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WHAT THE NOUGHTIES HAVE DONE FOR MEDIA AND GOD?

In both cases: NAUGHT - they are done-for.

What the naughties have FAILED to do thus far is to get to grips with the problem of human population growth as the major factor in damage to Earth's ecology and (possibly) climate change. See #41 yesterday NN post.

Better still watch Horizon(Sir David Attenborough) repeat tonight ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ2 12.10 am. By comparison, all else is pure indulgence!

"There is in all of us a longing for something greater. Christians and non-Christians too for that matter, call it God. Others don't know what to call it. You don't have to call God anything. God is just a word." Sister Wendy Beckett.

After a long search in Philippines bookshops, full of self-improvement and god-books, I finally found a copy of Professor Dawkins' The God Delusion'. Although in my case it was preaching to the converted (well agnostic anyway)I find the book and his website confirm my dis-belief in dieties and mythologies that are a hang-over from medieval power play by the priest classes, and I see religion still as a series of attempts to convert people to rival and confrontational situations including war, terrorism and inhuman practices.

Of course there is 'a longing for something greater'; in Africa and other countries where missionaries have established the only form of 'primary education' it manifests as a near-worship and subservience to any chief or dictator who claims to be local agents of JC.

But we do all need something as a focus for an inherent, yet indefinable spirituality. In these times, it would not be unreasonable (even essential) for populations to be almost brainwashed into believing in the sanctity of Mother Earth, and churches, cathedrals, mosques and synagogues should be encouraged to devote at least one service a month to this divine planet that we all call home. I love to sing hymns, despite not believing one word of them and my local beautiful church for music recitals every summer. I would love to sing hymns modified to praise Mother Earth (eg.'All thing wise and wonderful , Nature made them all' (violent?))

Such a commonness of belief would help to build communities, without the armies of politically appointed persons bearing titles like Communities Liason Officer in our midst.

That would be a real achievement by which to remember the Naughties.

'what have the naughties done for the media.'

There is a film by Nagisa Oshima called Ai no corrrida (1976)

In the Realm of the Senses

We have become speed-ed up and ever more isolated, paranoid about each other. Impatient to get the next 'realm of the senses' 'hit' bored of a two second wait, faster cant be fast enough. Where did the patience and ability to concentrate on drawing with precise mark and line go - bleached out by the barely breathed in - moved onto the next from a deleted memory of 10 seconds ago. Stuff addiction to my nothing.

We are surveillanced.
Judged to be and used
to market, pervert or profit margin
Mark for credit, sharp card for a scam.
Firewall virus hacked off to our snap.
Ignored by the mighty
Deluded by the research
cut through stopped out time line
click me a never ending self
Seen to be...

glad all that climate schtick has been put on the back burner.

although carbon trading gets more attention

...Carbon trading fraudsters may have accounted for up to 90pc of all market activity in some European countries...





although no surprise the chinese are trying to big it up



after the 178 billion one joke going around is that the ratings agencies have downgraded Great Britain to Britain.

so we have had Truckers Weekly and the Sun's view of politics [although their views on the NN ladies might be a bit more schoolyard grafitti?] which has given them respectability so what is the guest publication tonight?

i suppose my running order would be


terrorism conviction
iraq latest bombings
nobel prize -is it an embarrassment?
iraq inquiry-ie an in depth profile of those running it.
MP's expenses
the irish budget [60 billion in cuts]- does it show what the uk's real budget will be after this phoney government period before the election is over? and where the axe is likely to fall?


and today's view of the budget would be from BMX monthly- just to pretend to appeal to 'da yoof'.

Emily
If this is an introduction fit for a 'respected' journalist, then I am Gregory Peck.

Was it a duck or was it a tiger that helped you write this or both in one?

Monika

#5 jauntycyclist
"glad all that climate schtick has been put on the back burner, although carbon trading gets more attention"

It certainly gets more attention than the main cause of many problems, (possibly including climate change) - human population growth.



"Organisations like the Optimum Population Trust, that is backed by Sir Jonathan Porritt, Dame Jane Goodall and Sir David Attenborough, advocate birth control as a way of slowing climate change.

As Sir David has said: "I've never seen a problem that wouldn't be easier to solve with fewer people, or harder, and ultimately impossible, with more."

A study by the London School of Economics found contraception is almost five times cheaper as a means of preventing climate change than conventional green solutions such as investing in green technology.

Medical journal the Lancet also found greater use of contraceptives to reduce the global impact of climate change."

so, WHY will the REAL problem not be faced up to?

"However this is hugely controversial, not least with religious groups who see it as a Government push to control individual fertility." and

"The UN has insisted the issue does not become part of the negotiations at Copenhagen, pointing out that the population will control itself as countries develop, women become better educated and families shrink."

Well, religion itself is hugely controversial, so why do we continue to give it more consideration than human survival, which we are told is at stake?

Is the UN's claim based on scientific analysis, or peurile diplomacy?
We know there is some evidence to support the statement for indigenous Europe, but quite the reverse for many other nations.

all that population stuff is a bit logan's run for me. [or soylent green]

maurice strong wrote that the whole idea was to give people scare stories about population

5

the 60 billion refers to their spending not cuts. my fault. what it should say is


..The spending plan, 60 billion euros or about $88 billion, cuts 4 billion euros from the country’s ballooning deficit by reducing public sector salaries by 5 to 15 percent and by drastically reducing expenditures on health care, education, welfare benefits and other social programs.

If the government’s proposals pass Parliament, it expects to save 15 billion euros or about $22 billion over the next four years.....



which is 25% over 4 years?
still a stiff drink needed for that?

If this is what the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ now calls news no wonder we are in such a state as a country. At a time when we have probably lost all pretense of living in a democracy you think it is important to have an article about democratic clothing ! and what has tiger woods got to do with news when thousands of deaths every week in an illegal war conducted in our name by our own government. After watching a brilliant Edge Media show on channel 200, I went on to Newsnight to find this childish rubbish masquerading as news.#
It is worse than childish, the bbc is actively dumbing down the population so that the govt can get on and do exactly what it pleases.

#10 Helen Slimmond

"It is worse than childish, (is)the bbc is actively dumbing down the population so that the govt can get on and do exactly what it pleases."

I would only add the bit in brackets to fully agree

THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU MEAN (#10)

This forum regularly carries pleas and invective regarding the juvenile quality of Newsnight content. But Newsnight, and their 'performers', WIN AWARDS.

While they win, you - we - cannot.