Thursday, January 26, 2006

Hate in Switzerland Part 2: World Economic Forum

Yesterday, I blogged about anti-Semitic material being distributed under the official auspices of the World Economic Forum. Today, I received this comment which is really too important to languish in the comment section:
STATEMENT FROM PROFESSOR KLAUS SCHWAB ON GLOBAL AGENDA MAGAZINE

Davos, Switzerland, 26 January 2006 – With great concern and pain, I just learned that Global Agenda,a publication distributed to our members at the Annual Meeting 2006, contains an article calling for a boycott of Israel. This article is totally in contradiction to my own, and the Forum’s, mission and values. For 36 years I have been committed to fighting for mutual understanding in the world. The Forum has been deeply involved in the efforts to create better relations and reconciliation in the Middle East and throughout the world.

As soon as I learned about this article, I immediately investigated how this situation could have developed. I concluded there was an unacceptable failure in the editorial process, specifically an insufficiently short period for review of content – for which there is no excuse. I, on behalf of the Forum, profoundly apologize and express my regrets to everyone.

I can assure you that appropriate steps have been instituted to ensure that this will never happen again.

I would like to confirm to all our friends in the Middle East, and throughout the world, that the Forum will continue, under my leadership, to do everything possible to foster dialogue and open communication among all parties, based on mutual respect and recognition, and not on confrontation.

Klaus Schwab
Founder and Executive Chairman
World Economic Forum

I did a yahoo search and did find this exact statement on the World Economic Forum's website as of 8:00 am (est) this morning. Ironically, I checked my stats and found that some anonyomous soul posted the comments to my site from Switzerland.

Domain Name compunity.com ? (Commercial)
IP Address 212.243.97.# (Swisscom Zuerich)
ISP Unisource Business Networks (Schweiz) AG
Location Continent : Europe
Country : Switzerland (Facts)
State/Region : Bern
City : Bern
Lat/Long : 46.9167, 7.4667 (Map)

Language unknown
Operating System Microsoft WinXP
Browser Internet Explorer 6.0Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)
Javascript disabled
Time of Visit Jan 26 2006 8:08:00 am
Last Page View Jan 26 2006 8:08:00 am
Visit Length 0 seconds
Page Views 1
Referring URL unknown
Visit Entry Page http://thelastamazon...-world-economic.html
Visit Exit Page http://thelastamazon...-world-economic.html
Time Zone unknown
Visitor's Time Unknown

Call me a cynic because I find it incredulous to believe that Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum has time to read my insignificant little blog or cares what I post or say, let alone felt compelled to have minion post a blogment as a public apology in my blog.

Its far more likely that someone has taken a statement of Mr. Schwabs and posted it under the auspices of feeding my delusions of grandeur. But on the off chance that I have suddenly gained international influence with world “economic” thinkers and leaders - post or email me your wish list now. I’ll start the ball rolling with; Free trade with only Free nations.

1 comment:

LB said...

Hi Kateland

Lost Budgie also received an apology from Klaus Schwab - but then received numerous additional visits during the day as they probably checked back to see if I deleted or replied to it.

I've now posted a reply and linked to your reply.

My software was also able to disern that there were three different computers visiting us from the one IP (the same IP that visited you)... so I believe that the WEF has a small war-room set up to handle the fallout from this (as well as their normal publicity tasks).

Amazing that the most powerful men in the world care what we write in our PJs.

Cheers,

Lost Budgie