We may have already passed the tipping point

See below an important news item that may have slipped below the radar with all the other news occurring, i.e.  the G7 meetings, Israeli/Palestine tensions, etc.

Global warming may have already passed irreversible tipping point [Al Jazeera]

However the above item may be the most important of all. This report is from a very reputable group of scientists. If true, we are all like passengers on the Titanic. Being warned that we are heading towards an iceberg, it would be inappropriate to say, “Do not bother us now, we are having such an enjoyable trip”.

If we all make radical changes, our fate could be altered, but can we make the massive, global and rapid changes required?

Gaza

The situation in Gaza is now beyond horrible.

I have been to Gaza 3 times. Here are my brief reflections:

I was there on the day that the Oslo Peace Accord was signed (1993) and restrictions were lifted. There was dancing in the streets, and everyone roamed about freely.

Later I was there for a water conference with Gazan personnel. Tensions were building. Hamas was organizing.

Reflections on the pandemic

We live in a world of terrifying possibilities. All kinds of stories are swirling about. If ever we needed clear logical thinking, based on facts it is now.

I am especially intrigued by the tendency of identity thinking. That is, if our group (whatever it may be; racial or gender-based, or any other of our primary organizations ) says something - we then tend to think it is true. If the other group puts forward something , we tend to be very suspicious. So if someone says something negative about my group, I immediately get defensive.

In this context it is very difficult to accept criticisms about our group. As I am thinking about this, I am very moved about the role of prophets who critique their own communities. That is probably one reason the words of the Old Testament prophets still reverberate with us today. Ancient Israel had a very nationalistic, chauvinistic view of themselves . One could even say that they still do. Along came their own prophets a spoke about their own flaws.

Today, we still need honest, faithful, fearless prophets.

People on the ground often know better than the experts

I am presently reading Jane Jacob’s “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”. Jane Jacobs understood cities from the bottom up. She skipped a formal university education and instead learned how cities worked from careful observation, while she herself lived in the city. Her writings and actions have become classic in our understanding about the life in cities.

Israel-Palestine: Response to Robert Sibley op-ed

Click the "Read more" link below to view my response to the following opinion piece in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper.

Link: "Obama sets the stage for another war in the Middle East" by Robert Sibley

Presumably Barack Obama will return his Nobel Peace Prize now that he’s created the conditions for another Middle East war.

Israel – Palestine Conflict: A way forward

It is the world’s perpetual problem and it is in the news again. 

To look at this problem, it is helpful to separate facts from opinion.