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Tag Archives: celebrity
This week Austrian police discovered the bodies of 71 migrants in a truck by the side of the highway outside Vienna. It is widely believed that they had suffocated to death when they were abandoned by their smugglers. One cannot fathom the horror and agony they must have suffered; but it is a story that is fast becoming the norm. Indeed, thousands have perished in their valiant attempts to cross the Mediterranean, well over a 100 just this week. In the Americas, untold numbers have died on their journeys north out of Central and South America. On the Andaman Sea boats brimming with starving members of the Rohingya community languished in limbo for weeks because no country would admit them. And when they reach the border their ordeals are far from over.
In Macedonia, police forces beat and tear gassed scores of refugees attempting to leave Greece; and hate crimes against undocumented immigrants in the US and Western Europe are on the rise. None of this should come as any surprise to those of us who have been paying attention; but it does not make what we are seeing any easier. This year a combination of climate change, perpetual war and economic devastation has forced huge surges of people all over the world out of their native lands in their quest for survival. The Great Migration has begun; and I must admit, it has started far sooner than I had ever imagined.
Of course, Western leaders are reacting to this unfolding human tragedy in typical fashion. They are either spewing racist vitriol and stoking the most base fears of their constituents, or blathering on with patronizing platitudes about immigrants and their plight. Whether it be US presidential candidate Donald Trump proudly demonizing undocumented immigrants as rapists and murderers to cheering crowds, or German Chancellor Angela Merkel callously explaining to a sobbing 14 year old Palestinian girl, whose family faces deportation to a land that is foreign to her, that "politics is hard sometimes," the message to migrants could not be clearer: We do not care about you. We will not help you. And we will certainly not take responsibility for the foreign policies, economic exploitation and military assaults we launched on your nations that destroyed your societies and caused you to flee in the first place.
The disconnect from reality is stunning, but predictable. Indeed, if Merkel or Obama or Clinton were to acknowledge that it was their governments that destroyed and destabilized Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Libya, their entire house of cards would collapse to the ground in a smoldering, hypocritical heap. And if Trump or Bush were to acknowledge that it has been US neoliberal economic policies that have created the dire circumstances in Mexico, or in Central and South America, that have forced tens of thousands to flee for survival, their dehumanization of refugees and migrants would be shown for the vile, empty rhetoric that it is.
In truth all Western leaders, politicians and oligarchs alike, sit atop a historic pyramid of oppression and exploitation that is not of their own making. But each successive US president and Western leader has preserved the integrity of this system by faithfully growing the military/police/surveillance state and rewarding the wealthy elite with more and more loot, and bailouts and impunity for their crimes. This scheme, however, is beginning to unravel. And we need only look to the not so distant past to get an inkling of what lies ahead.
This week marks the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and it should also serve as a wake up call for those Americans, and Westerners in general, who are still under the misconception that their government has their back in disaster. With more millionaires in the Senate, and unlimited money influencing elections, it should be clear to anyone that the United States is effectively an oligarchy with little to no regard for the poor and most vulnerable.
All of this was made plain in the weeks and months following the storm and subsequent floods in New Orleans and the region. Over a thousand lost their lives, tens of thousands more lost their homes and livelihoods. But the majority of those who suffered were poor people of color; and the American Empire had better things to do than dispatch the military in full force for rescue operations of its own citizens, especially when they had little or no money to offer them in return. After all, they had already over extended themselves in a war, based upon lies, against another group of poor, brown people on the other side of the planet.
I still remember the mainstream media and some politicians calling the victims of Hurricane Katrina "refugees," a label previously unheard of in the West. They had been abandoned by their government and it should have served as a warning to us all. No matter how much our leaders "otherize" those who are forced to abandon their homes and dire circumstances, they are a reflection of our collective future.
Although climate change will have unpredictable ramifications; it is becoming more apparent by the day what our world will begin to look like in the decades to come. It all but promises a North American West that will become a virtually uninhabitable desert. Rapid glacial melt will see Amsterdam, London, New Orleans and half of Florida submerged under the waves of an ever acidifying ocean, bereft of much of its life except for an abundance of jellyfish, invasive sea grasses, toxic algae blooms and plastic debris. Paris and Tokyo will see heat waves that rival anything we have seen so far in India or Pakistan. And more and more species of wild life will fall to extinction. With all of this it is hard to imagine that mass migrations will be a fate assigned only to the poor of the "developing world."
Undoubtedly, there is an epic storm brewing that threatens all life on this planet; and it is building up steam before our eyes. Those of us who tell this painful truth can expect to be labeled "doomers," or fatalists, or be exiled from the conversation completely. But there is a point at which this exile from a deluded, shallow and corrupt culture becomes a welcome gift.
The powerful elite have absolutely no plan to address what is coming outside of drumming up racist xenophobia and fear of the other, and continuing on with the "business as usual" paradigm that has driven countless species to their extinction and ushered in the epoch of the Anthropocene. And the conference that is due to convene in Paris this winter is merely a charade to pantomime concern and action.
Do not expect any ideas from the corporate owned media either. Their job has always been to be a mouthpiece for the wealthy elite and to keep the masses distracted and subdued. They will continue pouring out celebrity gossip and stoking fears about things that pose no significant threat to the West, like Ebola or ISIS, even as the fires rage and waters rise. Encouraging objectification and mindless consumption is their sole charge. Considering all this, to look for salvation from those with power and wealth, even the ones who may appear more sympathetic to ordinary people, would be the height of foolishness.
Indeed, the only sane way to approach this storm is by realizing that ignoring it will not make it disappear, acknowledging that no one will be spared its wrath, and banding together in solidarity with others of like minds and souls. Doing this is unlikely to save our civilization as it is, or spark empathy in the powerful. And it will not stop the unfolding nightmare of climate change and mass extinction. But it may give us the courage to stop believing the never ending lies of nationalism, and help us to dismantle the artificial barriers that the elite have erected to keep us fearful of each other. We can begin right now by looking at the immigrant and the refugee as though they were us. Because, in all truth, they are.
This entry was posted in Archived and tagged afghanistan, Angela Merkel, Anthropocene, celebrity, Central America, civilization, climate change, consumerism, countless species, Donald Trump, Europe, fossil fuels, George W. Bush, Guatemala, Hillary Clinton, Honduras, human extinction, human rights, imperialism, industrial civilization, iraq, Libya, mainstream media, militarism, neoliberalism, police militarization, police state, power class, President Obama, racism, Rohingya, Sixth Mass Extinction, social justice, Syria on August 29, 2015 by Kenn Orphan.
Our Shared Humanity
When our ancestors were hiding in the trees from predators the connections they had to each other were indispensable. They accounted for their ability to survive and eventually climb down to the earth. As time progressed this connection evolved into a great awakening of consciousness. They began to understand each other as more than the sum of their parts. A complex society developed out of our cooperation, ingenuity and shared empathy for one another. Eventually the commons, a place for the entire community to come together, was celebrated as essential. It was never perfect or a place devoid of cruelty, aggression or intrigue. But here our demons were dealt with in the open, and the natural world was revered and cherished as the source of all life. The concept of ownership was unknown. Resources such as water and land provided for everyone. And our ancestors, for the most part, maintained this era for eons.
As civilization evolved so did the complexities of our relationships with each other and with the world we live in. Most hunter-gatherer societies became agrarian. Hierarchical forms of governance developed and eventually imperialism commenced. Throughout this long period of human history kingdoms rose and fell, disease and famine were rampant, one people plundered another for resources and religion, and most of the world remained unmolested, wild and vast. Human society continued to, more or less, evolve; and despite some rather major set backs, scientific discovery gradually became accepted. Then came the discovery of fossil fuels. This is when civilization took a giant leap ahead, and the commons began their death spiral.
Powerful merchants and nobles in Europe and North America learned fast that they could amass enormous wealth through industrialization with the use of these new fuels. This led to a rise in the standard of living for many who languished under feudalism, but it also allowed for the powerful to impose new forms of exploitation and abuse. While famine and disease were reduced, global population exploded; and widespread pollution of the environment and the decimation of forests and wild lands burgeoned. By the mid-twentieth century, following a world war that killed over 60 million people, most of the remaining commons began to be dismantled to make way for a consumer driven, assembly line society.
The materialism and convenience this offered evolved into a global machine of corporatism whose appetites have become insatiable. But, in spite of all this, a piece of the enlightened dawning in our evolution as a species has been retained. Many still stand in wonder at the natural world and grieve at its demise. Most feel empathy for the suffering of others. And despite being immersed in a sea of mindless consumerism, human beings still yearn for a connection we once knew before materialism became the dominant force of our day.
The emergence of the social media at the beginning of this century signifies a collective longing for the commons of old. It has also been a powerful tool for dissent and activism; and has been instrumental in organizing protests against tyranny around the world. But in this medium individuals are easily categorized into camps or groups. It has made advertising far simpler and made corporations far richer. And it has forged a new era of social control and authoritarianism that emanates from the mentality of the mob. The vacuous, soul sucking maw of commercialism stalks every page. It offers us agency, while it robs us of one of the most precious liberties we have, our privacy.
In this age privacy is often looked at as a quaint vestige of a bygone era. Yet with its disintegration, the very essence of democracy is assaulted. The private is a sacred space in which to contemplate issues and construct critical thought before returning to the commons. But social media entices people to give this space up and turn over every piece of information. It is a place that has been created by corporate interests and informed by the surveillance state. And while its secrets are sacrosanct, the individual is expected to bare all lest they be suspected of a misdeed.
Social media is not going to go away as long as industrial civilization is around. And its algorithmic hypnotism, that undoubtedly creates new pathways in the brain for dopamine induced pleasure, will continue to hold most of us under its spell. But its days, too, are numbered. Without the machine of industrial society, social media cannot exist. It is dependent on mines in Africa and petrochemicals that are accelerating climate change. Those who place complete faith in technology do not pay attention to the enormous cost that is exacted from the planet or the billions of people who are mercilessly exploited to make all of this "first world" technology possible. They choose to ignore the mass extinction of species, the dying, acidified oceans, the super heated atmosphere, or the tens of thousands of people fleeing for their lives from these ravaged regions.
There are those that say; "the same thing was said about television; but the world didn't end." I contend that television did, in fact, end the world as we knew it. It, too, promised a deeper connection to each other and a better life. And it, too, provided a medium for authoritarianism. The corporate state was nourished by television, and it still dominates it like a plague. It, like the social media, influences our perception of the world and of ourselves. It sold us cigarettes, vanity and war; and in the process the commons, a place for all, was privatized and sold to the highest bidder.
In the days to come the social media, like television, will increasingly be used by the powerful for social control and disseminating propaganda for the corporate state. It has been, and will continue to be, a means of surveillance of those who dissent. And it will justify every brutality of a ruthless police state. The death machine of endless consumption will be celebrated on it until the last forest is felled and the last fish is taken from a dying sea.
But as industrial civilization draws closer to its end from the ravages of climate change, perpetual war and mass species extinction, the social media is the only thing modern society has left that even remotely resembles the commons of antiquity. It can be used by the powerful to nourish havoc, but it can also provide a space for the rest of us to make sense out of senselessness, and share our collective grief. Sadly, unlike those days of old, we may not have any trees to ascend back to when the earth has finally had enough of our pillage, and all that humanity has built crumbles to dust. But in the meantime we have within us a heritage that is deeper and richer than the emptiness of mindless consumption; our shared humanity.
This entry was posted in Archived and tagged capitalism, celebrity, civilization, consumerism, countless species, ecocide, fossil fuels, human extinction, imperialism, industrial civilization, mass extinction, natural world, nature, ownership class, police state, propaganda, Sixth Mass Extinction, social control, Social media, surveillance state, war on July 15, 2015 by Kenn Orphan.
As The Curtain Falls
In the disintegrating days of any society, nationalism, political charade and vapid farce often become the dominant narrative of the elite. These serve as distractions from their malfeasance, and the malaise and dread that most people, whether conscious of it or not, are feeling at the deepest level of their psyche. They also reflect the mania that often grips the mind when disaster is looming. And unless we insulate ourselves within this rubric of duplicity, or are so busy with the tasks imposed on us by the act of living in a society with increasingly less agency, it is near impossible to ignore the ominous signs on the horizon. Reports about mass extinction, climate chaos and a rising militarized, totalitarian state are ubiquitous.
The other night I went out to the movies. This is not a big deal for many, but for me it is. I stopped going to see most Hollywood productions a while ago when I found myself increasingly alienated from the violent messages I saw being aggressively communicated. Much of it is nothing new.
Hollywood has always glamorized and championed patriarchy, gratuitous vulgarity, mindless consumerism and a detachment from the natural world. And it, ironically, has patted itself on the back for being at the forefront of social change, when historically it has dutifully supported and promoted the most entrenched, dehumanizing and churlish forms of racism, homophobia, misogyny, Islamophobia, and antisemitism. In truth it is the best mouthpiece for the status quo power class and a bulwark for the reactionary establishment. While conveniently recasting itself as a civil rights pioneer when all the hard work has been done, Hollywood takes credit for something it had once vehemently opposed.
Sitting there in the darkened theater, waiting for the film I chose to begin, I was barraged by a cacophony of violent jingoism in each preview of movies to come. The military was cast as the savior of the world, women were objectified in persistent, degrading stereotypes, and the "other" of foreign nations were dehumanized and vilified. Of course one can trace much of this back to WWII when the Japanese were portrayed as bloodthirsty, dim witted beasts.
This insidious racism soothed the American psyche into justifying the nuclear decimation of tens of thousands of civilians and assisted the acceptance of the forced internment of Japanese Americans into concentration camps. One can go back even further to 1915 to the infamous film "Birth of a Nation" which depicted Black men as rapists and a danger to the entire republic. What better way to vindicate the horrors of Jim Crow and decades of state sanctioned terror via lynching parties? But over the last decade there has been a surge of hyper-masculine, chauvinistic nationalism depicted in film and media with technical flare.
Sadly, in the midst of all of this, many in America, and to a lesser extent other Western nations, appear to be retreating into a form of infantilism, clinging to religious mythologies about "end times" and supernatural tampering with humanity, or nefarious government conspiracies around every corner. This is a common response to a sense of powerlessness. Ironically, these fantasies coincide with the very real prospect of collapse and even near term human extinction. But those who are confounded by reason, overwhelmed by a merciless onslaught of disinformation, and battered by class oppression, will often attribute calamity to the divine's wrath at innocuous human rights and social issues like marriage equality or women's reproductive freedom.
Hollywood nourishes this confusion by inducing a national amnesia regarding what their country has done and what crimes it is capable of committing, both at home and abroad. It achieves this by producing a never ending stream of series or movies that retell and re-frame Biblical stories, or are about natural disasters (most of which are implausible), supernatural beings like zombies or vampires that compete for gloulish and macabre attention, or imagined threats from foreign "others" who represent everything we despise.
In truth, the wealthy power class has always thrived on violence and the incitement of division. It has been and remains the currency that they use to hold on to power and maintain the barrier that insulates them from its consequences. It is the drug of choice for brutes and psychopaths; and when it is unbridled it deftly manages to hollow out the very core of human dignity. How else could the US military, which has a long, documented history of heinous human rights violations, convince young, disaffected youth to join their ranks to fight people abroad far more impoverished than they are? How else can they cajole them to defend an empty concept of liberty that has been systematically hacked away from them at home?
Ultimately, violence masks the alienation from society and estrangement from the natural world that so many of them feel. It is the doom of virtue and the supreme manifestation of despair. The plutocracy has become unbeatable through its use of it abroad; and it has deftly worked at militarizing the police at home. They have become masters at harnessing its seductive lure; and there is no armed resistance that can counter their forces. They eagerly manufacture new, re-branded enemies to divide and conquer the beset masses; and distract them from their powerlessness. But now we are teetering on the edge of global collapse and the charades are becoming a nightmarish, technologically advanced, spectacle. From desensitizing video games to movies extolling the glory of war; the machine of propaganda is at fever pitch.
As the US empire continues to expand its reach through its spread of military bases, and its constant antagonism of other world powers, like China in the South China Sea or Russia in the Ukraine, we can expect reactionary nationalism at home to be stoked further. It has even expanded the war on nature, as the US Navy prepares to conduct military exercises, the largest of their kind in history, in the pristine waters off Alaska and in the Arctic. And with the curtain falling on Western civilization through its own hubris, Hollywood will become even more manic and detached from reality than it is today. It is, after all, the global voice of corporate capitalism and it faithfully follows the dictates of Wall Street and the Pentagon. Sadly, it cannot do anything but limn the lies of empire, even as ecosystems fall around them and war and totalitarianism become permanent features of the 21st century. How long it will be able to cast its shadows on the wall of this cave, before it all comes down around them, is unclear. But we do have a choice on whether to continue watching the spectacle, or turn away in time to salvage some of what is left of our humanity and this world.
This entry was posted in Archived and tagged celebrity, civilization, climate change, Collapse, ecocide, end times, Hollywood, Hollywood productions, human extinction, imperialism, industrial civilization, jingoism, marriage equality, mass extinction, militarism, military industrial complex, misogyny, neoliberalism, Pentagon, police militarization, police state, power class, propaganda, racism, religion, social justice, Wall Street, war, war crimes on June 22, 2015 by Kenn Orphan.
