Happy New Year!

Whether caught in a financial or climate crisis - Paradoxical News wishes everybody a Happy and Wonderful New Year!

Eliminate the Middle Man

We need more employees!, is an often repeated remark from politicians and economic experts. And several surveys in the renowned Danish weekly letter, Ugebrevet Mandag Morgen, for professionals, politicians, and the media - have pointed out that the need for employees is 'knowledge people' (i.e. people with higher education) - now and in the future. To meet the tough demands and the heavy international competition in the age of Globalization. Simply to create growth for our much loved Danish welfare society.

But there's a paradox in there. Between the conducted employment policy - and the actual need. When I attended so-called 'activation projects' for the unemployed (yes, we have those, even though we need them) some time last year, there was one thing that struck me. Hard. I was surrounded by people with higher forms of education - from engineers, IT-people, web-people, people with economic degrees, over communication people, to market people, journalists, and language people. You say Globalization? The really baffling paradox is that these are the people we need. And none of us could get a job in our current areas of expertise.

All of these people had the best of both worlds: higher educations (masters, Ph.d's and what have you) and had worked all their lives alongside. I tried very hard to spot the reasons for these people going unemployed at the same time as all the experts scream for their help in different jobs: were they in some way unwanted, annoying, unpleasant? Nope. Apart from being highly competent in different areas, they were really nice, humorous, positive, energetic - and truly wonderful people. Out of jobs, no matter what they did to get one. I heard lots of very inventive stories of what they had done to get jobs. Wouldn't it be relevant to take these people seriously?

You see, at the same time the registration system for the unemployed offers jobs to these knowledge people like: waiter in a hot dog stand, newspaper boy, parking servant, bakery servant. Practically no serious business or public office will rely on this system. Simply because employer and employee can't find each other in an outdated system. What further struck me was that the job centres outsource the actual employment service to little newcomer firms where the 'job consultants', 'project managers' etc. in many cases came from a full life of no education - and full lives on welfare. I do think that also people who have spent their lives on welfare should have a chance. But maybe in a more appropriate area?

First: how are they supposed to have the knowledge to help others to academic jobs? Second: would it be more relevant for the educated unemployed people to take these types of positions? Third: why not entirely eliminate this middle man from 'activation projects' that lead absolutely nowhere? And have them working some of the jobs, the employers are screaming for. Eliminate the middle man. Eliminate an ineffective bubble that takes workforce away from the productive areas. If the employers are willing to eliminate some of their unrealistic demands - outside the point with respect to the job positions, maybe it will all fall into place. My paradoxical question is: how come non-experienced people on welfare are brought back in attractive jobs - while all the higher educated people with lots of work experience fill the unemployment statistics? Or are pushed to take jobs outside of their fully updated areas of expertise - or working a newspaper route? In this age of Globalization and global competition for knowledge. Just bewildered by the paradox.

Missing Andersen

I'm sorry to interrupt you to bring a short missing person announcement in the midst of the holidays: It's Mr. Andersen, aka Pontifex Maximus, a six feet tall male in his prime age. His occupation is travel guiding, bridge building, and tongue-in-cheek speaking - when not speaking his first language of Turbo-Chaotic. Special marks: razor-edged shirt sleeves. He was last seen too long ago. If you have any information leading to him, please contact the editor of Paradoxical News as soon as possible.

Happy Holidays!

Whether occupied by making holiday preparations, drinking glögg, burning cookies, buying presents you wouldn't even care to receive - or decide to keep for yourself, hugging your family, or ignoring the holidays entirely - take a moment to receive my best holiday wishes for you and your loved ones! No paradox. Just merriment.

Goblin Giggles

Paradoxical times: They tell me that goblins only roam around at holiday time. It's not true. When I was in India this summer, they were in the faces of the street children. In the joyful Indian music. They seem to be an all year round phenomenon - and they have provided many giggles. They are in the faces you meet on the street everyday. And on my thank you list. I wish you all the happiest 2009!

Open Invitation

You're welcome! Isn't that the nicest thing a person can hear?

Apparently our prime minister has no time to visit the 'Tim Sebastian' of Danish broadcasting, Kurt Strand, from the news and debate programme of Deadline on DR2. Last night he left an open invitation to join the debates from the last couple of days. Among other issues about the status of being a state based on rule of law and respect of basic Human Rights between three former secretaries of state/ministers of foreign affairs - with a reference to the so-called Tunesian Law for people on sufferance. And between the three leaders of the largest opposition parties about the level of 'green' of our current prime minister and the sitting government. The invitation has been sent out and repeated, but as yet no response from the prime minister. Here it comes, the paradox: How can you even decline an invitation by Kurt Strand? All he does is to ask questions - and occasionally nod.

For further background, read:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/yo-yo-legislation-and-blind-justice.html
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/another-caucus-race.html
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/stealing-bases.html

http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/environ-mental-paradox.html

Media Melt Down

The media are in a process of winding up businesses. In particular the print media. And it's a slow and painful process. A bit like pulling a tooth. This story has been told over and over again. But here comes a guy with the solution! Or rather, four of them in one go: Clement Kjersgaard shoots from the hip and delivers in a feature article in the newspaper of Politiken. Four major problems - four major solutions. How about that? Who is this guy, anyway? He's a political science buff with political web and print magazines and several Danish Broadcasting Corporation/DR2 tv talk shows to his credit. So let's hear him out.

The four debated events in the feature article are the fall of major American quality newspapers, the not fully integrated co-operation between the Danish newspapers of Jyllands-Posten and Politiken, the dropping of costly (quality) drama series on major tv stations, and the hysteria of the media in hunting down financial gamblers - and other fast paced scandal stories. One of Mr. Kjersgaard's many argued points is that the newspapers lose out to television, television loses to the internet, and the internet has lost to itself. Because the users of either won't pay with anything other than a short time - within the concentration span of about one minute.

So what are the recommendations of this bold critic?

• True Innovation. Not just re-packaging. To rethink form, contents, distribution, and financing.
• Think Money. Contents and money hand in hand. Avoid media designed by advertising experts.
• Forget About Segments. It's so nineties. Advertising markets fail. And it hinders true innovation.
• Get smarter. The media already know about communicating. The problem area is knowledge.

I'm so happy to read three of the above four solutions. In particular the very last one. A real sigh of relief. But I won't disappoint my readership. I do have a paradox for you: Isn't it the very 'Think Money' aspect of running the media businesses that has taken us to this point where there is no room for knowledge? Users/readers/viewers have no time. Knowledge takes time. Time is money. On top of that we have also conditioned users/readers/viewers to free of charge information - a point Mr. Kjersgaard makes himself. Like Pavlovian dogs. The paradoxical question is how we condition them right back to wanting to be smarter?

For further information, see:
http://politiken.dk/debat/kroniker/article615341.ece

Meta-Comment No. 5

People in my readership are very sharp. They keep me in tune. So the real paradox today is this: When did Paradoxical News lose its sense of humour? Nothing is funnier than serious matters. Whether it be politics - or financial and climate crises. Or even other types of crises. Thank you.

Another Caucus-Race

Political paradox: In the 60th jubilee year of the UN Human Rights Convention the Minister of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs, Birthe Rønn-Hornbech from The Liberals (V) finds herself in a confused situation. Much like the girl Alice in Wonderland. And the procedings have the likings to A Caucus-Race (or chaotic race) - with no common rules, procedures, and goals of the race arranged by the Dodo. Only a common purpose: To get dry together.

After a Supreme Court ruling of detainment on unfounded grounds of a Tunese man accused under the anti-terror act, she finds it necessary to elaborate a new set of rules for the people who cannot be administratively expulsed from Denmark, but have to stay here on sufferance. Because of the Human Rights getting in the way. See:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/yo-yo-legislation-and-blind-justice

Although attacked by members within her own party, Ms. Rønn-Hornbech (V) respects the independence and the authority of the judicial system - another power of state. The same argument is posed by Morten Østergaard from the Social Liberals (B). In other words, they measure by fundamental judicial principles, and by the protection of the individual. They run in a soft curve - in a slow tempered style - around the race track.

