The World’s Top Richest People

The World’s Top Ten Billionaires

First Published Date: November 18, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

Bloomberg Market just came up with their list of the world’s top 100 billionaires. These billionaires are the rich of the richest on earth. Here are the top ten richest people from that list:

1.    Bill Gates – Unites States

2.    Carlos Slim – Mexico

3.    Amancio Ortega – Spain

4.    Warren Buffett – United States

5.    Ingvar Kamprad – Sweden

6.    Charles Koch – United States

7.    David Koch – United States

8.    Larry Ellison – United States

9.    Christy Walton – United States

10.    Jim Walton – United States

Source: Bloomberg

Here are some other interesting facts from the Bloomberg Market’s Richest of the Rich report:

– Canada’s David Thompson (of Thompson Reuters) is #22 on the top 100 list.

– U.S. (37) and Russia (11) have the most top 100 billionaires.

– Mark Zuckerberg (29) is the youngest billionaire among the top 100.

– Karl Albrecht (93) is the oldest.

– There are 11 women in the top 100 list.

– Median net worth is $15.7B of these top 100.

– Net worth is $2.1 Trillion of these top 100 billionaires.

The view the full report, visit Bloomberg Market’s Richest of the Rich

China Eases One Child Policy

China Relaxes One Child Policy

First Published Date: November 27, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

In the past, I wrote about how the Chinese economy got its boost from its one-child policy: China’s One Child Policy. In a recent announcement, after months of speculation China announced that it is relaxing its unpopular and decades-old one-child policy.

The new policy change will apply to those families where one parent is an only child. In some places, especially in the countryside, families can have a second child if the first child is a girl. It is estimated that some 20 million parents will be affected and can have a second child.

There are possibly 2 reasons behind this policy shift by the Chinese government. China will face enormous labour shortages in the future due to its heavy concentration of aging population. Over 25 percent of its population is expected to be over 65 by 2050.

And then there is another problem of gender imbalance. Unless changes are made rapidly, in the near future Chinese males will be unable to find a female partner to get married, and this could mean nearly 24 million men will be unable to find wives by the end of the decade.

Despite the easing the one-child policy, the policymakers are not expecting a dramatic growth of newborn babies creating a Chinese baby boom. New generation Chinese families are opting for smaller families and the fertility rate is already on the decline.

As time goes by, if no significant or unexpected population influx arises it is possible that the Chinese authorities will abolish the remaining family planning restrictions altogether.

Green Fingers = Green Future

Eco-Friendly Green Gardening

First Published Date: November 30, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

It is commonly held that global warming and other environmental concerns are far too big for humans to turn back. Some even believe that global warming is not man-made despite the large amount of evidence to suggest that it very much is. For such reasons, there are many people who decide not to do anything about it, and say “I’m only one person – what can I do, realistically?”. These people are missing the point. If no-one does anything, then there is no question that the problems will get worse. In order to turn back the tide, there are things that we can do. Although many may feel that it isn’t worth bothering, if enough of us take a lead, then at least we can set an example.

Setting a good example can be done in many ways, but the chances of it being taken up depend on several factors. Not least of these is the fact that people can specifically benefit themselves by taking a greener approach. This is best referred to as the “What’s in it for me?” factor. Although there may be little incentive for someone to take a greener approach to life if all it is going to achieve is a lessening in the global problems some years down the line, they will think differently if they feel that it might benefit them in the long term and the short term. One way to do this is to look at planting a vegetable garden.

Although gardening is seen by many as a pastime for older people, there is little doubt that it can benefit us all. Taking it on the most basic level, all of us need to eat in order to live. Inevitably, part of our diet is sure to come from vegetables. Now, we can get in our car and drive to the supermarket to buy veg there. The advantage of this approach is that it is convenient. But aside from that, there is little reason why we should do this. Supermarkets, for all their eye-catching green initiatives, are simply not going to take part in any approach that may hurt their profit margins. And the vegetables they sell will come with a healthy profit for the company – putting us, the consumers, out of pocket.

If we grow our own veg, then we immediately create a saving for ourselves. Instead of having to drive to the supermarket (spending money on fuel as we do so), buying the veg (and thus paying more than we would had we grown it ourselves) and putting it into a bag (we pay for that, too), we could be cutting out these extra costs and helping ourselves. Additionally, we are causing less pollution by cutting out exhaust fumes and unnecessary packaging.

