we’ve all seen the carnage on the roadside – or at least, seen some of it. Every day millions of creatures are killed and maimed through the happenstance of human activity. Astronomical numbers are obliterated by automobiles alone; it is, according to my second guest, a veritable highway holocaust.
William Laurance is a distinguished research professor and Australian Laureate at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia, director of the Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, and founder and director of ALERT—the Alliance of Leading Environmental Researchers & Thinkers. In addition to his scientific papers, his popular essays appear at, among other places, CounterPunch.org, The Conversation, and bioGraphic.com, where I found his article ‘Curbing an Onslaught of 2 Billion Cars.’
William Laurance in the first half.
And; if there’s a single defining characteristic of this mad time we’re careening through it is the ceaselessness of it all. Even in the stillest moments the motor hums on, just behind the wallpaper. But, if the prospect of living at the mercy of a mechanistic society unable to find rest seems daunting, how much worse is it when the machinery resides not inside the walls but within our heads, possessing every waking moment, pervading even our dreams? How much worse yet when, not only do we want the omnipresent noise, but can’t live without it?
Andy Worthington is freelance investigative journalist, activist, author, photographer, film-maker, and singer-songwriter. Co-founder of the Close Guantánamo campaign (and the Countdown to Close Guantánamo initiative) and co-director of We Stand With Shaker, which called for the release from Guantánamo of Shaker Aamer, he has made an annual pilgrimage to America from his native Britain to lobby for that infamous prison’s closure.
Andy’s book titles include: ‘Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison, ‘Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion’, and ‘The Battle of the Beanfield.’ He also co-directed (with Polly Nash) the documentary film, ‘Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo,’ and spends an inordinate amount of time online, enmeshed in the virtual wires that constitute the modern-World. His latest article, ‘Switch Off Your Devices and Have a Week Off: Why Headspace, Silence and Human Interaction is Good for Us‘ examines the value of another kind of peace.
Andy Worthington and making room for headspace in the second half.
And; Victoria gardening guru and green entrepreneur, Christina Nikolic will join us at the bottom of the hour with a special Victoria Fringe Festival Left Coast Events feature. But first, William Laurance and curbing the global vehicular onslaught.
Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Wednesday, 1-2pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: https://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/
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