This past week was the idfa in Amsterdam, a documentary film festival. It was great, and I saw some really good ones, and am considering reviewing my criteria for a good film (guns, explosion and good looking women).
On Monday I saw Poison Fire a film about gas flaring in Nigeria. Another of those thinks that reminds you that the current economic system is very deeply flawed. Big oil multinationals drill for oil in Nigeria and when the oil comes up, it brings with it a lot of gas. This gas makes the oil difficult to transport, so the companies burn it off in huge gas flares. This is while Nigerians have very few opportunities for fuel for cooking. And of course the flaring leads to huge health problems for the people living nearby. Shell in particular has been taking to court a number of times in Nigeria over the flaring and has been ordered to stop flaring. They haven't, but now a case is being brought to a Dutch court ... we live in hope!
On Wednesday I saw a film that wasn't on the festival, but was shown by Greenpeace NL. It was called The Deadline and was about pirate fishing off the cost of Africa (New Guinea in particular). It was interesting to learn about pirate fishing, but more to see again how much work goes into a Greenpeace campaign, to end with just one action. I've bought a copy of this one, so if you'd like to see it, let me know the next time I'm on my way to you.
**oh, and speaking of piracy, check out this Sunday Herald article for a really interesting take on the recent increase in piracy off the coast of Somalia**
On Thursday it was Let's Make Money, a film about the world economy and how CRAZY it is. The best quote? An government official from Burkina Fasso saying that if subsidies like the US subsidy on cotton were not ended, the people of Africa would invade Europe, even if they built a wall 10 metres high to keep them out (Kein mensch ist illegal!). Me and Zeina were cheering :-)
On Friday I saw Sea Point Days, a documentary about Sea Point (yes, in Cape Town) and it left me with the biggest smile on my face. A really positive look at SA, and showed of some of SAs best sides!
Saturday was a weird one called A Complete History of My Sexual Failures. A (rather useless) guy going back and interviewing all his ex girlfriends on why they dumped him. It also involved him being whipped by dominatrix and taking 6 viagras. Pretty funny at times. And led to a good discusion between me and Tamar on assholes and what constitutes an asshole. The randomness of the conversation was also fed by the fact that about 4 hours previously I had eaten more baked goods than could strictly be called necessary and then gone to a party where Mel had shown what the snack table would look like in heaven (mint and feta bread? yes please).
Today was the last one and a really good one about plastic called Addicted to Plastic. Not nearly depressing enough to be called a good environmental documentary in my book. Well, seriously it was very good at not getting too crazy about the fact that the pacific ocean is more or less a plastic soup, and showing some really good examples of people working on plastic waste.
So a good week of documentaries and now for the next two weeks I've got meetings most days. Then it's holidays in SA, which I am really looking forward to!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
lost glove found glove
I went for a long ride on Sunday and during the taking off my jacket, putting on my jacket and taking my gloves off and putting them back on and putting them in the pockets of my jacket I lost one. Really cool gloves that Holle bought for me at Globetrotter.
So what good is one glove? Not very much and I was very frustrated that I would have to throw away a perfectly good glove and go and buy 2 more. However, I related my story of woe to anyone and everyone who would listen, and what do you know, Ilona said that she had a glove that some one left at her house.
So she bought it in, and it was the right hand (in both meanings of the word). So now I have too slightly different gloves, warm hands and a warm heart.
So what good is one glove? Not very much and I was very frustrated that I would have to throw away a perfectly good glove and go and buy 2 more. However, I related my story of woe to anyone and everyone who would listen, and what do you know, Ilona said that she had a glove that some one left at her house.
So she bought it in, and it was the right hand (in both meanings of the word). So now I have too slightly different gloves, warm hands and a warm heart.
When not getting arrested isn't good...
Last Saturday I wanted to join some friends in stopping e-on building a coal power station in Rotterdam. We were going to camp outside the power station on Friday and then slowly escalate our prescene until we entered the site on Monday and locked on to machinery etc. to stop the construction of the power station.
I had a meeting on Friday, so was planning to join my hundred odd friends on Saturday, but as I was preparing to catch the train out to Rottterdam, I got a call saying that the had already entered the site and were busy getting arrested.
Oh well, hopefully next time I'll be able to confront the enforced violence of a system intent on destroying the planet.
I had a meeting on Friday, so was planning to join my hundred odd friends on Saturday, but as I was preparing to catch the train out to Rottterdam, I got a call saying that the had already entered the site and were busy getting arrested.
Oh well, hopefully next time I'll be able to confront the enforced violence of a system intent on destroying the planet.
The Premises of Endgame
Premise One: Civilization is not and can never be sustainable. This is especially true for industrial civilization.
Premise Two: Traditional communities do not often voluntarily give up or sell the resources on which their communities are based until their communities have been destroyed. They also do not willingly allow their landbases to be damaged so that other resources—gold, oil, and so on—can be extracted. It follows that those who want the resources will do what they can to destroy traditional communities.
Premise Three: Our way of living—industrial civilization—is based on, requires, and would collapse very quickly without persistent and widespread violence.
Premise Four: Civilization is based on a clearly defined and widely accepted yet often unarticulated hierarchy. Violence done by those higher on the hierarchy to those lower is nearly always invisible, that is, unnoticed. When it is noticed, it is fully rationalized. Violence done by those lower on the hierarchy to those higher is unthinkable, and when it does occur is regarded with shock, horror, and the fetishization of the victims.
Premise Five: The property of those higher on the hierarchy is more valuable than the lives of those below. It is acceptable for those above to increase the amount of property they control—in everyday language, to make money—by destroying or taking the lives of those below. This is called production. If those below damage the property of those above, those above may kill or otherwise destroy the lives of those below. This is called justice.
Premise Six: Civilization is not redeemable. This culture will not undergo any sort of voluntary transformation to a sane and sustainable way of living. If we do not put a halt to it, civilization will continue to immiserate the vast majority of humans and to degrade the planet until it (civilization, and probably the planet) collapses. The effects of this degradation will continue to harm humans and nonhumans for a very long time.
Premise Seven: The longer we wait for civilization to crash—or the longer we wait before we ourselves bring it down—the messier will be the crash, and the worse things will be for those humans and nonhumans who live during it, and for those who come after.
Premise Eight: The needs of the natural world are more important than the needs of the economic system.
Another way to put premise Eight: Any economic or social system that does not benefit the natural communities on which it is based is unsustainable, immoral, and stupid. Sustainability, morality, and intelligence (as well as justice) requires the dismantling of any such economic or social system, or at the very least disallowing it from damaging your landbase.