A System Destined to Self Destruct
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." ― Jiddu Krishnamurti
It shouldn't come as a shock to any of us. The sadism of the uber rich in American society was bound to morph into a reality show. This month CBS, whose CEO Les Moonves earned over $54 million last year alone, saw the release of "The Briefcase." The premise of the show is to place poor people in the predicament of having to decide whether to keep $101,000 all for themselves, or give away half or all of it to another struggling family. The mainstream media is fond of depicting the working class, recipients of welfare or the homeless as having no motivation to improve their situation and, thus, deserving of their plight. This soothes their conscience (that is if they are even in possession of one), while they amass more and more material wealth at everyone else's expense. But this latest display of blatant exploitation signifies a new low, even for them.
Being poor in America is not an easy road. Working class families and those in poverty must routinely choose between healthcare, food or shelter, and are much more likely to be harassed or arrested by the police for non-violent offenses. The homeless, too, are often brutalized by law enforcement and gangs of privileged and disaffected youth. But the pernicious effects of neoliberal economic policy, the final and most merciless manifestation of capitalism, can now be seen in practically every facet of popular culture in the United States. It is a system which glorifies the wealthy while demonizing or rendering the poor invisible.
From reality shows to books and movies, wealth accumulation and narcissism are incessantly extolled as virtues. Professional socialite Kim Kardashian's autobiography (if one can call it that) is emblematic of the oblivious conceit of the uber rich. Filled with a plethora of monstrous "selfies," it is a testament to the worship of the banal vulgarity of celebrity. And, unsurprisingly. Caitlyn Jenner's transformation was characterized by this same culture, placing more value upon her outward appearance than her inner life as a transgender person. This spectacle masks the tremendous cruelty meted out by this society on economically disenfranchised, transgender people, particularly people of color; and reinforces misogynistic and ageist prejudices. But dehumanization and objectification are the signatures of American mass media. Depth and nuance are discouraged. This unrelenting message has had deleterious effects seen in the explosion unnecessary plastic surgeries and eating disorders that have come to characterize young adulthood, especially in women.
Arguably, popular culture today is one of the most effective methods of social control. It plays on our society's obsessions, neuroses and angst, albeit in rather superficial styles. This extends out from an establishment that is sustained by internalized authoritarianism or, as political philosopher Sheldon Wolin expressed, inverted totalitarianism. An example of this is in the enormous amount of television series, from the early days of television up to today, that glorified the police, corporate executives and law professionals. For example. the long running series "Cops" turned the plight of crime plagued neighborhoods into sport and mockery. They divided Americans into worthiness classes and instilled a false notion that these institutions are impervious to reproach. And they served the interests of the power class perfectly.
There is little doubt that our society is, as Jiddu Krishnamurti stated, profoundly sick. But the disease does not lie in a lack of moral codes. In fact, American culture is among the most moralistic in the world, with shades of its historic and oppressive puritanism clouding virtually every human rights issue, from marriage equality to reproductive rights. The rot at the core of this culture lies in its acquiescence to the dictates of corporate capitalism, a system predicated on dissolving all communal bonds, and replacing them with shallow consumerism and exploitation of the weakest among us, and the natural world on which we all rely. To it, human suffering is a commodity and an opportunity for exploitation. Given all of this there is little wonder that dystopic themes in science fiction have gained so much currency in the wider public. They offer the only form of popular culture that resonates with ordinary people because they speak to their suffering and fears; and they portend a reality that, in many tangible ways, is already here for billions of people around the world. Even though most of these books or movies deal with non-existent threats, e.g. zombies, there is a collective angst that is common to all of them. It is one that recognizes our shared, dire state and the existential threats that we, and countless other species, face.
American culture is becoming more and more fractured in the crumbling days of the empire. In the midst of this uncertainty and malaise the power class, who own all of the mainstream media, are scrambling to produce programs that pit the poor and other marginalized segments of society against each other to provide misanthropic forms of entertainment. But they are incapable of grappling with reality itself and, if history is any guide, they will not here the drums of revolution on their doorstep. The elite, ownership class gutted their souls long ago to make room for their obsessive penchant for wealth; and they have become drunk on the fruit of their own hubris. They dismantled the commons that afforded a space for community, and insulated themselves behind gilded, gated communities, immune, for now, to the suffering that surrounds them. Their media is bound to reflect this indifference; and it will only grow more cruel in the coming years as the weather grows angrier, and the oil, on which all of this is built, begins to wane. Without a doubt, our conformity to their culture of cruelty is not securing our own survival in the slightest. On the contrary, it is merely perpetuating a system destined to self destruct.
This entry was posted in Archived and tagged capitalism, celebrity, Hollywood, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Kim Kardashian, mainstream media, mass extinction, neoliberalism, police militarization, power class, social justice, Social media, working class on June 4, 2015 by Kenn Orphan.
To succeed in America, we are constantly told, is to occupy a cubicle: in an office, in a suburb and, finally, in one's own mind. We internalize the belief that attaining the carrots of meretricious wealth maliciously dangled before our eyes will somehow fill the void created by industrial civilization itself. But the limits to this folly are obscured by its ubiquitous distractions. It is a terrain of self-delusion, divorced from reality and self-medicated to numbness.
Nourished by the fossilized blood of the ancient earth, this nightmarish landscape of banality flourishes almost endlessly across the horizon. Insulated enclaves of cloned track houses, featureless monolithic office buildings, green golf courses and flowing water are surrounded by parched earth and razed wilderness. It is architecture designed for alienation. It is the triumph of extraordinary conformity and authoritarianism. And it is a celebration of blind and insatiable consumerism for the benefit of the privileged few.
The American psyche has been conditioned to resist deepening or self-examination thanks to the merchants of Wall Street, Hollywood and Washington DC. They aver that endless growth is necessary, good and even patriotic. In reality they are a gang of self-aggrandizing thieves who present themselves as a vanguard here to save us all; and their task is a simple one. They must maintain the unassailable sacrosanct liturgy of capitalism and the mythology of the free market while reducing the natural world to monetary units, replacing the commons with strip malls, and placing life, both human and non, into categories of productivity or disposal. They must manipulate base prejudices against "the other" with jingoism to induce compliance for imperialistic wars of plunder. They must shrink wrap all that is sacred and life-giving into commodities and parade an endless spectacle of manufactured outrages and celebrity gossip/worship.
But keeping up appearances is untenable and not very sexy when ecosystems are collapsing around you, reservoirs are drying up, and species are rapidly going extinct. The absurdity of their scheme is evinced in their simultaneous denial of climate change and rapacious attempts to extract oil from a rapidly melting Arctic Sea. Such paradigms have the habit of doing themselves in; and this one appears very close to full on collapse. It is death by a thousand cuts or, in this case, a thousand climate change induced storms and droughts.
Where then does this all leave those of us who cannot look away any longer? We can join the ranks of those who wish to reform the system; but how does one reform a metastasized cancer? Most of us have rooted ourselves in self-delusion, partly out of apathy, but mostly out of defeat. The magicians of wealth and power can put on a dazzling show. And liberation from the claustrophobic confines of their corporate controlled prison of illusion is not easy. It is also neither sudden or permanent. It requires constant attention and re-visiting. But as in Plato's Allegory of the Cave we possess the power to spurn the shadows on the wall and rise to the surface of our own accord and, in the process, help others who are weary clamber their way out too. The puppeteers be damned.
In the light of day the banal landscape of mindless consumerism shatters to create possibility even in the midst of devastation and despair. The vapid forms of entertainment and celebrity adoration that were once alluring, crumble to heaps of hackneyed dust. Here there is no object that can replace the soul, no product that can entice away from the birthright of nature or human connection.
What becomes of us who cannot live comfortably anymore within the emptiness of consumerism? Where do those of us who can no longer ignore or placate the death machine of industrial civilization go? We are pushed out of the cave and to the margins of the empire. We are forced to the surface. And it is there where we can either languish or decide that freeing our soul is worth the price of exile and even persecution. In any case, the view at the top is magnificent.
This entry was posted in Archived and tagged celebrity, civilization, climate change, consumerism, countless species, ecocide, grief, Hollywood, human extinction, human rights, industrial civilization, mainstream media, mass extinction, militarism, military industrial complex, nature, neoliberalism, power class, Sixth Mass Extinction, Social media, Wall Street, Washington on March 26, 2015 by Kenn Orphan.
American Sniper and the Despicable Art of Propaganda
American Sniper, the jingoistic flick produced by Clint Eastwood, the paragon of white supremacy and misogyny in the film industry, is emblematic of the malignancy of all militaristic societies. The story was based on the autobiography of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL who had bragged about killing 255 people in Iraq and dozens of Americans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. While Eastwood is no Leni Riefenstahl, he has proven himself to be one of the best American propagandists in modern times. In America today, neoliberal capitalism defines worth; and American Sniper garnered well over one hundred million dollars in its weekend debut. This obscene profit is a symptom of the grotesque, hyper-militarism that infects the American psyche.
It is a society that convinces young men and women to enlist in the military in order to kill people who never attacked them and occupy their lands in order to protect the very freedoms the empire, and its elite class, are hacking away at on the home front. Iraq never attacked the United States. It had nothing to do with the events of September 11, 2001. There were no weapons of mass destruction. In essence, the war in Iraq was state sponsored terrorism, and the US was the state that sponsored it. It was a lie that enabled the killing of hundreds of thousands of civilians. It was a lie that displaced over one million. And it was a lie that destroyed infrastructure leading to disease, in a nation already badly weakened by over a decade of US sanctions that killed at least 500,000 Iraqi children. The propaganda erected around this lie ensures that it will continue until finally the empire crumbles under its own hubris. It was against this backdrop that Kyle is quoted as saying; "Everyone I shot was evil. I had good cause on every shot. They all deserved to die." This is the language of a psychopath. There are no grey areas, only black and white, and this is how the mad insanity of militarism is nurtured.
When thousands of soldiers return home scarred, mutilated, homeless, on food stamps and suffering with PTSD this society ignores them unless they wax on endlessly about being a proud murderer, or don their uniforms to sit beside some puss-oozing politician. Soldiers like Ethan McCord who saved the lives of Iraqi children targeted by US drones, or others, like Scott Olsen, who threw their medals away in disgust are never put into the spotlight. Their humanity is too much of a threat to militarism. Hollywood, and Eastwood, et al, are the corporate empire's lapdogs. They skillfully tap into the angst of endemic American bellicosity, and temporarily relieve the malaise associated with aggressive and violent societies. They produce propaganda that glorify state-sanctioned, serial killers like Kyle, and disparage any one else that questions them, so that their profit margins are protected.
The term "cannon fodder" and its historic meaning have been largely forgotten or buried in modern times. But little, if anything, has changed about the true nature of imperialism, except that American propaganda has become more technologically and psychologically cutting edge in recruiting young people to fight in its needless wars. Films like American Sniper soothe the consciences of murderers, and their sponsors and apologists; and cajole more young people to become cannon fodder for the empire's endless wars. In this despicable art, Eastwood has succeeded with flying colors.
This entry was posted in Archived and tagged celebrity, Hollywood, imperialism, iraq, jingoism, mainstream media, militarism, military industrial complex, neoliberalism, police militarization, police state, propaganda, racism, war, war crimes on January 23, 2015 by Kenn Orphan.
The Hermit Kingdom vs. Hollywood
The corporate media has been in a frenzy this week over the alleged hack into Sony Corporation by the government of North Korea. The hack prompted executives to sack the release of the low brow comedy "The Interview" which involved a scene in which the leader of the Hermit Kingdom is assassinated. There have been outcries among the elite railing against this "attack" on freedom of speech, and the apparent cowardice of a multinational corporation. As if any corporation anywhere exhibited any virtue, much less courage, when their bottom line was at risk.
Oddly enough when it was the US government doing the hacking (and spying) on other nation's governments (including allies) and on American citizens the corporate press was either apathetic or chimed in with the hawks of Washington demanding the punishment of whistle blowers like Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning. It demonstrates how, in the neoliberal order of America, corporations rank higher in priority than ordinary people.
This latest manufactured outrage has Wall Street, the Pentagon and Hollywood's fingerprints all over it. Celebrity sycophants to Washington's political class like George Clooney have joined the chorus championing "freedom of speech." Yet one would be hard pressed to find the same level of disdain when it comes to the horrific practices of the NSA, CIA, FBI and the DoD which include not only hacking, but torture and murder.
Hollywood has never missed a beat in producing films that parrot US foreign policy, celebrate the cupidity of Wall Street, or beat the drums of militaristic chauvinism. Ironically, it portrays itself as a bastion of free speech, but a scratch beneath the glitzy surface reveals a long, ugly history of corporate censorship. When it comes to understanding the hypocritical outrage from the ruling elite and celebrity class, all one need do is follow the money and the power. It is the only value they understand or will go out on a limb for.
Photo Credit: Michael Thurston/AFP/Getty Images
This entry was posted in Archived and tagged celebrity, Hollywood, imperialism, mainstream media, neoliberalism, North Korea, Pentagon, police militarization, propaganda, Wall Street on December 20, 2014 by Kenn Orphan.
The Map Out
One of the most harrowing challenges of modern life in the West is navigating through the massive desert of mindless, materialistic consumerism. It is within this landscape that a soul can become lost and drenched in despair. From the endless stream of vacant eyed wraiths that glide down catwalks, to the pervasive advertising that never ceases to demean the values of empathy and compassion and hollow out any meaning associated with human connection, to the entertainment industry which revels in the depths of cruelty it can sink to, the onslaught on the psyche is both constant and merciless.
The American shopping mall is a reflection of this nightmare of ravenous cupidity and a message of stark disenfranchisement to the ever growing underclass. Its glossy finishes and plastic displays erect a wall of defense against anything remotely human or sacred. It entices the youngest of our society with the promise of fulfillment and social status through the acquisition of objects, the alteration of their faces and bodies, and the tacit abandonment of any connection with the natural world and all the beings that inhabit it. Concrete and glass monoliths of corporatism drive home the deepest sense of alienation and desolation by design. It is a fantasy land of the cruelest fakery, replacing the lively, chaotic and thoroughly interactive market place with the impersonal, the absurd, and the surreal. Exported around the world to some of the most impoverished nations on the planet, it is a unique, exclusionary and effective form of imperialism.
The Big Box stores, in contrast, make no pretense to that kind of romanticism. They sit shamelessly on seas of pavement in wetlands, lush meadows or downed forests, scraped and drained clean of their original life and inhabitants. They are a reflection of what America has become; a stark and depersonalized vision of depravity within the setting of a dying ecosystem. Their plastic and glossy objects fill giant bins as they fill our oceans and river systems. Their clothing racks conceal the stain of sweat shop slavery. They exude the callousness of a factory farm, encouraging and cheering on aggression, prodding livestock into its maw of spiraled decadence. This is the architecture of banal cruelty and indifference.
Understanding this landscape it should not come as a surprise that stories about vampires and zombies dominate contemporary, popular entertainment. These themes perfectly mimic the corporate capitalist economic model which glamorizes and celebrates the ghoulish and the macabre, while it rapaciously feeds upon the most vulnerable and powerless members of society for profit. The monsters in these tales are almost always fascinating, beautiful or so powerful as to be envied, while their victims are generally bereft of any identity at all. And this is exactly the way the wealthy elite want ordinary people to think of themselves. This ideology may contribute to the emergence of the mass shooter phenomenon, but it also underlies the mass acceptance of the police state model which relies on the violence of the state to reinforce the boundaries of class, and to bolster the mythology of the superiority of the powerful and wealthy.
The map out of this nightmare is often masked by the empty promises of having more stuff, altering ones outer appearance or conforming to socially acceptable shallowness. Advertising, social media and the political class, which sanctify the zombification of modern society, demand we attune and respond to their dictates and Siren song, lest we be banished from the corporate kingdom. Of course exclusion is terrifying to the elite and serf alike. We have been trained to avert our eyes from the homeless, the working poor and the far flung slaves to our insatiable consuming. If we dare look we might see our collective future. We might see exactly how our separateness is a grand deceit, a scam. And in doing so we might indeed shun otherness for the embrace of actual human beings. Free or revolutionary thought cannot be tolerated in a capitalist corporatocracy where denial, jingoism and conformity are embedded in the liturgy.
But we are coming to the end of the illusion, for better and for worse, sooner rather than later. The planet's ecosystems are wailing from the misery our way of life has inflicted upon them. They are dying. And the humanity that has been enslaved to continue this insanity are beginning to recognize their chains. Mass extinction is fast closing in on us. All of us will be forced to face this reality whether we want to or not. An industrial, consumerist society, based upon an endless growth economic model on a planet with finite resources, is impossible to sustain. It will eventually collapse.
If there is map out of the cemetery that we have long dug for countless species by our selfish indulgences and out of the wreckage of civilization, that irony of all ironies, it may very well lie in the chance, however remote, that some of us will emerge from the ruins long enough to tell a different story of who we are. Perhaps we will have enough time to honor all that we had and mourn all that was lost. And perhaps future generations, if there are any who survive, will not hate us too much for the brutality we tolerated and the ecocide we caused.
-An abandoned shopping mall in Mid-west America and is credited to Seph Lawless, courtesy of TWC (The Weather Channel)
-Courtesy of the Philosopher's Stone
-Black Friday shoppers and is stock footage (Techno Buffalo)
-Devastation in the Niger Delta from oil pollution. Agence France Presse.
-Camel dead from consuming plastic waste. Plastic Pollution Coalition
-A polar bear on a ever dwindling Arctic ice sheet/PA
This entry was posted in Archived and tagged Anthropocene, capitalism, celebrity, civilization, climate change, Collapse, consumerism, countless species, ecocide, grief, human extinction, human rights, imperialism, industrial civilization, mainstream media, neoliberalism, power class, sacred, Sixth Mass Extinction, social justice, Social media on June 27, 2014 by Kenn Orphan.


