If you haven't heard it yet it's
NEWS

While the conventional press (and much of the alternative press) continues to focus on our greatest individual and collective failure - and call it "news," we know that the sordid and horrific represent but a tiny fraction of who we are, and it is by no means "new." The real news is the unfolding story of the expansion of human consciousness during these transition times as evidenced by the stories our individual and collective progress toward the highest and best of who we are and what we can become.

Many of us are coming to understand that our individual and collective "reality" is not so much a matter of objective experience as it is the result of our selective attention which chooses significance from a universe of probabilities in any given moment. And it is in our choosing that we "create" the experience we call "reality." The conventional media, unquestioned and unchallenged, has long held us captive to the very "reality" we would transcend. The Global Village News invites us to shift our attention and "create" a new collective human experience on this planet.

Global Village News brings you stories you are unlikely to read elsewhere - news from the frontiers of innovative human achievement. Our name reflects our growing awareness that we are indeed a global village. The instant exchange of information via the internet is creating a quantum leap of consciousness that is allowing us to escape the narrow nationalism and various thought systems, which have imprisoned and chained us to the past. We are discovering one another and finding common cause on a multitude of global concerns and in our discovery we are finding ways to work together to birth the Earth into a new reality - to the peaceful, free and prosperous planet she was designed to be for ALL of us.

Global Village News is provided free of charge and sent monthly to over 15,000 people in 107 countries. It is supported wholly by individual gifts. We have received 12 gifts this year from contributors from 6 countries. This has covered the budget through September. We still need to raise $7,000 to cover the fourth quarter. If you believe in and would like to support this work with either a one-time gift or a quarterly commitment - in whatever amount, please contact us for more information (lightweave@aol.com)

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Toward A Peaceful and Prosperous Planet,

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In an emergency meeting of the Reform Party's National Executive Committee in Dallas on July 30th, members voted unanimously, 7-0, to disqualify Pat Buchanan in his two-way race against John Hagelin for the Party's presidential nomination. The vote was a response to mounting evidence of "massive election fraud" by the Buchanan campaign, which submitted nearly 500,000 ballot requests on behalf of ineligible primary voters.

And who is this "dark horse," John.... What's-his-name? Hagelin, a 46-year-old native of Pittsburgh, Penn., is a quantum physicist with 20 years experience as a research scientist. He received his masters and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University where he scored in with a 165 I.Q. and for the past three years has been the leader of the Natural Law Party.

According to Hagelin, "Government today is torn by conflicting national interests and faced with seemingly intractable challenges. This is because governmental theory and policy are rooted in obsolete 19th century principles. As a quantum physicist, I offer a profound and fresh new foundation for governmental administration — one based upon the most modern and comprehensive scientific understanding of how Nature functions. Unified quantum field theories have revealed the ultimate unity underlying all of life, and provide deep and practical insights into how to skillfully administer and harmonize society's diverse tendencies — with the same organizing intelligence displayed throughout Nature. Americas problems are human problems — crime, drug dependency, domestic violence, and even pollution result from a narrowness of vision that fails to comprehend life's essential unity. The only way we can overcome these problems is through the expansion of consciousness — education that actualizes the full potential of the brain. I have spent the last quarter century conducting cutting edge research in unified quantum field theories, and have led an international scientific investigation into the nature and origin of human consciousness. The conclusion of these 25 years of research is that human consciousness, at its deepest level, and the unified field which underlies the whole of Nature, are one and the same. This means that human awareness, fully expanded, naturally comprehends the ultimate unity underlying all of humanity, earths complex ecosystems, and indeed, the entire universe. It also means that the most profound appreciation of life's essential unity, described by the greatest physicists and philosophers of all traditions, is available to everyone through proper education."

