Business Under Fire 564
| Business Under Fire: How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding in the Face of Terror and What We Can Learn from Them | |
| author | Dan Carrison |
| pages | 256 |
| publisher | AMACOM |
| rating | 10 |
| reviewer | Ben Rothke |
| ISBN | 0814408397 |
| summary | Businesses learning to cope with a depressed economy and violence can find unexpected lessons in adversity. |
Since the revival of the Palestinian intifada in October 2000, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in Israel -- a situation made worse by the NASDAQ meltdown of the same period. With an Israeli population of only 6.2 million, these lost jobs have had a catastrophic effect on the economy.
As a management consultant, Carrison wondered how any company, let alone an entire economy, could survive in an environment ravaged by terrorism and a recession. He questioned -- from a business perspective -- how businesses in Israel were able to stay viable in such a chaotic and destructive environment. He concludes, after spending time in Israel and interviewing many business leaders there, that even with all of the terrorism the Israeli economy is surprisingly robust.
Without getting into the politics of the middle-east conflict, nor taking sides, the book shows both technology and business managers how they can deal with the most adverse of situations.
Carrison interviews a cross section of CEOs and managers from industries hurt the hardest; namely tourism, hotel, hi-tech and biotech. What emerges from all of the stories is that every manager claims that the intifada not destroyed his company, but has actually made it a leaner and more efficient organization and one that will be ready to go into overdrive when normal economic times resume.
The five chapters have the same format: interviews with CEOs and senior directors, and a checklist for managing a business under fire. Each interviewee offers his own observations and strategies on how to deal with the current situation and work towards future growth. These strategies run from redefining the market, sharing the risk, to contingency plans and more.
One significant difference between Israel and America is demonstrated by the way Israeli citizens deal psychologically with terrorism. In an interview with financial consultant Danny Halpern, Carrison asks how many people would rent office space in the World Trade Center in New York City, were it completely rebuilt and reopened tomorrow. Halpern doubts the World Trade Center would have the same occupancy level as before 9/11. But he notes that in Israel, office are repopulated after they are bombed, and customers frequent bombed cafes and restaurants as soon as they are repaired.
Another telling difference that Halpern observed is that in Israel is more concerned with the quality of security, whereas in the U.S., more is invested into the mechanics of security. In the U.S., because of the huge numbers involved, the investment in security by default is in the mechanics, and the system. With that, minimum wage workers are hired to carry out what are supposedly important security functions.
The hotel industry has been hit hard. Hotels operate with large staffs, and require high occupancy rates to break even (roughly 75 percent). Carrison interviewed a number of hotel managers who saw their occupancy rate average about 25 percent. By any account, those hotels should have closed its doors and declared bankruptcy. But what happened is that the hotels discovered many correctable inefficiencies. In fact, Raphy Weiner, General Manager of the five-star Daniel Hotel, noted that he learned how inefficient the hotel had been before the crisis and "we'll never go back to the old way. The intifada has been a school for us."
The lesson that American IT managers can take from Weiner are that even the most adverse situation can be a fulcrum for change. Those in danger of having their jobs outsourced -- a significant number of us -- can take those lessons to heart, and hope that their managers and CEOs do too.
Carrison found that every manager had been challenged in cataclysmic ways, but refused to be run out of business by terrorists. Their defiance to the terrorists led them to streamline operations, reduce staff and determine a method to ride out the economic storm. That cutting back leads to a cruel irony: the people most heavily hurt from an economic perspective are the many Palestinian workers who -- before the intifada started -- had good jobs in Israel. The severe cutbacks in many firms resulted in Palestinian workers losing their jobs as a direct result of terrorist activities by their compatriots.
While the cause of the Israeli programmer losing his job is not the same as that of the American programmer; the manner in which they both can rebuild can be the same. Nietzsche's observation that "what does not destroy me, makes me stronger" is the attitude in interview after interview in the book. There is a lot that American programmers and managers can learn from those under fire in Israel.
