Nine Shift

#1 September 2019 NineShift Story: What’s Odd About This Picture?

What would many, if not most, Americans feel is odd about this picture in downtown Copenhagen, Denmark? The photo appeared this month in a major American newspaper.

While all advanced countries are experiencing the same inevitable transformations in technology and work, we now see the evitable differences in how countries experience the 21^st Century.

Our view:
*Not odd someone sleeping on a park bench downtown.
*Not odd a man strolling his child downtown.
*ODD:  a man falling asleep downtown with his child and not worrying about the safety of his child while he is sleeping.  

Where advanced countries now diverge in their societies of this century is with infrastructure. In this instance, safety downtown in cities.

#2 Vote: Is America in Decline?

Is the U.S. in decline?

We want your opinion.  And any comments about why, or how.

At the start of every new economic age, every country basically starts all over in a “new game” of economic prosperity.  Exactly 100 years ago, Great Britain was the world’s superpower, but lost that status to the United States.  Are we seeing the same thing today? 

Hit "Comments" below this post and tell us what you think.

#3 Kremlin Steps Up Election Interference

The Kremlin stepped up its 2020 election interference in September.

You might not have noticed the heightened interference this month. But we did. That's because NineShift is headquartered in Wisconsin, a swing state in the 2020 election. We and many people we know are getting hit more now on social media and email with fake bots trying to communicate with us and sway our opinion and information source. 

#4 Get your child in Harvard in just 14 days!

That's all the famous star Felicity Huffman is spending in jail for bribing and cheating to get her child into college.

She was sentenced this month. We can skeptical say that parents have always bought college for their kids, but the bigger story is the credibility of higher education amidst the breakdown of higher education in meeting the needs of this century.  Higher ed is a huge failure.

-Only 55%, or half, of students, are graduated. So we waste half of what is spent on college.
-The U.S. only has 28% of its people with a college education, far from the 50% target other advanced countries are setting, and achieving.
-We have left 17 million smart males without a degree, and without a future.  Males who test at, or above, what college students test at.
-We haven't filled our STEM jobs with Americans in decades; business desperately needs more college grads with unemployment at rock bottom 2%.

For a start. 

#5 Automaker Finally Wakes Up

The world’s second largest automaker, Volkswagen, finally woke up to the 21^st Century. In an announcement made this month, we finally get a decent response to transportation in the 21^st century from a car company.

The company has said it will transition to make only electric vehicles in the future.  It is a big gamble, especially in the U.S. where charging stations are few and far between.

But it also is right in tune with Millennials, especially vocal this month about the climate emergency and short time left to save the planet from fossil fuels.

To be clear, electric cars are still polluting, not only in the making of the electricity but also the roads, and the metal drippings/droppings falling off your car every day.  But it is the right response. If anyone is going to be driving in a few decades, it has to be with an all-electric car.