By growing our own veg we will also ensure the utmost freshness, which is always a major factor in terms of taste. And although it takes an initial investment of our time, it saves us a lot more in the long run – how many people do you know who can take care of most of the ingredients for dinner just by popping outside for a few minutes?

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on April 24, 2009.

Global Warming – G8 Nations Aren’t Doing Enough

Global Warming - There Is Work To Be Done

First Published Date: December 22, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

For environmentalists who look to the world’s established economies and governments to provide a positive lead on global warming, the news emanating from the World Wildlife Fund’s research looks gloomy, it has to be said. The news which has emerged this week is that none of the G8 – the group of eight nations which between them set the trends for much of the world to follow – has managed to do enough to curb global warming. Even worse news comes for the North American green movement with the revelation that sitting in spots seven and eight are the United States and Canada respectively. With this year seen as a pivotal moment in time for the purpose of reversing the global environmental trend, the outlook is decidedly frosty.

It cannot be doubted that Canada will feel it has the most to be embarrassed about. Although the United States recently elected Barack Obama to the presidency after eight years of the hugely Enviroskeptic leadership of George W Bush, President Obama has had less than half a year to turn things around, and Canada’s fall has as much to do with a shortfall of work on the part of the government to ensure that it is meeting its targets. With five months to go until the G8 leaders meet in Copenhagen, Denmark seeking to agree a new deal to replace the embattled Kyoto protocols of 1997, Stephen Harper’s government has not implemented a plan to curb emissions. According to the WWF, Canada is some distance off meeting its Kyoto agreements.

Although President Obama can feel personally proud that the report praised his efforts to prioritize cleaner, greener energy, he may reflect on the report’s conclusion that per capita emissions in the US are among the world’s highest and projected to increase. Pointedly the report mentioned that the Obama presidency had led to more action in the States in the last four months than in the previous three decades, adding that this trend “will hopefully continue”. A qualified thumbs up for Mr. Obama, then, with the caveat that his actions will continue to be monitored. He may be invited to start by taking action to limit the future temperature rise for the United States to a level two degrees Celsius above the levels pre 1900, action he is yet to take.

If Canada and the US are bottom of a poor grade, then the lukewarm congratulations must go to Germany and the United Kingdom. Both nations recently gave an improved share of the vote to their respective Green parties, but the real headline news for each is that Germany has promoted renewable energy and set a target of a 40% cut in greenhouse gases by 2020. The absence of clear implementation plans prevented them from getting full marks, while the United Kingdom’s success in not only meeting but surpassing its targets came with a small cloud attached in the shape of its markedly non-green record in transport. There remains work to be done between now and the Copenhagen meeting.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Thegreenlivingblog.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on July 7, 2009.

The 2013 World’s Most Expensive Expatriate Cities

The 2013 World’s Most Expensive Cities for Foreign Workers

First Published Date: December 25, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

ECA International, a consulting firm that provides data and software in employment solutions to assist companies, recently released their report showing the most expensive cities in the world for foreign workers.

For the first time, Caracas (Venezuela) is on the top of the list replacing Tokyo (Japan). Here are the top ten cities most expensive cities in the world:

1.    Caracas (Venezuela, last year 7)

2.    Luanda (Angola 4)

3.    Oslo (Norway 3)

4.    Juba (South Sudan 14)

5.    Stavanger (Norway 8)

6.    Zurich (Switzerland 9)

7.    Geneva (Switzerland 10)

8.    Bern (Switzerland 11)

9.    Basel (Switzerland 12)

10.    Tokyo (Japan 1)

Some highlights from the list:

– If you are wondering how can Luanda or Juba be on that list, you are not alone because I am wondering about it too. The report suggests high import and transportations costs are the causes.

– Switzerland and Norway have 6 cities in the top ten list.

– No U. S. Or Canadian cities on top ten list.

– According to ECA, Caracas being at the top may be short-lived

– Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai are catching up and climbed up on the list.

– In the Middle East, cities like Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Dubai have gone up significantly.

– Australian Cities Sydney and Canberra have gone down dramatically from their last year’s top 20 position to 31st and 39th position.

To view the full report, visit ECA International.