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November 2013

Prospects Daily: U.S. equities edge higher on U.S. consumer spending and inflation data, U.S. Fed Chief and Bank of England hint at prolonged low short-term rates, South Africa’s headline inflation slows for the second month in a row

Financial Markets…U.S. equities edged higher in morning trading Wednesday as encouraging data on U.S. consumer spending and inflation in October diminished expectations for Fed’s December tapering. The S&P 500 gained 0.2%, after climbing as much as 0.4% earlier, and the Dow rose 0.1%. Investors are awaiting a release of the Federal Reserve’s recent policy meeting minutes that may provide some clues on the timing of reduction in the monthly stimulus program.

Thanksgiving Woes? IBM and Big Data May Help.

Tanya Gupta's picture

In just about a week, on Thursday November 28, people all over the United States will kick off the "holiday season" with the celebration of Thanksgiving Day. While the day's significance is both historical and profound, in modern times it consists of a lot of shopping and a big meal with family and friends gathered around the dinner table. Pre-thanksgiving is a time to be on the lookout for creative new recipes.  Sure, we can get recipes from magazines, websites and friends and while they may be special, they will not be unique.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have an app that would create a special unique recipe just for you? A delightful recipe that has never been executed before.  Well the idea is not as futuristic as it sounds. It may be here sooner than you think.  IBM and big data have a lot to do with this particular innovation.
 
Can computers be creative?  IBM thinks they can.  IBM scientists Lav R. Varshney and other members of an IBM team, have used data sets and proprietary algorithms in the daunting field of the culinary arts to develop a computational creativity system. The data sets they have used are recipes, molecular level food related data and data about the compounds, ingredients and dishes that people like and dislike.  They then developed an algorithm that produces thousands or millions of new ideas from the recipes.  The recipes are then evaluated to select the best ones that combine ingredients in a way that has never been attempted before.  Humans can interact with the system by choosing a key ingredient and the kind of cuisine.

Risking Your Health

Damien de Walque's picture


All over the world, people engage in behaviors that are risky for their health. They smoke, use illicit drugs, drink too much alcohol, eat unhealthy food or adopt sedentary lifestyles, and have risky sexual encounters. As a consequence, they endanger their health, reduce their own life expectancy, and often impose harmful consequences on others.

Women and Trade in Africa: Essential to the Continent's Success

Catherine Sear's picture

New Short Film: "Mind the Gap: Gender Equality and Trade in Africa"
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Women in Africa participate in trade in many ways. They are informal cross-border traders. They produce traded goods and services. They are rural farmers and they are professionals, providing legal and accountancy services. Many are also entrepreneurs with dominant ownership of exporting companies. Women are—and will be—essential to the continent’s success in the global marketplace.
 

Calling CSOs in Bangladesh: Grants on Social Accountability Initiatives

Naomi Ahmad's picture

Apply by January 6, 2014 to win grants from $500,000-$1,000,000Are you a Civil Society Organization in Bangladesh? Apply now to the Global Partnership for Accountability (GPSA) second call for proposal on Social Accountability to win grants ranging from $500,000 - $1,000,000. The deadline for application is Monday January 6, 2014.
 

Committed to Healthier Forests and Landscapes

Ellysar Baroudy's picture


Today, three countries – Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States – pledged $280 million to the World Bank’s BioCarbon Fund, kicking off a groundbreaking initiative for sustainable forest landscapes. 

Their significant commitment to land and forest preservation is important for two reasons.

The new Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes will manage landscapes in a holistic fashion by working across sectors, rather than in “silos.” It also brings in the private sector already in the design phase, recognizing that many private firms are committed to “greening” and securing their supply chains from the impact of climate change.

Toilets Critical to Ending Poverty

Jaehyang So's picture

Jaehyang So, Manager of the Water and Sanitation Program, wrote an op-ed for The Huffington Post for World Toilet Day. In the article, Jaehyang So discusses the impact of sanitation on the world and the need to address basic human sanitation and hygiene in order to meet the Bank's twin goals: to end extreme poverty by 2030 and to boost shared prosperity for the poorest 40 percent of the population. Read the op-ed below, courtesy of The Huffington Post.


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