Did you know that the mayor of Moscow has outlawed needle exchange programs?  In this day and age with all of the available evidence it's amazing that such a backward mentality exists in a country that has (or had) the scientific know-how to put people into space.  By 2020 there will be 12 million people with HIV in Russia.  Mind you I realize there are probably more disturbing things happening in that country, thank god I don't live there.  I just saw a documentary about HIV and harm reduction in Russia and thought I'd share that tidbit. 

I just saw another story about the auto-boom in China.  By 2020 there will be 50 million cars on Chinese roads (there are currently 14 million).  They are bulldozing peasants houses to build super-freeways.  The petrol consumption is going through the roof and supporting the record oil prices.  China already has 16 of the worlds top 20 polluted cities.  100,000 people die in automobile accidents every year in China - that's equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every day.

What a great place the world will be in 2020.  When I was a kid I remember reading books that said by the year 2000 we'd all be travelling in flying cars and living in cities under the sea.  I guess that's still a long way off.

What are you doing to make the world a better place?  Write in and I'll post your comments.