Thursday, March 13, 2003

Letting Go of Doing Peter Russell writes: When I am stuck in the doing mode, I move from one task to another, without pausing to savor the moment. I finish one task, and immediately am deciding what to do next. Which of the many items on my "to do" list shall I focus on next? When I am caught in this mode my mind feels tight. My body adopts a background tension. My attention becomes tunnel vision; I see only what I am doing, and filter out other aspects of the present moment. I miss the beauty that surrounds me. I become a human doing rather than a human being. (03/13/03) The Gangs of D.C. Chris Floyd writes: Throughout history, elite factions have always acted in similar ways to maintain and augment their dominance. At various times, for various reasons, their interests converge and they act loosely in concert; at other times, they tear each other to shreds -- killing millions of people in the process. You can see this pattern of behavior -- the belligerent lust for dominance coupled with crafty temporary alliances -- at work among many primate groups. Our modern "elites" (the Ba'athist clique, al-Qaida, the Bush Regime, the British Establishment, etc.) are simply secretions of the most primitive and ape-like elements still lurking in our brains. They're a kind of heavy scum that forms on the free-flowing, light-dazzled stream of human existence. So, the attack on Iraq isn't really a war for oil, not in the strictest sense. The United States doesn't need Iraq's oil. In recent years, America has been carefully diversifying its own sources of foreign oil, and is no longer overly dependent on the Arab-held fields. In fact, that's one reason the long-planned attack on Iraq is coming now. Before, America couldn't risk a military takeover of one of the major oil states (minor Kuwait, of course, has been occupied since 1991): Too much could go wrong, irreplaceable supplies could be cut off. Now, however, the game is worth the candle; even in the highly unlikely event of disaster -- an Arab oil embargo, a long, intractable war -- the Bush Regime believes they can ride it out until the situation stabilizes by drawing on other sources: Africa, Venezuela, Russia, plus the oil still lying off America's coasts and under its scarce remaining wilderness. Iraq is not the end, but the means. What America needs -- or rather, what the thugs in the Bush Regime desire -- is dominance of Middle Eastern oil in order to hold the economies of China and India hostage in the coming decades. (03/12/03) Are We Headed for the MATRIX? Most viewers of the film The Matrix consider the more fanciful elements--intelligent computers, downloading information into the human brain, virtual reality indistinguishable from real life--to be fun as science fiction, but quite remote from real life. Most viewers would be wrong. As renowned computer scientist and entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil explains, these elements are very feasible and are quite likely to be a reality within our lifetimes. (03/13/03) Britain's List of Demands New York Times -- 1) Mr. Hussein must admit on Iraqi television that he possesses weapons of mass destruction and will now disarm fully. 2) He will account for and destroy stocks of anthrax and other biological and chemical weapons. 3) Mr. Hussein will permit 30 scientists and their families to fly to Cyprus for interrogation by United Nations weapons inspectors. 4) He will admit to possession of an unmanned drone aircraft discovered by inspectors. 5) He will promise to destroy mobile production facilities for biological weapons. 6) Mr. Hussein will pledge to complete the destruction of all unlawful missiles. (03/13/03) Ways to Protect the Wetlands New York Times: Environment -- Every year, the federal government and Americans across the country preserve, restore and enhance thousands of acres of wetlands through cooperative conservation efforts, partnerships and voluntary programs. Unfortunately, that's not the news that most Americans read about. Instead, the focus has been on the wetlands regulatory program. Wetlands are essential to a healthy environment. They filter water, provide habitat for wildlife and offer opportunities for recreation. Over the past century, the United States has lost slightly more than half its wetlands, leaving about 105 million acres of intertidal basins, coastal estuaries, saltwater marshes and freshwater ponds, swamps and lakeside areas. The debate is not whether to protect wetlands, but how. For the last 25 years, government officials and environmental activists have largely relied on the Clean Water Act's regulations to protect wetlands. That focus has given short shrift to the role nonregulatory conservation — the willing partnerships between citizens and all levels of government — can play. These programs — in which the government provides funds and technical assistance to individuals and organizations for the rehabilitation of both public and privately owned wetlands — have proved highly effective. In 2000, the last year for which complete figures are available, 1.96 million acres of wetlands were safeguarded and preserved through nonregulatory efforts. In some cases, already protected wetlands were given further protection. In other cases, entirely new wetlands were set aside. (03/13/03) Big Lumbar Gets Injunction Against Tree-sitters New York Times: Environment -- A request from Pacific Lumber Company for a temporary restraining order against environmental activists who are occupying redwood trees on company property was granted on Monday by a Humboldt County Superior Court judge.  (03/13/03) 8:38:37 AM

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