Ethics – Page 145 – Public Intelligence Blog

Utility 3.0: How to Democratize Energy in the U.S.

As the U.S. turns to renewable energy, the question remains: who will benefit?

Among those concerned with the United States' energy future—including, increasingly, the utility companies themselves—the business model known as “Utility 2.0” appears as a beacon of hope. Utility 2.0 addresses the concerns of both energy watchdogs and conventional electricity utilities by offering the latter financial incentives to adopt greener, more flexible infrastructure. But while this new paradigm presents solutions to many of the problems associated with centralized, fossil fuel-reliant power grids, some argue that it does not go far enough.

Continue reading “Jean Lievins: Utility 3.0: How to Democratize Energy in the U.S.”

2015/01/17

Justin Raimondo: In the Absence of Leaders with Integrity — Charlie Hebdo as War-Mongering

Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics

The Uses of Charlie Hebdo

This isn’t about free speech – it’s about war

As the great libertarian writer and editor Garet Garrett put it some sixty years ago: “No doubt the people know they can have their Republic back if they want it enough to fight for it and pay the price. The only point is that no leader has yet appeared with the courage to make them choose.”

The American conundrum, and that of the movement for peace and the restoration of the Constitution, is a crisis of leadership. The country yearns for it, cries out for it – and may yet be rewarded for its patience.

Continue reading “Justin Raimondo: In the Absence of Leaders with Integrity — Charlie Hebdo as War-Mongering”

2015/01/162015/01/16

CounterPunch: 99% Screwed Front and Back

02 China, Commerce, Corruption, Ethics, Government, Officers Call

Down the Plughole
40 Years of Economic Policy in One Chart

Once wages detached from productivity, the rich progressively got richer. They used their wealth to reduce taxes on capital, role back critical regulations, break up the unions, install their own lapdog politicians, push through trade agreements that pitted US workers against low-paid labor in the developing world, and induce their shady Central Bank buddies to keep interest rates locked below the rate of inflation so they could cream hefty profits off gigantic asset bubbles.

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2015/01/10

Gareth Porter: Four Ways West Wrong on Iran

05 Iran, Ethics

Four ways the West got the Iran nuclear issue wrong

For more than three decades, the United States and its European allies have committed one fundamental error after another. Four major failures of policymaking and intelligence represent the broad outlines of this systematic problem.

LIST ONLY: 1. Denial of Iranian rights, followed by denial of the truth; 2. The intelligence goes wrong; 3. Ignoring the Fatwa against chemical weapons; 4. Refusing to acknowledge the weaponisation evidence is tainted

Read full article with links.

2015/01/092015/01/09

Berto Jongman: NSA Releases “Open” Software – 20 Years Late…

Ethics, Government, Military, Software

For careful scrutiny.

NSA Releases First in Series of Software Products to Open Source Community

New technology automates high-volume data flows

The National Security Agency announced today the public release of its new technology that automates data flows among multiple computer networks, even when data formats and protocols differ. The tool, called “Niagarafiles (Nifi),” could benefit the U.S. private sector in various ways. For example, commercial enterprises could use it to quickly control, manage, and analyze the flow of information from geographically dispersed sites – creating comprehensive situational awareness.

Continue reading “Berto Jongman: NSA Releases “Open” Software – 20 Years Late…”

2015/01/08

Mini-Me: US Closing Military Bases in Europe

Ethics, Military

U.S. to cut European military bases to save cost, Pentagon says

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) — The U.S. military will divest an air base in Britain and return it and 14 other facilities in Europe back to their home nations, the Pentagon said on Thursday, in a bid to save the U.S. government about 500 million U.S. dollars annually. The restructuring will pull thousands of U.S. military and civilian personnel out of the 15 sites mostly in the United Kingdom and Germany over several years, the Pentagon said in a statement. Read full article.

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2015/01/07

Yoda: Tom Steyer to Go After Fracking?

05 Energy, Ethics

Convergence, have we.

Tom Steyer Rejoices over Brown’s Speech

Steyer called Brown’s three stated goals for reducing carbon pollution by 2015 “exemplary.” Those goals included raising the amount of electricity gleaned from renewable sources from one-third to one-half, reducing the present usage of petroleum by vehicles by 50%, and making buildings double their energy-efficiency while also reducing the pollution from heating fuels.

Continue reading “Yoda: Tom Steyer to Go After Fracking?”