International Business Model
On Thursday, November 5, 2015 I was reading the St. Petersburg edition of the Tampa Tribune. My attention immediately was captured by the headline, “Local high-tech initiatives create tools for commandos.” The article, by Howard Altman, goes on to talk about the recent “Tampa Hackathon, a competition sponsored by the U. S. Special Operations Command headquarters at McGill Air Force Base.”
Mr. Altman describes some of the very creative tools which some of the participants developed to help commandos (military men and women) identify systems for “information feeds, including sensors showing location of friendly forces, feeds from overhead intelligence and surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms. Then it subtly displays the information on a visor in relation to the commando.” He also reported “Geruts, who oversees the command’s multibillion annual research for budget, acquisition and development,” stated “It (this sort of competition) brings folks together to solve problems.”
On the one hand I admire the creative skill of some of the tools which are being developed. Not that many years ago many of these creative tools were the stuff of science fiction. I am fascinated by the creative ability of we humans. Some of the weapons we use are amazing in terms of design and operation.
On the other hand, we humans cannot figure how to feed everyone, how to stop wars, or how to insure that there is a cost effective and easy access to health care.
We also seem unable to figure out that if we develop new ways of locating and killing each other in what we will call a necessary or justified military/commando/covert operation or whatever the name de jour is, several things are going to happen. These include:
· Someone or some group of people will manufacture and sell these products directly or indirectly to many other individuals and groups in the world.
· Others will also one-up us and design an equally or more sophisticated piece of equipment.
· Someone will design and build a mechanism for making that system obsolete.
· We will now spend billions of additional dollars on developing newer tools to identify and kill off the enemy who will be doing the same thing.
We also seem unable to figure out that:
· There are no winners in war. There are only short-term and longer-term losers.
· It is not necessary to first develop creative tools for the military before adapting them for use for positive purposes such as health care.
· The military industrial complex in the United States, Russia, and other countries is huge. We often make political and diplomatic decisions based on the seemingly self-interest of those who will make a financial profit as a result of those decisions. (This same money directly and indirectly finances many elections.)
· Nothing happens in a vacuum. The “enemy” did not suddenly become an “enemy” and will not stop being an “enemy” just because some of them are killed off.
I am well aware that there are those who will present seemingly cogent arguments to support the benefits of military action. They will assert that using the atomic bomb in Japan ultimately saved more lives than it took. They will assert that Germany is now economically and morally one of the leading nations in the world. They will point out that, despite all the violence in the world, we have as a universe made many positive advances in all areas of life since the end of World War II.
They will not point out that the rise and subsequent power of Hitler did not happen in a vacuum. All countries and certainly all of the then Allied countries played a role in creating the conditions for the rise of a Hitler just as the actions of the United States and other countries have helped and continue to help create the conditions which insure the continued increase in such groups of ISIS. They will not often point out that the weapons being used to fight United States combatants were manufactured in countries such as France, the United States, and Russia.
I am not aware of any nation which has created a so-called super power or empire that has survived long term. I sincerely do not understand how we in the United States (or Russia, England, or other countries) can think that if we continue on our current path that in the future we will thrive or even exist.
While we continue to spend billions of dollars on more effective ways to wage war the following is happening:
· The infrastructure of the cities of the United States (and other countries) is crumbling.
· We are keeping people alive for much longer without the ongoing resources to care for them in a loving and dignified manner.
· Addictive behavior continues to increase throughout the world (addiction to alcohol, other drugs, sex, power, money, or technology).
· All people are aware that the disparity between the haves and have nots, even in the United States, is increasing.
· The concept of nationhood seems to be quickly crumbling. Individuals and families act as if we are one world and that the resources belong to all of us no matter what our country of origin. It seems as if we cannot build walls quick enough or big enough to maintain the imaginary borders.
· Instead of more democratic nations, we may be helping to create more anarchy.
· The more people we marginalize in any society the more recruits we provide for radical, violent groups in the world.
On the positive side (yes, there is a positive side):
· Despite the fact that a majority of people in the United States claim an allegiance to a religion, many are more committed to a value system, which makes sense to them. We humans seem more willing to pick and choose our behaviors regardless of what the church leaders say is moral. Our allegiance as humans is more likely to be to a set of values than it is to a nation, church or other organized group.
· The popularity of spiritual leaders such as the Dali Lama is probably higher than it has ever. I have no figures but I personally suspect that the number of people attracted to the Dali Lama, Pope Francis, and others is probably higher than the relatively few people who are aligning themselves to radical, violent groups.
· We humans are more inter-connected than we have ever been. There are very few secrets no matter how much we spend attempting to create secure systems.
· Modern means of communication is insuring that more people are aware of the fallacy of the alleged moral superiority of any group or individual.
Yesterday I went to Macy’s to pick up a pair of dress trousers I had bought on sale. I very seldom go to any mall. In this mall on the way to Macy’s, I stopped to chat with a young man who was selling Lego type-building pieces. He explained that the difference between the ones he was selling and the ones, which Lego sells, is that these can be designed to be in motion. He had all sorts of fun objects he had created or copied from the design of others. This young man looked to be 12 years old but then at my age all people less than 50 look 12. I have no doubt that such “toys” as these will lead some to some wonderfully creative inventions which can used to used enhance the quality of life.
This young man did not attend the gathering sponsored by the military and, in fact, did not have one object on display which resembled any potential implement of war. Amazing.
Once again, I want to be intentional about recognizing the yin and the yang of the world. For today I am going to choose to believe that:
· What I do or do not do today makes a significance difference.
· The glass of change is half full and not half empty.
· We humans are basically good.
· Positive behavior enhances positive behavior enhances positive behavior.
· I do not have to change the world but how I treat one other human being today can change the world.
