Another one from Marc Morano:
Leonardo Di Caprio talks to USA Weekend Magazine.
Leonardo DiCaprio lives in a “green” house, eats organic food and drinks filtered water instead of bottled. Now he has made an eco-documentary, The 11th Hour, a 91-minute film that he produced and narrated. It opens in the next few weeks around the country. DiCaprio, 32, talks with us about how we affect the Earth and what we can do to change course.
Excerpt: Q: Can the members of this generation become activists, or are they too consumed with entertainment and purchasing power?
“It has to start with things like this documentary. We need to get kids young. That’s where it started with me. I can remember watching documentaries in which I learned about mass extinctions of species in rain forests. That emotionally engaged me as a young kid, and I said to myself, ‘When I grow up, I’d love to make a difference in this field.’
More brainwashing for children?
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
Greenpeace supports Leonardo. The more radical Glen Berry calls Leonardo a ” celebrity environmentalist” that uses private jet plane to promote his movie. He urges people to send protest letters to Leonardo etc.
I prefer to call him a ‘rich celebrity know-nothing.’ ‘Environmentalism’ is very trendy if you are rich and are insulated from ‘green taxes’ etc.
Oh good lord save us from Look At ME celebrities…I’ve run out of room in the vegie patch to hide the bodies of those who p!ss me off.
‘I prefer to call him a ‘rich celebrity know-nothing.’ – Biggsy
RAOTFLMAO… Coming from a ‘chippy medical researcher on a mission, with no scientific experience in the field of climate but lots of experience of vivisection’??…
So much for all the articles bewailing greenie character assassination and dogma obstructing real science that have been posted here recently.. Mainly quoting scientists who are studiously ignoring the fact that the fastest way to lose your research grant is to come up with scientific findings your research facility / university’s corporate sponsors dont like…
No experience of vivisection, and a degree in Biological Sciences – what is Leo’s degree in?
You didn’t tell us about your qualifications!
The fastest way to lose your job or grant is to be sceptical about a climate catastrophe due to man-made plant food gas. It’s happened to state climatologists in the USA, and a meterologist that springs to mind in Holland.
Most research money comes from the Government, and sceptical science is very poorly funded by comparison. The global warming gravy train carries a lot of passengers.
The same level of qualifications to be discussing environmental issues as you do Biggsy, along with an equal ability to cut, paste and sound bite… although I don’t have affiliations with motoring organisations…
No experience of vivisection, and a degree in Biological Sciences – Paul
Disingenuous Biggsy, you work in medical research –
Human Adenovirus Type 2 but Not Adenovirus Type 12 Is Mutagenic at the Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase Locus of Cloned Rat Liver Epithelial Cells.
– Christos Paraskeva, Carl Roberts, Paul Biggs and Phillip H. Gallimore
‘Most research money comes from the Government, and sceptical science is very poorly funded by comparison.’ – Paul
At least you got the first part right Biggsy, however its the corporate gravy train that runs governments and carries a lot of passengers…
How many ex government ministers do you see working for Greenpeace and then compare it with how many are now working in industries their old departments oversee…
The fastest way to lose your job or grant is actually to be sceptical about the biotechnology industry and corporate sponsorship of science that the Labour government in the UK has repeatedly issued white papers in support of, re-organised government departments like MAFF to accomodate, along with altering Government research facilities and university funding to enforce; examples of government GM and BSE experts right here in the UK spring to mind…
Now where did that latest UK Foot and Mouth outbreak originate?.. Oh yes, a corporate funded research laboratory into animal vaccines, nice to know their biohazard precautions are a priority eh?….
Boy – that’s an old one! – I did the cytogenetics on the cell line I was given, which is my speciality. Must be early 1980’s. I moved on to human only cytogentics in 1990.
This one is more up to date:
Blood, 1 January 2002, Vol. 99, No. 1, pp. 300-309
Ataxia telangiectasia mutated-deficient B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia occurs in pregerminal center cells and results in defective damage response and unrepaired chromosome damage
Tatjana Stankovic, Grant S. Stewart, Christopher Fegan, Paul Biggs, James Last, Philip J. Byrd, Russell D. Keenan, Paul A. H. Moss, and Alexander M. R. Taylor
Not sure what foot and mouth has to do with global warming – unless foot and mouth is another result of the global warming catastrophe!
If only I’d starred in Titanic, I would then be more qualified to talk about environment, and icebergs.
‘Not sure what foot and mouth has to do with global warming’ – Paul Biggs
We were discussing where government’s loyalties lay and you were propagating the neoconservative ‘its all a greenie plot’ schtick.. in the face of a mountain of evidence available to the contrary.
Admittedly before that, you were sticking the tabloid boot into DiCaprio.
