Podcast appearances and mentions of Joel Bakan

Joel Bakan joins the podcast to discuss his books, and the films based on them. He outlines the fundamental conflict inherent in companies ostensibly committed to ESG principles while simultaneously driven by a legal requirement to maximize shareholder value. Originally posted on Jul. 14, 2021

Scientific Sense ® by Gill Eapen: Prof. Joel Bakan is an author, filmmaker and a professor of law at the University of British Columbia. His work examines the social, economic, and political dimensions of law. Please subscribe to this channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ScientificSense?sub_confirmation=1 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scientificsense/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scientificsense/support

The World Economic Forum has become the bugbear of the right-wing in Canada, and beyond. Conspiracies swirl about how this shadowy, globalist cabal wants us to live in pods, eat bugs, and “own nothing, but be happy.” These may be mere conspiracy theory and faux populism, but there are many things wrong with the WEF. On this episode, we examine the shifting political discourse surrounding our global financial elites. How can the left operate in this ideologically confusing moment? First, we take it back to the heyday of the 90s global justice movement and revisit the Battle in Seattle. Reactionary forces were pushing an anti-globalization line against the WTO. However, the real politics there were different: it was built on global justice and global solidarity. Then, we go to Davos and look for left-leaning protesters organizing against the WEF. Each year, there is a planned protest hike, quite far from the actual WEF site, because Swiss authorities push demonstrates away. Yet, the WEF also invites individual activists in. We learn about that push and pull. Finally, filmmaker and documentarian Joel Bakan is well-known for his hit documentary The Corporation, which was released in 2003–not long after the Battle in Seattle. Today, he tells us the politics are completely different: corporate leaders, including those at WEF, tell us they're actually the good guys. His new follow-up film The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel says that this new warm-and-fuzzy branding makes the corporation even more dangerous. SUPPORT THE SHOW You can support the show for free by following or subscribing on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or whichever app you use. This is the best way to help us out and it costs nothing so we'd really appreciate you clicking that button. If you want to do a little more we would love it if you chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patrons get content early, and occasionally there's bonus material on there too. ABOUT THE SHOW For a full list of credits, contact information, and more, visit our about page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs

The World Economic Forum has become the bugbear of the right-wing in Canada, and beyond. Conspiracies swirl about how this shadowy, globalist cabal wants us to live in pods, eat bugs, and “own nothing, but be happy.” These may be mere conspiracy theory and faux populism, but there are many things wrong with the WEF. On this episode, we examine the shifting political discourse surrounding our global financial elites. How can the left operate in this ideologically confusing moment? First, we take it back to the heyday of the 90s global justice movement and revisit the Battle in Seattle. Reactionary forces were pushing an anti-globalization line against the WTO. However, the real politics there were different: it was built on global justice and global solidarity. Then, we go to Davos and look for left-leaning protesters organizing against the WEF. Each year, there is a planned protest hike, quite far from the actual WEF site, because Swiss authorities push demonstrates away. Yet, the WEF also invites individual activists in. We learn about that push and pull. Finally, filmmaker and documentarian Joel Bakan is well-known for his hit documentary The Corporation, which was released in 2003–not long after the Battle in Seattle. Today, he tells us the politics are completely different: corporate leaders, including those at WEF, tell us they're actually the good guys. His new follow-up film The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel says that this new warm-and-fuzzy branding makes the corporation even more dangerous. SUPPORT THE SHOW You can support the show for free by following or subscribing on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or whichever app you use. This is the best way to help us out and it costs nothing so we'd really appreciate you clicking that button. If you want to do a little more we would love it if you chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patrons get content early, and occasionally there's bonus material on there too. ABOUT THE SHOW For a full list of credits, contact information, and more, visit our about page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

The World Economic Forum has become the bugbear of the right-wing in Canada, and beyond. Conspiracies swirl about how this shadowy, globalist cabal wants us to live in pods, eat bugs, and “own nothing, but be happy.” These may be mere conspiracy theory and faux populism, but there are many things wrong with the WEF. On this episode, we examine the shifting political discourse surrounding our global financial elites. How can the left operate in this ideologically confusing moment? First, we take it back to the heyday of the 90s global justice movement and revisit the Battle in Seattle. Reactionary forces were pushing an anti-globalization line against the WTO. However, the real politics there were different: it was built on global justice and global solidarity. Then, we go to Davos and look for left-leaning protesters organizing against the WEF. Each year, there is a planned protest hike, quite far from the actual WEF site, because Swiss authorities push demonstrates away. Yet, the WEF also invites individual activists in. We learn about that push and pull. Finally, filmmaker and documentarian Joel Bakan is well-known for his hit documentary The Corporation, which was released in 2003–not long after the Battle in Seattle. Today, he tells us the politics are completely different: corporate leaders, including those at WEF, tell us they're actually the good guys. His new follow-up film The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel says that this new warm-and-fuzzy branding makes the corporation even more dangerous. SUPPORT THE SHOW You can support the show for free by following or subscribing on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or whichever app you use. This is the best way to help us out and it costs nothing so we'd really appreciate you clicking that button. If you want to do a little more we would love it if you chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patrons get content early, and occasionally there's bonus material on there too. ABOUT THE SHOW For a full list of credits, contact information, and more, visit our about page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

The World Economic Forum has become the bugbear of the right-wing in Canada, and beyond. Conspiracies swirl about how this shadowy, globalist cabal wants us to live in pods, eat bugs, and “own nothing, but be happy.” These may be mere conspiracy theory and faux populism, but there are many things wrong with the WEF. On this episode, we examine the shifting political discourse surrounding our global financial elites. How can the left operate in this ideologically confusing moment? First, we take it back to the heyday of the 90s global justice movement and revisit the Battle in Seattle. Reactionary forces were pushing an anti-globalization line against the WTO. However, the real politics there were different: it was built on global justice and global solidarity. Then, we go to Davos and look for left-leaning protesters organizing against the WEF. Each year, there is a planned protest hike, quite far from the actual WEF site, because Swiss authorities push demonstrates away. Yet, the WEF also invites individual activists in. We learn about that push and pull. Finally, filmmaker and documentarian Joel Bakan is well-known for his hit documentary The Corporation, which was released in 2003–not long after the Battle in Seattle. Today, he tells us the politics are completely different: corporate leaders, including those at WEF, tell us they're actually the good guys. His new follow-up film The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel says that this new warm-and-fuzzy branding makes the corporation even more dangerous. SUPPORT THE SHOW You can support the show for free by following or subscribing on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or whichever app you use. This is the best way to help us out and it costs nothing so we'd really appreciate you clicking that button. If you want to do a little more we would love it if you chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patrons get content early, and occasionally there's bonus material on there too. ABOUT THE SHOW For a full list of credits, contact information, and more, visit our about page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/finance

The World Economic Forum has become the bugbear of the right-wing in Canada, and beyond. Conspiracies swirl about how this shadowy, globalist cabal wants us to live in pods, eat bugs, and “own nothing, but be happy.” These may be mere conspiracy theory and faux populism, but there are many things wrong with the WEF. On this episode, we examine the shifting political discourse surrounding our global financial elites. How can the left operate in this ideologically confusing moment? First, we take it back to the heyday of the 90s global justice movement and revisit the Battle in Seattle. Reactionary forces were pushing an anti-globalization line against the WTO. However, the real politics there were different: it was built on global justice and global solidarity. Then, we go to Davos and look for left-leaning protesters organizing against the WEF. Each year, there is a planned protest hike, quite far from the actual WEF site, because Swiss authorities push demonstrates away. Yet, the WEF also invites individual activists in. We learn about that push and pull. Finally, filmmaker and documentarian Joel Bakan is well-known for his hit documentary The Corporation, which was released in 2003–not long after the Battle in Seattle. Today, he tells us the politics are completely different: corporate leaders, including those at WEF, tell us they're actually the good guys. His new follow-up film The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel says that this new warm-and-fuzzy branding makes the corporation even more dangerous. SUPPORT THE SHOW You can support the show for free by following or subscribing on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or whichever app you use. This is the best way to help us out and it costs nothing so we'd really appreciate you clicking that button. If you want to do a little more we would love it if you chip in. You can find us on patreon.com/dartsandletters. Patrons get content early, and occasionally there's bonus material on there too. ABOUT THE SHOW For a full list of credits, contact information, and more, visit our about page. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

GUEST OVERVIEW: Joel Bakan is the writer and co-director of documentary film 'The Corporation' in 2003 and 'The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel'.

Discussion with Joel Bakan of book and film, The New Corporation (2020), which reveals a world now fully remade in the corporation's image, perilously close to losing democracy.

In an edited version of what was originally a video podcast (link below), Antony and Luke Thompson dissect the seminal Canadian documentary written by law professor Joel Bakan and directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. Although often run by people with decent intentions, the modern corporation, complete with its legally-determined 'rights of a person', has become a monster that seeks to devour all that stands in its own way while polluting the environment and often ruining lives. You may be shocked to hear the documentary's diagnosis of this legal monster, which we outline during the talk. Some of the talking heads (including critics of the entity, corporation CEOs and everything in between) include Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore and Naomi Klein.   I hope you enjoy the show! If so, please subscribe, like, share etc... Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/lifeandlife75 Twitter- https://twitter.com/lifeonly75 To leave feedback, please write to lifeandlifeonlypod@gmail.com Support Antony's work at www.buymeacoffee.com/antonyrotunno Antony's website (blog, music, podcasts, life coaching) https://www.antonyrotunno.com   The original unedited video version of this talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZgKhah2Acc Luke's podcast and website https://teacherluke.co.uk Luke's Twitter page https://twitter.com/EnglishPodcast A recent film review collaboration between Antony and Luke (Monty Python!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMtOOBpRBaA   episode links Links to the documentary itself and its 'unfortunately necessary' sequel https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPcHj... Rutger Bregman cuts through the crap at Davos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paaen3b44XY The news, sponsored by Pfizer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2LQW1TY0lY&t=45s TED talk by John Perkins, former economic hitman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btF6nKHo2i0        

Aaron Pete & Joel Bakan discuss the role corporations play in western society and his recent movie The New Corporation. The two also discuss Mr. Bakan's recent lawsuit against twitter. Joel Bakan is an author, filmmaker, musician, podcast host, and a professor of law at the University of British Columbia. His work examines the social, economic, and political dimensions of law, and he has published in leading legal and social science journals as well as in the popular press. Mr. Bakan recently released the film The New Corporation. Bakan has won numerous awards for his scholarship and teaching, worked on landmark legal cases and government policy, and served frequently as a media commentator. He is currently suing twitter. Learn more about Joel Bakan on his website: https://joelbakan.com/ Chapters: 0:00:00 Personal Background 0:04:35 Attending Harvard Law School 0:11:18 Corporations & Inequality 0:13:55 The Charter of Rights & Freedoms 0:24:31 S.1 of the Charter & the Oakes Test 0:46:56 What Do You Learn in Law School? 0:56:51 Family & Music 1:05:24 Are Corporations Psychopaths? 1:26:31 The World Economic Forum 1:29:08 Interviewing Klaus Schwab 1:39:40 Is Democracy Disappearing? 1:46:21 Suing TWITTER

Today's episode features a conversation on Creating an Economic System That Works for All featuring Joel Bakan (Professor of Law, Univ of British Columbia; author and filmmaker, The New Corporation) and Rebecca Henderson (John and Natty McArthur University Professor, Harvard University) in conversation with ASBN's Co-Founder & CEO, Jeffrey Hollender.Originally recorded in December 2020.

