Archive for the ‘General’ Category

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Urban quality rising – cities are improving

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Several cities in the world are now becoming good at creating fine environments for all.

An example of urban development and renewal is Hamburg, Germany. The old shipping and transit town by the river and water is making part of the old harbour areas into a modern city. Some of the old quays are changing into modern urban areas, and the thinking behind it is good and deep. Some say it has to do with crazyness what they do – especially with reference to the new concert hall.

Hamburg already has Elbe, Alster, Port City (13.000 seagoing ships arrive every year), Storehouse City, Fish Market, Reeperbahn, cultural activity of all kinds, and the special attitude to life is the most characteristic – you have to find out for yourself.

New developments are under way, and people love what they see and are moving in. It may be that culture is the engine of creation, and the Bilbao effect is also mentioned.

Hamburg now get several spectactular buildings like the new concert house Elbphilharmonie, a tower for viewing the harbour, big office buildings with a temporary architecture. Landmark buildings like the science museum and other museums are also there. The public areas are spacious, the thinking is about sustainability and community living.

The aim is to make this a city of short distances, so that walking and cycling is possible, all supported by a good public transport system. Underground parking is ample so that visitors, both business and tourists, have easy access. Other functions like eating, shopping, cultural activity are also rich. A cultural melting pot is considered by inviting individual participation into activities. The conscious city is what it is about.

There are many new homes on the waterfront, and people become more outgoing and participative, with good neighborhoods. There are meetings, community web-sites for information and opinion, and home offices are common.

The thinking is about balancing work, life, leisure by mingling residential and working areas including sport so that they are side by side.

So a grand city is in the making.

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East meets West: US and China

Monday, August 16th, 2010

The emerging change of world power balance is happening. Stories of Chinese presence in Africa are found all over, and now things are getting hotter in the areas of water near China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Philipines, the Paracels, the Spratleys etc. All countries in the area want a piece of the action or control of the sea and its depths – whatever is down there. Security and control are other factors coming into play. Vietnam already has a presence on some of these shoals.

And surprise, surprise: the US is here with big boats making sure things are stable and that national interests are taken care of – this must be the extended version of national interests. Vietnam is joining up with the US, and all are preparing their positions. Will this be the new hot spot of the world? Not much terrorism here, but power games are much the same.

The continent of the US has eyes both east and west, and now the west has to rest a bit while we focus on the situation in the east – and the future of world power balance.

What about a negotiated settlement, a multilateral conference to thrash out some agreements? Based on international law and legitimate interests – whatever they are.

The Chinese have diasporas all over the world – some of them large, even in the US there are about 3 million Chinese (direct immigration or born from Chinese parents). They are even in Africa – everywhere lending credibility to Chinese action. The Chinese have a long history of going abroad in large numbers. They are trying a piecemeal approach, a peaceful development, or what will  we see now?

But can the US afford being here with military spending cuts and all? The game is on!

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Your creativity is hidden – you don’t use it – and you suffer

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

There is enormous power within you – we are all creative persons. By using your will you can create the life you want, the experiences you want, start the projects you want, become the person you want to be.

You should primarily keep this power to your self to build what you want, secondly you should share it, but you must never give it away for free to people claiming your creativity for themselves. That leads to servility and reduced life quality, and ultimately sadness.

Being creative and utilizing your power may create fear in you, and overcoming this fear is a huge challenge that you must face and overpower. Not doing this will lead to a life of boredom and loss.

So what is life about: Work in the service of others reaping your creativity, or a life filled with what you want, your own creation? The choice is simple: Renew yourself, create a new life for yourself.

Everyone has talent and ability, but use them sparingly and for many reasons: Demands of society, the present-day organization of work, the financial system that is for the few.

This has to do with the individual, but what if you could find ways to use your will and creativity in cooperation with others for a common goal that would give you and all  participants equal value? We have ample time to engage in such networks, to create content for our life, to improve life for ourself and others, even to improve the Earth. Such networks of creative and brainy people could even start solving the big issues we are facing, independently, with no strings.

Big words maybe, naive too, but what if we start with ourself, building confidence and ability and then proceed from there.

Remember also that one day it will all be over – use your time well.

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The future of the scientific or knowledgebased world

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

We have done much to improve the world. Science and technology has been used to increase wellbeing and prosperity for most people. But there are areas of dismay: there are about 1 billion poor and starving people and we are harming the globe in many ways for future generations.

Food production and consumption is an area where the present industrialized system can not go on. We are changing the face of the earth to produce food, often substandard, lots of food is wasted, and distribution systems leads to lack of food in many areas. Sustainable methods are lacking.

