World Futures Fall 2021

More than 80 percent of Gen Z and Millenials are using a money transfer app - compared to 50 percent of baby boomers More than 80 percent of respondents have not used a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) and nearly 75 percent avoid credit card debt generally or entirely MX, Finn AI, Q2 and Rival Technologies' white paper explores the use of financial products and services by baby boomers, millennials, and Gen Z

Yes, don't forget the Retail Trading boom with the increase in investment app usage. The 0% commissions a trade started by RobinHood disrupted major Brokers to compete. Think Or Swim and China's Webull are also big ones.

This report outlines the true cost of food, which includes the impacts on our health, the environment, biodiversity, livelihoods, and much more. With this new analysis, governments, advocates, corporations, and individuals are better equipped to catalyze the change needed to develop a truly nourishing, equitable, and sustainable food system in the United States.

"The way Americans eat and produce food costs nearly $2 trillion in health and environmental expenditures alone-and that cost disproportionately burdens communities of color." the statistics they provide are very alarming !

The article addresses some of the problems the supply chain infrastructure is facing today. It brings up some interesting points: US ports lag far behind ports around the world in their efficiency of loading and unloading cargo. The labor unions that control the ports are extremely reluctant to automation that might improve efficiencies and speed up processes.

The article addresses current shipping problems. Though most problems can be attributed to the pandemic, other issues are noted that add to the frustration. Unions and US policy are the primary problems the author sees. Once the COVID hurdles are overcome, what's to say other problems still won't hinder the supply chain and what can we do about them. One place to start is the unions and their control over port operations and the other is trade policy--what will trade policy look like down the road.

DRIVER-WATER-WELL-TREATMENT-CHEMISTRY The main purpose of water well rehabilitation is to restore lost water volume and/or quality. Rehabilitation methods fall into two main categories: chemical or mechanical. Chemical rehabilitation involves discovering the cause(s) of well plugging and adding a chemical solution designed to dissolve the plugging material. Although various chemical formulas are offered by different companies, the basic approach is the same: a successful chemical reaction in the well.

The article focuses on rising sea levels, specifically on the east of coast of the US. WIth higher sea levels comes increased flooding and subsequent damage. The article mentions changes in the Gulf Stream, and how those changes affect the East Coast. Ultimately, people that live in these areas need to be prepared as the frequency of severe weather events, especially flooding, increases. This will effect port operations as people are relied upon to monitor and operate the ports. Can the displacement of people be compensated through increased automation?

"History is going to bifurcate along two directions. One path is we stay on Earth forever, and then there will be some eventual extinction event," he said. "The alternative is to become a spacefaring civilisation and a multi-planet species, which I hope you would agree is the right way to go." Musk has often spoken about his dream of building cities on Mars. He believes that settlements would need large numbers of people in order to become self-sustaining. He also needs someone else to build he just wants the transportation.

Two-thirds of people around the world want to work flexibly when the COVID-19 pandemic is over, a new survey shows. And almost a third are prepared to quit their job if the boss makes them go back to the office full time. The survey of workers in 29 nations also shows people have coped better with homeworking than some feared. The power has shifted to choice. We no longer just go work where someone tells us to go work.

"The space in which work gets done has radically shifted, but human nature remains the same. As workers, we crave a digital experience that's reliable, equitable, productive, helpful, and pleasant. The organizations that overcome the "experience debt" that overhangs typical digital workplaces - by reimagining and deploying the digital workplace the right way - are the ones that will attract and retain top talent. At the same time, they're continuously improving productivity+.. In doing so, they'll become the organizations and the people that thrive in an ever-disruptive world. + = innovation, inclusion, connection, collaboration, purpose, engagement, and beyond…" This piece hints to that need for a radical new workspace. So good.

DRIVER-TREATMENT-WATER-INFRASTRUCTURE-CHEMISTRY-CHLORAMINE One new option that communities with ammonia problems have is biological filtration. This is a safe, chemical-free, method of removing ammonia. In a biological filtration facility, one of the stages of filtration is to pass the water through a special filter that is full of nitrifying bacteria. These bacteria take in the ammonia and some oxygen and perform a bio-oxidation reaction. They oxidize the ammonia into nitrite NH3 + O2 -> NO2- + 3H+ Then further oxidize that into nitrate, NO2- + H2O -> NO3- + 2H+. The bacteria gain energy from these reactions and are specialized to do them very efficiently. This process is part of the natural nitrogen cycle and does not produce any harmful byproducts. The nitrate that is produced by this process can easily be removed from the water by the reverse osmosis membrane in the final stage of the filtration process. The reaction between chlorine and ammonia can be written as NH3 +HOCl -> NH2Cl + H2O. In this chemical equation, NH3 is ammonia and HOCl is hypochlorous acid which is formed when the chlorine is first dissolved in the water. The primary result of this chemical reaction is NH2Cl, a chemical known as chloramine. Chloramine is a disinfectant like chlorine, it is a weaker disinfectant than chlorine but it lasts much longer in water. The chlorine concentration in water can gradually decrease as the chlorine evaporates out but chloramine does not do this. This makes it useful for making sure water stays disinfected throughout drinking water distribution systems. In areas where there is no, or very little, ammonia in the raw water treatment facilities might still want to use chloramine for this purpose. After chlorinating (disinfecting) the water, as the last step in the treatment process, they add ammonia and more chlorine to the water so that they react and create chloramine.

