Ranan Lurie 2009 cartoon winners – first place to Robert Ariail

December 28, 2009

My apologies for not being more timely.

The United Nations Correspondents Association and the UN Society of Writers and Artists announced the winners of the 2009 Ranan Lurie/UN Cartoon Awards earlier this month.  First place, and $10,000, went to Robert Ariail, cartooning in The State.

Ariail’s winner is a clever depiction of a commuter making the most of advertising for $4.00/gallon gasoline, becoming a bicycle commuter in the process.

Robert Ariail, First Place, 2009 Ranan Lurie UN Cartoon Award

Robert Ariail's First Place cartoon, 2009 Ranan Lurie UN Cartoon Award competition ($10,000)

Self portrait, Robert Ariail, cartoonist who won 2009 Ranan Lurie UN Cartoon Award

Ariail's self-portrait -- he is without portfolio at the moment

Sad news, too typical for cartoonists these days — Ariail was laid off from The State before the award announcements.  You can see Ariail’s work at his website. (This may be a better copy of his award-winning cartoon.)

Hey!  Mr. Murdoch! Want to do some public service and promote your news organizations?  Hire Ariail, and some of the other laid-off cartoonists whose visual opinions we sorely need in these complex and too-somber times.  (Anyone else who owns a newspaper, or edits one, should consider doing a favor for cartooning and the public, too.)

Go check out the other cartoons, all the way through honorable mention.  There are some spectactular, funny, and stinging works there.  I’ll post a few of them as we near 2010, but you can look now.

Top three:

  • First prize, $10,000 – Robert Ariail, The State (U.S.A.)
  • Second prize, $5,000 – Silvan Wegmann, Sonntag (Switzerland)
  • Third prize, $3,000 – Shlomo Cohen, Israel Hayom (Israel)

Citations for excellence:

  • Guy Badeaux, Le Droit (Canada)
  • Michael Kontouris, Eleftheros Tipos (Greece)
  • Agim Sulaj, Romagna Corriere (Italy)
  • David Pope, The Canberra Times (Australia)
  • Zhu Zizun, Jiaxing Daily (China)
  • Michael Keefe, The Denver Post (U.S.A.)
  • Xiaoqiang Hou, Cartoon Weekly (China)
  • Makhmud Eshonkulov, Himal (Republic of Nepal)
  • Rex Babin, The Sacramento Bee (U.S.A.)
  • Fruz Kutal, Amnesty International “Magasinet” (Norway)

Share these cartoons — keep cartoonists employed:

Add to FacebookAdd to NewsvineAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Furl

2 Comments | Cartoons, Economics, Energy, Environmental protection, Political cartoons, Politics, United Nations | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Climate change denialists cripple American industry

September 16, 2009

Did you see Tom Friedman’s column today?

Is there any way to interpret away his conclusions that the war against green jobs is killing American industry?

Is there any way he could be wrong?  Read it; doesn’t it make you want to fix things?

O.K., so you don’t believe global warming is real. I do, but let’s assume it’s not. Here is what is indisputable: The world is on track to add another 2.5 billion people by 2050, and many will be aspiring to live American-like, high-energy lifestyles. In such a world, renewable energy — where the variable cost of your fuel, sun or wind, is zero — will be in huge demand.

China now understands that. It no longer believes it can pollute its way to prosperity because it would choke to death. That is the most important shift in the world in the last 18 months. China has decided that clean-tech is going to be the next great global industry and is now creating a massive domestic market for solar and wind, which will give it a great export platform.

In October, Applied will be opening the world’s largest solar research center — in Xian, China. Gotta go where the customers are. So, if you like importing oil from Saudi Arabia, you’re going to love importing solar panels from China.

Leave a Comment » | Climate change, Cost of Green, Economics, Energy, Environmental protection, Global warming, Green Politics, Invention, pollution | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

India accepts climate junk science; U.S. suffers

July 25, 2009

It would be good news were it not so bad:  India, usually considered a threat to U.S. dominance in science, has turned its back on climate science and instead, citing junk science claims, rejected overtures to reduce pollution that affects climate.  India appears to have fallen victim to the hoaxters who claim climate change is no big deal.

