Returning to the scene of the crime

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There may have been another dolphin delivery today, back to the French embassy.

This time the dolphine were in much worse shape. It turned out that the freezer van, come dolphin ambulance had broken down, and so the dolphins weren't really frozen. Instead to keep them cold they had been stored in a childrens paddling pool with lots of ice, which kind of worked, but they were a bit slimy.

I have a bit of a phobia about being late, so for anyone who turned up early, there may have been a very grim task of getting dolphins from body bags onto stretchers. This time one of the dolphins was partly eaten (urrgghh) but worse one of them had had their belly slit open and the guts were hanging out. Fishermen try to disguise the evidene of dolphin bycatch, by cutting them open and throwing them over the side, encouraging the bodies to sink. It's a disgusting practice at sea, and its disgusting to handle at 7am in the morning.

Action itself went fine, I'll post the press release seperatly, although there was a moment where the delivery vehicle disappeared, and there was nowhere to put the stretcher poles. The event itself coincided with a similar action in France, where I think all the activists involved got arrested. Not quite sure what for, but the French police seem to work on an arrest them now, sort it out later.

Off to work, and fun evening with old housemates, where we discussed circus acts, the G8, the power of laughter and some ideas that have been circulating for ridiculing urban 4x4 drivers. More should come of this.

Walking Wounded

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So another quiet day at work, followed by a speedy actions briefing for tomorrows event. Quick pint in Marquis before heading home for an early night, for an early start.


See the thing is a coupls of months ago I saw this very cool band at the Peace News party in the Rampart Centre, and I know they're going to be playing a bar on the way home. So it would be rude not to go and see them for a bit. I can always leave early say by 10, giving me an hours worth of entertainment.


But then of course they start late, at 9.45 so it would be even worse to leave now, as they'll get all self conscious about people walking out of the bar when the music starts.


Then my flat mate turns up so I need to share a drink or two with him, and look its now midnight, and I need to be up at 6 for this action. Ho hum

Fastest Action Briefing in the West

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Very busy evening, catching up with old friend and so very happy to get through briefing for tommorrow's action in like 45 minutes. This has to be a first, usually Greenpeace works on hippy time, but the briefing scheduled for 7pm started by 7.05 and finished by 7.45. Like wow.

Ok the action is pretty low key, with little risk of arrest, but it's a refreshing change to not have to go over the same ground again and again. Then off to organic pub, followed by the local that time forgot to drink lots of real cider and perry. Yummy

I am a complete technophobe

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Fond memories of Disney action, and a good picture even if the action was a bit wet.

Ok so I finally got the bloody press release sorted, like 3 days too late, but maybe the local media will need a space filler.

The problem is that I'm using a clapped out laptop and a slow dial up connection. I have to get Broadband sorted at home.

Also there seems to be whole worlds of stuff about pictures and images that I haven't got a clue about. When is a jpg a jpeg, and what is an apple file, and why can't I scan it for viruses? does that now mean I've infected the laptop with something nasty? Oh well it's the boss's computer and she may never know it was me?

Still haven't writtenm that essay yest, should write grovelling email to my tutor. I think I'm having difficulty juggling quite so much Greenpeace stuff with trying to study a course that is looking increasingly hard. Maybe after the next project is over (at GP) I might try having a day off in the week again and stop volunteering in the office? That way I'll have a better chance of catching up?

More crap news, we were planning a series of er events that got cancelled so that we could all focus on a bigger, more dramatic event, which has also just been cancelled. Talk about pissing up against a wall. The original events planning involved lots of discreet conversations, phone calls, meetings and scouting. To be cancelled for something better OK fair enough, but to be cancelled for something that didn't happen at all. Bollocks to that.

Maybe the moral is, that if in doubt go do it anyway, sort out the consequences afterwards.

Is Greenpeace Boring

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Ok so on Saturday 7 of us were out campaigning on the streets of Stratford, and we had a pretty hard time. OK we made a Greenpeace presence felt, and we got some people to fill out polls, but it wasn't exactly earth shattering.

So should I press release it to the local media, we've got some pictures which is good, and a story to tell, 98% of locals support higher road tax for gas guzzling 4x4's but it wasn't really newsworthy.

Equally Greenpeace usually does us a press release for a campign, wher the local media is likely to be interested. This time they haven't, so does that mean we're not suppossed to press release it.

But then we did have some fun with the Stratford Climate Crime Squad, OK active supporters in silly helmets, so there is another media angle/ story to tell.

and usually the local paper is full of stories about Church fete's and cats getting stuck up the tree, so what the hell lets do a press release.

