AMERICA'S CRIMES

America's crimes?



In June 1921, white mobs and police, attacked the black neighborhood of Greenwood, Oklahoma in one of the worst massacres in US history.

The mob opened fire on black residents and set the whole community on fire, destroying 35 blocks and 1,200 homes.

At least 300 people were killed.

The attack on Greenwood - one of the wealthiest communities in the US - was sparked by a false allegation that Dick Rowland, a black teenager, had assaulted a white woman.

American Values‏ @Americas_Crimes


American Values‏ @Americas_Crimes May 29

In May 1830, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which forced 46,000 Native Americans from their ancestral land, pushing them into concentration camps and forcing them to undertake a 1000 mile death march or 'trail of tears', which killed over 4,000 people.

American Values‏ @Americas_Crimes May 18

In 1980, Jimmy Carter approved an operation to send South Korea's military to crush an uprising in Gwangju against the US-backed military dictatorship. 

The military beat, bayoneted, and fired indiscriminately on protesters, killing 600 people and injuring over 4,000.

American Values‏ @Americas_Crimes May 18

One hundred students who sheltered in the Catholic Center were slaughtered. 

Captured high school and university students had their hands tied behind them with barbed wire; many were then summarily executed.

In 1988, the US directly intervened to support Saddam, sinking half of Iran's navy in Operation Preying Mantis.

Then months later, in a blatant act of terror, the US shot down a civilian Iranian airliner killing 274 people and has never apologized for it.

American Values‏ @Americas_Crimes May 8


American Values‏ @Americas_Crimes 

WORK HAS TO BE ENJOYABLE

Free gourmet food for Google workers.

Some workers are not happy, and, lots of school kids are not happy.

"For most of us, work is a depleting, dispiriting experience, and in some obvious ways, it's getting worse."

Why You Hate Work - The New York Times.

Work should be enjoyable, and, well rewarded.

Changes to systems should be considered.

Recreation at the Google office

Let's consider school systems.

"The Somerville Steam Academy in Somerville, Massachusetts, will operate without standard class periods and without separating students by age.

"Rise High in Los Angeles will be designed for students who are homeless ... It will share locations around the city with service providers, like medical or mental health centers...

"In New York City, at the Brooklyn Laboratory Charter High School, the school day will last from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m."

Contest to Rethink US High Schools.

Work should be enjoyable and so the Brooklyn Laboratory Charter High School may simply produce tired failures.

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Google workers

South Korea makes kids work long hours, but, how many nobel prizes are being won by South Koreans?

"The Finnish school day is short and interspersed with bursts of running around, shrieking and sledging outdoors."

Finland's schools flourish in freedom and flexibility

Rank	Country	Nobel Prizes
1	United States	353

2

United Kingdom

125

27

Finland

4

South Korea

1

If you want a good school, or a good business, you get the best leaders you can get.

You give everyone freedom and responsibility.

You reward people for their output and performance rather than for long hours of boring hard work.

 Freedom and Responsibility / Sustained A-level performance

...

Large comprehensive schools and large corporations can get bogged down with bureaucracy, and with incompetent people.

To avoid problems:

1. You get self-managing, high-performing leaders.

2. You do not cramp their style.

3. You lay out a strategy, establish roles and objectives and get out of your peoples' way.

4. You don't force them to attend things they don't need to attend.

Philip Delves Broughton - Silicon Valley's adoration of the delinquent entrepreneur - FT.com

...

Businessman Yvon Chouinard published Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman.

According to Yvon Chouinard:

"Work had to be enjoyable on a daily basis...

"We all needed to have flex­time to surf the waves when they were good ..."

It is a model that has influenced Google, Facebook, Apple and Netflix.

~~~~

Keith Vaz (Updated).