Billionaire warlords: Why the future is medieval

The world's next superpower might just resurrect the Middle Ages.

  • Russia? China? No. The rising world superpower is the billionaire class. Our problem, says Sean McFate, is that we're still thinking in nation states.
  • Nation states have only existed for the last 300-400 years. Before that, wealthy groups – tribes, empires, aristocracies, etc – employed mercenaries to wage private wars.
  • As wealth inequality reaches combustion point, we could land back in the status quo ante of the Middle Ages. Who will our overlords be? Any or all of the 26 ultra-rich billionaires who own as much as the world's 3.8 billion poorest. What about Fortune 500, which is more powerful than most of the states in the world? Random billionaires, multinational corporations, and the extractive industry may buy armies and wage war on their own terms.
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Standardized tests: Finland’s education system vs. the U.S.

Finland and the U.S. have chosen opposing answers to the question of how much standardized testing is too much.

  • Imperial China developed the first standardized tests for bureaucratic hopefuls.
  • Finland has all but done away with standardized tests, and its education system remains one of the best in the world.
  • The United States relies heavily on these tests and scores lower than Finland in academic rigor, yet provides a more balanced educational system for boys and girls, as well as immigrants
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I reported the news in print and online. Here’s the difference.

Former NYTimes executive editor Jill Abramson dissects the big problem with internet news.

  • Jill Abramson, former executive editor of The New York Times, describes what life was like for a journalist in the 1980s – a "stone age" when news was governed by the printing press schedule.
  • Today, many journalists will break stories on Twitter before writing it, eliminating nuance and increasing the chance of error.
  • Social media in particular has added a fatal speed to journalism. Errors erode public trust in the media, and allow those in power to undermine the free press.
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Canada wants to take in more than 1 million new immigrants in the next 3 years

...and hopes for big benefits.

A cab drops off a couple of asylum seekers at the US/Canada border near Champlain, New York, August 20, 2017. AFP PHOTO / Geoff Robins /Getty Images
Politics & Current Affairs

Want to live and work in Canada? That dream could become a reality now the government has announced plans to accept more than a million immigrants in the next three years.

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Top 5 anarchist plots in American history

Throughout history, anarchists have been responsible for bombings and assassinations, including some very recent ones.

Flickr user Adam Cohn
Politics & Current Affairs
  • Anarchism isn't always violent, but there's a reason why that stereotype has stuck.
  • Throughout history, anarchists have tried to bomb and assassinate different targets – including Barack Obama.
  • Here are 5 notable anarchist plots, ranging from centuries-old bombings to modern-day assassination attempts.
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What socialism is — according to Bernie Sanders

He's enflamed conversation about socialism across America.

Photo credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Politics & Current Affairs
  • U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has been calling himself a democratic socialist since the 1960s.
  • Bernie's use of the word "socialist" has attracted both love and ire from the left.
  • His definition of socialism is vague, but is the basis for many peoples' understanding of the concept.
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