Evening fun sneaking round building site, looking for stuff, nothing whatsover interesting going on.

When the good go Bad

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Completely unproductive day, due to late night drinking and playing board games, in a surreal alternative to real life.

Posse of Greenpeace people start by sitting down to play Terra, a cooperation game about er saving the world. To win however you need to be a bit selfish. Three games later, too much selfish play has doomed the planet to destruction, like all three times.

So we move on to Condottiere, warfare in Rennaissance Italy. Now we're better at this, murder, war and betrayal abound. Clawing to victory over the bodies of our fellow players.

To finish with High Soceity, a game of turning wealth into whats's important. Big status symbols like private Jets, fast sportscars, Yachts and other essential aquistions. Several bankruptcies later we call it an evening.

Luckily we're all much nicer in real life.

Mean Streets of Stratford

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The new Stratford group took to the streets today delivering the Choose Clean Energy climate campaign to the unreceptive citizens of Stratford.

Meet at Station, started wierd as women from Stop the War lot thought bloke with pasting table (thats me) must be the person she'd been told to look for. Every campaigning group in the world seems to rely on pasting tables, maybe we should get a discount? or maybe there's a buisness opportuity, pasting tables specially designed for protesting?

Good turnout with 7 of us, OK 6 East London folk, and an infiltrator from Camden. Tough audience, lots of people not really giving a monkeys, in what is a very poor diverse community. But then when you do find someone interested it makes it a real joy, and getting out of the white middle class ghetto on traditional environmentalism is cool.

Bit of hassle from Council goons, who objected to the table. Took a view not to push issue, as its a new group and a big argument, police involvement seemed a bit premature, and dis-empowering to new people.

Lots of other folk out, from Stop the War, and from local Chrisitians. Now I'm sort of on board with the Stop the War lot, even if they have become just another front for the Socialist Workers, but there do have some right wierdo's involved. Some really pushy leafleter insisted on standing right in front of the Greenpeace presence thrusting Stop the War leaflets in people faces. When I suggested that it would be helpfull if we could try not confuse campaign messages, and respect each others space she went off on one. Luckily they all go moved on by the council.

But a successful sunny day, and we got to stamp the Greenpeace presence on an area that probably hasn't seen it before?

One Step Forward, Two Steps Backwards

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A very bitty day volunteering in the office, lots of little things interfering with pushing forward with big project that now no longer exists.

Early start and good conversation, to talk about job opportunity at Greenpeace International. The job is one I'm very interested in, well paid, and something I'd be good at. So what the hell lets have a go at applying. There may be an issue with the job being political/administrative but I'm sure I can take holiday to go and do more gritty interesting stuff.

Big project I'd started work on, got canned. Possibly in a good way a more interesting target has come along instead. But still very frustrating, all those evenings sneaking around checking out sites. Lots of discreet meetings and phone calls to put together an over arching co-ordination structure, the careful recruiting of key people for High Risk (of arrest) roles, and the careful building up of a pool of people for other roles. All now unravelled. Oh well lots of other good stuff coming this way.

Raid on leaflet stores to get lots of material for tommorrow. Update of London events listing a bit more interesting this week as lots of stuff going on, mainly tied to the Choose Clean Energy campaign.

But short of volunteers in the ASU, so helped out with some admin stuff, but basically a day of little bits and pieces. Standing people down from an event, fiddling with emails, getting stuff together, but not really achieving very much. Shame really.

Building Structures

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Day at work finalising structure for upcoming project. Two seperate events, two co-ordinators at each. Team of 4 for the interesting bit, a couple for legal support and then recruiting 20-25 people for each event. Need a meeting venue, and a few phone calls later, not much to find, misht speak to people tommorrow in Greenpeace office, maybe a hotel?

Also planning a last minute campaigning event for Saturday, would like to introduce humourous element or a bit of drama. The campaign is about climate criminals so I've aquired some policeman's helmets, to be adapted into the Stratford Climate Crime Squad. Have to try and find some other props fro crime, criminals or climate. I'm sure we used to have a Sherlock Holmes hat around the shop somewhere but can't for the life of me find it.

Probably for the best.

Quest for Crappy Pubs

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2nd meeting of the new Stratford group last night with 12 people. Ok we had made a strategic decision to meet in the only nice pub in Stratford, but it appears lots of other people like drinking there too.

It looked like we weren't even going to get a table, but we managed to sneak one in at the last minute. The landlord was pretty nice about it but suggested that there wasn't really enough space for us. Maybe Monday would be a better night?

Alternatively we could find a crap pub, where noone goes and then we wouldn't have to worry about it being busy. But what's the point of a pub with crap beer, isn't that against everything s environmentally minded people believe in?

