour-bus.html\"\u003etouring\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://earth.google.com/tour.html#v\u003d4\"\u003eocean\u003c/a\u003e, and free \u003ca href\u003d\"http://earth.google.com/userguide/v4/ug_gps.html#gps\"\u003eGPS data import\u003c/a\u003e, all of which help users to visualize, share and explore their places and data in new and exciting ways.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnother great new resource is \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/internet/page11657.cfm\"\u003eA Nonprofit's Introduction to Google's Online Mapping Tools\u003c/a\u003e, recently posted on TechSoup by Chris Peters and Mano Marks.  It provides excellent advice on how organizations that have data to display can effectively use Google Maps and Google Earth for outreach and advocacy.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSome more handy Google Earth and Google Maps resources include:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e * \u003ca href\u003d\"http://earth.google.com/outreach\"\u003eGoogle Earth Outreach\u003c/a\u003e (website with examples and tutorials)\u003cbr /\u003e * \u003ca href\u003d\"http://maps2.humaninet.org/mapping-resources/\"\u003eMaps 2.0 Resources\u003c/a\u003e from \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.humaninet.org/\"\u003eHumaninet \u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e * \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.humaninet.org/maps2/mc-google-earth-final.pdf\"\u003eA Rough Google Earth Guide\u003c/a\u003e (872kB PDF) form \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mercycorps.org/\"\u003eMercy Corps\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFinally, Google has a full suite of free tools available to non-profits on the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/nonprofits/\"\u003eGoogle for Non-Profits\u003c/a\u003e page.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Christiaan Adams, Google Earth Outreach\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1606306239018219182?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1606306239018219182"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1606306239018219182"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/05/new-resources-for-non-profit-and.html","title":"New resources for non-profit and humanitarian mapping"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-6214714107987321291"},"published":{"$t":"2009-05-06T15:07:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-05-13T14:45:00.485-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Using the stimulus to advance smarter energy use"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.recovery.gov/\"\u003eAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act\u003c/a\u003e, signed by President Obama in February, includes tens of billions of dollars in federal stimulus funding for \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.eere.energy.gov/recovery/\"\u003eclean energy\u003c/a\u003e. This investment gives our country an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild our energy system and make it cleaner and more efficient.  It's also an opportunity to become \"smarter\" about the way we all use energy.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGetting smart about energy starts with empowering consumers and businesses with information and tools to make \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/\"\u003ebetter energy choices\u003c/a\u003e. That's why we submitted comments today with the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.energy.gov/\"\u003eDepartment of Energy\u003c/a\u003e, asking them to put consumers first as they develop one of the more promising elements of the ARRA -- a $4.5 billion grant program for \"smart\" grid investments. We also asked the DOE to ensure the program contributes to President Obama's goal of funding the installation of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/energy_and_environment/\"\u003e40 million smart electricity meters\u003c/a\u003e in American homes.  You can read our comments \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/googleorg/docs/GoogleSmartGrid.pdf\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe advent of smart meters, the Internet and a myriad of other information technologies means that our interaction with electricity can be dramatically redefined. Instead of receiving a monthly bill in the mail, for example, we can receive information on electricity use in real time; instead of turning on the furnace or the A/C when once you are home, we can automate these systems or even control them remotely. We can even aggregate energy savings from appliances and electronic equipment from thousands of homes to avoid the need to build new power plants.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eUsing the stimulus to invest in the electricity grid can help accelerate this transformation, while in the process creating jobs and helping to diversify our energy supply.  Most importantly, these investments can help consumers and businesses save energy and money. We feel it's important for the country not to miss this opportunity.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Michael Terrell, Program Manager, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-6214714107987321291?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6214714107987321291"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6214714107987321291"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/05/using-stimulus-to-advance-smarter.html","title":"Using the stimulus to advance smarter energy use"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-8402677363315913564"},"published":{"$t":"2009-04-29T09:35:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-04-29T10:05:43.021-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Experimental Flu Trends for Mexico"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e(Cross-posted on the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/experimental-flu-trends-for-mexico.html\"\u003eOfficial Google Blog\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn November 2008 we launched \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/flutrends/\"\u003eGoogle Flu Trends\u003c/a\u003e after finding a close relationship between how many people search for flu-related topics and how many people actually have flu symptoms. Google Flu Trends may be able to detect influenza outbreaks earlier than other systems because it estimates flu activity in near real time.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn response to recent inquiries from public health officials, we've been attempting to use Google search activity in Mexico to help track human swine flu levels.  \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/flutrends/intl/en_mx/index.html\"\u003eExperimental Flu Trends for Mexico\u003c/a\u003e is, as you might have guessed, very experimental. But the system has detected increases in flu-related searches in Mexico City (Distrito Federal) and a few other Mexican states in recent days, beginning early in the week of April 19-25.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn the United States, we were able to validate our estimates using data from a surveillance system managed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  We have not verified our data for Mexico in the same manner, but we've seen that Google users in Mexico (and around the world) also search for many flu-related topics when they have flu-like symptoms. Given the tremendous recent attention to swine flu, our model tries to filter out search queries that are more likely associated with topical searches rather than searches by those who may be experiencing symptoms.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhile we would prefer to validate this data and improve its accuracy, we decided to release an early version today so that it might help public health officials and concerned individuals get an up-to-date picture of the ongoing swine flu outbreak. As with our existing Flu Trends system, estimates are provided across many of Mexico's states and updated every day. Our current estimates of flu activity in the U.S. are still generally low as would be expected given the relatively low confirmed swine flu case count. However, we'll be keeping an eye on the data to look for any spike in activity.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe're keenly aware of the trust our users place in us and our responsibility to protect their privacy. Experimental Flu Trends for Mexico -- like Google Flu Trends -- cannot be used to identify individual users.  The patterns we observe are only meaningful across large populations of Google searchers.  We hope that this experimental release provides useful information.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor updates on swine flu and information on how to stay healthy during a disease outbreak, visit the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/\"\u003eCDC's swine flu site\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003e Jeremy Ginsberg and Matt Mohebbi, Software Engineers\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-8402677363315913564?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8402677363315913564"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8402677363315913564"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/04/experimental-flu-trends-for-mexico.html","title":"Experimental Flu Trends for Mexico"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-2047719364382491382"},"published":{"$t":"2009-04-14T16:00:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-04-14T16:18:27.389-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Brilliant Takes on Urgent Threats"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"It's with a grateful heart that I leave full-time work with Google to begin a new chapter in my life. I served as start up Executive Director for Google.org for nearly three years before moving into the role of Chief Philanthropic Evangelist in February. I love Google, the people who make this such a special place and the world-class team at Google.org.   Megan Smith, who has taken on the leadership of Google.org, is doing a terrific job and I am watching her and the other leaders of Google.org with admiration and a great sense of satisfaction that \"the work\" has passed to such competent hands.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhen Larry, Sergey and Sheryl Sandberg hired me, I promised to work for at least three years. I've had a wonderful experience and learned enough to fill volumes about new ways to work in the world, trying to make it a better place.  Jeff Skoll, founding president of eBay, long time friend of many Googlers, and a \"practicing philanthropist\" for over a decade recently described to me his fears of a world spinning almost out of control, beset with many simultaneous urgent threats: climate change, nuclear proliferation, Middle East conflict, water scarcity, and emerging communicable disease.  He described to me his vision of bundling his many activities to focus them on these \"Urgent Threats.\" Jeff is the founder of the well regarded Skoll Foundation which for ten years has funded dozens of dedicated social entrepreneurs working all over the world. He also has an extremely successful film making company, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.participantmedia.com/index.php\"\u003eParticipant Media\u003c/a\u003e, which has made films to inspire social change such as \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eAn Inconvenient Truth\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eGood Night and Good Luck\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eNorth Country\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eSyriana\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eFast Food Nation\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eJimmy Carter - Man From Plains\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eDarfur Now\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Kite Runner\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eCharlie Wilson's War\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Visitor\u003c/span\u003e.  In addition, his financial services firm, Capricorn Investments, has made investments in electric car companies, renewable energy, and other investments that are driven by multiple bottom line returns.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eJeff's idea was to create the new \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.skollfoundation.org/media/press_releases/internal/041409.asp\"\u003eSkoll Urgent Threats Fund\u003c/a\u003e which would do grant making and, most importantly, advocacy and find someone to lead that Fund.  He wants the same person who leads that Fund to be a Senior Advisor to him in bringing together his media and film making activities, his investment interests, and the work of social entrepreneurs supported by the Skoll Foundation who focus these urgent threats, so that all of these different \"tools\" are working together effectively to drive the change we need.  He asked me to become President of the Skoll Urgent Threats Fund, sit on the board of the Skoll Foundation, and be Senior Advisor to him on his media and financial investments companies.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI have accepted this position and effective May 5, 2009 (my 65th birthday) I will leave Google as a full time employee though I'll continue to work with Megan and the Google.org team as an advisor.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGoogle.org and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.skollfoundation.org/\"\u003eSkoll Foundation\u003c/a\u003e already work together to support \"virus hunter\" Nathan Wolfe whose Global Viral Forecasting Initiative collects and analyzes blood samples of humans and animals in hot spots.  And many of the Skoll Awardees have played an important role in our thinking at Google.org and in the development of other projects and grants.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSo these two organizations are neither competitors nor strangers, but rather friends and colleagues.  I am not \"leaving Google\" so much as I'm going down the road to work with a friend and colleague and I hope that in the coming months and years we can expand that relationship even more.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLooking back over the past three years, I'm incredibly proud of the work done by the team at Google.org to support wonderful projects and people. Some examples: The team at \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.pratham.org/\"\u003ePratham\u003c/a\u003e in India that we support is changing the way we think about development by causing improvements in children's education in India.  Irene Taylor Brodsky's Oscar nominated film, \u003ca style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\" href\u003d\"http://www.thefinalinch.org/\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/a\u003e, is also helping to galvanize global support for the final push to eradicate polio.  Working on this film helped my thinking about the media--\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rotary.org/en/Pages/ridefault.aspx\"\u003eRotary International \u003c/a\u003eclubs have donated nearly $1 billion to global polio eradication, but you should see the pride in the eyes of Rotarians when they watch \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/span\u003e and see how much their donated time and money really matters to conquer this disease.  They feel their work recognized and celebrated, and they are energized to go raise more money and do more volunteering to conquer this dreaded disease.  And the group which emerged from the TED Prize, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://instedd.org/\"\u003eInSTEDD\u003c/a\u003e, is going from \"strength to strength\" and developing new technologies to enable quick communication and effective response after disasters.  At one time they were funded only by Google.org but their work has now been recognized by CDC and by the United Nations emergency relief groups as best in the world and they are being supported by a wide group of organizations.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe've also partnered with Rockefeller Foundation in supporting the Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance Network program which is providing early warning about possible pandemic flu outbreaks to the six countries which border the Mekong River.  We've given millions of dollars and direct support using Google Earth, other Google projects and people to support the heroic efforts to respond to Katrina, the cyclone in Myanmar (Burma) and the terrible earthquakes in Sichuan, China.  But it might be in the area of clean energy that Google.org has made its largest contribution to the national debate. It was our  joint Google.org+Google.com climate team that created \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/rec.html\"\u003e\"RE\u0026lt;C\"\u003c/a\u003e our geeky way of saying that until we have renewable energy -- wind, solar, advanced geothermal (\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/egs/index.html\"\u003eEGS\u003c/a\u003e) -- cheaper than coal, fossil fuels will continue to be burned and continue to release the CO2 which is suffocating the planet. We've invested in wind, solar and geothermal companies, we've supported leaders like \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.nrdc.org/\"\u003eNRDC\u003c/a\u003e, and we advocated in DC for climate change policy and for more resources to drive clean energy R\u0026amp;D.  And it has made a big difference in how our government has now responded.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnd now we also have intensified \"Dotorg's\" efforts to leverage Google's skills in technology, partnerships and information; examples of this approach include \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/flutrends/\"\u003eFlu Trends\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/\"\u003eRechargeIT\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/15x31uzlqeo5n/1#\"\u003eClean Energy 2030\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/\"\u003ePowerMeter\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLarry and Sergey wrote in their initial \u003ca href\u003d\"http://investor.google.com/ipo_letter.html\"\u003eLetter from the Founders\u003c/a\u003e that they wanted to make approximately 1% of Google's equity and profits and substantial employee time devoted to philanthropy. I hope other corporations will follow the example to devote significant resources to the greater good and I support Google.org's fundamental mission \"to use the power of information and technology to address the global challenges of our age.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI lack the words to adequately thank Larry and Sergey for hiring me, for giving me a chance to lead this wonderful \"experiment in active philanthropy\" that Google.org has become, and I want to thank Megan Smith and her advisory team of Urs Hoelzle, David Fischer, and Salar Kamangar for their leadership going forward. I especially want to thank the Googlers, both in \"dotorg\" and \"dotcom\" that make Google such a special place.  I wish time and space allowed me to name each and every one who has taught me, touched me, helped and supported me.   I do believe the press which says that this is the best company to work for anywhere.  Googlers are the kindest and most wonderful colleagues and friends anyone could ask for.  Thank you for your friendship and support---and remember I am not going far away so I do hope Google.org and the Skoll philanthropies will find many areas for working together in the months and years ahead.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePosted by Dr. Larry Brilliant\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-2047719364382491382?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2047719364382491382"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2047719364382491382"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/04/brilliant-takes-on-urgent-threats.html","title":"Brilliant Takes on Urgent Threats"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3332287777343763561"},"published":{"$t":"2009-04-07T00:01:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-04-07T00:06:22.656-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Final Inch on YouTube"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Today the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/\"\u003eYouTube homepage\u003c/a\u003e is featuring an Oscar®-nominated film set in the slums of India.  No, not \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003du-moVw-R1rw\"\u003ethat one\u003c/a\u003e -- this film tells a true story.  In honor of World Health Day, YouTube is highlighting \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.thefinalinch.org/\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e, an inspiring short documentary created by Google.org and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.vermilionpictures.com/\"\u003eVermillion Films\u003c/a\u003e about a group of dedicated health workers who are going door-to-door to give polio vaccines to children in the poorest areas of the world.  You can watch the film \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003dYWVkefEw0ZM\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e and embedded below.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn addition to hosting the film in its entirety on YouTube today, the film is also airing tonight at 7:15pm ET/PT on HBO2 and is available on HBO on demand. (See the full HBO schedule \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_DETAIL\u003dDETAIL\u0026amp;FOCUS_ID\u003d662109\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSince polio no longer exists in the developed world, many people assume the disease has been eradicated. Tragically, it has not.  \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2007/07/two-introductions_02.html\"\u003eIn the early days of Google.org\u003c/a\u003e, the team wanted to bring attention to the global challenge of polio eradication and tell the story of those who are on the front lines helping the most vulnerable -- children under age 5 living in the world's poorest, most remote regions.  The result is a stunning 38-minute film which depicts the crippling disease and offers a hopeful account of the eradication effort. We hope the film will encourage those working hard on wiping out polio - and those who have forgotten it still exists - to bring the eradication effort over the finish line.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn 1988, before the WHO eradication effort began, the polio virus was endemic in more than 125 countries, paralyzing more than 1000 children every day.  Today, only four countries in the world are considered polio-endemic by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (Nigeria, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan) and there are fewer than 1700 reported cases of polio.  As the eradication effort closes in on the disease, the work becomes more difficult as polio’s strongholds remain in the world’s poorest countries which often lack the basic health infrastructure to distribute vaccine.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe millions of public health workers putting themselves on the front lines vaccinating children are the true heroes of the eradication effort.  Our film tries to capture their story.  We hope you enjoy the film; but more importantly we hope that you're inspired to contribute and advocate for the cause.  You can find out how to participate by clicking 'learn more' on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.thefinalinch.org/\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/span\u003e website\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject height\u003d\"295\" width\u003d\"480\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/YWVkefEw0ZM\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/YWVkefEw0ZM\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" height\u003d\"295\" width\u003d\"480\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Jamie Yood, Google.org Team\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3332287777343763561?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3332287777343763561"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3332287777343763561"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/04/final-inch-on-youtube.html","title":"The Final Inch on YouTube"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-7593492987769845919"},"published":{"$t":"2009-04-01T10:02:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-04-01T10:40:02.074-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A Green Light for Green Energy"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"To solve the climate crisis and meet our growing demand for energy, we need to move to clean, renewable energy sources that will cut global warming pollution and power our economic recovery. This goal requires construction of clean energy generation plants and transmission lines on an unprecedented scale. Google.org’s \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/rec.html\"\u003eRenewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal initiative\u003c/a\u003e is working to drive down the cost of renewable energy, but today one of the bottlenecks is the difficulty of obtaining approvals for siting and permitting of generation and transmission facilities. We need to find a way to ‘green light’ clean energy projects while making sure to protect sensitive landscapes and wildlife habitats.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAs part of Google.org’s \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/geochallenge.html\"\u003eGeo Challenge Grants\u003c/a\u003e program, the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.audubon.org/\"\u003eNational Audubon Society\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://nrdc.org/\"\u003eNatural Resources Defense Council\u003c/a\u003e (NRDC) have created maps of restricted lands and sensitive wildlife areas in the Western U.S. NRDC produced a map of 13 western states (and more than 10,000 individual conservation areas), showing all of the areas, such as parks, which prohibit or restrict development due to federal and state regulations, as well as sensitive areas where development should be avoided. Audubon researched and mapped critical habitat for birds and wildlife in Wyoming, Montana, and surrounding areas, sites which should also be avoided when planning energy development.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SdOf1oyDMCI/AAAAAAAAA5E/a-t3gClEChs/s1600-h/ddv8pjfz_1g56n29cj_b.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SdOf1oyDMCI/AAAAAAAAA5E/a-t3gClEChs/s320/ddv8pjfz_1g56n29cj_b.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319771328683913250\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SdOgHxD9kbI/AAAAAAAAA5M/5uMLh836pLk/s1600-h/adkxc65svs_25dbt98chm_b.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 305px;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SdOgHxD9kbI/AAAAAAAAA5M/5uMLh836pLk/s320/adkxc65svs_25dbt98chm_b.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319771640144171442\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTo \u003ca href\u003d\"http://earth.google.com/outreach/kml_entry.html#tProtected%20Areas%20and%20Energy%20Development\"\u003eview\u003c/a\u003e these maps on Google Earth, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://earth.google.com/gallery/kmz/protected_areas_energy_development.kmz\"\u003edownload\u003c/a\u003e the layer here.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThese maps can serve as a starting point to enable a more collaborative approach to energy siting decisions.  By identifying areas that developers should avoid, we hope that the site-specific approval process can be streamlined – possibly by creating green energy generation and transmission corridors that have an expedited approval process.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by David Bercovich, Program Manager, Google.org and Christiaan Adams, Google Earth \u0026amp; Maps Specialist, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-7593492987769845919?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7593492987769845919"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7593492987769845919"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/04/green-light-for-green-energy.html","title":"A Green Light for Green Energy"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SdOf1oyDMCI/AAAAAAAAA5E/a-t3gClEChs/s72-c/ddv8pjfz_1g56n29cj_b.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-6590404022644719825"},"published":{"$t":"2009-03-27T09:30:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-03-27T11:13:42.393-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"One video that should go viral"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"In 2006, Dr. Larry Brilliant - Google.org's Chief Philanthropic Evangelist - won the prestigious \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.tedprize.org/\"\u003eTED Prize\u003c/a\u003e.  He delivered a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/larry_brilliant_wants_to_stop_pandemics.html\"\u003epowerful talk\u003c/a\u003e that highlighted the risk of a devastating future pandemic, and described one of his big ideas for combating the threat.  His mantra of 'Early Detection, Early Response' inspired other groups such as \u003ca href\u003d\"http://instedd.org/\"\u003eInSTEDD\u003c/a\u003e, who recently launched a suite of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId\u003dnews_view\u0026amp;newsId\u003d20090317006140\u0026amp;newsLang\u003den\"\u003eopen-source applications\u003c/a\u003e to allow collaboration between first responders during disease outbreaks and disasters, and the team behind \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/flutrends/\"\u003eGoogle Flu Trends\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNow, this important theme has been revisited at TED by Dr. Nathan Wolfe, founder of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.gvfi.org/\"\u003eGlobal Viral Forecasting Initiative\u003c/a\u003e (GVFI), a new non-profit funded by Google.org and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.skollfoundation.org/\"\u003eSkoll Foundation\u003c/a\u003e.  Dr Wolfe's rousing message is that when it comes to pandemics, early detection in humans \u003cspan class\u003d\"Apple-style-span\" style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eisn't early enough\u003c/span\u003e.  We know that 75% of new human diseases begin in animals –  so to discover a pandemic before it devastates the human population, we need to catch new viruses when they take the very first leap from animals into humans.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis mission has taken the GVFI team into some remote and difficult locations, from the jungles of Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (profiled on CNN's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/12/08/pip.zoonotics/index.html\"\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"Apple-style-span\" style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003ePlanet in Peril\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e), to the wet markets of China and Malaysia.  Here, they collect blood samples from animals and the humans with whom they're in contact, in order to analyse them for evidence of early viral crossover.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYou can hear more about this important work and some of GVFI's exciting viral discoveries by watching Dr Wolfe's talk at TED.  Pass this on, and help \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ted.com/\"\u003espread ideas\u003c/a\u003e, not diseases!\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject width\u003d\"480\" height\u003d\"295\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/mMEPV-NTeZs\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/mMEPV-NTeZs\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"480\" height\u003d\"295\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Joanne Stevens, Associate, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-6590404022644719825?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6590404022644719825"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6590404022644719825"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/03/one-video-that-should-go-viral.html","title":"One video that should go viral"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-5799127316946852193"},"published":{"$t":"2009-03-16T17:51:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-03-16T17:56:15.093-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Smart Outbreak Detection Using Online Info"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"An interesting article making a case for the use of online information for earlier detection of disease outbreaks came out last week in the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/cmaj.1090215\"\u003eCanadian Medical Association Journal\u003c/a\u003e. The article, co-authored by \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.healthmap.org/\"\u003eHealthMap\u003c/a\u003e co-founder and Google.org grantee John Brownstein, looks at an outbreak of listeriosis in Canada and compares online search trends, news reports, and diagnosed case counts during the outbreak period.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eListeriosis is a bacterial infection often caused by contaminated food. The outbreak in Canada killed about 20 people last summer.  By using \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/insights/search/#\"\u003eGoogle Insights for Search\u003c/a\u003e data combined with HealthMap's news surveillance data, the authors discovered that a specific search query provided even earlier indication of the outbreak than news reports.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSo, what was that key search term that gave the earliest indication of the outbreak? Listeriosis. That's right, when the researchers looked at trends for people searching online for the technical term \"Listeriosis,\" they discovered that the peak of the search trend for that term was the same as the actual peak of medically diagnosed Listeriosis cases. The increase in online searches for \"Listeriosis\" began in mid-July, one month before the federal announcement that an outbreak was underway in Canada. This means that people diagnosed with Listeriosis, or others close to them, were likely to be the ones searching for that term online at the time of diagnosis, causing a spike.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn contrast, search trends for \"Listeria,\" the term used in the public announcement about the outbreak, peaked around the time of the announcement and other news reports in mid-August. Thus, people searching for \"Listeria\" were probably doing so in response to the press about the outbreak, not because they'd been diagnosed.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEarly detection is critical to helping health officials respond more quickly. While documenting the potential for using online info for earlier outbreak detection, the authors also recognize the challenges.  This seems to be the tip of the iceberg for research in this area, and it has others talking too - check out the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/03/13/google-searches-as-early-warning-for-disease-outbreaks/\"\u003eWall Street Journal blog\u003c/a\u003e which calls this \"a wonkier example of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/flutrends/\"\u003eGoogle Flu Trends\u003c/a\u003e.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Corrie Conrad, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-5799127316946852193?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5799127316946852193"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5799127316946852193"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/03/smart-outbreak-detection-using-online.html","title":"Smart Outbreak Detection Using Online Info"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-7030709593770165826"},"published":{"$t":"2009-03-10T10:12:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-03-10T14:39:53.172-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"U.S. job growth, powered by the sun"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Solar energy has long been touted as a clean alternative to traditional electricity generation, but building a clean energy economy will also create jobs. Thanks to federal and state policies to support renewable energy, it's estimated that the solar industry will create hundreds of thousands of green jobs in coming years. Based on a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.seia.org/cs/news_detail?pressrelease.id\u003d153\"\u003estudy by Navigant Consulting\u003c/a\u003e, and with the help of Google.org and Google Earth Outreach, our friends at the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.seref.us/index\"\u003eSolar Energy Research Education Foundation (SEREF)\u003c/a\u003e have developed a U.S. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.seref.us/solarjobsmap.html\"\u003esolar jobs map\u003c/a\u003e in Google Earth. You can also \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.seref.us/kml/Solar_Jobs_Creation_2009-2016.kmz\"\u003eview this as a KML in Google Earth\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe U.S. solar industry is expected to support more than 440,000 permanent, full-time jobs, including many in the manufacturing and construction industry, by the year 2016. The solar jobs growth layer shows where these jobs are likely to be created across the country. You'll see that many of these jobs are being created in states that have experienced the worst of the current economic crisis, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Ohio.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eClicking on the solar icon in each state shows annual job growth over an eight year period, as well as how the three most common solar technologies—photovoltaics, concentrating solar power, and solar water heating—stack-up in terms of job creation.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/Sbaft2rptLI/AAAAAAAAAGE/xxmVlPY0ZbA/s1600-h/BlogPost1.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 336px;\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/Sbaft2rptLI/AAAAAAAAAGE/xxmVlPY0ZbA/s400/BlogPost1.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311608420651611314\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eIn addition to exploring the job growth numbers, you can view a 3-D simulation of the job growth over time and compare the solar energy resources of each state with their job growth potential. In the additional data, you can also see solar installations, like photovoltaic panels and solar water heating at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center in Atlanta and a solar power tower at the Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS) in Southern California, to see what they actually look like in Google Earth.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SbafyGtE62I/AAAAAAAAAGM/3c1od2XJaeU/s1600-h/BlogPost2.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 336px;\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SbafyGtE62I/AAAAAAAAAGM/3c1od2XJaeU/s400/BlogPost2.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311608493672033122\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBecause predicting job creation in the future relies on advanced economic modeling, it can be difficult to predict where all the solar jobs will be created. Nearly 30,000 jobs will likely be created across the other 29 states that aren’t explicitly covered in this map. That means solar energy truly is capable of creating a green economy for the entire U.S.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis map was created as part of SEREF’s and Google.org’s shared objective to rapidly scale-up the use of solar technologies in the U.S. so that the environmental, economic, and national security benefits of renewables can be realized.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTo check out the map and learn more about solar energy, please visit \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.seref.us/solarjobsmap.html\"\u003ethe solar jobs map site\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Dave Bercovich, Google.org and Karin Tuxen-Bettman, Google Earth Outreach\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-7030709593770165826?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7030709593770165826"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7030709593770165826"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/03/us-job-growth-powered-by-sun.html","title":"U.S. job growth, powered by the sun"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/Sbaft2rptLI/AAAAAAAAAGE/xxmVlPY0ZbA/s72-c/BlogPost1.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-890322663655951136"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-23T16:17:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-23T16:28:12.046-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Next Chapter for Google.org"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"When Larry and Sergey \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/000119312504142742/ds1a.htm\"\u003elaid out their vision for Google.org\u003c/a\u003e, they hoped that this \"experiment in active philanthropy\" would one day have an even greater impact on the world than Google itself. They committed resources from Google's profits, equity and substantial employee time to this philanthropic effort, and they created the mission: \"to use the power of information and technology to address the global challenges of our age.\" They structured \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/\"\u003eGoogle.org\u003c/a\u003e so that in addition to traditional grant making, it can also invest in for-profit companies, advocate for policies and, most important, tap into Google's strengths: its employees, products and technologies.   At first I was skeptical about \"going corporate,\" but I came on board convinced that Google could make real progress on these issues.  I think we have made an excellent beginning, but it is just a very few steps on a long path.