Pay it Forward

Following on from Molly's "Pay it Forward" today I have on offer the DVD I received from her and a couple of my own.
If you would like to enter, just leave a comment to let me know which of the DVDs you'd like (first, second and third preference) and I will add your name to the hat, first drawn gets their first pref and so on. I don't mind posting international so it's all in. I'll do the draw this coming Sunday 1st August 2010.

The first is “Victorian Farm”, this is a historical observational documentary series following a team who live the life of Victorian farmers for a year. The team recreate everyday life on a small farm in Shropshire in the mid-19th century using authentic and replica equipment, clothing, original recipes and reconstructed building techniques.

The second is “The Thin Green Line” a documentary film, made by Australian Park Ranger Sean Willmore. In 2004 Willmore travelled the world, across six continents and nineteen countries, interviewing and filming the lives and stories of park rangers, recounting their experiences and extreme difficulties. The Thin Green Line is also the name of the not for profit foundation set up by Sean Willmore in the wake of the documentary's success. The aim of the foundation is to support rangers on the frontline, including the International Ranger Dependency Fund which supports the families of committed rangers who have lost their lives, or rangers who have been severely injured in the line of duty.

And the last is “The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil”. A very graphic presentation of how Cubans adapted to limited energy resources. This documentary explores the economic collapse and eventual recovery of Cuba following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The dramatic steps taken by both the Cuban government and its citizens who pulled together, created solutions, and ultimately thrived in spite of their decreased dependence on imported energy. The major themes include urban agriculture, energy dependence, and sustainability.

Remember, the deal is you get to watch them and then pass them on free of charge to others.

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And now for something completely different

Support John Abraham,

Some months ago, professor John Abraham of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, released a detailed critique of a Monckton presentation given on October 14th, 2009 at a climate skeptic event sponsored by the Minnesota Free Market Institute.

Monckton is not used to such exchanges and has climbed out of his tree, he has authored a 99 page “rejection” of Abraham’s talk and sent threatening letters to both Abraham and his employers (University of St Thomas, Minnesota) asking for the presentation to be removed form the web site with a demand for money (in this case $110,000 to be paid to a charity of Monckton's choice),

In his attempts at intimidation of Abraham and his University he is now organising his minions via climate change denier blogs to send similar letters to the University of St Thomas. Monckton can’t be allowed to succeed in this campaign so it is important that supporters of science make the university aware that this sort of bullying is just not acceptable.

Gareth Renowden at Hot Topic is organising a way for you to make your support for Abraham known. Rather than flood St Thomas with supporting emails, he is collecting signatures for this statement:

We the undersigned offer unreserved support for John Abraham and St. Thomas University in the matter of complaints made to them by Christopher Monckton. Professor Abraham provided an important public service by showing in detail Monckton's misrepresentation of the science of climate, and we applaud him for that effort, and St. Thomas University for making his presentation available to the world.
If you agree, nip over and sign up.

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