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Appeal to James Cameron

http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/5529

The recent controversy over the introduction of BT-Brinjal is a fantastic example of how much sustained lobbying can prevail over well documented facts.  The BT-Brinjal has been demonized over and over in print as well as on television.  Some have even called it “Zehrila Baingan” (poisonous brinjals), so they don’t have to bother explaining what a genetically modified crop is to their audience.

An op-ed in today’s Indian Express points out that the Government’s Expert Committee has concluded that use of the BT-Brinjal drastically reduces the amount of pesticide used to produce the crop.  Importantly, for all consumers of the vegetable, the op-ed states that “With around 15 to 40 pesticide sprays required during a season, each brinjal available is a “pesticide bullet”.”

One might always argue that there are two sides of the coin, and that the move to introduce the GM crop is itself being pushed through by multinational corporations.  However,

1.  Nobody has been able to pin-point exactly which MNCs are behind this conspiracy,

2.  Though everyone is crying themselves hoarse about the impact on environment, no one is willing to answer how the current high usage of pesticides is any less harmful.  BT Brinjal substantially reduces usage of such pesticides.

These were the reasons the government stated when it first proposed the introduction of BT Brinjal:

All of these reasons seem to address the question of the use of pesticides, and their environmental impact.

The op-ed in Express points out that,

1.  More than 100 times the amount present in the vegetable has been given to rats and shown to be non-toxic.

2.  The developers of BT Brinjal in India ”a private company and two publicly-funded agricultural universities” have been carrying out all the mandatory tests for the last seven years now.

3.  Even if the facts stated above are taken with a pinch of salt, the author very correctly points out that while GM food is not the panacea to agricultural problems, it can at least address the productivity issues.

There are only two conclusions I can draw from all of the above: (1) The group which has the most to lose from BT Brinjal seems to be the pesticide/ fertilizer manufacturers!! and, (2) somebody is actually scared that just like BT Cotton, farmers will actually take to BT Brinjal as well.  Otherwise, why not just wait for farmers to just reject the crop?

Some intriguing tidbits about what Canada’s defence community is buying or looking for these days.

In an era of “whole of government” ops, how can we get people from different departments, ministries and agencies to trust each other and work together better?

…. The Organizational Behavior Group (OB Group) within the Collaborative Performance and Learning Section (CPL Section) of Defence Research and Development Canada – Toronto (DRDC Toronto) has received approval to conduct a three year Applied Research Project (ARP) to explore and identify the mechanisms of establishing and maintaining interagency trust. More specifically, the purpose of the Interagency Trust ARP is to understanding the psychological processes associated with trust in such environments in order to contribute to and enhance the development of this mission critical capability…. (PDF of Statement of Work here).

How do we work better in teams made up of people from different countries, organizations and cultures?

…. As part of a global community, Canadian Forces (CF) personnel must be able to work effectively as part of a team, either in the context of co-ordinated joint operations or in collaboration with various government and non-government agencies and organizations, international organizations, or multinational military forces, embedded in diverse social and cultural settings. Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) will conduct research that will facilitate the realization of the full synergistic potential of teams operating in Joint, Interagency, Multinational, and Public (JIMP) environments. The objectives of the Applied Research Project (ARP), entitled “JIMP Essentials in the Public Domain: Implications for the Tactical Commander,” include: 1) a conceptual clarification of the aspects of JIMP, with implications for the development of knowledge, education and training tools for the tactical commander; 2) identification of individual differences/aptitudes that facilitate effective collaboration in a JIMP environment, with implications for training, selection and teamwork; and 3) integration of historical and international perspectives on the Public aspects of JIMP. The challenge is to understand the critical human-centric, psychosocial and cognitive aspects of collaborative work and to develop methods and models to foster collaborative behaviour …. (PDF of Statement of Work here)

“Ballistic Blankets”, round 2 (supercedes this round)

…. The Department of National Defence requires the alteration of Government furnished Ballistic Blankets to provide additional occupant protection in light armoured vehicles. The alterations will consist of cutting, sewing and installing hardware.
Scope of Work:
This requirement consists of the following elements:
(a)    Quantity of twenty-five (25) kits of Ballistic Blankets within one (1) month of contract award;
(b)    Three (3) options of up to quantity seventy-nine (79) kits of Ballistic Blankets to be delivered within 1 month after each option is exercised ….

Tools to help build better reactive armour?

