Archived writings
Note from Philip Snow on 21st January 2006: "The following are examples of my writings over recent months. You may note that my understanding evolves significantly as time goes on, i.e. I say different things. This is inevitable at this time when knowledge is being revealed from extraordinary sources. This is likely to continue, especially through the accelerating rise in consciousness of humanity, i.e. the goal-posts keep moving. The key to this is the saying 'knowledge is different in different states of consciousness'.
October 22nd 2005
Transition to a New Age?
By Philip Snow
Effectively for the last 50 years I have been wondering why our societies work in such unjust, unloving ways. Having studied this extensively over the last 30 years I now understand why, and that everything will soon resolve itself in a most positive and satisfactory way.
It appears that something amazingly wonderful will happen in the world in the next few years, although those who do not understand themselves to be essentially spiritual beings will probably think it is the worst thing imaginable. Ancient prophecies seem to be coming true.
Notably, the Mayan Calendar, designed, calculated or revealed about 2000 years ago, is right on track to conclude in 2012 with the completion of an evolutionary process leading to a new Golden Age.
Increasingly alarming natural disasters, flu pandemics, climate change, wars and terrorism are some of the symptoms of a transformation which is now reaching its peak and will serve to remove the imbalance of negative energies in the world.
To believe this, we need to understand ourselves to be essentially spiritual, rather than physical, beings and that we, and the Universe, are engaged in the evolution of consciousness in an upward direction through successive dimensions of existence. It is also necessary to believe that our self-awareness, or consciousness, is life itself, that we are not Joe Bloggs but part of life itself, knowing itself, experiencing itself, never fully leaving its intrinsic unity and oneness as it makes its way through the Universe, or ‘multiverse’ of countless dimensions.
We also need to believe in the possibility of receiving information from higher dimensional sources, whether these are God, or Nature, or Jesus or Mother Mary or any of the trillions of beings existing throughout the multiplicity of dimensions. We can only believe this if we believe ourselves to be connected, through our consciousness, with the whole of life.
So most people, not having such a belief, will fail to appreciate the awesome splendour of what is happening in the world today, and will see large scale deaths of people, for example in natural disasters, as a great tragedy, and confirmation that God does not exist or does not care; whereas, from a spiritual perspective, those people are fulfilling a pre-birth agreement at a soul level to pay off humanity’s negative karma, and promote compassion and concern for others, to open our hearts - opening our hearts being the key to making the transition, or ascension, (a process of spiritual enlightenment) into the new age. Such people are therefore to be honoured for their service to humanity.
In some ways it is curious that more people are not already aware of what is happening. The main reason appears to be that mainstream religion, science, government and academia do not enable ordinary people, nor even those institutions themselves, to understand the spiritual dimensions of our lives. Worse, there is evidence that this is deliberately withheld from us, in order to maintain control over us and keep us in ignorance.
However, at this time we have the world-wide web, a vast resource for anyone who wants to investigate knowledge beyond the mainstream. And it is crucially important to do this. Firstly, and for no other reason than simple curiosity, we should at least observe what happens over the next few years, to discover from experience whether those many people who are anticipating a New Age are crackpots or not; and if not, to realise that the so-called authorities in our lives have been wrong, even malevolent or painfully ignorant, all along. Either way, it will be useful to know. But more than that, we will be more prepared to make essential, and possibly life-saving, changes in our lives.
It would not take many more natural disasters or a global bird flu pandemic, for example, for all of us to be affected in some way. Those badly affected by loss of manpower and infrastructure may need our help, firstly through our giving money to the relevant charities, and then through giving clothes and tools, etc, and setting up manufacturing units to make tents and blankets and whatever else is needed. Governments may be forced to supply more aid than is possible without affecting other public spending.
Here in the U.K., food and fuel distribution networks may be interrupted, leaving us without food, heat, light and transport. The globalisation of the economy has left us vulnerable to unexpected, sudden shortages. Whilst Britain has some of the finest farming land in the world, we have little access to local sources of food. We do not grow our own food at home, nor in communities. We are unrealistically complacent about the reliability of supplies of the basic necessities of our lives. Very soon, we may find that we were short-sighted.
What, then, is going on, to cause these natural disasters and other, life-threatening phenomena? What is going on, apparently, is that our sun is about to ascend into a higher dimension, the 4th dimension. According to information received from higher, spiritual dimensions this will happen in 2012. In ascending, the sun will take the whole of the solar system, including Earth, with it. This means that if we wish to survive the next few years, we must prepare ourselves to rise into a higher state of consciousness.
This is equivalent to Armageddon, and some believe that this is what is happening. The outcome of Armageddon, as we know from the Bible, is that the light triumphs, and the darkness is vanquished. The prophecy is parallel to that of the Mayans and the Hopi Indians, and there are other schools of thought that predict a similar re-birth into ‘the light’, including our own western astrology which talks about ‘precession of the equinoxes’ and the beginning of a new, 26,000-year astrological cycle.
If we wish to rise into the 4th dimension, we need to attain an appropriate level of consciousness. Typically, this would mean being able to embody and personify love, compassion, joy, appreciation, forgiveness and ecstasy as a full-time state of being. To do this, for most people an uncomfortable process of detoxification will be needed over several years, starting not a moment later than now. We will be receiving much help, as the whole solar system rises in consciousness on its way to ascension. We will find ourselves being carried forward on waves of rising energies and also on waves of compassion and concern for increasing numbers of others whom we see suffering, for whatever reason. Nevertheless, we will need to make a conscious, sustained effort.
There is a choice, it seems. Humanity has freewill, and those who wish to remain at a slower pace of evolution, and prefer the type of lifestyle we have at present, can choose not to ascend but pass away with the old and be reincarnated on a planet having a similar, 3rd dimensional existence to present-day Earth. Contrary, possibly, to many previous incarnations of our own it cannot be on planet Earth which will have ascended out of the 3rd dimension and be no longer available as a 3rd dimensional choice for rebirth.
What of the dark side? What is the dark side, here on Earth? The dark side is our materialism, our desire for power and control, our negative tendencies, those parts of ourselves we know full well are destructive or selfish or divisive, etc. But the primary manifestation of the dark energies is behind the scenes, embodied by those people behind our governments and financial institutions and military and science and academia. And they are in for a very rough time over the next few years. They will not make it through the ascension.
