The Billblog rss

Minister Gary Lunn evades a simple question

macdade — 2011-02-26T13:56:44-08:00

On January 27, 2011 I wrote to my Member of Parliament, Minister Gary Lunn, to ask him to provide me with a list of climate scientists who have briefed the Federal Cabinet about climate change. Here is my email. Here is Minister Lunn's reply. I received it yesterday. You may find the letter hard to read so here is the last paragraph cropped and enlarged. The first paragraph says that the Conservative Government is doing a fine job regarding climate and refers me to an enclosed two page document telling me about their "substantive efforts". You can see that Minister Lunn sidestepped my question. I had wished to check on the credentials of scientists he would identify. I wanted to know if they were climate scientists publishing peer-reviewed research. Secondly I wanted to confirm with the scientists themselves that they had indeed briefed the Cabinet. I am worried about our climate and consider it to be the greatest danger facing the human race today. Since Minister Lunn has continued the Conservative Government's practice of non-transparency, diversion and distraction, I decided to publish Minister Lunn's letter. The letter from MInister Lunn is paternalistic and evasive. To be blunt, it is an insult to an intelligent, responsible citizen.

Canada Free Press apologizes for Tim Ball’s false statements about a Nobel Laureate

macdade — 2011-01-23T16:10:35-08:00

Dr. Andrew Weaver is a Nobel Prize winning climate scientist at the University of Victoria. He has been attacked by the climate denying crowd. This would be okay if the attackers stuck to the truth. However, one Tim Ball has not done so. A website, Canada Free Press, has hosted some writing by Tim Ball which contained falsehoods about Dr. Weaver. It has now posted a retraction and an apology. With climate science under such vicious attack these days, it is excellent to see this happening. Read the apology HERE and an article about it HERE. And remember to turn off the bathroom light. Over and out. love and peace.

Cops witnessed cops at the G20.

macdade — 2010-11-25T14:42:01-08:00

The SIU can't find one G20 cop to charge & yet the world watched 100s of citizens being assaulted, abused & falsely arrested.   ...Thousands of cops witnessed other cops assaulting citizens of Canada. Hey cops, no strength of character to come forward? Youtube is full of video of police brutality. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has sworn testimony of people abused subsequent to arrest.  ...To have so many cops act abusively without a thought of possible consequences can only mean one thing, a blessing/order from above.  The code of silence of cops is unethical & is a prerequisite for a government to illegal suppress lawful protest by its citizens. ...Canada is a police state now. SIU initially denied the use of rubber bullets until photographic and video evidence surfaced. ... No good can come of that approach. Natalie Gray of Maple Ridge, B.C shortly after being hit by two rubber bullets.

Cloth handkerchiefs save trees & come in handy for many purposes

macdade — 2010-11-22T09:21:21-08:00

(null)

Canadian democracy and climate accountability ambushed and killed

macdade — 2010-11-17T12:02:43-08:00

Canada has no climate legislation. The NDP sponsored Bill C-311, Canada's only climate bill, was passed by our elected representatives in Parliament. The majority of our elected representatives voted in favour of this bill, not once but three times. It then was sent to the Canadian Senate for debate and "sober second thought" before it could become law. The democratic process was hijacked by the Conservatives when a surprise vote in the Senate was taken, pre-empting discussion, rendering second thought non-existent. This sleazy, manipulative move by Harper & Co. annuls democratic process. It should appall anyone, of any political stance, who holds democracy as a value. It's an attack of the values and rights of Canadian citizenship. Further, we are facing a climate emergency on this planet. Canada does not have climate legislation. Bill C-311 would have introduced national climate accountability and the beginnings of a constructive, forward thinking set of laws, policies and practices. To disregard democratic process in this area is particularly dangerous and unconscionable. In usurping democratic process to kill Bill C-311, the Tories have betrayed the land and people they govern. They've snubbed the safety and security of younger generations and generations to come.

