No veto as Robin said, and more permanent members. Harry On 28/1/2008 10:17 PM, Lawrence de Bivort wrote:
> Interesting. How is it inadequate now? How do you think it should be > reformed? > > Lawrence > > -----Original Message----- > From: Harry Veeder [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 9:31 PM > To: vortex-l@eskimo.com > Subject: Re: [Vo]:Climate change 'significantly worse' than feared: Al Gore > > The UN security council needs to be reformed for starters. > > Harry > > On 28/1/2008 6:06 PM, Lawrence de Bivort wrote: > >> Agreed, Jed. >> >> We are, as a species, entering an age of globalized systems, and I think >> tackling them will require a new set of linguistic skills. The language we >> use in politics and policy today is still based on national models of > human >> organization -- one might almost say, tribal. My guess is that our > language >> has led us into the present pickle, and that only linguistic improvements > -- >> and radial ones at that -- will enable us to resolve the problems we have >> created for ourselves. >> >> Cheers, >> Lawrence >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Jed Rothwell [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >> Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 5:53 PM >> To: vortex-L@eskimo.com >> Subject: Re: [Vo]:Climate change 'significantly worse' than feared: Al > Gore >> >> R.C.Macaulay wrote: >> >>> At some point in time it becomes necessary to recognize some >>> problems have no solution tasks and simply turn your head in a >>> stance of inevitiability. Al Gore has profited by profiling global >>> warming and Bono the same with Africa but neither have a solution. >>> >>> Africa is imploding in on itself, with any attempt to help being >>> frustrated. Climate changes occur but any attempt to modify climate >>> is futile. All the feeding of guilt will not solve insoluable problems. >> >> As I expect everyone here knows, telling me things like that are like >> waving red meat at a hungry lion. Frankly, such attitudes are >> anathema to the spirit of science, technology, and America -- three >> things I hold dear. Of course I acknowledge that people are capable >> of screwing things up. Of course I know that we might destroy >> ourselves and the ecology. Heck, we may destroy the world in an hour >> with thermonuclear bombs. And it goes without saying that there are >> some potential natural disasters we cannot cope with no matter what, >> such as the Sun going nova, and there may be irredeemable man-made >> disasters such as CO2 released from permafrost -- but there isn't >> yet, as far as I know. >> >> As things now stand, global warming and especially the situation in >> Africa are entirely our fault, and our problem, and I am certain -- >> beyond any doubt -- that we have the power to fix these problems. As >> John F. Kennedy said: >> >> "Our problems are manmade - therefore, they can be solved by man. And >> man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond >> human beings. Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly >> unsolvable - and we believe they can do it again." >> >> Anyone who doubts that is betting against the tide of history. You >> are betting against human resilience which has survived incredible >> trials for millions of years as we came through "the evolutionary >> furnace" as Florman called it. And you are forgetting that we have >> transformed the whole face of the earth and we can do it again, and >> again; we have untold energy at our fingertips; the bounty of the >> whole solar system just outside our reach; and we are surrounded with >> everyday technology that people even 150 years ago would have found >> "indistinguishable from magic." How can anyone doubt that we have the >> power to forestall global warming, or bring properity to the millions >> of people in Africa?!? Strictly in terms of material resources and >> physical energy, we could easily create as much wealth for all 6 >> billion people as only a first-world millionaire enjoys today. The >> only thing stopping us from doing this is widespread ignorance and >> the will to act. >> >> Are there food shortages? We could grow enough food for everyone on >> earth in an area the size of Atlanta. Is there not enough meat? In >> the last few years, my friends at NewHarvest.com have brought the >> cost of cultivated meat (meat grown in vitro) down from $100,000 to a >> few thousand dollars per kilogram. It is just a matter of time before >> meat will be as cheap as tofu, and as clean and easy to make. Do >> people in Africa lack capital? Look at what the Grameen Bank has >> accomplished. >> >> No technically educated person should claim these problems cannot be >> solved! There are only two difficulties: 1. Deciding which of the >> many solutions is most likely to work, at the lowest cost. 2. Pushing >> aside the ignorant naysayers and greedy fools who say we can't solve >> the problems and we should just give up. >> >> Here is what we must believe and act upon, right up until the last >> member of our species goes extinct. In October 1941, after 10 months >> of war, Winston Churchill said: >> >> ". . . surely from this period of ten months this is the lesson: >> never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never -- in >> nothing, great or small, large or petty -- never give in except to >> convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never >> yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." >> >> Regarding our special predicament: I don't care if Albert Gore and >> 100 million scientists world-wide refuse to look at cold fusion, or >> ridicule it, or promote crazy ideas such as ethanol instead. I don't >> care about the "apparently overwhelming might" of Nature or the DoE. >> If we try hard enough, and we are lucky, we WILL push this vast crowd >> of idiots aside. It isn't a sure thing. But I am not finished yet, >> and frankly I wouldn't recommend you bet against me. >> >> - Jed >> >