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNow, three years after Google.org was founded, we've been reviewing our progress, and how best to take things forward.  It's clear that I am most effective in helping to identify \"big ideas\" and potential partners, as well as raising awareness about society's biggest challenges.  I am therefore very excited to become Google's Chief Philanthropy Evangelist.  I think this is the highest contribution that I can make both to Google.org and to fighting the urgent threats of our day:  from climate change to emerging infectious diseases, to issues of poverty and health care. By focusing my energy outwards I hope to be able to spend more time motivating policy makers, encouraging public and private partnerships, and generally advocating for the changes that we must make as a global society to solve these problems.   Long-time Googler Megan Smith will take over day-to-day management of Google.org, joining as General Manager to lead us through this transition, in addition to her existing role as Vice President of New Business Development.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOne of the first things that Megan will focus on is how Google.org can best achieve its mission.  During our review it became clear that while we have been able to support some remarkable non-profit organizations over the past three years, our greatest impact has come when we've attacked problems in ways that make the most of Google's strengths in technology and information; examples of this approach include \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/flutrends/\"\u003eFlu Trends\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/\"\u003eRechargeIT\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/15x31uzlqeo5n/1#\"\u003eClean Energy 2030\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/\"\u003ePowerMeter\u003c/a\u003e.  By aligning Google.org more closely with Google as a whole, Megan will ensure that we're better able to build innovative, scalable technology and information solutions. As a first step, Google has decided to put even more engineers and technical talent to work on these issues and problems, resources which I have found to be extraordinary.  In this global economic crisis, the work Google.org is doing, together with our many colleagues around the world, to help develop cheap clean energy, find and fight disease outbreaks before they sweep the globe, and build information platforms for underserved people globally, is more important than ever. We stand behind the commitment made in 2004 to devote 1% of Google's equity and profits to philanthropy, and we will continue to iterate on our philanthropic model to make sure our resources have the greatest possible impact for good.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Dr. Larry Brilliant, Chief Philanthropy Evangelist, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-890322663655951136?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/890322663655951136"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/890322663655951136"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/02/next-chapter-for-googleorg.html","title":"The Next Chapter for Google.org"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-7659472600009972052"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-18T23:24:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-19T18:45:02.516-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Washington plugs into the smart grid"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SZ0LoAf3flI/AAAAAAAABcA/Y3kX0_Fq5DQ/s1600-h/logos.GIF\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 247px; height: 67px;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SZ0LoAf3flI/AAAAAAAABcA/Y3kX0_Fq5DQ/s320/logos.GIF\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304408718068645458\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eJust one week after launching Google's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/\"\u003eenergy information\u003c/a\u003e campaign, we kicked off our first joint \u003ca href\u003d\"http://services.google.com/events/smartgrid09\"\u003esmart grid event\u003c/a\u003e with GE, a larger clean energy collaboration we \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/partnering-with-ge-on-clean-energy.html\"\u003eannounced\u003c/a\u003e last fall.  Our timing was fortuitous; the event took place just as President Obama signed an historic economic stimulus bill that includes $11 billion to modernize the electricity grid.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGetting energy information into the hands of consumers requires reworking the electricity grid to make it smarter.  At yesterday's event, hosted in Google's Washington office, experts explored what the fundamental elements of a smarter grid should be -- from empowering consumers with information, tools, and choices to manage their energy use, to creating an open system that encourages innovation, to enabling a massive scale up of renewable energy sources and plug-in vehicles.  We also explored the government's role in accelerating these efforts.  Our panelists were enthusiastic about the opportunity created by the stimulus, but also noted the government's challenge of getting the money out the door in an effective and efficient manner.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSome highlights from the event:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ge.com/\"\u003eGE's film clip\u003c/a\u003e highlighting a smart grid project in Oklahoma\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eAn appearance by \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Browner\"\u003eCarol Browner\u003c/a\u003e, President Obama's senior energy official in the White House, who noted with delight the packed crowd of over 450 people\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eFormer astronaut and current Googler, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Lu\"\u003eEd Lu\u003c/a\u003e, making the case for open standards and user access to energy information on our technology panel\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eOur very own Dan Reicher shamelessly punning that \"we want to help build a \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003efridge\u003c/span\u003e to the 21st century,\" a play on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://cgi.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/news/9608/30/clinton.speech/\"\u003eBill Clinton's '96 campaign mantra\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003eTo stay plugged into our energy information campaign and learn about developments along the road to a smarter grid, be sure to \u003ca href\u003d\"http://groups.google.com/group/energyinformation?pli\u003d1\"\u003ejoin our Google Group\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eUPDATE: Watch the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003dDGiy7Safnhg\"\u003eevent video\u003c/a\u003e on YouTube.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Michael Terrell, Google.org Program Manager\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-7659472600009972052?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7659472600009972052"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7659472600009972052"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/02/washington-plugs-into-smart-grid.html","title":"Washington plugs into the smart grid"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SZ0LoAf3flI/AAAAAAAABcA/Y3kX0_Fq5DQ/s72-c/logos.GIF","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-364910762430829923"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-18T23:06:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-19T13:16:14.644-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Stimulating clean energy RD\u0026D"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"We must quickly develop low-cost renewable and efficient energy technology to avoid the devastating effects of climate change. This requires a strong financial commitment to clean energy research, development, and demonstration (RD\u0026amp;D) to achieve big breakthroughs.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHistorically such funding has been anemic. After a peak in 1978 of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/18152/doe_budget_authority_for_energy_research_development_and_demonstration_database.html\"\u003e$7 billion\u003c/a\u003e, U.S. government funding for energy RD\u0026amp;D dropped by more than 70%. Corporate RD\u0026amp;D fell even more, and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://globalwarming.house.gov/tools/2q08materials/files/0147.pdf\"\u003efunding in the early 2000s\u003c/a\u003e totaled just 0.3% of sector revenue, compared to 15% in the biotech sector. Is it any wonder the energy sector has struggled to make progress?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhat level of energy RD\u0026amp;D funding is needed? \u003ca href\u003d\"%5Chttp://rael.berkeley.edu/files/2007/NemeKamm_EP07.pdf\"\u003eKammen and Nemet\u003c/a\u003e look at several different metrics and suggest that a sustained level between $20-40 billion is needed to reinvigorate the field. Recent activities push in the right direction: \u003ca href\u003d\"%5Chttp://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/18152/doe_budget_authority_for_energy_research_development_and_demonstration_database.html\"\u003e2008 funding\u003c/a\u003e reached $3 billion, 50% higher than during the early 2000s, and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.house.gov/billtext/hr1_cr_jes.pdf\"\u003estimulus bill\u003c/a\u003e recently signed into law adds $3.25 billion in new RD\u0026amp;D funding for clean energy. But to have a truly transformative effect, investment needs to climb even higher.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn addition, without emphasizing the \"R\" in RD\u0026amp;D, we will produce only incremental improvements. We need to prime the innovation pump in order to produce more high-quality ideas that produce radically better (and cheaper) technologies. This will provide long-term job growth, and also increase consumers' buying power, stimulating the economy.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFunding must also be coupled with long-term demand for clean technology. This gives companies confidence their investments will pay out, and assures students entering the field that jobs won't evaporate. Research must also focus more on clean tech; in recent years only 40% of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/18152/doe_budget_authority_for_energy_research_development_and_demonstration_database.html\"\u003eenergy RD\u0026amp;D funding\u003c/a\u003e has gone to renewable energy and energy efficiency.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAt Google we've learned some that might be successfully applied to energy:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\"Put the user first and all else follows.\"\u003c/span\u003e For instance, customers care about saving money, but only if it's easy to measure. Providing ways to cheaply \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/powermeter\"\u003emonitor energy consumption\u003c/a\u003e is a powerful first step.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\"Great just isn't good enough.\"\u003c/span\u003e Cost-parity for renewables is required for long-term competitiveness, but to replace conventional technology we must develop \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/rec.html\"\u003erenewable electricity cheaper than coal\u003c/a\u003e, the least expensive fossil fuel.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e\"Launch early and often.\" \u003c/span\u003eInstead of waiting for perfection, get new technologies into the marketplace quickly, then improve through iteration.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003eThese strategies will make sure that the widest possible set of ideas are considered, increasing the number of breakthroughs. A \"fail fast\" policy would allocate people to the great ideas, with high-impact results guaranteeing continued funding, particularly at the critical demonstration stage where many technologies fail to attract sufficient capital. Carrying projects over this \"Valley of Death\" to full commercialization will ultimately result in the best, lowest-cost technologies rapidly reaching the market. For the sake of the planet, clean energy can't arrive soon enough.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCheck out this excellent complementary \u003ca href\u003d\"http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/18826/tackling_us_energy_challenges_and_opportunities.html\"\u003eset of recommendations\u003c/a\u003e recently published by Harvard's Belfer Center.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Jeffery \u003c/span\u003eGreenblatt, \u003cspan class\u003d\"title\"\u003eClimate and Energy Technology Manager\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-364910762430829923?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/364910762430829923"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/364910762430829923"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/02/stimulating-clean-energy-rd.html","title":"Stimulating clean energy RD\u0026D"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-213705626107744797"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-12T13:06:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-12T13:18:07.171-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Answering the question: “Was this a successful project?”"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eA guest post from Howard White, Executive Director, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation:\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn the foreign aid business, it's very important to answer the question, “Was this a successful project?” because donors need to know where to target their scarce resources. Unfortunately, the answer to this question has frequently been, “Well it must be, we spent loads of money and employed lots of consultants.\" This problem has been most recently highlighted by the\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cgdev.org/\"\u003e Centre for Global Development\u003c/a\u003e’s report, \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/7973\"\u003eWhen Will We Ever Learn?\u003c/a\u003e\". Billions of dollars are spent on development interventions each year with little evidence on whether they work or not.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI started my own academic career looking at aid impact at the macroeconomic level. In my own defense, I can say that, starting with my PhD, I criticized the over-aggregated cross-country regression approach, arguing instead for careful country-level analysis of macro impact that could pick up on both context but also the many channels – both money and ideas – through which aid affects development outcomes. Having published a couple of widely ignored books pursuing this approach, I became increasingly convinced that aid impact had to be examined from the bottom up. That is a systematic analysis of, if not all interventions, then enough to be able to make authoritative statements about whether the aid program is working or not. This might seem like a lot of work; but then so is measuring GDP and we do that.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBut there are two problems to implementing a bottom up approach. The first is that evaluation design is often poor when it comes to measuring impact. The second problem is that most agencies do not systematically compile evidence across interventions. It is symptomatic of a culture of producing evaluations as a bureaucratic requirement, not as a management or learning tool.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIt is to tackle these two problems - the lack of evidence and the failure to synthesize what evidence there is into policy-relevant lessons – that the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.3ieimpact.org/\"\u003eInternational Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie)\u003c/a\u003e has been created. Google.org has been one of our early funders.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe bulk of 3ie funding is going to help expand our knowledge about what works by supporting new impact studies, focusing on what we call the enduring questions of development. We are in the process of a consultative exercise to identify these questions – to which you can contribute by visiting \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.3ieimpact.org/page.php?pg\u003dmedium\"\u003eour website\u003c/a\u003e.  We will also have an open window for studies on other topics, for which the first request for proposals went out recently.  Please visit our web site and join the conversation!\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-213705626107744797?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/213705626107744797"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/213705626107744797"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/02/answering-question-was-this-successful.html","title":"Answering the question: “Was this a successful project?”"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3592370108752151679"},"published":{"$t":"2009-02-09T21:07:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-09T21:21:26.325-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Power to the people"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e(Cross-posted from the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/power-to-people.html\"\u003eOfficial Google Blog\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eImagine how hard it would be to stick to a budget in a store with no prices. Well, that's pretty much how we buy electricity today. Your utility company sends you a bill at the end of the month with very few details. Most people don't know how much electricity their appliances use, where in the house they are wasting electricity, or how much the bill might go up during different seasons. But in a world where everyone had a detailed understanding of their home energy use, we could find all sorts of ways to save energy and lower electricity bills. In fact, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/electric-metering.php\"\u003estudies show\u003c/a\u003e that access to home energy information results in savings between 5-15% on monthly electricity bills. It may not sound like much, but if half of America's households cut their energy demand by 10 percent, it would be the equivalent of taking eight million cars off the road.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGoogle’s mission is to \"organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,\" and we believe consumers have a right to detailed information about their \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/\"\u003ehome electricity use\u003c/a\u003e. We're tackling the challenge on several fronts, from policy advocacy to developing consumer tools, and even investing in smart grid companies. We've been participating in the dialogue in Washington, DC and with public agencies in the U.S. and other parts of the world to advocate for investment in the building of a \"smart grid,\" to bring our 1950s-era electricity grid into the digital age. Specifically, to provide both consumers and utilities with real-time energy information, homes must be equipped with advanced energy meters called \"smart meters.\" There are currently about 40 million smart meters in use worldwide, with plans to add another 100 million in the next few years.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SZEOUTyxQjI/AAAAAAAAA28/LeWqMzDlXlA/s1600-h/Info-graphic.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SZEOUTyxQjI/AAAAAAAAA28/LeWqMzDlXlA/s400/Info-graphic.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301033978465174066\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eBut deploying smart meters alone isn't enough. This needs to be coupled with a strategy to provide customers with easy access to energy information. That's why we believe that open protocols and standards should serve as the cornerstone of smart grid projects, to spur innovation, drive competition, and bring more information to consumers as the smart grid evolves. We believe that detailed data on your personal energy use belongs to you, and should be available in an open standard, non-proprietary format. You should control who gets to see your data, and you should be free to choose from a wide range of services to help you understand it and benefit from it. For more details on our policy suggestions, check out the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/cpuc.html\"\u003ecomments\u003c/a\u003e we filed yesterday with the California Public Utility Commission.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn addition to policy advocacy, we're building consumer tools, too. Over the last several months, our engineers have developed a software tool called \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/howitworks.html\"\u003eGoogle PowerMeter\u003c/a\u003e, which will show consumers their home energy information almost in real time, right on their computer. Google PowerMeter is not yet available to the public since we're \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003d6Dx38hzRWDQ\"\u003etesting it out\u003c/a\u003e with Googlers first. But we're \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/powermeter/contactus.html\"\u003ebuilding partnerships\u003c/a\u003e with utilities and independent device manufacturers to gradually roll this out in pilot programs. Once we've had a chance to kick the tires, we'll make the tool more widely available.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThere is no one-size-fits-all solution to providing consumers with detailed energy information. And it will take the combined efforts of federal and state governments, utilities, device manufacturers, and software engineers to empower consumers to use electricity more wisely by giving them access to energy information.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Ed Lu, Engineering Team\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3592370108752151679?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3592370108752151679"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3592370108752151679"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/02/power-to-people.html","title":"Power to the people"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Qw6iwZD4gMQ/SZEOUTyxQjI/AAAAAAAAA28/LeWqMzDlXlA/s72-c/Info-graphic.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4515492058266654907"},"published":{"$t":"2009-01-22T09:31:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-19T15:22:14.892-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Final Inch is Nominated for an Oscar!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Google.org extends its heartfelt congratulations to Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant on their first \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.oscar.com/nominees/?pn\u003ddetail\u0026amp;nominee\u003dThe%20Final%20Inch%20-%20Documentary%20Short%20Subject%20Nominee\"\u003eOscar nomination\u003c/a\u003e in the category of Best Documentary (Short Film) for \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.thefinalinch.org/\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/a\u003e, a film produced \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2008/11/final-inch.html\"\u003ewith support from and in collaboration with Google.org\u003c/a\u003e.  In speaking with Irene this morning, she said, \"This is a great day as more people will see that polio hasn't yet been eradicated, and is still a disease affecting the world's poor.  This is a story needing to be told, and now more people will see the film.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIndeed, this is a great day for polio eradication, and we salute \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.gatesfoundation.org/\"\u003eGates Foundation\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rotary.org/en/Pages/ridefault.aspx\"\u003eRotary International\u003c/a\u003e and the governments of the UK and Germany who yesterday \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/world/africa/22polio.html?ref\u003dworld\"\u003eannounced $630M for polio eradication\u003c/a\u003e.  Polio continues to afflict mostly children under age 3 in the poorest regions of just a few countries.  We hope that our film, which will air nationally on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.hbo.com/docs/\"\u003eHBO\u003c/a\u003e in the coming months, energizes the group of dedicated donors and health workers to bring this eradication campaign past the final inch.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;\"\u003eUpdate\u003c/span\u003e on 2/19 @ 3pm: UNICEF issues \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.unicef.org/media/media_48106.html\"\u003epress release\u003c/a\u003e about \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/span\u003e that effectively outlines the state of the eradication effort in India.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Gregory Miller, Managing Director, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4515492058266654907?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4515492058266654907"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4515492058266654907"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/01/final-inch-is-nominated-for-oscar.html","title":"The Final Inch is Nominated for an Oscar!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1466190182315279509"},"published":{"$t":"2009-01-07T12:06:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T13:01:26.469-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Economist video about ASER"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca title\u003d\"The Economist\" href\u003d\"http://www.economist.com/\" id\u003d\"y5jh\"\u003eThe Economist\u003c/a\u003e has just released a fascinating video showing Google.org grantee \u003ca title\u003d\"Pratham\" href\u003d\"http://www.pratham.org/\" id\u003d\"a1j2\"\u003ePratham\u003c/a\u003e in action, conducting \u003ca title\u003d\"ASER (Annual Status of Education Report)\" href\u003d\"http://www.asercentre.org/\" id\u003d\"eazy\"\u003eASER (Annual Status of Education Report)\u003c/a\u003e. The video colorfully illustrates a major issue in India's education system: even when they attend school, students aren't necessarily learning. So, rates of illiteracy are quite high. \u003ca title\u003d\"Watch the video\" href\u003d\"http://audiovideo.economist.com/?fr_story\u003d245b1271041e7d13684d8e8f331abac64f28cf3b\u0026amp;rf\u003dbm\" id\u003d\"rlmr\"\u003eWatch the video\u003c/a\u003e here:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ciframe src\u003d\"http://video.economist.com/linking/index.jsp?skin\u003doneclip\u0026amp;ehv\u003dhttp://audiovideo.economist.com/\u0026amp;fr_story\u003d245b1271041e7d13684d8e8f331abac64f28cf3b\u0026amp;rf\u003dev\u0026amp;hl\u003dtrue\" marginwidth\u003d\"0\" marginheight\u003d\"0\" frameborder\u003d\"0\" height\u003d\"336\" scrolling\u003d\"no\" width\u003d\"402\"\u003e\u003c/iframe\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eKaty Bacon, Google.org Team\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1466190182315279509?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1466190182315279509"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1466190182315279509"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2009/01/economist-video-about-aser.html","title":"Economist video about ASER"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-271406864661441291"},"published":{"$t":"2008-12-23T10:39:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-12-23T10:44:51.826-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Sharpening our focus in global development"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"As you might expect from a company founded by two engineers and an infusion of start up cash, Google believes in the power of entrepreneurs and small businesses to drive innovation and spur job growth. So it wasn't surprising that when we considered areas to support with our philanthropic efforts, helping entrepreneurs in developing countries rose to the top. This past January we \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/20080117_googleorg.html\"\u003elaunched\u003c/a\u003e an initiative to Fuel the Growth of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).  SMEs in developed countries account for half of GDP and two-thirds of jobs, but they're largely absent in developing countries. We wanted to explore how we could help drive capital to these high-growth businesses. At the same time, we launched a parallel effort to increase access to vital information in poor countries. This effort, known as Inform and Empower, aims to help improve the quality of public services by organizing critical information and making it accessible to all (\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/corporate/\"\u003esound familiar?\u003c/a\u003e).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe still strongly believe that growing small businesses will help the poor, but one of Google's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/corporate/tenthings.html\"\u003eten organizing principles\u003c/a\u003e is, \"it's best to do one thing really, really well.\"  As we evaluated our efforts this past year, it became clear that given Google.org's unique strengths - including the ability to tap Google engineers to build and link better pathways to information - we could have a greater impact on the lives of the poor by focusing our efforts on Inform and Empower.  As a result, we're putting our SME initiative on the back burner. We'll continue to support the grants and investments that we've already committed under the initiative. We have observed and learned from many others addressing the challenges of financing SMEs -- many of whom are seeing significant strong results -- and we hope they continue with great success. At this time, however, we will not fund new efforts in the SME space.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGoogle remains committed to its philanthropic goal: using information and technology to take on some of the world's greatest challenges. We continue to draw upon resources of 1% equity, 1% profit, and employee time, as outlined by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in their 2004 letter to investors. We've had a strong year of giving since the launch of our initiatives. We know that the global financial crisis is disproportionately affecting the poor and plan to increase our overall giving in 2009.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eSonal Shah, Head of Global Development, Google.org\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-271406864661441291?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/271406864661441291"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/271406864661441291"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/12/sharpening-our-focus-in-global.html","title":"Sharpening our focus in global development"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4793315370673266705"},"published":{"$t":"2008-12-19T11:53:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-12-19T11:55:31.034-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Power to the People or Power from the People?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"In early 2008, Google.org announced its initiatives to the world and made clear how the company would leverage its people, money, and creativity to address some of the world’s most pressing and difficult problems. Among them were climate change/renewable energy, global poverty, and emerging threats.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn Africa, one of our initiatives is focused on leveraging the power of information (or the right to know) to increase transparency, accountability, and ultimately the delivery and quality of public services. \"You can’t change what you can’t see\" is one of our mantras, and our job is to shine light in dark places and help people decipher the black box of public service delivery. What is working? What is not? What options are available to people to plug holes in a leaky pipeline of service delivery?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMuch of the initiative is about unlocking quasi-public information. One of my colleagues calls it DBHD (database hugging disorder). Why is so much “public” information not accessible (ie government budgets, service level indicators, population data) and sitting on servers in London, New York, and Geneva but not accessible to citizens, media, and even planners in Africa countries? This clearly needs to change.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhat is less intuitive, however, is that there is so much information, knowledge, and wisdom within Africa that is not making its way to politicians, planners, and policy makers who make decisions about Africa. We often hear that teachers, nurses, and civil servants do not show-up for work across the continent and this is a primary contributor to the poor quality of public services. Do we bother asking why absenteeism is such a problem? Ask teachers, nurses, or administrators and they will tell you. For example, since Universal Primary Education (UPE) was adopted in many African countries more than a decade ago, classroom sizes have doubled if not tripled while teacher salaries, instructional materials, and training have hardly changed at all. Government dispensaries are rarely stocked with medications that people come to purchase so why bother staffing clinics?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLast month in rural Uganda, I saw an example of how information gathered from students is helping a local NGO address pupil absenteeism in a very targeted way. The primary school has created a student-led club that investigates why students are missing school and why they drop-out. After all, fellow students face similar challenges and know much about their peers. It turns out that most students dropping out are girls; early pregnancy and lack of finances to purchase school uniforms are leading causes of student absenteeism.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWith this information in hand, the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.krc.or.ug/aboutus.html\"\u003eKabarole Research Centre\u003c/a\u003e is working with student leaders to plant a community garden to raise money to buy uniforms for needy students, and both are working with community leaders and parents’ committees to raise the sensitive issue of early pregnancy amongst primary school students. Several young girls have returned to school after giving birth, and school administrators are more aware of what needs to happen to reduce student attrition.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnd so it’s not just about delivering information to people so they can make better decisions. It’s also about listening to people to make sure donors, planners, and government officials make better decisions. Using student leaders to understand better why their peers are missing school may seem obvious, but such approaches are pretty rare in top-down systems. Better information is certainly not a panacea but it’s a necessary condition to make better decisions based on evidence rather than anecdote.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCheck out \u003ca href\u003d\"http://picasaweb.google.com/aleem.walji/UgandaFieldVisitOct2008\"\u003emy photos from the visit\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eAleem Walji, Head of Global Development Initiatives, Google.org\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4793315370673266705?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4793315370673266705"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4793315370673266705"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/12/power-to-people-or-power-from-people.html","title":"Power to the People or Power from the People?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-6747148129725328917"},"published":{"$t":"2008-12-18T10:40:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.726-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Where does our oil come from?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"There’s a great deal of talk about the high cost of oil and the billions of dollars that the US and other oil-importing nations spend each year to buy oil.  As part of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/geochallenge.html\"\u003eGoogle.org Geo Challenge Grants Program\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://rmi.org/\"\u003eRocky Mountain Institute (RMI)\u003c/a\u003e has \u003ca href\u003d\"http://move.rmi.org/features/oilmap.html\"\u003ecreated a map\u003c/a\u003e of US oil imports by country since 1973.  By clicking on the green light to play, you can see the countries supplying oil to the U.S. (either in terms of barrels or dollar value) and how our imports have changed over the last 35 years.The thicker the line in the map, the more oil produced or imported. While this map highlights data on United States oil imports, the picture is similar for every oil-importing country in the world.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SUqZncSpbBI/AAAAAAAAAFo/sq9hWZgtSNs/s1600-h/rmi-oil-map.bmp\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 318px;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SUqZncSpbBI/AAAAAAAAAFo/sq9hWZgtSNs/s400/rmi-oil-map.bmp\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281202415933680658\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe \u003ca href\u003d\"http://move.rmi.org/features/oilmap.html\"\u003emap\u003c/a\u003e highlights 5 eras of oil consumption, from the oil shocks of the 1970s to the price collapse in the 1980s to recent events including Hurricane Katrina and gas approaching $5 per gallon before retreating rapidly recently.  (You can see these selections by clicking on the buttons below the map on the RMI website.)  One interesting time period is from 1982 to 1985, when low prices caused oil imports from the Middle East to decline to very low levels.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe map also looks at potential oil from offshore drilling and exploration of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The screenshot below illustrates the impact of off-shore drilling. With the map zoomed or ‘drilled’ 3-5 levels down and centered near Alabama (and the map pushpin that represents offshore), check out the very thin line that shows the potential peak production of 220,000 barrels per day.The lines represent estimates of production in 20-30 years, and even with this very long timeline, the amount of oil that could be generated from offshore drilling is miniscule compared to our oil needs today.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SUqZye3_OEI/AAAAAAAAAFw/TXDNXXm6s5c/s1600-h/rmi-oil-map-offshore.bmp\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 321px;\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SUqZye3_OEI/AAAAAAAAAFw/TXDNXXm6s5c/s400/rmi-oil-map-offshore.bmp\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281202605605730370\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBoth Google and RMI are working hard to help create a future where we are not reliant on daily imports of millions of barrels of oil that pollute our atmosphere and risk our national security.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eToday, along with the Brookings Institution, RMI is hosting “\u003ca href\u003d\"http://move.rmi.org/osi\"\u003eThe Oil Solutions Initiative\u003c/a\u003e ” a summit to identify solutions to break America’s dependence on oil, with Google in attendance.  In 2004, RMI’s Chief Scientist, Chairman and Co-founder Amory Lovins and a team of RMI collaborators drafted Winning the Oil Endgame (\u003ca href\u003d\"http://nc.rmi.org/Page.aspx?pid\u003d269\u0026amp;srcid\u003d269\"\u003ePDF of the book\u003c/a\u003e) - a roadmap for the United States to get completely off oil by 2050.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGoogle.org’s \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/\"\u003eRechargeIT initiative\u003c/a\u003e is driving toward the commercialization of plug-in vehicles that can wean the US off gasoline.  In our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/15x31uzlqeo5n/1#\"\u003eClean Energy 2030 Plan\u003c/a\u003e we show that increasing conventional automobile mileage, deploying millions of plug-in hybrids and accelerating the turnover of the fleet would reduce oil consumption by 51% by 2030.  That decrease would have an even larger effect on oil imports because we produce about one-third of our oil in the US. Google and RMI have worked together on a number of projects including RMI’s \u003ca href\u003d\"http://move.rmi.org/capabilities/smart-garage.html\"\u003eSmart Garage\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charrette\"\u003eCharrette\u003c/a\u003e, a summit to identify the barriers and breakthroughs needed to electrify the U.S. auto fleet.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhile oil prices have declined rapidly over the past five months, most people expect oil prices to remain high into the near future. When asked whether or not the drop in oil prices reduces the need to act, President-Elect Barack Obama \u003ca href\u003d\"http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/obama-on-shock-to-trance-energy-pattern/\"\u003eresponded\u003c/a\u003e that we go from “shock to trance” and as a result “never make any progress.”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf you are a non-profit with a great idea like this one, please consider \u003ca href\u003d\"https://services.google.com/inquiry/geochallenge_apply\"\u003eapplying\u003c/a\u003e for \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/geochallenge.html\"\u003efunding\u003c/a\u003e to develop your project.  We are currently accepting applications for the December 22, 2008 deadline.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by David Bercovich, Program Manager, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-6747148129725328917?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6747148129725328917"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6747148129725328917"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/12/where-does-our-oil-come-from.html","title":"Where does our oil come from?