Others may vanish as quietly as Menocchio Friuli, the 16th-century miller who speculated that the earth was a decaying ball of cheese.Those who attempt to map coming ordeals generally do so by meditating upon present trends; yet anticipating the future remains a distinctly nostalgic science.AMITAI ETZIONI Born in Germany, raised in Israel and now Professor of Sociology at George Washington Uni-versity, Etzioni is the champion of communitarianism, a post-socialist political philosophy based on community responsibility and social cohesion.The Spirit of Community (1995), en-courages communities to govern and police themselves, with an emphasis on family discipline.

I believe he's a multi-Grammy award winning artist and he's been invited to this event about poetry,' Mr Carney said.LOUIS FARRAKHAN Controversial African-American firebrand, who, in his capacity as leader of the radical Nation of Islam movement, argues for the racial segregation of the US.Despite allegations of misogyny, antisemitism and homophobia, 1 million men joined him in October 1995 on a march for black rights (women were excluded)."Too many people shirk our communal responsibilities," he argues.Critics consider his ideas a recipe for putting women back into the kitchen, but his fashionable course between welfare culture and individualist anarchy has won him influential friends, including Clinton.