Is America ready for this? Perhaps not, but it could well be a preview of things to come. And if - just if - the US of A were to make this quantum leap, the world might indeed move into the 21st century. For more information on Hagelin and his position on the issues, click here: The Natural Law Party or go to http://www.natural-law.org
 
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A City Managed By Common Sense

Brazil - Residents of Curitiba, Brazil, think they live in the best city in the world, and a lot of outsiders agree. Curibita has 17 new parks, 90 miles of bike paths, trees everywhere, and traffic and garbage systems that officials from other cities come to study. Curibita's mayor for twelve years, Jaime Lerner, has a 92 per cent approval rating.

There is nothing special about Curitiba's history, location or population. Like all Latin American cities, the city has grown enormously - from 150,000 people in the 1950s to 1.6 million now. It has its share of squatter settlements, where fewer than half the people are literate. Curibita's secret, insofar that it has one, seems to be simple willingness from the people at the top to get their kicks from solving problems.

Those people at the top started in the 1960s with a group of young architects who were not impressed by the urban fashion of borrowing money for big highways, massive buildings, shopping malls and other showy projects. They were thinking about the environment and about human needs. They approached Curibita's mayor, pointed to the rapid growth of the city and made a case for better planning.

The mayor sponsored a contest for a Curibita master plan. He circulated the best entries, debated them with the citizens, and then turned the people's comments over to the upstart architects, asking them to develop and implement a final plan. Jaime Lerner was one of these architects. In 1971 he was appointed mayor by the then military government of Brazil.

Given Brazil's economic situation, Lerner had to think small, cheap and participatory - which was how he was thinking anyway. He provided 1.5 million tree seedlings to neighborhoods for them to plant and care for. ('There is little in the architecture of a city that is more beautifully designed than a tree,' says Lerner.) He solved the city's flood problems by diverting water from lowlands into lakes in the new parks. He hired teenagers to keep the parks clean.

He met resistance from shopkeepers when he proposed turning the downtown shopping district into a pedestrian zone, so he suggested a thirty-day trial. The zone was so popular that shopkeepers on the other streets asked to be included. Now one pedestrian street, the Rua das Flores, is lined with gardens tended by street children.

Orphaned or abandoned street children are a problem all over Brazil. Lerner got each industry, shop and institution to 'adopt' a few children, providing them with a daily meal and a small wage in exchange for simple maintenance gardening or office chores.

Another Lerner innovation was to organize the street vendors into a mobile, open-air fair that circulates through the city's neighborhoods. Concentric circles of local bus lines connect to five lines that radiate from the center of the city in a spider web pattern. On the radial lines, triple-compartment buses in their own traffic lanes carry three hundred passengers each. They go as fast as subway cars, but at one-eightieth the construction cost.

The buses stop at Plexiglas tube stations designed by Lerner. Passengers pay their fares, enter through one end of the tube, and exit from the other end. This system eliminates paying on board, and allows faster loading and unloading, less idling and air pollution, and a sheltered place for waiting - though the system is so efficient that there isn't much waiting. There isn't much littering either. There isn't time.

Curitiba's citizens separate their trash into just two categories, organic and inorganic, for pick-up by two kinds of trucks. Poor families in squatter settlements that are unreachable by trucks bring their trash bags to neighborhood centers, where they can exchange them for bus tickets or for eggs, milk, oranges and potatoes, all bought from outlying farms.

The trash goes to a plant (itself built of recycled materials) that employs people to separate bottles from cans from plastic. The workers are handicapped people, recent immigrants, and alcoholics.

Recovered materials are sold to local industries. Styrofoam is shredded to stuff quilt for the poor. The recycling program costs no more than the old landfill, but the city is cleaner, there are more jobs, farmers are supported and the poor get food and transportation. Curitiba recycles two-thirds of it garbage - one of the highest rates of any city, north or south.

Curitiba builders get a tax break if their projects include green areas. Jaime Lerner says, 'There is no endeavor more noble than the attempt to achieve a collective dream. When a city accepts as a mandate its quality of life; when it respects the people who live in it; when it respects the environment; when it prepares for future generations, the people share the responsibility for that mandate, and this shared cause is the only way to achieve that collective dream.'