‘what I’m trying to advocate as much as possible — is just being smart about what it means to be a consumer. Every time you put money down to pay for something, you’re advocating the way that company does business. If they have a terrible environmental practice, you’re then contributing to that in some way.’ – Leonardo DiCaprio, USA Today
Gives it a rather different slant to Biggsy’s brainwashing children angle, eh?…
I have lots of affiliations, including the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Border Collie Trust, Tax Payers’ Alliance, Jaguar Drivers Club (even though I don’t own a Jag), ABD, ex-RSPB, ex-GreenPeace, non of which pay me any money or alters science, or the inability to demonstrate big warming by CO2.
“If they have a terrible environmental practice” – what ‘terrible environmental practices’ are allowed under current laws?
More likey that ‘terrble environmental practices’ have been moved to the likes of China, thanks to Kyoto.
Unfortunately, not all consumers have the spending power of DiCaprio.
People are rather fed up of rich celebs telling them what to do, which is why Gore’s ‘Live Earth’ bombed, and the BBC have abandoned the planned day long ‘climate change special.’
If the likes of DiCaprio set themselves up
as living some sort of morally superior life to the rest of us, then they must be prepared for criticism.
Genuine ‘greens’ are concerned about the environment on a factual and practical basis, as opposed to ‘water melons’ who are red on the inside, green on the outside.
‘If only I’d starred in Titanic, I would then be more qualified to talk about environment, and icebergs.’ – Paul
Top notch objective scientific analysis going on there Biggsy..eh?
So with the exception of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, not much ‘genuine’ green going on in Biggsy’s background then (gotta love the aspirational Jag Drivers membership).. indeed why shorten the name of the Association of British Drivers?
‘water melons’ who are red on the inside, green on the outside. ‘ – Paul
‘Genuine greens’ don’t start implying others are Commies when their credentials are questioned… right wing neoconservative propaganda spokespersons on the other hand are very fond of the ‘watermelon’ analogy… Maybe its just a co-incidence.. maybe…
‘It is not the first time Mr Durward and Mr Adams have worked together on a political campaign. Two years ago they joined forces – again with Mr Durward supplying the cash – for the launch of the Scientific Alliance, an organisation set up to counter prevailing environmental thinking..
Mr Durward, who owns Cloburn Quarry near his home in south Lanarkshire, blamed environmentalists for the aggregates tax which imposed a levy of £1.60 on every ton of the red granite he extracted from his operation.’
– The Scotsman
The Scotsman newspaper reported that on contacting the Alliance to ask about Durward’s role, ‘after some uncertainty, the switchboard it shares with a number of other firms denied any knowledge of Mr Durward’s existence. Matthew Drinkwater, the one person responding to calls to its offices, could also be contacted by ringing the offices of Foresight Communications.
Foresight Communications is a PR firm established by Mark Adams in January 2001. As well as The Scientific Alliance, its client list includes the British Aggregates Association and the New Party for Britain (also known as the People’s Alliance). The New Party – also the name of Oswald Mosley’s first party – is so right-wing that David McLetchie, the Tory leader in Scotland, where it operates, has called it ‘fascist and undemocratic’.
” We must ditch this politically correct, self-destructing agenda and get back to the basics of promoting a forward looking, exciting and fun society, in which we may all prosper. Perhaps it is now time for Tony to try the ‘fourth’ way, declare martial law and let the army sort out our schools, hospitals and roads as well. Who knows, they might even manage to put the Great back into Britain.”
– Robert Durwood.
Note for younger readers – Oswald Mosely was the leader of the fascist movement in the UK in the 1930s and pro Nazi.
“Note for younger readers – Oswald Mosely was the leader of the fascist movement in the UK in the 1930s and pro Nazi.”
Dunno who this Mosley guy was. Maybe it was a ” sin of the youth”?
Director Ingmar Bergman was a member of the Nazi Party until 1946 as well as Ingvar Kamprad , the billionaire owner of IKEA.
Our Queens father was a longtime member of the German Nazi Party back in the 30′ and 40′.
Lamna – I’ve already cut you too much slack for an unverifiable anonymous poster – no more warnings – your posts become spam, which in truth, they already are.
A correction re my above post. I DO know now who this British Mosley was. My comment on him was a bit silly since I misunderstood Lamna’s comment.
‘unverifiable anonymous poster’ – Paul
Jen has my details, you however are unlikely to earn them by threatening censorship as a response to the production of verifiable facts concerning Robert Durward, who is a major financial backer of the Scientific Alliance.
Attempting to classify verifiable fact as ‘spam’ and threatening censorship for posting it, is unlikely to go down well with any institution currently archiving Jen’s blog for posterity in a democratic country..
In view of your own comments regarding the funding of environmental NGOs however your reaction is highly illuminating for readers.. no rebuttal, just a threat.
