Options

Work in London


Work abroad

Volunteer in Ghana for £120 or so for three weeks.
Details

Study

MSc Programmes

There are a number of MScs. Main areas looked at:

-Natural Science

-MSc in Science
The OU offer this, and it does seem quite appealing.

-Space Science
Theres a good summary here.
Queen Mary, and UCL (as well as York and Surrey do this)
Royal Holloway offer an MSc in astrophysics.

-Project management

-Finance/business

Phd Programmes

City is currently offering 75 studentships. Would need to draft a proposal and speak to academic staff about my ideas. Also would need to fit in with their ideas. Also - where would I live on £15k?! What would I do with the qualification? Would anyone care?


MBA
I'm still reasonably keen to do an MBA or PhD. I'm more than confident I have the skills to do an MBA. I think I'd probably struggle to get onto the best courses such as Harvard, although could conceivable get onto reasonably high ranking ones.

Danny Dyer article in the Swedish press.

This is a translation of a Danny Dyer article from the Swedish magazine Resume.se on the Dyer Zoo affair. It quotes Dr Petra, a rare voice of clarity, rationality and sensible discourse in the media.

Celebrity magazine column axed
Posted 2010-05-10

In a relationship column in the British lads magazine Zoo, the actor and celebrity Danny Dyer advised a reader to mistreat his former girlfriend. Dyer has been fired, and the column has been stopped but the question remains: is this enough?

It was in the column 'Ask Danny' in last week's issue of Zoo that a reader asked how he could forget his former girlfriend. Danny Dyer said he was mad to either go out with the guys and pick up at anything that moves or "... Is to cut her face, and then no one will want her."

Danny Dyer is a well known actor in Britain and started his career at the age of 16. In recent years he has made TV shows about British football culture. Dyer has been criticized, inter alia, because he identifies too much with the ‘lads’ mentality. His contribution in Zoo fits Dyer’s profile well; Zoo is a down market version of the now dying British lad magazines.

When Dyer recent contributions in Zoo came out last week it caused an immediate media storm.

A spokeswoman for Zoo's owner, Bauer Media, said that it has stopped the 'Ask Danny' column, with immediate effect. The editor Tom Etherington has apologized and Zoo will donate money to women's charities.

Danny Dyer argues that he was completely misquoted. He does not write it himself but leaves the answers over the phone to the news editor. “This is not advice I would give to the public, I do not condone domestic violence, " he told The Sun.

But it is not the first time that Dyer gave advice that could be considered grotesque in his column. Just a month ago he suggested a reader that he should set fire to his girlfriend's pubic hair.

Zoo will now examine what has happened.

British sex advice columnist Petra Boynton believes that it is not enough but urges advertisers to stop advertising in Zoo until the editors changed their attitude to women and domestic violence.

Zoo has a circulation of just over 100 000 copies.

What human rights issues arise from the use of private corporations as contractors of the coalition?

Doing a google search of the research question brings up some very relevant sources.

"The exposure of detainee abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison facility in Iraq put into sharp relief the moral hazards of a war on terrorism. The question was thus posed: when a state is faced with its own vulnerability in the aftermath of an attack, how will the rule of law survive? Perhaps unsurprisingly, clever litigators have responded to the Abu Ghraib debacle by seeking novel theories of tort liability. Their goal of prosecuting perpetrators of torture is a challenging one. Numerous obstacles stand in their way, not least sovereign immunity and the immunity of coalition forces in Iraq from local jurisdiction. (1)

But an Achilles heel in the U.S. Government's immunity is the rising use of private military firms (PMFs) (2) in capacities traditionally reserved for government agents. Along with the military and civilian government personnel at Abu Ghraib were numerous private employees of the independent contractors CACI International, Inc., and Titan Corporation. (3) These employees operated interchangeably with their government counterparts as interrogators and translators, and are thus implicated in the abuses that took place at Abu Ghraib. (4) Yet, they are not clothed with the immunity of a state actor, as they are employees of an independent contractor and not the government. (5) Encouraged by recent successful suits against corporations for violations of the law of nations, (6) human rights activists have filed Alien Tort Statute (ATS) claims against CACI and Titan in federal court claiming, inter alia, torture, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. (7) We are thus faced with a dual proxy: the ATS acts as a proxy in American courts for international criminal law, and the PMFs act as a proxy for the U.S. Government. "
Garfield, A (2006) 'Bridging a gap in human rights law: prisoner of war abuse as "war tort".' Georgetown Journal of International Law, Georgetown, 22 June 2006
link

"Iraqi officials accuse many of the companies providing protection in violence-plagued Iraq of being a law unto themselves, prompting a flurry of attempts to better regulate an industry that is expanding rapidly around the world. South Africa and Britain are proposing tough new laws governing the participation of their nationals in foreign conflicts. Humanitarian groups are trying to identify gaps in international law. And the industry itself is pushing greater self-regulation."

Zavis, A (2006) 'Iraq Struggles With Rise of Guns-For-Hire' Baghdad, Associated Press, May 7, 2006 link


'With almost no congressional oversight and even less public awareness, the Bush administration has more than doubled the size of the U.S. occupation through the use of private war companies.

There are now almost 200,000 private "contractors" deployed in Iraq by Washington. This means that U.S. military forces in Iraq are now outsized by a coalition of billing corporations whose actions go largely unmonitored and whose crimes are virtually unpunished.'
Scahill, J (2007) 'The Mercenary Revolution', The Independent, London, August 10, 2007 link

"One of the main tools for ‘socializing’ private military contractors (PMCs) is litigation. The threat of litigation may encourage contractors to set up their own corporate social responsibility and accountability mechanisms with a view to preventing them being hauled before courts. The article identifies the jurisdictional opportunities and pitfalls of criminal (public law) and civil/tort (private law) litigation against PMCs in domestic courts. The focus lies on litigation for human rights abuses, with special emphasis on US proceedings, the US being the home and hiring state of the majority of PMCs active in overseas conflict zones. It is argued that, because the chances of success of tort litigation are, in fact, rather limited in the US, given the many procedural obstacles, the criminal law avenue may prove to be more promising, if at least prosecutors show more leadership in bringing cases. Also at a deeper accountability level, criminal litigation may be preferable on the ground that criminal punishment sends a stronger accountability and deterrence signal than a mere money judgment."
Ryngaert, C (2008) 'Litigating Abuses Committed by Private Military Companies', Oxford,The European Journal of International Law Vol. 19 no. 5, p1035 link

Non-State Actors and Human Rights Edited by PHILIP ALSTON Academy of European Law
European University Institute in collaboration with the Center for Human
Alston, P (2005) 'Non-state actors and human rights', Paris, Academy of European Law

ACLU details of all tortured to death in US custody.
Details #

Outsourcing war.
Good well cited journal article about outsourcing of war and its history.
Shearer, D (1999) 'Outsourcing war', Foreign Policy, No. 112, Autumn, pp. 68-81 link

Haliburton KBR

Are Contractors Above the Law?
Former Halliburton Subsidiary KBR Insists It Is Not Liable for GI's Death
By Daphne Eviatar 8/3/08 11:26 PM
Baghdad, Iraq (army.mil)
In January of 2008, Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, 24, was electrocuted while showering in his Baghdad barracks. His death prompted last week’s congressional report concluding that defense contractor KBR, (until a year ago a subsidiary of the oil services giant Halliburton) was well aware that the electrical system in Maseth’s complex was faulty. An accident like this, the report found, was bound to happen. But this report also now raises a larger and thornier question about military defense contractors: can they be held legally liable for their actions – or inactions? Will anyone be held responsible for Maseth’s death?"
Eviatar, D (2008) 'Are Contractors Above the Law?' Washington, The Washington Independent, March 3 2008

There was even a House of Representatives report on the incident
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (2008) 'New Information about the Electrocution of Staff Sergeant Ryan Maseth' Washington, United States House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, July 30 2008

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A series of civil lawsuits against defense contractors KBR and its former parent company Halliburton claims the companies endangered the health of U.S. troops and contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan by unsafely burning massive amounts of garbage on U.S. bases.
Levine, A (2009) 'Halliburton, KBR sued for alleged ill effects of 'burn pits'', Washington, Pentagon, April 28 200

Business and human rights has over 50 cases of alleged human rights abuses involving Halibuton KBR.