You can purchase Business Under Fire: How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding in the Face of Terror - and What We Can Learn from Them from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Well.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Well.. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Well.. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Well.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Well.. (Score:2)
The first four words of the second paragraph explain everything: "As a management consultant..." Management consultants live on panic, FUD, and misdirected attention.
err (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:err (Score:2)
How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:2)
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:3, Insightful)
The U.S. spends about 5% of GDP on military (including pizza delivery in places like the Indian Ocean), while Canada and Europe spend far less (<2%?).
Europe and Canada have high tax burdens compared to the U.S. Think how much higher those tax burdens would be if those countries were spen
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:4, Insightful)
As soon as an actual "military" threat arises that has at least 1/100 of plausibility and importance as compared to our fancy social "safety net" we will sacrifice a lot of it to fund our military. As it stands, the USA seems to be shaping to be that threat to all of us in not so remote future.
Get it through your jingoisting, deluded head: Even at the worst times of anti-communist paranoia, the USSR (as it is now clearly apparent from documents which became available after its fall) was always in a defensive stance to a belligerent US military preasure.
I am sick and tired of would be hegemons inventing straw-men so that they can go fight them "in our defense" either by proxy like in Colombia, Nicaragua or Venesuela or directly as in Vietnam, Panama or Iraq.
So quit whining that noone wants to join your imbecillic crusades for fun, mayhem, expansion of religion and profit and be wary because longer you keep at it more likely it is that we (the vast majority of the people of planet Earth) will end up correcting your belligerence in a way you might find less amusing then a session with Rush Limbaugh.
Oh and yes, you should get the fuck out of all the ex-soviet republics where you are attempting to estabilish forward military (and incidently US corporate) bases. Russia is only in its adversarial stance because of your insistence on aggressive expansion of NATO. You are the source of the problem in China with your brainless, unbridled orgy of corporate greed that makes that country more powerful by the minute. It is your unquestioning, insane, support for Israel's mad policies, as well as those of Arab dictatorships in places like Saudi Arabia that causes the mess in Middle-East. Not to mention that is your country that fabricated evidence for a war of agression and greed it had planned for years in advance. In short, it is you who are the prime and foremost danger to the safety of the planet, noone else is even a remote second place condender.
Good luck building a military when you need it :-( (Score:3, Insightful)
The main problem with that idea is that it takes many years to build (outfit, train, etc) a military.
Historically, the politicians haven't been exactly fast reacting when the storm clouds are showing up, either...
In the 1920's my country (Sweden) closed down almost all of the defence. When trying to buy
Re:Good luck building a military when you need it (Score:5, Informative)
"The main problem with that idea is that it takes many years to build (outfit, train, etc) a military."
That may be true in cases where the state has no resources of its own. In the years between 1939 and 1945, Canada went from having 3 ships in its navy to possessing the 3rd largest navy in the world. In the first world war, it had over 1,000,000 men and women in uniform - that's 10% of the total population at the time. Every time it's felt the need, Canada has managed to go to a war footing in a remarkably short period of time.
... And that's why I'm skeptical when Americans proclaim that they're protecting us. In major conflicts[*], we've always done a fine job of protecting ourselves, with a fair amount left over to help our neighbours.
[*] It's more than a little ironic that the only foreign invasions Canada has ever faced have come from its southern border. 8^)
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:3, Interesting)
"Clearly the U.S. was being belligerant and arrogant when Russia put its nukes on Cuba."
I'm no historian, but yeah, the Cuban Missile Crisis is widely perceived to have resulted from escalating threats/counter-threats, set off by US tactical nuclear build-up. Wikipedia thinks so, too. [wikipedia.org]
But don't trust just me and a bunch of amateur editors, go read the history yourself, and supplement the flag-waving pap that schools dish out these days, when they do at all.
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:4, Interesting)
The muslim fundamentalist extremists are a law enforcement problem not a military one. Furthermore lets tally things up here so we have clear understanding: total deaths due to terrorism, combining PLO, Hamas, IRA, Al-Qeida, and every other terrorist on the planet, including Iraqi resistance (most of whom are freedom-fighters), years 1950-2005 = less then 10,000. On the other hand: 2 years of US anti-terrorism operations: 100,000 deaths and counting. A yearly deathtoll due to car accidents in USA: over 40,000.