Vandana Shiva inspires a song about corporations' War on Mother Nature on episode #107 of the Podsongs podcast. #VandanaShiva is a modern-day revolutionary, and for forty years has been fighting a heroic battle on behalf of humanity and the ecologically besieged natural systems that support us. But she is opposed by powerful multinational corporations and billionaires like #billgates invested in continuing their degenerative but lucrative agricultural practices. For more information on Vandana's work and to take part in her online courses go to navdanya.org Her latest book is called: Oneness VS the 1%: Shattering Illusions, Seeding Freedom. Also please check out the documentary film about Vandana's work “The Seeds of Vandana” here: https://vandanashivamovie.com Stream the song https://ffm.to/waronmothernature The song was performed by Rebecca Jenkins whose partner Joel Bakan—writer and director of The New Corporation documentary—suggested Vandana Shiva to Podsongs host Jack Stafford. Podsongs is a unique podcast format created and hosted by Jack Stafford, a British musician living in Italy. Musicians interview inspiring people and produce a song inspired by the conversation. It launched in November 2020 after COVID lockdowns forced Jack to look for other outlets for his music, and it evolved into a collaborative project. War on Mother Nature The song was recorded at Goldmine Records in Vallo della Lucania, Italy. The music was written by Jack Stafford, with lyrics by Jack Stafford and Rebecca Jenkins. Rebecca Jenkinson sang vocals, and it was produced by Maurizio Sarnicola and Massimino Voza, who also played Drums, Piano, Bass, Trumpet, Organ and Keys. Maurizio Sarnicola played guitar. LYRICS: Capital creation you know It's just blatant theft And the system will not stop Until there's nothing left Wake up people come on now Don't get mesmerised By these digital barons And their hypnotic lies Their aim is not discrete They want to defeat Mother Nature It's their illusion It's so senseless Dangerously Anti-life, anti-health, anti-woman No accountability Their media floods our minds PR pollution Money is their goal But you know it's nature's execution Their aim is not discrete They want to defeat Mother Nature Mother Nature It's their illusion As food creators They own what we need They patent nature Even precious seed Come on people Let's collectivise It's time for revolution It's been prophesised Their aim is not discrete They want to defeat her Their aim is not discrete They want to defeat her They want to defeat her They want to defeat her Come on people It's time for revolution Come on now Let's collectivise It's time for revolution // SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL // Newsletter, donations and download the song for €/$1 @ https://podsongs.com // LINKS // Website: https://podsongs.com Podcast episodes: https://podsongs.com/podcast-episodes Songs: https://podsongs.com/music Spotify artist: https://open.spotify.com/artist/32FYyRx1y1ex3jHHAgLMC7?si=4Nv7WW85SbSPZvCsj1o7Ig Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6sN1viy82HPiNTVX2YBxpq?si=1b84c2b9bdea4656 // SOCIAL // Twitter: https://twitter.com/podsongs Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsongsFacebook: https://facebook.com/podsongs --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/podsongs/message

Joel Bakan is professor of law at the University of British Columbia, and an internationally renowned legal scholar and commentator. A former Rhodes Scholar and law clerk to Chief Justice Brian Dickson of the Supreme Court of Canada, Bakan has law degrees from Oxford, Dalhousie, and Harvard. His critically acclaimed book, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power (2004), electrified readers around the world (it was published in over 20 languages), and became a bestseller in several countries. Bakan wrote and co-created (with Mark Achbar) a feature documentary film, The Corporation, based on the book's ideas and directed by Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. The film won numerous awards, including best foreign documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, and was a critical and box office success. The New Corporation, a sequel to that film, is based on Bakan's book of the same name and directed by Bakan and Jennifer Abbott. Bakan's scholarly work includes Just Words: Constitutional Rights and Social Wrongs (1997), as well as textbooks, edited collections, and numerous articles in leading legal and social science journals. His award-winning book, Childhood Under Siege: How Big Business Targets Children (2012), has been translated into several languages. A recipient of awards for both writing and teaching, Bakan has worked on landmark legal cases and government policy, and serves regularly as a public speaker and media commentator. Also a professional jazz guitarist, Bakan lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife Rebecca Jenkins. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/podsongs/message

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Joel Bakan, author of The New Corporation: How "Good" Corporations are Bad for Democracy which won the 2021 Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. Joel talks about consumer power and how the pandemic served as a magnifying glass for the problems we are facing. ABOUT JOEL BAKAN: Joel Bakan is an internationally recognized and award-winning scholar and teacher who has worked on landmark legal cases and government policies. His bestselling book The Corporation was made into an award-winning documentary. He lives in Vancouver. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

This week the fellas are joined by filmmaker, musician, writer, hockey fanatic and lawyer (who has that kind of time??) Joel Bakan. Listen as they talk about Joel's film, The New Corporation, his lawsuit with Twitter and the state of the league! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Alan speaks with Joel Bakan, professor in the Peter Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia, about federal leaders promising to criminalize protests - and whether or not they'd be challenged in court. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s Sunday Letters brings you the final part of the Leadership Series. It’s a shorter piece than previous weeks, and in it, I take a somewhat cynical look at the trend amongst corporates to promote worker wellbeing and environmental initiatives. Are their efforts mere window dressing? I think so because, when it all comes down to it, there is, above all else, the imperative for profit. In this series on leadership, I have examined events from the past, offered expert opinion, and referenced psychological research to demonstrate that in the pursuit of the corporate aim, leaders often take unmitigated risks. Their sense of humanity and concern for others only reaches so far until the wellbeing of the organisation and their own survival takes precedence. It is a phenomenon of the way we live, and it is, unfortunately, alive and well. To overcome it, we’ve got to live by our own personal values, hold to our own individual mind, and always be vigilant. The alternative is to be swept along by a mentality that’s not of our own making.Prelude | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5I’m a student of Work & Organisational Psychology. The material has context for me given my 20+ years of self-employment, and it has helped me frame many of my personal experiences running a business. It has helped me better understand my decisions over the years, both good and bad. In many cases, if I had to do it all over again, I would most certainly be better equipped. Youth tends not to furnish us with the wherewithal necessary for creating favourable outcomes. It’s only with the experience of getting it wrong that we have the opportunity to learn something about ourselves. I say opportunity because, without the benefit of new information and a degree of self-awareness, we often end up making the same mistakes over and over.Within the field of work and organisational psychology, there is an intense effort to understand the personal and environmental conditions that lead to reduced worker wellbeing. Corporate leaders have come to understand that knowledge of the causes of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout amongst their staff can inform solutions to those problems. Solutions can drive higher performance and, subsequently, corporate profit. As such, organisations invest heavily in the area, and one might assume that staff wellbeing in itself was of primary concern. But I’ve always been a little cynical in that regard and so less inclined to take that premise at face value. Besides, the best will and intent in the world often gives way to the commercial demands of operating a business. Sure, people care for people and the environment, but corporations? I’m not so certain.In the pursuit of profit, the efforts of corporations to ensure the wellbeing of staff and the environment often amount to nothing more than window dressing. In his book The New Corporation, Joel Bakan writes of the case of BP under the leadership of Lord John Brown. Brown took over BP as CEO in 1995, growing the company from a two-pipeline concern to one of the world's largest oil and gas producers. However, that growth came at a cost. Several major disasters occurred, including the 2005 Texas City explosion, where fifteen people died. The following year the Thunder Horse rig in The Gulf of Mexico sank due to poor construction. And at Alaska’s North Slope, a poorly maintained pipeline resulted in the largest ever spill in the region. But these events were only the warm-up to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion that destroyed the ecosystem in The Gulf of Mexico.Bakan cites Nancy Leveson, an Industrial Safety Expert at MIT who advised the National Commission investigating the Deepwater Horizon spill;“They (BP) were producing a lot of standards, but many were not very good, and many were irrelevant.”Before the Deepwater Horizon accident, Leveson had apparently told colleagues that BP was an accident waiting to happen. BP had been focused on the personal safety of workers but not on process safety. Adequately formed and applied process safety procedures are likely to have prevented the disasters and loss of life at Texas City and Deepwater Horizon. But these process safety measures, Bakan argues, were too expensive. Worker safety is easier and less expensive to apply, Bakan argues, but safety measures related to the maintenance of pipelines, drilling rigs and wells are not.Costs were cut in the pursuit of market share and increased profit. For example, in Texas City, the plant’s process safety budget was cut twice, once in 1998 by 25 per cent and again in 2005 by another 25 per cent just before the explosion. Adding further insult to the loss of life, three further deaths occurred at the Texas City plant. The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board report found that BP did not take effective steps to avoid the risk of a catastrophic event occurring.The bottom line here is that John Brown, through his commitment and ambition, was blinkered to the practical measures required to maintain the safety of his employees and the environment. His role as CEO was to pursue shareholder profit while externalising as much of the cost of business as possible. He seemed to have done this very well, but at an enormous cost to others.Joel Bakan sums up the BP story and suggests;“People who manage and run large publically traded corporations, like Lord Brown, are not guided by their own lights. Whatever the personal values and ideas might be, when they go to work at their companies, they are bound to the rules of the game. Their decisions must always advance their companies’ financial interests and hence that of their shareholders. The corporate form is agnostic about how they do it. But they must do it.”Leadership seems to be a different animal inside a corporation than outside it. Once inside it, as Lord Brown’s case with BP indicates, the leader is bound by the rules of the game no matter what the impact on human life and the planet. He was willing to take unmitigated risks to do his job. I’m sure he felt remorse for the loss of life - I hope he did - but that offers nothing in the face of the imperative he is obliged to uphold; the pursuit of profit. No matter how remorseful leaders may seem to be at the loss of human life or damage to our environment, they have to get over it to do their job. That is the limit placed on them if they are to function successfully in the corporate world. The risk to your employees’ lives may not be high, but their wellbeing is always at risk. It is a limit placed on everyone who operates in the corporate world no matter the role played, and we almost always are asked to sacrifice something of ourselves in the doing of our job.Work demands us to forgo our humanity for the sake of profit, stock options or wages. Whatever the reward may be, you can’t take the job without adopting a new self, a different self, and subjugating your emotions to the rule of the unspoken neo-liberal law. I believe, however, that it’s only a matter of time before our compromise of personal values and ethics catches up with us. We live in an inherently conflicted state where personal interests are at odds with those of the working role. On the one hand, we have concern for other human beings and the planet upon which we live, and on the other, we cast those concerns aside for the worker self-image and material gain.I believe this game is at the root of all stress, anxiety and ill-health in the workplace, and we can’t sustain it. In my opinion, our efforts to counter this ill-health are merely a sticking plaster on an open wound. We cannot continue to take living breath organisms, place them in a fake plastic environment, and expect them to be healthy. Something has to change in how we see ourselves and the roles we play in society. So what can we do as leaders? I believe personal ethics and values have to take centre stage in our decision-making; otherwise, we get swept along by the momentum of a soulless entity that exists for the accumulation of mere symbols of health and wellbeing.Thanks for taking the time to follow this series on Leadership. If the topics in this series are important to you, get in touch with me to find out how to implement ethical leadership strategies in your organisation. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayletters.larrygmaguire.com/subscribe

