leader of the free world

..but for how long? (the "free" part, that is)

>
> Comedian or just NTB???
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijz1CdUj5fg
>
>
>
> Caught off guard?
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCvqXXnxLZw
>

pay now, pay later to a whole new level

zero tax increases --> city cutting back its social presence --> religions fill the social vacuum and before you know it, sharia is alive and well here too. taxes and the city services they fund are the only weapons we have to defend ourselves against people with whom you can't debate because they do things in the name of some supreme deity, who conveniently delegates authority only to a few "chosen" individuals.

This is how you get courts sentencing women to 200 lashes and six months in prison after being abducted and gang-raped by seven men.
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Worthington_Peter/2007/11/28/4691235.php

CMAJ accuses drugstore chain of 'poaching' African pharmacists

Shoppers Drugmart is getting a little greedy... bad on them.

TORONTO - Canada's top medical journal is calling for a boycott of the country's largest chain of drugstores over the "unethical" practice of "poaching" pharmacists from South Africa.
In an editorial titled "Shoppers Drug Mart or Poachers Drug Mart?" the Canadian Medical Association Journal accuses the national chain of contributing to a health disaster by luring workers from the AIDS-ravaged country, a scheme it describes as "foreign aid in reverse."
"Those who poach deserve to lose business," the editorial says, citing figures from the KwaZulu-Natal province, in which three-quarters of government-funded pharmacist positions were unfilled.
The editorial suggests Shoppers should fund pharmacist training programs in South Africa, rather than exploiting the education system of a poverty stricken state.
"Shoppers has a legitimate need for workers, but it's not solving that need by bearing the cost in some way, by sharing the cost of training those workers," said Amir Attaran, Canada Research Chair in law, Population Health, and Global Development Policy at the University of Ottawa, who co-wrote the editorial.
"The South African taxpayer bears the cost in large part, and the worker is pulled away to Canada, where Canadians get the benefit. The lack of equity is obvious."
John Caplice, the company's senior vice-president, treasurer, investor relations and corporate affairs, refused to be interviewed yesterday, but said in an e-mail: "We are familiar with the editorial ... and strongly disagree with what is implied by its contents. Shoppers Drug Mart has in the past recruited a select few pharmacists from South Africa, as well as from other English-speaking nations. It is not our intention to 'poach' or damage the health care system of any other country."
The editorial, to be published in the forthcoming issue, contrasts the fair practice of "passive enticement," such as advertisements, with unfair, active "poaching." Mr. Attaran said Shoppers crossed the line by actually going to Africa and making company lawyers available to help with immigration hurdles. The company also pledges to reimburse the cost of Canadian licensing exams for successful recruits.
"In other words, they're facilitating the decision, not simply offering the option. It's the facilitation that is the problem," Mr. Attaran said. "I think we would feel very hard done by if American corporations were actively poaching away our graduates, and yet that's what a Canadian corporation is doing. And bear in mind, we don't have 19 per cent of adults with HIV; the South Africans do."
The editorial was prompted late last month when Wendy Lack, manager of associate recruitment for Shoppers, contacted Roderick Walker, dean elect of the faculty of pharmacy at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, with a personal invitation to a recruiting drive that began yesterday.
Mr. Walker spread the word to colleagues, and co-wrote the editorial, which represents the views of the entire CMAJ board.
Ms. Lack was in Pretoria yesterday for the recruiting drive, which continues Thursday in Johannesburg, and next week in Durban and Cape Town. She did not respond to requests for comment.
For individual South African pharmacists, the question of emigration is often a dilemma that pits the welfare of their homeland against that of their families, with predictable outcomes.
"It's a good opportunity for Shoppers to be there because of the bad situation for pharmacists at the moment. ... The whole profession is under threat," said Wilhelm Venter, 40, a pharmacist who left South Africa five years ago and now owns and manages a Shoppers Drug Mart in Toronto's financial district.
He said his profession is poorly supported in South Africa because, unlike in Canada, doctors can dispense drugs as well as prescribe them. He said legislation has been changed for the worse in the last couple of years, with the effect of "bankrupting a lot of pharmacists," and so the interest in emigration is now at a peak. But he said a lack of doctors and facilities, and the high cost of medication, are far worse problems.
"Unless you have an actual private drug plan, which very few people can afford, most people can't even afford to buy medications from a pharmacy, so the pharmacist's role is pretty limited," he said. "They're going out of business. That's why they're leaving."

battlefield deciders

"Some of the best weapons for counterinsurgency do not shoot," Nagl's counterinsurgency manual says. Instead, it advises troops to get to know the locals — both individually and as groups — and gain their trust. The locals generally know which of their neighbors are insurgents and which aren't; they're already plugged into the communal network. "Arguably," the manual says, "the decisive battle is for the people's minds."

From Wired.com, ironically enough. I believe this is as important in a city like Ottawa, struggling for public confidence in its ability to provide effective and efficient needs. Retreating into service-cutting "0% tax increase" modes is counterproductive. Instead, the city should be an integral part of the community - if not, you leave the door open for other organizations to fill the void, organizations that you typically can't discuss with rationally because [god] is on their side.

the mayor speaks

There's no way in a hundred million years that the (1500?) staff at City Hall can match the intellectual capacity of the 877,000 people of the City of Ottawa.

-Larry O'Brien on a telephone interview with BOB FM this morning (26 Nov 07 around 6:20am) on municipal budget consultations.
Wow.
Akin to the 2004-11-20 Dilbert where Alice is outwitted by PHM during a performance review ("inability to handle criticism ... and you argue with people much smarter than yourself.")
Evidently, in this first-past-the-post election system, his conscience is guided by a public opinion weathervane.
Personally, I think dissing your staff in order to flatter the electorate and gain public support for overriding staff recommendations is a cheap trick. I guess he also considers having the guts to say and do stupid things that nobody else would dare as "leadership."
My only consolation is that, as time goes on, the backward slides into conservativism, the reactionary shifts between left and right, are getting shorter-lived as people start realizing neither is the panacea for public ills. Part of me is beginning to look forward to the next quantum change that resets the public's frame of reference. Isn't 2012 the year the Mayans think this (particular iteration of the) world ends?

lost in a golden age?

This is stupid. Why remove a book because it is controversial? Better thing to do is take your heads out of the sand and ask the students to discuss what they think makes it controversial. Oh but wait, that would lead to free thought...
shortlink
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071123/compass_books_071123/20071123?hub=Canada

"The trouble is that all too often in human history, churches and priesthoods have set themselves up to rule people's lives in the name of some invisible god (and they're all invisible, because they don't exist) -- and done terrible damage," Pullman writes on his website.

"In the name of their god, they have burned, hanged, tortured, maimed, robbed, violated, and enslaved millions of their fellow creatures, and done so with the happy conviction that they were doing the will of God, and they would go to Heaven for it."

honorary titles

interesting factoid:
"In the United States, the form "Excellency" was specifically denied to the President"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excellency

well, interesting from a historical p.o.v: this obviously stems from an anti-british monarchy/peerage system sentiment, which is interesting to me because the best definition for Canadian is "not american."

A friend of mine suggested Dubya would prefer "Your Omnipotency." If we were to use "Your Inepotency" instead, would the spelling error distract him from the thinly-veiled attack?

Why exactly is Hollywood on Washington's radar?

I never imagined that the American government would concern itself over leftist Hollywood, that persistent thorn in the side of absolutist intentions, other than, perhaps, to serve as a convenient catchment area for social laxism and vice. Is Washington then afraid that such an attack might allow the communist "disease" to break out and infect the rest of the country? Or are they afraid that without Nicole and Britney and the anorexic twins, the media will have to start talking about the real world again and people will start paying attention to Washington and the rest of the world again?

EXPERTS FAULT U.S. PREPARATION FOR ANTHRAX ATTACK
Will Dunham
November 14, 2007

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The United States has done too little to prepare for another potential domestic anthrax attack six years after spore-laden mail killed five people, a former CIA director and other experts said on Wednesday.
[...]
The report illustrated the threat by laying out three scenarios involving an anthrax attack: spreading spores on New York's subway system, killing thousands; dispersing a smaller amount of the spores in a Minneapolis movie theater, Las Vegas casino and California theme park, killing hundreds; and an attack at the Academy Awards ceremony, killing famous actors.
"Congress needs to get much more involved right now. The administration needs to put this on the front burner," Livingstone said.
[...]

no words can describe this

somebody's spending not enough time with the rest of society (which in this case might be a good thing for the rest of us):
http://www.churchofmoo.com/half-mad/teevee/teevee.html

checks-and-balances: statement of the obvious

If you cannot find a leader that inspires faith that you will succeed, you have to settle for a manager that can inspire confidence that you will at least not fail.

No wonder we have multicameral governments and heavy bureaucracies!

objective science vs guided religion

Faith picks up where confidence leaves off; the fight between atheists and theists is where to draw the line.

abuse of power

I was almost digging this release, until I got to the last sentence.
Harper's abusive arrogance has no limits; who the hell does he think he is? Why should we accept such clear partisan shots from Canada's PM when its not even campaign season? What an ass.