…. REQUIREMENT: Defence Research and Development Canada – Suffield has a requirement for which the objective is to generate a coherent high-speed reactive structural material jet and to experimentally study the reaction and interaction of this coherent jet with a nearby structure, and in particular, to determine the impulse applied to a structure. The second objective of this work is to develop metallurgy for desired shapes of a class of more advanced reactive structural materials with great mechanical strength and density and to characterize the critical shock initiation and energy release of the most promising materials ….

Goggles or systems to help armoured vehicle drivers drive at night better

…. This requirement is for the Department of National Defence (DND) to procure Driver’s Vision Enhancer (DVE) systems. This device provides a primary day/night driving aid to enhance mobility and survivability of the Armored Vehicules (sic) for the Canadian Forces (CF) by enabling the driver to better negotiate terrain and assist in crew surveillance tasks. The DVE System must aid the driver in negotiating obstacles such as ditches, craters, railways, water, etc. The DVE System must be capable of providing sufficient fidelity for the driver to manoeuvre tactically by assisting the driver in obstacle avoidance and route selection that provides the best cover and concealment when performing tasks during Canadian operations ….

Privatizing bulk fuel storage at CFB Goose Bay

….The Department of National Defence (DND) is the owner of the Tank Farm and Fuel Distribution System located on the Canadian Forces Base (5 Wing) and is adjacent to the 5 Wing Goose Bay military airport and in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland & Labrador. Work under his contract shall include:
a.     Development of a business / financial model to evaluate future operations and maintenance of the tank farm facility under a Terminal Model of operations.
b.     In general terms, a Terminal Model is a mode of operation wherein the prospective operator of the facility would provide fee-based fuel storage and related services to multiple public and private sector users of the facility. Fuel product owned by the various clients could be co-mingled within the fuel storage tanks.
c.     Potential clients would include public and private sector entities having requirement for bulk fuel storage….

50.5 kilometres (31.5 miles) o’ velcro

…. The Department of National Defence (DND) has a requirement for Fasteners, Tape, Hook and Pile …. A firm quantity of 33,000 meters to be delivered to Montreal, Quebec and 17,500 meters to be delivered to Edmonton, Alberta for a total quantity of 50,500 meters….

Insightful video from BNet on the topic of the human element in management:

“  Ed Muzio, CEO of Group Harmonics, outlines a strategy for reading behavior in the moment. He says to ask two questions: how is this person approaching their environment, and what is their primary focus? By answering these, you can determine if this person is trying to direct, inspire, stabilize or regulate—and respond appropriately. “

Because of the gravity of the crime against the Constitution committed by a gang of 5 right wing judicial outlaws on our Supreme Court yesterday, we are launching two critical action pages at once

Action Page: Corporations Are NOT The People http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1029.php

Action Page: Impeach The Supreme Court 5 http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1030.php

By any fair legal definition, the decision yesterday by The Supreme Court 5 constitutes nothing less than an act of TREASON against the people of the United States. Having read and analyzed the entire 183 page decision and all of its concurring and dissenting opinions ourselves, we are fully prepared to support this accusatory conclusion.

Having so grossly abused its jurisdiction by presuming to decide a question expressly WAIVED by the petitioner in the Court below (p 12), this rogue Supreme Court ruled for the FIRST time that NO corporation can be constrained from unlimited influence over our elections. And even assuming that the Court intended the decision to only apply to American corporations, the Court expressly DECLINED (pp 46-47) to reach the question of whether foreign ownership stakes in American corporations should likewise be given carte blanche to put their thumbs on the scales of our democracy.

Thus, until Congress FURTHER acts (and it must, though it could not have escaped the attention of The Supreme Court 5 that the current Republican minority has vowed to obstruct ANYTHING of consequence that Congress might try to pass), there is now nothing to constrain foreign nationals, even our most sworn enemies, from usurping what even the most die hard Tea Bagger takes as an article of faith, that the rights of citizenship of this country are ONLY for Americans. This must be construed, within the four corners of our Constitution, as deliberately and knowingly exposing the United States of America to harm in the interim, by giving “aid and comfort” to our enemies (Constitution Article 3, section 3), should our enemies now wish to take advantage of this unprecedented and rash decision. In simple Constitutional terms . . treason!!

The fact is that we now live in a world of giant transnational corporations, with allegiance to NO sovereign government, let alone our own, sworn only to exploit the most vulnerable and desperate workers they can find in any country of the world. How does The Supreme Court 5 propose parsing which of these extra-national legal artificialities should be allowed to corrupt our democratic election process? Apparently in their minds, all of them.

