Jared Diamond's 5 point Framework to decipher why Societies Collapse, spot the advanced warning signs_ why and how Societies Survive past and present.

This short summary is intended for readers who may otherwise not take a few minutes to watch the full video.

Jared Diamond auther of "Guns Germs and Steel_ the fate of human societies" and of "How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" has drawn-up a five point framework-a check-list- to decipher why some Societies Collapse and others survive.

He pin-points main advanced warning signs from human societies histories and why today's leaders and general public must be made aware of these around an easy to remember, manageble 5 major themes and what the consequences are most likely to be, if we make the wrong choices, if we choose "not to see them, to ignore them!

He does not underestimate the complexities of such analyses.

THE 4-FOLD CHALLENGE:
The reasons Jared Diamond has chosen to address theses difficult questions are four-fold:
- the very importance and seriousness of the possible catastrophnic out-comes,
- the difficulties involved in their analyses,
- the courage required to face up-to the results and to act upon them and
- to encourage a wide recognition of these factors as part of a democratic solution.

In the last post I presented Jared Diamonds video, the first selected for my intended series entitled "Foresight-Hindsight" It is chosen for the timely relevance to one of our current day issues the "Climate - Energy." relationship in a wold of finite resources.

My post could also be entitled, "Lessons form the past ever so relevent today".

Jared Diamond's 5 point Framework-Check list.

1. Human impact the environment with an example of using all available non-renewable (limited) natural resources. This should ring a bell -Petrol Production Peak.

2.Climate Change. (not necessarily fatal.)

3.Relationship with friendly neighbours.

4.Relationship with hostile neighbours.

5. Social and cultural factors in societies which help or hinder solving their problems.


I inadvertantly made a "creative error" in my last post title. I wrote Forsight in stead of Foresight.I could just well be a better statement and rejoins J.Diamonds complaint "that if only we could see" or admit the reality behind "The Signs", The warning signals.

Diamond illustrates all his claims with numerous example.

The reader would be well advised to take 10 to 15 mns, the time to watch any one of Jared Diamand's the videos.

Video capture widget trials and start of a Forsight-Hindsight Video Series

For those who follow my "This-Above-All" series of 3 blogs, you may have noticed that I have been trial running different layouts, hence a certain duplication of materials presented.

The original widget-tool idea came from an example found in nanotechnology field, more in line with my other blogs in Materials Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering or again in Innovation. They are not really directly related to the Strategic Foresight Focus that I intend to bring to the "This-Above-All" series. A better choice are the trials which I shall tag as "Foresight-Hindsight" of my video series capture. The first example is a video of Jared Diamond talk on "how to detect serious crises and how to prevent them." Jared studies the Rise and fall of Societies, Civilisation.

You may remember an earlier post "Conversations" based on Jared Diamond's book “Guns, Germs, and Steel.” discussed by a number academics from the fields of History, Geography, Economics and Sociology who correspond regularly notably Brad Delong, a Berkeley Univ., Top Economist and the moderator with a substantial highly pertinent contribution by R. J. Barendse, of the University of Leiden in Holland.

My conversation post was entitled:

Guns, gems and steel: The Fate(s) of Human Societies

Energy Autonomy, Renewable Energies in France _ Get your projects in France going. Seeking a French partner or building a Consortium?

Following a request from a colleague, here is the list of companies, all sizes, involved in furthering the development and use of Renewable Energies and registered in France.

Google translator does a good job. Company names do not usually change in translation. I shall list only the translations of Category Titles as follows:

Bilingual Renewable Energy Categories - Translated from French via Google Translator.

BIOCARBURANTS - BIOFUELS
BOIS/BIOMASSE - WOOD / BIOMASS
EOLIEN - WIND
GéOTHERMIE - GEOTHERMAL
HYDRAULIQUE - HYDRAULIC
PHOTOVOLTAïQUE- PHOTOVOLTAIC
ENERGIES MARINES - Ocean Energy (Marine Energy)
SOLAIRE THERMIQUE - SOLAR THERMAL
POMPE à CHALEUR - HEAT PUMP .

Discuss by all means and please give this a wide Echo - it deserves much co-ordinated "low carbon foot" effort and determination. Since currently most in situ electric energy production is via Coal, and Nuclear, the renewable path is already traced, is it not? (n'est ce pas?).
(Fuel and Gas are used either directly for heat or transportation)

Suite à une demande d'un collègue, voici la liste de Societes en France, qui se sont investies dans les énergies renouvelables. cf. also Scotland as your renewables Model.

Link choose Adhèrants in the top bar menu - Liens choisir Adhérants dans le menu.

Refs:
My Energy Executive Choices 2008-2009
Two very good back ground books to read and to use.
1. Energy Basics - Energy Balance _ Production capacity (hard work and Jobs?) vs Consumption (Too easy for human and planetary good?)
Title Without Hot Air by David J.C. MacKay free online or buy the print edition.

2. Energy and Economy policy for "Human Economy is essentially about how mankind transforms limited natural resources to make useful desirable products and services." quoted from the authers of:
"C'est maintenant, 3 ans pour sauver le monde," by Jean-Mark Jancovici et Alain Grandjean

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

No work or blog on Foresight today can afford not to take into account the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change .

The site is too rich to do justice to their work in the time I have alloted to my post.

Lets say that my post is timely in respect to "The next major round of negotiations will be held in Bonn, 29 March-8 April. It will be preceded by pre-sessional events, directly related to the work of the sessions, which will start on 26 March. Additional information on these events is available here (pdf 160 kB) .

More...

The site is also the main base reference for official data (the reviewed facts) together with the methodology and science under pinning the data.

More...

An anchor link is provided on the right-hand side bar "Major Foresight Issues"

Is Kaspersky fighting the wrong fight? _Kaspersky Internet Security removes AdSense advertisements

Is Kaspersky fighting the wrong fight?

Kaspersky Internet Security removes adsense advertisements from user’s browser. Google’s adsense is harmless and it is not annoying like popups. Kaspersky is preventing webmasters to earn money from their website, I am protesting Kaspersky. Google and Webmasters must take an action to this. Protest Kaspersky !

Source 2007 still encountered March 2009!
AdSense Blocker Protest Link

My comment: AdSense, with the "No Adult Content" checked, is the most harmless non-invasive advertising I know. That is why I tested it and I passed my first blog in 2005. As a scientist, like all scientists are wary of the effects of advertising and I have "enough experience" to remember the time when it was forbidden for advertisers to target children ... Nevertheless, we all have to eat!

En Français:
Kaspersky Internet Security supprime les publicités AdSense de navigateur de l'utilisateur. Google adsense est inoffensif et il n'est pas ennuyeux, comme les fenêtres pop-up. Kaspersky empêche les webmasters de gagner de l'argent pour leur efforts à partir de leur site web et blogs. Je protest contre Kaspersky's agissements. Google et les webmasters doivent prendre des mesures à cet égard. Protest Kaspersky!

Mon commentaire: AdSense, avec le "No Adult Content" coché, est le plus inoffensif non-invasive, publicité que je connais. C'est pourquoi je l'ai testé et je l'ai adopté des mes premiers blogs en 2005. En tant que scientifique, comme tous les scientifiques on se méfie des effets de la publicité et j'ai "assez d'expérience" pour se rappeler l'époque quand il a été formellement interdit aux annonceurs de cibler les enfants ... Néanmoins, nous devons tous manger!

NB.
Translation with the assistance of Google Translator English to French and French to English.


Source 2007 apporter à mon attention à nouveau en Mars 2009!
AdSense Blocker Protest Link in English