Arafat is not a terrorist, says Bush, but he should do more to stop them
By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
02 April 2002
George Bush made clear yesterday he did not consider Yasser Arafat a
terrorist, although he believed the Palestinian leader could do more to
prevent the wave of suicide bombings.
After several days of stern criticism of the Palestinian leader, President
Bush said the so-called "Bush Doctrine" – those who harbour terrorists
should be considered terrorists – did not apply to the position in the
Middle East.
"Chairman Arafat has agreed to a peace process," the President said, when
asked by reporters to explain the apparent exemption. "He has agreed to the
Tenet plan, he has agreed to the Mitchell plan. He has negotiated with
parties on how to achieve peace."
Earlier his spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said: "When you talk about the
Palestinian Authority and you talk about Israel, you have parties that are
committed to a peace process. They have been in the past, the President
believes they still can be."
Mr Bush's comments appeared to represent an important shift – at the very
least in their tone – from those made in recent days when America had
repeatedly called the Palestinian leader to do more to prevent the suicide
bombings and it supported Israel's right to defend itself with military
action.
America had stood almost alone amid a welter of international criticism of
the decision of Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister, to lay siege to Mr Arafat
in his Ramallah headquarters. Yesterday, Mr Bush said he still backed Mr
Sharon's right to defend his country but he had to keep open a "pathway for
peace". Mr Bush said: "We urge the parties to accept the [peace plan drafted
by the CIA director, George Tenet] so we can bring some peaceful resolution
to something disrupting the lives of Palestinians and Israelis."
Mr Bush comments came as Islamic countries meeting to discuss terrorism
yesterday were split over whether to condemn Palestinian suicide bombers as
terrorists. They were, however, united in condemning Israel's widening
offensive into Palestinian territory.
Delegates to a special meeting of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic
Conference passed a unanimous resolution accusing Israel of "dragging the
region toward an all-out war" and called for UN sanctions to deter Israel.
Fault lines had appeared early in the conference when the Palestinian
representative disagreed with Mahathir Mohamed, Malaysia's Prime Minister,
who said suicide bombers killing Israeli civilians should be regarded as
terrorists.
Farce and terror in the 'closed area' of Ramallah
Ghost town has a climate of fear, as peace protesters put themselves in the
firing line and Bush policy shows a shift
By Robert Fisk in Ramallah
02 April 2002
Journalists were ordered out of Ramallah late on Sunday night. It's an old
trick. Whenever the Israeli army wants to stop us seeing what they're up to,
out comes that most preposterous exercise in military law-on-the-hoof: the
"Closed Military Area''.
So yesterday was a good day to do the opposite, to go look at what Israel's
army was up to. And I can well see why it didn't want reporters around.
A slog down a gravel-covered hillside not far from an Israeli checkpoint, a
clamber over rocks and mud and a hitched ride to the Palestinian refugee
camp of al-Amari on the edge of Ramallah told its own story; a tale of
terrified civilians and roaring tanks and kids throwing stones at Israeli
Jeeps, just as they did before Oslo and all the other false hopes which the
Americans and the Israelis and Mr Y Arafat brought to the region.
Rather than waging a "war on terror'' the Israeli soldiers looked as if they
had entered the wilderness of occupation, just as they did in Lebanon back
in 1982, when "Closed Military Areas'' were about as common – and worthless
– as confetti. The Palestinians hid in their homes, shutters down, eyes
peering from behind blinds, occasionally sneaking on to a balcony to wave
when they saw a Westerner in the street. A few children could be seen
running between houses. At what age, I wonder, does war transmute itself
from a game into a tragedy?
It was a grey, cold, wet day for a "war on terror'' and the first part of
the journey followed the usual pattern of farce and fear. There were
Palestinians aplenty walking down the track to the old quarry south of
Ramallah. The Israelis know all about this little by-pass, of course, but
usually can't be bothered to control it.
To tell the truth, it was an Israeli officer at the nearby checkpoint at
Kalandia on Easter Sunday who smilingly advised me to enter Ramallah by this
little track. And beyond a pile of boulders and dirt and concrete blocks –
long ago piled up by the Israelis – was a minibus driver who promised a trip
to the Ramallah Hotel.
It was, of course, too good to be true. No sooner had we reached the
al-Amari refugee camp – home under occupation of the Palestinians who
originally fled their homes in what is now Israel in 1948 – than the
drivers' courage drained away.
A woman called Nadia and her tiny son offered me a guided tour through the
camp. There were young men in the streets, tough young men in parkas and
jeans who were watching every side road and alley. And there were children
around the camp, shrieking with excitement and fear every time an Israeli
border police Jeep drove towards them. Everyone was waiting for the Israeli
raid to begin.
