Journal ISSN 1078-1935 – Page 1597 – Public Intelligence Blog

This is a fascinating story about the interconnected nature of the Earth's biosphere. There is so much we don't know, but one thing becomes clearer and clearer: The only way we are going to save ourselves is by working with nature, not trying to dominate nature. Frankly, though, I think the greed and stupidity greed creates are still too powerful to allow us to save ourselves. From everything I can see the rest of this century is going to b! e a debacle with hundreds of millions of people dying. All completely unnecessary but, when profit is the only social priority, inevitable.

Smell of Forest Pine Can Limit Climate Change – Researchers
MATT MCGRATH – BBC News (U.K.)

New research suggests a strong link between the powerful smell of pine trees and climate change.

Scientists say they've found a mechanism by which these scented vapours turn into aerosols above boreal forests.

These particles promote cooling by reflecting sunlight back into space and helping clouds to form.

2014/03/01

NIGHTWATCH: Russia & Crimea, Ukraine & the West

Cultural Intelligence, Peace Intelligence

Ukraine: In the past two days, events moved quickly again; this time in Crimea. The first reports of separatist actions indicated armed men without identifying insignia seized the airport at Simferopol, the regional capital. Russian news reports said Russian soldiers seized the airport that serves Sevastopol, the location of the Russian navy base.

Continue reading “NIGHTWATCH: Russia & Crimea, Ukraine & the West”

2014/02/28

Lee Camp: Bill Hicks, Dead 20 Years, Still Telling the Truth…

Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Offbeat Fun, Officers Call

2014/02/282014/02/28

Winslow Wheeler: Chuck Hagel on the A-10 – Without a Clue or Without Scruples?

Corruption, Idiocy, Ineptitude, Military

Pierre Sprey and I have authored an analysis of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's statements this past Monday on the A-10. It follows:

Chuck Hagel's A-10 Legacy

By Winslow T. Wheeler & Pierre M. Sprey

When he spoke about next year's defense budget on February 24, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel addressed his decision to go along with the Air Force and retire all existing A-10 close air support aircraft. In that statement, he made the following assertions:

· “To fund these investments [the new long range bomber, the new tanker and the F-35], the Air Force will reduce the number of tactical air squadrons including the entire A-10 fleet. Retiring the A-10 fleet saves $3.5 billion over five years and accelerates the Air Force's long-standing modernization plan – which called for replacing the A-10s with the more capable F-35 in the early 2020s.”

· “The ‘Warthog' is a venerable platform, and this was a tough decision. But the A-10 is a 40-year-old single-purpose airplane originally designed to kill enemy tanks on a Cold War battlefield. It cannot survive or operate effectively where there are more advanced aircraft or air defenses. And as we saw in Iraq and Afghanistan, the advent of precision munitions means that many more types of aircraft can now provide effective close air support, from B-1 bombers to remotely piloted aircraft. And these aircraft can execute more than one mission.”

· “Moreover, the A-10's age is also making it much more difficult and costly to maintain. Significant savings are only possible through eliminating the entire fleet, because of the fixed cost of maintaining the support apparatus associated with the aircraft. Keeping a smaller number of A-10s would only delay the inevitable while forcing worse trade-offs elsewhere.”

Many of these statements are questionable; several are poorly informed; at least one of them is materially incorrect.

Continue reading “Winslow Wheeler: Chuck Hagel on the A-10 – Without a Clue or Without Scruples?”

2014/02/28

Jean Lievens: SOLIDARIA – Platform, Marketplace & Seed of a Network of Cooperatives

Collective Intelligence, Commercial Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, Gift Intelligence

SOLIDARIA – Platform, Marketplace & Seed of a Network of Cooperatives

Building the infrastructure for a global community of a commons-based peer society

Realizing, merging, funding, organizing & expanding the global commons – knowledge, culture, means of production and land property.

Solidaria will open up a space where all our activity is aimed towards extending the commons – open knowledge and freeculture as well as the material commons like housing, property and means of production!

It enables you to work in cooperatives of the commons based peer-to-peer economy, no matter if you’re working in the knowledge economy or in a classical field. And it enables you to work for the commons even in projects that normally wouldn’t be economically viable – and still make a living off it! The decision which project you want to work on does not depend on the question if it is convertible into something commercial – all that matters is that you are contributing to the commons.

And it gives you back the power over how the economy works by opening up economic and environmental decisions to all stakeholders – it’s not the capitalist elite deciding anymore, but also not only the people inside the cooperatives, it’s everyone!

It gives you the opportunity to consume inside the commons-based economy wherever possible. It also opens up powerful ways of collaborative consumption or producing things yourself.

And last but not least it even gives you the possibility to financially support the extension of the commons even with the big part of consumption that is not possible inside of it yet.

Read full article.

Category: Journal ISSN 1078-1935

SchwartzReport: Pine Smels = Aerosol Mist = Good Earth

NIGHTWATCH: Russia & Crimea, Ukraine & the West

Lee Camp: Bill Hicks, Dead 20 Years, Still Telling the Truth…

Winslow Wheeler: Chuck Hagel on the A-10 – Without a Clue or Without Scruples?

Jean Lievens: SOLIDARIA – Platform, Marketplace & Seed of a Network of Cooperatives

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