Let’s not pretend the last 8 years were capitalism. Capitalism is pro-business, pro-middle class.

ANALYSIS, USA — It’s all over!
Obama has won the US Presidency with a probable popular vote of up to 5%.

Political Winds. Economic Trends.
The key significance of Obama, is a little-noticed trend.
Economic local-ism.
Grass-roots.
Ground-up.
In Talbott’s book, Obamanomics, he refers to Obama’s ideas “bottom-up economics”.
Read it: Obamanomics: How Bottom-Up Economic Prosperity Will Replace Trickle-Down Economics
Economics is trend # 1.
Economics has changed.
With the surge of China, Economic Crisis &  under-reported power of Europe, economic intervention is back. Economic regulation is back.
The trends have shifted at the infancy stage, and represent a paradigm shift. Unimaginable …

Voting machines are unreliable across the United States. How can that be in a major democracy?

ANALYSIS, USA — Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has proven to be a visionary leader of California.
Schwarzenegger, a Republican, married to a Kennedy Democrat, will become the nations most senior Republican, as the party moves back to the centre.
There’s an interesting video of Governor Schwarzenegger’s idea for a “Bipartisan Commission Will Address Chronic Budget Problems”. Read the release here.
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Schwarzenegger Action, Ideas.
Interestingly, Obama winning means Schwarzenegger will be the symbolic leader. Vindicated in opposition to Bush on many policies. Bi-partisan. Moderate. Results-driven. Environmentally-focussed. New ideas.
A lot of power …

COMMENT, Global, Easter — As we sit down and eat our chocolate eggs, and hot cross buns, there is much to be said about Easter and Christianity.
At this time of year, with also various Jewish and Muslim festivals, it seems natural to question one’s faith.

Yet tolerant Christianity is so central to our civilized Western world, as to be indivisible from it.
We forget the Western World is laid of Christian stone…
Laws are a substitute for basic Christian values, in a society of solid values, laws are needed less. For values, not …

ANALYSIS, USA — Wealthy white people with academic economic dogma are a plague on all our wallets, let alone houses.

The economics brains trust of our last 8 years or so of US (and British & Australian) economic policy have been a few rich white guys, right-wing academic economists from big universities like Harvard. These folks theories are to blame for severity of the coming US recession.
Why?
Most universities (like Harvard) have a fair mix of dissent; but the current US administration selected all economists (and think-tanks) with far-Right free market views.
Clinton, …

ANALYSIS, Global — A lot of people keep telling me they dislike religion because it leads to war.
There are a plethora of voices in the media crying for atheism in the Left, on the other hand the Right, have stated that anyone who doesn’t worship God in the prescribed manner is unpatriotic to their country.

The prosaic reality is that modern wars are about trade, power balances, resources like oil and water, or land for expanding populations.
Further, the reality is, in short, that imbalances create war. Imbalances in resources (and …

ANALYSIS, Global — As I write this US markets are in melt down, the UK is bleeding, and Australian markets have lost 24% of their value.
“Now like before, the financial deals are so complex no-one understands them”
That was me, part of a post predicting the current unraveling a month ago (27/12), I was making a comparison between 1920s and today. Mass Delusions, 2008 downturn

The events appear to be happening event faster than I believed. And now according to numerous reports, in many major markets the Bear is likely among us.
Here’s …

ANALYSIS, Australia — On 2nd October 2007 I risked the metaphorical laughter of the Gods and used 2thinknow innovation models to make some predictions.
Economic and political predictions for 2008 and beyond. How did I go so far?

Well. Very well. Accurate predictions are difficult, but I have a unique method of identifying and qualitatively predicting trends.
Predictions were made October 2nd, 2007 here. They have not been edited.
Here’s the very interesting results. I am excited!!!

2THINKNOW COMMENT, USA — It’s easy to talk about change.
Obama chants change like a mantra. But what change?