Keep the peace in peace.

macdade — 2010-11-10T16:06:00-08:00

My Dad landed on Juno Beach, Normandy, 6 days after D-Day, a signaler with an infantry regiment. He stayed on the front until the last day of the war. He came back hating war. He didn't go for anything that portrayed war as anything but crappy. He avoided the back-slapping displays amongst even vets, though he understood them. ... Said the army gave it to him for brushing his teeth every day. He taught us that the poppy was a symbol of remembrance of what war really is, as well as remembrance of the war dead. My Mother saw the war as a nurse in a veterans hospital in Canada, nursing the young men who were sent there from the war. She taught us this: "No one wins a war." My friend Ric, a veteran of the Vietnam War is much the same as my folks. He hates war too. ... "Keep the peace in peace." This is a poppy my Dad sent to my Mom. He picked it in a field in which Canadians died.

1945-1998, a video by Isao Hashimoto

macdade — 2010-11-04T19:50:30-07:00

The Exemplary Gemanafushi School

macdade — 2010-10-31T17:09:15-07:00

If you'd like to visit Gemanfushi School, you probably have a long way to go. ...As described in the billblog of October 21, on 10-10-10 I was with a workgroup that was linked via Skype with Swaroop Saresh, a science teacher at Gemanafushi School, Republic of Maldives. Swaroop sent his report to members of our work group and posted his information to an online forum HERE. Noteworthy is that the Gemanafushi School 10-10-10 event took all day long and that it affected most of the community. ... of plastic and metals from the beaches and a rally involving, remarkably, 50% of the community. There were speeches, a march, and a display of people forming the the numerals, 350 10-10-10 -- photographed from the air. ... After the events of the day, Swaroop headed to his computer to join with us in Seattle USA and Victoria Canada. In Swaroop's report there is this powerful event: "Everyone took oath to join their hands to conserve the atmosphere by reducing carbon emission and signed a canvas to show their fortitude." The average elevation of Gemanafushi Island is a mere foot and a half above sea level. Unless global carbon emissions are reduced and virtually eliminated, Gemanafushi and the Republic of Maldives will be swamped with violent storms and a rising sea level. ...I pledge to work to the fullest that I am able toward the elimination of carbon emissions. ...Photos of the events of the day sent by Swaroop are in a display here HERE, and are used with Swaroop's permission. ...Students, Teachers and Principal of Gemanafushi School, thank you.

Conserve our common wealth — Stop Enbridge & the Northern Gateway Project

macdade — 2010-10-26T11:59:38-07:00

A excellently done video from pipeupagainstenbridge.ca, I hope you'll get informed and do your part. Conserve our common wealth.

Global Day of Climate Solutions: 10-10-10

macdade — 2010-10-21T11:33:40-07:00

On Sunday, October 10, I attended a "Bring Your Own Laptop" work party associated with the 350.org global day of climate solutions, otherwise known as 10-10-10. ...(In fairness to the CBC website, I would like to point out that they did cover another 10-10-10 phenomenon.)... That also means that millions more care because those that showed up for work group undoubtedly represent a small percentage of caring, concerned and worried global citizens. ...In the past I have included information from a site I admire and utilize frequently, CO2Now.org. The widget with the earth coming out of a toaster that you see in the sidebar of this blog is from that site. ...Franke is an artist focussed upon climate health and a person who not only communicates uniquely, creatively and effectively, but also walks the walk. ...A few months ago I wrote to the person responsible for CO2now.org and discovered that he, Michael McGee, is a ten minute bicycle ride from my front door. ...It was Michael who inivited me to the 10-10-10 work group at his home. ...Six of us met at MIchael's home in the morning of 10-10-10 -- October 10, 2010. ... Swaroop, a high school science teacher, in a time zone putting him in the post-midnight of his day, joined us from The Republic of Maldives. As you may know, the elevation of The Maldives is on average one and a half metres. ... Swaroop noted that his particular island has an elevation of one and a half feet! ...Swaroop said that last year they were down to one month's supply of food for a period of time. ...I look forward to working with Michael and the others in this workgroup, joining with others around the globe, in support of "climate health", a term I heard for the first time on 10-10-10.