You were saying something about Bali and boogeymen, no?
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:3, Insightful)
Orintalist fantasy. You've obviously never actually been to China in a last few decades and seen the fantastic speed at which it's developing. China went through a century of revolutions and since the 1980s when Deng made it a policy to aim for economic development and not worry about ideology, factories and skyscrapers have been sprouting like mushrooms
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:3, Informative)
But grasshopper - I am here
I've been visiting China since 1990 - I now live and work in the fastest growing province in the country. I've also lived and worked in both Japan and South Korea.
And all those rich locals...yes, but their numbers are almost too low to measure. If you're not here like me, and want to come over and visit, I'll be more than happy to show you around,
The situation has changed, but you have not. (Score:4, Insightful)
But our military hasn't.If you want to look at it that way. Again, those countries don't face the same threat in the 21st century that they faced in the 20th century.
But our military planning hasn't changed. Our force deployment hasn't changed.
Having 10,000 tanks in Germany would have been a good idea in 1975. In 2005, it's just a waste of money.Meanwhile, the US government is running how large of a deficit?
The government has LIMITED income and must decide where to spend that money.
All governments are like that.No, we don't pay for their ``social safety net''. THEY pay for it.
All WE do is maintain troops and equipment and bases there. Are those needed to defend those countries in 2005?
It doesn't look like it.And how is Russia a threat to Germany today? Hmmmmm?
The threat TODAY is from terrorism. And Germany has been dealing with terrorist attacks in their country for years. We could learn from their approach.
Re:The situation has changed, but you have not. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:5, Insightful)
First of all: have you ever considered how much you actually pay for people who are unemployed? You think the lack of a social safety net will lower your taxes. But those who are unemployed are not going around doing nothing. It attracts crime, non-educated jobs, etc. etc. You've just paid money for an education for these people, but when they get unemployed that money is let to waste!
Then talk about defense. I would really like to know from you: what danger did the US protect us from the past, uhm, 60 years? Communism? Look carefully my friend. It wasn't the US which stopped it by it's useless war in Vietnam. It was the people of the 'communism' states which did that. Terrorism? As far as I can see, the arrogance of the US actually attracted terrorism. By fighting it you actually proved yourself in your own arrogance.
Your government has made you believe in a fear for terrorism (and communism 40 years ago). These fears were unfounded! Just like Hitler made the people believe to fear certain groups of the population. He used the same arguments: public safety, economic prosperity.
For as far as I can see, dear poster and dear citizen of the US: we here in Europe don't need and have never asked for your protection. Moreover, I think most people here do not believe in the means of protection you are giving.
One last example: as far as I can see, North-Korea seems to be a real threat: chance of manufacturing nuclear bombs, totalirian regime, supression of human-rights, etc. etc. Why are you not 'liberating' this country? Do you miss a certain economic drive in this war? Or do you want to project a 'democracy' in all the countries you're in any way interested in?
Please US citizens, open your eyes. Grab the hints we are giving you. Look at this slashdot page and see what posts are way rated up. Listen to your own fellows who are saying your democratic system is falling apart because of monopolistic and political misuse.
TODO list: remove ignorance, get educated in more than you've been educated in at highschool, learn to think and have an opinion for yourself. Throw TV out of window.
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:5, Insightful)
You were doing okay until:
For as far as I can see, dear poster and dear citizen of the US: we here in Europe don't need and have never asked for your protection.
Um, does World War II ring any bells?
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:3, Insightful)
"Yeehaa!" is not a foreign policy (Score:3, Insightful)
Most of those "sleazeballs on the Continent" aren't in the habit of making enemies all over the world by 'projecting power' with their military ego trips or pulling the rug out from democratically elected governments like the US did in Iran, Chile, Venezuala (almost), Haiti
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:4, Informative)
You are also forgetting that USA was directly attacked by Japan and was merely defending itself. Its involment in Europe in WWII is a different matter, but its present behaviour detracts from any noble reasons it might have had back then and makes many people far more suspicious of them then in the past.
