This is a blog from someone Bahgdad:

http://www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

It's very interesting. - Rich writing

WORLD BANK DEBT CANCELLATION AGREED

The World Bank yesterday finally agreed the cancellation of up to $37 billion of poor country debts, as part of the deal first announced by the G8 in 2005. Thank you to all supporters who put pressure on G8 governments and the World Bank over the last year – and kept pushing over the details until the last minute. Your pressure paid off!

Debt campaigners have long been calling for 100% cancellation of World Bank debts – a principle which this deal now puts into practice (at least for some countries, on debts up to a certain date). Most recently, Jubilee Debt Campaign supporters and others worldwide had been emailing the World Bank protesting that their proposals for delivering the G8 deal would have left poor countries facing a delay of up to 15 months between qualifying for this debt cancellation and actually getting it! Many thousands of you emailed – the World Bank has now reversed this decision. Thank you for keeping the pressure on right up until the last minute!

Of course this deal does not provide everything you have long called for – full cancellation of all unpayable and unjust debts, an end to harmful and unfair conditions, and a fair, open process for resolving debt crises. But it is a very important step – and your campaigning was crucial. Zambia, for instance, has just released its new budget: both health and education spending are going up as a result of debt cancellation, which is making possible plans for 4,500 new teachers, a school building programme, new healthcare staff and an expanded HIV/AIDS programme.

-Source . . . Update from Jubilee Debt Campaign

The arms trade is out of control.

There are around 639 million small arms and light weapons in the world today. Eight million more are produced every year.

Guns have never been so easy to obtain. Without strict control these weapons will continue to fuel violent conflict, state repression, crime, and domestic abuse.

The global arms trade that brings these weapons into the hands of killers is big business. Per year, the value of global authorised arms exports is $21 billion.

From the inner cities of Britain to the pastoralist communities of Kenya, gun culture is on the increase.

We all have a part to play. How many of you have stocks in weapons manuafacturers? How many of you have Ethical Investments. If you really think about the links can be rather disturbing.

Last week I attended a Student Union Council at Southampton University. The students were concerned about the University's shareholding in BAE and The Smiths Group. Both these companies make weapons. What was more worrying was the fact that the University Pension Scheme in England (PASNAS) is a BIG investor, but lets not single them out, most pension scheme portfolios in the UK and around the world will be big investors!

I'm not against guns. I've been to the USA a few times and i've been to gun ranges and I have loved it! Shooting is a sport. But its a sport that can so easily be abused.

I am against the proliferation of weapons into the hands in dictactorships, mercenaries, criminals and countries with human rights abuses...

Look back at the children at the top of this blog again.

www.ethicalinvestor.com

Thank you George Bush.

Thanks to the wonderful George Bush we've all realised how important democracy is. How important it is that we all use our voices to make sure bastards like this do not inherit the earth. I don't advocate violence George but I do advocate democracy in its truest form!

Slowly we're starting to come together ...

Thank you George Bush. Your negligence of the Environment has made us all realise how important it is that you are not left to destroy it.

Thank you George Bush. Your right-wing christian tendancies have put more people off religion. (We'll leave that topic until another day folks :) )

Thank you George Bush. You've made the world realise it doesn't want to be anything like you.

There's Evolution in ..... Revolution

The people are rising!

'Tens of thousands of people have begun marches in French towns and cities to protest against a new law making it easier to dismiss young workers.'


Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4819052.stm

Listen to me again....

The Climate is Changing!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4803460.stm

Gareth - BSc(Hons)EnvSci :)



Yeah, everyone's got a degree but they are all in different subjects people!

..trust me this increase is not good! Just look at the fossil record - the Earth's climate has been tropical in the past and it will be again.

Scrap all this creationism debate! God can still exist and so can bloody fossils!

One 'helluva' website!!!

Check this beast out people... What a cracker!

http://cityhippy.blogspot.com/

Amazing tips for this generation we're all part of.

This time I can't help myself from believing it is the fault of France...

