Greens on the Run

Some more of Queen's Day

2008-05-02T12:41:00.002+02:00

Here is another image from Queen's Day. Every year there seems to be new ways to cover yourself in orange and get in to the spirit of the day...

Queen's Day on Prinsengracht

2008-05-01T16:12:00.003+02:00

Well, Queen's Day has been and gone again, and it was another example of why this is one of the zaniest parties you will ever go to! The forecast was terrible for yesterday, with the prospect of a soggy day in orange. But the weather gods were kind, and the day passed with just a few drops, and plenty of splashes of brilliant sunshine. After spending last year cruising the canals on a boat, this year we opted for heading to Maria's, a friend of ours with a beautiful apartment on the Prinsengracht right in the heart of the Jordaan. Her apartment was also right above one of the cafes with a live band, making for a fun and noisy time all day. We finished the day dancing in the streets to the band Bitter Sweet and their fun collection of covers.

I have some great photos from yesterday, so will post them over the next few days. This first one is a bunch of people I don't know, but they were cruising the canals, and obviously having a fun time. It is a photo that just nicely captures the happy spirit of the day(as well as demonstrating just how many people you can pack in a small boat when you try...).

Anzac Day in the Netherlands

2008-04-29T20:09:00.002+02:00

Friday was Anzac Day, and we travelled with our mate Mick down to the Commonwealth War Grave in The Hague for the Anzac Day service. It was a beautiful Dutch morning, still and peaceful. It is an interesting thing to try and explain to our foreign friends and colleagues what Anzac Day is, and why it is so important to Australians. To be honest, I am not sure I know the answer to that either. Perhaps the most concise description came from Land Commander of Australia Major-General Mark Kelly, who said the term Anzac "has transcended the physical meaning to become a spirit".

But does that explain it? Try explaining to a non-Australian that a military misadventure that cost thousands of young Australian lives has become a touchstone for national identity. Sitting in Europe for the last few years, and watching the crowds grow at Anzac Day services, I have come to reflect on this a few times. I have been particularly struck by the numbers of younger Australians making a pilgrimage to the actual Gallipoli site in Turkey. I have been there myself some years ago, and it was a very moving experience, yet is still remains hard to define why.

For my mind, the increasing focus is linked to a search for national identity. And I believe this was fuelled by the Howard era. The emphasis through the Howard years was on the individual, the priority being to get ahead. I think it is in this vacuum that younger Australians have sought out a sense of collective feeling. And Anzac Day and the ‘spirit’ it embodies has for many provided some part of the answer in that search.

Of course this little theory of mine is contrary to the perhaps obvious suggestion that Howard was a key promoter of the idea of the Anzac spirit. The shallowness of Howard’s jingoism about national icons was a poor substitute for the real thing. In the face of a sugary sweet interpretation of our identity, I think people, particularly younger people, have gone in search of something more meaningful.

Of course, some of the backpackers are just in Gallipoli ‘cause young Aussies love to congregate wherever there is a good party (witness the World Cup in Germany last year), but to write it off simply as that is just a little too easy.

Anyway, I would like to close this post with the well-known quote from Ataturk. It was read by the Turkish Ambassador at the service in The Hague, and I include it, because for me, it
wonderfully encapsulates the spirit of both leadership and humanity:

“Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side now here in this country of ours... you, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land. They have become our sons as well.”

It's gonna be close...

2008-04-17T09:25:00.003+02:00

Recently I posted on my visit to see Crystal Palace play, and their prospects for promotion to the Premier League for next season. Things continue to be close. Palace had a 2-0 win over Scunthorpe on the weekend, and with just three regular season games to go, are in the play-off zone. That said, the table is as tight as it can be, and anything can happen in the next few weeks. A few anxious Saturday afternoons coming up!

Today's photo was taken in Edam. What appeals to me about this one is the absolute tranquility that it captures. The other thing is captures is an essence of these small Dutch towns, which are thoroughly modern in some regards, yet retain an historic feel. The towns are also very small - this spot is only a few hundred metres from the town square.

Winter in Marken

2008-04-11T10:14:00.003+02:00

In a recent post I talked about a photo series from a day tour we took around North Holland during February. It was the most amazing day weather-wise - not a cloud in the sky and about 10-11 degrees, which for February was very nice. Of course, the fact that I now think that is a nice day suggests perhaps I have been out of Australia and living in northern Europe too long, or on a more positive note that I am integrating very well to life in the lowlands!

Anyway, this photo was taken at the boat harbour in Marken. It is a strange little town - it is very beautiful and well preserved, but perhaps just a bit much so. The entire town is a living museum, and you have to pay to enter the town. I suspect it would be a very scary place to be in the summer.

How aware are you?

2008-04-10T10:18:00.002+02:00

There is no introduction that can do justice to the genius of this UK-produced television ad, so my advice is just go ahead and watch it...

The business end of the season

2008-04-08T04:32:00.005+02:00

A little change of pace today from environmental stuff to football. It’s a long story, but the team I follow in English football is Crystal Palace. Whilst formerly in Premier League, they have spent a couple of seasons now in the Championship.

Until recently, I had never managed to see Palace play live, but on a trip to London a few weeks ago, I made my way out to Selhurst Park to watch the game against Barnsley. Barnsley had just beaten Chelsea the weekend before in the FA Cup, and a big crowd of 17, 459 turned out for the match. I went with Janet, a mate from the Greenpeace Science Unit. We had a great time – a greasy pre-match lunch of sausages and chips, followed by a 2-0 win for Palace and drinks at the pub afterwards made for a good afternoon! The photo above is me at the game.

Anyway, to summarise where things are at now: the current season got off to a disastrous start, and a third of the way in to the season, Palace was in the relegation zone. As tends to happen in these situations, the manager got fired, a new one arrived, and Palace went on a long undefeated streak, moving in to the promotion zone. There have been a few late season wobbles, but after a 2-1 win last night over Stoke, Palace are back in the play-off spots.

There are just four games to go this season, and the table is as tight as you can imagine, so anything could happen from here – a few nervous games to come!

A challenge for campaigners

2008-04-07T03:39:00.002+02:00

A story appeared in Dutch News on Friday which should serve as food for thought for campaigners of any persuasion, but particularly environmental campaigners.

The story cited a report from Dutch newspaper Financieele Dagblad that Dutch consumers do not have a clear idea of what is meant by the phrase ‘a sustainable product’. According to a survey by advertising agency DDB and researchers Intomart GfK, almost one-third of those questioned said they thought it meant that an item would last longer and one-quarter had no idea at all. Only 16% understood that a sustainable product is one which is good for the environment.

Apparently the phrase ‘sustainable business’ scores better, although 46% of those surveyed were not able to say what it is.

The whole story underlines the enormity of the challenge we face in trying to bring about environmental change. Most of us would have thought that more than 15 years after the Rio Earth Summit, the idea of 'sustainability' would be pretty embedded in the human conscience. Instead we learn that we cannot take anything for granted.

For me the most important take home message here is the need to think from the perspective of others. For campaigners and activists, we are immersed in these issues every day. But not everyone is, and that must be the starting point for our campaigning and communicating. This is not the same as suggesting 'the public' are stupid, or other derogatory comments I have heard made. It simply means that explaining issues, and coming up with ideas about how people can engage, needs to start from the place 'they' are at, not the place 'we' are at. I know it seems obvious, but how often is it forgotten?

Today's photo comes from a new series I will start to post. They were taken during a day tour around North Holland with my aunt and uncle when they visited in February. This one is simply entitled 'Cheeses in Edam'.

New Assault on Climate Change

2008-04-02T10:06:00.002+02:00

With a headline like that, I could be taking a test to be a sub-editor at a tabloid, but it seemed appropriate in light of the new initiative from Al Gore. This week he launched a $300 million, three-year campaign to mobilize Americans on climate change.

"We can solve the climate crisis, but it will require a major shift in public opinion and engagement," Gore said in launching the new campaign and website. The campaign includes a series of television ads which will air during mainstream TV shows such as "American Idol," "House," and "Law & Order".

The first ad can be found here, and likens the battle against climate change to U.S. troops storming the beaches at Normandy during World War Two, the struggle for civil rights and the drive to send humans to the moon.

The question is whether it will cause the audience to examine whether "the American way of life" is sustainable?

Tough week for Dutch kangaroos...

2008-02-22T19:01:00.002+01:00

Dutch News reports today that being a kangaroo or wallaby in the Netherlands has been a hazardous way of life this week. A three-year old wallaby with a baby still in her pouch has been stolen from a city farm in Oud-Beijerland, just south of Rotterdam, according to police. Earlier this week nine red kangaroos, five of which were pregnant, were taken from Stramproy in the south. Seems to be an orchestrated campaign, but to what end?

Today's photo is another from Bali. This is Padang Padang, a famous surf break in Bali. We were staying just up the hill from this spot, and it is where I took my first few surfing lessons. It turns out January is the 'wrong season' in Bali - the surf is relatively poor. But for a novice like me that was fine - the 1-2 metre waves were plenty enough for me to try and get the hang of it as we skated along above the reef!

Back...

2008-02-19T22:56:00.002+01:00

It seemed like an appropriate theme for my first post in too long. Back in Amsterdam after travelling to Bali for the climate conference and Australia for a summer Christmas. Back to work after a much needed holiday and recharge of the batteries. Back in to training after not doing a single triathlon in 2007. And my blog is back.

There is much to catch up on, but I am not going to look too far back. Plenty has been said and written about the election. With Kyoto ratified and an apology to the Stolen Generation, Australia seems like a very different place. It was interesting to pick up on the optimism in Australia during my visit. It was not long after the election, still very much a honeymoon period, but I can only describe it as a sense of possibility - that the narrowness of the previous decade was gone. As one friend texted me on election night, the election result was "the end of the darkness".

And a lot has been said and written about Bali. It was a bizarre and fascinating fortnight in the bowels of the Bali International Conference Centre, with plenty of drama, especially in the final few hours as the United States was taken on by the rest of the world. The overall outcome will not solve the issue of climate change, and it could have been more inspirational, but it was certainly the necessary first step. But we have much work to do in the next two years to ensure the final deal in Copenhagen delivers the radical emissions reductions this planet urgently needs.

But enough politics for now. I have also been taking plenty of photos, and have some nice ones to share. Today's one is from Bali. Nicky and I returned to Bali after Australia to spend five days having surfing lessons. This shot was taken at the Surf Camp we stayed at, a statue silhouetted against the dusk sky.

Election Countdown

2007-11-23T18:11:00.000+01:00

So the polls open in Australia in just a few hours. I voted nearly two weeks ago, and the rest of the country is finally catching up! One of my favourite bits of the campaign has been the cartoon strip appearing in Crikey under the title First Dog on the Moon. Today's cartoon is a classic, which is why I posted it here today.

To be honest, I feel kind of nervous about waiting for the result to come through. My overwhelming desire to see the removal of the Howard government means that the rumours of a late swing to the government give me flash backs to the Tampa election. Not that I am a big fan of the Labor party, but personally I would prefer to see them in government in Australia.

A lot of my election coverage has come from reading the Sydney Morning Herald, News Limited and Crikey, so I am not sure if I have an accurate reading of the situation in Australia. But I think the editorial in Crikey this morning summed up what is at stake:

"We see it like this:

A vote to return the Government is a vote for maximum risk. The risk of more-of-the-same policies when policy flourish is badly needed. The risk of a bitter leadership bunfight within a year or less as senior ministers attempt to get even with John Howard for inflicting on them the unnecessary pain of the past few months. The increasing risk of overweening moments from ministers like Abbott, Downer, Ruddock and Minchin (and Howard) on their last laps. And the risk of more hubris-infected decisions as the culture wars are fought to their denouement by an ideologically-driven government heading towards its 14th year under the same tired leadership.

