Climate Change, Cyber Attacks and the Return of Communism

This week, while we divert our attention away from electioneering and presidential debates, our editors' thoughts are still not far off the latest goings-on in the US.

This time the team has taken time out to look at a range of topics including global warming, cyber attacks and whether Communism is making a comeback.

Jeff Patterson kicks off with his favourite read of the week which examines global warming issues...

Winter is Coming

Despite climate change, and by extension global warming, becoming a hot button issue in the United States in recent years, Americans may soon be wishing the planet was a pinch warmer this winter, namely with sights of a new polar vortex descending upon the United States in 2016.

According to a recent article in Scientific American, as the Arctic warms, the polar vortex, a large pocket of cool air in the Northern Hemisphere, is on a collision course with Europe, which brings frigid temperatures to North America.

While cold temperatures in the Northeastern United States are nothing new, the arrival of the polar vortex could bring much cooler temperatures into February and even March, leading to a longer winter.

Despite the onset of the polar vortex this year, the phenomenon has actually been part of a consistent shift over the past few decades away from North America and into Europe. Ironically, what follows is a cooling over North America and warmer winters in Europe.

The primary cause of this can be attributed to global warming, which Leads to decreases of sea ice, causing the sun’s warmth to be absorbed by the ocean, ultimately disrupting the vortex. In a bitter twist of fate, this has resulted in cold air being brought into lower latitudes in the United States by the vortex, which has in many ways offset global warming temperatures.

This could be one explanation for why widespread acceptance of global warming amongst certain groups in the United States has ‘cooled’ in recent years.

The Cyber Attack that Shocked

Cyber attacks on US soil have not only become an election issue, but have also affected millions of users and brokerage clients. Merely days after US Vice President Joe Biden made a bold statement, charging Russia with attempting to destabilize the country’s access to the web and affect its electoral process, a big chunk of online infrastructure in the US went dark last week. The US government has evidence that Chinese and Russian groups have been infiltrating state-owned websites.

WIRED sheds light on the disturbing developments that have been affecting US cyberspace and impacting a number of companies in the process.

Corporations have always been aware of the dangers that cyber attacks can cause to their businesses, however the government also has a role to play in order to warrant the personal security of its population.

Is Communism Making a Comeback?

Ignorance is bliss, they say. But when it comes to modern history, ignorance might be a genuine peril to our future. A new study published recently shows that the majority of the millennials in the US are leaning towards a socialist mindset and some even favor communist views.

The survey showed, for instance, that more millennials (71 percent) agreed with Bernie Sanders’ statements, than with the late-great Prof. Milton Friedman (58 percent). Yes, you read it right. A person who wanted to make college tuition free for all, to increase taxes by almost $20T and wanted to overregulate Uber, is more popular than one of the founding fathers of liberal economy.

There is a current infatuation of America’s young adults with communism’s lesser evil – socialism with both Trump and Sander’s supporters - an enormous portion of the US electorate - opposing free trade while supporting protectionism.

It’s no wonder that this generation (which I am also a part of) is so fond of socialism. After all, we all grew up in an era of relative peace and great personal wealth and abundance.

The article, which further examines the prospects of free economy and the dangers of socialism statism and re-distributism is a very revealing and worthwhile read. Read my full contribution here.

We conclude another week of stories that our editors are reading. Feel free to share your views in the comment section and any recommendations of your own. We look forward to hearing your opinions!

Check out our previous posts here:

Reputation Management…It’s All Rigged

Too Big to Jail and Where the Brexit Bankers Will Go

Death and Taxes…and a $10 Billion Scandal

Multiplanetary Species and Climate Change

The Mass-Text Manhunt and Fixing the Blue Screen of Death

The Red Pill and the Encyclopedia Reader

A Less-Cash Society and a $10 Billion Scandal

Coffee, Genes and All The Rest

Taking a Little Trip and Trading’s Resemblence to Poker

The Perils of Low Interest Rates and Subprime Auto Loans

No Gold Medals for Waste, Corruption….or Smog

No Doubt The Most Brutal Fight Yet

Robots, Cyber Motives and a Trader’s Addiction

An Attractive Commodity and the Pyschology Behind the Far Right

Banking on Pokemon and a Philosophical Victory

A New Breed of Plutocrats and China’s New Weapon

Gold Standard After Brexit and a matter of National Identity

Genetically Edited Humans And Electronic Persons

Computerised Storytelling And Quantitative Easing Doldrums

Eyeing Up This Year’s Biggest Tech IPO And The Search For Quantum Questions

Financial Efficiencies And Inefficiencies

The Bank Robber And The Psychologist

Fly Me To The Moon….And Bremain In The EU

Brexit: Ice-Cream Magic Or An Artistic Defeat

Virtual Reality and the Dark Side of Shaming

Insider Trading and the Dude Driving Istanbul Mad

On Valley Life and Opening Up AI