Premise Nine: Although there will clearly some day be far fewer humans than there are at present, there are many ways this reduction in population could occur (or be achieved, depending on the passivity or activity with which we choose to approach this transformation). Some of these ways would be characterized by extreme violence and privation: nuclear armageddon, for example, would reduce both population and consumption, yet do so horrifically; the same would be true for a continuation of overshoot, followed by crash. Other ways could be characterized by less violence. Given the current levels of violence by this culture against both humans and the natural world, however, it's not possible to speak of reductions in population and consumption that do not involve violence and privation, not because the reductions themselves would necessarily involve violence, but because violence and privation have become the default. Yet some ways of reducing population and consumption, while still violent, would consist of decreasing the current levels of violence required, and caused by, the (often forced) movement of resources from the poor to the rich, and would of course be marked by a reduction in current violence against the natural world. Personally and collectively we may be able to both reduce the amount and soften the character of violence that occurs during this ongoing and perhaps longterm shift. Or we may not. But this much is certain: if we do not approach it actively—if we do not talk about our predicament and what we are going to do about it—the violence will almost undoubtedly be far more severe, the privation more extreme.
Premise Ten: The culture as a whole and most of its members are insane. The culture is driven by a death urge, an urge to destroy life.
Premise Eleven: From the beginning, this culture—civilization—has been a culture of occupation.
Premise Twelve: There are no rich people in the world, and there are no poor people. There are just people. The rich may have lots of pieces of green paper that many pretend are worth something—or their presumed riches may be even more abstract: numbers on hard drives at banks—and the poor may not. These "rich" claim they own land, and the "poor" are often denied the right to make that same claim. A primary purpose of the police is to enforce the delusions of those with lots of pieces of green paper. Those without the green papers generally buy into these delusions almost as quickly and completely as those with. These delusions carry with them extreme consequences in the real world.
Premise Thirteen: Those in power rule by force, and the sooner we break ourselves of illusions to the contrary, the sooner we can at least begin to make reasonable decisions about whether, when, and how we are going to resist.
Premise Fourteen: From birth on—and probably from conception, but I'm not sure how I'd make the case—we are individually and collectively enculturated to hate life, hate the natural world, hate the wild, hate wild animals, hate women, hate children, hate our bodies, hate and fear our emotions, hate ourselves. If we did not hate the world, we could not allow it to be destroyed before our eyes. If we did not hate ourselves, we could not allow our homes—and our bodies—to be poisoned.
Premise Fifteen: Love does not imply pacifism.
Premise Sixteen: The material world is primary. This does not mean that the spirit does not exist, nor that the material world is all there is. It means that spirit mixes with flesh. It means also that real world actions have real world consequences. It means we cannot rely on Jesus, Santa Claus, the Great Mother, or even the Easter Bunny to get us out of this mess. It means this mess really is a mess, and not just the movement of God's eyebrows. It means we have to face this mess ourselves. It means that for the time we are here on Earth—whether or not we end up somewhere else after we die, and whether we are condemned or privileged to live here—the Earth is the point. It is primary. It is our home. It is everything. It is silly to think or act or be as though this world is not real and primary. It is silly and pathetic to not live our lives as though our lives are real.
Premise Seventeen: It is a mistake (or more likely, denial) to base our decisions on whether actions arising from these will or won't frighten fence-sitters, or the mass of Americans.
Premise Eighteen: Our current sense of self is no more sustainable than our current use of energy or technology.
Premise Nineteen: The culture's problem lies above all in the belief that controlling and abusing the natural world is justifiable.
Premise Twenty: Within this culture, economics—not community well-being, not morals, not ethics, not justice, not life itself—drives social decisions.
Modification of Premise Twenty: Social decisions are determined primarily (and often exclusively) on the basis of whether these decisions will increase the monetary fortunes of the decision-makers and those they serve.
Re-modification of Premise Twenty: Social decisions are determined primarily (and often exclusively) on the basis of whether these decisions will increase the power of the decision-makers and those they serve.
Re-modification of Premise Twenty: Social decisions are founded primarily (and often exclusively) on the almost entirely unexamined belief that the decision-makers and those they serve are entitled to magnify their power and/or financial fortunes at the expense of those below.
Re-modification of Premise Twenty: If you dig to the heart of it—if there were any heart left—you would find that social decisions are determined primarily on the basis of how well these decisions serve the ends of controlling or destroying wild nature.
www.endgamethebook.org
Premise Two: Traditional communities do not often voluntarily give up or sell the resources on which their communities are based until their communities have been destroyed. They also do not willingly allow their landbases to be damaged so that other resources—gold, oil, and so on—can be extracted. It follows that those who want the resources will do what they can to destroy traditional communities.
Premise Three: Our way of living—industrial civilization—is based on, requires, and would collapse very quickly without persistent and widespread violence.
Premise Four: Civilization is based on a clearly defined and widely accepted yet often unarticulated hierarchy. Violence done by those higher on the hierarchy to those lower is nearly always invisible, that is, unnoticed. When it is noticed, it is fully rationalized. Violence done by those lower on the hierarchy to those higher is unthinkable, and when it does occur is regarded with shock, horror, and the fetishization of the victims.
Premise Five: The property of those higher on the hierarchy is more valuable than the lives of those below. It is acceptable for those above to increase the amount of property they control—in everyday language, to make money—by destroying or taking the lives of those below. This is called production. If those below damage the property of those above, those above may kill or otherwise destroy the lives of those below. This is called justice.
Premise Six: Civilization is not redeemable. This culture will not undergo any sort of voluntary transformation to a sane and sustainable way of living. If we do not put a halt to it, civilization will continue to immiserate the vast majority of humans and to degrade the planet until it (civilization, and probably the planet) collapses. The effects of this degradation will continue to harm humans and nonhumans for a very long time.
Premise Seven: The longer we wait for civilization to crash—or the longer we wait before we ourselves bring it down—the messier will be the crash, and the worse things will be for those humans and nonhumans who live during it, and for those who come after.
Premise Eight: The needs of the natural world are more important than the needs of the economic system.
Another way to put premise Eight: Any economic or social system that does not benefit the natural communities on which it is based is unsustainable, immoral, and stupid. Sustainability, morality, and intelligence (as well as justice) requires the dismantling of any such economic or social system, or at the very least disallowing it from damaging your landbase.
Premise Nine: Although there will clearly some day be far fewer humans than there are at present, there are many ways this reduction in population could occur (or be achieved, depending on the passivity or activity with which we choose to approach this transformation). Some of these ways would be characterized by extreme violence and privation: nuclear armageddon, for example, would reduce both population and consumption, yet do so horrifically; the same would be true for a continuation of overshoot, followed by crash. Other ways could be characterized by less violence. Given the current levels of violence by this culture against both humans and the natural world, however, it's not possible to speak of reductions in population and consumption that do not involve violence and privation, not because the reductions themselves would necessarily involve violence, but because violence and privation have become the default. Yet some ways of reducing population and consumption, while still violent, would consist of decreasing the current levels of violence required, and caused by, the (often forced) movement of resources from the poor to the rich, and would of course be marked by a reduction in current violence against the natural world. Personally and collectively we may be able to both reduce the amount and soften the character of violence that occurs during this ongoing and perhaps longterm shift. Or we may not. But this much is certain: if we do not approach it actively—if we do not talk about our predicament and what we are going to do about it—the violence will almost undoubtedly be far more severe, the privation more extreme.