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SUqZncSpbBI/AAAAAAAAAFo/sq9hWZgtSNs/s72-c/rmi-oil-map.bmp","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4644246988195613613"},"published":{"$t":"2008-12-10T23:48:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-12-11T00:33:15.936-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Prizes for panchayats"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gram_panchayat\"\u003ePanchayats\u003c/a\u003e were \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi\"\u003eMahatma Gandhi\u003c/a\u003e’s original vision for a free India – an India made up of thousands of “little Republics” where people meet their needs through self-reliance. Today, panchayats are responsible for implementing development programs. They often create positive change at the grassroots level, but their success stories aren’t as well known as they should be. For example in \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerala\"\u003eKerala\u003c/a\u003e, a panchayat that was committed to education made sure the entire village was completely literate. And in the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thar_Desert\"\u003eThar\u003c/a\u003e district of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthan\"\u003eRajasthan\u003c/a\u003e, a panchayat converted the area into a tourist destination, increasing the incomes of inhabitants.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eToday we're launching the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/ggpp.html\"\u003eGoogle.org Gram Panchayat Puraskar (GGPP)\u003c/a\u003e to celebrate innovative panchayats and encourage more innovation in local governance throughout the country. We'll reward the top five panchayats in two states, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnataka\"\u003eKarnataka\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andhra_Pradesh\"\u003eAndhra Pradesh\u003c/a\u003e, with a cash prize of Rs.5 lakhs (approximately $10,000 USD) which they can use to do more good in their communities.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe prize will be awarded in one of six areas: education, health and nutrition, water supply, rural infrastructure, rural electrification, and resource mobilization. The winningpayanchat must include a wide variety of social and income groups, share information with villagers, respond to citizen feedback, and track the quality of programs.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe hope the contest helps gram panchayats celebrate successes, share ideas with one another, and improve the quality of public services in villages. Help us show these innovations to the world. The contest is open for applications through January 25, 2009.  To enter, visit the contest website www.google.org/ggpp.html or pick-up an application at your district or blockpanchayat office in Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnd, check out what \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mani_Shankar_Aiyar\"\u003eMr. Mani Shankar Aiyar\u003c/a\u003e, the Union Minister of Panchayat Raj had to say about the competition:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject height\u003d\"344\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/8OAWn2IblBo\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/8OAWn2IblBo\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" height\u003d\"344\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Salimah Samji, Program Manager, Inform \u0026amp; Empower and Meryl Stone, Senior Associate, Inform \u0026amp; Empower\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4644246988195613613?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4644246988195613613"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4644246988195613613"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/12/prizes-for-panchayats.html","title":"Prizes for panchayats"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4161788045752714404"},"published":{"$t":"2008-12-10T15:29:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-12-10T23:44:27.077-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Rethinking sanitation services"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;font-size:85%;\" \u003eA guest post from \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;font-size:85%;\" \u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/About_IWMI/People/pay.aspx\"\u003ePay Drechsel\u003c/a\u003e at the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/\"\u003eInternational Water Management Institute (IWMI)\u003c/a\u003e:\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003eAs in many parts of the developing world, failure is the norm for urban sanitation services in Ghana. Of the approximately 60 wastewater and faecal sludge treatment plants that exist in the country, less than half have any functional capacity, and fewer than five are operating as designed. The absence of adequate sewage collection and treatment imparts an enormous public and environmental health burden in particular in Ghana’s urban areas where the risk of epidemics is highest given the large number of people in a confined area.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOne of the pathways with highest risk of disease transmission is the widespread consumption of raw vegetables irrigated with surface water which is heavily polluted with excreta related pathogens. Over 200,000 people eat such dishes every day in the Accra fast food sector. While most local consumers might have a higher resistance to the diarrhea causing-rotavirus than Ghana’s average tourists, there is no resistance when it comes to cholera, as the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/csr/don/2008_12_02/en/index.html\"\u003ecurrent outbreak in Zimbabwe\u003c/a\u003e shows.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMost sanitation models are imported from the developed world and seldom fit the conditions and capacities in low-income countries – which explains the catastrophic statistics given above - and jeopardizes their purpose of safeguarding public health. Until this situation changes, it may make sense to challenge the traditional approach and outsource some sanitation-related public services from the financially constrained public sector to those who benefit from the waste stream, like farmers and vegetable sellers. The \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/\"\u003eIWMI\u003c/a\u003e works with the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/wastewater/en/\"\u003eWorld Health Organization and many local partners\u003c/a\u003e on various practical options to reduce the health risks on farms and in the street food sector where most dishes with raw vegetables are sold. Some of these findings are summarized in \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/user/IWMIVideos\"\u003evideos we’ve posted on YouTube\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWith the support of Google.org and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-1-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html\"\u003eCanada's International Development Research Council\u003c/a\u003e, an international expert group brainstormed under the leadership of IWMI the about research needs to address the health risks in such situations where public sanitation services are constrained. The meeting concluded with the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Research_Impacts/Research_Themes/Theme_3/Accra_Consensus.aspx\"\u003eAccra Consensus\u003c/a\u003e and a renewed commitment to \"rethink\" sanitation. We hope you will share your thoughts on this challenge with us after viewing the videos and reading the Accra Consensus document.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Pay Drechsel, Theme Leader, Water, Health, and the Environment, IWMI West Africa Team\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4161788045752714404?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4161788045752714404"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4161788045752714404"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/12/rethinking-sanitation-services.html","title":"Rethinking sanitation services"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-6116631321246561148"},"published":{"$t":"2008-12-03T10:09:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-12-03T14:31:10.484-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Working towards \"One Africa, One Health\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/predict.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"Predict and Prevent initiative\"\u003ePredict and Prevent initiative\u003c/a\u003e is delighted to announce support to a new regional disease surveillance network called the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance \u003ca title\u003d\"Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS)\" href\u003d\"http://services.google.com/blog_resources/google_org_SACIDS_briefing.pdf\" id\u003d\"v4or\"\u003e(SACIDS)\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e. SACIDS is the first regional network to embrace the concept of '\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.wcs.org/5060651\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"One Health\"\u003eOne Health\u003c/a\u003e' right from the start by linking 25 human and animal health institutions in Tanzania, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique and South Africa. Over time, it hopes to include other countries from the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.sadc.int/\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"Southern African Development Community\"\u003eSouthern African Development Community\u003c/a\u003e (SADC).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe SACIDS concept sprang from a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.foresight.gov.uk/index.asp\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"Foresight\"\u003eForesight\u003c/a\u003e study called '\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.foresight.gov.uk/OurWork/CompletedProjects/Infectious/Key%20Information/Project%20Outputs%20.asp\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"Infectious Diseases: Preparing for the Future\"\u003eInfectious Diseases: Preparing for the Future\u003c/a\u003e’ involving more than 400 scientists.  SACIDS was developed through meetings with key stakeholders over a period of three years. Its mission is to harness innovation in science and technology in order to improve Southern Africa's capacity to detect, identify and monitor infectious diseases of humans, animals and plants. By sharing data, experience, training, and tools\u003cb\u003e,\u003c/b\u003e the countries participating in SACIDS can raise the quality of disease surveillance for the entire region.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWith rising international travel and trade, outbreaks can go global within hours. Once diseases are detected, responding quickly and across borders saves lives. \"Too often, countries work in isolation, ignoring their neighbors, while diseases cross borders daily. We are thrilled that this effort will increase local cooperation and capacity,\" said Professor Mark Rweyemamu, the Executive Director of SACIDS.  SACIDS will be physically headquartered at the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.suanet.ac.tz/\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"Sokoine University of Agriculture\"\u003eSokoine University of Agriculture\u003c/a\u003e, in \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morogoro\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"Morogoro\"\u003eMorogoro\u003c/a\u003e, Tanzania.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGoogle.org will support the establishment of the SACIDS network through an initial $500,000 grant to the Nuclear Threat Initiative's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ghsi.org/\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"Global Health and Security Initiative\"\u003eGlobal Health and Security Initiative\u003c/a\u003e (GHSI).  GHSI's Director for Health Security and Epidemiology Dr. Louise Gresham said, \"We look forward to applying our expertise in developing regional surveillance networks, a keystone in building capacity to combat emerging, neglected and endemic disease in Southern Africa.”  GHSI will share extensive experience working with regional networks in the Middle East (the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ghsi.org/projects/mecids.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance\"\u003eMiddle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance\u003c/a\u003e) and Southeast Asia (the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ghsi.org/projects/mbds.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance\"\u003eMekong Basin Disease Surveillance\u003c/a\u003e network). In a second phase of the project, Google.org will make an additional contribution of $1,500,000 to African stakeholders working with SACIDS.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTo learn more about SACIDS and our other partners in Predict and Prevent, download this updated Google Earth \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/PredictPrevent2008.kmz\"\u003elayer\u003c/a\u003e which highlights the details of their work.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Joanne Stevens, Associate, Predict and Prevent\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-6116631321246561148?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6116631321246561148"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6116631321246561148"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/12/working-towards-one-africa-one-health.html","title":"Working towards \"One Africa, One Health\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-6737719719852473902"},"published":{"$t":"2008-11-24T14:22:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.726-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Eric Schmidt speaks about solutions for energy security"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan\u003eGoogle CEO Eric Schmidt spoke last Thursday at a Natural Resources Defense Council event held at Google offices in New York.  The topic for the evening was \"Partnership for the Earth: Strategies and Solutions for Energy Security.\"  Eric spoke about Google's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/15x31uzlqeo5n/1\"\u003eClean Energy 2030 plan\u003c/a\u003e and the importance of rebuilding America's energy infrastructure.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe speech was followed by a panel discussion featuring Frances Beinecke, President of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Ralph Cavanaugh, co-director of NRDC's energy program, and Dan Reicher, Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives at Google.org.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYou can check out the talk here:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject width\u003d\"425\" height\u003d\"344\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/LRJlO5gdsfk\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\"\u003e\u003c/param\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003c/param\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003c/param\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/LRJlO5gdsfk\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"425\" height\u003d\"344\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Jamie Yood, Google.org Team\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-6737719719852473902?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6737719719852473902"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6737719719852473902"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/11/eric-schmidt-speaks-about-solutions-for.html","title":"Eric Schmidt speaks about solutions for energy security"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3908094964184242112"},"published":{"$t":"2008-11-24T08:59:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-11-24T09:03:05.838-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Why local content matters"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;font-size:85%;\" \u003e(Cross-posted from the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google-africa.blogspot.com/\"\u003eOfficial Google Africa Blog\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHaving been in Africa for the past several months, I am beginning to see firsthand how access to information by regular citizens is starting to transform the continent. A single newspaper could be read by as many as 10 people, citizens are willing to rent-a-paper, and FM radio stations are exploding in communities where people are hungry for news, entertainment, and opportunities to make their voices heard.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIt’s the last point that has really struck me. With mobile phone penetration growing everyday and airtime prices falling, people are communicating more than ever before, sending text messages and calling in to radio talk shows. They are expressing their views, sharing their opinions with each other, and communicating their delight or displeasure with government, business, and civil actors in more informed ways.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn East Africa in particular, people are bracing themselves for the broadband revolution. Within 12 months, initiatives like Seacom and EasyCom are likely to be active in the region and will connect people in completely new ways. What will happen when the super-highways open their gates? Will traffic flow in one direction or two? Will East Africans become net consumers or producers of information?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLast week, Kenya held its first “content” conference arranged by the national ICT Board. Public and private people had plenty to say about “local content” and why it mattered. What started as a technical discussion about connectivity quickly turned to issues of national pride, language, and fear that a globalized world could homogenize indigenous cultures. While Kenyans clearly yearn to be part of the global community and consume information far beyond their borders, they also want to be heard, recognized, and contribute to global conversations. They want their news, their music, their issues, and their voices to find a place in the online universe.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eToday, Swahili books online for example, number in the hundreds compared to the hundreds of millions of books in English available online. What message does this send to young people about the relative importance of their knowledge, language, and culture? Fortunately, Google translation tools are beginning to address this challenge and launching search in Swahili is creating the right incentives to put more content online. But what else will it take to create symmetry between the number of people who speak a given language and content available to them?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe good news is that there is no paucity of African content in the offline world. Africa is home to some of the world’s richest musical traditions, oral histories, and physical heritage. The second piece of good news is that mobile phones are likely to be gateways to the internet in much of the continent. The challenge is how to migrate this wealth of content from the offline to the online world. If Africans are going to get online en masse, they need a reason to go there and they need to see themselves, their values, and their stories when looking through the online prism. With the availability of Google MapMaker in Africa, we’re already seeing that people are creating their own content and populating base maps with layers that are meaningful and useful to them. That is exciting. Whether its stories, pictures, or data on budgets and literacy rates, I hope we can give people a stake and a reason to get online and participate in the information society.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003eAleem Walji, Head of Global Development Initiatives, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3908094964184242112?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3908094964184242112"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3908094964184242112"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/11/why-local-content-matters.html","title":"Why local content matters"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-7740448638170657364"},"published":{"$t":"2008-11-20T13:27:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.727-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Moving quickly to rebuild the economy through clean energy"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"With a new President and Congress, we have an unprecedented opportunity to transform our fossil fuel economy to one based largely on clean energy, while creating millions of jobs in the process.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLast month, we offered a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/clean-energy-2030.html\"\u003eClean Energy 2030\u003c/a\u003e proposal for how the U.S. can dramatically scale up renewable energy, become smarter about how we use energy, and deploy millions of plug-in electric cars. Our energy team has continued crunching the numbers and just posted new data on job creation and cost savings on our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/15x31uzlqeo5n/1#\"\u003eknol\u003c/a\u003e. We'll keep updating the information and encourage everyone to take a look and comment - and offer alternative approaches if you disagree.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eReaching the goals of Clean Energy 2030 will require a comprehensive effort by the new President and Congress. At a minimum, we believe it should include putting a price on carbon emissions, setting national energy efficiency and renewable energy goals, and modernizing our electricity grid.  With the right policies, we can drive trillions of dollars of new investment in clean energy and create millions of new jobs.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eStimulating the economy and creating jobs will be the first item of business when the new President and Congress take office in January.  We hope that clean energy will be front and center.  In its last effort to address the financial crisis, Congress passed several \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2008/2008-10-03-02.asp\"\u003emeasures to advance clean energy\u003c/a\u003e, but much more needs to be done. Here are some ideas on how to advance clean energy as part of a stimulus package:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e    \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eGet money flowing to renewable energy.\u003c/span\u003e Many wind and solar project developers can’t take advantage of the renewable tax credits that were just extended.  The continuing economic decline has wiped out profits in many companies - and the otherwise expected tax liability that credits offset. Congress should make changes, such as making the credits refundable, to make it possible for investors to get the value Congress intended.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eStart building a smarter electricity grid.\u003c/span\u003e The last large \u003ca href\u003d\"http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.00006:\"\u003eenergy bill\u003c/a\u003e passed in 2007 authorized, but did not fund, matching grants and demonstration programs to encourage investment in a \"smart\" electricity grid.  These programs should be fully funded and expanded so more consumers have the opportunity to better monitor and control their electricity use and reduce their bills. A new \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.energy.gov/\"\u003eDepartment of Energy\u003c/a\u003e  (DOE) sponsored \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.oe.energy.gov/DocumentsandMedia/DOE_SG_Book_Single_Pages.pdf\"\u003ebook\u003c/a\u003e explaining smart grid describes it as \"the internet brought to our electric system.\"\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eHelp people make their homes more efficient.\u003c/span\u003e The DOE has a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/\"\u003eWeatherization Assistance Program\u003c/a\u003e that enables low-income families to permanently reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient.  On average, weatherization reduces households' heating bills by about 30%.  President-elect Obama adopted our proposal to weatherize one million low income homes per year for the next 10 years.  Current federal weatherization funding supports barely 10% of that number.  A roughly $3 billion appropriation would weatherize roughly one million homes.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eGreen the Government.\u003c/span\u003e The U.S. government is the largest consumer of electricity.  Accordingly, federal departments and agencies should lead by example when it comes to stimulating the economy through expanded energy efficiency efforts and increased use of clean energy.  In addition, the Congress and the President can provide support to State and local governments for efficiency and smart grid projects; the purchase of renewable power; and converting vehicle fleets to low-emission vehicles, particularly plug-in electric cars and trucks. Such concerted government action will speed the advent of a new era of energy security and domestic job creation.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003eWe need quick action to jumpstart the economy and improve energy security.  If you have ideas to share, join the discussion on the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/15x31uzlqeo5n/1#\"\u003eClean Energy 2030 knol\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePosted by Michael Terrell, Program Manager, Google.org and Harry Wingo, Policy Counsel, Google\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-7740448638170657364?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7740448638170657364"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7740448638170657364"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/11/moving-quickly-to-rebuild-economy.html","title":"Moving quickly to rebuild the economy through clean energy"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-13323142187179197"},"published":{"$t":"2008-11-19T10:46:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-03-31T13:21:46.407-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Final Inch"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Early readers of the Google.org blog may recall us embarking on a film project portraying public health heroes working in the field to eradicate polio.  Gone from the modern world, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.polioeradication.org/casecount.asp\"\u003enew cases of polio\u003c/a\u003e continue to afflict mostly children under age 3 in the poorest regions of just a few countries — India, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. When we \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2007/07/two-introductions_02.html\"\u003efirst announced this project\u003c/a\u003e and the collaboration between Google.org and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.vermilionpictures.com/\"\u003eVermilion Films\u003c/a\u003e, filming was underway \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2007/07/two-introductions.html\"\u003eprimarily in India and Afghanistan\u003c/a\u003e, documenting the front lines of public health in some forgotten corners of our world.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/dg/adg/heymann/en/index.html\"\u003eDavid Heymann\u003c/a\u003e of the World Health Organization reminds us, \"When you haven't seen a disease for quite a while, which is the case in the industrialized countries, you forget about the terrible disease that it really is.\"  Polio is such a disease, as it can ruin the lives of children even before they are old enough to understand how to prevent it.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe're proud to announce \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/span\u003e, a 38-minute film about the historic global effort to eradicate polio.  Here, the story told is as much about the messengers as the message. You'll meet Munzareen Fatima, one of the thousands of community \"foot soldiers\" across India working to sway reluctant families to vaccinate their children, and Dr. Ashfaq Bhat, who travels into the backwaters of India's Ganges Basin by boat and foot to detect emerging cases of polio.  Martha Mason and Mikail Davenport bring us into their lives and describe the paralyzing challenges of childhood polio, reminding us how endemic polio once was in the United States.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFilmed in high-definition (HD) in cinematic style — wide open shots to give a strong sense of place — \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/span\u003e captures their stories, and we hope it is both a tribute and an inspiration of hope. With a final push, this is a disease that can, and should, be eradicated finally.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/span\u003e will air nationally on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.hbo.com/docs/\"\u003eHBO\u003c/a\u003e in 2009. We invite you to check out \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.thefinalinch.org/\"\u003eTheFinalInch.org\u003c/a\u003e, where you can view clips from the film and learn more about the people and the organizations tirelessly working on this global effort.  You can also check out the film trailer here:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject height\u003d\"344\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/YCZ-bbkn44c\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowscriptaccess\" value\u003d\"always\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/YCZ-bbkn44c\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" height\u003d\"344\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eUpdate\u003c/span\u003e on 1/22: The Final Inch received an \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.oscar.com/nominees/?pn\u003ddetail\u0026amp;nominee\u003dThe%20Final%20Inch%20-%20Documentary%20Short%20Subject%20Nominee\"\u003eOscar nomination\u003c/a\u003e in the category of Best Documentary (Short Film). Check out \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2009/01/final-inch-is-nominated-for-oscar.html\"\u003eour post\u003c/a\u003e on the Google.org blog for more information.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003eUpdate\u003c/span\u003e on 3/31: The Final Inch is coming to a TV screen near you!  You can tune into HBO2 on Wednesday April 1 at 8:00pm (ET/PT) to see our film.  It will re-air on April 7 at 7:15pm and is available on HBO on demand.  You can check out the full schedule on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.hbo.com/apps/schedule/ScheduleServlet?ACTION_DETAIL\u003dDETAIL\u0026amp;FOCUS_ID\u003d662109\"\u003eHBO's website\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePosted by Gregory Miller, Managing Director, Google.org, and Irene Taylor Brodsky, Vermilion Films, Producer and Director of \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eThe Final Inch\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-13323142187179197?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/13323142187179197"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/13323142187179197"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/11/final-inch.html","title":"The Final Inch"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-2913089006967938147"},"published":{"$t":"2008-11-11T13:14:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-11-21T09:59:28.147-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Tracking Flu Trends"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;font-size:85%;\" \u003e(Cross-posted from the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/tracking-flu-trends.html\"\u003eOfficial Google Blog\u003c/a\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLike\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:100%;\"\u003e many Googlers, we're fascinated by trends in online search queries. Whether you're interested in \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/intl/en/trends/elections/\"\u003eU.S. elections\u003c/a\u003e, today's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/trends/hottrends\"\u003ehot trends\u003c/a\u003e, or each year's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist/yearend.html\"\u003eZeitgeist\u003c/a\u003e, patterns in Google search queries can be very informative. Last year, a small team of software engineers began to explore if we could go beyond simple trends and accurately model real-world phenomena using patterns in search queries. After meeting with the public health gurus on Google.org's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/predict.html\"\u003ePredict and Prevent team\u003c/a\u003e, we decided\u003c/span\u003e to focus on outbreaks of infectious disease, which are responsible for \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol11no04/04-1167-G1.htm\"\u003emillions of deaths\u003c/a\u003e around the world each year. You've probably heard of one such disease: influenza, commonly known as \"the flu,\" which is responsible for \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/2003/fs211/en/\"\u003eup to 500,000 deaths\u003c/a\u003e worldwide each year. If you or your kids have ever caught the flu, you know just how awful it can be.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOur team found that certain aggregated search queries tend to be very common during flu season each year. We compared these aggregated queries against data provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and we found that there's a very close relationship between the frequency of these search queries and the number of people who are experiencing flu-like symptoms each week. As a result, if we tally each day's flu-related search queries, we can estimate how many people have a flu-like illness. Based on this discovery, we have launched \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/flutrends/\"\u003eGoogle Flu Trends\u003c/a\u003e, where you can find up-to-date influenza-related activity estimates for each of the 50 states in the U.S.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe CDC does a great job of surveying real doctors and patients to accurately track the flu, so why bother with estimates from aggregated search queries? It turns out that traditional flu surveillance systems take 1-2 weeks to collect and release surveillance data, but Google search queries can be automatically counted very quickly. By making our flu estimates available each day, Google Flu Trends may provide an early-warning system for outbreaks of influenza.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor epidemiologists, this is an exciting development, because early detection of a disease outbreak can reduce the number of people affected. If a new strain of influenza virus emerges under certain conditions, a pandemic could emerge and cause millions of deaths (as happened, for example, in \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu\"\u003e1918\u003c/a\u003e). Our up-to-date influenza estimates may enable public health officials and health professionals to better respond to seasonal epidemics and — though we hope never to find out — pandemics.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe shared our preliminary results with the Epidemiology and Prevention Branch of the Influenza Division at CDC throughout the 2007-2008 flu season, and together we saw that our search-based flu estimates had a consistently strong correlation with real CDC surveillance data. Our system is still very experimental, so anything is possible, but we're hoping to see similar correlations in the coming year.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe couldn't have created such good models without aggregating hundreds of billions of individual searches going back to 2003. Of course, we're keenly aware of the trust that users place in us and of our responsibility to protect their privacy. Flu Trends can never be used to identify individual users because we rely on anonymized, aggregated counts of how often certain search queries occur each week. The patterns we observe in the data are only meaningful across large populations of Google search users.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFlu season is here, so avoid becoming part of our statistics and get a flu shot! And keep an eye on those graphs if you're curious to see how the flu season unfolds...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;\"\u003eUpdate on 11/21:\u003c/span\u003e The team just published an \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature07634.html\" title\u003d\"academic paper\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eacademic paper\u003c/a\u003e in \u003ci\u003eNature\u003c/i\u003e, the international journal of science, explaining the science and methodology behind Flu Trends. Check it out for more information.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003eJeremy Ginsberg and Matt Mohebbi, Software Engineers\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-2913089006967938147?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2913089006967938147"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2913089006967938147"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/11/tracking-flu-trends.html","title":"Tracking Flu Trends"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4835308259704467383"},"published":{"$t":"2008-11-04T11:07:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-11-04T11:12:13.969-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A Deadly New Arenavirus"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"On September 12 2008, Cecilia van Deventer, a safari booking agent living in Zambia, was flown to South Africa in critical condition.  She died just two days later. By October 6 2008, three more people had died: the paramedic who accompanied Cecilia to South Africa, the nurse who cared for her in Intensive Care, and the cleaner who cleaned her hospital room after her death. A fifth patient, a nurse who cared for the infected paramedic, is receiving anti-viral treatment. In all cases, people infected were exposed to infected blood and/or body fluids. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSouth Africa's \u003ca title\u003d\"National Institute for Communicable Diseases\" href\u003d\"http://www.nicd.ac.za/\" id\u003d\"z4tu\"\u003eNational Institute for Communicable Diseases\u003c/a\u003e (NICD) and the US \u003ca title\u003d\"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\" href\u003d\"http://www.cdc.gov/\" id\u003d\"iyaa\"\u003eCenters for Disease Control and Prevention\u003c/a\u003e (US-CDC) quickly identified the infectious agent as an \u003ca title\u003d\"arenavirus\" href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arenaviridae\" id\u003d\"h96q\"\u003earenavirus\u003c/a\u003e similar to the one that causes \u003ca title\u003d\"Lassa Fever\" href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassa_fever\" id\u003d\"li-d\"\u003eLassa Fever\u003c/a\u003e -  a disease that affects 500 000 people per year in West Africa. Now, following full sequencing of the viral genome by Professor Ian Lipkin and colleagues at the \u003ca title\u003d\"Centre for Infection and Immunity\" href\u003d\"http://cii.columbia.edu/\" id\u003d\"cmzl\"\u003eCenter for Infection and Immunity\u003c/a\u003e (CII) at Columbia University, it has been clearly shown that this is an arenavirus that has \u003ca title\u003d\"never been seen before\" href\u003d\"http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id\u003d874373\" id\u003d\"m.n5\"\u003enever been seen before\u003c/a\u003e. Google.org's Predict and Prevent initiative \u003ca title\u003d\"recently announced\" href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/more-than-14m-for-genetic-and-digital.html\" id\u003d\"i.2w\"\u003erecently announced\u003c/a\u003e a grant of $2.5 million to support CII's work in pathogen discovery. This identification of a novel arenavirus not only represents an early success, but also demonstrates just why this work is so important. 'There is no doubt we are dealing with a newly emerged virus,' said Dr. Janusz Paweska, head of the special pathology unit at the NICD in Johannesburg. As Professor Robert Swanepoel, also of the NICD, has pointed out, the virus is 'newly-discovered' rather than new, and has probably been around in animal populations for some time before making a recent jump to humans. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eArenaviruses, normally transferred to humans through contact with the urine of their rodent hosts, can be classified into New and Old World viruses depending on whether they originate in the Western or Eastern hemisphere respectively. New World arenaviruses, including \u003ca title\u003d\"Junin\" href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junin_virus\" id\u003d\"a8wm\"\u003eJunin\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca title\u003d\"Machupo\" href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machupo_virus\" id\u003d\"mck9\"\u003eMachupo\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca title\u003d\"Sabia\" href\u003d\"http://www.stanford.edu/group/virus/arena/2005/SabiaVirus.htm\" id\u003d\"acxm\"\u003eSabia\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca title\u003d\"Guanarito\" href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanarito_virus\" id\u003d\"pnf5\"\u003eGuanarito\u003c/a\u003e, can cause \u003ca title\u003d\"viral haemorrhagic fever\" href\u003d\"http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/Spb/mnpages/dispages/vhf.htm\" id\u003d\"ppds\"\u003eviral hemorrhagic fever\u003c/a\u003e. This particular virus, classified as Old World due to its African origins, began as a flu-like illness, then caused diarrhea, pharyngitis and a rash before rapidly culminating in respiratory distress, neurological symptoms and \u003ca title\u003d\"circulatory collapse\" href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circulatory_collapse\" id\u003d\"xr00\"\u003ecirculatory collapse\u003c/a\u003e over a period of about 9-12 days. The virus has yet to receive a name. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDue to the swift action of the NICD, US-CDC and CII the outbreak is now described as contained.  We commend their efforts!