It was a doctor who offered me a lift to central Ramallah, a journey we
accomplished with considerable anxiety, driving slowly down the side roads,
skidding to a halt when we caught sight of a tank barrel poking from behind
apartment blocks, forever looking upwards at the wasp-like Apache
helicopters that flew in twos over the city. Our car bumped over the tank
tracks gouged into the tarred roads. The nearer we got to the centre, the
fewer people we saw. Downtown Ramallah was a ghost town.
So Oslo has come to this. There were the usual claims of house vandalisation
and some rather more disturbing allegations of theft by Israeli troops –
"baseless incitement whipped up by the Palestinian Authority,'' went the
Israeli reply, which might have been more impressive had Israeli troops not
stolen cars and vandalised homes during their invasion of southern Lebanon
in 1982.
Then, for the few journalists left at the Ramallah Hotel – and a clutch of
largely French and Italian peace "activists" (earrings and Palestinian
scarves, and in one case a nose ring, being in profusion) – came the moment
of high drama and utter comedy.
A Merkava tank, roaring like a lion, drove slowly to the front of the hotel
and then, very slowly, swivelled its barrel towards the front door.
Peaceniks charged back into the foyer, screaming at reporters to stand in
the road holding their passports above their heads.
And that, I suppose, is what the occupation of Ramallah is all about. All
day, the streets vibrated to the sound of armour. Between apartment blocks
and villas we could watch the Merkavas clattering between trees or veering
off the highway into fields. On a hill above the city, another tank sat hull
down in the mud, its barrel pointing towards Arafat's scorched headquarters
prison. The matchstick snap of a rifle would be followed by the bellow of a
shell or the sound of a heavy machine-gun. And then the empty world would
return to birdsong and the faint buzz of an Apache high above us.
With little time before dusk, leaving Ramallah was even more farcical and
dramatic than entering. With a small group of French and Italian
journalists, I slogged through the afternoon sun for more than an hour
before realising we were lost.
True to its nature, war can be a surreal creature and so there we were by
late afternoon, marching – all smiles – towards two Israeli tanks, whose
frightened crews were huddling between their vehicles, opening their
ready-to-eat ration packs. Less surreal – far more real, in fact, – was the
Merkava tank which came thrashing down a lane towards us an hour later.
There was much flourishing of European passports and timid waving before the
hatched-down beast passed us in a blue fog of spitting stones at 30km an
hour.
Yet the Palestinian families on our six-mile journey out of town would creep
from their front doors and wave to us and offer us coffee. A child ran
across a field, chasing a horse, and a clutch of families walked gingerly
between houses, watching for the slightest glimpse of the Israelis. One old
man drove a mule up a side road with a broad smile.
And I realised then, I think, that it was these ordinary people, the
families and the old man and the child with the horse, who are the real
resistance to the Israelis – those who refuse to be intimidated from their
equally ordinary lives.
So if this was a "war on terror'', it was a little difficult to know who was
the more terrorised in Ramallah yesterday: the Palestinians, or the Israeli
soldiers who have gone to war for Mr Sharon.
Sharon accused of 'second holocaust' against Arabs
By James Pringle
MALAYSIA’S Prime Minister warned Ariel Sharon yesterday that a “second
holocaust” would not defeat the Arab world and that the crackdown on Yassir
Arafat would only encourage suicide bombers.
Speaking at the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in
Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad called on Palestinians and
Israelis to stop the “mutual massacre”, as he spread the blame for Middle
Eastern terrorism between Israelis and Palestinians.
“The holocaust did not defeat the Jews,” he said, recalling the Nazi attempt
to exterminate Europe’s Jews. “A second holocaust with Arabs for victims
will not defeat the Arabs either.”
The veteran Malaysian leader, a rare voice of moderation at the OIC, despite
facing a Muslim challenge at home, said that Israelis “must come to their
senses and opt for de-escalation of terror rather than escalating it”.
He added: “If the Israelis won’t, then the world must forcibly stop them.”
He denounced the Israeli crackdown in the West Bank, including the siege
against Mr Arafat in Ramallah, and said that such tactics did not work
against terror groups.
“They are not likely to be deterred by the threat of death,” Dr Mahathir
said. “Killing their leader is not going to help either. More violent
leaders will replace the fallen leader and the terror attacks will go on.”
At the start of the three-day conference, Dr Mahathir proposed a definition
of terrorism encompassing all violence targeted at civilians, which, he
said, included the September 11 attacks in Washington and New York,
Palestinian and Tamil suicide bombers and Israel’s West Bank assaults.
