Aristides de Sousa Mendes ignored the orders of the facist Portuguese government during WWII, by helping people escape to Portugal. A diplomat in Bordeaux, he gave visas to thousands of Jewish and nonJewish refugees trying to escape the Nazi occupation. When it was discovered, he was fired, disgraced, and died poor dishonored by his country. More than 50 years later, the truth is finally coming to light of the around 30,000 lives he helped save, and the plight that he suffered at the hands of the facist Portuguese government. This screencast is me getting to know this story, which was the topic of the evening for my family here in Brussels.
Statehood Doesn’t Pay Bills
Nationalism has long been the cause of alot of pain and broken dreams in the history of the world. Yet nationalism is the force that brings about so many changes in so many places, even in this day and age.
I was working in Portugal several years ago when East Timor formerly declared it’s independence from Indonesia. Needless to say it was a big deal in Lisbon, at some level, as the nation watched a new country set out on the quest for freedom, prosperity… insert lofty goal. And of course, as I watched the ceremony in Dili, I can’t deny a feeling, based on all that I know from world history and the inequality that is the world economy, that East Timor would never really achieve much of a quality of life. For all the beauty and nobility of independence, you could spin the globe, crunch the numbers, and know that the new nation’s odds of a prosperous survival were slim to none.
Now we watch Kosovo. I know, I know, different details, different history, some different problems. But the facts still spell out the same feelings. Independence and freedom from whatever oppression, past or present, that certainly sounds good. No wonder lots of good people out there support the declaration. Yet what chance does it’s people have in this global economy and the political chess game that leaves a majority of the new nation as a bunch of expendable pawns; useful for flag waving news footage, but not worth a serious investment or some serious problem solving strategies. Powerful forces in the world of business and politics might have been salivating at the chance to use the cause and the region for their own goals, but now they can salivate even more as disorganization and internal struggles make it easy to profit.
Now you hear the whispers in different parts of the world get louder; Turkish Cyprus, Abkasia, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Palestine, Western Sahara, Aceh… places where the calls for independence grow louder now. And who would dare speak against many of those cases, where people have suffered and hoped for independence for so long.
While I don’t speak against most of these calls, I will add a question to the equation. How will they live? Will there be a way to seriously live without the threat of famine, violence, or some other terrible factor. Do they have some way to stand on their own two feet in a global economy that specializes in picking apart new nations without the luxury of lots of money or some magic resource?
Independence sounds lovely. But when calculating and dreaming of the kind of life people should have, I wish we would factor in what happens once you’ve got that independence. That’s the part that could really help make a better future for all people.
Watchful Eye for Greenwash
Recently I started a job with a sustainable investment conference and consultancy, know as TBLI. Among my responsibilities with them, I’ll be handling alot of their web presence including the TBLI blog which is now listed in the right hand margin under “I also publish”. First let me say it is refreshing to work for a organization that does not look at blogging or ME blogging about work related themes as suspect. Cause for this blogger, being free is essential to my work, and keeping secrets is just lame.
So as you’ll eventually pick up from reading the TBLI blog, the conference is all about sustainable development. A noble goal that more most rational humans makes sense. Bringing people together, large corporations, small entrepeneurs, activists, I’ve seen a pretty good cross section of talent and experience. AND YES, I’ve seen names of corporations that I simply do not like or trust, for their environmental human rights records. But nevertheless, ignoring them isn’t a sure bet for changing anything, so perhaps it is useful that there is place where they too can join the conversation and debate.
One guiding principle that stays with me in all my work, including here on the blog, is to always keep an eye out for greenwashing. Meaning those that would pretend to be ecological, caring for how their company impacts the environment and the future of the earth. It is no secret that being green has become a catch-all, a marketing tool, a smoke screen for conducting business-as-usual.
I mention this because some of the latest items coming from the New Internationalist get into detail about just that; greenwashing. They also tear into the realm of corporations pretending to be socially responsible and the manipulation of the United Nations to that end. I intend to get in touch with some of these reporters for an upcoming podcast. I also recommend you read and beware aware in your daily choices, about who is lying about being responsible.
One more thing tho… just because there are corporations out there, lying about being green. Does not mean people should simply give up trying to be responsible consumers or responsible investors. There are still ways to verify what is or is not ecological… sustainable.. and if people set their minds to it.. we can certainly find out.
bmtv75 CCC Talk Part 3 of 4
This section of my CCC’07 talk on Rebellious Communication and the Federal Flood looks at prisons and public housing in New Orleans. You’ll notice at the end I come to a conclusion not unlike that which Naomi Klein later did in her book the shock doctrine.
Remember to update your links as my blog is now located directly on citizenreporter.org and if you want to watch part 1 and 2 of this blog please look in the archives.
Good Postal Ideals
Ever notice all the overnight delivery-parcel company planes at the airport? They’re everywhere. Taking off, landing, filling the sky, spanning the globe.. to get your packages to you fast.
Rarely does anyone talk about the world of express delivery and the ever-growing fleets of planes in that industry, and their effect on our planet. Why even within distances between cities only a few hours away from each other, the fastest way is said to be by plane… so naturally there is yet another plane flying from one city to another, adding some more pollution to an earth that is begging for some relief.
As I think about this, I read the news out of France; TGV trains handling mail! Yes indeed, they called person who proposed this idea crazy at first, but in a country where high speed trains make long distances seem like nothing, with modernized and plentiful connections, France has the right circumstances to provide fast mail transport without having to fill the skies with more planes. And they’re really doing it!
Of course they have their share of problems once they want to go beyond France. Der Spiegel talks about problems that connecting German rail lines aren’t prepared for this plan. I know here in the Netherlands, the high speed rail lines are still few and just barely completed.
However, the point is that here we have a great solution for a problem that few nations are willing to talk about or seriously try to solve. Cut down on unecessary flights, including those dedicated to postal delivery. France wasn’t just born with this infrastructure… they planned rail transport properly some 50+ years ago .. and now not only can their businesses benefit, but so can our environment, with less emissions coming from rail transport. With the new AGV trains, we’re talking EVEN less emissions.
Just because some countries, be it here in Europe, or anywhere in the world, don’t currently have the infrastructure to do this.. doesn’t mean this is the time to simply give up. Investments should be made, elected officials should be working for such innovations, and citizens should demand this kind of solution.
bm249 Food Prices and Our Lives
The optimism that many people once used to speak about biofuels is now getting hit hard by cynicism when it comes to the rising cost of food and how that is related to food becoming fuel. Somewhere in the middle, we may find the truth. We may also find out what policies or forces are helping or hurting world hunger, and the cost of food. In this podcast I make use of a recent On Point episode, which includes interviews with numerous people that work in the field of food, biofuels, and the economy. Full credit to On Point as these interviews are all from their excellent program, with my commentary and own facts in between.
Listen to the original episode of On Point, here.
Subtopics
- Corn and Sugarcane
- Farm production
- Tying Food Prices to Oil Prices
- Conflicts in the World related to food costs
- Disappearing Farmland
- Regulation versus Market