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Joanne Stevens, Associate, Predict \u0026amp; Prevent\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4835308259704467383?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4835308259704467383"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4835308259704467383"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/11/deadly-new-arenavirus.html","title":"A Deadly New Arenavirus"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-5168914473522382100"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-31T14:17:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-10-31T14:24:54.130-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Introducing Google.org Geo Challenge Grants"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"At \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/\"\u003eGoogle.org\u003c/a\u003e, we have met and worked with many amazing organizations over the past few years, and we keep hearing how eager people are to use online mapping tools such as Google Earth and Google Maps to tell their stories. There are tons of great mapping ideas out there, and we think that with a little support, many of them can come to life.  So today, we’re excited to launch Google.org \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/geochallenge.html\"\u003eGeo Challenge Grants\u003c/a\u003e, a small grants program to provide nonprofits with the impetus and resources they need to take advantage of powerful and exciting online mapping tools.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMaps are a powerful way for organizations to display and share data, promote ideas and issues, and plan and organize activities.  Online mapping tools can help the world visualize and understand information, problems, and solutions - whether in your town or village, or across the globe. They provide an easy-to-use interface with lots of detailed satellite imagery and other background data to put it all in context.  We want to help organizations use these kinds of tools to advance their work in the areas of global development, climate change and global public health.  Together with the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://earth.google.com/outreach\"\u003eGoogle Earth Outreach\u003c/a\u003e team, we piloted the program with a small number of organizations, asking ‘what kind of online mapping work could you do with a small grant?’  Every organization suggested a project that shares unique and useful information and tells a powerful story.  Here is an example:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.dreamingnewmexico.org/\"\u003eDreaming New Mexico\u003c/a\u003e initiative seeks to encourage adoption of clean electricity and to move New Mexico away from dirty, polluting power plants.  Using the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://code.google.com/apis/earth/\"\u003eGoogle Earth API\u003c/a\u003e (browser plug-in), Dreaming New Mexico shows some of the choices available to New Mexico as it considers a move to sustainable clean energy. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.dreamingnewmexico.org/visualize\"\u003eClick here to view\u003c/a\u003e the site.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SQt3TqjIWzI/AAAAAAAAAFg/CvOWxeOS1xg/s1600-h/DNM-screenshot1.PNG\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 351px;\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SQt3TqjIWzI/AAAAAAAAAFg/CvOWxeOS1xg/s400/DNM-screenshot1.PNG\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263431769235413810\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe're now accepting applications from non-profit organizations around the world!  Use your imagination and remember that many online mapping tools can be easy to learn and intuitive to use.  Our first round of applications is open today and will close on December 22.  We hope to continue with more grant rounds next year.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/geochallenge.html\"\u003eApply now!\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by David Bercovich, Project Manager, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-5168914473522382100?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5168914473522382100"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5168914473522382100"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/introducing-googleorg-geo-challenge.html","title":"Introducing Google.org Geo Challenge Grants"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SQt3TqjIWzI/AAAAAAAAAFg/CvOWxeOS1xg/s72-c/DNM-screenshot1.PNG","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-943321970818959914"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-28T18:18:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-10-28T18:22:58.275-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"BarCamp Africa in Silicon Valley"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eOn October 11th, nearly 200 people convened at Google for the first \u003ca title\u003d\"BarCamp Africa\" href\u003d\"http://barcampafrica.com/\" id\u003d\"wo:1\"\u003eBarCamp Africa\u003c/a\u003e with the purpose of \"building the conversation between people and opportunities in Silicon Valley and Africa.\" With Google as Hosting Sponsor, this volunteer-run event gathered a wide array of technologists, philanthropists, bloggers, artists and entrepreneurs, more than 20 not-for-profit organizations, and subject matter experts from across the Bay Area and as far as Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 229, 153);\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eFirst conceived by Ellen Petry Leanse and Kaushal Jhalla, two Bay Area residents with deep roots in Africa, BarCamp Africa provided the unique opportunity to bring together Africa-focused professionals from Silicon Valley with people from, and doing important work in, Africa. With an emphasis on user-generated content and spontaneous connections, BarCamp Africa let participants to shape the agenda, and provided the space for creativity and idea sharing. As with other BarCamp events held in \u003ca href\u003d\"http://barcamp.org/BarcampNairobi08\" id\u003d\"x6os\" title\u003d\"Nairobi\"\u003eNairobi\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://appfrica.pbwiki.com/BarCampKampala\" id\u003d\"ejiz\" title\u003d\"Kampala\"\u003eKampala\u003c/a\u003e earlier this year, Google has helped connect the African technology community with other vital sectors to explore how, collectively, our efforts could make a difference in the region, through technology and innovation.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTopics discussed during the day’s event included emerging technologies, mobile phone growth and opportunities, social innovation and entrepreneurship. Highlights included:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e     The need to focus on supporting entrepreneurship and business growth   \u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e     The importance of investing in local talent   \u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e     The opportunity to promote innovation as the key driver of industry growth and job creation   \u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e The importance of helping strengthen connection to community for disadvantaged students with strong potential so that they do not lose roots (diaspora challenge) \u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e How giving back to the community provides girls who have received assistance (scholarship support, mentoring, etc.) with self-esteem, and the feeling that they can accomplish great things because of the experience of doing so\u003cbr /\u003e \u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e     The role of economic development that drives choice and support for women's empowerment   \u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003eA number of new initiatives emerged as a direct result of BarCamp Africa, including:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003ethe founding of \u003ca id\u003d\"gkxe\" href\u003d\"http://barcampafrica.com/2008/10/14/barcamp-africa-outcomes-reaspora/#more-580\" title\u003d\"Reaspora.com\"\u003eReaspora.com\u003c/a\u003e, a web destination focused on resources, connections and support for African expatriates interested in re-connecting with the continent. The name for this website and the commitment to build it grew directly from connections made at BarCamp Africa\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003ethe creation of SquibWib, a web-based educational platform that allows a mentor and a student in different places to meet online and read together, as if they were in the same room\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003ethe establishment of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://appfrica.net/afridex\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eAfridex\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca id\u003d\"nzt3\" href\u003d\"http://appfrica.net/afridex\" title\u003d\"http://appfrica.net/afridex\"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e, the first steps of a consolidator of pan-African tech content\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003ethe launch of \u003ca id\u003d\"ra0k\" href\u003d\"http://www.kelele.org/blog/kelele-2009/kelele-officially-launched/\" title\u003d\"Kelele\"\u003eKelele\u003c/a\u003e, an annual bloggers' conference that will move between African countries; the wide response to BarCamp Africa inspired a coalition of African bloggers to commit to this ongoing gathering\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003ethe building of connections between Silicon Valley's community of not-for-profits focused on positive change in Africa; these groups have already begun to support one another at local gatherings and events.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e  With the help of sponsorship from Google.org,\u003cspan style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 229, 153);\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e five attendees \u003cspan style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003efrom outside of the United States \u003c/span\u003ewere able to join the group to represent the NGO sector, whose efforts ranged from education to conservation and web development. A number of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://barcamp.org/BarCampAfricaSponsors\" id\u003d\"jl9n\" title\u003d\"sponsors\"\u003esponsors\u003c/a\u003e and \u003cspan style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eindividual participants c\u003c/span\u003eontributed generously, including \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.humanityunited.org/\" id\u003d\"u6d-\" title\u003d\"Humanity United\"\u003eHumanity United\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cstrike\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/strike\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003eFind out more by checking out BarCampAfrica's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://barcampafrica.com/\" id\u003d\"s-10\" title\u003d\"blog\"\u003eblog\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://twemes.com/barcampafrica\" id\u003d\"pk:s\" title\u003d\"twemes\"\u003etwemes\u003c/a\u003e feed, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://barcamp.org/BarCampAfrica\" id\u003d\"bifu\" title\u003d\"wiki\"\u003ewiki\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/barcampafrica\" id\u003d\"aj-b\" title\u003d\"photostream\"\u003ephotostream\u003c/a\u003e, reading about it on our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google-africa.blogspot.com/2008/10/barcamp-africa.html#links\" id\u003d\"fpve\" title\u003d\"Google Africa blog\"\u003eGoogle Africa blog\u003c/a\u003e or by watching videos from the event on our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/user/Googleorg\" id\u003d\"u.0s\" title\u003d\"Google YouTube Channel\"\u003eGoogle.org YouTube Channel\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Rachel Payne, Program Manager, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-943321970818959914?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/943321970818959914"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/943321970818959914"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/barcamp-africa-in-silicon-valley.html","title":"BarCamp Africa in Silicon Valley"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-2173211171051211543"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-21T16:55:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-10-21T17:03:40.978-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"An award for ASER"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"The core of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/inform.html\"\u003eInform and Empower\u003c/a\u003e initiative lies in the access to timely, relevant information that can empower government leaders and citizens to improve the delivery of vital public services. So I was delighted to hear that yesterday one of our grantees, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.pratham.org/\"\u003ePratham-ASER\u003c/a\u003e, was a gold winner of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.eiiaward.org/\"\u003e2008 Excellence in Information Integrity\u003c/a\u003e award in the non-profit category.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe EII Awards Program recognizes organizations that have made significant progress - through a single project or an enterprise-wide effort - towards achieving Information Integrity - the accuracy, consistency and reliability of the information content, process and system. Given that ASER is one of the few organizations collecting data on basic literacy and numeracy across rural India, it is extremely important that their data is accurate. How exciting to see our grantee get international recognition for their efforts!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Salimah Samji, Program Manager, Inform \u0026amp; Empower\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-2173211171051211543?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2173211171051211543"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2173211171051211543"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/award-for-aser.html","title":"An award for ASER"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-6251129449785843178"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-21T16:48:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-10-21T16:51:32.548-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The World is a Mess...Agree or Disagree?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"A number of us at Google.org have been gleefully contributing to the spread of the \u003ca title\u003d\"Girl Effect\" href\u003d\"http://www.girleffect.org/\" id\u003d\"g.ph\"\u003eGirl Effect\u003c/a\u003e video\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: rgb(255, 0, 0);\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e. Maybe you have seen this powerful and moving video already. This piece of art and social commerce, which argues that the key to breaking the cycle of poverty is the education and empowerment of girls, has gone viral and has been featured on a number of interesting blogs (including \u003ca title\u003d\"blogher\" href\u003d\"http://www.blogher.com/girl-effect-watch-video\" id\u003d\"qvul\"\u003eblogher\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca title\u003d\"Made to Stick\" href\u003d\"http://www.madetostick.com/blog/2008/07/18/deconstructing-the-girl-effect/\" id\u003d\"mljh\"\u003eMade to Stick\u003c/a\u003e).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe really admire a couple of things about this video-- how it has been used to define a complex issue in accessible terms, kick start an important conversation, and complement the \u003ca title\u003d\"announcement\" href\u003d\"http://www.nikefoundation.org/media_room.html\" id\u003d\"j38s\"\u003eannouncement\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e by the \u003ca title\u003d\"Nike Foundation\" href\u003d\"http://www.nikefoundation.org/\" id\u003d\"nkme\"\u003eNike Foundation\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca title\u003d\"NoVo Foundation\" href\u003d\"http://www.novofoundation.org/\" id\u003d\"jncw\"\u003eNoVo Foundation\u003c/a\u003e of their giving strategy, which focuses on improving the lives of girls in poor countries.\u003cspan style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e We are also interested in understanding what comes next.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhat has seeing this video prompted you to do? Where will the conversation go from here?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eAlix Zwane, Program Manager, Inform \u0026amp; Empower\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-6251129449785843178?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6251129449785843178"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6251129449785843178"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/world-is-messagree-or-disagree.html","title":"The World is a Mess...Agree or Disagree?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-63463253081534675"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-20T23:40:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-10-21T00:06:32.960-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"More than $14M for genetic and digital detection"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"In January we announced \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/predict.html\"\u003ePredict and Prevent\u003c/a\u003e, Google.org's global public health initiative that aims to help prevent the next pandemic. Since then our team has traveled far and wide to meet with partners, particularly in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. We convened a workshop with the world's experts on emerging infectious diseases in March, sponsored a meeting of climate and health experts in Nairobi in September, and attended workshops and conferences.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe're excited today about an initial $14.8 million in funding for partners working on genetic and digital detection.  To learn more about our partners, see our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/20081021_googleorg.html\"\u003eannouncement\u003c/a\u003e or download this Google Earth \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/PredictPrevent2008.kmz\"\u003elayer\u003c/a\u003e which highlights the details of their work. For example, check out \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.healthmap.org/en\"\u003eHealthmap\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f?p\u003d2400:1000:\"\u003eProMED-mail\u003c/a\u003e's expanded disease-tracking tools in Thailand:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SP15ydbvW8I/AAAAAAAAAFU/TTfh2HHdSSw/s1600-h/screenshot+2.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SP15ydbvW8I/AAAAAAAAAFU/TTfh2HHdSSw/s400/screenshot+2.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259493847640005570\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOr the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://gvfi.org/index.html\"\u003eGlobal Viral Forecasting Initiative\u003c/a\u003e's work in Cameroon to track diseases like avian flu:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SP15krX-3DI/AAAAAAAAAFM/Artugv6rFS8/s1600-h/screenshot.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SP15krX-3DI/AAAAAAAAAFM/Artugv6rFS8/s400/screenshot.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259493610864172082\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePredict and Prevent has adopted a \"one health\" approach integrating human, animal and environmental health. We focus on knowing where to look for outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, detecting those outbreaks through digital and genetic approaches, and supporting early warning and quick response. Our partners' activities range from the use of environmental information to help health experts improve disease surveillance, to monitoring viral chatter and enhancing pathogen discovery, to strengthening networks for online disease outbreak reporting. These grants will increase our understanding of emerging infectious diseases and generate vasts amount of data, samples, sequences, and hopefully discoveries.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOur next step in putting this new knowledge to work to save lives will be to invest in robust, affordable infectious disease diagnostics for use in Asia and Africa. We're working to find ways Google's data management, data sharing, and collaboration platforms can improve information access and sharing, support online \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioinformatics\"\u003ebioinformatics\u003c/a\u003e, and develop genetic maps of infectious diseases. Finally, we're looking to work with partners on front lines of disease emergence in hot spot countries. In short, we are very excited about the grants we announced today, but we know we have our work cut out for us - watch this space!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Frank Rijsberman, Program Director, Predict \u0026amp; Prevent\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-63463253081534675?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/63463253081534675"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/63463253081534675"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/more-than-14m-for-genetic-and-digital.html","title":"More than $14M for genetic and digital detection"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SP15ydbvW8I/AAAAAAAAAFU/TTfh2HHdSSw/s72-c/screenshot+2.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-2390121337814701902"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-20T15:47:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.727-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Supporting U.S.-Chinese renewable energy collaboration"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Google.org has given the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.nationalacademies.org/\"\u003eU.S. National Academies\u003c/a\u003e a grant for $250,000 to develop recommendations for U.S.-Chinese cooperation on renewable electricity. The 18-month study is being funded in collaboration with other U.S. sponsors and the Chinese Academies of Sciences and Engineering.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe study has three goals:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eAssess the resource potential in China and the U.S. for grid-scale electricity generation\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eExplore near-term market opportunities for mature technologies\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eRecommend priorities for enhanced collaboration, with a focus on cost reduction, improved efficiency and grid connectivity, and storage\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003eThe study will help national governments, their relevant agencies/ministries, and private industries assign priorities for meaningful cooperation in developing and utilizing electricity from renewable energy.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBy focusing on grid-scale electricity generation, the study will give special attention to three major resources: wind, solar, and biomass. It will also consider technologies with longer time horizons, such as \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/egs/\"\u003eenhanced geothermal systems (EGS)\u003c/a\u003e. It will build on a current U.S. National Academies study, which is assessing the technology risks and tradeoffs for various energy technologies. An understanding of the geographic, technical, and economic constraints will help guide Chinese decision makers to develop appropriate strategies to sustainably meet their energy needs. China’s manufacturing prowess, combined with its growing domestic market, provide opportunities to accelerate progress and reduce costs for renewable energy technologies.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe U.S. and China represent the world's two largest consumers of energy. Getting renewable electricity right for both countries will be a significant step to decelerating global climate change.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Jeffrey Greenblatt, Climate and Energy Technology Manager, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-2390121337814701902?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2390121337814701902"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2390121337814701902"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/supporting-us-chinese-renewable-energy.html","title":"Supporting U.S.-Chinese renewable energy collaboration"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Jamie Yood"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/00055778979957613057"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"14118214607831869425"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1902658874598539151"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-17T13:35:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-10-17T13:49:03.939-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Google.org at Clinton Global Initiative"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Last month, Google.org invited the non-profits attending \u003ca title\u003d\"Clinton Global Initiative\" href\u003d\"http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/\" id\u003d\"kf-f\"\u003eClinton Global Initiative\u003c/a\u003e to a half-day technology training on tools to improve their operations and enhance their websites. \u003ca title\u003d\"Romanus Berg from Ashoka\" href\u003d\"http://www.ashoka.org/team/leadership\" id\u003d\"kupf\"\u003eRomanus Berg\u003c/a\u003e from Ashoka moderated the session and \u003ca title\u003d\"Suzanne DiBianca\" href\u003d\"http://www.salesforcefoundation.org/aboutus/staff.html\" id\u003d\"e1co\"\u003eSuzanne DiBianca\u003c/a\u003e and others from \u003ca title\u003d\"Salesforce\" href\u003d\"http://www.salesforcefoundation.org/product\" id\u003d\"ofg1\"\u003eSalesforce\u003c/a\u003e talked about how non-profits can take advantage of the \u003ca title\u003d\"integration\" href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003dPqe2eCtY4Pg\" id\u003d\"l6xf\"\u003epowerful integration\u003c/a\u003e between Salesforce and \u003ca title\u003d\"Google Apps\" href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/npo/index.html\" id\u003d\"z66n\"\u003eGoogle Apps\u003c/a\u003e. After a high-level plenary session, the 75 organizations in attendance participated in breakout sessions focused on technology solutions for improving internal efficiency, optimizing websites and harnessing the power of online video.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe also took advantage of the occasion to announce a refresh of our \u003ca title\u003d\"Google for Non-Profits\" href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/nonprofits\" id\u003d\"juz.\"\u003eGoogle for Non-Profits\u003c/a\u003e site, now more streamlined and with a greater focus on training videos. Where appropriate, the groups in attendance were also given the opportunity to work with Google over the next several months to implement the ideas and strategies that work best for them.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor video from parts of the event, check out our \u003ca title\u003d\"Google for Non-Profits channel\" href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/googlefornonprofits\" id\u003d\"w9qz\"\u003eGoogle for Non-Profits channel\u003c/a\u003e on YouTube.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by\u003c/span\u003e John Lyman, Google.org \u0026amp; Galen Panger, Google for Non-Profits\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1902658874598539151?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1902658874598539151"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1902658874598539151"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/googleorg-at-clinton-global-initiative.html","title":"Google.org at Clinton Global Initiative"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1847509639443934380"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-15T13:45:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-10-15T13:52:27.218-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Information Poverty"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Today is \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blogactionday.org/\"\u003eBlog Action Day\u003c/a\u003e, an annual event that rallies blogs around the world to post about a common cause. This year's issue up for discussion is poverty, so we wanted to take a look at the relationship between access to information and social and economic development. The right information at the right time in the hands of people has enormous power. As someone who works for Google, I see evidence of this everyday as people search and find information they need to create knowledge, grow their business, or access essential services. But that applies primarily to the rich world, where economies are built on knowledge and presume access to information. What about the poor and developing countries where people are offline more than online? How do they benefit from the power of information?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn much of Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, rates of economic growth over the last decade have exceeded 5% every year. Despite this trend, poverty in many countries has remained constant. In Kenya, for example, the official poverty rate was 48% in 1981. According to the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.hackenya.org/index.php?option\u003dcom_docman\u0026amp;task\u003ddoc_details\u0026amp;Itemid\u003d254\u0026amp;gid\u003d519\"\u003eKenya Poverty and Inequality Assessment\u003c/a\u003e released by the World Bank this year, 17 million Kenyans or 47% of the population were unable to meet the costs of food sufficient to fulfill basic daily caloric requirements. The vast majority of these people live in rural areas and have even less access to the information that impacts their daily life. Data on water quality, education and health budgets, and agricultural prices are nearly impossible to access.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDespite hundreds of millions of dollars spent each year on providing basic public services like primary education, health, water, and sanitation to poor communities, poverty in much of Sub-Saharan Africa persists. Where does this money go, who gets it, and what are the results of the resources invested? That’s where we find a big black hole of information and a lack of basic accountability. How do inputs (dollars spent) turn into outputs (schools, clinics, and wells), and, more importantly, how do outputs translate into results (literate and healthy children, clean water, etc.)?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe simply don’t know the answers to most of these basic questions. But what if we could? What if a mother could find out how much money was budgeted for her daughter's school each year and how much of it was received? What if she and other parents could report how often teachers are absent from school or whether health clinics have the medicines they are supposed to carry? What if citizens could access and report on basic information to determine value for money as tax payers?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe work of\u003cspan style\u003d\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e SODNET in Kenya is illustrative. They are developing a simple budget-tracking tool that allows citizens to track the allocation, use, and ultimate result of government funds earmarked for infrastructure projects in their districts. The tool is intended to create transparency in the use of tax revenues and answer the simple question: Are resources reaching their intended beneficiaries? Using tools like maps, they are able to overlay information that begins to tell a compelling story.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGoogle.org’s role, through \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/projects.html\"\u003eour partners\u003c/a\u003e in East Africa and India, is to support, catalyze, and widely disseminate this kind of information to public, private, and civil society stakeholders that can use it to see more clearly what’s working, what’s broken and what are potential solutions. Leveraging platforms like Google Earth and Google Maps can help organizations disseminate their content widely and let people see and understand what was once invisible. Once information is visible, widely known, and easy to understand, we are betting that governments and citizens will pay more attention to leakages in the service delivery pipeline and feel empowered to propose solutions.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYou can’t change what you can’t see. The power to know plus the power to act on what you know is the surest way to achieve positive social change from the bottom up. And when we consider the magnitude of resources invested in delivering public services each year, a 10% improvement globally would exceed the value of all foreign aid. We believe that is a bet worth making.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Aleem Walji, Head of Global Development Initiatives, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1847509639443934380?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1847509639443934380"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1847509639443934380"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/information-poverty.html","title":"Information Poverty"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1806158371656809178"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-10T11:58:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-10-10T12:03:07.431-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Managing the Deadly Dozen: transforming public health to \"One Health\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"This week the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.wcs.org/\"\u003eWildlife Conservation Society (WCS)\u003c/a\u003e released a report, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.wcs.org/deadly-dozen/wcs_deadly_dozen\"\u003eThe Deadly Dozen: Wildlife Diseases in the Age of Climate Change\u003c/a\u003e, which lists 12 pathogens (including Avian Influenza, Cholera, Ebola, Lyme Disease, and Yellow fever) that are expected to spread as a result of continued climate change. WCS highlights that the spread of this deadly dozen will likely have impacts on human and wildlife health with cascading effects on the global economy. But, the report does not leave us in the dead zone. It points to how monitoring wildlife and the ecosystems in which they live can help us to manage these emergent human health threats.                                     \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis report, which draws from a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3783/3924/58593.aspx\"\u003enew book\u003c/a\u003e, is just one of a series of new interdisciplinary studies (others can be found \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn\u003d030908864X\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Infectious%20Diseases/d2.pdf\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.avma.org/onehealth/default.asp\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e) that call for more proactive and holistic (“One Health”) approaches to management of emerging infectious diseases.  \"One Health\" integrates human, animal and ecosystem health.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe are beginning to see public health training and disease management programs integrate animal health (often with a focus on livestock) into their plans. However, much less action has been taken to integrate ecosystem factors into disease management. This is not surprising given that integrating animal health into the human public health systems, although a large step institutionally, is a relatively small step conceptually. Many of the same tools and methods are common to both animal health and human health disciplines such as surveillance, vaccination, and laboratory diagnostics.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn contrasts, linking ecosystem health –including wildlife and wildlands-- and the risks of regional and global environmental change with the public health system requires a large conceptual leap.  Traditionally, “environmental health” focuses on managing the health implications of pollution, toxics and occupational health. However, the environmental changes we are experiencing today, such as climate change, deforestation and biodiversity loss are fundamentally different types of problems. They entail disruptive systemic changes in underlying function of the systems. Managing the health implications of these systematic changes such as WCS’s Deadly Dozen will require the conceptual leap of transforming our public health infrastructure to a one health infrastructure.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eAmy Luers, Environment Program Manager, Predict and Prevent, Google.org\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1806158371656809178?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1806158371656809178"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1806158371656809178"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/managing-deadly-dozen-transforming.html","title":"Managing the Deadly Dozen: transforming public health to \"One Health\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-8168556933249754791"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-09T17:22:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-10-09T17:25:02.375-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Data, in depth"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"When I arrived in Dar es Salaam, I was greeted with a warm smile and a \"Karibu sana\"  -- “You are welcomed” in Swahili -- that set the tone for my visit to Tanzania.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI attended the Annual General \u0026amp; Scientific Meeting of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.indepth-network.org/\"\u003eINDEPTH Network\u003c/a\u003e. INDEPTH is an international collaborative space that includes field surveillance sites collecting data on nearly every aspect of the lives of a surveyed population -- on infectious disease, cause of deaths, migration, health service utilization, livelihood, reproductive health, and more -- across 37 sites in 19 countries in Africa, Asia, Central America and Oceania. For one of the surveillance site in Matlab, a rural area about 70 kilometres southeast of Dhaka the capital of Bangladesh, data collection has been taking place for over 40 years now. Data has been used to evaluate disease patterns and trends and also to test health interventions. In total, 2.2 million people every year are being monitored -- this provides required health and demographic data that enable developing countries to set evidence-based health priorities and policies.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNot surprisingly, data sharing within and across field sites and countries presents significant challenges to data management due to uncertainty in data access, poor metadata, and disparate data quality standards. Some of these issues and challenges were discussed during a session on technological innovations. Of particular interest was the use of open source software for geospatial data management and analysis within and across sites in Burkina Faso, India, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, and Thailand. We also learned about projects in Uganda and Bangladesh piloting the use of mobile survey software for data collection – one of the sites was collecting 29,000 forms a year. Another point that piqued my interest was the concept of a “Health System Observatory” operating at different levels that would foster research discovery, innovation, and interactions between researchers, policy-makers, and other communities.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eA concrete next step for me is to explore the possibility of leveraging INDEPTH capabilities to investigate the impact of ecology, climate, and socioeconomic change on the transmission of infectious diseases for more targeted control activities at local level.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by France Lamy, Program Manager, Predict and Prevent, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-8168556933249754791?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8168556933249754791"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8168556933249754791"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/data-in-depth.html","title":"Data, in depth"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-9152585505255244911"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-03T18:24:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.727-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Eric Schmidt discusses Clean Energy 2030"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Watch Google's Chairman and CEO discuss our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/clean-energy-2030.html\"\u003erecent proposal\u003c/a\u003e for reducing U.S. dependence on fossil fuels:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject height\u003d\"344\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/gZpfpj4u0E0\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/gZpfpj4u0E0\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" height\u003d\"344\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYou can read the full plan \u003ca href\u003d\"http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/15x31uzlqeo5n/1#\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Katy Bacon, Google.org Team\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-9152585505255244911?