Let me explain something which you may find ridiculous, preposterous, beyond any kind of rational belief: the real history of mankind, and the emergence of the dark side. (Note, at 21st January 2006: if I were to write the following today it would be different in detail, but the overall idea would be very similar)
About 450,000 years ago a fifth-dimensional (invisible to our eyes) planet called Nibiru was flung out of the Sirius star system when one of the binary suns ascended into the 4th dimension. Nibiru took up a 3,600-year orbit which takes it repeatedly into our solar system and then back again to Sirius. Early on, the Nibiruans spied Earth as a virgin paradise and resolved to occupy it once the indigenous apes had evolved sufficiently to become slave labour.
About 100,000 years ago, there was a problem in our part of the Universe in which the balance of light and dark was failing because the dark energies were gaining ground. The balance between light and dark is the fundamental driver of evolution, once the original unity has been shattered (in the ‘Big Bang’). It was resolved by higher dimensional light beings that a super-race of light warriors should be created to maintain the proper balance, and a plan was hatched to genetically engineer such a race here on Earth. This is us.
We are the New Sentinels of Light. This is our destiny. We are starseed.
Genetic material from four primary races, the black, the red, the yellow and the white were brought from various and distant parts of our galaxy. They were blended with the Homo erectus (apes) DNA, as archetypes of four master races, none superior to the others, varying the strains to match the various Earth climates, and providing a 12-strand DNA giving the potential for higher-dimensional, intricate light codings. Light beings from many realms participated in the process.
The four primary elements brought into that blend represented earth (the black race), masters of the physical realm, giving us our strength and physical endurance, our procreative force and survival instinct; water (the red race) enhanced our ability to love and feel kinship with the living beings around us; air (the yellow race) provided our enormous ability to reason and communicate a superior intellect; and fire (the white race) brought an overriding will and the drive to achieve and rise above adversity. The fifth element, the connection to the Earth, was found in Homo erectus. This provided the primordial form and structure of Homo sapiens while grounding us forever to the soul of Gaia, the Earth. This information comes from a book called ‘No More Secrets, No More Lies’, material channelled from the sixth-dimensional Sirian High Council. To accept any of this, you need to accept the possibility of channelling from the sixth-dimension.
However, nothing is ever so simple. No highly evolved living being can only know light. Balance requires mastering unity between light and dark. The dark came along in the form of the Annunaki, the elite of Nibiru. This small group of people were extremely put out to find the planet, Earth, which they planned to be their own, had been taken over by other beings. The Annunaki resolved to protect their asset. At the earliest opportunity they came to Earth and introduced themselves as gods. They are widely depicted elsewhere in archaeological remains such as cave drawings. And they are, in fact, still here. Look no further than the New World Order. The Annunaki threw a dissonant electromagnetic grid around the Earth, preventing higher-dimensional light beings from communicating with humanity. They also rewired our DNA, disabling 10 of the 12 strands that gave us our intricate light codings. They stripped us of our immense potential, leaving us with only enough to ensure our survival as a race and future subjects of Annunaki rule. (Note, at 21st January 2006: the 'dark side' throughout this galaxy has, in very recent years, now given up their battle against the Light, i.e. Armageddon has ended, and various dark forces including the Annunaki have now left our planet; it now remains only for certain human agencies and individuals to give up their aims of world domination)
The people who really rule the world today, those behind the scenes of the British and American governments, behind the international banks and some of the mega-corporations, are bloodline descendents of the Annunaki. It has always been their intention to have control of Earth, and especially to enjoy its riches for themselves. Hence the play of power and wealth we have seen throughout history, and hence our corrupted present-day monetary system enslaving us all to debt.
The Annunaki have a more serious problem to attend to, however. Their home planet Nibiru is still travelling back and forth through the cold, dark space between our Solar System and Sirius. The Annunaki have the aim of bringing Nibiru permanently into our Solar System. However they have long known that our own sun will ascend into the 4th dimension in 2012, just as their former sun ascended in Sirius. The disastrous consequences of this for the Annunaki would be that Nibiru will return in due course and find there is no solar system here and will simply be lost in space. Therefore at this time the Annunaki are absolutely desperate to prevent the sun from ascending, which they now have the technology to do; or to synchronise resonance sufficiently with Nibiru to pull Nibiru through the astral vortex at the same time as ourselves and Earth. The Annunaki, from their American secret military and scientific bases, now have the technology they require in the form of the HAARP (High Frequency Active Aural Research Project) complex in Alaska. This is designed to transmit unimaginable levels of high-end radio frequencies into the ionospheric layer of Earth’s etheric body - artificially heating the upper atmosphere. And we wonder what is happening to our weather?
The Annunaki are engaged in some seriously bad activity on our planet, worse than I want put into your mind, and it is vital that we become aware of what they are doing. They must be stopped, because they are extremely close to achieving their goal. They will not, however, prevail. Why? Well, this is Armageddon, and the light will prevail. But what is at stake is how many people will survive this process. (note, on 30th January 2006 - I understand that if Armageddon is the right word, it is now done and dusted, and the light won through. So we survived. But as I said above, even though the Annunaki have now left the planet and joined the Forces of Light, some of the 'dark' human agencies haven't realised that the pantomime is over, so there's still some work to be done to persuade them) Stopping the Annunaki is a matter both of exposing their activities, and raising our own consciousness enough to promote the light energies. As explained above and is worth repeating, this requires us to experience love, compassion, joy, appreciation, forgiveness and ecstasy as much as we possibly can. This will require sustained, conscious effort and put us into uncomfortable de-tox mode for years. This is what we must do if we are to make the transition into the 4th dimension. The question is, are we prepared to make the effort? If not, natural disasters will get worse as Earth strives to shake off the negative, toxic energies generated by mankind, in order to facilitate her ascension. Many people will fulfil pre-birth agreements to die one way or another to defray humanity’s negative karma. Others will choose not to make the transition and will have to find another planet to reincarnate upon, in due course. That’s okay, if that’s what we want. Free will, and all that. Everyone needs now to make a personal decision, or be aware of decisions already made.
Our monetary system, however, is tied up with the Annunaki, and it is inevitable that major currencies and economies will collapse as part of the transition ahead. The Annunaki have already taken globalisation beyond breaking point as they play their do-or-die, all-or-nothing game. We will find ourselves forced, whether we like it or not, to develop self-reliance in our communities and localities, and alternative currencies, possibly going so far as exchange based on giving, sharing and lending, with no medium of exchange, e.g. money, at all. Such would be a true reflection of the love which is characteristic of the New Age in the 4th dimension. And, as always, love is the answer.