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Big Steppa
This diverse artist has been called several musical names in the past, but his present name is the Big Steppa.
Kurt A.K.A. Big Steppa came from a very interesting, humble musical genre; which dates back to the early eighties, in Castle Bruce Dominica. It was no secret that this little boy had vocal skills. He was constantly with his grand ma, back then she was heading the choir in the church.
Music always was the main element for many things including bringing families together. This kid with that nice voice would always lead the songs. In 1985 Kurt took part in a Calypso show given by the school he attended at the time. His aunt Valentine Baptiste wrote him songs and he placed 1st runner up and never gave up singing. Big Steppa sang at his high school graduation in the presence of the Prime Minister at that time. In fact, he was the lead vocalist of a band called Tropic Tention.
This musical experience allowed Steppa to explore various different kinds of music; which include Boyon, which is Dominicas own music, soca, calypso, cardance, compa, zouk, reggae, rap and was musically inspired by people such as Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel the liberator, Dave Koz, Frank Sinatra, Dennis Brown, Bunny Wailer, Mighty Sparrow and many more, conscious musical ambassadors and educators.
The Big Steppa received raved reviews for performing his upcoming hit singles Set Me Free and Wine-up in the August 2005 Summer Caribbean Festival at Weequake Park in New Jersey.
The Big Steppa will continue to pursue the music and the love & serenity it brings to one soul.
For Bookings & contact Call