-----Original Message-----
PRIME MINISTER HARPER PRESENTS NEW MINISTRY
August 14, 2007
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today presented a new Ministry which will continue to lead Canada's New Government through the next phase of its mandate.

"We did what we said we were going to do and now it's time to keep moving forward," said the Prime Minister. "To seize the opportunities that lie before us; and rise to the challenges that confront us."

In particular, Prime Minister Harper pointed to continued strong leadership on the economy, and defence and foreign affairs.

The Prime Minister said the new Ministry would continue to provide the same strong and decisive leadership that Canadians have come to expect from Canada's New Government.

"As our record over the past eighteen months demonstrates, we have a proven capacity to get things done for all of Canada's families."

Prime Minister Harper said the new Ministry would continue to:

Assert and defend Canada's sovereignty;

Keep the economy strong and taxes low;

Vigorously tackle crime;

Preserve and protect the environment; and

Strengthen the Federation at home and abroad.

"This new Ministry presents Canadians with a clear choice; a choice between strong leadership that is moving Canada forward or a weak opposition that would set families and taxpayers back," concluded Prime Minister Harper.

The Prime Minister's Office - Communications

different gears for different fears

say what, "prima facie" evidence?
this obviously wasn't written by the usual propaganda-writers.
Still, they never miss a chance to take a vindictive stab. Even if factually not incorrect, such statements are inappropriately partial for the PM's office.

I also wonder just how "independent" this third party is going to be. The USA political system has that going for it, at least: the Senate must scrutinize and can veto each presidential appointee! Maybe Harper is worried that a properly reformed Canadian Senate will diminish his dictatorship reign quest for absolute rule?

-----Original Message-----

STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER

November 13, 2007
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement on asking the third party to advise the Government on terms of reference for a public inquiry:

"On Friday I announced that I would be appointing an independent and impartial third party to review what course of actions may be appropriate given Mr. Schreiber's new sworn allegations. These allegations remain unproven and untested in a court of law and arose in a private lawsuit. There are however now issues that go beyond the private interests of the parties in the lawsuit.

Many have called for a public inquiry, including most recently Mr. Mulroney.

Given the conflicting information and allegations (including what appears to be some conflicting information under oath) and the extended time period over which the events referred to in various documents and allegations surrounding this matter have occurred, I have decided to ask the third party to advise the government on appropriate terms of reference for a public inquiry.

If in reviewing material, the independent party finds any prima facie evidence of criminal action he or she will identify this and advise how this should be handled and what impact, if any, it should have on the nature and timing of the inquiry.

A public inquiry is a major step and one that should only be taken when it addresses Canadians' interest, not those of the various parties, whether Mr. Schreiber, Mr. Mulroney or political parties. That is why it is important that we engage the necessary independent expertise and take the time to ensure that the terms of reference meet that test."

The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
[Note: You are receiving this e-mail for information only, and because you have subscribed to our distribution list.

ECO 92 RJ - Severn Suzuki

unprecedented

Wow, this is the first time that I ever notice the PM announcing his availability for questions since I subscribed to this service (shortly after the election). at the press theatre, and taking questions even? what's going on?

-----Original Message-----

Public event for Prime Minister Stephen Harper for today, November 9th is:

4:00 p.m. - Prime Minister Stephen Harper will be available to take questions from the media.

Press Theatre
National Press Building
150 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario

*Open to media*

The Prime Minister's Office - Communications

Rememberance Day Thanks

Joint missive from the Ministries of Truth and Peace:

> -----Original Message-----
>
> REMEMBRANCE DAY MESSAGE
>
> As Minister of National Defence, I have had the privilege of meeting with many of you. I find myself humbled by the bravery and the professionalism of the fine men and women who work for Canadian Forces.
>
> In Afghanistan, you are continuing the noble role that Canada has always played in the world. You are giving hope to millions of people in need of assistance. You are acting as a cause for good in an unstable world. This is also true of Canadian Forces members who are deployed under Operation ALTAIR and Operation SEXTANT; our sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen who are stationed around the world; and the personnel who are protecting North America.
>
> Like generations before you, many of you have left your homes in Canada to confront an extremist ideology on foreign soil. Many of you have risked your lives to defend Canada and Canadian values. Without doubt, your sacrifices are building a better world.
>
> Now, more than ever, I appreciate Canada> '> s very proud tradition of military accomplishments. As communities across Canada think and pray of the sacrifices that brave men and women have made on their behalf this weekend, they will also pause to think and pray for you.
>
> Canada will forever remember those Canadians who fought in past conflicts and those Canadians who served the cause of peace.
>
> To all soldiers, past and present, thank you.
>
> Lest we forget.
>
> Peter G. MacKay
> Minister of National Defence

I emailed this earlier today:

Mr. Sterling,

Before I start, I'd like to congratulate you on your recent re-election. The overall election results were rather surprising, though in hindsight, not entirely unexpected. I also want to thank you for the pressure you are keeping on the Carp Dump situation.

I recently brought a small crate of unwanted electronics to a local "Take It Back" program participant for proper disposal. I was prepared to pay the "small handling fee" they had verbally quoted at $35.

I was stunned, however, when they gave me a receipt for $30, plus GST and PST. Shocked. Why have the federal and provincial governments not tax-exempted waste diversion/recuperation services? I could have easily sent them to landfill with the rest of my garbage for free (well, through municipal taxes), but, mindful of future generations, I chose to dispose of them properly at my personal time and expense. Had I known about the upcoming amnesty day for electronic components, I would have waited a few more weeks and at least saved my money.

The Ontario government already has several excellent incentive programs, aimed at what consumers bring into their homes (PST-exempt EnergyStar qualified appliances and a cost sharing program for packaging materials, for example). When will the government extend their attention to address what goes OUT of consumer's homes, by shouldering more waste diversion program costs, or, at the very least, exempting compost bins, rain barrels, electronic recuperation programs, and the like from the PST as well? Certainly this would make diverting toxic trash from the Carp dump more palatable, even more accessible, and help secure a clean environment for our children to grow into the strong and vibrant workforce of tomorrow.

Bottom line is, we should not be taxed for our greenwill.

abuse of communications

have you seen the PM's website lately?
His name in big letters, underlined with "strong leadership, a better Canada."
Seems to me this website belonged to the OFFICE of the Prime Minister. I'm quite ok with it trumpeting priorities and achievements of the government, but I have a big problem with his personal use of it as a campaigning device.

putting errors behind us... with new ones

I'm all for protecting the way of life of aboriginals who choose that path, and affording those who choose to strike off on their own a comfortable place in our society. However, I am concerned these campaign-style promises will result in a culture of fence-sitters that want their cake and eat it too. Either separate and preserve, or integrate and merge. Can't have it both ways.

PRIME MINISTER HARPER OUTLINES THE GOVERNMENT'S ACHIEVEMENTS FOR ABORIGINAL CANADIANS
Halifax, November 2, 2007

In an address to the annual general assembly of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper outlined the Government's actions for Canadians of native ancestry. The Prime Minister noted that Canada?s rapidly growing Aboriginal population increasingly lives off-reserve in urban communities.

"The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, in many ways, represents the future of our country," said Prime Minister Harper. "Your membership constitutes the fastest growing segment of Canadian society. The "Forgotten People," as you call your members, cannot be forgotten or ignored any longer. On the contrary, I believe you will play a pivotal role in the prosperous future that beckons for all Canadians."

Prime Minister Harper also discussed the numerous initiatives undertaken by the Government to create equality of opportunity and improve the lives of on-reserve and off-reserve Aboriginals. These include:

Implementation of the Indian Residential Schools Agreement.

Legislation to repeal section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act to ensure Aboriginal people on-reserve have the same human rights protections as other Canadians.

Extensive national consultations to establish matrimonial real property laws on-reserve to protect the rights of Aboriginal women.

A plan to expedite the Specific Claims resolution process, including the creation of a new independent tribunal.

A plan to improve drinking water quality standards and training on-reserve.

A $105-million investment in the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership.

A strengthened focus on the Urban Aboriginal Strategy.

Providing $300 million for Aboriginal off-reserve housing.

"Our Government, in conjunction with able organizations like yours, is working very hard with aboriginal communities on- and off-reserve to address the problems that need to be fixed. In our first 21 months, I think you?ll agree we've made a very good start," said the Prime Minister.

What we are

Dance monkey Dance!

justice system: time to revisit the social contract?

Interesting concept of justice described to me a few days ago in the carpool:
In small simple agglomerations (e.g., tribes or villages), peace and order was maintainable through personal relations (peer pressure and/or threats of emotional and/or physical harm, e.g., lynching). Organized religion is a natural outgrowth of that phenomenon as agglomerations grew in size and complexity.
Today's "western" society is too highly complex, anonymous yet interdependent, and educated for religion (through promises of heaven and hell) to work effectively. The responsibility for maintaining social harmony is transfered to the state in what is called a "social contract."
If we feel (fear?) that violent crimes are getting out of hand today, it may be time to review the terms of the social contract we have with the justice system (incl law enforcement and correctional services).

mgmt hypocrisy

I'm a contrator/consultant/temp/etc. The (client) department I work for is under strong pressure to keep headcount down so they hire contractors/consultants/temps/etc like me, then impose restrictions on our job conditions to avoid appearance of employer/employee (ER/EE) relationships, which could put them on the hook for benefits/pensionable time etc. Avoidance of ER/EE rel'ps is also advantageous to independent contractors who pay taxes at corporate (as opposed to personal) rates. I'm not independent so that doesn't apply to me.