The King Edward VII being the only decent pub, has other advantages. Two other pub patrons saw us, and decided that they really wanted to get involved too, bringing the meetin up to 14. So successful meetings in a crowded pub, or less successfull meetings in a quite pub.

We going to go on a pub crawl to decide which in itself should be a bit of fun.

Nothing to do with Greenpeace

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Hey a day with no significant commitment with Greenpeace, got to be a bit wierd. OK I probably spent an hour or so, answering emails but that doesn't count.

Since I've started this weblog, I seem to be neglecting the Active Supporter forums, which is a bit wierd. Maybe I don't have the inclination to rant in two places at once? So perhaps I'll try alternating a rant on the forums, and a rant in a weblog, or maybe I shouldn't rant so much.

Interesting Times

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Lots of interesting opportunities passed my way today.

A week os so ago I got an email about volunteer opportunities in Northern Finland at the forest rescue station. I have been thinking about it ever since, as some of the listed required skills I'm not sure I have. Especially 'experience in harsh environments' and 'expereince with using IT in the field'. But then again it looks like a wonderful, if very cold opportunity, and I can't imagine that there are many other people out there with the required skills, so it must be worth a shot at applying.

Then I got an email about a job at GPI which looks like something I would be very good at. In fact it looks like a job I already do, as a volunteer, but getting to do it full time, which has to be a plus. Again got to be worth applying.

So interesting times ahead, which almost make up for the 2 hours I spent typing names, phone numbers and emails into a spreadsheet as part of the feedback process from the Polling day Saturday before last. My eyes are now wierd from staring at computer screens, and my back hurts from being hunched over a crappy laptop.

Ho hum

Little about Nothing

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Sundays child had many plans for the day, but stayed up too late and slept in instead. Just about made it to work only a bit late. Mooched around plotting.

Had a think about who's around London and is up for doing stuff. It's odd out of a city of what 8million people there are maybe 50-60 people happy to go out campaigning with Greenpeace. OK there are lots of other people active in other circles, Friends of the Earth, Rising Tide etc, but still thats not alot of people. We should change that.

Put together another East London Update, masquerading as the London (Newham) update. One day I will have to have a good old rant about that, sounds of much cringing, and then maybe do something about it.

Gathering of the Tribes

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Saturday and a chance for a big strategy meeting with focused people from all round the country. A whole gaggle of Area Networkers from London, Birmingham, Manchester, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol and Devon. All volunteers, all motivated to make things happen, all very active in there local areas, and all determined to sort the problems of Environmental degradation out and kick bad guys butt.

I like meetings like this. Lots of stuff discussed, tell you about it later. Then off down the pub, kind of predictable that bit.

Party later till 5am but not really Greenpeace related. Ran into some old friends, talked a bit about the G8, the war and other cheerful subjects. Listened to beautiful music, and had a very mellow time.

One very profound moment. The party was being done by the Small World crew, who do a tent at Glastonbury and there own little festivals. Very cool visuals, some nice hangings amongst which was the legend of the 'Warriors of the Rainbow'

There was an old lady, from the "Cree" tribe, named "Eyes of Fire", who prophesied that one day, because of the white mans' or Yo-ne-gis' greed, there would come a time, when the fish would die in the streams, the birds would fall from the air, the waters would be blackened, and the trees would no longer be, mankind as we would know it would all but cease to exist.

There would come a time when the "keepers of the legend, stories, culture rituals, and myths, and all the Ancient Tribal Customs" would be needed to restore us to health. They would be mankinds’ key to survival, they were the "Warriors of the Rainbow". There would come a day of awakening when all the peoples of all the tribes would form a New World of Justice, Peace, Freedom and recognition of the Great Spirit.

Still gets ya...

Too fat to climb?

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Another day volunteering in the office, or more volunteering out of the office, and drinking too much coffee.

In at 8.30 to try and sort out a few details with Jason, before getting together to review whats going on at 9.00. But the early bird beat me too it, so we got straight into it. Off to workers cafe for Breakfast, or at least coffee, for a debrief unpick of last Saturdays Polling day, and a discussion of where to go from here. Back into the office by 9.30, raring to go.

Back out at 10.00 for a different meeting.

I guess a word about bugs and security. I don't know how much is paranoia, and how much is a real threat, but Greenpeace has been known to do naughty things, no really.
As such there are a number of conversations about stuff that the spooks want to find out about, and so it is deemed foolish to discuss anything sensitive in the office. Therefore the need for 'out of the office' meetings.