DRIVERS-POLLUTION-TREATMENT-SCARCITY-INFRASTRUCTURE Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) are a group of disinfection byproducts that form when chlorine compounds that are used to disinfect water react with other naturally occurring chemicals in the water. They are colorless, and will evaporate out of the water into the air. There are four significant TTHM potentially found in disinfected drinking water and their combined concentration is referred to as total TTHM. Levels of TTHM generally increase in the summer months due to the warmer temperatures, but can also be affected by seasonal changes in source water quality or by changing amounts of disinfection added. Water systems often can experience temporary increases in TTHM due to short-term increases in chlorine disinfection. Chlorine disinfection increases can occur when there is a water main break, when water systems are under repair, or when there is a potential microbial (example: bacteria) problem or threat.

DRIVER-FLINT-TREATMENT-WATER-POLLUTION-CHEMISTRY Former EPA Drinking Water Standards Director, Dr. Joseph Cotruvo developed the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) first THM Rule in 1979. I spoke with him for his perspective on TTHM in Flint's drinking water: "Scientists have studied the health effects of disinfection byproducts extensively. For example, the January 4, 2006 Federal Register,2 which announced the Stage 2 Rule, cites over 60 mixed result research studies probing the potential health effects of exposure to disinfection byproducts such as TTHM. After reviewing many studies, the Agency concluded that 'no dose response relationship or causal link has been established between exposure to chlorinated drinking water or disinfection byproducts and adverse developmental or reproductive effects.' Nevertheless, EPA takes a very precautious stand, saying the studies 'do provide an indication of a potential health concern that warrants incremental regulatory action beyond Stage 1 DBPR [Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule].'"

Here are 12 critical facts about TTHM as the city's fight to reduce it continues: 1. Trihalomethanes are actually a group of four chemicals that are formed along with other disinfection byproducts when chlorine reacts with organic materials such as leaves or dirt in water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2. TTHMs are odorless and colorless, according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. That means the high levels of TTHM in Flint water last year are not related to problems such as discoloration and odor in tap water. 3. The four trihalomethane chemicals are chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform. 4. U.S. EPA regulates TTHM at a maximum allowable, annual, average level of 80 parts per billion. The standard has been in place since December 2001 for large public surface water systems and since December 2003 for small surface water and all groundwater systems. 5. Four of eight testing sites in Flint averaged more than the acceptable limit of 80 parts per billion of TTHM last year. 6. Testing for TTHM is done on a quarterly basis, which means that people who use the system are exposed to water for several months before public notice is required. That's because TTHM is a chronic -- not immediate --health threat, according to the DEQ. 7. U.S. EPA estimates the 80 parts per billion standard prevents an estimated 280 cases of bladder cancer each year out of a total of more than 330 million people who use public water supplies nationwide. 8. Since it started using the Flint River as its water source, three quarterly tests have produced these TTHM results in the city: 15 samples have been above the TTHM threshold. Nine samples have tested at less than 80 parts per billion. 9. The most recent quarterly test showed just one site of eight that was above the 80 parts per billion threshold. And a voluntary test of the same sites in late January by the city were all within were all within the limits. 10. The testin

DRIVER-PUBLICNOTICE-TTHM-TREATMENT When a PWS exceeds the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for both Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) and Haloacetic Acids (HAA5) it must issue a public notice to inform the consumers of its water that the levels of Total Trihalomethanes and Haloacetic Acids detected in their water have exceeded the MCLs set by Federal Regulations. You can use this template as a guide to prepare that public notice

DRIVER-TREATMENT-TTHM-POLITICAL CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT Rapid detection of the total trihalomethanes (TTHM) in treated drinking water is essential for compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Stage 2 Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts (DBP) Rule, which limits the maximum contaminant level of TTHM in drinking water. The current detection method for TTHM determination involves sending samples to EPA certified laboratories for gas chromatography analysis; a method that is both expensive and time consuming. In the Phase I, Agave BioSystems demonstrated proof of concept for a sensitive colorimetric TTHM detection system based on a modified Fujiwara reaction, which can be integrated into a portable field sensor. This assay system utilizes a modified Fujiwara reaction to yield a detectable color product that correlates directly to the TTHM levels of the water sample. In this Phase II, Agave BioSystems proposes to construct a compact and portable rapid response TTHM water monitoring system for field use. BENEFIT: TTHM is linked to increased rates of bladder and colorectal cancers, and several studies link TTHM to heart, liver, and central nervous system damage. The EPA estimates that lowering TTHM levels in as few as 1,200 small drinking water systems could prevent up to 20 cases of bladder cancer per year, resulting in economic benefits of up to $110 million per year. Another documented health risk is the increased rate of miscarriage and congenital birth defects in areas with high TTHM levels. A Virginia based class action lawsuit seeking more than $1 billion in damages, claims that peak TTHM occurrences in one water distribution system may have led to multiple miscarriages. A cost effective and easy to use field portable sensor, such as the one proposed by Agave BioSystems, would enable drinking water delivery systems of any size to effectively monitor the levels of TTHM in their water supply on a more frequent basis, and allow proactively treating