Halliburton expresses it own view towards humabn rights by having a cursory mention of human rights on one of their web pages, where they state that "Halliburton’s belief in the dignity, human rights, and personal aspirations of all people as the foundation of our culture of business excellence....We have long addressed our belief in human dignity, human rights, and fairness in our employment practices...
Halliburton’s Code of Business Conduct, its business values, and culture are influenced by, and reflect a fundamental respect for human rights and freedoms. "
Halliburton (2009) 'Human Rights Policy Statement' Houston, Halliburton

The extent to which this is enacted in practice is worth reviewing

"KBR Got Bonuses for Work that Killed Soldiers
The Department of Defense paid former Halliburton subsidiary KBR more than $80 million in bonuses for contracts to install electrical wiring in Iraq. The award payments were for the very work that resulted in the electrocution deaths of US soldiers, according to Department of Defense documents revealed today in a Senate hearing. More than $30 million in bonuses were paid months after the death of Sgt. Ryan Maseth, a highly decorated, 24-year-old Green Beret, who was electrocuted while taking a shower at a US base in January 2008. "
Scahill, J (2009) 'KBR Got Bonuses for Work that Killed Soldiers', New York, Nation, May 20 2009, Link

Huge number of resources at HAlliburton Watch.org

Book on the subject:
Halliburton's Army: How a Well-connected Texas Oil Company Revolutionized the Way America Makes War: The Long, Strange Tale of a Private, Profitable, and Out-of-control Texas Oil Company (Hardcover)
Chatterjee, P (2009) 'Halliburton's Army', Nation Books, New York link blog description

Corporate lobbying - inluencing decision making in Washington

CACI International
Breakdown of lobbying expenses.

Titan: L-3 Communications Titan
Breakdown of political campaign contributions

Breakdown of all recipients in 2002
Breakdown of all recipients in 2004
Breakdown of all recipients in 2006
Could do data analysis showing recipients are overhwleimgly republican.

Blackwater USA
Breakdown of lobbying expenses.

Halliburton Co
Breakdown of political campaign contributions

The private contractor-GOP gravy trainFrom Blackwater to CACI, mercenary companies in Iraq have a warm and cozy relationship with the Republican politicians who are employing them. " Excellent breakdown of revolving door policies and clear conflict of interests.
Schlesinger, R (2004) 'The private contractor-GOP gravy train' Salon, New York, May 11th 2004

**Being fairminded, we should recognise also that Human Rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International do also attempt to lobby government action. Further these actions could also be seen as an attempt to push a particular course of action that may well be different from that of the majority of the population, and in that sense could be seen as subverting democracy. Nonetheless, we should also recognise that the Defence Industry as a whole gives around $9million dollars a year in political contibutions, a total of over $92 million dollars in the last decade. Human Rights groups have given no sizeable amounts according to the Centre for Responsive Politics. while their lobbying efforts are considerable, in dollar terms they are several orders of magnitude smaller.
Human Rights Watch lobbying
Defense contributions.


Contract recipients
Details of blackwater contracts by year

"# The CBO estimates that as of early 2008, at least 190,000 contractor personnel, including subcontractors, were working on U.S.-funded contracts in the Iraqi theater. Just fewer than 40 percent of them are citizens of the country where the work is being performed (primarily Iraq); about 20 percent are U.S. citizens.
# U.S. agencies awarded $85 billion in contracts for work to be principally performed in the Iraqi theater, accounting for almost 20 percent of funding for operations in Iraq. More than 70 percent of those awards were for contracts performed in Iraq itself."
US Congress (2008) 'Contractors’ Support of US Operations in Iraq' Congressional Budget Office, US Congress, Washington, August 2008 report

Google scholar search for Iraq contractors.

**This New York Times article paints a clear picture of government contractors having completely insufficient oversight or control and weak regualtory structures. It also suggests strongly that the political campaign contributions and lobbying are ensuring that a correupt system is taking hold.
Shane, S; Nixon R (2007) 'In Washington, contractors take on biggest role ever' New York Times, 4 Feb 2007 link

Revoloving door: network analysis of Bush administration and corporate power
'Results indicated that the Bush administration drew more heavily than the Clinton administration on corporate officers and directors.Concludes that there is evidence to show that government service can serve as a conduit for joining the ranks of the corporate elite.'
Etzion D, Davis G F (2008)'Revolving doors? A network analysis of corporate officers and U.S Government officials' Journal of Management Inquiry, Sep 2008 Vol 17 No 3 link

"This article illustrates three ways in which corporations can undermine representative democracy and the public good: promoting legislation that benefits corporations at the expense of individual citizens, the capturing of regulatory agencies by those whom the agencies were designed to regulate, and the privatization of functions that have historically been the mandate of local, state, and federal governments."
Barley, S (2007) 'Corporations, democracy, and the public good' Journal of Management Inquiry, Vol. 16, No. 3, 201-215 link

"research on the role of corporations in democratic societies, the authors convened a Professional Development Workshop at the 2007 Academy of Management annual meeting in Philadelphia. The ideas presented in this workshop are summarized in the following articles. In this introduction, the authors review some key points from the presentations delivered and highlight some theoretical orientations and questions that can guide future empirical analysis in this important and exciting domain." Marti, I; Etzion, D; Leca, L (2008) 'Theoretical Approaches for Studying Corporations, Democracy, and the Public Good' Journal of Management Inquiry, September 1 2008; 17(3) 148 - 151
link

Titan and Iraq

Google scholar shows a wealth of sources on Titan and Iraq.

Saleh vs Titan - an account of the Alien Tort Claims Act

Titan corporation of San Diego, California, one of the two companies accused of complicity in the prison abuse scandal in Abu Ghraib, Iraq, is currently facing numerous federal investigations for work done in Iraq and around the world.
Chatterjee, C(2004) 'Titan's Translators in Trouble' CorpWatch, San Francisco, May 7th, 2004

War Profits - Profits aover patritisim report looks at several companies including titan. Borosage, R et al (2006) 'War Profits: Profits over patriotism" Campaign for America's Future, Washington

Discussion by the lawyer who brought the case against Titan with CCR.
Protagonist or pawn private contractor in foreign affairs,
Saleh v Titan, American Society of International Law Proceedings, 200599: 375

Video sources

Iraq for sale - complete video online.

Short excerpt:


Mercenary trophy videos. These videos demonstrate how the mercenaries from Aegis, a UK based security firm and Blackwater, a US based private military contractor go about their 'work'

Private Military contractor debate. Ruth Tanner, Director of Campaigns and Policy at War on Want, debated the issue with Chris Sanderson of the British private security company Control Risks.