Wednesday August 11, 2021 Joel Bakan Accuses Twitter of Muzzling Speech

Has social media become a part of the public square? Sure, the big-name social media firms are all owned by private companies. But have they become so big, and so popular, that they are now entering into the realm of a new, digital public space? If they are, then do companies like Twitter have to respect certain rules that would normally be reserved for public entities – like, for example, the right to freedom of expression? That's what Joel Bakan is arguing. The Canadian law professor is the author of the documentary movie The Corporation and its recent sequel, The New Corporation. The new film is critical of Silicon Valley, questioning whether big tech has too much influence over our lives. After Twitter denied Bakan the ability to advertise his film on its platform, Bakan decided to take legal action against the company and the Government of Canada.

When the team behind independent documentary The New Corporation went to market the film last year, they were rejected by Twitter for promotion on the platform for quote "political," "sensitive" and "inappropriate" content.The film's co-director, writer and producer happens to be UBC law professor Joel Bakan, who is now taking Twitter and the Canadian government to court arguing that because of the social platform's central role in democratic discourse, it should be legally prohibited from restricting political and social speech that causes no harm.On this episode of Broadcast Dialogue - The Podcast, we talk with Bakan about corporate power, regulating big tech, and why he thinks Bill C-10 didn't go far enough.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joel Bakan joins the podcast to discuss his books, and the films based on them. He outlines the fundamental conflict inherent in companies ostensibly committed to ESG principles while simultaneously driven by a legal requirement to maximize shareholder value.

The notion of reality and the way we grasp reality as humans is so deeply subjective, but it's also socially constructed, and so, as a filmmaker - and this is relevant because I'm also a Zen Buddhist - from both those perspectives, I try to explore what we perceive as reality to untangle and figure out in what ways are we being deluded? And in what ways do we have clear vision? And obviously the more clear vision we can have, the better actions we take to ensure a more compassionate, just and sustainable livable world. I'm all for untangling the delusion while admitting wholeheartedly that to untangle it fully is impossible.jennifer abbott, conscient podcast, may 6, 2021, british columbiaJennifer Abbott is a Sundance and Genie award-winning film director, writer, editor, producer and sound designer who specializes in social justice and environmental documentaries. Born in Montreal, Abbott studied political science with a particular interest in radical political thought, women's studies and deep ecology at McGill University and now live in British Columbia.  She is the co-director (with Mark Achbar) and editor of The Corporation (2003), the top grossing and most awarded documentary in Canadian history and also the director, writer, editor, sound designer and co-producer of The Magnitude of all Things (2020) and the Co-Director (with Joel Bakan) and Supervising Editor of The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel (2020), both of which I strongly recommend. The Magnitude of all Things is a unique and powerful film. It's a cinematic exploration of the emotional and psychological dimensions of climatechangethat exploresJennifer loss of her sister to cancer and the profound gravity of climate breakdown and draws intimate parallels between the experiences of grief—both personal and planetary. This film brought me to tears and resonated deeply. I reached out to Jennifer to talk about this important film as well as her other work.There were many poignant moments in our conversation, including this thought about grief and compassion: In terms of why people are so often unable to accept the reality of climate change, I think it's very understandable, because the scale and the violence of it is just so vast, it's difficult to comprehend. It's also so depressing and enraging if one knows the politics behind it and overwhelming. I don't think we, as a species, deal with things that have those qualities very well and we tend to look away. I have a lot of compassion, including for myself, in terms of how difficult it is to come to terms with the climate catastrophe. It is the end of the world as we know it. We don't know what exactly the new world is going to look like, but we do know we're headed for some catastrophe. As I have done in all episodes in season 2 so far, I have integrated excerpts from soundscape compositions and quotations drawn from e19 reality, as well as moments of silence, in this episode.I would like to thank Jennifer for taking the time to speak with me, for sharing her passion for social justice and for her outstanding contributions to environmental activism.For more information on Jennifer's work, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_AbbottLinksThe Great Derangement by Amitav GhoshJennifer Abbott during the filming of The Magnitude of All Things with DOP Vince ArvidsonJennifer Abbott pendant le tournage de The Magnitude of All Things avec le directeur de la photographie Vince Arvidson. *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHere is a link for more information on season 5. Please note that, in parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and it's francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I publish a Substack newsletter called ‘a calm presence' which are 'short, practical essays for those frightened by the ecological crisis'. To subscribe (free of charge) see https://acalmpresence.substack.com. You'll also find a podcast version of each a calm presence posting on Substack or one your favorite podcast player.Also. please note that a complete transcript of conscient podcast and balado conscient episodes from season 1 to 4 is available on the web version of this site (not available on podcast apps) here: https://conscient-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes.Your feedback is always welcome at claude@conscient.ca and/or on conscient podcast social media: Facebook, X, Instagram or Linkedin. I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on April 2, 2024

The Christine Upchurch Show: The Vibration of Change™: The New Corporation: How “Good” Corporations are Bad for Democracy with Joel Bakan

Over the past two decades, corporations have re-branded themselves as good actors, supporting causes such as voting rights and Black Lives Matter, vowing to solve problems like climate change and inequality, and claiming that they ve moved social responsibility from the periphery to the core of their operations. In this conversation with Christine, bestselling author, law professor, and Rhodes Scholar Joel Bakan explains that, although it may seem like positive change, corporations' commitments are shallow and an attempt to gain greater power and influence.

Over the past two decades, corporations have re-branded themselves as good actors, supporting causes such as voting rights and Black Lives Matter, vowing to solve problems like climate change and inequality, and claiming that they ve moved social responsibility from the periphery to the core of their operations. In this conversation with Christine, bestselling author, law professor, and Rhodes Scholar Joel Bakan explains that, although it may seem like positive change, corporations' commitments are shallow and an attempt to gain greater power and influence.

The Christine Upchurch Show: The Vibration of Change™: The New Corporation: How “Good” Corporations are Bad for Democracy with Joel Bakan

Constitutional law professor Joel Bakan returns to talk to us about his new book/movie The NEW Corporation as a follow up to his 2004 masterpiece. This IS A MUST read book.Are corporations a danger to us all? Find outTo reach Joel Bakan: http://www.joelbakan.com/look for Defray in spotify for Joel's musicSabrina does This Day in History Canadian editionBrent has a christian blow his horn and we visit how a miami school is discouraging vaccinations

In this episode, Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott join us for a conversation to dissect their approach to The Corporation follow-up. After Mark Akbar and Jennifer Abbott transformed VIFF audiences in 2003 with The Corporation, Bakan and Abbott returned to the 2020 Festival with  The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel. Refreshing the corporation’s evolution as a legal "person" to a virtue signalling chameleon, the second film is a comprehensive exploration of power and hypocrisy in the face of a growing resistance. Speaking to NDP Candidate and lawyer Niki Sharma, Bakan and Abbott take the conversation beyond the screen, expanding on why, seventeen years on, the urgency for an update was essential.––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––This podcast is brought to you by the Vancouver International Film Festival.Presented on the traditional and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.We've taken our VIFF Talks online with a series of virtual events lined up over the coming weeks. Keep an eye out for upcoming events at goviff.orgVIFF is also running an online cinema on VIFF Connect, showcasing a program of compelling films for you to stream from the comfort of your home.  View what's streaming.You can show your love of cinema by making a tax-deductible gift to VIFF. goviff.org/donate

