ripperdoc's clinic

jessnevins:

From a fascinating Foreign Policy article on the global black market:

System D is a slang phrase pirated from French-speaking Africa and the Caribbean. The French have a word that they often use to describe particularly effective and motivated people. They call them débrouillards. To say a…

Buying up a part of Madagascar big as half of Belgium, not to feed the locals but to supply palm oil for Korea (more of those beauty products, perhaps?)

Here and now, Africa is being sold to corporations, looking for arable land or resources. This is nothing new, but Africa is the place where nation states are the weakest - if corporations would take control anywhere first, it would be Africa.

• New shipping lanes
• Unlocked natural resources
• Increased agricultural production
• Tourism

(via warrenellis.com)

The Bay Area in California, dominated by San Fransisco, has a very active economy, where the rest of the state is suffering. Will we see a Bay Area city state? It certainly sounds Gibson- or Stephenson-esque! (via always excellent Futurismic)

klaatu:

#1 Tokyo, Japan

2010 Population: 36.7 million
Estimated 2025 Population: 37.1 million


#2 — Delhi, India

2010 Population: 22.2 million
Estimated 2025 Population: 28.6 million


#3 — Sao Paulo, Brazil

2010 Population: 20.3 million
Estimated 2025 Population: 23.7 million


#4 —…

So the question is - is the reality or Google correct? When the world relies more and more on digital maps, at what point are they considered more authorative than reality? And how can underground communities use the discrepancy between maps and reality - if they live in community not in Google Maps, do they exist? (via Futurismic)

A city-state colonization scheme, you could call it. I don’t believe it is feasible or even good for our world, but it sure does give some good inspiration for future geopolitics.