“I would like to suggest here that armed attacks or other forms of attacks
against civilians must be regarded as acts of terror and the perpetrators
regarded as terrorists,” he said.
But in tackling terrorists, Dr Mahathir said that the root causes behind
their violent actions could not be ignored.
“We cannot just dismiss them as senseless perverts who enjoy terrorising
people,” he said. “I don’t think people blast themselves to death because
they enjoy it. These are rather the acts of the desperate.” Dr Mahathir’s
more even-handed approach was described as interesting by foreign diplomats,
but did not win much sympathy in the OIC, whose members include Albania,
Guyana in South America, and Mozambique in Africa.
Farouk Kaddoumi, head of the Palestinian delegation, said that it was not
necessary to condemn suicide bombing, adding that Israel’s capture of his
people’s land fuelled such attacks. “Occupation”, he said, was the “highest
and worst form of terrorism”.
Kamal Kharrazi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, also denounced attacks against
civilians, but said that the root causes underlying such attacks had to be
addressed.
“We believe that civilians should not be hurt, but at the same time, if we
are looking for any solution, we have to remove the root causes of this
problem,” he added, blaming Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land for the
Middle East bloodshed.
On the first day of its conference, to discuss the definition and roots of
terrorism, the OIC, in a unanimous statement, accused Israel of dragging the
Middle East towards war and called on the UN Security Council to protect
Palestinians. It asked the council and the two cosponsors of the peace
process, the United States and Russia, and the European Union to immediately
stop Israeli aggression, and to ensure the withdrawal of Israeli troops from
all occupied Arab and Palestinian territories.
There have been growing demonstrations around the world against Israel’s
military operations.
Some 1,000 people marched outside the US Embassy in the Jordanian capital of
Amman and 10,000 Bangladeshis protested in support of Mr Arafat in Dhaka. In
Tripoli Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, led a demonstration by
thousands against Israel.
Police used teargas and water cannon against protesters in Cairo to stop
them reaching the Israeli Embassy.
As protesters gathered in the Palestinian Embassy in Beijing, Tang Jiaxuan,
China’s Foreign Minister, called his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres, to
urge an end to the military crackdown. In Rome the Pope urged people to pray
for Bethlehem, decrying the city’s “painful Calvary”.
Slave tells her story after 140 years
By Linus Gregoriadis
A MANUSCRIPT by a female American slave, believed to be the earliest known
novel by a black woman to be published, has gone on sale more than 140 years
after it was written.
The Bondwoman’s Narrative, an autobiographical account by Hannah Crafts,
gives a unique perspective on 19th-century American slavery. It was
published after the original was discovered at an auction by an academic who
has sold the film rights.
Henry Louis Gates Jr, a literary critic and professor of Afro-American
studies at Harvard, set about proving the manuscript’s authenticity. Two
other experts have also verified its origins.
The book, which has been published by Warner Books with spelling mistakes
and crossings-out restored, describes the life of Crafts, a self-educated
domestic slave who flees from a plantation in North Carolina in the spring
of 1857. She starts a new life in New Jersey after escaping from slave
hunters.
Crafts wrote: “Of my relatives I knew nothing. No one ever spoke of my
father or mother, but I soon learned what a curse was attached to my race,
soon learned that the African blood in my veins would forever exclude me
from the higher walks of life. That toil unremitted unpaid toil must be my
lot and portion, without even the hope or expectation of any thing better.”
The 300-page manuscript describes the relationships and sexual tensions
between the slave owners, their wives and the slaves. The author, a house
slave, herself exhibits snobbish tendencies in her dislike of field slaves.
Critics believe that the work, written with a sharpened goose quill on paper
made from linen and cotton rag, may have been influenced by Harriet Beecher
Stowe’s novel about slavery, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and Bleak House by Charles
Dickens. Historians say that the manuscript suggests a higher level of
literacy among some slaves than has previously been thought possible.
Professor Gates, who bought the manuscript as the only bidder for less than
£7,000, said that the novel gave a compelling insight into the life of
African American slaves because of the uninhibited style.
“It’s like reading over the shoulder of a fugitive slave. There’s no
meditation between her and the text, no abolitionist telling her how or what
to write,” he said. Other slave narratives have survived only in printed
form, raising questions about how much they were altered by editors.
How to measure the mind
Psychological assessments can be a useful addition to the recruitment
process, particularly when selecting a top team, writes Elizabeth Marx
Published: March 25 2002.
Some experts suggest that an individual's success in a job is determined 30
per cent by technical skills, 30 per cent by personal attributes and 40 per
cent by the fit between the individual and organisational culture.
As a result, finding the right person means asking three questions: does the
candidate have the technical skills to do the job? How will the candidate do
the job in terms of working style and motivation? And will he or she fit in
with the team and the culture of the organisation?
