Friends of Science

Ok, first thanks for all the comments to my last post. Really made me realize
1) That people actually read this damn thing
2) The Environment is an important issue to the people of today, and I'm helping to record it's discussion with this blog. That's pretty fucking cool.

It was suggested in the comments of my last post that the alternate side of the problem be explored, specifically a group called "the Friends of Science".

First of all, the groups goal :

To encourage and assist the Canadian Federal Government to re-evaluate the Kyoto Protocol by engaging in a national public debate on the scientific merit of Kyoto and the Global Warming issue, and to educate the public through dissemination of relevant, balanced and objective technical information on this subject.

Friends of Science Webpage

There is a bias towards a certain outcome from the very beginning. Even if they're findings were to the contrary, the group must hide or change many of it's facts if it is to continue it's existence.

The scientists involved have not written peer reviewed work on the subject of global warming in decades, the company is anonymously funded by the oil industry, they get unusual favours in parliament, they have the media's undivided attention despite being the only group of their kind in Canada.... well....

just read all this.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Friends_of_Science

Then go do something really productive and visit:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/



**** Note **** - This is an edited version of the original post wherein I call the person who made the comments to task about listing this page/subject. Now he's a close/longtime personal friend and maybe calling him out on my blog was a little much. That said, he had an uncensored opportunity to reply to my post not only in the comments of this blog (which are still posted wth my replies) but he also has such opportunity to reply on his blog. I was open enough to state an opinon about the environment in my last post, he was open enough to share a counter-opinion, by commenting his views. I replied in kind with a post because I felt that my opposition to his views were important enough to state in a general way. My method of wording the text was in response to the frustration I felt that someone I so respected personally and intellectually was taking what I felt was an uneducated and media driven view. I apologize to Dave if he felt attacked, but I did want to make a point that we need to get above these types of Spin-Doctors if we want to get beyond this problem.

Now everyone, go turn off a light/appliance in your house and recycle everything you can that's in your pockets/wallets and purses.

Have a nice day.

I never post anymore

Hey... I was gonna quit altogether, and I still might, so be happy with these once every two weeks till I get the itch again. I'm not doing this to please anyone.

Ok so shit I am.

Anyways, Rhonda went to see Dr. David Suzuki tonight (I had to be at work or I so would have tapped that!). Anyways, she texts me at 9:30 and says "I gave Dr. Suzuki your webpage". "Crap!" now I have to update!

So Dr. Suzuki, if you read this, welcome. Sorry the place is a little messy, wasn't expecting company. Can I get you something to drink? Perhaps a glass of filtered rainwater, or a glass of organcally grown, locally produced, hand crushed orange juice?

Anyhoo, so this, and Katherine's post on her blog has prompted me to give y'all another "save the planet" tree hugging bullshit post... so sit down and shut up for a sec ... Danny, I see you back there with that spitball, and I guarantee it will mean a week of detention if you throw it.

Now... where was I, Oh yes :

GLOBAL WARMING!!!! ... WHAT AM I DOING ABOUT IT?

Ok, so I'm working on posts and stuff for Rechargeable Future about greening my house and life and such, but until then, check this little list off, and see if you wanna participate.

1 - Vermicomposting - Soon. I bought the kit and such and have their new home all prepped and ready to go. I left the guys with Rhonda for a few weeks to "be fruitful and multiply" then I'm gonna split the colony in half and put half in my box and leave half at Rhonda's. I plan to keep on doing this (as well as the occasional worm swap to keep the genealogy viable), so if anyone is interested in some worms, let me know and I should hopefully have a family ready to depart in about a month and a half.

2 - Flourecent Lights - Got e'm. I buy them in bulk at CostCo or Wholesale. Not too bad that way, and cheaper in power and bulbs in the long run. Plus I'm generous and want to help the environment so I leave the bulbs when I move out of a place. So I'm slowly updating the lightsockets of our world.

