Wednesday, September 29, 2010

These are the best times

Charles Kenny Foreign Policy

You may not have heard, said Charles Kenny, but the greatest decade in human history is now drawing to a close. True, the first 10 years of the 21st century featured several bloody wars, an earthquake in Haiti, a hurricane in New Orleans, and a worldwide recession - not to mention the worst terriost attack ever on American soil. But in the 'Naughty Aughties," the planet's 6 billion residents "lived better, longer, more peaceful and more prosperous lives than ever before. " Global financial crisis notwithstanding, human beings today earn more than they ever have. Education and lteracy levels rose, while war, poverty, and disease declined. As more people - especially women - have become better educated, child mortality has dropped and life expectancy has increased. Thanks to technology, however, we have become enveloped in a web of media, which enables us to "witness the tragedy of millions" every time some terrible misfortune occurs. That's why there's such a widespread, gloomy view of a truly golden era.

The Weel September 3 - 10 2010

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