1 follower

3 daily readers

rank of 2926

E-mail Subscription

Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:

Climate Change Updates - by Pete Harrison

The un-green Apple Mac

October 31st 2006 12:43

hey,
for all you Mac users out there check out my green apple the Greenpeace pressure site, raising awareness of the poisonous plastics and chemicals those cool machines are made of.

Greenpeace were chucked out of a Mac sales exhibition in London the other day.

Al Gore is on the board of apple, incidentally.

111

Vote

Comments (1)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Pete Harrison - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

An Inconvenient Truth review: bring your aunties!

September 10th 2006 04:20

Last night M and I went to see a Melbourne preview of An Inconvenient Truth.

First the review, and then my reasons why you should bring your aunties. If you are in a rush, come back when you have a few minutes to read this - us bloggers like scanning over things quickly, but this demands your attention for a few minutes.

In every way, this is a beautiful, excellent and vital film experience. It explains things in a very easy-to-comprehend way, and explains gore's motivations in a way that make it simple to understand that he's been there since the beginning, talking about this since the 70's. The personal stuff was less cheesy and dealt with more eloquently and intellectually than I thought it would be. It’s better by a long shot than his 1992 book, Earth in the Balance, which was like a politician writing to his potential voters. This gore is older, wiser, and he's not compromising his message - he attacks Bush, the network of lobbyists paid for by the oil and motor companies, and the misinformation in the mainstream press with startling focus and detail. The film consists largely of his presentation, and there's a lot of science in there, clearly explaining how we got to where we are now. It is up to date and comprehensive. It is also the first step, a learning tool that attempts to shake people up and get us thinking about where to go from here. The film is designed to be a starting point in people educating themselves about this, and there is a hell of a lot to find out. The closing credits tell the audience what to do. The film doesn't hold its punches; it demolishes every possible obstacle with such finality, you come away thinking that there is no choice but to do something. The end of the film, from the point of view of drama, is startling. It is one of those very rare moments in a cinema when you find yourself gasping for breath. Although totally different in theme, the effect it has on an audience is very similar to the central moment in Hidden .

an inconvenient truth opens across Australia next week, on Thursday 14th. There ar previews on this weekend. This film is only in cinemas for a few weeks - 6 at the most, so go see it. Tell others to see it – not just your tree-hugging yoga mates, but your aunts, your brothers, those that don’t think about this kind of thing – they are the people who would gain most from seeing it. If you are in the enviro-field, see it and work out ways to tell people about it. This clumsy post is driven by my desire for as many people as possible to see it, but its not my only response to the film and the issues it raises. This is an excellent opportunity for people who are new to this area to see it for themselves, and make up their own minds about what is happening. If you are a teacher or work with community groups, tell the students to see to or arrange a group visit. See it yourself and think of ways to introduce climate change it into your work. If you have a friend you think won’t see it at all, tell them to see it on the promise that if it doesn’t get them thinking in a new way about the world, you’ll reimburse the cost of their ticket. Even better, if you can, take three people to the cinema and pay for them to see it.

When you see it, tell me what you think.

108

Vote

Comments (1)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Pete Harrison - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Steve Irwin's final documentary secretely completed by crew

September 9th 2006 01:35

Steve Irwin's former manager, John Stainton, has told CNN's Larry King in a live interview how he secretly went back to the reef where Irwin died to complete the documentary.

Earlier this week Stainton called the crew one by one - including Fabian Coustau, Jacque's grandson - at five in the morning, and asked them to meet on Irwin's boat to travel to the reef. For the last four days they have been filming, completing the documentary as a way of commemorating Irwin's death.

Everything was done in total secrecy, as Stainton didn't want the media circus finding out.

102

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Pete Harrison - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Human/Orang-Utan Cage Match

September 8th 2006 05:57

Last night a freind, S, told me the following story:
In 1979, when she was 8 years old, she was living in the diplomat district of Kuala Lumpur. The house backed onto a cemetary. From the cemetary many snaked would try to crawl through the fence into the garden towards the house, but S's mum had taken measures: she covered the end of the garden with sulphur, to burn the snakes' bellies, and everyday she would sit out in the sun, with a drink and a book, armed with a chain. When she saw a snake writhing on the sulphur she'd attack it with the chain, killing it and then throwing the body back over the fence into the cemetary.

[ Click here to read more ]

110

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Pete Harrison - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Is your pet psychic? Psychic pet stories

September 8th 2006 05:24

Is your pet psychic? Does it run to the door before the bell goes, or act in a way that you think is odd? Has it saved your life? Has it interupted the burgular? I'd like to hear some examples.

Here are a few of mine - First, this is a long story, but incredible

[ Click here to read more ]

123

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Pete Harrison - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Is climate change drying up Australia?

September 5th 2006 05:11

Today's Melbourne Age reports Victorian Environment Minister John Thwaites is 'convinced' that the record droughts are the consequence of climate change.

It also reports that 2006 was Victoria's driest August on record

[ Click here to read more ]

107

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Pete Harrison - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Steve Irwin killed by stingray

September 4th 2006 05:20

Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, died a few hours ago after being struck by a stingray while swimming in Queensland. He was filming a documentary in the area.

News reports are still coming in. Here is The Age, melbourne

[ Click here to read more ]

221

Vote

Comments (35)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Pete Harrison - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

The myth of the village

September 4th 2006 02:15

A few weeks ago I bumped into an old friend, T, on the street. For one reason or another we hadn't seen each other for years. He had changed a lot physically and he seemed more muddled and distracted than I remember. He told me an unusual thing, and the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced its true. He lives alone near the abandoned Commonwealth Games Village in Melbourne and had spent the last few months looking out of his window at night across to the village. He often drinks a beer or two, and he has a cheap pair of binoculars he looks through. 'Just for something to do,' is the only reason he gives for being like this. But he then started noticing two dogs walking down the streets.

The village takes up a large area of around 600 houses, (that's just my guess the only time I saw it when I drove past one day.) But its totally empty. The games came and went in March and as far as I know the new houses are not for sale. They are guarded by high fences and CCTV, and every night the entire village is floodlit from the lights on the fence perimeter. Nobody ever goes in there

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Pete Harrison - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Two incredible and true zoo stories

September 3rd 2006 00:51

A few days ago M and I went for a drink with a friend. She told us the following story:
in January 1984 a friend of hers, a different M, a Sydney-based artist, lived in an empty gorilla enclusure in Taronga Zoo for four weeks. He had set times to talk with the huge crowds and media reporters he attracted every day. He didn't leave the enclosure for the entire time. At night, his sleep was disturbed by the noises of the animals around him.

[ Click here to read more ]

104

Vote

Comments (2)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Pete Harrison - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend