Archive for September, 2009
09 16th, 2009
Harlan Ullman in the Atlanticist joins the debate over Democracy Kills:- Click here: Democracy Kills
Governance is by no means coincident with the establishment of democracy. As seasoned BBC reporter Humphrey Hawksley argues in his new book, “Democracy Kills,” the pursuit of “one man, one vote” has produced deadly downsides — and not only in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Read all of Harlan’s argument:- Click here: Harlan Ullman — New Atlanticist
See Harlan’s latest book:- America’s Promise Restored: Preventing Culture, Crusade and Partisanship from Wrecking Our Nation,
Click here: America’s Promise Restored
Buy Democracy Kills: What’s So Good About Having The Vote
09 16th, 2009
America’s got to end its deadly devotion to democracy — Gerard DeGroot
09 15th, 2009
Is anyone else having problems with Windows Vista? It is labarynthine in its design and I thought things were meant to be getting simpler. No wonder so many are flocking towards the Mac.
09 14th, 2009
Cocoa slave plantations in Ivory Coast.Last night I read your first chapter on the effective economic slavery of Children (and Adults) on remote cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast. This was a powerful, moving account. Personally, I found it penetrated my brain (and heart) better than the TV documentary on the same subject you made a couple of years ago; or, possibly, the reinforcement of the written word to the previously seen images had a cumulative effect. It was depressing for me, and engendered bitter reflections on the appalling inequalities and injustices underlying the apparently smooth, civilized surface of our life in England. It also sparked feelings of anger, and consequently a wish to effect change.
As it happens, I was recently reading about the certification of forest products, and pondering this question yesterday, as I applied teak oil to a garden chair of dubious South East Asian origin. So your point about insisting on the certification of the origin of cocoa is perfectly valid, and probably one of the ways forward. I’ll see what I can do at this end. I don’t want to get into big picture theorizing about capitalism, free markets and so forth at this stage – though I think that is a very worthwhile discussion to have again later.
But I want to comment a little on the ‘Washington consensus’ free-market fundamentalists: The ‘Washington Consensus’ refers to the nexus of free-market ideas centred in Washington at places like the World Bank, the IMF and the US government. They are appalling theorisers in ivory tower conditions, working from fundamentalist ideas, instead of the empirical reality which you so bravely picked out. In my corner of the financial markets, where I worked (on and off) from 1982 to 1994, I was always suspicious and somewhat contemptuous of these ‘bureaucrat bankers’ with plush jobs, flying around the world first class. That attitude has been nuanced but also reinforced by contact with some of these ‘Supranational’ institutions since – for instance, I went to the Ivory Coast myself in 1997, and worked at the African Development Bank for two weeks. I think many of their ideas are wrong, and destructive in the wrong context.Those fundamentalist free-market ideas are muddled, contradictory and even hypocritical, as exemplified by the Argentine economic debacle, as I tried to explain. Actually, the ideas are probably hostage to previous events, the aims of their sponsors (Western Governments) and organisational inertia. How can they insist that an African country throws open its markets, while subsidies and tariffs protect farmers and industries in the EU, USA, Japan etc..?
How can they have the sheer stupidity to apply the free market philosophy of a New York dealing room to an impoverished farmer, with only one buyer, who arrives from time to time down the pot-holed roads of the Ivory Coast jungle? How can they advocate free markets in one context, yet insist that Argentina fix its currency to the US Dollar?
Not only is it bad thinking, but it is bad ethics.Someone (or rather, a large group of people) need to agitate for change, and I congratulate you on throwing a little light on this specific appalling situation. Keep up the good work! As a hasty first ‘wish list’ I would suggest:-
Certification of cocoa origin on consumer products-
Pressure on food companies to devote time, money etc to bettering the lives of farmers at the root of their supply chain- Involving: Medical facilities, Schools and Water services in villages-
Direct investment in improving the supply chain, such as metalled roads and intermediate storage facilities-
Abolition of import duties on processed cocoa products into developed countries
READ MORE IN DEMOCRACY KILLS: WHAT’S SO GOOD ABOUT HAVING THE VOTE Click here: Democracy Kills
09 14th, 2009
For many years, I have used a Palm to keep my contacts and diary. Palm have naturally moved onto cell phones, but what I had never imagined was that the company would leave its old, loyal customers swinging in the wind. My current Z22 is no more than about three years old. Yet Palm makes no updated 64 bit software and no effort to advise customers how to move their data onto new hardware. With that attitude, little wonder Palm is struggling. Rule number one — bring your old customers with you — and you don’t need Harvard Business School to tell you that.
09 13th, 2009
In my search for the best Indian restaurant in London, a visit to the Bombay Bicycle Club www.V8gourmet.com at 128 Holland Park Avenue. The great test as to whether it is better than Malabar Junction www.malabarjunction.com in Great Russel Street. The Bicycle Club is light and busy, the service on the cusp of haphazard. The food was good, but not excellent. The Murgh Masala too sweet and barely a spice to heat the roof of the mouth despite it being marked with two chilis. The Saag Gosht (lamb with spinach) was tender and superbly cooked. The pilau rice a touch too greasy. The vegetables, though, did rise above with very special Bhindi Sabzi (Okra) and the best dish by far was the Aloo Palak (baby spinach and potato), perfectly cooked with the potatoes slightly fried but not too heavy. Hirani beer — which I have not yet tried — was on the menu but not there. So we had to settle for the trustworthy Cobra. The Bicycle Club is workmanlike quality, probably the best I’ve tried west of Hyde Park Corner, but for service, value, food and a culinary wow factor, it does not match Malabar Junction.
09 12th, 2009
Democracy Kills
BBC World Affairs correspondent HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY considers how our notions of democracy inform and obscure foreign policy, and explores the impact of failed and violent states in fiction and reportage.
Read More:-Click here: Democracy Kills — Untitled Books
09 12th, 2009
A new scam used by well-established financial services companies seems to be emerging.
1) They take your credit card number supposedly for a one off payment, then keep it to take money off you whenever they feel like it..
2) More is taken from the card than the amount agreed on during the call.
3) They deliberately delay sending out the documents and terms and conditions.
4) Instead they immediately send a letter saying you have authorised to take future funds from the credit card.
5) The letter contains many details — EXCEPT the amount you have agreed to pay.
The Financial Services Authority knows about this, but is doing absolutely nothing to bring these companies into line. Yet we’re only a year since the financial industry was exposed and it is these small things that end up eroding trust and bringing down institutions.
Wake up FSA
09 11th, 2009
READ:- GERARD DEGROOT at the ISN
Spaniards who once suffered under Franco invariably argue that the struggle for democracy is always virtuous. At the other end of the spectrum is the experience of Usama Rehda, an Iraqi citizen for whom democratic change has meant poverty, corruption and the constant threat of car bombs. “You know what they say,” he recently remarked. “Be nice to the Americans or they’ll punish you with democracy.” Between those two extremes lies an issue that demands debate.
Full article Click here: Democracy: A Problematic Panacea
09 10th, 2009
The US Department of Labor has publicly named cocoa as a product made by forced, child labour. I’ve been reporting this story for the past ten years. The axis of poverty between bad government, forced labour and Western companies make up the first chapter of my new book – trying to explain why Africa is getting poorer.
The Executive Director of the International Labor Rights Forum, Bama Athreya, said about the announcement:- “By including cocoa on the list of products made by child labor, the US government has acknowledged the lack of progress the chocolate industry has made in eliminating serious labor rights abuses in this sector, despite years of promises.”
Nothing, of course, from Europe.