Technical expertise can be assessed in a well structured interview covering
the career history and by taking up references. But interviews give little
reliable information about job candidates' personal characteristics such as
motivation, the type of environment in which they are likely to perform
well, their leadership style, or their ability to adapt to changing business
environments.
One way to find such answers is by using psychological assessments.
It seems astonishing that the more senior a position, the fewer systematic
assessment procedures seem to be used. Often, organisations rely only on
interviews and some reference-taking. This is in spite of evidence that the
personality, leadership style and work approach of chief executives have a
significant influence on the direction and performance of the company and
that performance failures at senior level are typically more related to
personal attributes than to lack of technical skills.
However, some organisations do use psychological assessment at chief
executive level - often to compare two final candidates who may be equally
qualified to do the job but are likely do it in very different ways.
Assessments can also be used as part of management development, where the
aim is to pinpoint future development needs, to help clarify potential next
roles or to use the results as a "diagnostic" tool for subsequent coaching.
Succession planning can be greatly improved by using objective methods, for
example, in predicting the potential of a managing director as a future
group chief executive.
One of the most exciting applications of psychometrics is in top team
evaluation and development, an area that is still relatively new. Here, the
main question is whether the profile of the team is in line with the
business strategy. The assessment aims to identify the strengths and
weaknesses of the team and what can be done about them.
Sometimes the assessments are used in conjunction with technical interviews
- in my opinion, an effective combination. Venture capitalists, for example,
are using the process effect- ively before making decisions to invest and to
obtain information as to whether the structure and the roles in the top
teams are right.
Yet if all these potential applications are so positive, why have
psychometrics sometimes had such a negative press?
First, let us introduce some realism: psychometric assessments are good but
they are not a perfect way of assessing personality or ability. The
scientific criteria of the main procedures (validity and reliability) are
never 100 per cent reliable: the psyche is simply not perfectly metric!
Second, psychometrics in themselves cannot be "right" or "wrong": their
value depends on the context in which they are used, how they are used and
by whom they are used. Apart from choosing the right type of procedures to
assess the competences that are important for the position, we need the full
collaboration of candidates in order to achieve a good assessment. There is
a need for a positive introduction, a transparent procedure and the
commitment of candidates, which is often neglected, even at senior levels.
Third, there have been some high-profile legal actions against companies
that assessed competences that had nothing to do with the position they were
recruiting for.
So, what should candidates check before agreeing to take a psychometric
assessment? They should ask for an introduction to the procedures and,
particularly, find out how the results will be used. They should also expect
a full debrief and feedback of the results. If you are a foreign national,
ask for the tests to be supplied in your native language or, if this is not
possible, ask for a correction for non-native English speakers.
Most important, candidates have to realise that assessments are not like
school tests that have clear indicators of "pass" and "fail". Assessments at
senior level are complex, as a multitude of results have to be interpreted
in the context of the position and the company.
In future, we shall probably see a more flexible and proactive use of
psychometrics, particularly in top team development and management audits.
The other trend is to use psychometrics in assessing international
executives and foreign nationals, to get an additional view.
Psychometrics were designed to bring a scientific and more objective basis
to the assessment of ability and personality. But even the best of these
tests are only as good as the quality and the interpretation of the
assessor. There is a great deal of art in the interpretation of science.
The writer is a director at Norman Broadbent, the executive search
consultants, and author of Breaking through Culture Shock (Nicholas Brealey,
2001)
GM technology and the developing world
by FT.com FT Administrator #1 of 15
26 Mar 2002 06:22 PM
India’s decision to approve the planting of genetically-modified cotton may
herald a substantial shift in the future of world farming. The move may lead
other developing countries, such as Thailand and the Philippines, to follow
suit, while separately Brazil could well reverse its opposition to the
cultivation of GM soya within weeks. Is the developing world moving too
quickly to embrace GM technology? Or do the potential commercial benefits
outweigh the economic and environmental risks?
Related articles
India to allow genetically modified cotton crops
Gaining ground: GM crops in India
[This message was edited by FT.com on 27 Mar 2002 at 10:56 AM.]
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GM Foods
by Sam Guest #16 of 15
01 Apr 2002 05:05 AM
Is a dabate on any such issue of any cosequence?
Does anyone at the top really care about the economy ticket holders?
When we all end up with colon cancer, and all edible food crops wither away,
I think we consumers ought to press for a public inquiry!
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GM Technology
by Robert Monical Guest #15 of 15
01 Apr 2002 03:58 AM
What is the difference between genetic modification and evolution?