Mozambique - In June 1993, just before the end of Mozambique's 30-year civil war, Masaru Katagiri from Press Alternative (PA), a Japanese NGO promoting fair trade, visited Mozambique and met Graca Machel, widow of the late Mozambican President, and the leader of the Foundation for Development of Communities. Out of this discussion, the idea of exchanging arms for tools, the "Guns to Hoes" movement was born.

Mozambique was deeply torn during its civil war and Mrs. Machel was eager to maintain the peace finally obtained, which was unstable and could easily be broken as long as the rebels kept their arms. Mrs. Machel and PA persuaded a Catholic group that had played an important role in the peace process to become involved. The group offered to serve as the center for this "Guns to Hoes" movement.

At that time the United Nations was supervising the disarmament process, which was not going smoothly. When the UN learned of this activity, it asked for its halt, to avoid confusion in the difficult task of disarming the rebels. After patient and repeated negotiations with the UN, the Army, and the Government, the "Guns to Hoes" organizers managed to obtain their approval. At the same time, they also negotiated with the police not to arrest the rebels who came to submit their arms if they had certificates issued from the organization.

As a result, actual collection began in late 1995. By the end of 1996, City, OPA promotes Planetary Guardianship Groups in 30 different countries throughout Latin America, Spain and Portugal under the sponsorship of ProSer Center, one of the oldest, most prestigious and biggest schools in Mexico City. Its objective is to provide strategic and updated info regarding the huge transformations taking place on Mother Earth at present and to build a networking bridge between North and South America

Thorsteinn Olafsson, of Reykjavik, Iceland, in cooperation with Stefan Hartmann, has supposedly created a magnetic motor, which produces free, nonpolluting energy. Plans for this motor are available at his website or you can contact him at thorstol@centrum.is

Elohim, a new magazine from Australia, offers excellent articles and wisdom from teachers and spiritual leaders from around the world. Dedicated to the expansion and exploration of higher consciousness from a nonsectarian perspective, Elohim holds that the deepest spiritual pursuit is in gaining the confidence to take back our power and accept responsibility for what occurs in our lives. "We are spiritual beings having a human experience and we have the power within to manifest heaven on earth in every moment."

Hummingbird is not a web ring as such, but it is a list of metaphysical links, which is much more comprehensive than many webrings, and certainly worth an exploratory visit.

Join us for the first UK summit meeting of "Lightworkers" or those involved in some aspect of world service, consciousness raising or planetary transformation. This summit is being convened by Network 2012, a networking project conceived and launched shortly after the Harmonic Convergence in 1987. The past 13 years have seen a total of 15 regional, national and international summits in the USA, The Mideast, Mexico, New Zealand and most recently in February, the International Summit - Light Link 2000 - in Thailand.

The 25 year period from 1987 to 2012 is a critical phase of planetary transition. Certain people have chosen to be here at this time and actively participate in this transition as World Servers or midwives. These Light Summits offer us an opportunity to come together, get to know each other (again), share resources, challenges, visions and dreams, and to create friendships and the kind of heart-bonding which will establish communication links for ongoing cooperation.

The primary focus of the summit will be to bring together UK lightworkers. However it is open to those outside the UK and is an excellent way for others to become acquainted with lightworkers throughout the UK. It is also a good introduction for those who may be interested in convening a summit in their own region or country.

The total cost, including four nights lodging, eleven meals, facility use and conference expenses, is only £275 per person, double occupancy or £310 for a single room (There are only four singles available.)

Because of the nature of these summits, attendance is limited to about 45 participants, and a third of these are already filled. For more information and a registration form, email Soliera at Soleira@Soulutions.co.uk or Click Here: SoulutionS - UK Light Summit

(Editors Note: I have spent more lifetimes than I care to remember as a 'heretic' of one variety or another, many times paying a very dear price for my alternative way of seeing things. This is an opinion article, not a statement of fact or truth. Do not hold me to any of this a week from now. As I grow, I change. Something, however, that will probably never change is my basic predilection for questioning basic assumptions, whether they be religious, political, medical, educational, social or my own 'whatever.' My bottom line for evaluating anything is whether or not "it grows corn." In other words, does it work? And if it works for you and doesn't harm others, perhaps that is as close as we will get to 'truth' in this lifetime. The following is offered in all due respect to those who see things differently.)