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/9152585505255244911"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/9152585505255244911"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/eric-schmidt-discusses-clean-energy.html","title":"Eric Schmidt discusses Clean Energy 2030"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4202529353141326108"},"published":{"$t":"2008-10-01T10:33:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.727-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Clean Energy 2030"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e(Cross-posted from the \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\" href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/clean-energy-2030.html\"\u003eOfficial Google Blog\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eRight now the U.S. has a very real opportunity to transform our economy from one running on fossil fuels to one largely based on clean energy. We are developing the technologies and know-how to accomplish this. We can build whole new industries and create millions of new jobs. We can reduce energy costs, both at the gas pump and at home. We can improve our national security. And we can put a big dent in climate change. With strong leadership we could be moving forward on an aggressive but realistic timeline and an approach that balances costs with real economic gains.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe energy team at Google has been crunching the numbers to see how we could greatly reduce fossil fuel use by 2030. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/15x31uzlqeo5n/1#\"\u003eOur analysis\u003c/a\u003e, led by Jeffery Greenblatt, suggests a potential path to weaning the U.S. off of coal and oil for electricity generation by 2030 (with some remaining use of natural gas as well as nuclear), and cutting oil use for cars by 40%. Al Gore has \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.wecansolveit.org/\"\u003eissued a challenge\u003c/a\u003e that is even more ambitious, getting us to carbon-free electricity even sooner. We hope the American public pushes our leaders to embrace it. T. Boone Pickens has weighed in with an interesting \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.pickensplan.com/act/?c\u003dGoogle\u0026amp;a\u003dPickens-Keywords\u0026amp;k\u003dpickens+plan\"\u003eplan\u003c/a\u003e of his own to massively deploy wind energy, among other things. Other plans have also been developed in recent years that merit attention.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOur goal in presenting this first iteration of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://knol.google.com/k/-/-/15x31uzlqeo5n/1#\"\u003eClean Energy 2030 proposal\u003c/a\u003e is to stimulate debate and we invite you to take a look and comment - or offer an alternative approach if you disagree. With a new Administration and Congress - and multiple energy-related imperatives - this is an opportune, perhaps unprecedented, moment to move from plan to action.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOver 22 years this plan could generate billions of dollars in savings and help create millions of green jobs.  Many of these high quality, good-paying jobs will be in today's coal and oil producing states.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTo get there we need immediate action on three fronts:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e(1)  Reduce demand by doing more with less\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe should start with the low-hanging fruit by reducing energy demand through energy efficiency -- adopting technologies and practices that allow us to do more with less. At Google, we've seen the benefits of this approach. We identified $5M in building efficiency investments with a 2.5 year payback. We've also \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/saving-electricity-one-data-center-at.html\"\u003edesigned our own data centers to run more efficiently\u003c/a\u003e, and we believe they are the most efficient in the world. On a smaller scale, personal computers can also become much more efficient. A typical desktop PC wastes nearly half the power it consumes. Last year, Bill Weihl, our Green Energy Czar, worked with industry partners to create the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/\"\u003eClimate Savers Computing Initiative\u003c/a\u003e to raise energy efficiency standards for personal computers and servers.  If we meet our goals, these standards will cut energy consumption by the equivalent of 10-20 coal-fired power plants by 2010.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGovernment can have a big impact on achieving greater efficiency. California's aggressive building codes, efficiency standards and utility programs have helped the state keep per-capita energy use flat for years, while consumption in much of the rest of the country has grown significantly. Enacting similar policies at the national level would help even more.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe also need to give the American people opportunities to be more efficient. The way we buy electricity today is like going to a store without seeing prices: we pick what we want, and receive an unintelligible bill at the end of the  month. When homes are equipped with smart meters and real-time pricing, research shows that energy use typically drops. Google is looking at ways that we can use our information technology and our reach to help increase awareness and bring better, real-time information to consumers.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e(2)  Develop renewable energy that is cheaper than coal (RE\u0026lt;C)\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGoogle’s data centers draw from a U.S. electricity grid that relies on coal for 50% of its power. We want to help catalyze the development of renewable energy that is price competitive with coal. At least three technologies show tremendous promise: wind, solar thermal, and advanced geothermal. Each of these is abundant and, when combined, could supply energy in virtually every region of the U.S. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis year \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/projects.html\"\u003eGoogle has invested\u003c/a\u003e over $45 million in startup companies with breakthrough wind, solar and geothermal technologies through our Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal (\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/rec.html\"\u003eRE\u0026lt;C\u003c/a\u003e) initiative, but that is a drop when we need a flood. We need to unleash massive private investment in clean energy. The government can have a big impact here as well. We must dramatically increase federal R\u0026amp;D and enact measures supporting the rapid deployment and scaling of clean technologies such as long-term tax support and a national renewable energy standard. Tax credits for wind and solar have lapsed several times in the last 20 years, starving these nascent industries of the capital they need to truly enter the mainstream. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe also must work both sides of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/rec.html\"\u003eRE\u0026lt;C\u003c/a\u003e equation. Progress will be accelerated when the price of carbon reflects its true costs to society. Putting a price on carbon through cap-and-trade or a carbon tax would help address this. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003e(3)  Electrify transportation and re-invent our electric grid\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eImagine driving a car that uses no gas and is less expensive to recharge than buying a latte. A \"smart grid\" allows you to charge when electricity is cheap, and maybe even make some money by selling unused power back to the grid when it's needed. Plug-in cars are on their way, with GM, Toyota and other manufacturers planning introductions in the next two years. At Google we have a small fleet of Toyota Prius and Ford Escape plug-in conversions, as a part of our RechargeIT program. The converted Prius plug-ins get over 90 MPG, and the Escapes close to 50 MPG. However to successfully put millions of plug-in cars on the road and and fuel them with green electricity, we need a smart grid that manages when we charge and how we're billed. A smart grid could also provide for the two-way flow of electricity, as well as large-scale integration of intermittent solar and wind energy. Much of the technology in our current electrical grid was developed in the 60s and is wasteful and not very smart. We are \u003ca href\u003d\"http://64.233.179.110/blog_resources/google_org_ge_energyfactsheet.pdf\"\u003epartnering with GE\u003c/a\u003e to help accelerate the development of the smart grid and support building new transmission lines to harness our nation's vast renewable energy resources.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe see a huge opportunity for the nation to confront our energy challenges. In the process we will stimulate investment, create jobs, empower consumers and, by the way, help address climate change.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Dan Reicher, Director, Climate Change and Energy Initiatives, and Jeffery Greenblatt, Climate and Energy Technology Manager, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4202529353141326108?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4202529353141326108"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4202529353141326108"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/10/clean-energy-2030.html","title":"Clean Energy 2030"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1152575550412820770"},"published":{"$t":"2008-09-30T17:37:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-09-30T17:42:45.072-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Black Googler Network visits New Orleans"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"On August 29, 2005, millions of Americans watched in horror as the wind, rain and flood waters wiped away the homes, businesses and livelihood of citizens along the Gulf Coast of the US. In the days that followed, a record number of volunteers flooded disaster response agencies, government agencies, churches and local outreach organizations with calls to find out how they could help. I was one of those volunteers and what I experienced changed my life forever.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThree years later, much of the region remains abandoned.  Repair of city infrastructure and tourism (the primary economic source for this part of the nation) are slow and stagnant in much of the region.  We will be successful in turning around these trends only if we come together and rededicate ourselves to this effort. As part of the Black Googlers Network (BGN), 32 colleagues and I traveled to the region for what was initially slated as a Katrina Rebuilding Outreach Trip. As New Orleans slowly comes back to life, we will be standing side by side with the proud and resilient residents of this amazing city to help them repair the lives they've worked so hard to rebuild, sending a clear message that they are not forgotten.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAs our group planned to deploy so quickly after Hurricane Gustav, most agencies were still shut down because their employees were evacuated to other parts of the country. Notable exceptions to this shut down were two organizations to which I have personal ties - St. Bernard Project and The Idea Village.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.stbernardproject.org/\"\u003eSt. Bernard Project\u003c/a\u003e is a nonprofit, community-based organization that began rebuilding homes in August 2006 (boasting 177 projects to date) that were damaged by flood waters from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. St. Bernard Parish is a working class community and was one of the hardest hit parishes of the city because of its location just 5 miles from the now infamous Industrial Levee.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ideavillage.org/\"\u003eThe Idea Village\u003c/a\u003e is an organization working to accelerate the growth of the entrepreneurial community in the embattled New Orleans region. During our visit, BGN assisted with the development of the launch plan for their \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.504ward.com/\"\u003e504ward\u003c/a\u003e $200,000 business plan competition by employing our business savvy, creative thought processes and Google product knowledge. Launched on September 25th, this competition hopes to keep the thousands of young people who have flocked to New Orleans since Katrina engaged by soliciting ideas on how to develop a strong foundation of entrepreneurial ventures. The Idea Village's motto is \"Trust Your Crazy Ideas,\" but I don't see anything crazy about wanting to rebuild one of America's greatest cities.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe highlight of the trip was that at each build site, the families whose homes we were returning to their former grace stopped by to say hello, offer their gratitude and recount the stories of survival. Andrea was the owner of the home I was rebuilding. She was the mother of two small children and was anxious to return a sense of normalcy to all of their lives. Andrea told us of the time her adventurous son wandered into the deep grass behind her home only to come face to face with one of the region's indigenous deadly snakes. He curiously inspected the snake, only to be whisked up by his attentive mother just as the serpent was preparing to strike. This snake's venom could kill a full grown man in 20 minutes. The closest emergency room, as a result the devastation, is over 45 minutes away. Even with all of the progress made to get people back into their homes, communities are fractured and without basic services and business opportunities.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOn the final day of our trip, we went to the Upper and Lower Ninth Ward, the areas most devastated by the hurricanes. The neighborhoods were absent of life; there is little or nothing for residents to come back to. But signs of hope included children riding bikes, families and neighbors barbecuing on the front lawns of their homes (many still tattooed with the post storm FEMA markings) and a few bold projects such as the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.habitat-nola.org/projects/musicians_village.php\"\u003eThe Musicians' Village\u003c/a\u003e and Brad Pitt's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.makeitrightnola.org/\"\u003eMake it Right\u003c/a\u003e project. These things remind me not to view New Orleans with sadness or pity, but with respect, dignity and a pledge to offer a hand in their greatest time of need. In our case, 64 hands.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Tara Canobbio, Google.org Team\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1152575550412820770?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1152575550412820770"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1152575550412820770"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/09/black-googler-network-visits-new.html","title":"Black Googler Network visits New Orleans"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-7441121824650100561"},"published":{"$t":"2008-09-19T11:36:00.002-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.728-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Debating - and agreeing - on energy policy"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Disagreements may make headlines in the energy policy debate, but you know we're getting somewhere when an oil company executive, a foreign policy expert, and Dan Reicher, Google.org's Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives, agree on the most effective way of lowering today's high energy costs: improving energy efficiency.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis past Friday, Dan Reicher participated with these and other experts in an \u003ca href\u003d\"http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuseaction\u003dHearings.Hearing\u0026amp;Hearing_ID\u003d4290981b-b651-5431-a85d-b8394885740d\" id\u003d\"pt8t\" title\u003d\"energy summit\"\u003eenergy summit\u003c/a\u003e convened by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee ahead of possible votes on legislative proposals pending in Congress.  Energy has taken center stage in D.C. during this short session before the October recess, and more than two dozen senators participated in the summit's morning session alone.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDan and other member of the panel stressed the importance of improving energy efficiency as the low-hanging fruit in the energy policy debate.  He pointed to the role of IT in making homes, businesses, and appliances more efficient, and he called on Senators to consider setting more aggressive national efficiency standards like those in place today in California.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDan also emphasized the need to extend renewable energy tax credits.  During this discussion, senators expressed particular interest in the promise of \u003ca title\u003d\"enhanced geothermal systems\" href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/egs/\" id\u003d\"g_7h\"\u003eenhanced geothermal systems\u003c/a\u003e (EGS) technology which Google has championed in recent months.   Many participants also emphasized the need to make tax incentives more consistent and reliable to avoid sending \"stop-and-go\" signals to businesses and investors.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCheck out the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://energy.senate.gov/public/_files/energy091208.ram\" id\u003d\"f2jy\" title\u003d\"video archive\"\u003evideo archive\u003c/a\u003e of this summit to learn more.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eHarry Wingo, Policy Counsel, Google\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-7441121824650100561?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7441121824650100561"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7441121824650100561"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/09/debating-and-agreeing-on-energy-policy.html","title":"Debating - and agreeing - on energy policy"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3865428825383327918"},"published":{"$t":"2008-09-19T11:36:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.728-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Variability or Change?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"For years, first scientists, then the media and politicians debated whether the observed global warming trend is due to natural variability or human-induced changes in the climate system. Fortunately, this debate has now been mostly put to rest with the release of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-spm.pdf\"\u003efourth assessment\u003c/a\u003e of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ipcc.ch/\"\u003eIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change\u003c/a\u003e (IPCC) last year, which stated:  “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal….(and) most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHowever, the variability vs. change discussion is now taking on a new life.  This time the debate is not focused on attributing a cause to global warming but rather what to do about adapting to it impacts.  Is improving management to current climate variability – an adaptation strategy?   Or is climate adaptation more about developing strategies to manage the severe climate change impacts projected for 20-50 years in the future?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eQuestions such as these arose in a recent \u003ca href\u003d\"http://climatehealthdialogue.blogspot.com/\"\u003eworkshop\u003c/a\u003e that Google.org sponsored in Kenya on climate and health.  \"Are we talking about climate variability or climate change?\" participants would ask during working groups focused on identifying strategies for reducing vulnerability to the emergence and spread of climate-sensitive diseases.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe crux of the variability vs. change discussion began when Phil Thornton from ILRI presented an overview of the state of the science on climate projections which highlighted the huge uncertainty in projections from the Global Climate Models (GCMs) out toward the middle and end of century.  Then Caroline Kisia, executive director of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.actionafricahelp.org/index.html\"\u003eAction Africa Help International\u003c/a\u003e (AAHI) and a medical doctor who works with communities in Kenya, spoke up and explained that the climate science stuff is interesting…but it is not clear what communities are supposed to do with this information – there is too much uncertainty to define any real actions here.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eA few case studies were then presented showing how weather and seasonal climate projections have the potential for improving management for climate-sensitive diseases such as rift valley fever, malaria, meningitis and dengue.  These seemed to be helpful, but how are they related to climate adaptation?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThese are all good points and good questions.  It seems that Caroline was asking the climate scientists and health experts in the room to put aside their fancy models and labels and just focus on the community needs.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCommunities today across the globe, and especially in Africa, have many needs related to managing the risks of climate and weather– including floods, droughts, and climate-sensitive diseases.  The workshop discussions highlighted the opportunities and challenges of connecting the climate and health sectors to build tools for managing these risks.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eUltimately, for the poorest regions of the world facing the increasing threats from climate change, adaption is in large part simply about a heightened need for communities and nations to do what they need to do anyway in pursuit of sustainable development – such as improve health services, develop drought-resistant crop options and diversify income sources.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDoes this all then just come down to semantics?   At the community level it may be best not to worry about labels such as variability, change or adaptation.   However, the implications of these semantics may be far reaching as policymakers to develop much needed \u003ca href\u003d\"http://unfccc.int/adaptation/items/4159.php\"\u003eclimate adaptation assistance programs\u003c/a\u003e and face important questions such as who should pay for climate adaptation in the poorest nations where communities are most vulnerable to but least responsible for the changes underway?  And what should be paid for, that is, what constitutes climate adaptation?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThese are tough questions.  I am optimistic that if we don't get stuck on the semantics but keep our eyes on our goals we will find solutions to enable the most vulnerable populations to take the concrete actions needed to improve their health and livelihoods.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SNPzjDMQw0I/AAAAAAAAAFE/qIb9K71dfAc/s1600-h/Variability+or+Change+picture.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SNPzjDMQw0I/AAAAAAAAAFE/qIb9K71dfAc/s400/Variability+or+Change+picture.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247805774294467394\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;font-size:85%;\" \u003eRosemary Sang led a session on Rift Valley Fever (RVF) and the lessons learned from the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/csr/don/2007_05_09/en/index.html\"\u003emajor RVF outbreak\u003c/a\u003e in 2006-07 where 155 people died.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Amy Luers, Environment Program Manager, Predict and Prevent\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3865428825383327918?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3865428825383327918"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3865428825383327918"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/09/variability-or-change.html","title":"Variability or Change?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SNPzjDMQw0I/AAAAAAAAAFE/qIb9K71dfAc/s72-c/Variability+or+Change+picture.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4682524104424775795"},"published":{"$t":"2008-09-19T11:36:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-09-19T11:39:18.551-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Want a job working for the Base of the Pyramid?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"A guest post from our friends and partners at the Acumen Fund:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf you care about market-based approaches to poverty alleviation, then the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.acumenfund.org/get-involved/fellows-program/become-a-fellow.html\"\u003eAcumen Fund Fellowship\u003c/a\u003e might be a dream job. Seriously - you can spend a full year living and working at the nexus of development and enterprise! Of course, there's an application and an interview process, and Acumen Fund is looking for a specific kind of person - someone with \"the moral imagination, the practical skills and the leadership potential to effect real change,\" as Acumen Fund's Deepti Doshi put it on the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.acumenfund.org/2008/09/05/acumen-fund-fellows-2009-2010-apply-now/\"\u003eAcumen Fund blog\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf you are interested in the base of the pyramid sector and believe you have the skills and experience to contribute to this mission over the next year, please \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.acumenfund.org/get-involved/fellows-program/become-a-fellow.html\"\u003eapply\u003c/a\u003e. If you're happy doing what you're doing, fantastic.  But I'm sure you know a few people for whom the fellowship is indeed a dream. Please send them our way.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Rob Katz, Acumen Fund\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4682524104424775795?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4682524104424775795"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4682524104424775795"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/09/want-job-working-for-base-of-pyramid.html","title":"Want a job working for the Base of the Pyramid?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1098735393794914629"},"published":{"$t":"2008-09-18T10:04:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-09-18T16:43:18.065-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"How to assess entrepreneurial potential? A new tool for SME lenders"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Today, as part of our initiative to \u003ca title\u003d\"Fuel the Growth of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises\" href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/smes.html\" id\u003d\"lg1e\"\u003eFuel the Growth of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises\u003c/a\u003e (SMEs), we're announcing a grant to the Entrepreneurial Finance Lab (EFL) for the development of a new screening tool for SME financing in developing countries. EFL is housed at Harvard University’s \u003ca title\u003d\"Center for International Development (CID)\" href\u003d\"http://www.cid.harvard.edu/\" id\u003d\"sda.\"\u003eCenter for International Development (CID)\u003c/a\u003e. The Lab team is led by \u003ca title\u003d\"Asim Khwaja\" href\u003d\"http://www.hks.harvard.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/asim-khwaja\" id\u003d\"wbf4\"\u003eAsim Khwaja\u003c/a\u003e, an Associate Professor at the \u003ca title\u003d\"Kennedy School of Government\" href\u003d\"http://www.hks.harvard.edu/\" id\u003d\"bgz2\"\u003eKennedy School of Government\u003c/a\u003e and Bailey Klinger, a CID Fellow and EFL Director.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe Lab aims to address the “missing middle\" of finance, a term that describes the shortage of capital available to SMEs in developing country economies. In developed countries, SMEs represent half of GDP and two-thirds of jobs, but they're largely absent in developing countries. Access to finance is a critical constraint, despite evidence that there are highly profitable untapped growth opportunities. It requires taking some risk. We saw this firsthand when we met \u003ca title\u003d\"Joseph Tackie\" href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2007/09/meet-joseph-tackie_10.html\" id\u003d\"on-p\"\u003eJoseph Tackie\u003c/a\u003e in Ghana, an entrepreneur whose sales quintupled after getting a relatively small amount of seed capital.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe mission of EFL is to develop a screening test that could be a criterion for loans to SMEs. Because these businesses often lack formal accounting ledgers or established credit histories, it's very difficult for investors and lenders to gauge risk or finance-worthiness of businesses. When evaluating developing country SMEs, financial institutions have little information to be able to make investment decisions or measure the trustworthiness of clients. Does she have a good track record at repayments and money management? Is he good at numbers and bargaining? Does she understand the market and how to run a business? Evidence suggests information such as credit scores helped banks penetrate the SME market here in the US.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe hope the EFL test will address the information asymmetry and help entrepreneurs get their foot in the door at banks and investment firms. The test, a psychometric screening tool, will assess “soft traits” of psychological, social, and cognitive characteristics to measure a person's entrepreneurial potential. Financiers can then use the information to make lending decisions. The test could be an initial step toward the goal of expanding profitable lending to the missing middle.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEFL is already working with SME financiers in Africa, India and Latin America to refine their tool through field testing and pilots. The team is currently looking for institutions to partner with on these pilot tests, and offers financial institutions early access to the screening technology (interested parties should contact \u003ca href\u003d\"mailto:efl@harvard.edu\"\u003eefl@harvard.edu\u003c/a\u003e). Google.org is supporting the team in their work in Africa and India in particular as part of our efforts to expand financial access to SMEs in these regions. We’re excited to see how this cutting edge effort progresses!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eSwati Mylavarapu, Senior Associate, SME Initiative\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1098735393794914629?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1098735393794914629"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1098735393794914629"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/09/how-to-assess-entrepreneurial-potential.html","title":"How to assess entrepreneurial potential? A new tool for SME lenders"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4718188809751680438"},"published":{"$t":"2008-09-18T10:04:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-02-05T15:57:15.033-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Partnering with GE on clean energy"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Yesterday, we \u003ca title\u003d\"announced\" href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/partnering-with-ge-on-clean-energy.html\" id\u003d\"wu63\"\u003eannounced\u003c/a\u003e that we're \u003ca title\u003d\"joining forces\" href\u003d\"http://services.google.com/blog_resources/google_org_ge_energyfactsheet.pdf\" id\u003d\"d1_0\"\u003ejoining forces\u003c/a\u003e (PDF file) with \u003cspan style\u003d\"border-collapse: collapse;\"\u003eGE\u003c/span\u003e to use technology, information and corporate resources to drive the changes necessary to empower consumers with better energy choices.  Eric Schmidt and GE CEO Jeff Immelt discuss solutions to our energy challenge in this video:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject width\u003d\"425\" height\u003d\"344\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/hsf6t5hSWDM\u0026hl\u003den\u0026fs\u003d1\"\u003e\u003c/param\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003c/param\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/hsf6t5hSWDM\u0026hl\u003den\u0026fs\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" width\u003d\"425\" height\u003d\"344\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Katy Bacon, Google.org Team\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4718188809751680438?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4718188809751680438"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4718188809751680438"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/09/partnering-with-ge-on-clean-energy.html","title":"Partnering with GE on clean energy"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-7152811605512610039"},"published":{"$t":"2008-09-12T11:02:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-09-12T11:28:21.028-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Diseases don't respect academic boundaries either..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Yesterday marked the second day of a convening in Nairobi, Kenya focused on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ilri.org/Link/Files/InnovationWorks/Files/FINAL_ClimateChallenge_Prospectus.pdf\"\u003eLinking Climate and Health Research to Reduce Africa's Infectious Disease Burden\u003c/a\u003e.  The meeting was sponsored by Google.org and was co-hosted by the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ilri.org/\"\u003eInternational Livestock Research Institute\u003c/a\u003e (ILRI), the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.icipe.org/\"\u003eInternational Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology\u003c/a\u003e (icipe), the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.kemri.org/\"\u003eKenya Medical Research Institute\u003c/a\u003e (KEMRI) and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.icpac.net/\"\u003eIGAD Climate Predictions and Applications Centre\u003c/a\u003e (ICPAC). The convening has brought together a range of African and international experts from such diverse fields as climate science, human and animal health, genomics and bioinformatics, wildlife conservation, entomology, economics and sociology.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAs a South African medical doctor with training and experience firmly fixed on human health, I am continuously struck by the enormous challenge of communicating usefully across academic disciplinary boundaries in a way that allows the science to inform relevant, practical action. While the information on climate variability and change was fascinating, I still struggled to understand how and why this could have direct implications for the day-to-day work of someone like me.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFortunately, the convening included several case studies designed to illustrate the real benefits of collaboration. First, we looked closely at the Kenyan outbreak of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs207/en/\"\u003eRift Valley Fever\u003c/a\u003e (RVF) in 2006/7. A mosquito-borne disease, Rift Valley Fever can be fatal to both humans and livestock, and carries an enormous economic cost. In late October and mid-November of 2006, two early warnings were issued based on evidence of above-normal rainfall that could be detected using \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www-pord.ucsd.edu/%7Eltalley/sio219/indeje_etal_jclimate2006.pdf\"\u003eremote sensing imagery\u003c/a\u003e.  Unfortunately it was not until weeks later when the first human cases were observed that the outbreak was recognized, despite the fact that several livestock deaths had already occurred. Although the climate-based warnings and animal deaths were both early indicators of potential human disease, these opportunities for intervention were missed due to communication gaps between the different scientific communities. It's often said that \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501041213-880311,00.html\"\u003ediseases don't respect national boundaries\u003c/a\u003e, but RVF is the perfect example of a disease that doesn't respect academic boundaries either. As the Kenyan example shows, successful control of disease in humans requires collaboration with those working on environmental, animal health and insect science issues (at a minimum!).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTwo other presentations described the use of climate-based early warning systems for malaria in the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.pnas.org/content/101/8/2375.short?cited-by\u003dyes\u0026amp;legid\u003dpnas;101/8/2375\"\u003eEast African highlands\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ajtmh.org/cgi/content/full/73/1/214\"\u003eBotswana\u003c/a\u003e. Encouragingly, these systems have been used successfully to plan malaria interventions in health facilities right down to the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18450352\"\u003edistrict level\u003c/a\u003e through programs such as the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.research4development.info/caseStudies.asp?ArticleID\u003d50034\"\u003eHighlands Malaria Project\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhat was clear in from these discussion is that information on climate variability and change might just be critical for even ordinary docs like me.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Joanne Stevens, Associate, Predict and Prevent Initiative\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-7152811605512610039?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7152811605512610039"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7152811605512610039"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/09/diseases-dont-respect-academic.html","title":"Diseases don't respect academic boundaries either..."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4156072401931225851"},"published":{"$t":"2008-08-19T07:26:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.728-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Enough geothermal energy to power the globe -- now that's hot!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Today, as part of our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/rec.html\"\u003eRenewable Energy Cheaper than Coal initiative\u003c/a\u003e, Google.org \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/20080819_egs.html\"\u003eannounced\u003c/a\u003e more than $10 million in investments and grants in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) technology. EGS expands the potential of traditional geothermal energy by orders of magnitude. The traditional geothermal approach relies on finding naturally occurring pockets of steam or hot water. The EGS process, by comparison, replicates these conditions by fracturing hot rock, circulating water through the system, and using the resulting steam to produce electricity in a conventional turbine.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEGS has the potential to provide clean renewable electricity 24/7, at a cost cheaper than coal. The ability to produce electricity from geothermal energy has been thought exclusive to locations such as California and Iceland.  However EGS could allow us to harness the heat within the earth almost anywhere.  To see see the massive size of the US geothermal resource accessible by EGS, check out our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/egs/\"\u003eGoogle Earth layer\u003c/a\u003e.  For more on EGS, watch this video, featuring \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Chu\"\u003eDr. Steve Chu\u003c/a\u003e, Director of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Berkeley_National_Laboratory\"\u003eLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory\u003c/a\u003e, and Dr. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://web.mit.edu/cheme/people/faculty/tester.html\"\u003eJefferson Tester\u003c/a\u003e, professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and lead author of a major recent study on EGS:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject height\u003d\"344\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/O6r_3AgI49Y\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/O6r_3AgI49Y\u0026amp;hl\u003den\u0026amp;fs\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" height\u003d\"344\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOur EGS partners to date include:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.altarockenergy.com/\"\u003eAltaRock Energy\u003c/a\u003e: $6.25 million investment to develop innovative technologies to achieve significant cost reductions and improved performance in EGS projects \u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.potterdrilling.com/\"\u003ePotter Drilling\u003c/a\u003e: $4 million investment in two tranches, to develop new approaches to lower the cost and expand the range of deep hard rock drilling, a critical element to large-scale deployment of EGS\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.smu.edu/geothermal/\"\u003eSouthern Methodist University Geothermal Laboratory\u003c/a\u003e: $489,521 grant to improve understanding of the size and distribution of geothermal energy resources and to update geothermal mapping of North America \u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWorking with \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.geodynamics.com.au/IRM/content/home.html\"\u003eGeodynamics\u003c/a\u003e, one of the world's leading EGS development companies, we modeled Geodynamics' first 50 MW system at the Cooper Basin in SketchUp, Google's 3D modeling technology.  To see how EGS works, check out the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003dx0FsSN7YWHc\"\u003eanimation\u003c/a\u003e of the SketchUp model or \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/egs/index.html\"\u003edownload it\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEGS is heating up around the world.  Australia, Germany, and the European Union are currently leading the technology and commercialization race. All 50 U.S. states, Europe, Russia, China, and India all have substantial thermal resources accessible by EGS.