NEW INTERNATIONALIST The New Internationalist workers’ co-operative exists to report on the issues of world poverty and inequality; to focus attention on the unjust relationship between the powerful and powerless worldwide; to debate and campaign for the radical changes necessary to meet the basic needs of all; and to bring to life the people, the ideas and the action in the f ight for global justice. The New Internationalist magazine was founded by Peter and Lesley Adamson in 1970. Together with a range of other publications it is published by New Internationalist Publications Ltd which is wholly owned by the New Internationalist Trust and co-operatively managed: Accounts: Frank Syratt. Advertising: Michael York. Administration: Anna Weston. Design: Andrew Kokotka, Ian Nixon, Juha Sorsa. Editorial (Magazine): Vanessa Baird, Dinyar Godrej, Jo Lateu, Hazel Healy, Jamie Kelsey-Fry, Cris Moisescu. Editorial (Publications): Chris Brazier. Mail Order: Bev Dawes, James Rowland. Marketing (Magazine): Amanda Synnott, Rob Norman, Alex Hambis. North American Publisher: Ian McKelvie. Marketing (Publications): Dan Raymond-Barker, Amy Guest. Production: Fran Harvey. Web and IT: Charlie Harvey, Pete Stewart, Alex Walker. SUBSCRIPTIONS Website: newint.org/subscribe Email: subscriptions@newint.org Phone: +44 (0) 1604 251 046 Phone (from Ireland): CallSave 1850 924 331 Fax: +44 (0)1604 251031 Post: New Internationalist, McGowan House, 10 Waterside Way, Northampton NN4 7XD, UK. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION PRICES UK: £39.85; Institutions £70; Ireland: �47; Rest of World: Individuals: £44.85/�58/ US$68/ZAR 300. Institutions £90. Despatch by air only. Subscribers in Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japan should contact their local subscriptions of f ice whose addresses can be found at www.newint.org/about/contact/ UK OFFICE New Internationalist, The Old Music Hall, 106-108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JE. Tel: +44 (0)1865 403345; Fax: +44 (0)1865 403346; Email: ni@newint.org Advertising (magazine & web): Michael York 01865 403339 michaely@newint.org Contract enquiries: ni_cg@newint.org Web queries: tech@newint.org Permissions & general enquiries: Anna Weston 01865 403345 annaw@newint.org News trade distributor: COMAG Specialist Division, Tavistock Works, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QX, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1895 433800. Fax: +44 (0)1895 433801. The New Internationalist is published monthly except that the Jan/Feb and July/Aug issues are combined.
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Guest editor’s letter newint.org
Bling is not in
Call me old school but I’ve never liked the new and the shiny. Not for me glitz and bling, whether it’s jewellery or luminous leather. The whole world of bright surfaces feels superficial and deluding. So I guess I was a natural to be editor of an issue on the price we pay for our obsession with gold.
Don’t get me wrong: people should be free to like what they like. But in these days of ecological crisis the consequences of extraction and end use of everything we consume needs to become part of the equation. This issue raises questions at both the production and consumption stage of gold.
Since almost the dawn of Homo sapiens’ history we have been drawn to the yellow metal. As a sign I once saw in downtown Manhattan proudly proclaimed, ‘Enough is never enough’. But if it’s in the DNA of some to rush about on lucrative treasure hunts, why not search for something more benign and sustainable like wild mushrooms or berries? Both are tasty and will grow back – and you can make a tidy sum out of selling mushrooms. The search for and the hoarding of gold is just too destructive of the environment and disruptive of convivial human society. Which is why this edition makes the case for ending the gold rush entirely.
The struggle to preserve the sanctity of the environment is highlighted in our story from New Zealand/Aotearoa on the granting of legal status to a river. Meanwhile, the not so charitable side of Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity order in India is questioned in a first-hand account. n
RICHARD SWIFT for the New Internationalist Co-operative newint.org
Coming next month: Cuba
This month’s contributors include:
Roxana Olivera is a Peruvianborn investigative journalist residing in Canada. She is currently the South America special correspondent for New Internationalist. Her work has appeared in several publications, both in English and in Spanish, as well as radio broadcasts.
Jaideep Hardikar is a journalist based in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. He is a 2009 Alfred Friendly Press fellow, and the author of A Village Awaits Doomsday.
Veronique Mistiaen is a journalist, storyteller, traveller and lecturer. She writes about human rights, development, social issues and the environment for the national and international media. She is bilingual English/French.
A photographer, writer, curator and activist, Shahidul Alam set up Drik, Pathshala, Chobi Mela and Majority World. Widely exhibited and published, Alam is professor at Sunderland University and honorary fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.
We’re ‘No.2 ethical online retailer’! 15% discount on all online shopping (until 30
We’re chuffed to bits that our online shop has been rated the second-most ethical online retailer by Ethical Consumer. It’s fantastic to be part of a growing movement of ethical shops, giving real choice to consumers.
Along with our award-winning magazine, books and more, we live our values through our shop. We’re proud to work with and support fair-trade and small-scale suppliers around the world, and to provide shoppers with an ethical alternative to the high street.
To celebrate, we’re offering readers a unique
September 2014). To take advantage of this offer, apply the discount code ‘ethical’ when checking out, and 15% will be deducted from your order.
So, check out our catalogue (hiding between these pages) and explore our online shop: www.newint.org. Together, we’re building a fairer, more equal world. Helen Wallis Engagement Manager, New Internationalist Fancy getting more involved? Become a Friend of NI (shop.newint.org/ukfriends)
N e w I n t e r n at i o n a l i s t ● septem ber 2 014 ● 3