'Yet again the poorest countries have been sidelined, as ministers from the world's leading trading nations failed to make significant progress'

'President Bush has already stated - and he seems to be genuine - that he will abolish all agriculture subsidies if Europe and others do likewise.'

'Once again, the problem is that Europe, and France in particular, will not face down its farmers and so will not seize President Bush's challenge. If it is the case that a handful of countries can veto proposals that would resuscitate trade for poorer nations then it will be a permanent scar on world governance. For that reason Tony Blair and President Bush should conjure up a valedictory initiative to wrest something from the ashes of the talks. Africa - not represented in London - deserves better than to be left by the wayside so rich countries can wallow in subsidies that do no good for anyone including themselves.'

Source : http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1729623,00.html#article_continue

How long do the world poorest have to suffer? Once again the institution of France shuns the world's poor to look after it's own people. Did the rural folk scar the politicians when they courted the Guillotine all those years ago? It seems like the country is scared of its rural minority. In a country so fundamentally racist it is no surprise that once again 'Vichy' France are building walls to stop the the world poorest being given the opportunities they deserve. It seems such a simple decline to participate yet their simple 'Non' will undoubtedly cause tens of thousands of deaths. Yes this weekend death warrants were signed. Thankyou France.

Now can someone tell me again why there were race riots in Paris?


Gareth

Here is a great little site for all of those who are interested in the facts.... http://www.infowars.com/index.html

'Statoil and Shell plan to take CO2 from a power station in Norway and pipe it to an oil field, where it will be used to force oil to the surface.' - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4786736.stm

When I read this article I started to wonder what this schemes net carbon reduction was. They are storing Carbon Dioxide into ground resevoirs - great!. But actually how much extra carbon is coming out in the form of oil? I don't know for sure but I suspect its more!

I've just been on Shell's website. Is it just me or is there no contact email address? I think im going to call them and ask for their research regarding this under the Freedom of Information Act. If thats possible!?

23:56 -
Climate countdown...
Africa development...
Evolution by the people and not £/€/$/

Countdown
Sorry to depress you all, but its too late! For years we've warned people about the risks of pollution and global warming! Warning after warning.... Governments failing on promise after promise.....

The world is well past the eleventh hour! The sea levels will rise and the earth's temperatures will soar.

Antarctia will be interesting when it reveals it's edges and freak weather will become more frequent.

History tells us it has happened once and now it is about to happen again. It also teaches us that great civilisations have ended due to the climate.

Never underestimate the Earth - it will wipe out everything in a breath if its wants to. People talk about terrorism. Well the Earth is our biggest Terrorist. But only when you piss it off. If you have a house near the coast that isn't on high ground then I suggest you move. You might lose it in the next few decades. :)

Why can't we run water into Africa from the sea? Maybe our socieites are intitutionally racist

If we really wanted to supply water, a grand civil enginneering scheme like this would be the answer.

Africa
Maybe when the climate does warm up and the ignorant among us start to believe in Climate change then watering Africa will become more important. It will soon become apparent 'en masse' that we need to start locking the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into biomass (trees, plants, etc).

The Earth's ecosystem is extremely delicate. It only takes a one degree rise in average worldwide temperatures for huge change!

Think about it if we irrigate Africa, poverty is reduced, animals thrive, the rainforests grow, Africa develops, and war (dependant on poverty) declines... The growth in biomass will counteract the growing amount of Carbon emissions.

In the interest of preserving our own species that 'Watering of Africa' is not something we can afford to have doubts about. It is imperitive to everyones survival.

Money
Part of the problem we experience in our society is the continuous battle between 'The company' philosophy and moral correctness/self preservation. Traditionally 'The company' does not care what damage it does. It devours and is only limited by legislation. Profit is it's goal.

I just came back from Belgium - most of the newer houses there use rainwater to flush the toilets and run washing machines. But guess what? the water companies were owned by the public. Public owned companies are driven by the people for the people.

Private companies live for profit. Why would they want you to save water? Think about that.

The environmental decisions we face today can be solved with common sense. It's just a shame that a lot of people are too wrapped up in their own existance to even think about the welfare of their grand-children.