U.S. Lacks Plan for Dealing With Chaos in Yemen Despite Dire Warnings

02 Diplomacy, 03 Economy, 05 Civil War, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, 09 Justice, 10 Security, 11 Society, Cultural Intelligence, Government, IO Multinational, Military, Peace Intelligence
Who, Me?

Although it is Fox News and arch-critic Lindsey Graham pointing fingers, the fact is they are right!  US Government seems trapped in a time warp and completely unprepared to contemplate a world in which our military is relatively useless (as well as unaffordable) and we actually need to have a deep capacity for nation-building.  P

The Obama administration, after helping to orchestrate a U.N.-backed military intervention in Libya, is facing pressure to do more to prepare for the potential collapse of the government in another Mideast country, Yemen — but U.S. officials admit they are doing little more than watching at this point.

. . . . . . .

Yemen is a central ally of the U.S. government against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The group, along with its operational planner, the American Anwar al-Awlaki, the first American on the CIA's kill or capture list, are now considered a greater threat than Usama bin Laden's network in Pakistan. And one U.S. lawmaker suggests that chaos in Yemen could result in a worse terrorist breeding ground than Afghanistan.

But Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ admission in Cairo that the administration had not focused on a future without Yemen's president was startling.

Read full article….



Japan Lost Its Integrity over Nuclear Safety

03 Economy, 05 Energy, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Proliferation, 08 Wild Cards, 10 Security, 11 Society, Commerce, Corruption, Earth Intelligence, Government, IO Sense-Making
Chuck Spinney Recommends...

The below report in the Guardian makes three general points regarding the Tokyo Electric's management operations at the Fukushima Daiichi reactor site:

1. Cost-cutting degraded safety procedures.

2. Collusion between industry and regulators.

3. Deferring decisions on how to permanently store nuclear waste.

Thank god these problems do not occur in Amerika (sic).

Chuck Spinney

Japan Nuclear Firm Admits Missing Safety Checks at Disaster-Hit Plant

Documents show operator failed to carry out mandatory checks at Fukushima Daiichi and allowed fuel rods to pile up

by Justin McCurry in Osaka, The Guardian/UK, March 22, 2011

Read full article….

Phi Beta Iota: Integrity, or the lack of integrity, is the defining factor in the rise or fall of complex civilizations.  The harm coming from the lack of integrity by the members of the UN Security Council with respect to nuclear proliferation and safeguards for nuclear waste; the arms market (they are the largest traders), and the general disregard for poverty, infectious disease, and environmental degradation, makes it clear that “governance” today is totally corrupt.  The good news is that informed hybrid networks can overcome Industrial Era irresponsibilities.  Multinational information-sharing and multinational intelligence (decision-support) offers a non-violent way forward.

US Intelligence a Clipping Agency–A Bad One

02 Diplomacy, 03 Economy, 04 Education, 07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 10 Security, 11 Society, Budgets & Funding, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Cyberscams, malware, spam, Government, Intelligence (government), IO Impotency, Military, Officers Call
Mario Profaca Recommends...

Dr. Stephen Blank, one of America's top experts on Russia and the former satellites of the USSR, likens US Intelligence to a clipping service, a very bad one.  He itemizes the recent failures of US Intelligence and observes that anyone in the audience he was addressing in NYC could have written a better threat estimate than that presented by the Director of National Intelligence recently to Congress.  Includes video of his full answer to the question about US Intelligence.

Army college expert likens US intelligence to ‘clipping agency’

By Asia Society Mar 18, 2011 5:30PM UTC

asiancorrespondent.com

Continue reading “US Intelligence a Clipping Agency–A Bad One”

GRIFTOPIA Part II: The Next Mega-Meltdown

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 11 Society, Budgets & Funding, Commerce, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Money, Banks & Concentrated Wealth, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests

Mega-Banks and the Next Financial Crisis

Hedge-fund manager Paul Singer recognized the risks of subprime mortgages and bet against them. Now he warns that monetary policy could cripple American banks again.

James Freeman, The Wall Street Journal, 19 March 2011

Full article

Phi Beta Iota: Absolutely worth a full read.  Here's the bottom line: US Government is simply not serious about regulation; the Federal Reserve in assuming faith in the dollar and printing money so fast inflation is inevitable and a total collapse of the dollar possible; the big banks are still over-leveraged; and a mega-meltdown is a virtual certainty.  We assume the “elite” think they can stave off the melt-down until after November 2011 so as to have four more years of a compliant complacent government.

See Also:

Review: Griftopia–Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America

Why Isn’t Wall Street in Jail? + US Fraud RECAP

Search: US fraud tri-fecta


Wisdom University on Japan’s Twin Calamities

03 Environmental Degradation, 08 Proliferation, 08 Wild Cards, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence
John Steiner
Wisdom Community Reflections IN THE AFTERMATH OF JAPAN'S TSUNAMI
The Perfect Eco-Technical Storm Jim Garrison, President
Pointing to the Larger Story of Earth Wisdom Will Taegel and Judith Yost, Faculty

From Water to Fire: An Astrological Perspective Lynn Bell, Faculty

Worth a Look: Homelessness + SMS/txt msg’ing

01 Poverty, Mobile, Technologies

Projects/attempts to get the public's attention to homelessness using text messaging

If you are in Denmark, you can follow the life of a homeless man called Allan via an SMS service. Guerilla Innovation reports.

Other projects involving cell phones, aiming to raise awareness on the plight of the homeless:

Underheard in New York – Three interns of Bartle Bogle Hegarty in New York decided to pair mobile technology with social justice, as they gave four homeless men cellphones.

Text a donation via homeless installation in Times Square – The one-day-only installation is part of a fundraising effort for Serving the UnderServed (SUS), an organization that provides housing and other services to the homeless and disabled.

Video Installation Encourages Homeless Activism In New York City – A homeless man in a video projection asks pedestrians to use their cell phones to send a text message that will help the homeless man get shelter.

Google offers phone numbers, voicemail to homeless – In 2008, Google made a donation of phone service to Project Homeless Connect, an effort dedicated to providing ordinary services to the very poor.

Comment: Another virtually invisible attempt in New York City is the text message service where sending “txtnyc” (space) “ss” to 368-638 will give you a menu to receive information on emergency services such as free meals, food pantries, shelter, hygiene services, etc for all NYC boroughs (“ss” stands for “street sheets“).  The idea being in conjunction with free phones from say Safelink Wireless (if this is even possible) or donated Tracfones.  Phones pre-installed with a directory of useful numbers to help those who are homeless to gradually climb out of extreme poverty is another idea.

Thanks to the Textually Twitter feed.

noble gold