Climate chaos-ed my week!

Have been a mild climate chaos victim last week. I was in Euston station, after two days of wall-to-wall business meetings in London, really looking forward to the 1715 First Class Virgin to whoosh me home with a nice meal and several glasses of red. Unusually for me I was quite early and had time to mooch around. I saw somebody taking a digipic with their phone of the departure board. I thought 'how totally sad.' But it caused me to focus on what could possibly be picture worthy in such a frame. Then I saw it in bright LED yellow letters; Cancelled, Cancelled, Cancelled, Cancelled.... I was stuck in Euston, in a moment I couldn't get out of.

There had been a mini-tornado in London! In December! Christmas lights blasted along the street, people had even been killed. This was scary. This wasn't 'freak weather events' anymore, it felt like a real threat, a clear and present danger.

Along with throngs of fellow strandees I sought hapless advice from rail staff about alternatives. The West Coast line was completely out. Suggestions of routes to Birmingham, Manchester then Preston were sketched out to me which stupidly I followed and found myself sharing a cab with a couple of city gents. We took an incredibly congested cab ride to Marylebone and one of the guys made a comment about how 'scary it was that the system was so close to capacity, just a little disaster and were choked.' This led to him talking about 'adaptation industries.' He was forming an investment fund for climate change adaptation. So I told him all about our campaigns being on the 'NGO side of the world.' He raved about the 'Inconvenient Truth' and that he really thought we had to sort it for our children's sake! It was great, so inspiring to meet a corporate type so on-message and up for it. But the other guy was a complete sceptic; 'my son in geography class is learning there were warmings before and its natural!'

Anyway after another detour to Kings X and finally on a GNER to Edinburgh, then a midnight taxi ride back to Glasgow, getting in climate chaos-ed at 130am, I still had a residue of hope and inspiration that maybe we can fix this and turn it around.

By the end of the week I saw the Inconvenient Truth for myself. Steady, plodding, incontrovertible, compelling and unassailably convincing it makes you want to green your life totally. So get on to www.climatecrisis.net and www.stopclimatechaos.org

Findingbennyandjoon

Just watched a fabulous feel-good, heart-warming, tear-jerking, and other hyphenated superlative movie; Benny and Joon. You must see this, early Johnny Depp, luminous Mary Stuart Masterton, simmering Julianne Moore and the dreamy, misty eyed guy, Aidan whatsisname. Its 13 years old! How did I miss it first time round?
Great to see Hollywood tackle issues like mental illness in a light-hearted, comi-tragic, yet serious enough way with a light dose of schmaltz. A British attempt would have been brutal, flourescent lit and have bucketfuls of spit and snot. I suppose Little Voice is a close contender, playing out the thin line between madness and brilliance in the way that Sam's Buster Keaton antics do in B&J. I loved the Boo Radley reference and the fabulous bohemian home they lived in. Gosh, I wish I lived with mad people who toast their sandwiches with the iron (on steam.) Now that's something you can try at home!

That bit of Africa in your mobile....

Seems there's more reportage on this story than I expected. The 'black gold' of coltan, that mineral you've probably never heard of, and never knew was in minute, micro-engineered quantities in your mobile has come a long way on a chain of war, child labour, smuggling and global corporate silence and shame.
As Labour MP Oona King put it to an Independent journalist in May 2006: "Kids in Congo are being sent down mines to die so that kids in Europe and America could kill imaginary aliens in their living rooms."

The links below spell out the story, armed with killer facts, lot more eloquently than I ever could;

http://greatreporter.com/mambo/content/view/1322/2/

http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/Africa/Articles/TheStandardColtan.asp

http://www.ethiscore.org/info.aspx?info=reports/full/mobilephones

What do we do? Give up the mobiles? Or buy more ethically, ask more questions, I quite like Ethiscores suggestion of labelling along the lines of 'Dolphin friendly tuna.' Wonder how long it will be before Phones4U are offering 'child labour free mobiles.'

Scotland Malawi fusion

Well tonight I was schmoozing with the rich and powerful as we patted ourselves on the back over our benevolence to little Malawi. A relationship going back 150 years to David Livingston! We presume! The really humbling thing was the startlingly passionate speech by one of the visiting Malawian Government minister's Joyce, a mama who spoke with genuine warmth and conviction about the sacrifice of the 20 year old Scottish men who those many years ago, woke up and decided to leave this wonderful land of Scotland and go thousands of miles (no business class then) to Malawi 'to bring health, education and Christianity.' I was really warmed by that by the obvious privilege she felt to be in Scotland and to share in celebrating this heritage of benevolence and help. I really hope she doesn't meet any Torys who think the Scottish Executives International Fund is illegal or those dreadfully noxious 'charity begins at home' naysayers that pervade the schemes of West Central Scotland- especially in Blantrye, birthplace of Livingston and Buckie drinkers.

After canapes and wine (some actually really disgusting- a blue cheese filled profiterole- who thinks up such pestiferous nik naks!) This was followed by an evening of really quite fantastic cultural entertainment. Village Cultural Troupe - A troupe of young Malawian dancers and drummer stomped, shimmied and sparkled in a stage set normally used by classical musicians and wannabe divas of the RSAMD. There was a really cool fire eater, so cool he thrust a flaming torch down his trousers without a wince. Then there was TNT 'a kilt wearing boy band' -so the programme promised-who turned out all to be wearing black shirts and trousers (not flammable) But they were good, boy the skirling of the pipes makes you a patriot. Then real Scottish culture with a Gaelic singer Catriona Watt with Eno-like piano accompaniment. A few impenetrable drama scenes with a great young Malawian actor named Talent Phoya. He was joined by RSAMD actors Martin McCormick (who looked like Fran from Travis) and Hannah Donaldson (who looked like a River City extra) They were ok - but something about Scottish accents and drama - do Americans, Australians, French, feel the same cringe in hearing their accents in drama, radio, TV? Maybe a Scottish cringe thing?
Anyway all this Malawi Scotland culture got stramashed in the end with 'fusion,' a free for all pipes, drums and stomp n twirl n twang. We swayed and clapped in our 'business attire and national dress' as the invites directed. You know bring it on more, I'd love to see more of this stuff and what with Madonna and Malawi maybe a little bit of Africa needs us all. (Apart from the little bit of Africa in your mobile phone!- that's for another blog!)

Blog tourism 2

Well day 2 and completely lost my way already! Probably an hour of obsessive and frantic doubleclicking before I realised you need to actually log on to make any changes! Doh! However have passed that Kryton Factor test (remember that! what happened to the Krypton Factor!) Well if you've forgotten, or didnt grow up in the late 70's, then all you need to know about KF is here

http://www.ukgameshows.com/page/index.php/The_Krypton_Factor

Or maybe I'm the weakest blog link............

http://www.ukgameshows.com/page/index.php/The_Weakest_Link

Whatever, well if you check next week I may even be using emoticons!

Gavin finding bloggin

hello blogland! have arrived here like a tourist in need of map. So much blank space to fill. Before I got this far I had to go through the blog naming process. Here are the also-rans for your delectation and boredom alleviation; the-exploding-pluke, rocket propelled exploding babies, ethical hypocrite, fairtrade is rubbish and faithnchips. Please tell me your favourites! The most popular will be set up - but you must promise to post!!