Want to see a nice snap shot of the stovepiping of intelligence?

Check out this graphic at Mother Jones.

The article is pretty damned good, too.

All roads lead to...

Mother knows.

9:56:20 PM    comment []

From a review of the newly released, Financial Crisis, Contagion, and Containment: From Asia to Argentina:

"Another topic is titled: `How much corruption? Does corruption matter?' "Corruption, like adultery, exists across cultures but is difficult to measure," writes the author. "It is equally difficult to define." The animal can take two forms: Rent seeking or profit seeking. "The former arises when cronies are given exclusive rights in production or distribution activity resulting in efficiency losses and growth impairment." The latter is when "cronies capture shares in profit-making enterprises, siphon off the profits abroad, and invest less at home."

An engaging debate is whether corruption retards growth or greases the wheels of economic progress. Corruption, in the form of rescuing cronies from trouble, may be feasible in normal times, but not during a crisis."

Hmmm.  Very interesting.  Think I have to read this book.  Certainly wouldn't hurt to learn more about that which could well lie ahead.

1:42:23 PM    comment []