Possible Interviewees

Experts on Iraq


Rosemary Hollis, former director of Chatham House, former head of Middle East Programme. Currently works at the Olive Tree. All articles by her. Article recently: "Getting out of the Iraq Trap" about how to avoid Iraq war.

Bob Lowe, head Middle Easty Programme, Chatham House. Main interest is in Kurdish issues, but would serve as a good 'in' to other people on the Middle east programme.

Eric Lubbock, Lord Avebury
Liberal democrat Lord, and noted speaker on forein affairs particularly Iraq and on issues concerning liberty and human rights. Recent comments on Iraq from Hansard. Has also visited Iraq. He has a blog, and here are his posts on Iraq. Vice-Chairman of the Parliamentary Human Rights Group. Cool comment.



Dr Eric Herring
Job title Reader in International Politics
Department Department of Politics University of Bristol
Expert on Iraq, in particualr on sanctions. Also wrote Iraq in Fragments, which documents how U.S. policy in Iraq has ultimately undermined effective domestic governing, and what steps could be taken to develop a more self-sufficient Iraqi state.

Expert on anti Iraq war activism
Frank Webster, Head of Sociology Department, City University London. Author of Anti-War Activism: New Media and Protest in the Information Age, with Kevin Gillan and Jenny Pickerill (Palgrave 2008)



International Law experts
Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Chatham House, formely Foreign Office.
International Law:
* The use of force
* International criminal law including the international criminal court
* The law of the United Nations and its organs
* Consular and diplomatic law
* State and sovereign immunity
* International humanitarian law
Also involved in a discussion on regulation of private military contractors at chatham House

Joe Westby, Researcher & Operations Officer: westby@business-humanrights.org

Sif Thorgeirsson, Manager, Corporate Legal Accountability Project: thorgeirsson@business-humanrights.org

http://www.business-humanrights.org/ContactUs

Jernej L. Cernic of the University of Aberdeen - School of Law. Articles by him, Email address ernej_letnar@yahoo.com
Excellent articles reviewing Legal arguments around human rights and corporations by Legal scholar, especially about Iraq. Blog post on private military firms

Business and Human Rights Experts
Private Military Contractors
Jeremy Scahill, journalist and author of "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army‎" Explores the private security company Blackwater USA, including the background of its
founder; its relationship with the United States government; " No preview on google books. Worth reading his website Rebel reports

John Ruggie

Sarah Jones.
Journalism student with an interest in Iraq and corporations. Sarah.Jones.1@city.ac.uk

Expert on anti Iraq war activism
Frank Webster, Head of Sociology Department, City University London. Author of Anti-War Activism: New Media and Protest in the Information Age, with Kevin Gillan and Jenny Pickerill (Palgrave 2008)

Ruth Tanner, Director of Campaigns and Policy at War on Want,
Vidoes avaiable here, with her debating with Chris Sanderson of control risk

MoD contacts
Eric Davies
4 years armed forces experience

Mark Singer
4 years armed forces experience

Homeless guy on my street
Was stationed in Basra

Report authors
Authors of Human Rights Watch Report on business and human rights
Authors of Amnesty International report on corporations in Iraq. Link to contacts

Caroline Holmqvist, author of Private Security Companies: The Case for Regulation, Research Assisiatant at the Stockholm International Research Insitute. Not sure if she still works there. Possibly email her or contact her through facebook.

Human Rights experts and first hand accounts
Erika Voegeli, author of “Private Military Companies – Mercenaries of the Present”, a meeting of the Forum Humanitäre Schweiz

Marwan Mawiri
Former Titian Translator in Iraq
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
There was no training before we got to our assignment or even after we arrived. The communications between Titan and its employees were horrible. The site managers were incompetent and unskilled to deal with the linguists- many hires were unprofessional and unqualified translators. There was no supervision on the ground or evaluations and follow-up plans to ensure the U.S. Military the most accurate translations."

Richard Keeble Professor of Journalism
Main interests are in the coverage by the mainstream press of US/UK military adventures. In addition he has written extensively on practical newspaper reporting skills. rkeeble@lincoln.ac.uk Tel: 01522 886940

Seja Majeed
A 22 year old British Iraqi living in North London. She is a Law graduate from Brunel University and also has a diploma in screenwriting from the London Academy of Radio, Film and TV. She is currently undertaking her Legal Practice Course and Masters at City University. Seja.Majeed.1@city.ac.uk

John Owen
is Professor of International Journalism at City University in London. He has played a leading role in international journalism for more than two decades. As the head of TV News for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, John Owen made CBC a respected news organisation around the world and was instrumental in the successful launch of one of the first 24-hour news networks after CNN and Sky News. Author of a book on The Iraq War And The Media. book link emaill@ jwowenuk@gmail.com
Owen , J (2007) 'Dying To Tell The Story — The Iraq War And The Media: A Tribute' International News Safety Institute, Brussels

Iraq human rights legal enforecment

Blog post setting out Legal arguments around human rights and corporations by Legal scholar
"The US government published in February 2009 its decision that it will not renew its contract with the private security corporation formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide. Such a decision comes as no surprise given the allegations of killing 17 civilians by Blackwater guards, coupled with the Iraqi government’s refusal to extend Blackwater’s operating license. This case, however, opens again a number of conundrums relating to legal accountability for corporations and its employees for human rights violations. In short, how do we provide effective legal remedies to victims for human rights violations by or involving corporations? This comment therefore briefly explores the weaknesses of the current framework for corporate accountability for human rights.

"The international human rights regime is comprised of only complementary national legal systems. Beyond international human rights regimes, an important role is played by national legal systems and national courts. It appears that where corporations and their employees interfere with the human rights of individuals, complaint mechanisms are required to be employed to provide remedies for allegations. Judicial mechanisms, non-judicial mechanisms and internal corporate monitoring mechanisms can contribute to the effective responses to human rights violations by or involving corporations.

"Lack of access to the legal orders is still the major obstacle to the enjoyment of individual human rights. The regulatory framework for corporate responsibility on the international level remains unclear. John Ruggie, the UN Special Representative for Business and Human Rights recognizes [PDF file] that “judicial mechanisms are often under-equipped to provide effective remedies for victims of corporate abuse.” "

This was written by Jernej L. Cernic of the University of Aberdeen - School of Law. Articles by him, including:

"Corporate Responsibility for Human Rights: A Critical Analysis of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
Hanse Law Review (HanseLR), Vol. 4, No. 1, September 2008
When an individual has suffered a violation of her human rights by or involving corporations, she should have recourse to a court or quasi-judicial mechanism to enforce responsibility of perpetrator. It appears that the victims of human rights violations by or involving corporations have presently a limited access to a court either in their home country or in the country where the corporation in question is registered or, indeed, in the international arena."L. Cernic, Jernej,Corporate Responsibility for Human Rights: A Critical Analysis of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises(December 17, 2008). Hanse Law Review (HanseLR), Vol. 4, No. 1, September 2008. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1317263

Corporate Responsibility for Human Rights
A Review Essay on the 2008 report of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and Transnational corporations and other business enterprises, Professor John Ruggie to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Protect, Respect and Remedy: a Framework for Business and Human Rights AH/HRC/8/5, 7 April 2008. L. Cernic, Jernej,Corporate Responsibility for Human Rights(June 27, 2008). Libertas Working Paper No. 1/2008. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1152354

Corporations above the law Legal status of the government reduced by Order 17: "On June 27, 2004, the day before the United States was to grant sovereignty to a new Iraqi government and disband the Coalition Provisional Authority, L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. proconsul, issued a stunning new order. One of the final acts of the CPA, Order 17 declared that foreign contractors within Iraq, including private military firms, would not be subject to any Iraqi laws -- "all International Consultants shall be immune from Iraqi legal process,"
Blumenthal, S (2007) 'Red, white and mercenary in Iraq' Salon, October 4 2007

Iraq Human Rights Private companies

Amnesty has a great number of resources relating to Human Rights Responsibilities of Private Companies Operating in Iraq. "The Titan Corporation and CACI International, Inc. have performed services contracts with thehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif U.S. military that have led to public allegations of complicity in abuses against detainees by some of their employees. Amnesty International USA has written to these companies, asking them to clarify their human rights policies and practices and calling on them to support andfacilitate public investigations in order to help bring persons found responsible to justice."