Grrr ... My site was hacked.

macdade — 2010-10-19T12:24:42-07:00

The observant among you will notice that the last offering on the billblog was back in July. The last post consisted of a graphic from C02Now.org, linked to that wonderful site. ...I discovered this when Google sent me a nice letter telling me so. They also put up this page to greet visitors to my site: ...I used an FTP tool to see if I could find any nasty files anywhere. ... I did a search of the site using the filenames provided by Google. ... I deleted the files and did another search and concluded that hidden files answering the call of my search. ... After pondering for a while, I wrote to my webspace provider asking them to sandblast the whole thing and set me up with a brand spanking new webspace with a new password and account name. With an up-to-date version of one of the highest rated security applications for mac, Intego's VirusBarrier X6, I repeatedly scanned my hard drive which included all of the site files. ...Comments are not stored in an onsite data base but with a cloud-based service so that is an unlikely source of the hack, but I don't know for sure. I am having geekly consulting sessions to see if I can figure out if anything at my end of things has a hole. If it is the webspace provider's security issue then they are no doubt on it. ... They jumped on my request for assistance in a blink. ...It looks the same, but it's all new.

June 2010, atmopheric CO2

macdade — 2010-07-26T14:03:04-07:00

(null)

July is Mad Pride month.

macdade — 2010-07-20T12:04:23-07:00

In another time & place, I'd be your shaman, oracle or sage. This time & place isn't the only 1 that counts. July is Mad Pride month. http://bit.ly/9EG9UT Just say NO (thank you) to the stigma.

Michael Napiorkowski's Video of the G20 Summit that was stolen from the peaceful majority - 26 June 10, Toronto ON

macdade — 2010-07-16T08:42:43-07:00

The G20 Protest that was Stolen from the Peaceful Majority and Never Told - June 26, 2010 - Toronto, Ontario from Michael Napiorkowski on Vimeo.

"I attended the peaceful protest march in response to the G20 on June 26, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario and continued with the peaceful protest into the night. The movement was huge, powerful and filled with amazing energy. The messages were strong and creatively expressed through signs, music, dance, poetry and pure solidarity. However, I was saddened by the media's shallowness of coverage and obsessive focus on the acts of vandalism by a small group to the complete exclusion of the peaceful majority who carried a strong and extremely important message to the world, so I decided to share another perspective with the footage and images that I captured during the weekend. I purposely left out the broken windows and damaged police cars that I encountered along the way because they do not represent anything that the majority were protesting or experiencing. There was a horrible disservice committed against democracy during the weekend by the mainstream media, by oversized and overreaching security presence, and by the unjustifiable fear that was instilled in the minds of the public by the government. These courageous protesters should be applauded for being actively engaged in their democracy and seeking justice for the marginalized. They are the ones who are truly looking out for us, for our children and for future generations." - Michael Napiorkowski

What did a billion dollars really buy?

macdade — 2010-07-11T11:49:09-07:00

And catch that first look by the female officer beside Officer Bubbles as she realizes what kind of spiel he is about to do. ... Officer Bubbles got under my skin even though his behaviour is mild compared to the criminal behaviour of many other police officers, the ones who assaulted and injured peaceful citizens, who ripped a prosthetic leg off an amputee (because he might take it off himself and use it as a weapon!), and the ones who tossed innocent citizens into cages, denied them legal counsel, food, water and sanitation. ...In asking police forces to serve and protect us, are we safe from them and those who control them? ... Of course police forces across the country are watching Toronto to see what they can get away with in the future. The cages purchased for the G20 and used to detain a thousand in Toronto can be easily transported to any location in Canada -- far easier than building jails for mass arrest. ... A billion dollars of our money has been used to buy what is needed to oppress us. The only thing missing is the legal right to behave as they did and yet, the police acted as if they did have the legal right to behave as they did. ...Peaceful dissent has been re-framed as criminal behaviour, though it is the response to peaceful dissent that has been criminal.