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Monday, June 4, 2007

Al Gore Hates People On Life Support

Here's an interesting one from the UK Times. Taking symbolism to a new level, apparently Al Gore wanted to stage a moment of electrical silence during the Live Earth concert. But authorities shot down the idea saying that the flux caused by everyone turning everything back on all at once could be enough to cause electrical malfunctions, possible effecting hospitals. Excerpt:

Britain pulls plug on Al’s big climate change show
Safety fears stop national switch-off

Maurice Chittenden

IT WAS intended to be the symbolic gesture at a global series of rock concerts next month to alert people to climate change. Al Gore, the former US presidential candidate turned climate doomsayer, had wanted a massive switch-off of lights by television audiences, but the National Grid has vetoed the idea.

The inconvenient truth, it says, is that the power surge when people switched their lights back on could cause disruptions in supply and even endanger hospital patients on life support machines.

Live Earth will be a series of concerts, modelled on Live Aid and and Live 8, aimed at raising awareness about the threat from global warming.

As many as 12 concerts across seven continents featuring the likes of Madonna and Genesis and 100 other acts are planned over 24 hours, including one at a research station in Antarctica.

The organisers have so far struggled to find a clear-cut way of conveying their main message. Even rock performers have criticised the concept.

Roger Daltrey, of the Who, said another concert would simply waste fuel; Bob Geldof, who helped to organise Live Aid and Live 8, said people were already aware of the greenhouse effect; while Matt Bellamy, front man of the rock band Muse, labelled it “private jets for climate change”.

Keep reading at timesonline.co.uk

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