GOING BANANAS

The US banana corporation Chiquita has been fined by courts in Washington, DC. The company confessed to paying millions of dollars to paramilitaries over seven years in a bid to protect its banana farms. The Guardian reported that Chiquita Brands International and several corporate officers paid about $1.7m between 1997 and 2004 to the rightwing United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC)[1]. According to The Guardian the AUC has been responsible for some of the worst massacres in Colombia's civil conflict and for much of the country's cocaine exports. Chiquita also admitted to making payments to the National Liberation Army (ELN), and the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), as control of the company's banana-growing area shifted. Chiquita has to pay $25m, plus interest, over five years[2]. This fine is a mere snip really, in 2004 Chiquita's net sales were $ 3,071 million[3].

PRIVATE PRIVATES

Wolverhampton may have missed out on hosting the new PFI 'UK Defence Training Academy' (more on Wolves on page 10); instead the honour of hosting has gone to St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan South Wales. The estimated contract of £16 billion has gone to the Metrix Consortium which includes members such as: QinetiQ, Serco, Open University, Sodhexo and arms corporation Raytheon[4].

Welsh politicians are excited that the new academy will create 5,000 jobs. However, Gagged, the South Wales anarchist newsletter, reported that these promised jobs (3500 permanent 1500 trainees) promised by 2012 will go to specialist military personnel who will have to re-locate. Gagged believe that no-one else in the region will benefit.

NEWS FROM CORPORATE EUROPE OBSERVATORY

On the 22nd March it was World Water Day and over 60 civil society and labour organisations from Europe and around the world published a critical statement about the policies of the European Commission regarding water and sanitation in developing countries. The statement and background information is online at worldwaterday.eu

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE, £££'S TO DRINK

The privatisation of water supplies is a current campaign for anti-poverty campaigning group World Development Movement. According to WDM, the Nepalese government is about to sign a contract with UK multinational Severn Trent International – a deal that the people of Nepal do not want. Moreover, recently Severn Trent were sacked for failing to meet targets – including leaking - in Guyana South America.

More about the campaign from World Development Movement: www.wdm.org.uk

BAD VISTA, NO BISCUIT

The new Micro$oft release of Windows Vista is filling techies with fear that the new operating system will take computing back to the stone ages (or at least back to the mid-90s). If you've updated to Vista, here's what to expect:

• hardware not approved by Microsoft will be disabled[5]
• Vista will choose which software you can use - in some cases even restricting access to your own files
• Audio and media will be deliberately degraded and encrypted, slowing your PC down in the process.

One techy, attests that Vista is 'like installing a virus on your machine'[6]. Microsoft's sworn foes Apple are also telling iTunes users to hold off installing Vista as Vista's music software may not work properly[7].

According to badvista.fsf.org, 'Vista enforces new forms of Digital Rights Management (DRM). DRM is more accurately called Digital Restrictions Management, because it is a technology that Big Media and computer companies try to impose on us all, in order to have control over how our computers are used'[8]. For non-techies, there's some really good explanations as to why Vista is bad on: badvista.fsf.org/what-s-wrong-with-microsoft-windows-vista and www.inmyhumbleetc.co.uk/?p=22

Go treat your computer to free sourceware and install a Linux operating system instead (www.linux.org). You know it makes sense!

References
[1] Matt Apuzzo, 'US banana firm fined $25m over Colombia protection payments' The Guardian 16/03/07

[2] Edward Iwata & Donna Leinwand, 'Chiquita agrees to fine for paying terrorists', 16/03/07, USA Today, www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2007-03-14-chiquita-terrorists_N.htm?csp=34 viewed 22/03/07

[3] P3, Author Unknown, Chiquita Annual Report 2004

[4] Author Unknown, 'Consortium Members', Metrix Consortium www.metrixuk.com/ viewed 22/03/07

[5] Sascha Meinrath, 'Microsoft VISTA and DRM. AKA Let the Battle Begin!', 27/12/06, saschameinrath.com, www.saschameinrath.com/2006dec27
microsoft_vista_and_drm_aka_let_the_battle_begin viewed 22/03/07

[6] David Cullen, 'All of your computers now belong to us', 02/02/07, IN MY HUMBLE ETC. www.inmyhumbleetc.co.uk/?p=22 viewed 27/02/07

[7] Author unknown, 'Apple to Vista upgraders:”Wait”', 05/02/07, BBC News Online, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6330913.stm viewed 27/02/07

[8] John Sullivan, 'What's wrong with Microsoft Windows Vista?', 06/03/06, http://badvista.fsf.org/what-s-wrong-with-microsoft-windows-vista viewed 22/03/07