Ethics – Page 197 – Public Intelligence Blog

Brazil: The largest anti-government demonstrations in 20 years, according to news analysts, have continued for five days in Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and eight other cities. News reports said 65,000 people demonstrated in Sao Paulo and over 100,000 marched in Rio. Social networking enabled coordinated marches in Sao Paulo, Rio and Belo Horizonte. Most of the demonstrations have been peaceful.

President Dilma Rousseff said in a brief statement, “Peaceful demonstrations are legitimate and part of democracy. It is natural for young people to demonstrate.”

No deaths have been reported. About 200 people have been injured around the country.

Comment: An increase in the cost of public transportation in Sao Paulo sparked the first demonstrations, which flash mob tactics swelled. As the demonstrations spread, demonstrators said they were protesting government corruption, poor economic conditions, criminal violence and lack of public safety, official spending for the Olympics in 2016 and the World Cup in 2014 and rising prices.

The government response has been much more restrained than that of the Turkish government and the violence has been much less. Nevertheless, the phenomenology looks very similar.

The police said they would not intervene to stop the demonstrations provided they did not result in property destructions. A small group of protestors in Rio set a car on fire. The car fire prompted the clash with police, which dominated international media coverage and misrepresented the peaceful nature of the demonstrations.

Continue reading “NIGHTWATCH: Brazil Unravels — Is this an Opportunity for NATO?”

2013/06/162014/04/08

Michael Scherer: The Geeks Who Leak — Robert Steele Comments

Civil Society, Commerce, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude, Law Enforcement, Military

The Geeks Who Leak

The President calls them a threat to national security. the Internet calls them heroes. A new wave of hacktivists is changing the way we handle secrets.

By Michael Scherer

Time, June 24, 2013, Pg. 22

The 21st century mole demands no payments for his secrets. He sees himself instead as an idealist, a believer in individual sovereignty and freedom from tyranny. Chinese and Russian spooks will not tempt him. Rather, it's the bits and bytes of an online political philosophy that attract his imagination, a hacker mentality founded on message boards in the 1980s, honed in chat rooms in the '90s and matured in recent online neighborhoods like Reddit and 4chan. He believes above all that information wants to be free, that privacy is sacred and that he has a responsibility to defend both ideas.

Continue reading “Michael Scherer: The Geeks Who Leak — Robert Steele Comments”

2013/06/152013/06/15

Iran Election Results — Moderation Wins

Civil Society, Ethics, Government

Iran's new president hails ‘victory of moderation'

(Reuters) – Moderate cleric Hassan Rohani won Iran's presidential election on Saturday with a resounding defeat of conservative hardliners, calling it a victory of moderation over extremism and pledging a new tone of respect in international affairs.

White House acknowledges Iran election results, praises voters

Offering praise for Iranians and reproaching their government, the Obama administration said Saturday it respected the results of a presidential election conducted under restrictive conditions.

2013/06/15

Neal Rauhauser: Islam’s Doctrinal Divide — US Intelligence Vacuum

Civil Society, Commerce, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics

Islam’s Doctrinal Divide

Americans were largely ignorant of the Muslim faith prior to 9/11, but in the years since we have at least learned that there are two major branches and that not all Muslims are Arab. I came across this graphic of global Muslim sects in other reading a few days ago and saved it for an opportune moment, not realizing how quickly I would need it.

The geographic display of the divide between Sunni and Shia is a fair match for the count of adherents – about 85% of all Muslims are Sunni. There are several conflicts where the sectarian differences are important. These include:

Alawite Syrians on the coast, terrified of the coming Sunni majority government
Majority Shia Bahrain chafing under a Sunni monarchy
Yemeni Shia fighting to restore the North/South Yemen divide

One bright spot has been NATO relations with the ethnic Hazara minority in Afghanistan. They are clearly visible in the global sects map as a yellow Jafari Shia donut hole in the middle of what is otherwise Hanafi Sunni territory.

Read rest of post with more graphics.

Continue reading “Neal Rauhauser: Islam's Doctrinal Divide — US Intelligence Vacuum”

2013/06/12

Tom Atlee: Update on Co-Intelligence Work in Progress

Civil Society, Collective Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics

Dear friends,

As we ask for your support for our ongoing work, we want to share a few thoughts on the nature of that work.

We are coming to see co-intelligence as the capacity of life and all of us to consciously participate in dynamic, evolving wholeness – in ourselves, in our groups and communities, in the life of our world, and in the wondrous ongoing story of our universe.

There is real joy in such participation. There is also abundance, peace, justice, and sustainability… and deep meaning and wisdom.

The Co-intelligence Institute seeks to help co-intelligent participation become an indelible part of our cultures, our political and economic systems, and the ways we all think, feel, and live our lives.

Today's crises make it increasingly hard to live in the old ways. We are rapidly learning we can't be oblivious participants, acting as if we are separate from each other and the world, treating life as if it is there just to torment or serve us.

The newly obvious consequences of those behaviors and attitudes have inspired a global wave of evolutionary engagement – what Swami Beyondananda calls “the Great Upwising” – creating new and better ways to participate consciously and vibrantly in and with life, together.

Continue reading “Tom Atlee: Update on Co-Intelligence Work in Progress”

2013/06/12

SchwartzReport: Japan Solar Power Replaces Seven Nuclear Reactors — In ONE YEAR

03 Economy, 05 Energy, 07 Health, 08 Wild Cards, 11 Society, Commerce, Ethics, Government

The Germans have done it. The Japanese are doing it. We remain in the grip of the carbon energy barons.

Japan: The World's New Star in Solar Power

FORTUNE — Until recently less than 1% of Japan's electrical power output came from renewables. But following the catastrophe of Fukushima and the power blackouts that followed, Japan has seen an explosion in investment in alternatives. Solar, in particular, in this averagely photon-blessed country, has seen a seismic rise of late and is this year poised to become the world's largest solar market in volume after China.

According to a report by energy analyst IHS on Japan's energy mix, Japan's solar installations jumped by “a stunning 270% (in gigawatts) in the first quarter of 2013.” That means by the end of 2013 there will be enough new solar panels equal to the capacity of seven nuclear reactors. Such massive growth will allow Japan to surpass Germany and become the world's largest photovoltaics (PV) market in terms of revenue this year.

“Japan is forecast to install $20 billion worth of PV systems in 2013, up 82% from $11 billion in 2012,” IHS said. “In contrast, the global market is set for tepid 4% growth. The strong revenue performance for Japan this year is partly driven by the high solar prices in the country.” Germany still leads with the total number of units and capacity, however, with its 32,192 megawatts. Japan is now closer to the U.S.'s 8,069 megawatts at 7,429 megawatts, according to London-based BNEF.

Read full article.

2013/06/112013/06/12