A ThoughtThe English Grand National was on last Saturday and I usually have a punt on a rank outsider. I’m not otherwise into betting, but the Grand National is a bit of a spectacle so it’s fun to have a stake with the rest of the family. Although my wife holds an entirely counter view, you could take the entire horse racing industry and send it to the moon for all I really care.Pundits talk about odds, and it’s supposed to be an accurate assessment of the horse’s chance of winning, but it’s really “just” the bookies’ opinion. Sure, there is the matter of recent form, the trainer’s expertise, and the skill of the jockey, but bookies sometimes get it wrong. They just need to get it right more often than not and they win. And bookies always win over the long run, just like the house always wins in Vegas, otherwise, they wouldn’t be there.So when they talk about odds, what they’re really talking about is the pattern. They are up close to the phenomenon and they are familiar with how the pattern plays out. As such, they know how prominent aspects replicate over time. They can’t know the entire pattern, no more than the rest of us can, but they are so close to it, so attentive to it, that they see more than the rest of us. There are aspects they cannot see, and there are aspects that don’t grab their attention for very long because they don’t replicate as often as others. And it is here that our winning of the bet lies.Now, if you spend the necessary time becoming familiar with the pattern, the bet is not a bet; it’s a measured, scientific assessment that occurs almost below the line of sight. It’s what we call intuition and this is so with all areas of life. If we don’t take the time to immerse ourselves in it, then the bet is just a bet. It lacks intuition, and the pursuit of the win becomes hoping and wishing. In extreme cases, it becomes almost pathological. As it is with all addictions, it is the seeking of the self in external stimulation when what we really want is the feeling that comes from already being there.As such, the only way to get it is to not chase it. You could say it’s there already, the winning of it I mean, and we don’t know that. We go after it in all kinds of places where it’s not.A Quote“Casting themselves as good actors, corporations cajole governments to free them from regulations designed to protect public interests and citizens’ wellbeing, claiming they can be trusted to regulate themselves. They take over public services like schools, water systems, and social service provision saying they will run them better and more efficiently than governments, and they push for tax cuts with promises of job and other social benefits. The result? Governments retreat from governing, corporations take greater control…” –Joel Bakan, Professor of Law at the University of British ColumbiaA BookTwo books for you this week. The first is The Corporation by the above mentioned Joel Bakan. The second, The New Corporation, is also his. As you might have guessed, the second is a sequel to the 2004 release and revisits his earlier finding that a corporation, being as it is a legal entity with the same rights as you and I, is pathological. Both books come with documentaries and you can watch the first one here. The second is on-demand and I haven’t found a screening for myself yet. If you’re not already cynical about the role corporations play in the conditions under which we live and the health of the planet, you will be after reading these books. Once you know you can’t unknow. So get ready for a healthy dose of reality. Books available here.An AlbumThe old grey Sony radio from the late 70s was always on at home growing up. It came back to Dublin with us from the Middle East and sat on the counter providing the backdrop to my youth. Phyllis always had it on, so as it comes to mind, it comes with her. If I remember right, I once blew the shit out of it attempting to cut through the black flex with a bread knife while it was still plugged in. Not sure what I was trying to do, but I survived. The bread knife and the radio didn’t. Neither did she. We had a turntable with a cassette deck that lived in the corner of the front room but it was hardly ever used. It was the kitchen radio that played the soundtrack to all those events I remember. Unremarkable events like coming in the door from school on a winter’s evening and The Petshop Boys, West End Girls playing in the background. Her peeling spuds and getting the dinner on, and Barry Lang giving it loads on Radio 2. Always good memories, never bad.So music means a lot to me, and sometimes a tune comes along and it grabs me like nothing else. This week, I want to share some new music with you. Two Irish artists came together during the lockdown and created something I think is special. Mick Flannery & Susan O’Neill, take it away…From The ArchiveI publish a few bits and pieces on Medium once or twice a week. This one is recent and short. Here’s an extract;Building a house or making a table is real. Making something with your hands is real. Talking with another human being and understanding their experience is real. Saving someone’s life is real. Marketing is not real — it’s an elaborate abstract game of hide-and-seek, of determining how much lies ordinary people are willing to swallow then producing it ad nauseam until they buy shit they never really wanted in the first place let alone needed.The Perversion of Work EthicThanks for taking the time to read the midweek read. At the end of April, The Gnōmic will be locked for paying subscribers only. If you enjoy this content and want to keep receiving it, grab this discount and support the work I’m doing. Nice one 🤙 This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayletters.larrygmaguire.com/subscribe

Yesterday I was on to something, but then I lost it. It happens like that; an idea lands, and it writes itself in my head as I brush my teeth or make dinner. If I don’t get it down on paper, I lose it. It disappears back from wherever it appeared like the flame on a dying match. No problem though, there’s always another. That’s what happens when we’ve been doing something for a long time; it produces itself, and we’re merely there to facilitate it. Sunday Letters is on the go since 2015, and before that, I had been using writing as a marketing tool for my work. After over ten years of writing, it has become something more than a means to get what I want. It is a conversation with myself, an attempt to understand what’s going on, to understand myself. I had to learn the hard way how this process works, however. I used to think we could make it happen, you know, success or whatever you want to call it. The material reflection needed to follow. Otherwise, what I was doing wouldn’t work and, therefore, not worth the effort. That’s the measure of it you see. But in that frame of mind, we miss way too much, and we can get lost.In another location here on Substack, I’ve been writing about leadership as it applies mostly to business, but it’s also applicable to other areas. In particular, I’ve been writing on the essence of the personality type associated with success, with material success. Thus far, I have figured out that if we’re not tuned to the mode of being necessary for success, then we fail. Because, sticking with the business arena for a moment, that world is by its nature highly competitive. That’s the nature of the beast, and if we’re going to enter it, we’ve got to be willing to kill or be killed. In that process, we must take advantage wherever we can get it, and if that means manipulation, deceit, coercion and so on, then so be it. The only thing stopping us is the voice of our own integrity whispering in our ear. But then again, if you listen to that, you’ll likely be eaten.It seems we’ve got to ride two psychological horses, so to speak. We can be ourselves (whatever that means), but we’ve got to be someone else too. Try to uphold your ethical and moral principles while operating an ongoing commercial concern and see how far it gets you. Instead, if you’re going to enter the business world, you must arm yourself with a healthy dose of ruthlessness. Others are lying in wait to take advantage; staff, suppliers, customers, fellow directors, contemporaries, and so on, so don’t kid yourself. You may hold to your ethical and moral principles for some time, but on the occasion you're under threat, and you will, you need to fight back. You can’t be a shining light of moral evangelism in the business world. It’s like walking onto the battlefield without armour. It’s simply naive.A Wolf In Sheep’s ClothingEthics is a hot topic for business leaders and academics, but I wonder if that is merely a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The conversation about meeting the needs of shareholders while also meeting the social need is ongoing, but is it all just paying lip service to the problem? In 2009, two hundred CEOs from the world’s largest corporations gathered at the Business Roundtable chaired by JP Morgan in an effort to change the public’s perception of the corporation. They aimed to convince us that their interests extend to all stakeholders and not just their shareholders. They tell us they have changed from entities that rape and pillage to ones that are caring and conscientious. They put on a good show with slick marketing and clever public statements and initiatives. However, the truth is that nothing has really changed.Joel Bakan, Professor of Law at the University of British Columbia, wrote on this topic back in 2004 with his book, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit & Power. Here he stated that a corporation’s legally defined mandate is to pursue its own self-interest relentlessly. As such, he argues, the corporation is a pathological institution. Bakan returned to the question in 2020 with The New Corporation: How "good" Corporations Are Bad for Democracy and told us that despite the best efforts of the corporate elite, their intent is the same. They might try to convince us of their benevolence but warns us against dropping our guard.We might insist that our small business is different; we wouldn’t dream of taking unfair or unethical advantage, but the truth is that all private or publicly held businesses abide by the same legal structures. That is, it must be profitable; otherwise, it ceases to be viable. This is the nature of the game, and as Richard Buckminster Fuller wrote in Critical Path, I found myself wholly incompatible with it. Today, albeit from my tiny corner of the internet and with my even tinier audience, I decided to be a counter-voice to the dominant narrative around work. Currently, our choices seem small; we either enter business for ourselves, taking on all that goes with that, or we become a minor cog in the machine. That is, we choose direct employment. There may be other options available, but by and large, these are our options.A New Way To WorkBut maybe there’s another way, a better model for living and working. It’s not easy, but if we find either of the above options unpalatable, then we’ve got little choice. The route I’ve been channelling out is that of a business of one, but not a business as we would typically understand it. It’s familiar territory in many ways, but it also looks very different. Direct employment served my needs for a while, and although the thought of working under the command of others depresses me on one level, I may do that if the ends justify the means. That is to say, if I want to learn something new, then I’ve got to accept I need to be apprenticed. If I am to make a social contribution, then I need to learn how the system works. But in all of this, and I may not be explaining it very well, there needs to be a shift in how we view ourselves and the world in which we live. It is that which cannot go backwards.Bad bastards exist, they are everywhere, and we must accept that. When we do, something changes in us (or is it that the acceptance comes after, that it is a consequence rather than a cause of the change? I’m not sure). Sometimes the bad bastards do a good job convincing us they care and that our best interests are important to them. But their true intent is rarely hidden for long. This is the role of marketing; to convince us of something when the truth of the matter would make us act otherwise. The business world is out for profit first and foremost, and your wellbeing comes second regardless of whether you are a customer, supplier or employee. Get your head around that! Accept it. It’s not going to change anytime soon. And from there, we’ve got to make that choice.And here’s where we circle back to the start of this conversation; the process exists, and we are either completely absorbed by and at odds with it, or we see it for what it is and step outside. Finding a new way to work, to realise fulfilment and happiness, requires us to step outside it. The alternative is to remain buffered by and at odds with the process.Thanks for taking the time to read my stuff. If you enjoy Sunday Letters, consider supporting my work. I’m on Twitter if you’d like to follow me there. Oh, and there’s the Sunday Letters Podcast.References This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sundayletters.larrygmaguire.com/subscribe

Joel Bakan, author / producer of "The Corporation," joins Democracy Nerd to discuss his follow-up "The New Corporation: How "Good" Corporations Are Bad For Democracy." Bakan explains how despite adopting efforts to portray themselves as good corporate citizens, corporations continue to operate from a single goal of maximizing shareholder profit. As a result, corporations portray themselves as the savior to fix society's problems, helping undermine global democracy. Can corporations be trusted to help fix the problems they helped create?

Hello Listeners! I hope you’ve enjoyed listening to the second series of the Docs & More podcast, where you’ve been able to hear from award-winning and Oscar nominated directors!! Including Deepti Gupta, Mart Bira, Asad Faruqi, Barry Avrich, Siji Awoyinka, Erika Cohn, Diana Nielle and Richard Poplak, Joel Bakan, Maia Lekow, Mia Donavan, Mina Keshavarz, Sharron Ward and Tamara Dawit. Their stories have covered a vast geographical area from Ethiopia and Kenya to Canada and the US, from Mongolia to Nigeria and from Pakistan and India to Hong Kong and Iran. These podcasts are my passion and I am glad they have reached such a wide, global audience. I would love to make a third series but for that to happen I need you. If you would like to see a third series, please consider donating some money - however little - through my ko fi page, at www.ko-fi.com/docsmore. Thank you. Music by Mixolydian Studios Sydney (Michiya Nagai and Benjamin Samuels).

This week I’m joined by one of the co-directors of the incredible documentary, The New Corporation – the Unfortunately Necessary Sequel. Described by Forbes magazine as the ‘must see documentary of the year’, the film charts how our democracies are in danger, thanks to the rise of corporations. Connecting stories from around the world the film examines economic inequality, racial injustice, climate change and much more. One half of this impressive directing duo is the award-winning director Jennifer Abbott, and the other is a professor of law at the University of British Columbia, a writer and also film maker, Joel Bakan. Don't forget to subscribe to the show! Music by Mixolydian Studios Sydney (Michiya Nagai and Benjamin Samuels). If you enjoyed this podcast you can support us with a coffee https://ko-fi.com/docsmore.

Joel Bakan is an American-Canadian writer, filmmaker, and professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. Joel has recently published a book, The New Corporation: How “Good” Corporations are Bad for Democracy, and released a documentary film based upon it. You can find out more about both at joelbakan.com. In Joel’s early documentary film “The Corporation” he famously said that corporations are psychopaths. In this podcast we extrapolate from that discuss how power has shifted from government to corporations as they try to take over every aspect of our lives. What does this mean for democracy? How much power are we willing to give over to these companies? And are they really trying to do “good” or is just a facade to yield more control and ultimately...profit? This is what Joel explores further in his new film and book, he talks about his trip to Davos and the people and CEOs he encountered there who endeavour to change the world, but is it for the better? 