We live in fascinating and enlightening times. I wish for all readers to begin to discover what is actually going on in the world today. Please don’t go through this transition without witnessing it. It is the most mind-boggling thing imaginable, and things will happen over the next few years that will seem the worst possible things imaginable, unless you are grounded in the knowledge that all is well, and that actually the most amazingly wonderful thing is happening. The more you appreciate what’s happening in positive terms, the smoother the roller-coaster ride will be.
I would gladly enlarge on any of the themes I have described above, and I invite you to reply to this viewpoint by discussing on the New Living discussion forum at www.newliving.org.uk. I am also available to give talks to groups and to anyone with responsibility for community safety and well-being.
Take care!
Philip Snow
Note at 30th January 2006: Please note that the following letters contain some fairly dire predictions. As I said above, I've learned different things since writing these letters and I no longer think, for example, that we will suffer a Bird Flu pandemic, because I believe that the virus will be disabled by our ET friends before it mutates into one capable of easy human-to-human transmission. However, I still feel that some of the contingency measures that I am recommending should be put into effect, because we would be well advised to be as self-reliant as possible over the next few years and that is the responsible approach to take, for many reasons.
October 9th 2005
Letter to Stoke-on-Trent City Council via a city councillor:
To: Those responsible for contingency planning for civil emergencies
The Urgent Need for Planning for Worst-Case Scenarios
by Philip Snow October 9th 2005
Those responsible for contingency planning for civil emergencies need to shift into a much higher gear, developing plans many orders of magnitude more far-reaching than is generally being done today by those responsible. Otherwise we will all find ourselves hopelessly ill-equipped to deal with the realities that lie soon ahead.
It is important to appreciate that I have been studying the following for around 30 years, and also to take advice from those who know me regarding my character; otherwise the following will be totally unbelievable by normal standards.
Indeed it is to be expected that most will find this impossible to accept. Therefore I ask that those who are prepared to, spend some time questioning me further.
What is really going on in the world today
It is crucially important for those responsible for contingency planning for civil emergencies to begin to understand exactly what is going on in the world today.
The mainstream governmental, military, scientific and academic consensus does not have this understanding (though a few ‘far-behind-the-scenes’ do, I believe). I have studied well outside the mainstream and can accept a number of concepts which the mainstream would, at present, universally dismiss as beyond credibility. Without accepting these concepts, it is almost impossible to accept the following:
1. The sun is about to rise, or ascend, into a higher dimension, or level of consciousness. It will take the rest of the solar system with it. This will happen in 2012. The process is now becoming clearer to see happening, though most people are attributing the symptoms to something else e.g. global warming (climate change), clash of civilisations (terrorism), globalisation (spread of plagues - bird flu etc), cyclical geophysical changes (earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanos) and man’s alienation from nature (wildlife extinctions). These symptoms are all those of the transformation of the sun into a more subtle state.
2. On Earth this transformation requires a cleansing of everything that is not making, or not capable of making, the change to a subtler state e.g. the human body changing into a body of light. Hence very many people will die over the next few years, especially through plagues of one kind or another. These will firstly affect people having a low vibrationary frequency (meat-eaters, smokers, drinkers, over-weight, unhealthy, materialistic etc). Subsequent plagues will rise in frequency until all those incapable, or choosing not to, ascend will have left the physical i.e. ‘died’.
3. Most people have already chosen before birth whether to ascend or not in this incarnation. Most of those choosing to ascend will already have done much cleansing, but there are many who have been distracted sufficiently to have forgotten their choice. They may or may not remember in time. Those who have chosen not to ascend, because they prefer this level of evolution, are taking this opportunity to clear past karma before going on to another incarnation elsewhere.
4. Here in Britain we will be affected indirectly by a breakdown in the international system of food and fuel distribution, caused by changing global weather patterns and extreme weather events, by plagues and by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on an unprecedented scale (sometimes bigger than ever before, but mostly more frequently and more disruptively to civilisation than ever before). Having failed to ensure our self-sufficiency in food and fuel by growing locally, we will most likely suffer rioting, looting and serious, life-threatening disorder on the streets. We will probably be affected directly mostly by plague e.g. bird flu, leading to the same scenario. Terrorism will continue to occur as a kind of grim side-show in which the global powers play out their karmic roles of helping to resolve the polarities of light and dark prior to ascension, but terrorist atrocities (though some will be as serious as 9/11) will be less significant than the main event, as described above.
5. The process and its symptoms cannot be accurately predicted because so much depends on the ease with which the ascension transformation can take place. This depends on many more people working to neutralise humanity’s karma. My own feeling is that we should expect the worst possible scenario and plan accordingly, because there are so few people who will wake up to an understanding of what is happening.
6. The Department of Health’s contingency plan for a bird flu pandemic is hopelessly inadequate; but even at the low level of fatalities and temporary incapacity projected, the Department talks about “The impact of a flu pandemic on health and social services is likely to be intense, sustained and nation-wide; they may quickly become overwhelmed” and “the longer term macro effects of the pandemic on the national [and world] economy and the structure of society.” In the light of the process of cleansing of the world population prior to ascension, the impact is likely to be very many times greater than the Department’s maximum forecasts in the coming and subsequent pandemics.
7. The kind of practical contingency planning to be required would include:
a. advance preparations for food, water and fuel self-sufficiency
b. ad hoc hospitalisation facilities on a grand scale
c. strengthened city and neighbourhood policing, and restrictions on travel
d. temporary mortuaries, crematoria, new land for burials
e. community self-help
f. local currency system in case of economic collapse
8. The evidence that this process is underway is becoming clearer as ‘natural disasters’ grow in scale and frequency. It may yet take some time before it is generally felt that something unprecedented is going on, by which time it will probably be too late to manage it effectively if contingency planning for worst-case scenarios is not already in place. Even so, it may not be possible to prepare for what will probably come.
