
The Earth Summit in Johannesburg: an extract from the Independant Sun 8th Sept
| Water The one unambiguous success in the summit's plan of action. Leaders agreed to halve by 2015 the number of people - 2.4 billion - without basic sanitation, after an isolated United States dropped dogged opposition to setting the target. If implemented, this could do much to reduce the 2 million deaths a year, mainly of children, caused by drinking contaminated water. In fact, the world had already agreed at an earlier summit to cut by half the number of people without safe drinking water. Score 10/10 |
Energy The big disappointment of the summit. The US and Opec would not endorse a target for renewable energy. They killed off a Brazilian proposal backed by the rest of Latin America and other developing and developed countries to quadruple the world's use of clean energy to 1per cent increase over the decade. The summit did at least discuss energy: the US and Opec stopped previous meetings addressing it. Score: 1/10 |
Agriculture and Fishing The summit agreed that the Global Environment Facility, the world's main funding mechanism for global environmental problems, should be allowed to finance the fight against desertification which threatens one third of the world's land area. It undertook to rebuild fish stocks "where possible" by 2015, but critics believe this may undermine existing agreements. It refused to phase out agricultural subsidies or to support organic and fair trade products, and left the door open for GM crops. Score: 3/10 |
Biodiversity The plan hinted at action to tackle the greatest extinction of species since the dinosaurs died out, by obliquely referring to "the achievement by 2010 of a significant reduction in the current rate of loss of biological diversity". But this wording is much weaker than an undertaking "to stop and reverse the current alarming biodiversity loss" which the world's governments agreed only last April. The summit took a step backwards - and no one expects anything much to be done anyway. Score: 0/10 |
Over-consumption The summit agreed a weaker text than expected, promising to "encourage and promote" a 10-year programme to combat over-consumption in rich countries, rather than to actually set it up. The EU pressed for action, but the US, Canada, Australia and Japan vigorously resisted. Proposals to support labelling of environmentally friendly goods were defeated. But the action plan does say that countries must develop better policies on consumption and production. Score: 3/10 |
Corporate accountability Suprisingly headway was made, mainly due to pressure groups, who forced it on to the agenda. Governments accepted that binding rules could be developed to govern the behaviour of multinational companies. The US resisted tooth and claw, and tried various ploys to exempt itself, even after the matter was settled. But the plan of action stops short of setting a timetable for the regulations, or even firmly saying that they should be introduced. Score: 4/10
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"I sense a scream, deep, from inside but all that noise just won't seem to hide the fact that... Someday"
Lomax
Thing
Don't stop the Press!!!
GIVE BLOOD!!!
Oh and check out our mini-album Nocturnal Ambitions on mp3.com
Don't stop the Press!!!
NEWS 16/09/2002
Um, no news. Read the news.
Our mini-album NOCTURNAL AMBITIONS (see below) is on MP3.COM now which is nice and dandy and happy and once again nice. You can go and download all the songs, they were recorded in a studio as opposed to the samples on this page so they do sound ok to the untrained ear or the ear that likes out-of-tune basses or even the ear that likes untimely drumming and flat vocals, but hey that's how we liked to play our music at the Lomax headquarters. Pretty music is for the rest of you.
(Yes I'm also aware that I have actually involved myself in small-time marketing techniques in the text above which I feel guilty about because I hate marketing but yes everyone is a hypocrite at some point in their lives, and, to be honest, it's not like this internet site is a billboard of a kid knocking back a soft drink that covers the entire side of a building in a major city is it???)
Recorded a mini-album at Necrodeath Studios in Birmingham. 5 songs - Strange Glue, Gone & Dead, I've Got This End, Caucasian Collette, and Pernal Antique. Don't worry, you'll know what I'm on about in a few years. (Jesus, how cocky?!?).
(note: it's now several months since I typed the above paragraph and no, you probably won't know what I'm on about in a few years due to unforseen circumstances. Rather than delete that paragraph though I would like to leave it as a testiment to me being wrong for completely no reason, maybe a mis-directed attempt to be philosophical?? Who knows).
Played a gig at Moreton on Marsh in Jan which got a mention in Kerrang! (apparently, we have "mesmerising guitar effects" and are "proving that grunge isn't dead", although to be honest I only use clean and distortion).
SONGS
Click on a song below to listen to it...
3) Impetus
(Pernal Antique, Caucasian Collette, and Impetus Copyright 2001 Andrew Loly)
come to a gig:
Flapper and Firkin, Birmingham, Saturday 7 July
Old Railway, Birmingham, Thursday 26 July
Scruffy Murphy's, Birmingham, Friday 10 August
Edwards No.8, Birmingham, Sunday 12 August
Flapper and Firkin, Birmingham, Thursday 6 September
Scruffy Murphy's, Birmingham, Friday 14 September
Jug Of Ale, Birmingham, Saturday 29 September
Stourbridge Rock Cafe, Stourbridge, Monday 8 October
Scruffy Murphy's, Birmingham, Wednesday 10 October
Scruffy Murphy's, Birmingham, Wednesday 24 October
Flapper and Firkin, Birmingham, Thursday 25 October
Old Railway, Birmingham, Tuesday 13 November (FREE)
Finn and Firkin, Birmingham, Saturday 8 December
Moreton Town Hall, Morton-on-Marsh, Saturday 26 January 2002
Flapper and Firkin, Birmingham, Saturday 16 March
The Mellow Croon, Yorkshire, Saturday 6 April
Links below to some other bands in webrings
Click here to visit old band website with old poor quality samples on it
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