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I've been trying to resist posting about this all day, but to no avail.
"Two pupils who drew a giant penis on a school lawn using weed killer two years ago can still admire their work from satellite photos now posted on the internet."
Surely this is the proudest moment of their life.
Absolute genius!
Great article in yesterday's Guardian about Starbucks and their phenomenal growth since inception in 1971;
"India, Russia, Brazil and Egypt are to be targeted this year. There are 530 branches in the UK and, with profits soaring, the company has said it aims to add 50 per year, about half of them in the south east of England. Anyone can now calculate their 'Starbucks density' using a locator on the company website: a person in Regent Street in London is within five miles of 166 branches."
At this point I should make a confession. I do visit Starbucks and I'm not the only person in the world of fair trade who does so. Truth be told, in terms of development I don't think they're as nasty as campaigns like 'I Hate Starbucks' would have you believe: they are the biggest buyers of fair trade coffee in north-America and the treatment of their producer groups is relatively good. Where they have recently let themselves down is on the issue of licensing of Ethiopian Coffee.
I've mentioned this before but as Tony Blair is meeting an East-African coffee farmer today and many MPs are spending the afternoon watching Black Gold, I thought I might mention it again (more details available in this article in today's Guardian). If you want to get involved in the campaign, next time you go to Starbucks take a printed copy of this leaflet, ask for a Cafe Estima (Starbucks certified Fairtrade coffee) and with your money hand over your complaint.
Yes, we're a little behind, but last night along with some buddies, Zo and I watched Little Miss Sunshine for the first time. It's easily the best film I've seen this year... actually I think it's the only film I've seen this year... it's the best film I've seen in a very long time.
For those that haven't seen the film (and for those that have who are vaguely interesting in my opinions), for me it's a tail of failure. What makes the film is that it goes beyond the usual rhetoric of 'life's s**t and then you die', by emphasising that failure is a part of life, it makes us who we are and gives us a greater grasp of the world around us, hence Franks moment of revelation, "Failure is often a gateway through which we must pass in order to receive our greatest gifts."
Yes, I know it's a bit late but I've got it; not to drive to work.
For too long I've spent over an hour each day stuck in traffic on the four mile journey over the Tyne to work and back, but no longer. For the past week it's been a swift walk to the Metro, which crosses the Tyne, before a bus journey to Traidcraft.
It works okay, costing a bit less and only taking a little longer than it does by car.
The main motivation is cutting my carbon emissions. Sitting in traffic by myself is probably the most unethical part of my life, so I'm trying to chop it out wherever possible.
One thing I've learned in this process is that winter is not the time to go carbon neutral...
By gosh it's cold out there!
Having just popped myself onto Facebook I was asked to describe my political views, I went for 'Very Liberal'.
I think I stand by that, but Nick Cohen's article in the Guardian yesterday does hold some massive challenges for those of us that place ourselves on the political left;
The fall of socialism "has freed them [the left] to go along with any movement however far to the right it may be, as long as it is against the status quo in general and, specifically, America...intellectuals in particular are ready to excuse the movements of the far right as long as they are anti-Western."
I found Cohen's article difficult to read not just because it's extremely lengthy but because I realised that I am guilty. I have blogged so many times about the lies we were fed over the war and the mistakes that Bush and Blair have made, but I struggle to remember a single post denouncing militant Islam.
I guess one way of explaining that would be that, like fair trade, this is just one of the things that I'm passionate about. My worry is that my passion is not that of a libertarian but one of anti-Americanism.
Just stumbled across a quality video of the Guillemots playing on the streets of Paris. If you're a fan take a look it's very entertaining (and it's worth persevering for the first couple of minutes).
Zo's birthday present is two tickets to see the Guillemots in a couple of weeks time. Hoping she's going to take me!
M & S announced today it's A Plan to go green, pledging to spend £200M over the next five years implementing their 100 point plan. The plan means that by 2012 M & S will:
(Oh and Stuart Rose Cheif Exec is going to trade his beamer in for a hydrogen powered motor)
I like their holistic approach, not just focusing on staff welfare or fair trade, but recognising that it's all or nothing. Don't know if it's a marketing ploy or a genuine commitment, but to be honest as long as they do what they promise I'm not that bothered!
(A little bit more over at Treehugger)
At the end of an eventful week, this afternoon I went to a gathering with Hilary Benn (Secretary of State for International Development). Benn is popular up here- not least because his dad is a bit of a socialist legend- and he did his popularity no harm in admitting (unlike other members of the cabinet) that there had been no progress on making trade work for the developing world.
Unfortunately, Benn gave little cause for optimism, dodging questions and not commiting to any progress on these issue. Baring in mind unfair trade costs the developing world twice as much as they receive in aid, that's a major disappointment (especially if you're a Ghanaian rice farmer)... I guess I would say that though wouldn't I?
Just got back from London after a trip to the Fairtrade Foundation and Tearfund.
It was nice to see friends, walk around the city, hear a spanish man preaching at Leicester Square (see left) and visit the enormous Apple Store on Regent Street, but for the first time I'm starting to think that living in London would not be as good as it is in my head!
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