Tuesday, August 21, 2018

FACTFULNESS: The must-read book on facts in a post-truth world, featured on Barack Obama's list of summer reads


"Factfulness by Hans Rosling, an outstanding international public health expert, is a hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases."

– Barack Obama

 

 

A timely, short and essential book about the power of facts in a post-truth world, by late international sensation Hans Rosling ('a true inspiration' - Bill Gates).

Ten Reasons We're Wrong About The World - And Why Things Are Better Than You Think 

When you ask people simple questions about global trends, they systematically get the answers wrong. How many young women go to school? What's the average life expectancy across the world? What will the global population will be in 2050? Do the majority of people live in rich or poor countries?

In FACTFULNESS, Hans Rosling and his two lifelong collaborators, Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling-Rönnlund, show why this happens. Based on a lifetime's work promoting a fact-based worldview, they reveal the ten dramatic instincts, and the key preconceptions, that lead to us consistently misunderstanding how the world really works.

Inspiring and revelatory, FACTFULNESS is a book of stories by a late legend, for anyone who wants to really understand the world.

Hans Rosling was a medical doctor, professor of international health and renowned public educator. He was an adviser to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, and co-founded Médecins sans Frontières in Sweden and the Gapminder Foundation. His TED talks have been viewed more than 35 million times, and he was listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. Hans died in 2017, having devoted the last years of his life to writing this book.

Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund, Hans's son and daughter-in-law, were co-founders of the Gapminder Foundation, and Ola its director from 2005 to 2007 and from 2010 to the present day. After Google acquired the bubble-chart tool called Trendalyzer, invented and designed by Anna and Ola, Ola became head of Google's Public Data Team and Anna the team's senior user experience (UX) designer. They have both received international awards for their work.


Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Do kangaroos roam the streets in Australia?

Wes, yes. Actually, they do. This seen in Canberra, the nation's capital.

Quite likely this event a result of harsh drought conditions currently being experienced across much of New South Wales.

Much debate has ensued about whether kangaroos should be culled in this area. What do you think?