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John J Studzinski the British American Banker and vice chair of Human Rights Watch, serving on many prestigious bodies councils and arts institutes has published an article in The Guardian titled ‘Germany is right: there is no right to profit, but the right to work is essential’ highlighting the strength of Germany lies in its medium-sized manufacturing firms, whose ethos includes being socially useful. Studzinski states “People talk too much about the economy and not enough about jobs. When economists, academics and bankers are allowed to lead the debate, the essential human element goes missing. This is neither healthy nor practical. Unemployment should be our prime concern. Spain, with youth joblessness close to 50%, is in the gravest crisis, but there is hardly a government on the planet that is not wondering what it can do to guide school-leavers into work, exploit the skills of older workers, and avoid the apathy and alienation of the jobless, which undermines not just the economy but also the social fabric. There may be no definitive answer but, over the past half-century, Germany has come closest to finding it. Its postwar economic miracle was impressive, but its more recent ability to ride out recessions and absorb the costs of reunification is, perhaps, even more remarkable. …Germany's resilience springs from the strength of its medium-sized, often family-owned manufacturing companies, collectively known as the Mittelstand, which account for 60% of the workforce and 52% of Germany's GDP. …There is no right to make a profit, and profit has no intrinsic value. But there is a right to work, and it is fundamental to human dignity. Without an opportunity to contribute with our hands or brains, we have no stake in society and our governments lack true legitimacy. There can be no more urgent challenge for our leaders. The title of the next G8 summit should be a four-letter word that everyone understands – jobs.”  Inspired by John Studzinski, The Guardian ow.ly/hMIcU Image source HRW ow.ly/hMIbg No right to profit but right to work is essential (March 2 2013)

 

John J Studzinski the British American Banker and vice chair of Human Rights Watch, serving on many prestigious bodies councils and arts institutes has published an article in The Guardian titled ‘Germany is right: there is no right to profit, but the right to work is essential’ highlighting the strength of Germany lies in its medium-sized manufacturing firms, whose ethos includes being socially useful. Studzinski states “People talk too much about the economy and not enough about jobs. When economists, academics and bankers are allowed to lead the debate, the essential human element goes missing. This is neither healthy nor practical. Unemployment should be our prime concern. Spain, with youth joblessness close to 50%, is in the gravest crisis, but there is hardly a government on the planet that is not wondering what it can do to guide school-leavers into work, exploit the skills of older workers, and avoid the apathy and alienation of the jobless, which undermines not just the economy but also the social fabric. There may be no definitive answer but, over the past half-century, Germany has come closest to finding it. Its postwar economic miracle was impressive, but its more recent ability to ride out recessions and absorb the costs of reunification is, perhaps, even more remarkable. …Germany’s resilience springs from the strength of its medium-sized, often family-owned manufacturing companies, collectively known as the Mittelstand, which account for 60% of the workforce and 52% of Germany’s GDP. …There is no right to make a profit, and profit has no intrinsic value. But there is a right to work, and it is fundamental to human dignity. Without an opportunity to contribute with our hands or brains, we have no stake in society and our governments lack true legitimacy. There can be no more urgent challenge for our leaders. The title of the next G8 summit should be a four-letter word that everyone understands – jobs.”

 

Inspired by John Studzinski, The Guardian ow.ly/hMIcU Image source HRW ow.ly/hMIbg

Shahin Najafi the 31 year old Iranian musician singer and social activist residing in Germany, has gone into hiding following Iranian clerics placing a $100,000 bounty on his murder. Najafi has been condemned for violating a ‘fatwa’ that calls for the execution of anyone who blasphemes Ali an-Naqi, one of the 12 imams or religious figures revered by Shia Muslims. Najafi released a song “Naqi” that takes its name from Ali an-Naqi, its lyrics oppose the oppression and human rights abuse following the 2009 contested Iranian presidential election. Its lyrics call on Naqi to intervene and save the country. Najafi’s songs generally touch on sensitive issues such as “theocracy, poverty, sexism, censorship, child labor, execution, drug addiction and homophobia”. The Independent reports the “The Iranian religious website, Shia-Online, put a $100,000 bounty on the singer’s head and said he deserved to die for “grossly insulting” Ali an-Naqi. More than 100 people have joined an online “campaign to execute Shahin Najafi”. Mr Najafi is popular within the 120,000-strong Iranian community in Germany. Brought up in a small port in southern Iran, he fled to Germany in 2005 after being threatened, apparently by Iranian intelligence, for staging underground concerts. Tehran has so far made no comment on the fatwas against Mr Najafi.”