Premise Ten: The culture as a whole and most of its members are insane. The culture is driven by a death urge, an urge to destroy life.
Premise Eleven: From the beginning, this culture—civilization—has been a culture of occupation.
Premise Twelve: There are no rich people in the world, and there are no poor people. There are just people. The rich may have lots of pieces of green paper that many pretend are worth something—or their presumed riches may be even more abstract: numbers on hard drives at banks—and the poor may not. These "rich" claim they own land, and the "poor" are often denied the right to make that same claim. A primary purpose of the police is to enforce the delusions of those with lots of pieces of green paper. Those without the green papers generally buy into these delusions almost as quickly and completely as those with. These delusions carry with them extreme consequences in the real world.
Premise Thirteen: Those in power rule by force, and the sooner we break ourselves of illusions to the contrary, the sooner we can at least begin to make reasonable decisions about whether, when, and how we are going to resist.
Premise Fourteen: From birth on—and probably from conception, but I'm not sure how I'd make the case—we are individually and collectively enculturated to hate life, hate the natural world, hate the wild, hate wild animals, hate women, hate children, hate our bodies, hate and fear our emotions, hate ourselves. If we did not hate the world, we could not allow it to be destroyed before our eyes. If we did not hate ourselves, we could not allow our homes—and our bodies—to be poisoned.
Premise Fifteen: Love does not imply pacifism.
Premise Sixteen: The material world is primary. This does not mean that the spirit does not exist, nor that the material world is all there is. It means that spirit mixes with flesh. It means also that real world actions have real world consequences. It means we cannot rely on Jesus, Santa Claus, the Great Mother, or even the Easter Bunny to get us out of this mess. It means this mess really is a mess, and not just the movement of God's eyebrows. It means we have to face this mess ourselves. It means that for the time we are here on Earth—whether or not we end up somewhere else after we die, and whether we are condemned or privileged to live here—the Earth is the point. It is primary. It is our home. It is everything. It is silly to think or act or be as though this world is not real and primary. It is silly and pathetic to not live our lives as though our lives are real.
Premise Seventeen: It is a mistake (or more likely, denial) to base our decisions on whether actions arising from these will or won't frighten fence-sitters, or the mass of Americans.
Premise Eighteen: Our current sense of self is no more sustainable than our current use of energy or technology.
Premise Nineteen: The culture's problem lies above all in the belief that controlling and abusing the natural world is justifiable.
Premise Twenty: Within this culture, economics—not community well-being, not morals, not ethics, not justice, not life itself—drives social decisions.
Modification of Premise Twenty: Social decisions are determined primarily (and often exclusively) on the basis of whether these decisions will increase the monetary fortunes of the decision-makers and those they serve.
Re-modification of Premise Twenty: Social decisions are determined primarily (and often exclusively) on the basis of whether these decisions will increase the power of the decision-makers and those they serve.
Re-modification of Premise Twenty: Social decisions are founded primarily (and often exclusively) on the almost entirely unexamined belief that the decision-makers and those they serve are entitled to magnify their power and/or financial fortunes at the expense of those below.
Re-modification of Premise Twenty: If you dig to the heart of it—if there were any heart left—you would find that social decisions are determined primarily on the basis of how well these decisions serve the ends of controlling or destroying wild nature.
www.endgamethebook.org
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
What I ate today
Because James doesn't care, I hope there is somebody out there who might...
Today I ate:
I big bowl of porridge with raisins and apple (I ate this in two sittings, one at home on my blue couch and the other infront of my computer at work - and it was still warm)
Two sticks of celery - a bit limp, but fine when cut into sections
Three sandwiches (or butter hams in Dutch) one with Marmite and two with cheese, mustard, tomato and spinach
A brownie (kindly donated by Tamar to the cause)
3 grapes
1 naartjie
2 small pieces of chocolate
2 really big bowls of pasta, pickled onions, tomato, pesto and feta
1 man siyed portion of cookies and vla
Good feed (with apologies to Al)
Today I ate:
I big bowl of porridge with raisins and apple (I ate this in two sittings, one at home on my blue couch and the other infront of my computer at work - and it was still warm)
Two sticks of celery - a bit limp, but fine when cut into sections
Three sandwiches (or butter hams in Dutch) one with Marmite and two with cheese, mustard, tomato and spinach
A brownie (kindly donated by Tamar to the cause)
3 grapes
1 naartjie
2 small pieces of chocolate
2 really big bowls of pasta, pickled onions, tomato, pesto and feta
1 man siyed portion of cookies and vla
Good feed (with apologies to Al)
Monday, November 03, 2008
Follow my blog
If you've got a blogger or google account, you can follow my blog. Check the link below right.
Basically Training
This past weekend I attended the Basic Action Training. It was in short, one of the most fun weekends ever!
The training started at 8pm on Friday night, and after having a scenic tour of North Amsterdam at night I eventually arrived at about 20:20. We started with an introduction and a slide show and short movie about some great Greenpeace actions. Check this out if you want to know what I'm talking about:
I couldn't tell you everything that went on, but it involved ropes boats and plenty action.
The Dutch warehouse is absolutely amazing with all sorts of equipment and loads of protective clothing. I learnt loads, and met some really amazing people. A professor of mine once told me that if I went into the type of work I'm in I would meet loads of nice people. It has proved correct a million times over, people who care about the future of the planet, people and life are amazing. The took us into what is often seen as a rather exclusive club and handed over the reigns completely. They were always there to help out, but where never patronising and never once tried to limit any of us. They merely said know your limits and admit when you are uncomfortable. Such a fantastically liberating approach to education. Most of what I learnt I learnt in reflection, and while I sometimes wish I had more information to do a "better" job, I think the lesson was all the more stronger having tried things and got them wrong.
Good times all round.
The training started at 8pm on Friday night, and after having a scenic tour of North Amsterdam at night I eventually arrived at about 20:20. We started with an introduction and a slide show and short movie about some great Greenpeace actions. Check this out if you want to know what I'm talking about:
I couldn't tell you everything that went on, but it involved ropes boats and plenty action.
