First written in December 2007, the incredibly accurate predictions of the Global Financial Crisis by Christopher hire, Executive Director of 2thinknow. Perhaps the U.K. and U.S. are not out of those woods yet, although cleantech, greentech and renewables provide hope.

COMMENT, Global – As I write this it is almost Christmas. And all over the world many of us are getting ready for Christmas Day.

In Europe, many people I spoke with are sitting down to Christmas.
A big traditional Christmas with your family, although that term “family” is more complex these days.
Many of you will have a Christmas tree. Some of you are eating turkey or chicken, some canneloni, pudding, fruit cake, beef, mince pies or even fish.
Père Noël, Babbo Natale, St Nicholas, Weihnachtsman or Santa Claus may bring your children …

COMMENT, Melbourne — I have to tell myself this one sometimes. “Don’t give up!”
Some days it seems that myopia and conservatism stop real progress. Corporations are by nature conservative. Government doesn’t often like even simple practical ideas.
I know from your comments, you ideas people feel the same often!
As difficult as real change is, nor am I a supporter of revolutionary changes.
I believe in compromise, debate, multi-lateralism, dialogue and the primacy of ideas. I have seen them work well to refine an idea into a positive change.
(Innovation? It’s merely positive change.)
But …

ANALYSIS, Global – At one stage, the world of global shipping ran on steam.
But before that shipping and cargo ran on sailboats. Ships like the clippers ferried goods around the world, although their cargo was often human.

Sailing ships have a bright future once again. Because of climate change.
Why not create lighter weight sailing ships, and use light-weight sailcloth technologies. And light-weight shipping containers.
An innovation would be sailing ships. A further innovation would be light-weight freight ships powered by sails and solar sun energy. There are many recent scientific inventions that …

ANALYSIS, Balkans — There is a lot of discussion over an independent Kosovo.
Most of this naively assumes such independence is good, like independence is a golden panacea for the problems of the Balkans.

Much of this presumes, that the Balkans is a child-ish conflict. But the Serbs are not the ‘bad kids’ to be sternly warned by the US and EU. The causes are far more complex.
Too often nascent racism is played out, calling the Serbs ‘bad’ and to be blamed for the original conflict. There are more dirty hands regionally. …

COMMENT, USA, Australia, UK– I look forward to a culture of ideas, dreams, art and individual creativity.Well I can hope! Many of you have said to me you dream of the same thing.
But first we have to get over this industrialist mass-produced thinking.
Here’s how the current global model goes:
Produce goods in a large a quantity as possible.
Ensure all production and pollution is outsourced to a developing country.
Ship goods all over the world.
Repeat until planet chokes.

COMMENT, Australia, USA, UK – This is a reminder that the world has changed.
Increasingly we live in a consumerist society, obsessed with consumption of the cheap, short term and disposable.
This will end eventually, because quite simply cheap consumption, especially plastic, is based on cheap oil. And cheap labor. And shifting pollution to some one else’s backyard.
So that cheap consumerism will end. Corporations that create polluting products will learn it can’t continue.
I mean what are we doing?
Irrespective of whether you, dear reader, believe in global warming, it has been scientifically, logically, …

ANALYSIS, Global – Satire has always been a weapon people use when they know most of the news they are watching is untrue or missing the point.
Whilst I applaud many fine Print Journalists, the fact is that the bias inherent in many publications and TV, means that media is increasingly untrusted.
The average person knows on some level that the mass media exists to propagate a message that is not about enlightening debate.They know Rupert’s media on some level is about Rupert…