Jots and Tittles
By Their Fruits You Shall Know Them: TOKYO — In what appears to be influences from global warming, abnormal fruits, such as grapes not turning red and peaches with their flesh turning brown, are being reported throughout the country, forcing producers to try to find effective countermeasures."
GM pea causes allergic damage in mice "The researchers – at Australia’s national research organisation, CSIRO – took the gene for a protein capable of killing pea weevil pests from the common bean and transferred it into the pea. When extracted from the bean, this protein does not cause an allergic reaction in mice or people. But the team found that when the protein is expressed in the pea, its structure is subtly different to the original in the bean. They think this structural change could be to blame for the unexpected immune effects seen in mice."
Man dies while working in concrete mixer I couldn't help notice the location: "GOOSE CREEK, S.C. - A man died when a concrete mixer began turning while he and a co-worker were working inside the drum." Yikes.
I Hate It When She's Right ~ PR Newswire: "Surprisingly, there were actually more germs found on an average classroom water fountain spigot than there were on a toilet seat." Okay, so I won't drink from grammar school water fountains any more.
As The Twig is Bent: There are people managing to effectively combine the medium and the message regarding sustainability issues, says Dale Littlejohn. "It's not rocket science: Check Your Head gets people taking about real issues in clubs, the Better World Handbook used a mini folk-fest approach, and the recent Car Free Day in Gastown was great." Check Your Head provides education, resources, training and support for youth, who then facilitate workshops, organize events and coordinate projects promoting education and action around issues of globalization and social justice. We provide a forum where youth can learn about ideas and debate issues like sweatshops, international trade, corporate power and responsibility and many others.
Here are the Seven Foundations for a Better World (from the Better World Handbook)
- Economic Fairness
- Comprehensive Peace
- Ecological Sustainability
- Deep Democracy
- Social Justice
- Culture of Simplicity
- Revitalized Community
Comments
I read the concrete mixer article, too, and noticed the Goose Creek location. I immediately thought of you. Hmm, two Goose Creeks!
Posted by: Deb | November 22, 2005 8:07 AM
Jim here. I'll take the bait regarding the Better World Handbook and Check Your Head (big shock). Beginning with Check Your Head, I believe the founders of this anti-free trade club should check THEIR heads. The following supporters should send a red flag to most passersby:
The British Columbia Teachers' Federation
B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union
The Hospital Employee's Union
I can't think of an industry in a developed country that needs a union with the possible exception of extremely dangerous industries such as mining where profit may potentially be put before personal safety.
Back to the point, Check Your Head reads like a fun and exciting way to meet new friends and help make a happy world through youthful endeavors. In reality, it appears to mainly be an indoctrinization tool to convolute the minds of the impressionable with socialist ideas.
Take their quote that globalism/capitalism is correlated with sweatshops, brain drains and other evil outcomes. What they don't say is that constraining free trade will result in continued human rights abuses and increased poverty for all by quashing innovation and initiative.
The Better World Handbook follows the same central premise as Check Your Head which is that good intentions produce just results, and that simply by acting as a more conscientious consumer—by making the right "personal choices"—the world will automatically emerge a more decent place.
Lawrence Summers, current president of Harvard, has been shaking these types of ideas up by stating that we need to question even the most popular or en vogue perceptions using empiricism. Yes, this includes capitalism and globalization. If the data bear out a better world by forming special interest groups such as unions and restricting private ownership and free trade then I'll pay more attention to these anti-globalism ideologies.
Posted by: Jim | November 22, 2005 10:44 AM
Ah, Utopia.
My problem with the above concept is who will be the judge of what is fair, sustainable, just? By what criteria will that judgement be made?
What if it was decided that non-farming people such as yourself and Ann couldn't occupy as much land as you now do? You have everso much more than most of the third world...it's really not fair. Is it?
The assumption is always made by those who embrace utopian ideals of distributed wealth, mandated equality and social equity that because their hearts are pure they will not be on the receiving end of "justice" by committee.
Ask any emigre from Eastern Europe how well that works out in the real world.
Socialism/collectivism/communalism has not been sustinable in any form that has been tried to date.
Sorry, but I find the psycho-babble of Deep Democracy chilling.
Posted by: bj | November 22, 2005 8:39 PM
Re: Concrete mixer guy. We seem to be having our share of bizarre and newsworthy deaths around here. There's another guy who died recently when he became trapped and overcome by fumes while repairing a septic tank.
Posted by: Trey | November 25, 2005 1:35 PM