When Canadian courts grant Muslim Imams the right to arbitrate civil matters (it happened, look it up), you don't need to attack, you've assimilated.
A classic strategy of a bigot: to point out an element of what Canada does and then try to make it seem as it somehow is a unique example. For your ignorant information: the same rule applies to Jews (who can use Hassidic law), Hindus, Seikhs, Quakers, Mennonites, Native Americans (tribal courts) etc etc. Oh, yes, total back-bacon-eating surrender monkeys we are, us Canadians instead of defending the One and Only, True, Christian Faith (as defined by Rev. Falwell) and persecuting everyone else.
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:2)
The US pours billions into the Israeli military every year. I think it's pretty inexcusable that we're spending that kind of money propping up a foreign country - especially one that's in such a volatile position because its founders wanted to fulfill a religious prophecy that involved having control of Jerusalem.
$2NATO != $2Israel (Score:3, Interesting)
I think what the previous poster was alluding to is the idea that Israeli policy is more intransigent with billions in US economic and military aid to prop up their economy than it would be without. Whether this is strictly true, or if the Israelis would just suck it in and damn the torpedoes is beside the point: most Israelis and their n
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:2)
Somewhat negated by... (Score:2)
If both Palistine and Israel had to fight each other with resources they have and no outside influence, the fight would have been over long ago. It's poor form to suggest you remove funding from one side of the equation alone.
$3BN (Score:5, Informative)
Yep, to about the tune of $2 Billion With A Capital B in "military aide", and +$700M in economic aide. $3B isn't enough- they want more for "border security" and whatnot.
Think I'm using some nazi group for my figures? Phbt. Try the Haaretz [haaretz.com].
None of this counts the billions in defense spending; Israel makes a HUGE number of major and minor systems for virtually every US military vehicle.
Slighty sarcastic view- maybe if we saved that $3B+/yr, we'd solve two problems at once- the Israelis would get a lot more serious about the peace process, and we'd have money to pump into our own economy instead of theirs. Like, say, our crumbling roads/railway system, healthcare/retirement, inadequate community emergency services, etc.
Of course, that will never happen. Any politician who suggests cutting aide to Israel stands to be accused of anti-semetism...
Re:$3BN (Score:5, Informative)
"Contrary to popular wisdom, the United States does not simply write billion dollar checks and hand them over to Israel to spend as they like. Only about 26 percent ($555 million of $2.1 billion in 2003) of what Israel receives in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) can be spent in Israel for military procurement. The remaining 74 percent is spent in the United States to generate profits and jobs. More than 1,000 companies in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have signed contracts worth billions of dollars through this program over the last several years."
Re:$3BN (Score:3, Informative)
Yes. The reason it makes a big difference is because if we were in fact simply handing over billions of dollars in tax money, the US would be draining their own economy. By instead using that money to pay USAmerican workers, local jobs are created, even if the fruits of those labours (the materialistic products that are output) are eventually sent overseas. The workers still get paid. On
Re:get your facts in order (Score:5, Informative)
He did so because the intifada was a effective money earner. In 2002 or so, Arafat was worth some 1.5 Billion $ [news.com.au]. He did this because he cheated his own people.
You're asking the wrong people to get serious about the peace process. Do you know Jordan gets more than 1.5 Billion and Egypt gets 3 Billion odd in US funds every year?
Re:get your facts in order (Score:3, Informative)
... and you cleverly neglected to mention that this land was divdied into hundreds of "bantustans" criss-crossed with Israeli roads and settlements, some of them completely isolated from each other, that this "sovereign" state was to be subject to israeli military "border" patrols and that some people would have to cross the border to go to school or a groce
Umm... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:2)
Re:How Israeli Companies Are Succeeding... (Score:2)
1) I see nothing particularly anti-Israel in that post, or a statement that their success is hampering anyone else.. Simply stating that the American donations (which are a public fact) to Israel are helping the companies there is hardly anti-Israel, even if it is false.
