Fortress Of Freedom Board

Maurice Ali · Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:33 pm Post subject:

Hi , guys.....

All projects are moving ahead as we speak. Announcements will be made when finalized. I am actually couriering off the Trademark business today. More news as it happens.

I know that it "sucks" to be gagged in so many ways to speak my mind. I guess it just means that FOF has grown an extra level and that means a more strategic influence in what I can talk about. "Loose lips sink ships" - What more can I say.....

Maurice Ali · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 12:59 am Post subject:

IAIJ Aims Toward The U.N. And UNESCO!

By Maurice Ali, Founder: IAIJ

Maurice Ali

My goal with IAIJ has always been to lobby for journalist rights and the "Free Press" at the United Nations. In the past year we formed a not-for-profit association on which to do this. In this new age of digital communication, what defines "journalist" may mean more in terms of access to the mass media, than the traditional nomenclature; we at IAIJ accept this and strive to support journalists of all forms to help them tell the news to their fellow citizens. In addition to validation and verification of journalist credentials; IAIJ also has programs to enhance journalistic skills, and an effective lobby for journalist rights and the "Free Press." In the past few days our editor of The Fortress Newspaper, Ainsley Wronski, took the initiative and made first contact with the U.N. by subscribing to the news service and other subscriptions. I suppose this was her way of giving all of us at IAIJ a "wake up call" and I intend to act on such initiative. I intend to act by starting our campaign to enter the U.N. and lobby among member states for journalist rights and the general principals of "The Free Press."

Why bother with the United Nations? The United Nations stands alone as that one entity where almost all nations can be accessed and lobbied, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and all this can be done in relatively civil settings. It is not perfect, but it is the best game in town and we are headed in that direction.

The organization we are most interested in at the United Nations is an organization called UNESCO. It is UNESCO's work in the media which will be of interest and of help with IAIJ and our goals and objectives. UNESCO's head office is based in Paris France. Our time frame to establish the association at the United Nations is ten years.

There you have it. We have our target, location and a time frame. I am the founder of IAIJ, and though I can be replaced by more qualified and talented leaders; it is my hope to be there for our first "war cry" on the international stage and also be there for our first major victories. I have nothing but pride for our members and staff who make this association what it is. We now move into the future full of ambition and hope.

http://iaij.org

IAIJ: JOURNALISTS IN ACTION!

Maurice Ali · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 8:27 am Post subject:

There! I finally got my MOJO back!

In other news - and I know some of you always want updates on this - all I can say is that Don's show looks like it may have a slot at Canada's largest TV broadcaster. That is all I will say now.

I just don't want it to go like our first show with me rushing around at the last minute and handing out flyers to let people know when it airs. Thinking back that was a great experience, but not very professional - but great stuff nonetheless.....

I can also see my writing style rubbing off on people around here. I am a bit better at it than others and looking at first posts by some members I have had some positive influence. But I am actually looking and hoping to be a better example of writing style to our young impressionable members. I don't have any children so I never noticed how my traits rub off on the kids here, so it is a shock to see my thoughts and style becoming a part of others. Well you learn something every day. Makes me glad to always take "the high road" in so many things. Good stuff!

I am taking this weekend easy and doing things like cutting my hair - "Dr. Zorba" will never be a trend so I should not be pushing that style out in public.....hehehehe. This was one busy week.

Maurice Ali · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:37 am Post subject:

For one of the first times in my life - I want more time!

I gave IAIJ ten years to establish at the U.N. and that would put me at 59 years of age. Why is life so cruel? I feel pretty good. However, time is telling. My hearing is suspect though I tested it and I can still hear 16khz which is still pretty good. I will wait a bit and see if it is the after effect of a cold making male whispering so hard to hear. My sight is better than it should be, but I curse the fact that I have to make any compromises. Fate is now making them for me.

I have limited time on my hands. The world will carry on without me. That is a bitter pill to take. I have been looking back at my life so far and evaluating it with some of the big mistakes I have made. Once those windows of opportunity to do things pass, they are gone forever, that makes old people bitter - especially to the younger folk. I know this is rather depressing but it is actually the result of progress we are making here.

Fact is I love what is going on here and I want more time to see it through. Is that so wrong.....

Look at it this way, I am making plans that don't include me in them.....

I am just being a realist, but it sucks anyway. Perhaps if I was falling apart a bit more I would be more accepting. It is just that I am so well preserved so far that I will miss things like running flat out (I was fast), the reflexes are still there, just the luck of good genetics, but the creativity is gone..... That makes me a different person than the arrogant young man I once was. I wonder what he would say of this. He did try what I have done now, and he failed. So age does have a slight advantage in some cases, but I prefer youth. This place reeks of youth and I love the smell - the smell of life, future and fertility. I am the old man here, the founder, the brass statute outside the building, the crooked picture hanging in the office.