The Dutch warehouse is absolutely amazing with all sorts of equipment and loads of protective clothing. I learnt loads, and met some really amazing people. A professor of mine once told me that if I went into the type of work I'm in I would meet loads of nice people. It has proved correct a million times over, people who care about the future of the planet, people and life are amazing. The took us into what is often seen as a rather exclusive club and handed over the reigns completely. They were always there to help out, but where never patronising and never once tried to limit any of us. They merely said know your limits and admit when you are uncomfortable. Such a fantastically liberating approach to education. Most of what I learnt I learnt in reflection, and while I sometimes wish I had more information to do a "better" job, I think the lesson was all the more stronger having tried things and got them wrong.
Good times all round.
EDMing it
On Thursday of last week I was privileged to attend the Executive Directors Meeting of Greenpeace in Berg en Dal in the Netherlands.
I was taking minutes, something that I don't find particularly easy, but luckily I had a very interesting subject to be minuting! Hearing all the EDs introducing themselves in all their different languages brought it home to me how diverse Greenpeace is and how it really does span the globe. To be united with fellow humans behind such a great cause was really moving.
I then of course spent the rest of the meeting getting over myself and shamelessly introducing myself to as many EDs as I could get my hands on!
Sitting on the train home I felt tired, but happy to be where I was. I am so happy to be working for a cause that I really believe in and am more than happy to put so much of my energy into.
I'm going to go away and try and find something to complain about for the next post (well actually the next post is already, so it'll have to be the übernächste).
I was taking minutes, something that I don't find particularly easy, but luckily I had a very interesting subject to be minuting! Hearing all the EDs introducing themselves in all their different languages brought it home to me how diverse Greenpeace is and how it really does span the globe. To be united with fellow humans behind such a great cause was really moving.
I then of course spent the rest of the meeting getting over myself and shamelessly introducing myself to as many EDs as I could get my hands on!
Sitting on the train home I felt tired, but happy to be where I was. I am so happy to be working for a cause that I really believe in and am more than happy to put so much of my energy into.
I'm going to go away and try and find something to complain about for the next post (well actually the next post is already, so it'll have to be the übernächste).
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Combat Monsanto
Monsanto, possibly the most evil corporation in my book (up there with Exxon-Mobil).
Combat Monsanto:
http://www.combat-monsanto.co.uk/
If you're keen for some direct action against them, give me a shout and we can organise something in SA in December... watch this space.
Combat Monsanto:
http://www.combat-monsanto.co.uk/
If you're keen for some direct action against them, give me a shout and we can organise something in SA in December... watch this space.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Positivity
We all know climate change is not good news, well, here is another climate change animation, but I really like the last credits and the positive message and the call to action. From wakeupfreakout.org.
Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.
Then as today has a had a bit of a positive fighting theme for me, here's a really cool song I found (song after the lyrics):
The Flobots - We Are Winning
[Spoken]
Rival gangsters sit down to plan an after-school program
A religious fanatic posts footage of an interfaith service project
A group of teenage boys watches a video of a father playing catch with his son
An adult film star paints thumbnail portraits of elderly couples, fully clothed and smiling
A record executive records a demo of his apology
A policeman makes reverse 911 calls instructing residents to take to the streets
A patriot reports for duty
She's wearing an orange jumpsuit and holding a picket sign
She's ashamed of her birthplace
But retreat is not an option
Women and children
Frontline
Logon
Tune in
Stand and be counted
Wounded
Stationed
In the belly of the vulture
Watch your back
Theres no civilians
Women children
Frontline
Listen
Consider this a distant early warning
The fires imminent
Pollution gathering dust particles
Funneling through smokestacks
Airwaves
Bandwidth
Disinformation tube fed
Check the label
Delete the virus
Alert the masses
[spoken]
Butterfly wing crosswinds send black hawks toward hurricane survivors
Roses sprout from empty lots and sidewalk cracks
Pacifist guerrillas move undetected through concrete jungles
New forms are beginning to take shape
Once-occupied minds are activating
People are waking up
The insurgency is alive and well
Rise of the flobots
Portrait of the new american insurgent
Rattle and shake the foundation of the world order
Assembly line consent
Resist
Refuse
Inform
Create
Direct loved ones to the trenches
Suit up
Forge rubble into fortresses
Plaster
Cloth
Aluminum
Broken porcelain
Rusted platinum
Burn bloodstains from decompressed diamonds
Hammer the battlecry into braille-studded armor
[spoken]
We are building up a new world
Do not sit idly by
Do not remain neutral
Do not rely on this broadcast alone
We are only as strong as our signal
There is a war going on for your mind
If you are thinking you are winning
Resistance is victory
Defeat is impossible
Your weapons are already in hand
Reach within you and find the means by which to gain your freedom
Fight with tools
Your fate and that of everyone you know depends on it
Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.
Then as today has a had a bit of a positive fighting theme for me, here's a really cool song I found (song after the lyrics):
The Flobots - We Are Winning
Rival gangsters sit down to plan an after-school program
A religious fanatic posts footage of an interfaith service project
A group of teenage boys watches a video of a father playing catch with his son
An adult film star paints thumbnail portraits of elderly couples, fully clothed and smiling
A record executive records a demo of his apology
A policeman makes reverse 911 calls instructing residents to take to the streets
A patriot reports for duty
She's wearing an orange jumpsuit and holding a picket sign
She's ashamed of her birthplace
But retreat is not an option
Women and children
Frontline
Logon
Tune in
Stand and be counted
Wounded
Stationed
In the belly of the vulture
Watch your back
Theres no civilians
Women children
Frontline
Listen
Consider this a distant early warning
The fires imminent
Pollution gathering dust particles
Funneling through smokestacks
Airwaves
Bandwidth
Disinformation tube fed
Check the label
Delete the virus
Alert the masses
[spoken]
Butterfly wing crosswinds send black hawks toward hurricane survivors
Roses sprout from empty lots and sidewalk cracks
Pacifist guerrillas move undetected through concrete jungles
New forms are beginning to take shape
Once-occupied minds are activating
People are waking up
The insurgency is alive and well
Rise of the flobots
Portrait of the new american insurgent
Rattle and shake the foundation of the world order
Assembly line consent
Resist
Refuse
Inform
Create
Direct loved ones to the trenches
Suit up
Forge rubble into fortresses
Plaster
Cloth
Aluminum
Broken porcelain
Rusted platinum
Burn bloodstains from decompressed diamonds
Hammer the battlecry into braille-studded armor
[spoken]
We are building up a new world
Do not sit idly by
Do not remain neutral
Do not rely on this broadcast alone
We are only as strong as our signal
There is a war going on for your mind
If you are thinking you are winning
Resistance is victory
Defeat is impossible
Your weapons are already in hand
Reach within you and find the means by which to gain your freedom
Fight with tools
Your fate and that of everyone you know depends on it
New Shoes
On the weekend I finally bought new shoes. The reason I finally got round to buying shoes is that I my current shoes (the Nikes I blackspotted in this blog a while ago) have developed lots of holes in the bottom of them and are not ideal for winter weather (which has now firmly set in!).
