by Mark Jacobs
December's book is an interesting first book comprising a collection of vignettes taken from his various blog postings, primarily when he went to Haiti to teach urban agriculture to those suffering in the aftermath of the big hurricane. (It is quite alarming to Google and see there have been Hurricanes in Haiti since 2008 which have not allowed the people to get back up on their feet.)
It seemed ironic that as I got to the end where the punchline of the book dwelled - nice touch - one of the Sunday papers had an article about how the English slavemasters made sure they were adequately 'compensated' for the loss of their slaves by such an extraordinary and large amount their decendents are still living off the proceeds - Gladstone the father of the ex-British Prime Minister got the largest payment-- about 83million pounds in today's terms! Even the current British Prime Minister's family has benefited in the past from these 'dirty payments'. Of course, it is a matter of perspective - the English would tell you it was a hard job getting those lazy slaves to work and they deserve/d compensation! Likewise in 'The West on Trial' after the bauxite company got the English to give them the land free or dirt cheap - they held Burnham to owe astonishingly high payments as reparation. Interesting how the Power-Brokers hold the Law over our heads when it is in their favour and ignore it when it suits them.
I am thinking how the WTO make the ignorant who muscle their way up to power, sign agreements which cannot be rescinded as Governments change and do the Pontius Pilate thing of saying -- your country made the agreement even though we know it to a ridiculous deal for the country and we will hold you to it! The penalties from breaking such a contract mean that any new Government coming in would be ostracised and not be allowed to sign any others! Australia and Canada whose mining companies are probably causing major environmental destruction worldwide have recently demurred from enacting climate change Laws. Like slavery they are profiting from something causing immense, unrecorded and long-lasting misery but would probably take the high ground and demand compensation for a cease order! Ok-- totally strayed off topic-- sorry Mark - but I know you'll agree with me! I am totally in favour of the British Law for Companies-- those found guilty of Bribery doing business out of Britian will be tried in Britian-- well, I say the same-- those multinational companies who come into poor countries with weak and/or unenforceable laws ought to be tried in their counrties-- maybe that's why these countries are not 'signing up' to Environmental Laws?
December's book is an interesting first book comprising a collection of vignettes taken from his various blog postings, primarily when he went to Haiti to teach urban agriculture to those suffering in the aftermath of the big hurricane. (It is quite alarming to Google and see there have been Hurricanes in Haiti since 2008 which have not allowed the people to get back up on their feet.)
It seemed ironic that as I got to the end where the punchline of the book dwelled - nice touch - one of the Sunday papers had an article about how the English slavemasters made sure they were adequately 'compensated' for the loss of their slaves by such an extraordinary and large amount their decendents are still living off the proceeds - Gladstone the father of the ex-British Prime Minister got the largest payment-- about 83million pounds in today's terms! Even the current British Prime Minister's family has benefited in the past from these 'dirty payments'. Of course, it is a matter of perspective - the English would tell you it was a hard job getting those lazy slaves to work and they deserve/d compensation! Likewise in 'The West on Trial' after the bauxite company got the English to give them the land free or dirt cheap - they held Burnham to owe astonishingly high payments as reparation. Interesting how the Power-Brokers hold the Law over our heads when it is in their favour and ignore it when it suits them.
I am thinking how the WTO make the ignorant who muscle their way up to power, sign agreements which cannot be rescinded as Governments change and do the Pontius Pilate thing of saying -- your country made the agreement even though we know it to a ridiculous deal for the country and we will hold you to it! The penalties from breaking such a contract mean that any new Government coming in would be ostracised and not be allowed to sign any others! Australia and Canada whose mining companies are probably causing major environmental destruction worldwide have recently demurred from enacting climate change Laws. Like slavery they are profiting from something causing immense, unrecorded and long-lasting misery but would probably take the high ground and demand compensation for a cease order! Ok-- totally strayed off topic-- sorry Mark - but I know you'll agree with me! I am totally in favour of the British Law for Companies-- those found guilty of Bribery doing business out of Britian will be tried in Britian-- well, I say the same-- those multinational companies who come into poor countries with weak and/or unenforceable laws ought to be tried in their counrties-- maybe that's why these countries are not 'signing up' to Environmental Laws?
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