 

Inspired by The Independent ow.ly/bgE2m image source Wikipedia ow.ly/bgDYs

 

Pieter Wezeman the 42 year old Dutch Senior researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfer Programme with expertise in Arms flows and procurements claims the Asian states are the largest of the arms buyers of the world. In an article published on the Press Service News Agency, Thalif Deen following his interview with Wezeman states “China, India and South Korea – three of the most vibrant economies in Asia – are also beefing up their military arsenals with new weapons systems from the United States, Russia, Germany, France and the UK… beating out the traditional frontrunners – the rich, oil-blessed Middle Eastern countries. India was the world’s single largest recipient of arms, accounting for 10 per cent of global arms imports, followed by South Korea (six per cent of arms transfers), Pakistan (five per cent), China (five per cent) and Singapore (four per cent). The five biggest arms suppliers in 2007-2011 were the United States, Russia, Germany, France and the UK. With the exception of Germany, the four other suppliers are veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council. The top five suppliers accounted for 75 per cent of all international arms transfers.”

 

Inspired by Thalif Deen http://ow.ly/a6WSs image source Thella Johnson http://ow.ly/a6Xiy

Martin Kippenberger the deceased German artist at age 44 renowned for his prolific use of media and styles, along with his often provocative but jocular public persona, has had one of his works scrubbed clean by an overzealous cleaner at the Ostwall Museum in Dortmund Germany. The installation piece titled ‘When It Starts Dripping From the Ceiling’ consisted of a trough placed underneath a slatted wooden tower. Kippenberger had painted the inside of the trough representing dried rainwater. The female cleaner made the bucket look like new again, removing the residue. The installation valued €800,000 was on loan from a private collector to the museum. A spokesperson for the museum stated “It is now impossible to return it to its original state”. Kippenberger is regarded as one of the most talented German artists of his generation known as the German ‘enfants terribles’.

 

Inspired by Shane Ferro http://ow.ly/7kePh image source fansiter http://ow.ly/7kf0G

Timothy Ray Brown a 45 year old former HIV-AIDS sufferer known as the ‘Berlin Patient’, continues to astound medical researchers after four years from having undertaken an innovative medical procedure in Berlin Germany, he has no trace of the virus that infected his body for 15 years from when first diagnosed and ultimately led to Leukemia. Brown was given an experimental bone marrow transplant with cells containing unusual variants of cell surface receptors known as CCR5. People born naturally with this receptor are resistant to infection and some strains of the HIV-AIDS. Brown stopped taking antiretroviral medications after the transplant, now after four years there are still no traces of the virus confirming his cure. “I quit taking my HIV medication the day that I got the transplant”.

 

Inspired by Tina Rosenberg http://ow.ly/5aTYM image source ibtimes http://ow.ly/5aTOW

Brian William Haw the 61 year old English protestor who lives in a camp in London’s Parliament Square for the past 10 years as a symbol of anti-war protest against the UK & US foreign policy is likely to face eviction following his failed bid to appeal an order granted to the conservative mayor of London Boris Johnson, to take possession of the grassed area in the gardens of the Square, combined with an injunction against Haw. The decision came as Haw is in Germany undertaking cancer treatment, and effectively prevents him from sleeping on the grassed area. If Haw is to continue his decade long protest upon his return, his only option would be to sleep on the pavement adjacent to passing motor vehicles. Inspired by The Independent ow.ly/4Ddkb image source David Hunt ow.ly/4Dd5T Getting rid of our peace campaign (April 22 2011)

Brian William Haw the 61 year old English protestor who lives in a camp in London’s Parliament Square for the past 10 years as a symbol of anti-war protest against the UK & US foreign policy is likely to face eviction following his failed bid to appeal an order granted to the conservative mayor of London Boris Johnson, to take possession of the grassed area in the gardens of the Square, combined with an injunction against Haw. The decision came as Haw is in Germany undertaking cancer treatment, and effectively prevents him from sleeping on the grassed area. If Haw is to continue his decade long protest upon his return, his only option would be to sleep on the pavement adjacent to passing motor vehicles.

 

Inspired by The Independent ow.ly/4Ddkb image source David Hunt ow.ly/4Dd5T

Marcel Walldorf Breached the limits of artistic freedom (January 16 2011)

Marcel Walldorf the 27 year old German artist sculptor created angst with Police command with his silicone sculpture of a lifelike squatting female police officer exhibited at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, Germany.  The work was nominated for a prize of 1000 euro by the Leinemann Foundation for Fine Arts. Walldorf’s work comprises a uniformed young police officer in full riot gear in a squatting position with buttocks exposed. Titled ‘Petra’ on the floor of the gallery below the figure is a gelatin puddle representing the officer having urinated.  Police command, union and government officials have decried the work as insulting, failing to understand the role of art in the examination of society and its taboos.

 

Inspired by The Local ow.ly/3KgpQ Image source ow.ly/3KgmN and ow.ly/3Kgof

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