Mischa Altmann

just listening to The Cat Empire’s new CD So Many Nights.

Here’s a quote from No Longer There:

What would you leave behind when all your fields are dead
When your territories are dried out and your cities drowned and swept?
What would you leave behind when those who bear your name
Are born in that place that you wrecked?
What would you leave behind when you’re no longer there?


Would you sail to distant shores
And hide within the haze?
Softly close your door
Pretend the world was saved
And wait for heaven’s call?


Or would you turn and face the sea
And calm decide you care?
There’s chance but if you dare
And swift as honour’s steeds
Before it’s no longer there

Go on and watch their video clip (on YouTube.com)

The Independent reports on a recent reports by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria and others on the inefficiency of first generation biofuels.

An acre of maize can produce just over 1,000 litres of ethanol a year, and an acre of soybeans just 227 litres.

The article features on possible solution: algae. It’s clear that it is essential to move towards biofuels that do not compete for space (required for food production or simply required to keep ecosystems intact) and do not rely on fertilisers.

I saw Sky Blue (Wonderful Days) recently. Quite stunning visually! It was easy to forget that it’s an animation at times.

Set in 2142 after some sort of ecological disaster there’s a face off between establishment and rebel inside what is called the “time capsule” (around 0:16:15, English release), essentially a museum, where various culturally important(?) artifacts are kept. Among those selected items are

• Klimt’s Der Kuß (The Kiss)
• Bruegel’s The Procession to Calvary
• Munch’s Skrik (The Scream)
• and a few more that i recognise but can’t put a name to