Seven Revolutions

Freakonomics is a ground-breaking collaboration between\nLevitt and Dubner, an award-winning author and journalist. They usually begin with a\nmountain of data and a simple, unasked question. Some of these questions concern lifeand-\ndeath issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of\nstudy contained in this book: Freakonomics. (http://freakonomicsbook.com/)

Banker to the Poor is an inspiring memoir of the birth of microcredit, written in a\nconversational tone that makes it both moving and enjoyable to read. The Grameen\nBank is now a $2.5 billion banking enterprise in Bangladesh, while the microcredit\nmodel has spread to over 50 countries worldwide, from the U.S. to Papua New Guinea,\nNorway to Nepal. Ever optimistic, Yunus travels the globe spreading the belief that\npoverty can be eliminated: "...the poor, once economically empowered, are the most\ndetermined fighters in the battle to solve the population problem; end illiteracy; and live\nhealthier, better lives. When policy makers finally realize that the poor are their\npartners, rather than bystanders or enemies, we will progress much faster that we do\ntoday." Dr. Yunus's efforts prove that hope is a global currency. (Reviewed by Shawn\nCarkonen)

Thomas L. Friedman is not so much a futurist, which he is sometimes called, as a\npresentist. His aim in The World Is Flat, as in his earlier, influential Lexus and the Olive\nTree, is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in\nyour lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here. The\nworld isn't going to be flat, it is flat, which gives Friedman's breathless narrative much\nof its urgency, and which also saves it from the Epcot-style polyester sheen that\nfuturists--the optimistic ones at least--are inevitably prey to. (Reviewed by Tom Nissley)

In this sobering but optimistic manifesto, development economist Sachs (The End of\nPoverty) argues that the crises facing humanity are daunting-but solutions to them are\nreadily at hand. Sachs focuses on four challenges for the coming decades: heading off\nglobal warming and environmental destruction; stabilizing the world's population;\nending extreme poverty; and breaking the political logjams that hinder global\ncooperation on these issues. The author analyzes economic data, demographic trends\nand climate science to create a lucid, accessible and suitably grim exposition of looming\nproblems, but his forte is elaborating concrete, pragmatic, low-cost remedies complete\nwith benchmarks and budgets. Sachs's entire agenda would cost less than 3% of the\nworld's annual income, and he notes that a mere two days' worth of Pentagon spending\nwould fund a comprehensive anti-malaria program for Africa, saving countless lives.\nForthright government action is the key to avoiding catastrophe, the author contends,\nnot the unilateral, militarized approach to international problems that he claims is\npursued by the Bush administration. Combining trenchant analysis with a resounding\ncall to arms, Sachs's book is an important contribution to the debate over the world's\nfuture. (Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All\nrights reserved.)

* Aired: May 2008 * Running time: 54:00 * Description: An episode of "This American Life" that tackles the housing crisis, subprime loans, and the turmoil on Wall Street. Why did banks make extremely large loans to people without jobs or income? * Rating: Excellent * 7-Revolutions Sections: Economic Integration, Governance

* Released December 2008 * Running time: 84 minutes * Description: This is a powerful documentary of the current state of freshwater ownership, privatization and distribution around the world. The film discusses the conflict between "predatory" corporations and engaged citizens over water rights and usage. For example, it discusses how companies like Coke and Pepsi use of water in India and Nestles use of water in Michigan for bottled water. This film also documents water wars in Bolivia, privatization in Africa, and issues of pollution of freshwater around the world. It promotes lively and emotional discussion in class. * Rating: Excellent * 7-Revolutions Section: Resources, Technology, Economics, Conflict.

* Released February 2007 * Running time: 240 minutes * Description: China from the Inside is a series of four documentaries that survey China through Chinese eyes to see how history has shaped them and where the present is taking them. Episodes include Power and the People which deals with the governance of China, The Women which talks about the past and future for Chinese women, Shifting Nature, a look at China's environmental challenges, and Freedom, an exploration of China's conflict between personal freedom and governance. Produced in 2006 with 240 minutes on one DVD. Description from web site at http://www.shoppbs.org/ Video available for $30. * Rating: very good * Used outside class as optional learning activity; related to several revolutions