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Genetic research
by dutch farmboy Guest #14 of 15
29 Mar 2002 05:56 PM
Johnsons,
I take it from your post that you are opposed to all genetic research until
it is proven absolutely safe. I believe that this is exactly what you said.
I hope you realize that a standard of 100% safe / no risk will end genetic
modification, since I know of no product in the world, natural or
manufactured, that is not without some risk.
You must also oppose not only agricultural research, but medical research as
well. The same risks exist, once in a person who procreates it won't be able
to be taken back.
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GM seeds are copyrighted !!
by Johnsons Guest #13 of 15
29 Mar 2002 12:12 PM
Science and technology have helped man to evolve during centuries. However,
when it comes to FOOD, it's a serious matter. It's not only humans who use
Nature's resources. All living creatures share the resources of this planet,
therefore since GM seeds haven't yet been proved to be riskless for all the
users, animals included,
, I repeat users "A-Z", it is not wise to produce them. Once planted, a
control is IMPOSSIBLE. The bees and other insects transport the pollen of GM
plants anywhere in the Nature.
Some companies like Monsanto will be the moneymakers of the future,
generating profits from all the seeds being planted. It's like Microsoft or
other companies, they have the copyright and therefore control of all the
users.
It's a serious. Companies like Monsanto want to sell every seed and crop of
the future plants because they have PATENTED the GM seeds and they claim to
improve the agro-science. Is it really improving the world or making PROFITS
of the only free resource, PATENTED by GOD, not Monsanto.
It is clear that the last few generations are using the resources of this
planet very unrealistically. Only 0.002% of the paper used worldwide is
recycled, and everyday thousands of square feet of forests are destroyed.
Car manufacturers are building more and more fuel consumming engines
(3,4,5... liters engines) and then what... ? These generations are USING all
the resources of the planet Earth and destroying it's BEAUTY.
Why people go the the supermarkets and buy ORGANIC food? WHY? because they
want it GENUINE. Till scienctists and companies like Monstanto are not sure
that GM is safe for all the living creatures in the ECOSYSTEM ( not only
Mankind), nobody should produce or destroy more this planet. And till the
day everyone stops asking for Organic food, nobody should force them to buy
GM.
It will be too late to regret, because nothing can stop it later.
Earth is not owned by this generation. It was preserved till now by many
Generations, and it should also be there for the future generations.
One day future generations will go to MUSEUMS where they will admire from
behind the glass the beauty of unmodified and genuine plants companies like
Monsanto destroyed to make profits for their shareholders???
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GM Cotton
by Ross MacDiarmid Guest #12 of 15
28 Mar 2002 04:33 PM
My email is [log in to unmask]
The emerging economies are moving too quickly, because the genetic
modification of plants is irreversible. once the seeds are in the wild and
cross-polinate with other plants it can never be recalled. The world eco
system will face a massive on-time change overnight. The apparent benefits
have yet to be proven, and there are many other improvements that can be
made to developing economies such as better bridges, roads, distribution
etc.. that can bring enormous economic benefits without any of the GM risk
Ross MacDiarmid
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biotech in the developing world
by dutch farmboy Guest #11 of 15
27 Mar 2002 09:25 PM
I do not want biotech crop development to be used without regard to safety,
no more than I want biotech medical developments or cloning or the like to
ignore safety issues. But, the debate on biotech crops must be based on
rational discussions and evidence, not emotions and fearmongering.
It is not just the multinational corporations of the US, Europe, and Japan
that are working to develop biotech crops. Developing countries work with
these companies, work with smaller companies from many countries, work with
universities and research institutes from many countries, and conduct their
own research.
Research and development requirements must be strictly enforced. But, crops
meeting the restrictions and safety requirements then must be allowed to be
commercialized within the laws of a country and between countries. Arbitrary
bans such as the EU has maintained for the past several years must be
stopped.
It should also be noted that ftmonitor's original comment about Brazil is
not accurate. Brazil had created an interdisciplinary scientific agency to
review biotech applications. They were prepared to approve the first soy
variety when opponents went to court claiming that the agency did not have
the authority to approve biotech crops. The government appealed and that
decision is just about to be released, apparently on the side of the
government. Thus, Brazil is not about to reverse its opposition, but is
about to continue to introduce biotech crops as it has been planning to do
for nearly a decade.
Come on ftmonitor, get the facts straight like you usually do. Don't
contribute to misinformation.
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#9
by c Guest #10 of 15
27 Mar 2002 04:15 PM
Quite right, Paul. The frog metaphor is apt. What the biosphere really needs
is a GMC, a genetically-modified c!
With every good wish,
c.