"Titan corporation of San Diego, California, one of the two companies accused of complicity in the prison abuse scandal in Abu Ghraib, Iraq, is currently facing numerous federal investigations for work done in Iraq and around the world."
Chatterjee, C(2004) 'Titan's Translators in Trouble' CorpWatch, San Francisco, May 7th, 2004

CACI abuse "Federal officials are investigating whether employees of defense contractor CACI International Inc. were involved in prisoner abuse in Iraq and whether the company should remain eligible for government contracts, CACI said on Thursday. "
Emery, C (2004) 'Iraq: CACI Probed on Keeping Future Government Contracts' Reuters, New York, May 27th, 2004


Business and Human Rights Centre has a wealth of resources on Iraq Business and Human rights


Foreign Office to propose self-regulation for private military firms [UK]
"The fast-expanding industry of private military companies…should be self-regulating, the government is to propose…in a long-awaited consultation paper expected to be released by the Foreign Office today."Norton-Taylor, R (2009) 'Foreign Office to propose self-regulation for private military firms' The Guardian, London, 24 Apr 2009


A discussion on Private Military contractors "“Private Military Companies – Mercenaries of the Present” A meeting of the Forum Humanitäre Schweiz by Erika Voegeli, Switzerland""Weakening of the state’s position" further aspect, which Renouf wanted to be considered, was the fact that these companies are seeking to gain more authority by self-imposed moral standards, i.e. by self-regimentation. The adherence to such self-imposed regulations, however, can not be enforced by law, neither can the self-imposed sanctions. In addition, the presence of such private security companies weakens the position of the state – one reason, why Afghanistan wants to get rid of them." Worth reading in full.Voegeli, E (2008) "Private Military Companies – Mercenaries of the Present” Meeting of the Forum Humanitäre Schweiz, Current Concerns, Switzerland


A summary of the Chatham House International Law discussion group meeting held
on 22 January 2008. on Private Military contractors. The meeting was chaired by Elizabeth Wilmshurst. Participants included legal practitioners, academics, NGOs, and government representatives. "It was noted that in 2002 the UK government had published a green paper, Private
Military Companies: Options for Regulation, which had concluded that there was
limited public benefit in licensing PMSCs themselves. In particular, the government
would be exposed to an international incident and/or a breach of IHL if a licensee
were free to engage in projects without further government approvals. A further
question was whether licensing should be compulsory; what should be done about
unlicensed companies?" Worth reading in full

The Crimes of Neo-Liberal Rule in Occupied Iraq - Really daming article:
"The scale and intensity of the appropriation of Iraqi oil revenue makes the 2003 invasion one of the most audacious and spectacular crimes of theft in modern history. The institutionalisation of corporate corruption that followed the invasion can only be understood within the context of the coalition forces’ contempt for universal principles of international law enshrined in the Hague and Geneva treaties."
Whyte, D (2007) 'The Crimes of Neo-Liberal Rule in Occupied Iraq' The British Journal of Criminology, Oxford University Press 47:177-195

Private Security Companies, The Case for Regulation - paper by SIPRI, really good.
"It was estimated in March 2003 that 15 000–20 000 private security contractors
were working in Iraq, and the conflict there was referred to as ‘the first privatised
war’Since then, both the number and the visibility of contract personnel in Iraq
have increased, triggering a broad debate on the role of private companies which
provide military and security services to states, corporations and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). However, the phenomenon is neither new nor exclusive to
the Iraqi conflict. The past decade has seen the rise and consolidation of a global
industry for private security provision, with over 100 companies operating in as
many countries worldwide.
The private provision of security and military services challenges conventional
assumptions about the roles of the nation state as the main protagonist in military
affairs and as the guarantor of physical security for its citizens. In the absence of
effective legal or regulatory structures, such activities raise issues of legality, legitimacy and accountability in the sphere of security policy. This study assesses theimpact of ‘the privatization of security’ in various security contexts and examines
some of the ways in which the international community might respond to this
development" Holmqvist, C (2005) 'Private Security Companies, The Case for Regulation', SIPRI Policy Paper No. 9, SIPRI, Stockholm
"SIPRI is an independent research institute focusing on international security, arms control, and disarmament. SIPRI has built its reputation on authoritative, balanced research, including its flagship publication, the SIPRI Yearbook. SIPRI was recently named as one of the world’s leading think tanks in the ‘Think Tank Index’ issued by the journal Foreign Policy" Perhaps email interview author?

Also, worth including contrast on regulation versus self-regulaion, using arguments above: Millibands suggestion of self regulation, SPRI's suggestion of state regulation.

Discussion on a blog here: "The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), headed by David Miliband, announced last Friday the endorsement of the establishment of a Code of Conduct for UK-based Private Military and Security Companies. Some analysts were excited to hear something was finally happening since the release of the Green Paper “Private Military Companies: Options for Regulation” in February 2002. Think twice this is good news. In the UK, regulation dossiers have been collecting dust in a small and not well lit office for some time now. We should remind you that the Green Paper put forward three options for regulation: a ban, self-regulation, or the establishment of a licensing system"

CCR Lawsuits

Centre for Constitutional Rights "CCR pioneered the prosecution in U.S. courts of human rights abuses committed abroad—and some of the worst perpetrators have been corporations. "
"Al Shimari v. CACI is a federal lawsuit brought by four Iraqi torture victims against private US-based contractor CACI International Inc., and CACI Premier Technology, Inc. It asserts that CACI participated directly and through a…
Al-Quraishi et al v. Nakhla et al.

CCR Titan Lawsuit "Al-Quraishi v. Nakhla is a federal lawsuit against US-based private contractor L-3 Services, Inc. (formerly Titan Corporation) and Adel Nakhla, a former employee of Titan/L-3 Services. Brought on behalf of 72 Iraqi plaintiffs, "

CCR Titan Lawsuit 2 "Saleh et al v. Titan et al. Saleh v. Titan is a federal lawsuit brought by more than 250 Iraqi plaintiffs against private contractors CACI International Incorporated and Titan Corporation (now L-3 Services). It charges the companies with torture and other heinous and illegal acts while they were providing interrogation and translation services, respectively at detention facilities in Iraq, including at the notorious Abu Ghraib priso"

War millionaires

President Roosvelt famously pledged that there would be "Not a single war millionaire" as a result of the second world war. War was a time of sacrifice for the good of the country and of scoiety, and it would be inappropriate for any one person to profit when so many others were sacrificng so much.

