dirty shitty things

'Clean Coal' may be to some a dirty lie, but to me it is an endless excuse to poke fun at this silly idea that has yet to be proven in the actual real world on a commercial scale. Ever. In the actual real world, however, the increasingly desperate coal lobby is dreaming up more and more crazy, cost-ineffecient and often dangerous methods of capturing carbon dioxide and pumping it deep into the ground. Seriously, if you've had enough of doom and gloom just take a quick squiz at the the DPI's brochure entitled 'Putting the Carbon Back' or my personal favourite for Most-Shameless-Business-Name-Ever-Award Environmental Clean Solutions. I guarantee it, you will be ROFLing on the carpet with bitter tears streaming from your eyes.
On a more serious note however, the next few weeks will be make-or-break-time for the dodgy HRL project that has been limping along for the last 7 years. There is a rally (Feb 1, 12.30, Parli). You should go there.

year for hanging out with books

Happy new year! I'm so excited! Why? Because 2012 is the National Year of Reading! Not that I need that as an excuse to spend time with my nose in a book, but somehow it seems to justify the little pile of Too-Many-Books-To-Possibly-Read-At-Once beside my bed. At the moment I am dividing my attention between Radical Melbourne, one of SLV's recommended summer-reads, and Janet Frame's The Carpathians. I've been on a bit of a Frame kick of late and have been trying to convince N to watch An Angel At My Table for the third time. Apart from the fact it is amazing, I just adore that scene where little-Janet has won a year-long membership to the Athaeneum Library, and she goes there and is overwhelmed by all these amazing books. Its a tearjerker, that's for sure, not to mention a reminder that libraries are super important and lovely.