A vote for Labor is a vote for least risk. Economic policy will be cautious, industrial relations policy will be benign, foreign policy will be prudent and social change will be incremental but interesting. This will be a pragmatic government setting out to establish the platform for 14 years in power, not the other way round. The biggest risk in electing a Rudd government is that they don't unveil some flair and foresight."

Happy voting! And don't forget to vote Green in the Senate!

Latest election video

2007-11-23T08:01:00.000+01:00

Following the election results from over here is pretty easy with lots of online coverage, and in searching for who is offering what, I just came across this video on the News website in Australia. It seems on election night, the programmers at Channel 10 decided to exhibit a sense of humour, and rather than screen the election, they are making their prediction by showing The Empire Strikes Back...

Election day is upon us

2007-11-22T18:40:00.000+01:00

The phony election campaign in Australia started 12 months ago. The official election campaign started nearly six weeks ago. And it almost finally over. No more predictions, just reflecting on the results.

I feel a bit torn. Part of me has missed following the campaign, the ebb and flow of the politics, the intrigue and the mediocrity. That said, I certainly have not missed the political party ads on TV. I have been exposed to quite a few of them just on websites such as the Sydney Morning Herald. The ones being run by the Liberal Party in the last 24 hours are really appalling - hence my joy at missing the rest. (That said, I just surfed on to the SMH site, and the ads running now are from the Labor Party and just as bad...)

But for some brevity, I thought I would post this video of Bob Brown, leader of the Greens, being interviewed by Rove McManus. I don't think it needs any introduction...

I love my bike

2007-11-20T18:52:00.000+01:00

You can't live in Amsterdam without your bike. OK, that might be a bit of exaggeration, since the public transport really is pretty good, but having a bike is what this city is all about. It is the pathway to liberation - no waiting for trams, you can stay out late at night without having to worry about getting an expensive taxi home (and the taxis here are really expensive) , and nothing beats riding through town when the weather is nice just taking in this city.

But what inspored this nostlagic little reflection? My amazing new Dutch fact for the day - one in 20 bikes - a total of 760,000 - were stolen in the Netherlands last year, says national statistics office CBS. In the cities the theft rate was double that. Interestingly, only 30% of bike owners reported the theft to the police. I think that is because with so many bikes stolen, you have fat chance of ever seeing yours returned (and aside from the fact that many of them look the same...) The other factoid in this story was that young people are most likely to have their bikes stolen. Got any theories on that one? Young people are more careless? Young people hang out in dodgier parts of town? Young people get drunk more often and just forget where they left their bikes, and instead assume they were stolen? You may laugh, but I have personally witnessed an example of each of these theories!

Anyway, am off to the pool to have a swim, so will leave with today's photo - a shot taken in the Olympic stadium at the end of the marathon. Only 100m to go... (and not a moment too soon!)

On the run...

2007-11-14T18:56:00.000+01:00

Right now I am trying to escape the office to head in to town for dinner with some friends at Green Planet, a marvellous little organic vegetarian restaurant in the heart of Amsterdam. It is tiny, so you need to ring to book, and it was one of those moments last night when I rang and a friendly Australian voice answered the phone - you can recognise that accent anywhere!

Anyway, today's photo is from the recent Amsterdam Marathon. In a strange kind of way, this was my first marathon. I have run a marathon six times before, but each time has been in the Ironman after swimming 3.8km and cycling 180km, so this was definitely a new experience to start the marathon not already tired...

Overall, it did not quite go to plan, but I still finished with a new personal best time of 3:04:29. The course is beautiful in Amsterdam, very scenic, and with the start and finish in the 1928 Olympic Stadium. There were great crowds along much of the course which also made it a fun atmosphere. As you can see from the photo, I decided to wear one of my Australian team jerseys for the event. This was entirely functional - I wanted a jersey with pockets to carry my energy gels needed in the race, but the unexpected bonus was that I got lots of extra cheers along the course from random Aussie spectators, and Dutch people who just like Australians!

That said, the last 15km or so was pretty tough. It always is in a marathon, but I probably started a bit fast, and also managed to strain my hamstring during the race. am still having some treatment for that three weeks later, and have not really been able to start running again, which is a bit of a drag...

But it was fun, great to finish, and I am very happy to have finally done this great race in my "home"town. Back to the training track soon...

Meanwhile, back in the Netherlands...

2007-11-13T19:04:00.000+01:00

You may be surprised to hear, but I was not washed away by the 10 metre high waves that battered the Netherlands last week. Nor have I been abducted by aliens. In fact, there are no really good excuses for the neglect of my blog. The fact that my computer utterly died did not help, and the fact that I have got a bit addicted to Facebook in the meantime (yes, me and half the planet it seems - I am definitely not an early adopter!!) have both contributed, but it has more to do with that thing - once you drop a habit, it is hard to get started again.

Anyway, I am going to ease my way back in to it today with a couple of short news items from the Netherlands.

The first is that I have discovered a new sport. Korfbal is a ball game similar to netball in which men and women play alongside each other - a team consists of four men and four women. Korfbal was invented by Dutch schoolteacher Nico Broekhuysen, who adapted a game he saw
in Sweden in 1902 - replacing the hoop with a basket (korf).

Anyway, the Netherlands took the world korfbal title for the seventh time on Saturday, beating Belgium in the final 23-10. The competition is held every four years. Of the eight world korfbal title fights to date, the Netherlands and Belgium have met in every final. Belgium won once, in 1991.

The second is courtesy of Dutch News, which reports that "the latest issue of weekly magazine
HP/DeTijd explores what it identifies as a shift to the right among gay men in the Netherlands.
Homosexuals, apparently, have had enough of the too tolerant left not doing enough to combat gay-bashing by immigrant youth. Research this summer shows that gay men are far more likely to vote for the free-market Liberals VVD [who are also outspoken on immigration issues SR] - 21.5% as opposed to 15% in the population at large. And support for left-of-centre parties as a whole has fallen among the gay population from 65% in 1998 to 41% this year."

The report does not carry sample size or other such information to really be able to analyse this story in any depth, but it is an interesting insight in to a broader social debate and attitude in the Netherlands right now. Actually, this is not a debate confined to the Netherlands, and it is not really a new phenomenon - fear of different people, or foreigners, has a much longer history. I think for me it is always just a surprise here in the Netherlands. It certainly challenges that international stereotype of a tolerant society. But that is another whole posting...

What a weekend!!!

2007-10-15T23:20:00.000+02:00

Now that was a weekend! Have just come back from a couple of days in Hamburg, where the weather was absolutely beautiful, the city was interesting, the food was good, and the Crowded House concert was awesome!

But that wasn't all. Back home in Australia, the Federal election was finally called, and Australia will go to the polls on 24 November. After eleven years of narrow minded individualism, blended with a healthy splash of fear mongering and manipulation, there could be a change of government on the way. What that will look like, and what difference it will make, remains to be seen. The most positive thing likely to come out of this election is that the Greens should win more seats, and potentially hold the balance of power in the Senate.

And if that wasn't enough, it was Hawaii Ironman weekend, and the Aussies blitzed it, with Chris McCormack finally breaking through to win on his sixth attempt, and Craig Alexander coming home second in his first race at this almost mythical event. Over in the women's race, Chrissie Wellington turned in a stunning performance to win on debut, after doing her first Ironman only seven weeks ago in Korea (which she also won!) Chrissie is a friend of my friend Georgie, and I have been hearing a few tales of how hard she has trained, but it is simply stunning how much she has achieved recently.

Anyway, plenty more on each of these in the coming days, but I need to get to bed right now to recover from weekend overload!

Today's photo is from Hamburg, and will be the first of a Hamburg set. It is taken just near the Rathaus (town hall).

Back in the 'Dam

2007-10-02T22:35:00.000+02:00

Have arrived home in the Netherlands, and headed straight out of town for a two day meeting. With the travel, time zones and jet lag, it has all been a bit of a blur, but am back home in Amsterdam tonight, and it feels good to be here! Already had a run in Vondelpark, so things are starting to feel normal already! Now I just need to catch up on my crazy email backlog and all the missed phone messages, and I will feel much more on top of things...

Today's photo is another one I took in New York. I caught it as dusk descended, but as the dark came down, my flash kicked in, which produced this really interesting result with the pedestrian crossing and other road markings flaring under the flash. Combined with the long street leading to the changing colours of the dusk sky and the reflections in the building on the right, it made for an unusual image.

Dusk in New York

2007-09-25T16:11:00.000+02:00

Captured this photo last week in Bryant Park, near the New York State Library, looking up towards the Empire State Building. I particularly like the way the leaves and buildings are silhouetted against the fading light, and frame the photo.

At the UN...

2007-09-24T22:35:00.000+02:00

Right now I am sitting in the High Level Event on Climate Change, a special meeting at the United Nations hosted by the Secretary General. Am listening to various delegates talk about the issue of climate change, and where the world needs to go next. So this is just a quick post to publish another photo - will write more about the summit later when I am not trying to do something else at the same time...

This photo was taken around dusk, and captures my favourite building in New York - the Chrysler Building.

A Manhattan Pigeon

2007-09-23T04:15:00.000+02:00

This is a slightly odd photo I have to admit. I am not a big fan of pigeons - I once heard them described as 'rats with wings'. Now whilst I don't really share that view, and they are one of planet earth's little creatures, there is something about them that just doesn't grab me.

Anyway, this one was loitering around at the top of the Empire State Building on Friday. He was pretty content sitting on the ledge, clearly not intending to fly away. This became all the more evident when some stupid guy started poking the pigeon to see what it would do. The pigeon fought back quite nicely I can happily report, and remained on the ledge.

So it seemed like an interesting photo to silhouette the bird against the Manhattan skyline.

More tales of Manhattan soon, but right now I need to go to bed, since we have to get up at 4:45am to head out and run a half marathon in Queens. The things that some people do for fun...

Blogging from the Big Apple

2007-09-22T17:52:00.000+02:00

Since my last post, I have crossed the Atlantic, and am now in New York. Started the week with a couple of days in Washington DC, catching up with colleagues in our US office, as well as a few other folks I know down there.

First night I got in I had one of the funny travelling moments. Went for a latish dinner near Dupont Circle, and ended up in the classic American diner. The waitress came by to take my order and picked up on my Australian accent. Turned out she was not long back from studying in Australia. She was very excited to show me the tattoo she had on her foot - a nicely done Southern Cross. Having been scheming to get just such a tattoo for a while, it was pretty cool to meet someone who was so excited by being down under.

Travelled up to New York mid-week to meet up with a few Greenpeace colleagues and prepare for our meeting with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon. We were meeting him to talk about climate change and the preparations for the big climate meeting at the end of the year in Bali. Whilst I was in the background on this one, it was a great opportunity for our organisation to talk talk to the Secretary General about an issue he has spoken out on a lot. You can read more about the meeting here.

Have spent the rest of the week working, but took a few hours off yesterday afternoon to meet up with an old friend who was in town and go play tourist. Sarah used to work for Greenpeace, but is now with Amnesty, and is also in New York this week. Neither of us had ever been up the Empire State Building and it was a beautiful clear day, so we headed up to catch the view. And that is the source of today's photo - the view north up Manhattan, with Central Park in the distance.

Have some more great photos that I want to post, so watch out in the coming days...

Poor neglected blog!

2007-09-14T19:35:00.001+02:00

The last two weeks have been just crazy, and the blog always gets neglected in those circumstances. I am currently sitting in Barcelona airport, having just attended a two day conference on Corporate Communications and Reputation. I ended up at the conference somewhat by accident, but it was pretty interesting. Very much a corporate affair, with presentations from the likes of Shell, Addidas, Philips and Syngenta. The crowd got a bit of a surprise when they found they had someone from Greenpeace in their midst, and I found myself invited to be on a panel, "to offer a different perspective".