Pizzigati, S (2004) 'Greed and good: understanding and overcoming the inequality that limits our lives', The Apex Press, 2004, p440

By the turn of the new millenium, the Bush administration had no such qualms. Pay at major defence contractors for the goverment went up by unprecedented levels at the same time as the government was awrding them substantial contracts. "CEO pay at Lockheed Martin went up from $5.8 million in 2000 to $25.3 million in 2002. It went up at General Dynamics (tanks and submarines) from $5.7 million in 2001 to $15.2 million in 2002. It went up at Honeywell (aircraft systems) from $12.9 million in 2000 to $45 million in 2002. It went up at Northrop Grumman from $7.3 million in 2000 to $9.2 million in 2002. "...
" the average army private in Iraq earns about $20,000 a year, the average CEO among the 37 largest publicly traded defense contractors made 577 times more money in 2002, $11.3 million. "
Jackson, D (2003) 'Defense CEOs Are Big Winners of Iraq War',Boston Globe, Boston, April 30, 2003

"It is unprecedented in U.S. history to pass tax cuts for the wealthy in a time of war. For over 200 years, estate and inheritance taxation has been linked with mobilizations for war. The first federal tax on wealth was levied in 1797, as our country faced the escalating costs of responding to French attacks on American shipping. " Collins, C (2005) 'Millionaires and War' CommonDreams, Portland, Maine, Friday, July 1, 2005

Its worth noting as well Eisnehower's farewell address which mentions the Military industrial complex."This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence – economic, political, even spiritual – is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. " This reminds me a little of What Barry says.

Blackwater in Iraq

Wikipedia on Blackwater shootings 2007: "On September 16, 2007, Blackwater guards shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square, Baghdad.[1] The fatalities occurred while a Blackwater Personal Security Detail (PSD) was escorting a convoy of U.S. State Department vehicles en route to a meeting in western Baghdad with United States Agency for International Development officials. The next day, Blackwater Worldwide's license to operate in Iraq was revoked.[2] "

BBC Reported initial story as follows: "US security firm Blackwater says it acted "lawfully and appropriately" after its convoy was "violently attacked by armed insurgents" in Baghdad earlier this week.Blackwater security guards then opened fire in a busy Baghdad square. " Sykes, H (2008) 'Iraqis angry at Blackwater shooting' BBC News, Baghdad, Wednesday, 19 September 2007. Full BBC Report into initial incident

Blackwater involvement in Iraq war: "Blackwater Worldwide has played a substantial role during the Iraq War as a contractor for the United States government. In 2003, Blackwater attained its first high-profile contract when it received a $21 million no-bid contract for guarding the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, L. Paul Bremer.[73]" Source Goodman, A (2004) "Blackwater USA: Building the “Largest Private Army in the World”" Democracy Now! Transcript, Washington DC, April 01, 2004
"On March 31, 2004, four Blackwater Security Consulting (BSC) employees were ambushed and murdered in Fallujah, and their bodies were hung on bridges. Since June 2004, Blackwater has been paid more than $320 million out of a $1 billion, five-year State Department budget for the Worldwide Personal Protective Service, which protects U.S. officials and some foreign officials in conflict zones.[74]" Source: Time Bennet, B (2007). "Victims of an Outsourced War". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1599682,00.html. Retrieved on 2007-10-25.

Since then many human rights groups have been involved.

The US Civil rights organisation "Center for Constitutional Rights is acting on behalf of an injured survivor and three families of men killed by Blackwater guards on 16 September." according to the BBC.

Human rights watch have issued a report stating the following: Blackwater in Baghdad: "It was a horror movie New testimony from witnesses and victims provides the most in-depth, harrowing account to date of the US security firm's deadly rampage in Iraq"

Amnesty International issued a reportt drawing attention to "a Dec. 4, 2005, Los Angeles Times article, employees of Blackwater, the company that employed the four contractors killed and mutilated by insurgents in Fallujah, allegedly shot at a taxi, killing the passenger and injuring the driver. The employees were found to have not followed proper procedures according to a U.S. official with knowledge of the shooting and were reported to have been later fired by Blackwater."

Amnesty also went onto say: "It is difficult to ascertain the full scope of the human rights abuses committed by contractors, because until the end of 2005, reporting of abuses by contractors was essentially voluntary." AIUSA (2006) "Annual Report: Outsourcing Facilitating Human Rights Violations", Amnesty International USA, New York

Even well before the incidents of 2007, questions were raised about Blackwater's conduct. One notorious incident occurred in March 2004 detailed in the Nation

"four private American security contractors get lost and end up driving through the center of Falluja, a hotbed of Sunni resistance to the US occupation. Shortly after entering the city, they get stuck in traffic, and their small convoy is ambushed. Several armed men approach the two vehicles and open fire from behind, repeatedly shooting the men at point-blank range. Within moments, their bodies are dragged from the vehicles and a crowd descends on them, tearing them to pieces. Eventually, their corpses are chopped and burned. The remains of two of the men are strung up on a bridge over the Euphrates River and left to dangle. The gruesome image is soon beamed across the globe"
Scahill, J (2006) 'Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater' The Nation Legal section, New York April 19, 2006

The families of the victims, who sued Blackwater, were scathing: "Katy Helvenston calls that ""Blackwater seems to understand money. That's the only thing they understand,"..."They have no values, they have no morals."


After the September 2007 killings a UN figure quoted in the independent was scathing "Ivana Vuco, the most senior UN human rights officer in Iraq, spoke yesterday about the shootings by private security guards, which have provoked outrage among Iraqis. "For us, it's a human rights issue," she said. "We will monitor the allegations of killings by security contractors and look into whether or not crimes against humanity and war crimes have been committed."" Penketh, A (2007) 'Blackwater faces war crimes inquiry after killings in Iraq' Independent, London, 12 October 2007

Human Rights watch called on the US government to strp in to investigate these issues, stating that "“It’s time to close the legal loopholes that allow contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan to commit crimes with impunity,” said Jennifer Daskal, senior counterterrorism counsel at Human Rights Watch. “Illegal and abusive conduct should not go unpunished.”" HRW (2007) 'US: Close Legal Loopholes Allowing Contractors to Act with Impunity' Human Rights Watch, New York, October 1, 2007

AIUK Report: " Security firms were immune from prosecution according to Order 17 issued in 2004 by Paul Bremer, then head of the Coalition Provisional Authority. However, following a major incident in September involving the US-based Blackwater company, the Iraqi government introduced draft legislation that would revoke Order 17. On 16 September, 17 Iraqi civilians were killed and 27 injured when Blackwater security guards opened fire at a busy crossroads in Baghdad’s al-Mansour district. The company said that its guards had fired in self-defence but witnesses and the Iraqi government alleged that the guards had fired first. Both the Iraqi authorities and the US State Department announced that they were conducting investigations and in November the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) concluded that the shooting had been unjustified. The company said that any of its guards guilty of wrongdoing would be held to account. The Iraqi government demanded that Blackwater pay US$8 million in compensation to each of the families of the 17 people killed. " AIUK (2008) "Human Rights in the Republic of Iraq" Amnesty International Report 2008, AIUK, London

** Why do Blackwaer get away with it? Due to a web of interlicking rleationships between the Bush administration and the companies. Legaliused ocrruption in other words. Salon article on Bush and blackwater. "a web of relationships that Blackwater has maintained with the Bush administration and with prominent Republicans."
The Bush administration's ties to Blackwater
Van Heuvelen, B (2007) 'The Bush administration's ties to Blackwater' Salon, October 2 2007