Peter Skaarup from The Danish People's Party (O) doesn't agree. He wants these - so far not convicted - strangers expeditely expulsed, and refers to the protection of the person they allegedly wanted to kill. So he measures by the sense of justice. Also the Social Democrat Karen Hækkerup (S) has confidence in the non-disclosed material collected by the intelligence service of PET. She wants the strangers out of the country, or safely guarded, out of consideration for ordinary people's sense of safety. In other words they both measure by feelings. Whether they run in a straight line - or with little jumps in the same spot along the race track.

The parliamentary tradition leaves the politicians to be free to legislate within the judicial principles. And within the integrity and authority from the other powers of state. But several court rulings within the EU and now The Supreme Court in Denmark have shown that highly politized cases in the areas of integration and anti-terror have lead to the passing of laws that now have to be revised. Because of judicial integrity of national and supra-national authorities. Several cases have been on a collision course with the Human Rights Convention.

Among others article 3 about the right to personal freedom and safety; article 6 about everywhere having the right to a legal status; article 7 about being equal under the law; article 8 about the right to amends at national courts for actions that offend fundamental rights; article 10 about a just trial in an independent and unpartial court; article 11 about being innocent until proven guilty; article 13 about the right to move freely within the bounds of the national borders. And so forth. Just to mention a few of the 30 articles with relevance to the current political debates about these cases.

When single cases are lifted up and strongly politized - and ultimately turned into laws - it would be the same, as if the Dodo in Alice in Wonderland would form special rules for each participant. And new rules after each race.

Normally there has been room for a wide variety of political interests in the process of passing laws. There has been no doubt about the purpose of the political debate in a democracy: To obtain unity in the differencies. And to ensure that everyone could be winners. Or at least live with the result. With 179 members of the parliament only 90 of them can be sure to become winners. But now they are running to win individually. Because they cannot agree on the very purpose of the caucus-race: To get dry together.

For an Alice in Wonderland Caucus-Race update, see:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/caucus-race.html

A Caucus-Race

Time for storytelling! It springs from the tale of Alice in Wonderland.

At a point in the beginning of the story, the girl from Alice in Wonderland finds herself in an confused situation. She begins to cry, and her tears form a lake. She begins to swim to get out of the lake of tears. On the way she meets a mouse, a cat, an eagle, and a Dodo. When they are all safe back on the shores of the tear lake, they have to figure out a solution to get dry again. The Dodo suggests that they run themselves dry. It suggests that they have a race. The Dodo loosely marks out an area as race track, but doesn't define starting point, goal, rules of procedure, frame, or time period for running.

So begins A Caucus Race. The participants begin and stop whenever they please, and run the race according to their own rules. So you might imagine some running in circles, others in ovals, some may form figures of eight - others again may zigzag across the track. Some with breaks, some without. They simply stop when they don't care to run any more. As they gradually finish, they all crowd around Alice as appointed referee and ask: Who won the race? Sharp as she might be, Alice finds this a little hard to determine - since they had neither goals, frames, nor rules in common. She cannot measure it. So she declares everyone a winner. They only agreed on one thing - the purpose: To make a race in order to dry up together.

This is very much how political debate takes place. The logic is also derived from the Garbage Can model. And I will refer to this in my next segment.

A Garbage Can model for decision making:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_Can_Model

Meta-Comment No. 4

Why Paradoxical News? Now and again readers of this blog have commented on the contents and looked at me in a baffled way. With all that I know and can? The answer is as simple as it is paradoxical. That is one of the very reasons. Apparently, and much debated, there is no room in the industry for the story behind the story. The real story to tell. If journalists were alert they could have such a story.

The media industry is often accused of housing bewildered chickens running around for the first and most inflammatory story. A scandal. A conflict. Someone to expose. They search the bad-rapping, the intrigue. Someone exposed on the internet, in online communities, or through e-mails. Not stopping to think again: is this really true? Could there be another story behind it, we're missing? You know - being a journalist. There may be some journalists like that, but also many very sharp ones. Unfortunately they are more and more left to do their journalistic investigations as solo projects - in books. Or in other media.

