Author: Adam Clare

Tiananmen Square: Citizens Still Remember


In 1989 protestors in China took to Tiananmen Square and were confronted by tanks and the full Chinese state apparatus to shut them down. The most iconic image is the man standing in front of a row of tanks (his identity and his current whereabouts are still unknown).

Even though the protest and the clampdown happened 23 years ago this week, people are still championing human rights and increased government transparency and accountability.

Also this week, Twitter and the domestic microblogging service weibo have been abuzz with messages commemorating Tiananmen, keeping censors busy deleting or blocking 1989-related postings.  And several public events have taken place in Chinese cities to mark the tragedy and break the silence.
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Many 1989 generation activists and student participants in the Tiananmen pro-democracy movement have carried on their advocacy through their writings or online posts, or assisting victims of rights abuses, or providing legal assistance to victims.

Read more here.

Thanks to Janet!

Edward Burtynsky: OIL

Edward Burtynsky: OIL is the photographer’s examination of how humanity uses oil through photographs. The project started as a display at the Corcoran Gallery of Art and has been translated to book form and, more recently, as an app for iPads.

I love the use of art to showcase our relationship with the commodities that we consume and Burtynsky does that quite well.

In addition to revealing the rarely-­‐seen mechanics of its manufacture, Burtynsky captures the effects of oil on our lives, depicting landscapes altered by its extraction from the earth, and by the cities and suburban sprawl generated around its use. He also addresses the coming “end of oil,” as we confront its rising cost and dwindling availability.

Bridging the disconnect between our consumer world and that of the oil industry, Burtynsky’s photographs, transfixing in their clarity, take us on a journey. Starting at the source Burtynsky shows us international drilling sites and refineries, then continues to distribution methods and the motor culture of freeways, eventually, leading us to the inevitable end of oil at scrap-­‐yards, recycling grounds and abandoned oil fields.

The Oil iPad app is well done and has the photos from the exhibition plus commentary from Burtynsky. Throughout the app he narrates some photos and provides his thoughts on how we can improve our knowledge about oil use in modern culture.

If anybody out there still thinks that oil extraction as it’s currently practised is fine for people and the environment do the world a favour and tell that person to check this out.

You maybe lucky enough to catch the exhibit in person too. The BURTYNSKY: OIL exhibition is at The Photographers’ Gallery in London May 19 – July 1, 2012. After that it travels to the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno (July 9–September 23, 2012); to the Taubman Museum in Roanoke (October 19, 2012–January 6, 2013); and to the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa (June 4–September 2, 2013)

Oil is Too Expensive for Wasteful Use

Looks like those “crazy environmentalists” were right all along: the cost of oil has gotten so high that companies are looking for alternatives. When it comes to companies that rely on petroleum-based products they’ve noticed that their profits are dwindling because the cost of oil has gone up, so the bioplastics industry is now on the rise.

Hopefully this increase in the insane consumption of oil will spur on more companies looking for alternative options. These options exist and are being produced already, we just need the forethought to use them now.

“A lot of brand owners, particularly those that rely heavily on packaging, are interested in protecting their long-term costs,” said Douglas A. Smock, a plastics analyst who wrote a report for market research firm BCC Research that predicted a boom in plant-based bioplastics. “They want more predictable cost structures going forward. The high price of oil is responsible for the rapid emergence in interest in bioplastics.”

Ford said it has eliminated 5 million pounds of petroleum annually by using soybean-based cushions in all of its North American vehicles. The company said it got rid of an additional 300,000 pounds of oil-based resins a year by making door bolsters out of kenaf, a tropical plant in the cotton family.

“Finding alternative sources for materials is becoming imperative as petroleum prices continue to rise and traditional, less-sustainable materials become more expensive,” said John Viera, Ford’s global director of sustainability and vehicle environmental matters.

Read the rest of the article.

More Women Riding Bikes in Southern California

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Regular readers probably know that bicycles are the best form of transportation imaginable (I may be biased). It’s always good to read of efforts to get more people in North America riding bicycles, and to make things even better there’s a group of women in southern California that encourages other women to ride.

Balmer founded WOBSoCal because of stories just like hers. She recalls her own tentative return to cycling: “I was afraid I would ride too far and then be too tired to get back; then I’d feel humiliated.” Once she finally relented, her first ride was in a Christmas parade, “which was a great seduction.” Her fears were instantly replaced by her newfound passion.

“Whether you have to or want to choose a bike for transportation, we want to celebrate it,” said Balmer. Not only is biking fun, it is also healthy, convenient and affordable; so why aren’t more women riding?

Read more at Momentum.