Notations For the Week-End: On A Challenging Week, #COP21 & Other Thoughts....

As we write this, we have been asssesing the continued profound challenge in the aftermath of the #ParisAttacks.    Belgium's Government has urged its' residents in its' capital to stay indoors becuase it is saying that it has credible evidence of attacks simliar to Paris.    The Metro has shut down and major events have been cancelled.   This is as Mali saw its' worst attack since the French Intervention as a major hotel was attacked.    Gunmen went through floor by floor killing indiscrementanly.   We felt that the Economist yet again was on the case as it noted how the menace of #Daesh must be fought on every front:

Paris

How to fight back

The battle against    must be waged on every front

Nov 19th 2015

See the full article
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21678785-battle-against-islamic-state-must-be-waged-every-front-how-fight-back?fsrc=email_to_a_friend

We join the World congratulate France as it will go on with plans to host #COP21.  What is gratifying to be witness to is the advent of #COP21 that is before us beginning November 30.  Over 100 World Leaders and other leading figures in the World will converge on Paris to assess climate change.     Our team will be "on the prowl" assessing proceedings on it.   The Guardian has been also on the prowl and our team received this here at our Virtual Studios which is a nice little "primer" on how to keep track of #COP21 as a Global Day of Action will commence on November 29    Our team will be on hand at events in Southern California.

	The crucial UN climate summit in Paris is now just three short weeks away. Here's a sneak preview of some of the coverage the Guardian has planned for the coming weeks - with alterations and extras based on requests from readers and Keep it in the Ground supporters: Before the talks.  We will give you the history of the talks and background you need to understand why the negotiations are playing out as they are. We will also introduce you to the movers and shakers at the talks. What outcome are they pushing for and why? Readers Rick Bazeley, Robert Humphries and many others wanted us to help make sense of the data on individual countries and how their pledges measure up. We've already acted on that. This major data interactive explains what each country is offering and how those pledges measure up. Is it enough?  Earnie Tuck and Karen Parlette asked which countries are putting serious pledges on the table, while Louise Power and David Feith asked whether countries are being ambitious enough to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. So far, the answer is no. But as the talks approach we'll provide more analysis of what all this means and whether it is enough to stop planetary disaster. At the talks.  Our team of reporters in Paris will stick closely to the key delegations and explain the progress of the talks - and what it all means. On the most significant days we'll run live blogs so you can follow events as they unfold. Many of the nearly 2000 Keep it in the Ground supporters who responded to our survey last month said they wanted us to go beyond reporting what was happening at the talks and get deeper into the underlying motivations of the actors. What are the hidden obstacles to a deal? What are the vested interests in the background? One supporter from Wales summed it up as "the truth instead of spin please". Cities, businesses and regions. Traditionally, the talks are a venue for major announcements from companies, city mayors and others about projects that will contribute to the goal of a low carbon global economy. Our reporters help sift the bold plans from the greenwash. Protests and activism.  Many readers don't just want information, they want to know how they can influence the process. "How can we, the public, make sure essential changes happen?" asked Kim Hunt, while Sheila Wright wanted to know who she should lobby to make her voice heard. We will make this an important strand of our coverage. Outside the conference halls, many environmental NGOs, trade unions, faith groups and others will be protesting for a strong deal. Much of that activism will take place in Paris but there will also be events around the world, not least the Global Climate March on 29th November. You can find your local event here. Developing world.  A deal is only likely to stick if it is fair to developing countries that have done little to cause climate change but who will suffer the worst consequences. We've sent Guardian environment editor John Vidal to the Mekong river to look at the impacts on food, water and forests in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Around the world.  During the two weeks of the conference, commentator George Monbiot will write a series of pieces about the impacts around the world that the media often misses. Here's a taster. Something different. Earlier this year, Britain's poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy curated a series of 20 poems on the theme of climate change by different authors. We will release recordings of actors including James Franco, Maxine Peake, Tamsin Greig, Gabriel Byrne and Jeremy Irons reading the poems. Thanks again for your feedback and requests. Just reply to this e-mail if you have other ideas you'd like us to follow. Best, James Randerson, assistant national editor