Archive for June 17th, 2010
Developing mankind? How? What is this Paradigm Shift for Political and Human Development
Posted by: adonis49 on: June 17, 2010
A Paradigm Shift for Political and Human Development
So far, the development of mankind was focused on using Man in order to create machines, and lately, thinking machines, and then self-autonomous machines. I have the feeling that, for about a decade ago, we have reached the crest of the curve that permits machines to better our lives. Life has stopped to improve based on the previous paradigm; even our generation is a stranger to the fast paced automated machine world, of mostly a virtual world.
We need a political paradigm shift that reuses the invented machines to creating responsible mankind; a Man who is in total control of machines and thinking machines. It is not humanly acceptable to allowing fast trains to be navigated automatically without human operators; though they were successfully implemented. Airplanes could also be navigated autonomously; and I am pretty sure, for a drastic price cut, customers would valiantly board them.
All these automation are designed to save expenses for training responsible operators and paying them wages under the false guise of reducing errors and accidents. We know that most of these inventions were financed by the military for acquiring supreme power and not for the betterment of mankind. We are no longer better off and the environment is screaming, howling, battering our seashores, burning continents and burying whole cities.
The goal of this paradigm shift in politics is to reintegrate Man in the work cycle, create jobs for responsible people to control, monitor and design machines for the purpose of reinserting man in the life cycle, in the design cycle and in the development cycle. The old concept of effective rate on return of increase in production with minimal financial cost is decimating the availability of jobs opportunities and creating two distinct worlds: a virtual so-called developed Northern Hemisphere and the real Southern Hemisphere still struggling to be in touch with itself, its neighbors, nature and its surroundings.
This paradigm shift in political organization is a natural extension to the fact of the existence of two distinct Worlds: one trying to recreate the wheel in social and political organization with complex democratic systems that are quickly reverting to the old oligarchic system on the whim of National Security pre-requisites; the other world is trying helplessly to ward off imported political systems that it cannot comprehend or is unable to implement.
The Northern Hemisphere has created self-administered bureaucratic institutions for political organizations that its constituents don’t comprehend, do not care to understand and barely participate in elections. The European Union has written a voluminous Constitution that nobody cared to read and even if they cared could not finish reading it on time for the referendum dates; no wonder that it failed in fracas.
All the media coverage of the European Constitution, translation in different languages and the frantic support by the Presidents could not transfer its contents to the constituents who are already wary of these brusque movements that are not taking account of the human limitations and emotional saturation for the quick political pace being forced upon them.
The Southern Hemisphere had political organizations that its constituents understood, could control, monitor and did fully participate in electing their local and national leaders but have been pressured relentlessly to comply with political systems that they are not ready to assimilate.
This political paradigm shift will be the consequence of a world controlled by the very few and the rest relegated as walking zombies, disgruntled by their monotonous and under-valued jobs, jobs that can be snatched away anytime, anyplace for cheaper work force. The rest of us who lost any respect for “a job well done” because deep inside us we are certain that these jobs can easily be replaced by machines no matter how educated we are. The rest of us who feel too stupid, dumb, and worthless throughout a lifetime and yet are asked to be responsible citizens abiding by inhuman laws dictating untenable order. The rest of us who have no self-respect to raise a responsible new generation, just scratching a living and losing touch with life essence of dignity and compassion.
We are in a world controlled by a very few, not on their intrinsic merit but on their cowardice and willingness to selling their soul for the benefit of the capitalists or the power to be. It is no longer the struggle between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres but the battle of regaining dignity in the human spirit: a wretched mankind is the source of all discrimination festering at a lighting speed in all communities devoid of control over their destiny. There can be no bright future for man if control over his life is removed as a viable alternative. Developing a responsible and compassionate man means providing jobs that are respected, valued, remunerated commensurate to his investment in energy and time for acquiring knowledge and expertise and quality time reserved to him as his due. Mankind has to stop being viewed as a commodity as anything else in the exploitation process.
There was a time when mankind could claim: “It is always too early to rely completely on our Creator”; now even adolescents believe in fate. That is the ravage of desperation in human spirit and lack of correct direction.
US Reporters’ Dean: Helene Thomas
Posted by: adonis49 on: June 17, 2010
US Reporters’ Dean: Helene Thomas
Helene Thomas (Antonios) is now 89 years old and she resigned her post as reporters’ Dean last week.
She was the ultimate reporter since she was selected in 1961 to report on the Whit House during John F. Kennedy who started dealing seriously with “black civil rights” and ended her tenure with Barack Obama, the first black president to the USA.
Helene Thomas remained in that position for 50 years. Helene Thomas had many privileges: She was to ask the first question to the President and she had a special room in the White House. She was nicknamed “sitting Buddha” for her long tenure as Dean of reporters.
The parents of Helene Thomas are originally from Tripoli (Lebanon); George Antonios and Miriana Elias Arwadi immigrated to Winchester (Kentucky) in 1903; they had 9 children.
Helene Thomas graduated from Wayne University (Detroit) in 1942 and then joined United Press International. She said to one of the Lebanese freshman journalists: “Mind this fact; good news are disseminated from the White House; bad news from the Foreign office.”
Bush Junior refused Thomas to ask him questions for 3 years. As the first opportunity came, Thomas asked Bush Junior: “I want Mr. President to ask you a question related to the invasion of Iraq that resulted in the killing of thousands of US citizens and Iraqis and maiming for life thousands others. So far, all reasons offered to the public on that invasion turned out to be erroneous. What were your real reasons for going to war? You stated that it was not for oil or for Israel interests. Then what are your fundamental reasons?”
During Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in July 2006 Thomas said in the White House: “The US is perfectly able to stop this senseless war and we have huge leverage on Israel. We decided to exact collective punishments on the Lebanese and Palestinians”
On May 27, after the Israeli fiasco on the international “peace boats” convoy to relieving the population of Gaza and killing 20 civilians on the boats and injuring dozens on International sea, Helene Thomas could no longer retain her just sentiments of the apartheid State of Israel and said:
“The Palestinian people are occupied and the land is theirs. It is bound of the Jews in Israel to return to their homelands in Poland, the USA, Germany, and France.” Thomas meant that Israel must stop welcoming new Jewish immigrants and given them the Israeli citizenship as they land at the Ben Gurion airport and encouraging them to colonize Palestinian lands in the West Bank.
President Obama sang “Happy birthday” for Thomas 89 years which coincided with Obama’s birthday too. Thomas campaigned for Obama because she liked his national health plan to cover all US citizens. The first question Thomas asked Obama in the White House was: “Do you know one State in the Middle East that own nuclear weapons?” Obviously, Obama knew that Israel was the sole nuclear military State in that region and Obama tried hard to avoid answering. Obama reprimanded Thomas for that difficult question and Thomas laughed saying: “I wanted to test your courage”
Helene Thomas wrote her autobiography in 5 books and she participated in Michael Moore movie “Fahrenheit 9-11” and the movie “Dave“.
We expect the Lebanese government and the Palestinian authority to honor Helene Thomas, while still alive, for her courage of working toward human rights of all the occupied people and expressing her opinions that mankind agree with.
Note: Helene Thomas died this July 20, 2013 at age of 93. Would be great to celebrate the day of Thomas passing away as “Freedom of Expression Day”