9. I estimate that contingency planning is already overdue and should be undertaken without any further delay.
Philip Snow, Fletcher House, 4 Betley Court, Betley, Crewe, Cheshire CW3 9BH
Tel: (01270) 820344 or mobile 07859 888171 Email: philip.snow@newliving.org
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
The following is a proposal I submitted to Stoke-on-Trent City Council (I live in that area) as part of an application for the advertised vacancy for a political assistant to the elected mayor. I would have accepted the position if it had been offered to me; but my main intention was to take the opportunity to bring certain issues to the attention of the City Council. Please note that it is deliberately written in alarmist terms in order to provoke action; I could equally have written in reassuring, inspiring terms but I felt that it would have no effect. In the event, I don't think anyone at the City Council actually read this.
A Policy Document
Tackling the issue of anti-social behaviour in the city of Stoke-on-Trent
by Philip Snow
Published on 14th June 2005
N.B. This document contains references as hyperlinks, and is best viewed by saving from www.newliving.org/policy.doc and reading with a live internet connection. Save to your hard-drive and Ctrl + click for linked pages.
Index: Page
1 Summary 1
1.1 The need for a holistic approach 1
2 Background 2
3 Credible threats ahead 3
3.1 Economic collapse 3
3.2 Pandemic disease 3
3.3 Terrorism 4
3.4 Climate change 4
3.5 Earth changes 4
3.6 Exponential growth of anti-social behaviour 5
4 Contingency measures 5
4.1 Local self-sufficiency 5
4.2 Co-operative community 7
4.3 Organic democracy 8
4.4 Environmental sustainability 8
4.5 Transport 8
4.6 Leisure 9
4.7 Rehabilitation of offenders 9
4.8 Re-population of the countryside 9
4.9 Community currencies 10
5 Conclusion 10
References 11
1 Summary
1.1 The need for a holistic approach
It is proposed that the issue of anti-social behaviour in Stoke-on-Trent is best tackled by a holistic approach which takes into account a number of current trends towards possible extreme disorder within the current mayoral term. In this way, contingency measures to mitigate possible near-future scenarios will tackle the whole range of present-day anti-social behaviour.
1.1.1 We stand today in 2005 on the threshold of unprecedented changes in our civilisation. Any one of a number of current, credible threats could cause the collapse of our relatively well-ordered societal infrastructure into a state of extreme disorder. Therefore we need to prepare for the possibility, even the probability, of a very difficult few years ahead which could begin at any time now.
1.1.2 In America, where the Government appears to recognise the threat of systemic collapse, draconian security measures are being implemented with overtones of the creation of a police state. In some ways this is a simplistic approach based primarily on their projections for a decline in oil supplies; whether a similar approach will be adopted by the U.K. Government will depend on how inclusively and how flexibly it will respond to the multiplicity of threats before us.
1.1.3 A catastrophic collapse of societal infrastructure is quite widely predicted, coinciding with the current mayoral term in Stoke-on-Trent. Predictions for some of the collapse scenarios presently come mainly from outside the academic, scientific and governmental mainstream but there are certainly indicators of a number of credible threats to our society which give weight to such predictions. A selection of sources of such predictions is referenced below or as hyperlinks when read as a word.doc with a live internet connection.
1.1.4 The vast majority of people in positions of leadership appear to be complacent to threats which are capable of causing widespread loss of life, sufficiently to destroy our infrastructure at local, regional, national and international levels. In the event of collapse, the public will expect the authorities to have anticipated it with contingency measures enabling the continuing functionality of infrastructure. In a worst-case scenario even this may not be possible. Therefore, contingency plans need to be laid down now so that survivors have at least a functional basic infrastructure of sorts: the more measures which are taken to anticipate this, the more complete the infrastructure will be.
1.1.5 For reasons given below to justify this, it is therefore considered necessary to lay down with some considerable urgency a policy for contingency planning to avert such a worst-case scenario which would probably include a complete breakdown of law and order with food and fuel riots and loss of life in the streets and neighbourhoods of Stoke-on-Trent - during the next few months and years. It may already be too late to take these measures, should the Asian Bird Flu virus make the final step, as it could at any time now, of transmutation to easy human-to-human transmissibility without losing its current 70% fatality rate.
1.1.6 It will be seen that as a result of a holistic approach to such contingency planning, and the measures which will need to be applied in the short term, the current issue of anti-social behaviour in Stoke-on-Trent will be successfully tackled simultaneously.
1.1.7 In order to avoid generating alarm amongst the citizens of Stoke-on-Trent whilst these proposed contingency measures are being taken it may be necessary to disguise some of them under three main headings: cooperative community, organic democracy and environmental sustainability. Happily, the measures proposed herein lend themselves to such an amenable smokescreen.
2 Background
2.1 It is widely appreciated that in Stoke-on-Trent and throughout the U.K. there is a growing problem of anti-social behaviour of many kinds. Over the course of the last 50 years the problem has steadily grown and for a number of years the public has been demanding measures to reverse the accelerating trend. Regrettably, the ‘liberal establishment’ has failed to address the problem with any real vigour. Indeed, so feeble is the support from central Government that local authorities find themselves constrained in their freedom to act appropriately to tackle the issue. Some new measures could certainly be taken in Stoke-on-Trent to address the background of the problem, such as the breakdown of discipline in schools and homes; the ubiquitous availability of drugs; the growth of discretionary income coupled with increasing consumerism, and others. However, this proposal transcends that background and progressively leaves it behind. It is fortunate that the contingency measures described below will deal with the problem in a holistic way.
3 Credible threats ahead
There are numerous current or possible future credible, serious threats to our society’s infrastructure, including:
Ÿ 3.1 Economic collapse
3.1.1 The main, and highly credible, threat of economic collapse arises from the projected decline of oil supplies. (1) Long before the actuality of serious shortages of oil, confidence will collapse through the combination of rising oil prices and the realisation that our oil-based civilisation is reaching its end. Confidence is the shaky foundation upon which much of our economic system, and value of money, depends. (2)
3.1.2 Secondarily, the sheer weight of personal debt in the economy is liable to cause a collapse, with increasing numbers of people defaulting on mortgages, loans and credit cards; or, the banks calling in these loans as defaults grow; or a mass defaulting by public protest reminiscent of the Fuel Protests of 2000 which nearly brought the country to a halt. The viability of the banks is at risk, potentially destroying the value of money and leaving people without a means of exchange, at least in the short term.