Action Page: Corporations Are NOT The People http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1029.php

So what is it that we can and MUST do? The first and most prominent proposal we heard yesterday, and which we of course support, was to amend the Constitution to clarify that corporations have no such rights as people (which is to say U.S. citizens). While this certainly could not hurt, and would obviously help (assuming such a proposed amendment could garner 67 votes in a Senate already stalemated by obstructionism, let alone be ratified by 3/4 of the states, including many “red” ones), what we must first assert is that there is nothing WRONG with our Constitution, and demand that Congress do whatever it can to protect it.

Action Page: Impeach The Supreme Court 5 http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1030.php

Because just as importantly, we are on ominous and clear notice that there is no further outrage these 5 gangsters in black robes are not gleefully and arrogantly capable of. Indeed, in his dissenting opinion (that the majority did not go far ENOUGH), Clarence Thomas characterized the decision as only a “first step” (Thomas opinion p. 1). It is worth noting that the authorship of the majority opinion is claimed by Anthony M. Kennedy, heretofore generally considered the LEAST wing nutty of the 5. Therefore, the immediate and unavoidably necessary recourse must be impeachment for all five, treason already being a high crime, otherwise the horrors yet to issue from their treacherous minds is too terrible to contemplate.

NEW FOUR COLOR BUMPER STICKERS

We will have much more to say on all this in subsequent alerts to follow shortly, but for now we are making available for no charge (not even shipping) your choice of one of two absolutely gorgeous full 4 color process bumper stickers. Take a “Corporations Are NOT The People” bumper sticker, OR a “Impeach The Supreme Court 5″ bumper sticker for free. Of course if you can make a contribution (or if you want both), please DO contribute what you can, which is what allows us to send these out for free to anyone who cannot make a donation right now.

You can request your bumper sticker from the return page after you submit either of the action pages above. Or you can do directly to this page and get them there.

Bumper Stickers for no charge: http://www.peaceteam.net/bumper_stickers.php

Facebook participants can also submit the action pages at

Corporations Are Not The People: http://apps.facebook.com/fb_voices/action.php?qnum=pnum1029

Impeach The Supreme Court 5: http://apps.facebook.com/fb_voices/action.php?qnum=pnum1030

And on Twitter, just send the following Twitter reply for the Corporations Are Not The People action

@cxs #p1029

And this Twitter reply for the Impeach The Supreme Court 5 action

@cxs #p1030

Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible.

If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at http://www.millionfaxmarch.com/in.htm

In “Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission” 5 supreme court justices ruled yesterday to change the country in a real way.
Because of that act we must now learn a new form of starting every school day and all baseball games.
Here is your new primer:

I pledge allegiance to the corporations of

the United States of Corporate America and to the Fascism state

for which it controls, one nation under dollar,

indivisible, with liberty and justice for business only.

If you don’t like those words go here http://www.savedemocracy.net and do something about it.

A landmark class action case is under way in a New York federal court, with victims of apartheid in South Africa suing corporations that they say helped the pre-1994 regime. Among the multinational corporations are IBM, Fujitsu, Ford, GM and banking giants UBS and Barclays. The lawsuit accuses the corporations of “knowing participation in and/or aiding and abetting of the crimes of apartheid; extrajudicial killing; torture; prolonged unlawful detention; and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.” Attorneys are seeking up to $400 billion in damages.

The Alien Tort Statute dates from the U.S. Revolutionary War era and allows people from outside the United States to bring a civil suit against another party for alleged crimes committed outside the United States.

One of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, Michael Hausfeld, told me: “If companies can affect lives in ways that make those lives worse, so that people are suppressed or terrorized … you are basically ascribing to eternity the fact that companies can act with both impunity and immunity.”

[Excerpt of an article by Amy Goodman]

Muslim teenagers in New Zealand adapt well to life in New Zealand, a Victoria University study has found.

The study, carried out on 180 Muslim teens, by the Centre for Applied Cross-Cultural Research, measured their psychological and social well-being by examining life satisfaction, psychological conditions, school adjustment and behavioural issues, Professor Colleen Ward said.

The study, carried out as part of a 13-country survey of well-being and identity, drew on data from previous studies carried out in New Zealand, on other groups of teens, as comparison.

The findings revealed Muslim youth demonstrated more positive outcomes on all indicators than their Maori and Pakeha peers, Prof Ward said.

The combination of strong family support, religion and New Zealand’s relatively tolerant atmosphere helped the Muslim 13- to 19-year-olds keep well, she said.