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhile the US debates drilling in the ocean for oil, we are focused on drilling for renewable energy - and lots of it - right beneath our feet. A \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/future_geothermal.html\"\u003erecent report by MIT\u003c/a\u003e on EGS estimated just 2% of the heat 3 - 10 km below below the continental United States is more than 2,500 times the country's total annual energy use. The United States needs more aggressive government policies to help catch up to other nations, including expanded R\u0026amp;D funding, a national renewable portfolio standard, and reliable tax incentives. For more on our geothermal policy agenda, read this \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/egs/downloads/Policy_Paper_Geothermal.pdf\"\u003ebrief\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eEGS has enormous potential to cleanly address the world's energy challenges. We look forward to continuing our efforts to advance EGS through technology, investment, policy and information.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Charles Baron, Climate and Energy Team, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4156072401931225851?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4156072401931225851"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4156072401931225851"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/08/enough-geothermal-energy-to-power-globe.html","title":"Enough geothermal energy to power the globe -- now that's hot!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3276297516919529622"},"published":{"$t":"2008-08-01T11:17:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.728-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Capitol Hill spotlights energy efficiency"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"In the 1970s and 1980s, America's push for energy conservation meant \"doing less with less\" - lowering the thermostat, turning off lights, donning a sweater, and leaving the car in the garage.  Following up \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2008/07/google-chimes-in-as-us-senate-explores.html\"\u003ehis testimony from earlier this month\u003c/a\u003e, Dan Reicher, Google.org's Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives, visited Capitol Hill again this week to discuss a new 21st Century approach - harnessing technology to achieve greater energy efficiency and \"do \u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold;\"\u003emore\u003c/span\u003e with less.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://jec.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction\u003dHearings.HearingsCalendar\u0026amp;ContentRecord_id\u003d6fc51d63-e7e2-82b7-10c3-3faa2c150115\"\u003eThe hearing\u003c/a\u003e, which also featured Ian Bowles, Massachusetts' Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, focused on ways in which consumers, businesses, and government can work together to achieve greater energy efficiency. Studies have shown that efficiency opportunities can cut global energy demand to less than half of what is projected by 2020.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDan stressed the need for a new vision for how America generates, transmits, and uses electricity. He noted that the increasing interplay between energy hardware and information software, along with the rise of the Internet and the connectivity it brings, adds to the potential to make and use energy more productively. From smart meters and smart appliances to smart homes and a smart grid, we are poised to significantly advance our ability to monitor and manage energy. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDan highlighted Google.org's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rechargeit.org\"\u003eRechargeIT\u003c/a\u003e initiative and discussed the efficiency advantages of plug-in vehicles. He emphasized how the government could help get more plug-ins on the road by providing financial incentives, investing in our national electricity infrastructure, funding R\u0026amp;D, and modernizing our regulatory system to permit real-time pricing of power.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDan's other proposals include implementing an Energy Efficiency Resource Standard, which would set efficiency resource targets for electricity and gas suppliers. He also called for increased federal support for weatherizing energy inefficient homes in low-income communities, and for improved financial incentives to encourage private-sector investment in promising clean energy technologies.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCheck out Dan's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://jec.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction\u003dFiles.View\u0026amp;FileStore_id\u003db0c441a0-48c6-48f2-8272-34cd0f9c8649\"\u003etestimony\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://jec.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction\u003dFiles.View\u0026amp;FileStore_id\u003d05db260e-327c-4b6c-9d11-abb240fc4365\"\u003evideo\u003c/a\u003e from the hearing.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Johanna Shelton, Policy Counsel \u0026amp; Legislative Strategist\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3276297516919529622?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3276297516919529622"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3276297516919529622"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/08/capitol-hill-spotlights-energy.html","title":"Capitol Hill spotlights energy efficiency"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-8355472243275377185"},"published":{"$t":"2008-07-23T01:02:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.728-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Driving plug-in technology with investments of $2.75 million"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://bp0.blogger.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SIbs74Z96kI/AAAAAAAAA5c/g6SjlQiv0Kg/s1600-h/imagecourtseyofapteramotors.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://bp0.blogger.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SIbs74Z96kI/AAAAAAAAA5c/g6SjlQiv0Kg/s320/imagecourtseyofapteramotors.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226124931107777090\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eLast June Google.org launched \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rechargeit.org/\"\u003eRechargeIT\u003c/a\u003e, an initiative to accelerate the adoption of plug-in electric vehicles. At that time we announced a request for investment proposals (RFP) from teams working on technologies relevant to this goal. Today we are pleased to announce our first RechargeIT investments in two promising companies tackling the challenge of vehicle electrification.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.aptera.com/\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAptera Motors \u003c/a\u003eof Carlsbad, California is building  an ultra-high efficiency vehicle based on                  improved aerodynamics and composite materials. Aptera's first prototype achieved over 230 miles per gallon during testing, and they are developing an all-electric as well as a plug-in hybrid vehicle based on this design.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.actacell.com/\"\u003eActaCell\u003c/a\u003e is an Austin-based company working to commercialize lithium-ion battery technology developed at the University of Texas at Austin.  ActaCell's technology offers the promise of improved battery cycle life and lower costs, while maintaining a focus on battery safety, all of which are important factors in the widespread adoption of plug-in vehicles.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBoth of these innovative companies and their capable teams are working to develop technology that is crucial to helping us realize the RechargeIT vision: millions of plug-in vehicles on the road.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Karl Sun, Google.org Investments Principal\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-8355472243275377185?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8355472243275377185"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8355472243275377185"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/07/driving-plug-in-technology-with.html","title":"Driving plug-in technology with investments of $2.75 million"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://bp0.blogger.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SIbs74Z96kI/AAAAAAAAA5c/g6SjlQiv0Kg/s72-c/imagecourtseyofapteramotors.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-8839927515632182324"},"published":{"$t":"2008-07-22T12:24:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.729-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Our plug-ins perform: 90+ MPG"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://bp2.blogger.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SIY2bWXxubI/AAAAAAAAA4o/dL4ItWnw9uU/s1600-h/rechargeitblogimage.gif\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://bp2.blogger.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SIY2bWXxubI/AAAAAAAAA4o/dL4ItWnw9uU/s320/rechargeitblogimage.gif\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225924261099714994\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eLast summer Google.org launched the RechargeIT program, an initiative to accelerate the commercialization of plug-in vehicles. As part of this project, we created the GFleet, a free car-sharing program for Google employees. The GFleet includes a handful of hybrid vehicles converted to plug-ins with a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.a123systems.com/hymotion\"\u003eHymotion\u003c/a\u003e conversion module.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOur plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have been on the road for about a year now, and the RechargeIT team has been diligently collecting statistics on their performance. We noticed that employees primarily use our plug-ins for short trips close to our headquarters, so the data weren't truly representative of typical U.S. driving patterns. We were curious to see how the cars would perform under controlled conditions - and how they would stack up against other conventional automobiles typically found in U.S. households. With that, the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003dcJQA3suRxMw\"\u003eRechargeIT Driving Experiment\u003c/a\u003e was born!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn total, it took just over seven weeks to complete all the trips in all the vehicles.  And with the results in, our plug-ins did great, with the Priuses getting more than 90 miles per gallon.  The PHEVs not only greatly outperformed the average American fleet fuel economy of 19.8 MPG, they did significantly better than the standard hybrids – 53% fuel economy improvement for the plug-in Ford Escape and 93% improvement for the plug-in Prius.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCheck out our newly improved \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rechargeit.org/\"\u003eRechargeIT website\u003c/a\u003e for more details on our Driving Experiment.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Rolf Schreiber, RechargeIT Engineer\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-8839927515632182324?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8839927515632182324"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8839927515632182324"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/07/our-plug-ins-perform-90-mpg.html","title":"Our plug-ins perform: 90+ MPG"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://bp2.blogger.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/SIY2bWXxubI/AAAAAAAAA4o/dL4ItWnw9uU/s72-c/rechargeitblogimage.gif","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-460528088855669718"},"published":{"$t":"2008-07-10T16:26:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-07-10T16:29:21.963-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"They are going to school, but are they actually learning?"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"HakiElimu, one of Google.org’s partners, recently released an important \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.hakielimu.org/quality.pdf\"\u003ereport\u003c/a\u003e about the quality of education in Tanzania to stimulate a national discussion about the challenges facing the education sector. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://services.google.com/blog_resources/google_org_hakielimumedia.pdf\"\u003eMedia coverage\u003c/a\u003e in Dar es Salaam indicates the report has already made an impression and is prompting the government to act.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor too long, success in the education sector has been defined by the number of schools and classrooms built and by the increase in student enrollment - measures that don't necessarily register learning.  But the conversation is now shifting: \"quality\" has become more front and center, forcing governments and development agencies to re-evaluate their policies.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIt’s hard to address the “quality” issue without knowing what children can and cannot do. Part of HakiElimu’s report captures a “snapshot of the quality of education actually provided in schools by presenting the results of short tests administered to children in primary and secondary schools.” The sample pool is small, but the findings are interesting indicators of what may be happening in much of the country. Here are two of the findings that I found most powerful and alarming:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eOne of the tests was a short dictation in both Kiswahili, the national language, and English (a total of 483 primary school students and 559 secondary school students were tested). While students scored higher on the Kiswahili dictations, HakiElimu found it “concerning that 25% of primary pupils’ Kiswahili dictations were rated “poor.” Pupils who took this test had completed six years’ of schooling in Kiswahili and yet one in four were unable to write a coherent paragraph as dictated in the national language. In the dictations, students in both primary and secondary schools made fundamental errors in punctuation, giving researchers the impression that these things are not taught in schools. Children were often using the improper case for letters. Similarly, many did not appear to have a sense of spacing between words, or between letters in the word and between sentences. Knowledge of punctuation was also limited” (page 29)\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003eThe next point is equally alarming: Primary school students are taught in Kiswahili while in secondary schools the language of instruction is in English. As the report indicates, this is problematic.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e“Overall, data show that while children’s Kiswahili language competencies are generally well developed, English language competencies are poorly developed in both primary and secondary school students. Students had difficulty in reading, writing and translating the language. This is particularly troublesome in case of secondary school students. On entering secondary schools, children not only have to relearn all the terms and concepts in a new language but also to take on a more difficult set of subjects. If the majority of the students in secondary schools are unable to read and understand the language in which they are taught, as our data show, it is difficult to see how their learning can be enhanced. (page 33)\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eMy colleagues and I often say “you can’t fix what you can’t see.”  This report helps to highlight to communities, organizations and the government that while money might be spent on education, there are still significant gaps in learning outcomes.  More information and data about these outcomes help create the metrics, so action can be taken to fix these gaps.  We are proud of HakiElimu's work and their commitment to ensuring that citizens and government know more about the quality of education in Tanzania.  We believe that the information and the discussions it is sparking in Tanzania are important first steps toward improving the educational system.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eJuliette Gimon, Program Manager, Google.org\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-460528088855669718?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/460528088855669718"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/460528088855669718"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/07/they-are-going-to-school-but-are-they.html","title":"They are going to school, but are they actually learning?"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-7832640115416931632"},"published":{"$t":"2008-07-09T09:45:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-07-09T09:49:52.477-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Technology leaps in Africa"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I recently returned from a research trip across four East African countries. Every time I return from the region, I am energized by the dynamism of the young people I meet but overwhelmed by the challenges the region faces. The combination of high oil and food prices affects the United States economy, to be sure, but the impact on poor people in poor countries is exponentially greater. People have to make hard decisions like taking their children out of school, rationing the little food they have, and in some cases not eating at all. High fuel prices also contribute to lower uses of fertilizer, resulting in lower agricultural yields. The cycle spirals in a way that hurts the poorest people the most.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnd yet there is another story unfolding simultaneously in Eastern Africa. It is the story of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.safaricom.co.ke/\"\u003eSafaricom\u003c/a\u003e, the most successful telecom company on the continent. Safaricom started trading publicly on the Nairobi stock exchange in June and catalyzed the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/may2008/gb20080530_725619.htm\"\u003elargest IPO on the continent\u003c/a\u003e ever. More than $800 million was raised from Kenyans from all walks of life, resulting in an over-subscription of stock of more than 400%. Mobile is growing faster in Africa than in any other part of the world. While levels of internet penetration are well below 5% for the continent, nearly 40% have access to mobile phones and Nairobi sends more text messages in a single day than New York (a statistic frequently quoted in the region).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTen years ago people were talking about land lines and how they would ever penetrate rural Africa. Infrastructure has long been a constraint on economic development and growth in Africa but nobody imagined that a new technology would completely leap-frog the traditional phone and fundamentally disrupt telephony in Africa. I can't help but think about rural energy in the same light. Today, countries like Uganda are still \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.sidint.org/files/africa/Africa_Report_2006.pdf\"\u003e90% unserved by electricity\u003c/a\u003e. Can you imagine not having power in 90% of any country and still trying to grow the economy? Do we expect Africans to wait for grid electricity to incrementally reach people or are there disruptive innovations that can provide off-grid renewable energy to rural Africans in scaleable ways? What would this look like given large geo-thermal and bio-diesel reserves in East Africa and can renewable energy sources provide opportunities for greener solutions in Africa?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eInteracting with dynamic and bright Africans under 30 (who make up 70% or more of most African countries), I cannot help but wonder what is on the horizon. People are innovating all over the continent with bio-gas, small scale hydro, wind, and solar power. Where people have electricity, there is a massive difference in economic activity, public services, productivity, and hope about the future. Energy is truly a platform that affects nearly every aspect of rural life. Today, Africa is mostly unserved by power grids but given innovation possibilities, are there not scalable ways to introduce renewable energy to millions of people who are completely unplugged from the global economy today?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Aleem Walji, Head of Global Development Initiatives, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-7832640115416931632?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7832640115416931632"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/7832640115416931632"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/07/technology-leaps-in-africa.html","title":"Technology leaps in Africa"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-2703054891629190365"},"published":{"$t":"2008-07-08T18:01:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-07-08T18:04:30.710-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"HealthMap paving the way for earlier disease detection"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Major kudos to \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.healthmap.org/en\"\u003eHealthMap\u003c/a\u003e, one of our early grantees, for their work using free, web-based data sources to facilitate early outbreak detection and make it public on Google Maps.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHealthMap just published an excellent overview of their work and findings in the journal \u003ca href\u003d\"http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request\u003dindex-html\u0026amp;issn\u003d1549-1676\"\u003ePLoS Medicine\u003c/a\u003e. The article, \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request\u003dget-document\u0026amp;doi\u003d10.1371/journal.pmed.0050151\"\u003eSurveillance Sans Frontières: Internet-Based Emerging Infectious Disease Intelligence and the HealthMap Project\u003c/a\u003e,\" is definitely worth a read. Wired.com thought so too and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/07/researchers-tra.html\"\u003eposted here\u003c/a\u003e about HealthMap's Google.org supported efforts.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe're proud to support HealthMap as they continue to hone their methodology and expand their coverage, including the addition of Hindi, Portuguese, and Arabic language information sources to their current suite of Chinese, Spanish, Russian, French and English. Way to go HealthMap...keep up the good work!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eCorrie Conrad, Associate, Predict and Prevent\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-2703054891629190365?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2703054891629190365"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2703054891629190365"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/07/healthmap-paving-way-for-earlier.html","title":"HealthMap paving the way for earlier disease detection"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3824247282716991212"},"published":{"$t":"2008-06-20T15:19:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-06-20T15:29:36.511-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Getting ahead of the curve in fighting disease"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"pumx0\"  style\u003d\"font-size:100%;\"\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"pumx1\"\u003eAmy Luers, Program Manager, \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"tmxa\"  style\u003d\"font-size:100%;\"\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"tmxa0\"\u003eEnvironment,\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"tmxa1\"  style\u003d\"font-size:100%;\"\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"tmxa2\"\u003e Predict and Prevent\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe Myanmar cyclone and extreme flooding in Iowa are among the most recent beats in what seems to be a constant pulse of extreme weather-related disasters across the globe. Floods, hurricanes, heatwaves, and droughts nearly always bring with them various threats to public health– including the emergence and spread of infectious diseases. However, these threats now loom even larger with the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/FAQ/wg1_faq-10.1.html\"\u003eexpected rise in the frequency and intensity of extreme events\u003c/a\u003e as a result of the Earth’s changing climate. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn times of disaster our vulnerabilities are revealed. While the recent extreme events cannot be directly attributed to climate change, they are omens of what lie ahead and their devastating impacts raise serious questions about society’s vulnerability to, and its ability to cope with continued climate change.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe good news is that environmental and health scientists are beginning to work together to get us ahead of the curve and prepare for the changes underway by designing new analytical tools, providing access to real-time data, and developing forecasts of emerging infectious diseases. For example, Madeleine Thomson and Stephen Connor at the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://portal.iri.columbia.edu/portal/server.pt\"\u003eInternational Research Institute for Climate and Society\u003c/a\u003e (IRI) have developed a Summer Institute 2008 on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://portal.iri.columbia.edu/portal/server.pt?space\u003dCommunityPage\u0026amp;control\u003dSetCommunity\u0026amp;CommunityID\u003d964\u0026amp;PageID\u003d0\"\u003eClimate Information for Public Health\u003c/a\u003e. This institute offers people the opportunity to learn practical methods for integrating climate knowledge and information into public health decision-making.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYesterday the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.press.org/\"\u003eNational Press Club\u003c/a\u003e hosted scientists at an event examining the challenges and opportunities to predict and protect global public health from our changing climate. These are the same challenges and opportunities that the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google.org/predict.html\"\u003ePredict and Prevent Initiative\u003c/a\u003e seeks to support.  Our own Frank Rijsberman participated in the event and outlined Google.org’s efforts to support projects that advance the use of climate and weather information to help predict and prevent emerging infectious diseases.  You can watch the panel Frank participated in, “Changing Climate, Changing Health Patterns: What will it take to Predict and Protect?” \u003ca href\u003d\"http://video.energypolicytv.com/displaypage.php?vkey\u003da1c3ad668b8bb5df7963\u0026amp;fr\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe Associated Press covered the event with an \u003ca href\u003d\"http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h8n95TQYU_xUAOr7FRkNz1zdkL9wD91CMEMO0\"\u003ein-depth article\u003c/a\u003e. It's encouraging to see this growing interest in health as a part of the climate change discussion, especially given the WHO's dedication of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/world-health-day/en/index.html\"\u003e2008 World Health Day\u003c/a\u003e to climate and health.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3824247282716991212?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3824247282716991212"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3824247282716991212"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/06/getting-ahead-of-curve-in-fighting.html","title":"Getting ahead of the curve in fighting disease"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3945087161664877772"},"published":{"$t":"2008-06-20T09:56:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-06-20T10:07:15.003-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A conversation in Kisii"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Meryl Stone, Associate, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eA recent field visit took me to \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kisii_town\"\u003eKisii\u003c/a\u003e, a Kenyan town close to the shores of Lake Victoria.  The population has swelled to 100,000 from approximately 70,000 largely because of refugees fleeing the post-election violence in other parts of Kenya.  Local authorities expect to see that population double over the next ten years. Providing public services, especially water and sanitation, to this growing population is an enormous challenge.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn 2000, the international community made a commitment to the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/\"\u003eUN Millennium Development Goals\u003c/a\u003e to help communities access basic public services, like health, education, water and sanitation.  One the key milestones of Goal 7 is to \"halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015.\" As of 2004, the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mdgmonitor.org/map.cfm?goal\u003d6\u0026amp;indicator\u003d0\u0026amp;cd\u003d\"\u003eMDG Monitor\u003c/a\u003e shows the nations bordering Lake Victoria- Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya only 60% of their populations have access to improved drinking water sources.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhile great progress is being made in Kisii, local officials say far less than 60% of their population has adequate service, despite what the official statistics say. New water pipes have been donated to the local water provider.  This has doubled the capacity, but it only reaches half of Kisii's estimated population (50,000).  Water kiosks stand proudly along the main road.  And yet, the taps run dry.  The connections to the main line are not even functional.  Young women still trudge the kilometers to the river, at risk to their own security, to collect water.  Bright blue toilet stalls line the periphery of a girls school. While the school has seen an increase in attendance since the installation of these toilets, they continue to be plagued by their inability to deal with the sanitation requirements of their students.  As we depart, the headmistress of the school pleads with us to help with the sanitation problem.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SFvhlT4X_tI/AAAAAAAAAD0/D1DBWdKRkrA/s1600-h/IMG_2509.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SFvhlT4X_tI/AAAAAAAAAD0/D1DBWdKRkrA/s400/IMG_2509.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214009024719617746\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSome more recent data gathered from towns surrounding Lake Victoria in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, tell us a very different story than information from the MDG Monitor.  This story is closer to the facts reported to us on the ground: while basic infrastructure (water pipes, points, toilets) may exist, those facilities are rarely functional, affordable or accessible, indicating to us that access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation services is substantially lower than many think. Presented with this information at a recent UN-Habitat meeting in Nairobi, international donors and development agencies were astonished. They asked, \"how come we didn't know about this earlier?\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnd yet, unsurprisingly, the people of Kisii have long known that they don't have appropriate water and sanitation services.  They may not have even heard of the MDG's. They are likely unaware of the conversations that transpire amongst donors and development agencies and help shape where resources are allocated. They are having their own conversations about what they need.  But who can they tell?  Who hears their voices?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOur challenge going forward is to help amplify these voices and contribute to efforts to inform these local discussions.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3945087161664877772?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3945087161664877772"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3945087161664877772"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/06/conversation-in-kisii.html","title":"A conversation in Kisii"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SFvhlT4X_tI/AAAAAAAAAD0/D1DBWdKRkrA/s72-c/IMG_2509.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-8371181660943851138"},"published":{"$t":"2008-06-13T07:35:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.729-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Plug-in conference highlights, day 2"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by David Bercovich, Project Manager, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"display: block;\" id\u003d\"formatbar_Buttons\"\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"on\" style\u003d\"display: block;\" id\u003d\"formatbar_CreateLink\" title\u003d\"Link\" onmouseover\u003d\"ButtonHoverOn(this);\" onmouseout\u003d\"ButtonHoverOff(this);\" onmouseup\u003d\"\" onmousedown\u003d\"CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 8);ButtonMouseDown(this);\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDay two of the Google.org-Brookings Institution \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/dcpluginsconference/\"\u003econference\u003c/a\u003e was punctuated by a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Agenda.aspx?e\u003d1ba5bcee-2991-4be2-b8cb-a994058fc5ce\"\u003epanel\u003c/a\u003e moderated by \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Friedman\"\u003eTom Friedman\u003c/a\u003e. The lively discussion covered topics including policy leadership, innovative business models, the potential for plug-ins to become ‘greener’ over time, and the security and stability of the grid. Two important themes emerged – the importance of plug-ins and clean energy for U. S. economic competitiveness and the policy and leadership needed to make this industry transformation a reality.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ferc.gov/about/com-mem/wellinghoff/wellinghoff-bio.asp\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eJon Wellinghoff\u003c/a\u003e, Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), surprised many in the audience by describing the 40 million electric vehicles on the road today in China (many of which are scooters) and emphatically argued that the grid is ready for plug-ins today. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.americanprogress.org/experts/PodestaJohn.html\"\u003eJohn Podesta\u003c/a\u003e, President of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.americanprogress.org/\"\u003eCenter for American Progress\u003c/a\u003e, credited Germany’s \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/jul/23/germany.greenbusiness\"\u003efeed-in tariff\u003c/a\u003e with creating a vibrant solar industry in Germany and causing the U. S. market share of the global solar industry to decline from 45% to 10%.  Assistant Secretary of Energy \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www1.eere.energy.gov/office_eere/karsner_bio.html\"\u003eAndy Karsner\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.doe.gov/news/6337.htm\"\u003eannounced\u003c/a\u003e a $30 million Department of Energy investment in plug-in vehicle technology. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.analysisgroup.com/AnalysisGroup/staff.aspx?id\u003d508\"\u003eSue Tierney\u003c/a\u003e talked about the fact that leadership on plug-ins is currently happening outside of Washington at the state level and within the business community.  Finally, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.house.gov/inslee/index.shtml\"\u003eCongressman Jay Inslee\u003c/a\u003e inspired the crowd by suggesting that we need visionary leadership on plug-in vehicles and renewable energy, likening the climate crisis to the challenge put forth by \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy\"\u003eJohn F. Kennedy\u003c/a\u003e when he launched the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program\"\u003eApollo program\u003c/a\u003e to put a man on the moon in 10 years.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-8371181660943851138?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8371181660943851138"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8371181660943851138"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/06/plug-in-conference-highlights-day-2.html","title":"Plug-in conference highlights, day 2"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-5252185207530078656"},"published":{"$t":"2008-06-11T16:07:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.729-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Participants plug in"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eJenny Kwan, Climate and Energy Intern, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHundreds of participants gathered today in Washington, DC as the \u003cspan id\u003d\"p43e\" class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003eGoogle.org - Brookings Institution \u003ca id\u003d\"p43e0\" href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/dcpluginsconference/index.html\"\u003econference\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e kicked off.  It was exciting to be able to see, in person, the latest electric car technology.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOutside the hotel we talked to Patrick from GM about their new \u003ca href\u003d\"http://gm-volt.com/\" id\u003d\"jxlo\" title\u003d\"Chevy Volt\"\u003eChevy Volt\u003c/a\u003e.  If you look for it you can also spot the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.a123systems.com/\" id\u003d\"vo2e\" title\u003d\"A123\"\u003eA123\u003c/a\u003e car in the background.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject height\u003d\"350\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e \u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/RG2RIo0Smdc\"\u003e  \u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/RG2RIo0Smdc\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" height\u003d\"350\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e  \u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eInside the conference room, I got to check out the latest Tesla. Unfortunately it's a little out of my price range...\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SFBa-8mX-cI/AAAAAAAAADs/DiDWdXNSX6E/s1600-h/IMG_1540.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SFBa-8mX-cI/AAAAAAAAADs/DiDWdXNSX6E/s400/IMG_1540.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210764806333135298\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eI also met a bunch of people from around the US and the world and asked what brought them to the conference.  Felix Kramer with CalCars who was one of the first to bring electric vehicles to Washington DC many years ago:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject height\u003d\"350\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e \u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/8xCRpZ_uA-M\"\u003e  \u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/8xCRpZ_uA-M\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" height\u003d\"350\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e  \u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAnd Seth from New York and Lars from Sweden were here to check out the crowd and learn about the latest news and technology:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject height\u003d\"350\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e \u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/URNaZw1V-wE\"\u003e  \u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/URNaZw1V-wE\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" height\u003d\"350\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e  \u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject height\u003d\"350\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e \u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/y6kG65CY-wM\"\u003e  \u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/y6kG65CY-wM\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" height\u003d\"350\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e  \u003c/object\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-5252185207530078656?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5252185207530078656"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5252185207530078656"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/06/participants-plug-in.html","title":"Participants plug in"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SFBa-8mX-cI/AAAAAAAAADs/DiDWdXNSX6E/s72-c/IMG_1540.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-6178634523072985371"},"published":{"$t":"2008-06-11T15:50:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.729-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Broad coalition charged up to electrify vehicles"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by David Bercovich, Program Manager, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOn another day of record-high gas \u003ca href\u003d\"http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i5TtajgUpSm7KY5jf-lCJGHBB-tAD9182VA00\"\u003eprices\u003c/a\u003e, the Google.org/Brookings Institution \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/dcpluginsconference/index.html\"\u003econference\u003c/a\u003e on plug-in vehicles kicked off in Washington, DC today. Electrifying transportation impacts our economy, national security, and environment, and conference sessions overflowed with interested attendees. The lively afternoon session highlighted the broad coalition supporting plug-ins and demonstrated that the technology we need to electrify transportation is here today.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SFBWidCpZ7I/AAAAAAAAADk/NnNc4JPvEgQ/s1600-h/IMG_1545.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SFBWidCpZ7I/AAAAAAAAADk/NnNc4JPvEgQ/s400/IMG_1545.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210759918778935218\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Woolsey\"\u003eJim Woolsey\u003c/a\u003e passionately argued that our dependence on oil is a national security emergency and that countries like Japan and Brazil have demonstrated the potential to overhaul an automotive fleet in a short period of time. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shai_Agassi\"\u003eShai Agassi\u003c/a\u003e described \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.projectbetterplace.com/\"\u003eProject Better Place\u003c/a\u003e and their plans to rapidly deploy electric vehicles in Israel.