Global Village News and Resources Issue 106 - January, 2006

First People’s Peace Summit
International Call for Departments of Peace in Governments throughout the World.

“It’s not a matter of simply getting another Department of Government. You’re speaking of an entire philosophical revolution.”
Walter Cronkite, former CBS TV News Anchorman

Following a two-day summit at the Houses of Parliament, the first People’s Peace Summit launched an international initiative for the creation of Departments of Peace in governments throughout the world. The Declaration was presented to a packed public meeting in the Grand Committee Room and hosted by John McDonnel MP.

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http://www.gvnr.com/106/1.htm

The Baka Beyond
By Sam Rawlings

In a mutually beneficial relationship, the Baka people of East Cameroon’s musical tradition combined with Irish Celtic influences to form a multicultural musical group whose aim is to help the indigenous people retain their traditional and ancient lifestyle.

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http://www.gvnr.com/106/2.htm

Grizzly Bear No Longer Endangered

The grizzly bear, an iconic part of America’s natural heritage has recently been removed from the US endangered species list on which it spent 30 years. Since 1975, when grizzly bears numbered just over 200 the population has steadily grown now reaching around 600. The prevention of hunting and preservation of the bears natural habitat have all been fundamental in reviving the once dwindling population, nearly all of which occupy the Yellowstone National Park.

For Full Article, Click Here:
http://www.gvnr.com/106/3.htm

Youth Stories:

• Generation Pulse
• Refugee Voices
• MDG Awareness Being Raised In Croatia
• Schools win Organic Food Awards
• Good Grub
• Mala for Peace

For Full Article, Click Here:
http://www.gvnr.com/106/4.htm

Taco Burrito King Goes Solar

Thanks to a government funding initiative Salvador Lamas has revolutionised the latest edition to his Chicago restaurant chain Taco Burrito King. Paying close to $2000 a month to heat the 500 gallons of water that needed boiling daily to cook and clean within the restaurant Salvador looked for new ways to acquire electricity at a reduced price. Formally an electrical engineer specialising in heating and energy Salvador opted to use solar panels to provide power for his latest restaurant.

For Full Article, Click Here:
http://www.gvnr.com/106/5.htm

United Nations Climate Change Conference

As the last edition of Positive News newspaper was going to print the multinational United Nations climate change conference was taking place. Over 10,000 attendees gathered for the 11th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference to address the critical steps that must be taken to tackle climate change. Issues such as the Kyoto Protocol were top of the agenda, an area in which huge amount of progress was made.

For Full Article, Click Here:
http://www.gvnr.com/106/6.htm

More Than Waste High
By Martha Hammond

A giant sculpture, over seven metres high and weighing more than three tonnes, the Royal Society of Art’s WEEE which stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, is a sober re-minder of how wasteful society can be. Constructed out of household electrical appliances, mobile telephones, games consoles and other gadgetry, it shows just how much WEEE an average UK citizen will produce in their lifetime. More worryingly 90 per cent of this waste currently ends up in landfill sites.

For Full Article, Click Here:
http://www.gvnr.com/106/7.htm

Sir Bob Geldof Wins Mans of Peace

The annual Man of Peace award has this year been given to Sir Bob Geldof. Created by laureates of the Nobel peace prize the award is designed to recognise those who strive create a more peaceful world and improve the lives of others and was bestowed upon Sir Bob Geldof for "an outstanding contribution to international social justice and peace".

For Full Article, Click Here:
http://www.gvnr.com/106/8.htm

After a break for Christmas, this issue of GVNR marks the new year ahead. We hope our readers will embrace this new year and that GVNR offers some inspiration and light on some of the leading projects for social change.

There is a diverse range of articles, covering a graffiti artist who's face has never been identified to Bob Geldolf, who seems can't get enough of the spotlight. This month reflects on what the real movement working for positive social change is - diverse; the fact that it can't be pinned down is it's strength, expressed by the revolutionary Zapatistas in Mexico, "Many worlds in one world." People all over the world are dreaming and achieving a better life for themselves, animals and the planet.

For Full Article, Click Here:
http://www.gvnr.com/106/editorial.htm

For every ‘positive’ story, there is of course a ‘negative’ downside - so we will get that out of the way first! The current debate on climate change has seriously under-estimated the problem facing us as a planet. Greenhouse gases have been altering the climate for a great many years, and the effects of those prior emissions have still to work their way through the system into their ‘final’ form. Even if we are able to curtail our current rate of greenhouse gas emissions (the current strategy proposed by Kyoto), the amount of greenhouse gas concentration actually already in the system will still mean that the temperature of our planet increases. However, inherent in the so-called ‘Global Warming’ are feedback loops which can be triggered and which would then lead to effects independent of any efforts to curtail carbon dioxide emissions - in fact it is likely that current strategies could lead to runaway global heating, rendering our planet uninhabitable (for further information on feedback loops see: www.meridian.org.uk - article on ‘Feedback Crisis in Climate Change’ and article on ‘Global Warning’ both accessible from the home page).

For Full Article, Click Here:
http://www.gvnr.com/106/9.htm

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