The corporate attitude to Greenpeace was fascinating. Of course you shouldn't draw generalisations from small samples, but the classic was when a guy from a Nordic telecoms company walked up to me in the lunch break yesterday, shook my hand, and said 'hey it is great to meet someone from the opposition..." Now, aside from the fact that I am pretty sure his company has never been targeted by Greenpeace, that is just a bizarre way to introduce yourself. One can only imagine what his pick up lines in bars are like...

Anyway, flight leaves soon, but once again I am back after a bit of a hiatus. Today's photo comes from my recent birthday picnic in Vondelpark. It was taken by a colleague Jan, and features the Boxing Kangaroo I was given for my birthday. My friend Kim in Australia saw the recent post on the Australian Youth Orchestra, trawled the shops for one, and posted it to me for my birthday. Love ya work, Kim! Am now set to be a true Aussie spectator at any sporting event in Europe where an Aussie team is strutting their stuff.

Hands off the Arctic!

2007-08-28T23:02:00.000+02:00

No doubt you have seen the stories about the Russians planting their flag on the floor of the Arctic as part of the rush for resources made possible by the melting of the ice resulting from climate change.

The main attraction up north is oil and gas, as well as new fish stocks. The irony of this is that the oil and gas will only become accessible because we have already burnt too many fossil fuels and have started the process of climate change. And so now we want to get even more oil and gas as soon as the ice melts, which will drive even more climate change. Is anyone learning anything here?

Anyway, a few of us down at Greenpeace in Amsterdam thought we would respond to this crazy situation. You can see the article we wrote here and sign the petition for 'hands off the Arctic'.

And below is the little video a few of the guys put together that casts a slightly different light on the whole situation. If you listen carefully, you might just recognise one of the voices...

Amsterdam's latest export

2007-08-23T19:35:00.000+02:00

It appears I may be a bit behind the times, but I have just come across the latest cultural export from the this fair city - Bearforce 1. Their medley of 'gay disco medley' has become quite a hit apparently, with more than half a million viewings on YouTube. Quoted in Dutch newspaper Het Parool, singer Robert was reported to have said 'We only wanted to have a bit of fun'. And it is a laugh - see for yourself:

Surfers beware!

2007-08-22T18:11:00.000+02:00

We've all done it. Need to get online, want to check your email, the latest weather report or sports results, and there is a wifi network in the area that is not password protected. Doesn't matter you think, they won't mind, I'll be quick. Well think again! As reported in today's Guardian, it is possible to be arrested for doing just that.

As the paper reports, a man has been arrested for using a broadband internet connection in the street without the owner's permission. The 39-year-old was using his laptop while sitting on a wall outside a house in Chiswick, west London, when two community support officers challenged him. He was detained after admitting using the wireless internet connection without permission.

Detective Constable Mark Roberts, of the Metropolitan police computer crime unit delivered a stern message:

"This arrest should act as a warning to anyone who thinks it is acceptable to illegally use other people's broadband connections."

Now while I am sure there is more to this story, just think about how this practically works. Last times I was in New York for work paying several hundred dollars a night for a hotel room, when I asked the hotel about internet connection, they said 'oh, only the rooms at the front have wifi, but if you are out back [which I was], just surf on whatever network you can find'. Are the police going to take me in, or the hotel manager?

Or my friend is house-hunting in Amsterdam right now. Most apartments here come 'all inclusive' of bills, cable TV, and increasingly internet. When she asked about internet being available at one prospective abode, the landlord said 'oh no, but there is a wifi network next door that you can access'. Is the landlord facing some time in the cooler?

Somehow, I suspect not. Clearly our friend in London was just in the wrong place at the wrong time...

Pluk de Nacht

2007-08-19T15:37:00.000+02:00

Seize the Night. That is the literal translation of the title of the Amsterdam Open Air Film Festival. With a beautiful balmy evening last night, we set off to the edge of the Ij canal, just near Centraal Station, on an abandoned industrial site to join the crowds for this fantastic event.

This is a temporary site, set up for just a couple of weeks. The screen is mounted on several shipping containers, and everything else on site is pretty much housed in a shipping container - the bar, the projector. I always knew shipping containers were versatile...

When you arrive, the first mission is to grab your deck chair and find the best spot. The it is off to the blanket hire, 'cause it definitely gets cool later as the evening breeze comes off the water. Then a trip to the bar, and grab the picnic goodies picked up at Albert Heijn on the way, and settle in for a relaxed evening of "the best national and international feature films, short films, documentaries and animations that all haven't been screened in the Dutch cinemas (yet)." And the best part is that it is free!

The program last night started with a short film "Undressing my Mother". Directed by Ken Wardrop, it is perfectly described in the blurb - "In this moving documentary, an aging Irish woman waxes lyrical about her body, her life and her love". Only four or five minutes long, it was stunning and captivating.

The feature was a New Zealand film Eagle vs Shark. It is hard to know what to say about this film - at times hysterically funny, cringe inducing, and tragic. I ran in to a couple of Kiwi guys I know at the end, and they described it as New Zealand's version of The Castle. For those who know that film, such a characterisation should explain it well.

Perhaps this little grab from the film's website sums it up nicely:

"The Eagle of the film’s title is Jarrod Lough, a geeky, four-eyed video store clerk with grand delusions of martial-arts-hero toughness. The Shark is Lily McKinnon, a funny-talking, funny-walking, fast-food waitress with repressed romantic fantasies. And their battle is a hilariously bumbling attempt at finding love, and a bit of revenge, in spite of their oddities and illusions."

Although I probably missed some of the references, it was a great film, and well worth catching if you get the chance.

And what a way to see a film - definitely one of the highlights of the summer...

(Photo courtesy of Pluk de Nacht website)

A Year of Blogging

2007-08-15T12:26:00.000+02:00

This is my last photo from the Pride Parade. Thought I would run with a bit of a contrasting image to some of the earlier posts. The Amsterdam Stetsons, presumably a gay-oriented line dancing group, certainly cut a different image to some of the more flamboyant floats that went by!

And I have just realised that I missed the birthday party for my blog. It came to life with my first post back on August 6th last year, Like my hundredth post, it seems like a bit of a milestone, but probably only for me!

Football season underway...

2007-08-13T19:52:00.000+02:00

The headline is not entirely misleading, despite the photo! Today's image is another one that I captured at the Pride Parade last weekend. Managed to get so many fun images that it is difficult to not keep using them on the blog!

But yes, the football season did start in England this weekend and my team, Crystal Palace, got off to a flying start with a 4-1 win over Southampton. A great way to start the season, but I am not getting too carried away just yet. Last season the team got off to a flying start, and after five games was undefeated and leading the Championship. Things were looking good for promotion to Premier League, and then somewhere it all went horribly wrong, so much so that the play-offs were not even in sight by season end. Maybe this year...

And in cycling news, the Discovery cycling team, the one that Lance Amstrong rode for, and also the team of this year's Tour de France winner, Alberto Contador, has announced they are disbanding. As the story in the IHT notes, "the death of the Discovery Channel bicycle team ... can be laid to many problems plaguing the sport, including doping scandals and suspicions, fierce politics, lack of leadership and a loss of credibility." As team officials noted, "this is not the time an investor stands to gain by spending many millions to have its name on a team jersey. Therefore [we] decided not to pursue a new sponsor." I know I am naive, but it is simply wrong to see politics and cheating getting in the way of the pure joy of sport.

Stork 'babies'!

2007-08-12T17:49:00.001+02:00

This will probably be my last posting on the storks (collective sigh of relief?!). The reason for this is that I am pretty sure they will be leaving town soon. The 'chicks' have become rather large as you can see from the photo, and it is now very obvious there are three of them. It was hard to tell for a while just how many there are, but as they have gotten bigger there are no such problems.

The other tell-tale sign of imminent departure is 'flying lessons'. Was out in the park on Friday morning doing a run session and I noticed both parents and the three offspring doing aerial laps of the park, clearly practicing for their upcoming migration.

Having finally taken the time to do some research, I have now disocvered that these guys are White Storks, and all the excitement is because there are only believed to be 9-12 breeding pairs in the Netherlands. That would explain the crowds that stop each day in the park to check out the nest, and presumably makes the birth of three offspring pretty significant.

And it seems there is a strong historical linkage here - not only is the White Stork the national bird of Lithuania and Poland, it is also - set against a yellow and green background - the symbol of the city of The Hague here in the Netherlands.

And the lucky things get to winter in Africa - a very pleasant thought. Given that it is raining again this afternoon, they may leave sooner rather than later!

Amsterdam Pride Run

2007-08-09T23:35:00.000+02:00

As part of the Pride weekend, the Dutch Gay and Lesbian Athletics Association hosts a fun run on Friday evening. As I am just getting back in to training, and felt in need of a race to clear out some cobwebs, I decided to enter the 10km version.

It is a very nice race, held out in the east of Amsterdam in Flevopark and along the Rijnkanaal. The weather was reasonably nice, the sun was shining, and a good crowd turned out. And before you ask, it was just like any other race that takes place in the Netherlands on any given weekend, the only difference being their were a few more people in rainbow hot pants than you usually see, and they have funky Priscilla-style music at the finish line.

Whilst the results have not been posted on the web yet, I was pretty happy with my race. Ran 40:50, well outside my personal best time, but rather better than I feared, given my lack of any sort of hard training in the last eight months! And it was great to get out there, sweat hard, and know I hard done it at the end. But definitely need some more training...

And today's photo is a shot of the 'Pink Police', an image that nicely highlights Red Bull as the definite drink of choice for many this year.

Pride Weekend in Amsterdam

2007-08-08T23:31:00.000+02:00

The weekend just gone in Amsterdam was the annual gay Pride festival. And the sun finally broke through for our first truly summer like weekend, which made for perfect conditions for the Pride Parade. Unlike the Mardi Gras in Sydney, the parade in Amsterdam takes place along the canals, the Prinsengracht to be specific. Today's photo is the opening barge, and it includes a bit of a view of the huge crowds that turned out to see the event. Suffice to say, there were some great photo opportunities as the various floats came by, so watch out over the coming days - may need to put a 'parental guidance recommended' tag on my site!

The Unnatural History of the Sea

2007-08-03T17:05:00.000+02:00

Today's photo is one I captured in Vondelpark recently. You may recall me referring to a guy who came down to feed the storks, and he was also the owner of this dog.

But the thing I wanted to blog about today is a new book, The Unnatural History of the Sea. It came to my attention after reading a review in last weekend's Washington Post. Rather than trying to paraphrase, let me quote the first two paragraphs of the review, since it is put very well:

"There are times when the capacity of mankind to blind itself to plain reality is simply breathtaking. Thus to this day we still believe, as was universally believed two centuries ago, that the seas surrounding us afford an infinite source of wealth. As recently as half a century ago, two respected academics asserted in a book titled The Inexhaustible Sea that what the ocean "has to offer extends beyond the limits of our imagination -- that someday men will learn that in its bounty the sea is inexhaustible."

A boundless delusion. What informed scientists now know, as Callum Roberts writes in this measured but passionate and immensely important book -- a persuasive synopsis of existing scholarship augmented by the author's own research -- is that the resources of the sea are as limited as those of land and air, and that our penchant for exploiting them to the point of extinction is appalling."

I don't have the book yet, but certainly look forward to getting a chance to read it, having seen some of Robert's other work. He was the leading author on a report commissioned by Greenpeace in 2006 called Roadmap to Recovery: A Global Network of Marine Reserves.

At a time when marine life is being destroyed at an unprecedented rate, the report identifies the marine areas that need immediate protection from over-fishing, destructive fishing, mining and pollution, and presents a design for a global network of high seas marine reserves.

Marine reserves are highly protected areas that are off limits to all extractive and destructive uses, including fishing. They are the most powerful tool available for the conservation of ocean wildlife and may also benefit fisheries by promoting recovery and reproduction of exploited species.

