Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The BBC World Service's 80th Anniversary and James Murdoch's resignation juxtaposed: public good vs. private greed

While living in Singapore, I receive most of my news, commercial free, via the BBC World Service. For the last 24 hours there have been celebrations of the World Service’s 80th Anniversary. For a faithful BBC World Service listener, from afar, the celebrations have been moving.


Apart from celebrations, one of the news items reported was the resignation of James Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch, from his responsibilities for News Corporation management in Britain. Legalistic dissembling characterized the official announcement. Mr. Murdoch “denied any wrongdoing” and “denied any knowledge” of the malfeasance that police and Parliamentary inquiries uncovered. However the linkage seemed clear to me.


The BBC World Service began as a voice of the British Empire, an institution with many shortcomings. In recent years however, I think most dispassionate observers would conclude that “the public good” (however difficult that is to define) has been a principal motivating value guiding its broadcasts..


Would anyone say the same of Rupert Murdoch’s media and news empire? I can only infer from viewing its end products public face. The values that come to mind are “private power” and private greed.” A third phrase, too, comes to mind “private corruption.” As a sage observed: power corrupts and absolute power (an overriding value that appears to motivate Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch) corrupts absolutely.


What constitutes “the public good” may be difficult to define. However whatever the definition may be, I see on the part of BBC World Service Management and Staff, a serious commitment to seeking and being guided by its dictates. I wish them well on the World Service’s 80th birthday.


We need more institutions like theirs, in this world. We need fewer that are guided, if news reports are to be believed, by the values of private greed and private gain that leaders of the Murdoch media empire appear to embody.

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Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Solve for X - a message to my system dynamics modeling students

Teaching system dynamics modeling at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Policy in Singapore is exciting and challenging. 42 students enrolled in my class - a large number to present a technically complex subject at a graduate level. But the engagement of the students is infectious, and even inspiring.

This morning, I saw a posting on Google’s new Solve for X initiative, something that is definitely worth checking out. The link is: http://www.wesolveforx.com

Here is what I wrote to my students and a few friends.


Dear Class Members,

Probably you are already familiar with this initiative, which crossed my field of vision this afternoon. Think about it. The Limits to Growth and to a lesser degree some other modeling work helped change the way human beings thought about sustainability. But the challenge of achieving sustainability in a world that is humane and resilient is yet to be accomplished. Very likely the breakthroughs will first be achieved in Asia. System dynamics modeling could contribute, as it has in the past. As I read it this is the sort of breakthrough thinking that the Solve for X initiative seeks to catalyze. Check out the initiative's website at:

http://www.wesolveforx.com

Any takers...?


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