Project Quipu: Integrated Economic Atlas for the 21st Century

. . . INTRODUCTION

Examining the manner in which financial news is reported in the popular media, THINK proposes to create a system whereby live-update, rss-technology, and financial and editorial expertise, come together to produce a reliable up-to-the-minute resource for evaluating broad economic trends and engagements, without limiting analysis to single-parameter references like GDP or individual stock indices.

It is often thought that in order to organize ideas or to put some kind of order to any analysis, one needs uniformity, a limited number of generic categories and a single system of uncomplicated parameters by which to categorize each subject under review. But the truth is, this uniformity is not and will not be the rule of any part of lived reality.

To emerge from the fog of flawed, incomplete and opportunistically limited economic and financial analysis, means we need to come to grips with the fact that all resources, all functions or 'services', be they natural or the product of human ingenuity, figure somehow in economic values at all levels. There may be no clear way to quantify their contribution or mercantilize them, but they are there, and nothing can be fully understood in economic terms without seeing this. [Complete Text]

Introducing the Crisis Policy Forum, a Casavaria discursive community project

The Crisis Policy Forum is an online community project with a view to fomenting open debate and discourse on humanitarian, political and economic crises across the world. CPF aims to highlight and bring about new research and policy-proposals, to produce viable, locally-relevant solutions to pervasive crises such as fresh-water scarcity, chronic poverty, access to technology and education, voting rights, agricultural sustainability, infectious disease, conflict resolution and democracy.

The mission of CPF is not profit-driven or entrepreneurial, but is, rather, intended to focus on directing major policy initiatives toward sound, evidence-based efforts that strengthen the fabric of local communities and civil society. An essential ingredient in this project is the recognition that: ideology is a mystical devotion to singular, exclusive political structures, which as a result tends to bring about division, arbitrary exercise of power, social 'blockage', stagnation in the marketplace of ideas, persecution and a 'dumbing down' of the process of inquiry, generally.

Ideals are necessary in the planning, living and evolution of any human endeavor, but cannot be applied as blanket solutions; they are not solutions but rather seeds for thought and must be channeled through local context and available resources, needs, choice and applicability to the problem at hand; when the ideal is not imposed but is chosen voluntarily by those affected, it ceases to force or attack and begins to help resolve problems, which are, essentially, the lack of 'ideal' conditions.

CPF will combine statistics, reports from UN agencies, governments, non-governmental organizations, academics, essays on theory, history and actual policies introduced, examining how they proceed, what level of success is perceived to have been achieved, by various 'stakeholders' (involved parties, both those affected and those acting to implement policy initiatives). The format will be open, and initially without hard channeling of information, as we seek to build a reserve of commentary and a well-spring of concepts, critiques and innovative thought.

THINK: a new research project evolving solutions for smarter living

Through the 'Think' project, Casavaria aims to develop major new technologies to help bring the costly aspects of everyday post-industrial life in line with what the planet, and civilization itself, can sustain. The project seeks to reduce instability in technology for communication and to develop an entirely new sort of renewable "fuel" source.

Both of these inaugural projects are at present in the theoretical phase. To continue research and development, Casavaria will be seeking to collaborate with experts in diverse fields of study and engineering, and to find funding for projects whose results should resonate at the heart of everyday experience in today's world.

Think is envisioned as a forum which may bring together scientists, authors, researchers, critics, hobbyists and lay people, in an effort to spur discussion and to foment innovation. Projects proposed by Casavaria will remain the intellectual property of the Think project, though collaborators may from time to time be officially recognized by the editors, due to their contributions in this forum.

With Think, Casavaria takes the view that research must be open and avoid bias toward even its own stated goal, but research will be conducted, promoted or discussed, with the policy that the problem is not whether a good idea is possible, but how to achieve it, or which of various possible scenarios is optimal for all involved. [Full Text]