To those who might care about how women influence group intelligence

Collective Intelligence: Number of Women in Group Linked to Effectiveness in 

Solving Difficult Problems

ScienceDaily (Oct. 2, 2010) — When it comes to intelligence, the whole can indeed be greater than the sum of its parts. A new study co-authored by MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, and Union College researchers documents the existence of collective intelligence among groups of people who cooperate well, showing that such intelligence extends beyond the cognitive abilities of the groups' individual members, and that the tendency to cooperate effectively is linked to the number of women in a group.

(see article at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100930143339.htm for more)

Frish

A UN Mission regarding The Future Of Cities...

UN Habitat's mission:

"... to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all."

http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx?publicationID=2998

Didn't check out the whole site, or other pubs, or even this one, although I did down load it.

I find it somewhat interesting that long term planning or interest in urban life exists at a global level.

Cities are the "eternal" measure of human organization even if they started out as quite a messy business.

Those who lived in early cities were beset by diseases unknown amongst the hunter gatherers/horticulturalists who proceeded them.

However, calendars, accounting, writing, division of labor, concentration of labor and markets in cities supported by agriculture was a far more stable way of life.

And, ultimately unsustainable.  Because it provides for unlimited human population growth.  Ooops.

I think the mission statement is difficult to achieve regardless of what adequate means.

The demands of the world's biggest cities will be incredible over the next decades.

Frish