>Observation on the destruction wrought by John Major's privatisation of our railwaysby Christian WolmarNew Statesman (January 10 2008)The real cost of the destruction of British Rail, initiated by John Major's government fifteen years ago, is finally emerging. Both aspects of the double whammy suffered by passengers after Christmas - the engineering overruns and the fare … Continue reading >Time to get back on track →

>It's an important issue, but nowhere near the top of the list.by George MonbiotPublished in the Guardian (January 29 2008)I cannot avoid the subject any longer. Almost every day I receive a clutch of emails about it, asking the same question. A frightening new report has just pushed it up the political agenda: for the … Continue reading >Population Bombs →

>Return to Triangulationby Ralph Naderhttp://www.counterpunch.com (January 26 / 27 2008)For Bill and Hillary Clinton, the ultimate American dream is eight more years. Yet how do you think they would react to having dozens of partisans at their rallies sporting large signs calling for EIGHT MORE YEARS, EIGHT MORE YEARS?Don't you have the feeling that they … Continue reading >Ambition, Power and the Clintons →

>Of the presidential candidates I have interviewed,only George C Wallace, governor of Alabama, spoke the truthby John PilgerNew Statesman (January 24 2008)The former president of Tanzania Julius Nyerere once asked, "Why haven't we all got a vote in the US election? Surely everyone with a TV set has earned that right just for enduring the … Continue reading >The danse macabre of US-style democracy →

>Response to a controversial article on newstatesman.comwhich argued global warming has stoppedby Mark LynasNew Statesman (January 14 2008)On 19 December the New Statesman website published an article {1} which, judging by the 633 comments (and counting) received so far, must go down in history as possibly the most controversial ever. Not surprising really - it … Continue reading >Has global warming really stopped? →

>by Bruce FriedrichAlterNet (January 23 2008)Last week in our nation's capital, the National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) held a climate change conference focused on solutions to the problem of human-induced climate change. And in Paris the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is sharing the Nobel Peace Prize … Continue reading >Eating As If the Climate Mattered →

>Observations on aidby Tom MarchbanksNew Statesman (January 17 2008)The weekly shop and the morning loaf of bread are becoming more expensive, but while most of us may barely have noticed, rising food prices are hitting the world's developing nations hard.Global reserves of cereals are at an all-time low, mounting food costs have sparked riots in … Continue reading >Will the food run out? →

>by Jim LydeckerNapa Valley Register (January 18 2008)Americans have recently become aware of converging crises that can end life as we know it, though experts have been warning us for many years.For example, many economists have been warning for decades of the severe consequences resulting from runaway national debt and an imbalance of trade. And … Continue reading >Overpopulation and peak oil: The perfect storm →

>... An Imperialist Comedyby Chalmers JohnsonTomdispatch.com (January 06 2008)AlterNet (January 08 2008)I have some personal knowledge of Congressmen like Charlie Wilson (Democrat, Texas, 1973-1996) because, for close to twenty years, my representative in the 50th Congressional District of California was Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now serving an eight-and-a-half year prison sentence for soliciting and receiving … Continue reading >Tom Hanks’ Charlie Wilson Movie … →

>by Chris MaserCulture Change (January 06 2008)Editor's note: This is Chris Maser's Part Three of his series for Culture Change. I ate this one up, because ever since I read a 1987 article in Discover magazine by Jared Diamond, about hunter-gatherers' working only a few hours a day a few days a week, I've been … Continue reading >"Re-learning" what we’ve forgotten →