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