Reference (2): Income Inequality in the USA

03 Economy, 07 Other Atrocities, 11 Society, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government
Chuck Spinney Sounds Off

It is becoming increasingly clear that the United States passed through some kind of fork in the economic road in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and has now landed on onto an evolutionary pathway toward some kind of decline.  The questions of what interplay of chance and necessity created the turning movement in the pathway of socio-economic evolution, how enduring that new pathway is, or where it is leading no one can answer; but with the advantage of hindsight, it is becoming empirically clear that most of the adverse economic trends of de-industrialization, deregulation, increasing debt, a collapsing trade balance, the stagnation of real wages, rising income inequality, etc., took a systemic turn for the worse during the five years between 1977 and 1982.

Attached are two reports (in pdf format) on one aspect of anatomy of decline: rising income inequality.  They build on the seminal research (which can be downloaded here and here) of Professors Emanuel Saez's (Univ. of Calif. Berkeley) and Thomas Piketty (Paris School of Economics), which quantified and analyzed the size, nature, and effects of rising income inequality in the United States.

The first report has been  prepared by the democratic majority staff of the Joint Economic Committee in Congress and therefore may be discounted by some as partisan — to those readers inclined to dismiss this report, I suggest that they compare its results of the Saez-Piketty analyses before jumping to any conclusions.

The second report is a non partisan analysis produced by Frank Levy and Peter Temlin of Industrial Performance Center of MIT.

Reference A: The Senate Report (2010)

Reference B:  The MIT Report (2007)

See Also:

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Reference: Wall Street Does NOT Produce Value

Journal: Deficit Reduction Plan Hoses Everyone BUT the 10% at the Top

Journal: Deradicalizing Islamist Extremists, Internal Al Qaeda Critiques

07 Other Atrocities, 09 Terrorism, 10 Security, Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence, IO Mapping
Berto Jongman Recommends...

Deradicalizing Islamist Extremists

by Angel Rabasa, Stacie Pettyjohn, Jeremy Ghez, Christopher Boucek

RAND Monograph 2010 242 Pages Free Online or $26

Proactive measures to prevent vulnerable individuals from radicalizing and to rehabilitate those who have already embraced extremism have been implemented, to varying degrees, in several Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian, and European countries. A key question is whether the objective of these programs should be disengagement (a change in behavior) or deradicalization (a change in beliefs) of militants. Furthermore, a unique challenge posed by militant Islamist groups is that their ideology is rooted in a major world religion. An examination of deradicalization and counter-radicalization programs in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe assessed the strengths and weaknesses of each program, finding that the best-designed programs leverage local cultural patterns to achieve their objectives. Such programs cannot simply be transplanted from one country to another. They need to develop organically in a specific country and culture.

Broadside fired at al-Qaeda leaders

By Syed Saleem Shahzad

Asia Times, 10 December 2010

ISLAMABAD – A number of senior al-Qaeda members who had earlier opposed the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States and some of whom were recently released from detention in Iran, have produced an electronic book critical of al-Qaeda's leadership vision and strategy.

The book, the first of its kind to publicly show collective dissent within al-Qaeda, was released last month. It urges the self-acclaimed global Muslim resistance against Western hegemony to open itself to the Muslim intelligentsia for advice and to harmonize its strategy with mainstream Islamic movements.

Full Article….

Reference: Strategic Analytic Model for Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

About the Idea, Analysis, Blog Wisdom, Budgets & Funding, info-graphics/data-visualization, InfoOps (IO), Intelligence (government), IO Mapping, IO Multinational, IO Sense-Making, Key Players, Methods & Process, Policies, Policy, Politics of Science & Science of Politics, Reform, Standards, Strategy, Threats

Robert David SteeleRobert David Steele

Recovering spy, serial pioneer for open and public intelligence

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Posted: October 14, 2010 06:40 PM

Strategic Analytic Model for Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

Click on Title to Read at Huffington Post and Make Comments.

EDIT of 10 Dec 10 to add missing links and correct typos, this version only.

A Strategic Analytic Model is the non-negotiable first step in creating Strategic Intelligence, and cascades down to also enable Operational, Tactical, and Technical Intelligence.

Continue reading “Reference: Strategic Analytic Model for Creating a Prosperous World at Peace”

Assisting Law Enforcement and Families Of Missing Loved Ones

07 Other Atrocities, Civil Society, Law Enforcement
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Six  years ago, while standing inside a Wal-Mart, Cynthia Caron realized that those passing were walking through the entrance and nobody glanced over at the huge wall frame of missing children.  She felt perhaps the general population may have become “desensitized” to the “missing child” posters.  She also realized that it was rare to see one for a missing adult.

Cynthia began designing unique banners of missing loved ones which are posted on Internet web pages, blogs and forums with the hopes that a missing person will be recognized.  Working with various law enforcement agencies across the country, on behalf of the families, and helping to bring awareness via the media, internet and social network groups relieves the frustrations that families endure when a loved one goes missing and enables families to have peace of mind in knowing that all the necessary steps are taking place.  Cynthia interacts on a daily basis with law enforcement and a number of families who are seeking missing loved ones.  She also guides those members to supportive groups of other families who have the same experiences.  Linking families together has proven to be a valuable and supportive tool both emotionally and physically for those beginning the steps of searching for their missing loved one and LostNMissing is with the families every step of the way.

http://twitter.com/lostnmissing

http://www.lostnmissing.com

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