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Following up on the links about Climate Change yesterday I neglected to mention the appearance of James Lovelock, the respected British environmentalist who developed the Gaia theory, on BBC Radio 4's Start the Week.

Basically Gaia theory promotes the idea that the earth is a complete eco-system which is self regulating, but by affecting one part of it you affect the whole. During the interview James Lovelock expands on his view that we have reached the point in climate change where the only 'practical' proposition is to use nuclear energy. It's a fascinating interview which you can hear again by going to the programmes website here.
 

March to Prevent Climate Change Chaos

Yet more climate change news - there is to be a march in Central London on Wednesday 1 March. The march is being organised by the umbrella organisation 'Stop Climate Chaos' which includes groups as diverse as the Women's Institute and Greenpeace. All the details are available from their website here.

Take care - Wildberry

As parts of Europe undergo their coldest winter for many years reports of global warming and climate change can seem a little abstract, but the reality of a report published today by the UK Government is that rising concentrations of greenhouse gases may have more serious impacts than previously believed.

The report, Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change, collates evidence presented by scientists at a conference hosted by the UK Meteorological Office in February 2005. The conference set two principal objectives: to ask what level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere was too much, and what the options were for avoiding such a level.

You can see a video report from the BBC online showing concerns over the reductions on the Greenland ice shelf here.

The Hadley Centre is part of the UK Meteorological Office and generally considered to be a world leading centre of climate change research. They have a number of excellent booklets, free to download, giving the up-to-date understanding of the climate change problem.

The real price of cheap air travel?

An article in yesterdays Observer, which you can read online here, talks about the small but growing band on people choosing to cut down their flying or not to fly at  all. There is no doubt that air travel has a major impact on climate change, but also a massive impact on our local environment with aircraft noise, increased traffic flow etc. Apart from anything else travelling by air is generally a very unpleasant experience. Try travelling across Europe by train you'll be surprised how much nicer than travelling by plane it is!

Another link that might be of interest is the Pledge Against Airport Expansion. They say, 'the Pledge Against Airport Expansion was launched on October 8th, 2004 by a coalition of environment, transport and airport campaign groups. The organisations behind the pledge all oppose the government's plans to expand airports. They argue that there are far more effective ways to manage the rapidly growing demand for air transport.'
 

Now what time was that train? - Wildberry

The World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) formed from two individual groups that were holding almost the same event, each without knowing of the existence of the other. Artists for Peace in Canada and Manifestación Ciclonudista in Spain had very similar messages protesting about the dependence on oil, a concern that hasn't diminished any in the recent past.

In June 2004 the WNBR group was formed to co-ordinate a large international event involving many different activist groups across the World. The World's first international naked bike ride in 2004 was a collaboration between the WNBR group which rode on June 12th and Manifestación Ciclonudista in Spain which rode on June 19th.

There is much more a about the history of naked cycling on the WNBR site.

A very interesting feature of the early advertising of bicycles is the beautiful artwork in the style of Mucha, much of which seems to feature naked women.

There are currently dozens of rides listed on the WNBR site for this year, why not check it out a join on to a ride near you.

Be careful out there - Wildberry

I'm so pleased to see that the Office of Fair Trading in the UK, have agreed to investigate the rapid expansion of supermarkets. This particularly a concern for small shopkeepers. According to the Association of Convenience Stores 2,000 independent shops went out of business in 2004! If we allow this state of affairs to continue the only choice in any high street will be between one of the big four supermarkets.

Friends of the Earth are championing this cause. Please go to their website from there you can send an email to Alan Johnson MP the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry asking him for:

• Legally binding rules to ensure all suppliers are treated fairly;
• Independent regulators to ensure these rules are followed;
• Support for local shops from local authorities and Government;
• Accountability for internationally recognised workers' rights.

Just a quick note for your diary; if you haven't seen McLibel the film by Franny Armstrong about Helen Steel and David Morris's court case with McDonalds it's going to be reshown on BBC4. I covered the whole thing here before - if you're interested look back via the search - anyway the film is to be shown on BBC4 on Monday 30 January as part of their 'Ready Meals Night'.

In fact there are some other good programmes on, so here is the listing.

Monday 30 January

21:00 Ready Meals: Britain in a Box
Time Shift: A look at Britain's love affair with pre-packaged cuisine and what it says about our contemporary lifestyle and society. Part of BBC FOUR's Ready Meals Night.

21:40 Butterflies
As part of BBC FOUR's Ready Meals Night, a classic episode of Carla Lane's 1980s sitcom, starring Wendy Craig as domestically-challenged Ria, and Geoffrey Palmer as Ben, her lugubrious husband.

22:10 Meades Eats: Fast Food
Restaurant critic, writer and broadcaster Jonathan Meades takes an acerbic look at fast food. [S] Part of BBC FOUR's Ready Meals Night.

22:40 McLibel: Storyville
The inside story of the longest trial in English legal history, when a postman and a gardener took on McDonald's £10 million legal team. [AD] Part of BBC FOUR's Ready Meals Night.

00:00 Ready Meals: Britain in a Box
Time Shift: A look at Britain's love affair with pre-packaged cuisine and what it says about our contemporary lifestyle and society. With contributions from Matthew Fort and Sheila Dillon.

00:40 Pile It High, Sell It Cheap: Time Shift
How has the convenience of the supermarket changed our lives? This film looks at the spectacular rise of the supermarket over the past 50 years, and its consequences for society. [S]

01:20 Afghan Ladies' Driving School
The last time filmmaker Sean Langan visited Afghanistan, the country was at the height of the Taliban regime. Returning, Sean finds women enjoying new freedom. Is Afghanistan on the road to democracy?

