Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The most popular animal in Bali, Indonesia is...


polar bears!

A related brain-twisting question MM asked me today was, "Who is the current Prime Minister of Australia?"

The answer is "Julie Gillard".

No worries. Kevin Rudd didn't disappeared into the ocean. He went to Bali to attend the UN Climate talks. According to Australian law, when PM is not in the country or in vacation, the deputy PM becomes the acting PM.

Back to the first question, polar bears are most popular in a tropical island because it has become the icon of global warming impacts, as it is one of the most endangered species, or should I say, most studied and loved charismatic species. Therefore environmental activists in Bali paraded in Polar bear suits to make their point. Wow, one has to applaud for their dedication no matter how good their presentations were. Polar bears and a tropical island just don't click, neither do bear suits and tropical weather.

But I hope the representatives of the Climate Talks do and come up with something constructive other than pointing at each other's nose. We should hear something, anything by Friday. Australia rectified the Kyoto and jumped on board almost at the last minute, though people don't seem to be too optimistic about its possible contribution.


(P.S. Knut is the name of that polar bear in the picture. He lives in Berlin zoo and recently celebrated his first birthday with a fish cake. He is probably the most loved orphan in the world as he is truly a star not only in Germany but all over the world.)

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