Treehugger in Training

Earth Hour '09 and beyond

2009-03-28T17:56:00.003-04:00

I said in an earlier post that I need to stop neglecting this little slice of the 'net, but obviously I have not followed through.

That's not due to lack of interest in the subject matter, mind you. I'm still making the effort to find little ways to to reduce my footprint.

And this year, I plan to participate in Earth Hour.

I was not able to last year because I was at a...huh...professional wrestling event and I was not confident that they would honour my request to turn off the lights and have the matches by candle light.

Let's move on to a good article from the Ottawa Sun today. There are plenty of articles about Earth Hour out there, but I favour this one because it offers suggestions on how to incorporate Earth Hour into the rest of the year.

Here we go:

Earth Hour is set to become the largest global action in human history.

Really? This surprises me because it seemed to be getting far less hype this year. Perhaps it's becoming ingrained, like Earth Day. Why the hell did no one think of Earth Year??

If all goes according to plan, at 8:30 p.m. local time today, one billion people in more than 1,000 cities around the world will be turning off their lights.
The idea is to focus global attention on the need for action on climate change
While the simplicity of the one-hour event makes it powerful, organizers say it's just a start.
"Turning the lights off for Earth Hour is a great first step, but if you really want to see a difference, then make Earth Hour part of your everyday life," says the Earth Hour website.

You hear that, non-believers?

A pet peeve of mine are people who debate by arguing points that aren't being made. You often hear people say "Turning off your lights for one hour isn't going to do a thing to affect the Earth's temperature". No one is saying it will. That's not the intent.

Despite growing concern about climate change, Canada's greenhouse gas emissions increased nearly 22% between 1990 and 2005. By the end of 2006, Canada's total emissions were 29% above the Kyoto target.
The good news is that during the same period, greenhouse gas emissions from Canada's housing sector decreased by 8.5%, despite a 28% increase in housing, reports the Canadian Home Builders' Association. This translates into an average 15% decrease per household.

Interesting stat. I would be curious to know by what method the reduction was achieved.

The most effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to reduce energy use. According to Natural Resources Canada, within the average Canadian household, 60% of energy is used for space heating, 18% for heating water, and 14% for appliance use. Lighting accounts for 5%, and space cooling 3%. With that in mind, here's a list of suggestions that can reduce household energy use and save money:

More interesting stats. I questioned that having a house full of CFL's was not having the impact that I thought it should (judging from the total of my electricity bill). But if lighting only accounts for 5%, I guess that explains it somewhat.

Here's another thing that struck us though (I may have mentioned this before...I repeat myself constantly): We have CFL's everywhere, and they use about a third of the evergy of "conventional" light bulbs...but almost every light switch in the house will light three or four of them. So...what's the point??

The solution for us then is to be careful as to which ones we actually use. We have a pot light above the shower in the master bathroom. We use that one most because the "main" light switch flicks on four bulbs. Duh.

I'm sorry, I interrupted the list of suggestions. Here it is.

1. Lower your thermostat by just one degree. This can reduce your residential heating bill by as much as 10%, according to Natural Resources Canada. While many Canadians lower their thermostats at night, lowering daytime temperatures, particularly when no one is home, can add up to big energy savings.
2. Install a programmable thermostat and learn how to use it. While 40% of Canadian households have programmable thermostats, an estimated 20% of these don't use them.
3. Switch to cold water in the laundry. Washing in cold water can reduce energy use by 80% and save $100 a year in hot water.
4. Line-dry your clothes. This can cut household energy bills by as much as 15%. As an added bonus, the sun's ultra-violet rays naturally bleach and disinfect clothes, eliminating the need for chlorine bleach and other harsh chemicals.

This reminds me of one of the dumber questions I asked when I got started with my self-imposed training. We were looking into buying appliances for the new house. We made it a point to seek out Energy Star ones. Dishwasher, fridge, washer and...hey, they don't make Energy Star clothes dryers.

"Sure they do," Mrs THIT pointed out, "They call them 'clotheslines'."

Touché.

5. Have a home energy audit. Most provinces now have government Home Energy Audit programs that help offset audit costs and provide grants for energy efficiency improvements.
6. Caulk and weather strip doors and windows. This can reduce heating bills by 25%, according to the David Suzuki Foundation.
7. Use power bars for televisions, DVD players, video game consoles and other electronic equipment. As much as 10% of household electricity is consumed by appliances that are turned off, but continue to draw power in stand-by mode. This referred to as phantom load.
8. Upgrade your appliances. According to the David Suzuki Foundation, replacing a 10-year-old refrigerator with a new Energy Star approved model can save enough energy to light your home for more than three months.
9. Be water-wise. Pumping water is responsible for as much as two-thirds of the total electricity used by municipalities. Take shorter showers, install low-flow toilets and sink aerators. Reducing water use in the shower will also help cut your hot water bill.
10. Educate yourself. Visit www.powerwise.ca

Now here's something I learned; I asked Mrs THIT what she planned to do during that hour and she said something about watching TV or some such.

What what what?? No way! But apparently, that's allowed. You just need to have your lights off, but can use electricity for other purposes.

Nonsense. All electricity is banned here for that hour.

And I won't make the same mistake I made the last time we had a power failure. Somehow, I decided that it would be a good idea to shave by candlelight.

It isn't.

Tougher anti animal abuse laws unleashed

2009-03-01T08:21:00.003-05:00

Nice bit of news today for those of you (us) who care for (and about) pets. If I recall correctly, these laws had not been brought up to date since Jesus was in diapers.

The following is by Antonella Artuso for Sun Media.

TORONTO -- Anyone caught abusing or neglecting an animal could face fines of up to $60,000, jail time and a lifetime ban on pet ownership under a new provincial animal welfare bill that comes into effect today.
Community Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci's bill will also give inspectors with the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals the power to enter public places such as zoos, pet stores and circuses without a warrant to determine if animals are receiving proper care.
The act creates a new offence -- causing or permitting distress to an animal -- that has higher penalties and a lower burden of proof than the Criminal Code which had been the only tool available for the prosecution of serious animal abuse cases.
Hugh Coghill, Ontario Chief Inspector for the OSPCA, said their inspectors investigate about 15,000-16,000 complaints a year but the vast majority are resolved with verbal recommendations.
About 2,500 cases might receive a written order, and the courts are reserved for the most serious and recalcitrant offenders.
"The Ontario SPCA always takes an educational role first and foremost, so education before enforcement is a key mantra that we have in the back of our mind all the time when we're doing our work," Coghill said. "If whatever you were doing before wasn't against the law, it's not against the law now. But people who abuse and neglect animals need to be aware that the laws will now be stronger to protect animals."
The OSPCA can now seize and hold an animal until a court decides if the owner is guilty of an offence under the act, where previously the animal had to be returned if the offender paid the bill for any vet care that was required.
The existing maximum $60,000 fine for cruelty to animals, which applied only to cats and dogs for sale, has now been extended to all offences.
"If you cut the ears off your dog without anaesthetic, without care and treatment, that could be an offence and that could be a very serious fine," said Coghill, noting it would not have been an offence under the previous legislation.
The Provincial Animal Welfare Act also mandates vets to report suspected animal abuse or neglect.
Animal doctors had been bound by confidentiality rules, but are now protected under law if they report a client to the OSPCA.
"It was actually the veterinarians that wanted it," Coghill said.
The OSPCA welcomes the new power to enter public places where animals are kept because obtaining a warrant has proven difficult, he said.
The OSPCA was denied a warrant to search a west Ontario zoo where a member of the public had complained about the care of a kangaroo because the information was three months old.
When inspectors arrived at the zoo without a warrant, the owner refused them access, he said.
"The fact that we're denied entry to a place that is open to the public (now) becomes our grounds to get a warrant and go in and see if the animals are being provided the standard of care," he said.

What's a Superbowl?

2009-01-31T10:15:00.003-05:00

I mentioned before that in addition to this blog, I have one (and a full website) dedicated to local football. Yes, it includes the professional game but because you can find much of that information elsewhere, I focus on the amateur scene (about 17 to 24 as an age group).

I have put a lot of effort over the past two or three years in trying to help restore a professional team in Ottawa (writing to city council, taking part in a Design Competition for the area in which the stadium is located, etc).

I try to have fun with it, but it is often frustrating. I am not an optimist by nature but if I have to point to one positive, the experience has reinforced my belief that no matter how stupid an opinion is, someone somewhere has it. Apparently, he or she also has an Ottawa address.

Truth be told though, if someone were to tell me that a pro team here will never happen again in my lifetime, I could be perfectly happy with just following the youth levels for a number of reasons. The value of sports in society can be debated endlessly, but I personally believe that whatever value it does have is greater at the amateur level.

Here is an example, from a high school basketball game in New York, of the type of positive impact it can have on an individual and/or group. You don't see this kind of thing in the pros.

It's colder than a well digger's ass out there...

2009-01-04T18:56:00.002-05:00

...but that doesn't mean that your heating bills have to skyrocket.

Low Impact Living (A THIT personal favourite) provides a list of tips on how to reduce your consumption and/or costs. What I like about this list is that they break them down by project "size". Here's a preview:

Something you can do today: "Turn down your thermostat when away or at night. You could save up to 1% off your heating bill for every degree you lower your thermostat. And, contrary to urban legend, it does NOT use significantly more energy to warm your house back up again."

Something you can do this week: "Install a programmable thermostat. Even though it is easy, many of us will decide that re-setting the thermostat by hand every day is a pain. So, let your thermostat do it for you with one of these programmable Energy Star options. Save up to 5% of your energy bill, and avoid emitting 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide.

Something you can do this month: "Seal your heating ducts. Leaks in ductwork are some of the most costly and easiest to fix heating / cooling problems, often wasting 10% or more of your heating fuel. Find do-it-yourself duct sealing products here.

The full list is here. Oh, and the expression used as a title for this post was borrowed, with permission, from Mrs THIT's grandfather. He has a million of them, and probably a few more just waiting for the appropriate moment.

Maison Idekit

2009-01-04T18:02:00.004-05:00

This is neat. I was directed to it from a Green Communities Canada newsletter. The title is also the name of a Quebec-based company which builds homes from recycled freight containers.

Before (or, well, during):

After:

So how much does one of these cost? Well...It's complicated. They can't take into account the cost of land and they don't include plumbing and basic electricity in the construction. So when you first see $62,000 for a 2000 square foot unit that is, by their own admission, misleading.

This article (French only, apparently like the idekit website) has additional photography.

I would love one of these as a cottage or retirement home. :-)

Saving the world a click at a time

2008-12-30T20:33:00.004-05:00

Contrary to the belief of some, not everyone in the world is on Facebook. I happen to be among the millions who waste all kinds of time on that site, either by discussing interests in groups, keeping in touch with people I don't see as often as I used to, or ignoring people who are compelled to make the world aware of every time his (or her) kid fills his (or her) diaper or blinks. But the truth is that there remains a significant portion of the population who have managed to avoid these addictions.

I mention this because I joined a group called "Feed a child with just a click". It lists a variety of sites on which sponsors assist charities financially if a visitor just clicks on a button or plays a simple game. As I write this, the group has about three and a half million members (though I can't help but wonder how many actually bother to visit regularly).

Anyway, if you do have a Facebook profile, you can voin the group here. If you are not, and have no interest in being hunted down by people from your past by joining, then I am going to list a few of the ones I find most interesting here.

Let this game show you what a dumb-ass you are at geography while donating water. That's how it worked for me, anyway.

This one also donates water while testing your memory. Starts off ridiculously easy, gets harder and apparently never ends. So far, I've donated a body of water just slightly smaller than Lake Ontario.

Treat this little wooden boy like he's from Pillsbury.

"Your clicks support airtime for IFAW's TV campaign to build public pressure against this cruel and inhumane (seal) hunt." That was the first one I came across, but there's a series of tabs across the top listing a number of other causes.

Create solar energy.

When I clicked this one, I received a message that I helped a woman have surgery on her obstetric fistula. Huh...You're welcome?

I'm sure you get the idea. Now you probably have some free time for the holidays. Get clicking. ;-)

Misleading Food Labels

2008-12-21T13:44:00.004-05:00

Preparing a nice, green-as-possible, Christmas meal? These labels may make it encouraging to purchase one product over another, but they may not mean quite what they lead you to believe.

The list is from Consumer's Report, by way of The Daily Green. You'll find that by and large, the reasons they are considered misleading are very similar.

Free-Range or Free-Roaming: You probably most often see this term stamped on eggs, but it's also used on chicken and other meat to suggest that the animal has spent a good portion of its life outdoors. Consumer Reports says, though, that the standards for these terms are weak, and the rule for the label is only that outdoor access be made available for "an undetermined period each day." So those free range eggs could mean that the chicken who laid them lived in a coop where the door was open for five minutes a day.

Natural or All Natural: People often assume this label means organic or healthy. But no standard definition for natural exists. Consumer Reports says the term only has meaning when it's applied to meat and poultry products and means that the items contain no artificial flavoring, colors, chemical preservatives, or synthetic ingredients. But the producer or manufacturer decides whether or not to use it, without having the claims verified.

No Additives: Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher or Consumer Reports, says that a no additives label is often used to imply that a product has not been enhanced with the addition of natural or artificial ingredients. But there is no official definition for the term and it isn't verified when used.

No Animal By-Products: You might see this label on everything from condiments and meat (to indicate the animals were not fed any animal by-products), to cleaning and personal care products. This term is used to suggest that no ingredients are by-products from slaughtered animals. This might be helpful when it's not obvious; natural flavor could come from vegetables or animals, for example. But Consumers Union says the label is tricky because there isn't a standard, precise definition of "animal ingredients" and the label isn't used consistently. It also isn't verified by an outside body.

100% Vegan: Vegans generally avoid animal products for food and clothing, and often want to avoid products that were tested on animals. But this label does not have a standard or consistent definition and isn't verified. Alternatively, a Certified Vegan label is a registered trademark signifying that products are vegan--meaning they contain no animal ingredients or by-products, use no animal ingredients or by-products in the manufacturing process, and are not tested on animals by any company or independent contractor. The logo is administered by the Vegan Awareness Foundation, also known as Vegan Action.

Raised Without Antibiotics: Consumers Union says this term implies that no antibiotics were used in the production of a food product. The USDA has defined it to mean that meat and poultry products came from animals who were raised without the use of low-level or therapeutic doses of antibiotics. But a recent case of this label being used inaccurately by a major poultry producer illustrates some of the problems: there is no formal definition and while the USDA can hold a manufacturer accountable for the claim, no other organization is behind or verifies the claim.

The list is based on U.S. product claims but I am not confident that Canada is any better. As an example, there are questions about the validity of the Health Check symbol. Being that it is promoted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, it's easy to take it at face value, but apparently their standards are considered low.

We should be able to trust these things.

Plastic or Download?

2008-11-30T09:41:00.009-05:00

Speaking of things becoming obsolete in my previous post about magazines (assuming you are viewing this chronogically) reminded me of something I've been meaning to post since about, oh, mid-August or so. Man alive, I have to stop neglecting this little slice of 'net...

I read a statistic recently to the effect that a song is downloaded for free 20 times for every time it is purchased. I don't know if purchasing includes both download and CD, but it is nonetheless a telling stat.

Much like the various forms of reading material discussed earlier, I still prefer to have the real thing on hand. While downloading is obviously "cleaner", I still buy compact discs and will for as long as I am able to. I like having that safety net in case my computer crashes and I lose everything.

This is particulary true because I can not transfer my ITunes files to my MP3 player. Some combination of exclusive deals between all the various companies prevents it. So it's not as though I could transfer and be confident that at least I'll have the music in that format if my computer goes Max Headroom on me.

So still being a CD consumer, and needing to make a trip to Calgary this past August, I wanted some "fresh new spins" (that's DJ talk. Or maybe it's just the one clown on a local radio station trying to sound cool) for the plane ride. I took a stroll over to HMV and left with three new records. Yay!

While sitting in my 40-foot limo on the way home, I noticed something written on my HMV plastic bag. It said...

Once discarded in landfill sites, the exposure to sunlight, oxygen and heat will convert the plastic in this bag into water, carbon dioxide, mineral salt and biomass. Like a fallen leaf it will disappear over time and leave no harmful residue in the soil.

This message was brought to you by EPI Environmental Technology. I would like a clearer definition of "over time", mind you, but still. I like knowing that this is out there, if their claims are legit.

Assuming they are, I would like to see the EPI logo on all grocery store bags as well. We do try to bring our own bags with us when grocery shopping but occasionally forget, or make an unscheduled stop and don't have them on hand. While still not great, this would be...huh...less bad, I guess. I suspect that people who avoid using plastic bags are still very much a minority so perhaps having this specific kind more commonly available would helps significantly.

As far as downloading goes, I am not opposed to it. Far from it. I am all in favour for reasons other than (but in addition to) the environmental aspect.

I have been interested in music since I was about ten. I used to wake up to Sweet's Ballroom Blitz, played from a borrowed eight-track. I'm sure my folks loved that.

And though never a fan of theirs by any stretch, I recall air-guitaring to Kiss' I Love it Loud. Yikes...

Can't go wrong with those genius lyrics...

A memory from earlier still is asking my mum to play The Night Chicago Died by Paper Lace repeatedly.

I was basically a toddler. Not exactly a song for a four-year old but it should be pointed out that I didn't speak English back then. Thankfully, otherwise, I might have turned out like John Gotti. Or Vanilla Ice.

In any event, I love music, but I hate the music business. Aside from frequently hearing about bands being screwed over on record deals, I've often felt the same was being done to me.

I'm the obsessive collector type, so when I get into something, I'm a completist; I need to have and know everything. Nothing insults me more, as a music fan, than a "best of" album with two "previously unreleased tracks" included.

Ah, thank you so much for abusing my loyalty. Please picture me with an extended middle finger as I guiltlessly (is that a word? It really should be...) download the two tracks that were not previously deemed good enough for any of the band's studio albums.

Better still is the so-called deluxe edition of records that are the exact same album with perhaps an extra CD with a few live tracks or some such. It's usually released 1-3 months after the...huh...ordinary edition. Of course, being a fan, I bought the original almost right away. So now I would have to pay full price for the extra material and a batch of duplicates.

So while I don't like to see bands suffer from their material being traded freely, I take some joy in knowing that the music industry is scrambling. And I believe (and hope) that before long record companies will be obsolete, or at least drastically reduced in number.

It's always been my understanding that bands make their money from touring, not from record sales, so if more of them are able to continue to be successful without having to deal with the business side of it, more power to them.

Green Living Online

2008-11-16T10:41:00.006-05:00

I was made aware of this from a World Wildlife Foundation newsletter from last month. The fall issue of Green Living Magazine is also the first online version. It comes instructions for the less technically-inclined but basically click on the arrows at top left to flip pages, and on the pages themsleves in order to make them large enough to read.

I recall reading an interview with Marvel Comics founder Stan Lee around the time the first Spider-Man movie came out in which he was asked whether he thought the internet would kill comic books. He thought it would not because people prefer to have something "in hand" to read; something they can take to another room in the house or carry with them while travelling.

I agree with him that reading a magazine online is hardly the same, but with laptops and blackberries becoming more and more common, perhaps paper versions have finally met their match. And for a magazine called "Green Living", going online would seem to make sense.

Just one more thing to get used to. ;-)

Edit: I subscribed for future issues, only to find out that the winter ecition is out already. Here it is.

School of Rock

2008-11-08T08:33:00.002-05:00

Interesting.

By Timothy Gardner

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A rock found mostly in Oman can be harnessed to soak up the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide at a rate that could help slow global warming, scientists say.

When carbon dioxide comes in contact with the rock, peridotite, the gas is converted into solid minerals such as calcite.

Geologist Peter Kelemen and geochemist Juerg Matter said the naturally occurring process can be supercharged 1 million times to grow underground minerals that can permanently store 2 billion or more of the 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted by human activity every year.

Their study will appear in the November 11 edition of the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.