Robert's new book tells the tale of the plunder of the oceans, and makes the case for marine reserves. As the review notes, marine reserves have had notable success in giving endangered species breathing room, but only .006 percent of the ocean is thus protected.

As the popultion of the planet continues to increase, and the popularity of seafood booms, we definitely need to do more to protect the oceans, both to protect the amazing creatures that live out there, and if we are going to provide a vital source of protein for future generations.

Looks like this new book makes a pretty good case on both fronts.

An evening of kulcha

2007-08-02T23:33:00.000+02:00

Have just returned home from seeing the Australian Youth Orchestra at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw (Concert Hall). Although not an afficianado of classical music or orchestras, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. (Thanks Mick for the tickets!)

To start with, the Concertgebouw is a wonderful building, with beautiful architecture and marvellous acoustics.

And the orchestra was great. They played four pieces, as well as several encores. The piece I enjoyed most was their second one, Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, which featured the Czech pianist Lukas Vondracek.

Unfortunately this is where my philistine nature shines through. As the piece started, it had a sound that made me think 'Walt Disney programs'! Now I was planning on keeping this rather uncultured thought to myself, until we left the concert, and my fellow Aussie concert-goer Maria blurted out exactly the same thought! It's always nice to know you are not alone...

And in that vein, one thing I have been hankering after for a while is one of those inflatable boxing kangaroos, 'cause sometimes you just need to be a little overt about being Australian. I think it is safe to say though, that this was not the sort of occasion where it would have fitted in!

This evening was quite different to the last concert I went to at the Concertgebouw, which featured Madeleine Peyroux. Peyroux is a jazz singer who seems to be frequently referred to as sounding a lot like Billie Holiday. It turned out she had spent plenty of time busking on the Leidseplein, so felt very at home in Amsterdam. That was also a great concert, and has inspired me to head down to the record store and get one of her albums. All I need to do now is turn that thought in to action!

Shane

The innuendo rolls on...

2007-07-31T15:15:00.000+02:00

Well, the Tour may be over, but the doping stories continue to break. Yesterday came the news that Iban Mayo, a Spanish rider who finished 16th in the tour this year, had tested positive for EPO. And today there are further reports of accusations against race winner Alberto Contador.

The only glimmer in all of this has been the great coverage received by Cadel Evans back in Australia. There are all sorts of stories running about his achievements and background, which can only do wonders for the sport in Australia. Hopefully it will encourage Australian drivers to be a bit more considerate to the cyclists out training on the roads.

Today's photo is the last in my stork series for now. I have not managed to get any more yet, but hope to soon. And in case it wasn't obvious, yesterday's photo was not one of mine! As much as I would like to have been on the Champs Elysee like I was in 2004, it was not to be this year.

And here is a thought for the day that came in an email from my real estate agent this morning - "if you think no one cares, miss a couple of mortgage repayments..."

Shane

Vive Le Tour

2007-07-30T17:29:00.000+02:00

The Tour has now been won and run, and it finishes with mixed emotions for many.

The media reports today capture that range of emotions, from the "subdued finish" in Paris, the disappointment of fans, the hopes for the future in the youger riders and the teams taking a stand against doping, and for us Aussies, the pride of seeing an Australian on the podium for the first time ever.

Saturday afternoon here in Europe was tense as the final time trial got underway. A 55km solo race against the clock, and the big question was whether Aussie Cadel Evans could catch the race leader, Spaniard Alberto Contador, who started the day 1:50 ahead of him.

In the end, Evans nearly did it, falling 23 seconds short. The surprise was third place Levi Leipheimer nearly catching Evans, finishing just nine seconds in arrears. Watching it live on telly was pretty exciting, willing Evans to catch Contador, then getting nervous as Leipheimer crept up and threatened the second place.

It was so near, yet so far in the end. After 3570km, and more than 90 hours of racing, it came down to 23 seconds. "Sorry I didn't win it," was Evans response for all the Aussie fans. Hardly necessary after such an achievement, but nonetheless an unusual response from an elite sportsman.

Rupert McGuiness, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, put the result nicely in context:

"Evans was on the verge of pulling off the single greatest sporting triumph by an Australian athlete, one surpassing the 1983 America's Cup win, Cathy Freeman's 2000 Olympic 400 metres gold medal run, Kieren Perkins's 1500 metre Atlanta Olympic win in 1996 from lane eight - or any of Ian Thorpe's Olympic, world championship or world-record breaking feats."

Now journo's love a bit of hyperbole, but I think this captures the significance of it in a sporting context very nicely.

There are lots of other articles about the Tour out there today, many of them asking the question of what next? There is no simple answer, but the end of politicking in the sport, and a period of self reflection for all of those involved in the sport would both be good starting points.

Shane

Oh, Le Tour!

2007-07-27T18:03:00.000+02:00

Perhaps there is little more that can be said about the sad goings on at the Tour De France this week. With the expulsion of Vinokourov, then a positive test for one of the lesser known riders, plus the earlier T-Mobile expulsion it was going badly. But the removal from the race of yellow jersey wearer Michael Rasmussen was definitely the big story.

Personally, I welcome the decision. To slip up and not declare your whereabouts once is perhaps an innocent mistake, but Rasmussen's repeated breaches of the rules are simply not on when you race at such an elite level.

Whilst it has been a tough week for the race, I think it is better to be open about the problem than trying to sweep it under the carpet and imagine everything is alright.

And with that event fading, all eyes are now on tomorrow's final time trial, which will be the real test of who will eventually win. Of course I will be glued to it here, willing Cadel Evans to rip down the road and overhaul the current leader Contador. It will be live on tv here, but you can always catch it live on my favourite Tour following website Cycling News.

Today's photo is the next in my stork series. This one was taken when the stork came down to the ground to receive a feed. More about that later! Am hoping to get back tot he park this weekend and catch some more photos of the storks. Reason being that I was in the park this morning running, and the two juveniles are now quite large. I can only assume the whole family will depart pretty soon (or they are going to have to enlarge the nest!)

Shane

Dutch Wildlife

2007-07-26T09:48:00.000+02:00

Continuing the series of stork photos, I was inspired to write on Dutch wildlife. Normally this would be a short article about the relative lack of wildlife actually. Coming from Australia where there is plenty, and on the back of my recent trip to Alaska where there is a lot of (large) wildlife, the Netherlands seems pretty devoid of wildlife.

But then a story appeared in Dutch News yesterday about the Gelderland village of Epe, close to the Veluwe national park. The town has announced plans to start shooting wild boar inside its borders because of the nuisance to gardeners and risk of traffic accidents. According the the local council, some 25 boar have taken to roaming the village streets at night.

Personally I think they are missing a great tourist opportunity here. I can envisage a whole industry built around this, with refreshment stands, postcards, t-shirts ("I went to Epe and Survived") and stuffed imitation boars. And this is not as far-fetched as it might sound - far less obvious things seem to pass as entertainment around here! For example, when I head out for my long rides on a Sunday, many of the canals are lined with dozens of people taking part in fishing competitions. And this is not some case of standing by the canal and throwing in a line. These guys (and they are mostly blokes) have lots of high tech looking gear, tents, outdoor furniture and and array of cooking equipment. In a strange way, I am inspired by their dedication to luxury!

Anyway, today's photo is one of the storks departing from the nest they have in the park.

Shane

Storks in the Park

2007-07-25T14:12:00.000+02:00

During the spring, two storks moved in to Vondelpark. This has created a bit of excitement, with stories in the papers, and many people stopping to check them out. I went down to the park one evening recently to try and catch a few photos, and have a couple of nice ones. Today's first image captures the stork out of the nest sitting on a pile of logs in an area of the park that is off limits to pedestrians.

Shane

Summer of Neglect

2007-07-24T23:07:00.001+02:00

That seemed to be the most appropriate title, given that my last post was nearly three weeks ago. I could blame it on the summer, but the weather has been so lame in Amsterdam that it really is making me think it might be time to move back to Australia! Mostly I have just been doing other stuff - hanging out with friends, watching some movies, and following the Tour de France.

Of course, it has been a disappointing day for fans of the Tour. The revelations that Alexander Vinokourov has been busted for blood doping are so disappointing. It has been a very interesting tour so far, with some great, but it is hard to kow what to believe anymore. Vinokourov's inspiring comeback, like that of Landis last year, counts for nothing now. And it overshadows what has been a marvellous battle up front, with Contador and Rasmussen duelling it out through the Pyrenees. Of course, with his failure to provide details of his whereabout to doping testers, a shadow hangs over Rasmussen as well that tarnishes the yellow jersey he wears.

And it was gut-wrenching to watch Cadel Evans on Saturday as the real mountain goats repeatedly attacked him until he could respond no more. Nonetheless, it is inspiring to have an Aussie rider in the podium places, and fingers crossed he can stay there until Paris.

Got a call from our friend Dwayne today who has just spent several days in the south of France following the race. He and Lisa will be back in Amsterdam in a few weeks, so will be cool to catch up with them and here the tales of spectating on Le Tour.

Today's photo was one I took a few weeks ago. It is the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. I have a bunch of photos to post right now, so will make sure I put up a new one each day - no excuse for not posting then!

Shane

Work, work, work...

2007-07-05T21:52:00.001+02:00

Life is pretty busy at the moment - lots going on at work, busy all day and trying to catch up on email and other stuff at night. Not that it is all bad - there have been plenty of social activities, making the most of the long summer days. But it means not much activity on the blog front, so am just going to post a nice photo I took back in Alaska. This is simply a river flowing throught he heart of Denali National Park. It captures the feel of the park very nicely.

Shane

Pasher Bulker update - she's free!

2007-07-02T14:57:00.000+02:00

Following on from the last post, and after days of efforts, the Pasher Bulker is finally free (thanks Kim for the breaking news!). Based on what I hear from home, whilst most people will be happy with this, some will be disappointed - tourism has boomed in the area, and people are even selling t-shirts at the site!

Anyway, there are updates on the Sydney Morning Herald website, and they also have a very cool set of time lapse photos which show the bulker being pulled free from the beach - check it out here.

Shane

The Pasha Bulker

2007-06-28T18:02:00.000+02:00

During a major storm in Australia on June 8th, the Pasha Bulker ran aground on Nobby's Beach near Newcastle. The ship is a bulk carrier transporting coal from the Hunter Valley region.

The ship has been wedged on the beach ever since, creating some pretty amazing images. Efforts are currently underway to remove it, although as I write they have not succeeded.

Aside from becoming quite a tourist attraction, it recently became the perfect target for our friends down at Greenpeace Australia who used a laser to create this image which draws the link between the burning of fossil fuels like coal, and the impacts of climate change such as more severe storms. As Greenpeace noted, very few commentators have discussed this ironic link.

As a major user and supplier of coal, and a country predicted to experience some of the worst impacts of climate change, Australia is digging its own hole. Every tonne of coal burnt in Australia or exported will return as climate change impacts.

The Pasha Bulker is surely a perfect advert for embracing a clean renewable energy future...

Shane

All part of the adventure...

2007-06-24T17:36:00.000+02:00

Every now and then a story appears here in Amsterdam that makes me wonder "could that ever happen at home?" You know the type I mean - things that just make you wonder what sort of country you are living in. That said, I see the few stories that get picked up by the international media about Australia - the sort of stories that make it on to BBC World, or in to the Dutch press, and people must wonder what sort of place Australia is. I guess we all ask ourselves that same question at times.

(And that reminds me of how little coverage Australia gets in this part of the world - but that is another story.)

Anyway, this train of thought was prompted by a story that appeared in Dutch News on Friday. It reported that a hairdresser in Amsterdam has been arrested for stabbing a customer with his scissors in a row over a pair of glasses. An unfortunate story, but it was the second half that caught my attention - the same hairdresser stabbed and killed another customer seven years ago but did not face legal charges. I wonder if the authorities see a pattern of behaviour forming here?!

