Author: The Albertine Journal.com

BY William H. Janeway CAMBRIDGE – In his new book The Power Law, Sebastian Mallaby has produced a rich and rewarding account of how Silicon Valley co-evolved with the professional venture capital (VC) industry since the late 1950s. His book complements two other recent works: VC: An American History, by Tom Nicholas of Harvard Business School, and The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America, by Margaret O’Mara of the University of Washington – both of which I reviewed previously. Together, Mallaby, Nicholas, and O’Mara offer a comprehensive survey of how capital is mobilized to finance high-risk ventures at…

By Steve Glaveski Fresh off the back of the success of Sapiens and Homo Deus, Professor Yuval Noah Harari has returned with another book, not quite for the ages, but for the 21st Century. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century cuts through the information overwhelm and muddy waters of the online world and confronts the most urgent questions on today’s global agenda. I was excited when I received my copy of the book in the mail, courtesy of Penguin Books, and couldn’t wait to get my head buried in it. And by all accounts, i.e. mine, it didn’t fail to…

Most billionaires have quite a bad reputation when it comes to climate change. Not Mike Cannon-Brookes. Cannon-Brookes, co-founder of software giant Atlassian and the third richest person in Australia, is known to be a keen supporter of the global transition to renewable energy – and quite a vocal critic of his country’s lack of action. Frustrated with the government’s disregard of climate concerns, Cannon-Brookes believes he can make a difference. Last year, he pledged $350 (€313) million in personal funds to finance nonprofits fighting climate change and invest in projects promoting clean energy. And with his $20 (€17.9) billion of…

Panama has declared that nature has ‘the right to exist’ in groundbreaking new legislation. After a year of debate, the country’s National Assembly, President Laurentino Cortizo signed off on the new ruling last week. It grants nature the “right to exist, persist and regenerate its life cycles” meaning Panama’s parliament will now have to consider the impact of its laws and policies on the natural world. What does Panama’s new legislation mean in practice? The legislation, which will come into force in 2023, requires that the government’s future policies respect the rights of Panama’s ecosystems, including its tropical forests, rivers…

Solar and wind power can grow enough to limit global warming to 1.5C if the 10-year average compound growth rate of 20 per cent can be maintained to 2030, according to a new report. Independent climate think tank Ember announced the news on Wednesday, adding that solar generation rose 23 per cent globally in 2021, while wind supply gained 14 per cent over the same period. Together, both renewable sources accounted for 10.3 per cent of total global electricity generation, up 1 per cent from 2020. The Netherlands, Australia and Vietnam had the fastest growth rates for the renewable sources,…

New research reveals ozone in the lower atmosphere in particular contributed to warming in the Southern Ocean – which absorbs much of the planet’s excess heat – more than previously realized. The study shows that ozone is more than just a pollutant, but also may be playing a significant role in climate change. Ozone may be weakening one of the Earth’s most important cooling mechanisms, making it a more significant greenhouse gas than previously thought, research has found. A new study has revealed that changes to ozone levels in the upper and lower atmosphere were responsible for almost a third…

Government has procured 23,000 litres of pesticides to fight the menacing African armyworm that has ravaged crops in several districts in the country. This was revealed by the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja on Thursday, April 14 2022 while presenting a statement on the Floor of Parliament on the invasion of the African armyworm. According to Nabbanja, the invasion of the African armyworm has spread to over 40 districts and is causing massive destruction of crops and threatening the livelihoods of the people in those affected districts. “Government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has procured 23,000…

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries is expected to present a comprehensive report to Parliament regarding the progress of business in the fisheries sector. This follows concerns raised by Hon. Charles Tebandeke (NUP, Bbale County) on discrimination in issuance of licences to fish maw traders in Uganda. Rising on a matter of national importance on Thursday, 14 April 2022, Tebandeke observed that issuance of these licences has often been limited to foreign traders, leaving out local traders. He said Ugandans have applied for the trading licenses but have been disadvantaged in favour of the foreign traders. The issuance…

The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has directed the Prime Minister to give government’s position on the status of construction of the International Specialised Hospital in Lubowa, Wakiso district along the Kampala-Entebbe Road. “A team went to the construction site and they were denied entry, on this one, we must speak as Members of Parliament. We need to know what is happening in Lubowa hospital before we finalise the budget,” said Among. Her directive followed a matter of national importance raised by Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi (NUP, Butambala County) during plenary sitting on Thursday, 14 April 2022. “In the current budget,…

Parliament’s Committee on East African Community Affairs has tasked the finance ministry to prioritise funding for the Ministry of East African Community Affairs. Committee members say low budget allocation to the ministry has affected its capacity to discharge its key activities on national and regional level. The committee chairperson, Hon. Noeline Basemera, said the budgeting of the Ministry of East African Community Affairs has been on a downward trend for the last two consecutive financial years, yet the EAC is expanding its frontiers. “The activities of the ministry are so minimal that it sometimes goes unnoticed. The ministry is poorly…