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Ocampo, Gilberto , Columbus, J. Travis .
Molecular phylogenetics of New World Portulaca (Portulacaceae).
Portulaca is one of 19 genera recognized in Portulacaceae and comprises about 100 species distributed worldwide mainly in tropical and subtropical zones, with centers of diversity in South America and Africa. The genus is of no major economic importance, except for P. oleracea L., a cosmopolitan weed used as salad, and P. grandiflora L. is widely cultivated as an ornamental. In this molecular phylogenetic study we sample more than 30 New World taxa and use chloroplast (ndhF, psbD–trnT), mitochondrial (nad1), and nuclear (ITS) sequences; phylogenetic estimates were obtained using maximum parsimony and Bayesian approaches. The genus was found to be monophyletic with high support, and includes four main clades, three of them with North and South American representatives. Implications for infrageneric taxonomy, character evolution, and biogeography are discussed.


During his third official visit to the People's Republic of China, Angel Gurría attended the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century.
During the conference, Mr. Gurría gave a joint press conference with Wang Yiren, Secretary General of the China Atomic Energy Authority and Dr. Mohamed Mostafa El-Baradei, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. He also met with Dr. Byong Man Ahn, Minister of Education, Science and Technology of Korea.
Mr. He Yafei, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs.
For further information, journalists are invited to contact the OECD media's division (Tel: +331 45 24 97 00).


