Armageddon Cancelled

World population is expected to reach (a peak of) 9.2 billion by 2050 according to a new study by the United Nations. Virtually all growth will occur in developing countries, with their population growing from 5.4 billion today to 7.9 billion mid-century. The population of developed regions is expected to remain unchanged at 1.2 billion, and would have declined, were it not for the anticipated net migration from developing to developed countries.

Mongabay

Those of us who survived the 1970s will recall that we were all supposed to be dead by now.

In his 1968 book The Population Bomb, Paul Erlich predicted that the human population would increase exponentially, outpacing agricultural growth and causing a grim end to our comfy way of life. Using inappropriate and inaccurate modeling, he predicted that famine and industrial factors would kill most Americans before the turn of the century.

Ironshrink

So what is going to kill off the human race and leave the future of the planet in the hands of some small furry mammals or highly evolved kina ?

My money is on a supervolcano (the closest being in the middle of the North Island):

A supervolcano is a volcano capable of producing a super volcanic eruption, which is a volcanic eruption with ejecta greater than 1,000 cubic kilometers (240 cubic miles), which is thousands of times larger than most historic volcanic eruptions.[1] Supervolcanoes can occur when magma in the Earth rises into the crust from a hotspot but is unable to break through the crust. Pressure builds in a large and growing magma pool until the crust is unable to contain the pressure. They can also form at convergent plate boundaries (for example, Toba) and continental hotspot locations (for example, Yellowstone).

Supervolcano

SUPPLE TO THE TOUCH.

Whale penis leather.... Now we know why the Japanese really want whales. Their pizzles.

Funny thing is a few ( actually many ) years back we looked at the seal pizzle trade. It was very big in some countries but more as an aphrodisiac but as a food as well. And as you can see at two hundred quid a plate - it was a lucrative trade.
We are also aware that our cousins in the deep south are putting together a case to harvest seals around Stewart Island as their numbers are such that they are becoming a nuisance
So the Ruskies have bought out the most expensive SUV in history.. The Prombron. Its reeks of testosterone and its seats are carefully and artfully upholstered in whale penis leather.

ROOTIN TOOTIN

PUTIN...

He might be near naked but he is still a runty Russkie.

However we think he would be serious competition with Clayton Weatherston as the archetypal Narcissist.

Its definitely all about him.

Hat tip Theodores World

STEPHEN JENNINGS

We have had a lot of inquiries for the full copy of the Business Round Table Sir Ronald Trotter Series lecture by Stephen Jennings.

so here it is Sir Ronald Trotter Lecture Stephen Jennings

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Law & Government Business & Law emerging economic co stephen jennings


and you can go to the Biz Round Table website here

JENNINGS LECTURE SOBERING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING.

We are pretty sure that as a baby, the cradle of Stephen Jennings. was rocked by Roger Douglas. Last night as part of the Business Round Table Ron Trotter Lecture series, the former treasury analyst, merchant banker and now Russian Oligarch, gave his views on the global economy and the the risks and opportunities. He referred constantly to emerging economic convergence

Essential conditions for convergence are a difference in the level of productivity, a difference in the annual growth rate of productivity favouring the catching up less developed countries (LDCs), and a relatively long-run time horizon.

As Jennings puts it - the further a country is behind the greater the rate of growth and the bigger the opportunities. It happens because those less developed countries now have a window to the rest of the world and look to replicate it in their own backyard. Essentially when LDC climb on the ladder of economic growth a spectacular rate of change occurs.

It happens fast and is often very untidy- witness the growing pains of Russia.
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Companies who operate successfully in such environments are those who are nimble on the ground - not big multinationals who suffer from their own internal bureaucracies.

Jennings was both an architect and a beneficiary of just that phenomena in Russia.

We have been working with a company who understands the opportunities well and with cutting edge technology are transforming the way business in being done in the Pacific in a similar fashion.

Jennings has the ice eyes of a true pragmatist and despite the fact Europe is his home he has a deep and abiding passion for his homeland NZ.

The boy from the "Naki" has concerns for New Zealand. Our primary industry will serve us well, our lack of understanding of the sanctity of property rights is a barrier and that we need more of the unbundling of the Roger Douglas years if we are to hold onto the tail of the global tiger, he says.

Douglas Myers echoed Jennings thoughts. Interesting that the economic pragmatists have ice eyes.

As for the function, it was superbly done. As a late ring in, I ended up as the only adult on the table of the leaders of tomorrow , final year High School students from around the region. They were inspiring and animated and it was a sad thing that all I could give them was a blurry understanding of economics from my final school year plucked from the dusty recesses of my memory banks.

To the organisers - it was fantastic event but the leaders of tomorrow should have been spread around the tables of the leaders of yesterday and today. That interaction would have inspired them. Sadly I am not sure I was up to that task.

However, there was one young man at the table who will go far. Nick Cross. He has an enormous brain and a keen understanding of politics and is good looking. I first met him as a volunteer for Stephen Frank's campaign. He will be in the beehive one day or a captain of industry - of that I am sure.

STEPHEN JENNINGS

Tonight we are off to the Business Round Table gig where we are listening to Stephen Jennings as part of the Sir Ronald Trotter Lecture series.

Jennings started the Renaissance Group in Russia which is still regarded as one of the strongest financial institutions in Eastern Europe. He is a Kiwi.

He has some strong views on what it will take to make New Zealand and indeed the worlds financial markets hum again.

We have written a few blogs on him and they are still some of the most searched posts we have written.

He preaches what we call kick arse economics

Should be a great night.

UKRAINE FINAINCIAL CRISIS POISED TO OPEN EUROPE FAULTLINE?

We blogged on the state of some of the Eastern Block countries a few weeks back and the prediction that a major financial calamity could create the European Faultline

The cracks are now appearing in Ukraine. The PM , Yulia Tymoshenko has come out stating that they are okay and they have not got the begging bowl out but clearly the country is in trouble

And it appears that more than a few mad politicians may not be helping.