"An investigation ordered by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki into Blackwater's September 16 shooting in Baghdad, in which 17 civilians were killed and another 24 were wounded, has determined that the company's operators opened fired indiscriminately and without provocation. The official Iraqi report on the incident demands that the U.S. government pay $8 million in compensation to each of the victims' families and sever all Iraq-based contracts with Blackwater within the next 6 months." Timeline of Blackwater involvement of all cases: really crucial link
Falconer, B (2007) 'Making a killing: Blackwater timeline', New York, Mother Jones, October 9 2007 link

"Blackwater's sweetheart deals, both domestic and international, are representative of how business has been done under Bush. They are a troubling indicator of a trend toward less accountability and transparency and greater privatization of critical government functions." - evidence of bush corruption
Scahill, J (2006) 'In the Black(water)', The Nation, New York, June 5 2006

Scahill interviews on Blackwater: Jeremy Scahill Talk / Interview in Spokane, WA 9-30-08. Link

Scahill interview on CNN.
Argues that *** "The Bush administration failed to build a coalition of willing nations so insted built a coalition of billing corporations"
Scahill, J (2007) 'Blackwater banned' CNN Interview, CNN International, September 18 2007 Link


Federal charges are filed against Blackwater guards accused of killing and maiming Iraqi civilians. But the company continues to operate in Iraq and its executives escape scrutiny. 'link'
Scahill, J (2008) 'Justice, of a Sort, for Blackwater' The Nation, New York, December 8, 2008 link

Caci in Iraq

Joshua Holland of Alternet has written a great article about Caci and Torture: "Dogged by serious allegations of human rights abuses in Iraq, a leading profiteer from the Iraq war engages in intimidation campaigns against journalists in America who seek to expose its practices. Consider the unique problems faced by the corporate suits at CACI International, a defense contractor whose services have included "coercive" interrogations of prisoners in Iraq -- interrogations most people simply call "torture."" Holland, J (2006) 'CACI: Torture in Iraq, Intimidation at Home' AlterNet, November 21, 2006

This Jauary 2005 Guardian article shows how companies involved in this abuse were not stopped but given further contracts: "Two US defence contractors being sued over allegations of abuse at Abu Ghraib prison have been awarded valuable new contracts by the Pentagon, despite demands that they should be barred from any new government work." Beaumont, P (2005) 'Abu Ghraib abuse firms are rewarded' The Observer, Sunday 16 January 2005

According to the Guardian some of the interrogators in Abu Ghraib were supplied by CACI, and a lawyer for one of the soldiers, Mr Myers said "the role of the private contractors in Abu Ghraib are central to the case."I think it creates a laissez faire environment that is completely inappropriate. If these individuals engaged in crimes against an Iraq national - who has jurisdiction over such a crime?", Mr Myers asked."
...""It's insanity," said Robert Baer, a former CIA agent, who has examined the case, and is concerned about the private contractors' free-ranging role. "These are rank amateurs and there is no legally binding law on these guys as far as I could tell. Why did they let them in the prison?""
Borger, J (2004) 'US military in torture scandal' The Guardian, Friday 30 April 2004


CACI mangaed to do very well financially because of contracts provided by the Bush administration, according to this Washington Business Journal article their: "revenue from Department of Defense contracting was almost double year-ago levels, says profits rose 52 percent to $19.8 million" Clabaugh, J (2004) 'CACI logs record revenue', Washington Business Journal, Wednesday, October 20, 2004

In 2008 the company itself predicted further growth, stating that "Turnover to double in five years despite current market conditions"

Iraq War Resources

Wikipedia has a whole list of Iraq War documentaries, some more useful than others.

Ones I have seen include: Control Room a 2004 documentary film about Al Jazeera and its relations with the US Central Command (CENTCOM), as well as the other news organizations that covered the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Fahrenheit 9/11: an award-winning 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terrorism, and its coverage in the American news media

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers is a 2006 documentary about the ongoing Iraq War and the behavior of companies with no-bid contracts working in Iraq. The movie was made by Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films.

The film has a whole website with a wealth of materials on no bid contracts and corporate behaviour in Iraq. It also includes related articles such as the following by Robert Schlesinger "The shocking photographs of the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison raise anew questions about the U.S. military's use of private contractors. Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba's report about practices at the prison contained information that two CACI employees "were either directly or indirectly responsible for the abuses at Abu Ghraib." Contractors from Titan International were also present during the abuses."

Amnesty international has become sufficiently concerned to have written a report arguing that "Outsourcing is Facilitating Human Rights Violations ...As the United States engages in military operations in two countries and conducts the global war on terror, the U.S. government is outsourcing key security and military support functions, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan... they also serve in more sensitive roles, such as interrogation and translating during questioning of alleged terrorist suspects."

Iraq in Fragments is a documentary feature directed by James Longley. Longley shot the film in Digital Video on a Panasonic DVX100 miniDV camcorder. The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

Leading to War is a 2008 American documentary film composed entirely of archival news footage of the declarations of the United States President Bush and his administration explaining their reasons to attack Iraq in 2003. The film is presented as a historical record and highlights the rhetorical devices and techniques employed by a government to wage war against another nation.

The film website has sections on Rhetoric and Spin, Bush Administration Claims vs. The Facts and details on The Costs of War. Most useful perhaps is the full film transcipt, and details of related transcripts.

Its also possible to watch the entire film online.

No End in Sight is a 2007 documentary film about the American occupation of Iraq. The film marks the directorial debut of political scientist and former software entrepreneur Charles H. Ferguson. The film premiered January 22, 2007 at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Theres an interesting section on the History of Iraq.

Taking Liberties (also known as Taking Liberties Since 1997) is a documentary film about the purported erosion of civil liberties in the United Kingdom and increase of surveillance under the government of Tony Blair. It was released in the UK on 8th June 2007.

Uncovered: The War on Iraq is a 2004 documentary directed by Robert Greenwald that deals with the media treatment of the developing push for an invasion of Iraq in the early 2000s and the eventual 2003 Invasion of Iraq.

This film contains interviews with Karen Kwiatkowski "a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel whose assignments included duties as a Pentagon desk officer and a variety of roles for the National Security Agency. Since retiring, she has become a noted critic of the U.S. government's involvement in Iraq"

She has stated in a Salon article that:
I witnessed neoconservative agenda bearers within OSP usurp measured and carefully considered assessments, and through suppression and distortion of intelligence analysis promulgate what were in fact falsehoods to both Congress and the executive office of the president."

So many areas to consider. Duplicity and deception in the run up to war? Eneregy resources as an additional reason to engage in war? Human cost of war? Human rights abuses by corporations in Iraq? This latter point seems particularly interesting.

See How it Feels

I absolutely love this BW advert called "see how it feels":



The lightwork was done by a guy called Chris Levine. He says the film uses"real time light painting using proprietary optics and high powered white light lasers in this radical TV ad for BMW. The raw sensory energy of Levine's laser work is captured directly on film."

Youtube describes it as "The new 60 second TV spot for BMW's new campaign created by Nick Thornton-Jones and Warren Du Preez (Wanted Films). The commercial is soundtracked by a modern re-working of Beethoven's 9th Symphony produced by UNKLE."