Ÿ 3.2 Pandemic disease
3.2.1 At any time from today the much-heralded pandemic of Asian Bird Flu could speed rapidly across the globe. At the present time, when contracted by humans from birds or from other humans in close contact, the fatality rate is around 70%. The virus, which has demonstrated an ability to transmute, could lose its potency as it infects someone who currently has flu and combines with the human flu virus, as it almost certainly will very soon. Or, it could gain in potency, or stay the same. Once combined with a human flu virus it could become easily transmissible through the air. Health organisations are projecting heavy casualities from a pandemic of Bird Flu. It is realistic to say that this could occur at any time from now. (3), (4) and (5)
3.2.2 Another serious threat to human health comes from the use of depleted uranium by the Americans as a weapon in Iraq and elsewhere, notably over the last two years and continuing; and by other nations, primarily the Chinese, in tests. (6)
3.2.3 Depleted uranium travels on the wind and has been used so extensively that the entire world is now irradiated. In April 2003, the World Health Organization said they expect global cancer rates to increase 50% by 2020. In view of reports coming from Iraq and returning soldiers in America, this could be an underestimate.
3.2.4 There are numerous other threats of global pandemic diseases, the spread of which is exacerbated by the globalisation of the economy and international tourism.
Ÿ 3.3 Terrorism
3.3.1 Whilst it is probable that the terrorist threat as reported by the Americans is grossly exaggerated to serve as a smokescreen for their oil wars and civil repression, there can be no doubt that terrorism has been fomented in recent years, notably between Muslim fundamentalists and the west. The chief complaints of the Muslims are economic domination and religious repression by the predominantly Christian west, and these can hardly be denied.
3.3.2 Muslim fundamentalism has been stoked by American pre-emptive action since 9/11 and in view of the disparate nature of so-called Al-Qaeda, which may or may not have an objective reality, it is conceivable that further terrorist strikes will follow. Credible threats include nuclear contamination of major western cities, disruption of oil supplies, economic warfare, disablement of the internet, or even mere propaganda to heighten western alarm and self-protectionism. (7)
Ÿ 3.4 Climate change
3.4.1 Climate change is now accepted as a reality although the causes are still disputed. For Britain the effect could be catastrophic should the Gulf Stream conveyer of warm water from the Gulf of Mexico stop flowing because of melting polar ice introducing fresh water into the system, which now seems to be a distinct possibility. Britain could have a climate more like Iceland (8) and (9)
3.4.2 For other countries, climate change could mean flooding of low-lying coastal land; others crop-destroying storms, and others droughts. Inappropriate temperatures at any stage of plant growth could ruin crops or harvests. Food production could be at serious risk here and abroad. There would be higher risk of famine and, unless we make contingency plans for such here in the U.K., we may run short of food especially if any of the other scenarios unfold as suggested here. (10)
Ÿ 3.5 Earth changes
3.5.1 There are increasing numbers of earthquakes occurring today around the world, notably around the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ affecting notably far-east Asia and western North and South America. (11) and (12)
3.5.2 Such earthquake activity is unprecedented in recent history suggesting the possibility of further major events of a magnitude similar to the Indian Ocean quake on 26th December 2004. Should such a quake hit north-west America, as is now being expected, the U.S. economy could be badly affected with repercussions here in the U.K. (13)
3.5.3 Also, the phenomenon of super-volcanos has been discovered recently, (14) offering the possibility of a global natural disaster decimating the human race. Whilst the chances of this occurring are apparently slim, scientists calculate them to be higher than winning the National Lottery.
3.5.4 Some of these threats may seem to be lacking in credibility, certainly as far as we in the U.K. need be concerned. Nevertheless the fact is that we have no contingency planning for such eventualities affecting us. It is thought-provoking to consider that we are less self-sufficient today than we were during the Second World War. (15)
Ÿ 3.6 Exponential growth of anti-social behaviour
3.6.1 There is a natural process whereby trends take on exponential growth, known as the Fibonacci series of numbers. Essentially, the trend in the Fibonnaci series mirrors the series: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89....etc., in which each number is the addition of the preceding two. Plotted on a graph the numbers appear to grow exponentially. (16) and (17)
3.6.2 Looking back over the last 50 years it is possible to see that the trend of increasing anti-social behaviour is following this pattern. It is conceivable that unless the trend is interrupted it could continue to grow exponentially both in numbers and in nature, particularly when exacerbated by any of the above potential eventualities. Indeed it is tempting to consider all the above potentialities as part of a larger scheme developing as a Fibonacci trend, and there are theories (18) supporting that in which the evolutionary process is seen to be accelerating at an exponential rate and hitting a vertical trend in 2011.
3.6.3 It would therefore be completely appropriate to begin to address the problem of anti-social behaviour directly and with great vigour as if it were about to increase exponentially. However, it is also possible and more holistic to address the larger trend in order to prepare for all of these contingencies simultaneously.
3.6.4 In this way, and aided by the larger perspective provided by the more holistic approach, anti-social behaviour in Stoke-on-Trent can be addressed much more vigorously than would be the case otherwise. Bearing in mind that the police, the judiciary and government at all levels would need to be persuaded of the justification for a more vigorous approach, including for example a zero-tolerance yardstick in all areas of anti-social behaviour, it will be necessary to have very good reasons for taking such an approach.
4 Contingency measures
The following measures are proposed, with a view to providing an infrastructure which could be sustained under all but the most extreme circumstances such as nuclear war or natural disaster of global proportions:
Ÿ 4.1 Local self-sufficiency
4.1.1 Threats such as those listed above could easily disrupt the reliable supply of food and fuel leading to a serious breakdown in law and order, a kind of Mad Max scenario in which looting, rioting, injury and even murder become possible.
4.1.2 To avert the danger that has not yet come, it is timely, if not overdue, to consider how Stoke-on-Trent could become self-sufficient in food, fuel and water and other basic essentials.
4.1.3 Staffordshire is considered to be capable of feeding its own population but at present fails to do so primarily due to Common Agricultural Policy. Environmentalists are calling for a reduction in food-miles i.e. the distance from farm to plate, which commonly today is measured in multiples of 1000 miles. It would therefore be appropriate and widely welcome if support could be given to Staffordshire farmers to sell their produce in Staffordshire. Proactive support from the city council in collaboration with the county council would be needed for such an initiative. (19)
4.1.4 Long-term storage of food from all sources would be needed to avert shortages at critical times. This would best be organised by the local authority rather than by business or local communities, to ensure fair distribution and cost.