The conventional press is regularly filled with stories describing the violent conflict between religious groups throughout the world. In most cases, admittedly, there are serious issues of social and economic justice underlying the apparent religious conflict, such as in Northern Ireland, The Mideast, the Balkans, and Southeast Asia. The fact remains, however, that our history is full of horrors and atrocities committed in the Name of God.

Within all religions, including the religion of nationalism, there is the "Bogeyman Factor" which utilizes fear to control and unite its members. There is usually an outside human enemy or group (often another religious or ethnic group) and an inside enemy (usually a demigod). Let's look at certain forms of Christianity in the USA with which I am most familiar. Until recently, the conservative elements of this religion thrived on the bogeyman duo of communism and "the devil". Fighting both kept the followers united and the coffers filled. Battling gays and abortion has recently replaced the void left with the demise of communism. Fortunately for the TV evangelists, Yeltsin was not able to overthrow the devil. For those who are not religious fundamentalists, it is easy to see how far all of this has strayed from the simple teachings of Jesus: "Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself."

But as it is said, "those who live in glass houses should not throw stones." Let's look closer to home. Where are the bogeymen in our lives? Where are our fears? What's feeding the coffers? The Secret Government? Earth Changes? The Grey ET’s? Corporate Greed? Another social, religious, ethnic or political group? Or just "Them" - whoever they are.

Jesus, that rascal master who meditated in metaphor, said "resist not evil." He knew that what we resist we most certainly empower and draw to ourselves. A good example is the fall of prominent TV evangelists who succumbed to the very thing they were fighting against. He also said "you will know a tree by its fruit." "A good tree does not bring forth evil fruit, nor does an evil tree bring forth good fruit." Any spiritual path, which teaches Love and adds to the sum total of Love in the Universe, is aligned with the Source-Whose-Nature-Is-Love. Any supposed spiritual path which teaches fear & division and thrives on bogeymen - regardless of the gods and ascended masters it proclaims - is of human creation and feeds the forces of chaos.

In the last scene of Star Wars, as Luke Skywalker, the embodiment of Virtue, faces the Emperor of the Evil Empire, and holds his life in his hands, The Emperor throws out the final challenge. He challenges Luke to kill him; to see him as the ultimate bogeyman and to give in to his fear, rage and hatred. The Emperor knows that if Luke succumbs to this greatest temptation that the Force of Darkness which the Emperor represents, would prevail, even in his death.

(Postscript: It is said that we teach what we most need to learn. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to notice from this editorial that I have yet to make peace with some of the bogeymen of my southern USA childhood - particularly the religious and ethnic bigotry. But like all of us, I'm still a work in progress.)

 
The following letter regarding a recent trip to the Parliament of the World's Religions was written to the online Urantia community by Gard Jameson. The Center thanks Mr. Jameson for graciously sharing his experiences with this online community.

I would like to share a few reflections on a recent trip to Capetown, South Africa, to the Parliament of the World’s Religions to provide you with a brief flavor of a glimpse of light and life.

There are so many gifts of service that are emanating from so many different directions. It is a time full of hope and promise. What is required during these times is that all planetary citizens have the courage to allow their commitment to dialogue and service to transcend their irritations, to see how much larger is our common ground and to be thankful for that common ground. This Parliament is witness to the power of that commitment. Madiba, Nelson Mandela, is a personification of that power to bring unity where once there was division. His inspiration for The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa provides a model for peacemaking that all groups who find themselves divided might learn from. Though he is no longer President of South Africa, the people here still call him President; he is their spiritual leader. In his “retirement”, Madiba is quite active in bringing resolution to ongoing tensions between the indigenous people.