A few weeks ago the directorate sent an email asking all EEs to submit their personal contact info for emergencies. I ignored it believing that it wouldn't apply to contractors, and if I complied, it would counter efforts to avoid ER/EE relationship appearance. I thought it was in the managers' best interest and left it at that.

Yesterday my boss' boss blasted an email at three of us contractors (cc: our bosses) accusing us (inappropriately strongly) of not being team players and inconsiderate because if we're in an airplane that crashes they will phone the body shop and hit a machine after hours so they won't be able to inform our families.

WTF? Besides the fact that scenario is stupid for a number of reasons, my boss, all my colleagues and the boss' boss' secretary all have my personal coordinates.

And today I find out that in 5months time it won't matter anyway because rather than contracting with one or two body shops to provide a team of professionals, they will prequalify a number of body shops and award each individual position to the lowest bidder.

So they give us shit for playing by their own friggin rules, with a patronizing note stating we've caused "very deep disappointment" because we're "not team players." Meanwhile, they've been secretely crafting a new structure for a follow-on professional services contract that will make it very difficult to get re-hired as a team.

Double WTF.

centsless

I don't get folks who are attached to the penny. "prices will go up because businesses will round up." balderdash. obviously these people underestimate competitive forces (either that or they are too lazy to change their buying habits).

I mean, i can understand why we needed a penny when it was worth say 1/50th of minimum wage. but now that the NDP is talking about raising minimum wage to $10, what the hell do we need a 1/1000th coin for? I mean, it takes more than four hundred of these stupid things just to buy a medium popcorn at AMC. C'mon people, let it go once and for all so i don't have to wait in line behind you while the cashier counts up her 1/400th-of-a-grande-latte coins!

http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2007/10/10/penny.html

first greenwashing, now pinkwashing

whatever happened to marketing ethics?

Pinkwasher: (pink'-wah-sher) noun. A person or company that purports to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon campaign, but manufactures products that are linked to the disease.

http://www.thinkbeforeyoupink.org/

monarchy by any other name

"The Americans, with their penchant for firsts, are attempting the political equivalent of Olympic synchronized swimming, a sort of political double helix manoeuvre - father-to-son (the Bushes), interwoven with husband-to-wife (the Clintons), and all this seamlessly, in just 20 years."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/reportsfromabroad/murray/20071004.html

obey democracy - support our troops!

Ottawa City Hall bowed to pressure (from exactly where I can only guess) to alloworder Support Our Troops decals to be applied on city police cruisers.
This strikes me as being wrong, in a way very similar to the way the PATRIOT act was passed - the unspoken message being "this may be a bad law, but if you don't support it (we'll make sure that) you'll be perceived as unpatriotic/against our troops."
Why do I think this is a bad idea? well, for practical reasons really:
1. cost - of ordering, applying, and eventually removing/replacing faded decals. you ever try to remove an old bumper sticker?
2. divisiveness - those who aren't displaying decals MUST be AGAINST our troops!(???)
3. forcefulness - city hall ordered ottawa police to apply decals to all vehicles - what are our troops fighting for again, freedom?
4. partiality (opposite of neutrality?) - if a city is to function smoothly, it has to make everybody feel welcome. Branding city assets with decals for various non-charity-event causes that highlight one particular segment of the population, no matter how legitimate, undermines the faith in the institution that is necessary for other segments of the population to feel like their ideas will be welcome; worst case, they'll shrink away from the table and spiral their frustration into a tight little explosive Waco-style knot that nobody will have seen coming. what's that other thing our government sent our troops out to Afghanistan for - democracy? Can't have democracy without dialog, and you sure can't have dialog without trust.

PS. I realized that the title was a little off-point and misleading so I changed it. Just to be clear: I do support our troops. I think its very important for our troops to know we (the general public) care about them, and that we aren't tearing them away from their families willy-nilly. I also think that *forcing* displays of affection robs them of their emotional impact.

Battle of the (Youth) Bulge

wow - shocking, politically unsavoury, but surprisingly sympathetic and logical:

We have two million jobs that we cannot fill - and a welfare-dependent population of six million, and the two do not meet. The welfare group grows each year because of new babies, but the vacant job slots are not filled.
...
Some American strategists are beginning to question whether the USA, with its one-son families, ought send out troops to fight populations with many sons. That is the mistake we have committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you have to go in because you have been attacked, then you must do it, but as soon as the danger has been defeated, it is necessary to withdraw. It is up to the Iraqis and the Afghans themselves to ensure that there is a balance between the size of the population and the number of positions society can offer. And as far back in history we look, we can see that this balance has been maintained by young men killing each other. We have done it in Europe, and it has happened elsewhere. We cannot allow them to send their young men over the borders to kill others.

German sociologist Gunnar Heinsohn, who believes that the game is over for Europe. See full interview at
http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2007/06/continent-of-losers.html

wtf - a green tax?

I've had been holding back on throwing out various junk electronics until I had a bin worthy of a trip to the local "Take It Back" program participant. I was prepared to pay a "small fee" as posted, which ended up amounting to $30. I dutifully consented, thinking the only alternatives were to keep them in the garage until a museum came begging me for them, or tossing them to landfill so the PCBs and heavy metals could leech back into my drinking water.
Then I looked at the bill.
I was dumbstruck.
So much so that it wasn't until the next day that the disbelief turned to resentment and insult.
At cause were two simple lines:
GST 2.10
PST 2.56

How can any self-respecting government CHARGE TAX on DIVERTING TRASH from public landfills???
I'll chalk this one up against Ivory Tower Ignorance and write a letter to the newspapers and politicians. If it turns out waste-diversion handling fees are already exempt from sales taxes, then you can be sure I'll get that participant educated (by having them dumped from the free advertising TIB brochure).

git yer head back on, Tory

What's with all the fuss over politicians and their "promises" these days?
Sure it's election time, but when I go to the polls I vote for who I think has the best leadership, long-term vision and management ability to improve our collective lot. I don't want them to make promises, I want them to tell me what they stand for and how they intend to achieve it! Later I will judge them on their ability to monitor the situation as it evolves and implement the most appropriate course of action toward the long-term goal.
If the ruckus is merely because roasting public figures has become a media sport, well, lets just designate a family as useless incompetents, dress them up in silly uniforms and robes with swords and crowns and an orb, and chain them (and their descendants) to government forever so people can get their jollies. Meanwhile, the members of the other branches of government could get on with their jobs of actually governing this country responsibly and with dignity.

He saw it coming

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism
lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy,
which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a
dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The
effects are apparent in many countries, improvident
habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish
methods of commerce, and insecurity of property
exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or
live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of
its grace and refinement the next of its dignity and
sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every
woman must belong to some man as his absolute
property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine,
must delay the final extinction of slavery until the
faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among
men.

Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but
the influence of the religion paralyses the social
development of those who follow it. No stronger
retrograde force exists in the world.

Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant
and proselytizing faith. It has already spread
throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors
at every step; and were it not that Christianity is
sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science
against which it had vainly struggled, the
civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell
the civilization of ancient Rome."

Short speech reportedly by Sir Winston Churchill, in 1899.
(The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages
248-50, London: Churchill saw it coming.)

why i don't trust them

Thou shalt not lean too far to the right
globeandmail.com, September 22, 2007
Words of wisdom from Tom Flanagan, a professor of political science at the University of Calgary and a former Conservative campaign manager:

"...People don't vote just for good ideas; they vote for potential rulers whose character they can trust and who inspire passions of loyalty and support. Conservative statecraft has to be more than the logical deduction of policies from philosophical premises if it is going to succeed. It has to be an artistic combination of sound policy with the deft communication of conservative values, such as integrity, reliability and fortitude."

Then, in the next two breaths,

"Staff must avoid the limelight and let the communications department deal with the media. Candidates must talk about the platform, not their personal beliefs, and (except for designated spokesmen) concentrate on local rather than national media."

and

"Conservatives have to conduct thorough opposition research and make use of the results, run hard-hitting, fact-based negative ads, and do whatever is legally possible to jam our opponents' communications and disrupt their operations."

followed by:

"A conservative party stresses individual choice and responsibility in a competitive marketplace. That gives it a special responsibility to deal with voters as individuals, to find out what their concerns are, and to give them a stake in the political process by making it easy for them to donate time and money."

Besides the fact that I don't know why Conservatives believe the role of the prime minister is supposed to be a despot, how can they talk about demonstrating such contradictory values as "trusting character," integrity, and reliability at the same time as running attack-ads (based on stories that could only have been avoided if they were in full control of the media) and stressing individual choice and responsibility while forbidding personal beliefs; how can I go about convincing people to "donate time and money" to me (without any strings)?

