The One Percent Props to New Scientist for highlighting this report, which identifies a network of 147 tightly clustered entities that control 40 percent of the world's wealth. The top 20 included Barclays Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and The Goldman Sachs Group. Here's the direct link to the study, found in PloS One: The network of global corporate control From my perspective, not only is the concentration of ownership exceptionally dangerous (as Cory Doctorow says, "one disaster could sweep like wildfire across them all") it is also deeply undemocratic. These companies and their directors answer to nobody, and there is no electoral process to unseat them. The article explains: "The idea that a few bankers control a large chunk of the global economy might not seem like news to New York's Occupy Wall Street movement and protesters elsewhere (see photo). "From Orbis 2007, a database listing 37 million companies and investors worldwide, they pulled out all 43,060 TNCs and the share ownerships linking them.
Economists and Democracy by Dani Rodrik Exit from comment view mode. Click to hide this space CAMBRIDGE – I have been presenting my new book The Globalization Paradox to different groups of late. By now I am used to all types of comments from the audience. But at a recent book-launch event, the economist assigned to discuss the book surprised me with an unexpected criticism. Lest the message be lost, he then illustrated his point by reminding the audience of “the former Japanese minister of agriculture who argued that Japan could not import beef because human intestines are longer in Japan than in other countries.” The comment drew a few chuckles. But the remark had a more serious purpose and was evidently intended to expose a fundamental flaw in my argument. This criticism reflects a serious misunderstanding of how markets really function. Consider all that is required. Well-functioning markets are always embedded within broader mechanisms of collective governance. But this scenario is neither relevant nor desirable.
RT @thinkshrink: Excellent post on Paxil (Seroxat in UK) with emphasis on "discontinuation syndrome" I suspect many adolescents... http: ... An Overview of Participatory Action Research Purpose of Activity: This activity is designed to challenge the stereotypes that are commonly held about research and researchers in order to reframe research as a process in which everyone can and should participate. Participants will be introduced to the basic philosophy behind Participatory Action Research: that those most impacted by an issue should be able to design and conduct research about their community. By the End of Activity Participants Will: Be able to break down stereotypes about research and expertiseLearn that various types of knowledge exist within the groupLearn that community knowledge and research is critical to changing policy and building power Materials Needed: Paper Writing utensils Poker chips (or pennies, paper clips, or jelly beans) Butcher paper with definitions of types of knowledge Key Terms: Community knowledge Knowledge from experience Academic knowledge Intended Participants: Members and staff of your organization Time Needed: 45 minutes Facilitator Instructions: 1. 2.
‘ePortfolios’ are out, ‘bPortfolios’ are in (apparently) #ePortfolio #bPortfolio Whilst waiting for my iOS5 update to proceed I did quite a bit of reading, and one item that caught my eye was this post called “At Last – Recognition for Blog-based Portfolios” by Jim Shimabukuru, which reported on an academic paper written by a group of 6 US professors – “bPortfolios: Blogging for Reflective Practice“. The abstract for the academic paper is: “Web 2.0 technology, such as blogging, allows for locally developed, cost effective, and holistic alternative portfolio assessment systems. By enhancing critical reflection and fostering social interaction, blogging portfolios are seen as an integral learning tool for all students enrolled in a university program.” Quite what the difference is, for the student’s final portfolio, between the blog and portfolio edition is still not clear yet, but it is obviously an alternative solution, and one that ought to be considered. The highlights of using a blogging system (like WordPress) as the portfolio system are:
"Unsourcing" - does free labour ultimately require free goods too? Crowdsourcing has been discovered by the corporate sector, The Economist tells us, as a great way to turn consumers into free labour. "Unsourcing", is the McKinsey-speak for the method pioneered by Wikipedia (and adopted by openDemocracy). But what are the system-wide implications of this move? Where will income to buy products come from once products are made by free labour? A recent ‘Babbage’ column in The Economist writes about the phenomenon of ‘unsourcing’. “Some of the biggest brands in software, consumer electronics and telecoms have now found a workforce offering expert advice at a fraction of the price of even the cheapest developing nation...it is their customers themselves...." Clarifying the janus-faced nature of networked forms of collective action within post-Fordism is essential for those who wish to understand its possibilities for positive change. On the employment of crowdsourcing in the interests of profit, Christian Marazzi writes, He adds, Accelerating the Crisis
RT @riazdharamshi: When Allyson Pollock talks, the NHS should listen HT @clarercgp @mellojonny Health and Social Care Bill 2011 House of Lords – Committee stage, 25 October 2011 BRIEFING ON CLAUSE 1Prepared by Allyson Pollock, professor of public health research and policy, Queen Mary, University of London David Price, senior research fellow, Queen Mary, University of London Peter Roderick, public interest lawyer Tim Treuherz, retired head of legal services, Vale of White Horse District Council 22 October 20111. Introduction The Committee stage of the Health and Social Care Bill begins on Tuesday 25 October 2011, with consideration of Clause 1. Clause 1 impacts on the legal framework underpinning a comprehensive and universal national health service. The briefing is intended to assist peers supporting any of the amendments designed to restore the current statutory framework, although our preferred option is to omit Clause 1 and revert to the wording of the National Health Service Act 2006. [The briefing does not discuss the various amendments that have been tabled to Clause 1. 2. 3.
Workers' self-management Self-management or workers' self-management (also referred to as labor management, autogestión, workers' control, industrial democracy and producer cooperatives) is a form of management that involves management of an organization by its workers. Self-management is a characteristic of many models of socialism, with proposals for self-management having appeared many times throughout the history of the socialist movement, advocated variously by market socialists, communists and anarchists.[1] There are many variations of self-management. In some variations, all the worker-members manage the enterprise directly through assemblies; in other forms, workers manage indirectly through the appointment of managers through election. Economic theory[edit] An economic system consisting of self-managed enterprises is sometimes referred to as a participatory economy, self-managed economy or cooperative economy. Classical economics[edit] Management science[edit] Political movements[edit] Europe[edit]
GOSH continued……… This is the letter I wrote to GOSH following the interview I did with BBC London. The program did not appear until later the following week. BBC London had succeeded in getting a full copy of the Sibert Report under Freedom of Information. GOSH have responded to the letter below and I will post their response to my allegations over the weekend. 8th June, 2011 Dear Baroness Blackstone Re: Call for investigation into Dr Jane Collins’ actions in withholding of information by GOSH from the original Serious Case review into the death of Peter Connelly (Baby P). I am writing to you on a matter of grave concern. From information I have now received it appears that the Chief Executive of Great Ormond Children’s Hospital (GOSH),Dr Jane Collins, withheld vital information from the 1st Serious Case Review (SCR) into the death of Peter Connelly (Baby P). In January 2008 a report (the Sibert Report) was commissioned by Dr Collins. The depth of the deception that has been perpetrated is unbelievable.
Foxconn sees latest worker suicide following Chengdu fire｜Economy The latest suicide by a Foxconn employee brings to thirteen the number of such worker deaths since January last year. Picture: Outside Foxconn's Chengdu plant, the site of an explosion last week. (File Photo/CFP) Nearly a week after an explosion at Foxconn's factory in Chengdu, one of the company's employees jumped to his death from his apartment in the local township of Deyuan. The company's CEO, Terry Gou, is on the way to handle the incident, according to Hong Kong China News Agency. The employee, a 20-year-old whose surname is Hou, committed suicide on Thursday morning (May 26) without specifying the reason, said a person familiar with the matter. The latest death is the thirteenth in a string of suicides among Foxconn employees since the first tragedy was reported on January 23, 2010. References: Foxconn 富士康 Terry Gou 郭台銘