Many illnesses are still there, often due to lack of sanitation and clean water.

Education is not available for all, creating large differences.

Science now enters a new phase where systems, networks and interconnections are featured, and huge possibilities can be seen for development. New technology in the bio- and nano spheres are there.

But there seems to a growing difference of opinion about what is right and what we should do. There is no longer an authority that knows – the facts are disputed in every field. We can move into new territory, but we must solve the knowledge problem and establish what is right.

Science is about how things really are – there is one true way that things work and that is right – even allowing for complexity in systems.

The agreement about the future is no longer there.

New thinking about deep ecology, the money system and continually happening crises, health issues, poverty, terrorism, harming the Earth etc. is not integrated, not well enough known and simply not on peoples agendas.

People are talking about scams, hoaxes and there are spins and lobbying. There are many dangers and this creates fear.

Political, scientific, ethical, financial issues must be integrated. A collectivization of the new big ideas is needed – so that we can make a foundation for the future. Some say this is not possible.

The real state of knowledge makes this possible if enough of us want it. Dialogue must be improved, knowledge and enlightenment must be improved. The new authority is the thinking about what is right that we all share – our common platform of thought and action.

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History – what is it?

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

We write history all the time. It should come as no surprise that it also changes all the time. The official or accepted view is there and there are alternative views. The views change as new knowledge and understanding develops. Versions of history are made to suit people’s agendas.

Lack of courage to tell the truth also matters.

The public is without deep knowledge and can’t possibly tell.  We may have to leave the notion of historical correctness. It’s all relative to something! There is always more to discover.

History may even be plain false. Stories could be invented, created for political purposes, suppressed, given the wrong weight or interpretation and so on.

History could also be written in a detailed manner with sounds and smells and colours, or it could be written from the standpoint of the master of political strategy, in many instances there was just not anybody there to tell – there are endless possibilities as to how history comes out.

It can be broad and cover everything that happens on a continent, in the world, or it could represent the view as seen from a country.

The historian can be a learned woman or a press officer or a propaganda person – who do you believe?

So we should be careful: at least we should have some historical distance in time, subjectivity must not be present, sources and conflicts of interest should be shown, judgment must be impartial, the historian must be learned and not personally involved.

There are lots of incidents that could have been part of history, but never made it – often for no good reason.

The things that we see today – will they be part of history one day or are there too many hoaxes, fabrications that has to be uncovered first?

What if the historical assumptions we base our society on are false, incomplete or carefully crafted productions? Whose thoughts should gain the upper hand, who has been left out? Has there been too much control – of previous thinking and doing – and not enough freedom? What is the reality?

History is somebody’s invention – always. Be a sceptic – always.

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Is it in your soul: Do we dare venture into deep ecology?

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Has environmentalism and ecology a future at all? Is it all talk or can we stop man from breaking down the system and plundering the Earth? And at the same time kill himself?

Do you really believe environmentalism or ecology is necessary? Can you fathom that all living things are equally a part of the same system? Do you understand that all living beings and natural processes inherently are connected in this large self-balancing system so that harm in one place can easily lead to more harm? Do you see that you are part of this system? Can you imagine living on nature’s terms and finding your place in a naturally balanced and sustainable system – with no domination of all others? Are you willing to take the consequences of this? Are you able to see and accept your role in a sustainable system? Are you willing to be part of this system, to share and balance, to give as much as you take?

The Earth obviously has some limited resources (oil, iron ore…) and some that are continually renewed ( plants, animals, water circulating…) These resources should be equally available for all. Sharing and common pool thinking is needed.

Networking within existing processes, sharing with other naturally occuring participants could give astounding efficiencies.

What are your values? Are you the one or are you one among equals? Are you a good person that harms nobody and nothing? Can you see and accept that all living creatures, organisms have the same right as humans to be here?

Deep ecology has to be personal and value-based – you must want it and be able to feel it in your bones – and many of us must be part of it. This is not foremost politics – it is about values and personal choices. You must find your own way. It can not be superficial changes only – deep changes of personal values are needed.

Man in symbiosis with nature could be a thrilling thought – and sustainable too!

(Reflections after reading Arne Naess on Deep Ecology)

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Change or we will kill them all: Losing the biodiversity of the world

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

The IUCN has just published the report “Global Biodiversity Outlook 3″. This work has been in progress since 1980, and there is now an organization of 1100 people working to uphold biodiversity. Many good projects are in progress all over the world.