Disappointingly, the article did not mention this charming blokes name or business address. Not that I am the really argumentative type, but I can just see one of those 'lost in translation moments' going horribly wrong. I know this, because right now I have one of those haircuts that is not quite what I intended. I thought I explained it clearly, and the nice young Dutch hairdresser enthusiastically went about it. It was just at the end it became clear we had different expectations! Oh well, all part of the adventure...

Shane

(ps And that is where there is no photo with this story...)

More Alaskan Wildlife

2007-06-19T16:49:00.000+02:00

This sexy couple are known as Dall's sheep. Caught this photo as I was heading in to Denali National Park on the shuttle bus. Next instalment will be tales of encounters with grizzly bears...

Shane

Aussie Humour

2007-06-15T15:58:00.001+02:00

A few years back, Peter Garrett made the move from Midnight Oil across to politics, joining the Australian Labor Party. Presumably his strategy was built around 'change from within', and on getting his hands on the levers of power to then make important changes with.

His first press conference set an unfortunate tone when he responded to a question about US bases in Australia by noting that he now understood the need for these facilities, and that his political views had 'matured' over time (unfortunately I don't have the transcript of this auspicious occasion, but it was a truly uninspiring moment).

Anyway, the gang from the Chaser have now got Garrett in their sights as part of the War on Everything. This brilliant piece below is just a beautiful piece of Aussie humour. I'll let it speak for itself...

Shane

More Moose Action

2007-06-08T17:52:00.000+02:00

Am doing it tough this afternoon re time zones, so thought I would just publish another moose photo. This is one of the moose calves crossing the road in Denali National Park.

Shane

Jetlagged in Amsterdam

2007-06-07T16:21:00.000+02:00

Am back at home and work in Amsterdam after the long haul from Anchorage. Am struggling through the day with serious sleep deprivation, but the weather is good here, so all is fine.

But definitely no interesting or witty tales of travels in Alaska today - just a moose photo. Saw a few moose in the trip, including this mother with her two calves. And had a true Northern Exposure moment the other night when I was standing in a phone booth in the camp ground making a call when a moose wandered by, followed closely by a wobbly young calf. It seemed kind of random, but in keeping with how Alaska feels - a pretty wild and untamed land.

More soon
Shane

Back in Circulation

2007-06-06T20:35:00.000+02:00

The updates from the IWC were a little slim (read non-existent) in the end, and after the meeting finished I grabbed a few days and headed north in to the heart of Alaska, to Denali National Park for a few days of fantastic wilderness and wildlife.

Right now, I am in Seattle airport, in transit back to Amsterdam, so this is only a quick post, and over the next few days I will add more of my travels, and some wonderful photos from Denali.

In the end, the IWC wrapped up reasonably well. There are two very distinct groups at the IWC - those who want to protect whales, and those who want to kill more. And that is where it becomes strange. Whilst we have the moratorium on whaling, the pro-whaling forces are working incredibly hard to resume commercial whaling. And because they have a goal, it is in some ways easier for them to move forward. It seems it is much harder to defend the status quo , although I think this largely reflects a complacency on the part of the pro-conservation forces. We desperately need to ensure that there is a clear agenda forward for next year's meeting that further reinforces whale protection.

One of the funniest highlights of the meeting was the complete security overkill. The security planning obviously expected a "Battle for Seattle" type event. The IWC is definitely not that - more like an Amway convention. Anyway, the various Greenpeace activities at the meeting meant the police did not get entirely bored, and Mel and Ashby (who were responsible for logistics in Anchorage for us) made a whole bunch of new friends, as the photo above shows...

More soon
Shane

Quick update from Anchorage

2007-05-29T09:06:00.000+02:00

Well I have been in Anchorage for a few days now for the International Whaling Commission, but it has been pretty hectic finalising all the preparations, so a bit of blog silence!

Today was the first day of the meeting, but it got off to a pretty quiet start. Many of the delegates stressed the need today for "conciliation", "finding common ground", "seeking compromise" etc. This is a strong contrast to recent years where there have usually been a series of bitterly contested votes from the start of the meeting. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds in the coming days. I will provide some more detailed updates as we progress.

Outside of work, I have to say that the small glimpses I have had of Alaska are just magnificent! Just flying in here was stunning. The flight from Amsterdam to Seattle was pretty good with some wonderful views of the north of Canada and the Rocky Mountains, and then Alaska is in another whole league. Flying in over jagged mountains and sweeping glaciers is so good for the soul.

Have managed to escape for a couple of runs - the first time I saw a bald eagle and a moose, and tonight I saw another moose. And the photo above was one I took tonight on the footpath out the front of the hotel. I have a few days off after the meeting, and can't wait to get out of town and take in some real Alaskan wilderness.

Anyway, more soon...
Shane

Preparing to Defend the Whales

2007-05-21T17:32:00.000+02:00

It is just a few days now until I leave for the annual International Whaling Commission meeting which this year is being held in Alaska.

Today, Greenpeace activists laid out the bodies of whales and dolphins drowned in nets and killed by ship strike as a stark reminder of the range of threats to cetaceans.

Three hundred thousand whales and dolphins drown in fishing nets each year and it is impossible to calculate how many more fall victim to pollution, ship strikes, the impacts of sonar or climate change. In this contrext it is impossible to justify hunting them as well.

Next week more than seventy nations will gather in Anchorage, Alaska to determine the fate of the great whales, under increasing pressure from whaling nations such as Japan, Iceland and Norway, for a formal resumption of commercial whaling. Later this year in the Southern Ocean, the Japanese government plans to hunt nearly 900 minke whales, increase the take of endangered fin whales to 50 and add 50 threatened humpback whales to the quota.

Governments attending the IWC must make a commitment to defend the whales, not the whaling industry. The drive to resume commercial hunting is one of the most extreme examples of governments’ failure to protect our oceans.

The whales and dolphins laid out today in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin were washed up on European beaches and subsequently collected by Greenpeace activists. The causes of death ranged from drowning in fishing nets, toxic pollution or from underwater noise. Some of them show scars from ship propellers or fishermen knifes. One died as it was giving birth.

What this space for update from Anchorage as the meeting unfolds next week.

Shane

The real cause of climate change?

2007-05-17T11:35:00.000+02:00

So this one is borderline bad taste, but it has got a pretty good laugh around the office. With the scientific evidence so strong, and governments still reluctant to take serious steps to tackle climate change, the odd moment of light relief is welcome! At least it is not too late, and there is still time to stop runaway climate change - all we need is an energy revolution.

(Oh, and the original of this is even funnier - it is an animated gif file, and the penguin spins on the rotisserie etc. My technical skills don't seem to be good enough to get that version on to the blog, but I can email it to you if you want, just let me know...)

Shane

Canal Chaos!

2007-05-14T10:00:00.000+02:00

Today's photo is another Queen's Day flashback. Believe it or not, there is a canal in this photo somewhere! Somehow our boat driver did manage to navigate his way through all of this, although our crowd on the boat was neither paying attention or in a hurry...

Shane

Queen's Day - the details!

2007-05-13T23:53:00.000+02:00

Ok, so it has taken me nearly two weeks to get around to it, but here is the story of Queen's Day 2007. The simple summary - a Queen's Day never to be forgotten!

The big thing for Queen's Day is to get on a boat cruising the canals. We had not got around to it before, but this year some friends Garth and Cath had hired a boat, and managed to squeeze us on board, as well as find space for Dwayne and Lisa, our friends from Canberra who were visiting for the weekend.

We spent the weekend stocking up, and dutifully arrived at the meeting point weighed down with boxes of beer, bottles of wine and a suitable assortment of cheeses, olives, and all the sort of foods you need for an afternoon of cruising (and Dwayne had his hip flask of Bacardi - pure class!) . The weather was fab, and the plan was for six hours on the water.

Fifteen minutes or so after scheduled departure word came around that there was a bit of a delay with the boat. Did not seem surprising, since the canals were already packed, and a traffic jam was not unlikely. We cracked the drinks and got started anyway!

Half an hour later the word got much worse - our boat was not coming, double booked or some other story, but no boat. There we were - 50 of us abandoned on the wharf, more food and drink than you can imagine, dressed up and nowhere to go. Poor Garth and Cath - not their fault, but they were gutted.

But then someone came up with Plan B! Across the way was one of the Amsterdam tourist boats. Soon we had 50 lots of 10 euros, and we were off, piling on board and heading out on the canals. Due to the traffic, our 75 min cruise took a whole lot longer, and by the time we got back, we were having so much fun, we just bought another 50 tickets and went round again!

So we had our afternoon on the canals, partied like crazy, finally spent a Queen's Day on the water, made a bunch of new friends, and survived! Can't wait for next year...

As for the photo, this one is on the boat - you saw the last photo with me wearing the wig - that was not what I left home wearing. This joker hat was my original effort - not sure which was worse, but as you can see, we all had plenty of orange. More Dutch than the Dutch...

Shane

100th post!

2007-05-11T11:46:00.000+02:00

According to the admin part of my blog, this is my 100^th blog posting. When I started the blog, I was never sure that it would survive, so that seems like a bit of a milestone for actually sticking with it!

Anyway, earlier in the week, I promised some details of our Queen’s Day exploits. As it often does, the week has got away from me with so much going on at work, so that is a promise that will not be fulfilled for now. Will take the time over the weekend to tell that story. For today, I will let this photo speak for itself. It seems like a nice celebratory photo to go with the 100^th post on the site.

Shane

Whales at the White House

2007-05-09T08:28:00.000+02:00

This is just one of those great images that turns up at work from time to time. This photo is actually from Associated Press, and the accompanying caption read:

"A uniformed Secret Service officer, back to camera, talks with Greenpeace activists, two dressed as humpback whales, at at the northwest gate of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 8, 2007, as they unsuccessfully attempt to deliver over 30,000 petitions to President Bush urging him to help end Japan, and other nation's, commercial whaling ahead of the International Whaling Commission's meeting later this month."

Shane

It hasn't actually been that quiet...

2007-05-06T20:12:00.000+02:00

Although I have not managed to make a post for two weeks now, it has been anything but dull here in Amsterdam. In fact, it has been just the opposite, with a busy social agenda keeping us out until the wee hours of many of the balmy spring evenings here in Amsterdam.

It started on Anzac Day, when I made my first trip to Coco's Outback Bar, the Australian bar on Rembrandtplein that I have managed to avoid for more than three years. It turns out to be a pretty good bar. We joined a small Anzac service led by our friend Mick, then caught the World Cup Cricket semi-final against South Africa.

Friday night, we had a bar night on the roof terrace at work, and welcomed our friends Dwayne and Lisa from Australia. They picked the perfect weekend to be in town, both in terms of weather and parties!

Saturday night was back to Coco's for the World Cup final, and despite the chaos in the cricket, it was a good time that finished some time after 2am. Sunday was playing tourist with Dwayne and Lisa (including taking in the outdoors cafes, see photo above), then taking in the World Press Photo exhibition. This is a powerful exhibition of news media photos taken during 2006, and the exhibition displays the best entries. With a world at war in so many places, many of the images are very distressing, yet at the same time important. The winning image, taking during the war in Lebanon during the northern summer, told a story of what a contradictory world we live in.

Sunday night began the Queen's Day festivities. We spent most of the evening on the Reguliersdwarsstraat, an area known for it's gay bars. It was a hell of a party down there, with the entire street turned in to one big night club.

As for Queen's Day - it was definitely the best one I have had here - watch this space for the photos and the stories in the coming days...

Shane

Amsterdam Reflections

2007-04-22T20:22:00.000+02:00

And this is perhaps my favourite image from the weekend. I noticed this highly polished name plate just wandering along a canal, and finally found the right angle to catch a quintessential Amsterdam reflection.

Obligatory Amsterdam Bicycle...

2007-04-22T20:18:00.000+02:00

The nice part of this photo is the curves. There is no special trick here, no fish eye lens or anything, just the curves of the spot, including the way the bike is wrapped around the fence.