Another important reason for the concept of this blog is this: I simply reflect what I'm confronted with. When the media industry and journalists are more occupied with intrigue and game playing than reporting and analysis, how can my reflection be anything other than paradoxical? The so-called fourth power of the state. Does this label still suit the industry? I mirror the media industry in this blog. From the very real stories to the maybe not so real ones. Both types are in here. But I label the product accordingly: Paradoxical News.

Look no further than to these blog segments for answers:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/network-navigation.html
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/meta-comment-no-3.html

11th Hour Revival

If you're looking for paradoxes, look no further than to tv programmes by Mikael Bertelsen and Mads Brügger from the Danish Broadcasting Corporation/DR2. They have initiated and hosted several very good tv talkshows - for the paradoxically minded people. Several of these have won Danish tv prizes. One of these talkshows was called The 11th Hour and ran for app. 18 months from last year to this summer. A very narrow, peculiar and always surprising talkshow featuring artists, politicians, writers, musicians - and simply paradoxical people. Tonight I attended a revival session at the Metropol cinematic theatre in Copenhagen that saluted the highlights and showed the bummers to a live audience of about 400 people. With guest writer on the stage, author and speed talker Knud Romer, talking about his odd writings (along with the successful ones). The 11th Hour obviously had a happy following and will be missed. Thanks for the aftershow. On this thank you note: This very blog was inspired by the talkshow.

For further information, see:
http://www.dr.dk/DR2/Den11time/

More Fun & Games in Nicaragua

There are elections. And then there are elections in Nicaragua. They are truly paradoxical. The November 9th municipal elections in Nicaragua have turned into a game with economic penalties. International diplomats said they were 'worried' about the democratic conditions in Nicaragua. Then spoke in another language. The United States recently froze international funds directed towards reaching the UN 2015 Millenium development goals. And the EU apparently follows suite. In MS Danish Association for International Co-operation's Central America leader Lisbeth Petersen's words today:

'The USA has recently frozen several funds to Nicaragua, aimed at reaching the Millenium Goals. It's a special account where the funds are usually channelled. And the budget support from the EU is currently frozen as well. About 35 million US-dollars, the remainder for 2008.'

The background for this economic penalty, is that the municipal elections stirred up the opposition parties in November. They accused the leading Ortega-party of Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional/FSLN of fraud, claiming that opposition leader Montealegre, from the alliance with PLC/Partido Liberal Constitucionalista, actually won the vote as mayor of Managua. The opposition referred to the lists from the actual voting booth counts. The parties always get a copy of these - just in case. And this was 'in case' for Montealegre. According to his count he won with the 46 percent, that FSLN claims to have won by. But the FSLN controlled supreme electorate council, Consejo Supremo Electoral/CSE, didn't see the need for international observers at the elections. At least the opposition is still around. Unlike in the 80'ies. For now, it looks far worse with the prospects for economic development in Nicaragua.

For further information, see:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/electoral-fun-and-games-in-nicaragua

Out of The Box Paradox

Communication comes in many paradoxical forms. According to popular saying, only 10 percent of what we say is verbal. 90 percent takes the form of body language, facial expressions, and sound - like gesticulation, mime, tone of voice, absence of sound. Danish artist Eva Roel is inspired by this aspect of communication and the variations it takes. Alongside her fascination with the theatrical world of mime and gestures. Set in the so-called artificial space. In her own words:

I first met Eva Roel at her vernissage at Gallery Jytte Arntzen in Copenhagen 5th September this year. I was inspired by a couple of paintings from two different series between 2006 and 2008. In particular one 120 by 120 centimetre painting of a pair of gesticulating hands in boxes, as seen in the video segment. A jack-in-the-box mime. An odd form of communication. Given the dark background and the shadow figures - with neither light nor shadow. Obscurity in more than one sense. So I met her again for an interview about it, as seen in the above clip - and below in a Danish version:

Why the very dark background?
'I was interested in the world of photography, with the light and the obscure. I also used an overhead projector to make shadow figures. I made mimes and faces, like theatrical mime. I am preoccupied with contrast and the lack of contrast. And I like the notion of creating artificial rooms,' Eva Roel explains.

