A taped message. An agent forced to go rogue in his battle against a secretive globe-spanning violent criminal gang. His boss initially pursuing him, but by the end getting out from behind the desk and getting his hands dirty. Confused talk about democracy. An extremely beautiful and much younger European woman at his side, potentially... Continue Reading →
Oh, btw, Shell, we have that ‘hybrid world’ – thanks in part to you…
Yesterday I posted a piece on Shell's beautiful (in a Leni Riefenstahl kind of way) new advert in which two vegan, pierced women act as spokespeople for the exploration, extraction and burning of natural gas. I should have pointed out that this advert is also an appropriation of the whole "we need more women in... Continue Reading →
Simians Cyborgs and Shell: on corporate propaganda and fallback positions
The oil major Shell has a blisteringly slick and seductive new advert that extols the virtues of gas as a ‘transition fuel’ (which it isn't). As a piece of propaganda, it would make Donna Haraway guffaw with delight. It’s 80 seconds of ‘Jenna and Cory’ who live together extolling the virtues of hybridity. They are 'alternative'... Continue Reading →
Of Monbiot, Manchester and miserable ‘feral’ futures.
Nature as redeemer, nature as escape, nature as the solace for our "gridded, controlled, mannered urban lives." So far so romantic. Well, nature is on the road, and she’s gunning for the lot of us. We’ve poked the beast, and now it really is waking up. On a quiet day, you could hear it snoring.... Continue Reading →
#Carmichael – Of subsidies, coal mines and nation-building #auspol #climate
Who’d try to build a new coal mine? The divestment campaigns are slowly convincing banks to steer clear (), the coal price is in the floor. The Indians seem to be (finally) increasing domestic production and their solar price is tumbling. The environmentalists and their pesky skinks are slowing things down, the social licence to operate... Continue Reading →
Terrible meetings? Here’s a nesta reasonable ideas…
According to the American humourist Dave Barry “Meetings are an addictive, highly self-indulgent activity that corporations and other large organizations habitually engage in only because they cannot masturbate.” (As in, meetings aren't just ego-potlaches, they're also for the recycling of anxiety and responsibility). While meetings might be full of wankers, they’re surprisingly joyless experiences. “Nesta”,... Continue Reading →
“Energy Slaves” and convicts- a story of Australian attitudes to labour and mining #climate
Jean-Francois Mouhot who wrote an article Past connections and present similarities in slave ownership and fossil fuel usage published in Climatic Change in 2011, He also makes the point that The history of slavery and its abolition shows how blurred the frontier between what is considered good and evil can be, and how quickly it... Continue Reading →
Letter in #Manchester Evening News about broken #climate promises
The Manchester Evening News has a letter today that slams Kate Chappell, the Executive Member for the Environment for a broken promise (she said she would set up a blog, never did so). The letter (written by some Moss Side malcontent) also points out that the so-called and needs-to-be-killed-off "Stakeholder Steering Group" won't even allow... Continue Reading →
The Martian – From Whitey on the Moon to Whatney on the Mars….
In July 1969 Richard Nixon didn’t give a speech. It would have gone, in part, like this: Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace. These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their... Continue Reading →
Excellent “Academic Reading & Writing Workshop” at University of #Manchester
So, you’re doing a Masters, or even a PhD (wow, you must be soooooooooooooooo smart. Not). You’d think you’d know how to read and right, write? Not so fast. You’ve probably picked up some bad habits, and even if you haven’t, there are other habits and tricks (“hacks” or “apps” or “patches” as the young... Continue Reading →