ME and Ophelia

Monday, October 04, 2004

 
SPACE SHIP ONE WINS $10 MILLION X PRIZE
Flight to 368,000 feet also bests X-15 record

Astronaut Brian Binnie rides on SpaceShipOne after his suborbital flight to win the Ansari X Prize in Mojave, California on Monday.

041004_spaceshipone_10a.h2.jpg
Photo: Laura Rauch/AP

Nasa eat your heart out. This post is especially for James.

[Full Story via Jim Moore, author of The Second Superpower]

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 10/04/2004 0 comments  
- - -

THE ANTHROPOCENE EPOCH -
We have become the globe's principal force

Note this great report from the BBC. It's a wake up call to the world and, in a nutshell, says the challenge we face is about the growing recognition that, as the human race, we stand or fall together.

Planet under pressure is a six-part BBC News Online series looking at some of the most pressing environmental issues facing the human race today. Excerpt:

"Scientists now say we are in a new stage of the Earth's history, the Anthropocene Epoch, when we ourselves have become the globe's principal force.

But several eminent scientists are concerned that we have become too successful - that the unprecedented human pressure on the Earth's ecosystems threatens our future as a species.

We confront problems more intractable than any previous generation, some of them at the moment apparently insoluble.

The challenge we face is not about feeling guilty for our consumption or virtuous for being "green" - it is about the growing recognition that, as the human race, we stand or fall together.

Ingenuity and technology continue to offer hope of a better world. But they can promise only so much.

You do not need ingenuity and technology to save the roughly 30,000 under-fives who die daily from hunger or easily preventable diseases.

And facing up to the planet's pressure points is about their survival, and ours."
- - -

See Independent UK report dated October 3 Greenpeace Protest Exposes Threat of Nuclear Terror. Imagine the planning and logistics involved in moving enough nuclear material to make 15,000 bombs - the stealth, secrecy and expense.

I'm still reeling from the news [via MD love title of post] that the U.S. lifted sanctions against Pakistan and then offered to sell eighteen F-16s to Pakistan as part of a first installment. (Note, Pakistan is a non-permanent member of the 15-member U.N. Security Council and was one of the members which did not back the Darfur resolutions, despite urging of council.}

Seems too many men are getting up to dark things around the world. Anything that can't be done in the light, can't be much good. At least we have Greenpeace keeping an eye on things. Although what good comes of knowing about such things is beyond me. Our voices are unheard and feelings ignored whether we live in a democracy or not.

It's no wonder extremism and fundamentalism are growing. Millions of ordinary folk see the planet being ruined and their voices go unheard. What else can they do but embrace a religion that provides comfort, meaning and direction to life and the hereafter.

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 10/04/2004 0 comments  
- - -

NON-VIOLENCE WOULD SPEED WORLD SYMPATHY TO THE PALESTINIANS -
Gandhi says it is not too late to start a non-violent movement

This photo is of Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, meeting Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah a few days ago.

27_8_2004_e5-1.jpg

The photo was featured in a report from Bahrain entitled "Gandhi’s grandson urges peaceful uprising".

Arun Gandhi says it is not too late to start a mon-violent movement, and IMHO he is right. Seems to me there is no alternative. I've spent months of intense thinking about violence and have concluded the only way to fight it is peacefully. With love. Sounds cheesey. But I am serious. Love is a powerful force. And so is evil. Fight evil with evil you create more evil. Only love can overcome evil. That is putting it simplistically. Too long to go into here.

The late great Gandhi said, "The power of nonviolence lies in empowering the individual to become the change we wish to see in the world." Which is why I have started a Zone of Peace blog. I am copying the report here in full as part of my log on people's reaction to the idea of fighting violence with non-violence:

RAMALLAH, West Bank: The grandson of slain Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi urged Palestinians yesterday to rise up peacefully to demand an end to Israeli occupation, and said freedom was close.

Arun Gandhi, whose grandfather’s campaign helped loosen Britain’s grip on the Indian subcontinent, said non-violence would speed world sympathy to the Palestinians.

“I know your day of freedom is very near,” he told a crowd of thousands of flag-waving Palestinians in the West Bank city of Ramallah after meeting President Yasser Arafat.

“Insist on your rights and demand your freedom peacefully ... Let the voice of reason and compassion stand up again,” said Gandhi, president and founder of the US-based M. K. Gandhi Institute for Non-Violence.

A popular Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation that began in 2000 has been overshadowed by violence. Rights groups say at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed.

“You have been fighting for the Holy Land, but God told us there is nothing more holy than human life,” Gandhi said.

Palestinians at the rally, though they gave Gandhi rounds of applause, were split on the idea of non-violence.

