Review (Guest): Global Risks 2011 – Governance Failures & Economic Disparity (World Economic Forum)

Phi Beta Iota:  The interactive edition is well worth going through.  Below are highlights from our own review. Six Risks Stand Out:  Fiscal crisis, Geopolitical Conflict, Climate Change, Extreme Energy Price Volatility, Economic Disparity, Global Governance Failure. Risk Interconnectivity Map:  Central to the map are Economic Disparity and Global Governance Failures.  Three clusters add depth …

John Steiner: Christopher Schaefer on Wealth

Christopher Schaefer (PhD), gives us both a short essay below recommending two books, and at the link, a five-page essay, “Mind the Gap: Wealth Disparities, the Deficit, and our Economic Future.” CREATING COMMON WEALTH Christopher Schaefer It is now clear that the present global economic crisis is also a political and moral crisis raising fundamental …

Review: No More Secrets – Open Source Information and the Reshaping of U.S. Intelligence

Hamilton Bean 5.0 out of 5 stars Spectacular Integrative and Pioneering Work, July 27, 2011 This is a pioneering work that not only explains the true worth of open source intelligence, but also illuminates the institutional bias against it and the pathologies of a culture of secrecy. The use of primary data from interviews makes …

Video: End of Poverty?

Free full length video (1 hour 44 min) Global poverty did not just happen. It began with military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land, minerals and forced labor. Today, the problem persists because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies — in other words, wealthy countries taking advantage of poor, …

Chuck Spinney: Pentagon Underfunded? Integrity Lacking…

Why the Pentagon Is Always Underfunded CHUCK SPINNEY, The Blaster, July 19, 2011 Cap Ferrat, France The courtiers in the Hall of Mirrors that is Versailles on the Potomac are lining up to give Leon Panetta advice on how to manage the Pentagon in the coming era of budget “constraints.”  Most of this wisdom takes the form …