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 GOOD NEWS
 Humanist Press Agency
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 Issue No. 30,  september 30, 2000.

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 EDITORIAL
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 MANIFESTO 2000 FOR A CULTURE OF PEACE AND NON-VIOLENCE
 Unesco

 The 6 key points of the Manifesto:

 What if the year 2000 were a new beginning, an opportunity to turn, all together, the culture of war and violence into a culture of peace and non-violence?
 Because the year 2000 must be a new beginning, an opportunity to transform - all together - the culture of war and violence into a culture of peace and non-violence.
 Because this transformation demands the participation of each and every one of us, and must offer young people and future generations the values that can inspire them to shape a world based on justice, solidarity, liberty, dignity, harmony and prosperity for all.
 Because the culture of peace can underpin sustainable development, environmental protection and the well-being of each person.
 Because the culture of peace can underpin sustainable development, environmental protection and the well-being of each person.
 I pledge in my daily life, in my family, my work, my community, my country and my region, to:

 	1.- Respect the life and dignity of each human being without discrimination or prejudice;
	2.- Practise active non-violence, rejecting violence in all its forms: physical, sexual, psychological, economical and social, in particular towards the most 	deprived and vulnerable such as children and adolescents;
	3.- Share my time and material resources in a spirit of generosity to put an end to exclusion, injustice and political and economic oppression;
	4.- Defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity, giving preference always to dialogue and listening without engaging in fanaticism, defamation and the rejection of others;
	5.- Promote consumer behaviour that is responsible and development practices that respect all forms of life and preserve the balance of nature on the planet
	6.- Contribute to the development of my community, with the full participation of women and respect for democratic principles, in order to create together new forms of solidarity;

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 * H E A D L I N E S * H E A D L I N E S *
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 SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

 * Iceland: Iceland's Hydrogen Economy.
 * Black Sea: New Evidence of Great Flood Found.

 CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS

 * New Zeland: Formerly Banned Book Published in New Zealand.
 * Guatemala: Mushroom Forest.
 * Netherlands: Gay Marriage Legalized in the Netherlands.

 SOCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS.

 * Switzerland: Landmines Denounced.
 * Russia: Victory of Astrakhan Workers.
 * Slovakia: Hundreds Gather to Protest Racial Hatred.
 * Russia: Russia-USA Association to Boost Countries' Bilateral Ties.

 HUMANISTS IN TODAY'S WORLD

 * Hong-Kong: Blood but no bags.
 * Czech Republic: The Humanists in Prague against the international monetary fund.

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 NEWS  * NEWS * NEWS  * NEWS * NEWS *
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 SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

 Iceland's Hydrogen Economy.

 Iceland, September 1, 2000
 Grassroots Good News
 (By: Juha Uski)

 Iceland aims to be the first country to cut its links to fossil fuels. 
 Analysts say Iceland`s strategy, if adopted worldwide, would banish
 global warming by the middle of the 21st century.
 Leading companies in the fast-growing fuel-cell business-- car-maker 
 Daimler-Chrysler, Shell Oil, Norwegian hydroelectric company, Norsk
 Hydro, and Canadian fuel-cell designers, Ballard Power Systems --have
 signed up with Iceland to conduct a country-wide experiment. The new
 power source will be hydrogen, made by splitting water molecules using
 the island`s abundant hydropower. The hydrogen will be liquified and fed
 to fuel cells that will power buses, trucks, cars, even the fishing fleet.

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 New Evidence of Great Flood Found.

 Black Sea, September 12, 2000
 AP
 (By Juha Uski)

 Artifacts found at the bottom of the Black Sea provide new evidence that 
 humans faced a great flood thousands of years ago, the discoverers say.
 Remnants of human habitation were found below 300 feet of water about 12
 miles off the coast of Turkey. Fredrik Hiebert of the University of Pennsylvania,
 chief archaeologist for the Black Sea project, said from the ship, "This 
 find represents the first concrete evidence of the occupation of the Black Sea 
 coast prior to its flooding."

 CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS

 Formerly Banned Book Published in New Zealand

 Wellington, New Zealand, August 21, 2000
 Source: AP
 (By:Juha Uski)

 In 1896 an Italian monk wrote a volume called "History of New Zealand and
 Its Inhabitants". The book contained strong criticism of the British 
 settlers,  particularly their treatment of indigenous Maoris of New Zealand. Dom 
 Felice Vaggioli, who came to New Zealand as a missionary in 1879, wrote that the
 Maoris were "denied justice and have been despicably robbed of their land".
 The British government asked Rome to destroy all copies, and only a 
 handful of volumes survived, hidden in monasteries and at the Vatican. The book 
 was almost entirely forgotten until 1994 when Auckland-based academic, John
 Crockett, started translating it to English. The book was published in Wellington
 on August 21st.

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 Mushroom Forest.

 Guatemala, September 4, 2000
 By Carol Lucas Arauz (Buenas Nuevas Castellano)
 mailto:pijula@yahoo.com

 San Cristobal Ixchiguan, located 300 kilometers from Guatemala City, is 
 home for the members of the mam ethnic group. These people have lived under
 conditions of extreme poverty on barely fertile land and have been forced to
 use their forests for firewood, while dealing with inclement weather at the
 same time. Faced with such adversity, the community formed an association
 to reforest and sell their only source of survival--mushrooms that bloom around
 trees, thereby earning their living and simultaneously teaching their
 children how to preserve the forest.
 This activity was begun by homemakers, who later shared it with their spouses
 and children. Their mission is to go from tree to tree seeking edible mushrooms
 that grow on pine trees. Afterwards, they dehydrate them and sell
 them by the pound. To date, they have 6 nurseries tended by 130 organized
 members in charge of caring and cultivating the trees that are later planted
 for reforestation.

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 Gay Marriage Legalized in the Netherlands.

 Den Haag, Netherlands, September 12, 2000
 AP
 (By Juha Uski)

 On September 12, Netherlands lawmakers gave same-sex couples the right
 to marriage and all the trappings, including adoption and divorce, approving
 legislation that provides gays rights beyond those offered in any other country.
 Lawmakers thumped their desks in approval when the vote passed 109-33 in
 the lower house, and some of the scores of witnesses in the packed public
 gallery applauded and embraced. The bill still needs approval by the upper
 house, considered a formality, and is expected to take effect next year.

 SOCIAL ACHIEVEMENTS

 Landmines Denounced.

 Geneva, Switzerland, August 8, 2000
 By: Jesus Sordo
 mailto:hum@retemail.es
 Buenas Nuevas (Spanish version)

 The NGO International Campaign Against Landmines (ICAL) issued a report
 denouncing the use of these mines in 88 countries and their manufacture in 16
 others. Although the Ottawa treaty has minimized their sale and use, ICAL
 denounced the lack of real interest in ending the use of these weapons. 
 Human Rights Watch joined the denunciation adding a similar report of its own.

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 Victory of Astrakhan Workers.

 Astrakhan, Russia, September 7, 2000
 ISWoR (International Solidarity with Workers in Russia)
 (By: Juha Uski)

 On September 7, 2000, the 5-day, round-the-clock highway blockade against a
 huge gas processing plant by over 200 Zaschita trade union workers and
 several local communities came to a victorious end to the complete victory of
 the workers.

 The plant, in southern Russia, employs 10.000 workers and belongs to the
 giant Russian gas monopoly, Gazprom. Hundreds of workers and their 
 families who live in the area surrounding the plant have over the years fallen 
 victim to the pollution from the plant, developing cancer, lung diseases and sulphur 
 poisoning.

 After discussions with their parliamentary representative, a hundred 
 workers blockaded the highway where trucks carrying sulphur enter the plant. Their 
 demand was simple: the evacuation of settlements closest to the plant and
 300 new homes to be built in a safe area.

 The workers stopped all transport of chemicals to the plant, but allowed
 food and other supplies through and had the increasing support of local
 police. Local radio stations also advised the people of Astrakhan to 
 support the blockade. Messages of support poured in from all over the world.

 The pressure was too much for the authorities and Gazprom, who agreed to 
 the demands. The communal tariffs were cut in half and a promise made for the
 construction of new homes to begin within weeks. Allocation of homes was 
 to be under complete control of the new "community soviets" (grassroot 
 community coordinators of the Zaschita union). There would be no charges, arrests 
 nor wage deductions for any of the actions taken by the workers or anyone else 
 in connection with the blockade. Lastly, if the agreement were to be broken, 
 the new "community soviets" have the right to resume the blockade.

