My Comments: As I find myself getting older, I find myself increasingly fascinated by how the future is going to unfold. Some of this may be because the number of years I have left is predictably shrinking.

My uncle, my father’s younger brother, recently died at age 96. My grandson is about to turn 2 years old. Arguably, he has a better chance of reaching age 96 than I do, and one has to wonder how life will evolve for him, socially, economically, geographically, politically, etc.

Consider this, if he does reach age 96, the calendar will appear as October 26, 2106. If that’s not enough to make you think again, I don’t know what will.

From my favorite thinker and writer about how the coming years may play out, Thomas P. M. Barnett:.

Wss Street Journal story on Kremlin ordered crackdown on smoking rates, right after China “plans ‘harsh’ anti-smoking rules.

This is the reality: with globalization and development comes heightened smoking rates, which in turn triggers massive healthcare costs.

Then there’s the secondary reality that Old Core North America, sick of smoking a while ago, sent Big Tobacco packing (globally) and that led to those companies going heavy into emerging markets, spreading their . . . whatever.

So Big Tobacco is going to be given its second great historical “boot,” which will push it into even more emerging markets and the merry chase continues – much like with anti-globalization terror networks (another great purveyor of death).

What does NorthAm Core turn to now as its own progressive era kicks in? Bloomberg has already given you the clue with the mega soda pop ban. It’s obesity.

We’ll see that crusade shift to New Core in about a decade.

Referenced from: http://thomaspmbarnett.com/#ixzz2AL19dyGG