Tulips in a Window

2007-04-22T20:06:00.000+02:00

Day two of my photography course, and here are my pick of today's images. This one was taken through a window as I wandered past, hence the reflections.

Shane

The Gardens of the Rijksmuseum

2007-04-21T19:43:00.000+02:00

And this last one was in the gardens of the Rijksmuseum. More tomorrow...

Avenue of Trees on Museumplein

2007-04-21T19:40:00.000+02:00

Spring Blossom

2007-04-21T19:37:00.000+02:00

This one was just on Museumplein...

Weekend through a View Finder

2007-04-21T19:30:00.000+02:00

This weekend I am taking a two day photography course called "Learning to Love your Digitial SLR". Day one was pretty good, and I learnt a bunch of new stuff and got some useful tips. So I am just going to post some images over the next day or so that I manage to take during our 'field outings'...

This first one was taken at the Van Gogh Museum, trying to make the most of the reflective windows, and contrasting the older and newer buildings.

Shane

It's Getting Hot in Here

2007-04-20T15:34:00.000+02:00

While I was away in the US last weekend, the Netherlands recorded it's hottest April day ever, with the mercury reaching 28.9 degrees celsius.

The same day, the Rotterdam marathon, one of the higher profile marathons on the planet, was abandoned mid-race due to the extreme heat. By the time it was halted, at least 26 runners had been taken to hospital with heat related issues.

(It is worth noting here that when I raced Ironman Western Australia last year, it was around 28 degrees, but the Europeans just don't have the same sense of being able to do stuff in the heat).

Anyway, below is a brilliant video I picked up last night on Youtube. Well worth a watch...

Shane

New York billboard

2007-04-19T09:30:00.000+02:00

The picture tells the story - caught this one across the road from where I stayed in Manhattan last week.

Shane

Fifth Avenue

2007-04-18T14:05:00.000+02:00

This image just captures much of New York - taken on Fifth Avenue with American flags, yellow cabs and skyscrapers. The grand church provides a contrast.

Shane

Imagine

2007-04-15T21:41:00.000+02:00

Have spent a couple of days in New York this week at the United Nations, attending a symposium on whales, and their protection in the 21^st century. It was a very interesting couple of days, and a nice counterpoint to the ‘Normalisation’ meeting I went to in Tokyo in February. Next stop in the fight for the whales will be the International Whaling Commission meeting in Anchorage in May.

Anyway, I grabbed a few hours walking around New York on Saturday morning, including visiting a fabulous food shop called Zabar’s on the Upper West Side, and coming back via Strawberry Fields in Central Park.

And that of course is the source of today’s photo. The hardest part of getting this shot was beating the crowds to get a clear line of sight. And in the spirit of this, I thought I would include John Lennon’s lyrics in today’s blog…

Imagine there's no Heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one

Shane

The Bogan Burger

2007-04-13T18:04:00.000+02:00

Featuring yesterday in the Courier Mail, this beast is called the ‘Bogan Burger’. Targetted at "flannelette shirt, barrack for St Kilda" type customers, the $15.50 burger's (10 euros) big turkish bread roll is topped with a steak, a chicken schnitzel, a potato cake, bacon, egg, cheese, onion, pineapple and beetroot. It comes with a mountain of fat potato wedges, and salad.

Deakin University nutritionist Dr Tim Crowe estimates it would weigh in at 7000 kilojoules, which would single-handedly meet most people's daily kilojoule needs. He estimates it would also contain about 94g of fat.

Despite my high metabolism, and generally healthy appetite, I am not sure I could finish this. It reminds me of my Belgian pizza complete with chips and steak, which also get the better of me.

In a world where one in four teenagers has a daily fast-food fix, it seems there is no limit to the ways to over-indulge.

Shane

DC Metro

2007-04-12T18:20:00.000+02:00

Quick post today - a photo taken inside the Washington DC Metro. I find the design of the stations pretty interesting. For reasons that are unclear to me exactly, the stations always make me think of War of the Worlds (not the recent Tom Cruise version, but the narrated version that I listened to on records as a child...)

Shane

Too close to real?

2007-04-10T18:51:00.000+02:00

The best April Fool's jokes are those that have that air of being credible about them. And this one did. At one level it is appalling of course, but we live in such a crazy world that I did get an email from one of our team (for whom English is a second language) saying 'this is a joke, right?'. You can just picture some 'visionary entrepreneur' coming out with an idea like this, and trying to convince some government or company to pump money in to it...

Shane

Organic food sales climb

2007-04-10T13:38:00.000+02:00

Dutch consumers spent €460.3m on organic food last year, up almost €40m on 2005, according to Biologica.

Biologica is the Dutch umbrella organisation for organic farming and food. Founded in 1992, it brings together all players in the organic field, including farmers, traders, manufacturers and retailers.

I probably could have told you this anyway, based on my experience of the extensive queues I always seem to face at the local natuurwinkel (organics store). Not sure what is so appealing about standing in lines, but it does not really seem to bother the locals of my adopted place of residence. And apparently dairy products, meat and bread were particularly in demand, but that is no real surprise either, since that pretty much is the Dutch diet…

Shane

Stand and Deliver

2007-04-09T11:05:00.000+02:00

A recent story in Dutchnews reported that TNT Post is to cut its Dutch workforce by between 6,500 and 7,000 by 2010 and bring in a 30-month pay freeze. The job losses could reach 11,000, including compulsory redundancies, if unions don’t agree to a reduction in secondary benefits across the board, TNT Post said. ‘It is a question of the lesser of two evils,’ a spokesman told ANP. ‘Either more jobs go or people accept a pay cut. It is as simple as that.’

What the compassionate company spokesman failed to mention was that, according to research by the Volkskrant, TNT boss Peter Bakker saw his total pay package, including basic salary, bonus and pension contributions, rise 10.6% last year. And as for TNT itself? Net profit from ordinary operations was up 7.5% to €828m.

And as the unions pointed out, the pay freeze would only apply to senior management’s basic pay for one year.

But this probably does not seem like that remarkable a story. Unfortunately these stories abound.

Without getting too philosophical about the merits of communism, capitalism or any other economic and/or social model to organise a society around, it seems obvious to say that there has to be a limit. The case with TNT Post exemplifies greed and demonstrates a lack of humanity and compassion that drives our modern society. There are so many other examples – while executive salaries continue to blow out, and military spending grows, nurses and teachers are paid some of the lesser wages in our society, and we continue to cash in the environment at the expense of the generations to come.

We are all stuck together on this little blue planet – surely we can do a better job of getting our priorities right than our current collective efforts?

Shane

Can we get enough of spring?

2007-04-08T23:54:00.000+02:00

Went for a walk in the Vondelpark this morning, a beautiful Easter Sunday morning full of spring. I had always been taken by how exuberant Europeans were when the weather turned for the better. I guess I truly understand it now – after the long winter, and the dark days with weak sunlight, the spring feels so full of wonder. I know understand that urge just to be outside, to soak up the bursting energy of the new season.

Even in the city the signals from nature are so strong – the budding trees, the flowers, the change in the air. And here in Amsterdam, it is the birds – the ducklings, goslings, moor hen chicks and occasionally the cygnets.

Of course, the spring theme in this blog may be becoming a bit repetitive – sorry about that! Guess I have acclimatised just a bit too much. And I was picked up on a recent posting by my friend Missy M, a fellow Aussie, who wrote to me saying ‘what’s with the long warm summer – what about hot?’. She is right of course, although this is Amsterdam…

Shane

Let it Out

2007-04-06T00:33:00.000+02:00

The ancient forests of this world, such as Canada's boreal forests, are essential in fighting climate change and providing homes to wildlife like caribou, wolves, eagles and bears. Unfortunately, they are also pretty attractive to logging companies, and governments are pretty happy to let the companies get in there.

Kimberley Clark is the owner of Kleenex, one of the most popular brands of tissue products in the world. Unfortunately the company still reckons it is OK to clear cut ancient forests and turn them in to products that will get used once and then thrown away. Despite the fact that other companies can used recycled products, Kimberley Clark keeps on purchasing virgin fibre from endangered forests. You can read more about it here.

So Greenpeace has been on the case for a couple of years now, and recently did some culture jamming on Kleenex's flash new advertising push. The video below is completely self explanatory, but I thought it was worth including this quote from a contributor to Alternet, who described it this way:

"There are at least two reasons why you don't want to miss this: 1.) It's fun. That's all. That's the important part of any activism. It makes the lives of the people who do it more exciting, fun and meaningful -- which this action clearly does and 2.) They're not calling anyone evil or advocating for the disbanding of Kleenex's parent company Kimberly Clark. They're just saying, you know, please stop this totally unnecessary and irresponsible behavior so we can blow our noses without worrying about sullying some virgin.... er, forest."

Shane

Images of War

2007-04-05T18:05:00.000+02:00

The good weather on Sunday inspired us to head across town to visit the Jewish Historical Museum, to see an exhibition of works by Robert Capa. As the museum website says the “exhibition takes a broad look at the work of Robert Capa (1913-1954), the legendary war photographer and founder of modern photojournalism. His photos of the Spanish Civil War and D-Day are etched in everyone’s memory and have shaped our image of the twentieth century.”

A colleague at work told me about the exhibition, and it contained some powerful images. I did not consciously know of Capa before going, although as the introduction suggests, I have probably seen some of the more iconic images before. Capa’s power lay in capturing not so much the images of war, but of the people caught up in it. The exhibition was a series of strong black and white images that conveyed so much emotion. With informative display panels, it really was very interesting.

One panel noted a famous quote from Capa - "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." The irony in this quote is that like many war photographers, Capa was ultimately killed in the filed when he stepped on a land mine.

Showing at the same time was an exhibition of photos by the Dutch photographer Eva Besnyö (1910-2003). As this bio notes, her work “has featured in countless publications and exhibitions. Yet after her death many still unknown and previously unpublished photos were discovered in her archive.” The current exhibition presents a selection of these photos, and includes portraits of women taken in the 1930s, photos of postwar reconstruction in the Netherlands and a series of portraits made in the 1940s and 50s of artists, writers and actors.

Both exhibitions are showing until 20 May, and if you are in Amsterdam are well worth a visit.

The image here is one of my own. It is the building opposite the Jewish Historical Museum. I don’t know what the building is, but I found the lines interesting, and with the brilliant blue spring sky, thought it was a nice shot.

Shane

Another slice of spring

2007-04-03T15:16:00.000+02:00

Here is a another spring-like photo I took on the weekend - the Amstel River, just near the Waterlooplein. The classic Amsterdam postcard scene!

Shane

Spring is here!

2007-04-01T19:59:00.000+02:00

Spring has arrived with a vengeance this weekend in Amsterdam. The flowers have been out and the trees budding for several weeks now, but this weekend the temeprature actually felt like spring. And the citizens of this city responded emphatically, as they always do when the sun comes out, by heading out in droves. The cafes were packed, the street-side tables filled with people soaking up the rays. And the park was full as well, with people picnicking, playing football or just lying around.

We got in to the spirit of it, stopping at the Museum Plein in front of the Rijksmuseum for an impromptu picnic ourselves. There was not a lot of planning involved here - we dashed in to the Albert Heijn supermarket, grabbed a few goodies, and just went and sprawled on the grass, as so many others we doing. The wind was still a bit on the chilly side, and those getting around in just t-shirts clearly were overdoing it just a little, but the warmth on the skin was a wonderful feeling. May it be a long warm summer!

Shane

The Long Haul Home

2007-03-27T13:08:00.001+02:00

It really is a long way from Australia to Europe. I am writing from Singapore Airport, part way through my 32 hour extravaganza of travel from Canberra to Amsterdam.

