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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

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lchic - 09:28pm Nov 12, 2003 EST (# 17464 of 17479)
ultimately TRUTH outs : TRUTH has to be morally forcing : build on TRUTH it's a strong foundation

It's an unthinking, immutable truth for the mainstream media that young people are not interested in politics.

So, if they were permitted to read about it, many of that media's consumers/readers would be surprised to learn that today something like 60,000 mostly twentysomething people from all over Europe will gather in Paris, unpaid, in their own time, to sit through four days, 10 hours a day, of lectures, seminars and talks on politics.

And it's not just any old politics. The topics are largely esoteric, complex and abstract: "the role of a solidarity-based economy", "budgetary policies against fiscal dumping", "Chechnya: from Tzarism to the Russian neo-liberal society." More details on the itinerary here.

The event is the European Social Forum, and it's only the second time it's taken place. The previous one, last year, was held in Florence, and pulled in around the same number of activists, campaigners, trade unionists and the generally politically "conscious". The first World Social Forum, held in Pont Alegre, Brazil, drew 100,000. Both events, and their offspring, such as the London Social Forum, were set up in conscious opposition to the well-funded, corporatist World Economic Forum.

Until today, the ESF had almost no coverage in the mainstream British media. A quick search of the past three months' archives throws up one single mention of the ESF in any Fleet Street's 19 daily and Sunday newspapers.

That came in an "exclusive" Sunday Mirror story by, of all things, their crime correspondent. Andy Gardner reported: "Hundreds of anti-capitalist hardliners are expected to travel from Paris to join the demonstrations [against President Bush]. They have been involved in violence across Europe and will be at the European Social Forum prior to Mr Bush's visit."

That one scare-mongering piece of inaccuracy aside, the lack of coverage is still remarkable. It comes despite, for instance, the BBC's lengthy internal review of how to cover "non-Westminster" politics (will Clive Anderson's new Saturday morning satirical show, for example, have cameras in Paris? Will Jeremy Vine be there? Andrew Neill?). It is also despite the uncomfortable fact that the convergence of tens of thousands of young people contrasts sharply with the turnout for the "Big Three" main party conferences in the UK.

The Tories pulled in around 8,000 delegates in Blackpool, Labour only 18,000 in Bournemouth (and that includes the hundreds and hundreds of corporate stalls). Not forgetting that everyone there - party members, councillors, MPs, journalists, lobbyists - depends for the salary, expenses or travel on attending. And what percentage of those people were under 40?

The ESF (slogan: A Europe of Rights and a World Without War) is, admittedly, a tricky topic to cover. Fascinating as the planned speeches and seminars may be, it doesn't translate easily into "hold the front page" breaking news. No (immediate) changes to the world will be visible by Sunday, when it closes.

With that in mind, this reporter will be filing a daily weblog, chronicling the events as they happen, who I talk to, bump in to, and, not least, how well I sleep at the "crash accommodation" - a so far undisclosed .....

lchic - 09:30pm Nov 12, 2003 EST (# 17465 of 17479)
ultimately TRUTH outs : TRUTH has to be morally forcing : build on TRUTH it's a strong foundation

The above extract was from the guardian link (above)

Good to see you on active duty Cantabb ....

cantabb - 09:30pm Nov 12, 2003 EST (# 17466 of 17479)

lchic - 09:28pm Nov 12, 2003 EST (# 17464 of 17464)

It's an unthinking, immutable truth for the mainstream media that young people are not interested in politics. .......

More convulsions before the end...

cantabb - 09:32pm Nov 12, 2003 EST (# 17467 of 17479)

lchic - 09:30pm Nov 12, 2003 EST (# 17465 of 17466)

Good to see you on active duty Cantabb ....

Good to see you to BACK on "active duty" with EVER active (convulsing) machine....

lchic - 09:33pm Nov 12, 2003 EST (# 17468 of 17479)
ultimately TRUTH outs : TRUTH has to be morally forcing : build on TRUTH it's a strong foundation

Sense and Sensiblity

http://media.guardian.co.uk/advertising/story/0,7492,1083442,00.html

"There are no silver spoons for children born into poverty".

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A need for common provision with a disribution of world & national wealth to ensure people are cared for

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