Peridotite is the most common rock found in the Earth's mantle, or the layer directly below the crust. It also appears on the surface, particularly in Oman, which is conveniently close to a region that produces substantial amounts of carbon dioxide in the production of fossil fuels.

/

They also calculated the costs of mining the rock and bringing it directly to greenhouse gas emitting power plants, but determined it was too expensive.

The scientists, who are both at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York, say they could kick-start peridotite's carbon storage process by boring down and injecting it with heated water containing pressurized carbon dioxide. They have a preliminary patent filing for the technique.

They say 4 billion to 5 billion tons a year of the gas could be stored near Oman by using peridotite in parallel with another emerging technique developed by Columbia's Klaus Lackner that uses synthetic "trees" which suck carbon dioxide out of the air.

More research needs to be done before either technology could be used on a commercial scale.

Peridotite also occurs in the Pacific islands of Papua New Guinea and Caledonia, and along the coast of the Adriatic Sea and in smaller amounts in California.

Big greenhouse gas emitters like the United States, China and India, where abundant surface supplies of the rock are not found, would have to come up with other ways of storing or cutting emissions.

Rock storage would be safer and cheaper than other schemes, Matter said.

Many companies are hoping to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by siphoning off large amounts of carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants and storing it underground.

That method could require thousands of miles of pipelines and nobody is sure whether the potentially dangerous gas would leak back out into the atmosphere in the future.

My only concern would be that people would treat this as the miracle cure (note that scientists believe it would "slow" global warming, not stop it). Let's not bother to even try to reduce emissions, we've got our magic rock. Kind of like the people who think that switching to Diet Coke means they can eat whatever they want and lose weight.

Where's Wendell?

2008-10-31T06:56:00.004-04:00

If you think you see a wallaby on the loose in the Ottawa Valley and can't believe your eyes, be assured that it's not just a kid in a very realistic Hallowe'en suit. It seems we have a young wallaby running (relatively) wild.

From the Ottawa Citizen:

OTTAWA-A panicked wallaby is on the loose in the Ottawa Valley after Tuesday night's windy storm blew over a tree that broke open the kangaroo and wallaby pen at Saunders Country Critters and Garden Centre in Kemptville.
Five kangaroos and wallabies were originally on the run in North Grenville after the tree took down a six-metre panel in the animals' pen. But only Wendell, a three-year-old Bennett's Red Necked Wallaby, remains on the loose, and was last spotted in Athens, Ont. - more than 80 kilometres southwest of Kemptville -by an elderly woman Thursday morning. And as of last night, there had been three more sightings in the area.
"They saw the opening, hopped out and just kept hopping," said Saunders Country Critters co-owner Carla Saunders, who sounded a little panicked and distraught herself early Thursday morning.
"I feel terrible," she said. "We just want Wendell home."
By Thursday afternoon, when Mrs. Saunders had heard of the first sighting in Athens, she was more hopeful for the animal's safe return.
"It's definitely Wendell," she said, adding that her husband and Country Critters co-owner, Gary Saunders, headed to Athens as soon as he heard and he saw Wendell's tracks for himself.
"The last tracks my husband saw were a four-footed hop, which means he's tired," she added.
The animals were reported missing to the Grenville OPP Wednesday afternoon, but three of them didn't venture too far from home and were easily recovered. Rudy, the kangaroo, was spotted later in the day by neighbours about 15 kilometres from the farm on County Road #44 and quickly brought back home.
As for Wendell, Mrs. Saunders is worried about how long he can last in the cold weather.
"He's a little chunky monkey, so he's got some extra meat and potatoes on him. But that's not going to last him for too long," she said.
Friends and staff of the Saunders have been combing the bush day and night with the hope of uncovering their precious little critter. In addition to the foot patrols, they have also been hanging towels - soaked with the urine of the other kangaroos and wallabies - in the trees around the farm, hoping the familiar scent will draw Wendell home.
Mrs. Saunders said the animal has a terrible sense of direction, so they're trying to attract him by other means, but all attempts have been unsuccessful.
Mrs. Saunders said Wendell only stands about 75 centimetres tall - she described the Bennett's wallaby breed as "kangaroo wannabes" - and would not be dangerous if approached.
If someone spots Wendell, Mrs. Saunders said they should throw a blanket on top of him, grab him by the tail and drop him into a pillowcase, which would simulate the comfort and protection of a mother wallaby's pouch. She also urges that if anyone spots him to call the farm at 613-258-1108.
Another search group will head out to Athens at 6:30 a.m. Friday.
Wendell was born and raised at the farm, so the Saunders' family feels a particular attachment to him, she said.
"They're like members of your family," she said. "He would always greet me with a big hug in the morning."
Mrs. Saunders has been running the farm, exotic zoo and garden centre with her husband since 1992. She said they have never had an animal leave the property.
"I'm hoping that once he hears our voices, he'll settle down and we'll be able to get him."

Edit: Unfortunately, if you have not heard, Wendell was found dead shortly after I posted that story. Mrs Saunders received a mnumber of calls to the effect that Wendell has been seen somewhere or other, but none led to finding him. She does not believe that any of the calls were intended pranks simply people trying to help but providing incorrect information.

The Story of Lefty

2008-10-28T20:44:00.004-04:00

This is a story that caught my eye earlier today in the Ottawa Citizen. Many of the newsletters I subscribe to, of course, tell tales of abused animals so it's good to be reminded that many people (a majority, I like to think) do feel compassion for animals in distress.

Lefty the Canada Goose at Paul Lindsay Park in Ottawa, October 27, 2008.
Photograph by : Photo by Jean Levac, Ottawa Citizen

Graham Hughes, Ottawa Citizen
Published: Monday, October 27, 2008

OTTAWA - A flood of e-mails and phone calls has prompted Carleton-Mississippi Mills MPP Norm Sterling to try to come to the rescue of Lefty, a young goose that was born with one wing.

The youngster, abandoned by its migrating flock, has been seen swimming around the pond behind Amberwood Golf and Country Club in Stittsville, raising fears among area residents that it will freeze or starve to death. They want it caught and taken to the Wild Bird Care Centre.

Mr. Sterling said Lefty's situation has sparked a lot of feedback to his office. On Friday, staff received 40 to 50 calls and "a bunch of e-mails."

"This morning, we got another 20," he said. "It probably would rank in the top three I would receive in a year...We haven't received near that many calls with regard to the most recent (property assessments), where their properties have been valued at an average of 20 per cent more."

It's the second deformed goose to show up at the club in as many years. Last year, in mid-November, the course's superintendent captured a young wingless goose and turned it over to the centre. There, it was deemed sterile and forever flightless.

On Monday, Mr. Sterling made a private member's statement in the legislature describing the goose's plight and explained he is working with the Canadian Wildlife Service to try to help the bird.

"Since migratory birds are the responsibility of the federal government, I have been in contact with the Canadian Wildlife Service, an agency of Environment Canada, and asked that they do something to help Lefty," he said.

"While I appreciate hearing from my constituents regarding Lefty's fate, I suggest concerned citizens also contact Canadian Wildlife Service directly at 1-800-668-6767."

While he was unsure what could be done to help the bird, Mr. Sterling said: "If we could keep the bird somewhere safe over winter and then put it back on the pond for the kids, that would be wonderful."

He conceded there was a bit of irony in a Conservative MPP helping a bird called Lefty.

"I don't very often go to bat for a lefty, but in this case, there were special circumstances. The NDP guys got quite a kick out of it, actually."

Go Green Tube

2008-10-05T16:51:00.004-04:00

Are you like me? Are you totally fascinated by Stephane Dion's peculiar accent when he speaks English (or a somewhat reasonably facsimile)?

A strange mix of the lawyer in "The Usual Suspects" and the voodoo chick in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series of movies, it has the effect of an auditory train wreck on me; I simply can not pull myself from listening to it.

Well, thanks to Go Green Tube, I can listen to it to my heart's content (which means, basically, until the end of eternity or until Steph or I die, whichever comes first). And I'll save the planet while doing so, and hopefully get some more green tips.

What is Go Green Tube?! Well I'm glad you asked! It's like youtube but...huh...green. Here's what they say:

We believe good actions deserve to be acknowledged and rewarded, so for every video you as a member watch, we will offset a pound of carbon. The more you watch, and the more friends you bring here, the more difference you make!

Well, all right. In addition to Dion's siren-like voice (and I mean more the ambulance or fire truck type of siren than the half-fish, long-haired, topless chicks kind), I'm going to poke around for some more personal tips that I can apply from THIT World Headquarters. Sign up and take a look around, maybe you'll find something you like.

Happy viewing!

We're #47!

2008-09-16T19:59:00.007-04:00

All right, so it doesn't have the same ring as being #1, and we're in a tie with...huh...nine other cars, but you can still take some pride in it when it's an improvement!

Mrs THIT and I bought a car recently. Actually, I believe I bought a car. And I don't drive. We...still need to talk.

But we have a new vehicle and I was curious as to where it ranked on the list of Top 100 Green Cars. Now I know.

What I don't know is whether it's an improvement. I assume it is. This is our old car:

(not really)

I would be curious to know by how much, but that may be difficult to find out. I do know that it scored 69 out of a 100, which is a score I would have killed for in college. I also know that it had started to guzzle gas like Lindsay Lohan chugs vodka so surely we've taken one more small step to saving the planet.

Nice thing: We got to send our car to car heaven. I knew the name rang a bell; I posted it about in April of 2007.

Funny, it was $1000 then and we got $750. Well, regardless, it's better than a kick in the gonads since the car absolutely had to be replaced.

Now we're going to be spoiled because we have all kinds of crazy features. Like..get this...a RADIO!

I kid you not.

Go ahead.

Envy us. :-)

That's more like it, Home Depot!

2008-08-29T18:47:00.002-04:00

A while back, I posted about how useless Home Depot had been for us when we moved into our new house (over a year ago...man, time flies...). This recent news makes up for a lot though.

The Home Depot Inc. has started a national program to help people recycle compact fluorescent light bulbs at all of its 1,973 U.S. stores.

The Atlanta-based home improvement retailer's Canada division began a similar program in November 2007. The new program in the United States is the first one made widely available by a retailer, Home Depot said.

Customers can bring in any expired, unbroken compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, and give them to a store associate at the returns desk. The bulbs will be turned over to an environmental management company for recycling.

"With more than 75 percent of households located within 10 miles of a Home Depot store, this program is the first national solution to providing Americans with a convenient way to recycle CFLs," said Ron Jarvis, senior vice president of environmental innovation for Home Depot.

In a related move, Home Depot (NYSE: HD) also will switch from incandescent bulbs to CFLs in its light fixture showrooms in U.S. stores by fall 2008. The move will save it $16 million a year in energy costs.

Link

Good news, and I didn't know it already existed in Canada.

We have a CFL here that's burnt out. We were told (though I'm not convinced) that as much as it is said that CFLs can last 15-20 years, they can also last just a few weeks or months. Regardless, we have a CFL that needs doing away with and now know how to go about it. Way to get back on the good side, HD!

Change for Good

2008-08-29T10:08:00.004-04:00

Recently, I had the misfortune of having to fly on Air Canada.

Actually, that's not entirely accurate. I made the unfortunate decision to fly with them. I needed to get to Calgary and could have flown with Westjet, but for the same price, Air Canada offered an uninterrupted flight.

Or so I thought. We had to land in Winnipeg to deal with a technical issue in the wings. I don't know much about flying, but I do know this: Wings are very useful.

It was interesting to see people's reactions. Most are so used to this kind of service from Air Canada that it gets shrugged or laughed off.

I would I could say I was inbluded in that group. But at least while using up my entire repertoire of French profanity shortly after the announcement was made (and not the lame France French stuff like "merde". The hardcore French Canadian stuff like...well, you know...), I was reminded of an occurence on a flight that sister-to-THIT took earlier this year. She told me about spare change being collected during the flight and how it was meant to be used. I asked the airline about it and here is the response I received:

Cathay Pacific and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) joined forces in 1991 to launch "Change For Good", an inflight fundraising programme designed to collect unused spare change from passengers to help underprivileged children in over 150 developing countries around the world.

Cathay Pacific is delighted to raise almost HK$10 million through the generosity of its passengers in the 2006/07 fundraising year. Most of the money raised will go to UNICEF to help in its projects to improve the lives of underprivileged children around the world. In addition, HK$700,000 of the Change for Good proceeds will be donated to the Cathay Pacific Wheelchair Bank to help local children with neuromuscular diseases in Hong Kong.

To date, Cathay Pacific has raised more than HK$80 million from the "Change for Good" programme.

Coolness. And they're not the only ones. Maybe Air Canada should join the club, as it were. I've contacted them accordingly and hope they see some value to becoming involved in such a program.

What do you get the girl who has everything?

2008-08-15T20:23:00.003-04:00

Well, she probably doesn't have a solar-powered bra.

My first thought when I heard about the solar bra was that it had to be a joke. I heard about it on morning radio, and you know that's like. They're all the same. They do little newsbits then end with an outrageous, pointless story, the validity of which has to be questioned (like the time they told the story of a guy whose swimming pool was stolen. That would take some effort!).

Actually, that's not entirely true. My real first thought was that a woman who needs a "powered" bra of any kind will never starve to death. No doubt Maxim magazine will make her famous.

But my second thought was the above. Actually, I still think it's a joke. I'm all for new ideas and concepts, but this is so dumb-assed that it gives fodder for those who think that environmentalists are all obsessive weirdos.

Can't wash it or wear it in the rain. Sounds ideal! I would think that come a point, washing it is pretty much a necessity, but what do I know?

This post is not about Brett Favre

2008-08-09T12:19:00.004-04:00

Not really.

Hey, have you heard? Brett Favre retired, then decided he wanted to keep playing, so he came back, but his team didn't want him, so they traded him to New York and it really sounds like he doesn't want to go there but his only other option is to retire for real this time, I guess.

That run-on sentence finally coming to an end, I want to highlight a sports pet peeve of mine. The frequent claim that pro athletes play "for the love of the game".

Bullshit. How often do you hear of a pro athlete retiring and playing just to play? Like with a local team, for the hell of it, where he makes no money (maybe even pays to play), gets little attention, endorsement deal, perks, etc. I would say quite rarely.

Hey, have you heard? The Olympics are on!

I love the Olympics. If there was a medal for watching the Olympics, I would make my country proud. My e-mail address starts with the grammatically incorrect "teamcanadas" because it was created to receive newsletters from the various sporting organizations (the grammatically correct version was not available).

You want to talk about love of the game? Here you go. There are no guarantees that an athlete will turn an Olympic medal performance into a lucrative career but there they are going through intense preparation for an opportunity to compete.

Get a load of this guy...

...courtesy of Vicky Hall and today's Ottawa Citizen:

Kyle Shewfelt's journey from the seat of a wheelchair to the pinnacle of his sport, the Olympic Games, could very well grace the next installment of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

The Canadian gymnast broke both his legs 11 months ago in training for the world championships in Germany. Today, the reigning Olympic floor exercise champion tumbles back into the spotlight in qualifying action at the National Indoor Stadium.

But talk to Shewfelt and he'll tell you there's an equal -- if not better -- inspirational story on the Canadian men's artistic gymnastics team. His name is Nathan Gafuik. He rooms with Shewfelt on the road.
/
Gafuik suffers from a rare condition called Addison's disease, which prohibits the body from producing adrenaline.

As a result, he tires easily. He struggles to recover from injuries -- and gymnasts spend virtually their entire lives with all kinds of aches and pains most of us never encounter.
/
"If he gets into a weird place, you can just tell," Shewfelt said. "His eyes glass over. He gets a little shaky and starts talking weird. You have to get on it right away because he can die. Easily."

Earlier this year, Gafuik split his ear open on the parallel bars during a friendly competition against the United States.

The training staff rushed him to Foothills Hospital in Calgary as a precaution.

"For a normal person like you or I, our adrenaline would kick in," Shewfelt said. "But not for Nathan. His body works against him."
/
From the tender age of six, Gafuik showed tremendous promise and had the coaches whispering about the future Olympic medallist in their midst. But then Gafuik crashed. At the age of 11, his improvement stopped. And so did his growth.

Other boys turned into men. Gafuik's development was suspended in time. His coach, Tony Smith, couldn't figure out why. No one could, until Gafuik ended up in hospital in 2005 with severe dehydration. The doctors finally came up with an explanation for all the troubles.

The mystery solved, Gafuik could have quit, but he decided to keep chasing his Olympic dream. In 2004, he went to Athens as a reserve gymnast for the Summer Olympics. At one point, his nickname was Alter-Nate, due to his constant role as a spectator for major events. But not now. Along with national champion Adam Wong, Gafuik is considered one of Canada's top all-around gymnasts.

"We've got all his medications at the right level," Smith said. "We downplay the Addison's all time. We try not to use it as a reason for any type of failure."

If Shewfelt ever starts feeling sorry for himself, he looks over at Gafuik and knows he's not the only one who fought daunting adversity to get here.

"What he does with what he has been given in life is pretty phenomenal," Shewfelt said. "He's an inspiration."

Indeed. So how's he doing early on?

The strongest Canadian team ever assembled crashed out of the men's Olympic artistic gymnastics competition Saturday at the qualifying stage. Defending Olympic floor exercise gold medallist Kyle Shewfelt? Done. The team itself? Eliminated.

The only survivors to be found in the debris field were Nathan Gafuik and Adam Wong, who cracked the top 24 on all six apparatus to advance to the all-around final.

You go, boy.

Christian the Lion

2008-08-01T21:14:00.001-04:00

No, I didn't get this from friggin' Oprah...

My big-ass vegan belt!

2008-07-27T09:09:00.006-04:00

I don't ask a whole lot from my belts. Normally, so long as they keep my pants from ending up around my ankles while I'm standing on the bus, I'm largely satisfied.

My black "dress" belt (note: that doesn't mean that I wear it with a dress) is sadly nearing its end after several years of steady and reliable support. It has reached a terrible state, to the point that I feared it might break on me unexpectedly on any given day (and wearing pants is a dress code requirement at my place of employment). Its condition is deplorable enough to bring a tear to the eye. If my belt was human, it would be Keith Richards.

And so with heavy heart I embarked on a quest for a quality, non-leather trouser supporting device. i scanned through some of the hemp/vegan stores I have linked on your right, and quickly found the following:

Hey, look! Belts!

To be honest, I hadn't heard many good things about "vegan" belts. Actually, I'm even a little confused about the vegan designation. I could understand calling it "vegetarian", because it's not made from an animal.

But I always understood "vegan" to mean that an item is not made from an animal "by-product". Saying that my belt is vegan to me implies that it has been certified to have not been made out of cheese.

Anyway...What I had heard is that these belts are not particularly durable. And when I pulled it from the box, I also had that impressions. It is quite light, even for a belt, and it feels like it's made out of foan (though not foam cheese).

It's also super wide but I believe that may be my own fault. I may have made a mistake when I entered the dimension while ordering it. Stupid metric system!

Overall though, while I may look a little like this guy...

...so far it's doing its belt thing quite nicely, thank you. Hey, if it prevents people on the bus from seeing the top of my t-back over my pants, then mission accomplished, matey!! Harrr!!

R.I.P. André Hamel

2008-07-12T12:43:00.003-04:00

André Hamel passed away July 4th. I only found out yesterday while reading a borrowed copy of the Ottawa Sun. It was unpleasant news to receive but really, I'm glad I found out. I'm certain that I would have noticed at some point that I had not seen him in a while and I would have been curious as to his whereabouts.

Mr Hamel was a homeless man who seemed to spend the bulk of his time in the same few spots in downtown Ottawa. He was one of these people that you got so used to seeing around that he just became part of the scenery. He was someone that added character to a neighborhood.

When I showed a co-worker the article, he was blown away. I didn't have to ask whether he'd heard of Mr Hamel. You just assume that anyone who spends any kind of time downtown knows him.

I've been living in Ottawa since 1988 and working a few blocks from the parliament buildings since 1998. I couldn't tell you when I first started noticing André Hamel. To me, he's just always been there, usually with his dog (which I now know to be named Muff and am pleased to hear is being looked after), often chatting with someone.

