framing issues

Was it worth it?

2010-06-28T11:34:00.000-04:00

Was the G8/G20 worth it? Thomas Walkom in today's Star does not think so. A compromise of sorts on the economy, but the official speak about "country specific strategies" really is saying they could not agree.

Harper pushed for balanced budget orthodoxy in a global economy still recovering from the 2008 recession and melt down - and he could not get full agreement. But, if the best they can come up with to solve long term economic problems is deficit reduction, why do we need a summit? Paul Krugman in today's New York Times challenges this orthodoxy as self defeating and paving the way for a long depression.

In the meantime the citizens of Toronto paid for the summit with a disruption of their lives and Canada's image as a civil nation was tarnished with the images of vandalism and police in helmets, protesters who didn't need top be harmed or arrested were both harmed and arrested, - and of course we all will pay the $1B+ costs.

Maybe the heads of state should learn how to text and talk via Skype.

Or better still make better use of the UN where every nation of the world is represented.

Forget mergers - emphasize what each party is saying

2010-06-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

It time for the media to stop talking about uniting the left or bringing on some sort of arrangement between the Liberals and NDP - rather to focus on what each party is actually saying and doing what is relevant to Canadians.

The media is still thinking in an old frame that Canada is a two party political system and that majority governments in the "first past the post" electoral system is reality. It is not. Canada has been a multi part system for at least 100 years. Less of the population are affiliated with political parties or consider themselves consistent supporters of a given party.

Yes, we should talk about coalition governments as a real possibility after the next election. And it could be the Liberals and Conservatives or maybe the Liberals and NDP - and yes even the Conservatives and NDP.

Consider Jane Taber's column in the Globe this morning.

Coalitions are about the art of the possible and that is what politics is about. Mergers of parties is an old way of thinking that is not relevant to the changing Canadian population.

Uniting parties, but which?

2010-06-13T14:36:00.000-04:00

Coalition government and a united left have been topics much discussed in the media lately.

However, the discussion has confused coalition government and uniting two or more parties into one. Different topics.

Yes, the former Progressive Conservative Party and the Reform party united into a new Conservative party, largely dominated by the Reform.

The British Coalition government has shown that a coalition of two parties is possible and that it is consistent with parliamentary government.

In Canada the discussion has centered on the Liberals and NDP either uniting formally or at least discussing a coalition going into election or a coalition government after the election.

Bringing the NDP and Liberals together into one party is not likely to happen. A coalition between the two parties will also be tough unless there is Liberal leadership that genuinely looks to the left in a progressive way,

Thomas Walkom in a Toronto Star article on Friday raises an interesting and valid point that discussion should be about the Conservatives and Liberals getting together. They have, in effect, been a coalition since 2006 anyway.

This would lead to new possibilities on the left.

Harper's Tipping Point?

2010-06-10T23:33:00.001-04:00

Tipping points can be defined as the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable.

See a column by Bob Hepburn in today's Star.

Is the lake now framed by Harper as a reflecting pool and the G8/G20 Harper's tipping point?

If I had a Billion Dollars

2010-06-09T18:03:00.000-04:00

In honour of Harper's lake and Clement's steam boat listen to these Huntsville women

Harper's #1.1B summit "boondoggle" or "boon"

2010-06-08T16:02:00.000-04:00

Bourgue calls the coming $1.1B G8/G20 Harper's "Boondoggle". The Council of Canadians has applied to the Geographic Names Board of Canada to call the $1.1M lake with a giant TV screen at the Toronto Convention Centre "Harper's Folly".

The Conservative spinsters say its about security and terrorists and showing off Canada to the world. $1.1B++ Plus, the $ for projects in Industry Minister's riding in Muskoka that will never see a summit person.

Harper's Boondoggle Folly will put a dint in any image the Conservatives have tried to develop as good managers and leaders. The question is whether Harper will get enough of a boost from hosting the world or at least 20 of the world to him confidence to call a fall election.

And, will there be substance or lack of substance in the summit? - bank tax or not or financial controls, effective maternal health approach with or without abortion, any mention of climate change ....

The Israeli bubble

2010-06-07T09:16:00.001-04:00

Israel now says that the aggressors were the folk on the peace aid ship because they resisted the trained and commandos lowered from helicopters. But, they ignore the fact that it was the Israeli commandos who were the aggressors.

To top off their propaganda, the Israelis claim that the folk who resisted were terrorists. It seems that there are terrorists to blame when things go wrong. The question needs to be asked, who are the terrorists in this incident?

The Isreali right wing leadership is living in their own bubble.

The Israelis say nothing about the plight of the Gazan's. Nor do they seem to understand that the Gazan blockade is strengthening Hamas will in the end destabilize Isreal.

It seems that only North American media is not examining the underbelly of the Israeli story.

Canada needs to catch up with the world in its Israel and Middle East policy.

2010-06-05T12:05:00.000-04:00

Israel's dramatic violent interception of a peace ship bringing needed supplies to besieged Gaza was in international waters and and an illegal act which has been condemned by most international governments except USA and Canada.

The Isreali attempt to blame the activists on board because they resisted ignores the fact that it was Israeli armed commandos that were airlifted unto the ship in international waters. Even dissident Jewish people around the world have been joining demonstrations condemning Israeli "state terrorism".

While most of the world condemns Isreal, USA VP Biden defends Israel. The official USA response was much more nuanced, maybe that is a good sign.

However, the iconic dean of the White House press corps, Helen Thomas was not only direct in her questioning of the government response but went on further to condemns Israeli occupation of Palestine. How long can Obama continue to support the Israeli position, especially in the light of his Middle East peace mission and the plight of the Gazans in their forced imprisonment.

Clearly the Israeli government miscalculated. The organizers of the flotilla have won round on in the battle for international public opinion. The question is when North American public opinion will catch up with that of the rest of the world. How long will it take for international opinion to have an impact in Israel?

Can we still "Drill Baby Drill?

2010-04-30T19:27:00.002-04:00

The Gulf of Mexico and the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida are threatened with one of biggest ecological disasters that could end up having global repercussions.