Not that I'd ever have anything to do with any of that. Meeting till 11am, to move onto a different out of the office brainstorm, at an altogether more funky location.

I like Brainstorms they are fun, I don't know how many of the crazy ideas ever make it into campaigns, but get enough clever, educated, creative people together and we are going to find some more daft ideas to save the world.

Jason not sure about the pigeon concept though?

So day finally got going at 12, damn not again, how does time fly so fast. I've got things I want to do. So bollocks to taking lunch, or eating, or any of that rubbish. Slog through emails, do bare minimum to keep things on track, before getting down to sorting out the debris from Saturday.

Now activits are dumb, and I include myself in this, but sometimes we are keen and really stupid.

So last Saturday's activities involved using fluro vests (from various forest crime scenes) with stickers on the back for the Urban 4x4 poll. Fair enough. After all the materials had come back, sorted teams folded all there stuff back up neatly for storage for next time.

But you idiots you didn't take the bloody stickers off, so muggines got to screw all the folded piles up, unsticj the stickers and then fold the things up again.

It's also astonishing how much time it takes to put on a campaiging day, which lasts maybe 3 hours on the street, and many more hours in the pub. But on a personal level 6-8 weeks work, maybe 10-15 hours a week, 3 hours campaigning, 2 stories on telly, and then 2 more weeks of tidying all the materials up, and sorting out the data and feedback.

There must be an easier way. Ranting over.

Finally hit the warehouse for climb training for 3pm, OK I've been doing this for 18 monthes now and I now how to climb ropes in my sleep. So there were plans to play cops and robbers, or activists and baliffs which sounded fun, but not really enough people to make it happen. So instead played with etretia's (probably spelt wrong) and found new set of muscles to torture. Very sore now, must exercise more, keep on saying this every time I get knacked climbing. God knows how a fat bastard like me is expected to cimb ropes, hand banners and make a difference but worth a go.

Glamour of Greenpeace

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Now the real reason we all spend so much time involved with Greenpeace, is the glamour, the jet set lifestyle, the mixing with the rich, famous and fabulous (delete as applicable), the hordes of young fans, and the sheer Kudos of being an environmental super hero.

Yeah! lets big it up!

Or its the sneaking around industrial estates, in the freezing cold, in the middle of the night. It's like its the coldest day of the year, or the Big Freeze (as the Evening Standard calls it) and I thought I was going to catch hypothermia, looking at stuff, measuring things and counting the bad stuff.

OK this is a bit vague, but thats the way it needs to be, maybe I can edit this post when it's no longer worth worrying about.

Environmental Policy, and cleaning stuff

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Still feeling crap. This is unreal I am never ill, I don't think I've taken a day off work in the last 5 years until yesterday and today.

Start feeling a bit better, so on mission to get something constructive done. Very behind in my studies so decide to ninja first part of course, before writing my first essay.

Am studying DU310: Environmental Policy in an International Context with the Open University. Which is a bit woolly compared to some of my previous courses, and a bit dated, lots of stuff about ozone depletion and the montreal protocol.

However if we can't understand the success's and failures of the past, then we aren't going to succeed much in the future.

But like every student ever, as soon as I start studying I think of other things to do. Isn't it about time the bathroom got cleaned? Maybe I should do the stairs again. arrrgggghhh Why?

I mean I studying for the fun of it, I'm paying for it myself, and I have no interest in achieving anything more than knowing more stuff.

So why at the age of 34, can I not get out of this strange mindset of wanting to do other stuff as soon as I sit down with a textbook.

I think school has a lot to be blamed for.

War in Germany

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Still very crap, and life is in a really pissy mood this week. My cousin who's been ill for some time, died on Monday, so bollocks to going to work or achieving anything constructive.

So sat at home playing computer games. I usually avoid computers, as I'm a bit obsessive about computer games. I start them for fun, and then end up playing them for hours and hours and hours.

However in this case I want something to keep me occupied, and that doesn't involve moving around too much (still ill), so ended up playing 'Europa Universalis'. A very long difficult historical game of world conquest.

Starting from humble beginnings as the city of Hannover, I spread my baleful influence over my neighbours, before blackmailing the arabs into maps of the middle east, trading those maps with the portugese for maps of Africa and the caribbean.

Then many profitable years in the slave trade, supplying German plantations in Hispaniola, while colonising the east coast of North America.

Several Indian wars later, lots of indian tribes get exterminated, puts me in a powerful posistion to lauch my real objective.

The bid for power, in the wars of Spanish Succession to reunify Germany in one large Fatherland, with a world spanning Empire all by 1700. Bismark I'm sure will approve.

Games over. Back to serious stuff Green and Peace like?