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Special reply to c
by Paul Settles Guest #9 of 15
27 Mar 2002 04:06 PM
Of course, destroying the planet is not new, c. As you said in post #4 -
"Mankind has never ceased to adapt the environment in which he lives." In
fact all creatures adapt their environment to suit their needs.
The difference between our uncomfortable ancestors and us is that mankind's
ceaseless adapting may now be pushing up against ecological thresholds. The
breeching of these thresholds could tip the balance of the ecosphere away
from being able to continue to support billions of humans. We would then be
faced with a cull of the human race to relieve the pressure.
Scientific progress has brought us many wonderful advances. Don’t get me
wrong I am not against GM techniques as such, rather their reckless use. It
is just that GM is only a tool and, as with all tools, has to be handled
carefully or someone could get hurt. There are no guarantees that scientific
progress will be a one-way street, c.
Are you so sure of hypocritical humanity's ability to adapt that we can
continue to destroy the ecosphere?
A good analogy is to the story of boiling a frog. Throw a frog into boiling
water and it tries to jump out. However, if you first place it in cool water
it just sits there. As the temperature slowly rises the frog does not react.
Instead it slowly cooks to death. What shall we do? Jump out now before it's
too late? Or would you prefer to wait and see just how hot the water can get
as we throw more fuel on the fire by ratcheting up the reduction of
biodiversity through a new level of intensive agriculture using GM crops?
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#7 - A special reply to Paul
by c Guest #8 of 15
27 Mar 2002 02:54 PM
Unfortunately, Big Brother prefers my prose to verse. Of course there is
hypocrisy to be uncovered. But has not hypocrisy slowed the scientific
progress which makes our lives, Paul, so much more comfortable than those of
our ancestors? We're destroying the planet? What's new?
Chill,
c.
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GM technology
by Paul Settles Guest #7 of 15
27 Mar 2002 02:39 PM
d hit the nail on the head. When will we realise that by this obsession with
intensive agriculture we are eliminating the very biodiversity that allows
the agribusinesses to come up with their "improved" products in the first
place? Cutting off one's nose to fill one's bank account I would call it.
Yes, c we have to feed the growing world population, but famines have been
the result of human failings (e.g. war, deliberate government policies,
benign neglect of marginalised ethnic groups etc. see the research of Nobel
lauriate Amartya Sen) not of growing populations as such. Let's just hope
that the law of unintended consequences does not add GM to the list of
famine causes.
The real hypocracy is that the industrialised world maintains protectionist
barriers for its agribusinesses to hide behind. Then they huff and puff when
they are not allowed to flood the world market with their "low cost"
products that require sophisticated farming techniques and herbicides and
pesticides to get them to work properly. All the time spreading the new
improved genes to wild varieties with what consequences?
Oh, we will deal with those problems when they arise seems to be their only
response. Let's just get that cash rolling into the bank account first.
[log in to unmask]
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GM crops
by mikki Guest #5 of 15
27 Mar 2002 02:17 PM
Traditional agriculture is a very crude form of genetic engineering where by
special characteristics of certain crops are preferred , thus are
selectively breeded.
The beauty of genetic engineering is that one knows the number of genes and
what genes were being introduced.I personally think that biotech and modern
day agriculture are here to stay.People will eventually learn to accept it
once certain knowledge are parted to the public. But then i am biased cuz i
am a scientist.Nice day, people
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A special reply for 'd'
by c Guest #4 of 15
27 Mar 2002 11:01 AM
Greetings, d. This is c. I take your point. Nevertheless, advances in
technology are inevitable, whatever the risks. Mankind has never ceased to
adapt the environment in which he lives. This single competence explains our
current dominance of the planet. How long do you envisage that it will last?
Respect,
c.
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GM The Answer to World Hunger
by d Guest #3 of 15
27 Mar 2002 10:01 AM
Firstly monoculture is bad news. The lack of diversity in any crop means
they are at risk of wipe out from disease, climate change, insects....
Secondly monoculture of man-made varieties which are of uncertain long-term
viabilty can only increase these risks.
Thirdly, I would have thought we had learned enbough lessons on the
introduction of new species and unintended consequences.
Given the uncertainties inherent in these crops, it seems perverse that they
are being introduced into countries as mass-scale staples. These are
countries that cannot afford mass crop-failures.
This is just looking from an objective view of risk and impact.
Perhaps the GM producers (and shareholders)are sufficiently confident in
their products to indemnify user countries against famine, crop failure. I
wonder what the insurance premium would be ?
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GM technology and the developing world
by c Guest #2 of 15
26 Mar 2002 07:27 PM
Genetic modification is natural. If your offspring are different from you,
they have been genetically modified. If they are clones, there has been no
genetic modification. The issue is to what extent man gets involved with new
technology. Old technology is accepted: selective breeding.
