Nexus - 1404 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

REVIEWS < A GAME AS OLD AS EMPIRE: The the World Bank financed martial law under Secret World of Economic Hit Men Marcos; Bruce Rich uncovers the secretive and the Web of Global Corruption world of export credit agencies (ECAs) and edited by Steven Hiatt the social, economic and environmental Berrett-Koehler Publishers, San Francisco, 44mage they wreak around the world; and USA, 2007 James S. Henry unveils the mirage of debt SBN 1-57675-395-6 (310pp he) relief, where poor countries are forced to close hospitals and schools, and he suggests steps for an effective debt relief campaign. Antonia Juhasz (The Bush Agenda) has the final say with her piece on the global web of resistance that in recent years has been mak- ing a dent against exploitation and introduc- ing strategies that promote social justice and Available: http://www.bkconnection.com hen former "economic hit man" ("EHM") John Perkins came clean in 2004 about his past as an agent for the "cor- poratocracy", bringing developing nations to their knees, he was somewhat stunned by corporate media's lack of interest in his This i il an book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. empowerment. This is a call to action: This only proved his point about corporate . interests protecting their own. Pressed to THE CHILLING STARS: A New Theory prove that this secret global empire actually Of Climate Change existed, Perkins and his publisher set about by Henrik Svensmark & Nigel Calder commissioning this compilation, appointing Icon Books, UK, Canada, 2007; editor and activist Steven Hiatt to the task. Totem Books, USA, 2007 The result, A Game As Old As Empire, isa ISBN 1-84046-815-7 (246pp tpb) collection of essays by former EHMs, jour- _ Available: http://www.iconbooks.co.uk D Ji when you thought the carbon dioxide theory of global warming was gaining the upper hand, along comes a theory that puts the Sun back into the equation and intro- duces cosmic rays and clouds. The Chilling Stars is a collaboration between Henrik Svensmark, of the Danish National Space Centre, and Nigel Calder, science writer and editor of New Scientist in the 1960s. Ten years of research by Svensmark shows that cosmic rays, sourced from exploding stars, play a part in making clouds here on Earth, but that, in the last 100 years, increas- ing levels of solar activity have deflected more and more of these rays, resulting in . . . fewer clouds and a warmer planet. Studies nalists and activists who are just as keen to of Greenland and Antarctic ice cores as well expose the fact that corporations, govern- as seabed cores show that our climate is ments, financial institutions and internation- cyclical and goes through warming and al agencies enrich their coffers under the cooling phases; indeed, it can even go guise of foreign aid" and "international through warming during times of glaciation. development". Perkins leads with new reve- Only last year, Svensmark was able to lations about the dark side of globalisation, demonstrate in the lab that cosmic rays, of and Hiatt is next with his views on the the highly energetic muon variety, have Global Empire's web of control, where the enough velocity to approach sea level and, Global South subsidises the wealthy North. because they are charged, liberate electrons A dozen others speak out: former banker and act as building blocks of condensation Sam Gwynne on setting the debt trap; ex- nuclei on which water droplets form to pro- offshore banker John Christiensen on laun- duce clouds in the lower atmosphere. When dering dirty money flows; Lucy Komisaron the Sun is ina less active ph f , . s SS phase, more o: the BCCI's double game; Kathleen Kern on these muons can penetrate our atmosphere the human cost of cheap cellphones (coltan and form more clouds, radiating more heat vs the Congolese); Andrew Rowell and into space. As well, cosmic ray bombard- James Marriott on mercenaries protecting ments differ in magnitude depending on the corporate interests on the African front lines; location of the solar system in its path and Gregg Muttitt on EHMs' hijacking of through the Milky Way; when we cross the Iraq's oil reserves. But there's more... at : galactic mid-plane, cosmic rays are stronger Former World Bank staffer Steve Berkman and the Earth goes through a cooling cycle. explains how the debt-based development Before you make up your mind about the strategy diverts money into the hands of the causes of climate change, you're advised to corrupt elite; Ellen Augustine reveals how read this controversial, compelling book. the World Bank financed martial law under Marcos; Bruce Rich uncovers the secretive world of export credit agencies (ECAs) and the social, economic and environmental damage they wreak around the world; and James S. Henry unveils the mirage of debt relief, where poor countries are forced to close hospitals and schools, and he suggests steps for an effective debt relief campaign. Antonia Juhasz (The Bush Agenda) has the final say with her piece on the global web of resistance that in recent years has been mak- ing a dent against exploitation and introduc- ing strategies that promote social justice and empowerment. This is a call to action! THE CHILLING STARS: A New Theory of Climate Change by Henrik Svensmark & Nigel Calder Icon Books, UK, Canada, 2007; Totem Books, USA, 2007 ISBN 1-84046-815-7 (246pp tpb) Available: http://www.iconbooks.co.uk Ji when you thought the carbon dioxide theory of global warming was gaining the upper hand, along comes a theory that puts the Sun back into the equation and intro- duces cosmic rays and clouds. The Chilling Stars is a collaboration between Henrik Svensmark, of the Danish National Space Centre, and Nigel Calder, science writer and editor of New Scientist in the 1960s. Ten years of research by Svensmark shows that cosmic rays, sourced from exploding stars, play a part in making clouds here on Earth, but that, in the last 100 years, increas- ing levels of solar activity have deflected more and more of these rays, resulting in fewer clouds and a warmer planet. Studies of Greenland and Antarctic ice cores as well as seabed cores show that our climate is cyclical and goes through warming and cooling phases; indeed, it can even go through warming during times of glaciation. Only last year, Svensmark was able to demonstrate in the lab that cosmic rays, of the highly energetic muon variety, have enough velocity to approach sea level and, because they are charged, liberate electrons and act as building blocks of condensation nuclei on which water droplets form to pro- duce clouds in the lower atmosphere. When the Sun is in a less active phase, more of these muons can penetrate our atmosphere and form more clouds, radiating more heat into space. As well, cosmic ray bombard- ments differ in magnitude depending on the location of the solar system in its path through the Milky Way; when we cross the galactic mid-plane, cosmic rays are stronger and the Earth goes through a cooling cycle. Before you make up your mind about the causes of climate change, you're advised to read this controversial, compelling book. 72 * NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2007 www.nexusmagazine.com