PS. http://ago.mobile.globeandmail.com/generated/archive/RTGAM/html/20070921/cover22.html
and, in case it gets censoreddeleted:
http://mqup.typepad.com/mcgill_queens_university_/tom_flanagan/index.html

you call this leadership?

Caucus dissent grows over schools policy
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070925.wonttory25/BNStory/ontarioelection2007/Ontario/

Bill Murdoch [Ontario Progressive Conservative MPP] said in his rural riding of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound that he could no longer defend his boss' plan to extend public funding to Jewish, Muslim and other religious schools. He said he came to that realization after hearing "loud and clear" while campaigning door to door that residents are predominantly against the policy.
At a campaign stop in Guelph yesterday, [Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory rather childishly] dismissed Mr. Murdoch as a "maverick" and said his views are not representative of the other 24 caucus members.
"Bill Murdoch is sort of like a jack-in-the-box, where you wind the handle and you don't know when something's going to pop up with Bill and it popped up today" Mr. Tory said.
"I think you will find we have good support for this policy," he said. "I mean, when you look up maverick in the dictionary, you find his picture there in colour."
[Granted, ]Mr. Murdoch has become renowned during his 17 years as a member of the provincial legislature for speaking his mind [, but] At least five other [PC] caucus members have expressed reservations about the policy, including veteran MPP Bob Runciman. He recently told The Canadian Press that: "It's not playing well. I am not hearing from people [who are] supportive, by and large."
Meanwhile, John Tory is running TV ads blasting Dalton for broken promises and praising himself as a good leader. I wasn't sure that slandering a member of the team, a well-seasoned MPP was a appropriate behaviour, so I looked up the definition of the term "leadership." Oddly enough, John Tory's picture was not there.

Save the Lawn Lamps!

The days of the soft white (incandescent) snowball lawn lamps in my earth-friendly, simple-lined, well integrated, 1970s heritage neighborhood are numbered.
The city of Ottawa wants to tear them up and replace them with one of several gaudy and garish "pre-approved" models (majority vote by street) and increase overall illumination levels.
Other than the recommendations affecting Katimavik and Beaverbrook, the draft policy is quite well done.
I do NOT want high-mast high-pressure sodium replacements - the dull orange glow sucks the color out of everything, and, being so much higher, they are often obstructed by trees and cast shadows across peoples' faces. This style clashes severely with Teron and Campeau's visions of building pedestrian- and earth-friendly neighborhoods, which is specifically what attracted me to this area. Brighter lighting will strip the pedestrian character of the streets and encourage drivers to drive even faster.
I've spoken about this to my community association, contacted my city councilor and emailed two city officials on this. I want a change of course. The one-size-fits-all just doesn't.

Producer responsibility

I don't know how much of this I've blogged compared to how often I've written notes on the way home from work on this topic, but I'm very much of the opinion that manufacturers have to be taxed on the crap that they are bringing to the Canadian market, both product AND packaging. Not made in Canada? No problem: tax the Importer. This tax would correspond to a portion of the environmental cost of disposing the product at the end of its useful life in an environmentally-friendly manner. For example, the cost of gas would increase by (a fraction, initially, of) the cost of capturing the major pollutant gases and transforming the for reuse elsewhere. Why? so we stop wasting energy violating the planet extracting her natural resources and throwing the waste products right back at her. That's no way to treat a woman, let alone your mother (earth). Anyway, I'm really glad to see that this idea is getting traction and even got exposure at the debate between the local candidates for Member of Provincial Parliament. Partial transcript follows (formatting mine):

Legend
All points are paraphrased as best as I could interpret them.
"Stuff in quotes are verbatim comments, as best as I remember them."
[Stuff in square brackets are my personal comments.]

EMC Press question: Where do you stand on the Carp Dump expansion?
Norm Sterling (PC, incumbent): I was the first in the riding to oppose it. I opposed it in the legislature.
- McGuinty promised 60% diversion of waste but this was nowhere near achieved; the environmental commission in Ontario decried his lack of action in this area.
- I want to ban organics in landfills.

John Ogilvy (Green): We have to focus on the long-term, and we have a plan to divert waste from the industrial and commercial sector.
- Says NS had 30 years to do something about this.
- Believes in producer responsibility laws, where the creater of a product is responsible for its eventual disposal.

Michael Hadskis (NDP): Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!
- Producer responsibility laws: yeah!

Megan Cornell (Liberal): When NS was MoE, he reduced funding for blue box recycling.
- The Liberals have a plan that will work.

Norm Sterling: Said that gov't blue box funding was cut because it was replaced by funding from a fund which was paid into by the packaging producers themselves. This saved taxpayer money!

Thanks to Michael Low for taking the time to transcribe this and distribute it after the debate.

ain't this the truth

the ultimate facebook song. really. amusingly truthful.

DO NOT CALL service

I signed up for the DO NOT CALL service at the CMA. I'm also curious to see if also selecting the DO NOT MAIL option makes a dent in the amount of crap I recycle every week.

greening vs greenwashing

I was pleasantly surprised to find a Top Ten list of questions for product design on the Canadian Marketing Association's website. Then again, naturally, they would want to show they really do care about the environment and want others to follow suit... sure... maybe its just their implementation of a greenwashing strategy?

computer costs

Did You Know
A computer that is on constantly uses approximately $165 worth of electricity per year. However, if it is on continuously, but goes into 'sleep mode' , it will cost $84 per year to operate. If you shut it off at night, it will cost only $28 per year.

From the Canada School of Public Service's Green Procurement course (C215).

Too bad they don't state the electricity rates or actual power consumption so we can calculate difference at today's rates wherever we happen to be. Still, should be enough to convince people to power their PCs down when not in use for a large chunk of the day.

urinal social-awareness devices

just to give those bladder-shy guys out there something else to worry about:
electronic talking urinal mints
don't miss the embedded video.

first time

I went to my first community association meeting tonight. Been wanting to go for a coupla years now but this was the first time I actually (a) had open schedule and (b) had something of grave enough concern that the local paper and city councilor wrote up on it last weekend (councilor even sent out an email to those on her list).

locals stayed mostly for the grave part: correctional svcs ontario is relocating a parole/probationary something services office just down the street from a "less to-do" area closer in town. my assessment is that us locals feel that our beyond-the-greenbelt non-ottawa-proper-community status has been violated, partly adding to the still simmering amalgamation resentment. Now "they" want to move ex-cons and parolees and other such people under community surveillance (from "in town") out into "our" neighborhood in the middle of two grade schools, several day care centres, a womens' shelter, and its just beyond a little forest running behind some of our backyards. Go figure. "Oh and by the way its opening next month we're just here to advertise our program really, and reassure you that only the high-risk people will be visiting twice a month, with no extra surveillance in the area. Did we mention there was only one death associated with such a program in the past 20 years? You see, nothing to worry about. The two other facilities in Ottawa are in a high-traffic street in an industrial park and at the provincial courthouse. We thought your little bedroom community is perfect for us here in the west end."

Its a major case of NIMBY, and I am just as apprehensive as the other residents who attended tonight; I don't like it one bit.

After the rather tense Q&A period that ensued, everybody except the community association executive and the local councilor cleared the room. I stayed behind, paid my dues, listened to the issues being discussed, and threw in my two cents' worth (though perhaps too forcefully for a newcomer - but hey - there weren't any rules of engagement and I haven't been around these things to know any better).

Having already thrown my regular caution to the wind, I can only hope my credibility didn't go with it. I will only know after the next few meetings. >:) (evil grin)

outstanding in french fields

bill-maher-aime-les-francais

deeds, not words

I remember my dad got letters from the Prime and Defence Ministers' offices in response to a complaint he sent them about nuclear submarines many years ago - must have been under Mulroney. Later, under Chretien, I received email responses from the PMO from most of the comments I sent them via the PMO website.
In contrast, I still haven't had any response whatsoever from any of the various emails and comments I have submitted to the current PM and his ministers. Seems to me a small army of public affairs people responding to individual citizens' inquiries is a good way to show you truly take personal accountability to heart...

footprints

Our current standard of living is like a frat party that has no intention of cleaning up after itself. Is this how we want the Earth (or at least future civilizations, if there are any) to remember us?

Low, even by Conservative standards

The enemy within...

CBC Covers Harper's SPP Police Provocateurs in Montebello TV broadcast from CBC local news

SPP Police Provocateurs Outed in Quebec Actual video footage taken by demonstration organizers

Police Pose As Protesters At Montebello Summit TV broadcast on CTV NewsNet

Quebec police admit they went undercover at Montebello protest Article on cbc.ca/news

another great initiative

A forum/channel dedicated to Green IT news.

Awesome initiative

There is a city called Dongtan being built in China - designed from scratch - to be as self-sufficient and sustainable as possible.

CNN newsclip

Developer's website

Ubercool. I really hope they succeed as a role model for other developers and governments everywhere around the world.

economic liability / guillotine

Apparently self-storage is a multi-billion dollar industry in the US. If I understand correctly, people are paying to store stuff that was replaced by new stuff bought, with maxed out credit cards...

