I like Thomas L. Friedman's work ( The World is Flat). We both observe and comment on globalization.
Much of my world-- Hyundai, Kia, Songdo City (Incheon) and Korea--is going Green. I try to stay current on new developments and forward thinking. BTW, next week when I'm in Seoul, the impact of Green and eco-friendly thinking/ mindset in Korea will be a topic of interest and study. Look for my commentary.
Check out his new book.
Hot, Flat, and Crowded
Why We Need a Green Revolution - And How it Can Renew America
Thomas L. Friedman's no. 1 bestseller The World Is Flat has helped millions of readers to see globalization in a new way. Now Friedman brings a fresh outlook to the crises of destabilizing climate change and rising competition for energy—both of which could poison our world if we do not act quickly and collectively. His argument speaks to all of us who are concerned about the state of America in the global future.
Friedman proposes that an ambitious national strategy—which he calls "Geo-Greenism"—is not only what we need to save the planet from overheating; it is what we need to make America healthier, richer, more innovative, more productive, and more secure.
As in The World Is Flat, he explains a new era—the Energy-Climate era—through an illuminating account of recent events. He shows how 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the flattening of the world by the Internet (which brought 3 billion new consumers onto the world stage) have combined to bring climate and energy issues to Main Street. But they have not gone very far down Main Street; the much-touted "green revolution" has hardly begun. With all that in mind, Friedman sets out the clean-technology breakthroughs we, and the world, will need; he shows that the ET (Energy Technology) revolution will be both transformative and disruptive; and he explains why America must lead this revolution—with the first Green President and a Green New Deal, spurred by the Greenest Generation.
Hot, Flat, and Crowded is classic Thomas L. Friedman—fearless, incisive, forward-looking, and rich in surprising common sense about the world we live in today.
For a counterperspective on globalization and Friedman's book, I would like to recommend a small, but interesting book, by Aronica and Ramdoo, "The World is Flat? A Critical Analysis of Thomas Friedman's New York Times Bestseller."
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, the book written about two years back, discusses in the following chapters,
"Debt and Financialization of America"
"America"s Former Middle Class"
"A Paradigm Shift for America" with prescriptions for the future
the debt ridden American society, deregulated financial institutions, mortgage crisis and other related issues, with clear pointers to the economic crisis gripping US today. For more information regarding the same, check this out: mkpress.com/FlatExcerpts.pdf
This is a small book compared to the 600 page tome by Friedman, and aimed at the common man and students alike. As popular as the book may be, some reviewers assert that by what it leaves out, Friedman's book is dangerous. The authors point to the fact that there isn't a single table or data footnote in Friedman's entire book.
"Globalization is the greatest reorganization of the world since the Industrial Revolution," says Aronica.
You may want to see www.mkpress.com/flat
and watch www.mkpress.com/flatoverview.html
for an interesting counterperspective on Friedman's
"The World is Flat".
Also a really interesting 6 min wake-up call: Shift Happens! www.mkpress.com/ShiftExtreme.html
There is also a companion book listed: Extreme Competition: Innovation and the Great 21st Century Business Reformation
www.mkpress.com/extreme
http://www.mkpress.com/Extreme11minWMV
I am a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. When reading Friedman's latest book on energy around the world, I felt a surge of closeness to his descriptions of people without power on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to share some considerations regarding life in the 21st century that would not have crossed my mind without my experience during Hurricane Gustav earlier this fall:
How would you feel if you lived in Las Vegas without any air conditioning? What about humidity? Do you use a de-humidifier so that you don't get too sticky? Does an air conditioner also act as a de-humidifier?
What about food? How often do you rely on the light in your refrigerator to guide you to your next meal? Would a lack of coolness in this fridge mean you don't get any fresh vegetables for a week? Do you really think a few bags of ice transported from other places will be able to keep meats and dairy products from spoiling? How about your favorite restaurant? Do they use air conditioning and refrigeration to keep their foods good?
Also, without the electrical power to heat an indoor stove or oven (or microwave--I'm in college and this is my life), how can the basic meals you rely on be created?
Above only describes electricity. Baton Rouge was filled with generators after the hurricane occurred. These powered some basic things, like refrigerators and small fans to keep people cool in the 90 degree humidity. Could they last without gas? Could gas arrive in Baton Rouge without transportation fueled by diesel?
These are only a few things we take for granted. (A huge shocker I didn't even mention earlier was INTERNET. Does the internet exist unless it has a source of power to run the devices that it can be displayed upon?) This is why a green future is important.