If I recall correctly, the story of his passing was on page four of Friday's edition of the Sun and it was given most of the page. Seldom do you see such coverage for the passing of a homeless man, but it seems that Mr Hamel touched more people than I realized until this week.

The following article speaks volumes to that effect, I think, as does the Ottawa Sun video that I'll link below.

I hope they keep the video accessible for a while; the gentleman speaking through most of it does a great job. He confirmed something I was asking myself about Mr Hamel. I was trying to remember, over the countless times that I've walked by him, if Mr Hamel had ever asked me for spare change or done anything but wish me a good day or comment on the good weather. My experience and that of the speaker appear to be quite similar, not surprisingly.

Jennifer Campbell, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Wednesday, July 09, 2008

The three women stood on the side of O'Connor street, staring at a makeshift shrine. And they cried. Margaret Callaghan, Gail Chiu and Julie LaPalme couldn't hold back the tears as they talked about a man they hardly knew.

"He was always there, with his dog," said Ms. Chiu, who said she sometimes gave him money but mostly, he'd ask for a smile. "He just loved the smiles."

Ms. LaPalme said the man had a great sense of humour and she was always buoyed by his positive outlook.
All afternoon, people gathered on the sidewalk to pay tribute to André Hamel, whose turf in front of the Bell Canada building on the corner of O'Connor and Albert streets now sits empty. For more than a decade, Mr. Hamel and his dog, Muff, brightened the days of office workers who passed by on their way to work, and on their way home.
"He was just kind of part of your day," Ms. Callaghan said, and added that although they had never compared notes on him in the past, many of her colleagues knew and liked him. "I was amazed by how many people knew him."
"He was such a friendly guy and all of a sudden, he's not there," Ms. LaPalme said. "We were talking about the fact that he deserved an obituary and we wondered who would write it."
The empty sidewalk has been given over to a couple of signs, one of which is from Bell employees. Written in French, it says the employees were comforted to know he wasn't alone when he had a heart attack on Canada Day. Mr. Hamel and Muff were in Sandy Hill with friends Guy Vaillant and Roger Gauthier, both of whom do outreach volunteer work. They were about to go watch the fireworks when Mr. Hamel had a heart attack. He was revived by Mr. Gauthier and later again by paramedics, but went into a coma in hospital and died early Friday morning.
Originally from Quebec, Mr. Hamel has two children, a son and a daughter. Julia Bazley, who works for Street Level, a national roundtable on poverty and homelessness, and someone who knew Mr. Hamel well, said he saw his children periodically. Friends said he had three sisters; one passerby said he'd been married; Ms. Bazley said he still had family in Magog. And that's about all they knew of the man who would have turned 52 on Aug. 9.
At the street-side memorial, flowers are piling up -- single roses with hand-written notes, big bouquets, a greeting card. And there are dog treats for Muff. The big dog, who's part chow, visited the shrine in the afternoon with his new owner, Darryl Dempsey. Mr. Dempsey lives on the street, but hopes to get his own place soon and enroll in a social-work program at Algonquin College in the fall. He has committed to looking after the 11-year-old dog who is described as Mr. Hamel's closest companion and who is clearly confused by his death.
"Every time I take him for a walk, he thinks I'm going to take him to see André," said Mr. Dempsey, who was overwhelmed by the memorial that all afternoon drew people, sometimes a dozen at a time, to pay their respects.
"Look, big, dumb black dog -- look what people have done for you," he said. "It just shows there's humanity out there."
Some who stopped were curious onlookers, but most remembered Mr. Hamel for his positive attitude and the way he made their days. His death has, in a strange way, brought a disparate community of downtown workers together.
"This guy was just so special," said Health Canada employee Connie Brisebois, as she fought back tears. "I found out his birthday was Aug. 9 and last year I gave him a Joe Louis with a candle on it. He was so thankful."
One card, from "Maria," reads: "In loving memory. You were a bright light in my mornings. We will miss you."
Downtown worker Dawn Guindon, her eyes reddened from tears, said Mr. Hamel was the first person she met when she moved to Ottawa seven years ago. Federal government employee Maria Booth, who dropped off a white rose, said he always had something nice to say. "He never begged for money, but sometimes you just wanted to give him something."

http://www.ottawasun.com/

Richard Holstein is one bad mother!

2008-07-12T08:26:00.007-04:00

Wow. Dude threw a cat off a balcony and beat another to death.

I don't follow the rap or hip-hop scene (in fact, I'd rather spend the night in the dryer than listen to a minute of that musical idiocy) but I have a sneaking suspicion that crimes against felines is not how 50-cent and "G-Unit" (see below) built their cred. But you know, this is Ottawa, not Compton...

Posting about this turd here probably won't amount to much, but you never know. I sometimes look at what other people in the area are blogging about, so I assume others do the same on occasion. Maybe someone has seen him.

This prick should be fairly easy to spot with those neck tattoos. Mind you, there are countless white guys walking around trying SO hard to live this image nowadays, it might seem like an overwhelming task, but if you see one wearing a turtleneck in July, that might be your man right there.

This is taken from the Ottawa Citizen:

OTTAWA -- Police are searching for a man who is accused of breaking into an apartment, throwing a cat off of a third-floor balcony and beating a second cat to death.
Police say the attacks took place after Richard Holstein, 24, broke into an apartment in the Sandy Hill area of downtown Ottawa on Wednesday. Neighbours say the incident occurred in the evening.
An initial report suggested a third cat was involved, but the Ottawa Humane Society has confirmed only two cats were in the apartment.
Sharon Miko, director of operations at the Ottawa Humane Society, said the cat which was beaten to death was a long-haired, brown Tabby cat named Marble. The other cat, a Siamese and Tabby mix named Kitty, was short-haired cat and a mix of white, light brown and gray fur.
Both cats were about a year old, Ms. Miko said. The cat that was thrown from the balcony has not been found, she said.
Police said the man is known to the cats' owner.
Mr. Holstein is wanted on a series of criminal counts including theft, being unlawfully in a dwelling and causing unnecessary suffering to animals. In an unrelated matter, he is also wanted for breach of probation and breach of recognizance.
He is described as white, approximately six feet tall, weighing about 190 pounds. He has blue eyes, short blond hair and a muscular build.
He has characteristic tattoos on his neck and the back of his hands. His right hand tattoo says "G-Unit," his left-hand tattoo has a "50 Cent" marking. He also has a heart tattooed on his left hand.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact Det. Leanne Smith at 613-236-1222 ext. 5407, or to call Crime Stoppers at 613-233-8477.

Breach of probation. My favourite.

Edit: Seems our boy was caught the next day at a transit station. He is facing 15 charges and was denied bail, but more importantly the cat that was thrown ooff the balcony was later found alive (though apparently with an injured paw). :-)

What's that wacky Oprah up to now?

2008-07-01T11:35:00.006-04:00

Somehow, my little blog has far too much content about Oprah Winfrey. I don't know why it keeps happening. Part of it is due, obviously, in that she chooses to cover certain subjects that are relevant to the topics posted here. But it's still surprising to me how often I stumble upon it since I never watch her show.

No, really. It's true. I never watch it. I swear I don't. I don't record it either. This isn't some attempt on my part to reinforce my masculinity either, I really never see her show. Besides, I've already established that endeavour to be a lost cause.

Most recently, one of the great many newsletters I subscribe to pointed out that the divine Mrs O went on a body cleansing program of sorts by which she became vegan for three weeks. In fact, she went BEYOND vegan.

The plan is to eliminate caffeine, sugar, alcohol, gluten and animal products from your diet for up to 21 days.

Wowza.

This generated some excitement among the usual suspects of the treehugger world. There's no questioning the reach and influence that O-Dub has so if she gives this a pass, it might convince a great many people to give it a whirl too, right?

So how did it go? Well, I haven't read her entire blog about it (I swear I haven't), but it seems to have gotten off to a nice start...

Week One: Wednesday
I just cleaned my dinner plate, down to the last grain of brown rice left under my oh-so-deliciously seasoned soy chicken. I can not believe how tasty, spicy and wonderful it all was. I'm ever more surprised at how I don't miss anything and feel so satisfied at every meal. Bravo to Tal! By Day 4, I'm usually climbing the walls or craving sweets—or ready to throw in the towel on any other diet plan. I'm a little nervous about the weekend. Tal cooks our last meal for the week tomorrow, and I've got to go to Las Vegas for Tina and Cher. Vegas and vegan don't seem to mix. — Oprah

And she concludes, at the start of week four, with...

What I know for sure is I've reached a new level of awareness about food, eating and the whole process of how it gets to my table. I used to say thanks before a meal out of perfunctory habit. Now I consider it true grace to be able to eat anything in a world of increasing food shortages and starving people.

This has been exactly what we intended: enlightening. I will forever be a more cautious and conscious eater. That's my commitment for now. To stay awakened.

Thank you for escorting us along the journey to wellness.

We're not quantum quality yet, but "leaning in."

Does that mean she's remaining vegan? I doubt it. It would be interesting if someone would contact her a year from now to see whether her mindset has remained as enlightened as she felt right then.

That's all fine and good and I appreciate that she approached the whole thing with an open mind because certain habits (wine, apprently, in her case) required considerable effort to break. And it's not as though she has any specific reason to try this.

But in terms of being intrigued by the vegan lifestyle of people in the public eye, there's someone I find far more intriguing. This guy:

This is Mac Danzig and as you might have peiced together, he's involved in mixed martial arts. I don't watch Ultimate Fighting, and I don't know this guys from a hole in the ground.

So why do I find his potential impact more interesting? A couple of reasons.

a) Not everyone has someome cook for them like Oprah does (I do, but it's hardly a point of pride. I love you, Christine!). No matter how much she gushes about her various experimentations, not everyone has expert advice.

In fairness, her chef took off after a while, and Danzig has a trainer, but he would seem to be closer to the level of the average person in terms of resources. When I mentioned Oprah's little project to an acquaintance, that Oprah will have everyone else do the work (besides eating, presumably) was the first thing out of her mouth. So the credibility factor may not be all that high after all.

b) Target audience. There's a perception that vegetarians and vegans are missing key nutrients. This guy doesn't look in too bad shape to me, and it doesn't appear as though he's reinventing the wheel diet-wise. Plus he was named one of the 25 fittest men in America by Men's Fitness magazine. He may be better able to dismiss some myths, whereas when women think about the body they'd love to have, I doubt Oprah is the first person that comes to mind.

c) Dedication. Oprah tried it and is non-commital about it in the end. This guy lives it, has for years, and has been succesful with it.

Unfortunately, the impact of these endorsements is difficult to evaluate. It's not like anyone keeps statistics about how many "converts" these two have created.

Either way, any contribution to changing perception that this is such an unusual way to live is appreciated. I actually believe that this is going to become more and more common in the future as more and more celebrities come out of the closet about this. Or pantry?

The Water Abundance Myth

2008-06-29T06:52:00.004-04:00

Great story here from the Ottawa Sun's Vivian Song.

The stated abundance of water is a general belief that I've questioned a little over the past few years but much like climate change, it's also one for which I find it difficult to know who and what to believe. So also much like climate change, I'll act like water scarcity is a legitimate threat and err on the side of caution!

The article is quite lengthy so I've trimmed it slightly.

It’s one of the greatest myths to deceive Canadians. While other parts of the world watch their lands dry out and their taps run dry, Canadians rest comfortably in the belief that we possess 20% of the world’s freshwater supplies. But that’s only half the story.

“It’s a crazy number, and it’s not even really true,” says Rob de Loe, professor and Canada Research Chair in water management at the University of Guelph. “Twenty per cent is so misleading because a lot of it we can’t use.”

A common analogy is to compare lakes to a bank account. We live off the interest, experts say, or the renewable water supply.

Freshwater is also compared to a swimming pool. Were we to use the standing water to do our laundry and dishes, for example, we’d just drain it dry and leave a parched hole in the backyard.

“If a community or business starts taking in more water than comes in, we’ll start to wreck the environment, reduce water levels, affecting navigation, shipping and the ecosystem which depend on certain water levels,” de Loe says.

What Canadians consume in water is the rainfall and snow melt which replenish the water system every year.

Canada, however, receives 6.5% of the world’s renewable supply every year — the same amount as both Indonesia and the U.S.

Meanwhile, about 60% of Canada’s water flows north to the Arctic, away from the majority of Canadians who live and work in the south.

That further reduces our share of the renewable supply to 2.6% from 6.5%.

/

It’s this myth of water abundance that has led Canada to capture the dubious title of being the second biggest water user per capita in the world, after the U.S.

But debunking a long-held myth can be challenging when a quarter of Canada’s population also lives on the Great Lakes, a constant, but delusory reminder of the country’s water resources.

Canadians are just as easily foiled by what we see as we are by what we don’t see, water experts warn.

Linda Nowlan, an environmental lawyer and faculty research associate at the University of British Columbia, calls groundwater our “buried treasure,” an asset Canadians take for granted because it’s “out of sight, out of mind.”

About 30% of Canadians rely on groundwater for their drinking water. Quebec has the greatest number of municipalities reliant on groundwater, while Ontario has the highest population dependent on groundwater at 1.3 million. Prince Edward Island, meanwhile, is entirely dependent on groundwater for its municipal supplies.

And little is known about this resource beneath our feet.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that freshwater withdrawals in 2000 were 14% higher than in 1985. The U.S. publishes data every five years, Nowlan writes. But not in Canada. Here, data is scarce. Senior government scientists have called our knowledge of groundwater “pitiful.” The amounts stored across Canada’s aquifers are virtually unknown, despite its value.

Groundwater is less prone to contamination and less vulnerable to droughts caused by climate change, for example. In the 2005 report Buried Treasure, Natural Resources Canada identified significant gaps in Canada’s groundwater knowledge, which includes groundwater supply and use, recharge rates of aquifers and how groundwater and surface water interconnect to impact the hydrological system.

“The main message is that we need to look at the whole water cycle, paying particular attention to the environment and the cumulative impacts of all pumping decisions,” Nowlan said in a phone interview from B.C.

Overpumping on the American side of the Great Lakes, for example, reversed the flow of groundwater from in to out of the Great Lakes.

During the Walkerton Inquiry into that town’s E.coli poisoning in 2000 that resulted in the death of seven people, one hydrogeologist described Ontario’s water management again in financial terms: The permitting system was akin to writing cheques on a bank account without knowing the account’s balance.

While “lovely” and filled with forward thinking ideas, the federal water policy is “utterly meaningless,” de Loe says. “It should be in a museum. I find it annoying that you can still find it on the Internet.”

Indeed, the policy, written in 1987, is found easily on Environment Canada’s freshwater site, prefaced with a paragraph in red: “Since no more recent published policy can be offered at this time, the text of the 1987 Policy is offered for information purposes only.”

The problem? The water policy, applauded by many experts and water activists for its ideas, was never implemented.

/

Canada’s water pricing is too cheap, the policy says. Priorities should be placed in scientific leadership, a watershed approach to planning, legislation and public education.

Despite the recommendations, a few years later the 1990s saw massive cuts to Canada’s world-renowned water research departments that attracted some of world’s brightest aquatic experts, including Schindler. Today, activists and experts say water research is chronically underfunded.

/

Canadians are the second highest consumers of water per capita in the world, second only to the U.S.

We also pay among the cheapest water rates in the developed world, and experts say there’s a clear correlation between the two.

According to a 1998 OECD survey, Canadian municipal water rates were the cheapest among 12 developed countries — Canadians paid 31 cents per cubic metre. Meanwhile, the U.S. paid between 40 and 80 cents, and Germans paid $2.16 per cubic metre. At $1.62 in 2004, Canadian rates continue to be among the lowest in the industrialized world.

Nowlan’s Buried Treasure report points out the OECD “has repeatedly censured Canada” for failing to implement economic measures to manage water.

Experts blame cheap water rates and the myth of water abundance in Canada for creating a shameful water conservation ethic.

Canada’s laws promote water use rather than curb it, writes economist Steven Renzetti in Eau Canada.

According to a 2001 Environment Canada survey, for example, Canadian households paying a flat rate for their water consumed 74% more water than those who paid volume-based metered rates. In 2001, 61% of Canadian homes were metered.

Right now, Canadians pay for delivery of water services — the wages of public utility workers, water treatment costs and the electricity — but not the water itself, Renzetti explains. But the current prices aren’t enough to cover the operating costs and capital needs of an aging water infrastructure.

“Many agencies don’t make enough revenue to cover the book costs,” he says.

Quebecers, for instance, pay the cheapest water rates in Canada. Meanwhile, that province also has one of the oldest water systems and is in urgent need of repair, he said.

So what’s the gap?

Renzetti estimates those who pay flat rates are paying less than half the rate of metered users.

“Consumers don’t pay the marginal cost of supply,” he says.

Renzetti calls for water pricing reforms that also include the environmental costs related to water use.

While environmental protection may sound “far-fetched” he points to the European Union’s Water Framework Directive, which states that water supply and treatment agencies must incorporate any costs to the ecosystem into their prices. Consumers also need to be educated about the full costs of their water use decisions, he writes.

Critics point out, however, that hiking water prices would do tremendous harm to society’s most vulnerable: the poor. But it’s not the working poor who use the most water, points out Chris Wood, journalist and author of Dry Spring: The Oncoming Water Crisis of North America.

“The poor don’t have three cars and a swimming pool,” he says.

One solution would be block pricing, he says. Ration the same amount of water to everyone, and charge higher rates when consumption passes that threshold.

Water may have slipped through the cracks and crevices among government priorities, but public awareness is starting to gain momentum. De Loe describes the Walkerton tragedy as a “transformative event,” while climate change appears to be locked into the global collective, becoming more than just a trend.

Recently, corporate-funded media campaigns highlighting the realities of our water situation have been springing up everywhere. Bus shelters in Toronto are plastered with cryptic posters which read: “We won’t run out of water. Will we?” The same message flashes quickly across TV screens, directing viewers to goblue.org. The campaign is funded by Unilever, whose product brands include everything from Sunlight, Vaseline, Lipton Tea and Vim cleaning products.

Last year, RBC announced a 10-year, $50 million charitable grant program for the RBC Blue Water Project: “A wide-ranging, multi-year program to help foster a culture of water stewardship in Canada and abroad, so that people have clean fresh water today and tomorrow.” De Loe was chosen chairman of the advisory panel early this year.

“More and more people are starting to make connections they didn’t before with climate change and water. But it’s not there yet in daily practice,” de Loe said.

Under the Constitution, responsibility for water is divided between the provinces and the feds. But provinces are traditionally viewed as the owners of natural resources. So, with the encouragement of the feds, many drafted their own legislation aimed at protecting their water from bulk export. But the result was a hodgepodge of feeble provincial legislation, some of which are toothless under international trade obligations, says Owen Saunders of the Canadian Institute of Resources Law at a public policy seminar in Ottawa in May. And once one province opens their tap and engages in bulk water export — and Quebec and Newfoundland have both expressed interest in selling their goods — experts say we won’t be able to turn off the tap.

“There is no common denominator that runs through our approach to interbasin removals,” he says.

Canadian water legislation is described as a patchwork of provincial and federal laws. At the federal level alone, 19 departments oversee different aspects of water management, Eau Canada editor Karen Bakker says. And while decentralizing water management may be needed because of unique water challenges across the country, many experts say it has continued to the point of absurdity.

What’s needed, experts say, is a national water strategy that would provide provinces with tools like a central database of information that fills in the gaps — and a clear mandate.

“We need a national water strategy that provides vision, identifies core principles like conservation, and develop a water ethic that thinks like a watershed,” says Oliver Brandes, associate director at the Polis Project on Ecological Governance from the University of Victoria. “We need to increase hydro literacy and understand what we have.”

Mr Spice Has Saved My Life!!

2008-06-15T14:38:00.003-04:00

Well, not really...But he's going to help bring my blood pressure down!

As recently posted, I have slightly elevated blood pressure. Allegedly.

My problem though is that there are only so many things I can do about it. I don't drink a lot of caffeine, I don't have a weight problem, I don't overdo it with alcohol (often), I get my sleep, and so on. I'm not perfect, but gee whiz, I don't want to have to be!