I dunno, but I figure that not too far from now, when banks start threatening to repossess mortgage collateral, we're gonna start seeing a lot of this junk (new and old) hit the second-hand market all at once. I'm glad I'm not in that situation because I suspect a lot of them are gonna find themselves even deeper have-nots than they are trying so hard to avoid admitting today... If I still have a job by then and civil unrest doesn't loom too close to my home, I might go on a buying spree. Either that or I'll establish a security guard and compound business! :)

Fixing the imbalance

Being green is in the long-term economic interest, although it is primarily perceived as against many Canadians' financial interests, at least in the short term.
Unfortunately, manufacturers know they cannot count on the "early adopters" (those who are willing to pay a premium to get the latest technology) phenomenon because many of those that are green at heart cannot afford it. This is why I believe the following steps are necessary to restore a little ecological balance to the financial system: 1. promote the perception of value of green; 2. label goods with their environmental footprint; and 3. adopt more holistic financial incentives to encourage suppliers, investors and consumers to make, sponsor and buy more "green."

1) Promoting the value of "Green". Cynics will be quick to undermine any public awareness campaign as being motivated by personal gain (some under-educated author of a letter-to-the-editor called David Suzuki a "light-bulb salesman" for his part in the PowerWise campaign - I am still ashamed of that). You and I know that in the vast majority of cases, that is simply not the prime motivator, and even if it is, they can't be faulted for working within the capitalist/free enterprise system (or does that make them feel betrayed? hmmm). What has to be made very clear is that green buyers are motivated by something a lot larger, a lot more honorable, than greed.

2) Footprint labeling. It is very difficult for consumers to "vote with their dollars" when there are no effective means of comparing the environmental footprint (harm caused in the production and eventual disposal) of one product over another. And how to know which is better when marketers and advertisers flaunt their wares with such meaningless terms as "all-natural" and the like? There is also no standard for the "organic" certification. If manufacturers are unwilling to self-regulate, the federal government should impose regulations and standard labels much like those for nutritional value in foods and hazardous materials in... just about everything.

3) Holistic financial incentives. On this point I believe the Ontario government deserves a lot of credit: they have eliminated the PST on qualifying EnergyStar appliances, offered mail-in-rebates for hi-eff furnaces and air conditioners. All these programs reduce the cost barriers to the acquisition of environmentally-friendly yet more expensive products. Another incentive, much less known, is a pay-per-output mechanism where companies must share the cost burden of recycling all the packaging materials that accompany their products. If this cost-sharing mechanism were to be extended to cover the recovery and recycling of their actual products, manufacturers would pay a little more attention to what materials are used in production. These costs would have to be shared with consumers, so products compete on the basis of the cost-efficiency of raw materials, transformation, AND end-of-life recovery. The flat rate deposit per item (tires, engine oil and most recently electronics in Ontario) doesn't provide this kind of competition. One thing I am glad every government has firmly resisted is reducing the gas tax - such a move would be a counter-incentive and confuse the pro-environment image they are all currently trying to create for themselves.

Being green shouldn't mean buying less, it should mean buying better. Implemented together in a concerted effort, promoting the value of green, imposing footprint labeling standards, and extending financial incentives and burden-sharing programs will effectively harness the competitive forces and neutralize the barriers to adoption of a more sustainable lifestyle for all to enjoy for generations.

polling for policy

I participated in a telephone poll recently on the subject of national policies and political parties. How could I resist? They asked questions like "Do you agree with the course that the Stephen Harper government is currently on, and do you believe they will maintain this course if they form the next majority government?" and "How well do you know what Liberal Leader Stephane Dion stands for, and is he doing a good job at making himself known to Canadians?"
The obvious slant of these sample Q's is due to my selective memory - I was continuously trying to detect whether there was any bias in favour of one party or the other, but overall, I just couldn't tell for sure (though I suspect for the Liberals, if any at all). So I asked at the end who commissioned the poll, and when and where could I see the results. Naturally the minimum wage pollster and the part-time mcdonald's hamburger team leader supervisor didn't have that information.

I can't decide whether to trust these polls enough to justify spending my time answering them. On the one hand, I'd like to believe that they are legitimate research leading to actual policy making, in which case I'd be happy to participate and have my say. On the other hand, I just can't shake the suspicion that they are used for spin doctoring, marketing or advertising existing policies (or digging for personal campaign-style attack material).

From now on, if I want to be heard (or at least have my say, whether it is read or not), I'll express my opinions in a letter (or two or three or more) to my MP. It's free, I can take the time to research and justify my opinions, and is the way of influencing public policy (at least in theory). But then again, when used properly, poll results can sway public opinion (if only indirectly as it affects what newspaper editors include in their editions), and somebody out there is surely trying to force a little yang to my yin so it has to balance out.

Speaking of balance, perhaps, as with all other things, a multi-pronged approach is probably best. Sounds (small p) political, doesn't it? There - I've successfully talked myself out of having to change anything I do.


PS. Poll in question was Insight Canada Research, 1800-363-0499, number 994.

sad sad day for humanity

what's the importance of reaching mutual understanding, when you can send robots to "defend" your position?

The American Dream, in its current incarnation obsessed with bigger and better by the fewer and fewer, is threatening ever more rapidly the delicate balance keeping humanity off the brink of implosion.

the veil has been lifted

Islamic officials and romaticists may try to convince me that the veil (or burqa or niqab) is a symbol of humility and respect for their spouse (who is supposed to be the center of their universe and should be the only person privileged to see them without), but below is the real reason why I suspect militants want so desperately to impose the veil. Not altogether surprising coming from those who dispense with the "thou shall not kill" and other such formalities on their way to martyrdom.

According to PAKISTAN'S RED MOSQUE SHOWDOWN on Spiegel Online:

"Aziz was arrested Wednesday trying to flee the mosque in a woman's burqa. He was spotted by a female police officer because of his height and large stomach. Aziz, who was still dressed in the burqa he had used as a disguise during his interview, ..."

More at Mosque Chief Arrested Trying to Flee in Burqa on The Australian

reckless foray into the origins of public health - and social impact

Too many people believe theirs is "the truth" (miracle cure, solution, prevention, answer, whatever), not willing (or perhaps unable) to accept or admit (or understand) that they found a "whatever" that only works for their particular combination of factors including genes, health, age, state of mind, nutrition, activity level, environmental exposure, medications, etc. Emboldening these people is that given the vast number of people they know and the high probability that, through mutual yet independent choices, they know them because, as they say, birds of a feather flock together, it is highly likely that the "whatever" will work for most of them when shared; if it doesn't, the embarrassment of failure and aversion to accountability usually influences them to turn their backs on anybody who does not respond positively to the "whatever" as expected. Too often, this can be poisoning or death.

I am pretty sure greater minds than most of us today are willing to recognize came to this realization a few generations ago and actually had the opportunity to impose a concept called "public health" - investigation of the collective wisdom from witchdoctors, grandmas, religions and other sources of such "tribal knowledge" - and prescribe of a course of action that is demonstrated to be safe and effective, regardless of whatever factors made up your life. The problem with this is twofold: (1) public misperception, due in no small part to the arguments they used to justify imposing their program to a simple-minded public and vote-eager politicians: these prescriptions are NOT designed to promote actual wellness, just a reduction/delay in the immediate badness and increase your chances of not dying right away (aka "greater longevity"); and (2) they contribute to the decline of individual responsibility for the choices we make on a daily basis because they filter out anything that is not safe and effective for the vast majority of combinations and permutations of aforementioned variables, contributing even more to the social absolution of personal responsibility for one's health. Besides, there'll be a similar-purpose fix for anything that may go awry in the process. Naturally, the mega-food industry is a major willing (if unknowing) partner in and benefactor of this phenomenon, as they have inherited carte blanche to provide us with non-nutrients that sell well because they are pretty and last weeks longer than the natural stuff, despite actually preventing the body from fixing itself and silencing our own body's cues designed to improve our lifestyle.

So: We continue to make (and sustain) poor life choices (including letting the mega-food industry slowly poison us) because we naively believe big-pharma and public health will cure us, after too many people suffered from the misguided broad application of "tribal knowledge" that came as a result of a lack of understanding of the root causes and respect of individual factors that is typical of faith-based approaches.

The "cure" for this is, if there is any, is education - about the importance of the state of our bodies at any given time, and how to take have control over what we can (inputs, stresses, and compensators). This requires time and resources, and the will to commit them despite high competition from the immediate profits of investing in today's instant-gratification economy.

In the end, I guess, it comes down to respect for the individual and human rights in general, so that each can respect him/herself sufficiently well to perceive and address what they need to be healthy. Unfortunately, that creates highly inconvenient demographics for marketers and overzealous leaders hungry for control, so they target the public to influence the election of representatives who strangle the funding of once-important public institutions, leaving them with little choice but to exchange their purpose and credibility for funding (and direction) from big-pharma and mega-food inc.

it's funny cuz it's true

wiiitis - i can relate!

Atheist?