2) Anti Israel != Anti semitic. That is a mistake (intentionally) made all too often by the pro-Israel factions, especially in Europe, since over here bein
Maturity (Score:2, Insightful)
That said, it is interesting that some business institutions can survive under enormous stress.
London during the Blitz provided a few examples.
Re:Maturity (Score:2)
All you stinking Belgians say that.
Re:Maturity (Score:2)
You're new here, aren't you?
Re:Maturity (Score:3, Interesting)
The tax laws, lobbyists, and the legislators themselves are all bought & paid for slaves of the MnCs. Take away the limited liability corporation, and the rest collapses in on itself from a lack of investor money- or better yet, we put t
not just business (Score:5, Insightful)
"But he notes that in Israel, office are repopulated after they are bombed, and customers frequent bombed cafes and restaurants as soon as they are repaired."
Would you go back to your office after an attack? No. And then they'd raze the building and put up a monument.
Re:not just business (Score:2)
Re:not just business (Score:2)
Hell, New York went to Kerry. They didn't even vote for the guy who went out of his way to pay the most lip service to security. Ingrates.
Re:not just business (Score:4, Insightful)
No, not at all. But the Consitution certainly did. Remember the Japanese internment camps. Americans have become a country of real wimps (I'm embarassed to say).
Re:not just business (Score:2)
Re:not just business (Score:2)
Re:not just business (Score:2, Insightful)
I repsectfully disagree. Americans will never tolerate the terrorism that Isreal has. Private citizens are too well armed (legally) and too, for lack of a better term, righteous. If we were to have car bombs and suicide bombings start, you would see every rifle rack in a every pickup full.
This is the only explaination that I can see, our borders are transparent, we have tho
More than that (Score:3, Insightful)
Not just that, but you'd start seeing rifle racks appearing in places other than pickups - like SUV's and Honda Accords. And "Security Mom" would take on a whole new level of meaning.
Re:More than that (Score:3, Informative)
Another things though, is that bombers there have a willingness to die for their cause, which is hard to defend against. A full rifle rack is useless against someone who is willing to be a human bomb.
Re:not just business (Score:3, Insightful)
I think Isreali citizens are probably better armed then most Americans... and they can be pretty damn righteous.
This righteousness and Religious fanaticism is one of the reasons they are targeted by terrorists.
we have thousands of illegal middle easterners in the country, arms and explosives are easy to aquire in the USA - why don't we have "retail" terrorism?
Because most of those illegal middle easterners are
Re:not just business (Score:3, Insightful)
How is a firearm supposed to deter a suicide bomber, especially considering that most of the time they do sneak attacks? What the hell do you think you're going to shoot at? Shredded chunks of flesh on the sidewalk?
Terrorism (Score:2)
If both sides settled things (Score:5, Insightful)
This, my friends, is one of the reasons why violent actions should be used very very sparingly. Violence usually has a way of just polarizing a situation to the point where both sides are destroyed in the process. Just think how prosperous both sides would be if they kissed and made up and stopped this incessant fighting.
NOTE: I'm am not taking anyone's side. It's time for both sides to work it out regardless of the past.
Re:If both sides settled things (Score:2)
Re:If both sides settled things (Score:3, Informative)
When it came to fleecing the palestenians they were both of the same mind.
How many times has Sharon been investigated for corruption anyway? Aren't there some probes still going on?
Re:If both sides settled things (Score:2)
It will go on until one side succeeds in killing every last one of the other.
What did god say? "kill them all, kill their kids, kill their animals, salt the earth so that you even kill their plants".
"It's time for both sides to work it out regardless of the past."
Have you ever heard any palestenian or israeli ever have a conversation about this subject without reeling o
Re:If both sides settled things (Score:2)
I think it's more like 100 years.
Weren't Britain and France at war for hundreds of years?
