In completely unrelated stories, there is suddenly a flurry of protest activity this week by pissed off indigenous peeps that are creating a bit of chaos on two different continents. In China, pro-Tibetan-rights peeps are facing of against a crushing Chinese military presence in Tibet and Sichuan; and in Australia, pro-Aboriginal-rights groups had a bizarrely brazen “attack” on Aussie Prime Minister Julia Gillard! Crikey! The Professor covers a bit of background on these events and offers some hypotheses about why that are happening now, and what they are all about.
A bunch of seemingly unrelated stories are unfolding concurrently in Europe that really get at the heart of the struggle for the future of the European Union. Protests for/against states rights in Hungary; a referendum for EU membership in Croatia; and even a downgrading of credit rating to most of the Eurozone countries all play into a broader picture of where the European Union as a unit is heading. Will it become the “United States of Europe,” or will countries start bailing out of the organization altogether? Only time will tell, but get the latest lowdown on the EU from the Professor right here!
Keywords: EU, European Union, Hungary, protests, Croatia, referendum, membership, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, UK,
In the first full-on raging rant of the semester, the Professor talks about the deeper and more thought-provoking impact of the SOPA/PIPA internet protest that occurred yesterday, and how it reflects a new wave of democratic expression in the US. That is, it wasn’t just about internet freedoms and the power of innovation it brings, but also how the movement itself physically unfolded via social networking…a mechanism that mirrors other protests around the planet that are delivering power to the people, and out of the hands of corporations/kings/dictators in general. Power to the peeps, baby!
Keywords: SOPA, PIPA, Wikipedia, Google, Apple, iAuthor, MPAA, Arab Spring, social networking, protest, black-out, innovation
This plaidcast takes a 30-minute tour around the globe to look at likely trends, winners, and losers for the year ahead. Which countries and regions will continue to do awesome and/or improve their fortunes? Which ones will flounder and fail? Watch as Professor Pundit hypothesizes about the major global themes and situations that he will be expecting to rise or fall in 2012.
As promised last podcast, the Professor now looks forward to the new year of 2012 to inform you of the details of the significant shift of world leadership going down in the next 365 days. From new leaders to be tested in North Korea, Italy and Spain; to election cycles in US, Mexico, France, Russia, and Taiwan; to major turnovers in China, Palestine and possibly Pakistan, Syria, and Yemen…the parade of new faces started in 2011 is going to be accelerated significantly in the coming year, and the Professor wants you to be in the know!
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