One thing I can do is give up one of the great loves of my life: salt. That just makes sense since we had noticed that meat substitutes wree often sodium-heavy. I don't like to think of it as a break-up though, more of an agreement to see other people.

My first great find is the line of Mr Spice products which, IIRC, I came across at a Loblaw's store.

This stuff is great for all the things it doesn't have:

Claims:
• Organic
• No Cholesterol
• No MSG
• No Preservatives
• Gluten Free
• Wheat Free
• Dairy Free
• No HVP
• No Sulfites
• All Natural
• Salt Free
• Fat Free
• No HFCS

Nice laundry list. And yet, for all that, it's quite tasty with no icky aftertaste. Click on the pic to go to the Mr Spice site and see the various sauces that they offer.

AS for me, I'm going to enjoy it until, of course, someone comes around to tell me i need to stop eating so much damn potassium.

Eco-Tube

2008-05-31T10:59:00.004-04:00

This was posted on the Green Party's Facebook page. Much the same as youtube, eco-tube is a video upload site with a focus on environmental news, tips, etc.

Here, for example, is a message from the Blue Man Group, in their typically odd fashion. I absolutely love these guys. I made a trip to Las Vegas a few years ago and my primary goal was to attend their performance at the Luxor. Mission accomplished, only to find out that they were coming to Toronto the following year. And now they're coming to Ottawa, so I'll try to attend that as well.

Drinking Aluminum

2008-05-31T09:10:00.006-04:00

I've reached something of a milestone at my place of employment. As of the end of June, I'll have put in a decade.

Actually, I was hired in February of 1998 but I was made permanent in June of that year. They choose to not count those four months for some reason. I suspect it has to do with how soon they'd haev to award me additional vacation days. Whatever. Might be that way everywhere for all I know.

Now I won't go into a great deal of detail because I've heard of people getting in trouble over posting work-related matters on blogs and such. Anyone in my little circle knows what company I'm referring to and for those that don't, it's not that relevant anyway. The point is that as a result of my reaching this little milestone, I was awarded a very modest shopping spree through the company's catalogue of promotional items.

On the downside, my "allowance" was modest to the point of making it difficult for me to find something I could "afford". On the upside, I quickly spotted a link for "eco options". All right then, so let's do that!

To my surprise, they offered shirts made of bamboo. That was something that I would have thought too obscure still for the company catalogue. Very pleased, but I can't afford them anyway, so let's move along.

I ended up holding true to a vague promise made at the end of this post. Corn plastic mugs were available and I went for one. It's this kind...

...though not that specific one, sadly (I'm organic...eh eh eh...I like that). Mine bears the company logo (it is, after all, a promotional item), is yellow and only slightly less bright than the surface of the sun.

The link in that post for info about corn plastic is no longer active, so let's throw down a refresher:

Corn-based plastics take just 45 days to biodegrade in a landfill. Normal plastic can take thousands of years to decompose. Corn plastics contain no petroleum, require 20 to 50 percent less fossil fuel to create and are derived from a renewable resource.

But environmentalists warn that corn plastic also has environmental drawbacks.

“The major problem with corn is that 80 percent of the corn crop is paid for by the taxpayers through subsidy payments to producers,” said Jeff Webster, secretary of the agricultural committee of the Sierra Club, a national environmental group. Industrial farming also requires huge amounts of gas, coal or petroleum. “There is a very large environmental price associated with corn production,” Webster said.

There's always something to bitch about...

This mug ate up about half my budget, so items such as umbrellas and writing materials were now out of the question. So I stayed in the same category and scored me an aluminum water bottle.

There's a building movement now towards reducing the amount of plastic bottles from which we drink. They apparently release a bunch of chemicals that I can't pronounce into my Greek God bod and that's bad.

The latest research suggests that students should be wary about which plastic water bottles they drink out of. The dangerous chemical bisphenol A can be found in water bottles sold across campus, including Willy's Hawkshop in the University Center.

Bisphenol A is a molecular monomer (simplest molecular structure in the structure of a larger molecule) that is polymerized (bonded in a continuous chain) to produce many of the plastics we use everyday...For many years BPA was considered harmless, but the latest research suggests that exposure to BPA can be dangerous. A research group funded by the American Plastics Council at Harvard University was the catalyst of the widespread use of BPA. This corporate-funded research group concluded after a two and a half year delay, that low-dose exposure to BPA did not constitute a significant risk, according to Frederick S. vom Saal and Claude Hughes in an article published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

Since then, more than 115 independent, in vivo studies have been conducted that all conclude otherwise. The latest research suggests that exposure levels below the previously thought of safe limit can disrupt the endocrine system, disrupt cell function, mutate genes, stop cell reproduction, and even hinder testosterone synthesis in males, according to vom Saal and Hughes.

Good. So I'm going to ditch the plastic water bottle the company gave me last year (thanks for trying to kill me slowly, bastards) and move on to my aluminum one. That is, until they find out that drinking from aluminum bottles causes dementia and gonad shrinkage or something and we move on to drinking from ceramic pots strapped around our necks. One thing at a time though. For now, aluminum is boss.

At the risk of appearing like an opportunist, I left only $0.75 on the table after my shopping trip. I probably could have ordered mints as well; in fact my co-workers might have appreciated it! But they came individually wrapped so, well, you know...

The mints, I mean, not my co-workers.

Worm Poop

2008-05-25T14:27:00.005-04:00

I know what you're probably thinking; if I have to read one more blog post about worm defacations, I'm going to scream. But bear with me just a bit.

We were at the tail end of one of our many trips to various garden centers around town (a trip any guy absolutely loves, as you can imagine) when I asked Mrs THIT "So do we need anything else?". This was intended to be one of those more or less rhetorical questions which actually meant "So can we finally leave?"

She pondered for a moment then her eyes lit up and she exclaimed "Oh yes! Worm poop!"

Of course. How could I have forgotten?

It would appear that the Mrs once saw a show about green gardening (or something...she's not good at recalling details) and this specific product was discussed. It's quite literally what is strongly implied by its name. I thought it was just a marketing thing.

We were unable to locate said fecal matter, to much disappointment on her part. Me, not so much.

Ah, but I was wrong! The company that produces this...stuff...is fascinating!

I subscribe to a newsletter from Greenbiz.com. A link therein directed to this news story about how OfficeMax is using TerraCycle's made-from-waste office products which in turn interested me in having a look at these TerraCycle guys. And wouldn't you know it, they are our worm poo gatherers.

Beyond being about as organic as organic gets, their product is literally sold in recycled plastic bottles. Not bottles made from recycled goods, but the bottle itself, including the squirter thingy. That's why some of their packaging is mismatched. For a better illustration, check out their product line and scroll over the various items. Their Story video is also good and worth a watch.

Their site includes a store locator so I suspect that before long, Mrs THIT and I will be shopping for worm poop more effectively.

More Fun Than a Barrel of Daschunds!

2008-05-22T21:41:00.004-04:00

Mrs THIT and I had the last week of April off and since we didn't have plans to go anywhere, we focused instead on taking care of a few things around Stately THIT Manor as it nears its first anniversary.

Among our acquisitions was one that I'd been looking forward to getting since before we even took possession of our crib.

Yay! Rain barrell!!

We got this bad boy at Rona. Most are basically large plastic tubs with a screened hole at the top. This one was something of a rarity in that it's a little more fancy in appearance (and therefore, of course, more expensive).

Much assembly was required but we're more than pleased with the final result. It had been sitting in the garage for the past three weeks waiting to be installed when our eavestrough finally got done, and the magic moment took place earlier in the week.

To me, this was a treehugger requirement. Is it going to save the planet on its own? Obviously not. It's really just going to save the water we (meaning "she") would have used gardening. But we are using Mamma Nature's generous offerings, and if she's just as generous rain-wise as she has been with snow this past winter, we should be set for some time.

Perhaps more importantly, we've already received compliments about it. If the neighbours want to play "Keeping up with the THIT's", well, maybe we can start a water-saving trend. ;-)

Zenn and Now

2008-05-18T10:09:00.004-04:00

Last November, I came across some information about the ZENN car and wrote a brief blog entry about it. Two weeks or so after that, Rick Mercer did a bit about the ZENN on his show.

Shortly thereafter, I took a moment to write to the Ministry of Transportation, inquiring as to why the ZENN car was struggling so much.

I received a response this past February which I'd intended to comment on at the time, but I misplaced the letter so it ended up slipping my mind. I've located the response again and the long and short of it is that the delays are safety-related. Here's an excerpt:

...In reality, there are major safety difference between LSV's (low speed vehicles) and passenger cars - difference that could cost the LSV driver or passenger serious serious injury or loss of life. Our concern is that LSVs must only meet three of the 40 federally mandated passenger vehicle safety standards...

1) Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
2) Seat belt assemblies
3) A specially-created umbrella standard for LSV's that includes various lamps, mirrors, reflectors, parking brake and a windshield.

Only the VIN, seat belt assemblies and windshield components of the LSV requirements must meet performance standards. The other items are only required to be present an operational.

The lack of safety features and performance standards is a cause for concern...

It would seem that Ontario has a five-year pilot testing period that began in September 2006. It allows park officials to operate LSVs in provincial and municipal parks, as well as conservation areas. The ZENN can participate, according to the response (and presumably does?) so that they it can be determined "where these vehicles should be allowed to operate and who should be allowed to operate them".

LSV. VIN. I believe that by 2014, written words will no longer exist. Everything will be abbreviated that way and all communication will look like retarded text-talk such as CU L8R.

Bloody hell, like the suggestion of school classes in ebonics a few years ago wasn't bad enough, now people are deliberately writing like imbeciles to the point that they don't appear able to get our of the habit, judging from the hieroglyphics that clutter message boards now, posing as a language.

But I digress...In truth, the low speed of this vehicle immediately threw it out the door as an option. The Mrs has to take a very busy road to work and having a car tht maxes out at 55 (by memory) just wouldn't cut it.

But the mention of parks is interesting. I think of times I've gone camping and the park staff would pass by in their trucks. What better place to make use of such a vehicle? It's quiet in a place where you want quiet, slow where speed isn't an issue and doesn't have to travel long distances.

Hopefully the ZENN because more common-place in uses such as that one.

Randy Pausch

2008-05-11T09:20:00.007-04:00

http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ithct48cqw

Olympic Games or Global Sleepover?

2008-05-03T08:44:00.004-04:00

Yikes. I'm struggling with these.

HBC, and Roots before them, were quite reliable for Olympic wear prior to coming up with these monstrosities. You couldn't make me wear that outfit on the right if you held a gun to my head.

Here's another:

A little better. The lady at the left end did okay for herself. But I agree with Mrs THIT that this is reminiscent of that brutal Zubaz phase in the 80's, which was garish even by 80's standards.

There's some heat over the fact that these were made in China. Never mind the whole deal about how Team Canada's gear should probably be made in Canada, considering the quality of toys and pet foods to come out of China lately, if I started getting a little itchy while wearing them, I'd dial up a doctor pronto, Tonto. Being that I'm making every effort to avoid buying Chinese-made products, and preferring to not look like a dancer from Elton John's "I'm still Standing" video, I shouldn't have to face that issue.

The news is not all bad though. CTV explains...

...About 80 per cent of the uniforms will be made in China, and that number goes up to 90 per cent for Olympic wear sold to the public.

Critics say Canadian athletes should wear clothing manufactured strictly in Canada.
/
Liberal MP Denis Coderre said Canada is missing a "tremendous opportunity" to promote this country's textile industry on the world stage -- and called it an "unacceptable" snub considering the industry's struggles.

HBC stresses the uniforms and gear are "100-per-cent" Canadian and designed by a Toronto-based team, and that uniforms the athletes will wear on the podium and during the opening parade will be 100-per-cent Canadian-made.

But manufacturing the rest of the clothing required the company to turn to the Chinese market, said Hillary Marshall, director of corporate communications for HBC.

"There are some unique aspects to this collection. In particular, it's the first eco-friendly Olympic collection that's been designed for Team Canada, perhaps for any Olympic team," Marshall told CTV Newsnet on Friday.

"It required that fabrics be sourced -- fabrics that are made of things like bamboo, cacona, organic-blended cotton. These are items that help with the technical nature of the product. They help to keep the athletes cool, they have moisture wicking properties, they have cooling properties. Because those are items that are hard to find in Canada, they're sourced mainly in China, (so) we made the product there as well."

Marshall acknowledged cost was a factor, especially considering the quantities of clothing required -- enough to fill 600 stores, including the Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters, as well as those sold online.

Chris Rudge, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, told The Canadian Press the government has not raised the issue of uniforms with the Olympic committee, adding the government likely believes it's impractical to insist on 100 per cent Canadian-made uniforms.

"The reality is that there's no longer manufacturing capacity in Canada that can meet the volume needs that are necessary to manufacture particularly the replica clothing that is sold to the public,'' said Rudge.
/
Canada's manufacturing industry has been hit hard by the rising Canadian dollar and the flood of cheap foreign imports, especially from China.

Dewar, the NDP's foreign affairs critic, said he hopes the government and HBC will make sure the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver will feature uniforms that are made in Canada.

"Wouldn't that be an embarrassment to have our uniforms made in China or anywhere else for the upcoming Vancouver Olympics? So hopefully someone is doing their homework on that," he said.

Marshall said HBC has already started to design the uniforms for Vancouver, and told CP that the company would be "very happy'' to sit down with Canadian textile and garment manufacturers to explore their ability to provide the volume of clothing needed at competitive prices...

Good to know. Now take it away, Elton!

140 / 100

2008-04-29T19:44:00.004-04:00

So it would appear that your THIT has high blood pressure. Allegedly.

Son of a bitch! That can't be! Just thinking about it makes me so mad I could...

Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean...

All right, I'm better now.

I say "allegedly" because I'm not convinced by the results. This was a test provided by my work place. I'd signed up for it because...well...because I could.

I went a few minutes after being critisized for my handling of a situation. I don't know if that put me on edge a little or what, whatever. I arrive in the testing area which turned out to be the cafeteria on the floor above mine.

I joked right away that I was nervous about the whole thing. The ladies were quite nice, but one was particularly loud and didn't seem too reserved about barking out people's results. Hey, this is hardly a cavity search but nonetheless I expected SOME privacy.

The quieter of the two ladies conducting the tests strapped me up then listened in on my pulse. She then turns to the other one and says "Huh...Can you come listen to this?"

Yeah. THAT will help me relax. *grumble*

The loud one comes over and strats fretting right away. "Oh dear. Oh yeah. I can see why you called me over. Right. Yeah."

The suggestion was that I "relax" some more and they'd try again in five minutes. I enjoyed being given breathing instructions in front of the folks waiting in line, those waiting for the folks waiting in line to be done, and the old lady reheating the previous night's pasta meal. Relaxing was a little tricky right then.

The second test was no better. They then proceeded to quiz me on my sleeping habits, eating habits (vegetarianism went over well), family medical history, etc. I considered offering to turn my head and cough for them but thought that may come off sarcastically.

So due to the methodology and my discomfort in front of crowds and strangers, I question the results. However, rather than being one of those dumb-asses that lives in denial and makes excuses, I shall assume it's accurate and work on the areas that I can improve on.

Wish me luck but I don't need it. ;-)

I'm not a Protest Singer...

2008-04-21T09:19:00.008-04:00

Dramarama was by far my favourite band in the late 80's / early 90's. They broke up for a spell but there's still a version of them floating around, however one of their key members (in my opinion) is no longer with them and that takes away some of the appeal for me.

They released an album in 1991 called "Vinyl" which included the song "What Are We Gonna Do?".

It's April 21st and everybody knows today is Earth Day
Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday to whoever's being born
And now I'm trying hard to think of something
meaningful and worthy, kind of earthy
to make everybody ask themselves just

What are we doing here?
and what are we doing to her?

There aren't a hell of a lot of songs about Earth Day, and Dramarama did not typically write songs like these (the title of this post is another line from the song). They were a rock band heavily-influenced by, appreciative and respectful of, the bands they grew up listening to.

Not being particularly environmentally-minded at the time, I found that the song stood out as being a little unusual for them, but I also liked it just fine. In fact, it's on my MP3 player now. It wasn't until years later that I understood it a little better.

Dramarama had broken up by then but I knew of a compilation album which included three new songs. Being that many of my Dramarama recordings were on cassette rather than CD, I had to get my hands on this thing! I ordered it from CD Warehouse (Clyde Ave.) and waited patiently for it to arrive.

There was a bus strike in Ottawa that year wouldn't you know it, I get the phone call that my CD has arrived on a day that we're getting about a foot of snow. To quote comic Steven Wright, everything's within walking distance if you have the time ;-) so I told the girl who called from the store I'd be there within the hour and off I went.

This was probably in 1997 now. Information wasn't quite as easy to come by as it is now and for a band that was largely unknonw here, it was even harder. The album had lengthy liner notes which I couldn't wait to read so I started on them on the way home (at one point, I dropped the booklet in the snow because my fingers were so damn cold. If you recall hearing a tremendously loud profanity in December 1997 and wondered where it came from, it was probably me).

In it, one of the band members explained the inspiration for the song a bit more fully.

The strong follow-up single "What are we gonna do?" parodied late period Beatles pop to cynically skewer the bumper-sticker mentality of all to many armchair environmentalists.

/

(Singer/songwriter John) Easdale recalls the song's genesis: "We played at the festival celebrating the 20th anniversary of Earth Day. Forget about the last 19 that nobody celebrated; 'It's the 20th anniversary, let's have a party!' And they did, at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

/

When everyone left we looked at all the garbage left behind and wondered just what we were celebrating."

I know that there's an "official" video for this song but I haven't been able to locate it, or at least now in a format I can download. But the song still gets used, by those who are aware of it, to help "send a message". Best to click on the screen below to open the video in a separate window.

All right. Now it's April 21st and everybody knows tomorrow is Earth Day. Happy Birthday to whoever's being born. Those of you planning on participating, party responsibly. :-)

Run For One Planet

2008-04-19T09:57:00.004-04:00

Staggering.

Actually, impressive. Staggering is more descriptive of what I'd do if I attempted this sort of thing. Man alive.

The Run for One Planet 2008/2009 North America Tour is our kick-off initiative – a carbon neutral year-long run around the continent by two Canadians, Matt Hill and Stephanie Tait, to inspire Environmental Action. Our goal is to run 1 marathon each a day, to inspire 1 million new actions for Earth and to raise $1 Million for our Foundation. To do this, we will be running 11,000-miles into communities, towns, and cities where we will run, speak, and inspire people to take simple daily actions, individually and corporately, to make a positive difference for the health of our planet.

I've joined their mailing list and I look forward to hearing about their progress. Last year I was hampered a little by our housing situation when it came to such activities but I'd like to be able to commit to a few of them this spring and summer. Maybe this is what "spring fever" is like for treehuggers. ;-) I'd like to maybe try to plan for one a month, whether it's a physical activity such as this one or a neighborhood clean-up event, something along those lines. Another caught my eye recently which I'll post more about later.

Upon return from our tour, all funds donated to the Run for One Planet Foundation will be used as seed money to launch subsequent Run for One Planet Marathons to serve as a Legacy of Action in some of the cities and towns we originally ran through.

In the unlikely event that either one of them is reading this, best of luck to you.

Click on the logo to reach their website.

It's All Good

2008-04-18T22:14:00.005-04:00

Earlier this week, at work, I took the elevator down to the lobby with a co-worker. Someone had obviously just taken their breakfast up with them seconds before, because there was a strong bacon smell lingering in the elevator (which was a nice change from the smell of second-hand cigarette smoke, but that's a post for another day). I commented about how great it smelled.

"How can you like the smell of bacon? You're vegetarian!"

Ugh. Just because I won't eat something doesn't mean I can't appreciate its smell. I like the smell of gasoline but I never feel the urge to drink any.