When I got to Berlin I went to buy proper blackspot shoes. Blackspots are made by adbusters, are made of hemp and recycled rubber in a fair labour factory in Portugal and with the added bonus that when you buy a pair you get a say in what the organisation does with their profits. This last factor, that of looking at different ways of running a company, or how a company can be run for good is the thing that really interested me. While I was in Berlin I tried on the biggest pair of blackspots they had, but they were to small for me, so hence the Nikes...
Now that the Nikes have worn out, I'm glad to say the blackspots fit (and they now come in red). So I have a brand new pair of blackspots and am very happy with them.
I did think about getting leather shoes though as apparently hemp shoes don't last very long, but then of course there's the animal argument, but I think I might be convinced to buy them. At least now I get to support the kind of capitalism I'm into and wear cool red shoes!
When I got to Berlin I went to buy proper blackspot shoes. Blackspots are made by adbusters, are made of hemp and recycled rubber in a fair labour factory in Portugal and with the added bonus that when you buy a pair you get a say in what the organisation does with their profits. This last factor, that of looking at different ways of running a company, or how a company can be run for good is the thing that really interested me. While I was in Berlin I tried on the biggest pair of blackspots they had, but they were to small for me, so hence the Nikes...
Now that the Nikes have worn out, I'm glad to say the blackspots fit (and they now come in red). So I have a brand new pair of blackspots and am very happy with them.
I did think about getting leather shoes though as apparently hemp shoes don't last very long, but then of course there's the animal argument, but I think I might be convinced to buy them. At least now I get to support the kind of capitalism I'm into and wear cool red shoes!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Running in the Netherlands...
I ran a 16km race today, which was fantastic (despite staying up until 2 last night playing risk and drinking wine). About 50 000 other people were running, which was crazy.
It went really well, despite having a headache and feeling sore now! I ran with Dominique (a friend of James' from the Candy shop). There was a lot of support along the way. And also an amazing amount of paper and plastic cups used - crazy. They were giving away bottles of ACE drink at the end - better than the Coke you normally get at the end of a race in SA, but still very artificial.
I also got a medal, and thought briefly of starting a medal recycling business - in another life time perhaps!
It's amazing how people identify with a brand here - they really "live" the Nike/Asics/whatever dream. It's a bit scary, but I'm very glad I grew up when and where I did. In SA it definitely was the case that not everybody had the money for brands, so you wore whatever you had, or if you did, you had parents who had better ideas of what life should be about...
Okay, enough ranting!
I'm off to Dalfsen tomorrow for the Toxics planning meeting - should be exciting!
It went really well, despite having a headache and feeling sore now! I ran with Dominique (a friend of James' from the Candy shop). There was a lot of support along the way. And also an amazing amount of paper and plastic cups used - crazy. They were giving away bottles of ACE drink at the end - better than the Coke you normally get at the end of a race in SA, but still very artificial.
I also got a medal, and thought briefly of starting a medal recycling business - in another life time perhaps!
It's amazing how people identify with a brand here - they really "live" the Nike/Asics/whatever dream. It's a bit scary, but I'm very glad I grew up when and where I did. In SA it definitely was the case that not everybody had the money for brands, so you wore whatever you had, or if you did, you had parents who had better ideas of what life should be about...
Okay, enough ranting!
I'm off to Dalfsen tomorrow for the Toxics planning meeting - should be exciting!
Cheers Mbeki
Thanks for the economic growth, jobless though it was. Looking forward to see what Mbete can do in about 4 months!
BUT seriously, let's talk about Manuel with you. He's done wonders for the big companies and the rich, but to keep him on now?
Bring on the populist Zuma...
BUT seriously, let's talk about Manuel with you. He's done wonders for the big companies and the rich, but to keep him on now?
Bring on the populist Zuma...
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Travelling
On the weekend I went to England to visit a friend. I got caught up in the madness following the fire in the channel tunnel - basically meant that a 8 hour trip amsterdam - Canterbury turned into a 10 hour trip (still not too bad). The bonus was that I got to take the ferry which was a first time for me. The coasts of France and England were fantastic, white cliffs of Dover and all. I won't say which were better as I might offend certain people.
Once I got to Canterbury I checked out the Youth Hostel and then went to pick up Elodie from the station. We dropped our stuff and then went to town for supper and drinks and dancing etc. Good fun!
On Saturday we saw Canterbury Cathederal, which was just awesome and had me all mixed up about my Christian roots. One thing that really struck me where the plaques on the walls all around the inside of the cathedral commemorating people who had died. Mostly men in defence of the Empire. Wouldn't it have been amazing if we had the ideas of using kindness to get people onto "our" side like we had during the Iraq war. Imagine going into these (then) far flung places and using our "advanced" knowledge to heal people we encountered and bring them similar benefits to their quality of life.
Anyway, I digress. We went to Herne Bay later to walk on the beach (and got distracted by chloe and some fine lads drinking beers) and took a bried nap in the sun. We walked the pier and then caught the bus back to Canterbury. We had supper, took in some live music and then got an earlier night with me feeling a cold coming on.
On Sunday we had a Boho breakfast and then caught the train back to London, where I hopped onto the now running (slowly) Eurostar and made my way back to Amsterdam.
Once I got to Canterbury I checked out the Youth Hostel and then went to pick up Elodie from the station. We dropped our stuff and then went to town for supper and drinks and dancing etc. Good fun!
On Saturday we saw Canterbury Cathederal, which was just awesome and had me all mixed up about my Christian roots. One thing that really struck me where the plaques on the walls all around the inside of the cathedral commemorating people who had died. Mostly men in defence of the Empire. Wouldn't it have been amazing if we had the ideas of using kindness to get people onto "our" side like we had during the Iraq war. Imagine going into these (then) far flung places and using our "advanced" knowledge to heal people we encountered and bring them similar benefits to their quality of life.
Anyway, I digress. We went to Herne Bay later to walk on the beach (and got distracted by chloe and some fine lads drinking beers) and took a bried nap in the sun. We walked the pier and then caught the bus back to Canterbury. We had supper, took in some live music and then got an earlier night with me feeling a cold coming on.
On Sunday we had a Boho breakfast and then caught the train back to London, where I hopped onto the now running (slowly) Eurostar and made my way back to Amsterdam.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
I fixed my other bike...
Only one more to go... Since James stole my brake lever I have had a dodgy left hand brake lever turned upside down and lacking some crucial silver bits. I am please to announce I have all the silver bits necessary now. I'm also quite keen to minimize the cycling to work in sandals phase - sandals and fixies don't always mix well...
