Survey stats as of April 3, 2010 from Purple Forge iPhone applications show that Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are the top 3 social networking/media applications used by Purple Forge application users in the United Kingdom, USA and Canada.
Archive | Europe RSS feed for this section
Key Economic Indicators
November 7, 2009
0 Comments
CIBC publishes two documents that provide a good summary of key economic indicators for US and Canada:
The Economist publishes weekly indicators.
BMO publishes three reports:
US and Canada Job Losses Continue – May Numbers
June 5, 2009
0 Comments
Latest unemployment numbers today:
- Canada – 8.4% (highest in 11 years ) – Ontario is now at 9.4% (highest in 15 years)
- US – 9.2% (up from 8.9% in April)
Other interesting lists:
Unrest in the Workplace
March 26, 2009
0 Comments
Recent reports in the news are highlighting increasing aggression and unrest in the workplace.
There have also been reports of incidents against executives at firms with layoffs – ranging from physical assault to murder. In France there have been two cases of hostage taking of managers by employees – at Sony and 3M.
Canada is Potential Leader in Global Technology Revolution
March 15, 2009
0 Comments
A recent Rand report , “The Global Technology Revolution 2020″, looks at 16 upcoming key technologies and the ability of 29 countries to acquire and to implement. The following chart identified the key technology applications -
Only three of the 29 countries examined by Rand were identified as being able to acquire and implement all 16 key technology applications – the United States and Canada in North America and Germany in Western Europe.
Business, Canada, Commercialization, Computing, Creative Class, Economy, Ecosystems, Entreprenuerism, Europe, General Interest, Government, Government Policy, Information Technology, Innovation, Jobs, Manufacturing, Ontario, Opportunities, Ottawa, Regional Economic Development, Trends, United States, Universities, US, US Politics
US, Canada and European Governments Actively Preparing for Widescale Civil Unrest?
March 10, 2009
2 Comments
This blog entry noted european think tank forecasts of civil unrest in the US as a consequence of the economic crisis.
It was reported back in September 2008 that -
U.S. troops returning from duty in Iraq will be carrying out homeland patrols in America from October 1st in complete violation of Posse Comitatus for the purposes of helping with “civil unrest and crowd control” – which could include dealing with unruly Americans after a complete economic collapse.
In February 2009, news reports have highlighted that the US Army is purchasing a significant ($6M) amount of riot gear.
Another article published in February highlighted increased urban warfare training drills by the US Army in cities around the US.
Other news reports have highlighted past “behind the scenes” preparation by the US government relative to even a modest level of anticipated civil unrest, such as the advance preparation of massive prisoner holding pens which were put in place for expected mass arrests during the Denver Democratic National Convention in 2008.
Denver
Recently, a bill entitled the National Emergency Centers Establishment Act (HR 645) was introduced in the US Congress in January. It calls for the establishment of six national emergency centers in major regions in the US to be located on existing military installations. The stated purpose of the “national emergency centers” is to provide “temporary housing, medical, and humanitarian assistance to individuals and families dislocated due to an emergency or major disaster.” Some pundits say that this bill is in reality establishing domestic internment camps since HR 645 explicitly states that the camps can be used to “meet other appropriate needs, as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.”
In Canada, the RCMP is actively recruiting for 2,000 new officers.
Also interesting is that in 2008, the Canadian and US Government signed an agreement to use each other’s troops in civil emergencies.
UK newspapers have reported that European leaders fear civil unrest over the worsening economy, and that:
Europe’s top politicians are so rattled by the prospect of growing protests that they have arranged an emergency leaders’ summit in March to deal with growing tensions.
Canadian GDP Sharpest Quarterly Decline Since 1991
March 2, 2009
0 Comments
The Canadian economy contracted at an annualized rate of 3.4 per cent in the fourth quarter, compared with a 6.2 per cent decline in the U.S. economy, a 5.9 per cent drop in the European Union and a 12.7 per cent plunge in Japan. Canadian GDP dropped 1% in December.
The Face of Canada is Changing
February 27, 2009
0 Comments
Stats Canada published a report in December 2008 – “Immigrant Economic and Social Outcomes in Canada“, that called out some interesting facts, including:
- One in five persons living in Canada is foreign born
- In Toronto, almost half of the population is foreign born
Census statistics from 2001 provides a broader overview of immigrant origin in Canada:
I personally believe this is a great advantage for Canada. The more ties we have with other countries, the more likely that business relationships will be developed.
Universities Benefit from Recession?
February 25, 2009
0 Comments
In the UK, University applications are up 8%, with some Universities are up significantly higher:
Applications to Oxford and Cambridge rose 9.9%. The University of Exeter said it had an 18% increase in applications from British students and 88% rise in those outside the EU. New universities and smaller specialist institutions also reported record rises. Bedfordshire University had a 24% rise in home applications.
Enrollment/application numbers for Universities in the US and Canada for late 2008/early 2009 are hard to find, however here is what has been published so far:
In Canada, there is concern that recession impacts on post-secondary institutions may include decreasing endowment funds, reduced/weakened fund raising, halted or delayed development projects and less government funding.
In US, Universities share similar concerns as in Canada. In the US there is particular concern regarding decreasing endowment funds which are due mainly to the stock market decline:
… the average college endowment lost 2.7 percent in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2008, according to Commonfund, an organization that manages many colleges’ endowments. A follow-up survey found endowments lost another 22.5 percent in the five months that ended Dec. 1, 2008.
In the US and Canada, Universities are likely to be beneficiaries of the various stimulus packages, which should off-set some of the concerns that are currently being expressed.
A Wildcard in the Economic Meltdown?
February 17, 2009
0 Comments
Everyone is fixated on the US economic situation – and for good reason.
The article is well worth reading, and the situation in Europe is worth watching more closely.