Goodnight.....

Maurice Ali · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 7:19 am Post subject:

Ainsley did it!

I woke up to all kinds of stuff coming from the United Nations!

This is cool.....

Good stuff.....

Maurice Ali · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:56 pm Post subject:

IAIJ turns five on this day in 2009, it was registered as a corporation on January 25, 2004. Happy Birthday!

It is nice to see that we have snuck in the U.N. mandates for the anniversary. All those outlandish claims made in my speech in the original Fortress TV Show may actually have something to it.

I am glad we are making a horse race out of it.....

My speech at the end of the show!

Maurice Ali · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:24 am Post subject:

FOF Turns Five And The "Super Agile Corporation!"

By Maurice Ali, President and CEO:
Fortress Of Freedom Inc.
International Association Of Independent Journalists Inc.
More Vision Inc.
International Archiving Of Independent Journalists Inc.
More Vision
IAIJ

Maurice Ali

Fortress Of Freedom Inc. turns five today, being incorporated on January 27, 2004. This corporation (like all our corporations) is a marvel of economy and agility. FOF was the test mule for what I call the dawning of the new age of "super agile corporations" - corporations that run on nothing, have almost no payroll, and don't really need any office space or even a physical address. They are very much products of the digital age. Where else could a company that started with almost no fixed costs, have the range of the largest multi-nationals. If you take a look at our accomplishments in music, TV, and print, you will be amazed at the cost vs the output ratios.

I am putting this corporate business model out there. Think of me as it's avatar, the only thing important to the corporation is it's constitution and absolute survival above all. Anything and everything goes with these companies. They take and discard when usefulness is no longer there. They are survivalists in a competitive world with no compromise. These companies are "solid" and make no mistake on that. Do not underestimate the single-mindedness, ruthlessness and dogged persistence to goals that mark these business models. In a way I have created "media monsters"and let them loose on the world. Their saving grace is their humanitarian constitutions that keep them working for altruistic goals.

The day of being nice and gentleman rules of conduct are gone. We play for keeps and we play to win! The companies will survive and prosper, and become an influence in our world, an influence that will be a positive one. Our first five years is just the beginning!

FORTRESS OF FREEDOM: BRINGING THE MASS MEDIA TO THE MASSES!

Maurice Ali · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 6:51 am Post subject:

Five years.....

Actually it is a bit depressing making plans and looking back. The corporations continue, but what of the founder. Unfortunately he is not "super agile" and in the end he is not indispensable. Was it Churchill that noted that the graves are full of indispensable men. I will get over this. Making plans knowing you will not be there for them is depressing. A vanity organization that disappeared with me would have been a kinder end; but I want these to survive. To do that there must be succession.

The thought of just being rolled in with my wheelchair for special occasions, drooling while passing mention of the founder is a funny thought. Oh well, five years has past.....

Maurice Ali · Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 6:56 pm Post subject:

Still fighting this melancholia. It is not depression and funny enough, has no effect on doing my thing at this organization It is not organic, it is intellectual. There are valid reasons for disappointment, and I am just dwelling on it. You even get a bit philosophical about things and marvel at the beauty of seeing a plane fly past you in a crisp perfectly clear blue sky, and wonder about the meaning of it all.....

The meaning of it all.....

In the end, just how important is all of this when you come face to face with the end game of your reality.....

What is truly important when everything is stripped bare of your being. I've been thinking about this, and that, and what my legacy will be. To be..... All that thinking and in the end no answers.....

Ah, I just worked on some photos, here is one I reworked:

Maurice Ali · Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2009 9:10 pm Post subject:

I'm getting over this darkness. Or bitterness..... I remember Kurt Godel's biography, so sad. By the way, I understood Godel's Proof intimately. If those kids from university knew the life I had been leading up till now - they would burst out into hysterical laughter. Anyway, it just kills me to think Kurt - of the finest minds in the world, personal friend of Einstien and helped him with his Theory Of Relativity. Einstein once said of Godel that his "own work no longer meant much, that he came to the Institute merely…to have the privilege of walking home with Gödel". High praise indeed for Godel. - never had any children. Here we have all kinds of people breeding like rabbits yet the movers of and shakers of human culture pass on with out passing on their extraordinary genes. Of course we don't know that for sure, but surly it would have been nice to bank the DNA just for the hell of it..... Godel was deeply into philosophy and physics toward the end of his life and passed on almost to the day that I picked up the philosophy bug in 1978.

The guy also had some real mental problems. I got lucky being a mongrel and have no such retreat. I see reality and I see all. That can be a punishment in itself. Anyway, time moves on and time runs short.....