4.1.5 In these ways, Stoke-on-Trent can ensure self-sufficiency in food even should the infrastructure be disrupted, thus reducing any likelihood of looting, rioting and other self-preservation behaviour.
4.1.6 As oil and oil products such as pesticides become prohibitively expensive, farming will need progressively to revert to more traditional methods. This too will be widely welcomed by environmentalists and could also help to re-populate the countryside.
4.1.7 Fuel supplies at the present time are heavily dependent on cheap and abundant oil. As oil becomes prohibitively expensive, and especially if the international distribution network for oil supplies were disrupted, alternative energy supplies will be needed.
4.1.8 If farming is to become progressively more local, it will not be possible also to grow crops for fuel (biomass) on a meaningful scale. Natural gas supplies are also nearing their peak. Electricity will be dependable to some extent but oil supplies are needed by most electricity power plants.
4.1.9 There is a range of magnetic technologies which could provide a measure of self-sufficiency, provided that suitable devices are manufactured in large quantity. The fact that magnetic technologies have been ruthlessly suppressed over many decades suggests that this is a viable alternative to oil-generated energy supplies. It would also have the effect of enabling a more organic democracy because people would be self-sufficient of government-sourced energy. Therefore magnetic technologies should be explored with some urgency.
4.1.10 Water supplies could be at risk from climate change, terrorism and the failure of electrical supplies. Magnetic water pumps would enable farms and communities to draw their own water. Existing water supplies such as rivers and reservoirs would need to be safeguarded.
4.1.11 In these and other ways, the supply of food, fuel and water could be maintained and thus one of the worst-case scenarios could be averted without drawing public attention to the underlying threat, whilst at the same time contributing very effectively to environmental sustainability.
4.1.12 Another aspect of local self-sufficiency in the event of a collapse of infrastructure is that, as far as possible, all trading should be done locally. Nothing should be bought from outside that can be supplied within. No money should be spent outside that can be spent within. No exporting of resources should be done except for necessary exchange of imports. Resources and money should be kept ‘in the family’. Adherence to those principles would mean that everyone should be engaged in work as required mainly for the common good rather than for personal interest. A self-sufficient local economy implies one of mutual support and collaboration.
Ÿ 4.2 Cooperative Community
4.2.1 There has always been a need for cooperative community in the sense of people helping each other and regarding themselves as part of a greater collective with mutual responsibility. It is in the nature of most people to want to be part of a group rather than isolated and independent except to a small degree. Unfortunately for mainly economic reasons our families and communities have become very fragmented in recent generations, especially among the white British, and there is very little mutual support available at the present time to preserve life in the event of harsher times.
4.2.2 In the event of any of the above threats materialising, there will be a great need for cooperative community for everyone. The present level of anti-social behaviour is sufficient to reveal a need for cooperative community, and it is therefore appropriate to look at how communities can be made safer for everyone. Recent initiatives for Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, community wardens, neighbourhood impact officers and police community support officers need to be appraised with a view to extending the initiatives many-fold. It is crucial that people should once again feel safe in their homes and neighbourhoods and that the fear of anti-social behaviour of all kinds should be not just reduced but eliminated altogether. For this, a zero-tolerance culture is required. There is no place in the Human Rights Act for individuals and groups to put innocent people in fear or harm’s way.
4.2.4 To prepare for worst-case scenarios it is necessary to develop a zero-tolerance approach coupled with whatever resources are required to enforce it. The police already have sufficient technology, but financial resources are at present wholly inadequate to meet the need. This needs to be corrected.
4.2.5 There has been sufficient publicity in recent times for the public to understand and support a zero-tolerance approach. There are concerns that innocent people may be wrongly treated by law-enforcement officers targeting the so-called ‘minor’ crimes that often lead to more serious wrong-doing, but providing that we can maintain a sense of proportion this should not be the kind of problem that it is in the U.S. where police appear sometimes completely out of control. (20) America seems to be heading towards a police state. (21)
4.2.6 By contrast, New York has shown the way in implementing a highly successful zero-tolerance policy. “In reality, the New York strategy was a return to 'community policing'. Pressed to deliver fast response times to emergency calls, the police in New York - as in almost every developed country in the world - had been taken off the 'beat' and put into cars. But this had isolated them from the general public, and made it harder to interact positively with the local people in their neighbourhood. The Bratton approach was to rebuild the interaction and trust with the community by solid partnership, problem-solving, and crime prevention.” (22)
· 4.3 Organic democracy
4.3.1 Democracy implies duties and responsibilities as well as rights and freedoms, and it can fairly be said that democracy in the west is at best a poor expression of an ideal.
4.3.2 In the event of a total collapse of infrastructure, which can be considered quite likely, there will be a need for a system of government in place of the national and local government we have at present. Given that the population of the U.K. may be decimated by disease, a very local form of governance may be all that is left.
4.3.3 As a step towards this, which simultaneously would activate a ‘citizens’ charter’, there needs to be the creation of citizens’ panels or forums for each community area, and for communities within communities as appropriate. Whilst contributing to worst-case contingency planning this would also fulfil current objectives for greater community involvement by the public. Such forums could have some powers to deal with anti-social behaviour, in collaboration with the police, within the respective communities.
4.3.4 Such citizens’ forums are entirely in keeping with the public perception of the need for extra measures to counteract anti-social behaviour and so a vital contingency measure can be set in place without inducing alarm; and can have an inbuilt potential to be developed to meet the changing need.
Ÿ 4.4 Environmental sustainability
4.4.1 If and when the infrastructure collapses there will at last be a recognition of the need for protecting the environment we have left and for recycling whatever resources we have.
4.4.2 Sustaining the environment is a great source of work for idle hands. Indeed today there are many opportunities for people in Stoke-on-Trent to work without the need for high-tech qualifications and experience. There is both a need for people to work and a supply of suitable people in Stoke-on-Trent to do the work. Regrettably, there are too few resources in terms of places to work and financial resources to enable business start-ups. This needs to be corrected.
4.4.3 In addition to low-skill work there will be a need for skilled manual work to keep the physical infrastructure working. Tradesmen of all kinds will be needed for this. Therefore, more college places need to be created to meet the need. Stoke-on-Trent college has such courses but they are over-subscribed. There is already a need and a demand for such training and this should be given due priority.
