Another year had gone by so I wondered about what I had been writing about since January 2007.
In January I wrote about how different types of racism are defined in the work place, for example: Direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, Harassment and Victimisation.
I also remember that the media storm over the jaded characters in the Cel BB waste of time household!

Yesterday it was nice to receive a text message from someone we met whilst touring South India. I remember writing about India’s terrible death toll and also the irony between shiny new petrol stations surrounded by slums.

In February I wrote about the enormous cost of the Oscars, whether our media outlets were changing and the extent of global warming.

In March we remembered that on 25 March 1807, the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act was passed. For more than 200 years Britain was at the heart of a rich (to them!) transatlantic trade in millions of enslaved Africans.
I also wrote an article about the need for greater accuracy for documentaries. Especially as one outlining the last days of the Raj (consider that 2007 was commemorating 60 years of independence for both India and Pakistan) was full of inaccuracies and bias. We need to create higher quality media outlets!

In April I commented about the sadness of the Virginia Tech tragedy: Everyone watched with shock and horror the post nightmare of the Virginia Tech shootings. Scholars and lecturers were gunned down in a pointless sense of rage by one lost soul.

In June and July I wrote articles about the lead-up to the annual Birmingham to London cycle ride – this year the 18th with proceeds collected for the Children with Leukemia charity. I also viewed a documentary about child cocoa workers being exploited by giant multi-national confectioners.

August was the month when the actual commemorations took place for understanding that it was 60 years since independence for both India and Pakistan – So many pointless deaths instigated by a few who had the power to be more creative!

In September we saw another misleading documentary, this time: Michael Wood’s: The story of India! When we do get any good documentaries, e.g.: October’s Roots Remembered it was shown at non-peak hours! I suppose we have to make room for more reality TV!

In November it was an honour for me to meet and interview the Rev Jesse Jackson. He commented on the lack of corporate justice and responsibilities of banks.

This Month I was disturbed to hear a certain musician mouth off about British culture considering the person does not even live hear!
Hot News of the week has to be the terrible killing in Pakistan of B Bhutto.
Until the world appreciates that living is a gift and that ego should be removed, there are going to be challenges!

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A few years ago I was invited to a Business Exchange type of networking event - an event where there is hope that a lot of business folks can get together and hopefully help each other out in winning business or developing new strategies / synergies for products/services. It was held at a rather nice hotel, i.e.: what they (the hotel) describe as one of the finest hotels in London / the world - The Langham. With champagne and freshly squeezed orange juice ‘laid on’, together with hors d’oeuvre’s of all shapes and sizes - so were the attendees!

I probably didn’t know what to expect as the way the event had been described to me was very different to what it turned out to be. Upon arrival we were led to the hotel’s grand hall. Waiters rushed backwards and forwards ensuring that upon entry each entrant was supplied with a glass of his/her chosen damage. In front of me was a sea of dark suits, both men and women engaged in filling the hall with the sounds of rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb… With a glass in one hand and a plate of mini quiche’s in the other I walked towards bunches of people in a hope to contribute at an appropriate point of interlude.

One group was busy discussing the power of quality procedures, another on how financial management (cash flow et al) is important and another discussing financial management arrangements. It then dawned on me that most of the conversations were being led by financial and legal consultants who would typically emerge from the right hand side of the hall and ‘net’ individuals within their vocal grasp. I remember being financially propositioned (in a ‘would you be interested in a business loan’ manner) at least twice. In addition, being introduced to at least two legal experts, ceremonially leaving their cards with me on departure.

OK, maybe what I have described is not typical of what happens at all these events and I have had described to me lots of similar events where guest speakers pitch their services and there really is potential to engage in valuable debate around gaining new clients, together with identifying possible synergies - some regional and others national.

Social media offers more that traditional online communication. Bulletin boards have been around for a while. However, Web 2.0 offers interactivity through RSS and greater chances for referencing, for example Facebook and Linkedin. With social media people can exhibit their personal creativity, share thoughts and record activities, assuming of course that they know how to use the required/necessary online tools. This raises the question of whether those that are more technically savvy have an unfair advantage?

If we take lessons from the example that I gave and create a blended networking infrastructure, then there maybe a chance that new and real business opportunities can emerge, niches can be identified, true friendship can emerge and less food can be wasted!

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One of the great things about the Internet is the way it has dramatically facilitated greater creativity and innovation. Once somebody said that the difference between the latter two words is that Creativity should be considered as creating something new, whereas Innovation is a variation of the idea yet still original!