Being back in Australia was great, even though the visit was short. I spent last week working in Sydney, with morning training session in the warmth and sunlight. Whether it was running around the Harbour foreshore or an outdoor swim at the salt water Boy Charlton pool, it was really energising to be out and about in warm, sunny weather.

Spent the weekend in Canberra, visiting family and friends. It was a flying visit, but lucky to grab the chance - I certainly couldn't pass up the chance to drop by Canberra after travelling all the way over for work.

I have this sense that I should be sitting here writing something witty about being in transit, amusing airport moments etc, but I suspect even if I tried it wouldn't flow - will just stick with this self potrait of me getting some work done in the airport lounge...

Shane

Walking back to the 80's

2007-03-26T15:22:00.000+02:00

Courtesy of this article in the Sydney Morning Herald, I have just come across two re-workings of some serious 80's moments.

Both tracks were done for Comic Relief in the UK, and are numbers one and two in the UK singles chart this week. The Proclaimers are number one with a remake of (I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles - check it out here. To be honest though, I prefer the version of Walk This Way, done by the Sugababes and Girls Aloud. I know nothing at all about either band, but I just liked their version - different enough from the original to be interesting, close enough to be fun. Check it out!

Shane

Big Green Spider

2007-03-14T19:48:00.000+01:00

A quick post today with my final photo from our trip to Belgium. It is hard to think of anything but a big green spider when looking at this tree stump in the forest, with the moss growing over it.

Shane

Belgian culinary masterpiece

2007-03-13T23:13:00.000+01:00

It is a great disappointment to me that I do not have a photo that goes with this story. You will see why shortly.

Instead the photo is from a different forest area to the last post. I find trees covered in mosses somehow very enchanting. They make me think of fairytales. Coming from such a dry continent, trees covered in mosses were only ever in story books. The tress where I grew up were nothing like this.

This is the only reason I can think of now to explain why I find them so fascinating as an adult. Anyway, because spring has not yet arrived, the trees are still quite barren, the forest floor covered in the litter of brown leaves, so the green trunks providing a striking contrast, a little of which I have cpatured in this image.

I am a bit frustrated by not being able to catch the real richness of colour that I saw, but I am enrolling in a photography course soon, so may learn some new tricks to get what I really want out of my photos.

So to my Belgian culinary experience. The Friday night we reached Haut Fays, we ended up in a nearby pizzeria. There are no restuarants or taverns in Haut Fays, but we found something a few k's down the road. Half way down the menu, I discovered the 'Belgian Pizza'. Nicky and I debated whether I could really even attempt it, but I just couldn't pass it up. This pizza came with the usuals - cheese, tomato, and then it had pieces of beef, and was topped off with chips (of the french fries variety!)

I had to order it to see if it was real. The waiter laughed when I ordered - that should have been a sign. Sure enough, it arrived, perhaps the biggest individual pizza you have ever seen, and then covered in chips as well! The bottom line - I couldn't finish it, didn't even get close, but I certainly had fun trying!

Shane

You have to be kidding me...

2007-03-11T14:26:00.000+01:00

Well, this is a bit of a mixed post. I still have some nice photos from our trip to Belgium last weekend, so I am going to keep posting them for a few days with some unrelated stories I want to write about.

Today's photo is from the forest near the village of Haut Fays. I liked this photo because it captures how stark the forest is at this time of year, with the bare trees, and the fallen leaves forming a carpet across the forest floor.

Photos aside, I just have to touch on a story I have just read on the BBC. The UK government is currently debating whether to renew their Trident missile system, which is basically Britain's nuclear bomb arsenal. Greenpeace UK has a whole lot more about it on their website.

The vote takes place in Parliament this week, and today's BBC story was about the split in Labour party ranks about the vote.

A BBC survey of Labour backbenchers found 64 out of 101 who responded opposed renewal. One ministerial aide has said he will resign over the issue.

But Defence Secretary Des Browne said he was "confident we will persuade people to come to our side".

Mr Browne went on to tell the BBC that the UK had an "obligation" to retain a deterrent as part of its membership of Nato.

He said: "It's not nearly as straightforward as people suggest. They sleep soundly in their beds at night because we have nuclear weapons."

Are you kidding me? This has got to be one of the most stupid things I have ever heard a politician say (and we have all heard some pretty stupid things come out thre mouths of some politicians).

Imagine the scenario for Mr Browne's children as he tucks them in to bed at night - "Sleep well son, and don't you worry - I know the planet is being cooked by greenhouse gases, and chemicals we emit make the planet more sick every day, but you can rest easy because if those nasty [Russians/terrorists/Iranians - insert choice of today's bogey man] nukes us while you are asleep, we will just nuke 'em right back..."

Perhaps I am just naive, or a bit of an idealist, but surely we can do better?

Shane

We're Back!

2007-03-08T22:41:00.000+01:00

How did it suddenly become two weeks since we last posted a blog piece? It seems life has been busy. Nicky is back from the Middle East and has had the flu.

At least she is trendy - it turns out that the Netherlands is now officially in the grip of a flu epidemic, according to health research group Nivel. Some 86 people per 100,000 are suffering from flu – the definition of an epidemic is 60 in 100,000. Reassuringly, the spokesperson for Nivel says there is no cause for alarm.

I have some new responsibilities at work, so that has upped the workload - certainly no space for making a quick post on the blog during 15 minutes of down time in the office!

And we just took a long weekend in the south of Belgium. We went to a little village called Haut Fays, in the Ardennes. It was a very pretty area with forest, small villages, good walking trails, a boulangerie right around the corner from where we were staying, good cycling, and interesting things and places to see. Will post some photos over the next few days. Today's photo is the town of Bouillon, set deep in a valley on a bend in the river, with the imposing castle set on the hill and the town grown around it. It was a great place to stop for lunch and walk around in.

Shane

Distilling the essence of us

2007-02-22T20:02:00.000+01:00

The double album Gossip was the very first Paul Kelly album I bought. I can’t remember when, but I guess it was around 1986. I am sure I nearly wore it out playing it (these were the days of vinyl), and I have been a fan ever since. I think of Paul Kelly as more of a story teller than a singer, with his marvellous ability to distil out the essence of humanity.

And living away from home in Europe, there is nothing like a dose of Paul Kelly to easily get back in touch with Australia. The nation, its icons and it psyche are embedded in his words.

I couldn’t name a favourite album or track. The catalogue is too vast, and there are so many tracks that have such gems in them. I am always finding something new in the songs, even tracks I have listened to many times. So I thought I would try and come up with a dozen. They are in no particular order, and I am sure this would be different on a different day, but here goes:

How to Make Gravy
To Her Door
I Can’t Believe we were Married
Sydney from a 747
Every f*#king City
Everything’s Turning to White (the same story on which the recent film Jindabyne is based)
Deeper Water
Winter Coat
Forty Miles to Saturday Night
From Little Things Big Things Grow (written with Kev Carmody)
When I First Met your Ma
The covers of It Started with a Kiss (original by Hot Chocolate) and Reckless (Australian Crawl)

Cricket is obviously a passion for Kelly, and is the spur for this post. Coming on top of the earlier numbers Bradman and David Gower (a hidden track on the album Comedy), Kelly has now recorded a song about Shane Warne. The notes introducing the track are thus:

“I was watching this year's Sydney Ashes test on TV around the same time as listening to Lord Kitchener's (aka Aldwyn Roberts) great calypso song London Is The Place For Me. The Kitchener tune suggested to me a new set of lyrics based on the adventures of Shane Warne.”

And in his unique way, Paul Kelly has captured the essence of a sportsman that has become a part of modern cricket folklore, and a part of modern Australian culture. The good, the unbelievable and the infamous are captured, all in four short minutes. But rather than me rave on, check it our for yourself…

Shane

Meanwhile, off the coast of Iran...

2007-02-19T02:11:00.000+01:00

Well its been a very eventful day. It started with the hope that we would still be able to enter Bushehr, the port in Iran we have been hoping to visit, and ended with dolphins playing off the bow as we sailed slowly out of the area tonight. Although disappointed that we haven't been given permission to enter Iran on this occasion, I am excited that we have begun our tour to bring our message of hope for a nuclear free middle east to this region.

As part of a series of activities on the Rainbow Warrior, in Israel outside the Parliament and in Istanbul we are pointing out that this region is at a nuclear cross roads - just about every country is considering 'going nuclear'. We are asking the people of this region a very serious question - is there any possible benefit of nuclear technology that outweighs the costs of a nuclear middle east?

Nuclear weapons provide no one with security and threaten everyone. Nuclear energy brings with it the enormous risk of accident and the danger it will be used to make nuclear weapons. And the crazy thing is that there is an alternative: research recently conducted by Greenpeace demonstrates that the people of the Middle East can easily meet their future energy needs through peaceful, renewable energy - which will actually be cheaper and therefore enhance economic development.

And although we haven't managed to visit Iran with the ship this time, we will be back. We have received enormous support from a great many people in Iran from NGOs, to politicians and other senior Iranians who want to work with us and are encouraging us to talk about this issue in their country. They share our vision of a green and peaceful future and we are looking forward to working with them towards our next visit to Iran.

For more information on the Rainbow Warrior's Tour of the Middle East visit this website.

Let the Sun Shine

Nicky

A slice of home....

2007-02-18T01:06:00.000+01:00

There’s little doubt about it – the Persian Gulf, 12 nautical miles off the coast of Iran is a long way from Bega. For those of you who don’t know, Bega is a small town on the south coast of Australia, not far from Canberra, most famous for it’s cheese factory and environmental activists being arrested in forest protests. So imagine my surprise when the cook brings out a tin of Bega cheese. As you can see from this photo, it's clearly made for export, with English on one side and Arabic on the other and bought in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. And for tinned, processed cheese, it didn't taste that bad either!

Nicky

Anything but Normal

2007-02-17T08:42:00.000+01:00

Not only was the ‘normalisation meeting’ pretty odd, the fallout afterwards has been anything but normal.

The two main newspapers in Nicaragua yesterday carried the scandal that the ‘representative’ of Nicaragua at the meeting did not have government authorisation to attend. As El Nuevo Diario reports, Miguel Marenco was officially on leave from his job at the Fisheries and Agriculture Department, but instead appeared in Tokyo representing his country and arguing in favour of whaling.

The group Club de Jóvenes Ambientalistas (rough translation: Club of Environmentalist Young People) obtained the above photograph of Marenco from the meeting in Tokyo and revealed his presence to the government, sparking the scandal.

And in Denmark, based on my reports from the meeting, Greenpeace issued a press release questioning whether the Danish representative, Ole Samsing, had really suggested excluding NGO’s and the media from IWC meetings. The media followed this up, and he repeated the comments, resulting in a media controversy. It is now also the subject of a parliamentary inquiry.

To their credit, the Danish delegates have traditionally opposed secret ballots at the IWC, despite their support for other pro-whaling initiatives. This reflects a national political culture, and is no surprise given that Denmark is the home of the Aarhus Convention. The Aarhus Convention is an international agreement signed by 40 (mostly European) countries which grants the public rights regarding access to information and public participation and access to justice in environmental matters.

The politics in the run up to the IWC in Anchorage in May will no doubt continue to be anything but normal!

Shane

So 'normal' means 'hunt more whales'...

2007-02-16T10:09:00.000+01:00

After three days of meetings in Tokyo, the pro-whaling members of the International Whaling Commission have concluded that the best plan to move forward is to keep hunting more whales.

The purpose of the meeting was to talk about how to ‘normalize’ the IWC. Before the meeting, we said that meant ‘commercial whaling’ in the eyes of this crowd, and it seems we were right.

The big move this morning was that the Japanese government presented a new proposal for what they claim is "small scale" coastal whaling, but rather than continue to call it science, it is now being referred to as "community whaling". However, the plan remains unaltered - to catch 220 whales, despite having virtually no market, no scientific justification, and no community benefit.