4.4.4 Whilst there continues to be a place for inward investment and jobs of all sorts, it would arguably be more effective to re-skill and employ local people in low technology work to preserve the current physical infrastructure in anticipation of high-technology work becoming irrelevant and redundant as the international infrastructure for it collapses.
Ÿ 4.5 Transport
4.5.1 The local transport policy has some relevance to anti-social behaviour insofar as many local youngsters are obsessed with their cars. If this energy can be channelled productively it could be an antidote to anti-social behaviour and also a contribution to maintaining a functional infrastructure. In the same way that more plumbers, carpenters and builders are needed today, car mechanics are needed to keep cars on the road. This is especially true of older cars which are more likely to keep running on low-quality fuel than the newer models.
4.5.2 Today it seems necessary to tighten standards of exhaust emissions and MOT testing, but in the future it may be necessary to relax the standards in order to keep the city mobile. Young car owners should therefore be encouraged to become skilled motor mechanics. This means providing more courses at local colleges.
Ÿ 4.6 Leisure
4.6.1 It is widely recognised that there are insufficient leisure facilities for younger people, especially of the village hall variety, and this is a precursor of anti-social behaviour. What is needed today, and which would certainly keep youngsters off the streets and better behaved, are leisure amenities that would tire them out completely. Most youngsters have a desperate need to burn off energy and stress, and this could be achieved by providing facilities in which they can do just that. Indoor and outdoor adventure playgrounds of all sorts for all age groups should be provided for this purpose. These could have a commercial basis or could be provided as a civic amenity, in easy reach of all parts of the city. Ideally they should develop skills of all sorts, intellectual, physical, emotional and interpersonal.
Ÿ 4.7 Rehabilitation of offenders
4.7.1 The ‘liberal establishment’ has discouraged local authorities from imposing its own standards of control over perpetrators of anti-social behaviour. Consequently, there is insufficient deterrent for re-offending. On the contrary, today’s prisons offer an easy option, even a preferable, free way of life for some.
4.7.2 A zero-tolerance approach to law and order will undoubtedly increase the number of people charged with offences, at least in the short-term. Whether this is true of the longer term depends on the quality of deterrent.
4.7.3 It is proposed that the vast majority of offenders should be rehabilitated in the community, through service to the community. This means actually working in and for the community, whether for the local authority, private contractors or private individuals. Offenders should also attend classes for preventative instruction or to learn appropriate new skills. Offenders should receive benefits to enable them to maintain a stable living environment.
4.7.4 When offenders can be judged to be fit for free release into the wider community they should be helped to find suitable employment. In this way, prisons will be de-populated and can then be used to house more serious offenders under stricter regimes. Drug-users should also be kept in confinement until fully rehabilitated.
Ÿ 4.8 Re-population of the countryside
4.8.1 Farms today are not a source of jobs for those who prefer to live in the countryside. However, in light of the proposal for Staffordshire farms to feed Staffordshire people, and the growing demand for organic produce, and the likelihood of oil-based fuel and pesticides becoming too expensive, there will be a need for more people to work on farms.
4.8.2 Accordingly, people will need to live in the countryside. Today, many people living in the countryside resist the growth of housing in the green belt, or camps of travellers or asylum-seekers; in the near future, by contrast, they will probably welcome them in preference to starving. This is another instance where some people will have to adjust their preferences if they wish to survive under changing circumstances.
4.8.3 For this reason it will be necessary for the city authorities to negotiate with the county authorities for a relaxation of planning restrictions on housing in the countryside. It would be environmentally advantageous for new homes to be constructed from earth, sand and straw cobs, as per the traditional style of country cottage. Those are certainly much more environmentally-friendly than modern house construction, and at present are not the subject of modern planning restrictions.
4.8.4 The re-population of the Staffordshire countryside has positive implications for reducing anti-social behaviour in the city.
Ÿ 4.9 Community currencies
4.9.1 Much of what has been proposed above requires extra money. Extra money can be found. Central Government could supply more money by reforming the way money is supplied into the economy. (23) Extra money can be raised from local taxes. We are reaching the point where the wealthier middle classes will need to make friends with the working classes for the purposes of survival. The middle classes lack the survival skills of the working classes and would regret not being part of a support network if the infrastructure should collapse before they became so. Therefore, the growth of community spirit would include a voluntary redistribution of resources, whether of money or physical resources.
4.9.2 In addition Stoke-on-Trent, or the wider locality as a whole, could have its own community currency. This would be a means of exchange within the area, meaning that goods and services could be paid for using a currency which can then only be used to buy other local goods and services. The theory and practice of local currencies is well-established as a viable procedure for encouraging the local economy and local self-sufficiency. (24) Local currencies are not, however, legal in the U.K. at the present time, though such a system should certainly be available as a contingency measure.
4.9.4 The Government actually is actively endorsing (25 pg 59) one such system, called Time Banks, whereby people doing work for others can be paid in units of hours which can then be used to pay someone else to work for oneself. This begins to open the door to community currencies although it avoids confronting crucial issues about the monetary system which are addressed by community currency models. Nevertheless, it establishes the principle that there is infinite money available, limited only by the amount of work that is desired to be done - provided that the value of the token of exchange is rigidly maintained.
5 Conclusion
5.1 There is a tendency in our society to tackle the symptoms of problems directly, head-on, rather than address their cause or adopt a holistic approach. For example, to alleviate symptoms of ill-health we take drugs (‘the magic bullet’) which commonly have undesirable side-effects rather than seeking and removing the cause of the illness, or strengthening the whole immune system through a multi-faceted programme of health promotion. Or, where we lack money we work within our budget accordingly, limiting our work, rather than enquiring why there is a lack of money, or finding a way of generating more money for a longer-term solution.
5.2 With anti-social behaviour our usual tendency would involve adopting a strict disciplinary regime as a deterrent to repeat behaviour, rather than enquiring about the causes of such behaviour or seeking a longer-term, systemic solution.
5.3 The cause of the anti-social behaviour we witness in Stoke-on-Trent today may justifiably be seen as part of a trend towards the disintegration of our society. We can speculate about what is its true origin and purpose, if any. Or, as is described above, we can extrapolate the trend and predict the future development of anti-social behaviour and make policy to forestall it through a holistic approach.
5.4 It is curious that anti-social behaviour is growing into a full-blown crisis at the same time as such apparently disparate threats as declining oil supplies, pandemic disease, climate change, natural disaster, terrorism, economic destabilisation and other projections of globally-threatening crises. Whether anti-social behaviour is part of some greater scheme of things, of which the projected crises are also a part, can only be speculated upon at the present time.
