T.C. Boyle: Incorporating Environmentalism in Art

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T.C. Boyle: Incorporating Environmentalism in Art

The Stone Roses confirm all planned shows to go ahead after Ian Brown calls Reni a 'c**t' onstage

T.C. Boyle: Incorporating Environmentalism in Art

Prolific and renowned author T. Coraghessan Boyle has written 22 novels, many of which probe the relationship between contemporary human civilization and the natural world. His latest work, When the Killing's Done, adopts as its setting California's geographically isolated Channel Islands and gives a harrowing fictional account of the battle that ensues when two ideologically opposed environmentalists disagree over the fate of the islands' species.

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The World Made By Hand

13 mar | World Made By Hand is James Howard Kunstler's latest attempt to imagine what America will be like when the oil runs out. . . read more

Back to the Futurama

18 jun | Back to the Futurama
. . read more

Halt all carbon emissions by 2050: Worldwatch

15 jan | To avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change, world carbon emissions will have to drop to near zero by 2050 and "go negative" after that, the Worldwatch Institute reported on Tuesday. . . read more

Retro Futuristic Pictures

23 mar | Retro Futuristic Pictures . . read more

Leach survives his brush with controversy- by Kara Jensen-Mackinnon

29 apr | Leach survives his brush with controversy- by Kara Jensen-Mackinnon . . read more

Q&A with Richard Newell

17 dec | Q&A with Richard Newell . . read more

Tribute to the non-defeatist graffitists

30 nov | Tribute to the non-defeatist graffitists . . read more

Edward Burtynsky photographs the landscape of oil

15 nov | Edward Burtynsky photographs the landscape of oil . . read more

Local Warming From The Outsider

28 dec |

The history of the United Nations tells us that the possibility of united worldwide action on global warming is a fantasy. It ain’t gonna happen. Copenhagen underlined this as the power brokers vied with each other for domination (China 1 USA 0) while the smaller nations expressed their anger at being sidelined. It’s also worth noting that China has just executed a European citizen – the first since 1951 – in a graphic expose of its cultural primitiveness (China 1 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 0).

You can forget the concept of global warming. What matters is local warming. Citizens need to act for themselves and not for others. To focus on their country’s needs and answer the ethical questions on how they want to live their lives here, in this place.

The idea of waiting for a lead from the US or China before acting is fatal.

Think local, act local . . read more

Two Energy Futures: Cake or Death?

31 jan | International demand for oil and gas will outstrip supply within seven years, according to Royal Dutch Shell chief executive Jeroen van der Veer. That means we can either scramble for what's left, or plan a more orderly switch-over to low-carbon fuels and renewable energies. Sounds a bit like a choice between cake or death. Er, cake please... Click 'read more' for more info and to access the Shell scenarios paper. But if you watch this Eddie Izzard video you'll probably get the idea. . . read more

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY!

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." -- Ronald Reagan (1986)

Mavi Marmara: Israeli officers face Turkish trial

A Turkish court has charged four senior Israeli military commanders over the killing of nine Turkish activists trying to reach Gaza in 2010.

Ex-military chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi and former heads of military intelligence, the navy and air force are expected to be tried in absentia.

The nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed after Israeli troops boarded their ship, the Mavi Marmara.

They had been hoping to breach Israel's naval blockade and deliver aid to Gaza.

Ron Paul on Why Bankster Power Must be Eradicated

It is imperative that the American people be educated on the dangers of the Fed and the importance of restoring sound money. Now that nearly 50 years have elapsed since silver was removed from circulation, fewer and fewer Americans have firsthand familiarity with real money.

The laying of the groundwork must begin today, so that the American people will be prepared for the day when the mirage the Fed has created evaporates completely.

Chinese army general calls for 'decisive action' vs PH

China should launch "decisive action" against the Philippines to reinforce Beijing's claim on the disputed Scarborough Shoal, a hardline Chinese army general said Friday.

People's Liberation Army (PLA) Major General Luo Yuan, in a commentary published by state-owned website china.org.cn, said China has not abandoned the idea of "war at all costs" to protect its interests.

"'Peaceful rise and 'period of strategic opportunity' preclude war," said Luo, who has been described by Western media as "hawkish" for his ultranationalist views.

"It is incorrect to assume that China will completely rule out military action in any event during this 'period of strategic opportunity,'" he said, referring to Beijing's dispute with Manila.

Think Again From The Outsider

The great challenge facing everyone who wants to change the world we live in is how do you get traction for your ideas? Gunter Pauli the inventor of the ‘blue economy’ has a novel approach. His missionis to develop globally 100 manufacturing innovations with viable business models that could generate 100 million jobs in 10 years. All with zero emissions and no waste.

The novelty? To drive this revolution in an economic framework that will attract investors and governments in entrepreneurial partnerships that feed self-interest while revolutionising outcomes – particularly in relation to carbon.

The blue economy was initially a report to the Club of Rome recommending innovations inspired by science and biometrics. This is a truly cool equation. Science + Economics = A Better Future.

The Really Big Apple

Recently it was announced that Steve Jobs had an FBI file that detailed his personality, how he ran his company and the possibility that he would be appointed to George Bush Sr.' s government.

What is more interesting about Apple at the moment is the $100bn in cash reserves it's accrued and what it might use them for.

End world hunger?

Take over other companies?

Pay its suicidal employees more?

Whatever it chooses, we should really stop focussing on Jobs' genius and start thinking about how the wealth his genius created can be spent for good.

The Future of Trust - From The Outsider

The images of senior Australian politicians being bundled into cars to escape the threat of indigenous demonstrators confirms how weak the post-apology environment is in Australia. The whole point of the apology was not to say 'sorry' but to build a new platform for the positive evolution of indigenous Australians. The apology created a climate of trust but the ignoble inaction that has followed, apart from proposed tinkering with the Australian constitution, has destroyed the platform and the belief in the trustworthiness of political process. Can't we (non-indigenous Australians) actually do something? Something communal not bureaucratic, spiritual not gestural – something that shows that we care.