The rig costing $350M in 2001, owned by the world's biggest off shore drilling contractors, Deepwater Horizon, working for petro giant BP. The rig has the latest cutting edge technology.

In the recent US Presidential election Presidential candidate Senator McCain said that the technology is so good that hurricanes of the same force as Katrina could not topple them - as his Vice-Presidential team mate Sarah Palin kept repeating "Drill, Baby, Drill."

Well, now a second rig has tipped over.

Obama has put a hold on his controversial and tenuous plan to approve more offshore drilling. It will be interesting to see whether he will now change his mind and put a hold on further drilling.

They have already picked up oil soaked birds. The Mississippi Delta, home to one of North America's ecological treasurers is threatened. And, it may take as long as two months to stop the flow of oil. While in theory BP is supposed to pick up the multi million clean up tab, you can expect an impact on taxpayers. Can we afford more offshore drilling either ecologically or economically? Already, a whistleblower has leaked information that suggests more BP rigs in the Gulf could be threatened because of lax safety controls.

On her blog today, Sarah Palin says we should continue to believe and drill.

Perhaps the best reply is from Bill Maher on his Twitter says, "Every asshole who ever chanted 'Drill baby drill' should have to report to the Gulf coast today for cleanup duty."

Who is the boss - Harper or Parliament?

2010-04-29T20:29:00.000-04:00

Who is the boss in Canada - our elected House of Commons or the Prime Minister and his Cabinet? That is essentially the question Speaker Milliken was asked to adjudicate in the dispute between the Opposition and the Government in the Government's refusal to release uncensored documents to a Commons Committee in the Afghan detainee issue.

Milliken ruled that the Commons is boss as per constitution and the tradition of parliamentary democracy. He also recognized that there are real issues in the way these documents are released with respect to our international relations - and gave the Government a way out to find a compromise which could include a number of things including swearing in the Commons Committee members as Privy Councillors. Hopefully the Government will bend.

If Harper does not bend it raises the question of what he is trying to hide. More fundamentally it raises the basic question of how our parliamentary democracy works. Harper already found a way to escape the will of the Commons when he prorogued the House in fear of a coalition that might unseat him. What next?

This is an issue the Opposition needs to lead with vigour even if it means an election.

We need more than Earth Day.

2010-04-22T21:26:00.001-04:00

A lot of of publicity, ideas, and stuff about Earth Day to-day - the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. But after 40 years of promoting the earth through one-day events, the planet is actually in worse shape.

So do special events such as this work? Is it a matter of awareness or do we need more regulations and disincentives in the marketplace to really change the way we are living with mother earth? Do we need to redesign the way our cities work?

Some of us now take cloth bags to the grocery stores. But this only took off because stores started to charge for plastic bags. And, the stores only did that because they were threatened with a tax on plastic bags or a prohibition of plastic bags.

We remain a car culture because gas is cheap, and our cities do not have stores in walking distance of homes to get a milk and bread at the grocery store - and where transit is not efficient and convenient enough to attract more users.

In Burlington some residents complain about the environmental impact of "empty buses" rather than complain about the impact of "empty car seats" being transported around roads. Residents complain about intensified urban nodes and corridors which will support increased transit use.

The City increases transit fares which will not allow the City to build a vibrant transit system. The provincial government cancels promised money for transit in the GTA.

Saving mother Earth will require political leadership and eco-vision that understands how to build a more sustainable cities.

Shape Burlington final report.

2010-04-19T20:20:00.000-04:00

For the past 4 months or so I have had the fortunate opportunity to work with a great group of Burlington citizens on the topic of civic engagement.

Burlington Mayor Cam Jackson asked John Boich and myself to appoint and lead a Mayor's Citizen's Advisory Committee on Civic Engagement. The Committee rebranded itself as Shape Burlington. The Committee had a Terms of Reference and full independence to look at how we could improve the engagement of Burlington citizens with City Hall and with each other. We had really good assistance from Community Development Halton and MASS LBP.

The report has recommendations around 8 theme areas and if implemented would result in transforming the culture at City Hall and making Burlington a more caring and inclusive community.

You can read the report on the full report on our Shape Burlington website.

An Earth Day thought

2010-04-18T22:29:00.000-04:00

Earth Day is this week. Here is an Earth Day thought. It is a conversation between God and St. Francis from anonymous.

GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the
world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the
dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a
perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of
soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from
the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks
of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But,
all I see are these green rectangles.

St. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The

Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers 'weeds' and went to
great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't

attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's
sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that
grass growing there?
ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it
and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and
poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.
GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow
really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little,
they cut it-sometimes twice a week.
GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?
ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it
in bags.
GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
ST. FRANCIS: No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.
GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will
grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it
away?
ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.
GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut
back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth
and saves them a lot of work.
ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass
stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to
water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was
a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow
leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In
the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to
keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a
natural cycle of life.
ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn
a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great
piles and pay to have them hauled away.
GOD: No!? What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in
the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?
ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy
something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it
around in place of the leaves.
GOD: And where do they get this mulch?
ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the
mulch.
GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St.
Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you
scheduled for us tonight?
ST. CATHERINE: 'Dumb and Dumber', Lord. It's a story about....
GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St.
Francis.

Interesting Labour Party Election Ad

2010-04-15T09:18:00.000-04:00

Often elections produce simplistic ads, attack ads. Here is a link to an interesting ad by Gordon Brown's Labour Party which I think is a high quality and intelligent ad - hope it works for them. But do ads works anyway, or do governing parties defeat themselves?

Afghanistan occupation - Why are we there.

2010-04-09T13:11:00.000-04:00

Afghanistan - the war Canada is in and which our Prime Minister, Mr. Harper, says we cannot win and that we will be out in 2011, except maybe aid & training....

Increasing unpopular in both Canada and the USA, the war is now being called an "occupation" by the New York Times.

We are supposed to be cooperating with Afghan government against an enemy called the Taliban, but just a couple of days a go the Afghan PM said out of his frustration that he may just have to join the other side - the Taliban. This prompts the important question of why we are there.

Collateral Damage

2010-04-08T17:18:00.000-04:00

War is not pretty. It is not like the video games kids play. War kills people who should not be killed. Soldiers do things which they would never do in civilian life back home.

The war in Iraq which almost all agree was never a "necessary" war - if there is such a thing, is tarnishing the image of America in the middle eat and around the world.

A look at video released by wikileaks shows how American soldiers in a helicopter gun ship gun down innocent Iraqis and two Reuters employees. Takes a few minutes, but worth seeing here.

Veil Ban?

2010-04-05T12:56:00.000-04:00

The Quebec legislature is taking on a controversial issue by trying to ban the nigab or face veil worn by Muslim women for either religious or other purposes. This ban apparently would apply to government workers or those seeking government services.

Public opinion in Quebec and across the country supports this ban. Apparently Harper supports this and even Ignatieff who once headed an academic department on human rights supports this. Here in Canada where we have been proud of our multi-cultural society?

What is everyone afraid of? Why is it necessary to deny people their right of expression or religious belief? What is next?

Lets get a grip.

US Health Care Bill the "Art of the Possible"

2010-03-22T10:48:00.000-04:00

The photo of Nancy Pelosi with her gavel and her Democratic Party House of Representatives members through crowds of protestors to pass a watered down and compromised health care bill crystalized the moment and the issue.

Passing major legislation in that kind of environment requires not only politicians with steel in their spine but with skills to practice politics as the "art of the possible".

They have been trying for years to improve on the US health care system which leaves out over 40 million people, costs almost twice as much as universal health care system such as ours, and leaves millions to the mercies of private insurance companies.

The Tea Partiers and a Republican party have been telling lies and misleading the public. Calling Obama a communist for suggesting a health care reform that keeps in place the private insurance companies and the role of the private sector shows that the health care debate is forum for a broader debate about the public good and the role of government - a platform for an angry public captured by the loony right.

The Bill passed last night is not perfect and still leaves many problems, but likely is about the best that can be achieved given the splintered public opinion and the angry Americans in the Tea Party and talk radio/Fox networks. It was what was possible last night. Good for them for getting it done.

The debate is not over and the Republicans will try to derail it in the reconciliation process. It will be a huge issue in mid term elections. The next step will be the same Democratic politicians needing to move the debate to calmer level and to show the benefits of the legislation passed last night. That too is the "art of the possible"

Brian Topp's helpful and fun book on the Coalition that didn't succeed in 2008.

2010-03-17T17:59:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading Brian Topp's new book, "How We Almost Gave The Tories The Boot". Brian Topp was the lead negotiator for the NDP in November, 2008 to establish the ill fated coalition between the NDP and the Liberals.

Of-course the coalition never got off the launching pad partly because of the errors made by the parties concerned. But, it was also because of the adverse public opinion in English Canada largely as a result of the clever framing by Harper that the coalition was somehow undemocratic and an evil alliance with the separatists.

Harper's message resonated in English Canada, unfortunately it was a message based on an ethnic argument which appealed to a latent anger in English Canada about Quebecois separatists and a message which totally disregarded longstanding parliamentary constitutional practice and precedent.

Topps' book is an interesting read and certainly gives an insight into the hotbed of Ottawa politics immediately after the 2008 election. It is a valuable book to understand how federal politics actually works.

This insider account of the coalition negotiations describes a very important moment in Canadian history when Opposition members concluded that it was in the public interest to have a coalition government based on the fact that 62% of Canadians had voted for the Opposition parties and given them a majority of the seats in the House of Commons. But, it didn't succeed.

We will never know whether a coalition government would have been better than the Harper minority government which continues with Liberal support.

It is highly likely that, in a multi party political system, we will have parliamentary minorities in the years to come. Therefore, Canadians should be prepared to accept coalition governments as occur in most parliamentary democracies in the western world. Topp's book is a valuable contribution to our political and constitutional discourse.

A need for public dialogue on the location of the old train station.

2010-03-03T21:42:00.004-05:00

Don't mess with Spencer Smith Park. Don't block the view of the lake. Those are fighting words in Burlington.

The City has a problem. The old Freeman Train Station (also known as the former Burlington Junction or Burlington West Station) has been mothballed for several years on the main Fire Station property. Where to put it so that this significant piece of Burlington history is preserved for future generations? Several locations have been discussed in the past.

Now the City has Federal stimulus money and its own budget to move and restore the station. It comes down to four choices, two at the east end of Spencer Smith Park, one at the west end of Spencer Smith Park, and one at Ireland House. Although, there are reports that the Mayor would like it in Brock Park next to the Burlington Art Centre. See the Burlington Staff Report.

City Council has already rejected the west end of Spencer Smith Park because of objections primarily from one of the high rises near Maple and Lakeshore.

Since this was last on the agenda, the City has hired an architect to evaluate the options and present design ideas. This architect has presented a couple of interesting possibilities at the east end of Spencer Smith Park where planned and budgeted washrooms could be part of the train station.

One option would see the station in the low area near the gazebo. This is likely a non starter on several grounds.

Another interesting option is the bold idea of placing the station on Lakeshore street level just west of Brant Street, basically across from Pepperwood. My first instinct when I heard about it and then read about it in the Burlington Post was that this is a stupid idea which will bring out a fanatical public outburst of anger.

However, neither the Burlington Post article nor the staff report really gives a good indication of what the restored station would look like at that location. The architect's report does. The architect, Alexander Louis Temporale, has produced quite a good report which clearly sets out the options and gives good visuals.

Given his visuals, it really does look like it could work in that location, I was quite surprised to find myself thinking that. It would showcase an important part of Burlington's history in an important part of Burlington and add some new interest to a vitalized downtown waterfront. I could see the train station being used in the future as a spot to rent bicycles and roller blades for folk to experience the waterfront walk. We could develop an interesting narrative of Burlington's transportation history, port and pier, highway, railroad. It would not take up any useable park space, but arguably increase some space on the station platform lookout.

However, Council did not advertise this meeting and did not go out to the public to get community dialogue with the benefit of the architect's report and visuals before taking it a Standing Committee.

It might be that many in the public would say its a great idea after seeing the architect's information. Now, the likelihood is that the answer from the public will be simply be no because the public has not had good enough information. Huge civic engagement error. Even at this point, Council should defer to have such a consultation.

The architect's report is on the city website, but you have to search hard to find it. See his report.

My own opinion is unchanged. I think they should revisit the west Spencer Smith Park site as a logical site. Further down the beach strip is another option which could also fit into future Beachway Park planning.

That site puts the station beside the exact location of the old railroad track, near the site of the former Burlington train station, and across from one of Burlington's great historical icons, Joseph Brant House. Both the staff and architect's reports indicate that this location would have the least construction complications. This is my preference, but I could be swayed if there was enough public buy in for a more bold move near Brant Street.

The Mysteries of the US health care debate now has God involved??

2010-03-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

I have been mystified by the American health care debate for some time..

The Americans spend 17% of their GDP on health care while Canada spends about 9%. In the US about 46 million of people have no health care insurance and about 18,000 people a year die from preventable deaths because they had no health care insurance coverage.

Health care reform should be a no-brainer not only as moral and compassionate social imperative, but a way to contain costs and build the economy.

However, somehow the opposition to health care reform has been based on a defence of freedom and Christian principles.

The Tea Partiers in their crsiude for freedom has wrapped its movement around the flag and constitution around its opposition to health care reform. Now they have recruited God and have trotted out the Bible in its opposition to health care reform. They have a new "prayercast" movement to pray that God will stop health care reform.

See Rachel Maddow show how these fundamentalist are recruiting God in the fight against health care reform.

I am sure God is also mystified as to how her name can be used to deny health care and a strong economy to all his people.

Halton Regional Transit - A good idea.

2010-02-28T13:34:00.002-05:00

Halton Regional Council has asked for a staff report about the feasibility of a Regional Transit system in Halton Region. See the Burlington Post story.

Good idea.

Burlington transit has one of the lowest rider splits per population and one of the lowest public expenditure per capita in the GTA. The future of transit in Burlington will involve greater public investment, more intensification in identified nodes and corridors, less free parking throughout Burlington, improvement of service levels including the use of new technology, and a coordinated transportation demand program to encourage transit use.

The reality is that many Burlingtonians who work or have reason to go to Oakville, Mississauga or Etobicoke do not have good transit options. Burlingtonians needing to go to the Halton Court system in Milton can only get there by public transit by taking the GO to Toronto and the transferring to the GO to Milton. Yes, the future will require better connections to both Mississauga Transit and the TTC as well as to Oakville and Milton. A Halton transit will be a step forward.

Halton has received funding for a Dundas Street Rapid Bus service that would connect to Mississauga. This new service and existing Oakville Transit connections into Burlington are small beginnings of a Regional Transit system.

Milton has a very small transit system and Halton Hills has none. Oakville spends more per capita on transit than Burlington. The financing of a future Regional system will be a sensitive political issue to resolve, but can be done.

Maybe this should be an election issue.

Regional transit has been a success in York Region and Durham Region has started a Regional transit system.

We live in a mega city that works as one economic and social unit - and, yes, a transportation system of the future would encourage planning and administration on a larger scale with good connections to the other Regional units.

Burlington transit fare increase process decreases citizen trust.

2010-02-27T13:51:00.000-05:00

Burlington residents championing transit appeared as delegations at the Community Services Committee to oppose transit fare increases. The committee defeated the increase in a 4 - 3 vote. These residents went home thinking that they an impact and the increase would not go ahead.

Real citizens making an impact. Little did they know that a procedural snag and lack of information would undue their victory.

Yes, they knew that the Council meeting could change that decision and, as citizen watchdogs, should have appeared with their supporters at the Council meeting. But, they didn't. Perhaps they had too much trust in the local politicians and the system.

At the Council meeting one Councillor changed his vote and the fare increase was voted in. If these same citizens were there as delegations it may or may not have made a difference.

However, these citizens did not know that there was a procedural error at the Committee meeting. No-one bothered to tell them.

After the vote to defeat the fare increase, the original report was not disposed of through a motion such as a "receive and file" motion as required by the Procedural By-Law. This was an error on the part of both the Committee Chair and Committee Clerk. Therefore the City Clerk put the original motion on the Council agenda making it procedurally easy to have a new debate on the original motion.

Unfortunately, neither the City Clerk nor any member of Council had the decency to inform the residents who had been delegations at the Committee meeting nor advertise this to the public.

There is no daily media in Burlington that is staffed with journalist who are carefully monitoring all meetings to immediately report what is happening.

But, Council could have had the decency to refer this item to its next meeting so that the public and the residents who had been delegations could be informed. They didn't.

No wonder many citizens are cynical about politicians and government. So much for trust.

It is incidents such as this that make many citizens wonder whether City Hall is interested in serious and honest citizen involvement.

Does Burlington Need the Pan AM games in 2015?

2010-02-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

Burlington was supposed to host some preliminary soccer games over about a week in the 2015 Pan Am games.

The preferred site at Burlington's east end Sherwood Forest Park was eliminated by City Council after strong neighbourhood opposition. The Sherwood Forest Park is an an existing soccer complex, an urban site close to both GO and Burlington transit.

Could the proposed 1,500 permanent seat stadium as well as the temporary additional 7,500 seats been approved for Sherwood Forest Park with a carefully designed proactive consultation process that involved the area residents? Maybe, but, now we will never know.

The back up plan is in the new City Park on the top edge of our treasured World Biosphere Reserve, the Niagara Escarpment, a scenic and a rural part of Burlington, although it is on the edge of a future urbanized Hamilton (Waterdown). There is no transit there, although the proposed Rapid Bus Route on Dundas Street may be ready by 2015 and shuttle buses could be arranged for a week of games. There are basically no Burlington residents in the immediate area to object. But, the Escarpment Commission has a say and they have said no. See the Burlington Post story.

The Niagara Escarpment Commission decision should not have been a surprise.

An appeal now? What are the grounds for appeal or is it just political pressure to have the Commission change its mind?

Maybe it is best to let someone else have a week of PAN AM games preliminary soccer and Burlington can concentrate on providing the best parks and facilities for its own people.

Fixing something that is wrong in Washington ... in Afghanistan

2010-02-22T18:14:00.000-05:00

Increasingly Americans are saying that their own government is not functioning. So why do they think that they are capable of making another ungovernable country governable.

This article by Tom Engelhardt is worth reading - Fixing something that is wrong in Washington .... in Afghanistan.

Politics in an age of neoliberalism

2010-02-22T17:59:00.000-05:00

Instead of public spheres that promote dialogue, debate and arguments with supporting evidence, we have entertainment spheres that infantilize almost everything they touch while offering opinions that utterly disregard evidence, truth and civility. Politics has come under the sway of multiple forms of fundamentalism, becoming more militarized, privatized and divorced from any notion of the common good or public welfare.

The above is a quote from an article by Henry Giroux found at this link. Giroux is a McMaster prof and prolific writer among which writings is his book, "The Terror of Neoliberalism, Authoritarianism and the Eclipse of Democracy".

Politics is about the public sphere and the common good. Can politics be rescued from info-entertainment and the individualism of neoliberalism?

Civic engagement through community organization.

2010-02-19T18:41:00.000-05:00

The topic of civic engagement has occupied my attention because of my involvement with Shape Burlington There are so many issues involved with how to have effective engagement in the twenty first century. My article about civic engagement in the twenty first century is published in today's Burlington Post.

A question I keep thinking about is whether we can have effective civic engagement without community organization. It seems to me that it is still important for people to organize themselves around common concerns, interests, and issues.

Citizen groups in neighbourhoods or communities. Cultural groups. Sports groups. Environmental groups. Business groups. Networking groups.

One of the questions is how marginalized in our society get organized. Maybe some folk need help.

It takes time. Do we still have the time?

Civic Engagement - Talking with different people

2010-02-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

This Citizen Committee I am chairing, Shape Burlington, is looking into civic engagement in Burlington. Two good discussion papers on our website.

Both papers suggest that many communities across North America are doing new and different things to get people involved in their communities and local government. We are holding conversations about civic engagement with various folk at City Hall and the community.

The question will be whether we can stimulate changes in the way the Burlington public and its local government engages - re-invigorating local democracy.

A key will be to talk with people we usually do not talk with. I found this quote that was helpful. "If you want a future that's distinct from the past, you have to be with people who you are not used to being with and have conversations that you are not used to having"

We need a serious public dialogue about taxes.

2010-02-13T10:38:00.000-05:00

"Tax cuts" has been a right wing mantra for some time now, so much so that a lot of political dialogue starts and ends with the notion that taxes are bad and should be kept down - ignoring the larger fiscal and economic issues.

Therefore, to hear a leader of corporate Canada, TD Canada Trust's Ed Clark suggest that tax increases may the way to go to slay the deficit dragon came as somewhat a surprise. Now apparently what Clark had in mind was to go back to a 7% GST which Harper had cut - creating deficits we now face.

Deficits and debt are a legitimate policy concern. The notion of increased taxes to make sure our books are balanced over a period of years and that we do not unjustly burden future generations is a legitimate policy position and should have serious public dialogue.

What does Harper do? He politicizes the issue and misleads the public by taking on an attack dog mode. Clearly he sees tax cuts as a way of increasing his popularity which has been declining - cheap politics. He is avoiding the issue of solid fiscal management to provide the kind of services needed to maintain our quality of life for us and our grandchildren.

Good for Clark. Darts for Harper.

Lets have an honest dialogue about taxes.

No private space for politicians any more.

2010-02-10T21:31:00.000-05:00

Earlier I posted about the Toronto Mayoralty race and the refreshing presence of a youthful Adam Giambrone as a candidate to watch. His campaign is down in flames after a sensational revelation of his private sexual activities.

Too bad, because he is a progressive guy who had promise and it is important to have young people like him in politics - and he would have made a difference in that Mayoralty race.

There are several lessons here.

There is no private space for politicians any more. Years ago intimate private affairs did not affect the careers of politicians and the media did not pry. But, this is the twenty-first century and it seems to matter now as mass media and public focus on personal matters, often putting policy positions to the rear. And, the new digital communications such as texting and emails leave their tracks as Giambrone found out, not easy to hide anymore.

The next lesson is that the public does expect honesty and integrity. If a candidate brings his partner out front with him, he should make sure that he is not misleading either her, his supporters, or the public - and certainly not presenting the optics of using his partner as a political prop.

Can he make a comeback in public life? I hope he can. He will need a lot of humility and a lot of hard work.

His departure leaves a vacuum in the Mayoralty race not only in terms of the absence of a young candidate and a candidate that could defend the Miller legacy - and a progressive voice in the race. Pantolene?

Wars sending USA into ruin

2010-02-07T18:46:00.002-05:00

This weekend Sarah Palin was paid $100,000 by the Tea Party movement to give them her slogans, but no new ideas.

The tea partyers, a miss-mash of libertarian, neo-conservatives, neo-liberals, and people who are just mad have framed their movement as a movement for a new American Revolution to protect the constitution and freedom Their message is really the same old smaller government, less taxes, lower the deficit and debt, but no ideas as to how to deal with the real issues such as jobs, the deficit, and American national debt.

Sarah Palin is right that the USA is "drowning in debt". But neither she, the tea partyers, nor Obama have yet come to terms with the major driver of American debt - unnecessary wars. Obama has exempted "national security" from his budget cuts. The tea partyers talk big about national security which really means no reduction in defense spending.

Eric Margolis has an excellent column today "Wars sending USA into ruin" click here. Margolis points out that Iraq and Afghanistan were funded by borrowing - and mostly from China and Japan. The US accounts for one half of the entire military spending in the world.

We should be worried by both the tea partyers and the US debt.

Can Giambrone mobilize the young vote?

2010-02-03T22:35:00.000-05:00

The City of Toronto Mayoralty campaign will get a lot of attention because it is the biggest city in Canada, bigger than many provinces. The race is on: Smitherman, Pantalone, Mammoliti, Rossi, 23 others, and Adam Giambrone.