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSeveral speakers, including \u003ca href\u003d\"http://et.epri.com/ETinfo.html\"\u003eMark Duvall\u003c/a\u003e from \u003ca href\u003d\"http://my.epri.com/portal/server.pt?\"\u003eEPRI\u003c/a\u003e, referenced the landmark \u003ca href\u003d\"http://my.epri.com/portal/server.pt?open\u003d512\u0026amp;objID\u003d243\u0026amp;PageID\u003d223132\u0026amp;cached\u003dtrue\u0026amp;mode\u003d2\"\u003eEPRI / NRDC study\u003c/a\u003e on the impact of significant deployment of plug-in hybrids, including the finding that our current electric grid could power 73% of our vehicles if we charged them at night. \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.pgecorp.com/aboutus/our_team/PADarbee.shtml\"\u003ePeter Darbee\u003c/a\u003e from PG\u0026amp;E talked about how plug-in vehicles could work with smart electricity meters to increase the efficiency of the grid.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePanelsists also highlighted consumer demand for plug-ins.  For example, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_Sexton\"\u003eChelsea Sexton\u003c/a\u003e pointed out the need to anticipate (and invest in) rapid product improvement, reminding participants that we didn’t know we wanted portable video MP3 players to replace our Walkmans until devices like the iPod emerged.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYou can check out the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/dcpluginsconference/webcast.html\"\u003ewebcast\u003c/a\u003e of tonight’s session with \u003ca href\u003d\"http://alexander.senate.gov/public/\"\u003eSenator Alexander\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.house.gov/dingell/\"\u003eCongressman Dingell\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.fedex.com/us/about/today/bios.html\"\u003eFred Smith\u003c/a\u003e from FedEx starting around 7pm EDT.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-6178634523072985371?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6178634523072985371"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6178634523072985371"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/06/broad-coalition-charged-up-to-electrify.html","title":"Broad coalition charged up to electrify vehicles"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SFBWidCpZ7I/AAAAAAAAADk/NnNc4JPvEgQ/s72-c/IMG_1545.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-6075401943714180587"},"published":{"$t":"2008-06-10T20:17:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.729-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Survey says, \"Plug in, Washington\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eMichael Terrell, Program Manager, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eA new survey commissioned by Google.org shows that three out of four voters support an active government role in promoting plug-in electric cars and trucks. The poll of more than 700 likely voters covered topics ranging from knowledge about plug-ins to opinions on how the government should promote them.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePlug-in electric vehicles run like regular hybrid cars, except they have larger batteries, recharge from a standard wall outlet, and can go more miles with less gas. Some plug-ins are purely electric and don’t need gasoline at all.  Given today's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hdS-oaQyE3BA22UPjEJOCcBmYw2gD916HFQ80\"\u003erecord-high gas prices\u003c/a\u003e and concerns about energy security, plug-ins represent a promising solution for reducing oil dependence, reducing the cost of driving, and fighting global warming.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePoll data showed a majority of voters said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports federal efforts to bring plug-ins to the market, and more than 60 percent of voters are willing to spend more money to own a plug-in vehicle.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOver the next two days, Google.org and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.brookings.edu/\"\u003eBrookings Institution\u003c/a\u003e are hosting a conference in Washington, DC, \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/dcpluginsconference/index.html\"\u003ePlug-in Electric Vehicles 2008: What Role for Washington?\u003c/a\u003e\"  The conference will bring together Members of Congress, auto and utility executives, technologists, and plug-in advocates to spotlight plug-ins, examine their potential, and explore different federal policies to promote them.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor more on the survey, check out our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://services.google.com/blog_resources/google_org_pluginpoll.pdf\"\u003esummary of findings\u003c/a\u003e or the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://services.google.com/blog_resources/google_org_plugindata.pdf\"\u003ecomplete survey results\u003c/a\u003e. For more on using public policy to advance plug-ins, see \u003ca href\u003d\"http://services.google.com/blog_resources/google_org_rechargeit_policy.pdf\"\u003eGetting Policymakers to Plug-In\u003c/a\u003e. You can view the conference webcast \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/dcpluginsconference/webcast.html\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e beginning tomorrow.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-6075401943714180587?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6075401943714180587"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/6075401943714180587"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/06/survey-says-plug-in-washington.html","title":"Survey says, \"Plug in, Washington\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-8070172901415810660"},"published":{"$t":"2008-05-29T15:34:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-05-30T13:51:22.753-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Prioritizing solutions for the world's challenges"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by  Frank Rijsberman, Program Director, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003eBjorn Lomborg likes to tackle “grand challenges.\" In 2004, he organized the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/Default.aspx?ID\u003d788\"\u003eCopenhagen Consensus\u003c/a\u003e to have teams of economists recommend solutions to the world’s greatest problems. Experts were asked to assess what solutions provided the biggest bang for our buck in areas that spanned politics, economics, and the environment. Google.org adviser Lant Pritchett authored \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/Default.aspx?ID\u003d224\"\u003eone of the ten \"challenge papers\" on education\u003c/a\u003e, and I did \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/Default.aspx?ID\u003d228\"\u003eone on water and sanitation\u003c/a\u003e.  The \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cambridge.org/uk/economics/globalcrises/\"\u003eresults\u003c/a\u003e were controversial not so much because of what was ranked at the top - HIV/AIDS - but because of what was at the bottom - climate change.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOn Sunday May 25, the Danish Prime Minister opened Copenhagen Consensus 2008, the sequel. Lant Pritchett and I are back too. Lant authored one of two official critiques of the new Education challenge paper. Alix Zwane and I critiqued the ‘08 \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/Default.aspx?ID\u003d966\"\u003eWater and Sanitation Challenge Paper by Dale Whittington and colleagues\u003c/a\u003e. In our contribution we used recent results from \u003ca href\u003d\"http://elsa.berkeley.edu/%7Eemiguel/miguel_sip.pdf\"\u003eresearch\u003c/a\u003e that Alix and colleagues at Harvard and UC Berkeley produced. This work, based on results from field work in Kenya, was funded by one of the first Google.org grants and shows that novel water treatment products (one of which is marketed under the name \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.psi.org/Where_We_Work/kenya.html\"\u003eWaterGuard\u003c/a\u003e) for home use can be cost-effective ways to reduce diarrhea, a major cause of child mortality. In contrast to the research that Alix and I refer to, Whittington's challenge paper is more pessimistic about whether water and sanitation interventions are the best use of scarce resources that are supposed to improve the lives of the poor.  They base this claim mostly on the expense of the technologies they consider (wells, piped water and sewerage).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn \u003ca href\u003d\"http://services.google.com/blog_resources/google_water_santitation_perspective.pdf\"\u003eour review\u003c/a\u003e, Alix and I argue that a key reason that water services are not working for the poor is the same reason why other public services are failing the poor: a lack of accountability between providers, policymakers, and consumers that has resulted in bad management and governance. The best technologies in the world can fail in these settings. That is the basic premise of Google.org’s Inform and Empower Initiative. We believe that accountability is linked to information quality and information flows. Citizens and civil society can hold governments accountable if informed accurately of what is being done. Governments can do a better job of improving coverage levels if they know better where need is greatest. The Inform and Empower initiative supports activities that make this information available and actionable.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTomorrow the panel of 8 economic experts, including 5 Nobel prize winners, will determine its ranking of the Copenhagen Consensus 08 solutions. In the meantime, you can determine your own ranking at \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3993299.ece\"\u003eTimes Online\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-8070172901415810660?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8070172901415810660"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8070172901415810660"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/05/prioritizing-solutions-for-worlds.html","title":"Prioritizing solutions for the world's challenges"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4188893191573097644"},"published":{"$t":"2008-05-27T13:38:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.730-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"RechargeIT goes to Washington, calls for plug-in videos"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Adam Borelli, Team Coordinator\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eOn June 11th and 12th \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org\"\u003eGoogle.org\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.brookings.edu/\"\u003eBrookings Institution\u003c/a\u003e will host a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/dcpluginsconference/\"\u003econference on plug-in vehicles\u003c/a\u003e in Washington, D.C.  We'll examine their potential to reduce oil dependence and pollution, and the role that federal policy can play in promoting them.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePlanned attendees include top bipartisan elected officials, including Senators Orrin Hatch, John Kerry, and Lamar Alexander, as well as Congressmen John Dingell and Jay Inslee. We'll hear from FedEx CEO Fred Smith and New York Times columnist Tom Friedman. Speakers will include advocates, officials, and automakers from around the world.  We hope you'll \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.brookings.edu/events/2008/0611_plugin_vehicle.aspx\"\u003ejoin us\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCan't make it to Washington?  You can still get involved! We've issued a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/dcpluginsconference/videos.html\"\u003ecall for videos\u003c/a\u003e, so grab a camera and tell us why you want to drive a plug-in.  If you already own one, show us how it works. The videos will be displayed on \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rechargeit.org/\"\u003eour website\u003c/a\u003e and the best ones will be shown at the conference.  We'll also be \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/dcpluginsconference/\"\u003ewebcasting\u003c/a\u003e the event for those that can't be there in person.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSee you in Washington!\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4188893191573097644?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4188893191573097644"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4188893191573097644"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/05/rechargeit-goes-to-washington-calls-for.html","title":"RechargeIT goes to Washington, calls for plug-in videos"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1340885412015414865"},"published":{"$t":"2008-05-19T14:02:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.730-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Dan Reicher on plug-ins"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Katy Bacon, Google.org Team\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCheck out this video of Fortune Magazine's Mark Gunther interviewing Dan Reicher.  Dan explains the RechargeIT program, talks about the potential for vehicle to grid technologies, and discusses the future of electric cars.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.brightcove.tv/playerswf\" bgcolor\u003d\"#FFFFFF\" flashvars\u003d\"initVideoId\u003d1543284106\u0026amp;servicesURL\u003dhttp://www.brightcove.tv\u0026amp;viewerSecureGatewayURL\u003dhttps://www.brightcove.tv\u0026amp;cdnURL\u003dhttp://admin.brightcove.com\u0026amp;autoStart\u003dfalse\" base\u003d\"http://admin.brightcove.com\" name\u003d\"bcPlayer\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" seamlesstabbing\u003d\"false\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" swliveconnect\u003d\"true\" pluginspage\u003d\"http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version\u003dShockwaveFlash\" height\u003d\"412\" width\u003d\"486\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1340885412015414865?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1340885412015414865"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1340885412015414865"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/05/dan-reicher-on-plug-ins.html","title":"Dan Reicher on plug-ins"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1909312257437700966"},"published":{"$t":"2008-05-16T16:46:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-05-16T17:48:06.019-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Responding to Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (Burma) and Earthquake in China"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Larry Brilliant, Executive Director, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe're extremely saddened by the loss of life in both Myanmar (Burma) and China.  In the days since the cyclone in Myanmar (Burma), teams across Google have been \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/helping-victims-of-cyclone-nargis.html\"\u003eworking to contribute\u003c/a\u003e to relief efforts. For disaster relief responders on the ground, the Google Earth and Maps teams created \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/05/unosat-layer-of-myanmar-cyclone-data.html\"\u003eGoogle Earth layers of storm track and flood analysis\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/05/tracking-path-of-cyclone-nargis.html\"\u003estorm cloud animation\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/05/imagery-for-myanmar-burma.html\"\u003eon-the-ground imagery\u003c/a\u003e. To increase awareness of how people can support relief, the Google Grants team highlighted \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googlegrants.blogspot.com/2008/05/grant-recipients-helping-victims-of.html\"\u003egrantees\u003c/a\u003e working in the region, and there is a public service announcement on Google's advertising content network.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTo learn more about how to support disaster relief and recovery efforts, visit this \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/myanmarcyclone/\"\u003emicrosite\u003c/a\u003e.  To match funds generated by the site, we said we'd donate up to $1 million to disaster relief organizations. Our first round of grants, totaling $600,000, went through today via our donor advised fund at \u003ca href\u003d\"http://tidesfoundation.org/\"\u003eTides Foundation\u003c/a\u003e to:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.care.org/newsroom/articles/2008/05/20080505_myanmar_cyclone.asp\"\u003eCARE\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/country.cfm?id\u003d2296\"\u003eDoctors Without Borders\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.friendsofwfp.org/site/pp.asp?c\u003d7oIJLSOsGpF\u0026amp;b\u003d245179\"\u003eFriends of the World Food Program; Emergency Telecommunication Centers Project\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.savethechildren.org/emergencies/asia/cyclone-nargis-myanmar-response.html\"\u003eSave the Children\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eResponding to the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/search?hl\u003den\u0026amp;q\u003dChina+Earthquake\u0026amp;btnG\u003dGoogle+Search\"\u003etragic earthquake\u003c/a\u003e in China, many teams at Google developed ways to help people get the most useful and current earthquake information.  Examples include public service announcements on Google's Content Network, a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://laiba.tianya.cn/laiba/Community?cmm\u003d281\"\u003etargeted forum\u003c/a\u003e on Google-Tianya, a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.cn/intl/zh-CN/qinren/cse.html\"\u003esearch product\u003c/a\u003e to help locate missing loved ones, and an \u003ca href\u003d\"http://ditu.google.com/maps/ms?hl\u003dzh-CN\u0026amp;ie\u003dUTF8\u0026amp;oe\u003dUTF8\u0026amp;msa\u003d0\u0026amp;msid\u003d105498083399349668294.00044d0490f73e7f5c173\u0026amp;mid\u003d1210583203\"\u003eearthquake situation map\u003c/a\u003e with real-time detailed information on the different geographies, travel and road conditions to/from the region, and the latest disaster relief news and donation channels and contacts.  In addition, Googlers across the world have organized relief activities such as blood donation and cash drives.  Google.org will donate more than $1.5 million to on-the-ground relief organizations.  Finally, tens of thousands of dollars of employee donations to non-profits have been matched by Google's gift matching program.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTo learn more about how to support disaster relief and recovery efforts in China, visit this \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/chinaearthquake/\"\u003emicrosite\u003c/a\u003e. You can also learn more through \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.cn/\"\u003eGoogle's China homepage\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.googlechinablog.com/\"\u003eGoogle China Blog\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1909312257437700966?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1909312257437700966"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1909312257437700966"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/05/responding-to-cyclone-nargis-in-myanmar.html","title":"Responding to Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (Burma) and Earthquake in China"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-2342251047331142070"},"published":{"$t":"2008-04-24T12:26:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-04-24T12:34:35.548-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Evaluating the Right to Information"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Salimah Samji, Program Manager, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003ePeople in developing countries often \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2008/04/information-and-developing-world.html\"\u003elack information\u003c/a\u003e that is critical for their well-being. For example, in India, the poor often do not know what they are entitled to and what services are available to them. I recently attended an international conference on the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cartercenter.org/peace/americas/information.html\"\u003eRight to Public Information\u003c/a\u003e at the Carter Center and learned that there are approximately 70 RTI (Right to Information) laws in the world. However surprisingly, little has been done to evaluate whether these laws are accomplishing their stated and unstated objectives.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAccess to meaningful information is critical to Google.org's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/inform.html\"\u003eInform and Empower initiative\u003c/a\u003e in India.  To help us better understand how to make the Right to Information (RTI) more effective in India, we are delighted that \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/moynihan/PersonDetail.asp?personID\u003d856\"\u003eShekhar Singh\u003c/a\u003e who is an active member of the people's movement for the right to information has agreed to conduct a study of the use and implementation of the Act across various stakeholders in India (including public authorities, information commissions, media, judiciary, NGOs and corporate sector). The objective of this study is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the Act, the constraints preventing effective implementation and the ways in which access to information affects people's lives.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eBy supporting this study, we hope to generate awareness about the Act, explore the possibility of creating tools for Information Commissioners and other government officials to better use the information, and systematize the way RTI requests could made publicly available online or through other channels.  We want to help RTI achieve its full potential and hope that this study will be a first step in that direction.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAn \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.indianexpress.com/story/300445.html\"\u003eeditorial in yesterday's The Indian Express\u003c/a\u003e highlighted the importance the RTI, and the effectiveness of its implementation.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-2342251047331142070?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2342251047331142070"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2342251047331142070"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/04/evaluating-right-to-information.html","title":"Evaluating the Right to Information"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-1949927993168543155"},"published":{"$t":"2008-04-21T23:34:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.730-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A green collar economy"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Posted by Shannon Oliver, Associate, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn the spirit of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day\"\u003eEarth Day,\u003c/a\u003e I took a look at how the environmental movement can foster job growth. Here's what I found:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFirst, what exactly are \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v\u003d8Ap7g2XJ3h8\"\u003egreen jobs\u003c/a\u003e and what can they do to spur the U.S. economy and stop climate change? Simply put, green jobs are jobs that are good for the environment, good for our planet, and pay a living wage. In a recent New York Times article entitled, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/business/businessspecial2/26collar.html?ref\u003dbusinessspecial2\"\u003eMillions of Jobs of a Different Collar\u003c/a\u003e,  the Sierra Club’s \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Pope\"\u003eCarl Pope\u003c/a\u003e stated, “A green job has to do something useful for people, and it has to be helpful to, or at least not damaging to, the environment.”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCan the fight against global warming really create millions of these green jobs across America? With \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Economic-Outlook.html?scp\u003d2\u0026amp;sq\u003deconomy\u0026amp;st\u003dnyt\"\u003eworry about the economy\u003c/a\u003e on the rise, it is certainly a hopeful scenario.  A \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_8989687\"\u003erecent article\u003c/a\u003e in the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune\"\u003eOakland Tribune\u003c/a\u003e suggests that experts envision just such a future: “If global warming is to be slowed, it will take wholesale change in how electricity is generated, how people travel and how they heat and cool their houses. That means installing hundreds of millions of solar panels, building thousands of wind farms and geothermal plants, engineering new ways to derive energy from renewable sources and weatherizing millions of homes. Green companies are rapidly hiring new workers and indications are they will continue.”\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor those who want to dig a little deeper into the data, please check out \u003ca href\u003d\"http://64.233.179.110/blog_resources/google_org_earth_day.pdf\"\u003emy longer post\u003c/a\u003e on the potential number of jobs created by a cleaner, greener economy.  And have a happy Earth Day!\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-1949927993168543155?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1949927993168543155"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/1949927993168543155"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/04/green-collar-economy.html","title":"A green collar economy"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-47419321020921527"},"published":{"$t":"2008-04-18T13:32:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-04-18T13:40:26.574-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"New uses for Google Earth"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eChristiaan Adams, Google Earth \u0026amp; Maps Specialist, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://earth.google.com/\"\u003eGoogle Earth\u003c/a\u003e is a great tool for exploring the world in ways never before possible.  Many of the non-profits and other public-benefit organizations that we work with find it especially useful for showing people the remote places where they work and telling their stories in a very compelling way.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHave you ever looked at the amazing high-resolution images in Google Earth and wondered when the photo was taken?  Well now you can stop wondering!  Google Earth 4.3 was \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2008/04/introducing-google-earth-43.html\"\u003elaunched this week\u003c/a\u003e, and one of the many new features is the \"imagery acquisition date.\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSimply zoom in on and move your mouse cursor over the high-resolution imagery; the status bar will display the date when the imagery was acquired.  This will be especially useful for organizations concerned about changes in the environment.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SAkF79v4rlI/AAAAAAAAADc/N9XTPyKaV-c/s1600-h/imagedate.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SAkF79v4rlI/AAAAAAAAADc/N9XTPyKaV-c/s400/imagedate.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190686573267037778\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor anyone interested in learning more about Google Earth, its features, and how to make it useful, Nigel Woof of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mapaction.org/\"\u003eMap Action\u003c/a\u003e has written a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mapaction.org/images/stories/google_earth_and_its_potential_in_the_humanitarian_sector.pdf\"\u003egreat paper\u003c/a\u003e (1MB PDF) that you should check out.  It looks at Google Earth's differences from and relationship with traditional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, and how it can be \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.mapaction.org/content/view/169/59/\"\u003eused in humanitarian relief\u003c/a\u003e and other public benefit work.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-47419321020921527?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/47419321020921527"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/47419321020921527"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/04/new-uses-for-google-earth.html","title":"New uses for Google Earth"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/SAkF79v4rlI/AAAAAAAAADc/N9XTPyKaV-c/s72-c/imagedate.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-292024153872007962"},"published":{"$t":"2008-04-11T13:16:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-04-11T13:23:05.788-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Information and the developing world"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by\u003c/span\u003e Aleem Walji, Head of Global Development Initiatives, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cp id\u003d\"aj:2\"\u003eTwo members of our team recently attended an \u003ca title\u003d\"international conference\" href\u003d\"http://www.cartercenter.org/peace/americas/ati_conference/right_to_public_information_conf.html\" id\u003d\"my14\"\u003einternational conference\u003c/a\u003e at the \u003ca title\u003d\"Carter Center\" href\u003d\"http://www.cartercenter.org/homepage.html\" id\u003d\"ewoy\"\u003eCarter Center\u003c/a\u003e on the \u003ca title\u003d\"right to information\" href\u003d\"http://www.cartercenter.org/peace/americas/information.html\" id\u003d\"l-0k\"\u003eright to information\u003c/a\u003e (RTI). I must admit that I didn't have much knowledge in this area and didn't even realize that the US passed the \u003ca title\u003d\"Freedom of Information Act\" href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_Information_Act_%28United_States%29\" id\u003d\"yydg\"\u003eFreedom of Information Act\u003c/a\u003e (FOAI) more than 40 years ago. Today, roughly 70 countries have adopted legislation that theoretically gives their citizens the right to ask for and receive from their governments information on any number of issues, including property records, tax files, and identity files. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp id\u003d\"aj:2\"\u003eThis may sound rather vague and unimportant. But in some developing countries access to birth certificates can be critical in getting access to basic public services like immunizations, basic education, and land rec\u003cspan id\u003d\"tnpj\" style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eords (important as collateral when seeking loans). For the poor, this access is particularly important, but finding even simple records of identity can be much harder than you might imagine. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"g2mk\" style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eThe ability of bureaucrats to control access to what is \"public\" puts them in position to make all kinds of demands\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"wt0z\" style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e. For example, getting access to a birth certificate (technically a public record) can take months, involve dozens of steps, and include bribes at every stage. Without basic identify documents, the poor are often left without access to essential public services reserved for \"official citizens\".\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp id\u003d\"km5z\"\u003eGovernments increasingly are putting public information online, even in the developing world. However, \"online\" doesn't always mean searchable or crawlable. In other words, you have to know where it is to find it. How would you even know where to look? Participants at the conference were captivated by the idea of making high value, high impact public records like land registries and identify documents available online in a format that is easy to search and find. \u003cspan id\u003d\"cftt\" style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);\"\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"y03h\" style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eGoogle's experience in \u003ca href\u003d\"http://books.google.com/books\"\u003edigitizing \u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003ca style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\" title\u003d\"books\" href\u003d\"http://books.google.com/books\" id\u003d\"u071\"\u003ebooks\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"i-2j\" style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e and making them available online was cited as the kind of effort that could be useful in helping give people in developing countries access to the public information they need. There is some work already happening at Google on making government records crawlable. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp id\u003d\"o8s_\"\u003eThe possibility is exciting. Could poor rural people get access to birth certificates, death certificates or land titles one day through their mobile phones? It's worth thinking about. Even if they have to pay to access them, the cost of getting access to critical data at important times would more than pay for itself. As the penetration of mobile phones in rural areas has shown, people are willing to pay for access to tools and information that give them what they want when they need it most. \u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-292024153872007962?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/292024153872007962"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/292024153872007962"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/04/information-and-developing-world.html","title":"Information and the developing world"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4998027367765883189"},"published":{"$t":"2008-04-07T08:41:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.730-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"World Health Organization highlights climate change - health linkage"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003e   Amy Luers, Program Manager, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cp class\u003d\"western\" id\u003d\"jof.\" style\u003d\"margin-bottom: 0in;\"\u003e   \u003cspan id\u003d\"dv9o\" lang\u003d\"en-AU\"\u003eThe \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/\"\u003eWorld Health Organization\u003c/a\u003e (WHO) has dedicated today, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/world-health-day/en/index.html\"\u003eWorld Health Day 2008\u003c/a\u003e, to raising awareness of the health risks of global climate change.  Health belongs in the climate change discussion, and we're glad WHO and its member countries are using today to bring the linkage to the forefront.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ipcc-wg2.org/\"\u003eClimate’s effects on health are wide reaching\u003c/a\u003e. Climate affects the quality of air we breathe and the quantity and quality of water resources.  It affects the productivity of agriculture, distribution of pests and disease, and the severity and frequency of heatwaves, droughts, floods, and wildfires. As a result, climate change is not just an environmental issue but fundamentally \u003ca href\u003d\"http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2007-2008/\"\u003ea human health and livelihoods issue\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe are already experiencing the impacts of climate change across the globe. In fact, a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/globalchange/news/fsclimandhealth/en/index.html\"\u003eWHO report\u003c/a\u003e concluded the climate changes since the mid-1970s may have caused about 150,000 deaths in 2000. The impacts of climate change are disproportionately felt in the poorest regions of the world.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"dv9o\" lang\u003d\"en-AU\"\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/R_pEHNPetlI/AAAAAAAAADQ/dSW_tMqwUWg/s1600-h/CCDeathsMap3.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/R_pEHNPetlI/AAAAAAAAADQ/dSW_tMqwUWg/s400/CCDeathsMap3.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186532811474908754\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-size:85%;\"\u003eChange in \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/heli/risks/climate/climatechange/en/index.html\"\u003eWHO estimated mortality per year\u003c/a\u003e (per million people) attributable to climate change by the year 2000. This map is based on WHO data for climate-sensitive health outcomes including: cardiovascular diseases, diarrhea, malaria, inland and coastal flooding, and malnutrition. Learn more about the link of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/world-health-day/en/\"\u003eclimate and health\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cp class\u003d\"western\" id\u003d\"jof.\" style\u003d\"margin-bottom: 0in;\"\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"dv9o\" lang\u003d\"en-AU\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIf global emissions of heat-trapping gases continue, the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ipcc.ch/\"\u003eInternational Panel on Climate Change\u003c/a\u003e (IPCC) projects that global temperatures could rise as much as 4°C more by the end of the century with an associated rise in \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/globalchange/news/fsclimandhealth/en/index.html\"\u003erisks to human health\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe global community is just beginning to understand the impact that continued climate change is likely to have on the distribution of infectious diseases. Check out \u003ca href\u003d\"http://blog.google.org/2008/04/global-warming-heats-up-infectious.html\"\u003ethe post by our  mapping specialists\u003c/a\u003e where they describe the Google Earth layers they developed with scientists researching the affects climate may have on dengue and malaria transmission.  You can also download these Google Earth layers \u003ca href\u003d\"http://services.google.com/dotorg/kml/worldhealthday2008/GlobalWarmingDisease.kml\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWhile some climate change impacts on public health and the environment are now unavoidable due to our past emissions of greenhouse gases, the severity of the impacts will depend on actions we take today to both reduce future emissions and prepare for the changes ahead.  At Google.org we are working to reduce greenhouse gas emission by developing utility-scale \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google.org/rec.html\"\u003erenewable energy cheaper than coal\u003c/a\u003e and accelerating the commercialization of plug-in vehicles through the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google.org/recharge/\"\u003eRechargeIT\u003c/a\u003e initiative, while the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google.org/predict.html\"\u003ePredict and Prevent\u003c/a\u003e initiative team is working to help prepare the world's poor to manage the rising number emerging infectious diseases in our rapidly changing world.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4998027367765883189?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4998027367765883189"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4998027367765883189"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/04/world-health-organization-highlights.html","title":"World Health Organization highlights climate change - health linkage"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/R_pEHNPetlI/AAAAAAAAADQ/dSW_tMqwUWg/s72-c/CCDeathsMap3.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-8529264932479566051"},"published":{"$t":"2008-04-07T08:32:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.730-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Global warming heats up infectious diseases"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003e   Christiaan Adams, Google Earth \u0026amp; Maps Specialist, Google.org, and France Lamy, Program Manager, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWith the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/\" id\u003d\"ig-7\" title\u003d\"World Health Organization\"\u003eWorld Health Organization\u003c/a\u003e (WHO) and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/world-health-day/\" id\u003d\"qy8o\" title\u003d\"World Health Day 2008\"\u003eWorld Health Day 2008\u003c/a\u003e drawing attention to climate change and health today, we wanted to show you some cool animated Google Earth layers that illustrate how infectious diseases may spread as the earth warms.  Warmer climates make good habitats for mosquitoes.  Many diseases, such as dengue fever and malaria, are spread by mosquitoes.  As the planet continues to get warmer due to greenhouse gas emissions, these diseases are projected to spread and add to the other burdens of climate change, especially in the developing world.       \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/earth/\" id\u003d\"ftos\" title\u003d\"Google Earth\"\u003eGoogle Earth\u003c/a\u003e (KML) file linked below will show you projections for the changes in transmission of dengue fever around the globe and of malaria in Africa and specifically Zimbabwe.  These layers were created in collaboration with a number of scientists whose studies provided the data, including \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673602099646\" id\u003d\"mjp4\" title\u003d\"Simon Hales\"\u003eSimon Hales\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673603148982\" id\u003d\"qb2e\" title\u003d\"Frank Tanser\"\u003eFrank Tanser\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.springerlink.com/content/p10m402h13279507/\" id\u003d\"mf43\" title\u003d\"Kris Ebi\"\u003eKris Ebi\u003c/a\u003e.  There's also a layer that shows the estimated deaths related to climate change in the year 2000.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/R_o-4tPetkI/AAAAAAAAADI/BHoJ6_ODro0/s1600-h/EarthScreen.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/R_o-4tPetkI/AAAAAAAAADI/BHoJ6_ODro0/s400/EarthScreen.