Seven Revolutions

Jim Lewis compiled a list of recent attacks on the U.S. government. Interesting point to spark conversation, but is thin on event details.

NYSE, Deutsche Börse Near $25 Billion Tie-Up; Deal Would Symbolize a Diminished Role for New York in Finance.

Rising prices, powerful storms, severe droughts and floods, and other unexpected events are likely to play havoc with the fabric of global society.

Thanks to technological advances, in the past few years, vast amounts of natural gas -- particularly shale gas -- have become economically viable. This development is an unmitigated boon for consumers interested in affordable energy and for governments hoping to reduce their countries' dependency on foreign oil.

Discussion of the political impact of social media has focused on the power of mass protests to topple governments. In fact, social media's real potential lies in supporting civil society and the public sphere -- which will produce change over years and decades, not weeks or months.

Very similar to the type of information found in Seven Revs, but focused on the growth in population.

Nice video to show as intro to Rev. #1 Thanks Scott.

Interesting collection of data from 2010 concerning internet usage: number of websites, emails, tweats, etc. (Most followed on Twitter? Lady Gaga 7.7 M people)

Interesting exchange of ideas about the value of looking ahead. This whole NYT series is excellent.

Summary: A new way of war is on the horizon. Already, robots and drones are replacing human pilots and foot soldiers in some roles, and in the future they will take over many more. The benefits of removing human soldiers from harm's way are obvious. But there's a price to pay when a society can wage war by remote control.

This is a link to a school at Oxford that has a trove of resources dealing with a variety of 21st century issues. There are multimedia materials and lots of publications on different topics available as free pdf downloads.

Summary: With one billion people already going hungry and the world's population rising, global food production must urgently be increased. The countries that managed such surges in the past -- Brazil, China, India, the United States -- cannot do so again. But Africa can -- if it finally uses the seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation methods common everywhere else.

Summary: Governments across the Middle East and South Asia are increasingly losing power to substate actors that are inserting themselves at a mezzanine level of rule between the government and the people. Western policymakers must address the problem systematically, at both a political and a legal level, rather than continue to pursue reactive and disjointed measures on a case-by-case basis.

Summary: Clean-energy technology is expensive and the United States is spending far too little on developing it. The U.S. government must do more to promote cross-border innovation and protect intellectual property rights.

Summary: Global demographics in the twenty-first century will be defined by steep declines in fertility rates. Many countries will see their populations shrink and age. But relatively high fertility rates and immigration levels in the United States, however, may mean that it will emerge with a stronger hand.