An Offer You Can’t Refuse: Leadership Lessons From “The Godfather”

by Lydia Dishman What does a real-life CEO have in common with the central figures of a fictitious Mafia crime family in The Godfather? According to Justin Moore, CEO and founder of Axcient, plenty. Moore is a serial entrepreneur, early-stage advisor, and angel investor. He’s currently at the helm of Axcient, a company he founded …

Is America “on the Wrong Side of History”?

by Jonathan Wai The United States is no longer seen as “that awesome” according to Wang. As Wang writes, “The United States is seen in China generally as a declining power over the long run. America’s financial disorder, alarming deficit and unemployment rate, slow economic recovery, and domestic political polarization are viewed as but a …

Why Living In The American Empire Isn’t All That It’s Cracked Up To Be

Paul Craig Roberts for The Daily Reckoning Great empires, such as the Roman and British, were extractive. The empires succeeded, because the value of the resources and wealth extracted from conquered lands exceeded the value of conquest and governance. The reason Rome did not extend its empire east into Germany was not the military prowess …

US Scientists Create Blueprints For Nuclear-Powered Drones

The Guardian (UK) April 3, 2012 Pg. 2 Long flights sought with weapons or spy systems By Nick Fielding American scientists have drawn up plans for a new generation of nuclear-powered drones capable of flying over remote regions of the world for months on end without refuelling. Blueprints for the drones -- which have been …

Why Nations Fail

New York Times April 1, 2012 Pg. SR13 By Thomas L. Friedman I’M reading a fascinating new book called “Why Nations Fail.” The more you read it, the more you appreciate what a fool’s errand we’re on in Afghanistan and how much we need to totally revamp our whole foreign aid strategy. But most intriguing …

Audacious Hope

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." -Mark Twain More thoughts from Monday Morning quiet/pontification time: So...how do people feel when they are around you? (Just wishing I had that cup of coffee in …