Having evolved to a point somewhere between cocksure ignorance and thoughtful uncertainty, I firmly believe believe that "God" does not exist as we "know" (or have been led to believe) him to be. Most major religions have some parts of it right, but over generations too many bits of folklore and interpretation have been mixed in to make the explanation easier to remember and associate to (for instance, we are taught we were cast in his image, when that is probably the other way around simply because we cannot fathom him taking any other form).
He is everywhere, being everything around us here and beyond. He is us, casting judgment through history on others after they have fallen. He is omniscient, noticing everything because every bit of universe is him, and as far as humanity is concerned, he is us because we as a society will eventually be aware of everything. He is omnipotent, as natural forces are part of him, but he has no will (a distinctively human trait) other than to explore, discover and observe. He is the Borg hive and we are but semi-random cogs in the Collective not fully aware of each other, blinded as we are with our infatuation with our "independence." People and animals and rocks and planets are all just tiny little bits of him, and the more we learn, the more we are aware of his full extent. The scientific method really should be embraced by everybody so they can discover just how amazing "he" really is, but they'll have to get over their mortal insecurities, release their childhood teachings, give up their religious security blankets, and accept that we individually are meaningless other than for the connections and experiences we contribute to the human experience.

I am not atheist. I am pantheist.

Et tu, Roomba?

Roomba picked up an inordinate amount of unrecognizable crap on its second tour of duty this morning, including several pieces of macaroni and corn chips. Based on the fact that we haven't eaten any such foods here in at least several months, I conclude that (a) the house is dirtier that we thought it was; and (b) it found some new areas that it missed on its maiden voyage yesterday. I shouldn't be too hard on it, though, since the cleaning lady has been missing those same areas, consistently, for a long time...

Addendum: I just had to rescue it because the bin was full. Apparently it has no problem eating toddler socks. With the HUGE amount of dust also in the bin, the cleaning lady obviously hasn't been sweeping under furniture in the kid's room either. I expected lots of plaster dust from renovations, but entire dust bunny tribes?!?

I love my Roomba

fantastic piece of kit. i felt like i was in high school again, flipping chairs on top of tables at the end of the day so the cleaner could do his bit. i love my roomba!

purpose

found this note from a long time ago:

I like to think that by providing people with information, I can raise their awareness and their interest of the context, meaning and importance, so they feel empowere and confident to make decisions that better reflect their vision of how they want things to be.

Hm. Interesting.

does this apply to taxes?

"No man has a moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions within his sphere."
- Teddy Roosevelt

Toxic Care

Dangerous chemicals in personal care products compromise health

If all this is true, which it probably is to some extent, I wish the government would extend the direct-to-consumer ban on advertising of pharmaceuticals to ALL household products, because they seem unable to safely control or regulate what goes in them.

I'm beginning to suspect that Lucas' allergies, in fact the epidemic of food allergies in North America, might be related to this toxic soup we use ironically enough for "hygiene" purposes.

when is progress too much?

Though a lot of fun to play with and show off with, I'm not sure adding all sorts of new capabilities in mobile phones is such a good thing. First, I'm getting a little uncomfortable with the increasing popularity of bombarding us with ever more E-M waves, and second, wave after wave of new cellphone technology certainly isn't good for the environment:

If there must be new models with new gimmicks every few months, why can't there be a single charger or transformer that can be used interchangeably by all companies' products and from year to year? Why can't there be some sort of standard? How technologically advanced is a cord such that it must be replaced with a new model every six months? The proliferation and sheer waste of this type of practice is mind-boggling.

Someone has to pay for all those disposable cords, chargers and adapters, to say nothing of the products themselves. That someone is all of us. And not just for the product, but also for the pollution created when it's made and disposed of - right back into the biosphere. It's time for producers to take responsibility for their products' entire life cycles and not just pretend like they can wash their hands of the problem when it goes out the door.
-David Suzuki

with us, or...

"The concept of a collective guilt is a flawed morality," she says. "The idea that 'We're on the side of God and everyone else is evil' has and always will be disastrous."
Shadia Drury, a philosophy professor and Canada Research Chair for Social Justice, and author of "Terror and Civilization: Christianity, Politics and the Western Psyche."
Another book for me to read (someday).

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=249e7155-1044-463f-a1d4-6f5cafa5912b&k=80884

value of recycling paper

By Recycling 1 ton of paper you save:
17 trees 6953 gallons of water
463 gallons of oil
587 pounds of air pollution
3.06 cubic yards of landfill space
4077 Kilowatt hours of energy
thanks toiletpaperworld

correlations do not imply causal relationships!

After receiving a chain mail about the "dangers" of microwave ovens and then pointing out that Snopes.com proved it to be a cheap emotional attempt to promote nonsense, the sender mentioned that "microwaves for being around for several decades....hasn't cancer also been on the rise in the last couple of decades......"
Those that know me know that I can't let that kind of invalid association go unchecked. I replied the following:

as are synthetic fabrics, plastics, toxins from industrial processes, processed foods, and the erosion of natural habitats that buffer human pollution. On the "up" side, we have longer life expectancies, political stability, education, careers, internet, ample food and clothing, infrastructure to keep us warm in winter, cool in summer... the only thing you can sustain indefinitely is balance, but nobody seems to agree as to where the right mix is or what factors to include. why? because human nature does not appear to be programmed that way since, sadly, the only way we can keep our mental and physical skills at their best is through continued conflict.

This is why civilizations rise and fall, and ours has already peaked.

pride versus responsibility

I recently asked the following question after reading a ridiculous disclaimer buried deep within a website that claims a more natural lifestyle while denouncing big industry.

If you believe in your message as much as your products, why the lengthy and extensive disclaimers?

This is nicely linked with my general observation that once marketeers or accountants take over a business, the company is doomed because their product is no longer the focus of operations, becoming an annoying detail that they need to hire lawyers to protect them from if ever their neglect or misleading claims leads to someone's harm.

Thought for the Day

Thought for the Day
"The American Indians found out what happens when you don't control immigration."

INTERESTING STATISTIC

Along the lines of the Queen revoking their independence:

INTERESTING STATISTIC
Regardless of where you stand on the issue of the U.S. involvement in Iraq, here's a sobering statistic:

There has been a monthly average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theatre of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths. That gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.

The firearm death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000 persons for the same period. That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the U.S. Capital than you are in Iraq.

Conclusion: The U.S. should pull out of Washington

Senate defamation

In the conclusion to his speech to the Senate on bill S-4 on Sept 7, 2006, Prime Minister Harper said:

In conclusion, I would like to read a quote from a book I reviewed recently. On page 206, the author writes, and I quote:
"Probably on no other public question in Canada has there been such unanimity of opinion as on that of the necessity for Senate reform."
The author is Robert MacKay.
The book is The Unreformed Senate of Canada.
The year is 1926.
Honourable Senators, this institution, the Senate of Canada, must truly change.
And I hope you join us, the Government and the Canadian people, in being a constructive partner in that change.
Passage of S-4 would be a modest move forward.
And after that, we will continue to move forward with further proposals.
- As part of our plan to give Canadians the accountable, democratic institution they desire - and deserve.

Why does he imply that the Senate has not undergone any change since 1926? I cannot bring myself to believe that he is not aware that:

In 1927, Canada's highest court ruled that women could sit as Senators. Four months later, the government of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King recommended for appointment Canada's first female senator;

Since 1965, newly appointed members may not sit in the Senate after reaching the age of seventy-five; and

Since 1985, the Speaker is authorized to appoint another Senator to take his or her place temporarily. (This last change appears minor, but is significant in that it allows the Senate to continue functioning despite the absence of the official Speaker.)

Despite the fact that there have been many attempts at revamping the senate, all of which have failed, it drives me nuts to witness deliberate misinformation. All the more so since it originates from the most influential office in Canada.

There are many other reasons why Senate reform should be pursued. Why did he choose to invoke such an outdated assessment? Why doesn't the Senate sue the PM for libel/slander? Now THAT would be exciting!

(sidenote: this came close:

Bellavance, “Senator Files Defamation Suit against Bloc MP," A8. In April 1998, then Bloc Québécois MP Jean-Paul Marchand sent his constituents, at taxpayers’ expense, an anti-Senate leaflet in which certain Senators, myself included, were named as collecting a House of Commons pension along with their Senate salaries. In response, I launched a defamation suit in Québec Superior Court. Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette, who was also smeared by the leaflet, filed a similar action. Mr. Marchand later apologized, calling his own actions “a deplorable mistake.” Eventually, he agreed to pay an out-of-court settlement. On the other side of the chamber, former Senator Ron Ghitter (PC – Alberta) successfully filed suit against Rob Anders for remarks made by the Calgary MP in a Reform Party fundraising letter.