Have you ever heard any palestenian or israeli ever have a conversation about this subject without reeling off all the wrongdoings the evil others did in the past?
I asked an Israeli woman what she thought about the settlements in the W. Bank. All she said was "Why would anyone want to live there?"
Re:If both sides settled things (Score:2)
That's factually incorrect. The Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived together relatively peacefully for several hundred years in Jerusalem under the Ottoman empire. Up right until WWI.
Idiots like you believe bullshit like that because idiots like you keep fucking repeating it. Shut up.
Re:If both sides settled things (Score:3, Insightful)
Hell yes. Just go and listen to normal Palestinian or Israelite. All you probably hear is the warhawk politicians in the country, who derive power and popularity from the conflict, or from politicians in other countries who have firmly decided which side is right to them, and which is wrong. The press is just as bad, whenever the conflict ma
Re:If both sides settled things (Score:2)
Re:If both sides settled things (Score:2)
Diminishing Returns (Score:5, Interesting)
I wonder, just because in "crisis mode" more efficiency and productivity can be gained, does this necessarily transfer to normal times. The US rationed materials in WW2, they did not do so later. Also people go at a certain pace, faster in emergency mode. I don't know if it is sustainable in the long term.
Re:Diminishing Returns (Score:2)
Re:Diminishing Returns (Score:2, Interesting)
Overstatement? (Score:4, Insightful)
Is that just a bit of an overstatement? My first 4 years in the industry I was fulltime. The longest layoff I had (I'm now fulltime again) in 9 years as a contract programmer after that was 4 months. That followed the Enron/Dynegy/El Paso fiasco in Houston.
What people out there in the
Real adversity (Score:4, Insightful)
If he really wanted to do a book about doing business under adverse conditions he should have written about Palestinian companies.
Re:Real adversity (Score:3, Insightful)
Palestinians also suffer the disadvantages of living in a corrupt bullshit not-even-country instead of a first-world democracy. That might have something to do with quality of life.
Americans are pussies (Score:4, Interesting)
One significant difference between Israel and America is demonstrated by the way Israeli citizens deal psychologically with terrorism. In an interview with financial consultant Danny Halpern, Carrison asks how many people would rent office space in the World Trade Center in New York City, were it completely rebuilt and reopened tomorrow. Halpern doubts the World Trade Center would have the same occupancy level as before 9/11. But he notes that in Israel, office are repopulated after they are bombed, and customers frequent bombed cafes and restaurants as soon as they are repaired.
I tend to agree (and yes, I'm an American).
Re:Americans are pussies (Score:2)
Re:Americans are pussies (Score:2, Interesting)
To be fair, Israel's population tends to be "filtered" for those who put "religious pride" above safety. Many Israeli's come to Isreal for religious or ethnic pride reasons and they have dual citizenship with other countries in Europe, US, etc. Thus, those heavily afraid of terrorism probably w
Re:Americans are pussies (Score:2)
Do you even read the newspaper? (Score:2)
Re:Do you even read the newspaper? (Score:2)
I don't understand why there is a (political?) fight about who gets to rebuild the WTC. Who owned the WTC building and real estate on 9/11? Why would anyone other than the owners get any say??
I disagree !! (Score:2)
It's all a matter of what your accustomed to. America, and Americans are not a climatized to even having enemies. Keep in mind with the exception of perl harbor no war has ever been fought on american soil since the civil war. so why should they/we be able to deal with terrorism. What cracks me up even more is the fact that Isreal expereinces so much terrorism because they are bullies. They bully people off their own land then when the people retaliate they cry foul. I'm tired of Isreal playing the victim
Re:Americans are pussies (Score:4, Insightful)
Of course the US would. They wouldn't work it out. They wouldn't single out the offenders. They wouldn't try to get to the root of the problem. They'd kill every living thing because hey, you never know... KIDS could be terrorists! The US public is terrified. Why do you think Bush got elected? It wasn't for his intellect or his diplomacy. It was because his administration preyed on fear. He repeated his "We will kill all of them them" lines to cheering crowds everywhere. Yeah. Hit a 3rd world nation with massive firepower. Yeah. That's real brave.
