So, this is Christmas...

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
Ans so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
Ans so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over over
If you want it
War is over
Now..

Failed States - Chomsky

I highly recommend reading Chomsky's Failed States. For those of you uninitiated into the Chomsky realm, he is incisive and prolific, with his numerous works indicating both breadth and depth. Have a Wiki read.

A book like Failed States or Hegemony or Survival educates while punching you in the gut, and become quite an eye-opener to those who have little experience with politics and power, so it behooves you to give it a try (as everyone's lives are affected by such things).

I could have excerpted the whole book, but didn't want to type that much, so here are just a few passages:

"Among the most elementary of moral truisms is the principle of universality: we must apply to ourselves the same standards we do to others, if not more stringent ones. It is a remarkable comment on Western intellectual culture that this principle is so often ignored and, if occasionally mentioned, condemned as outrageous." (p.3)

"It is no easy task to gain some understanding of human affairs. In some respects, the task is harder than in the natural sciences. Mother Nature doesn’t provide the answers on a silver platter, but at least she does not go out of her way to set up barriers to understanding. In human affairs, such barriers are the norm. It is necessary to dismantle the structures of deception erected by doctrinal systems, which adopt a range of devices that flow very naturally from the ways in which power is concentrated." (p.103)

"As usual in recent years, the 2004 electoral campaigns were run by the public relations industry, which in its regular vocation sells toothpaste, lifestyle drugs, automobiles, and other commodities. Its guiding principle is deceit. The task of advertising is to undermine the free markets we are taught to admire: mythical entities in which informed consumers make rational choices." (p.220)

"The World Bank and others stimulate borrowing by the rich and powerful in the poor countries, the risky loans yield high returns, and when the system crashes, structural adjustment programs transfer the costs to the poor, who never borrowed the money in the first place and gained little from it, and to the taxpayers of the North." (p.244)

The World as a Hundred People

I find things like this interesting when attempting comprehension of the global statistics. Obviously, details are skimmed and large groups are collapsed, but there is still some use.

International Human Rights Day

International Human Rights Day is the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, when on December 10 th , 1948 the world agreed on the rights shared by all humans. Sadly, that must read "...rights that should be shared by all humans."

It is an oft noted, but oft forgotten, fact that there are millions, if not billions, of people on Earth who do not have the human rights that they should. These people are like you and me. They are someone's mother, their brother, their child and their grandmother.

Imagine not having the right to met up with your friends in a park. Imagine not being allowed to own property or vote. Worse still, imagine not having the right to refuse sex.

I know many people who say they support equality and human rights... but it's not enough just to say it. Write a letter, create awareness, volunteer or donate.
Once informed, apathy is no longer excusable.

Amnesty International
Human Rights Watch
Oxfam

In the Presence of Goodness

Canada's conscience, Stephen Lewis, was interviewed Monday on The Hour. While watching, I thought to myself, "Morally, here is a model for being."

This Wed's The Nature of Things also has a doc about his life:
stephen lewis: the man who couldn't sleep

Brighty Goodness

The recent Bright's Bullentin passed along these links, so I'll pay 'em forward.

a) Thank Goodness! by my fav author Dennett. A recent health scare leads him to opine on the nature of intentions, consequences, faith and reason.

Do I worship modern medicine? Is science my religion? Not at all; there is no aspect of modern medicine or science that I would exempt from the most rigorous scrutiny, and I can readily identify a host of serious problems that still need to be fixed. That's easy to do, of course, because the worlds of medicine and science are already engaged in the most obsessive, intensive, and humble self-assessments yet known to human institutions, and they regularly make public the results of their self-examinations. Moreover, this open-ended rational criticism, imperfect as it is, is the secret of the astounding success of these human enterprises.

b) Nearly half of Americans uncertain God exists(Need more methodological details)

Dion as the next Prime Minister of Canada?

Well, I guess that's what I'm hoping for... given the alternatives. It is reassuring that Dion is a big proponent of sustainable development and has a strong environmental policy. I think he'll just need some PR coaching to make his words/presence more inspiring. Take what you can get.