Rick Giles, president of Act on Campus, went on TV3's Sunrise yesterday to debunk Earth Hour and climate change but ended up making a complete fool of himself. Giles said Earth Hour promoted ludditism and instead we should celebrate technology with Edison Hour.
Sunrise co-host Oliver Driver tried to explain that Earth Hour was symbolic - to increase awareness of our power consumption and its effect on the environment - but Giles wasn't buying it. He didn't believe in man-made climate change and said: "I think my argument is so powerful that it's not necessary to talk about it."
A Facebook group with nearly 1000 members has been set up to ridicule his point of view, and an original Mr Vintage T-shirt is on the way.
Check out the interview here.
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The Western Australian construction union has hit out at a ban on workers eating ham sandwiches and meat pies at the site of a mega-mansion being built by devout vegetarians. Billionaire Pankaj Oswal and his socialite wife Radhikaare are building the $70 million Taj-on-Swan mansion in Perth, which will be the biggest home in Australia, on the most expensive block of land, and have ordered that no meat be eaten on the site. A union spokesman criticised the ban. "I respect everybody's right to practise their religion, but I totally disagree with anyone forcing it on others."
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Yesterday, Pauline of Pakuranga went to buy a sandwich at a central Auckland cafe and was staggered to see that a couple drinking coffee just outside the door had their dog sitting in the middle of the table. Eww! "I mentioned it to the two staff behind the counter who looked at me blankly. I suggested they tell them to get the animal off the table. Duh?"
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A reader writes: "Each year, a large pallet-load of telephone books would be deposited in the hallway of the head office of a large Auckland retail chain where I worked. Staff were encouraged to help themselves to copies but only a few were taken - and these seemed to be invariably used to prop up computer monitors. The large stack of books sat in the hallway for a few weeks until, I suspect, they were eventually consigned to the skip."
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Catherine Dodson's story of macadamia-eating dogs concerned this reader, a vet nurse: "Macadamia nuts are known to be poisonous to dogs! Often the symptoms are mild and the dogs recover but depending on the individual dog and volume of nuts consumed, macadamia nuts can be fatal. It's very sad seeing dogs suffer after eating macadamia nuts. Please warn your readers!"
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See today's Herald cartoon
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Today's Webpick: ACT on Campus rep Rick Giles makes a complete tool of himself in an interview with Oliver Driver about climate change on TV3's Sunrise. Go here.
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