Joel Bakan, co-director of The New Corporation, on his Unfortunately Necessary Sequel, why corporations aren’t our friends and the reason corporations are considered persons, but orcas aren’t. Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment. Join the Pod…… https://www.patreon.com/mobydoll Skaana home….. skaana.org Skaana on Medium…. https://medium.com/skaana “Your Magical Week" – meditation with Rayne Benu…. digital-enlightenment.net Facebook……….. https://www.facebook.com/skaanapod/ Twitter…………… https://twitter.com/skaanapod The Killer Whale Who Changed the World… http://amzn.to/2pRNU1q  Orcas Everywhere… http://www.orcaseverywhere.com Spotify…………...www.bit.ly/spotify-skaana

How do we find our way to a society focused on the common good instead of greed and selfishness? Does our “socially responsible” corporation structure allow us to have other values besides profit? Our panel—Joel Bakan, Jennifer Abbot, Elizabeth Davis and Kevin McGarry—will guide us to examine these issues. Joel Bakan's book “the New Corporation” and Jennifer Abbot and Joel's film by the same name, calls out what they call the corporate takeover of society. From gatherings of corporate elites in Davos, to climate change and spiraling inequality, the rise of authoritarian leaders to COVID and racial injustice, our panel of media activists and academics looks at corporations' devastating power and the systemic changes required. Countering this is a groundswell of resistance worldwide as people take to the streets in pursuit of justice and the planet's future. The members of our panel examine how a “just recovery” means addressing the three crises: climate, COVID and capitalism. The panel will look beyond the old corporate mentality and guide people toward a reimagining of democracy, collective action, structural equality and how people can get involved. MLF ORGANIZER Elizabeth Carney NOTES MLF: Business & Leadership Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Skaana guests Erich Hoyt, Robbie Bond, Joel Bakan, Carl Safina, Julia Barnes, Marc Bekoff & the Skaana team share our wishes for a very new New Year in 2021. Skaana connects you to stories about oceans, eco-ethics and the environment. Join the Pod… https://www.patreon.com/mobydoll Skaana home….. skaana.org Skaana on Medium…. https://medium.com/skaana “Your Magical Week" – meditation with Rayne Benu…. digital-enlightenment.net Facebook……….. https://www.facebook.com/skaanapod/ Twitter…………… https://twitter.com/skaanapod The Killer Whale Who Changed the World… http://amzn.to/2pRNU1q  Orcas Everywhere… http://www.orcaseverywhere.com Spotify…………...www.bit.ly/spotify-skaana

Joel Bakan is an author, filmmaker, and law professor at the University of British Columbia. His most recent book, The New Corporation, is the sequel to his 2003 title, The Corporation, which—during an era of anti-globalization protests and growing distrust of publicly-traded companies—spawned the highly influential film that same year: The Corporation. In the season finale of the Capture Queue podcast, Joel and Tracy discuss both his book and his recent documentary, The New Corporation, which he made alongside director Jennifer Abbott. Bakan explains why the duo believed a sequel was necessary all these years later, how Corporate Social Responsibility isn't quite what it seems, and much, much more. For photos and more details, visit capturequeue.com 

Want a better grasp of what the giant of capitalism means? This winter semester, Dr. Michael DeMoor (Associate Professor of Social Philosophy in Politics, History, and Economics at The King's University and cross-appointed faculty at ICS) and Samir Gassanov (ICS PhD student) will be co-teaching a course called Capitalism(s) in the West: Intellectual History, Core Institutions, and Architectonic Critique. Starting January 14, the course will meet virtually every Thursday (11am-2pm EST). ICS Junior Member Abbi Hofstede joined Michael and Samir on this episode to ask them all about what students like her can expect from this course. Register today! Like all our upcoming winter courses, this one is accessible from all over the world for credit or audit, with a significant discount on course fees for first time auditors and ICS alums--only $400 CAD (plus registration). So if you'd like to find out more about the course or to register,  you can visit the course page on our website or send our Registrar an email at academic-registrar@icscanada.edu! Some resources of interest on capitalism(s) Capital in the 21st Century (2019 documentary available on Netflix; based on the book by Thomas Piketty) The Big Short (2015 film based on the book by Michael Lewis) The Corporation (2003 documentary based on the book by Joel Bakan) punk rock music from the 1970s-80s (especially the career arc of The Clash)  Critical Faith is sponsored by the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE) at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. For more, visit www.icscanada.edu. Music by Matt Bernico.

Joel Bakan is an academic, university law professor, jazz musician, and filmmaker. In 2003, he co-wrote the documentary film The Corporation, which won over 25 awards internationally. 17 years later, he has written and co-directed a sequel The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel. Joel talks about the controversial ruling that allowed corporations to be treated as people, minimum wage, the problems with philanthropic and disaster capitalism, government mistrust and how we need to re-frame the narrative. Subscribe to Endeavours on Spotify Social @EndeavoursRadio web: www.endeavoursradio.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dan-mcpeake/message

Joel Bakan is an author, filmmaker and a professor of law at the University of British Columbia. Joel joins Sarah Parsonage in interview answering this year's one question, can business make society? Author of The New Corporation: How good Corporation is bad for Democracy, the follow up to the original, The Corporation: The Pathological pursuit for Profit and Power published in 2004. A fascinating interview into the danger of business stepping in to fill the void if Government has lost the power to govern. To purchase a copy of Joel's book or to watch the subsequent film visit https://bookshop.org/books/the-new-corporation-how-good-corporations-are-bad-for-democracy/9781984899729

Filmmaker and law professor Joel Bakan talks about his book and film, The New Corporation, where he dissects how corporations have tricked the public into believing that corporations can regulate themselves better than government can.

Alan welcomed special guest host Ben Meiselas, Colin Kaepernick's attorney, and now SiriusXM talk show personality to share the mic with him (distanced of course). Alan and Ben talked to law professor, filmmaker and author Joel Bakan, about his book turned film, "The New Corporation." It's an unflinching look at the way corporations have rebranded themselves as socially conscious entities ready to tackle society's problems, while CEO compensation soars, income inequality is at all-time highs, and democratic institutions sit in a precarious situation. In the second half-hour, the dynamic duo chats with Casey Cep, whose new book "Furious Hours" details the last trial of Harper Lee, the writer behind "To Kill a Mockingbird." While the nation gears up for the election, Gurvey's Law will distract you with some interesting book talk… Don't miss Gurveys Law on Sundays, at 5 p.m. Pacific time on KABC-AM 790 TalkRadio and streaming live on kabc.com!

In this episode, we meet with Dr. Joel Bakan to discuss the growing sustainability focus of multinational corporations. He is a professor of law at the University of British Columbia, and a legal scholar and commentator. A former Rhodes Scholar and law clerk to Chief Justice Brian Dickson of the Supreme Court of Canada, Bakan has law degrees from Oxford, Dalhousie, and Harvard. His critically acclaimed book, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power (Free Press, 2004) was published in over 20 languages. The book inspired a feature documentary film, The Corporation, written by Bakan and co-created with Mark Achbar, which won numerous awards, including best foreign documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. His most recent book is The New Corporation: How "Good" Corporations are Bad for Democracy (Penguin Random House, 2020); it is the basis for his second feature documentary film, The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel, which Bakan wrote and co-directed with Jennifer Abbott.

October 9, 2020 TV Movie Star Columbus Short, Massage Envy Beth Stiller and New Corporation Joel Bakan

On today's episode, Joel Bakan, author of The New Corporation, discusses how and why good corporations are bad for democracy. Joel Bakan is professor of law at the University of British Columbia. A Rhodes Scholar and former law clerk to Chief Justice Brian Dickson of the Supreme Court of Canada, he holds law degrees from Oxford, Harvard, and Dalhousie Universities. An internationally renowned legal authority, Bakan has written widely on law and its social and economic impact. He is the cocreator and writer of a documentary film and television miniseries called The Corporation, which is based on the book. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott's 2003 documentary, The Corporation, argued that many corporations met the criteria of a psychopath. Years later, things have only gotten worse. The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel examines how corporations have rebranded as socially responsible - and looks at the grassroots organizations that are fighting back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel calls corporate social responsibility’s bluff. Co-directors Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott on how, almost twenty years after their first documentary came out, corporations are still driven by psychopathic greed— but are making it look like they’re out to save the world. This episode was brought to you by Audible, Manscaped, and HelloFresh. Additional music from Audio Network. Support CANADALAND: http://canadalandshow.com/join See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jennifer Abbot & Joel Bakan (filmmakers, The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel); Neil Hetherington (the risks and challenges faced by food bank clients during Covid-19)

