Monday, August 18, 2003

Vision for a Synergic Transition Barry Carter writes: Our social institutions are dying. The pain we feel is the pain of death and birth simultaneously, the death of one civilization and the birth of a new one. We have entered a pe­riod where the conservative, non-risk taker requiring stability has become the risk taker, the radical and the gambler. A pe­riod where the one who refuses to change will surely be the one who loses the most in the coming years. There is no going back to the way things used to be. “Back to the basics” is a failed policy. The future has already begun and the trend is clear. Starting today you must have a completely new outlook on life. You must be responsible. You can no longer depend on employers, unions or governments to look out for your economic well being, to provide you with a job, retirement, social security, health care or a safety net. From this day forward you, and your global network of partners, are responsible for cre­ating work and wealth for yourself. If you have no network you have no security. All of the rules have changed. The guarantees and promises made to you by Industrial Age society are null and void and will be breached. (08/18/03) Our Nation is in Crisis Howard Dean speaks: Today, our nation is in crisis. At home, this crisis manifests itself in this president's destruction of the idea of community. This president pushes forward an agenda that divides us and economic polices that beleaguer the middle class and raise their property taxes so income taxes may be cut for those who ran Enron. Our country's founders feared that those with economic power would one day try to seize political power. And under this administration, that fear is becoming a reality. The very ideal of American community is under the biggest assault in our history by the radical agenda of those in power and a flood of special interest money. ... Our country is built on the notion that we are all in this together. We are a community. We share in our prosperity and we take care of each other when times get tough. We must not lose that precious gift. We cannot allow a widening gap between the richest and the poorest among us. I am tired of seeing a nation divided whether by race, or gender, or sexual orientation or economic status. We need a government that works with the people and for the people that unites us in a common vision for the common good. (08/18/03) Iceland Whalers Begin Hunt BBC Environment -- Icelandic whale hunters have left port for their first hunt in 14 years, angering animal welfare groups and environmentalists. The first of three boats left port in the early hours of Sunday, having been delayed by stormy weather on Friday. The two other boats left on Sunday afternoon - their routes kept secret. No kills have been reported yet from any of the boats. ... The vessels are on a six-week mission to kill 38 minke whales - a mission Iceland insists is for scientific purposes, to protect its fish stocks. It says whales have become so abundant since a worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling that they are threatening stocks of fish, including cod. ... The International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) says there is no scientific basis for the operation, and that Iceland cannot use science to camouflage its desire to resume commercial whaling. ... Iceland's tourism industry has also criticised the hunt, fearing it could damage the country's image, and threaten the increasingly popular whale-watching business. However, polls show three-quarters of Iceland's 290,000 population supports the resumption of whaling. Iceland has not hunted whales since 1989. (08/18/03) Too Little Too Late BBC Environment -- Put your recycling out, fit energy efficient bulbs, use public transport - you think you're helping to save the planet. But could all our efforts be futile? Britons are slowly starting to recycle more. Cars are much more efficient than those on the roads 20 years ago. Our houses are better insulated. And local supermarkets now stock eco-friendly devices, such as low energy light bulbs. But the environmental benefits could count for naught in the drive for economic prosperity, according to the Fabian Society. A report by the left-leaning think tank says our level of consumption stands in the way of sustainable development. And acting locally - perhaps by recycling that drinks can or buying locally-grown produce - has little effect unless governments do better at acting globally, says the report's author, Roger Levett. "Individual actions can't make a difference without a regulatory framework to underpin the good done." Even eco-friendly technologies encouraged by Labour can cost the Earth dear. Sure, our cars can go faster and further - and on less fuel - than those of our forebears. But this has helped put more people on the roads. And manufacturers have made these energy efficient motors bigger in order to power gutsier - and more thirsty - cars. (08/18/03) The View from Space New York Times -- The effect of the blackout in the northeastern United States is visible from space, where a satellite image taken Thursday is considerably dimmer than an image taken at the same time Wednesday. (08/16/03) 9:00:49 AM

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