The International Monetary Fund’s most recent report on world economic conditions predicts a 2.6 percent decline in total U.S. economic output for 2009, and 0.8 percent growth in 2010.

Okay, so those aren’t great numbers. But at least they’re better than what the IMF came up with three months ago, which suggests it could get better in the next three months. (Keep you fingers crossed.)

But I’m keeping you from the good news I promised.

The IMF sees at least 11 other major parts of the world to have a more severe economic state than our own this year, including a good portion of western Europe, Japan, Russia and Mexico.

And here are those numbers (economist prediction of projected economic growth 2009/2010):

China: 7.5/8.5
India: 5.4/6.5
Middle East: 2.0/3.7
Africa: 1.8/4.7
Brazil: -1.3/2.5
World total: -1.4/2.5
Canada: -2.3/1.6
U.S.: -2.6/0.8
France: -3.0/0.4
Spain: -4.0/-0.8
U.K.: -4.2/0.2
European Union: -4.7/-0.1
Central/Eastern Europe: -5.0/1.0
Italy: -5.1/-0.1
Japan: -6.0/1.7
Germany: -6.2/-0.6
Russia: -6.5/1.5
Mexico: -7.3/3.0

Just goes to show that the U.S. is integral in the functions of the economies around the world, which also means that it might be up to the U.S. to pull the world out of its current slump.

Zuma was part of the South African Communist Party in the early 1960s and was convicted of conspiring to overthrow the government. (Ironic. Now he actually controls the government.) In 1990, he was elected Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) for the Southern Natal region and worked hard to end political violence between the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party. Nine years later, he was appointed executive Deputy President of South Africa. In 2007, he was elected as President of the ANC, and on May 9 he became the president of South Africa. He has no problem referring to himself as a “socialist” and thinks the concept of wealth distribution is a great idea.

Over the past five years, Zuma has been questioned about bribery and rape. He has 18 children, a few wives and a few more fiancées.

One sliver of hope that we can have about Zuma is his expectation to help the unemployed of South Africa, which was the main facet of his campaign.

According to the New York Times, South Africa’s factory output plunged to a record low of 21.6 percent in the past year.

The main issue for Zuma will be to find a balance to please the two groups that brought him to power: the thousands of unemployed and the trade unions.