Bumper Harvests

Today, the newspapers carried the headline that there will be bumper harvests for Rice, Wheat, Corn and Sugar. Obviously this will not translate into lower prices or abundant supplies immediately, however it gives us hope that we can change the way the World is fed.

The World has always found itself challenged in feeding everyone and in a manner that means that everyone gets a fair share. The recent crisis has been fueled by media speculation and financial speculators.

Now is the time while we desperately need to address the issues of global warming and put aside our selfish desires, to realise that harvests too will fluctuate, this is part of a wonderful fact called "life". We do not say that better harvests will save those suffering and starving now, but rather this should be a lesson to us all, to stop scare-mongering, speculating and sensationalising.

As a global community (if there is one), this is a chance for us to give back to the planet what we have taken and make it a better place for our children, grandchildren and all those who will come after us.

Eat and use only what you need and there will be enough for everyone, even in hard times.

PEN the World

While watching the news today and hearing that the price of a barrel of oil has hit a new "high" again, I had one of those Jean Paul Sartre moments, like biting on the madeleine or stepping on an uneven paving stone...... 

I remembered when I was young pondering over why the world thrives on bad or sensational news and why we never focus on the positive, the good things that happen in life, the great achievements of our time, or race, the discoveries of science that benefit our planet (and by that I do not just mean homo sapiens), or the advances we are making in the areas of alternative energy (watch that awe inspiring series Planet Green on Discovery Channel). Any item remotely happy or positive I soon deduced was a mere anecdote at the end of a particular news bulletin. I would wait every evening in anticipation of some snippet of happiness, humour or the unusual.

We human beings have a hunger for the worst, it is nearly always disaster that proliferates our media or the malfortune of someone.

I turned to my thought for the day, uncannily the writer mentioned that they made a decision to never listen to the news or read a newspaper as it did not make them feel good. That the human race is largely responsible for the media creating drama in the news, as we watch more television when a disaster occurs and purchase more newspapers when there is controversy.

Small wonder then that the marketing departments of these media conglomerates seek out the topics that drive revenue.

Even in Spiderman, the editor is continually seeking the story coup that will damn the web slinger.

So, today I have decided to set up a site, forum, blog whatever you like to call it for the sharing of the positive, for the dissemination of the good that is going on, for telling the cynics that life can be good and we can save the earth. This is a celebration for everyone who yearns for good news.

My aim is to delve through the daily papers, news bulletins or other sources and find one positive and uplifting news story a week, maybe a day, who knows and post it up to prove that popular news is positive.

Watch this space :)