I don't care much for religion anymore, however this is the time to act, not tomorrow, not next week,next year, n ow is the time.Begin it now, so that costs in the future will be less.

I believe the problems are so fundamental that there will be no solution this side of a fundamental change in global economic structure. We have to change from a system of ‘competing external economies driven by consumption’ to one single internal economy strengthened by conservation.

This is not as alien as it may sound – corporations use ‘internal economies’ all the time within their own companies. These economies value conservation of materials and personnel, efficiencies in processes and applications. We have to realize that the Earth is an internal economy – if we have learnt one thing from Space exploration it should be that we are alone. There are no prospects of other habitable planets for tens of light years – we need an ‘internal’ system.

Imagine a corporation where accounts are withholding money from purchasing officers, factory floor workers are starving, human resources are bombing advertising, executives are drunk and the data-processors are firing AK-47’s into the delivery bay. It is insanity and yet this is what our world is – an internal system at war with itself. How long would such a company last? How long can such a planet last?

The Author said:

"G-20 will be relevant only through real action on poverty and corruption"

I would like to underline the AND CORRUPTION aspect. Because this is the REASON for the poverty.

a) Corrupting influences of huge Multi-nationals
b) Corrupt local government ministers.

They say it takes 2 to Tango, and it is the above 'two' which dance the night away.

G20 PROTEST IN MELBOURNE.
I've just come back and to my regret I left too early, the action only started after I departed.
Some observations.
1/ Probably only 30% of the reasonable crowd were hardcore 'anti G20'
but they were pushing the usual 'Troops out now, More funding for HIV, down with Homophobia, Socialist Alliance/Resistance agenda.

2/ The other 70% was comprised of varied groups including even Christian ones, and a surreal "Mexican" group complaining about genocide against Indians in Mexico. I spoke with one holding the banner. He is Indian. I asked "How would you feel about millions of Yankees coming across your border" ? He said "They already did, we are just retaking Mexican Territory"

3/ Encouraging was one group which put the spotlight on CHINA and indeed did point out the tyranical dictatorship and its cruelty to its own.
4/ Then there was a smattering of various other causes and groups of a rather peripheral nature.

5/ Most I spoke to agreed that the problems of Globalization are exacerbated by China's low labor rates and that Multi-nationals would not export our jobs there if Chinese were paid decent wages.

The Socialists do NOT believe there would be a bloodbath in Iraq if we pulled all troops out 'tomorrow'.

FRONT LINE is where I was, with a policewoman with a batton aimed at me about a meter away. When I told her I'm not a protestor and would defend her she said "sweet" :)

P.S. G20 PROTEST.

Some behavior by the radicals...

They had speeches at the State Library, then began the march.
Mounted police led the march and it remained quite orderly until....
As it proceeded up Burke Street, radicals who had preplanned this, then swarmed AROUND the horses, and raced up towards Russell, then turned, and were met by the barricades and 3 levels of police lines.
1/ Layer 1. Uniformed officers...standard police.
2/ Layer 2. Mounted police
3/ Layer 3. Riot Police.

Some radicals taunted the police, others sprayed a hose at them from first floor of a nearby building. Still others, were DRESSED IN RIOT POLICE UNIFORMs with replica guns. That group had a pow-wow and I deliberately eavesdropped, they told me to f-off as it was a private convo, and I told them its also a public place...and stayed.
Then radicals attacked/approached from a different access point, and the whole front line of police ran to the new weak spot to be replaced by riot police. At this point I felt a discrete withdrawal was needed.

As per the news, the radicals then apparently breached police lines, acted like thugs in MacDonalds, and generally acted up.
Unfortunately my first hand account ends there, as I thought it was over and had left. Silly me....it was only just getting warmed up.
Balloons filled with Urine thrown at police, flares, etc ..not good.

BD. You and I can go down to the supermarket and feed ourselves. There are too many in the world who cannot do that. To have people who have never known hunger, discuss poverty is a joke!

Even if you took all the wealth in the world and divided evenly,within few short years,the same poverty would exist.Wealth exists in the minds of your people,and money is the medium or oil that facilitates economic activity.Giving money alone is just adding to their problems.Govt corruption is one of the biggest obstacles that poor countries face.Aid must be given under strict conditions of disciple and good governance.

Basically there are just too many people on the planet.With energy and resources getting scarcer,the problem of poverty will only get worse.Very few seem to mention contraception.Is that in the too hard basket?