As soon as I've fixed my mtb's front tire (it's flat) I will have three functioning bikes again. The coolness.
I'd also like to say that webcams are fantastic :-)
And one more thing. That Zapiro cartoon, now there is something to talk about. And I'm glad it's working!
As soon as I've fixed my mtb's front tire (it's flat) I will have three functioning bikes again. The coolness.
I'd also like to say that webcams are fantastic :-)
And one more thing. That Zapiro cartoon, now there is something to talk about. And I'm glad it's working!
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Fixing my bike
I got back from 6 days of meetings, usually from 8:30am until 10pm at the Greenpeace Agriculture campaign planning meeting yesterday. It was a fantastic experience although quite tiring! And the Agricuture team are awesome - we had a lot of fun in any available time.
I got back to discover that someone had let my tire down and kicked in my back wheel. So I did the sensible thing - locked up my bike and went off in search of a party on the tram. The party in question was my end of student loan party - finally paid it off! It started with three bottles of prosecco at the Greenpeace office and ended at 4 in the morning eating chips with some of the agriculture campaigners on Rembrandt Plein. Good times.
Saturday from 10 until about 2:30 was spent fixing my bike. At first I tried to find a second hand wheel, and after a number of failed attempts, I eventually decided to buy a new one. All the time I was riding back and forth between my dutch bike and the cycle shops on my fixie, carrying various spare parts. My bike was on the top of the big bicycle park overlooking Amsterdam, so at least I had a good view while fixing!
In the end I got it fixed and now it works fine, with a shortened chain and a shiny new rear wheel! And for all this work, I spent most of the weekend on my fixie, which is SO much fun!
A good weekend, to now be rounded off with an early night!
I got back to discover that someone had let my tire down and kicked in my back wheel. So I did the sensible thing - locked up my bike and went off in search of a party on the tram. The party in question was my end of student loan party - finally paid it off! It started with three bottles of prosecco at the Greenpeace office and ended at 4 in the morning eating chips with some of the agriculture campaigners on Rembrandt Plein. Good times.
Saturday from 10 until about 2:30 was spent fixing my bike. At first I tried to find a second hand wheel, and after a number of failed attempts, I eventually decided to buy a new one. All the time I was riding back and forth between my dutch bike and the cycle shops on my fixie, carrying various spare parts. My bike was on the top of the big bicycle park overlooking Amsterdam, so at least I had a good view while fixing!
In the end I got it fixed and now it works fine, with a shortened chain and a shiny new rear wheel! And for all this work, I spent most of the weekend on my fixie, which is SO much fun!
A good weekend, to now be rounded off with an early night!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Suriname
... is in SOUTH AMERICA!!!! and has an "e" on the end of it.
About 5 minutes ago I had one of those lightbulb moments when your perception of the world completely changes. It's a really cool thing. The world is no where near as known as we thought.
I thought Suriname was in Asia, somewhere near Indonesia. The reason I know a lot about it is that there is a large Surinamese community in Amsterdam, and I thought I always knew where it was - boy how wrong!
I almost called these moments Standard Bank moments, because when I was young I always thought the Standard Bank logo was just a squiggle in a badge. One day I saw it was a flag, and from then I could never see the squiggle again. Life changing moments.
About 5 minutes ago I had one of those lightbulb moments when your perception of the world completely changes. It's a really cool thing. The world is no where near as known as we thought.
I thought Suriname was in Asia, somewhere near Indonesia. The reason I know a lot about it is that there is a large Surinamese community in Amsterdam, and I thought I always knew where it was - boy how wrong!
I almost called these moments Standard Bank moments, because when I was young I always thought the Standard Bank logo was just a squiggle in a badge. One day I saw it was a flag, and from then I could never see the squiggle again. Life changing moments.
Monday, August 18, 2008
mud, and then some photos!
So Giona and Elaine took some photos of us, just so you can get an idea:The start of the race and everybody looking quite casual, clearly not aware of what's coming...
That's Tom, me and Eoin after clearing the last ditch (clearly we weren't too worried about getting to the finish line in time!). More like watching the other sorry souls dragging them from the nearest ditch (gloating Tom?).The end of the race and while Eoin and Tom are looking quite relaxed I'm still dealing with mud in the teeth. Nice.
To end it all of a bit of bumper cars after a hosing by the fire brigade and plus minus three bottles of shampoo and at least 2 showers each!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Dutch Mud
Yesterday was the Land over Zand 4km fun run through the best the Dutch country side has to offer. When I say through, I mean it literally!
Tom, someone I work with on the Toxics campaign, lives in Broek in Waterland, a small town to the North of Amsterdam. Every year the town has something of a feestje, with stalls, drinking, carnival type rides and a fun run. It was for the fun run that about 350 people and I where there. Tom had invited a few of us from work to take part and while 10 of us arrived, only 5 of us ran, Tom, Andrew, Eoin, Alexandra and Myself.
After a short ferry trip and a 45 minute cycle ride (back on my fixie -woohoo!) interrupted only by a stop for a glass of fresh organic milk fresh from the farm I arrived in Broek in Waterland. I was a bit nervous and tried to gain as much information from those who had run last year (Andrew, Eion and Tom). I eventually decided to run without a shirt or shoes (as apparently the shirt can only ever be used for the same event, and having a once a year shirt ain't my thing; and if you start with shoes on, you aren't guaranteed to finish with them on!) and with tissue shoved in my ears. Why all the prep? While the run is only 4kms, it includes jumping over when you can, but more often than not, into the ditches between the fields. These are filled with a mixture of black dutch soil, cow excrement and various other flotsam and jetsam. After the first one everyone was filthy (I was rather proud of my graceful jump, only getting covered in "mud" up to my chest on the front of me, until a fellow runner jumped in behind me and caused a wave of "mud" to cascade all over me). By the end of the race we were unrecognisable. After the 10th ditch, now covered in "mud" from head to toe I had the feeling I was in a horror movie with my breathing heavy in my own ears from the mixture of tissue paper and mud, and my vision impaired by the mud dripping out of my eyebrows.
Some of the less agreeable things:
Beers and a bit of bumper cars sorted most of the bad memories, and was an end to an excellent visit to Broek in Waterland, and some of the best laughs of the week.
I finished off the day at "Pluk de Nacht", an outdoor film festival. The main show (Flight of the Choncords) was definitely upstaged by the short movie that was shown before hand. Guess what? I found it on you tube! I'm nominating it for official movie of my blog, as I think it fits in well with the title. Enjoy:
Today I spent the day sorting out the recycling (which isn't foreplay, but is also very important) and doing washing. Also got a webcam connected to my computer (no worries, I didn't buy it - found in my flat).
