A new study is out, and the denialists of human-generated climate change are going to love it. Basically the authors of the study in question were puzzled by the level of public doubt and scepticism regarding anthropogenic climate change (ACC). As they saw it there was a “striking agreement” among scientists on the causes and […]
Mike Baillie
Mike is a young environmentalist. He is also very interested in issues relating to consumerism, consumption, and the capitalist system in Africa.
Mike also has his a worm farm, rides a bike to work, and doesn't own a television. He loves reading, going for long runs, and is humbly learning to surf.
Posted inBusiness, Environment, Lifestyle, Media
Are you a ‘green’ hypocrite?
Recently a lot of my writing has focused on the issue of externalities, and how they contribute to a corporation’s profitability. What I’ve neglected is the flip side: that just as corporations should pay the full costs of their activities, so should you and I. Not sure what I’m on about? Well in essence the […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, Media
Brand spanking: Going beyond BP
While BP is spending in the region of $400 million fumbling around in its oil spill, it’s also spending a whopping $50 million trying to convince us that it is in fact cleaning up. Part of that PR budget has gone to Google, where BP strategically bought a number of search terms to ensure that you and […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Who’s afraid of the big, bad moffie?
What is it about homosexuality that inspires such hatred in others — and most frequently on the part of men? I mean often the degree of hatred, and the violence it often inspires, seems completely out of proportion to whatever threat homosexuality seemingly poses. Recent events in Malawi are a case in point, though such […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, Media
Brand spanking: Nestlé gets hijacked
By now I’m sure you’ve seen the video clip: an office employee, bored stiff at work, decides to “have a break, have a KitKat” — only those aren’t slender fingers of dark chocolate and biscuit he’s snacking on, but orangutan fingers, and just look at the blood dripping off his chin! The goal of the […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Dear denialists, I must apologise
You see, in my previous post I grievously underestimated how many climate change sceptics there are among Thought Leader readers. Perhaps my calling those sceptics “dim-witted” drew them out from their exhaust fumes. I’m not sure. But the point is, I must apologise: not for the insult, but for unwittingly creating the impression that there […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, News/Politics
This one’s for the (dim-witted) denialists
I tell you what, I’ll pander to your pathetic pussyfooting. I’ll play your game: let’s assume that global warming is an elaborate hoax. Let’s pretend that any climate change is entirely unrelated to human actions; that the big, green bogey man is nothing but a stuffed toy to dangle from the review mirror of your […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Climate change scientists have it wrong
When scientists first began to notice changes in the world’s climate, they traced those shifts back to the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. We were told that the problem had been found — and that lowering greenhouse gas emissions would steer us into the clear. But the science is wrong. You see, climate change […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle, Tech
Tweet this
A day in the life of a South African technocrat is hectic. For starters, we email a lot. We also check our Facebook pages, update our status, and comment quite a bit. And tweeting is definitely not just for the birds. Then we check our email. We text. We update our MySpace pages, and then […]
Posted inLifestyle
‘Nikey’ and the Price War
So, here’s the question: If products were forced to carry labels that disclosed the product’s full cost to society, would you have the conviction to put certain products back? If you picked up a pair of the latest Nikey shoes, would you have the courage to return them to the shelf when you saw their tag?
Posted inBusiness
‘Nikey’ and the price war
Prices lie. Well, at the best they tell a half truth, masking a lot of what the full cost of a particular product is. A price tag will tell you, for example, that the bottle of Coke you’re holding costs one thing, while in actual fact the real cost is usually far more. I am […]