Melbourne’s latest Transport Disaster – a Tram Jam. 3 Transport Modes severely impeded. People walking (again). The City clogged again in 2 directions. Fix!

Trends & Predictions. Innovation Cities benchmark. Sharing & publishing ideas. All will be bigger & better in 2009, as we roll-out the final version of 2thinknow, after extensive testing in 2008.

Environmental reform is an opportunity for new business models, not a cost. 2thinknow trends support Alinga Consulting’s view.

Use Social media to track the Mumbai attacks in real time with real people & real coverage, as well as commentary, including maps.

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

COMMENT. Global. – Here are 7 things to love about trains.
And why 2thinknow view a Rail Renaissance as likely.
1. Speed.
German ICE trains are faster than air over 1000km. Around 4 hours CBD to CBD.
2. Clean.
Environmental impact around 10% of cars over the distance, according to numerous environmentalists.
3. Safe.
Mid-distance trains, in developed countries, are a generally safe transport option. Especially applicable for solo travellers.
4. Work-time.
Unlike cars or planes, rail work-time is increased. Work-time on planes is limited due to take-off, landing & wait.
Eurail working times in first-class are excellent, due to …

COMMENT. Melbourne — A colleague of mine, of mature age, a professional director, told me he does not understand one thing about Melbourne’s directors.
How so many directors keep getting roles with less than stellar performance.
As a competent, good Director, he is mystified.
Shhh…
Of course no-one in the community says this publicly. I am a member of peak body AICD, and never heard it there! Truth begone! Top-down folk there.
With some Directors, often I get the feeling they want to investigate, interrogate you, and pick your brains. That’s if they can’t …

COMMENT, Sydney — The NSW Government of Carr-Iemma-Rees has ended.
Nobody has admitted it yet. The decline trend is well in its death spiral, the day Iemma resigned. There is no rebirth without change.
“The Governor may…..remove from his office, or suspend from the exercise of the same, any person exercising any office, or place, in the State…”
– The Royal Instructions, Clause 10
NSW, Doomed.
NSW politicians have destroyed Australia’s most prosperous …

NEWS, Mauritius — The small island nation of Mauritius is worried about climate change.
So worried that they are using inbound tourism dollars to set up a sovereign wealth fund.

Source:  [

COMMENT, Melbourne — The Rudd Government today announced $6 billion in life support for the local Australian car manufacturing industry.
Manufacturing skills, infrastructure & cars are important.
Rudd’s $6 Billion on the Amex.
The Rudd plan is broadly positive, however it has a large cost. $6 billion to be precise.
One of the problems with Government intervention in the economy is that Governments see costs, and not opportunities. Costs not revenue increase.
It’s unimaginative.
But when I’ve worked for Government that’s what I normally find. Lack of imagination.
Most farsighted ideas will be killed. Or implemented in …

COMMENT, New Zealand –A Gen-Xer, John Key, self-made man, has got the top job as leader of New Zealand. Read more from Tony Wright in The Age.
Trends in Generational Renewal.
It started in Australia. With an almost Gen-X Kevin Rudd, and a decidedly Gen-X Julia Gillard, as deputy.
One year later, it was Obama, in the USA, another Gen-Xer. And significantly self-made. Not another white man, son-of-privilege type.
Now came New Zealand, with self-made money-man, John Key. Like Obama, 47.
Politics still continues to alternate between left-and-right. With New Zealand Left making America’s Obama …

COMMENT, Melbourne — It seems politicians at the State Level in Australia are determined to destroy local manufacturing.
Consistently the Victorian Government in Melbourne, & NSW Government in Sydney import trains & trams rolling stock.
According to The Age, $3.6 Billion dollars of import orders in the last 18 months.
For citizens.
The imported trains & trams often have problem working in different climates, on different rails, and with different power requirments.
Furthermore, the seats in imported trams provide less effective seating, being often too small for the Australian market.
For local manufacturing.
If the Governments do …

COMMENT, Australia — Nascent trends show that the National (or Country) Party are just about to turn a corner.
Recently the National Party were kingmakers in West Australia State elections.
Now it looks like the National Party may win in the New Zealand elections.
Barnaby’s Voice.
An independent thinker, one of the few who stood up to John Howard, Barnaby Joyce has the leadership & charisma to be a national leader. In 8-12 years.
It may be too soon, and it may not eventuate, but this is an interesting thought.
Trends for the National Party.
Food supply …

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 – According to the Polls, Obama should win the US election only a couple of days away.
We hope this time the result is not tangled up in electoral court-cases or misanthropic journalism, as was the case in Gore v Bush.
We’ll look now at how trends support Obama.
Trends Support Obama.
Australia’s Centre Left.
The fortune of leaders are often tied to the same trends in English-speaking countries. Reagan-Thatcher. Clinton-Blair. Bush-Howard.
Australia’s Prime Minister Rudd represents generational change, Obama does too.
2thinknow accurately predicted the result of the Rudd election, and the margin within 1%, …

COMMENT, Australia — A German doctor & his family have been refused a visa for his family to stay in Australia, because his son has Downs Syndrome.

Source: Wimmera Times
Dr Bernhard Moeller was on Channel 9’s Today show with his family. There is an ABC version of the Doctor’s story here and The Age here. The Australian has an excellent piece on it.
This Doctor is the sole source of specialist medicine in Wimmera, a country town. He has been providing medical care for 2 years. Australia has chronic Doctor shortages.
The Doctor …

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.