Though the students identified themselves as New Zealanders and the ethnic group they were from, their strongest identification was with being a Muslim, the researchers found.

In general, young people from immigrant and minority families were able to thrive when allowed to keep their beliefs, while participating fairly and equally in society, Prof Ward said.

The cultural environment of New Zealand allowed people to integrate, keeping their culture and ethnic groups, rather than assimilating them and forcing them to abandon the culture they came from, as in some other countries, she said.

New Zealand’s Muslim community had between 30,000 and 40,000 members, and was increasing rapidly. (Source: stuff.co.nz)

The Clash of Civilizations, a political theory developed in the early 90s, proposes that cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-cold war world – all well and good, but does it hold true on a more personal level?

Since the fall of Milosevic, Serbia has attracted many foreigners and quite a few relationships that have crossed the cultural divide have been cemented. Are we drawing back the curtain that was drawn between western Christianity and Orthodoxy?

In the former Yugoslavia the majority of people were orthodox by ethnicity but religion was kept out of the public space until Tito’s death in 1980. Bozic bata (Father Christmas) became Deda Mraz (Grandfather Frost) and the day of celebration became the 31st of December. Now, Bozic is back but the Christmas tree and present giving have stuck to the last day of the Gregorian calendar, despite the rise of new believers since the fall of communism.

Unlike much of the former Yugoslavia, Serbia, under Milosevic’s rule was largely protected from ‘foreign’ influence and only since his fall did many see the need to protect the home grown culture. So, paradoxically, along with the rise in the number of ‘foreign-style’ restaurants and bars there has been a commensurate surge in ‘traditional’ restaurants.

Marina Babic, who works as a translator in Belgrade, thinks that “some people here seem to try and reinforce traditional values because they fear a loss of identity, whilst at the same time, they want the ‘progress’ and commercialisation of Christmas that they see elsewhere.”

Marina, does not consider herself very religious but will nevertheless be fasting for 40 days prior to the Orthodox Christmas. She says that the way her parents spend the period hasn’t changed a lot, but that for her things are different. “I am fasting and I am actually celebrating Christmas, she said.
Her British partner, Pete, has been making an effort to learn about the Orthodox Church as Marina regards it as an important part of her life – and of Serbian culture. Not a fan of the traditional British Christmas, he says it will be a relief to not have to take part in rituals which he doesn’t identify with and the “endless days of preparation necessary to produce the ‘traditional’ meals that no one is all that fond of.” He’ll be happily foregoing the traditional turkey this year, because Marina’s fast forbids her to eat meat.

It is of course not only a process of foreigners learning about orthodoxy – the process works both ways. Claudia Mayr spent last Christmas together with her Serbian partner in Austria and ‘says “he was amazed that we sang Christmas carols and read stories to each other”. His family is atheist and there are no signs of Christmas to be seen in the house, although there is modest exchange of presents on New Years Eve.

It is difficult to make any form of generalized statements in regards to the way people celebrate Christmas in Serbia or what kind of importance it has in people’s lives. For some, Slavas (the celebration of patron saint’s days) seem to carry a similar connotation to Christmas in ‘the West’, for others, neither has.

Ana Seferovic says that in her family religion and ‘pagan’ traditions were always a taboo topic after experiences with village ‘healers’ many years ago and Ana herself does ‘not want to be associated with a church that she says supported some of the excesses of the past.The church, she says “is still too traditional and conservative”.

Ana and her partner, Toby Brundin, exchanged their presents last year on New Year’s Eve, but, he says, more modestly than if they had been in England. The consumerist culture of a British Christmas has, he thinks, “still not invaded Serbia, as people still do not have that much money to spend.”
Kosovo, which over the past few years has seen a huge increase in foreign presence, celebrated last years Christmas with quite some excess, even though the Christian minority makes up just 3 per cent of the population. Aside from this minority however, this seemed to be a longing to celebrate with the majority of the rest of the world – a commercial Christmas almost devoid of religion.

And, as we all know, you do not have to be religious in order to take advantage of religious holidays. Celebrating with someone from a different cultural background and in a different country can bring out what should really matter – spending time with friends and family.

On the whole then it seems that the political scientists can keep their theories. Love across the interdenominational divide seems to be alive and well even at this most religious time of year. (Source: Balkan Insight)

RUSSIAN FINANCE MINISTER Alexei Kudrin announced in a speech to the Russian Parliament on Wednesday that Russia was officially out of recession. After experiencing three straight quarters of severe economic contractions dating back to the eruption of the financial crisis last fall, Russia witnessed growth in the third quarter of this year, and the fourth quarter is all but assured to continue this trend.