Not all change is clearly good, some is clearly bad.
The current White House changed things in USA, the broader Americas and the world. But it could not be argued to be positive change on any level.
I want change. But positive change.
And I am not convinced Obama knows how to do positive change. It’s difficult.
We need proof of his ideas and policies. Specifics. Like Australia’s Left leader Kevin Rudd gave before the election.
My gut …

ANALYSIS, Australia — The significance of Kevin Rudd beating substantively John Howard as Australia’s leader cannot be overstated in terms of global politics.
Background for our global readers: Rudd is from the Left, although a moderate. Howard was from the Right, and part of a NSW branches of the Right that are increasingly moving far-Right, by Australian standards (although not yet Neo-Conservative).
And Australia generally prefers moderates and punishes radicalism.
The true significance of this win, has been lost on some commentators. Here’s why…

COMMENT, Global – When I say global I mean English-speaking countries, like USA, UK & Australia. Here there is a rise of info-tainment disguised as journalism.
As an example: In Australia we have a program called Sunrise. It’s morning current affairs, sort of – really more about social issues and controversy.
The 2 presenters are:
Koch: A balding ex-Finance guy, who started as a leading Finance guru.
Mel: And a parochial Canberra reporter who somehow can read an auto-prompter.
And a team of mostly nice presenters who get shuffled around like a deck of cards, …

ANALYSIS, Global: Web Media –
The media has the wrong idea on what YOU and I want to read and watch.
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong.
News flash for the Media.
People are not obligated to read /watch your media.
Relevance will determine if they do.

Or why the Pen is still mightier than the sword!
COMMENT, USA & Australia — The modern world of business and politics run on words. It has ever been thus.
The importance of words will only increase in a world of information, services, creativity and increasing automation of the means of production.
It has been my experience dealing with governmental and business leaders that the primary separating factor between those who got the ‘good’ jobs, and those who didn’t was self-expression with words. (Remember I have consulted or educated people at all …

COMMENT, Global – 24/7 may be good for some individuals, but the majority of us still work some version of 9 to 5.
Our sleep and lives cannot help be impacted by the people around us who work night-shifts.
Society’s need some standards. Rampant individualism impacts the whole.
In last nights hotel I was woken by round-the-clock traffic not there 10 years ago.
At home, in the space of 3 years, there has been a rapid increase in the amount of traffic going to and from work at all hours. Our formerly quiet place …

ANALYSIS, Global – We have a lot of goods. Cars, books, stereos, DVDs, printers, computers, Walkmans, toys, clothes, kitchenware, etc.
Even jeans (I don’t know about you, but I’ll never fit into them again!)

When we are finished with goods we throw them out. Doesn’t have to be that way…

COMMENT, Global – Which cities have the best espresso coffee in the world?
Well we may have some ideas about which have the worst… But the best?
Before we get to that let’s look at some interesting facts and insights about why coffee is important…

A vintage article on coffee and inspiration from our 2007 series. How do you tell if you’re getting great espresso? And why is coffee so essential to innovation?

COMMENT, Sydney and Global – Global is a word often thrown around like candy at Halloween.
Too often global operations have inbuilt assumptions that people are the same everywhere. We all do it.
The assumption of homogeneity effects Customers. Employees. Suppliers.
Assumptions of homogeneity are exacerbated when people speak the same language, often English.
These assumptions can cause big issues. Issues that surface when expanding into overseas markets or staffing a remote operation or even visiting foreign lands.
Why do we assume?
Too often we see similar western accoutrement’s like McDonalds, CDs, computers, internet, CNN, DVDs, …

COMMENT, Global – Often that is just too much information. Cell phone users in public often have little discretion.
Cell phones on trains.
Cell phones (or mobiles if you prefer) in restaurants.
Famously, I once heard a man chatting up a woman in a toilet cubicle with the door closed at a cinema. I first thought she was in there with him, then he came out holding a phone.
I wonder what she thought of the loud ‘flush’?
The Market Opportunity for Quiet
Expect a pendulum swing back to quiet and focus.
In the meantime expect a …