MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

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  Nalliah Thayabharan

  The market (however attractive it may appear) is built on promises: the only source of wealth is the earth. Anyone who has land has access to energy, water, nourishment, shelter, healing, wisdom, ancestors and a grave. Ivan Illich spoke of “a society of convivial tools that allows men to achieve purposes with energy fully under their control”. The ultimate convivial tool, the mother of all the others, is the earth.
  Although the earth gives, it dictates its terms; and its terms alter from place to place. So it is that agriculture begets human culture; and cultural diversity, like biological diversity, flowers in obedience to the conditions that the earth imposes. The first and inevitable effect of the global market is to uproot and destroy land-based human cultures. The final and inevitable achievement of a rootless global market will be to destroy itself.
  In a shrunken world, taxed to keep the wheels of industry accelerating, land and its resources are increasingly contested. Six billion people compete to acquire land for a variety of conflicting uses: land for food, for water, for energy, for timber, for carbon sinks, for housing, for wildlife, for recreation, for investment. The politics of land — who owns it, who controls it and who has access to it — is more important than ever.
  Rome fell; the Soviet Empire collapsed; the stars and stripes are fading in the west. Nothing is forever in history, except geography. Capitalism is a confidence trick, a dazzling edifice built on paper promises. It may stand longer than some of us anticipate, but when it crumbles, the land will remain.
  -Nalliah Thayabharan

  Sep 06th, 2011 - 02:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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  lsolde

  l agree, l think there are now 7 billion people. A Doctor told me that we are well overdue for a world-wide epidemic that could wipe out a third of the earth's population.
  Sad, but maybe necessary.
  Mother Gaia is angry with what we are doing to her.

  Sep 06th, 2011 - 11:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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  Fido Dido

  “Capitalism is a confedince trick”
  
  Capitalism, wealth of nations, read that book will ya. What they have there in Europe and in the United States isn't Capitalism, it's CRONY Capitalism. That is destroying Europe and the United States.
  
  overdue for a world-wide epidemic that could wipe out a third of the earth's population.
  Sad, but maybe necessary”
  
  What? sad but maybe necesarry?
  So it's okay if other nations decide that Brits in the UK should disappear, even if it's sad but necesarry? huh? Geez.

  Sep 07th, 2011 - 02:19 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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  lsolde

  Personally l'm hoping that all the malvinistas disappear. Oh, and you too, cloggs.
  Now that IS necessary, but definitely not sad.

  Sep 07th, 2011 - 09:52 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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