So the basic conclusion we draw from this meeting? Normalisation of the IWC' simply means continuing with the current situation - catch as many whales as possible. No new ideas have come from this meeting. The only concrete proposals are to have secret ballots at the IWC, to hold closed meetings, to exclude NGO's where possible, and to keep catching the same number of whales.

What has become very clear to me is that the IWC desperately needs to be modernised - to increase transparency, and to explore ways to protect whales for the future. The onus now clearly rests on the governments from other countries to seize the initiative, and make the IWC a body that works for the whales and not for the whalers.

It is hard to know how to describe the meeting – in some ways it was boring, in others fascinating. I have certainly never been to a meeting like it! But perhaps the best way to round out some reporting on this meeting is to let the delegates speak for themselves – I think these two quotes summarise it perfectly:

“I have worked for 25 years in European affairs and 13 years in the Brussels Council of Ministers, which works very well, because there is no access to meetings for press and NGO’s” – one delegate committed to transparency.

“I am a human being, and I get frustrated. I want to see the resumption of whaling as soon as possible” – the Chair of the meeting.

Shane

What does Normal mean?

2007-02-13T15:05:00.000+01:00

So today was the first day of the Japanese Government hosted ‘Normalisation’ meeting, intended to find a pathway to resume commercial whaling.

As I said yesterday, it was definitely a gathering of the countries who support whaling. Of course, I should have known that when you have a meeting of people that all agree with each other it is going to get boring, but this was worse than I could have imagined!

Greenpeace greeted delegates this morning as they arrived at the meeting with our new whale costume and name badges for each delegate with Japanese yen attached to them, symbolising the financial incentives offered to many countries to support Japan’s stance.

There was strong media interest in the event, with a scrum of camera’s for the start of the day. I also did a live appearance on BBC World from their Tokyo studio – you can see it on the web here.

The meeting itself was just plain odd. I have been to a few international political meetings in my time, but nothing like this. Overall it was a bit chaotic. The agenda is vague, and there is no real structure to the meeting. It seems the organisers probably have already written the final outcome, and are now wondering how to fill in the time before presenting it.

How can I draw this conclusion so early? Well, the Mission Statement for the meeting describes the aim of the meeting as being to “put forward specific measures to resume the function of the IWC as a resource management organisation”. The basically means hunting whales.

The morning session was basically countries making introductory speeches. Many countries complained bitterly about the 'boycott' by the anti-whaling countries, asking 'how can we have a dialogue if they don't come?'. This went on for a while until one delegate pointed out that the whalers had been boycotting the Conservation Committee in the IWC since it was formed several years ago!

One theme that came up was in talking about why the IWC is dysfunctional. A number of delegates put the blame with "extreme NGO's who are just out to make money" and also with the media. In response, a number of delegates suggested closed meetings of the IWC and/or secret ballots. Glad to see ideas of transparency are alive and well in this crowd!

I will finish with my favourite intervention of the day, which came from the delegate of St Lucia. It was in a discussion about why the anti-whaling countries took the stance they did, and he argued it is because they want to protect their livestock industries. The logic appeared to be that if whale meat was on the market, this would undercut the beef trade!

So we continue tomorrow – a fantastic way to spend Valentine’s Day!

Shane

Lost in Transit

2007-02-12T11:29:00.000+01:00

Well, it has been a bit quiet on the blog, due to crazy travel plans. I left Buenos Aires on Thursday, bound for Amsterdam via Sao Paulo and London. Got home around lunch time Friday, then flew out to Tokyo Saturday afternoon, got here lunch time Sunday, and straight in to some work. Hell of a travel plan, and don't even think about the CO2 emissions...

The reason for coming to Japan is to attend a meeting organised my the Japanese Government. Over recent years, they have increasingly talked about the need for 'normalisation' of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). This is basically code for a return to commercial whaling. So this meeting is really about commercialisation, not normalisation.

That said, we actually agree with the Japanese Government on one thing. There is definitely a need to reform the IWC. But we think it needs to be modernised. The convention governing the IWC was written in 1946, and it certainly does not reflect modern international environmental law norms. It needs greater transparency, the removal of the 'scientific' whaling loophole, and better monitoring and enforcement provisions.

And it needs to become an organisation that is about protecting whales. Whales face a myriad of threats in the oceans these days. Climate change, being struck by ships, pollution, getting caught in fishing nets and underwater noise all threaten whales, so the last thing they need is to be hunted. The IWC needs to become a whale conservation organisation, not a whale hunting group.

Anyway, this meeting is definitely a gathering of the whaler's club. Aside from Japan, there is Denmark, Iceland and Norway, plus all of the small countries that Japan pays for to be part of the IWC. All of the countries who are against whaling have decided not to attend, saying that the meeting is outside the IWC, so has no formal status. Unfortunately, Switzerland decided to attend. It seems sometimes neutrality can get in the way of common sense.

And then there is us! Junichi, from Greenpeace Japan, and myself will have to sit through three days of bad science, misleading population figures, and false argument about cultural heritage. I have just finished a background briefing document called "Whalers Myths - And the Reality". It is not posted on the web yet, but I will insert a link when I have one.

So watch this space - should be some interesting political snippets in the next few days.

Shane

Setting Sail

2007-02-08T13:15:00.000+01:00

We are now on our way to Doha and hopefully the wind will be enough to use the sails again. It's very rare that we use only sails (the wind has to be in exactly the right direction) but using a combination of sails and engine makes a big difference to the amount of fuel we have to use. It's also really nice to see the Rainbow Warrior under sail. Apparently though, the weather is set to get worse and the captain is predicting an unpleasant trip - keep your fingers crossed for me.

Nicky

Watching is not enough

2007-02-07T19:40:00.000+01:00

Here is another TV ad about whales that was made by Greenpeace Australia Pacific. The footage of the whale fighting for it's life is taken from our expedition to the Southern Ocean last year. This whale was harpooned three times, with several other shots missing. More than 35 minutes elapsed between the time the whale was first struck by a harpoon, and when it finally died. It was a very surreal experience to witness something so cruel. And gut wrenching. Gut wrenching because we have been unable to protect this whale from its pursuers. But the fight goes on, and we will bring an end to this. If you are tired of just watching, we know have a dedicated online community who are campaigning to protect whales - all it takes is a click to get involved.

Shane

What are you doing in Bahrain??

2007-02-06T15:39:00.000+01:00

Hello to everyone from Bahrain. What are we doing in Bahrain do you ask? Well it seems that our team working on genetic engineering in the region has been so successful that the authorities are a little concerned about us, and hence have refused to give the ship permission to enter Kuwait.

So, we’ve sailed from Abu Dhabi to Bahrain, and it seems that we will be here for the next few days before heading to our next port of call, Doha in Qatar. Ironically we are berthed about 300m from the American nuclear submarine that collided with a Japanese oil tanker in the Gulf just a few weeks ago. We had to pass quite close to the Sub on the way into port yesterday and the Americans were none to pleased to see us. It seems that the local Bahraini’s are less than excited about the Americans as well, with the Pilot on board at the time, responsible for navigating our ship in his harbour, deliberately sailing closer than the Americans were comfortable with. They have large speed boats in the water with guns attached circling the submarine all the time and security patrolling the docks.

With our changed itinerary, we have a little more time on our hands, and are actually having some days off while we are here. So far I have managed to get some swimming done and also find myself a Thai massage. Bahrain is probably the most relaxed of the Gulf states when it comes to women and westerners more generally – alcohol is readily available for example - so it’s certainly a more relaxed place to stay than some of the other countries in the region.

That being said however, I was quite looking forward to going to Kuwait. Greenpeace was there after the 1991 Gulf War and it was going to be very interesting to be on the return visit.

Nicky

Peaceful Energy in Abu Dhabi

2007-02-05T21:13:00.000+01:00

So we’ve left Abu Dhabi which was the first stop in the Energy & Disarmament part of the tour. I didn’t see very much of anything except the port, but the work and has given us a very successful start for the tour.

We held a well received press conference on board launching "Energy Revolution - a Pathway to a Sustainable and Clean Energy Future for the Middle East" – find it here. The press conference was attended by CNN web in Arabic, Al Fajr daily, Akhbar al Arab, Gulf News, Emirates Today, Al Emarat al Yom, Khaleej Times, Al Bayan daily and Al Khaleej daily. Gulf News, one of the english language dailies, printed a particularly nice story, with the rest of the page taken up by other stories on renewable energy which reinforced our messaging very well.

As well as the press conference we also hosted a VIP reception as well as about 120 school children and another 100 our so members of the public during an open boats. All the children were from the French School – the teacher told me it was important that the children know all about the Rainbow Warrior.

Nicky

Illusions of Palermo

2007-02-04T19:35:00.000+01:00

Last night I witnessed a murga. I did not know what it was at the time, but I went running with one of my Argentinean colleagues this morning, and got the low down. My attention was drawn last night by the infectious sound coming from around the corner from my apartment. I wandered down to have a look, and found the street closed, with a small parade going on.

It turns out it was a murga, and the one I saw was the Illusions of Palermo. The murga was originally brought to Uruguay and Argentina by African arrivals. Apparently these days they are more popular in Uruguay, and generally linked to Carnivale. The fact that they are less developed in Argentina seems to be because they were banned by the military government, and have only re-established in recent years.

In Uruguay particularly, they are a form of political expression, often considered to represent the voice of the people in their lyrics. Wikipedia has a more detailed story on it, although it makes it sound rather more formal that what I saw last night.

Anyway, it was pretty colourful and energetic, and certainly brought some life to the sleepy little neighbourhood I am staying in!

Shane

It is Whaling Season again...

2007-02-02T16:46:00.000+01:00

Right now, the Japanese whaling fleet is just off the coast of Antarctica in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, hunting minke whales and endangered fin whales. Like last year, our Greenpeace ship Esperanza is on the way to try and stop them. All the details and latest stories, photos and tales from the team onboard are here.

This morning, I have just received the video below from my colleagues in Greenpeace Spain. I think it is both clever and poignant.

Back on Track

2007-02-01T22:42:00.000+01:00

So I may have lost several kilos, but I am back on track, having got over my bout of food poisoning. My last day in Santiago was spent with the team from Greenpeace Chile, dreaming up some great plans for their office to work on defending the oceans.

Next stop on this trip is Argentina. I am now here in Buenos Aires with the Greenpeace team. The weather is hot – over 30 degrees and humid, and it really feels like summer, unlike the tepid ones we get in Europe!

The photo above is the last one from Santiago – another of those interesting reflections I saw while I was there.

Shane

Laid out Flat

2007-01-31T00:57:00.000+01:00

After my initial post from Santiago the other day, things have gone a little downhill. It was all going nicely, the weather continues to be great, I have some more pictures to post, and I have linked up with my colleagues from Greenpeace Chile.

Then this morning I woke up what appeared to be food poisoning. So nothing has happened today, except for what people with food poisoning do (I don’t think the details are required here…). Being in a hotel is probably not the best place for this, although fortunately I had a couple of bottles of Gatorade already here – the perfect combination of energy, fluid and salts for just such an occasion.

Around lunch time, I decided that a trip to the local pharmacy was necessary to help me recover. So I dragged myself out of bed, and hobbled down the street, looking like an old man in my fragile state. All was going well until that familiar urge started building in my stomach. The helpful (English speaking) guy in the pharmacy was explaining to me how often to take the tablets, as I started to break in to a sweat. I shoved some money at him, then (probably pretty rudely) grabbed the change and tablets, and bolted for the door. The security guard looked at me strangely as I ran past him convulsing, as I dived outside and vomited straight in to the gutter.

Now that probably sounds pretty gross, and I am sure it was quite a sight for the lunch time work crowd. But it is also just one of those travel tales that can be darkly humorous, and as I am slowly recovering this evening, I am starting to see a pretty funny side to it.

Have just had the first sense of feelng hungry all day, so here’s hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Shane