Truthfully, I find these little moments funnier than I do frustrating. It's really just a matter of people speaking without thinking first. I can at least see the reasoning behind that comment, unlike those by folks who seem to assume that I eat nothing but pasta and lettuce.

Now I don't know if it's a spring thing or what, but I'm becoming more interested in learning how to cook. We've just bought a new BBQ (being delivered Monday) and the farmer's markets are going to be opening soon, so I'm getting the bug.

But man, am I ever brutal in a kitchen. I actually get stressed out, especially if I have to wait for something to cook. I become a wreck. It's just strange.

The problem with wanting to learn how to cook is that many books assume you already know the basics. But I don't. It's all I can do to make toast. Heaven help me if the butter's hard!

Here's an example from a meal I botched once; The recipe said to cook on "medium heat". Fine, off I go.

Before long I'm running around trying (and mostly failing) to prevent half my meal from being charred all to hell. Mrs THIT later tells me that I had the heat on too high.

Well, let's see...The twisty thing on the stove goes all the way to ten. Medium then, to me, would be, oh, about five. But no, apparently, that's too hot for "medium". Who the hell came up with this Klingon math??

Luckily, we may have found a nice little meal which will help me in both counts. It appears to be easy to prepare and if I bring it to work for lunch, it may help kill the perception that I live off carrot shavings.

Listen to these preparation instructions (or better yet, read them):

Add pouch to boiling water and boil for five minutes. Remove from water, carefully cut the package open and serve.

That sounds...manageable. It can also be prepared in the microwave in about two minutes. Three grams of fat, 26 grams of protein, 170 calories but look out; 20% of your sodium intake.

These are made from a product called gardein, which I didn't know existed until the first time we bought one. And wouldn't you know it, the package is apparently labelled with vegetable-based inks!

Is it identical to chicken? No. I always make it a point to state that because I would hate for someone to try it expecting no difference and being immediately turned off. It's a substitute and in my opinion, a pretty good one. If you're looking to reduce your meat consumption (for whatever reason motivates you) and/or seeking a quick meal option, you could do worse.

Garbage Warrior

2008-03-30T18:06:00.006-04:00

Every town needs a theater like the Bytowne Theater.

Unashamed to reveal my continued climb towards "grumpy old bastard" status, I don't mind stating plainly that movie theaters are one of those things that were better "in my day" (and perhaps before, but I don't really know. I wasn't there).

The Bytowne is "old school", as the kids that I'll soon by yelling at to get off me lawn would say. It's huge in comparison to the current Silver City type of theaters that have more screens than total seats. They also carve out their own niche by often playing artsy-fartsy, foreign, obscure films.

I picked up one of their schedules the other day because I needed something to read during my lunch break at work. I saw one film that I thought sounded interesting. It is called Garbage Warrior. Not to be confused with cult b-movie The Toxic Avenger.

Garbage Warrior is about an American named Michael Reynolds who builds homes from, well, garbage (old tires and empty pop bottles) . Apparently the homes are self-sustaining in that they generate their own power, heat and water. They have been, however, a work in progress and learned through trial and error as the man has made some mistakes during the 30 years that he's been at it. And, of course, he's had to fight against his government.

The man sounds like quite a character. I scanned the schedule and it was not THIT-friendly; Monday to Thursday between April 21st and 24th until it hit me (about three weeks later) that I'm on vacation that week.

So THIT family, if you're reading this, try to keep those dates open if you're interested in attending with us.

Trailer:

Earth Hour...Day

2008-03-29T07:46:00.005-04:00

Well, I blew it. I signed up for Earth Hour over a month ago, went on my merry way, then a week or two later committed to attending a pro wrestling event on the same night.

Earth Hour. Pro Wrestling. Oddly enough, the former didn't jump to mind as I confirmed I would be going to the latter.

Mrs THIT will be participating, if you can call it that, in my place, as will the Official THIT mascot, Oscar.

I must admit that initially I thought this thing would be a bomb here. Most of the editorials I'd read about the event were negatively slanted, focused on making the entire endeavour appear to be a useless, unimpactful waste of time.

Then I heard that the city announce that "we" would be participating. About two weeks ago, riding the bus home from work, I spotted that city hall had a huge Earth Hour banner across its front. Then arriving for work earlier this week, I saw that a sign had been erected in the lobby announcing the building's (and company's) involvement.

All right! Now the day has arrived and this article in the Ottawa Sun seems to indicate greater participation than I'd anticipated.

Earth Hour advocates are hoping the city will be plunged into darkness tonight as part of a global effort to reduce energy consumption and battle climate change.

Mayor Larry O'Brien jumped on board the eco bandwagon last month, urging residents to flick off light switches between 8 and 9 p.m. tonight.

"We flicked a switch on in our own heads and it caught on like wildfire," O'Brien told reporters at city hall, where a giant Earth Hour banner was unfurled last week.

Experts predict actual energy savings will be negligible, but applauded the symbolic movement that highlights a surging demand for power in the province that contributed to rolling brownouts and blackouts during peak consumption periods.

"Most people remember where they were during the (August 2003) blackout," said Peter Love, chief energy conservation officer with the Ontario Power Authority. "We're hoping people will rethink their electricity consumption in their homes, their workplaces and in their daily lives."

The corporate community, which often shoulders much of the blame for wasteful consumption, is also joining the cause.

McDonald's restaurants across the country will observe Earth Hour by extinguishing their iconic "Golden Arches," and many other retail chains, shopping centres, banks and office complexes will follow, dimming all non-essential lighting for the hour.

"There was a lot of interest expressed when we talked to our members," said Richard Clayman, chairman of the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce. "We look at this as a trigger to increase general awareness about how people can conserve energy, not only in their businesses but in their homes as well. It costs nothing to turn off your lights for one hour and participate."

The movement started last year in Sydney, Australia, where more than 2 million homes and 2,100 businesses combined to reduce energy consumption by 10%.

This year, word has spread worldwide, with hundreds of communities participating, including 150 in Canada.

Yesterday, more than 500 Ontario schools showed their support by cutting lights for one hour. Even Parliament Hill will join the cause by dimming the lights on the Peace Tower.

Parliamentarians are predictably jumping on the event as political leverage.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May both seized the opportunity to blast Prime Minister Stephen Harper's environmental record.

Before, during and after Earth Hour, Hydro Ottawa will monitor the impact on power consumption in the region.

A poll on the paper's website would indicate that about 40% of people plan on playing along. I consider that pretty high. Not exactly scientific data, I know, but still...

I could get in the habit. Two weeks ago, when we were hit with almost two feet of snow, the power went out here around 10PM.

So what did I do? Well...I went out to shovel the driveway. It was a snow storm. Pay attention! ;-)

But prior to that, Christine and I went through the standard conversations when something like that happens.

"Where the hell do we keep the candles?"

"Damn it, the lighter's out of fluid!"
"I think we have another one"
"Where?"
"In the bathroom"
"...What the hell is it doing in the bathroom?!"

"Don't we have, like, a gazillion flashlights?"
"Yeah, they're in the office closet"
"Christ, I'll never find them in that mess..."
"Wouldn't matter anyway, we don't have any batteries for them"

I don't think the above is unusual. But aside from making it a semi-regular habit for the sake of preparedness, when I was out there shovelling until nearly 11PM with no lights on, I was struck by how peaceful everything was. I could hear a few cars in the distance and that was it. And I was basically working by moonlight.

I liked it. Of course, it may be a little extreme to attempt to knock out power in the entire neighbourhood but perhaps I can recreate it at home.

ReStores

2008-03-21T17:04:00.004-04:00

Earlier today, Mrs THIT and I visited the Ottawa Home Show.

To no one's surprise I'm sure, I can admit it was her idea. Not that I was opposed to it, mind you, it just wouldn't have occured to me to suggest it. It's not something that you consider ultra-cool, like a comic book convention.

*ahem*

Though ultimately eager to go, I can also admit that I was disappointed. I must have been in a significant minority mind you because the place was crawling with people even as we arrived an hour after opening time. That didn't help my cause since I detest being in large crowds.

Personally, I was hoping to find some green inspiration but I found very little. Not knocking the Home Show for that really; it never made that promise. I thought that the whole "green" thing was in the public eye enough to encourage its inclusion, however. It wasn't to any significant degree so my interest in the whole thing dipped quite rapidly.

Nevertheless, Mrs THIT pointed out something to me that I found interesting. The ReStore...huh...stores.

What is a ReStore?

The Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a non-profit retail home renovation centre that accepts quality new and used building, home renovation and home décor products. These items are sold in our 10,000 square foot ware house to the public.

Sales generate funds to support Habitat's home building programs, while reducing the amount of useable materials that are headed for overflowing landfills!

I once posted about Habitat for Humanity, though I believe they are fairly widely known. But at the time, I was not aware of this part of their operation, and I quite like the idea.

I also did not know that my sister-in-law used to volunteer for them! If you're reading this, Kathy, you go, girl!

If you're interested in finding a Restore near you, check out this page.

She Did It On Porpoise

2008-03-13T20:38:00.006-04:00

I Wish I'd have thought of that headline myself, but I saw it while Googling this story.

Mrs THIT told me about this after hearing it on the radio. As is often the case when she tells me a story heard from the TV or radio, she couldn't remember where it happened or the names of any of the people (or of the dolphin) involved, making finding details a touch trickier. As it turns out though, stories about dolphins saving beached whales are not that common, so I managed.

A DOLPHIN guided two stranded whales to safety after human attempts to keep the animals off a beach failed, a conservation official has said.

"I've never heard of anything like this before, it was amazing," New Zealand Conservation Department officer Malcolm Smith said.

The actions of the dolphin, known for playing with people in the water at Mahia beach on the east coast of the North Island, probably meant the difference between life and death for the whales, Mr Smith said.

Mr Smith had been working for over an hour and a half to save the two pygmy sperm whales which had repeatedly become stranded despite his attempts to push them back out to sea.

A dolphin, named Moko by locals, appeared and guided the whales to safety after apparently communicating with them, Mr Smith said.

The whales, a three-metre female and her 1-1/2 metre male calf, were apparently confused by a sandbar just off the beach and could not find their way back to open water.

Mr Smith had been alerted at daybreak by a neighbour about the two stranded whales.

"Over the next hour and a half I pushed them back out to sea two or three times and they were very reluctant to move offshore," Mr Smith said.

"I was starting to get cold and wet and they were becoming tired. I was reaching the stage where I was thinking it's about time to give up here, I've done as much as I can."

In that situation, whales are often humanely killed to end their suffering.

Mr Smith said Moko arrived on the scene and he could hear the whales and the dolphin making noises, apparently to one another.

"The whales made contact with the dolphin and she basically escorted them about 200 metres parallel with the beach to the edge of the sandbar," he said.

"Then she did a right-angle turn through quite a narrow channel and escorted them out to sea and we haven't seen those whales since.

"What the communication was I do not know, and I was not aware dolphins could communicate with pygmy sperm whales, but something happened that allowed Moko to guide those two whales to safety."

Perfect Earth Tours

2008-03-10T19:34:00.009-04:00

This is the kind of trip I want to take one day. Who knows, I could end up hating it, but I'd love to find out on my own.

I was made aware of them through a downbound.com newsletter. Downbound.com is the site from which I obtained my first hemp wallet. Appears to be a business partnership.

...one of Downbound's many ethical offerings is handmade organic furniture made from sustainably harvested wood. We are honoured to announce that our beds have been exclusively chosen for the guests and staff at North America's first and only five star luxury eco spa and resort, Perfect Earth Tours.

Sounds nice! And where is this little slice of heaven?

The Perfect Earth Tours spa resort is located lakeside deep in the wilderness of the Canadian Yukon territory, a 35 minute private floatplane ride from Whitehorse, Yukon. The entire luxury resort is powered by solar, wind, water, and human power. It features an organic vegan spa with massage, body wrap, and facial services. All food and beverages are local and organic, including an impressive selection of organic wines. And while non-vegetarian meals are served, gourmet organic vegan meals are a standard option too, prepared by Perfect Earth Tour's internationally acclaimed chefs.

Lovely!

Now wait a minute...This sounds, and looks, suspiciously like...camping! And I hate camping! Or rather, camping hates me! What gives?!

The entire resort is made up of organic canvas luxury tents...

Ah-ha!! It IS camping!!

...Each guest tent is outfitted with all of the amenities you would expect from a five star resort, including a woodburning stove, a private solar heated shower room, and a private washroom with a state-of-the-art odourless composting toilet...And of course, what truly luxury vacation would be complete without solar and wind powered in-suite DVD players, satellite radio, and wireless internet connectivity?

Oh. That sounds, and looks, less like camping.

So does the cost; a cool $6250 or so for three nights, four days. And that's from Vancouver!

Maybe it's something to plan for as something special to do for my 40th birthday. I wonder if they accept weiner dogs?

Kindness Week?? Screw that!

2008-03-08T07:50:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, Mrs THIT and I were having our taxes done (for 2005...*groan*) and in the H&R Block office's waiting room, I happened across the Reader's Digest issue which included the results of the Canadian rudeness test. In that test, Ottawa came in 11th of 11 cities in terms of politeness.

I recall at the time that a number of people agreed that you dealt with more rudeness in Ottawa than in other Canadian towns, while others stated that it was a crap test, non-scientific, etc. Whatever.

I was reminded recently of something a buddy of mine posted on a message board. It was a poll in the Ottawa Sun about whether folks...Well, see for yourself.

Will you be going out of your way to be kind during Kindness Week?

Yes 27%
No 73%

Total Votes for this Question: 859

Despite the message sent, I have to laugh. "Can't be kind. Too busy."

All right, maybe people just don't think of it as going "out of their way" because they're happy to add another act of kindness to their day. Or maybe they mean that they'll make small efforts that really aren't that far removed from their routine. It's certainly not the impression I get.

Now, if it's just a matter of laziness, you're talking my language!

I'm going to make a suggestion; you can be kinder without making any kind of effort. Instead...Spend less time being nasty! See how that works? You're being kinder by doing less! It makes perfect sense!

Don't say "On kindness week, I'm going to buy my co-worker a card to show my appreciation for her dedication". Say "during Kindness Week, I'm going to give one fewer person the finger while driving".

Everybody wins!

Carbon Tax Coming to BC

2008-03-02T09:04:00.004-05:00

Speaking of British Columbia in the previous post, I look forward to seeing the results of their attempts to impose a carbon tax.

Let's have a look at highlights from a Vancouver Sun article.

(Finance Minister Carole) Taylor said the new carbon tax will kick in July 1. Initially, drivers will pay about 2.4 cents per litre more for gasoline at the pumps.
The tax will apply to virtually all fossil fuels, including gasoline, diesel, natural gas, coal, propane and home-heating fuel. It will rise each year, reaching 7.2 cents per litre of gasoline -- and comparable amounts on other fuels -- by 2012.
After that, Taylor said, it will be up to the government of the day to decide what to do with the tax.
If you drive a Prius hybrid, the government estimates the new tax will cost you about $20 extra per year at the outset, rising to $60 by 2012. If you drive a Dodge Ram pickup truck, the additional cost will be closer to $68, rising to about $204 by 2012.

Ah, but will the hybrid help you compensate for...never mind. ;-) I do like seeing these numbers included though. If people struggle to relate to the cost of pollution, they can usually relate to the impact on their wallets.

If you use natural gas to heat your home and water, the carbon tax will push up your costs an average $60 this year, rising to $180 by July 2012 -- unless you change your current heating or water-use patterns.

This is where I find many people need to smarten up; home heating and cooling. We know people who keep their houses at 22 in the winter and 17 in the summer. It's insane on a financial basis, if nothing else.

First off, we actually keep the house at 17 in the winter. But every curtain and blind in the house is open. The heat from the sun alone heats the house to 21, so the furnace doesn't run most of the afternoon. And no, I don't walk around the house wearing four layers and gloves.

Having the air-conditioning at 17 in the summer is even more stupid. I think of it this way; if you went on a Caribbean vacation in February, and it was 17 degrees the whole time you were there, you'd probably be a little disappointed. Well, hell, don't do it at home then! Keep the AC at 20 or thereabouts so it's still a refreshing change from the heat and humidity outside, but there's no need to waste energy and coin by simulating Antarctica in your living room.

Hydro rates are also expected to go up, though those increases are not directly linked to the carbon tax and so will not be balanced by any tax breaks. Hydro rates are expected to increase $60 this year, and another $60 next year.
To help people deal with these increases, the government is offering incentives such as provincial sales tax exemptions for energy-efficient appliances and other tax relief for the purchase of fuel-efficient vehicles.

To help people adjust to the tax -- which seeks to achieve about 7.5 per cent of the government's legislated reductions by 2020 -- all British Columbians will receive a one-time $100 cheque in June.
"We want to bring in the benefits first," Taylor said. She added that the one-time payment will be in addition to the matching tax reductions and credits.
To make the carbon tax truly revenue-neutral, Taylor said, corporate taxes will drop from 12 per cent to 11 per cent on July 1, and then to 10 per cent by 2011.

Small-business taxes will also be cut, from the current 4.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent on July 1, and then down to 2.5 per cent by 2011.
Personal provincial income taxes will be cut by five per cent in 2009 for the first $70,000 of earnings.
Lower-income British Columbians will receive further credits in the form of an annual "climate action credit" of $100 per adult and $30 per child.

I like that the article makes it clear that this is a tax shift, not an increase. Very often, a carbon tax is described as an additional tax as opposed to a redistribution.

I actually look forward to criticism about this. Further in the article, one person comments that the increase in gas prices did not stop people from driving, so adding a little more to it will likely accomplish nothing. I did a quick search to try to find out how successful this has been in parts of Europe but I have yet to locate anything decisive (probably because it has yet to be fully determined). So let's make it a date to review this in 2011 and see where things stand.

More About Helping by Accident

2008-02-29T20:06:00.005-05:00

If I keep this up, I'm going to save the world without even realizing it.

I recently wrote about Igive.com, how I apparently signed up for it without really noticing, and how it seems I'm raising funds for a charity more or less blindly.

Now it would appear I've accidently bought 30 biodegrabable shopping bags.

Good for me, I guess. The thing is, I was going to make a whole other point entirely.

I first learned about these from an Ideal Bite e-mail. In it, they listed a handful of companies that offer these types of biodegradable bags. I'm sure I could find some locally, but I never think of it when in a grocery store and I don't recall noticing them at the green products store I frequent most. Besides, I that store tends to be a little price-heavy and these were only about $5.00.

One company (I could have sworn it was the one making the above bags) specified that their product disolves (is that a correct word to use?) in the space of about ten months.

After use, this plastic is safely returned to the natural bio-cycle as ‘organic carbon’, ingested by micro-organisms. PSI"s Products accelerate the natural process by factors of 100 to 1,000 or more. This contributes to the fertility of compost, frees-up air space in landfills and protects against plastics in our environment and watersheds.

Sounded good to me, so I went to make my purchase.

I forget the details now, but if the bag themselves were about $5.00. the shipping was something like $14.00. Postal service charges made it a ridiculous purchase, and THAT was the point I was aiming to make.

Yet today, preparing to write this post, I went on the ecosafe site and attempted to recreate that experience. I was only seeking, for the sake of accuracy, to get the specific amounts for shipping that I'd been charged before.

I entered my mailing address, no problem.

I entered my credit card information, no problem.

I went to the final checkout page, no problem.

And when it was all said and done...

Subtotal 4.99
Shipping 0.00
Handling 0.00
TOTAL $4.99

So...No shipping charges? That can't be right. I kept waiting for them to be added but it never happened.

The only thing I can think of is that I bought from the USA site as opposed to the Canadian one, but still. I do recall that the phone number to call for more info had a 604 area code which I believe is British Columbia.

So I don't know what gives, or whether I'll have a nasty surprise later, but for now I guess I can look forward to using biodegradable garbage bags.

Yay?

March 2nd Edit: I've received an e-mail to the extent that my order was cancelled and asking me to shop through the Canadian store. Let the record show that I was led to the American store automatically when I visited the site and did not know about a Canadian option. Let me also remind everyone that the phone number to call for inquiries was a BC one, so I had no reason to believe I was in the American store.