Attempted intimidation in the face of uncomfortable information is not an editorial tool that increases your credibility Paul..
I’m dead tired of celebrities making PR for the environment. They don’t live up to the cause and their life styles are superfiscial and enviro harming. Maybe they are donating money to NGOs to make more PR for themselves.
This seems to be the cause with Hollywood stars like Leonardo and Jessica Alba. I have got newsletters from IFAW to go and watch their new movies.
What has really Jessica Alba got to do with the environment. When I go to the store to buy a magazine I see the shelves are full of ” diet with Jessica” , ” get a Jessica body and face “, check out Jessica’s boob job”, ” check out Jessicas before and after plastic surgery job” etc. What has this to do with environmentalism?
It’s the hypocracy that I oppose. The narcissitic Hollywood stars that promote enviro friendly life styles and are opposed to animal cruelty are big consumers of the beauty industry, read the botox-injection industry against wrinkles. This industry is involved in an enormous torture to animals.
Read about the cruelty in the botox-industry:
http://www.experimentation-animale.org/animaux_concernes/rongeurs/toxine_botulique.html
Jessica Alba who promotes IFAW, an animal welfare NGO, is certainly not the right person to speak up for the animals as she is a user of botox-injections herself!
Lamna – if you persist with cowardly personal attacks – you’ll have to come out of hiding – I don’t have a photograph of you, details of your qualifications, where you work, your affiliations, your publications etc.
There was case just this last week, someone using a blog and a pseudonym slandered a publically listed company,
result: blog shut down, author in hiding.
The problem was that the author accused the company of fraud.
Lamna needs to grapple with reality not fantasy.
Still no rebuttal from Biggsy.. so its Rog who needs to grapple with reality not fantasy…
‘I don’t have a photograph of you, details of your qualifications, where you work, your affiliations, your publications etc.’ – Paul
Plenty of information in the archive of this blog Biggsy.. you will have to dig elsewhere for a piccy however since I have the perfect face for radio, its probably inadvisable…
Lamna – whoever you are – you don’t like a level playing field, so go play somewhere else.
I take it that means Biggsy is not going to rebut the Scientific Alliance’s funding details..
This blog has never been a level playing field, however Jen’s consumate skill has been in keeping enough environmentalists engaged in the debate to give it media relevance.. you could learn from that Paul, instead of maxing your testosterone levels on a blog people from both sides of the debate and the middle ground currently read quite regularly, which is a genuinely rare thing..
One sided mutual congratulation and polemic is not a debate and makes for very dull reading…
Actually, that reminds me – I forgot to mention the Scientific Alliance in my affiliations list.
‘”If they have a terrible environmental practice” – what ‘terrible environmental practices’ are allowed under current laws?
More likey that ‘terrble environmental practices’ have been moved to the likes of China, thanks to Kyoto.
Unfortunately, not all consumers have the spending power of DiCaprio.’ – Paul Biggs
Of course not all consumers need the spending power of DiCaprio…
Excerpt: ‘Starbucks goes through roughly 2.3 billion paper cups a year and touts its national award for using cups made of 10 percent recycled material. The sleeves on the cups even plead, “Help us help the planet.” But don’t be confused. Starbucks promotes recycling on its cups, but the cups themselves aren’t recyclable here or in most other cities nationwide. “Well, they tricked me,” said Nicole Mejias, 22, a self-described Starbucks freak. “I immediately associate recycling with Starbucks because of their cups. That’s so hypocritical. I would have never guessed” that the cups weren’t easily recyclable. The reason: The plastic coating that keeps the cup from leaking also prevents it from being recycled with other paper products. That could be overcome, but it would cost more. Anything can be recycled, but “The system is not designed to take the individual Starbucks cups,” said Steve Sargent, director of recycling for Rumpke Recycling, Columbus ‘ largest recycler.
Waste Management, North America ‘s largest recycler, won’t take the cups, either. But many employees have been telling customers otherwise. They say their Seattle-based employer never made the situation clear.
“I totally thought the cups were recyclable. I think almost everyone did,” said Melanie O’Brien, an Otterbein College student studying environmental initiatives who has worked at Starbucks.’
– Biggsy’s article taken from Marc Morano’s Round Up for the Week, 21/09/2007.
Oooops!…looks like Biggsy won’t have to travel to China searching for ‘terrble environmental practices’.. just Starbucks’ greenwashing.. and its legal ‘under current laws’..
As a membership-based campaign organisation, the Alliance welcomes donations from individuals, scientific and academic institutions, societies, trusts, companies, trade associations and other organisations. Donations and support are crucial to enable the Alliance to carry out its work, but they are only accepted if made without conditions and afford no influence on the policies of the Scientific Alliance.
The world’s most polluted places:
http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/ten.php