Apparently a guy called Laser Marc supplied the lasers and was at the shoot. He says: "
I supplied two 14 watt whitelightwatercooled laser systems with 4 high power fibre optic cables. I worked along side laser artist Chris Lavine, the shoot took 6 day's and was filmed at Black Island Studios in London"

Nick Thornton-Jones and Warren Du Preez two fashion photographers were the directors, and studiodaily magazine stated: "Using a Time Track to Translate Print Techniques to Motion. In the new spot for BMW, the directorial duo of Nick Thornton-Jones & Warren Du Preez from production company Wanted Films transformed their signature style of painting with light that has garnered them acclaim in the print world into the realm of motion pictures, a move that was fraught with creative and technical challenges"

Creative Review quotes them in an interview as follows: "“In a way not much has changed since then,” says du Preez. “We still search for the same elements in our work. Every time we go into a job, we’re trying to create something you’ve never seen before, something pure, that inspires or excites us. Our [visual] language is evolving, like any creative journey evolves, but the premise remains the same.”" One other interesting point is that they have apprently worked in the past with Massive Attack.

There's a full description of how they created the work here on the Digital Arts website "A Time Slice rig was used in several shots (a technique best known from The Matrix), involving approximately 80 cameras with delayed exposure in sequence. In addition, the DOP, Dan Landin, used many different lighting techniques to create the lighting mood of the piece, particularly the mac lights which can be computer controlled and give a VFX-based look. Finally, a lot of visual effects work was done by Mark Curtis at Asylum, who combined the SFX with the lasers and conventional lighting to give lots of different effects.The commercial is soundtracked by a modern re-working of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony produced by UNKLE. The print campaign comprises of a series of arresting images of details of the car. Each ad poses the question ‘How would it feel to….’ as the reader is asked to think and question what it is that makes a BMW so special. The visuals begin to answer this, as different forms of light play on the car details to great effect, echoing the TV spot. "

Perils of Obedience and the Need for real history

Adam Curtis has produced a number of excellent documentaries. One of the ones I have seen recently is the The Living Dead 1/3: On the Desperate Edge of Now. While the title suggests a horror film this documentary is a cutting and incisive documentray about the explitation of post war memory for political ends.
The BFI decribes it as: "First part of a three part documentary in which those in power in the post war period are accused of reconstructing the public's memories of the past. The starting point is a photograph taken at the Nuremberg trials of Hermann Goering, Ewen Cameron and Airey Neave. Looks at how Goering and Hitler tried to control the history of Germany's past and how the Allies did the same at Nuremberg. "

The Wikipedia article gets to the heat of the matter describing the allies portrayal of "WW2 as a crusade of pure good against pure evil, even if this meant denying the memories of the Allied soldiers who had actually done the fighting, and knew it to have been far more complex. A number of American veterans told how years later they found themselves plagued with the previously-suppressed memories of the brutal things they had seen and done. The title comes from a veteran's description of what the uncertainty of survival in combat is like."

The Stanford Prison experiment, and the Milgram experiment which was conducted at Yale show how the notion of what a good or evil person is is far more complex, and that nearly all people show elements of good and evil. As Milgram himself observed:

"Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of morality, relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority." (from the Perils of Obedience)

Milgram devised the experiments to answer this question: "Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all accomplices?"

Understanding what caused the evils of Nazism and what can be done to prevent them happening again requires far more than a simplistic morality tale of good versus evil. Curtis rightly points out that Nazis had their own manufactured history about the great teutonic knights. Wikipedia argues that: "German nationalism often invoked the imagery of the Teutonic Knights, especially in the context of territorial conquest from eastern neighbours of Germany and conflict with nations of Slavic origins, who were considered by German nationalists to be of lower development and of inferior culture" Thus their own manufactured history caused them to believe them to be a superior race and above all others.

Similarly the manufactured history of the entirely good Allies against the entirely evil Nazis allowed a sense of moral superiority over other nations in war by allied nations that meant overlooking or covering up crimes committed by ones own side. The US Action in My Lai for example was covered up by the investigator Colin Powell

As a sidenote it is worth noting John Pilger's view of the My Lai massacre: "Vietnam is said to have been the first 'media war' in which there was no censorship and nothing escaped the scrutiny of the television camera. There were more than 600 reporters in Vietnam at the time of the My Lai massacre. None of them broke the story. For more than a year after the event a soldier who had heard about it tried to interest Newsweek, and others, without success. Finally the story was broken by a freelance reporter based in the US, Seymour Hersh, who believed the murder of civilians by his country's soldiers was news. Only then did many of the correspondents tell their own 'atrocity stories'.". Journalists didn't want to know and broadcasters were initially fearful of broadcasting as this story contrasted so utterly with the self image the Allies had that had been built up over the preceding decades and which had been reinforced by the popular image of the second world war.

Links:
BBC Documentary on the Stanford Prison experiment
Adam Curtis- The Living Dead 1/3: On the Desperate Edge of Now

Massive Attack Risingson

Where have all those flowers gone
Long time passing
Why you keep me testing, keep me tasking
You keep on asking

I have this song permanently stuck in my head. The lyrics refer partly to "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" by Pete Seeger. The original song was written by Seeger who found inspiration for the song while on his way to a concert. Leafing through his notebook he saw the passage, "Where are the flowers, the girls have plucked them. Where are the girls, they've all taken husbands. Where are the men, they're all in the army." These lines were from a Ukrainian folk song referenced in the Mikhail Sholokhov novel And Quiet Flows the Don

According to one blogger "On July 26, 1956, the House of Representatives voted 373 to 9 to cite Pete Seeger and seven others (including playwright Arthur Miller) for contempt, as they failed to cooperate with House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in their attempts to investigate alleged subversives and communists. Pete Seeger testified before the HUAC in 1955.In one of Pete's darkest moments, when his personal freedom, his career, and his safety were in jeopardy, a flash of inspiration ignited this song. "

Massive Attack's antiwar stance is well known and this perhaps partly explains the influence on Risingson. The song itself is dark and tortured and reflects their deep disatisfaction with the music scene they inhabited.

One blogger described the song as follows:

"Massive Attacks best song bar none. The composition is fantastic but the lyrics make the song. 3D and Marshal find themselves at a disgusting club (disgusting meaning empty of feeling). As sarcastically as Lydon, 3D calls all the scensters "good-people," which make him feel like he is not progressing in age, but regressing again with every chant of "Toy-like people make me boy-like."
Brilliant. One of the best social comments made in a long time. And made by one of the best bands of the decade, What a treat. "

Massive Attack - Rising Son
Uploaded by 103clips.

Violence in Kenya

The death toll has now reached 600. BBC News

Some 250,000 people have fled their homes in clashes between rival political supporters, ethnic groups and the police.

A UN backed panel has described the killings as genocide according to the AFP, but to be honest, it doesn't appear to me to be a correct label, and a American Africa envoy has stated that "Even the worst of what has happened cannot be considered a genocide".

Nonetheless whatever label is put on the violence it is certainly very unpleasant.

Having said that, it is worth comparing the violence to that in Iraq, where if projections based on the October 2006 Lancet report are correct, then approximately 500 people have died a day in Iraq since the violence began.

Jeesy Creesy

Rowan Williams has got into a bit of bother about his description of the Nativity. He was interviewed on the Simon Mayo show, and here is a transcript. He was quoted by the Telegraph as saying the whole thing was a 'legend', although I don't think thats quite what he said. He did however say that there weren't three wise men (although they were bearing three gifts there is no indication of their number or gender, and indeed Williams argues they probably weren't there at all, and the idea they were is a conflation of two seperate stories). He also casts doubt on the idea it was in december, that there was snow and that there were animals around.

