Archive for September, 2008

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Enneagram U.S.A.

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

– Following along on yesterday’s theme of having great friends with interesting viewpoints, here’s another view that was shared with me recently by a friend. 

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Riso, a Jesuit, is brilliant, and  wrote a book about personality types based on The Enneagram.  The “Three” is the narcissist.  (Sarah Palin for example).

I read this 20 years ago when my counselor gave me this book.  Things haven’t changed.  🙂 v

The United States is becoming a “Three” culture: narcissistic, image- oriented, emphasizing style over substance, symbols over reality. The pursuit of excellence is being replaced by the celebration of the artificial as everything is being treated as a commodity—-packaged, advertised, and marketed. Politics is becoming less concerned with principles or the use of power for the common good than with the display of personalities. Politics serves public relations, selling candidates with their calculated positions to a public which can no longer tell a clone from a real person. The communications media, particularly television, are primarily concerned with attracting attention so that the public can be sold something. The shallow values and the beguiling glitter of show biz have become the norms by which everything is measured. The only guideline is the ability to gain attention: what is noticed and in demand has value. People are so seduced by the slick package that they often do not realize there is nothing in it. To paraphrase McLuhan, the package is the message. Calculated images successfully masquerade as reality, from the programmed friendliness of television personalities to the rehearsed sincerity of beauty contestants to the hard fluff of “evening magazine” shows. Exhibitionism and self promotion are becoming acceptable as people do whatever it takes to get noticed in an increasingly competitive marketplace. The ideal is to be a winner—–to be successful, famous, and celebrated. The quest for success and prestige is everywhere. Every day a new book comes out telling us how to dress for success, eat for success, or network for success. We are being sold a narcissistic fantasy: that we will be “somebody” if we are like everybody else, only better. If you manage your image properly, you too can become a star—–or a god. The personality type Three exemplifies the search for the affirmation of the self, a self which becomes more empty as its apparent perfection bids for more attention.

– Reasearch Thanks to Robert V.

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Posted in Culture - How not to do it | No Comments »

Candid Europe

Monday, September 8th, 2008

– I have great friends.   I guess maybe that comes with age.  But many of these folks have risen to positions in their careers which give them great views that not many of the rest of us are privileged to share.  

– Occasionally, they share the view from where they are with me.   And in this world of endless spin, I find this highly valuable.   

– Below, are a few paragraphs that a friend of mine, who works in a large international organization in Europe, wrote me.  

– I trust his intelligence, his candor and his proximity to the things he discusses.   In short, it’s a relatively clear view of something we would normally only see through a fog of spin and ideology.

– My friend shall remain nameless.  Enjoy.

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It is very interesting in Europe.  First, the European Union for the most part has control of the currency (the Euro) not all old member states are under the Euro, (Denmark, Sweden, UK), and the newer member states are not all in the Euro (Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania).  So I think it is 13 European countries which are laboring under the Euro which includes France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Finland, Slovenia, Ireland.  But, these for the most part are the economic dynamos.  I might not have the Euro members exactly correct, but it is close and off the top of my head.  Anyway, the main point is that the European Central Bank (ECB) does not act like our Federal Reserve.  The ECB is charged with keeping Inflation at or below 3% across the board.  It might be 2% but I think its 3.  So, when someplace like Spain gets a head of inflationary  steam, then the ECB would screw with interest rates and other controls to curb  this villain. This was a solution looking for a problem. This has been disruptive in some cases because if a smaller nation causes the ECB to react, it could really affect larger nations, like Germany, to enter an economic downturn where things were otherwise OK.

Overall this has more or less worked OK, but it really has not had to deal with a major economic problem like that which is coming.  If you will notice, the dollar is slowly strengthening against the Euro. This is because the European economy follows the US lead but it traditionally lags by 9 months to a year.  The UK seems to have a much shorter lag, and they are feeling the crunch now. Real Estate in Spain and France is in dire straights. Europe is beginning to head south at this time.  The ECB now has to make a decision about broadening its mandate. All bets are that it will reduce interest rates to stimulate the EU economy even though inflation is not where they want it. That in part is why the dollar is strengthening.  High interest rates attract capital which causes the currency to strengthen.  So if the ECB reduces or indicates lower interest rates, then the currency depreciates.