Manual music classification is a slow and costly process. Most recent works about music auto-classification such as genre or emotions make this process easier, but are focused on a single task. In this work, a music multi-classification platform is presented. This platform is based on multi-agent systems, allowing to distribute the extraction, classification, and service tasks among agents. The platform performs a musical genre and emotional classification and provides context information of songs from social networks such as Twitter and Last.fm. The methods chosen based on meta-classifiers to perform single-label and multi-label classification obtain great results. In the case of multi-label classification, better results are obtained than in other previous works.
This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and FEDER funds. Project. SURF: Intelligent System for integrated and sustainable management of urban fleets TIN2015-65515-C4-3-R.


Remember December 31st, 1999? The lines of people at supermarkets, stockpiling tins of baked beans and bottled water, convinced the millennium bug would strike at midnight? Turns out the PS3 Error 8001050F was a millennium bug 10-years in the making.
"We are aware that the internal clock functionality in the PS3 units other than the slim model, recognized the year 2010 as a leap year. Having the internal clock date change from February 29 to March 1 (both GMT), we have verified that the symptoms are now resolved and that users are able to use their PS3 normally."


Since the last post we have made fantastic progress, 1/1 Ony & 9/10 MC.We have made really nice progress in the past couple of weeks making us 1/1 in Onyxia and 9/10 MC with a few really good tries on Ragnaros. It is only a matter of time before he dies.
We are still recruiting players though we have no problems at all filling our 40 slots each raid we would like to add one or two more restoration shamans to our roster. Other players are welcome to apply too though we can not promise a spot for everyone right now.
If you are interested in joining us please don't hesitate to contact Fantomen, Zechti or Drivz online for an in-game application.
Also, our forums have been moved to a new adress, https://forums.odobros.com.


To find a hair salon offering eco-cuts and coloring in your neck of the woods, you may have to do some legwork as the trend isn't quite widespread, although you should check out this article about a salon in Portland, Ore., that is seriously eco-friendly.
Do you use and carry eco-friendly products? Traditional permanent hair dyes, shampoos and conditioners, and other salon staples often contain a bevy of questionable chemicals that can cause health problems and environmental damage. Ask what natural and eco-friendly hair products and treatments the salon carries and uses in-house.
Do you employ water-saving practices, such as reusing rinse water? Salons obviously require a massive amount of water to wash and rinse you hair, as well as tools and equipment. Some salons have started to reduce their water consumption by mandating water-saving practices and installing water recycling systems. Reusing rinse water is one of the most common and effective water-saving practices in salons today.
Do you use energy-efficient equipment? Although Energy Star hairdryers and curling irons are not yet a reality, seek out a salon that restricts its energy use by employing energy-efficient lighting, graywater heat-recovery systems, and energy-saving equipment. Even better, ask if the salon is powered by solar or wind energy.
Do you recycle? In addition to ensuring that the salon you choose recycles their plastic bottles and other supplies, ask if they use products housed in eco-friendly packaging, made from recycled-content materials.
Do you use natural cleaning products and laundry detergents? Methods used by your salon to clean laundry, instruments, and building structures should also be green. Ask if they use natural cleaning products, laundry detergents, and pest control techniques.
Do you offer other eco-friendly services? If you're looking for a full-service salon, offering services such as waxing, tanning, and mani and pedis, ask if eco-friendly options are available for those services as well. Hair salons and spas often come hand-in-hand, so after that wash/cut/style session, you can unwind with a green facial, massage, or another treatment.