Unfortunately, despite any possible excess of self-interest, I really don't think the Senate has enough influence to compete against Harper and the best lawyers oil money and tithing can buy.

sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Senate
http://www.sen.parl.gc.ca/sjoyal/Joyal's%20book%20docs/Introduction%20(Eng).htm

Templeton Prize

I could have come up with this too! Wait a minute, my ENTIRE BLOG (nearly) is about this!
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/03/14/taylor-templeton.html?ref=rss

Geekiness

1. Happy Pi day !~!
2. Physics graffiti: "Heizenberg may have been here"
3. Engineering mantra: "Cows are round"

mercury fillings

When the universal quest for health collides with greed, the collision is loud and dangerous. People get hurt by those they expect, at minimum, to do no harm.

http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/mercury.html

I love this text despite how much I hate:
a) the snake-oil salesmen it exposes,
b) the infotainment "news" industry that shines a spotlight on them and attract the naive, and
c) the bottom-line-hungry scammers that try to capitalize on the resultant yet unfounded shift in public desire.

reasonable accommodations

Neat - this more of less explains the social framework for reasonable accommodations: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laïcité

It also puts a finger squarely on my strong but heretofore inexplicable resentment toward Harper's speech-enders:

Laicite relies on the division between private life, to which religion belongs according to it, and the public sphere, in which each individual should appear devoid of ethnic, religious or others particularities, and as a simple citizen equal to all others citizens.

federal bilingualism - a constitutional supply and demand problem

Le livre "Sorry I Don't Speak French" dont traite cet article est un constat intéressant et franc de la politique fédérale de bilinguisme; surtout l'énoncé sur les aspirations des étudiants universitaires. La fonction publique a beau essayer d'être bilingue, les institutions académiques gérées par les provinces n'y accordent aucune importance.

Comment alors régler ce problème d'offre et de demande constitutionellement au-délà des compétences fédérales?
Meanwhile, if somebody wants to buy/or lend me this book... :)

democracy - where it isn't today

Been thinking lately about "democracy," what it means and why it arose.
Why? Well, doing the same thing and expecting a different result is insanity.
I find it helpful to examine a problem from a different perspective, and a higher-order point of view provides me with a clearer sense of the purpose and the overarching aims of the situation at hand.
People don't usually have a problem with facts, but Truth (being "what you believe" according to George Costanza) is a matter of Faith and cannot be justified nor debated rationally without compromising one's feeling of integrity and place in the world. Traditionally, when societies believed they needed more control out of fear of lack of resources or to counter a perception of weakness, the leader (whether self-made, appointed, selected or inherited) would send people to fight so that the one "perspective" could be imposed (and -what a coincidence!- the power structure that it justifies) allowing for the majority to enjoy peace through oppression. Economic stability depended on this social stability, which typically is short-lived because power corrupts and the system collapses. A better model was required.

Democracy provides a forum where people of different ideas, different ideals, different values, can (and should be encouraged to) share their views, exchange their experiences, discuss their priorities, and come to a greater understanding of the problems affecting each group/region and find solutions for the greater good. In principle. In practice, proportional representation democracies are too unstable to advance any particular cause, and the major parties in first-past-the-post democracies become too self-absorbed to actually work for the greater good or establish programs beyond the next winner-takes-all election.

I feel Canadian politics is in this particular state. Ottawa is becoming stale. The Conservatives, barely on life-support during the Chretien years, have been born again and came back to the Hill like a starving rabid dog finally let loose in a schoolyard. The Grits are still finding themselves after too many years under one man. Canadian voters are on the brink of sending them through the same purgatory. This would not be to anybody's benefit beyond the sadistic pleasure of revenge of a few, as we would be hit with too many changes too far in the opposite direction, the government will lose what little precious respect it has left, and people will start turning to other forms of authority (like - gasp - religion).

But I try not to care. I try to remind myself that people need to come to their own conclusions and if that means cutting off their noses to spite their faces, so be it. It just hurts so much to watch them bleed and stain the rest of us and then claim that this is His will.

path of least resistance

Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.
-Albert Einstein

That makes me feel better about always taking the path of greatest resistance.

the importance of sunset clauses

"There is a momentum behind change - we cannot put the genie back in the bottle."
-Jack Straw, British Commons leader, cited in http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=8f0ef114-32bc-4f0a-8e1c-cabfe7059461&k=26337

Sober second thought has always been one of the main functions of the Senate, but since that is changing too, I think it is extremely important that sunset clauses be added to all major new laws, especially reactionary laws, so they may be revisited in a few years' time once tempers have cooled. Otherwise we might end up too far down a certain path before realizing that's not where we were wanted to go.

Canada's Best Think Tank

At least, so believes Thomas Axworthy, once executive director of the Historica Foundation.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=ArchivedFeatures&Params=A254

Aside; I highly doubt Mr. Axworthy is an avid reader of www DOT canadafreepress DOT com. I'm not endorsing them by providing a hyperlink for two reasons: (1) their website is loaded with popups and advertising; and (2) the content is mere right-wing pomposity. Peruse at your own risk.

how computers are revolutionizing the world

Fascinating how technology, that is to say those in control of technology, creates/sets the standards and changes the world. just like the romans did with their calendar 2000 years ago and the french with the legal system 1000 years ago, the anglo-cum-american empire is synchronizing the drums to which the world beats via programming and networking standards.

http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/openbsd/2005-06/2259.html

This thread illustrates the problems with regional peculiarities. Sooner or later people will figure out it's a heckuvalot easier to simply adopt a standard and get on with it, cuz the local customs just aren't worth the hassle of accommodating. The unfortunate thing is that this takes time and cannot be imposed; it is a grievous process and everybody has to have their chance to decide when they're ready to let go.

wrongful claims

Red Cross denies Tory claims about detainees

Hmm. Minister O'Connor is normally pretty solid, so I wonder: is
(a) somebody in his department intentionally trying to discredit him? if so, why?
(b) somebody in the PMO trying to discredit him? if so, why?
(c) he signing secret agreements with dissident elements within the ICRCross/Crescent? not likely, but highly unethical.
(d) he making stuff up to make him/his party look good and its backfiring?

I find this titillating because I am sympathetic toward this gentleman, and believe something fishy must be going on because this is quite out of character for him.

Defining Success: update

Well, I applied for the higher position within the project, and met with the client to discuss my motives. I don't think I'll get the job (if all the experience etc he said of candidate no.2 is true, which I have no reason to doubt) then I see no reason why he should accept me in this new position, unless he really values my frankness.

delusions of grandeur and self-righteousness

Ref. Prime Minister Stephen Harper attends the Chinese Lunar New Year Event
ugh - this would be an excellent speech if it wasn't for the open and uncalled-for display of contempt for the opposition parties at the beginning, and the closing statement "May God keep Canada strong and free." Sure, it's in our national anthem, but it's about as relevant today as the crucifix in the Quebec National Assembly. I am thoroughly against that because he appears to be posturing to take it upon himself to restore God's plan if anybody or anything threatens the "strong and free." Delusions of grandeur and self-righteousness are not traits becoming of a PM - we all remember the financial mess the Trudeau government left us with - but at least a debt can paid back. It's much harder to mend the tears in the social fabric that holds Canadians together after it has been subjected to such polarizing forces.

the politics of "religion" and profit

I truly admire these guys for what they did:
2 Florida men charged with using religious fraud for travel to Cuba

Papal Impropriety

Monumental indiscretions at the highest level of the Christian heirarchy
Not altogether surprising, but still rather disturbing. Makes the people behind the Prayer Palace in Toronto look like Boy Scouts.

MADD about fundraising

MADD's `exorbitant costs' anger charity's volunteers
Senator Marjory Lebreton (Leader of the Conservative Government in the Senate) is chair of MADD's board of directors... Sounds like a Conservative Shawinigate to me.

if only...

>if only the rest of the world could be like this:
>
> Muslims Find School Kosher
> About half the students who attend the Jewish primary school King David, in Birmingham, England, are Muslims, and in fact, their parents work hard to get them in because they so respect the school's ethos and its halal-like diet. All students learn Hebrew, recite Jewish prayers, and celebrate Israeli independence, but there is a Muslim prayer room, also, and Muslim teachers are hired for Ramadan. However, confided one parent, the school tries to keep a low profile so as not to inflame the religious rabble-rousers. [The Independent, 2-4-07]
>

Heb: thanks for digging this up.

coincidence?

After spending most of the day thinking about career planning and making changes (and then blogging about it to affirm it to myself), I just watched this clip that somebody emailed me last week. Is there really such a thing as mere coincidence?
http://www.212amovie.com/

South Hérouxville Park

I got this in my email today, it looks like something presented on the news. Very South-Parkish:

fertility futility

I found this joke quite funny (sadly, really) since it illustrates the sheer ridiculousness of hollow technological progress:

Avec toute la nouvelle technologie concernant la fertilité, une femme de 75 ans a donné naissance à un bébé. À sa sortie de l'hôpital, ses parents et amis vinrent la visiter à la maison et tout naturellement lui demandent:
« Pouvons-nous voir le bébé ? »
« Pas tout de suite » dit-elle. Je dois d'abord faire du café et nous jaserons un peu, d'accord ? »
Trente minutes plus tard, quelqu'un lui demanda encore « Pouvons-nous voir le bébé maintenant? »
« Pas encore » . . . répondit la mère.
Quelques minutes plus tard, ils demandèrent avec impatience «Bon, quand pourrons-nous voir le bébé ? »
« Quand il pleurera » dit-elle.
« Quand il pleurera ? Mais pourquoi devons-nous attendre qu'il pleure? »
« Parce que je ne me rappelle pas où je l'ai mis, Saint-Cimonack!!!»