At 22 years it was Eva Roel's first solo exhibition this September. She was accepted at the three major art academies in Copenhagen, Malmö, and Hamburg this summer. But chose Malmö Konsthögskola of the three, because she liked the ambiance of the school. She explains that her primary inspiration is the film director David Lynch. Perhaps not too surprising. Another artist preoccupied with depicting the obscurity and absurdity of ordinary things. And in the paradox of creating artificial rooms.

For further information see:
http://www.evaroel.dk/
http://www.jyttearntzen.com/udstilling.php?showID

Dynamic Debate - or Comic Relief?

What do Helle Thorning-Schmidt (S) and Lars Løkke Rasmussen (V) have in common? Waiting to become prime minister of Denmark. Although tonight they stressed that this was not an election event. The first is the opposition leader from The Social Democrats - the second the current minister of finance from The Liberal Party of Denmark. They met for a debate on the financial crisis, arranged by the newspaper of Politiken and hosted by political editor Peter Mogensen. With a turnout of about 300 people, mainly subscribers of the newspaper.

The two politicians often clash, latest at this year's budget negociations for 2009. The arguments were mostly the same on both sides. Dynamic effects versus tax reliefs. They go something like this: Ms. Thorning-Schmidt (S) lashed out at the sitting government for not initiating investments in public institutions, green energy, and public transportation to create growth - and for giving tax reliefs to the well-of, whenever growth has been made. On his part, Mr. Løkke Rasmussen (V) argued for growth created by lowering interest rates to fuel private enterprise, giving tax reliefs to the well-of, because they boost the economy and create more jobs - thus creating 'dynamic effects'. The constantly debated economic paradox.

'When the financial experts and the minister of finance calculate this, they don't take the financial and bank crises into account. This will reinforce the unemployment. So we are more pessimistic. What will the government do about this?,' the opposition leader argued and asked.

'The honest answer is, that this government has diminished the unemployment to an historically low level. The interest rate is one and three-quarters higher than in Europe. When this difference increases, it is necessary to conduct a policy to bring it down,' the minister of finance responded. Admitting to an expected rise in the unemployment level from 2009 to 2010, yet unwilling to give an estimate of that level - or what level would be an 'acceptable' effect.

Not satisfied with deviant responses, the opposition leader wished for another minister of finance.

'But I will rather wait to name another minister of finance until I can appoint one myself,' she wittingly responded, harvesting laughs. And asked that prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen would join negociations instead of Lars Løkke Rasmussen, whose style of negociation she often criticises.

The minister of finance then suggested that she should appoint other financial experts at the same time, if she wants backing for her policy. Inviting the inevitable clap trap and turning the debate into a show case.

As a silver lining, they did both agree on furthering investments in green energy and infrastructure. So hopefully they will meet again. With or without the prime minister. For a dynamic debate or comic relief.

For a more elaborate overview of the political scene in Denmark, please see:
http://paradoxicalnews.blogspot.com/2008/10/cliff-notes-to-danish-politics.html

Meta-Comment No. 3

It's not in the telling, it's in the showing. Show, don't tell. Several journalism teachers have taught me the truth in this. And in this quest to become a journalist, I have shown what I can in several ways, academically and in practice elsewhere. And I've shown my choice - it's all in here. My dream and my quest will stay the same. It may become even harder now, despite my navigation efforts. And my choice seems irrelevant. Even so my choice will remain the same.

PB:
Thank you for everything

Network Navigation

'You don't choose your network - the network chooses you', a friend once told me. Maybe you cannot even not choose it. I know the above to be true by now. Sometimes there can even be more networks at play. You still don't choose them yourself. And you don't offend a network. That makes navigation even harder. I've done my best in navigating towards what I really want. To follow my heart, my head, and my dreams. At times friends must have thought that I'd lost my wits in that effort. I haven't. And I still want it, whether it will be or not.