Goodbye 2008

This cartoon originally appeared in Nature Reports; Climate Change and remains theirs - (so this is one that can't be reproduced without their permission.)

There's been a lot of the usual end of year ruminations in the press and over the web. It had been my intention to post an exhaustive review of the year myself, but, on reflection, that is probably best left to others

However, I would like to thank all those who have supported the Throbgoblins project over the past year. It's taken up a quite obsessive amount of my life and has on occasion felt like a shocking waste of time - but it has attracted some positive feedback from significant quarters and this tempts me to keep the ball rolling into 2009.

Thanks to
Marc Hudson, Dwight Towers, Sarah Irving, Polyp, Graeme Sherrif, Chris Brazier and all at NI, Rob Harrison and all at ECRA, Andrew Revkin, Artist's Project Earth, Craig Mackintosh, Leslie Berliant and Chris Tobias, Olive Heffernan, Gavin Schmidt, Mel Rimmer, Glen Barry, Cartoon Kate Evans, Chris Webster at Satellite 360, Joe Romm, Dave Hampton, Janet Alty, Niel Bowerman, Adam Corner, Rob Honey, Seppo Leinonen, Neuroskeptic, Robert Zverina, Sam and Chris at Carbusters, Aubrey Meyer, Lucia Ortiz, "Author", Rosamund Raha, Cath and Nathan at Rebel Soul Cafe, Mark Jeanthau, Diana Korchien, David Castle, Adie Nistelrooy, Brian Leslie, Almuth Ernsting, Arwa, Calvin Jones , John Harrison , Ian Angus, Art not Oil, Neale Upstone, Stuart Jeffery, Andy Dunn, Stuart Monckton, Mr Moai, Susan Anderson, Sharon Leavy, Sandra, Chris, Em and, of course, Nye, and anyone I will undoubtedly have missed out due to my increasingly porous memory. The patience of all of you who I bombard with unsolicited e-mails is also greatly appreciated.
Thanks to you all for your support and encouragement

Re-Wild at Heart

Whilst capitalism eats itself, radical re-imaginings are dared.

Democracy in Action (again)

As you know, we at Throbgoblins International are deeply immersed in the waters of irony, so, to celebrate the season of peace and goodwill, we bring you....


With elections coming up and Israeli politicians scrambling for their share of the power that super-favoured-nation-status brings, it's again time to roll out the tanks and the bombers and the half-arsed excuses. What, exactly, are ordinary Palestinians supposed to do?

Here in the UK we're running around like headless chickens in gibbering, elbow-wielding desperation, lest a bargain pass us by, and producing more waste than ever in the process. We're not going to let a little thing like economic collapse or environmental breakdown keep us from the sales. We're a bulldog breed - thick, but tenacious.

Here's an old one from last January - a repost and a repeat in the ongoing cycle of repost and repeat.

Lipo-Diesel

Who needs Jonathan Swift when we have Californian plastic surgeons?
I wish I'd thought of that.

Here's an old set of LabRats strips based on a much weaker premise - for old time's sake.

Coitus interruptus

The pope fails the grasp the actual reasons behind the impending ecological debacle - preferring to characterise it as a vast gay conspiracy.


The great stain that is Clarkson continues with his "aren't I controversial" wankery by pretending that only petrol can save the world from ...petrol

The Police drum up business where they can

The Uk's public buildings emit more CO2 than Kenya.

I hope you all have a happy Yule, or whatever else it is that you may be celebrating.
Be of good cheer

Servicing business

No particular news link here - just generic Frankness. Inspired by a flier for the Gobsmacking Maplecroft Political Risk Report which was kindly forwarded to me by Dave Hampton (the Carbon Coach) as a suitable case for satire.
Thanks also to Jeremy Hardy for planting a seed.

But...in the news:-
A massive crackdown on pesticides is (provisionally) announced by the EU.
A massive crackdown on scientific illiteracy is announced by Barack Obama

The Met Office warns of catastrophic temperature rises

Israel's ongoing plans to destroy the Palestinian people continue apace

The new Manchester Climate Fortnightly (McFly) is available for downlaod.

Baubles

Christmas brings the fortieth anniversary of the first image of Earth Rising - an image that (should have) transformed the way we, as a species, conceptualise ourselves.
Did it?
Andrew Revkin has posted a fine video of it here, at DotEarth, NYT



The UK gov't relinquishes all remaining control of its Atomic Weapons by flogging off Aldermaston to raise a few readies for Christmas

The Israeli gov't pulls out the usual excuses when somebody has the temerity to ever so gently remind punters about the illegal nature of their occupation of the West Bank

Check out this video of Santa taking some unwanted gifts to E-on.
It made me laugh