Blackwater (Xe): The Secret US War in Pakistan

This video is produced by the Nation, currently the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the US. It is a self-accliamed leftist opinion to politics and culture. It is also a major source of the information in the Project censored section on Xe (US Training Center) and JSOC.

The fifth article in chapter one of Censored 2011 makes claims and provides evidence for the private security company, Xe's involvement in targeted assassinations of suspected Taliban and Al Queda operatives in and around Pakistan. This is especially controversial because it is believed that the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is contracting and working closely with Xe in order to carry out missions including gathering intel for unmanned predator drone strikes in Pakistan. The United States claims that their are no active military operations in Pakistan and that their contracts with Xe are and have never been used for the purposes claimed. An altenrate soucre for this arrugment can be found in the Lexisnexis database: "Blackwater operating at CIA Pakistan base, ex-official says: Contractor said to be helping to load missiles: US denies controversial company is in country".

http://mirroronamerica.blogspot.com/2007/10/cartoon-roundup.html

The writers however provide a contradiction to this statement in the words of Xe's founder, Erik Prince during an interview with Vanity Fair. He stated that Xe, then Blackwater, works with US special forces to plan missions and gather intelligence in Syria. The writers also claim that a former senior executive at Blackwater,

"...confirmed the military intelligence source's claim that the company is working in Pakistan for the CIA and JSOC. He said that Blackwater is also working for the Pakistani government on a subcontract with an Islamabad-based security firm that puts US Blackwater operatives on the ground with Pakistani forces in "counterterrorism" operations, including house raids and border interdictions, in the North-West Frontier Province and elsewhere in Pakistan," (Censored 35).

Blackwater Security guarding U.S. State Department employees at the Republican Palace in Baghdad.

This use of hired military companies, a nicer title for mercenaries, makes it possible for the Pakistani government to utilize former US special forces through Blackwater without having to claim an official US military presence in the country. In an article by Filiz Zabci entitled "Private Military Companies: Shadow Soldiers of Neo-colonialism" he discusses how many of the recruits for private security companies such as Xe are discharged military personnel.

It seems that the confusion as to what the true implications of these companies in Pakistan can be summed up in a quote from Captain John Kirby, the spokesperson for the chairmen of the Joint Chief of Staff, "We do not discuss the current operations, one way or another, regardless of their nature," (Censored 35). It seems that even if the alleged US presence in Pakistan is true, it would never be confirmed by the United States Government as national security suffices as justification for secrecy.

Various stages in Blackwater's re-branding process

When searching the online databases for scholarly sources on the subject, many seemed to be in support of the accusations of US military operations in Pakistan through the security company Xe. Another popular topic is the major rebranding from Blackwater to Xe in October of 2007. Blackwater was getting such negative publicity that its reputation was getting in the way of its ability to do business. The re-branding of the company image allows it to carry on its business worldwide with reduced resistance by the public and controversy in the media. It seems to be very evident that Blackwater is operating in and around Pakistan. Only the spread of this censored information can bring about changes to the way our Military conducts operations abroad.

I'm a Graphic Designer, I Fuel the Media

The many roles a designer plays in the construct our media society is outstanding. Designers and even more specifically, graphic designers craft the media that acts as the driving force behind our culture, politics, and market. News bulletins, sporting events, websites, commercials, political parties, stores; they all utilize the persuasive aesthetic that the designer offers. Graphic design in particular is so woven into our daily lives that often we hardly notice the effect it has on us, if we even notice it at all. Every sign, every book and magazine, every subway or amusement park map, name tag or business card, all of these things were thought up by a designer who put more consideration into their particular arrangement than one would think.

Branding is huge part of what a designer does. A brand is essentially the image of the company, establishment, etc. The brand consists usually of a logo, color scheme, photography style, and typeface hierarchy. These act to connect with the target market at an emotional and often times subconscious level. The graphic designer acts as the first impression that a person gets when walking into a store or opening a website. People today, especially consumers love this first impression whether or not they are aware of it. Design and branding can make or break a company regardless of what it is the company actually does.

Now every graphic designers’ dream is to be a successful freelance designer, meaning that they work for themselves and sell their own art as a main source of income. More often than not however, this does not suffice and designers employ their services to other companies, groups, or institutions. When this happens the designer gives up the ownership of the artwork to the client in exchange for a salary. Most designers make a living from using their art to visually persuade a target group of people into buying, joining, or agreeing with something.





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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand
http://blog.iso50.com/

Talk About Convergence, The New Toyota i-REAL

I was watching an episode of one of my favorite BBC television shows Top Gear when I first saw Toyota's latest 'vehicle'. The i-REAL is a Personal Mobility Concept that is planned to be put on sale in 2011. It functions primarily as a mode of transportation, standing upright it has a moves around at walking speed but press a button and it drops down to 'high-speed mode' capable of a top speed of 20 mph. This all seems great but its hardly what makes Toyota's new project a prime example of technological convergence.

The thing that struck me was that Toyota has put a communication interface in the chair. From this interface you can communicate with other i-REALs, search for desired locations, and even message your friends to meet you there. It acts like a fast wheel-chair with i-phone capabilities. Here is the actual Top Gear clip that I saw:



This chair seems like great fun but are the implications, for American's especially, really beneficial? When I picture the i-REAL or future versions becoming extremely popular one image comes to mind... Anyone who has seen the movie Wall-E i imagine would agree that the i-REAL seems like a less complicated version these:


In America especially, people are already overweight, spending loads of time in front of television sets, computers, smart phones, etc. Do we really need to combine these forms of media into a mobile chair? This is just a first try at a media convergence chair and I would expect that future models would combine forms of media in even more sophisticated ways. It seems that there would hardly be a reason to walk around when you could simple drive there. I can appreciate the i-REAL as a successful invention, and it is definitely cool but if we should fully embrace convergence technology such as this one, I cannot say.



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First Post - Starting the year off right

1. I am from Westford, MA















Entering Westford sign - source credit



2. I bought an xbox recently. I can use the internet to watch sports, movies and TV shows, and play games with friends online. Its great to have a cheap internet connection and be able to do so much with it.



3.I like the amount of information available to us on the internet. Search engines makes researching and finding specific information very easy. One of the downsides is that the information your looking for often is buried in advertisements and links to distractions. Some people think that this has started to affect the way we store information.

4. I am a graphic design major interested in a variety of aspects of the field. I'm not entirely sure where I'll end up as far as a career but I've taken a liking to web design as a direction to start in.