3 - Recycle Recycle Recycle - Not just at home, but at work too. Started a paper recycle bin in our office and I'm constantly putting bottles in the bottle garbage (makes the lifeguards drinking money, which is nice, because today's youth are too smart and need to kill a few braincells. Basically less competition for the grand prize in the end). Look up recycling, there are alot of things out there you can recycle that you wouldn't think of - like - cars, batteries, printer cartridges, computers, cell phones, paint, paint cans, concrete.. and a tonne more. I make e'm recycle batteries at work... drives e'm mad.

4 - Walk - Now Andrew will tell you I don't do this enough. And dammit he's right. But I do try and make a point of walking to work as much as possible. With the warm weather, it's alot easier.

5 - Watch what electric appliances you leave on. Computers are the big one. I am a shameless downloader, so my PC is often on. But when not at the machine I make sure to shut off the monitor and speakers. As a backup, I also have the low power settings set on my computer to kick in after 5 minutes. Try and unplug things when you aren't using them, and unplug everything when you're on holidays (well you can leave the answering machine if you really need it). Power leakage is a huge source of CO2 emissions.

6 - Watch an Inconvenient Truth, Who Killed the Electric Car. Visit good environment webpages like Grist.com or ... whatever, there are a million out there and they all have something good to say. Read a book on the environment, I suggest "Greenhouse:The 200 Year Story of Global Warming" By Gale E Christianson... great book. Listen to some environmental music, how about "The Maples" by Rush. Eat an organically grown, locally produced, hand made vegitarian meal, it sounds like a tall order, but hey you just might like it.

7 - Grow Your Own/Buy Local - I have decided to grow a garden this year. I bought a bunch of seeds the past couple weeks, started some herbs for the summer, got some interesting fruits that will be fun to grow as well as help me eat local (got black tomatoes, purple, red, white and yellow carrots, the worlds hottest pepper, purple peppers). Still looking for seed for purple potatoes (or something else cool) and garlic. Tried to concentrate on food I could either eat right away, store for long periods or pawn off on someone else. Also gonna be checking out more farmers markets this year.

8 - Reuse - try to buy second hand where I can. Shop at Salvation Army or Value Village. Get stuff at garage sales (waiting for them to start again so I can get a kitchen table). I keep empty buckets from work for stuff.


So there's a start. Also want to start a tree planting street gang. Basically we'd just go around to places that we figure a tree should be and use stealth to plant the tree and try and propogate it's growth. Hardcore.

And the Winner of the Linger contest is.....

SARAH SNELLING!

Sarah is awarded the two free tickets to the show in Regina tommorrow, and will get a copy of the new Linger album, Root of Truth next month when it comes out.

This works well for me because she lives across the street from me.

It just never ceases to amaze me....

Just about 70 years ago, the United States of America commissioned, built and used a weapon of nearly ultimate power, the atomic bomb.

" On August 6, 1945, 8.15 am, the uranium atom bomb exploded 580 metres above the city of Hiroshima with a blinding flash, creating a giant fireball and sending surface temperatures to 4,000C. Fierce heat rays and radiation burst out in every direction, unleashing a high pressure shockwave, vaporising tens of thousands of people and animals, melting buildings and streetcars, reducing a 400-year-old city to dust."

The country commited a crime of unimaginable horror. Hundreds of thousands were killed. Innocent children and women. Workers, teachers, artists killed without justice or cause.

It just never ceases to amaze me that the nation was never brought to trial. Are we the citizens of the planet Earth so scared of this monster that we will not even rise up together and fucking DO SOMETHING about it. When Hitler killed untold thousands of Jewish, Black, Gay, Mentally Challenged and physically challenged people, the world responded. We stood up for our fellow man and kicked some ASS. Here the Americans are, murderers of likely in the range of a million innocent Japanese people, and we just sit back and go... SHIT that was a BIG mushroom cloud!

Please visit the following page and think about what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If I were to list all the names of all the people would stretch 10km.

http://fogonazos.blogspot.com/2007/02/hiroshima-pictures-they-didnt-want-us_05.html