From the Financial Times:

A split between rich and poor nations in the run-up to climate-change talks widened on Thursday.

India rejected key scientific findings on global warming, while the European Union called for more action by developing states on greenhouse gas emissions.

Jairam Ramesh, the Indian environment minister, accused the developed world of needlessly raising alarm over melting Himalayan glaciers.

He dismissed scientists’ predictions that Himalayan glaciers might disappear within 40 years as a result of global warming.

“We have to get out of the preconceived notion, which is based on western media, and invest our scientific research and other capacities to study Himalayan atmosphere,” he said.

As if the atmosphere of the Himalayan range is unaffected by emissions from Europe or Asia.  As if the glaciers in the Himalayas, and the snowfall,  and the water to India’s great rivers, come independent from the rest of the world.

Deadly air pollution obscures the India Gate, New Delhi, India, November 2008 - NowPublic.com

Deadly air pollution obscures the India Gate, New Delhi, India, November 2008 - NowPublic.com

It’s interesting to see these issues play out politically.   India and China both understand that the U.S. and Europe have much more to lose from climate change than either of those nations.  Climate damage to the U.S. wheat belt, for example, would chiefly close off U.S. production of wheat for export, opening markets for others — like India and China.  Critically, such damage also hurts U.S. ability to offset balance of payments issues, providing economic and finance advantages to China’s banks.  U.S. ports are much more vulnerable to climate change damage, from increase storms and changing ocean levels, than are ports in India and China — and there are more ports that are vulnerable in the U.S. and Europe.

India’s inaction and recalcitrance should not be used as justification for the U.S. to do nothing, thereby slitting its own patriotic throat.

But watch:  Climate denialist blogs, “hate-America-first” outlets like World Net Daily, and Osama bin Laden will hail India’s inaction.

Let’s hope cooler heads prevail, lest we run out of cooler heads.

Shake of the old scrub brush to Brown Hell and Watt’s Up With That.

If this is important to you, please share it; click on the button you choose below.

Add to FacebookAdd to NewsvineAdd to DiggAdd to Del.icio.usAdd to StumbleuponAdd to RedditAdd to BlinklistAdd to TwitterAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Furl

7 Comments | China, Climate change, Cost of Green, Economics, Energy, Environmental protection, foreign affairs, Global warming, Globalization, Green Politics, Hoaxes, India, Junk science, Natural resources, Politics, pollution, Rampant stupidity, Reason, Science, Voodoo science, War on Science, Water | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Clean energy bill needs your help

June 25, 2009

Call your Congressman, the person who represents you in the U.S. House of Representatives, and urge a “yea” vote on the comprehensive clean energy bill.

You can check your representative at several places, or follow the instructions through RePower America, listed below the video from our old friend Al Gore.

Repower America said in an e-mail:

Clean energy bill needs our support

Any moment now, the House will be voting on the boldest attempt to rethink how we produce and use energy in this country. The bill’s passage is not assured. Call your Representative today.

  • Call 877-9-REPOWER (877-9-737-6937) and we’ll connect you to your Representative right after providing you with talking points. (We’re expecting high call volume, and if you are unable to be connected please use our secondary line, 866-590-0971.)
  • When connected to your Representative’s office, just remember to tell them your name, that you’re a voter, and that you live in their district. Then ask them to “vote ‘yes’ on comprehensive clean energy legislation.”

They’d like you to report your contact, here.

What?  You haven’t been following the debate?  Here’s what the pro-pollution, give-all-your-money-to-Canada, Hugo Chavez, and the Saudis group hopes.  Here’s where the anti-pollution, pro-frog and clean environment people say the proposed act is way too weak as it stands.  Here’s the House Energy and Commerce Committee drafts and discussion of the bill.  Consumer Reports analyzed the bill here (and said it can’t be passed into law fast enough despite its flaws).

Call now.  Pass the word to your friends.  Tell your children to call — their kids deserve better than the path we’re on now.

More information and discussion:

7 Comments | Citizenship, Climate change, Cost of Green, Energy, Environmental protection, Global warming, Government, Politics, pollution, Science, U.S. House of Representatives | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Next Entries »