 You can read the whole amazing story at:
  http://members.aol.com/ISWoR/english/news/astrakgazvic.html (spanish version also available, surf.)

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 Hundreds Gather to Protest Racial Hatred.

 Zilina, Slovakia,  August 30, 2000
 Radio Free Europe
 (By Juha Uski)

 A demonstration was held on August 30 in the northern Slovak city of
 Zilina, where a Romany woman was recently beaten to death, to protest
 racism against Roma. Some 300 people, including some Slovak parliamentary
 deputies, gathered in the downtown area. Police said the protest was
 peaceful, despite the presence of some skinheads.

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 Russia-USA Association to Boost Countries' Bilateral Ties.

 Moscow, Russia, September 22, 2000
 AFP
 (By Juha Uski)

 Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, voicing concern at the deterioration
 of US-Russia political cooperation, announced on September 22 the creation
 of a new body aimed at boosting bilateral ties. The association would 
 provide a forum where the hurdles preventing the development of bilateral 
 relations could be discussed.

 While US-Russian cooperation has been increasing in the cultural and 
 scientific spheres, "the political sphere should be our first priority because 
 improvements in all other domains depend upon it," Gorbachev said.
 He also said that the next US president should reject the "old conceptions"
 and deal with the new global political set up.

 HUMANISTS IN TODAY'S WORLD

 Blood but no bags.

 Hong Kong, september 4, 2000
 Humanist Association of Hong Kong
 mailto:tonyhen@Humanist.ORG.HK.

 The Humanist Blood Donation Club of Bagerhat, a town in Khulna District,
 Bangladesh, did a study on the plastic bags they needed to carry out their
 mandate under the terms of their activity - getting blood donations for 
 the poor.
 They determined that Bangladesh as a whole needs 300,000 special plastic
 bags for purposes of blood donation every year. The government supplies
 50,000 to the whole country.
 In the town of Bagerhat where the Humanist Blood Donation Club (Reg.#
 Bager 228/98) started a couple of years ago, the whole town gets 600
 bags. The major portion of those don't get to the public but are sold -
 as far as can be seen  - and about 50 bags reach the poor sector over a
 year.
 Shahed Jamil (Rana), chairman of the Humanist Association of Bagerhat
 (HAB), says:
 "The poor who cannot have access to the subsidised bags have to go to the
 shops and must buy bags on the open market at up to Taka 120 (Korean
 made) per piece (US$1.0 is Taka 50). The government subsidised bags
 should be available at Taka 25 - at clinics."
 There are 95 members of the blood donation club and there is no charge
 for the blood. People join and know they are available for blood supply
 in emergency. It's a living blood bank. The activity is self funded..."

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 The Humanists in Prague against the international monetary fund.

 Prague, Czech Republic, September 22, 2000
 Humanist Party of Czech Republic
 mailto:danafem@volny.cz

 As part of the protest against the assembly of the IMF in Prague, the
 Humanist Party of Czech Republic organized on September 22 2000, from 17 
 to 20 p.m.  the Festival of Humanism.

 The humanists have been denouncing for many years the unfair policy of
 robbery carried out by the IMF to the prejudice of the poor countries,
 putting the refusal to pay the debt as one of the main proposals of the
 Humanist Parties. For the humanists the International Monetary Fund and 
 the World Bank are among the main culprits of the huge actual unbalances, with 
 the concentration of wealth in the hands of few persons and the growing
 impoverishment of millions of human beings.

 On the occasion of the Festival of Humanism in Prague, the humanists also
 denounce the heavy atmosphere of intimidation created by the Czech
 authorities: during the week of the IMF assembly the schools will be
 closed, the people are invited to leave the city and police controls and
 abuses are constantly increasing.

 Delegations of the European Humanist Parties, the presidency of Humanist
 International, representatives of the academic world, musical and theatre
 groups and human rights organizations participated to the Festival of
 Humanism.

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 GOOD NEWS
 Humanist Press Agency
 -----------------------------------

 Publishes only news about social, scientific and cultural achievements and 
 progress of humanity.

 Issue No. 30, september 30, 2000.

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GOOD NEWS
Humanist Press Agency
Publishes only news of the social, scientific and cultural progress of the human being