But it was another announcement Wednesday that made us reflect on the ups and downs of the Russian economy: the passing of Yegor Gaidar, Russia’s leading economic reformer, who died of a blood clot. Gaidar is known, along with Polish economist Leszek Balcerowicz, as the father of the so-called “Shock Therapy” market reforms implemented across Eastern and Central Europe in the early 1990s.

Though it has been many years since Gaidar has been influential in Russia’s political or economic scene, his is still a name that resonates in the collective Russian mind — albeit in an overwhelmingly negative light. Gaidar’s shock therapy reforms, encouraged and largely shaped by the West, were intended to liberalize the Russian economic system through massive privatizations, instituting concepts that were alien to the command economy of the Soviet Union at the time, including private property, free markets, and a complete lifting of price controls. The reforms led to a total collapse of the Soviet-era social and economic fabric of Russia, an event that is still associated with Gaidar’s efforts, along with those who facilitated them, such as then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin and privatization portfolio chief Anatoly Chubais. (Source: Stratfor)

Failure overseas rarely results from technical or professional incompetence. Multinationals take their international business seriously and typically send abroad high achievers who have proven skills and expertise. But their success is usually in their home countries, where their skills, style and attitude may be exactly the opposite of what will work overseas. Employees’ ignorance of or inability to adjust to foreign ways are usually what cause problems.

In one country people know in vivid details the colors, designs and sounds that appeal to various customer groups. Careerists climbing the corporate ladder study intently the values and norms that characterize their company’s “culture” so that they can maneuver successfully toward the top. Negotiators approach their bargaining table with a rich understanding of what motivates their adversaries. When it comes to foreigners, however, people see only silhouettes. Overseas many foreign companies approach their customers, colleagues, and employees with an ignorance that would be unthinkable on home ground. They are willing to transact business with foreigners without understanding who they are, what makes them tick, how they view the world and how their corporations. Because they do not look behind the foreign mask, their approach to international business is often like shadow-boxing. They deal with imaginary targets.

My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir - Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, and my Lectures.

I was a little appalled when I found out the mega-multinational Coca Cola was a key sponsor of the Hopenhagen campaign. But it raises the question: can a multinational work in the environment’s best interest? An excerpt from my post over on EcoSalon:

All eyes are on Copenhagen this month as the drama events of the UN Climate Change Conference play out. But those eyes aren’t just the ones of climate change activists and greenies. Multinationals are just as involved – even global beverage giant, Coca Cola, is descending on the Danish capital.

Working with other media, marketing, tech and creative partners, including DuPont and Gap Inc., Coca Cola was instrumental in launching the Hopenhagen campaign. The result? An interactive online campaign as well as lots of exposure on the ground in Copenhagen. Known for its creative advertising and branding, Coca Cola released a special Hopenhagen set of posters, seen all over town for the duration of the conference.

On Coca Cola’s Hopenhagen website, the company encourages visitors to take action against climate change and learn more about recycling and water as well as Coca Cola’s plant bottle, a soda bottle made form 30% plant-based materials (that means it’s still 70% plastic!). But supporting a good cause shouldn’t come without questions.

Read the whole article here.

Mit der Globalisierung der Wirtschaft haben sich auch die Verwaltungsstrukturen der Unternehmen über die Welt verbreitet. Management ist zu einem weltumspannenden Schlagwort geworden und bestimmt die Handlungsweise von Amerika bis Asien.

Organisieren, koordinieren, kommandieren, kontrollieren – die hölzerne, inzwischen weit verbreitete Sprache der Wirtschaftstechnokraten kündet von unfehlbarer Verwaltungseffizienz. Allerorten macht sich der neue Glaubenssatz von Industrialisierung und Verwestlichung breit. Von Stanford bis Tokio, von Madrid bis Dakar, von Athen bis zu den Pariser Vorstädten – überall befindet man sich im “Reich, in dem die Sonne nie untergeht”, im allmächtigen Managementimperium.

„Management“ heißt der kommunikationswirksame Verkaufsschlager der westlichen Industrieländer. Hinter dem Zeitgeist-Konzept verbirgt sich ein uralter, der westlichen Tradition entsprungener Begriff, der sich ursprünglich auf Haus, Familie, Gerätschaften und Haushaltsführung bezog.
Von Ökonomen aufbereitet und mit einer wissenschaftlich-technischen Aura versehen, wurde „Management“ zur Wirtschaftsdoktrin, zu einem Propagandainstrument der neuen Globalisierung eines Marktes ohne Grenzen.

