Global

The twenty-first century truly began-politically, socially, and psychologically-with two epochal events: the World Conference Against Racism, held in Durban, South Africa this summer, and the terrorist attacks of September 11 which destroyed the World Trade Center towers and part of the Pentagon. These events were directly linked.

After billionaire Michael Bloomberg won the race to become New York's next mayor, the French news agency AFP noted that he "was among the first to see how the information age could serve investors in unprecedented -- and lucrative -- ways." In recent months, Bloomberg's campaign spent at least $50 million from his vast personal fortune, made possible by a media environment teeming with reverence for accumulation of wealth.

Bloomberg News became a far-reaching wire service during the 1990s as financial news gradually loomed larger in mass media. The operative definition of "general interest news" kept tilting. Mainstream outlets steadily shifted resources and priorities to the business of covering business.

Back in 1970, when PBS launched "Wall Street Week" with Louis Rukeyser, the program was conspicuous. Now it's just one of many national TV shows -- most of them daily -- focusing on the quest for high returns. After "Moneyline" premiered on CNN in 1980, cable television news grew while embracing the world of investment. In 1989, General Electric opted to dedicate much of its startup news channel CNBC to the stock market.

The investigation into the assassination of Digna Ochoa is in the hands of Mexico City’s Attorney General, not the Federal Attorney General, according to President Vicente Fox. In a political dig at Mexico City Mayor Lopez Obrador and an effort to distance his own administration from the high-profile case, President Fox characterized the murder as “one more incident that happened in Mexico City.” Fox went on to ‘offer Mexico City’s Attorney General broad collaboration with information, with investigation, but the responsibility is theirs.” Lopez Obrador said that the assassination must be understood in the “context of paramilitaries and caciques throughout the nation.”

Stubborn opposition by labor, public interest, and environmental groups over the past several years stopped Clinton, and now Bush, from gaining "expedited" "Fast Track" negotiation powers. Fast Track legislation, if approved by Congress, would enable the White House to circumvent public opposition and expand legally binding trade treaties such as the WTO (a treaty which up until now has not been yet been fully applied to agriculture). Fast Track would also help Bush implement new corporate-instigated trade regimes such as the so-called Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Under Fast Track procedures, Congress can only vote yes or no on new treaties proposed by the White House, giving up for five years the power to modify or change trade rules, even when these regulations supercede or nullify local, state, or national laws in force in the US or other nations.

Fast Track lobbying and diplomatic arm-twisting is just the tip of the iceberg. Other recent moves by government and industry on the biotech front include the following:

AUSTIN, Texas -- We Texans are sleeping more soundly at night now that Land Commissioner David Dewhurst is on the job as state director of Homeland Security, preventing attacks on important cultural monuments, such as the statue of the roadrunner in Fort Stockton. Dewhurst normally spends his time laboring on anti- litter campaigns, but he is fully qualified to ensure Homeland Security on account of he was once in the CIA doing something in Latin America we'd probably rather not know about.

On his regular watch, all Dewhurst has done for Texans' security is permit the Longhorn Pipeline Co. to build through populated areas without so much as an environmental impact statement, thus endangering the lives of thousands, if you believe those alarmist environmentalist types. Just the man for the job.

The usual bosh is getting into the press about the technological prowess of U.S. weaponry as deployed against Afghanistan. He's been getting some great scoops in his New Yorker dispatches, but in this instance, Seymour Hersh ran some amazing rubbish in the New Yorker a couple of weeks ago about the capabilities of the Predator unmanned reconnaissance vehicle. So did Thomas Ricks in the Washington Post in a story titled "U.S. Arms Unmanned Aircraft/Revolution In Sky Above Afghanistan." The Predator is made by General Atomics, a San Diego-based company, and each plane costs $20.5 million, which is a bargain in this day and age, though you don't get much for your money.

Tortilla producers announced an increase in the price of tortillas of between 12.5% and 37.5%. Tortillas provide about 40% of the calories in a typical campesino diet. Tortilla producers blamed the price increases on middlemen who "change the price when they like." The price of tortillas is expected to rise to between 4 and 5.5 pesos per kilo. Since the NAFTA accords took affect in 1994, Mexico has gone from a net exporter of corn, the raw material for tortillas, to a net importer of highly subsidized corn from the US. Last year, Mexico imported 3 million tons of corn at a cost of US$2.85 million. As part of NAFTA, Mexico agreed to remove consumer subsidies, including subsidies for tortillas, and the price of this Mexican staple more than tripled before the recent announcement of increases.

The world economy is close to recession and developing nations will suffer the most severe impact, according to yearly prognostications published by the World Bank. The GNP of developing nations will grow by 2.9% this year, but only 1.1% in 2002, according to the report. If China, with annual growth approaching 10%, is removed from the mix, the developing world may be in recession in 2002. The report noted that "what makes this situation particularly risky is that, for the first time since 1982, the US, Europe and Japan are registering deceleration at the same time." The World Bank prescribed the same old medicine - increased "free" trade. The world economy grew by 4.5% in the 1970s, before free trade policies took hold, then grew by 3.5% in the 1980s and 2.5% in the 1990s, after the free trade model was in full bloom. Meanwhile, the Bank of Mexico predicted that steep declines in the industrial and service sectors would result in increased unemployment next year. Bancomer predicted a 3.5% decrease in industrial exports to the US this year. Manufacturing and services account for 90% of the Gross National Product of Mexico.

If to believe print and electronic media’s headlines, Pakistan ’s military ruler General Musharraf is facing near revolt at the hands of religious political parties after his governments divisive decision to support US in her war on terrorism. In the aftermath of September 11 cataclysmic events, President Musharraf, left with no choice but to support international community in its war on terrorism, declared his government’s decision to provide logistic support to US forces (thus allowing US forces to use its air bases besides air space) and to cooperate with US services in intelligence collecting and sharing, thus inviting wrath of Muslim radicals who are openly supporting Taliban’s puritan regime.