Adam Giambrone is the youngest at 32 years of age and already a Council veteran and chair of the TTC, and a former President of the national New Democratic Party. He has campaign manager John Laschinger, veteran manager of Conservative party campaigns and the manager of the successful campaigns for Mayor Miller.

I think it is a great idea to have young people in their thirties to step up into leadership positions. Can he do it?

His campaign kick off video is perhaps one of the most unusual you will see. Click here to see it on You Tube. You will enjoy it.

His campaign kick off speech with friends at the Revival Restaurant was more traditional, but it was focused on the future of Toronto as a city with a great quality of life and a city that develops a climate of innovation and excellence. It spoke to the younger demographic. It was positive. See it here.

His campaign will have to be good and will have to connect with the younger demographic to win - and that means getting them out to vote. Can he do it?

Hey, we need more young people like that in my town Burlington.

Civic Engagement and Social Capital.

2010-01-31T20:37:00.000-05:00

The Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engagement in America at Harvard University is an initiative of Professor Robert Putman. Putman's book "Bowling Alone" focused on the importance of "social capital" - the social value of all our social networks. I thought that Putman captured one of the underlying factors in the decline of civic engagement in the past forty years - the decline of "social capital"

I picked up the following little tidbits called factoids" from the Saguaro Seminar website:

Family dinners and family vacations or even just sitting and talking with your family are down by one third in last 25 years.
Having friends over to the house is down by 45 percent over last 25 years.
Participation in clubs and civic organizations has been cut by more than half over last 25 years.
Involvement in community life, such as public meetings is down by 35 percent over last 25 years.
Church attendance is down by roughly one third since 1960s.
Philanthropy as fraction of income is down by nearly one third since 1960s.

I guess the question is whether the types of "social capital" represented in the above examples have been replaced by other forms of "social capital". Or, are we just too busy?

Traditional civic engagement was based on a high level of "social capital". The question is whether we can have effective civic engagement without a high level of "social capital".

Obama's Conversation with the people.

2010-01-28T12:16:00.000-05:00

I watched Obama's State of the Union address last night. It was good political theatre, well choreographed and presented. Long speech, but hand it to Obama to appear Presidential, maintain his campaign themes of hope and change, move to the centre and towards populism on the economy, maintaining a bi-partisan approach - and all with some intellectual rigour.

Part of the theatre was how the elected folk in the chambers responded - they were mostly on que as to when to applaud and when to stand to applaud. Clearly, the Republicans did not always applaud or stand.

But, Obama was really speaking above the heads of all those in the audience directly to the American people. Today Obama and Biden head to Florida for "town Halls" for Act Two of the drama to continue their conversation with the people. It is that conversation that will determine if Obama can break through the roadblocks in the Congress.

The Republican response by newly elected Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell was also choreographed but was very different than Obama's. Obama tried to be practical and spoke to the complexities and difficulties in making changes and he held out his hands to work with Republicans. The Republican response was simplistic, ideologically based, uncompromising - a repetition of old rhetoric.

I wonder whether the American public can see how different the two approaches and understand the depth and reasonableness they have in the leadership of Obama as compared to the Republicans who can only come up with simplistic tired rhetoric.

A "Marshall Plan" for Haiti

2010-01-26T18:50:00.000-05:00

The earthquake in Haiti is a natural disaster that has sparked wonderful generosity on the part of people in Canada and throughout the world. People are contributing through fundraisers, phone ins, texting, and the internet. I have made my contribution through The Plan, which is an organization I support.

The Harper government needs to be given credit for a quick and substantial response. The Montreal Conference brought the world together to plan recovery and I hope that real aid will happen without interference or militarization.

There is another part to the story in Haiti. It's not only the earthquake, but the impoverisation of the country, in part by international policies of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It is neo-liberal policies of the IMF that helped drive more and more people to the over-populated city of Port-au-Prince. And, it continues. On January 14 the IMF gave Haiti another $100M loan to add to an existing loan of $165M with conditions such as requiring an increase in electricity prices, a freeze on wages, and keeping a low inflation rate - the kind of policies that have kept Haiti in poverty. Haiti spends more money on paying its debt than all the foreign aid coming into the country.

The January 18 article by Benjamin Dangi, "Profiting from Haiti's Crisis" is worth reading.

Hopefully Canada's leadership will move further to lead a modern day "Marshall Plan" type of aid to give Haitians a chance to move themselves forward.

What is success?

2010-01-24T17:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, a discussion group I belong to discussed Malcolm Gladwell's book, "Outliers: The Story of Success". Journalist Gladwell has become a somewhat of an icon because of this book and his earlier book, "The Tipping Point".

In his "Outlier" book, Gladwell uses a number of case studies to talk about why some people become a success. I read his thesis to be that successful people have a web of advantages and inheritances ranging from their parents, upbringing, and, yes, just plain luck, the accident of when you were born - and a lot of hard work, at least 10,000 hours to start with. In other words, there really are not "self made" people who come from nowhere. His stories include Bill Gates, the Beatles, Chinese kids who are good at Math and much more.

Stephen Pinker of "The Blank Slate" has written of his disagreements with Gladwell in New York Times arguing that Gladwell "undermines the ideals of talent, intelligence, and intuition".

Gladwell's book is worth reading because it is interesting. And, you will find out that if you want to be a hockey star you should be born between January and April all because of the way Canadian hockey organizes itself and picks young boys for rep teams around the age of ten.

The broader issue it brings up is the old nature versus nurture issue.

And the questions: What is the role of native intelligence in marking success? How do we level the playing field so that more people have the opportunity to find success? What is success?

Burlington's Pier Important for the Future.

2010-01-22T17:41:00.000-05:00

The poor Burlington Pier that has stood unfinished now for almost two years because of construction difficulties has once more become a media story when there are actually more important things for local media to talk about. And, unfortunately it has become a target for people to transfer their anger on other issues to a visible unfinished project. And, there is forgetfulness out there - as well as misinformation.