There are other problems also, no real wage growth for years, very high social programs which drain investment capital. None of this can hold because the Asian tigers are gobbling up everything in sight.  So what we have is a massive drain of capital (National Wealth) towards Asia.  Also, Asia is stealing all the intellectual capital. To me all of this means that at some point in time Europe and the US become has-been nations.

This issue with Russia is very interesting. It has revealed the real weakness in Europe’s ability to defend itself.  For years they have lived under the US umbrella which as you know can’t extend this far due to world wide commitments. The amount they (Europe at large) spend on national defense is very low.  They are not equipped to defend themselves at all. Our (USA) equipment is wearing out, our troops are tired, and our national will is spent.  Russia knows this and is taking full advantage. For some reason the Europeans are deluded into thinking it is really not a big deal.  Shades of Pre-WW II wishfull thinking.  They are also extremely dependent upon Russia for energy.  By taking Georgia, they [ Russia] have severely tightened the screws.

My overall assessment is that economically Europe is headed South.  This very well could cause a huge social upheaval.  We will just have to wait and see how deep this thing gets.

By the way I saw something yesterday about the number of Americans now in trouble with mortgages. It is about 10%.  The Fed is going to intervene in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  I am afraid that I do not see any leadership coming that will deal with these issues.  Reminds me of the old Chinese curse “May you live in interesting times”. OR, can we say depression???

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Arctic Map shows dispute hotspots

Thursday, September 4th, 2008

British scientists say they have drawn up the first detailed map to show areas in the Arctic that could become embroiled in future border disputes.

A team from Durham University compiled the outline of potential hotspots by basing the design on historical and ongoing arguments over ownership.

Russian scientists caused outrage last year when they planted their national flag on the seabed at the North Pole.

The UK researchers hope the map will inform politicians and policy makers.

“Its primary purpose is to inform discussions and debates because, frankly, there has been a lot of rubbish about who can claim (sovereignty) over what,” explained Martin Pratt, director of the university’s International Boundaries Research Unit (IBRU).

“To be honest, most of the other maps that I have seen in the media have been very simple,” he added.

“We have attempted to show all known claims; agreed boundaries and one thing that has not appeared on any other maps, which is the number of areas that could be claimed by Canada, Denmark and the US.”

More… ➡

Posted in Climate Change, CrashBlogging, Peak Oil, Social Breakdown, The Perfect Storm | No Comments »

“Water Mafias” Put Stranglehold on Public Water Supply

Thursday, September 4th, 2008

Worldwide corruption driven by mafia-like organizations throughout water industries is forcing the poor to pay more for basic drinking water and sanitation services, according to a new report.

If bribery, organized crime, embezzlement, and other illegal activities continue, consumers and taxpayers will pay the equivalent of U.S. $20 billion dollars over the next decade, says the report, released this week at the World Water Week conference in Stockholm, Sweden.

The water sector is one of most corrupt after health and education, added HÃ¥kan Tropp, chair of the Water Integrity Network (WIN), an advocacy group and report co-author.

That’s because the poor often don’t have a voice in strategic water policy decisions, said Christian Poortman, head of the anticorruption group Transparency International (TI), which collaborated with WIN on the study.

More… ➡

Posted in CrashBlogging, Human Rights, Social Breakdown, The Perfect Storm, Water Shortages | No Comments »

Melting glacier leaves no room for doubt

Thursday, September 4th, 2008

Huge ice fields in western China’s Tian Mountains are diminishing because of global warming. Jonathan Watts went to Urumqi No1 to see how the local people are being affected.

Up close, the sound of global warming at the face of the Urumqi No1 Glacier is a simple, steady drip, drip, drip. Just 30 metres from the main wall, the flood of meltwater becomes so powerful that it cuts a tunnel under the floor of grey ice, leaving only a blotchy, wafer-thin crust on the surface. [See Guardian video here.]