Genau wie die großen religiösen und politischen Imperien ist auch das weltweite Management ein Teil der Geschichte. Wer den Versuch wagt, die Entwicklung der Gesellschaft über einen sehr langen Zeitraum nach dem Muster der Erdgeschichte zu analysieren, wird auf die „geologischen“ Schichten einer Zeitarchitektur stoßen, die den Ist-Zustand der Zivilisationen in sich tragen. Traditionen überlagern sich wie Sedimente, auf deren Oberfläche jeweils eine neue Epoche entsteht, die dessen harrt, was unausweichlich auf den Menschen zukommt.

Jede Form von Modernität ruht daher gewissermaßen auf einer verschütteten Vergangenheit, die sich der Mensch in Mythen oder wissenschaftlichen Deutungen zu erklären versucht. Doch um sich mit der Endlichkeit abzufinden, sie gewissermaßen zu bezähmen, bedarf eine menschliche Gesellschaft der Fähigkeit, die Schattenlinie zu erkennen, die jene Momente markiert, an denen Unumkehrbares geschieht. So gesehen, ist die lange Geschichte einer Zivilisation ein einziges, aus Schriftsedimenten bestehendes Textkompositum, durchzogen von eben dieser Schattenlinie, die eine nie endende Inszenierung der Zeit gestattet, eine Untiefe der Erinnerung, die ihr Spiel mit der Wirklichkeit treibt und dem Unsagbaren huldigt.

Der Film versteht sich als eine Reflexion über den globalisierenden Westen. Er will an der Oberfläche der Sedimentschicht unserer Epoche den Moment entschlüsseln, der eine neue Qualität gegenüber den Brüchen und Übergängen der Vergangenheit darstellt: Wir leben heute in einer Ideenwüste leben, die aus dem Irrglauben geboren wurde, dass die Menschheit – unter der Wirkung der wissenschaftlich-technischen Wirtschaftsallmacht – zu einer dem Glück geweihten und von allen Zwängen befreiten „Post-Menschheit“ mutiert.

Laut diesem neuen Glauben befinden sich die desaktivierten, zu bloßer Folklore verkommenden Zivilisationen auf dem Wege der Selbstvernichtung. Damit erübrigen sich die Analyse des Textkompositums der Gesellschaft und die Suche nach der Schattenlinie, auch ist es nicht mehr nötig, eine Gesellschaft mit ihren unfassbaren Geheimnissen, ihrer Verletzlichkeit begreifen und ihr schöpferisches Potenzial und ihren Umgang mit den ihr eigenen Todestrieben erkennen zu wollen.

Die Arbeitsthese dieses filmischen Essays ist ein Satz, den Jean Paulhan in einer Abhandlung über die kubistische Malerei verwendete: „Entfernt die Bäume, die mir den Blick auf den Wald verstellen.“ Diese Metapher aus dem Pflanzenreich habe ich mir zum Grundsatz gemacht, denn unserer Zeit fehlt es an Erklärungen; ein Defizit, das durch die Fragmentierung und Abschottung des Wissens weiter akzentuiert wird. Doch genau diese Erstarrung hindert uns daran, eine Welt zu begreifen, die aus den Fugen gerät, aber nach wie vor in tief wurzelnden, noch immer wirksamen Traditionen verankert ist. Manche dieser Traditionen sind im Untergang begriffen, andere aber trotzen der Gleichschaltung durch die westlichen Systeme.
In dieser Partie mit unsicherem Ausgang ist das weltweite Management – vom Westen als reines Instrument der Vereinheitlichung mittels wissenschaftlich begründeten Verwaltens konzipiert – ein neuer Einsatz/Trumpf.

Wie bereits frühere Filme des Autors stellt auch „Dominium Mundi – Die Weltherrschaft des Managements“ von Wirtschafts- und Gesellschaftswissenschaftlern, Biologen und anderen zementierte Gewissheiten infrage. Die Methode des Films besteht nicht darin, sein Sujet – die Funktionsweise einer Zivilisation – zu zerpflücken und zu zerstückeln. Vielmehr seziert er es in der Manier des Kubismus: aus allen Perspektiven, von innen und von außen.