Americans have brought much of this on ourselves (Score:2, Offtopic)
Here's a solution: tort reform and deregulation of the work environment. Get rid of Social Security and Medicare and make employees responsible for their own medical care and retiremen
Waitaminute... (Score:2)
That's the ticket! (Score:2, Funny)
The American dream down the drain (Score:4, Insightful)
What exactly did the people of America expect from the World Trade Organization, APEC and NAFTA?
Did Americans really expect that these free trade organizations and treaties would only work in favor of the US? That the US would be able to import goods even cheaper than normal, creating virtual slave states in places like Mexico and China?
Next time the WTO comes to town and you sit down at starbucks instead of heading out to the streets in protest, consider that free trade works both ways. It's specifically designed to make it easy for corporations to find the cheapest labor possible, which pushes expensive US jobs overseas to be done by equally qualified professionals in other places like India for a fraction of the cost.
And as long as corporations only want more profit, it will keep moving this way, so just get used to it. Stop buying SUV, 4 dollar coffees and 5,000 dollar LCD TVs, reduce your lifestyle to something more modest and take a salary cut or live with the fact that the American dream along with it's capitalist economy is going down the drain.
Personally I couldn't be happier this is happening, but it's irritating to see a country be so naive and ignorant about the mess it created all by itself.
"no end in sight"? Nonsense! Try a hanging rope! (Score:5, Funny)
When are we going to let this go? (Score:2)
What the heck!?!?!? (Score:2)
I'm no fan of offshoring jobs, but to put those 2 things together is fairly irresponsible.
maybe trying to outsourcing blame on terrorism (Score:2)
It's ALL good, for them, that is. No conspiracy needed or called for. Just everyday business in the corporatist empire. All sorts of businesses pay regular money to industry lo
Speculation vs. reality. (Score:2)
Wow. (Score:2)
2) Write a book linking two of the hottest negative topics in the news in specious ways.
3) Profit!
See? No "???" there at all!
Basic darwinism, but inefficiency has its charms. (Score:2)
Israel's economy is heavily subsidized (Score:3, Insightful)
In turn, the Israeli government subsidizes a sizable fraction of the economy. As of 1999, about one-third of all gainfully employed Israelis worked directly for various branches of government. This does not include the military.
So in many cases, the decision to continue doing something in an area of high terrorism is a political and strategic one, not an investment decision. Even if something doesn't make economic sense, it may be subsidized anyway. In particular, the "settlements" movement [motherjones.com] is heavily subsidized.
This isn't necessarily bad, but any comparison with the US economy has to take that into account.
Rerun (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:if your job is being outsourced (Score:2)
Re:if your job is being outsourced (Score:2)
Re:if your job is being outsourced (Score:2)
-WS
Re:Bullshit propaganda (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Bullshit propaganda (Score:2)
And yes, it actually is a lot of land relative to the size of the country.
Oh, and why doesn't the rest of the surrounding Arab world offer to take in the Palistinians and solve the problem? Well, because they probably don't reall
Re:Bullshit propaganda (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Bullshit propaganda (Score:3, Interesting)
Okay. I have been to Israel. I am Jewish. I think that the Palestinians should be given their land back.
But clearly you do not understand the whole picture.
There are issues of The Right of Return for Palestinian exiles, say.
There is the issue of whether the region is a Two State solution or a One State, although Two State is almost definitely the case that will happen.
There is the issue of how to deal with some amaz
Re:Bullshit propaganda (Score:3, Informative)
All that fallout would be a tad inconvenient for all the Israeli settlers queueing up to take the place of the natives, wouldn't you say?
Just because the Israelis have whiter skin than the Arabs does not make them a superior race.
Damn straight! And what's with the 'perhaps' and inverted commas? Israel have no right to th
Re:Well... (Score:2)
It is a different mindset. Desensitized, if you will.
Re:A more interesting question (Score:3, Insightful)