“The peaceful resistance he talks about is better than what we have here,” said Mohammed Saber, 25. “We should be a symbol of peace to the world. In the end we are with Gandhi. We need to be better than them.”

“We want peace. We want to live as they live. Isn’t this our right?” said Salima Ayat, holding a framed picture of her jailed son. “We want peace by any means.”

But others, like 15-year-old Mahmoud Suleiman, said they doubted non-violence could win Palestinians a state, even as they welcomed Gandhi. “It won’t work,” he said. “There must be both armed and peaceful resistance, and armed resistance is more important.”

Gandhi said he believed it was not too late to start a non-violent movement in the West Bank and Gaza, captured by Israel in 1967, and condemned a wall Israel is building in the West Bank as an “evil thing”.

“Imagine yourselves marching by the thousands behind your leaders to the checkpoints and the roadblocks demanding your free passage and the right to be treated as human beings,” he said.

“Sit at the roadblocks and sing your songs. March to the wall and dance your dances,” he said, referring to the wall Israel is building in the West Bank.
- - -

Note to self to put this link in sidebar: World Peace Report

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 10/04/2004 0 comments

Sunday, October 03, 2004

 
BUY CHICKS AND GOATS FOR CHRISTMAS
To help change lives overseas

gift_goat.gif

A brood of 10 chickens, costing £10, would be given to a poor family. They in turn would pass on any new chicks to another family.

A goat, selling for £24, will provide manure, milk and meat. It could even be sold to buy tools or pay for education. When it reproduces, the first kid will join the loan scheme and be given to a new person.

1. Choose your gift here
2. Select your card
3. Buy securely online
4. Receive a voucher about your gift
5. Your gift helps people overseas

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 10/03/2004 0 comments

Saturday, October 02, 2004

 
BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR
Will visit Sudan next Wednesday

This is amazing news. Hope it is true. Just found the following report at Xinhuanet:

British Prime Minister Tony Blair will visit Sudan next Wednesday, a Sudanese official announced today.

"During the one-day official visit, Blair will hold talks with Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir and First Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, Sudanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nageeb Al-Khair Abdul-Wahab said in a press statement.

Abdul-Wahab said that Blair's talks with the Sudanese leadership would concentrate on bilateral relations and the peace process in Sudan, particularly negotiations between the government and rebels in the south and west parts of the country. Welcoming the visit, Abdul-Wahab described it as an opportunity for consultations between Blair and the Sudanese government and obtaining first hand information on Darfur.

"The visit will be helpful for Britain, an important part in international relations, to obtain a clear picture on Darfur as well as the views of the Sudanese government," the Sudanese official added.

Abdul-Wahab said that Britain's stances on Darfur were distinctive and different from those of the United States.

He said that "there is a good progress in the views of the West toward Darfur."
- - -

Update (Sunday): BBC report confirms doctors have said the chances of Mr Blair's heart flutter returning are very low and he plans to go ahead with a trip to Africa next week. The prime minister is having a quiet weekend after hospital treatment for an irregular heartbeat.
- - -

Note, new posts at Sudan Watch and Passion of the Present. Updated several blogs in sidebar including health blog A Breath of Hope (see sidebar here on the right).

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 10/02/2004 0 comments

Friday, October 01, 2004

 
THE WORLD AFTER 9/11
Gandhi's hope for humanity

Below is a link to an essay entitled "The World After 9/11" that I found at M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence. It is written by Arun Gandhi, the grandson of the late great Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Part of the message it conveys is that life is about giving and helping, not just about amassing and consuming; that it is essential we build community-to-community relationships and build a bond with a community while helping them in whatever way we can. And talks of a "Hope for Humanity Fund" - saving a coin every day to help a community in a Third World country.

Reminds me of a vicar who gave a £5 note to each of the children in his congregation. The children were delighted and couldn't believe their luck. The vicar challenged them to go forth and multiply the cash.

Given the challenge, each decided to spend their £5 note imaginatively. Many got involved making and selling products. Some bought seeds, soil and trays and grew crops. Others bought ingredients for making and selling cakes. One purchased a bucket and cloth and started a cleaning service. They felt motivated and encouraged to see the fruits of their labour. Each returned (bar a few failed ventures) £5 to the vicar and were thrilled at being told to keep their profits.

Arun Gandhi's essay "The World After 9/11" ends with the words:

"This is the only way we can save the world from a violent destruction."
- - -

HOPE FOR HUMANITY

Another essay by Arun Gandhi is a reminder of Gandhi's hope for humanity and his famous words:

"The power of nonviolence lies in empowering the individual to become the change we wish to see in the world."

The essay is entitled "Hope for Humanity - A New Millennium Role For The U.S.?"

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 10/01/2004 0 comments Newer›  ‹Older