Monbiot: Mocking our dreams

Guardian Monbiot: Mocking our dreams

T

he reality of climate change is that the engines of progress have merely accelerated our rush to the brink

It is now mid-February, and already I have sown 11 species of vegetable. I know, though the seed packets tell me otherwise, that they will flourish. Everything in this country - daffodils, primroses, almond trees, bumblebees, nesting birds - is a month ahead of schedule. And it feels wonderful. Winter is no longer the great grey longing of my childhood. The freezes this country suffered in 1982 and 1963 are, unless the Gulf Stream stops, unlikely to recur. Our summers will be long and warm. Across most of the upper northern hemisphere, climate change, so far, has been kind to us....

This was written Feb 2005 actually.

WEC (Davos) vs WSC

Some attend the World Economic Forum (akak Davos men), others the World Social Forum which was held at multiple venues this year.

Monbiot, Luis Britto Garcia (Venezuelan author) both participate regularly it appears at the WSF. see this and this.

Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, CK Prahalad, Thomas Friedamn, Sergey Brin, Jogn Kerry, Bono no prizes for guessing what they attend. And check this out: "The Most Sustainable Coporations inthe World" John Makower at the huffpost is happier this year about the methodology


(Will post more links later about this years events, and react to the Top 100 most Sustainable)

t r u t h o u t - Emmanuel Todd: The Specter of a Soviet-Style Crisis

t r u t h o u t -From truthout: "According to Emmanuel Todd, a demographer, Hurricane Katrina has revealed the decline of the American system.

Research engineer at the National Institute of Demographic Studies, historian, author of Apres l'empire [After the Empire], published by Gallimard in 2002 - an essay in which he predicted the 'breakdown' of the American system - Emmanuel Todd reviews for Le Figaro the serious failures revealed by the storm."

This is an incrediby inciteful interview. The lucidity of Todd's thinking is without parallel.

Reaganite, Paul Craig Roberts: Americans are more stupid than Bush

Two recent polls, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll and a New York Times/CBS News poll, indicate why Bush is getting away with impeachable offenses. Half of the US population is incapable of acquiring, processing and understanding information.

Well, boys and girls nothing could be closer to the truth.

This from Paul Craig Roberts at Counterpunch. I've been saying this fo some time.

The biggest problem here is the media coupled with the disinterest/ignorance of the masses, equal public enemy No 1. You cannot have a democracy without an informed citizenry and a faithful watchdog (i.e. media).

I keep wondering why the fuck so much importance is placed on polls, most Americans are misinformed or uninformed. What difference does it make really, except to perpetuate mistruths.

Anyway, Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is also coauthor of The Tyranny of Good Intentions.

The dude worked for Reagan and he is saying, "hold it; something is fucking wrong here."

A "rock" interface for spies?

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Blair evades questions over British 'spy ring'

You can't fault them for the ingenuity. Something new, something old... what the fuck did they borrow, I wonder?

The Coming Tug of War Over the Internet

Wow! The Coming Tug of War Over the Internet.

So network neutrality as we know it will be bazooka'd by lobbyists of the telecomms industry giants. Indeed, what about the next small great innovative idea?

Jesus' General Review of Kate O' Beirne -- gone

It's gone, now, but yeah, that's where I first heard it

The Amazon reviews hoopla with the online community

This is very interesting. Watch this story. The first I heard of it was from Jesus' General (I think). The guy writes so much, I can't find the exact link readily.

Kate O'Beirne's book "Women Who Make the World Worse" is getting proper blogger treatment.

Gore's Civil Liberties Speech

From Change The Party.

You know, Al Gore is a smart man. He's at it again, gtting to the core of what it means for a government to act illegally. He does what I have been lamenting for some time: politicians need to explain the basics when shit happens. The stuff whose meaning and consequence you'd think was obvious. Unfortunately, it's not obvious anymore. That shit needs to be spelt out. clearly. like were are 5-year-olds

Gordon Brown: Our final goal must be to offer a global new deal

Is Gordon Brown being serious or just posturing? I can't believe Guardian this. He is arguing for a more genuine and sustainable deal in the fight against poverty and for global justice. I gues we'll see if he follows through next month in in the G8 finance ministers meeting in Moscow

Jeffrey Sachs The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time:

This book
together with Monbiot's "Age of Consensus" are a must read for anyone with a vague sense of common humanity and social justice coursing through their veins. Otherwise, yeah, up yours!

Did the CIA give Iran the bomb?

Did they? New book from New York Times reporter, James Risen, "reveals the bungles and miscalculations that led to a spectacular intelligence fiasco" [GUARDIAN]

Mmmmm, to fight SAdam Hussein, I am sure.

Prove Christ exists, judge orders priest - World - Times Online

Only in Italy. Mothafaka, prove Christ existed. How the fuck is he supposed to do that?

A Viterbo judge has ordered a priest to do just that.

A former roomamte of mine, Lucrezia had a house in Viterbo al campagna It was a sweet spot, a lot of ungodly hings were smoked and cooked in that house.

Letterman mops the floor with O'Reilly

David Letterman just mopped the floor with O'Reilly:

Quote: "I am not inteleginent enough to debate you point by point, but I think 60% of what you say is crap"

O'Reilly says gimme an example, Dave responds, "come on, for god's sake I don't watch your show enough to do that" or something to that effect...

I was cheering!!!!! It was like watching a peach of a goal at Highbury. 25 yards out: Thierry Henry, back to goal, two defenders sheperding him, he shifts weight onto his right leg, pivots, shoots, GOAAAAAAAAL, top righ-hand corner. Letterman 3: O'Reilly 0.

O'Reilly that muppet couldn't scream senselessly like he does on "The Factor." The Factor? pompous ass.

Anyway.. they closed proceedings went to commercial

When they returned, Dave asked, so how did you think that went, Paul.

Paul: "Ah, it was good TV"

Dave: Apparently the cat dialled 911 during that segment...


Now, is that pompous muppet going to rail against Dave on The Fracture.


Thank you Dave. I love you.
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Aproposito, I did not know Eric Bana was 37 years old, he looks good
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UPDATE: the Cindy Sheehan thing is what started it. Dave hates the fact the muppets like O'Reilly think they know how she should feel.