But the grim conclusion of the report is that biodiversity is being steadily reduced in the world – we have fewer and fewer plants and animals/insects/fish in the world. The governments of the world are not doing enough to protect biodiversity. This is affecting people in major ways in relation to livelyhood, areas to stay, small scale agriculture, fishing, health and poverty. Large and wild tracts of land – truly wild areas – are disappearing and being fragmented, forests are made into lumber, species of seeds and husbanded animals are fewer and fewer, huge areas of specialized farms are growing steadily all over the world.

We are moving into new land areas, overfishing, polluting etc. like never before – we do not seem to care. Are there some idealists who see this and the rest of us don’t understand? Has it to do with lack of education, lack of personal responsibility? Do we start educational changes now so that people understand? Or is our thinking so fixated that new ideas are impossible to introduce?

We have been laboring on this for 30 years with no results, and with grim future prospects. Time for a change is coming up: The idea of personal responsibility must become the norm, education on environmentalism for all must be strengthened massively.

Governments must also do their bit. Norway is a good example: A law of natural biodiversity was introduced last year and with resources behind it this could be good. A law is only as good as the work you put into it. Many other nations are working well too, so don’t let us be too glum!

Start with yourself: where can you contribute positively? What we do will ultimately get to us all.

See link:  International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN

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Measuring the value of what we do

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Is it worth it? Why do we buy, follow, like this product, service, person? There is both material value as well as immaterial value.

Value can be measured in terms of what the service/product is in physical  or material terms, what it does for you in terms of fulfillment – material or immaterial – and it has value in form of what you think of it in immaterial terms.

So value can be thought of as the sum of what you see, what it does for you , what thinking it starts in your mind. A detailed set of factors can be set up for the three areas, and you the stakeholder can be active in forming this value.

What is the value you put on a brand of car or a particular beer or whatever? How do you think and reason when you choose? Are you independent or do you follow”the sayings”?

The practical use of this thinking is to make us more conscious about choices we make and things we do, and maybe more direct to the point, more efficient. It also has to do with your basic values – they are largely subjective, but is also influenced by external values you find in society in general.

Marketing people use this thinking to influence us, often building images with little physical substance. This can be profitable for them, but maybe you pay too much for the thinking it starts in your head. Basic solutions will often do, but the images are not vivid enough.

Start your thinking about values and see if you are surprised in any way: what is it, what does it do for you, what do you think of it.

This thinking has tentatively been applied to ecology and environmentalism to help us find what we really and basically need – what are our material needs, what are our immaterial needs and do we need to change our thinking if  the world shall become a better place? Life conditions of value is the goal, but not neccesarily a high standard of living.

The science of values is called axiology and is an emerging field.

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Climate change work stalled

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

There is work in progress on climate change, but the heat is off. Copenhagen produced little – but some – and the next meeting is in Mexico next year. A maturing process seems to be happening as everybody is thinking about the risks, actions and the biggest polluter of all – the US – is thinking or something like that.

It can safely be said that the science is not definitive or well developed, and the willingness among ordinary people to change is not strong.

The deep knowledge of environmentalism is not there yet, and the truth is that we do not seem to know what will happen, when will it happen and what will be the extent of the damage? This is the danger: There is obvious risk , but we do not know the damage that could materialize.

We need to move away from the narrow concept of global warming and focus on some sort of inclusive environmentalism. The concept of climate change is too narrow and the focus should be on ecology – deep ecology – which is the broad issue that really matter.

We must get the order of work right and establish good processes, and we need more scientific work to be done before the pressure is put back on. First science, then people, then politics.

It is sad if the Earth would be better off without man – we can’t have that.

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The process of relative decline in US power

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

The press is running stories of how the non-Western countries took charge in Copenhagen when no agreement seemed possible. The BRIC countries are also moving in other arenas such as discussing the the world financial order among themselves, increasing trade and exchanging resources. The dialog is getting broader, and 40 % of the world’s population live in these countries – and they have the best economic growth at the moment. Focus is shifting, and Africa also seems to become gradually more confident and better-off.

China’s presence is increasingly felt in many areas, e.g. at sea where many offshore areas are contested and there is disagreement about sharing and divisions.

Africa’s colonisation ended about 50 years ago, and they are now celebrating African rule in a big meeting of all states in Kamerun. Visible progress towards the rule of law, improving human rights, reducing suppression, income from own resources, fair distribution etc. is seen, but coup-makers and military men are still around in some countries.

This seems to coincide with a relative decline in US power as we see large American trade deficits every year, an unmanageable “defence” budget as Americans are battling everywhere – in sum building up to a new situation. We can now only speculate what the developments will be.

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