Jennifer Abbott and Joel Bakan and Face2Face host David Peck talk about The New Corporation, economic values, lifting the veil, democracy and justice, authentic hope and why horror movies got it wrong.TrailerSynopsis:From Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott, filmmakers of the multi-award-winning global hit, The Corporation, comes this hard-hitting and timely sequel.The New Corporation reveals how the corporate takeover of society is being justified by the sly rebranding of corporations as socially conscious entities. From gatherings of corporate elites in Davos, to climate change and spiraling inequality; the rise of ultra-right leaders to Covid-19 and racial injustice, the film looks at corporations' devastating power. Countering this is a groundswell of resistance worldwide as people take to the streets in pursuit of justice and the planet's future.In the face of increasing wealth disparity, climate change, and the hollowing-out of democracy The New Corporation is a cry for social justice, deeper democracy, and transformative solutions.About Jennifer and Joel:Jennifer Abbott is a multi-award-winning filmmaker and media activist who for the last 25 years has been making films about some of the most urgent social, political and environmental issues of the day. Born in Montreal, she pursued an education dedicated to radical political thought, women’s studies and deep ecology, which are at the centre of her beliefs today.She is best known as one of the Directors & the Editor of 2003’s breakthrough documentary, The Corporation. This year will also see the release of her feature documentary, The Magnitude of All Things, about ecological grief in the era of climate change. Jennifer is a mother of three and lives in Vancouver.Filmography: The Magnitude of All Things, Us & Them, Unspeak: Brave New Minds, The Corporation, A Cow at My Table.Joel Bakan is professor of law at the University of British Columbia, and an internationally renowned legal scholar and commentator. A former Rhodes Scholar and law clerk to Chief Justice Brian Dickson of the Supreme Court of Canada, Bakan has law degrees from Oxford, Dalhousie, and Harvard. His critically acclaimed book, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power, electrified readers around the world (it was published in over 20 languages), and became a bestseller in several countries. Bakan wrote and co-created (with Mark Achbar) a feature documentary film, The Corporation, based on the book’s ideas and directed by Achbar and Jennifer Abbott. The film won numerous awards, including best foreign documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, and was a critical and box office success.The New Corporation, a sequel to that film, is based on Bakan’s book of the same name and directed by Bakan and Jennifer Abbott. Bakan’s scholarly work includes Just Words: Constitutional Rights and Social Wrongs, as well as textbooks, edited collections, and numerous articles in leading legal and social science journals. His award-winning book, Childhood Under Siege: How Big Business Targets Children has been translated into several languages.A recipient of awards for both writing and teaching, Bakan has worked on landmark legal cases and government policy, and serves regularly as a public speaker and media commentator.Also a professional jazz guitarist, Bakan lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife Rebecca Jenkins.Image Copyright and Credit: Jennifer Abbott and Joel Bakan and Grant Street Productions.F2F Music and Image Copyright: David Peck and Face2Face. Used with permission.For more information about David Peck’s podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit his site here.With thanks to Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, Buddy and Leanne (KCPL librarians) discuss films that are available on the Library's Kanopy Streaming platform. Here are the films discussed in this episode. Buddy's list:Danger: Diabolik, Mario Bava, 1968: Italian Psychedelic Action/HumorFree Fire, Ben Wheatley, 2017: Dark Comedy, Action/HumorThe Corporation, Mark Achbar & Joel Bakan, 2003: Documentary about Corporations and corporate power, including discussions about: history, activism, environment, business, global politics/economics, etc.I Dream of Wires, Robert Fantinatto, 2014: Documentary about modular synthesizers, including: West Coast vs East Coast philosophy; biography of Bob Moog and Don Buchla; global stories about electronic music, culture and technologyBlue, Derek Jarman, 1993: Minimalist Art Film Leanne's list:What We Do In The Shadows, Taika Waititi, 2017: Comedy, Mockumentary by Oscar-winning director centering on the lives of a household of vampires in New Zealand Dottie Gets Spanked, Todd Haynes, 1993: Short Film/Drama: A young boy's fascination with an “I Love Lucy”-type 1950's sitcom star leads to his awakening to being gay and how he must transform himself to conform to family and peer's expectations. A masterpiece.Kedi, Ceyda Torun, 2016: Documentary: Delightful, calm exploration of the street cats of Istanbul and the city residents who care for them.Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig, 2017: Drama/Comedy: Sweet coming-of-age story about a quirky senior from Sacramento, CA set in 2002. Heartwarming but not saccharine, with exception performances by Laurie Metcalf & Saoirse Ronan.The Endless Summer, Bruce Brown, 1966: Documentary, Joy on screen. Two surfers chase the summer around the globe, catching tasty waves. A great primer for a young person to enter into documentary viewing.

Based on Joel Bakan’s bestseller The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power. 

Is anger or resentment keeping you from being the happy and energetic person you want to be? Justin reviews 3 Steps to forgiveness after explaining how forgiveness is about you and not the other person. He also touches on a topic shared at a recent Toastmasters.org meeting on the book "The Corporation" by Joel Bakan. Find Justin Wenck on Facebook or at JustinWenck.com. Remember to subscribe and rate us on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

We are back! The crew returns with professor Joel Bakan from UBC. He is a professor in corporate law and takes us on a journey of explanation as to how corporations became legal persons under the law. What is the history? What are the ramifications of such a judgement? Is there a way out of this predicament? Should we re-think capitalism? http://www.joelbakan.com/ Nancy gives us a top 10 of places to ride your motorcycle and we learn that exorcisms can be a part of your work duties...

Joel Bakan is the author of the books 'The Corporation' and 'Childhood Under Siege'. The Corporation (the last book we read and reviewed) talks about how the structure of large companies essentially forces them to focus purely on profit and disregard any other obligations or responsibilities they may have to those around them. It was also a documentation (of the same title) and Joel is currently working on 'The Corporation 2' to be released in late-2018. Childhood Under Siege talks about how big businesses target children and control their actions through marketing and advertising, as children haven't fully developed more rational, long-term thinking and planning yet.   Enter our competition to win EVERY book we read and review in Season 2 by leaving us a review or by heading to www.whatyouwilllearn.com/contest Grab the notes we've made for every episode by heading to www.whatyouwilllearn.com/notes Help us improve the show (and enter our competition) by completing the short questionnaire at www.whatyouwilllearn.com/survey