02:20 McLibel: Storyville
The inside story of the longest trial in English legal history, when a postman and a gardener took on McDonald's £10 million legal team. [AD]

03:40 Ready Meals: Britain in a Box
Time Shift: A look at Britain's love affair with pre-packaged cuisine and what it says about our contemporary lifestyle and society. With contributions from Matthew Fort and Sheila Dillon.

Keep warm - Wildberry

 

To my list of internet radio stations I should have added the list of UK and Irish Radio Stations Broadcasting on the Internet, their website is here.

Other guides are:

Radio-Locator - (formally the MIT list of radio on the internet)
An absolutely daunting number of links! A very good search facility, but also with irritating pop-ups that got through my pop-up blocker! They say Radio-Locator 'lists all known sites on the Internet that publish information about broadcast radio stations. Although we strive for accuracy, the maintainers of this list are not responsible for the information pointed to by these links. While there are several other extensive lists of radio stations available on the World Wide Web, radio-locator is, to the best of our knowledge, the most comprehensive. Feel free to make links to this page.'

Radio Free World - 'RFW is a media guide and Webcaster dedicated to the idea that people deserve to experience many alternatives when it comes to entertainment and information. Our programs feature eclectic music and spoken word submitted by * independent * artists.' Sounds good to me.

Wildberry

One of the best developments to come out of the whole internet 'revolution' has to be the availability of good radio wherever you may be. I suppose when I say good radio I really mean radio I like! But that's all good ever means really isn't it!

My favourite as I've said before is Whole Wheat Radio (I'm listening as I write this), broadcast from a 12ft x 12ft cabin (above - yes it's true!) in the depths of chilly Alaska by two of the most genuine people you could ever hope to hear coming out of your radio. Plays a variety of music including folk, rock, blues, bluegrass with many singer/songwriters, but always independent artists. Highly recommended.

I thought it might be useful to a have a round-up of the stations I've come across. A list like this could never be comprehensive just because new stations are being established every day - it's a big exciting radio world out there. Of course these tend to be internet only stations, but the majority of conventional stations also broadcast online. If you're outside the UK for the true British experience tune in to BBC Radio 4.

If you come across any stations you like please let me know and I'll add them to the list.

FolkAlley.com went online in September 2003, offering live-streaming music over the Internet 24 hours a day. The hosted stream is produced by WKSU-FM in Kent, OH, which also built and maintains the web site. The Folk Alley playlist is created by senior host, Jim Blum, and Folk Alley Music Director Linda Fahey and features a distinctive blend of the best of singer/songwriter, Celtic, acoustic, Americana, traditional, and world sounds.

Grassy Hill Radio They say ' the Internet's finest all-music folk/acoustic stream.'
They also hold Grassy Hill Barn Concerts, a monthly series of folk concerts in the beautiful rural hills of Lyme, CT.

Hober was the first internet radio station I listened to. Broadcasting from a Dome in the forest just outside Washington DC, they play a great selection of folk, country, indie, bluegrass and others besides.

The Online Folk Festival is new to me, I haven't had a chance to tune it yet, but I like the look of the music they play. Their tag line is 'The Online Folk Festival--because you're not a corporate music drone!'. Sounds good to me!

The Grain Division - This is a bit of a mystery, I have this station on my favourites and I don't know where it came from, who recommended it (apologies if it was you), so obviously I've not listened it - but I will! They say 'This site is home to The Grain Division internet radio, and web presence for our regular free showcase event, The Grain Division.com Presents... at Carpe Diem, Leeds, every 3rd Saturday of the month. We also offer free airtime and profile promotion to independent and unsigned bands from all over the world.' and they're based in the UK!

WUMB Folk Radio is based at The University of Massachusetts in Boston. 'WUMB Radio is dedicated to produce, acquire, and disseminate high quality, diverse and valued public service radio programming to significant audiences. The radio station is committed to serving as a local and national resource for the cultivation, promotion and preservation of various genres of folk music through its radio programming and selected enterprises.'
 

Well that should keep you listening for a while! More to follow and please send in your favourites. Wildberry

I know it seems a long way off but this years 24 hour Tea & Coffee break is on the 10 March. Last year we had a great fairtrade open day at home and had even more visitors than usual. We made lots of home made cakes with as many fairtrade ingredients as possible.

If you have the opportunity please do what you can, even if you just invite your neighbours around for a cup of fairtrade coffee - every little helps. This isn't just about raising money, although Action Aid did receive £50,000 last year, I think the more important issue is to raise awareness of the huge number of fairtrade products in the shops.

On the Action Aid website are list of celebrity sponsors commenting on who they'd like to invite to take tea with them, including the lovely Emily Watson .....

"Alfred the Great. Just for a chat and he might bring cake.” Emily Watson

For links to the Fairtrade Foundation and all things fairtrade, look in the Fairtrade section of the Directory.
 

Santa Fe Farmer's Market

A belated thank you to Rewoven, a listener to Whole Wheat Radio, who  recommended the Santa Fe Farmers' Market for entry in to he directory. See the listing here.

Have a good weekend - Wildberry

I'm pleased to see that Greenpeace are still protesting against the sickening excuse for science that is the Japanese whaling industry. Under the thinly veiled pretence of scientific research the Japanese resumed whaling in 1987. To draw attention to the ongoing situation German Greenpeace protestors have dumped a 20 ton fin whale, that washed up dead on a German beach, on the steps of the Japanese embassy in Berlin.

Read more from the BBC website here. German Greenpeace.

Wildberry

Apologies for the break in the blog I just seem to have been suffering from a bit of post Christmas lethargy. But I'm with it now and raring to go! Well we'll see shall we.

Wildberry