Word: ller
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...world business, must somehow be responsible for the prevalence of such economic ills as high prices, unemployment and balance of payments hemorrhages. Such suspicions are being fanned by a new book, Global Reach (Simon & Schuster; $11.95) by Political Scientist Richard J. Barnet and Economist Ronald E. Müller, that is kicking up a considerable controversy...
Barnet and Müller begin soundly enough by identifying the main problem created by multinationals as one of policy lag. While nations plan on a coun-try-by-country basis, international firms view the world as a single unit and plan accordingly. Thus, Barnet and Muller contend, "the structural transformation of the world economy through the globalization of Big Business is undermining the power of the nation-state to maintain economic and political stability within its territory...
Some readers might wish that such a belt could be created-but in fact multinationals are not all that powerful. Far from being monolithic, for example, they compete vigorously, not only against smaller national firms but against one another. Barnet and Müller further charge that the multinationals have destroyed traditional values in the underdeveloped world, disrupted the sense of community and lured away scarce capital and scientific talent, a contention that leaves unexplained why many poor countries compete for multinational investment. In the U.S., the authors say, the multinationals have created unemployment, cheated on taxes and corrupted...
...ller's inflatable house is indeed unique; it has 210 square meters of floor space, the ceiling rises nearly 16 ft. at its apex, and the entire structure is held up by a constant flow of air pumped through a plastic umbilical cord by a small electric motor outside. Shadows from trees and clouds dance across the walls and roof, changing shape as the afternoon sun dips toward the horizon. When Müller tires of the shifting shadows, he projects pictures of mountains, oceans and forests on the walls. In warm weather he pipes water to the roof...
...ller's inflatable also is his workshop, where he is finishing plans for a bubble aviary for a zoo, a bubble house for a neighbor (cost: about $6,000), and was working on a bubble to fit over the helicopter on the deck of the late Aristotle Onassis' yacht. He is also negotiating with Algeria about building an entire inflatable resort town. In fact, there is nothing that Müller would not consider enclosing in a bubble to improve the human condition. "Inflatables give you a sense of self-reliance," he says. "There are no walls...