I have spent quite a time over the last few days listing our books on the ABE Books website. We now have over 500 listed. Have a look:
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchEntry?vci=5644308
There is a huge variety including some quite scarce and unusual publications and even some vintage newspapers.
Of course, this is only the fraction of the stock on display in The Green Room. In particular, we have a good section on graphic design.

Greenest airline in Europe:-)

Early candidate for the most audacious scientific claim of the year has to go to this Ryanair press release titled “Ryanair is Europe’s Greenest, Cleanest Airline”.

Surely there should be a prize for the person who can debunk the most egregious claims in this little gem of a press release? You’ll have to do a little thinking though because Newsnight were first out of the traps to counter a lot of the spin in their programme last night.

Newsnight got an expert to search around Ryanair’s website to show that far from having “delivered a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions” as they claim Ryanair’s CO2 emissions have approximately trebled over the same period! Ryanair had somewhat naively allowed a previous version of their press release into the public domain which showed that the original claim was they had delivered a “50% reduction in per passenger CO2 emissions” – a very different story and even these figures could not be backed up by Newsnight’s expert.

Aviation campaigner John Stewart of HACAN emailed me to point out that the claim that “the Stern Report has confirmed that aviation accounts for just 1.6% of global green house gas emissions” is also pure spin as Ryanair conveniently forget to mention that, because aircraft emit CO2 higher in the atmosphere, the greenhouse effects are 2-4 times greater. Stern says the true contribution of aviation to global warming is 3-6% and it is rising fast.

As to being the “greenest airline in Europe” - I get the feeling that this must be up there with “kindest dictator of the 20th century” in the annals of dubious accolades.
I hope writing negatively about Ryanair does not attract undue attention from them – they do have prior history in seeking to silence websites that dare to speak critically of their record. Do email in any further thoughts on Ryanair’s claims and I will update and maybe even produce an “honest” version of the press release.

The ultimate war crime?

From "Seeds of Justice" by Jeffrey M. Smith
http://www.wanttoknow.info/deception10pg:
"On May 23, 2003, President Bush proposed an Initiative to End Hunger in Africa using genetically modified (GM) foods. He also blamed Europe’s “unfounded, unscientific fears” of these foods for thwarting recovery efforts. Bush was convinced that GM foods held the key to greater yields, expanded U.S. exports, and a better world. His rhetoric was not new. It had been passed down from president to president, and delivered to the American people through regular news reports and industry advertisements.

The message was part of a master plan that had been crafted by corporations determined to control the world’s food supply. This was made clear at a biotech industry conference in January 1999, where a representative from Arthur Anderson Consulting Group explained how his company had helped Monsanto create that plan. First, they asked Monsanto what their ideal future looked like in fifteen to twenty years. Monsanto executives described a world with 100 percent of all commercial seeds genetically modified and patented. Anderson Consulting then worked backwards from that goal, and developed the strategy and tactics to achieve it. They presented Monsanto with the steps and procedures needed to obtain a place of industry dominance in a world in which natural seeds were virtually extinct.

Integral to the plan was Monsanto’s influence in government, whose role was to promote the technology worldwide and to help get the foods into the marketplace quickly, before resistance could get in the way. A biotech consultant later said, “The hope of the industry is that over time, the market is so flooded that there’s nothing you can do about it. You just sort of surrender.” The anticipated pace of conquest was revealed by a conference speaker from another biotech company. He showed graphs projecting the year-by-year decrease of natural seeds, estimating that in five years, about 95 percent of all seeds would be genetically modified.While some audience members were appalled at what they judged to be an arrogant and dangerous disrespect for nature, to the industry this was good business. Their attitude was illustrated in an excerpt from one of Monsanto’s advertisements: “So you see, there really isn’t much difference between foods made by Mother Nature and those made by man. What’s artificial is the line drawn between them.”

ORDER 81: Re-engineering Iraqi agriculture.
The ultimate war crime: breaking the agricultural cyclehttp://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=SMI20050827&articleId=870Iraqi Government Urged to Revoke "Cynical and Wicked" Patent Lawhttp://www.i-sis.org.uk/GMiraq.php

Religious scaremongering

Looking at the scenes outside Parliament last night where hard line religious groups held a 'torch light' parade to protest against new laws designed to protect lesbian and gay people from discrimination, it got me thinking that it’s amazing how different faiths can unite in hatred, but not in love and tolerance. Nearly all religions preach ‘love your neighbour’ but religion has been the main cause of war and bloodshed through the ages. These people are just using religious texts as a cover for their homophobia, you can use the bible to condone or condemn just about anything.

Here is the text from a scene in the West Wing when Bartlett attacks a Dr Laura type character:

Bartlet: Good. I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality an abomination.

Jacobs: I don't say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President, the Bible does.

Bartlet: Yes, it does. Leviticus. Jacobs: 18:22.