There is a good case for GM technology, particularly in the Third World. If
people are starving, GM technology may be able to help feed them. Can you?
I hope this helps!
After Enron - what needs to be done?
Greedy individuals. Institutions' willingness to overlook questionable
corporate practices. A shameful determination to cover up evidence.
Politicians eager to accept money from a company subsequently shown up as a
sham. These are the hallmarks of the Enron scandal. The reforms that are now
needed fall into four main areas. What can be done to make corporate board
supervise their companies better? How can we make accounting more
transparent and auditing more effective? What reforms are needed in the
regulation of trading businesses, the markets in which they operate, and
banks’ lending practice? And how can we make external checks and balances
more effective improving the performance of credit ratings agencies, stock
market analysts, journalists, and politicians? Share your views on what
needs to be done after Enron.
Hosted by FT.com 12 28 Mar 2002
03:56 PM
Are anti-terrorist laws eroding civil rights?
Civil liberties groups are increasingly worried that aggressive
anti-terrorist measures introduced in the West since September 11 are
jeopardising constitutional rights and protections. Does the terrorist
threat justify such legislation or are concerns that it will erode human
rights legitimate?
Hosted by FT.com 116 28 Mar 2002
01:04 PM
Is the Commonwealth still relevant in the 21st century?
Commonwealth leaders suspended Zimbabwe from the organisation but only after
President Robert Mugabe won his fifth election victory amid accusations of
intimidation and rigging. Is the Commonwealth still relevant today or is
this group of former British colonies just a talking shop whose lack of
credibility was emphasised by its failure to impose moral authority on
President Mugabe?
Hosted by FT.com 98 27 Mar 2002
03:58 PM
Should the west increase aid to the poor?
The world's poorest countries have received a double pledge of aid.
President George W. Bush is to dedicate $5bn to the developing world, while
the European Union plans to increase aid from 0.33 per cent of total EU GDP
to 0.39 per cent. Is this a real commitment to fight poverty? Or do you
think poor countries should get greater access to markets and debt
cancellation rather than aid?
Hosted by FT.com 19 27 Mar 2002
12:08 AM
Serial divorcees - days numbered?
Jack Welch's second wife is seeking a divorce from the former chairman and
chief executive of General Electric. The renowned businessman is expected to
face a hefty bill to secure his divorce. But, given the escalating costs of
divorce settlements for most people, are the days of the happy-go-lucky,
moneyed, male, serial divorcee in danger of coming to an end?
Hosted by FT.com 7 20 Mar 2002
07:39 PM
World Economic Forum: machine for good or rich-man's club?
The World Economic Forum is billed as an impartial and not-for-profit
"independent organisation committed to improving the state of the world" but
with concerns that globalisation is creating a unfair platform between the
developed and developing worlds, is the WEF a machine for good or simply a
rich-man's club?
Hosted by FT.com 16 13 Mar 2002
05:22 PM
Do the anti-globalisation activists have a point?
Has capitalism gone too far? To some, free markets and open borders to trade
have created economic growth, prosperity and the preconditions for more
democracy around the world. To others, corporate-led globalisation has
enabled companies to abuse human rights, damage the environment and erode
democratic institutions. Do the anti-globalisation activists have a point?
Hosted by James Harding 136 12 Mar 2002
03:11 AM
Who is your man or woman of the year?
The FT's man of the year is Cantor Fitzgerald chairman Howard Lutnick, who
has been hero to many and villain to some since the World Trade Center
attack that killed hundreds of employees of his firm. Do you agree with our
choice? Who is your man or woman of 2001?
Hosted by FT.com 168 10 Mar 2002
05:35 AM
The world economy - rays of light?
Since the start of the year there have been plenty of hopeful signs for the
US and European economies. Confidence, activity and orders are picking up.
But how much of this is just caused by relief that the worst fears of
September have not been realised? Are the downward trends and risks that
threatened the world economy even before September 11 still there? Or is
this just a false ray of light before the real storm descends later in the
year?
Hosted by Ed Crooks, Economics Editor 17 09 Mar 2002
10:02 PM
Should Libya be rehabilitated?
As the appeal of the Libyan convicted of the Lockerbie bombing takes place
in the Netherlands , there are moves toward lifting the US and United
Nations sanctions, imposed on Libya in 1992 and suspended in 1999 when Col
Gadaffi handed over the two suspects for trial .
Hosted by FT.com 46 22 Feb 2002
09:25 AM
Will the 2008 Olympics be a catalyst for change in China?
The International Olympic Committee chose Beijing to host the 2008 Olympic
Games. In the lead-up to the vote, however, critics said China should be
denied the prize because of its poor human rights record. Could Beijing 2008
be a catalyst for change in the world's most populous nation?