Written November 5, 2015
On Thursday, November 5, 2015 I was reading the St. Petersburg edition of the Tampa Tribune. My attention immediately was captured by the headline, “Local high-tech initiatives create tools for commandos.” The article, by Howard Altman, goes on to talk about the recent “Tampa Hackathon, a competition sponsored by the U. S. Special Operations Command headquarters at McGill Air Force Base.”
Mr. Altman describes some of the very creative tools which some of the participants developed to help commandos (military men and women) identify systems for “information feeds, including sensors showing location of friendly forces, feeds from overhead intelligence and surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms. Then it subtly displays the information on a visor in relation to the commando.” He also reported “Geruts, who oversees the command’s multibillion annual research for budget, acquisition and development,” stated “It (this sort of competition) brings folks together to solve problems.”
On the one hand I admire the creative skill of some of the tools which are being developed. Not that many years ago many of these creative tools were the stuff of science fiction. I am fascinated by the creative ability of we humans. Some of the weapons we use are amazing in terms of design and operation.
On the other hand, we humans cannot figure how to feed everyone, how to stop wars, or how to insure that there is a cost effective and easy access to health care.
We also seem unable to figure out that if we develop new ways of locating and killing each other in what we will call a necessary or justified military/commando/covert operation or whatever the name de jour is, several things are going to happen. These include:
· Someone or some group of people will manufacture and sell these products directly or indirectly to many other individuals and groups in the world.
· Others will also one-up us and design an equally or more sophisticated piece of equipment.
· Someone will design and build a mechanism for making that system obsolete.
· We will now spend billions of additional dollars on developing newer tools to identify and kill off the enemy who will be doing the same thing.
We also seem unable to figure out that:
· There are no winners in war. There are only short-term and longer-term losers.
· It is not necessary to first develop creative tools for the military before adapting them for use for positive purposes such as health care.
· The military industrial complex in the United States, Russia, and other countries is huge. We often make political and diplomatic decisions based on the seemingly self-interest of those who will make a financial profit as a result of those decisions. (This same money directly and indirectly finances many elections.)
· Nothing happens in a vacuum. The “enemy” did not suddenly become an “enemy” and will not stop being an “enemy” just because some of them are killed off.
I am well aware that there are those who will present seemingly cogent arguments to support the benefits of military action. They will assert that using the atomic bomb in Japan ultimately saved more lives than it took. They will assert that Germany is now economically and morally one of the leading nations in the world. They will point out that, despite all the violence in the world, we have as a universe made many positive advances in all areas of life since the end of World War II.
They will not point out that the rise and subsequent power of Hitler did not happen in a vacuum. All countries and certainly all of the then Allied countries played a role in creating the conditions for the rise of a Hitler just as the actions of the United States and other countries have helped and continue to help create the conditions which insure the continued increase in such groups of ISIS. They will not often point out that the weapons being used to fight United States combatants were manufactured in countries such as France, the United States, and Russia.
I am not aware of any nation which has created a so-called super power or empire that has survived long term. I sincerely do not understand how we in the United States (or Russia, England, or other countries) can think that if we continue on our current path that in the future we will thrive or even exist.
While we continue to spend billions of dollars on more effective ways to wage war the following is happening:
· The infrastructure of the cities of the United States (and other countries) is crumbling.
· We are keeping people alive for much longer without the ongoing resources to care for them in a loving and dignified manner.
· Addictive behavior continues to increase throughout the world (addiction to alcohol, other drugs, sex, power, money, or technology).
· All people are aware that the disparity between the haves and have nots, even in the United States, is increasing.
· The concept of nationhood seems to be quickly crumbling. Individuals and families act as if we are one world and that the resources belong to all of us no matter what our country of origin. It seems as if we cannot build walls quick enough or big enough to maintain the imaginary borders.
· Instead of more democratic nations, we may be helping to create more anarchy.
· The more people we marginalize in any society the more recruits we provide for radical, violent groups in the world.
On the positive side (yes, there is a positive side):
· Despite the fact that a majority of people in the United States claim an allegiance to a religion, many are more committed to a value system, which makes sense to them. We humans seem more willing to pick and choose our behaviors regardless of what the church leaders say is moral. Our allegiance as humans is more likely to be to a set of values than it is to a nation, church or other organized group.
· The popularity of spiritual leaders such as the Dali Lama is probably higher than it has ever. I have no figures but I personally suspect that the number of people attracted to the Dali Lama, Pope Francis, and others is probably higher than the relatively few people who are aligning themselves to radical, violent groups.
· We humans are more inter-connected than we have ever been. There are very few secrets no matter how much we spend attempting to create secure systems.
· Modern means of communication is insuring that more people are aware of the fallacy of the alleged moral superiority of any group or individual.
Yesterday I went to Macy’s to pick up a pair of dress trousers I had bought on sale. I very seldom go to any mall. In this mall on the way to Macy’s, I stopped to chat with a young man who was selling Lego type-building pieces. He explained that the difference between the ones he was selling and the ones, which Lego sells, is that these can be designed to be in motion. He had all sorts of fun objects he had created or copied from the design of others. This young man looked to be 12 years old but then at my age all people less than 50 look 12. I have no doubt that such “toys” as these will lead some to some wonderfully creative inventions which can used to used enhance the quality of life.
This young man did not attend the gathering sponsored by the military and, in fact, did not have one object on display which resembled any potential implement of war. Amazing.
Once again, I want to be intentional about recognizing the yin and the yang of the world. For today I am going to choose to believe that:
· What I do or do not do today makes a significance difference.
· The glass of change is half full and not half empty.
· We humans are basically good.
· Positive behavior enhances positive behavior enhances positive behavior.
· I do not have to change the world but how I treat one other human being today can change the world.
Written November 5, 2015
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