Teaser NARRATOR Donuts, deodorant, buns and burgers. They're killing us -- and not just because of what they do to our bodies. No, it's because of what the soy, beef, and palm-oil that they're made of -- and they paper they're packaged in -- do to the environment. More specifically, it's because of the way way we get these commodities -- by chopping or degrading forests -- which is one reason that tropical forests now emit more greenhouse gasses than they absorb, according to a study published last month in the journal Science. But what if I told you we could end this by 2020 -- just two years from now? I'm not saying we can end all deforestation by 2020, but what if I told you we can purge deforestation from these four commodities -- the ones that drive most of the world's deforestation -- by ramping up ten activities that we're already engaged in -- and have been for decades: that these activities are time-tested, and they're lined up like dominoes, ready to be activated? It's like a giant, simmering pot ready to boil. Would you believe me? I hope so, because that's exactly what I'm saying, and it's not just me saying this. It's more than 250 economists, ecologists, and agronomists from around the world, and they're drawing on the experience of environmental NGOand small farming communities from Africa to Asia to Latin America -- as well as the big agribusinesses -- who are, quite frankly, the critical actors in all of this. Today we're looking at these ten activities, how they fit into 100 more that are getting a lot of attention these days -- as well as where they came from, why they work, and how you can learn more about them.   NARRATOR Earth. We broke it. We own it -- and nothing is as it was. Not the trees, not the seas - not the forests, farms, or fields -- and not the global economy that depends on all of these. But we can restore it. Make it better: greener, more resilient, more sustainable. But how? Technology? Geoengineering? Are we doomed to live on a... Bionic Planet? Or is Nature itself the answer? That's the question we address in every episode of Bionic Planet, a podcast of the Anthropocene -- the new epoch defined by man's impact on earth -- and nowhere is that impact more deeply felt than in the forests, farms, and fields that recycle our air and provide our food. Today we're looking at lists: two of them, to be specific. One involves 100 solutions that can not only slow climate change, but end it and even reverse it. The other involves ten activities that can accelerate a cluster of the big 100. In between our examination of these two lists, you're going to have to sit through a little history class -- because you won't understand where we're at or where we're going if you don't understand where we came from and how we got here. Act I NARRATOR I'm opening today's show with a book review of sorts -- a very short one like the ones that Sister Mary Ann used to ask us to deliver in her English class at Christ the King school in Chicago. It compares and contrasts two best-sellers related to Climate Change. One is called "Drawdown", and it's a recipe book of sorts... for saving the planet. I love this book. The other is called "This Changes Everything", and it's a mess. I hate it -- even though it's more entertaining than the first. What I love about Drawdown, which is edited by environmentalist and entrepreneur Paul Hawken, is that it focuses on concrete, doable ways of fixing the mess. Specifically, it summarizes 100 solutions that can not only slow climate change, but -- cumulatively -- end it and even reverse it. Of these 100, 80 already exist and are even being implemented, while 20 are listed as "coming attractions". He categorizes about a quarter of the solutions under either "food" or "land use", and they include things like green agriculture, forest protection, and indigenous peoples' land management -- all of which I cover in this podcast What I hate about "This Changes Everything" is that it's shrill, sloppy, and dismissive of workable solutions. Its basic story arc is this: "Gee, I just realized this climate stuff is serious, and so I spent a year or so investigating it, and I found that all of the so-called solutions out there only fix part of the problem... none of the fix the whole thing. We need something radical! A total reset of human nature! And I'm just the person to tell you how to do it, and it involves the post office." On the one hand, in writing the book, Naomi Klein sounded the alarm, which is great, and she even pointed out that we need to radically alter the way we run our economy... which is true... but then she dismisses anything that isn't a magic bullet like the ones that kills vampires... or is it warewolves? Anyway... and either way, she ends up floating a solution that's just as imaginary as those two creatures, while not just ignoring but actively dissing and dismissing solutions like the ones that Hawken highlights in his book  Now, I get the Daniel Burnham aspect of this -- he's the Chicago architect who said, and I quote, "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized." So, I can see why Klein -- and, in fact, most mainstream writers -- steer clear of wonky, tedious solutions. They're boring. But our job as reporters isn't just to entertain. It's to act as a kind of scout... going out into the wilderness, seeing what's happening there -- what the threats are, how to avoid them... and then reporting back in a way that clear and concise. I'm excited about Drawdown for two reasons: first, because it achieves this, and second, because it's become a best-seller -- and it should, because these wonky, tedious solutions aren't little. Each is massive in its own right, and Drawdown looks at 100 of them. What's more, the book's goal isn't just to slow climate change, but to actually end it and reverse it. If that doesn't stir your heart, I don't know what will -- and on that note, I'd to share with you the second half of that quote, which we almost never hear. "Make big plans," he says. "Aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty." Nothing there about being simple and pithy, and the emerging solutions to the climate challenge are not always simple, but they are noble, logical, orderly, and beautiful. The Paris Agreement, for example, is a masterwork of diplomacy -- a massive mosaic of thousands of smaller agreements that respect every country and culture on the planet. Likewise, the solutions I'll be examining today emerge from diverse sectors and societies, yet they all fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, and they're also integral to the success of the Paris Agreement. I'm focusing mostly on the corporate sector, because that's where we need to focus our attention if we're going to fix this mess. The ten solutions we'll be examining in the final segment come from Tropical Forest Alliance 2020. But what is Tropical Forest Alliance 2020, and how does it influence corporate activities?  Act 2 Marco Albani We're basically a platform for private-public collaboration NARRATOR That's Marco Albani who runs Tropical Forest Alliance 2020.  MARCO ALBANI Created by US government and CGF MUSIC: Zydeco NARRATOR We're going to be focusing on two organizations today, and the Consumer Goods Forum is one of them. It's a coalition of CEOs and top managers from more than 400 retailers, manufacturers, and service providers in 70 countries. It coalesced in 2009, but traces its origin to the aftermath of World War I, when French food merchants were beginning to engage in international commerce again, and needed to know that they were getting good stuff. But they soon learned that the "war to end all wars" achieved nothing of the kind, and it wasn't until 1953 that the International Committee of Food Chains was born. This was a commercial enterprise focused on making sure farmers in far-away places were delivering good food to merchants and shopkeepers closer to home, but the parameters of quality control gradually expanded to include labor conditions and environmental impact. By the 1990s, environmental pressure groups had forced the creation of certification standards for the sustainable production of palm oil and timber & pulp, while other industry groups emerged to promote general food safety. Then, in 2009, just as climate negotiators were gathering for year-end talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, three of these industry groups -- the Global Commerce Initiative, the Global CEO Forum, and the International Committee of Food Chains -- merged into the Consumer Goods Forum, which is dedicated to promoting fair labor and environmental practices among companies whose sales add up to $3.5 trillion per year. Now, I'm not so naive as to believe that these companies are all selfless and beneficent. In fact, I even think many of them are selfish and sociopathic, as legal scholar Joel Bakan maintains. But there are ways of changing that, and these multilateral organizations are one. In fact, research from the Forest Trends Supply Change initiative shows companies that belong to organizations like the Consumer Goods Forum not only make more environmental commitments than companies that don't, but they're also much better at reporting progress towards delivering on those commitments, which is why this matters: MARCO ALBANI 2010 GCF Resolution NARRATOR Beef, soy, palm oil, and pulp & paper. There they are again -- the big four commodities responsible for most of the world's deforestation, because farmers around the world are chopping forests to grow them. So it's a pretty big deal when 400 companies line up behind a specific pledge to end that.  But, of course, it doesn't end there. Just as the Kyoto Protocol showed us that government can't do this on its own, common sense tells us that the global, profit-driven corporate sector isn't going to fix our problems on its own, either, despite what free-market fundamentalists like to believe. We need government, we need NGOs, we need indigenous groups... we need them all working together. So, in 2012, the Consumer Goods Forum and the US government launched the group we're primarily focusing on today: Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 -- or TFA 2020 -- to get all these sectors working towards the goal of changing the way we produce the big four deforestation commodities, so that by the year 2020 we no longer chop forests to do so. MARCO ALBANI And since then grown... more than 400 partners... business, producers to consumers. MUSIC: zydeco? NARRATOR So, you've got the Consumer Goods Forum representing business, and you've got Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 -- or TFA 2020 -- representing all of these diverse interests. Then, in 2014, as climate negotiators were gearing up for the Lima talks, things get serious. UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon holds a massive rally in New York designed to turbocharge TFA 2020's mission. The result is the New York Declaration on Forests, which is a pledge to cut the global rate of deforestation in half by 2020, and to end deforestation by 2030 while restoring hundreds of millions of acres of degraded land. The pledge is endorsed by 36 national governments,  20 sub-national governments -- meaning states and cities -- 15 indigenous organizations, 53 environmental NGOs, and 52 multinational corporations. The list of companies is interesting: it includes traditional good actors like Danone, Unilever, and Kellogg's -- but also companies with a reputation for doing the wrong thing, like Asia Pulp and Paper -- a longtime environmental pariah once known for grinding pristine forest into pulp. Dewi Bramono turn story around NARRATOR That's Dewi Bramono, Asia Pulp and Paper's Director of Sustainability and Stakeholder Engagement, who we'll hear from later in the show. Most of the audio in today's show comes from an event that Forest Trends hosted in September during New York Climate Week, and Dewi Bramono's presence in that room is proof that companies can change. The New York Declaration on Forests is a big deal, because you got all of these companies publicly committing to tackle deforestation, and the declaration isn't just a simple statement, but is actually 10 specific goals that -- like all of those 100 solutions in Drawdown -- feed on and reinforce each other. The challenge is holding these companies to their word. MUSIC: ends Now we come to 2015: you've got these two global networks and this very public commitment -- how do you turn this into action? In part by getting everyone on the same page, so the governments of the UK and Norway ramped up funding for TFA 2020, and the World Economic Forum essentially adopted it -- giving it a place to live in Switzerland. That same year, the organization I work for -- Forest Trends -- launched the Supply Change initiative -- that's Supply-Change.org -- to track not just corporate commitments, but the progress that companies report, and you may have noticed I use them as a resource quite a lot. Now we come to last year -- 2016. You've got all of these commitments and all of this transparency, and TFA 2020 needed to pull it all together so we could see how far we were from the goal. They asked a dozen leading NGOs to help out, and they put a research-oriented group called Climate Focus in charge. Then, at last year's climate talks in Marrakesh, they published two reports: one focused on progress towards all ten of the goals outlined in the New York Declaration on Forests, and one focused exclusively on Goal Number Two, which says that, by 2020, we will no longer be chopping forests to produce the big four deforestation commodities. MUSIC: End zydeco MARCO ALBANI Goal Two Assessment - 1 NARRATOR Specifically, it's a mixed bag. Using Supply Change data on almost 700 companies, they found less than half of the companies that had made commitments were actually disclosing progress -- although those that did report progress were usually on track to meet their goals. They also found huge variance from company to company -- meaning some great success stories, some shining examples, and a lot of lessons-learned.  MARCO ALBANI Goal Two Assessment - 2 NARRATOR It's crunch-time, and we need to very quickly harvest the lessons of the last eight years to see what works and what doesn't. Then we need to scale up what works, and do it fast. So Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 called in "Climate Focus". They're the research-oriented NGO that led the creation of the two earlier assessments. CHARLOTTE STRECK We started with the New York Declaration NARRATOR That's Charlotte Streck, who runs Climate Focus. CHARLOTTE STRECK Then we had a series of workshops... FADE OUT NARRATOR You get the picture. They didn't just pull this out of thin air, but instead they talked to more than 250 organizations, put their findings out for review, adjusted them, and finally presented them in New York. SOUND: fade charlotte back in MUSIC: pensive NARRATOR So, let's pause again to get our bearings. We started with 100 activities that can reverse climate change, and we dove into one of them: ending deforestation, which we realized is part of a cluster of activities related to land-use and agriculture. We in turn found that this cluster was broken into ten specific goals of its own, enshrined in the New York Declaration on Forests. Then we dove into one of those ten goals -- Goal Number Two, the most immediate one: purging deforestation from the big four commodities by the year 2020 -- and we found it's doable. And now, after diving down to this one goal... we're going to open things up again... to look at the ten priority areas that can help us achieve the goal of purging deforestation from these four key commodities in just two years, which will in turn help us achieve the other 9 goals in the New York Declaration on Forests, which will in turn help us achieve a few dozen of the 100 activities that will help us reverse climate change. MUSIC: END NARRATOR Before we move on, some key points. First: Charlotte Streck This is not a step-wise approach NARRATOR And also, if we do achieve the 2020 goal, the game isn't over.  , MARCO ALBANI Need to keep long-term MUSIC: ?? NARRATOR I'm about to unveil the ten priority areas, but first I have a question for you: do you like this show? If so, would you like more episodes -- maybe better produced to boot? With a second set of ears and more time for editing? You can make that possible by giving me a good rating on iTunes or wherever you access the show; you can tell friends about me. Or, best of all, you can become a patron at bionic-planet.com I've set the patronage page up so you can support me per episode, but with a monthly cap. So, if you think $5 per month is good for a five-episode month, you can pledge $1 per episode, but with a $5 monthly cap. That way, if I don't manage to generate five episodes in a month, you're not paying for something you didn't get, and if I go nuts and deliver 20 episodes one month, you won't get whacked, either. By the same token, you can offer $5 per episode... or 10 or 50 or whatever.  I'm sitting on a ton of material -- Interviews and audio I gathered as far back as June -- and I'm itching to share it with you in ways that make sense. But I've got a day job, and I've got to pay the bills, too, and I'm not even close to breaking even on the podcast. I like the idea of being listener supported, but am also open to big sponsors, advertisers, or investors to cover my costs, hire some help, and scale this up. The web site, again, is bionic-planet.com, or you can e-mail me at steve@bionic-planet.com MUSIC: end music Act 3 SOUND: drumroll NARRATOR And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The ten priority areas for purging deforestation from the supply chains of the big four deforestation commodities by the year 2020. Beginning with  SOUND: gong CHARLOTTE STRECK point 1 NARRATOR So, what does this mean? I'll let Michael Jenkins explain it. He runs Forest Trends, which means he signs my checks... but I think the group does good work, too, which is why I work for them. Michael Jenkins Forest Trends Illegality Report 1 NARRATOR He means illegal conversion of forests to farms or fields. MICHAEL JENKINS Forest Trends Illegality Report 2 NARRATOR Let that sink in for a moment. In fact, let's hear it again. MICHAEL JENKINS Forest Trends Illegality Report echo NARRATOR So, while we do need better legal frameworks, we also need to enforce the laws already on the books -- as Brazil showed when it slashed deforestation 70 percent between 2004 and 2014. If you listened to Episode 20, you heard how good-acting companies can also support enforcement -- something Charlotte also alluded to. CHARLOTTE STRECK companies can help NARRATOR Companies that are good with the law can also boost their bottom line by building up trust with importers abroad -- as Asia Pulp and Paper is doing in Indonesia. DEWI BRAMONO legality NARRATOR It's the right thing to do -- and it certainly can't hurt their status with global buyers. SOUND: drumroll NARRATOR And that brings us to... SOUND: Gong CHARLOTTE STRECK 2- palm certificatin NARRATOR Palm oil is in everything from donuts to soap to after-shave. You probably use it but don't even know it. CHARLOTTE STRECK Palm Oil is one of the main drivers NARRATOR Remember we talked about certification on the start? Supply Change data shows that of the big four commodities, companies are making the most progress in reducing deforestation around two of them: palm oil and timber and pulp -- mostly because we started seeing certification of these back in the 1980s. Today, about 21 percent of palm oil is certified by the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil, or RSPO. The challenge is twofold: getting consumers to pay a premium for this, and extending certification to more forests. CHARLOTTE STRECK We don't have sufficient demand SOUND: drumroll NARRATOR Then comes the next priority SOUND: gong CHARLOTTE STRECK 3 beef intensification NARRATOR "Sustainable intensification of cattle grazing"... that basically means raising more cows on the same piece of land, so that you don't have to keep chopping forests to graze them.  CHARLOTTE STRECK Beef is responsible for more... NARRATOR In episode 7 of Bionic Planet, we saw how Kenyan farmers are using agroforestry to increase milk production -- they plant trees in among their crops to pull nitrogen from the air and infuse it into the soil, and they turn the leaves into silage for their cows. That's just one solution, and there are dozens of them. Ideally, we should all eat less beef, but for now we can reduce the amount of land used to raise the ones we do have. CHARLOTTE STRECK we know that we can SOUND: drumroll SOUND: gong NARRATOR Which brings us to... CHARLOTTE STRECK 4 palm and cocoa intensification NARRATOR Cocoa is not one of the big four, but it's a huge contributor -- and it's mostly produced by small farmers working in cooperatives. CHARLOTTE STRECK More than 30 percent of palm oil and 90 percent of cocoa NARRATOR The report shows that small palm-oil producers can increase their productivity 85 percent without chopping more trees. CHARLOTTE STRECK  These smallholders NARRATOR So, that gets us through three of the big four, plus cocoa -- or cacao, as the threes themselves are called. Ignacio Gavilan what about soy - 1 NARRATOR Yes -- what about soy? That, by the way, is Ignacio Gavilan, Director of Sustainability, for the Consumer Goods Forum. IGNACIO GAVILAN what about soy - 2 SOUND: drumroll NARRATOR And that brings us to... SOUND: gong   CHARLOTTE STRECK 5 sustainable soy NARRATOR Up until 2006, farmers across the Brazilian Amazon were chopping forest like mad to grow soy, but then something changed: Companies like McDonalds -- responding to pressure from groups like Greenpeace -- voluntarily stopped buying soy from Amazon farmers who chop trees to grow the stuff. The soy moratorium is just one example of a successful multilateral effort to fix the climate mess.  CHARLOTTE STRECK it is important NARRATOR Certification programs are ridiculously expensive and notoriously difficult to manage -- I mean, this is really complex stuff. A company like McDonalds buys beef from slaughterhouses like Marfrig or JBM, and those slaughterhouses buy from thousands of small farmers. To really do this right, we have to scale up  SOUND: drumroll NARRATOR And that's where the next priority area comes in SOUND: gong CHARLOTTE STRECK 6 - accelerating implementation of jurisdictional NARRATOR "jurisdictional" means governmental -- it can be federal, it can be state, it can be county, or even city. If you get an entire state like Sabah in Malaysia or California in the United States to make sure it's farmers are producing fruits and veggies in a sustainable way, companies can buy there without spending a fortune to certify each producer individually. CHARLOTTE STRECK we have screened 34 NARRATOR The state of Sabah, in Malaysia, for example, is working with several NGOs that have coalesced into an alliance called "Forever Sabah" Cynthia Ong jurisdictional 1 NARRATOR That's Cynthia Ong, who runs a group called "Land, Empowerment Animals, People" or LEAP. She's also one of Forever Sabah's co-executive directors. CYNTHIA ONG jurisdictional 2 NARRATOR Even big companies like Asia Pulp and Paper have realized they can't access certified material on a large scale one plantation at a time. DEWI BRAMONO landscape jurisdiction NARRATOR There are scores of efforts underway -- the Rainforest Alliance is also doing great work, which you can learn about if you listen to episode 23 -- that episode will have the raw audio from this event without me interjecting every few minutes. It's kind of long, but if this episode sparked your interest, I think you'll find the full event worth listen to. SOUND: drumroll NARRATOR But for now, we move on to... SOUND: Gong CHARLOTTE STRECK 7 - land security and land rights NARRATOR This is another one we've addressed here before: indigenous and traditional communities tend to have a strong connection to their land. Studies have shown they usually -- not always, of course, but usually -- maintain their forest and want to keep it, but their legal rights to the forests are often in limbo. That leaves them vulnerable to speculators, and also less willing to invest too much in the forest CHARLOTTE STRECK Uncertainty of land. NARRATOR Another thing to remember: people in developing countries buy stuff, too SOUND: drumroll NARRATOR Which brings us to: SOUND: gong CHARLOTTE STRECK Goal: Mobilizing demand in emerging markets NARRATOR Remember earlier, when we talked about certification? We learned that 21 percent of all palm oil is certified by the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil, or the RSPO. One reason it's not higher is that people still, for the most part, buy whatever is cheapest, so it's not worthwhile for producers to spend all that money getting certified -- and that's even more so in developing countries. Kavita Prakash-Mani of WWF is working to change that. Kavita Prakash-Mani 21 percent CHARLOTTE STRECK In addition to this: domestic demand NARRATOR We're getting near the end here, folks -- so far, we've talked a lot about producers and consumers, but what about investors? SOUND: drumroll NARRATOR That brings up our next priority area: SOUND: Gong CHARLOTTE STRECK Redirecting Finance NARRATOR This is something we cover a lot on bionic planet, and it's the core of what we cover at Ecosystem Marketplace. Investors are still backing the bad actors, and they'll continue to do so until they realize that environmental bad actors are also financial bad risks -- but they'll only realize that if we all hold the bad actors accountable and support the good ones. We've seen some progress on this front over the past year, with HSBC manning up to some investments that led to deforestation and pulling the plug. You can learn more about that in an article I wrote for Ecosystem Marketplace called "Why HSBC's Recent Response To Greenpeace Really Is A Very Big Deal", and I link to that in show notes for this episode, which is episode 22 at bionic-planet.com. We're also seeing governments like Norway's stepping up with finance for sustainable forest management. Stina Reksten private-sector-capital 1 NARRATOR That's Stina Reksten of Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative. She's helping to launch a new fund, together with the Global Environment Facility, Unilever, and IDH -- which is a Dutch sustainable trade initiative. STINA REKSTEN private-sector-capital 2 NARRATOR But that's just a sneeze in a hurricane compared to the $55 trillion global economy CHARLOTTE STRECK we have the finance NARRATOR But finance doesn't flow with guidance SOUND: drumroll NARRATOR And that brings us to... SOUND: gong CHARLOTTE STRECK data NARRATOR This is where we come in. I already mentioned Supply Change -- that's supply-change.org -- and we did another episode -- episode 11 -- focused on a platform called TRASE, which lets you trace soybeans from specific municipalities in Brazil to ports around the world. There are plenty of other efforts, and Nicole Pasricha of Rainforest Alliance outlined one that they're participating in. Nicole Pasricha point 10 NARRATOR That might sound boring and wonky, but the whole issue of comparability is critical -- because if you can't compare what different countries, companies, and counties are doing, you can't reject -- or reform -- the bad guys and reward the good Remember Ignacio Gavilan of the Consumer Goods Forum? He pointed out that member firms didn't know how much soy they used. So his group created a solution IGNACIO GAVILAN soy ladder NARRATOR Ignacio Gavilan wrapping up this edition of Bionic Planet -- which is a bit different than most episodes. I usually like to dive deep into an issue, but this time, we kept it pretty high-level. I hope to revisit all of these activities in more detail, and if you think that would be of value, be sure to help me out by sharing Bionic Planet with friends and giving me a good rating on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you access podcasts. You can also help by becoming a patron at bionic-planet.com -- where you can show your appreciation for as little as $1 per month. If today's show sparked your curiosity, be sure to download episode 23 as well. That one will contain the full audio from the Climate Week session that I harvested for this. If you're a paid patron, I will not be charging for episode 23, but rather just uploading that as a public service. Until next time, I'm Steve Zwick in Rotterdam. Thanks for listening!