In the last couple of months Slovenian HR association has organised several events. In September we approved our annual plan for 2011/2012, with clear goals and timing. In October we had a workshop on "How to handle workplace stress and stress in private life", a project supported by EU funds. In November our association celebrated our 30 year anniversary. We had a big celebration on November 24, hosted by the Slovenian company Talum. The guest of honour was the president of Slovenia, Dr. Danilo Turk. There were speeches by SHRA president Vanda Pečjak, past EAPM president Dr. Rudolf Thurner, the president of Talum, Marko Drobnič and an additional entertaining programme. There were 200 members of our association present. Everybody received a special leaflet about the history and activities of SHRA.
The mayority of activities in slovenian HR association are dealing with organisation of our traditional study days, whic will take place on November 25 nad 26, 2010. The title is : "Quo vadis HR? Are people really the most off our precious value?". With this topic we want to show trends in the economy and in the society with special focus on the role of people in these processes and treatment they receive in their working enviroment. We will host our president dr. Pieter Haen, who will present the global reasearch to our members. So far we have got cca 70 participants, and they are still coming in.
Quite strong delegation of HR experts from Slovenija took part on Alpe Adria meeting in Trieste on November 12. The leading theme of the event was: "Performance management in the multicultural enviroment". Slovenia presented one case from chemical industry and the case from public sector - University of Ljubljana. On this occasion Slovenian HR Association signed with Macedonian HR Association the MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING . The common goal is to develope HR methods, systems and exchange the best practices between both countries.
Labour market specialists win Nobel Economics Prize.
Three labour market specialists, including one blocked for a top post at the US Federal Reserve, won the 2010 Nobel Economics Prize for research that has had an impact on employment reforms worldwide.
The Nobel jury said that the work of Peter Diamond and Dale Mortensen of the US and British-Cypriot Christopher Pissarides helped resolve puzzles such as why people remained unemployed despite a large number of job openings.
It lauded the three economists for their analysis of markets with search frictions, which helps explain how unemployment, job vacancies and wages are affected by regulation and economic policy.
The three winners have had a big impact on how policy makers view benefits for the unemployed and what best can be done to get them back into jobs. They show that you can improve the system if unemployment benefits are accompanied by sanctions for those who do not actively look for work as well as by policies that ease the transition back to work, such as training and councelling.
The laureates work helps us to understand why an increase in wages gives an increase in employment, contrary to what might be expected.. In other words, more workers are encouraged to look for work by higher wages.
According to traditional theory, markets should work on their own to ensure that job seekers find available jobs. The Diamond-Mortensen-Pissarides model however, shows that markets do not always function that way and helps explain why unemployment persists and proves stubbornly resistant even when economic circumstances improve.
In a way People Management and our profession are recognized again as one of the cornerstones of economy. We can be proud.
- we are no more partners with CPU- Center for business training, we moved our office to new location and we run our activities with our own HR resources. The new data are on EAPM website.
- we organise the traditional HR conference Study days in November with the title: QUO VADIS HR with the focus on longterm economic and social growth with respect on social dialogue and human rights, The HR conference will take place on November 25 and 26 , 2010 at Otočec, Novo mesto.
- we will call the assembly of HR association in November to approve significant changes in our rules regarding organisation, finance and members roles in organisation.
Performance is what matters. Which companies have not added an extra gear to increase performance without increasing costs, it's in time.
The performance is also clarified and measurable in order to lay the foundation for career development in the long-term and wage trends in the short term.
"Customer focus" has been replaced by "performance management".
In the past, when the customer at all times was at the center, there were many who lived on their reputation and their networks.
Lobbying was a power factor. Then it was good enough to talk about what happened. It was hard to follow up and, above all, it was difficult to measure individual performance.
Performance Management makes new demands. Now is rather that each one takes overall responsibility for both society and the client company, including managing the risks inherent in the decisions to be taken.
To talk oneself in to success is more difficult today, especially if you don't actively participate yourself. I have met some people who "can do the trick" by doing as little as possible but with the power of their networks and lobbying yet achieves commercial success.
(Lobbying as a means among others in a power game and to influence decision-making will always be a factor and it can if it's proper used and of course used in good order - the big picture - be effective).
Now a day's managers and HR has a clearer responsibility / assignment. Since performance today is measured and clarified, it's important to communicate this increasingly important ingredient for success.
The use of the "right language" as part of the culture has an increasingly important role in achieving high performance.
Past and present are replaced with a forward-looking type of language. President Obama is a good example with rhetorical best practice - Yes, we can!
How does a high-performance character function?
Each "high-performance character" sees obstacles as opportunities and part of the game. High-performance people never blame others when they do not succeed. An obstacle is not an obstacle; it is part of the conditions and the challenges to be overcome.
Each "high-performance character" has a natural ability to share their experiences with others, and to gain new insights but also for working with others to create new ways to overcome challenges.
Here's a lot to do for HR in many companies. The building of the platforms where exchange of experiences should take place must be a task for the HR department. HR is also the natural and most suitable moderator for these exchanges.
A person who performs well is also "smart" in his or her way of acting. He or she uses old experiences, or at least parts of them, to solve new problems.
Passion is a prerequisite to do well. Passion and motivation appears to be increasingly important. A person who does not feel passionate for his or her work (or company) will not perform well.
Good managers can bring out the best in most people. People who despite all efforts not feel passion, is in the wrong place. We can see examples of individuals performing badly in one environment, while the same person performs great in a different environment. Here HR should take an active role and propose changes when people do not perform as intended.
Do not wait! It may seem strange, but it's often the small details that need to be adjusted or modified to get the passion to come back to people.
Finally, I note that people who perform well have characteristics as integrity, perseverance, passion, creativity and personal commitment. Very few "lobbyists" manage to perform well in the long run. The networks that were previously their power are rapidly changing in these times when customers' organizations also change frequently.
There were about 120 participants and many eminent speakers from the governement, representing the key goals of slovenian structural reforms: regulation of labor market, unemployment rules,better conditions for state scholarships, lay offs and notice periods, larger changes in labor code , pension reform with the goal of increasing the pension age and stimulating saving in the second pillar.
In practice sharing we compared and discussed : restructuirng, motivation on nonmaterial base, communication with associates in hard conditions, deep reasons for sickleave and proposals for changes in helth protection law.
As the proposals for changes in labor code, pension law and helth protection are to come in public in the early autumn, paticipants were invited to participate in discussion as much as possible. The management of HR association will take care to inform their members on actual news and organise the roud tables on specific themes.
Slovenia is facing the fast trend of demographic changes, what has a strong impact on labor market, on public finance funds and on the need for structural changes in many other sectors like health care, education, promotion of new types of economic activities with higher added value etc. HR experts support the governemnet,s goals to make significant changes in several areas, especially the plan of structural changes in labor legislation, pension system and health care system. Slovenia needs a longterm demographics strategy , longterm labor market perspectives and the balanced changes of systems, which are the largest users of state budgets: pensions, health care, social transfers and active policy for uneployed people. We support all changes, which will help to increse the share of older associates on the way which will decrease labor cost of the companies. HR experts shoud be active in public discussion on these structural changes, they have to influence also the public opionin in the companies regarding the efficiency of different generations. The main criteria for employment or to keep employment of a person should be efficiency, energy and motivation for work, not the age itself.
HR clubs in Slovenia have a regular practice to organise visits of their members in other companies with the goal to see the best HR practice on the spot. The first regional HR meeting in 2010 took place on April 22 in northern part of Slovenia. The first part of the programme took place in the company Reflex, which business is technical glass. It is a private company with very lean organisaton structure, good financial results and very strong people orineted HR policy. In the second part of the day we had two presentations on motivation systems: The influence of internal relations on workers, efficiency and How to motivate associates without money.
There were 70 participants. The discussion on motivation was very dinamic: theoretical and exchanging the best practice from different companies.
HR Association of Slovenia will organise the annual conference, which will take place in PORTOROŽ on June 9 and 10.
The title is HR /IS NOT/ IN THE AIR, AS WE LEARN ALL THE TIME.
The main subjects are structural reforms which are proposed by governemnt : labor code, labor market, pension law nad helth care system. The goal oft he conference is to present the official proposals, to have a constructive discussion on these topics and to show with good practical examples, how to implement changes in the companies.
All informations are on our website under www.zdkds.
The Czech chess champion Réti once played 29 simultaneous chess games. Afterwards, he forgot his briefcase and complained of poor memory. Quoted from the book "Talent is overrated" written by Geoff Colvin.
It is an interesting theme to try to see what separates the best from the mediocre. The book also concludes that the once who's getting the Nobel Prize gets it at an increasingly higher age. Not because they live longer, but because it takes longer to master the subject and do something that is rewarded.
My personal belief is strengthened because the book raises thought-through exercise as an important, perhaps the most important example of success to go from good to be the best. A genius from the past is not entirely unknown Mozart. In his case, we note that his father was a prominent composer and educator who gave Mozart training purposefully from the age of two. Another genius mentioned is Tiger Woods. The same goes for him. He had a father who played golf for several hours a day, with his son at his side. The conclusion that the book brings out is that the most successful, already at age 12 is undergoing training over two hours per day. The mediocre puts in approximately 15 minutes per day in the same workout.
Now it is important to remember that not everything depends on training. It takes more than "just" thought-through exercise. We are influenced by our personal relationships, especially during childhood, and of our physical status. Even coach grades can be recorded, as well as chance.
If we leave the book's world and think of our daily lives, instead, I find many associations in my HR everyday for those who are really good in their careers.
In my simple analysis, it is about everyone's attitude, interest and motivation to get better. Of course, there must be a fundamental knowledge base, the case in all areas. Finally, there must be an ability to translate the knowledge into action. That is where training provides both the methodology and the way to communicate and a sense of "how" you can best implement your ideas into your home environment.
Leadership is a typical example in which careful training is essential. It may sound simple in theory but requires careful training of continuity to develop. Good leaders must deal with different people in different situations, all the time. Then they have to have the unique ability to make decisions on each occasion, all the time.
If the business should develop many different skills are needed to interact. In this maze of competences the HR head pops up as "the old man in the box". If a business should develop the HR manager must be great and strong in social contexts. Behind every good HR manager is knowledge, motivation and continuous and thorough training. The job is not static but, rather, very dynamic.
I would like to share with you my simple conclusions about how a good HR manager contributes to the business development.
1. Make sure you will have an HR manager who himself understands the importance of being able to contribute to the company's profitability and business development.
2nd Let the HR manager be a part of the company's management team to ensure that the HR perspective is always associated with the business strategic issues.
3rd Do not put the responsibilities of the president (CEO) on the HR manager, work with him or her only as a coaching and supportive role.
4th Give the HR manager a strong mandate to take effective decisions since his or her work involves a lot of issues and actors, including changes in the law, unions and management groups.
5th Give the HR manager responsibilities so that the process for both skills, career and skill development are effective and transparent. There are nevertheless always the managers who are responsible for employee development.
6th Let the HR manager take responsibility for the company's reward model so that it has a cohesive and intelligent design. This is crucial in efforts to get HR to contribute to corporate profitability.
7th Allow the CEO to stand behind the reward model, while the HR manager always makes sure that evaluations are made with quality, timely and with the right tools.


Learn English in a real English Castle! Live like a Lord or Lady or become a Knight of the Round Table!
With our fantastic combination of fun English lessons, interesting excursions and exciting activities for 11-17 year olds you can't fail to have an English experience that you will never forget – and your language skills are sure to come on in leaps and bounds!
You will stay inside the Castle itself, the centre piece of the 5,500 hectare Ford and Etal Estate. There's every possibility that you'll bump into the real-life Lord of Ford and Etal himself, plus you'll be able to try your hand at various activities such as Archery, Fencing and Climbing and eat traditional food on Medieval night.
Each week you will have 18 hours of English lessons plus the chance to visit exciting places like the historical city of Edinburgh, the vibrant city of Newcastle and the famous Roman Wall.
Our staff members are fully qualified and experienced in everything they do and are excited to welcome you to Ford Castle, from our English Language Teachers and our Activity Instructors to our City Guides and Catering Staff. Part of the Château Beaumont Group, we also have over 15 years experience organising successful school trips to France.


I obtained my PGCE at University of Leeds, and taught in First, Primary and Middle schools in Yorkshire and London. I worked for London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and London Borough of Newham on teacher recruitment and Early Professional Development, then at the London campus of University of Gloucestershire, teaching English and Professional Studies on the Primary PGCE and GTPs. I joined UEL in 2010.
Ed. Christopher, E. Bell. 2018. McFarland & Co.
I am in the final year of my PhD on white working class children in children's fantasy fiction. I am interested in the representation of social class in fantasy, and how child readers perceive it.
I have carried out research with trainee teachers on representation in picture books, and their perceptions of the importance of children seeing diversity.


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Horses To Follow » Kangaroo Court
Kangaroo Court had built up quite a reputation by the end of 2008. Winner of his only point-to-point in Ireland, he won his maiden hurdle at the first time of asking at Doncaster on good ground in December, clearly appreciating the ground and beating the useful Honest John, winner of last year's Aintree bumper, by 17 lengths. After that, he started favourite to beat Karabak and a host of exciting-looking novices at Ascot in January, but the ground came up just on the soft side that day, and he finished well behind Karbak – no real disgrace in that really – but still managed to beat all his other rivals.
Disappointing in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, trainer Emma Lavelle's intention on Saturday was apparently just to give him a nice confidence-booster before roughing him off for the summer and bringing him back next term. However, he was so impressive in winning on Saturday that the trainer appears to be having a re-think. In fairness, he was fully entitled to win this, a Class 4 National Hunt Novices' Hurdle, and it would have been disappointing if he had not, but he did so with a minimum of fuss, travelling and jumping well, easing to the front on the near side at the second last, pinging the last and coming home effectively on his own.
Good ground is obviously imperative for the son of Lahib. His trainer always said that that was the case, and he proved it here, putting up a really impressive performance and winning as he liked. He is in again at Taunton on Thursday, but you would have thought that, with the ground still in his favour, he would be fully entitled to his place in the Mersey Novices' Hurdle run over two and a half miles at Aintree on Grand National day. He is not in that race, but he should be worth following wherever he goes next, as long as the ground is good, and he is an exciting prospect for next season.


