Neil Gaiman on Douglas Adams & the immortality of stories

Celebrated author and screenwriter Neil Gaiman last night (March 3) delivered the 13th Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture to a rapt audience at London’s historic Royal Geographical Society.

The author of the ground-breaking comic The Sandman, Neverwhere, Coraline, The Ocean at the End of the Lane and, most recently, Trigger Warning spoke of the timeless nature of stories in general and Adams’ work in particular in his lecture entitled On Immortality and Douglas.

Gaiman’s talk wove together a blend of fables, history and humour with personal anecdotes of his friendship and work with Adams ...

The lecture is held annually in honour of Adams who, as well as being the beloved creator of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, was a dedicated spokesman for conservation until his death in 2001 at the age of 49.

The proceeds of the event are shared between the two charities closest to Adams’ heart – Save the Rhino International, of which he was a founder patron, and EIA.

Read the full story at eia-international.org/neil-gaiman-on-douglas-adams-the-immortality-of-stories

Image: Neil Gaiman addresses the audience at the Royal Geographical Society (c) EIA ... See MoreSee Less

20 hours ago  ·  

India: 78 tigers died in 2014, from poaching & natural causes

NEW DELHI: The number of tigers that died in 2014 has increased to 78, due to both poaching and natural reasons, parliament was informed on Tuesday.

In 2013, the number of cases of tiger death were 68 and in 2012 it was at 89, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

Strict vigil is maintained by the officials of state departments of forests and wildlife, the wildlife crime control bureau has been set up to ensure co-ordination among various states to control poaching and illegal trade in wildlife and its products.

"The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been empowered under the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 to apprehend and prosecute wildlife offenders," he said.

However, the Minister also informed that the number of elephants that died in 2013-14 has decreased to 63 from 91 in the last year, similarly rhinoceros died in 2013 have also come down to 91 from 142 in previous year.

The reasons of death of both these animals natural as well as poaching.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/environment/flora-fauna/78-tigers-died-in-2014-prakash-javadeka...

#India #tigers #poaching

Image:Poisoned tiger found in Orang National Park, India, February 2013, via tigertime.info ... See MoreSee Less

24 hours ago  ·  

It’s time to demand ambitious action on climate change

This Saturday (March 7) marks two months to go until the UK General Election and I will be joining thousands of other protesters on the streets of London on the Time to Act march to demand for more governmental action to tackle climate change.

By being part of this march, we will be asking political leaders to put climate on the table by taking ambitious domestic actions and to help drive forward a global deal in Paris at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations this December.

This is a huge year for the climate, not least because it offers the most tangible opportunity in the past six years to broker a legally binding global agreement but also because this opportunity comes at a time that the planet is reaching a climate tipping point. Last year was the hottest on record, with record-high sea levels reached. It forms part of a worrying trend; 14 of the hottest 15 years on record have occurred in the 21st century. In fact, nobody born after 1976 has ever lived through a year of below-average global temperatures – meaning that the last time the Earth was functioning below climatic equilibrium, The Three Degrees were more likely to be playing on the radio than being discussed as a last-ditch adaptation goal by panic-strewn policy makers.

... we need a new policy narrative on climate change, and what better way to start pushing for one than to a march straight through the heart of Westminster? It’s time to tell our politicians that failure to act on climate change is not an option: it’s morally reprehensible.

But as the social and economic costs of mitigating climate change continue to inflate, surely the most expensive we can do is nothing at all?

The Time to Act march starts at 12.30pm on Saturday (March 7) in Lincoln Inns Fields, London.

To read more about it and learn about how you can support the campaign, visit www.timetoact2015.org

Read today's EIA blog in full at eia-international.org/its-time-to-demand-ambitious-action-on-climate-change

#climate ... See MoreSee Less

1 day ago  ·