Enviro tip: You can find the drivers for most hardware on the internet, normally from the producer, so don't throw away stuff just because it's not talking to your computer.
More info? skype me and I'll show you :-)
Tom, someone I work with on the Toxics campaign, lives in Broek in Waterland, a small town to the North of Amsterdam. Every year the town has something of a feestje, with stalls, drinking, carnival type rides and a fun run. It was for the fun run that about 350 people and I where there. Tom had invited a few of us from work to take part and while 10 of us arrived, only 5 of us ran, Tom, Andrew, Eoin, Alexandra and Myself.
After a short ferry trip and a 45 minute cycle ride (back on my fixie -woohoo!) interrupted only by a stop for a glass of fresh organic milk fresh from the farm I arrived in Broek in Waterland. I was a bit nervous and tried to gain as much information from those who had run last year (Andrew, Eion and Tom). I eventually decided to run without a shirt or shoes (as apparently the shirt can only ever be used for the same event, and having a once a year shirt ain't my thing; and if you start with shoes on, you aren't guaranteed to finish with them on!) and with tissue shoved in my ears. Why all the prep? While the run is only 4kms, it includes jumping over when you can, but more often than not, into the ditches between the fields. These are filled with a mixture of black dutch soil, cow excrement and various other flotsam and jetsam. After the first one everyone was filthy (I was rather proud of my graceful jump, only getting covered in "mud" up to my chest on the front of me, until a fellow runner jumped in behind me and caused a wave of "mud" to cascade all over me). By the end of the race we were unrecognisable. After the 10th ditch, now covered in "mud" from head to toe I had the feeling I was in a horror movie with my breathing heavy in my own ears from the mixture of tissue paper and mud, and my vision impaired by the mud dripping out of my eyebrows.
Some of the less agreeable things:
- The smell of ditch 7 and 12 (okay they were all pretty terrible, but these two were horrific)
- The hard pebbly bits in ditches 14 and 16 (I would like to believe this was bits of wood and flotting rocks, but I would imagine it was more from the lack of roughage in some of the cows diets... in any case, I now know what my teeth feel like when I brush with the toothpaste with the beads in - ditch 14 and 16, now with active.....)
- getting a couple of cuts in my feet and trying but not really succeeding to convince myself that my immune system would be strong enough to ward of the 101 things in the water that could probably cause infection that would make gangrene look like a scratch.
- The fact that if you arrived at a ditch with no one in it it was bubbling.
Beers and a bit of bumper cars sorted most of the bad memories, and was an end to an excellent visit to Broek in Waterland, and some of the best laughs of the week.
I finished off the day at "Pluk de Nacht", an outdoor film festival. The main show (Flight of the Choncords) was definitely upstaged by the short movie that was shown before hand. Guess what? I found it on you tube! I'm nominating it for official movie of my blog, as I think it fits in well with the title. Enjoy:
Today I spent the day sorting out the recycling (which isn't foreplay, but is also very important) and doing washing. Also got a webcam connected to my computer (no worries, I didn't buy it - found in my flat).
Enviro tip: You can find the drivers for most hardware on the internet, normally from the producer, so don't throw away stuff just because it's not talking to your computer.
More info? skype me and I'll show you :-)
Friday, August 15, 2008
To GE or not to GE
A good question: if GE had no corporate contral, no bad environmental impacts and real benefits, more than exisiting and conventional methods, would it be a bad thing?
This sounds like a really loaded question but I ask it in all sincerity, should we persue a technology that is currently not performing at all in the hopes that at some time it may deliver un-thought of benefits.
I think it is in this last sentance lies the rub - GE is a solution looking for a problem, and at the moment it's doing a terrible job of it.
This sounds like a really loaded question but I ask it in all sincerity, should we persue a technology that is currently not performing at all in the hopes that at some time it may deliver un-thought of benefits.
I think it is in this last sentance lies the rub - GE is a solution looking for a problem, and at the moment it's doing a terrible job of it.
Monday, July 14, 2008
The march of Asia
Upon booking a hotel in Accra for a woman with the first name Kim, I received an e-mail asking when exactly Mr Kim would be arriving.
Could be my eurocentic viewpoint, but could also be that many Asian business men have been visiting Africa lately...
The conspiracy theories march on...
Could be my eurocentic viewpoint, but could also be that many Asian business men have been visiting Africa lately...
The conspiracy theories march on...
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Hope for anti-war!!!
The Raytheon 9 are nine people who walked into the Raytheon ("light from the gods") headquarters, and threw computer servers and files out of the window, disrupting Raytheon's business.
Raytheon is a company that produces missiles and other weapons that are used around the world, but particularly in the middle east.
On Wednesday all 9 were acquitted for their actions by a jury of their peers.
There is hope.
More on http://www.raytheon9.org/
Raytheon is a company that produces missiles and other weapons that are used around the world, but particularly in the middle east.
On Wednesday all 9 were acquitted for their actions by a jury of their peers.
There is hope.
More on http://www.raytheon9.org/
Monday, April 07, 2008
So many things to write about, so little time!
Really the story of my life right now, but there are a million things I want to write about at the moment, but I may have to settle for posting little soundbites here and there. I am in Johannesburg for the IAASTD (International Assessment of Agriculture, Science and Technology for Development). At the moment I am busy working on the Greenpeace Toxics campaign's monthly and I stumbled over this:
Philips have opened a recycling plant for lightbulbs in Lesotho. Cunning huh? btw, Greenpeace was mentioned at least 4 times in their AGM - nice!
more to come...
Philips have opened a recycling plant for lightbulbs in Lesotho. Cunning huh? btw, Greenpeace was mentioned at least 4 times in their AGM - nice!
more to come...
Friday, February 15, 2008
Side-effects of terrorism
Do terrorists targeting airplanes and airports help combat climate change?
While governments and the airline industry seem to pay only lip service to combating climate change, every time there is a terrorist attack, attempted attack or even just a threat airports are shut down and AIRPLANES DO NOT FLY. The security checks that slow flying and make other more climate friendly options of transport more attractive, are largely due to the threat of terrorism.
Sounds like an inconvenient truth...
While governments and the airline industry seem to pay only lip service to combating climate change, every time there is a terrorist attack, attempted attack or even just a threat airports are shut down and AIRPLANES DO NOT FLY. The security checks that slow flying and make other more climate friendly options of transport more attractive, are largely due to the threat of terrorism.
Sounds like an inconvenient truth...
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Oi Oi!
Just a quick one on a very misty Amsterdam morning to say WELL DONE MR RUDD!! 'Bout bloody time. Great news for a Wednesday morning!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
ipodism
I like the whole idea of being able to take music wherever I go, but I think there is a dark side of ipods. In essence it is just another attempt by the people trying to sell us things to compartmentalise our lives and ourselves. If we have no connections to other people we are more insecure and look for things to fill those insecurities and things that fill our time.
