FortySouth

The contracted global economy is literary palpable with unemployment numbers going through the roof.

The World Bank recently projected that the global economy will shrink in 2009, with growth in the developing markets dropping from 4.4% to 2.1%. They also project that recovery will commence in 2010 albeit at a slowed pace.

What’s more interesting is that the recovery depends on where in the world you live:

A curious note is that the most substantial GDP growth is registered in the emerging markets, especially in Asia.

A study conducted in Ivory Coast suggest that they do!

Male chimps that are willing to share the proceeds of their hunting expeditions mate twice as often as their more selfish counterparts.

This is a long-term exchange, so males continue to share their catch with females when they are not fertile, copulating with them when they are.

Female chimps are lazy apparently don’t hunt much so for them it’s hard to come by meat for their much-needed protein. So the males go out, hunt, bring back the bounty and otherwise outdo themselves for the ladies, knowing all too well that their efforts are not in vain. Well, well .

The reseachers believe they’re onto something; that this study “could lay the foundations for human studies exploring the link between good hunting skills and reproductive success“.

Really. I couldn’t help but think that there’s some correlation in there somewhere..

Shortly after the launch of Google Mapmaker, users were given the ability to edit maps by adding roads and other markers previously uncharted, to Google Maps. And now, thanks to the awesomeness of crowdsourcing, you can use this user-generated content to get directions too.

Using the mashup, I got really simple directions from *K-Street to Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi (and no, I’m not suggesting anything here; correlation does not imply causation )

This feature is really great because not many cities outside of North America and most of Europe are that well mapped. In many African countries, directions are given mostly based on landmarks, like a nearby building. Those proclivities will always remain and do have their place so I think this feature will serve as a great supplement. What’s more, with a 3G-enabled mobile phone, driving around could get a lot easier!

Head over to Google Mapmaker and help map your city.

*In the interest of “teh balance”, Koinange Street is Nairobi’s Red-Light District.