Grundansatz und Anliegen des Films ist es, die Fähigkeit zum Widerstand und die Fortdauer des „Materials Mensch“ sowie die immer währenden Widersprüche, die gewaltigen industriellen Umbrüche und die poetischen Rückzugsmöglichkeiten aufzuzeigen, die ein Film greifbar machen kann, wenn er mit der Gründlichkeit einer literarischen Erzählung vorgeht. Formal handelt es sich bei dem Film also nicht um ein Lehrstück, sondern um die Enthüllung miteinander verquickter Fragestellungen, die aus einem ganz einfachen Grunde undurchsichtig und schwer zu umreißen sind: Denn was der Westen vom Westen nicht wahrnimmt, kann auch in unsere Analysen nicht einfließen.

As far back as I can remember I have always had a job. As a kid I had a paper round. I used to deliver the local free sheet to approx 100 houses in the locality. It was great – I was independent at the tender age of 12. It definitely taught me to value money. I was always a saver too. Back then I used to make regular lodgements to my local building society – now that’s pretty optimistic for a twelve year old! I had big plans back then – and still do. These days I fund at least one foreign holiday from loose change I save in an actual piggy bank. I throw in the odd note occasionally. You would be surprised how all that shrapnel adds up.

Here is a snapshot of some of the jobs I’ve had to date:

Paperboy

Packing bags in local supermarket

Stacking shelves in local supermarket

Customer service agent in the Airport

Sales assistant in record store

Sandwich maker in a Subway style sandwich bar in the States

Waiter in a Pizza parlour in the States

Behind a deli-counter in a supermarket in the States

Serving Ice Cream in Dairy Queen in the States

Waiter in a buffet style sea food restaurant in the states

Customer service agent on the X-box helpline in a call centre in Dublin

Fund Accountant, Multinational Dublin

Management Accountant, Multinational Dublin

Financial Accountant, Multinational in Dublin

Wow – looks like I’ve been a job-tart. And more recently, I’ve been a corporate whore! I’ve worked for three multinational corporations since 2003.

Global or local?

About a year ago, EUCOM’s Logistics directorate worked with the Czech Republic at the 2008 Senior NATO Logisticians’ Conference. The goal was to develop a Multinational Logistics Coordination Center where nations could collectively develop bilateral and multilateral support agreements to facilitate the operational employment and sustainment of forces for national or Alliance missions. As the year progressed, nations began to see a host of possibilities this center could offer.

For starters, the coordination center could reduce the amount of redundancy in operational planning efforts, and improve synchronization of multinational approaches to logistics issues. It would also improve the visibility of national requirements and identify existing logistics capabilities and shortfalls.

Navy Rear Adm. William Brown, Director EUCOM's Logistics Directorate, signs Letter of Intent with the Senior NATO Logisticians' Coference General, Oct. 29, 2009.

At this year’s Senior NATO Logisticians’ Conference, which was held in October at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, the attendees agreed to sign a Letter of Intent demonstrating their determination and commitment to address critical logistics issues and improve nation-to-nation visibility and understanding of NATO and national support elements.

Rear Admiral William Brown, director of European Command Logistics, along with the assistance of Mr. Kalvin Huynh, Senior Web Application Developer at Computer Sciences Corporation, are working to develop a logistics collaboration tool that will facilitate attendance and participation at the coordination through HARMONIEWeb.

HARMONIEWeb was initiated in June 2006, as a joint venture between the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Networks and Information Integration and the U.S. Joint Forces Command. USJFCOM was directed to develop the platform for the exchange of unclassified information across the civil-military boundary associated with Stability, Security, Transition and Reconstruction or Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations.

In the short time that HARMONIEWeb has been up and running, it has already improved the military’s ability to exchange timely and relevant information with our partner nations, particularly in the critical early stages of an operation. We’re now able to synchronize efforts and accelerate successful mission completion. The true test came during the EUCOM humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations during Operation Assured Delivery in Georgia in 2008. During that operation, HARMONIEWeb allowed for all participants to have a common environment to meet and exchange ideas and information.

Multinational Logistics Coordination Center's virtual collaboration concept.

HARMONIEWeb provides many tools including a full MOSS 2007 portal ; real-time meeting software with voice, video and file sharing; virtual mapping with satellite overlays and custom icons; and text chat that can be translated into 15 languages. These tools allow all participants in an IW , SSTR, or HADR effort to communicate and coordinate activities regardless of nationality or organizational affiliation.
As innovation and creativity continue here in European Command through competent and capable staffs, one can only expect to see improvement in the logistics arena for NATO, NATO’s allies and regional partners for years to come.