In any event, I tried again and sure enough my result was the same as my first experience. The bags I wanted (I went for a larger size this time) were $7.99 and shipping costs $14.93. Sorry, I find that excessive and will look to see if I can score some locally.

Foam Party!

2008-02-24T16:36:00.006-05:00

I picked up this story, about a bizarre foam being created on the Australian coast, from the Urban Legends reference Page. Click the pic for a recent article about this little phenomenon.

I can only say that if I saw an unidentified, foul-smelling foam building up near the beach, I'd probably show a little more restraint before diving in. I can't deny I'd be curious, but I'd rather know what it's made of BEFORE I cover myself with it from head to toe. Ick.

There's some debate as to the cause, but one theory is...

Dr Kutboke said when sea droplets mixed with crude oil discharged from passing ships or motor oil and sewage from stormwater run-off, and became mixed in ocean turbulence, the resulting emulsion became more persistent than the original oil and appeared as “chocolate mousse”.

Sounds like a recipe for fun!

Give 'til You Can't Feel It.

2008-02-18T15:26:00.006-05:00

I'm going to try to describe something even though I have no memory of doing it and I'm not entirely sure how it works.

At some point, probably as a result of seeing it in a newsletter, I signed up with igive.com.

It would appear that if I make purchases online, a donation of some kind is created. During unrelated online trips to ebay and Canadian Tire, I got a pop up stating that a certain percentage of my purchase will be donated to the charity of my choice.

Since I'm not certain about how it works, we'll let them speak for themselves:

How does iGive.com work?
When we say 12.5% or 8% or 10% to your cause next to a merchant at the Mall, each and every penny goes directly to your favorite cause. No administrative costs, no fees, nothing -- 100 percent to your cause. iGive.com is paid a sales commission (over and above the charitable contribution percentage) when our members make purchases, allowing us to continue to expand our services. Also, many merchants pay us to advertise on our Web site.

Somehow, I selected the Animal Alliance of Canada as my charity of choice. I don't recall doing so. On the other hand, I have no objection to it either. No doubt if I wanted to change it I could.

Earlier today, I received an e-mail telling me that a cheque was being sent on behalf of myself and the other AAC suporters to the charity. It's an accumulation of the dollars and cents gathered here and there from our collective online shopping.

Oh. Good!

Well, I'll just keep on going then! And if you're the online shopping type, you might want to sign up and raise funds for your favourite charity.

Goooooooooooooal!!!

2008-02-16T08:16:00.003-05:00

This is a portion of an article on today's Ottawa Citizen. It's a story about the Carleton University soccer team going to Cuba to donate soccer equipment. Nice enough in itself, one paragraph in particular caught my eye as a lesson on how best to appreciate what you have.

Richard Starnes, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, February 16, 2008

Stuffed in with their luggage, the girls have enough soccer gear -- used and new -- to make the whole of Cuba jealous and it is all winging its way to a very excited bunch of youngsters in Sanctus Spiritus.

They have 300 soccer balls donated by Umbro -- even the Cuban national team has nothing like that, Sebrango says. There are bibs and cones, used Carleton shirts, shinguards and socks. There has even been a donation of toothpaste and tooth brushes from a woman who overheard chatter about the trip and made the donation through her dentist husband.

I wish the Carleton group, who left yesterday for a seven-day trip, had had the chance to talk with former Canadian international Craig Forrest, who is an ambassador with SOS Children's Villages, an organization that uses soccer to raise funds for orphanages they build all over the world.

Forrest would have told them what he saw and how it affected him when he visited one orphanage -- partly sponsored by the Canadian Soccer Association. It's called Canada House in Rustenburg in northern South Africa.

Forrest and Kelsey Lemon, of SOS here in Ottawa, carried as many soccer balls as they could when they visited, although it was nothing like 300. And he remembers how excitedly wide-eyed the kids were to see even one ball.

One kid was particularly talented and a candidate for a university scholarship so they gave him a ball for himself. What did the kid do? He took the ball over to his friends and told them it was theirs -- not his. There was never any thought of not sharing.

Now I know the Carleton girls are not going to someplace as poor as that. But what they are bringing will thrill the kids. So will their soccer skills.

This promises to be a life-altering adventure on both sides.

Krazy 'bout Kiva

2008-02-12T20:31:00.000-05:00

I was introduced to Kiva through an online newsletter I get, and I'm addicted.

When I started this blog, I admitted to some unease with making regular donations to charitable oganizations. Typically, I prefer to support a charity by making a purchase so that if my funds are squandered at least I have something to show for my money, whether it be a shirt, ball cap, whatever. I wouldn't feel totally hosed.

Also, a browse through the charity navigator reveals that many top dogs in the more commonly known charities are listed as having 6-digit salaries. Well, I don't have one, so a plea to donate "whatever I can afford" sometimes rings hollow (and the particular selection in my link is not coincidental; I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times their newsletter did NOT ask for a donation in the course of a year).

Kiva does away with this nicely though; They ask for loans, not donations.

Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world. By choosing a loan on Kiva, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the entrepreneur you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back.

I was still a little reluctant because I wondered whether the onus wold be on me to retrieve my funds. A year later, one can easily forget. But after surfing for a while, I became very interested. So no chance of forgetting now, I check it every day.

Here's my Lender page.

I first loaned to one lady in particular because she was looking to make repairs to her home. Frankly, I was more looking for someone looking to expand on a business, but she was $25.00 short at the time that I came across her profile, so I went ahead.

I later found a group of 15 ladies who want to invest in their businesses and also seek to "...(clean) abandoned lots, the streets and alleys in their neighborhood, on order to stop the breeding of mosquitoes"

You're on, ladies! They had under $1000 of their funds when I made my contribution, and by the end of the next day, they had the whole thing. The funds have apparently been disbursed to them already by Kiva's partner in the region.

I love this idea and I plan to basically have a small budget that I rotate around. And if you're the type that wants to help but doesn't believe in making donations, well, maybe a loan is more your speed.

Need a Reason to Eat More Chocolate?

2008-02-09T09:37:00.000-05:00

Ah, Friday nights! The best part of the week! The furthest point from having to go back to work!

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do (actually, the second after realizing it's a work day and using profanity as a result...so really third) is look forward to my evening of world-saving while the Mrs watches some Nascar-based programming (ugh) and Oscar snores away. Batman has his various gadgets to help him fight crime, I usually use something along the lines of a bottle of port and a bar of organic chocolate.

Whatever works. Chocolate may suck to apprehend The Penguin, but try to save a real penguin with a batarang, smart guy!

Ah, but I can hear the gears turning already! "How can you save a penguin, or anything for that matter, with chocolate, dumbass?"

Well, with this chocolate, you can at least help a little bit:

Here's the deal:

At Endangered Species Chocolate, we provide exceptionally delicious chocolate made with only the finest, 100 percent all-natural ingredients. We offer organic choices to support human health as well as the environment. Plus, recent studies confirm that chocolate contains flavonoids that help blood vessels work more smoothly, perhaps reducing the risk of heart disease. Chocolate also acts as a powerful antioxidant, reducing dangerous free radicals at a higher rate than vitamin C or green tea. And, combined with exercise, research shows that chocolate works to reduce fat in the body.

Just as important, we see chocolate as a medium to save species, conserve habitat and honor human life. Our cacao beans are sourced and harvested from small family-owned properties and are ethically traded. ESC also pays fair prices for harvested products so cacao farmers can maintain their properties. We add to the impact of each bar by donating 10 percent of our net profits to environmental organizations that work to help endangered species and their habitats.

Their site is quite good, as is their variety. It's also hosted by solar energy, apparently (see bottom right).

Occasionally when I come across these products, they turn out to not be available locally. I've purchased these at Super Store (do they fight crime too??) locations, so it's relatively easy to find.

Enjoy!!

Winds of Change

2008-02-06T21:12:00.001-05:00

This is probably the most overused title for articles related to the environment after "It isn't easy being green" *groan* but here I am using it and hating myself slightly for me. It's all good though, I love myself for plenty of other reasons. ;-)

Ottawa is crawling with free daily newspapers. It started with Metro and Dose, but the latter apparently failed. Since then, one named 24hrs has taken its place as some people's bus and bus shelter litter of choice.

I tend to avoid them but the other day the cover of 24hrs had a picture of a windmill on it (the most overused environmental symbol after the swirly light bulb) using that very same unimaginative headline.

I wasn't able to get my hands on a copy until later in the day, due to forgetfulness on my part . It certainly not due to lack of availabilty, since you can find a copy of in pretty well any puddle in town. Once I did, I found that the article wasn't quite what I expected; It was about how certain laws are impeding progress at becoming greener.

Be that as it may, later that night I found a press release in my e-mail inbox.

Government officials, local dignitaries and landowners, and green power advocates will gather in Forest, near Grand Bend, Ontario, to celebrate the official opening of a new, six-turbine wind farm. This wind farm was erected, in part, to address the growing demand of Bullfrog Power customers, who have chosen to purchase clean, emissions-free, EcoLogo(M)-certified power for their homes and organizations.

Well, someting is apparently going fairly well somewhere then. Good for them! Maybe if I'd joined about two years ago, like I said I'd planned to, I could feel like I was a small part of that. *ahem*

Mind you , what we've considered doing is getting our own windmill. Mrs THIT saw one in a flyer about a year ago and immediately liked the idea. She just didn't dig the cost (I can't recall what it was now) at the time, but Canadian Tire has them for about $800 now.

We're certainly not lacking for wind around here. There are no tall buildings in the area so very few things can block a stiff breeze. A couple of weeks ago, Christine called me at work to tell me that, following a warm spell and resulting thaw, she decided to move the BBQ from outside into the garage. The first big snow of the year hit before we'd brought it in, so it was stuck outside.

While going around the house, she tells me that a gust of wind got under the cover, tore the BBQ from her hands, threw it six feet intot he air and smashed it into the driveway. That sounds about as convincing as a dog eating homework, but she's not the type to fib.

But if I'm going to take the plunge of buying a windmill, I want to know what I'm getting into. If my little windmill only generates enough power to run my electric razor, I'm hardly going to bother. And mentions of installation in "three easy steps" make me wary. Easy is in the eye of the beholder for someone like me, who struggles to even open an ironing board.

So we'll see, but I suspect that before long, we'll be wind-powered one way or another. Really this time.

Oh, and it IS easy being green.

Red Dot Program

2008-01-31T19:30:00.001-05:00

I was pleased to be made aware of this program earlier today while watching the news.

Canada Post uses red dots to flag households that have said NO to Junk Mail. The Red Dot Campaign reminds you of your choice to say “NO” to unwanted advertising.

Our collective voice urges advertisers to be mindful of their use of paper in print advertising.

The intention of the Red Dot Campaign is to urge advertisers to re-allocate their advertising investments into socially responsible initiatives.

I posted about something similar before here.

Newer developments such as the one in which we now live are magnets for this kind of stuff, of course. The other day, I actually mistook a stack of flyers for the Saturday newspaper it was so damn thick. I couldn't believe it.

And I was disappointed to not have my paper yet! Cripes, it was nearly 7:30! It was almost outdated already!

The whole stack went into the recycling box in no time. Except the elastic. I keep those. :-)

I find it hard to believe that pizza places, gyms and the like will be deeply intimidated when they come face to face with a red dot on my mailbox. Certainly not to the point of refraining from paper spamming me. I also have no idea what percentage of my flyers come from Canada Post. But if I can stop even a small percentage, I'll make the token effort.

Edit: Here's a CBC article about this campaign.

Food KM (or Miles)

2008-01-27T16:57:00.000-05:00

This is a great little website that was introduced to me by the folks at Green Communities Canada.

Our goal is to try to reduce food miles or kilometers by connecting consumers with the people that grow, produce, retail or serve healthy locally grown food.

The intent is that you should be able to simply enter your postal and view your results. Of course, as often seems to be the case for me, it had to be a little more complicated. Our new home does not yet appear on maps. For that matter, we don't even have a street sign yet, making even ordering a pizza a chore (though not to the point that I would actually, you know, cook for myself). So running a search on this site was a little tricky.

But apparently successful! I was given results for nine farm/farm markets, one baker and two restaurants within 50 miles. Very nice!

This will give us some ideas for "exploration" come spring. It should also come in handy for anyone attempting to follow the 100-mile diet. Looking forward to putting it to good use!

What The Hell is Wrong With Off-White??

2008-01-19T17:44:00.000-05:00

When Mrs THIT and I set off to purchase our current home, the gentleman at Tamarack Homes with whom we dealt ended the process with a peice of advice that stuck with me: "Have fun with it".

It was one of those extremely simple things that you know, but you just need to be reminded of. And throughout the entire affair, whenever I was faced with a task that is not normally in my nature to enjoy, I remembered his little peice of advice and approached the situation with that specific attitude.

"What's that, bunny? You want to go to Home Sense again? Son of a bi...Huh...Actually, that sounds delightful! Let me get my jacket. And wallet, of course."

"Come again, cupcake? You wish to visit the Tamarack Design Center again? Even though we were there just last weekend and it's extremely doubtful that anything has changed since? I...guess we can do that! Yes, I'll bring the camera."

Here's something I had not realized though (and it's probably "a guy thing" that caused me not to). I thought once we moved in and furnished the place we could, you know...Enjoy it for a while!

Apparently not. The first coat of dust barely had time to settle before talk turned to...painting.

*Groan*

By then the "have fun with it" mantra had been kind of stored away. I didn't think I'd need it anymore. We were settled in!

But Mrs THIT came across a little ditty in the Ottawa Citizen recently which perked my ears and may make the whole project slightly more interesting to me. The Citizen is quite good at providing environmental tips and such, and last Saturday's Homes section had a list of 11 products to "turn up the enviro thermostat in your home". Among them was Safecoat paints.

This was hyped as a product ready go from "niche" (how do you pronounce that? "neesh" or "nitch"?) to mainstream and available from The Healthiest Home and Building Supplies. The claim:

The Safecoat products are premium quality and perform as well as and, in many cases, better than most mainstream, toxic brands on the market. They contain no formaldehyde, ammonia, precursors, acetone, phenols, or phthulates. Safecoat paints have almost no odor during application and are odor free once cured. And clean up is a snap with warm water and a bit of SafeChoice Superclean.

All right, well...That's a start. The store is on Holland avenue though, and I can't help but recall that so is The Table restaurant. I friggin' love that place and I shall (pretend to) put my foot down and request...Nay, DEMAND...that we eat there if we go to that paint store.

Even the best relationships require a certain level of negotiation...

Update on Kindness Meters

2008-01-11T18:39:00.000-05:00

This is something I posted about previously being mentioned again in the Ottawa Sun. I'm still surprised at how successful these turn out to be.

It appears Ottawa is trying hard to be kind to its homeless.

Oh no! Will this affect our rudeness rating?! ;-)

Only a month after the city announced it was going to install six kindness meters in the Byward Market to help raise money for Ottawa's homeless community passersby have deposited $1,000 into the meters.
"That's impressive," said Rideau-Vanier Coun. Georges Bedard. "Obviously it's caught on and demonstrates the generosity of the people of Ottawa."
The meters were the idea of Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien, who in the 2006 municipal election criticized the homeless community and those who panhandled. He asked people to stop giving panhandlers money and instead give to the organizations that provide services to the homeless because many of the individuals were using the money to buys drugs and alcohol.
"This is a good beginning," O'Brien said after learning of the amount donated to the meters over the past four weeks.
Bedard said because of the obvious success of the program he would like the city to consider installing more kindness meters in the downtown core as well as possibly elsewhere across the city.
"This is $1,000 that won't go towards drug use," he said.
Bedard said he was surprised with the amount deposited to date because there has been very little advertising towards the project.
The mayor's office said yesterday that they have had several inquiries from legal firms and local media outlets interested in sponsoring the meters.
/
The money collected will be handed over to organizations such as the Ottawa Mission and Operation Go Home.

Speaking of Hemp...

2008-01-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

It looks like its popularity may be on the rise. This is an Ottawa Sun article from earlier this week.

Heather Heron wants people to know hemp fabric is about so much more than those gaudy-looking, rough, hooded shirts for sale in environmental shops.
"They're making so many beautiful blends of it," she said, "you wouldn't know the difference between that and a really beautiful piece of linen."
The 34-year-old Ottawa native was back in her hometown from California over the holidays, holding a trunk show for her spring/summer 2008 eco-chic handbag line.
Heron uses organic European hemp, hemp-silk blends, and other ecologically sound fabrics to make her bags, which have been carried by everyone from Reese Witherspoon to pal and fellow Ottawa native Alanis Morissette.
"I'm just really excited to show them," she says, "because so many of these fabrics are so new, and they're not shown to the mainstream."
Heron's designs have been available in select American shops, and through the online site www.greenwithglamour.com. But she just landed her first Canadian store: Finn Boutique, in Toronto's Yorkville.
Interest in such eco-fashion seems set to explode, and like Heron, Canadians in the industry are playing a major role in propelling it.
Julia Roberts has dressed her daughter Hazel in Fig Organic Kids Fashion, an offshoot of Twice Shy. The Whistler, B.C.-based company, started by Canadians Jen MacCormack and Michael Ziff, is dedicated to using certified organically grown cotton.
In September, fashion publicist Kelly Drennan, of Third Eye Media, organized an eco-fashion fundraising gala before Toronto Fashion Week.
She chose 10 Canadian designers and charged them with making couture out of fabrics made from soy, hemp, bamboo and organic cotton.
Six of those designers have since placed eco-friendly fabric orders for their fall 2008 collections, says Drennan. She is further spreading the word by choosing a new roster for the second show, now planned as an annual event, in June.
"For me, anyway, it started with the designer, getting the fabric into the hands of the designer," said Drennan. "And getting them used to working with the fabric and seeing how easy and gorgeous the garments could be."
There are many reasons for the current push to eco-fashion, says Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence, a Toronto-based group which partnered with Drennan on September's show.
Cotton, for example, is very tough on the Earth.
"It uses up a lot of water, it also requires a lot of pesticides," he said. Alternatively, bamboo and hemp are "incredible, resilient plants that don't need a lot of care."
Pesticide residues can linger in fabrics, says Smith, who adds it's not uncommon for manufacturers to also apply "weird and toxic substances" to clothes.
For example, he explained, flame retardants are frequently coated on kids' clothes, and those have been found to be bioaccumulative, meaning they stay in the body because they aren't susceptible to its normal breakdown processes.
And he says much of what is labelled "wrinkle-resistant" has most likely been treated with formaldehyde.
"Not good," says Smith.
A lot of people are jumping on the eco-fashion bandwagon right now but Lisa Tant, editor-in-chief of Flare magazine, sees this as a lasting trend which will take more than one or two seasons to take hold.
"People really are interested. They want to make a difference," she said. "And fashion is such a form of self-expression, it's one of the best places to do it."

A lot of products still seem pricy as hell though. Hopefully as demand, availability and competition increase, the cost will take a turn in the opposite direction.

THIT Year-End Clean Up!

2008-01-08T22:03:00.000-05:00

You may have made note of a new feature on my little blog. It's part of my reorganizing as I start year three of my education.

I've added the "labels" feature so that I (and you, if you're so inclined) can more easily locate a specific past post. From time to time when writing a new one I would consider making reference to something I'd already including, but trying to remember specifically when I added it here can be tricky after two years.

This, of course, necessitated going over each and every post to add the label. That was about 375 posts when I began doing it. There are things on here that I don't recall writing, and others I wish I hadn't said or that I'd researched better, but that's why I describe myself as being 'in training".

In addition to reviewing all my posts, I also reviewed the comments that were posted (and removed a little spam). There were a handful I'd never seen before. If someone writes a comment after the post has "fallen off" the main page, I seldom go back to see if one's been added much later.

One unseen comment was in regards to my purchase of a hemp wallet. I was lightly chastised by "kelly" for not looking around more and getting hosed on the price.

Well...She was right. At the time, I did look around and did not find any options that were far better. And I was quite pleased with my purchase, as that post explains, but one thing that I was not able to evaluate at the time is durability. When it comes to durability, sometimes only time can tell, right?