Bartlet: Chapter and verse. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I had you here. I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be?

While thinking about that, can I ask another?

My chief of staff, Leo McGarry, insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or is it okay to call the police?

Here's one that's really important because we've got a lot of sports fans in this town. Touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point?


Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side-by-side?


Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads?


Think about those questions, would you? One last thing, while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits.

(Note from Noel: If anyone requires the biblical chapter and verse for the above, I can supply them)

Lone demo at Parliament Square.

As most readers will know, the Government brought in a regulation requiring all protests at Parliament Square to have a special licence.

However, it is much easier for a lone demonstrator to get a licence. Comedian Mark Thomas came up with the wheeze of having mass lone demos to bring the legalisation in disrepute.

Next one is Wednesday January 17th.

Choose your ISSUE , bodge or create a banner ( fancy dress or felt pen on a paper bag , it's the thought and the turning up that counts ), and come and join Mark Thomas for an hour Mass Lone Demo Parliament Square WEDS 17th January 6pm-7pm.

SHORT NOTICE THIS TIME !Applications in ON Weds 10th. Jan 5.30-7pm or before, Charing Cross Police Station.
Please contact Tricia if you want to download a form.tricia_bird@yahoo.com.

Things to ponder on.

1. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail. 2. If you don't have a sense of humour, you probably don't have any sense at all.
3. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.
4. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.
5. Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?
6. Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job.
7. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.
8. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4 AM. It could be a right number.
9. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way you're going to like it. 10. After a certain age, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you are probably dead.

LEADING MEP IN POLICE CUSTODY AFTER ARREST AT ANTI-NUCLEAR DEMO

GREEN Party Euro-MP Caroline Lucas is in police custody today after she was arrested this morning during a peaceful demonstration against the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons arsenal. She was arrested and charged shortly after 10am this morning for breaching the peace when she was sitting in the road blocking the entrance to the Trident nuclear submarine base at Faslane, Scotland.“The irony is extraordinary,” she said shortly after her arrest. “I have been arrested for breaching the peace when I am peacefully trying to drawattention to the immoral, illegal and counterproductive breach of the peace which is Britain’s Trident nuclear weapons system.“What’s more likely to cause a breach of the peace – sitting down in a road or stockpiling 200 nuclear warheads, each which a destructive capacity 18times greater than the bomb which killed 200,000 in Hiroshima?” Dr Lucas was taking part in a day of action alongside some 60 MPs, MEPs and councillors – from a range of green and left-leading political parties – as part of Faslane 365, a one year continuous peaceful demonstration against Britain’s arsenal of nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Dr Lucas, who is a co-founder and Co-President of the European Parliament’scross-party peace initiatives group of MEPs and a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s decision-making National Council, said:“Britain’s Trident nuclear warheads are deadly weapons of mass destruction which cost billions and are completely irrelevant to global geo-politics today.” “Elected politicians from a wide range of parties joined hands today to blockade the Trident nuclear submarine base to show our collective opposition to this nuclear folly - and the Labour Government’s unlawful plans to replace and upgrade it,” she added. Dr Lucas has been arrested at Faslane before: following a peaceful sit-down outside the base in 2001 she was also charged with breaching the peace. Despite arguing that she intended exactly the opposite – to prevent a breach of the peace and a greater crime taking place – she was convicted. An eventual appeal to the European Court of Human Rights was declared inadmissible in 2003. “Last month Tony Blair said he wanted to replace Britain’s nuclear arsenal but, in the face of strong parliamentary and public opposition, reduce it from 200 warheads to about 160: 1,280 times as much destructive power as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima rather than 1,600. This symbolic gesture will, of course, make little practical difference at all.” “There is simply no legal, moral, military or economic case for the Government to replace Trident. If the Government has billions to spend on protecting security, it shouldn’t gamble it on chasing Cold War shadows but listen to its own advisors and instead use the cash to tackle the real security threats we face today: terrorism and climate change.”

Your age by chocolate.

This seems to work:-)

1) pick the number of times per week you would like to eat chocolate. If you are greedy and go into double figures add the two numbers so you get a number between 1 and 9.
2) Multiply this number by 23.
3) Add 54.
4) Multiply it by 505.
5) If you have already had your birthday this year add 1756.
If you have not had your birthday yet add 1755.
6) Now subtract the four digit year you were born.
7) You should now have a three digit number. The first digit of this is the original number you chose. The next two digits are your age.

On the subject of birthdays, one of my big ones is on January 20th. We are having a bit of a get-together. If you would like to attend, please drop me a line and I will send details. Warning: there will be a whip-around for Green Party election funds.

Any fundraising ideas??

I convened and attended a London Green Party fundraising meeting on Thursday night. We need to raise a minimum £110,000 for next year’s GLA elections and £30,000 for the Euros in 2009. Things are progressing well, but if anyone out there has any great fundraising ideas, please let me know.