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text:
Scalawag (https://www.scalawagmagazine.org/tag/religion/)
South of Rider-Waite: Four Southern Tarot Decks that Tackle Representation in Imagery, Theme, and Language
By Christie Matherne | December 23, 2019
Christie Matherne explores four unique tarot decks by Southern practitioners hoping to broaden the imagination and representation in traditional tarot.
Arts & Soul
Tennessee's latest attack on gay marriage takes aim at online ordinations
By Amber Stewart | September 16, 2019
Tennessee lawmakers are trying to make the state a place where "mainstream conservative Christianity dominates the public sphere." An upcoming trial will determine if they succeed.
No justice in gentrification
By Claire Bolton | July 8, 2019
Some white-led Christian groups are actively working to gentrify Black neighborhoods, claiming it's part of their social justice mission.
Feeding the Soul at the Feed & Seed
By Sammy Feldblum | December 10, 2018
From behind a pulpit-turned-soundboard, Pastor Trees reflects happily on the many functions of his venue. "This is supposed to be a pulpit: this is where I'm at. So Friday and Saturday nights instead of a sermon, the pastor is serving sounds…"
With the Poor People's Campaign, Southern progressives aim to reclaim "morality" from the Right
By Dan Holly | June 4, 2018
Moral Mondays and the revived Poor People's Campaign are part of a larger effort on the part of the Left to reclaim the rhetoric of Christian morality, a movement that's being led from the South.
To battle opioids, county turns to better policy and hope
By Sammy Feldblum | December 4, 2017
More opioids are prescribed in Columbus County than anywhere else in North Carolina. Due to a lack of mental health care, faith-based initiatives and families are bearing the brunt of addressing the crisis.
Blue in Columbus County
Christians could swing Alabama's senate election
By Katherine Webb-Hehn, Alabama State Politics Reporter | November 27, 2017
Alabama Christians aren't all the same, and a lot of them don't like pedophilia.
This North Carolina County Has a Thriving Branch of the NAACP—And It's Mostly White
By Michael Schulson | October 31, 2017
The chapter reveals the promise and pitfalls of racial justice solidarity.
Combating White Supremacy
Shadow of the Cross
By Andrew Paul | October 25, 2017
Check out Shadow of the Cross, Andrew Paul's creepy story about religion, difference, and pointy-toothed villains in a sleepy Southern town. Happy Halloween y'all.
White churches "aren't naming racism as a sin," says Rob Lee
By Sammy Hanf | September 14, 2017
White churches benefit from White supremacy, says Rob Lee, the Winston-Salem pastor and Robert E. Lee descendant who's spoken out against Confederate monuments. He says the church's relationship to White supremacy needs to change.


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@interface PodsDummy_ScaledCenterCarousel : NSObject
@end
@implementation PodsDummy_ScaledCenterCarousel
@end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Boss wants your pet to keep cool!
Boss, our November Dog of the Month wants to share some tips on keeping your pooches cool during this warm weather!
Ideally it would be great to bring your dog inside on some cool tiles, if you have air conditioning as well. If this isn't an option set up a kiddy pool in the shade outside. If you are going to be home throughout the day spray your dog with cool water underneath and on their feet. This is how dogs to cool down to spraying them on their back is less effective.
If your dog wants to dig in the warm weather and there is spot in the garden that they can do so, then allow them to. This is a natural way for dogs to cool down with the coolness of the dirt underneath them.


If you've ever traveled with your pet, then you know how challenging it can be to find a pet-friendly hotel. Many hotels simply forbid pets from staying, and those that do allow pets have strict policies. Usually you'll have to put down a significant deposit, and the number and size of the pets allowed is often limited.
What's a pet owner to do? Traveling requires some significant planning, and if you can't find a pet-friendly hotel, you're out of luck. That's what prompted one man to reach out to a hotel to ask for special permission.
The man was planning on staying at a hotel during an upcoming vacation. He sent an email ahead of time, asking if his well-groomed, well-behaved dog could stay with him.
He never imagined the email that he'd receive from the hotel owner. The owner promptly responded, explaining that he'd run the hotel for many years but had never encountered a dog that would steal towels, silverware or bedclothes. He explained he'd never had to evict a dog for drunk or disorderly behavior. And dogs had never tried to leave without paying the bill.
The owner ended his email with this perfect statement: "Yes, of course, your dog is welcome at our hotel! Furthermore, if your dog will vouch for you, you'll be welcome to stay here, too!"
How's that for a pet-friendly hotel?


Whether you broke your ankle falling on poorly maintained stairs, were assaulted in the parking lot of a night club, or were hit by a delivery truck while riding your bicycle to work, or sustain an injury doing one of any different millions of things, you may be able to seek compensation from the negligent party. Personal injury cases can be complicated, and the services of an experienced, Charleston personal injury attorney can help make sure that you get all the compensation you are entitled to.
At McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC, we safeguard the rights of our clients in Charleston and throughout South Carolina who have been hurt, lost time at work and have mounting medical bills. We are here to fight for your rights and for the prospect of a brighter future for you and your family.
The severity of the injuries will vary depending on the nature of the accident such as how fast the vehicles were traveling, or how high off the ground a person was when they fell. Some of these injuries will heal and resolve over time and the person will be able to resume their life much as it was before the injury, while others of these injuries can have life-altering effects on the individual who suffers from them.
When you have been injured in an accident that was caused by someone else's negligence, you may have legal recourse to recover compensation from the person who is responsible for causing the accident. The right lawyer can represent your interests with the defendant's insurance company in settlement negotiations or in a personal injury lawsuit. A Charleston personal injury attorney from the law firm of McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC can meet with you for a free consultation to discuss your case, and then they will advise you as to the best course of action given the facts of your case. Your attorney will investigate the accident, prepare your claim and negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf.
If you are unable to get a fair settlement, you may need to take the case to court. Our experienced Charleston injury lawyers prepare every case for trial, should such a need arise, and we fight fiercely on behalf of our clients. When you need a compassionate supporter and an aggressive advocate, rely on us to be both.
Hiring the right lawyer to protect your rights when you have been injured makes all the difference when it comes to getting the settlement you deserve. At McGowan, Hood & Felder, LLC, we want to be the legal team that ensures your bright future after an injury. You are welcome to call 888-302-7546, or fill out our contact form to schedule your free initial consultation with an experienced Charleston personal injury lawyer from our firm. We never charge you a fee unless we win compensation for you: it's our promise to you.


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Valedictory sentence example
At graduation he delivered the valedictory address for his class.
His valedictory thesis at the Ecole des Chartes, Serie chronologique des gardiens et seigneurs des Iles Normandes (1876), was a definitive work and but slightly affected by later research.
I looked at the valedictory speeches of Heads of two or three other schools and worried they seemed lengthy.
At the Ecole des Chartes, where his career was remarkably brilliant, his valedictory thesis was an Essai sur les revenus publics en Normandie au XII' siècle (1849), and it was to the history of his native province that he devoted his early works.
Professor Sir Geoffrey Lloyd will deliver a valedictory lecture, entitled Is there a future for ancient science?
With Judas gone, Jesus turned to the eleven remaining disciples and gave them a valedictory address, a farewell speech.
In his valedictory statement, Davies points out that no one at the Beeb has set out to mislead.
A valedictory tour to the mystical Blue Lagoon with its turquoise blue waters set in black lava rocks.
At the Ecole des Chartes, where his career was remarkably brilliant, his valedictory thesis was an Essai sur les revenus publics en Normandie au XII' siècle (1849), and it was to the history of his native province that he devoted his early works.
Writing Your Valedictorian Speech
It is truly an honor to be named as class valedictorian. But with the award comes the pressure of writing your valedictorian speech. Writing this speech can be a challenge, especially if public speaking isn't your strong suit. Not to worry. The comprehensive 6-step process below will guide you toward creating a polished product well in advance of commencement day.
Andrew McNaughton (1887-1966) was Canada's most prominent soldier in the 20th century. AfterWorld War II McNaughton served in a variety of political and diplomatic capacities.
Words near valedictory in the Dictionary


Today is Memorial Day. A day of tribute to the United States Armed Forces men and women all over the world who have died protecting the rights and privileges that we so richly enjoy and also for those who are now serving in some foreign country, seperated from that which is most precious to them: their families, their friends, their country. Peace is not to be taken for granted. It is not a gift on a silver platter waiting to be served up like a dish of ice cream. No, someone paid the price by stepping up to the plate and saying yes to protect those rights we have; yes to defend in case of invasion. Thomas Jefferson wrote, even in the imperfect time where slavery still existed, 'we hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal and are endowed with certain inalienable rights'. He had a vision. That vision spurred him to help form the United States of America. Today as we honor those in the Armed Forces let us never forget that the price of freedom is high. GOD bless our soldiers wherever you are, serving for the United States of America. Thank you and GOD bless USA. Schalom.


MAX has been producing top quality staplers and other office products for over 70 years and is the leading Japanese brand.
The HD-10NL mini stapler is available in a choice of three colours - black, red or white and comes with 50 no.10 staples to get you started and has a storage space in the handle for storing 2 strips of spare staples. Light Effort technology means that stapling does not require a heavy hand to complete the task, making this stapler a joy to use.
This powerful little stapler is capable of stapling 16 sheets of 80gsm paper.
Dimensions: 80mm long x 55mm high.


This page serves as a coordination point for people going to Blacksburg, VA for FUDCon. Coordinating ridesharing, either to the area itself, or simply planning a shared ride with someone from the airport, happens here.
Please note: The airport shuttle from Virginia Tech does not operate on Sundays. The FUDCon organizers are planning on renting vehicles to transport attendees to the airport this day.
Interested in ridesharing from the Akron/Canton/Cleveland area? Add your name here, and link to your Fedora ID. If you do not have a Fedora ID please get one and add it to this page when you're done. Thank you.
Interested in ridesharing from the RDU area? Add your name here, and link to your Fedora ID if you have one; if you're a Red Hat employee, just put RHT in parentheses behind your name, so we know how to get in contact with you.
PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME BY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16.
Greg DeKoenigsberg -- I need a ride the other way (Blacksburg -> Durham).
Interested in ridesharing from the DC area? Add your name here, and link to your Fedora ID. If you do not have a Fedora ID please get one and add it to this page when you're done. Thank you.
Fotios Lindiakos Driving both ways from Fairfax. Driving a Jeep, so weather is not a problem. Can offer rides from Dulles if needed. Probably leaving on the early side Sunday.
Enter your details and use this table to help coordinate ride sharing and other ventures with fellow attendees.
Scott Glaser 1/13/2012, 10:14pm (Delta 5316) ROA Sonar_Gal will be getting me, So Yes I haz a car!