That wallet got roughed up fast. There was a hole starting on the back of it and another through the change pocket. They're partially my fault for carrying too much change, but I admit to a fair bit of disappointment when I started noticing the wear and tear so soon after my purchase.

So I tried all over again to find a quality hemp wallet. And this time it took me about 40 seconds to come up with a far better option.

I got the green one. I found it on the Good Humans site that is now linked at bottom right. I was happier with it from the moment that my hand made contact with it. It's obviously more durable, has more room for coins, the cards are all in one spot...and it was about half the price of the one I bought from Downbound.

We'll see how long this one lasts.

Give Meaning

2008-01-01T12:05:00.000-05:00

On Christmas day, I posted about a site called "Changing the Present". Knowing that not everyone is confident that charitable donations accomplish anything but padding someone else's wallet, I included a link to Charity Navigator for those who might wish to investigate further.

The problem with Charity Navigator is that they evaluate U.S. charities only. And even in that, not everyone is convinced as to how useful they are. Edit: Another option which hadn't occured to me when I began writing this post is Give.org. I don't know if they are considered reliable, but they are a Better Business Bureau website.

I looked for something similar in Canada but came up empty. Until later that day! Preparing to check my Yahoo e-mail inbox, the following was the highlighted story on Yahoo News:

VICTORIA - The six-figure income, the prestigious job at Apple, the status of being a teenage Internet whiz kid and the endless good times wore thin and wore out Victoria-born Tom Williams.

He was 25 years old and having an early mid-life crisis.

Meaning had been sucked from his life, says Williams, so he dumped his job, salary and lifestyle and started selling philanthropy online to make his world real again.

But he couldn't bury his entrepreneurial gifts and quickly discovered his keen marketing skills are handy tools when it comes to the charity game - a business, he believes, badly in need of a shake-up.

"Absolutely, and it's high time," Williams said recently in Victoria. "Frankly, the issues are that we don't know where our money is going.

"The big charities are continuing to get a disproportionately large amount of donor dollars and the smaller organizations who are sometimes doing grassroots work in communities across the country and other ones, are starved for cash, having to literally consider shutting down their operations," he said.

In 2004, Williams returned to British Columbia and launched GiveMeaning.com. He is the chief executive officer.

He believes his online charity can change the charity industry, change lives. It changed his.

"Never had I had more energy or passion," Williams said.

The site is here. You can click on the "Important Issues" link under "browse" to locate causes regionally.

Now they don't evaluate charities, as such, but...

GiveMeaning™ Projects all have tangible, measurable charitable goals, and only registered charities may be chosen to carry out those goals. When you donate at GiveMeaning.com, you have the comfort of knowing:

* 100% of all money donated goes directly to charity
* you will receive a tax receipt, as permissible by law (in the U.S. and Canada)
* you can measure your ‘Return on Generosity’ by viewing progress updates and more on each Project’s webpage
* your personal information will never be shared, and you will never be spammed – by us, or anyone

And, should a Project target not be met, we will give you the option of re–allocating your donation to another Project. When you donate to a GiveMeaning Project, you always have choice and will always know what happens to your money.

That last bit is interesting. It would appear then that the funds are actually not distributed unless the goal is reached? I need to look over the site more thouroughly, but I like the sounds of it on the surface.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T16:42:00.001-05:00

I did not know that the tradition of the ball-dropping in New York was that old! They're celebrating that by doing things a little differently this year (and hopefully going forward).

NEW YORK -- The Times Square New Year's Eve ball is celebrating its centennial by going green.
The star of the world-famous holiday extravaganza was revamped this year with 9,576 energy-efficient bulbs that use about the same amount of electricity as 10 toasters.
Philips Lighting, which created the light-emitting diodes, or LED bulbs, specifically for the event, said they are smaller but more than twice as bright as last year's lights, which were a mix of more than 600 incandescent and halogen bulbs. And the new lights can create more than 16 million colours for a kaleidoscope of hues against the 672 Waterford Crystal triangles.
The ball was first dropped for the New Year's Eve celebration in 1907. Made of iron and wood, it weighed more than 300 kg and was lit with 100 25-watt bulbs.
/
This year, the motif is "Let There Be Light" and features a stylized, radiating sunburst on each of the crystal triangles.
The new design and technology "will make the ball glow like nothing else," said Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, a business group in charge of the event.

Mrs THIT wonders how much energy the previous ball would eat up. I...have no idea, but I suspect it was significantly more than ten toasters.

Changing The Present

2007-12-25T09:25:00.000-05:00

I've read a couple of articles lately about how charitable donations have become far more popular options for Christmas presents over the past year or two. Rather than navigate through malls looking for something to catch the eye, people are becoming more attracted to either donating to a cause on behalf of a loved one, or to "adopting" an animal from an organization such as the WWF.

Changing The Present seeks to make it easier by gathering all your options under one roof. And they offer other ideas as to when that mentality can come into play. It doesn't have to be just at Christmas time.

Race For Your Cause: All right, not everyone runs marathons regularly just for the sheer hell of it. Anytime I've been involved in anything even resembling this, it's been for a specific cause. But someone who does run a marathon "because it's there" can use Changing The Present to raise funds for a pet cause.

Facebook Gift Giving: Considering the sheer volume of people who have Facebook memberships, and who constantly send requests to add various applications to one's page, this one could do a lot of good! Basically...

Changing the world, one gift at a time
Now, you can give gifts to your friends that also make the world a better place.

ChangingThePresent offers nearly 1,000 meaningful $1 gifts from hundreds of leading nonprofits, so you're sure to find something that moves you. For instance, you can contribute towards providing a child with her first book; funding an hour of cancer research; protecting an acre of the rain forest; or restoring a blind person's sight with cataract surgery.

Your gifts will appear on your friends’ profile pages when they add the application.

And finally (though not necessarily leastly):

Create a Registry: If you have a forthcoming event for which people are expected to buy gifts, you could direct them to making a donation to a personal favourite charity/cause. Weddings naturally come to mind first when the term "registry" is used, but you can apply it to any significant event.

Whether you're the person donating or suggesting the donation, if you're unsure about the organization to which the donation would be applied, you can always check with Charity Navigator to get a better feel for whether they're a worthy recipient.

Happy giving!

2007 Seventh-Warmest Year on Record

2007-12-23T09:26:00.000-05:00

I know many people are sick and tired of hearing it, but...

BBC News - This year has been one of the warmest since 1850, despite the cooling influence of La Nina conditions, according to scientists.

The UK's Hadley Centre and University of East Anglia conclude that globally, this year ranks as the seventh warmest.

The 11 warmest years in this set have all occurred within the last 13 years. For the northern hemisphere alone, 2007 was the second warmest recorded.

I mention it because, when we received 35+ centimeters of snow in one day recently, the inevitable comments that global warming must be a hoax or mistake were heard again. So if I follow the reasoning, scientific research is to be immediately invalidated in favour of a snow storm in mid-December.

Is that to say that scientists are never wrong? Of course not. I've admitted a number of times that I'm not a full believer in global warming, or climate change, or whatever name you want to give it.

I also don't believe the excuse, used by those who don't want to change their habits, that adapting against climate change will ruin the economy. Ridiculous. Individuals can take it upon themselves to do their little part and make a significant difference. But I suppose that taking the stance that inaction is doing the world a favour is comforting to those who can't do away
with their little luxuries, like driving to their mailboxes.

You may have seen this gentleman's original video before. He broke down the logic of acting as though climate change is a fact very clearly. He apparently has updated it to cover a hole in his original video, so if watching this version feels as though you're watching a sequel, well, you are. And he's made more since, including a 4-part series since called "The Solution".

He dares you to punch a hole in his theory. So by all means, if you feel that a snow storm in December trumps his entire argument for a common sense approach, write to him and set him straight.

Get Drunk for the Environment! And for Country!

2007-12-22T08:22:00.000-05:00

Ah, Friday night! My favourite time of the week because it's the most distant I can be from having to work next.

Usually, I like to celebrate that weekly event with a bottle of Taylor-Fladgate port (well...not the whole bottle...). But from time to time I'll wander from habit and look for other options. If it's a "green" option, all the better!

So you can imagine that the name "plantatree" on a bottle caught my eye!

You can click the image above for their website, but here's the claim:

For each bottle purchased, Lifford Wine Agency, in partnership with Tree Canada, will plant one tree. The trees, to be planted in Sudbury beginning in spring ’08, will each absorb approximately 650 pounds of carbon over the course of their life span.

“We are proud to be able to offer consumers a carbon-positive choice with plantatree™,” said Steven Campbell, Owner, Lifford Wine Agency. “We know that consumers want choice. We are providing them with an environmentally-responsible choice in the wine they drink. Consumers who purchase plantatree can enjoy a glass of wine and at the same time do something positive for the planet.”

Lifford has gone to great length to provide consumers with a high quality product that is good for the environment and supports local industry. The grapes for plantatree were farmed using sustainable agriculture practices in California. To lessen the carbon imprint, the wines are transported in bulk to Niagara and bottled by Niagara Vintners in PET plastic bottles made in Mississauga. The plastic PET bottles are unbreakable, significantly lighter than glass and recyclable. The cartons are made in Ontario of recycled cardboard that can be recycled again.

Mrs THIT is not wild about the plastic bottle, arguing that glass is no less recyclable. True enough, but I like it for a different reason. I take the bus home. When I have to take one of these with me, I'm always paranoid that I'm going to break it on the way. And it is indeed significantly lighter. So it works for me on that level.

When I'm a bit better informed about recycling codes, I intend to write a post about it here. For now, suffice to say that the bottle shows the following logo...

...And according to Wikipedia...

While all thermoplastics are technically recyclable, PET bottle recycling is more practical than many other plastic applications. The primary reason is that plastic carbonated soft drink bottles and water bottles are almost exclusively PET which makes them more easily identifiable in a recycle stream. PET has a resin identification code of 1. PET, as with many plastics, is also an excellent candidate for thermal recycling (incineration) as it is composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen with only trace amounts of catalyst elements (no sulphur) and has the energy content of soft coal.

I've had a couple of bottles of it (the Merlot) now and I like it. Is it high quality? Does it need to breathe? Would it go well with peice of soft cheese? Cripes, I don't know. Not only am I not a connaisseur (sp?) by any stretch of the imagination, I don't even pretend to be one. Here's my overall review: I think it tastes nice.

Now last night we stopped by the liquor store on our way home but I couldn't decide between the port or the Plantatree. Part of my decision was made for me when the port was unavailable, but I thought I should look around a bit for other options.

Glad I did! While browsing, I stumbled into this loveliness (in red, mind you):

Notice the Vancouver 2010 Olympic logo there? I'm a sucker for the Olympic games (though I gave up on them for a spell after the boxing fiasco in Seoul) and have done my little share to support those athletes from time to time. Well, here's another way:

Every time you purchase Jackson-Triggs Esprit™ wines, partial proceeds will proudly support The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and our Canadian Olympic Team. Jackson-Triggs Esprit™ wines are specially crafted in celebration of the Spirit of The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and are the result of our unique partnership with the Vancouver Organizing Committee for The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).

I'd posted about another wine which had partnered with the WWF, and have seen yet another that contributed tot he SPCA. There are enough options now that pretty well any time I buy a bottle, I'll attempt to see to it that someone benefits in a small way from my purchase. Why not? Those wines tend to be inexpensive and certainly adequate for my little weekly celebration.

Click Greener

2007-12-18T20:57:00.000-05:00

This was a tip that I found on a WWF newsletter. I meant to hold off posting about it until closer to Christmas, but it slipped my mind. On the other hand, since many guys only do their Christmas shopping on December 23rd anyway, maybe I'm still way ahead of schedule.

Each year, online shopping malls earn millions of dollars in referral fees. ClickGreener harnesses this power and uses it to help the environment. Simply visit your favorite retailer through clickgreener.com and make your purchase as usual. ClickGreener then donates 51% of the referral fee earned to WWF-Canada and other leading environmental organizations. There is no additional cost to you.

There are a number of recent articles about this including this one. So if you're the internet-shopper type, why not have a glance at whether the store you're shopping at is included on clickgreener's list? They're not lacking for selection and you can either search by store name or by product type.

It's Really Just a Love Story...

2007-12-08T12:07:00.000-05:00

Frequent and/or long-time readers of my little blog, if there is such an animal, will have noted by now that many of the posts that fall under the "tip" or suggestion category will include a benefit aside from the positive environmental impact.

The simple reason for that is that in my experience most people won't necessarily pay more, or go through additional effort, to be "green". I actually don't blame them, since many claims of greenhood are disputed. So I like to look for additional incentive when I find it, whether health-related, money-saving, whatever.

Here's a side-benefit that I have yet to "promote". Soft hands.

I bring to your attention, Nature Clean Dishwashing Liquid.

This product (and other members of its family) are fairly easy to find. They tend to be included in the organics section of grocery stores. We'd noticed them before, but they cost a little more and Mrs THIT had never heard anything particularly good about natural household cleaning products so until recently, they'd been ignored.

She tried this one because of it's tea tree oil content. Christine works with chemicals and her hands suffer because of it. They become extremely dry, cracked and painful. It's precision work, so she's unable to wear gloves while working. She'd heard that tea tree oils can be good for dry skin however and on that basis decided to give this product a try.

It seems she's quite pleased with it. She'd tried a number of moisterizing creams and what-not over the past couple of years to little success, but after less than two weeks of using this product she's already seeing a difference.

This particular benefit is hardly a surprise when one looks into the history of the company:

In the early 1960s, Mrs. Ross, the wife of our founder, suffered from skin rashes caused by dish detergents and shampoos. In an effort to alleviate her suffering, her husband began developing natural formulations. Since then the Ross family has continued the tradition of creating natural non-toxic alternatives for almost every product in your home. Over the years the love story surrounding our brand has extended far beyond this. Natureclean® is about caring for your family's health, it's about the passion we feel for protecting our natural world, and it's about loving ourselves enough to use safer products.

Group hug!!

Looking around their site, I found their Produce Wash interesting as well.

Most pesticides can’t be removed from produce with water alone because they are designed to be water resistant. This way, they won’t wash off in the rain.

Fruit & Veggie Wash Concentrate was designed for produce which requires soaking such as grapes, berries, broccoli, and spinach. This type of produce has more hidden crevices where contaminants can hide. Our formula has no taste, is odourless, residue-free and helps remove surface pesticides, chemicals, bacteria, wax and dirt. For firm produce like apples and tomatoes, we recommend our Fruit & Veggie Spray Wash.

Even organic produce should be washed. It can be exposed to everything from contaminated irrigation water to fertilizers, animal feces and human contact.

All told, I'm tremendously pleased that Christine has found a natural product that rids her of a nagging physical discomfort. So pleased in fact that I'll leave the dishwashing duties to her entirely! Sure, I probably washed dishes about once a year on the average, but I wouldn't want to take away something that benefits her, so I'll sacrifice that anniversary-like event for her sake. ;-)

Kindness Meters

2007-12-05T07:45:00.000-05:00

Interesting idea coming out of the mayor's office here in Ottawa and getting front page coverage in the Ottawa Sun newspaper.

Mayor Larry O'Brien wants you to make change for the homeless.
Beginning next week, visitors to the Byward Market will notice a few "kindness meters," formerly used as parking meters they are intended to collect loonies and toonies for the city's homeless.
It's part of the Give Smart program the city officially kicked off yesterday.
"Nobody in the City of Ottawa needs to be hungry and I want residents to park their cash in these meters," said O'Brien.
The mayor has asked that six parking meters that are no longer being used for their original purpose be refurbished and stationed at strategic locations -- high traffic pedestrian areas in the Market.
So as not to confuse motorists, the meters will be positioned away from the road and painted a different colour than the traditional metallic grey.
O'Brien said the kindness meters will be easily recognizable and will carry a Give Smart logo.
The money collected wouldn't be placed directly in the hands of the homeless, but will be distributed to the organizations that serve the homeless, including the Ottawa Mission and Operation Go Home.
"The money will go to the groups that actually provide the help," said O'Brien.
Rideau-Vanier Coun. Georges Bedard, whose ward will be home to the meters, said they'll go a long way to providing the necessary help that homeless people need.
"I hope this will encourage people to give their money to various organizations," said Bedard.
The Give Smart drive is the second phase of a program that began last April emphasizing that putting money into the hands of the panhandlers doesn't help them.
"It mostly goes to feeding their addictions," said Bedard.
To help promote public philanthropy, Bedard said the Give Smart campaign will be advertised on OC Transpo buses and pamphlets have been printed to inform the public about the program's intention -- all paid for by the area business community.
And to ensure the operation and maintenance of the program doesn't become a financial burden, the city is looking for corporate sponsors.
Bedard said if the kindness meters prove to be a worthwhile means to collect money to help the homeless, he'd like to install more of them in the Byward Market.
Similar meters have already been installed in a few Canadian municipalities and across the United States.
Montreal installed 60 of them a few months ago and collects about $700 a week.

I'll be honest, at first read I thought this was a well-intended idea that I would have supported when the opportunity presented itself, but that would not amount to much. However, its success in Montreal (on a much larger scale mind you) is encouraging.

The article seems to cover all my concerns but one; why limit it to loonies and twonies (which I believe should be the proper spelling of that coin's name, in light of its value)? I'm constantly carrying too many coins. I'd unload all my nickles and dimes and not even feel it. No doubt the organizations in question would accept them.

I like the mention that giving homeless people the money directly does little to help. I believe that to be true. Reading this article, I was reminded of many anecdotes, personal or otherwise, of people trying to help and becoming frustrated. Christine once handed a guy some change only to be told "Well, that's not a hell of a lot!". I saw a panhandling kid once get pissed that someone included pennies in their handout to him, grab them from his cup and throw them in the street. A co-worker was asked for $75 to get a room for the night.

I once gave a lady a loonie, and she asked me for five bucks. Presumably, if I'd given her $5 she'd have asked for ten and proceeded with this escalation until I bought her a house by the river. She followed me for two blocks asking for more.

So this would appear to be a case where the indirect method is the better course of action.

Improve at Scrabble and Feed the Poor!

2007-12-02T19:29:00.000-05:00

My mention of urban legends in the previous post reminded me that I hadn't visited The Urban Legends Reference Page, a long-time favourite, in some time. So I did. And browsing the "What's New?" section led me to this little game (as well as a confirmation that it is indeed legitimate and not a hoax).

The point is to trigger a donation of 20 grains of rice for every multiple answer vocabulary question you answer correctly on the site. The rice is paid for the advertisers at the bottom of the page. And how does it reach those in need? From the site's FAQ:

The rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). The World Food Program is the world’s largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Program helps hungry people to become self-reliant so that they escape hunger for good.

Other similar sites, on which a donation is made with nothing but a click, include thebreastcancersite.com and theanimalrescuesite.com. Look across the top of either site for even more.

The Six Sins of Greenwashing

2007-12-02T12:16:00.000-05:00

I hate getting suckered by a hoax, but it happens to most people. Probably everyone can recall falling for something they read on the 'net (most likely in some bulk e-mail) or believing in something that was later revealed to be an urban legend.

For that reason, I try to question some of the claims I come across when looking into environmental matters. Especially now that claiming to be green is such a great marketing tool. Often though, you have to apply a little blind faith and go with your gut.

This is why I was pleased to read about The Six Sins of Greenwashing, brought to my attention through a Greenbiz newsletter. Here's a portion of their article

In the spring of 2007, TerraChoice sent research teams into six category-leading "big box" retail stores with instructions to "record every product-based environmental claim they observed." In all, the teams examined 1,018 consumer products bearing 1,753 environmental claims. Products ranged from cleaning and personal care products to televisions and printers.

Of the products examined, "all but one made claims that are either demonstrably false or that risk misleading intended audiences," according to the report.

TerraChoice has isolated six methods by which the green claim is not always as accurate as a consumer would be led to believe, hence the six sins. Some could be "innocently" innacurate due to lack of detailed research, while others are deliberate falsehoods or omissions of information.

