Global Healing News Big Hogs, Big Jelly Fish, Big Snows & Big Challenges by Dr. David W. Randle January 2007 As the U.S. Congress opened its session this month it ended the practice of earmarks which are also called the ticket to pork barrel spending. The same day ABC News reported perhaps the largest Wild Hog was also captured. The Hog weighed some 1100 pounds and was over 9 feet long. By comparison an average hog is less than half that size. The hog named Hogzilla is thought to possibly be the result of unnatural breeding of domestic and wild pigs though no one is sure why it grew so big. Meanwhile in the oceans off the coast of Japan, Jellyfish have now grown to over 100 times their normal size. No one knows the exact cause of the giant Jellyfish but climate change is at the top of the list of suspects. Colorado is finally beginning to recover from two massive snow storms. The first storm dumped 2 feet of snow in 24 hours breaking a century old record and caused the Governor to call the entire state a disaster area and call out the National Guard. The second storm that followed landed 32 inches in Kansas and drifts as high as 15 feet. Perhaps the common theme in these three stories of unusual big things is that what we can maybe expect in the future is to encounter the unexpected.
The planet is facing big challenges of climate change, degradation of the oceans, population increase, and global poverty. Add to this the challenges of obtaining peace in the world and the planet clearly faces many combinations of the unexpected to occur. Climate change if not checked is likely to wipe out all gains to eliminate poverty through debt relief, new foreign aide, and new trade policies. In addition it is having impacts on the oceans, coastal cities, and agriculture that could change the world as we know it. Add to this the concern of the insurance business that much of the planet may already be uninsurable and it is easy to see why some call climate change the biggest challenge of the 21st century. In the past decade we reached a new dynamic on planet Earth. For the first time in human history, over half of the people on the planet now live within 60 KM of the coast and 50% of all protein humans consume comes from the ocean. With predictions that fisheries could be depleted in the next 50 years to near zero, currents changing that may disrupt trade routes and natural ocean cycles that protect ecosystems, coral reefs being lost, and ocean dead zones increasing in size, once quickly sees how a number new challenges are emerging quickly. Population continues to increase with some experts predicting that it could get as high as 8 or 9 billion before it peaks. While the obvious impacts of population increase such as loss of open space, increased crowding, pollution etc. are perhaps apparent to many if not most, secondary impacts such as the need for more energy, water, food, etc. are perhaps even more impactful though not quite as visible. The U.N. Millennium Goals to address the issues of global poverty has has only achieved mixed success at best. The world is currently not on target to achieve the Millennium Goals which some say are modest to begin with. When one considers that global poverty is one of the root causes of the degradation of the environment, the quality of life for all on the planet is endangered. Any one of the challenges of climate change, degradation of the oceans, population, and global poverty has the potential to change life as we know it on Planet Earth. Together these four issues provide a Big Challenge that rivals Hogzilla, 100 times bigger Jelly Fish or huge snow storms or other unusual weather pattern changes. The featured Global Healing Music Video for this month asks the question What are We Making Weapons For? (see: http://homepage.mac.com/globalhealing/imovietheater21.html ) The music video is a call to shift our current use of resources so rather than being programmed for destruction we begin a shift to heal the planet. People like Jim Channon are working to plan how this transformation might happen looking 100 years to the future (see Project Earthrise at: http://www.jimchannon.com/go_planet.pdf and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsew4azqraw
Global Healing Partners such as the Regeneration Project and Faithful America are working to address issues such as Climate change. The Millennium Project, Millennium Campaign, Let Justice Roll, and Kids Against Hunger are working hard to eliminate poverty. The Ocean Futures Project is building an international network to address Ocean issues. and Planet Awakening and UPEC of the WHALE Center are working on population issues. (see http:// www.globalhealing.net./partners.html for more specific information on Global Healing partners projects and programs. In addition to negative changes that some are predicting, there are also some good changes that are also happening. These good changes most likely need to accelerate for global healing to occur. We need to prepare for the unusual and unexpected and we need to learn to adapt to the changes perhaps more rapidly that humans have ever done before. Like the dolphins who have guided sailors through a storm we need new guidance for the planet. We need to find ways to pull together as opposed to pulling against each other. I ask you to challenge yourself and the networks you are involved with to help accelerate those changes in a positive direction. Let s see if in 2007 you can think of the unexpected positive discovery, event, or action that will rival the Hogzilla, or Monster Jelly fish and that might have more impact that the Colorado snow storms. May Peace Prevail on Earth!