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186527064808666690\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTo view the layers, download this \u003ca href\u003d\"http://services.google.com/dotorg/kml/worldhealthday2008/GlobalWarmingDisease.kml\" id\u003d\"vmre\" title\u003d\"KML file\"\u003eKML file\u003c/a\u003e and open it in Google Earth on your computer.  If you do not have the latest version of Google Earth (4.2) installed, you can download it \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/earth/\" id\u003d\"y6xb\" title\u003d\"here\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.    \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTo see the animations, turn on one layer at a time in the Places panel on the left, by clicking the round button next to the layer name.  Once the layer is on, you can play the animation by clicking the play arrow on the right side of the time slider (at the top of the screen).    \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eClicking the \"start here\" links or layer names will get you to more information and instructions.  Be sure to look at all the layers to see how our warming climate will affect health in ways you might not have expected.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-8529264932479566051?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8529264932479566051"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8529264932479566051"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/04/global-warming-heats-up-infectious.html","title":"Global warming heats up infectious diseases"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/R_o-4tPetkI/AAAAAAAAADI/BHoJ6_ODro0/s72-c/EarthScreen.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3274917581767390413"},"published":{"$t":"2008-04-03T17:12:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-04-06T10:43:24.201-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Public Heath Heroes"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Kataneh Sarvian, Coordinator, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLast night the University of California, Berkeley hosted the 12th Annual \u003ca id\u003d\"cl_v\" href\u003d\"http://www.publichealthheroes.org/index.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003ePublic Health Heroes Awards Ceremony \u003c/a\u003ein San Francisco. The goal of the Public Health Heroes honor is to broaden awareness and understanding of the public health field by recognizing individuals and organizations for their contributions to promoting and protecting the health of the human population. Past recipients include our own \u003ca title\u003d\"Dr. Larry Brilliant\" href\u003d\"http://publichealthheroes.org/past_heroes/2004/brilliant.html\" id\u003d\"ss14\"\u003eDr. Larry Brilliant\u003c/a\u003e. Dr. Mark Smolinski, Predict and Prevent Initiative Director, started off the night by handing the first award to Nancy Aossey, who accepted the award on behalf of the \u003ca id\u003d\"sqdu\" href\u003d\"http://www.imcworldwide.org/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eInternational Medical Corps\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp id\u003d\"k-tm\"\u003eInternational Medical Corps (IMC) is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Mark expressed gratitude to IMC for sharing their wisdom and advice while we were creating \u003ca title\u003d\"InSTEDD\" href\u003d\"http://instedd.org/\" id\u003d\"ldmk\"\u003eInSTEDD\u003c/a\u003e (Innovative Support to Emergencies, Diseases, and Disasters) in the early days of Google.org. The other heroes recognized were \u003ca title\u003d\"Donald P. Francis\" href\u003d\"http://www.publichealthheroes.org/2008/francis.html\" id\u003d\"t0op\"\u003eDonald P. Francis\u003c/a\u003e, for his leadership in the eradication of smallpox, the discovery of HIV, and the control of Ebola hemorrhagic fever; \u003ca title\u003d\"David A. Kessler\" href\u003d\"http://www.publichealthheroes.org/2008/kessler.html\" id\u003d\"ht_d\"\u003eDavid A. Kessler\u003c/a\u003e, for his leadership and courage in challenging the U.S. tobacco industry; and \u003ca title\u003d\"Barbara Staggers\" href\u003d\"http://www.publichealthheroes.org/2008/staggers.html\" id\u003d\"u:8-\"\u003eBarbara Staggers\u003c/a\u003e for her leadership in promoting adolescent health, particularly among high-risk, urban, and minority youth.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/p\u003eA big thanks and congratulations to this year's dedicated and courageous heroes!\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3274917581767390413?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3274917581767390413"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3274917581767390413"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/04/posted-by-kataneh-sarvian-coordinator.html","title":"Public Heath Heroes"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-5510692318829557284"},"published":{"$t":"2008-04-02T10:31:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-04-02T10:36:43.894-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Happy Birthday Google Grants!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Katy Bacon, Google.org Team\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis week, \u003ca title\u003d\"Google Grants\" href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/grants/\" id\u003d\"n-vw\"\u003eGoogle Grants\u003c/a\u003e marks its fifth year.  The program currently supports more than 4,000 grantees and to date has provided approximately $273.3 million in \u003ca title\u003d\"free AdWords advertising\" href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/grants/tour/1.html\" id\u003d\"rgv:\"\u003efree AdWords advertising\u003c/a\u003e. You can learn more about the \u003ca title\u003d\"history of the program\" href\u003d\"http://googlegrants.blogspot.com/2008/04/google-grants-turns-5.html\" id\u003d\"plrp\"\u003ehistory of the program\u003c/a\u003e on the recently launched \u003ca title\u003d\"Google Grants Blog\" href\u003d\"http://googlegrants.blogspot.com/\" id\u003d\"dp1.\"\u003eGoogle Grants Blog\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-5510692318829557284?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5510692318829557284"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5510692318829557284"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/04/happy-birthday-google-grants.html","title":"Happy Birthday Google Grants!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-8808577632496309826"},"published":{"$t":"2008-03-28T11:19:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.731-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Aspen Institute Award honors CalCars, Google.org grantee"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Kirsten Olsen, Program Manager, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003ca title\u003d\"CalCars\" href\u003d\"http://www.calcars.org/\" id\u003d\"a8jo\"\u003eCalCars\u003c/a\u003e just received the \u003ca title\u003d\"Aspen Institute's First Annual Energy and Environment Awards\" href\u003d\"http://www.aspeninstitute.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c\u003dhuLWJeMRKpH\u0026amp;b\u003d3818507\u0026amp;ct\u003d5133855\" id\u003d\"e-dt\"\u003eAspen Institute's First Annual Energy and Environment Award\u003c/a\u003e for its prominent role in promoting PHEVs and the electrification of transportation.  The inaugural award is meant to celebrate success and provoke conversations about ways to emulate and expand upon the success stories honored.  We are thrilled about this honor for CalCars and not the least bit surprised that their contribution to the field of plug-ins has been recognized by such a prestigious organization.  CalCars founder \u003ca title\u003d\"Felix Kramer\" href\u003d\"http://www.calcars.org/about.html\" id\u003d\"x15y\"\u003eFelix Kramer\u003c/a\u003e has been instrumental in evangelizing about the benefits of plug-ins and strategically influencing key decision makers about their potential to dramatically reduce carbon emissions.  There is no doubt that CalCars has already made history with their role in promoting this technology and we are proud to be a supporter of the organization.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCongratulations to Felix and the CalCars team!\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-8808577632496309826?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8808577632496309826"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8808577632496309826"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/03/aspen-institute-award-honors-calcars.html","title":"Aspen Institute Award honors CalCars, Google.org grantee"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-4195244342514653888"},"published":{"$t":"2008-03-26T22:12:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.731-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Race is on to Develop Ultra Fuel-Efficient Cars"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted Niki Fenwick, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWith the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.sanfrangasprices.com/retail_price_chart.aspx\"\u003eprice of gas\u003c/a\u003e topping $3.75 this week here in California, drivers will be pleased to learn about the official launch of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.progressiveautoxprize.org/\"\u003eProgressive Automotive X PRIZE\u003c/a\u003e. This is an international competition (with a $10 million purse) designed to inspire a new generation of viable, super fuel-efficient vehicles. Teams are already busy designing, building and working to bring to market \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPGe\"\u003e100 MPGe\u003c/a\u003e vehicles that people want to buy, and that meet market needs for price, size, capability, safety and performance – and, most importantly, are clean. NBC \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23723053#23723053\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"blocked::http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/23723053#23723053\"\u003eshowcased some concept cars\u003c/a\u003ein their Today Show coverage of the competition and the announcement even garnered a shout-out from \u003ca href\u003d\"http://youtube.com/watch?v\u003dvPIz2XJf1FI\" target\u003d\"_blank\" title\u003d\"blocked::http://youtube.com/watch?v\u003dvPIz2XJf1FI\"\u003ecar enthusiast Jay Leno\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-4195244342514653888?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4195244342514653888"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/4195244342514653888"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/03/race-is-on-to-develop-ultra-fuel.html","title":"The Race is on to Develop Ultra Fuel-Efficient Cars"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-5678956646266572740"},"published":{"$t":"2008-03-24T17:43:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-03-26T13:51:27.540-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"aids2031 Young Leaders Summit"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Bennet Marks, Google.org volunteer\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://google.org/\"\u003eGoogle.org\u003c/a\u003e recently hosted the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.aids2031.org/\"\u003eaids2031\u003c/a\u003e Young Leaders Summit at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, CA. More than 40 leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS, most of them between 20 and 40 years of age, traveled to the conference from over 15 nations, including South Africa, Rwanda, Norway, the United Kingdom, China, Thailand, Bolivia, Argentina, the U.S., and Mexico.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eaids2031 is a consortium of partners - including doctors, economists, epidemiologists, and biomedical, social, and political scientists - who have joined together to explore what we've learned from the fight against HIV/AIDS during the first quarter-century of the epidemic, and to come up with options and plans for changing the course of the epidemic over the next quarter-century.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAccording to latest estimates, about 33 million people are living with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), which causes AIDS. The disease has already killed about 25 million people. Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit especially hard, but the disease is spreading rapidly in other regions. AIDS doesn't only have calamitous effects on the health of individuals, but wreaks havoc on the economic and social stability of the countries affected. For more detailed information, see UNAIDS' \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/HIVData/EpiUpdate/EpiUpdArchive/2007/default.asp\"\u003e2007 AIDS Epidemic Update\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSome of the many topics discussed at the conference included:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eUsing modern technology, including the 3.3 billion mobile phones currently in use, to educate young people about AIDS prevention and treatment, and involve them in the fight against HIV/AIDS.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eIdentifying and mentoring young leaders in the fight against AIDS, and promoting intergenerational dialogue among AIDS activists.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eCreating a Global Health \u0026amp; Development Corps, modeled on the Peace Corps and similar groups, that can organize and support young volunteers to go wherever they are needed to work on local health issues.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003eMany of the conference participants will be reuniting in August in Mexico City at the XVII International AIDS Conference. We are proud to have supported this convening as a critical part of aids2031 and its efforts to engage young leaders in the prevention of global health threats.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-5678956646266572740?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5678956646266572740"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5678956646266572740"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/03/aids2031-young-leaders-summit.html","title":"aids2031 Young Leaders Summit"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-182837394361496747"},"published":{"$t":"2008-03-20T23:34:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.731-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"California's ZEV Program"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Adam Borelli, Team Coordinator, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.arb.ca.gov/homepage.htm\"\u003eCalifornia Air Resources Board\u003c/a\u003e (CARB) is considering \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/2008/zev2008/zev2008.htm\"\u003echanges\u003c/a\u003e to the Zero Emission Vehicle Program (also commonly known as the \"ZEV Mandate\") on March 27th at its Board meeting in Sacramento. This is big deal.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/zevprog/zevprog.htm\"\u003eZEV Program\u003c/a\u003e, in short, is a regulation that requires major automakers to produce a certain number of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-emissions_vehicle\"\u003eZEVs\u003c/a\u003e\u003csup\u003e \u003c/sup\u003eeach model year in order to do business in California. Some of the credits may be met with vehicles that are not pure ZEVs, such as hybrids and plug-in hybrids that include some advanced, low polluting components. The ZEV Program does not treat all vehicles equally; it gives fuel cell vehicles the most credits, then pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, followed by a host of advanced vehicles like hybrids. The ultimate objective is to improve California air quality.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eGoogle.org\u003c/a\u003e has been talking with Board Members, staff, and stakeholder groups to understand their perspectives on the proposed changes to the regulations. After meeting with them, we decided there are five recommendations relating to the proposed changes that we will submit to the Air Resources Board. Our hope is that when approved and implemented, the ZEV Program will accelerate innovation and reduce air pollution by getting large numbers of vehicles into consumers’ hands and on the road.  \u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e1. Strengthen the newly proposed \"enhanced AT PZEV\" category to require a minimum capability to drive in pure electric mode for 25 miles to accommodate the commuting range of a majority of drivers and make the vehicles more useful, profitable, and marketable\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e2. Require automakers produce at least 10,000 electric or fuel cell vehicles total from 2012 to 2014, not the proposed 2,500 vehicles.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e3. Do not allow the electric and fuel cell vehicles sold in other states to count towards the credits for the California requirement; placing vehicles in other states will not result in the necessary net improvements in California air quality.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e4. Maintain the credit sunset for less efficient, lower power hybrids; the current proposal asks to extend these credits indefinitely.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e5. Do not increase the credits for Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (low speed vehicles similar to electric golf carts); they are not driven like full-function vehicles that are the focus of the ZEV Program.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTo learn more about CARB, the ZEV mandate, and what you can do, check out a more detailed post on our new \u003ca href\u003d\"http://rechargeit.blogspot.com/\"\u003eRechargeIT blog\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-182837394361496747?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/182837394361496747"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/182837394361496747"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/03/californias-zev-program.html","title":"California's ZEV Program"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-10997595812584647"},"published":{"$t":"2008-03-20T10:20:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.731-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Introducing the RechargeIT Blog"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/R-KdIMEiO8I/AAAAAAAAAWE/f9q29kz1DEA/s1600-h/RechargeIT+Blog+Logo.png\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/R-KdIMEiO8I/AAAAAAAAAWE/f9q29kz1DEA/s320/RechargeIT+Blog+Logo.png\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179875285434252226\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePosted by the RechargeIT Team\u003cb\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/b\u003e  \u003cspan style\u003d\";font-family:\u0026quot;;font-size:12;\"  \u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePower on!  Not that we have anything against the sound of exhaust streaming out of a tailpipe, but electrified transportation is, simply, cool and better for our health, the environment, and energy security.  Google.org's \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rechargeit.org/\" title\u003d\"RechargeIT initiative\" id\u003d\"b7mf\"\u003eRechargeIT initiative\u003c/a\u003e is launching a blog.  This \u003ca href\u003d\"http://rechargeit.blogspot.com/\"\u003eblog\u003c/a\u003e will cover an array of plug-in topics, including vehicle technology, battery technology, RechargeIT's projects and data, policy, interviews, and interesting snippets from newspaper articles and current events.  Some posts will be very technical, others less so, and some not technical at all.  The one binding characteristic is that we hope all posts will be \u003ci\u003einteresting\u003c/i\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWe would like to encourage you all to sign up for our discussion list \u003ca href\u003d\"http://groups.google.com/group/rechargeit-blog\" title\u003d\"here\" id\u003d\"q55h\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.  We look forward to hearing your thoughts on our posts and the ideas they provoke.  We will be signed up to the discussion list and can answer questions you have about our blog posts, but the discussion list is mainly for you to discuss the posts further.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eNot familiar with RechargeIT?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/b\u003eThe RechargeIT initiative is a project of Google.org in which we converted four Toyota Priuses and two Ford Escape hybrids to plug-in cars using the Hymotion-A123 system.  We use these vehicles as a test fleet and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/dashboard\" title\u003d\"track their data\" id\u003d\"m8ax\"\u003etrack their data\u003c/a\u003e to better understand their capabilities (we will discuss the particular data in a future post).  We also issued a $10 million RFP for plug-in and component technologies, engage in policy debates as with the ZEV Mandate (we will discuss this in a future post too!), we fund promising \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/recharge/partners.html\" title\u003d\"nonprofits and researchers\" id\u003d\"zs5-\"\u003enonprofits and researchers\u003c/a\u003e to continue their important work, and work with the stakeholders to better understand this space and help them in any way we can.\u003cbr /\u003e \u003c!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--\u003e  \u003c!--[endif]--\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-10997595812584647?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/10997595812584647"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/10997595812584647"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/03/introducing-rechargeit-blog_20.html","title":"Introducing the RechargeIT Blog"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/R-KdIMEiO8I/AAAAAAAAAWE/f9q29kz1DEA/s72-c/RechargeIT+Blog+Logo.png","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-287131346223276666"},"published":{"$t":"2008-03-19T14:35:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-03-26T13:58:24.508-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Two Steps to the Left"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Joanne Stevens, Associate, Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eUndeterred by Atlanta's recent bout of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJef9x8MoNwhcKq4psD-GUJZwkQAD8VFFA486\" title\u003d\"bad weather\"\u003ebad weather\u003c/a\u003e, 2500 delegates from around the globe arrived on Sunday to participate in the sixth \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cdc.gov/iceid/\" title\u003d\"International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases\"\u003eInternational Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases\u003c/a\u003e. Practitioners and researchers representing the fields of human health, epidemiology, veterinary medicine, ecosystem science and more, convened to discuss the drivers of emerging infectious diseases and strategies to improve our capacity to detect and respond to threats.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDr. Larry Brilliant, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/\" title\u003d\"Google.org's\"\u003eGoogle.org\u003c/a\u003e's executive director, delivered a plenary address to a packed auditorium on Monday morning. His \u003ca href\u003d\"http://64.233.179.110/blog_resources/google_brilliantICEIDspeech.pdf\"\u003espeech\u003c/a\u003e described novel techniques within surveillance and modeling that might allow us to shift our interventions \"two steps to the left\" of where we are today.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDr. Brilliant spoke about the use of Internet and mobile technology to improve our \u003ci\u003edigital detection\u003c/i\u003e of diseases. He highlighted \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.healthmap.org/en\" title\u003d\"HealthMap\"\u003eHealthMap\u003c/a\u003e as an example of an organization that is using online data sources to produce a global disease alert map. Dr. Brilliant also noted the importance of using \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metagenomics\" title\u003d\"new technologies\"\u003enew technologies\u003c/a\u003e for \u003ci\u003egenetic detection\u003c/i\u003e. We know, for example, that over two-thirds of all new emerging diseases are of animal origin. By collecting and analyzing samples at the human/animal interface, we can begin to discover new viruses and study how they are able to jump species. He also discussed\u003ci\u003e vulnerability mapping\u003c/i\u003e, a means to identify hot spots at increased risk.  By integrating data  on landscape, ecosystem dynamics, climate, and demographics we might be able to identify areas of the world where diseases are most likely to emerge, allowing for more targeted surveillance and preparedness activities.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThrough our very own \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google.org/predict.html\" title\u003d\"Predict and Prevent\"\u003ePredict and Prevent\u003c/a\u003e initiative, Google.org hopes to work with the public health community to move toward developing and adopting these more proactive approaches.\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-287131346223276666?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/287131346223276666"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/287131346223276666"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/03/two-steps-to-left.html","title":"Two Steps to the Left"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-3290927904396974825"},"published":{"$t":"2008-03-18T14:27:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-03-18T14:34:45.120-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Google for Non-Profits goes live!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/R-A0dWR-gcI/AAAAAAAAAV8/vsqlAC2THfU/s1600-h/google+nonprofits+pic.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/R-A0dWR-gcI/AAAAAAAAAV8/vsqlAC2THfU/s400/google+nonprofits+pic.jpg\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179197250277900738\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan class\u003d\"apple-style-span\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\";font-family:Arial;font-size:11;\"  \u003ePosted by\u003cbr /\u003eChris Busselle Google.org\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cp class\u003d\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\";font-family:Arial;font-size:11;\"  \u003e Earlier today, we launched \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/nonprofits\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eGoogle for Non-Profits\u003c/a\u003e, a website tailored to the needs of non-profits where people can learn about products that will help make their important work just a little bit easier.\u003cspan style\u003d\"\"\u003e  \u003c/span\u003e\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eCheck out our \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/nonprofits\"\u003esite\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/google-for-non-profits.html\"\u003eblog post\u003c/a\u003e for more info.\u003co:p\u003e\u003c/o:p\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-3290927904396974825?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3290927904396974825"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/3290927904396974825"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/03/google-for-non-profits-goes-live.html","title":"Google for Non-Profits goes live!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Niki Fenwick"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/13881152948934232359"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"01841543334805306329"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sW35VbFrGw8/R-A0dWR-gcI/AAAAAAAAAV8/vsqlAC2THfU/s72-c/google+nonprofits+pic.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-2601037392379528758"},"published":{"$t":"2008-03-11T15:03:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-03-11T15:24:16.636-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Google 101 for Development NGOs"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eJohn Lyman, Associate, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLast month, Google and Google.org gathered a group of development NGOs together in Washington D.C. to discuss and learn about new technology tools. Because non-profits' budgets are tight and available funds usually go towards mission-related programs, many organizations don't prioritize technology.  Google's goal was to highlight free or cheap technologies that NGOs can use and let NGOs share experiences on how they have effectively used various technologies.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThere were a few lessons learned:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eThere's a huge hunger in the non-profit sector for more help in this area.  Even hands-on sessions for an hour can make a real difference.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eAlthough technology tools are getting easier to use, many NGOs need an initial, gentle push into taking advantage of them. \u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eDevelopment NGOs, like other NGOs or businesses, have different technology needs based on size, mission, and budget.  There is no one-size-fits-all model that works for them.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003eMore details of the event are available on the \u003ca title\u003d\"Official Google Blog\" href\u003d\"http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/international-development-technology.html\" id\u003d\"l1wb\"\u003eOfficial Google Blog\u003c/a\u003e and videos of the sessions are available on \u003ca title\u003d\"Google.org's YouTube channel\" href\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/googleorg\" id\u003d\"zau6\"\u003eGoogle.org's YouTube channel\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-2601037392379528758?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2601037392379528758"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/2601037392379528758"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/03/google-101-for-development-ngos.html","title":"Google 101 for Development NGOs"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-8139549737689860297"},"published":{"$t":"2008-03-05T10:02:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-01-07T17:09:34.732-08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Green"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Google.org Calls on U.S. Congress to Support Renewable Energy"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"Posted by Michael Terrell, Program Manager, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eYesterday \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.org/\"\u003eGoogle.org\u003c/a\u003e, along with representatives from the business and venture capital community, called on the U.S. Congress and the Bush Administration to work together to quickly approve extensions of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.dsireusa.org/library/includes/incentive2.cfm?Incentive_Code\u003dUS13F\u0026amp;State\u003dFederal%C2%A4tpageid\u003d1\"\u003eProduction Tax Credit\u003c/a\u003e (PTC) and \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.seia.org/solarnews.php?id\u003d128\"\u003eInvestment Tax Credit\u003c/a\u003e (ITC).  The PTC and the ITC are tax incentives designed to spur the market for renewable energy and are critical to financing a new renewable energy generation. The credits are currently scheduled to expire on December 31, 2008.    \u003cp\u003eSpeaking at a \u003ca title\u003d\"news conference\" href\u003d\"http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT\u003d109\u0026amp;STORY\u003d/www/story/03-04-2008/0004767582\u0026amp;EDATE\u003d\" id\u003d\"p7ir\"\u003enews conference\u003c/a\u003e at the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.wirec2008.gov/wps/portal/wirec2008\"\u003eWashington International Renewable Energy Conference\u003c/a\u003e, Dan Reicher, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google.org/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eGoogle.org\u003c/a\u003e's Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives, said: “We are at the dawn of a green energy revolution that could fundamentally reshape the way the world generates energy. It is critical that we get the policy right in order to drive investment in clean energy and push these technologies out of the lab and into the mainstream. Policy makers can make or break this revolution.\"\u003c/p\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003ca onblur\u003d\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/R87iIc3EloI/AAAAAAAAACo/F0CpQKIZ5KI/s1600-h/PTC+press+conf+photo.JPG\"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\"margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/R87iIc3EloI/AAAAAAAAACo/F0CpQKIZ5KI/s320/PTC+press+conf+photo.JPG\" alt\u003d\"\" id\u003d\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174321656709289602\" border\u003d\"0\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.acore.org/\"\u003eAmerican Council on Renewable Energy\u003c/a\u003e (ACORE), \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.technet.org/\"\u003eTechNet\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.nvca.org/\"\u003eNational Venture Capital Association\u003c/a\u003e sponsored the press conference which also included representatives of \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.geenergyfinancialservices.com/\"\u003eGE Energy Financial Services\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.credit-suisse.com/us/en/\"\u003eCredit Suisse\u003c/a\u003e, and the venture capital firm \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.nthpower.com/\"\u003eNth Power\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn a recent ACORE \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.acore.org/pdfs/ACORE_PTC_ITC_Letter.pdf\"\u003eletter\u003c/a\u003e to Congress, over 350 industry leaders warned that a failure by Congress to immediately pass ITC/PTC extensions could jeopardize U.S. job creation and over 42,000 MW of planned renewable energy projects currently in development in 45 states.  (That’s an amount equivalent to 75 base load electricity generation stations and enough to power 16 million homes.)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-8139549737689860297?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8139549737689860297"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/8139549737689860297"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/03/googleorg-calls-on-us-congress-to.html","title":"Google.org Calls on U.S. Congress to Support Renewable Energy"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t00ArAMsPec/R87iIc3EloI/AAAAAAAAACo/F0CpQKIZ5KI/s72-c/PTC+press+conf+photo.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-5126754508353902180"},"published":{"$t":"2008-02-19T08:34:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-03-11T10:51:40.979-07:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Investing in the \"Missing Middle\""},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by \u003c/span\u003eJohn Lyman, Associate, Google.org\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eToday Google.org, along with the \u003ca title\u003d\"Soros Economic Development Fund\" href\u003d\"http://www.soros.org/initiatives/business/about\" id\u003d\"gx1y\"\u003eSoros Economic Development Fund\u003c/a\u003e (SEDF) and the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.omidyar.net/\" id\u003d\"wh-h\" title\u003d\"Omidyar Network\"\u003eOmidyar Network\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/20080219_omidyar_googleorg.html\"\u003eannounced\u003c/a\u003e they are collaborating to create a $17 million enterprise investment company in India. The company is expected to provide capital to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and by doing so, help create jobs.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eIn many developing countries, large businesses use formal, bank-based credit and capital markets for their financing needs, while households and micro-entrepreneurs have access to micro-loans. SMEs are often stuck in the middle without reliable access to either, and they are largely absent from the formal economies of many of these countries.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe investment company is designed to help address this \"missing middle.\" Most existing SME funds make investments in the $3-$5 million range in India, which leaves out a significant portion of the market. This new company, in contrast, will target equity opportunities between $500,000 and $3.5 million. The company is also expected to work closely with the Base of the Pyramid Lab at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad in order to leverage the school's SME experience.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eDuring a recent trip to India, our Google.org SME team visited a number of businesses and financial organizations and saw firsthand that there is a \"missing middle\".  We hope this investment company will help start to fill it in.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor more detail on our initiative to fuel the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises, watch this:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cobject height\u003d\"355\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/2MS69xig0lg\u0026amp;rel\u003d1\"\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"wmode\" value\u003d\"transparent\"\u003e\u003cembed src\u003d\"http://www.youtube.com/v/2MS69xig0lg\u0026amp;rel\u003d1\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" wmode\u003d\"transparent\" height\u003d\"355\" width\u003d\"425\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;\"\u003eUpdate:\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eWe'd like to alert you to two job postings envisioned for the investment advisory company described below. \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003eThe proposed \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.indiasmes.com-a.googlepages.com/managingdirector\"\u003eManaging Director\u003c/a\u003e would oversee the growth of an expected portfolio of 10-15 investments, with representatives from the investors. Assisting would be an \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.indiasmes.com-a.googlepages.com/investmentsdirector\"\u003eInvestments Director\u003c/a\u003e who will help with analyzing prospective investments and preparing evaluations and reports\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e. Both positions are planned for Hyderabad, India for Spring 2008, and require a strong understanding of rural Indian business opportunities and investment fundamentals. To apply, qualified applicants may send a cover letter and resume or C.V. to resumes@IndiaSMEs.com.\u003c/span\u003e\u003ci style\u003d\"background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4164790564632732056-5126754508353902180?l\u003dblog.google.org' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5126754508353902180"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4164790564632732056/posts/default/5126754508353902180"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://blog.google.org/2008/02/investing-in-missing-middle.html","title":"Investing in the \"Missing Middle\""}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Katy Bacon"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/08357714415966943165"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"13557657840689327491"}}]},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4164790564632732056.post-96990573226767354"},"published":{"$t":"2008-02-13T12:59:00.000-08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2008-02-13T13:04:08.671-08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"From Bellagio to Bangkok and beyond!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cspan class\u003d\"byline-author\"\u003ePosted by Corrie Conrad, Associate, Google.org Predict and Prevent Initiative\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThis past December, the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.rockfound.org/\"\u003eRockefeller Foundation\u003c/a\u003e hosted a gathering of 23 leading experts and representatives of networks on infectious disease surveillance from around the world. Acting in their personal capacities at this meeting in Bellagio, Italy, the group agreed on a \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ghsi.org/spotlight.html\"\u003eCall To Action\u003c/a\u003e to advance global capacity for public health surveillance.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eTerry Taylor, Director of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.ghsi.org/\"\u003eGlobal Health and Security Initiative\u003c/a\u003e (one of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://google.org/predict.html\"\u003ePredict and Prevent\u003c/a\u003e initiative's initial grantees), announced the Call to Action at the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.pmaconference.org/home.asp\"\u003ePrince Mahidol Award Conference\u003c/a\u003e in Bangkok, Thailand. Over 300 players in global public health—including WHO officials, diplomats, donors, and Ministers of Health—were at the conference (with Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn!).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThe group committed themselves to address coordination and resource concerns for infectious disease surveillance by:\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eStrengthening national capacity and regional networks through electronic means and joint public-private projects.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eConnecting regional networks into a global cooperative activity.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003eEncouraging collaboration of the human, animal and agricultural sectors for a holistic approach to infectious disease surveillance.\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003ePromoting the development of national capacities and regional networks.\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003eSuch commitments will help countries meet their obligations under the World Health Organization’s new \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.who.int/csr/ihr/en/\"\u003eInternational