ANALYSIS, Melbourne — 2thinknow have predicted an Australian recession since 2007.
In October 2007, I indicated 2thinknow’s concerns of recession, in December 2007 I made clear predictions of recession and in February foresaw nationalisation of banks & various other consequences.
It’s worth noting that most commentators using economic predictions were wrong in October 2007-February 2008. None raised nationalisation, nor believed the ASX would go as low as 4500. 2thinknow was a lonely voice in specific correct prediction.
2thinknow take a different view, because we have foresight based on proprietary nascent trend analysis.
And, in …

REVIEWS — SlideShare has created a contest on the Economic Crisis. Tell the crisis in 30 slides, it has over 200 entries. A few entries are good summaries from different views.
Of course 2thinknow entered, given the positive feedback we have been receiving on our  predictions of the crisis.
Today, our “Credit Crisis. The Short Explanation.” slides were spotlighted on the main page of the slideshare.net website.
Pretty nifty profile for a set of slides, we thought. Even better in PowerPoint with the animations. You can download them!
Another one I really liked was …

Please vote.
World’s Best Presentation ContestWorld’s Best Presentation ContestWe thought this was a pretty concise, accurate description of the economic crisis.
If you liked our work so far, in accurately predicting the crisis, please logon to Slideshare & vote for our entry. You only have until Monday!
And your vote helps quality rise-to-the-top. Not just those with voting-circles!
2thinknow correctly predicted the current market crisis in 2007. Using our propietary nascent trend analysis techniques, we were able to predict a September 2008 shock event (specifically) in October 2007.

COMMENT — Across the Western world increasingly large chains dominate most products you buy. Groceries. Petrol or gas. Liquor. Books.
In difficult times,  support independent stores not large chain stores. Not mega-supermarkets.

Cheaper Groceries & Fuel.
Genuine competition means we pay less. Smaller players create competition.
Small independent stores are friends of the family.
Consumer choice is one of few weapons we have to create competition. Sometimes, we can sell our shares in such monopolies.
The only two forces controlling many industries are:
a) consumer choice and
b) shareholder activism.
Especially since, any Govt regulation or constraint on market …

COMMENT, Cuba — So we know Fidel Castro, leader of Cuba, is nearly a memory.
Finally the new leader, albeit his brother Raul, has taken some steps to catch Cuba up with the rest of the world. Sure these are basic steps, and sure there are more ways to go.

But in reality, there has been movement from what many in US politics regard as a recalcitrant regime. And where’s there’s movement there is possibility.
Here’s top 7 notable changes since Raul Castro, took over:
7. Cuba is seeking foreign investment in energy …

ANALYSIS, Australia — Tonight, in Australia, Wayne Swan as Australian Treasurer delivered the first budget of the new Rudd Centre-Left Labor Government.
The budget was solid, economically and fiscally-responsible according to ABC commentators like Alan Kohler. The budget was also politically astute, delivering on the promises made in the last election.

2thinknow Building Innovation Textbook
The budget read from the 2thinknow textbook on economic growth in challenging times, and nation-building of innovation cities and regions:
1) Infrastructure investment – ports, rail, institutions, broadband and roads
2) Productivity driven economics – childcare, flexible industrial relations, education
3) …

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, …

Food, real food. We take it for granted – yet more often than not what Westerners are eating is not ‘food’, but produced artificially in labs. As Felicity Lawrence, Peter Singer, Jim Mason and Greg Critser (among others), have argued the time has for consumers come to demand and purchase only real food, and not ’substitutes’. This flight to food is fundamental to human health and wellbeing, now and in the future.

COMMENT, USA, Australia – Let’s start with the USA economy.
US sliding into a chasm
The debate on whether the US economy is in recession or not seems to be over.
The bear is among us.

For months people have been standing up that the US economy is not as bad as first believed. The US recession was predicted by 2thinknow in December 2007, using our innovation models.
Before Christmas, many were sitting on the fence. I called this recession, in this journal, in straightforward terms before Goldman Sachs, or UN made their announcements.
Of course …

ANALYSIS, Global — It is always a folly to assume the past is an extension of the present.

Thinkers call this the problem of induction. i.e. Assuming that the past is a predictor of future performance. It’s why if you draw a straight line above a graph, invariably the graph will deviate if it’s measured over a long enough time frame.
Don’t be economically disappointed
This flawed human tendency to view the current set of circumstances as normal is why many countries now place on financial products a disclaimer: “Current financial performance is …

VIDEOS, Youtube – Interesting film, unsure of the source. Makes a case for global supply chains and trade, apparently shot in the 1950s, by its appearance. Worth a look even if just to disagree or not!

VIDEO, Youtube — Interesting video from YouTube on inflation in everyday prices in China.
The program has a strange (!) name, perhaps due to translation, but this is an interesting video supported by numerous news articles.

COMMENT, Global — Confused by Economics? A few politicians are too.
Economics is just theories. This is something not often enough remembered.
“(In the Great leap Forward) Mao launched a large number of large-scale but senseless projects, which achieved little, but took thousands of laborers away from the urgent task of growing food.
“At this time, the most popular economic theory, in both east and west, proposed that for a backward country to develop, it needed industry, and industry needed steel.”
– David Rooney: Guerrilla: Insurgents, patriots and terrorists from Sun Tzu to …

COMMENT, Australia – Inflation is the main challenge to Australian economy.
“It points to the size of the inflation problem that this government inherited from the previous government and it is a challenge this government is determined to meet.
“…In the months of October, November and December Australia had the highest underlying inflation that this country has experienced in 16 years.
“That is a significant problem for the country and … high inflation certainly does put upward pressure on interest rates.”
Wayne Swan, Federal Treasurer, from The Age, 1st Feb 2008
Australia has …

ANALYSIS, Global – Very few people actually understand capitalism, or economics. Even those charged with regulating economic free trade.
But most people understand sport, say European football (or soccer in other countries). And economics at a macro, international level is similar conceptually.
So here’s an easy explanation of the main argument between economics and ‘free trade’; and the practice of regulating markets.

You may think who is ‘right’ about economics and free markets is too complex to understand, but this analogy makes it straightforward.
I know a few politicians who could do …