Defining Success

I'm not entirely happy with my career status.
I feel like I've been meandering from one job to the next, with ad-hoc jumps based on convenience or flattery (i.e., I take something if somebody thinks I'm good enough for it).
This approach hasn't taken me where I want to be, nor do I like where I expect it to take me.
I want something that I can be more passionate about, since passion captures the imagination, unleashes creativity, and fuels perseverance. (Anybody who watched the first two seasons of The Apprentice might find that sounds familiar.)
The following Einstein quotes indicate that this is something that preoccupied him somewhat also (enough to make these statements, anyway):

Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it.

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.

Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.

Love is a better teacher than duty.

I'd rather find something that deals with promoting and protecting the environment - jump into the green revolution, so to speak - and make keep ensure this world is one where humans and nature coexist harmoniously, a place where honour, happiness, righteousness, and responsibility are all valued more than the vain pursuit of the American Dream, which has been instant-satisfactionized to winning the lottery by hollow technological progress, an endless barrage of marketing drivel, and political pandering to the rich and poor at the expense of the increasingly frustrated middle class.
I believe that knowledge and honour can never be eradicated, merely suppressed, even as we descend into the next dark age, blinded by the fantasies of a corrupt system rotting from the inside out like a drug addict on overdose. Like so many authors portrayed themselves in their characters (the Encyclopaedia Galactica, the Jedi, Winston of Oceania, the lovely-filth-collecting Dennis of Monty Python's Holy Grail, Neo, and countless others), I refuse to accept the pre-fabricated just-add-water world that corporate america is promoting, and I do not want to take part in it either.
Ok, enough armchair-philosophy. Back to the green revolution and the career plan. Where do I start if I want to have the most effective leverage (i.e., positively influence the behaviour of the masses)? What experience do I need to establish the credibility required to eventually make that possible?
My first priorities are to get some form of "manager" title on my resume and tap into the local environmental sustainability networks (without getting caught-up in the tree-hugging bear-legged hippie clubs content with living off the grid). Like Henry Ford did with the automobile and Honda and Toyota are doing with hybrid cars, I want to make environmental sustainability accessible to all.
Anything less is mere ego-flattering self-deception.

Quotes on society

The mark of society is not by the actions of the few, but by the response of the many.
-me, trying to remember the next one.

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.
-Albert Einstein

human rights

"Canada has not got a very good track record, that's very well known," she said, blaming its spotty commitment on the politics of a minority government "trying to keep its job, rather than do its job."
Canadian activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier

Well said.

Merck bows to public pressure

...or at least, they are regrouping to focus on another, less socially unacceptable, demographic target.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/20/AR2007022001335.html

Rockin' Rona

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j0qFWizl6c
work it baby, work it, yeah that's it!

thanks Maclean's

realistic clean air approach

There are a few approaches to clean up our air being discussed in the public forum, but each has significant flaw:

charging a $10,000 tax on gas-hogging SUVs and a $10,000 tax rebate for gas-sipping hybrids would never work because (a) it's not the class of vehicles that pollutes, it's their consumption (mpg or L/100km), and (b) north-american carmakers would find all the little loopholes that their friendly/bankrolled legislators left in there for them anyway;

setting meaningless 40-year targets that everybody knows are completely unenforceable;

tax fuel at the pump for the cost of sequestering the corresponding amount of pollutants it would release, but any econo-political leverage mechanism (e.g., to ease the burden on politically-strategic industries suddenly unsustainable) would no doubt require at least a few hundred or so dedicated bureaucrats to manage, and last I heard methane was still on the "bad" list.

Here's my idea that I think everybody could accept: a proportional tax program on new car sales with progressive targets. Say 9.0 L/100km is the mark for 2008. Cars consuming more than that (on the label) are flat-taxed relative to that, and those that consume less than that get a flat credit relative to that. Then every year the target gets lower: 8.8 in 2009, 8.5 in 2010, 8.1 in 2011, 7.6 in 2012, 7.0 in 2013 etc. Competition (and profit margins) under these more-representative-of-true-cost conditions would shift the auto-industry's attention to more efficient engines rather quickly. The progressive target would also give everybody - the auto-industry, investors, the alternative technology industry and consumers - time to adjust.

Of course, the penalty/incentive amounts would have to be important enough - other parents looking for daycare spaces can attest to the ineffectiveness of symbolic economic measures...

shooting from the hip

wow, this is the first time anything Arnie leaves me with a favorable impression!
Open Mike Arnie (note: French article)

charter of rights and freedoms

If this continues, the Supreme Court will soon hear the case of an American-Canadian soldier fighting for his right to wear the latest Armani suit on parade, rather than the GI uniform, citing freedom of religion.

If I had to ask...

Intelligence: one part ability to think things through, weighing the evidence, and one part ability to read the audience. Put them together and you can effectively voice ideas. Not enough of the former and you're a bluffer; but what if you don't have enough of the latter?

Updated 9 Feb with:

Success is roughly 10% about what you know and 90% about how you present your case....
- Anonymous (cited on a toastmaster's ad)

Great. Thanks Toastmasters, that helps a lot.

need a new system

Capitalism - every man must fight for the right to make decisions for themselves, resulting in the rich and powerful lacking a sense of social responsibility.

Socialism - every man is born with the right to everything, resulting in the poor lacking a sense of individual responsibility.

Somehow we have to figure a system that can better balance these two, because as the wealth gap widens, the increased polarization increases the social risk (revolutions, unrest, etc) of international investors, who will seek other (more stable) countries to exploit and leave us with sore behinds and not so much as a courtesy wank.

Best Little Whorehouse Clinic in Texas

Capitalism: unbalanced runaway economic system focused more on standard of living than quality of life, and in which the rich are encouraged to buy power to make more money without regard to human costs. (and they say socialism begets irresponsibility - bah!)

On Friday, Feb. 2, Texas governor Rick Perry issued an executive order that bypassed the will of the people and the entire Texas legislature, mandating the vaccination of young girls with the HPV vaccine sold by Merck -- the same drug company that reportedly gave thousands to Perry's campaign efforts. The vaccine is absolutely worthless as a medical treatment according to top docs in the alternative health field, and in my opinion, the so-called "science" supporting the vaccine as the only prevention for cervical cancer is an outright fraud.
[...]
Given this environment, is anyone supposed to believe we will see anything resembling honest debate or genuine science about this HPV vaccine? The entire industry, including drug companies, doctors, medical journals and the mainstream media, is twisting the facts to create the illusion that these vaccines are both safe and effective when, in reality, they are probably neither. Nor are they necessary.
[...]
It's really just a grand moneymaking scheme that exploits the bodies of young girls, marketed to look like compassionate health care.

Since they don't know how long the vaccine will last (it could be as little as 5 years, so by the time the majority of these girls start becoming sexually active, they'll have to pay for a booster.)

But hey, first one's free!

More on this contempt of humanity at NewsTarget.com

Humble Hubble

After correcting an initial problem with the lens, when the Hubble Space Telescope was first launched in 1990, the floating astro-observatory began to relay back to Earth, incredible snapshots of the "final frontier" it was perusing. Recently, astronomers voted on the top photographs taken by Hubble, in its 16-year journey so far. Remarking in the article from the Daily Mail, reporter Michael Hanlon says the photos "illustrate that our universe is not only deeply strange, but also almost impossibly beautiful."
http://tinyurl.com/tzk5x

This is one of the reasons why I don't believe most earth-based religions - I just can't understand why they would shun science so when the worst it can do is expose even greater mysteries and wonders to humble us!

Cause (et solution) mal comprise

Hier soir à Tout le monde en parle un auteur français (Pascal Bruckner, "La tyrannie de la pénitence") disait que "la laïcité était la meilleure façon qu'on connaisse pour permettre à des gens de religions et descendences différentes de cohabiter pacifiquement." (de mémoire, donc à peu près). J'y crois. Bravo au conseil municipal d'Hérouxville. (Note à ceux qui prétendent que la leur est une position raciste ou xénophone: laissez-faire les diverti-jounalistes et prenez le temps de lire le texte original pour vous-mêmes.)

muzak limbo

"...and one of our agents should be free in a moment OR TWO."
that double uncertainty is a quadruply disconcerting.

la cause de la controverse...

... mais quand même pas sa source:

Hérouxville's Statement of Cultural Expectations

J'aime bien comment ils présentent ça - "pour que les conditions qui leur ont fait fuire ne sauront se reproduire ici."

Mais je ne comprends pas pourquoi les portes-paroles religieux s'y opposent tant - les pratiques interdites (explicitement non-désirées) ne sont pas des pratiques spirituelles mais bien culturelles. La laïcité force la suppression des expressions culturelles justement pour permettre l'harmonie entre tous et chacun, et consacre la religion à son état pur, c'est-à-dire à la spiritualité (communion entre soi et son dieu) en privé. Les artefacts (armes, bijoux, habits) sont des traditions culturelles provenant d'époques lointaines et qui ne sont pas justifiées s'ils violent leur raison d'être originale en créant un désaccord dans notre société.