THE HOLIDAYS ARE almost here and that means toys, presents and shopping in many households. Kids know what they want and they'll let you know which toy/gadget/game/thing they absolutely must have this year. So, who and what inform these desires? In this episode of KTD we're learning about how our kids are marketed to and what strategies we can use to help them be more media savvy. IN-STUDIO GUESTS: Joining host Shana Sheehy in the studio is Joel Bakan, author of the critically acclaimed best selling book-turned film, The Corporation, and most recently, Childhood Under Siege: How Big Business Targets Children. Joel is also a professor of law at the University of British Columbia; he joins us from Vancouver, B.C. Aliza Sherman, Alaskan marketing and web pioneer, joins us from Tok. Aliza is the author of Mom Incorporated and creator of the app, Girls Can Be Anything.

Law Professor Joel Bakan discusses his new book "Childhood Under Siege: How Big Business Targets Children". The book exposes the widespread exploitation of children at the hands of big business and how parents and families are often left helpless to defend them. The advent of social media and mobile technology has provided even greater opportunity for corporations to access children. Bakan even suggests there is a link between the explosion of children's mental health issues and business both in the diagnosis and the medication.

Law Professor Joel Bakan discusses his new book "Childhood Under Siege: How Big Business Targets Children". The book exposes the widespread exploitation of children at the hands of big business and how parents and families are often left helpless to defend them. The advent of social media and mobile technology has provided even greater opportunity for corporations to access children. Bakan even suggests there is a link between the explosion of children's mental health issues and business both in the diagnosis and the medication.

Joel Bakan on Childhood Under Siege. Mental Help Net (www.mentalhelp.net) presents the Wise Counsel Podcast (wisecounsel.mentalhelp.net), hosted by David Van Nuys, Ph.D. Author, attorney, and filmmaker Joel Bakan talks about corporate marketing to children. He is the author of the critically acclaimed and award-winning book and film The Corporation, and also of the 2011 book Childhood Under Siege: How Big Business Targets Children.

Today's show explores the brave new world of distribution and promotion.Our special guest is leading distribution strategist Peter Broderick. Peter develops strategies to help you maximize distribution, audiences, and revenues.Guests include Joel Bakan, author and associate producer of "The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power," and Kat Dodds, who was director of communications and producer of the film's web project. We'll be joined by NY Times columnist Scott James, aka author Kemble Scott, whose novel SoMa (2007) was the first book launched using videos on YouTube.We'll also be joined by Donald Goldmacher, producer of the film "Heist: The Looting of the American Dream."We expect lots of call-ins for this show, so get in queue early by dialing (347) 945-6866, or asking questions via the chat window.

Today's show explores the brave new world of distribution and promotion.Our special guest is leading distribution strategist Peter Broderick. Peter develops strategies to help you maximize distribution, audiences, and revenues.Guests include Joel Bakan, author and associate producer of "The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power," and Kat Dodds, who was director of communications and producer of the film's web project. We'll be joined by NY Times columnist Scott James, aka author Kemble Scott, whose novel SoMa (2007) was the first book launched using videos on YouTube.We'll also be joined by Donald Goldmacher, producer of the film "Heist: The Looting of the American Dream."We expect lots of call-ins for this show, so get in queue early by dialing (347) 945-6866, or asking questions via the chat window.

Šįkart laidoje pasikalbėsime apie du leidyklos "Kitos knygos" išleistus veikalus, ko gero, itin aktualius finansinės ir ekonominės krizės surakintai Lietuvai. Tai Kanados žurnalistės ir politikos apžvalgininkės Naomi Klein "Šoko doktrina. Katastrofų kapitalizmo iškilimas" ir kanadiečio, teisės profesoriaus Joel Bakan knyga "Korporacija: Patologiškas pelno ir galios siekimas".

Šįkart laidoje pasikalbėsime apie du leidyklos "Kitos knygos" išleistus veikalus, ko gero, itin aktualius finansinės ir ekonominės krizės surakintai Lietuvai. Tai Kanados žurnalistės ir politikos apžvalgininkės Naomi Klein "Šoko doktrina. Katastrofų kapitalizmo iškilimas" ir kanadiečio, teisės profesoriaus Joel Bakan knyga "Korporacija: Patologiškas pelno ir galios siekimas".