Burlington began to re-discover its waterfront in the seventies. Burlington's waterfront is one of great features that makes Burlington a desirable place to live - and to attract the kind of businesses that will continue to build a sustainable high performance economy for the future. We have one of the finest waterfronts on Lake Ontario. The pier will be a wonderful addition - a reminder of a long history of piers at the foot of Brant Street.

The downtown waterfront planning in the nineteen nineties included a lot of public consultation and always visioned a pier to help make Spencer Smith Park and the waterfront walkway a truly great urban waterfront. The pier emerged from a public dialogue, solid visioning for the future, and was reasonably financed. City Council did the right thing for our future by building a pier.

The focus now should be to move the project from the lawyers officers to engineers and back into construction.

Lessons from the Massachusetts Upset.

2010-01-20T11:18:00.001-05:00

Elections are always complex because there are so many factors that influence voters minds. But sometimes there is a mood and an anger that simply wants to punish incumbents - those in power. Yesterdays upset win by Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts is a huge loss for Obama and the Democrats. They are the incumbents and the electors sent a message.

This was the bluest state in the Union and a franchise owned by the Kennedy family since John F. Kennedy won the seat in 1953. Scott Brown made it a referendum on Obama and the national Democrats and health care when he signed his name Scott Brown 41 - promising to be the 41st Republican Senator to deny the Democrats their super-majority in the Senate.

As a Canadian, I have difficulty understanding the torturous health system debate in the USA and how Massachusetts voters who already have most of the benefits in the Obama health care plan because they have had progressive Democratic state governments in the past could support a candidate vowing to defeat health care reform for the nation, especially since the USA polls show that the majority feel reform is necessary. I have difficulty understanding arcane Senate procedures that require a supermajority of 60 votes when the Constitution only requires a majority. All this boggles my mind.

But, now pundits and researchers will be looking for the root causes of this upset and will likely look at the anger people have about the economy and that Obama has not delivered the change he was perceived to have promised. When people are angry and they feel their leaders have not delivered - watch out.

The question is whether Canadians anger is sufficient to defeat Harper in 2010 or McGuinty in 2011 or incumbents in municipal elections across Ontario in 2010. And, maybe the by-election in Toronto Centre?

What should Burlington election issues be?

2010-01-19T22:12:00.000-05:00

In today's Spectator columnist Joan Little speculated on the potential line up of candidate for the fall 2010 municipal election. It could be a lively election since there appears to be an increased angst in the public, but what are the substantial issues?

Burlington is still a well run city and a great place to live, work, do business, and play. But, the economic downturn has helped to magnify feelings around issues that otherwise might not be lightening rod issues: the unfinished pier, the downtown waterfront, spending and taxes, the big ticket items of $60M for Jo Brant Hospital and another $15M+ for the General Brock lands, the Pan Am Stadium at City Park or someplace, timely and effective public consultation on issues. There is enough there for new candidates to construct election planks around the theme of "time for change" and yet there is enough for incumbents to defend their record.

Analysis: The pier issue is a tough legal issue which an election will not solve, but new candidates will likely throw the word "pier" around without any good answers. The downtown waterfront needs monitoring in terms of future development in the Old Lakeshore Precinct as well as the future of Beachway Park and should attract attention from all candidates, but likely without a lot of difference among candidates. If you take a look at both taxes and spending on a ten year chart and compare to other municipalities as well as the cost containment of the past couple of years, the City has been well managed. The issue really is financial management in the next five or so years in the face of big ticket items. While both financing the Jo Brant Hospital and The General Brock lands represent big numbers, I doubt that many candidates will run against either. The Pan Am stadium may become a wild card issue depending on the Niagara Escarpment approval for the City Park site. The issue of public consultation and civic engagement will likely be an issue which both new candidates and incumbents will champion.

There will be local pot hole type issues and specific ward issues. The Mont Nemo protection and the Nelson Quarry, the mid peninsula highway, the Joseph Brant Museum expansion will attract interest. Issues related to the Region of Halton will likely take a back seat.

The big issues: I hope that candidates will show where they stand on the following:

Leadership and trust. I sense that people just want elected people to give them a sense that they have a vision for where we can go as a community and how bring people together to get there. What is the future of our city?
Climate Change and Air Quality: The major unaddressed environmental issue today is climate change and air quality. Progressive cities in Canada and USA have developed strategic plans to address both at the local, level. Burlington should.
Financial Management. I hope to hear candidates moving beyond cost containment and cuts, but address how the community can come together to make the tough decisions on the big ticket items and how to plan for urban suburban build out.
A more sustainable transportation system. We need a champion to move the local transit system to the next level, to push the proposed Dundas Street Rapid Bus Transit, to move traffic more quickly, to reduce the price tag and environmental impact of our roads.

The big issue in the Toronto election will likely be leadership and the future of the city and maybe that is what it should be in Burlington.

Another example of citizen engagement in Burlington.

2010-01-18T11:48:00.000-05:00

Councillor Rick Goldring is sponsoring a new initiative in citizen engagement in his Ward Five in Burlington. In the January 15 - 21 City Update Councillor Goldring announces a special Ward Five Citizen Workshop about the future of our city - how to make Burlington better. Ward Five citizens can express interest in attending. Twenty four citizens will be selected at random to participate in three days of learning and discussions. The idea of random selection was successfully used by the City of Burlington in the nineties - it gets a good cross section of citizenry for input, avoiding the imbalance of either single issues or the loudest voices. It will be interesting to see how this project works. And talking about the future of our city is a good idea.

An example of a people's assembly for citizen engagement

2010-01-18T10:23:00.001-05:00

An interesting example of citizens engaging and empowering themselves to make a difference is the Virginia People's Assembly. An op-ed in Throuthout talks about this initiative. This broadly based group of citizens is challenging the elected Virginian Assembly to make a significant shift in thinking by rejecting budget cuts, laying off civil servants, and reducing services while corporate income taxes have not been increased in 30 years.

Lessons for candidates on how to win.

2010-01-16T17:57:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading David Plouffe's "The Audacity to Win". This is the inside story of how Barack Obama won by his campaign manager, David Plouffe.

