Flashcube.org

The Economist’s take on the Conservative’s recent environment plan.

When the Conservatives formed a minority government a little over a year ago, green issues were not a priority. But, ever since, as voters have grown increasingly keen on doing something about the environment, the Tories have been scrambling for a compelling policy. It is a difficult trick to pull off. Their core supporters, and industry in the energy-rich western provinces, are the least convinced of the need for immediate steps to tackle climate change.

The Tories’ first effort, which set modest and distant targets, was shelved after criticism from opposition politicians and environmentalists. But a new plan, announced this week, may have legs. It sets a goal of cutting emissions of greenhouse gases by 20%, by 2020, and air pollutants from industry by half, by 2015. It also lays the groundwork for emissions trading in Canada, and seeks to reverse—within three years—the steady upward climb of gases linked to global warming.

From a Toronto Star article on the Flick Off Campaign

The campaign aims to get thousands of Canadians to calculate their own greenhouse gas emissions on its website (www.flickoff.org) and then pledge to reduce them through concrete steps like carpooling, shutting computers down instead of putting them to sleep, and swapping incandescent light bulbs for more energy-efficient compact fluorescents.

Participants can also order a “guerrilla activist kit” with a climate change primer, “flick off” wrist bands, and a pack of fliers - printed on environmentally-appropriate paper - promoting energy conservation to slip under the wipers of idling cars or on the counter of stores blasting air-conditioners this summer.

I have no qualms about being using compact fluorescent light-bulbs. They look cooler, last longer, and consequently better for the environment. I’m sold. What I do have a problem with is expensive marketing campaigns that tell me what I already know while looking down smugly at those who just don’t “get it” and then bitching about “the fucking government, man”. Well I do “get it” and I still think you’re an asshole.

With that, while I applaud someone like Al Gore for really bringing environmental issues to the fore, using 20 times the US national average of electricity per home for his own estate is kind of a bit umm…… “do as I say….”. It’s okay though. He offsets his own environmental impact by buying carbon credits - because rather than cleaning his own act, he pays someone else to clean up theirs.

Dammit! No warp drives. No FTL drives. How are we as human supposed to fulfill our destiny and conquer the universe if we can’t even get out of our damn solar system.

NASA has a lengthy explanation of how we’re going nowhere fast.

From Haaretz.com

Hezbollah militants erected a large photograph on Thursday of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev in an area along Lebanon’s border with Israel.

Lebanese security sources said the three-by-five meter photograph showing Goldwasser and Regev had been put up in Aita Al-Shaab, near where they were seized on July 12, 2006.

Hezbollah supporters looked on, chanting anti-Israel slogans, while the poster bearing the slogan “for the sake of our detainees” and a yellow Hezbollah flag, was being erected.

Regardless of one’s opinion of last summer’s Israel-Hezbollah skirmish, erecting large billboards of detained prisoners is not going to make any friends in the international community. Stay classy, Hezbollah.

According to Forbes, Calgary is the cleanest city in the world to live in. Personally, I thought those smug bastards in Vancouver would come in first but then I remembered their downtown east side. Oh well. Good for us, I guess.

I’m not one for flashy intros to websites but this one made my brain melt.

I know this is so last week but Mark Steyn puts in a word or two about the Don Imus affair. From April 15th Edition of The Chicago Sun-Times

So I don’t know whether calling the Rutgers basketball ladies “nappy-headed hos” is a mean old white guy’s racist slur or an artful parodic jest on the way black women are talked about by black men — or at least by the ones on the record charts. After all, the only way mean old white folks know the expressions “nappy” or “ho” is because they heard ‘em from hip young black folks. Indeed, one could argue it’s a tribute to how non-racist America is that an elderly Caucasian would wish to talk like a gangsta rapper. What was it Martin Luther King dreamed of? A nation where men would be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their characterizations?

Alas, it’s not that simple. Apparently, when two hip-hoppers are up on stage doing their “Who was that ho I saw you with last night?”/”That was no ho, that was my bitch” shtick, they’re just keepin’ it real. When a white guy does it, he’s just keepin’ it real unlikely he’ll find gainful employment again. Unless, of course, the networks are now proposing to apply the Imus standard to all performers, in which case the Grammy Awards will last 10 minutes (Best Liner Notes on a Polka Album and Best Tony Bennett Celebrity Duets CD of the Last Two Months).

The 100 most controversial films of all time. I’ve seen my share. Everyone should see Pink Flamingos at least once though. If for anything just to disassociate John Waters from the upcoming shitty “Hairspray” remake.

The bra turned 100 years old a few weeks ago. Here’s to another 100 years of keeping boobs in place.

On the bedside table:

John Kenneth Galbraith - Name Dropping: From FDR On

Actually bought it last year shortly after his death. Been reading a chapter here and there. Fact: Galbraith is really fucking tall.

Andrew Sullivan - The Conservative Soul: How we lost it, How to get it back

Came in my last shipment from Amazon. Sullivan does some soul searching to find out what conservatism means to him.

Lawrence Wright - The Looming Tower: Al-Queda and the road to 9/11

Also in the Amazon shipment. Haven’t started it yet. Nice ragged edges on the paper. Received a Pulitzer if that means anything to anyone.

Former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman has a line of metal detectors. Good to see he’s been keeping himself busy during his downtime.

At least it’s not Comic Sans: The Movie.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about a BBC documentary about the Freed Phelps’ family. Anyway, here’s the documentary in its entirety.

I’m currently registered for two separate 10km runs within the next few months. The first is the Underwear Affair in which you have the option of running in your underwear. It’s on June 9th and runs take place in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Montreal. Just so you know, I’ll be wearing my regular running outfit so don’t sign up just to see me in my gonch. If running for cancer research isn’t an incentive enough, other people may be wearing next to nothing. Also, I’ve committed to raising a minimum $300.00 so contact me if you want to help me meet or exceed that goal.

The second run is the HBC Run For Canada which also benefits cancer research but it doesn’t have people running in their underwear. It takes place on July 1st in a variety of cities across Canada. I ran it two years ago and other than the mosquitos eating me alive pre-race is was fun - though not nearly as fun as the post-race nap.

If anyone is interested in running either races or training with me, I’ll allow you provided you are in worse physical condition than me and promise not to beat me in either race. I take this shit seriously, you know?

Just short of tongue-kissing, Stephane Dion and Elizabeth May announce that they will not be running candidates in each others riding. Andrew Coyne has the scoop.

The excellent blog World of Kane has a nice pictorial of stewardess outfits from the 1960’s. Makes me wonder how I deal with the shapeless bullshit that flight attendants wear today.

Dudes: Be nice to the ladies. We’re one step closer to being redundant.

Ariel Sharon’s condition improves slightly. Also, he’s 79?! Why doesn’t he leave politics for the sprightly 60 year olds.

Andrew Sullivan seems to get the whole Don Imus bullshit going on right now.

The EU grows a pair and says no to aiding the Palestinian unity government but plays it safe by bypassing the government and providing aid directly.

Since then, the EU has redirected its funding, which reached 700 million euros in 2006, through a special mechanism to help the neediest people while bypassing the government to avoid contact with Hamas — which is considers a terrorist organization.

At the Brussels press conference, Ferrero-Waldner said this temporary mechanism would continue but offered Fayyad technical assistance to get his finance ministry in order.

She also repeated the international demands that the Palestinian government renounce violence, formally recognize Israel’s right to exist and abide by former agreements. Ferrero-Waldner said until that happened the EU would only deal with what it considered to be Western-friendly members of the new Palestinian Fatah-Hamas unity government, which took power in March this year.

Via Yourish.com