Matt Williams
MAJ, US Army
ECJ4 Engagements Officer

The fall of the Berlin wall is being celebrated once again just so we relish in the freedom of it’s fall and remember the horror of its standing for so long. The strong statement of the war we were in; the “Cold War” had it’s thousands of fallen heroes. Those that crossed the divide and those that died trying.

Economic swords slashed at the heads of the governments but landed many more body cuts to the people. Illegal acts were perpetrated to gain the upper hand. Those on the other side of the wall were made into evil, non human, less than, monsters.

What is the name of the war for the wall we build in the south? We are told it is to keep all the illegal immigrants out, to protect our jobs, to keep us safe, from the terrorists that hit us.

The terrorists that hit us, were here on visas so they came here through all the correct channels, the wall would not have stopped them. So that is not the reason for the new war wall.

If immigration was really the problem our government would prosecute the illegal companies that employ undocumented people at slave wages and working conditions. Then the poverty stricken would not come across the border risking their life for a job.

The war for our new wall must be one we were not told we were in, but the enemy seems to be our brothers and sisters of color, again. We don’t have to sit back and let this wall go up and divide us more, we don’t have to participate in this war.

This war is the multinational corporations against the people both north and south of the wall, they hire the poorest among us, treat them as if they were less than human, and blame them for us not having jobs. Pitting us against our brothers and sisters. The multinational corporations don’t pay their employees, or their taxes, they swindle the communities they work in, strip all the natural resources, destroy the environment, and then pack up and move to another country with poor and starving people.

Our leaders have to stop the corporations from enslaving the least of us, and betraying our country. The WTO must come to an end after all too big to fail is too big to exist.

So Mr. Obama tear down this wall.

Yesterday, I received an email from a Managing Director of a company professing to be a “firm specializing in recruiting and competitive intelligence research”. An interesting combination, I thought. They claimed that their goal was “to empower organization’s decision making processes through the use of high quality, targeted competitive intelligence”. The use of competitive intelligence amongst large multinationals (like the one I used to work for) was nothing new, so my interest began to fade. The email went on to state that this firm had “compiled individual contact information including name, title, department and direct phone and e-mail addresses for employees of [certain organizations] and that this exercise had facilitated a very detailed divisional and departmental structure and analysis of [these organizations]”. The organization, about which information was being offered up for sale, was a large multi-national and household name in almost every country in the World. Okay, now I was alert, curious about where this email was heading. I read on. The firm’s MD proudly declared in his email, that this data could play a significant role in helping international firms understand the inner workings and structure of one of the world’s most respected and innovative companies. And then came the pitch: They were looking to partner with someone who is well connected in specific markets that could help them market the so-called “valuable data”. Ugh! How could someone go around selling details of the senior management of a global icon to their competitors? It was a bit too quirky for me to digest – perhaps I get queasy too easy!

A quick visit to this firm’s website and I was even more astonished when I read their offer to buy contact lists off people – yes, they want your rolodex! And they were offering to pay handsomely for it too! The justification for this entire business model (a pretty simple one at that I must confess) is that the firm was offering corporate customers (through its business partners) direct access to senior management in organizations by-passing the gatekeepers in these organizations. Alright, let’s take a moment to pause here. This firm is offering to buy my rolodex to offer it to other companies so that the purchasing company can have direct access to the contacts in my rolodex?

Isn’t there anything called ethics anymore? I mean, where does someone get off compiling information about an organization’s employees, and then selling it to another company? Doing this through public information sources, namely professional bodies or licensing organizations is subject to information filtering, registration and identity verification, and therefore is probably plausible. But the thought that there are organizations out there, offering to buy your list of contacts and their details and then market compiled datasheets to interested parties, sounds creepy to me. Is it just too much, this data mining thing that has caught marketing forces by storm and spiraled out of control?

Why did I get this email then? Perhaps it’s because my consultancy business is related to assisting organizations, some of whom are multinationals, NGOs and Government Departments, the “rolodex traders” were interested in gaining access to my network. Just then, another thought struck me: Hey, could this actually be some smart aleck fraudster trying to gain access to my list of contacts – for free??!! Perhaps these bozos are not interested in me marketing data that they bought, but were more keen on getting their hands on my own network. Geez, there’s sucker born every day huh? I mean, what if the recession blues had tempted me, or I had felt a wee bit rebellious and as a plain ol’ risk taker had the “Oh what the heck” attitude….I guess I would have then been yet another statistic on a security bulletin. Perhaps those contacts in that security bulletin are also up for sale in a dark alley somewhere! Meanwhile, my rolodex is under lock and key hopefully secure from the tentacles of the Rolodex Raiders!