Group items tagged

watching great preso on post collapse USA

This is a USA based project that seeks to crowd source predictions about the future. It is being run by the Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). IARPA "invests in high-risk/high-payoff research programs that have the potential to provide our nation with an overwhelming intelligence advantage over future adversaries." Jose's little analysis - because it is limited to a US audience it will probably have good technological inputs, but its cultural and political input will be largely worthless. I don't see any cultural studies and political scientist types making a contribution (could be very wrong of course) and commentary will most likely come from a combination of mis-informed moderates and Fox news fruitcakes. For ICT and the CRC project it is an example of crowdsourcing for competitive intelligence.

Mass incarceration on a scale almost unexampled in human history is a fundamental fact of our country today-perhaps the fundamental fact, as slavery was the fundamental fact of 1850. In truth, there are more black men in the grip of the criminal-justice system-in prison, on probation, or on parole-than were in slavery then. Over all, there are now more people under "correctional supervision" in America-more than six million-than were in the Gulag Archipelago under Stalin at its height. That city of the confined and the controlled, Lockuptown, is now the second largest in the United States.

"Former senior intelligence officials have created a detailed surveillance system more accurate than modern facial recognition technology - and have installed it across the US under the radar of most Americans, according to emails hacked by Anonymous."

Recovery means "a return to a normal state of strength." So here's a question. Is recovery enough? Consider seven things that a mere "recovery" probably wouldn't fix...

"On both sides of an increasingly fractious political divide, there's a common belief underlying the debates: what we really need is more stimulus, spending, cutting, slashing, or [insert big idea here], and the economy will "recover" - hey, presto!! - and pop roaring back into life. Hence, like many, you're probably waiting for this so-called mysteriously reluctant non-recovering "recovery" - the one that always seems just around the corner, but when the corner's turned, has automagically disappeared yet again. (Want fries with that latest global "soft patch"?) Recovery means "a return to a normal state of strength." So here's a question. Is recovery enough? Consider seven things that a mere "recovery" probably wouldn't fix..."

The US increasingly conforms the equality of its economy to those of its nearest rivals: Russia, India, Iran.