5.5 Should, however, any of those crises actually materialise, as seems highly likely, the issue of anti-social behaviour will undoubtedly be resolved by such a crisis, either as part of that which is eradicated or as part of that which is re-constituted.
5.6 Therefore, this policy proposal tackles the issue of anti-social behaviour directly, indirectly and holistically by addressing those potential crises both individually and collectively and devising contingency measures for their most advantageous resolution.
END
References:
1. http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/
2 http://www.mayanmajix.com/art1693.html
3 http://www.newstarget.com/006860.html
4 http://www.rense.com/general65/edmple.htm
6 http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/printer_17578.shtml
7 http://www.continuitycentral.com/news0537.htm
8 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1602579,00.html
9 http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2003/bigchillqa.shtml
10 http://www.foe.co.uk/pubsinfo/briefings/html/19971215150452.html
11 http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/fire.html
12 http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/1904.asp
13 http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=77393
14 http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1433658,00.html
15 http://www.homesweethomefront.co.uk/web_pages/hshf_dig_for_victory_pg.htm
16 http://www.tssupport.com/products/multicharts/drawings
17 http://www.moonstar.com/~nedmay/chromat/fibonaci.htm
18 http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2005-01-19&number=36&display=allvotes
20 http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/video/taser_video3a.html
21 http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050606/OPINION/506060313/1004
22 http://www.adamsmith.org/80ideas/idea/14.htm
23 http://www.fixgov.org/binary.html
24 http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/local.html
25 http://www.socialexclusion.gov.uk/downloaddoc.asp?id=710
Philip Snow
Discussion I started on the website for the magazine Farmers' Weekly
May 23rd 2005
Readers of last weeks Farmers Weekly were asked to submit
their predictions for the future of farming in 2040. Here are mine, informed by
a range of studies I undertake. I am not connected to the farming
industry. The reason why I picked up a copy of Farmers Weekly is that I am
concerned that the village where I live, Betley in North Staffordshire, should
become self-sufficient in food and fuel as soon as possible, and I was beginning
my study of current farming practices.
Predictions for Farming in 2040
Ÿ By 2020 U.K. and world population will be a mere fraction of today’s owing to super-plagues caused mainly by global warming and extreme intensive farming abroad.
Ÿ By 2010 the western financial system will have collapsed through widespread rejection of debt and abuse by corporate and financial vested interests.
Ÿ Local alternative currencies will be widespread, encouraging people to buy locally.
Ÿ Towns and cities in the U.K. will want local self-sufficiency in food and energy for security of supply.
Ÿ Non-organic foods will have been rejected by popular opinion and lack/cost of synthetic fertilisers and pest-control.
Ÿ Rural population will have increased as people join the agricultural labour force seeking greater proximity to food.
Ÿ Bio-diverse and symbiotic farming will have been universally adopted to promote health and abundance of crops.
Ÿ Planning restrictions will have been relaxed or ignored to enable building of dwellings, especially eco-dwellings such as cob houses.
Ÿ Living in harmony with nature will be the new paradigm resulting from a new spirituality.
Ÿ Migrations of the remaining population will be forced by climate change.
Ÿ Horse- and buffalo-power will be a main source of heavy labour on the farm.
Ÿ Shire horse and buffalo breeding will have become a major industry.
Ÿ People will have become vegetarian to eliminate harmfulness against nature
Ÿ Clothing will be made exclusively from wool and plant sources. Animals will not be killed for hides.
Ÿ The reality that Earth is a conscious living organism will be widely accepted, together with the need for humanity, nature and Earth to live symbiotically.
Ÿ Electrical and radioactive technology will have been replaced with magnetic technology in keeping with Earth’s intrinsically magnetic energy system.
Ÿ Climate change, storms, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and plagues will be seen as a rebalancing and cleansing process instigated by Earth in conjunction with the sun.
Ÿ Over-unity (providing more output than input/perpetual motion) magnetic technology will satisfy energy needs and give individuals energy self-sufficiency thus altering balance of power with government. Bottom-up democracy will prevail.
Ÿ Roads infrastructure will have deteriorated through economic collapse, declining use of petrol/diesel powered vehicles and reduced population.
Ÿ The public will recognise how dependent they are on local farming.
Ÿ Vets will use light, sound, touch and subtle perception for diagnosis and healing instead of drugs.
Ÿ Life will have become more similar to pre-World War II or even Anglo-Saxon pre-1066 England, enhanced by an ability to work with a greater range of natural energies.
Ÿ The internet will collapse having given humanity an insight into its global dilemma and provided historical markers for future generations to avoid.
Ÿ Somehow ‘The Archers’ will continue to be broadcast.
I look forward
to feedback.
Philip Snow
Follow-up letter to answer a question about my projection for economic
collapse
May 28th 2005
Here are some reasons why it is realistic to predict that the western economy will collapse catastrophically by 2010. Actually I think 2007-8 is more likely:
Ÿ The western economy is based largely on confidence; the growing recognition that oil supplies are near, at or past their peak will hit confidence in the stock market long before rising oil prices drastically affect profitability in a few years’ time.
Ÿ The U.S. particularly is geared to cheap oil; the very landscape of suburbs stretching for miles points to total dependence on cheap petrol. Oil prices are now rising and many Americans will be hit really hard. The American economy is central to the health of the world economy because of the status of the U.S. Dollar.
Ÿ Outsourcing by the U.S. and of course by the U.K. ties us to a globalised infrastructure which is very vulnerable to climate change, flu pandemics, terrorism and natural disasters. Again, confidence is vulnerable, even to the fear of disruption of food and fuel supplies; and should food and fuel supplies actually be impaired, the whole economy will be hit hard. There are no contingency plans for such eventualities.
Ÿ Outsourcing also affects employment levels among the less highly skilled in the U.K. and the U.S. Adapting to a higher skill level may provide temporary respite only, until the Far Eastern countries gear up to supply their own. Many people in the west cannot learn marketable new skills in time to keep ahead.
Ÿ Asian Bird Flu seems increasingly likely to become transmissible human-to-human and only one more step in the transmutation of the virus is needed before a global pandemic will start. It could happen next week and within a month the global economy could be shattered.
Ÿ&