Hit Me Like a Man

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has caved to the pressure of the mining industry and the Federal Government. The agency charged with "the protection, wise use, understanding and enjoyment of the Great Barrier Reef in perpetuity" has allowed it to be sold out for short-term profits.  Late yesterday, they granted a permit to dump five million tonnes of dredge spoil inside the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.  This destructive project is now allowed to go-ahead - unless we make a last ditch effort to challenge it in court. Click here to learn more, and help fund the legal challenge to save our Reef:  http://www.getup.org.au/reef-fighting-fund

another legal action kick starter can be found here:

http://www.soundsforthereef.org/

$1 a song, or $10 the album, all downloaded off bandcamp, moolah going direct to the reef fighting fund. 

it’s got artists such as John Butler, Cat Empire, Missy Higgins, The Bamboos, etc. it’s pretty fucking sick, ay?

in addition to the coal port, now there’s a huge gas export terminal proposed for Abbot Point

so that’s happening. so we need more hands on deck because the government is not listening to us, so we need to make the noise just a teensy bit louder. 

I have never seen either of the top two pieces of concept art for Animal Kingdom’s legendary and fantastic Beastly Kingdom, specifically the Dragon Tower coaster. The second one looks fairly…amateurish while the first shows the storyline’s much-discussed bats. The bottom two are well-known pieces from WDI.  

Well now I’m crying and want Beastly Kingdom to become a reality. Now. Always and forever always and ever forever now and always please now always. Forever. Always.

UPDATE: To everyone who is randomly seeing this months after I posted it…the demise of Avatarland has unfortunately been debunked by multiple reliable sources.

A little birdie is flying around tweeting that Avatarland is basically dead at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. All I can say is: It’s about time.

Since being announced last year, reaction has been overwhelming tepid-perhaps an early sign of a sinking ship? It looks like the project’s downfall (in addition to its mediocrity) can be attributed to sharply conflicting visions from WDI and from James Cameron. One example: Disney apparently wanted to create some sort of 2.0 version of Soarin’ where you could ride on those dragon things from the movie, which Cameron was not down with. Sounds like an incredibly cutting-edge ride…not.

If the project is indeed on it’s way out, I’m completely ecstatic. The plot of land Avatarland was to take up should be developed as originally planned, as Beastly Kingdom (or Beastly Kingdomme). In case no one knows about this fantasy-themed miniland, here’s some of the now-legendary concept art:

Above: Overview of the land

Above: Entrance to the land’s signature attraction: The Dragon Tower coaster

Above: Fantasia Gardens was a boat ride themed after scenes from Fantasia

Above:The huge maze Quest for the Unicorn which culminated in a grotto featuring the titular unicorn

So basically that’s the most awesome thing ever. A worthy combatant against The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal. It was in the park’s initial plans and should have been revived earlier. Everyone knows Animal Kingdom needs some fixing. It won’t be cheap, but there are three things that, in my opinion, would make AK a true full-day Disney park:

Add Beastly Kingdom

Add an Australia wildlife section

Upgrade/retheme DinoLand USA (possibly revive the Excavator?)

It’s not like Disney doesn’t have the money to make these enhancements. It’s safe to say they’d be a good investment.

A previous confession spoke about how this guy introduced AC to his sister. I did too, and I regret doing so. I mean, I really appreciate the series. When I play the games, I really do take it seriously, and it’s become a part of me. But my sister… she has no appreciation for the story. When the cutscenes cue, she just zones out and begins chatting with other people, and, you know, not concentrating on the beautiful story created by Ubisoft. Why can’t she appreciate the series?

androids - robots that are designed to look human-like (100% mechanical)