There are lessons in the Obama campaign for candidates at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. Obama was the new boy, the outsider who beat the fabled Clinton machine, went on to win big as the first African-American President of the USA.

Obviously Obama was an incredibly outstanding candidate who was the right person for the times and was able to connect with people. But, he could not have managed this huge victory by doing politics the same old way it had been done. In many ways his success was a merger of the use of new digital technology and grassroots support. But underlying the merger was good old fashioned political organization adapted to the twenty first century world and hard work by a lot of people.

Here are the lessons I see for candidates as they gear up for election in 2010, municipal in Ontario, federal in Canada, and provincial in Ontario in 2011.

Know yourself and believe in yourself.
Show yourself as an authentic human being.
Be civil
Demonstrate leadership qualities.
Talk to people as adults.
Have a relevant and clear message - and stick to it.
Have a clear strategy - and stick to it.
Connect with as many people as possible in as many ways as possible.
Inspire enthusiasm and loyalty among your volunteers as your best ambassadors.
Expand the voter base - appeal to, attract and involve people who usually don't get involved or vote.
Lists - get as many people on your list as possible - and use those lists.
Digital communication - use of emails, social media,You Tube to communicate and stay connected with your volunteers, your target base, and the electorate.
Keep you supporter base well informed through ongoing dialogue.

Is social media the answer to the current democratic malaise?

2010-01-13T21:07:00.001-05:00

For a good part of history people were ruled by elites whether they be tribal chiefs, monarchs, dictators, aristocracy, or the church. Most of the rest of the population was illiterate and did not have good information or mass media to give them information and to get them worked up enough to challenge the elites.

Modern revolutions were made possible by literacy, books, and newspapers. In the twentieth century women got the vote. Radio and television complimented newspapers. All kinds of views were represented in these medias and information flowed.

The post modern period after the seventies, and especially after the nineties, has seen the decline of print media, the fragmentation of media with a far greater choice in radio stations, the multi television channel universe, the internet, and the blending of information and entertainment in the media. Its no surprise that the population is more passive and that governments can either manipulate the info-entertainment or ignore the public interest. Its no wonder there is cynicism and lower voting rates.

The question is whether the internet, Web 2.0, and social media will connect us once more, give us better information, and get us organized and challenge governments and the elites.

How can citizens be engaged without good local media coverage?

2010-01-07T10:48:00.001-05:00

Last night the newly formed Burlington Mayor's Citizen Advisory Committee met with its subcommittees to develop our work plan for the next three months so our report can be ready by the end of March. Three tables of discussion among about 30 people representing a cross-section of Burlington citizenry. I observed each of the tables, great people and good insights, passion for their community. However, there was a wide spectrum of knowledge base of what really goes on in our city which we all love and appreciate. I can remember when we had old fashioned good journalism with three local print newspapers with individual reporters dedicated to City Hall, the Region, education, police, the arts, sports and the papers were quite thick. And, TV and Radio actually covered many meetings and events. Now we have one print paper three times a week, quite thin - and essentially there is no TV and radio coverage. How can citizens be informed? Is the internet the answer? Can citizens assume their citizen responsibilities without adequate information and knowledge base?

Municipal Election starts in January

2010-01-05T18:42:00.000-05:00

An old piece of advice for any political candidate is that you can never start too early. Many candidates start too late, Effectively, if a candidate has not already declared or has begun preparations he or she may be to late.

Note that in the biggest municipal race in Ontario for the Mayoralty seat to be vacated by Mayor Miller by today we have two registered candidates, Rocco Rossi and Georgio Mammolilti. And, George Smitherman has resigned his Provincial seta to be able to register. And, there are strong indications that Joe Pantalone and John Tory will file soon.

Here in my town of Burlington we only have one registered candidate for one ward, Ward Two, Marianne Meed Ward. Only vague rumblings of who else will run in any ward or for Mayor. If hopeful candidates actually want to win they should be out there now.

What message do we choose from Avatar?

2010-01-04T13:39:00.000-05:00

Avatar: Great movie. Entertaining. A love story. Good cinematography. Political messages galore: The military-industrial complex. Afghanistan and Iraq. Environment. The Alberta oil sands. Aboriginals. Spiritual messages - after all avatar is a spiritual term from Hindu mythology meaning a deity incarnate on earth. Worth seeing and thinking about.

Worth Reading re terrorism and air security

2010-01-03T20:24:00.000-05:00

Read the Star column by Haroon Siddiqui

Yemen - A New Afghanistan?

2010-01-03T20:11:00.000-05:00

Do we learn from the past? The USA entered Afghanistan under the banner of a "war on terror" rather than treating 9/11 as a "criminal act" that required a lawful response - and did exactly what Al Qaeda wanted the USA to do, invade Afghanistan, resulting in an inflamed Islamic world. In the process the USA basically entered a civil war in Afghanistan siding with the Tajiks, Uzbeks, ands Hasara against the Pashtuns. In Yemen the USA is siding with a government that is fighting its own little civil war. Once again, the US could do exactly what Al Qaeda wants it to do, intervene in a civil war in a Muslim country. Obama had been trying to re-frame Bush's "war on terror". Will the recent Christmas day attack on an American flight suck Obama back into a "war on terror" mode and into a new civil war in another Muslim country? The US needs to deal with Al Qaeda, but not a civil war. A tough situation for Obama and his presidency.

The Next Ten Years

2010-01-02T21:18:00.000-05:00

Bono has an interesting op ed in the NY Times today on the next ten years His section on the inverted pyramid with people power at the top weighing down on the political leadership is an interesting look at what might be the future of the next decade.

Blogging again

2009-12-31T17:54:00.000-05:00

It has been a couple of years since I last blogged. I wiped out the archives and am ready for a new start in 2010. The issues are still important - maybe more so than ever. I am trying to make sense of both Canadian and American politics. I am trying sort out the issues which are relevant to our post modern world. Vaclav Havel who helped coin the term challenges us by saying, "In this postmodern world, cultural conflicts are becoming more dangerous than any time in history. A new model of coexistence is needed, based on man's transcending himself."