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Wednesday, July 16, 2003
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 Nicholas Abel writes: Work is a waste of time. Instead of working we should all become gentlemen and ladies of leisure, a word taken from the Middle English 'leisour' meaning freedom or opportunity. The work ethic is so integral to our society and way of life that one hesitates to suggest that it may have run its course. Richard Cumberland, an 18th-century Bishop of Peterborough, once summed up the underlying philosophy when he said: "It is better to wear out than to rust out." After the second world war the right to work was included in the United Nations Declaration of the Universal Rights of Man. Indeed so unacceptable is unemployment that the UK government has now abolished the word: the unemployed are now classified as 'job seekers'. They can only claim benefit if they are prepared to work. Work is an end in itself. This obsession with work is a very recent phenomenon in our history, and dates from the post war period. In the past people worked because they had to not because they wanted to. Aristotle believed the main purpose of life was the proper use of leisure by self-development through education, contemplation, philosophy, music and sport. In his Utopia Thomas More set aside several hours a day of leisure to be spent reading, playing games like chess, attending lectures, holding conversations and listening to music. Thackeray in the nineteenth century wrote of the "leisure, independence and high ideals" that propelled Britain to its cultural heights. (07/16/03)
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 BBC Environment -- Solar-powered cars built by 20 teams will follow the historic Route 66 highway during the American Solar Challenge. Drivers face a 2,300-mile (3,700-km) trip. Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry was the setting for the race start. (07/16/03)
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 BBC Environment -- California could lead the United States in outlawing sports utility vehicles (SUVs). The big four-wheel-drive cars are often depicted as Public Enemy Number One by environmentalists because of their high petrol consumption. While green activists praise the proposal as a major step forward, critics predict the legislation will fail because SUVs are so popular with drivers. "God saw that it was good and Jesus says, love thy neighbour as thyself, yet too many of the cars, trucks and SUVs that are made are polluting our air," goes an advert in favour of the ban. ... "Well I think the state has an obligation to set an example," said Mr Angeledis. And if we can reduce air pollution, reduce our dependence on oil, if we can cut our costs, then we should do so... By beginning to eliminate SUVs from our state fleet, which is one of the largest public fleets... we can set an example - a leadership example." While California would be the first state to introduce such legislation, the Republican governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, has indicated he is also looking into a similar ban. Environmental groups across America are praising California's efforts, particularly because the state is home to nine of the 10 most ozone-polluted counties in the country. (07/16/03)
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 BBC Nature -- Climate change could imperil the unique creatures which have made their home in the inhospitable waters of Antarctica, scientists believe. The sealife which has developed there resembles some life forms around North America and Europe millions of years ago. But global warming could allow predators from warmer seas to colonise the Antarctic. If that happens, a highly sensitive sea floor community could vanish, the scientists say. The warning comes from Professor Rich Aronson, of Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Alabama, US, and colleagues, in a paper presented to a London conference. ... The director of Bas, Professor Chris Rapley, said: "We are bringing together some of the top experts in the world to look at a key component of the Earth's system. "The Southern Ocean influences the Earth's ocean currents and global climate. Its behaviour is as critical to the rest of the world as it is to the local environment. However, the impact of climate change and the commercial exploitation of its fish stocks could result in major and potentially damaging changes. The 5-10 year coordinated international research campaign we hope will happen would be a quantum step forward in our understanding of the region." (07/16/03)
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 CNN Health -- Obesity-related ailments cost $117 billion to treat, and contribute to 300,000 deaths annually, according to federal estimates. Two out of three adult Americans are overweight, the government says, and they're gaining nearly 2 pounds every year. A quarter of them get virtually no exercise. For African-Americans, the problem of expanding waistlines is grimmer still; 60 percent of black men and 77 percent of black women are too heavy, doubling their already-elevated risk of diabetes and other diseases. ... Lucille Johnson smiles down at the tiny $20 plastic monitor clipped to her skirt. "31,995," the pedometer reads, documenting the number of steps she's taken in a week. Nearly 13 miles. Johnson, 48, is one of 150,000 people in Colorado in a program determining whether modest physical effort will prevent weight gain -- now recognized as America's second-leading cause of preventable death behind smoking. This week, the pedometer program expands nationally. Its founders hope to have 1 million people signed up for "America on the Move." They will begin walking at least 2,000 additional steps a day, about a mile, to burn 100 calories. (07/16/03)
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 CNN Weather -- Residents of Galveston, Texas, are reporting 15-foot waves and off-shore waterspouts on Tuesday as the outward edge of Hurricane Claudette -- the first hurricane of the Atlantic season --soaks the Texas coast. Forecasters are predicting the eye of the storm to make landfall Tuesday evening. A U.S. Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft flew into the center of Claudette and reported sustained winds of near 75 mph, qualifying the storm as a Category 1 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said. Radar and satellite data indicate the storm is becoming better organized. As heavy rain and high winds whipped the coastline Tuesday morning, a hurricane warning was in effect from Baffin Bay, Texas, south of Corpus Christi to High Island, east of Galveston, Texas, the center said. (07/16/03)
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6:26:13 AM 
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© TrustMark
2003
Timothy Wilken.
Last update:
8/3/2003; 11:27:21 PM.
This theme is based on the SoundWaves
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