Brief Global Healing Notes Earth Charter Toolkit http://www.earthcat.org AZ Dept of Peace Campaign Peace Pole Project http://www.azdopcampaign.org/html/peace_poles.html U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan tells Governments to keep their promises re: MDG in his last speech. http://www.millenniumcampaign.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=grkvl2nle&b=175513&content_id= {2B2E2AA6-AD7E-4023-BD0D-38EA76835A19}¬oc=1 New Friends of the U.N. Calendar with all the U.N. International Days & Weeks. http://ical.mac.com/webobjects/ical.woa/wa/default?u=friendsoftheun&n=friends%20of%20the%20u.n..ics Global Ocean Network http://www.oceanfutures.org/ofs/global_ocean.php Global Healing Partners Events http://homepage.mac.com/globalhealing/menu143.html Join the Global Healing Care2 discussions. Over 750 persons from 45 U.S. states and 28 nations are currently participating in the Care2 Global Healing group. Please join. http://passport.care2.net/2.signup.html?g=353&p=814565596
Business Ethics Magazine Lists Global Healing Affiliate Green Mountain Coffee as #2 Best Corporate Citizen Fair Trade & Organic Business Ethics Magazine has released its annual survey of the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" in the Spring 2005 issue published today. Green Mountain Coffee a Global Healing Affiliate was rated 2 out 1000 corporations The closely watched survey has gained national recognition as an indicator of best practices in the area of corporate social responsibility. Many of the companies will be recognized at a New York event, the Business Ethics Summit. This year's "100 Best" list is led by Cummins, a Columbus, Indiana-based engine manufacturer cited as a world leader in emissions reductions and Green Mountain Coffee. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters of Waterbury, Vermont and a Global Healing Affiliate was the #2 rated company, hailed as "a pioneer in helping struggling coffee growers by paying them fair trade prices." "What distinguishes the 100 Best Corporate Citizens from their peers is a commitment to higher standards," said Marjorie Kelly, Editor of Business Ethics Magazine. "The list represents the top ten percent of Russell 1000 firms when it comes to corporate social responsibility -- those that perform to a higher standard in serving a variety of stakeholders with excellence and integrity." When you choose Fair Trade Certified and organic coffees, you improve the quality of life in coffee communities around the world, and get a great cup of coffee to enjoy at home. Now that's a fair trade. View Movie http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/ CSTM_Fair_Trade_Movie.aspx People have a choice when they purchase coffee. Now we can support both a good company and the global healing initiative when we purchase Green Mountain Coffee at: http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/?x=wa001&y=7639 Global Healing Congratulates Green Mountain Coffee on this accomplishment.
http://www.globalhealing.net/partners.html Features This Month Faithful America Who We Are You know us - we re people like you, as diverse as our nation, a tapestry of passionate, can-do persons whose beliefs find expression everywhere from cathedrals to coffeehouses. Together we are a progressive, inclusive, and responsive interfaith electronic advocacy community dedicated to providing a powerful collective voice to help advance the cause of compassion and justice in public policy. Faithful Americans include Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Baha is, to name a few. Many express their faiths in individual ways. Yet all of us share a common bond - when it comes to government, we believe our faith does matter. Our voices are needed. Our values must be reflected in our nation s public policies.
The Global Healing Forum Page http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/globalhealing provides the opportunity to participate in forums, polls, and discussions. Contribute your thoughts or post new ideas to an online network of over 740 persons from 46 states and 28 countries To further peace, justice, and sustainability in our world and help us build a global advocacy group for peace, justice and sustainability particularly as it relates to the Millennium Development Goals. See Millennium Video at http:// www.globalhealing.net/partners.html and/or take part in the discussions on the Global Healing Forum Page. To Sign-up. Click on the Link Below http://www.globalhealing.net/form.html