Hosted by FT.com 6 19 Feb 2002
11:26 PM
Should companies use human rights law?
Railtrack has accused the UK government of violating the human rights of
shareholders and is planning action under the Human Rights Act after Stephen
Byers, transport secretary, put the company into receivership. Tesco also
said it would invoke human rights legislation in its fight with Levi Strauss
over the sale of cut-price jeans in supermarkets. The European human rights
convention does offer protection to companies and shareholders. But are
companies such as Railtrack and Tesco right to use human rights law in these
cases? Or are they devaluing its purpose?
Hosted by FT.com 9 05 Feb 2002
12:43 AM
What's in store for the world economy?
Economists are struggling to assess the impact on the wider global economy
of the attacks on New York and Washington. Even before September 11, growth
was slowing to a snail's pace in the US and UK, grinding to a halt in
Germany and turning negative in Japan. It seems clear that growth prospects
have taken a further knock. But how severe and how lasting will it be? Are
we heading for global recession, or will central banks' rate cuts save the
day? Or is it simply too early to guess? Vote in our online poll or join the
discussion below.
Hosted by FT.com 36 16 Jan 2002
06:52 AM
Should governments bail out airlines?
In the wake of September 11, airlines are asking governments to provide aid
or other support. Should they do so?
Hosted by FT.com 90 07 Jan 2002
04:28 PM
Rebuilding confidence in air travel
No other industry has felt the consequences of the terrorist attacks in the
US as sharply as the aviation sector. Passenger confidence in air travel has
plummeted, more than 100,000 jobs have been lost already in the airline and
aerospace sectors, routes and services have been concelled, and security
upgrades threatens a hike in fares. Governments around the world are working
with the industry to restore confidence in flying, and are considering
measures, such as introducing sky marshals, or arming pilots, to win
passengers back. Will this be enough to restore your confidence in flying?
Were the airline cutbacks justified and how are they affecting you?
Hosted by FT.com 29 28 Dec 2001
07:53 AM
Can the West trust Russia, its new best friend?
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has cleverly used the current crisis to
strengthen his country's relationship with the West. He has allowed the US
and its allies to fly over Russian airspace and is using Russia's
connections in the region to bolster Afghanistan's Northern Alliance. But is
this newly co-operative Kremlin entirely a good thing? After all, Mr Putin
is still waging a brutal war in Chechnya and he remains cosy with countries
like Iran, Iraq and Syria, nations viewed as sponsors of terrorism by
Washington, D.C. Should the West embrace Russia's current overtures of
friendship, or should it be wary that Mr Putin is using the war against
Afghanistan to mask underlying, but important differences between Russia and
the West?
Hosted by FT.com 90 26 Dec 2001
05:37 PM
Are the days of the strong dollar finally coming to an end?
The US dollar has recorded multi-month lows against the other leading
currencies in August, sparking speculation that the currency’s long march
from strength to strength may have come to end. Dollar bears argue that the
Bush administration, which is fighting a recession, is at best lukewarm
toward the strong dollar policy and point out the country’s current account
deficit is unsustainably large. On the other hand, Japan’s economy is
contracting and the slowdown is also taking root in Europe, hurting
confdence in the yen and the euro. Do you think the dollar will continue to
weaken?
Hosted by FT.com 69 17 Dec 2001
09:50 PM
Global warming
Can developed economies really reverse global warming? To do so will require
globally co-ordinated action to ensure emission reductions by industrialised
countries areas achieved to halt the greenhouse effect. Are the correct
solutions to tackling global warming been proposed? And is there sufficient
consensus and determination at international level to make these policies
stick?
Hosted by Michael Kavanagh 54 12 Dec 2001
10:20 AM
How quickly will the US economy bounce back?
The one issue more frequently discussed by analysts, strategists and
economists than the prospects of a US recession is the question of how
quickly the economy will recuperate.
Hosted by Abigail Rayner
With the very best of good wishes,
Musa Amadu Pembo
Glasgow,
Scotland
UK.
[log in to unmask]
Da’wah is to convey the message with wisdom and with good words. We should
give the noble and positive message of Islam. We should try to emphasize
more commonalities and explain the difference without getting into
theological arguments and without claiming the superiority of one position
over the other. There is a great interest among the people to know about
Islam and we should do our best to give the right message.
May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,guide us all to His Sirat Al-Mustaqim (Righteous
Path).May He protect us from the evils of this life and the hereafter.May
Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,grant us entrance to paradise .
We ask Allaah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which will
benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn. May Allaah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family
and
companions..Amen.
_________________________________________________________________
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
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