At FOF we are in wait for that one trigger event that will define us and put the organization out there. I need to show the world what we are capable of doing. ::EDITED:: What the hell, at least I am gearing up for another fight. I usually get depressed after things like the structural changes we just made. Our organization is still getting there. ::EDITED::

I think I got a little too hawkish there so..... Use your imagination.....

Maurice Ali · Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 6:14 am Post subject:

Looking back at the last few posts it looks like pretty bleak. I guess I was just looking back and evaluating. Anyway, opportunities come and then they are gone. If I had kids I would not be doing this, I don't have kids.....so I am doing this - SEE..... I guess you can't have it all and in either situation it could all go wrong and be a miserable experience. I guess life has it's compromises and such. But you still questioning and regret missed opportunities.

Back to work.....

Maurice Ali · Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 6:28 pm Post subject:

What a depressing week. There was a familiar high when IAIJ took the plunge and went after the U.N. aspirations. What saps me more is muzzling myself for "image" as we go international with the association. I am the spokesman and have to watch what I say now as I speak for many, even if it is my "personal opinion." I accept this as the association has given my voice a legitimacy I could not ever have on my own. That was one part of it.

The second part is that rush we had at the beginning when everything was going our way and we were hitting one home run after another. We are still growing and progressing and every year shows new things getting done. We deal with more people outside and have to operate at their pace. We have increased in size and that slows down things quite a bit. I also was more free-wheeling with myself in the beginning. Now I have to be careful and realize that all corporations are the real thing and I operate under the federal labor code and such. It can become a chore.

But the end game is still there - if I want it - It always was there and Emily reminded me of it a couple of years ago. If I reach my goals internationally, will I be as excited I envisioned. I really have a chance here of my boyhood dreams of "Man Of The World." However, look at the cost of such an enterprise.....

Here is Emily actually recording a radio announcement I used to listen on my drive to work; it played for a month on a Toronto radio
station back in 2004!

I would like to go back, later on this year, and take a look at these posts and see things from the other side. Was it worth it. When I hit 50 how do I evaluate my life and what was the point of it all. Our lives are so insignificant outside our perceptions, where do we bank all those experiences and knowledge, all gone when we die. I can scream all I want and nobody cares, especially as you get old..... What happens here at this organization is it for me. When this ends it is over for me in an interesting sense. So I have to press on and make that play for the good of all of us. You have to be a bit of a visionary in the media to see where I am heading - but it is predictable. On the macro level - seeing the one brown person gamble and make his play for caution and sober second thought before going all the way as the mass media is heading, is probably a valid risk. But is it a valid risk for the poor bloke who puts it all on the line like I am.....

I said it before; the job picks the man and not the other way around. So did I really have a choice here.....hehehehehehe.....

---------------------------------------------------

Some more.....

I am putting an end to this negativism I have been prattling about. It is a combination of several things. Realize that the organization has reached it's limits of coping at this size, we need to increase to grow but that requires more people and an extra organizational layer. This jump usually spells doom for most businesses - one reason for my angst.....

Second is that we have three different businesses growing apart from each other and getting more specialized as we go forward. This is another logistical nightmare that requires expertise and such that we are lacking right now.

Third is IAIJ taking on the U.N. with only rudimentary offices in two continents and a skeleton staff ill equipped - at the present time - to make the impact needed to reach into that forum.

Fourth is our ability to secure money to do all this. We are going to have to go beyond personal finances to handle this load. We need help and partnerships to make this happen.

Lastly is myself, my time and ability to do this. I like a challenge, but this.....hehehhehe..... Well folks.....it seems we are really going to see what Maurice Ali is made of. I may as well get my low period and whining over with now because I need a run of positive healthy persistence to keep this ship on course. Like I said before, there is only one chance now, we don't have the resources to do this again. I have to start to get in front of the camera again and tell it like it is and archive this thing regardless of what happens. I have to start meeting people and selling the cause. Nobody likes to do this, so it is my gig.

Goodnight.....

Maurice Ali · Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 10:45 am Post subject:

Seems we may involve ourselves with the U.N. faster than I had envisioned:

Sue · Joined: 14 Oct 2003 Posts: 200 Location: London England

Maurice has just told me about UNESCO and the meeting in May, this is very exciting direction for us to go in . I am going read up on the organisation and hope to be involved and will be giving my support.

Maurice Ali · Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:57 pm Post subject:

Thank you Susan!

Susan Earps is one of IAIJ's Directors and it is nice to see that pledge of support after our weekly conference call!

Susan Earps

Well it seems we are on our way to make contact with UNESCO. Remember we are just making contact to join their meeting. Their goals are much like our own, so I have to say it would be an easy fit to align ourselves with this commission. But we will just have to wait and see how things play out. We need the goodwill of others to make things happen now. It is no longer our will and skill alone. This is a different arena, and a different book of rules.

Goodnight!