October 2009 – Page 13 – Public Intelligence Blog

KEY POINT: Design is not just about physical structures, but about relationships as well as ideas. Will Durant has a great deal to say about this in Philosophy and the Social Problem.

KEY POINT: Information is the means by which we harmonize understanding of the threats, sustainable consensus on how to handle the threats, and implementaition plans, programs, and budgets across the twelve core policy areas. THIS ALLOWS both vertical and horizonal harmonization within the four levels of governments (local, state or province, national, and regional or global).

Earth is an information system within a larger Cosmic information system. We are coming off a millenium of information pathologies. Now is the time to pay careful attention to Ackoff and Fuller and get right things right.

To Be Considered:

1. Origin & Responsibilities of the State

2. Causes of Revolution

3. Earth Science Fundamentals

4. Government in the Information Age

5. What Is To Be Done?

Continue reading “Journal: Design Thinking for Government”

2009/10/20

Journal: True Cost of Electricity

True Cost

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Report tallies hidden energy costs

The average retail cost of U.S. coal-fired electricity was 9 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2007 (the most recent year for which data are available). But there are health and environmental costs of that power that consumers don't pay, at least as part of their electric bill. According to a new report, accounting for those costs would double the true cost of shooting some electrons through the nation's power grid.

As long as such costs remain hidden, they risk skewing policy and purchasing decisions. A new report released today by the National Research Council now attempts to compute and tally those hidden health and environmental costs associated with energy. And although the sums it offers up are huge, the report acknowledges that society may decide they’re well worth accepting in light of the benefits provided by that energy.

Now about that coal, which supplies nearly half of U.S. electricity: The NRC report finds that the hidden per-kWh health and environmental costs average a little more than 3 cents, but can be as high as 12 cents. The big differential largely reflects the age of plants — newer ones must employ better stack-gas cleaning technologies — and how much sulfur the coal contains.

Continue reading “Journal: True Cost of Electricity”

2009/10/202009/10/20

Worth a Look: Bankster

03 Economy, Civil Society, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Reform, Worth A Look

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On the one-year anniversary of the Banksters blowing a hole in the global economy, no employee of a major American bank or financial institution is behind bars. Compare this to what happened after the Savings and Loan heist almost 20 years ago.

No less than 1,852 S&L officials were prosecuted and 1,072 were jailed. Over 500 CEOs and top officers were indicted. What is going on here? Don't we believe in holding people accountable anymore? Tell the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI to get cracking! Our motto? TOO BIG TO FAIL, BUT NOT TOO BIG TO GO TO JAIL!

Put an End to Death Bonds

No New Powers for the Fed

Cap Those Interest Rates, 10% is Enough!

Demand Accountability, Fairness, and Security

Phi Beta Iota: Being added to Righteous Sites.

2009/10/202009/10/20

Journal: Information Security Seven Guiding Principles

Collaboration Zones, Communities of Practice, InfoOps (IO), Methods & Process, Mobile, Policies, Real Time

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RSA Executives Offer Seven Guiding Principles To Maximize Megatrends Redefining the Information Security Industry

LONDON, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ — RSA® CONFERENCE EUROPE 2009 — Building a
systemic security strategy to help organizations better face challenges and exploit opportunities spurred by next generation technology trends was the theme of the opening keynote at the 2009 RSA Conference Europe. In a joint keynote address, Art Coviello and Christopher Young, President and Senior Vice President, respectively, with RSA, The Security Division of EMC (NYSE: EMC), highlighted the need for organizations to develop a systemic security strategy that treats escalating technology trends not as a burden to be lifted, but as
an unprecedented opportunity to improve security and build a more secure information infrastructure.

The seven principles:

Continue reading “Journal: Information Security Seven Guiding Principles”

2009/10/20

Journal: America’s Shame, Obama’s Failure

01 Poverty, 11 Society, Government

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Revised formula puts 1 in 6 Americans in poverty

Revised formula puts number of poor people at 47.4 million — 7 million more than official rate

A revised formula for calculating medical costs and geographic variations show that approximately 47.4 million Americans last year lived in poverty, 7 million more than the government's official figure.

The disparity occurs because of differing formulas the Census Bureau and the National Academy of Science use for calculating the poverty rate. The NAS formula shows the poverty rate to be at 15.8 percent, or nearly 1 in 6 Americans, according to calculations released this week. That's higher than the 13.2 percent, or 39.8 million, figure made available recently under the original government formula. . . . . . . .

Food stamp assistance currently is at an all-time high of about 36 million.

Continue reading “Journal: America's Shame, Obama's Failure”

2009/10/202009/10/20

Journal: Multinational Operations 101

04 Inter-State Conflict, 05 Civil War, 10 Security, Methods & Process, Military

Italian Troops Denied Access To Intelligence Reports, Minister Says

Richard Owen TimesOnline (UK) October 20, 2009

Italy is denied full access to intelligence assessments in Afghanistan, a restriction that affects its troops' ability to operate safely and hampers allied co-ordination, the Italian Foreign Minister said yesterday.

The lack of co-ordination and pooled intelligence between Nato forces was a widespread problem, Franco Frattini said. “We have repeatedly raised this issue,” he added. …

Mr Frattini said the problem was that intelligence was “the only resource not put at the disposal of everyone”. He said that in Herat, which is under Italian and Spanish command, there was excellent co-ordination with Spanish forces, “but if I want to leave Herat to go to Kandahar it is another matter”.

Continue reading “Journal: Multinational Operations 101”

RSA Executives Offer Seven Guiding Principles To Maximize Megatrends Redefining the Information Security Industry

Full Story Online Revised formula puts 1 in 6 Americans in poverty

Full Story Online

Revised formula puts 1 in 6 Americans in poverty