Step into the ghost town of Rush to walk through what's left of the abandoned ruins. This somber trail is filled with historic tidbits and interesting sights. Let's learn about the town's past as we hike along this fascinating trail.
The Rush Mountain Mining Loop may be the most unique hike in Arkansas.
This 3.6-mile loop is the walk-through tour of Arkansas' most famous ghost town - Rush. You'll find the trail at Ark.14 South, Buffalo National River, Yellville, AR 72687.
The loop can roughly be divided in half for two out-and-back trails. Go counterclockwise if you're mainly wanting to tour the town with an easy stroll or travel clockwise to see Rush's extraordinary scenic beauty. The latter is more challenging but the vista views and waters of Clabber Creek make the effort well worth it.
During WWI, Rush was the most prosperous city in the state for its zinc mine. Unfortunately once the war was over the prices declined as did Rush. Today the trail passes the village's original smelter, resident homes, and the Taylor-Medley General Store.
The trail even leads near the mines that turned Rush into boom town it once was.
The zinc mines are closed for safety reasons but you can still see quite of bit of the original mining equipment used in the early 1900s.
The town may be gone but Rush is still an Arkansas gem to discover.
For more details about the trail, this website.
Have you toured Rush before? We'd love to hear about your experience in the comments below! Feel free to share your photos of the area in our Facebook Group, Arkansas Nature Lovers.
Rush is just one of many Arkansas mines of the past you'll totally dig.


The title, The Bubble Boys: How Mistaken Educational Ideals and Practices Are Causing A Warped Social Fabric, gives the impression that this will be another book about what we're doing wrong in education and why and how to fix it. Jason Goetz, who admits being a voracious reader, will impress anyone with his intelligence and ability to give us a historical and world view on what has been considered the roles of education.
Unfortunately, the people who need to read his analysis are not readers. They are so busy filling out papers and defending themselves and their beliefs and actions that they are emotionally exhausted. They do not want to see or admit that what they believe and are doing is more harmful than helpful. Ditto to politicians, government workers, and private individuals whose "Me first, me only" attitude and behavior Jason sees as a main cause of the present moral decline. The result is our political, ecological, and financial crises.
Enlightening are his personal experiences from elementary through graduate school. He gives very specific instances of the self-protective stance many educators and professors take regarding their beliefs and what they are willing to do those who challenge their authority. His examples of teachers and professors who were too insecure and dishonest to admit that a student could possibly know more about their area of expertise, so punished him by giving him a much lower grade than the one their own records showed he had earned. When his appeal to the professor was rejected he went to the department chair and then to the next higher level. Protection of self and school meant no justice. No surprise that injustice results when the insecure are challenged. His explanations of morality and virtues are excellent.


I found this plaid blazer when I was thrifting. It still had the tags! So I am assuming it was new. I loved the cut and the color so I didn't think twice and bought it! I can say that I scored a steal! Blazers can also be very versatile you can wear them as a jacket, with a brooch, belt, scarf and just over your outfit. You can even add a fur collar if you feel creative. I just believe having a couple of blazers in your closet is essential!
I did find the exact same blazer I am wearing the brand is BoomBoomJeans and it retails for $39. I got mine for only $7! #steal! I wore it with a plain black t-shirt, white booties, and some big earrings to accessorize it. I actually polled this item and it was voted 67% YES. To shop my look, go to the bottom of the page.


The Motorola Talkabout two-way radio is not just for outdoor enthusiasts or construction workers – it is also an emergency communication tool. The advanced models feature local and regional weather broadcast channels, emergency alert buttons and hands-free mode. On a Motorola Talkabout, iVOX mode allows hands-free communication without any accessories, while VOX is for use with earbuds or headsets. You can turn iVOX on from your radio and then clip the Talkabout to your shirt or belt for unrestricted movement during outdoor activities. You can just as easily turn VOX on and use the radio with your headset.
Models like the Talkabout MS350 are waterproof and have 35-mile range.
Push the "Power" button to turn on the Motorola Talkabout.
Press the "Menu" button until your radio displays "iVOX." Select "On" using the "+" or "-" key.
Push the "Menu" key until the display shows a level setting between "1" and "3." Adjust the sensitivity by pressing the "+" and "-" buttons.
Press the "Push to Talk" button to activate hands-free mode.
Turn off iVOX by pushing "Menu" until "iVOX" shows up on the display; then, select "Off."
Connect an earbud or hands-free headset to the Motorola Talkabout and VOX will turn on automatically.


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Watch the graphic process by which a sadistic family brutally murders a Teddy Ruxpin
Make no mistake, this is a snuff film.
By Max Knoblauch on October 15, 2016
Credit: youtube, what's inside
If you continue reading this piece and consuming the images included within it, you will witness the brutal death of a friendly talking teddy bear.
SEE ALSO: Kanye West as Teddy Ruxpin's voice is the greatest
A Youtube channel called What's Inside? recently released a video in which a father and son duo gleefully cut open an original Teddy Ruxpin doll. Why? Who knows, probably to discover if it feels pain.
Sincerely, this video is disturbing. At one point a young boy is wearing Teddy's face on his head and singing into the camera. At another point, a young girl is scream-crying that they should put the bear in the dump.
This whole video makes Sinister seem like something off the Disney channel.
We're going to show you the video, but first we'd like to share a few screenshots we took in the process of watching it.
Warning: these images are disturbing.
They begin by sawing Teddy's face off with a kitchen knife.
Teddy is clearly in pain. His tormentors care not.
Credit: youtube
"I am delighted by the death of this bear," the boy seems to say.
"I love to wear the face of the dead bear," he seems to say.
Then the father shows his daughter the dead bear and she cries.
Her brother dances with the headless bear. It appears ritualistic.
"Bring it to the dump!" cries the daughter, sensing Teddy's angry spirit in the house.
"There there, sister, wear the bear's face."
"This was a mistake."
This is a found footage horror movie.
And we are all witness to the horror.
Watch it for yourself, but don't say we didn't warn you.


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Home Insights Validation of European Patents for Cambodia
Validation of European Patents for Cambodia
An agreement allowing European patents to be validated for Cambodia entered into force on 1 March 2018. Thus, certain patents granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) may soon be enforceable in Cambodia.
Validation procedure – pre-grant
Validation for Cambodia is deemed to be requested for any European patent application (including any international patent application which subsequently enters the European regional phase) that is filed on or after 1 March 2018. This request for validation is deemed withdrawn if the requisite validation fee (currently EUR 180) is not paid in due time.
Validation for Cambodia is not available for European patent applications that were filed before 1 March 2018, or for European patents resulting from such applications.
The validation fee is due within the same period set for paying designation and extension fees in respect of European patent applications. In other words, the validation fee can be paid within six months of the date on which the European Patent Bulletin mentions the publication of the European search report, or, where applicable, within the period for performing the acts required for an international application's entry into the European regional phase. After this period, the validation fee can still be validly paid within a two-month grace period, provided that a surcharge is also paid within the two-month grace period.
Validation procedure – post-grant
Within three months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the application by the EPO, a request for validation in Cambodia must be submitted by a licensed Cambodian agent to the Cambodian Ministry of Industry and Handicraft (MIH). A publication fee (USD 30) and standard certificate issuance fee (USD 150) must also be paid to the MIH. Upon successful validation, the MIH will issue a patent certificate.
A European patent granted by the EPO and validated for Cambodia will have the same legal effects in Cambodia as a corresponding Cambodian patent.
Exception for pharmaceutical products
Notably, it is not currently possible to obtain Cambodian patent protection under this validation system for inventions relating to pharmaceutical products. This is because Cambodia currently holds a World Trade Organisation waiver allowing Least Developed Countries to avoid granting and enforcing Intellectual Property rights on pharmaceutical products.
Significance of this agreement
Benoît Battistelli, the President of the EPO, explained the significance of this agreement:
"The entry into force of the validation agreement with Cambodia extends the attractiveness of the European patent system beyond Europe. It represents a reduction of both processing times and costs for applicants and a reduction of the administrative burden for the Cambodian patent office. The accompanying technical co-operation between the EPO and the Ministry of industry and handicraft will contribute to the development of the Cambodian national patent system. The validation of European patents is also an important element of foreign investment strategies in Cambodia."
Since 2010, the European Patent Organisation has signed validation agreements with four non-member states: Morocco, the Republic of Moldova, Tunisia, and Cambodia. All of these agreements are currently in force. Cambodia is therefore the first Asian country to recognise European patents in its territory. Such recognition is further proof of the global relevance of European patents. A single European patent application could now provide protection in up to 44 countries and a market of more than 650 million inhabitants.
This article is for general information only. Its content is not a statement of the law on any subject and does not constitute advice. Please contact Reddie & Grose LLP for advice before taking any action in reliance on it.
Alex Maxwell-Keys
Would you like to know more? You can talk to Alex Maxwell-Keys who will be able to help. Call (0)1223 360 350