HH Dalai Lama XIV provides another equally compelling example of a person, of a people who were able, in truth, to separate the ideology of their “enemies” from those personalities and to love them truly as brothers and sisters. By developing a deep compassion for his “enemies” the Dalai Lama has actually been very successful in sharing the insights of Buddhism with many, many people. By blessing and engaging the “enemy” in dialogue, the Dalai Lama has helped many more people and, I’m convinced, one day will free the peoples of Tibet. One can literally feel his sense of deep compassion when in his personal presence. During his presentation at the Parliament he spoke of the need to move our inner commitments and experiences of the divine out into a world of immense need and suffering.

Another great spiritual leader, among the many in attendance at the Parliament, was Mahaghosananda, Buddhist leader of the Cambodian people. During the time of the Killing Fields, the genocidal war in Cambodia, it was Mahaghosananda and his small troupe of monks who would literally walk through the middle of a battle field, through the middle of enemies who were shooting at one another. These enemies would usually stop their shooting while the monks passed through. When the monks arrived at the far end of the battle field, they would turn around and walk back through the middle, until the two sides, exasperated, would quit the battle and return to their camps. Mahaghosananda and his troupe became known as the Third Force, a powerful force of engaged compassion. To experience Mahaghosananda’s smile is contagious in much the same way that Jesus’ smile was transformative.

In the course of the Parliament there were many wonderful seminars put on by all the faith traditions. Most interesting to me was to learn more of the deep spirituality of the indigenous peoples of Africa. As one teacher put it, “in the West you say, ‘I think therefore I am.’ In Africa, we say, ‘we belong, therefore we are.’” This message and the understanding he provided of their indigenous traditions was very attractive. Many of the seminars focused on common values and themes shared by the great traditions. The great scholar of Comparative Religions, Huston Smith, was there and gave a seminar on the mystical aspect of the great traditions. He indicated that what fascinated him with respect to the great traditions was not so much their social patterns, their creeds or their rituals, as their call to transcendence, to a genuine experience of the divine mystery.

During one of our days we had an opportunity to see the townships outside of Capetown, to see some of the progress that is being made and the great needs that exist in their society. We learned about the history of apartheid, the work of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. We saw first hand how South Africa deals with its own multicultural identity.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Parliament for me has not been so much the programs, nor the symposia, nor the plenary presentations, nor even the presence of Nelson Mandela, all wonderful, but the deep connection that I now have with two dear brothers from Senegal, Moussa and Doudou. We in America have much to learn from the deep wisdom of brothers such as Moussa and Doudou. Their gracious manner and their genuine excitement for The Urantia Book was an inspiration to all of us in attendance. I say “gracious” because they were exceedingly kind to me as I slaughtered the French language in their presence. As the Master informs us, and we know from our own experience there is no greater joy in the universe than to get to know such brothers and sisters. What a joy and inspiration South Africa has been!

Thank you, Madiba!

I close with a part of Mandela’s address to the assembled Parliament:

"The truth of the old African proverb that we are people through other people is tonight very evocatively being demonstrated by this gathering of so many people from all parts of the world. This coming together here in this southernmost city on the African continent of representatives from such a wide range of the faiths of the world symbolizes the acknowledgement of our mutual interdependence and common humanity. It is to me a humbling experience to be part of this moving expression and reaffirmation of the nobility of the human spirit.

“This century has seen enough of destruction, injustice, strife and division, suffering and pain and of our capacity to be massively inhuman the one to the other. There is sufficient cause for being cynical about human life and about humanity. This gathering at the close of our century serves to counter despair and cynicism and calls us to a recognition and reaffirmation of that which is great and generous and caring in the human spirit…As we approach the 21st century, we cannot but be starkly aware that we stand at a crossroads in our history…The world is undergoing a profound redefinition of values and modes of perception... the common ground is greater and more enduring than the differences that divide. It is in that spirit that we can approach the dawn of the new century with some hope that it will be indeed a better one for all of the people of the world.”