Compared with the collapse of ice shelves in the Antarctic, the melting of the mountains in China’s far west is one of the less spectacular phenomena of global warming, but it is a more immediate cause of concern and hope.

There is concern because this glacier — more than almost any other in China — is a natural water regulator for millions of people downstream in the far western region of Xinjiang. In winter, it stores up snow and ice. In summer, it releases meltwater to provide drinking and irrigation supplies to one of the country’s most arid regions. It brings hope because its rapid shrinkage is helping to set off climate-change alarm bells in a country that emits more greenhouse gases than any other.

The Urumqi No1 Glacier is so named because it was the first ice field to be measured in China. Since 1953, scientists have been monitoring its thickness and length, analysing traces of pollution and tracking changes in temperature at this 3,800-metre altitude. The results leave no room for doubt that this part of the Tian (Heaven) mountain range is melting.

More… ➡

Posted in Climate Change, CrashBlogging, The Perfect Storm, Water Shortages | No Comments »

Elephants Decimated in Congo Park; China Demand Blamed

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

– Entire species may disappear for transient human vanity.   My species truly embarrasses me.   We are not worthy to have the power we have over these innocent beasts.

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Since the beginning of this year, armed groups, soldiers, and poachers have killed 10 percent of the elephants in Congo’s troubled Virunga National Park—allegedly driven by rising Chinese demand for ivory—park officials say.

The announcement raises fears that elephants could disappear forever from Africa’s oldest and largest national park, which has recently made headlines for its gorilla murders.

Rangers plying the lawless central sector of Virunga have discovered the bodies of seven elephants in the past two weeks alone.

In one case they came upon Rwandan militia members hovering over the bodies of two elephants. The rangers managed to drive the men away before they could remove the animals’ tusks.

In all, 24 elephants are known to have been killed in Virunga so far this year.

“We believe that less than ten were killed last year,” said Samantha Newport, spokesperson for Virunga National Park. “Undoubtedly this year is a lot, lot worse. It’s catastrophic.”

(Earlier coverage: “17 Elephants Butchered for Ivory in African Park” [May 5, 2008].)

More… ➡

Posted in CrashBlogging, Culture - How not to do it, Extinctions, The Perfect Storm | No Comments »

McCain and Palin? Some basic background

Monday, September 1st, 2008

– The following is from E-mails that MoveOn is currently distributing.

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Yesterday was John McCain’s 72nd birthday. If elected, he’d be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for “inexperience,” here’s who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.

Huh?

Who is Sarah Palin? Here’s some basic background:

  • She was elected Alaska‘s governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.1
  • Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.2
  • She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3
  • Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4
  • She’s doesn’t think humans are the cause of climate change.5
  • She’s solidly in line with John McCain’s “Big Oil first” energy policy. She’s pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won’t be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6
  • How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.7

This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.

We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here’s a sample:

She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK

She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She’s a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK

As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK

Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK

She’s vehemently anti-choice and doesn’t care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK

I think she’s far too inexperienced to be in this position. I’m all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn’t done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain’s part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he’ll get our vote by putting “A Woman” in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She’s a global warming denier who shares John McCain’s commitment to Big Oil. And she’s dramatically inexperienced.

In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he’s made a very dangerous decision for our country.

In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain’s vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.

Sources:

1. “Sarah Palin,” Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin

2. “McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate,” NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-6032462-M_UeNbx&t=1

3. “Sarah Palin, Buchananite,” The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-6032462-M_UeNbx&t=2

4. “‘Creation science’ enters the race,” Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-6032462-M_UeNbx&t=3

5. “Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science,” Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-6032462-M_UeNbx&t=4

6. “McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy,” Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-6032462-M_UeNbx&t=5

“Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past,” League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-6032462-M_UeNbx&t=6

“Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor,” The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-6032462-M_UeNbx&t=7

7 “McCain met Palin once before yesterday,” MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-6032462-M_UeNbx&t=8