For example, take a look at the following two videos (for text readers, head for http://www.saviarora.com) :

The first is the original film edited and directed by Aaron Platt. (It is actually the music video for Apologize by One Republic, the same band who has written Bleeding Love, a seven week UK number one single by Leona Lewis, winner of last year’s X-Factor. The second is involving probably a lower budget production cost model but in my view creating a great impact.

I have always been a fan of using technology that is more accessible, i.e.: Creating a similar affect but at the fraction of the cost is in my view an innovation. Maybe this praise of the, ‘underdog’ is a kind of backlash against extravagance!? Or, is it my desire to avoid waste. The real reason is probably a sense of hope and anti-celebrity. This assumes that whatever one produces, whether it is commercially or for personal pleasure it is done in a humble manner.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that YouTube with all its value in bringing people together has both a positive and negative aspect. From a positive perspective it is a platform for self-expression, hot news and reminiscing – Yes, I watched an old episode of Monkey Magic the other night organized into 4 different 20 minute segments! YouTube’s negativity is the compulsion for fame. One hears of the crazy individuals who have posted items before creating havoc in a shooting spree! In addition, female exploitation is terrible.

In terms of available content, if you ignore the silly videos, every week there is more content being uploaded. A few years back I completed a project for a Video-to-video phone company. They were adamant that video calls would be the next big thing. At this stage of our mobile communications path, this is still not the case. Generally, people prefer text messages or voice calls. Maybe it is not possible from a practical perspective.

What is interesting is that people are still recording video albeit using increasingly better mobile phone technology but instead of sending recordings to each other, they are using video upload sites, like YouTube to broadcast them.

Therefore, the future of television and what we watch will be changing for the better. This is good news as on TV, especially in the UK is still obsessed with Reality TV programmes. They still rule, I counted 9 on terrestrial channels last week!

We now have an opportunity to enjoy entertainment that we the public create. We maybe a long way off from quality formatted programmes. NB Traditional media outlets know that this change is coming, especially when it comes to exposing truth.

I also wonder if the media will still retain editorial control. The risk of losing control is the potential loss of advertising revenue and targeted markets! Is Television only about money, I guess it really is!

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When you hear musicians talking about their country of origins with impoliteness about its cultural make-up you have to consider that something is not quite right.

Either the person in question has been misquoted or has a misunderstanding of what the make-up and heritage situation / circumstances of the United Kingdom is today.

Times change, migrants become part of a culture and therefore, what is deemed to be British changes.
The UK has one of the highest number of curry houses outside of India.
At our nearest supermarket I can buy a variety of foods, from Polish Bread to Mexican tortilla wraps and also a packet of Bombay mix.

The recent outburst from a musician about his view of the UK cultural situation is not new.  It does however suggest a mockery of what these people attempt to believe in. It has sparked a debate about immigration, e.g.: The Tory’s have expressed a desire to impose quotas.

A quick history lesson.
During the very early settlement of the British East India Company employees in India, there was a acceptance of the Indian lifestyle.
Over time this situation reversed and a segregated attitude prevailed. Although the British left some infrastructure, e.g.: Buildings, bridges and railways, they did not attempt to understand or appreciate the richness of the culture. An apartied society resulted. A fascinating book and movie is The Far Pavilions. The movie depicts a superiority complex within the British institution of the time.

Today the UK has a wide variety of settlers, travelers, workers and they bring with them the desire to enrich the country they now adopt as their home - investing in housing, savings and both public and private employment. The settlers contribute heavily to the economy. In the case of migrant workers, they may enrich the UK and at the same time the UK is assisting them in building their own European countries in return.

Maybe there is something else going on? A sense of scare mongering. A suggestion that to ‘rock the boat’ is healthy rather than considering the optimistic perspective of communities living together and respecting each others customs.
NB There is a separate argument about the combination of ‘white flight’ and repeated poor investment in selective areas.

So what if you, ‘cannot hear a British accent’ on the streets of London. We live in a world where we need to enjoy the cultural mix.

In addition, we have too many issues to resolve, hunger, poverty and global warming. At a time like this we need to unite around common causes, for example: to harmonise the world from a trading perspective or missing children at home.

I have always considered that there is a hidden in danger in flying the flag to the extreme.

It is interesting that the musician that made the derogatory comments about the UK’s current cultural mix is no longer a British resident.
Singing songs of peace and hope is better than apparent discourses of negativity.

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