In South Africa this captive market has been very easy to create due to our lack of public transport (at least what all the rich people see as a lack of public transport). We leave home and travel in a small metalic bubble to wherever we are going, and then quickly hurry into the office or shops trying to avoid eye contact with car guards and beggars on our way. The ipod is essentially just the car stereo for people without cars. In Europe where a lot of people (and rich people - at least rich enough to consume) travel by public transport, there was a chance almost daily to interact with other people. With everybody listening to ipods this is difficult. I feel as if I am intruding if I need to ask someone listening to and ipod for directions, and striking up a random conversation is impossible. I think this is why continental Europeans (and all of us really) like to complain. Complaining is a great way to strike up a conversation, particularly with someone you don't know. But that is another story.
ipods enable us to ignore those around us and pretend we didn't hear whatever it is that might make us vaguely uncomfortable. I recently lost my ipod (which wasn't actually an ipod, but in the hopes of diluting Mr. Jobs brand, I will refer to as an ipod). I don't think I'm going to replace it, and see if I have any opportunities to talk to people that I wouldn't normally.
We need to unplug more from all the noise we create in our lives. Hopefully we will be able to hear each other more and create connections that create meaningful lives. Who knows, we might even hear nature in the mix.
This is very badly put together, but I think it is very important. I'll try and think about it a bit and get something more succinct out.
Thanks to Nathalie for making me realise I wasn't completely crazy.
In South Africa this captive market has been very easy to create due to our lack of public transport (at least what all the rich people see as a lack of public transport). We leave home and travel in a small metalic bubble to wherever we are going, and then quickly hurry into the office or shops trying to avoid eye contact with car guards and beggars on our way. The ipod is essentially just the car stereo for people without cars. In Europe where a lot of people (and rich people - at least rich enough to consume) travel by public transport, there was a chance almost daily to interact with other people. With everybody listening to ipods this is difficult. I feel as if I am intruding if I need to ask someone listening to and ipod for directions, and striking up a random conversation is impossible. I think this is why continental Europeans (and all of us really) like to complain. Complaining is a great way to strike up a conversation, particularly with someone you don't know. But that is another story.
ipods enable us to ignore those around us and pretend we didn't hear whatever it is that might make us vaguely uncomfortable. I recently lost my ipod (which wasn't actually an ipod, but in the hopes of diluting Mr. Jobs brand, I will refer to as an ipod). I don't think I'm going to replace it, and see if I have any opportunities to talk to people that I wouldn't normally.
We need to unplug more from all the noise we create in our lives. Hopefully we will be able to hear each other more and create connections that create meaningful lives. Who knows, we might even hear nature in the mix.
This is very badly put together, but I think it is very important. I'll try and think about it a bit and get something more succinct out.
Thanks to Nathalie for making me realise I wasn't completely crazy.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Good riddance.
The Dakar Rally was cancelled in 2008 by the race directors, citing political unrest and terrorist threats against the race. Good riddance I say.
In a world that is facing the threat of climate change, I can hardly see the sense in racing a truck through the desert. Well, not just trucks but cars, quads and motorcycles too. In a world of gps, airplanes and instant communication, do we really need to still prove that we can drive over the last little bits of wilderness left in the world in rather outmoded forms of transport? In the TV advert, showing various vehicles doing the best to destroy the desert and other competitors, the last shot is of someone saying sarcastically "oh yeah, lets do the Dakar". I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the entries start like that, late night down the pub - admittedly at a rather high end pub - this is not the sport of the masses. In a rush to create heroes, I'm sure the competitors (which from the organisers website, it looks like are all male) would complain about the gruelling steering wheel turning and gear changing, and the advertisers would flock to this camel man adventure.
There must be a better way to compete. Not only to show off physical and mental ability of the competitors, but maybe to do something for the planet (hell, even for other people!). This isn't a call for more of the bleeding heart side show, yes I know they donate to SOS Sahel. Stop here for a moment, go to the organisations website, see the 14 white staff (out of a staff of... 15) and get into a discussion about European solutions for Africa. I am not talking about donating a percentage of the takings to a (very worthy, I'm sure) cause. I mean make it the central part of the competition.
Competition seems to have done so well at ripping apart the fabric of our planet, her ecosystems and our societies. In the end of the day though, competition is not inherently bad or good. Nor are we, and just as we can fail to set any positive goal for competition we can consciously decide to make competition a catalyst for change. With all the creativity we have, is there no one who could create a reality TV show for good, that would still manage to sell prime time TV commercials?
I'm sure there is, but in the mean time, I'm just overjoyed that all those litres of fuel aren't going to be burnt this year, getting people somewhere they don't really need to be and probably wouldn't want to be after the champagne stopped flowing. Now, who's got some good ideas for stopping F1?
Thanks to my dad for reminding me I have a blog...
In a world that is facing the threat of climate change, I can hardly see the sense in racing a truck through the desert. Well, not just trucks but cars, quads and motorcycles too. In a world of gps, airplanes and instant communication, do we really need to still prove that we can drive over the last little bits of wilderness left in the world in rather outmoded forms of transport? In the TV advert, showing various vehicles doing the best to destroy the desert and other competitors, the last shot is of someone saying sarcastically "oh yeah, lets do the Dakar". I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the entries start like that, late night down the pub - admittedly at a rather high end pub - this is not the sport of the masses. In a rush to create heroes, I'm sure the competitors (which from the organisers website, it looks like are all male) would complain about the gruelling steering wheel turning and gear changing, and the advertisers would flock to this camel man adventure.
There must be a better way to compete. Not only to show off physical and mental ability of the competitors, but maybe to do something for the planet (hell, even for other people!). This isn't a call for more of the bleeding heart side show, yes I know they donate to SOS Sahel. Stop here for a moment, go to the organisations website, see the 14 white staff (out of a staff of... 15) and get into a discussion about European solutions for Africa. I am not talking about donating a percentage of the takings to a (very worthy, I'm sure) cause. I mean make it the central part of the competition.
Competition seems to have done so well at ripping apart the fabric of our planet, her ecosystems and our societies. In the end of the day though, competition is not inherently bad or good. Nor are we, and just as we can fail to set any positive goal for competition we can consciously decide to make competition a catalyst for change. With all the creativity we have, is there no one who could create a reality TV show for good, that would still manage to sell prime time TV commercials?
I'm sure there is, but in the mean time, I'm just overjoyed that all those litres of fuel aren't going to be burnt this year, getting people somewhere they don't really need to be and probably wouldn't want to be after the champagne stopped flowing. Now, who's got some good ideas for stopping F1?
Thanks to my dad for reminding me I have a blog...
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