Posted in Politics - The Wrong Way | No Comments »

Banned OSHA Films

Monday, September 1st, 2008

-A hat tip to The Big Picture Blog for this story:  ➡

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In 1980, the last year of Jimmy Carter’s administration, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) commissioned a series of three 30-minute films about worker safety.  These were real pro productions, with Studs Terkel as narrator on two of the productions.  In 1981, Reagan appointed 36-year old Florida construction executive Thorne G. Auchter, who proceeded to systematically dismantle the agency.  Evidently, the 3 films disturbed Thorne greatly, because OSHA issued a recall, threatening to withold OSHA funds from any organization that did not return their copies of the films, which were promptly destroyed.

But a few union officials defied the ban and “stole” copies so they weren’t able to be returned.  Over the years, they would occasionally show them to their troops, using the fact they banned as a way to get them to watch the films, which have important messages about worker rights and workplace safety.  But, aside from these bootleg showings, the video disappeared.

– – – – – – –

– Well, after all these years, these suppressed films have been posted on the Internet for everyone to see.

– In my opinion, the purpose of governement is to serve the people and create an environment that benefits their health, happiness and welfare.   These films are from a time when this POV was actually taken seriously at the highest levels in our government.   But, these ideas died with the advent of Reaganism and haven’t returned since.   Sad.

– Follow this link to go to the Internet Archive where you can see these three films:  ➡

Posted in Capitalism & Corporations, CrashBlogging, Culture - How not to do it, Human Rights, The Perfect Storm | No Comments »

‘Big Dry’ turns farms into deserts

Monday, September 1st, 2008

In the once-lush fields of South Australia, on land that borders the state’s world famous Lower Lakes, farmer Nigel Treloar rounds up the herd with the help of his off-road motorbike.

It is one of the few things that has got easier as a result of Australia’s worst drought in 100 years.

That is because he used to have 800 cows and now he only milks 250. There is not enough irrigation water from the nearby lakes to sustain a bigger herd.

Nigel took me to nearby Lake Albert, to what used to be a vast expanse of water. But now its waters have receded and much of it resembles a moonscape.

The pump and pipeline that once irrigated his land now lie in the open-air rather than underwater. He has been chasing the retreating water and has been losing the race.

“We’d be up to our waist in water here and it would be navigable,” Nigel told me, after we had walked out 100 metres from what used to be the shoreline.

“You could come out here with boats. All the fishermen would be up and down with their fishing gear and pulling in the catch.”

“But this is the middle of winter and it looks like a desert.”

There are puddles of water but they are brown-tinged and unwelcoming. The cows will not drink it. So high is the salt content that it stings and burns their mouths.

More… ➡

Posted in Climate Change, CrashBlogging, Desertification, The Perfect Storm, Water Shortages | No Comments »

Spain sweats amid ‘water wars’

Monday, September 1st, 2008

Spain is experiencing its worst drought in 40 years. Climate experts warn that the country is suffering badly from the impact of climate change and that the Sahara is slowly creeping north – into the Spanish mainland.

Yet in Spain itself there is little consensus about what is to be done. Indeed, such is the disagreement that journalists and politicians alike are calling it “water wars”.

A farmer and politician, Angel Carcia Udon, said: “Water arouses passions because it can be used as a weapon, a political weapon, just as oil is a political weapon.”

And water in Spain has set region against region, north against south and government against opposition.

When the city of Barcelona nearly ran out of water earlier this year, the fountains were switched off and severe restrictions were introduced.

The government of Catalonia pleaded for water to be transferred from rivers like the Ebro – causing a furious row between the regions.

Instead, the city shipped in millions of litres of water from France and accelerated work on the giant desalination plant on the edge of Barcelona, which promises to provide 180,000 cubic metres of water a day.

Parched land

But Barcelona is not alone in its insatiable thirst. Apart from the far north, the entire country is suffering, especially the parched areas on the Mediterranean coast, from Catalonia, down through Valencia, Alicante, Murcia and Almeria.

More… ➡

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