Urban Myth

I see from Jim Jay’s Blog that The Sun, yesterday had a headline ‘SWAN BAKE. Asylum seekers steal the Queen’s swans for barbecues’
This headline has been popping up for years. I have even being told by people that ‘a friend’ or a cousin’ etc had seen the bones. This got to such pitch that in 2004, when I was on the London Metropolitan Police Authority I asked the police to check it out. The answer came back ‘there has never been a case of swan killing’ This is what is known as an URBAN MYTH, but of course, that never stopped papers like The Sun publishing this thinly disguised racist drivel.

MEP RISKS SECOND ARREST AT ANTI-TRIDENT PROTEST

GREEN Party Euro-MP Caroline Lucas will risk arrest for the second time when she joins some 60 MPs, MEPs and councillors at a blockade of the Faslane base of Britain’s ‘Trident’ nuclear submarines. The elected representatives – from a range of green and left-leading political parties – will blockade the naval base as part of Faslane 365, a one year continuous peaceful demonstration against Britain’s arsenal of nuclear weapons of mass destruction.Dr Lucas, who is a co-founder and Co-President of the European Parliament’scross-party peace initiatives group of MEPs and a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament’s decision-making National Council, said:“Britain’s trident nuclear warheads are deadly weapons of mass destruction which cost billions and are completely irrelevant to global geo-politics today.”“Elected politicians from a wide range of parties are joining hands on Monday (January 8th) to blockade the Trident nuclear submarine base to show our collective opposition to this nuclear folly - and the Labour Government’s unlawful plans to replace and upgrade it,” she added. Dr Lucas is risking prison by returning to Faslane: during a peacefulsit-down outside the base in 2001 she was arrested for breaching the peace. Despite arguing that she intended exactly the opposite – to prevent a breach of the peace – she was convicted. An eventual appeal to the European Court of Human Rights was declared inadmissible in 2003.“Last month Tony Blair said he wanted to replace Britain’s nuclear arsenal but, in the face of strong parliamentary and public opposition, reduce itfrom 200 warheads to about 160: 1,280 times as much destructive power as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima rather than 1,600. This symbolic gesture will, of course, make little practical difference at all.”“There is simply no legal, moral, military or economic case for the Government to replace Trident. If the Government has billions to spend on protecting security, it shouldn’t gamble it on chasing Cold War shadows but listen to its own advisors and instead use the cash to tackle the real security threats we face today: terrorism and climate change.”She will be joined on Monday by fellow Green MEPs Jean Lambert (London), Luisa Morgantini (Italy), Gisela Kallenbach (Germany) and more than 30Westminster MPs, as well as member of the Welsh Assembly, ScottishParliament and local authorities across the UK.

Why patio heaters are bad for the environment.

In 2005, liquid petroleum gas (lpg) patio heaters were estimated to have been responsible for 22.2 ktonnnes of CO2 emissions. This is equivalent to the emissions of 4,526 Range Rovers. Emissions for 2006 were projected to increase by 23% . The proliferation of these devices in restaurants up and down the country indicate that this will not be a unique year but an annual trend. The rate is also likely to increase greatly in the coming year as smoking ban comes into effect. The reason that they are so bad for the environment is that a 13kg bottle oflpg produces 38 kg CO2. Used in a patio heater, it will heat 25m2 ofoutside floor area for about 12 hours but if it is used inside it would last 10 times longer. In other words lpg patio heaters are ten times less efficient than indoor heating. Even worse that the lpg patio heaters are the electric patio heaters which are starting to become popular in restaurants. They produce over 90 times more CO2 compared to using lpg to heat the inside of buildings.
The individual impact of a 2 hour meal under an lpg patio heater is 6kg but every diner is encouraging this needless and conspicuous waste.
Thanks to Chit Chong for this information.

New arrivals in the Green Room

A few interesting items which have just arrived for sale:

• A prop rifle from the film 'The Four Feathers' That film was on TV a few nights ago.
• A parcel stamp from the famous (or infamous) West Clare Railway. This railway was made famous by Irish songwriter Percy ffrench with his song 'Are you right there Michael, are you right, do you think that we'll get home before the night?' The railway company sued for libel. ffrench turned up late for the hearing. When the judge asked why he should not be cited for contempt, he answered 'I came on the West Clare Railway' - case dismissed! ffrench also wrote the popular song 'The Mountains of Mourne'
• A piece of the Iron Curtain. Short strip of barbed wire form Hungary, mounted on a plaque.

Political Compass

There is an interesting political 'tool' called the political compass. (Have a look at http://www.politicalcompass.org/ ).This presents a nice two-dimensional graph plotting communism to neoliberalism on the left-right axis and authortarianism to anarchy on the vertical axis - giving a nice 'spread' of results that seem to tell one so much more than the single left-right axis does.

Happy New Year everybody!