I have to say, I'm quite interested in who Christ was as a historical figure. And I really would like to know when he was born what he did and so on. My understaning is that he was born between 4 and 6 BC, was Jewish as were most of the people around him, and was basically a philosopher.

The thing is there's just so much nonsense spoken about it its hard to get to the real historical facts of the matter. I think very few historians would accept the validity of the Bible as a written source given the list of miracles and other irrational or unlikely events it contains. Nonetheless, Christ as a historical figure is clearly of interest and importance.

Ricky Gervais on the same programme Rowan Williams was on said that being taught about the nativity was a form of indoctrination, and compared the nativity to Father Christmas. While I agree with him to an extent about it being a form of indoctrination, I think that it is a story that has come part of our tradition.

Theres some information on the people who wrote the bible here, from the Straight Dope's website, based on the Chicago Reader column. This book looks quite interesting too.

NB the title of the post is from an Eddie Izzard sketch.

Kenya

I noticed the violence in Kenya following the election which has killed around 30 people has been described by both sides as genocide. While it isn't genocide, it certainly is a complete mess. The violence doesn't appear to be anything on the scale of that that occurred in Rwanda, although I would caution that any reports of deaths are likely to be an underestimate - the deaths in Rwanda in 1994 were not recognised as such for sveral weeks, and initial reports suggested that only a few thounsand had been killed - an underestimate of at least an order of magnitude.

* * *

On a completely seperate matter I've been reading this excellent discussion about Media Lens and the Propoganda Model.

Most journalists who have been targeted by Media Lens detest them and their tactics

argued the journalist writing the piece and there is a great deal of further discussion about whether or not the Propoganda Model is applicable in the UK.

My own thoughts are that the criticisms Media Lens has been making about Iraq Body count are relevant. Basically, they say that there are two main sources the media have been using to determine the number of deaths in Iraq - a Lancet paper and the Iraq Body Count website. The Lancet paper was based on an epidemoligical study, and the Iraq Body count website uses a variety of sources but mainly the media. The reliance on the media to get its figures means it has a lower overall total than the Lancet study which was peer reviewed. Furthermore this lower figure is quoted by the press wheras the higher figures has tended not to be, and Media Lens alleges that this is due to an unconcious bias. I think they do seem to have a point here. If a figure is in dispute and there are different numbers from different sources, at the very lease the media should quote both of them. Ideally they should point out the flaws in the methodology of the Iraq Body count website as it relies on secondary sources and news reports. In reality the media has tended to neither of these things.

Happy face

So today I was looking at the well known "face on mars", and apparently it doesn't look anything like the orginal image well photographed at higher resolution


However, what does look like a face is the Galle crater - it looks remarkably similar to those 1970s smileys you used to see everywhere and which are nowadays overused as emoticons. NASA has a discussion about the whole thing here. But theres an even better discussion here.




In other news, I found this random photo of a fish with what look like arms and legs. There was a bit of a discussion as to whether or not it was a fake photo or not, some suggesting it was mocked up on photoshop. But it seems it is a real animal, called a axolotl. Not only that, but while they are relatively rare in the wild, but they are quite numerous in captivity and you can actually buy one for around £20.

Mr Kipling's exceedingly good novel

I've just been reading Kipling's Kim (plot summary). Apparently Kipling was a friend of Baden Powell, and based Kim's game on a passage in the book.

Overland Routes

Around the World by motorbike: Ultimate Journey
Around the world on a bicycle, over 4 years


Long Way Round Ewan McGregor and mate around world by Motorbike
Race to Dakar

RTW by landrover

Lots of links to different overland rtw adventures

Travel links

Frommers Budget Travel Online
Travelers tales
Rough Guide site
Lonely Planet

Magazines
Outpost magazine
National Geographic Adventure Travel
Wanderlust
Guardian Travel
NY Times Travel
SMH Travel
Observer Travel

Radio 1 One Life Travel Advice

Maps
Encarta World Map
BBC World Travel Map
World Map worth downloading


Round The World Gapyear.com RTW guide
RTW Guide
Info on RTW flight routes
Good advice
RTW pack planner download

Guides
Boots n all
I Go U Go
Palins Travels

Schoolhouse rock

The latest Tom the dancing bug cartoon intrigued me, and I wondered who it was based on.



It was based on an animation from the cartoon "Schoolhouse rock" about the process of getting a bill passed. It was called "Just a Bill".

It was popularised and satirised by a Simpsons cartoon called "The Day the Violence Died".
A musician and singer named Jack Sheldon "did the voice of the Amendment. He also played the Bill
in the parodied Schoolhouse Rock cartoon and was somewhat of a
singer." The song was called An Amendment to Be, and here are some of the lyrics:

"There's a lot of flag-burners who have got too much freedom
I want to make it legal for policemen to beat 'em
'Cause there's limits to our liberties
At least, I hope and pray that there are
'Cause those liberal freaks go too far
[Little Boy] But why can't we just make a law against flag burning?
[Amendment] Because that law would be unconstitutional
But if we change the constitution -
[Little Boy] - Then we could make all sorts of crazy laws!
[Amendment] Now you're catching on!
[Little Boy] But what if they say you're not good enough to be in the constitution?
[Amendment] Then I'll crush all opposition to me!
And I'll make Ted Kennedy pay
If he fights back, I'll say that he's gay"

It also includes the immortal line:
Bart: What the hell is this?
Lisa: It's one of those campy 70's throwbacks that appeals to Generation-X'ers.
Bart: We need another Vietnam to thin out their ranks a little.

The episode was written by John Swartzwelder

The original song is here, and the Simpsons parody is here.

Climbing Scafell Pike

Multimap confirms it will take about 5 hours to drive there.

I reckon go up friday evening, leaving about 6, getting there about 11. Then slog up the mountain on saturday, get pissed, then drive back sunday.

The terrain looks pretty rough, but its certainly doable.

There's some more info about routes here and here

We should bear in mind it takes about 7 hours to climb, and there are only 8 and a half hours of sun on Nov 26th, so I reckon an early start.
http://www.dawnsun.net/astro/suncalc/?sc=1&d=26&m=11&y=2005&lad=51&lam=34&ns=N&lod=0&lom=7&we=W&th=0&tm=0

At this time of year it might well snow at this altitude as well.

A good Youth hostel seems to be the Wasdale Hall one, here
CA20 1ET. We'll need to ring them at least 48 hours in advance to check if its ok, as they don't normally seem to open this late in the year. They are on 0870 770 6082.
It will cost 22 quid each for 2 nights.

The route seems relatively straightforward.

Cool site

check it out here

Travel tools

MSN atlas of world here:

Lonely planet shoestring guides here, although they cover Africa and the Ametricas in some depth, the only part of Asia is SE Asia, and Ukraine, Belarus and most pacific countries are missed out.

Now has Middle East as well here



Route guides:
Istabul to Kathmandu here

Istabul to Cairo
here

Central Asia here


Georgia Armenia and azerbijian here

Random

Skydiving at the North pole here

God Diagnosed With Bipolar Disorder

I have to say, though that this Onion article is one of my favourites.

Bipolar, or manic-depressive, disorder is a condition that afflicts millions. Characterized by cycles of elation followed by bouts of profound depression and despair, the disorder can wreak havoc on both the sufferer and his or her loved ones, particularly if it goes undetected and untreated for an extended period. Though the condition is estimated to affect, in one form or another, 5 percent of the world's population, Monday marks the first time it has been diagnosed in a major deity.

Taken on the same day, these photos offer evidence of God's mood disorder.