The report includes tips on how to avoid the misinformation, whether you're the business or the consumer, including the certifications that they feel you can count on. Check it out. Seems like a good reference.

Recycled Toilet Paper?

2007-11-30T20:01:00.000-05:00

What a lovely image this creates.

Grist.org recently reviewed different brands of butt-wad made with various levels of recycled content. The perception of using recycled toilet paper is probably that it would not be unlike going all the way back to nature and using tree bark to clean the crack, but apparently one brand stands out above the rest.

Drum roll...

Seventh Generation Double Roll
2 ply/ 400 sheets per roll/ 4.5"x4" sheet/ 200 sq. ft.
$3.99 for a 4-pack at Whole Foods
Recycled content: 100 percent
Post-consumer recycled content: 80 percent minimum
Color: white (processed without chlorine)
Pattern: flowers
Absorbency: 4.1 out of 5 (9 reviewers)
Overall comfort: 4.4 out of 5 (9 reviewers)

Some reviewers questioned whether this roll was even recycled -- quite the compliment for TP that boasts a minimum 80 percent post-consumer content. Though the tree-felling Cottonelle roll beat it by one-tenth of a point in overall comfort, this little recycled-roll-that-could ruled in absorbency. Even Summer said it was "nice on the tush!"

I don't recall ever coming across this brand at a local grocery store, but the next time I'm in one I'll look for it and give it a try if it's available. Don't expect a review though.

Looking at the comments on Grist's page, I see one person suggests the following:

I...don't know what to make of the whole thing. I was certain it was a joke but their website gives the opposite impressions. The online store certainly seems legitimate. Yet, their tips on how to...do the deed...create doubt.

When you crumple toilet paper, just like if you crumpled a piece of writing paper, it gets sharp edges and corners. Why would you want sharp corners on your toilet paper? Like all paper, toilet paper feels smoothest when it is flat.
Folding, instead of crumpling, also helps you use far less paper— saving energy, resources and money.
If you are worried that folded paper will break or tear, just fold it over again to make more layers. With ShitBegone, I usually tear off 3 or 4 sheets, and fold them over twice for a total of 4 sheets (8 plys) thick. But even if you tear off 6 or 8 sheets at a time, and make a pad 24 layers thick to wipe yourself with, you will still use less paper than most crumplers do.

All right, well...Maybe I'll start with 7th Generation and increase my experimentation when I'm more confident.

More on the ZENN Car on the Rick Mercer Report

2007-11-25T10:52:00.000-05:00

This is a typically funny and informative Mercer segment on the ZENN car. Worth the few minutes to watch it, and worth communicating with the two men mentioned in the segment during the test drive to ask them to get things moving along. Or perhaps appealing to the provincial level is the way to go.

The other thing that jumped out at me was the price. $12,000?? That's honestly far lower than I would have guessed.

On the other hand, I would have two concerns:

a) Top speed. Can you take this thing on the highway? It doesn't sound (no pun intended) like it.

b) Charge length. I believe the site's video states that an eight hour charge is good for about 35 minutes. Oy. Not so good for the long-distance stuff.

So it appears to be a car for a specific market. Still, there are an awful lot of benefits, especially for the selling price and considering that you don't have to buy gas. How much does THAT save a month??

Now this is my first attempt at including a youtube video as part of my post so forgive me if I botch it. If I have, the actual link is this.

The CFL's Green Drive

2007-11-24T08:37:00.000-05:00

No, this is not yet another post about how CFL's (compact fluorescent lights) are going to save the world. It's about how the CFL (Canadian Football League) is attempting to lighten the impact of its championship game this weekend.

Here's a portion of a press release from earlier this month.

TORONTO (CFL) -– The ‘CFL Green Drive’, a new initiative focused on minimizing the Grey Cup’s impact on the environment, was announced today by the Canadian Football League, in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Environment.

Each year the CFL hosts the largest single-day sporting event in Canada. The CFL Green Drive represents a major new commitment by the league to minimize the event’s impact on the environment.
/
For this year’s Grey Cup, the CFL Green Drive will focus on three major areas; the use of renewable clean energy, waste management and carbon offsetting.

Through an environmental audit conducted by supporting partner Zerofootprint, the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the CFL championship game's energy use, paper, and team air travel were determined. These emissions will be balanced out using ISO-certified reforestation carbon offsets. This effort will offset nearly 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide, a process which will help revitalize degraded ecosystems and soak up the CO2 the event has produced.

The CFL is also working with supporting partner and clean energy leader Bullfrog Power, a retailer of 100 per cent EcoLogo certified green electricity, to provide clean power for this year’s Grey Cup.

Throughout Grey Cup week, the CFL’s supporting partner and recycling pioneer Turtle Island will provide waste management and recycling services for the Grey Cup Festival and at the big game itself.

More information can be found on the CFL’s Green Drive website via www.cfl.ca/greendrive. The website contains links to all of the CFL’s ‘green’ partners and is a resource for fans to learn more about the various initiatives.

Fans will also find an engaging way to be a part of the CFL Green Drive through an interactive carbon calculator designed by Zerofootprint.

Mrs THIT and I recently had a discussion about how authentic some of these "initiatives" are. I'm not questioning the CFL's in particular, but speaking in general terms. Are there real efforts being made, or is the green flag being waived because it's makes for good marketing?

Who knows? I don't want to paint everyone with one wide brush. If nothing else, the CFL brings the issue to a large group of people, a number of which may not be very aware of the options.

The CFL, by the way, is hardly a trailblazer here. Some time ago, it was announced that the 2010 Winter Olympics would also be carbon neutral, and the claim was reinforced earlier this month. The 2006 Olympics were partially offset, as were a number of other events including the Superbowl.

Costa Rica and New Zealand on Path to Carbon Neutrality

2007-11-22T19:55:00.000-05:00

This is an article from the Worldwatch Institute.

While some of the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs) hem and haw about how to—or even if to—limit their contributions to climate change, at least two small countries are blazing trails for the world to follow. Both Costa Rica and New Zealand have declared over the past several months their intentions to become carbon neutral. Together, they accounted for about 0.15 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2005, according to the World Bank.

In May 2007, Costa Rica’s government announced it was drawing up plans to reduce net GHG emissions to zero before 2030. The country aims to reduce emissions from transport, farming, and industry, and to clean up its fossil fuel power plants, which account for 4 percent of the country’s electricity (of the rest, 78 percent comes from hydropower and 18 percent from wind and geothermal power). In addition, through an innovative program begun in 1997 and funded by a gas tax, the government compensates landowners for growing trees to absorb carbon while protecting watersheds and wildlife habitat. Costa Rica aims to be the first country to become carbon neutral.

But Costa Rica could be in a race with New Zealand, which last month set the target of becoming “the first truly sustainable nation on earth.” Prime Minister Helen Clark announced in a speech on September 20 that her country will adopt an economy-wide program to reduce all GHG emissions, with different economic sectors being gradually introduced into a national emissions trading program that should be in effect fully by 2013. Other commitments include an increase in renewable electricity to 90 percent by 2025 (up from 70 percent today), a major net increase in forest area, widespread introduction of electric vehicles, and a 50 percent reduction in transport-related emissions by 2040.
These two nations represent only a small share of the world’s emissions. But as New Zealand’s Clark said last month, “We are neither an economic giant nor a global superpower…. If we want to influence other countries and the responses they take in coming years and decades, then we must take action ourselves. Taking action is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.”

I've been to Costa Rica and it's a lovely place. I was on a cruise, so I was only there for one day.

I went horseback riding with my wife and my pappy. My horse hated me, as well as everyone and everything around it. I gave another horse attitude and that horse tried to kick mine, causing it to bolt. Thankfully, the...huh...horse handlers (?) got a hold him before I was sent tumbling to my ass.

Was that the most unpleasant part of my day trip? Actually, no. Watching dumb-ass tourists stoss cigarette butts in the rain forest was. That was the most frustrating thing. Because heaven forbid you go three whole hours without your smoke.

But I guess it's not that big a deal. When tossing cigarette butts in a forest, what's the worst that can happen, right?

Organic Food Proven Healthier?

2007-11-18T08:57:00.000-05:00

I wasn't certain whether I should post this for two reasons:

a) I've beaten this drum before.
b) I typically like to find an objecting viewpoint. Not that I seek to have my mind changed, but I like to know whether there's a (or multiple) factor(s) that I haven't considered.

"b" is particularly true in this area because I know not everyone is a believer that organic = healthier (though most do know that organic = more expensive). However, the mention that this study is the largest of its kind won me over.

Organic food is healthier than conventional produce and may be better at preventing cancer and heart disease, according to the biggest study of its kind. So here is a slightly trimmed version,with the full article available here.

In a finding that challenges official advice, researchers have shown that fruit and vegetables contain up to 40 per cent more nutrients if they are grown without chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
The £12 million project also found that organic milk contains 80 per cent more antioxidants -substances which reduce the risk of tumours and life threatening problems.
Organic produce also had higher levels of iron and zinc, vital nutrients lacking in many people's diets.
/
A spokesman for the Food Standards Agency - which has come under fire for insisting that organic produce is no more healthier than conventional food - said it would review the latest study.
The findings come from Prof Carlo Leifert, an expert in organic food whose four year Newcastle University study is funded by the European Union and food companies.
He said the health benefits were so striking that moving to organic food was the equivalent of eating an extra portion of fruit and vegetables every day.
/
His team grew fruit and vegetables and reared cows on organic and non-organic sites on a 725 acre farm near at Newcastle University.
They found that levels of antioxidants in milk from organic cattle were between 50 and 80 per cent higher than conventional milk.
Organic wheat, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions and lettuce had between 20 and 40 per cent more nutrients.
Although the study has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, Prof Leifert is convinced the findings are sound.
He also believes there is enough evidence for the Food Standards Agency to change its advice on organic food and admits to being puzzled why the agency has not already done so.
"I wonder whether it's more to do with politics," he said.
The research suggests that organic fruit and vegetable is healthier because it uses more natural fertiliser such as clover and manure.
"Plants have evolved to get nutrients from organic matter, " he said.
"They need only a small amount early on in the year, and most in the summer. Yet with chemical fertiliser, they get most soon after planting and very little when they need it most."
The study - which runs for another year - found that milk was more nutritious in the summer, when cattle are grazing fresh grass.
"If you feed a cow on grass you get better milk," he said.
"I suspect that because British cattle have so much grass in their diet that nutrient levels may be higher in conventional UK milk than in some imported organic milk."
The Soil Association, which has been embroiled in a decade long dispute with the FSA over the health benefits of organic food, has welcomed the latest research.
There are few signs that the boom in organic food is ending. Sales are growing by 25 per cent each year and shoppers now spend around £2 billion a year on organic produce.
The reasons why organic food is popular vary. Some shoppers buy it for the taste, others to reduce exposure to chemicals.
Organic meat is popular among shoppers concerned about animal welfare.
The Food Standards Agency has ordered a review into its advice on organic food and health benefits. The results are expected in March.
"Until then the advice remains that there is no evidence that organic food has higher levels of nutrients than conventional food," a spokesman said.

I have yet to come across a sound argument as to why I shouldn't eat organic when the opportunity presents itself. Even the well-thought out comment made at the bottom of the article...

Yeah. I'm sure that plants that have been splattered with manure are MUCH more healthy than non-organic.

- Nic, Maize, USA

...doesn't quite cut it. When a friend of mine once asked about what the difference was in eating organic, another responded to the effect that "It means that you eat real shit instead of articifical shit". Well...If I'm going to eat shit anyway...

ZENN: Zero Emissions, No Noise

2007-11-09T08:42:00.000-05:00

I came across a story of a Canadian company making electric cars, but struggling to sell them within the country, on another blog. But it seems that since that entry was written, things have taken a significant turn and that the possibility of purchasing an electric car is becoming more likely.

Here's a brief video from CBC's National which recaps the hurddle that's been jumped, the remaining difficulties, and some pros and cons of this vehicle.

The ZENN Motor Company's own website has a promotional video as well.

I'm not sure that the Zenn could be the primary vehicle for many people, because of its top speed and maximum charge, but at least it appears that some significant progress has been made in regards to the electric car becoming more mainstream.

Peer Pressure The World Into Eco-Friendliness!

2007-11-04T20:17:00.000-05:00

The timing of this article (or at least, my finding it) is convenient, as I'm going to Toronto tomorrow and spending the night in a hotel.

You know those signs they have in the bathrooms reminding you to reuse your towels in order to save water? One such sign was the inspiration of a study on how the wording of a suggestion can impact the likelihood that it will be followed. The results may offer some insight as to how best to deliver a message so that it sticks. Read on:

I’ll bet you’ve been there. You’ve stood under the unkind fluorescent lights of a hotel bathroom, looking at one of those milquetoasty pasteboard signs about towel reuse. And maybe you’ve thought, What a crock. In the face of innumerable planetary ills, we’re expected to believe that towels are the cure?

But marketing researcher Robert Cialdini must have a sunnier disposition. When he first noticed those little signs, he was positively delighted by the opportunities, remembering the billboard slogan this space available for lease. “I thought, ‘This space available for test,’” he said during a recent talk in San Francisco.

Cialdini and his Arizona State University students, with the consent of two Phoenix-area hotels, took their theories of persuasion to the towel rack. First, they tested the familiar exhortations to “Help save the environment” and “Help save resources for future generations.” These messages had similar success rates, convincing an unimpressive 30 percent of guests to reuse their towels after one night.

Things improved, however, when the research team resorted to peer pressure. The invitation to “Join your fellow guests in helping to save the environment”—including the justifiable statement that nearly three-quarters of guests used their towels more than once—garnered a 44 percent participation rate after one night. Then, the researchers drew guests’ peers even closer: “Seventy-five percent of the guests who stayed in this room . . . [used] their towels more than once,” they asserted. With the ghosts of former guests peeping over their shoulders, nearly 50 percent of hotel customers hung up their towels.
We are a pliable people, it seems: what our neighbors, and even our unseen fellow hotel guests, do in their bathrooms wields more influence than we like to think. Cialdini argues that these flocking instincts can, and in some cases already do, work for the planet. In a telephone survey of more than two thousand Californians, for instance, he found that the belief that one’s neighbors conserve energy was closely linked to household energy savings—even though most respondents professed higher-minded motivations such as environmental protection and civic responsibility. Activists, Cialdini says, should take note.
Yet one group resists the do-good herd. An unexpected result of the hotel towel study was that no matter the message, American Express cardholders reused their towels significantly less often than Visa or MasterCard members. The reason, speculates Cialdini, is that many AmEx members take their advertising slogan to heart, believing that membership really does “have its privileges.” One of them, it appears, is to use as many towels as you darn well please.

Smoked Wheat

2007-11-04T17:43:00.000-05:00

I've commented a number of times about how certain people make a big deal of the fact that Christine and I became vegetarians a couple of years ago. But I maintain (and always will) that it's not anywhere near the huge lifestyle change that some make it out to be. Not to take a shot at myself, but if I can do it...

If you spend even a minimal amount of time looking into it, you'll find that there are a number of substitutes that are available to kill the meat craving at first, until you no longer really have a desire for it. That's been my (our) experience, anyway. Think of them as "Nicorette for beef". ;-)

Now in truth, there aren't substitutes for everything. I have yet to come across a quality substitute for ribs, for example. And I had yet to come across a quality substitute for smoked meat, but now that one's been taken care of.

Christine spotted "Smoked Wheat" from the above folks at a Loeb store near our place and decided to give it a try. Click on the logo for more details.

We were pretty pleased with it. Was it identical to the real thing? No. Like many fake meats, the most glaring difference is in the texture (in my opinion, anyway).

Does it simulate the real thing well enough to pass? Absolutely. Flavour-wise, it's close enough. And now that it's a couple of hours in my past, I'm enjoying the wicked thirst you get after a little while after eating a smoked meat sandwhich. Now THAT'S substitutin'!! It's also kind of odd because water is the first ingredient...

We'll have it again before long, and likely try "Roast Wheat" at some point. And hopefully they both look close enough to the real thing to others that I can have it in a sandwich at work or with friends and not have someone tell me for the umpteenth time "Oh, that's right! You don't eat meat at all?? I don't know how you do it..."

Here's the nutritional content from a handy little site called thedailyplate.com. And while looking up some information about smoked wheat, I came across this list of Top Five Vegetarian Sandwiches. Smoked Wheat made the #3 position, so I might just have to try the other four some day.

IFAW's Petition Against Ivory Trading

2007-10-27T10:46:00.000-04:00

Fairly self-explanatory. I know that not everyone is convinced petitions are actually impactful, but this is an area where I take the point of view that while they may not be, doing nothing is definitely not impactful.

Looking a little further into this issue, I came across the following blurb:

New DNA tests on illegal ivory have revealed elephant-poaching hot spots. Now scientists hope police will be able to catch the crooks responsible and halt the decline of elephant numbers.

Interesting. More about this process and it's impact can be found here.

Salt: Not Just For Breakfast Anymore!

2007-10-27T08:17:00.000-04:00

While not a professional nutritionist by any stretch, and not nearly as careful as I could be when determining my snack options, I've come a long since the days I used to have BBQ chips for breakfast.

It turns out that might not have been so good for me. Who knew??

I suppose neither was the time that I scooped a spoonful of salt into a cup of tea. Of course, that was by accident. I thought while drinking it that the contents of my cup tasted...odd.

I read the article below yesterday while on my lunch break at work and wolfing down a 12" Subway Veggie Delite. It was written by one Megan Gillis of the Sun newspaper chain and is a clear, brief rundown of the impact of salt on your diet. Some of the statistics mentioned may surprise you.

Limiting salt in the food we eat would be the biggest boon to public health since safe drinking water and sewers, a coalition of health groups argued yesterday.
The group was urging action to stop an epidemic of high blood pressure linked to strokes, heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and dementia.
The average Canadian eats about a third more salt than the healthy limit and double what they need, most of it from processed foods including bread, cereal, soups and processed fast food.
Research suggests that if Canadians ate only healthy amounts of sodium, the number of strokes and cases of heart disease could drop by 30% and one in three Canadians with hypertension -- a million people -- would have normal blood pressure, saving $430 million a year in health costs and 4 million doctor visits.
"The individual can only do so much and now more food companies have to step up," Canadian Stroke Network director Dr. Kevin Willis said. "If we discovered that a food additive was causing 30% of all cancers, something would be done right away. The same action is needed with sodium to prevent stroke, heart disease and other vascular illness."
Health Minister Tony Clement established an expert working group yesterday as a first step toward a national strategy to cut salt consumption.
But health groups want the government to move quickly to set standards for salt in food, track and report how much Canadians are eating, launch an education campaign and provide incentives to food makers.
The goal is to reduce sodium consumption to healthy levels by 2020.
Meanwhile, people should read labels, eat less processed and fast food and cook more meals at home based on naturally low-sodium foods such as fruits and vegetables.
"It's been said reducing dietary sodium would result in the biggest improvement in public health since clean water and drains," said Sen. Wilbert Keon, the former head of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
"It's not just adults who have to worry," Keon said. "Evidence published recently shows that sodium is harmful to children, causing high blood pressure and damage to blood vessels that will lead to ill health later in life.
"In my own work as a heart surgeon, I've seen the impact of poor diet on disease and damaged hearts. It's critical we take a population level approach to reduce sodium in the food supply, make it easier for people to make healthier choices and educate the population on the link between sodium and hypertension."
It's not just the salt shaker. Processed foods can be packed with sodium. Research shows that even Canadians who say they never add salt to their food are consuming too much sodium. A small number of foods -- pizza, sandwiches, subs, burgers and hot dogs, soups and pasta dishes -- account for a third of the sodium we eat.
- Pizza Pizza pepperoni slice (large takeout slice), 1,710 mg.
- Pizza Pizza Big Bacon Bonanza (takeout only), 2,090 mg.
- McDonald's Big Mac, 1,020 mg.
- Burger King Bacon Double Cheeseburger, 1,460 mg.
- Subway 6" spicy Italian sub, 1,580 mg.
- Subway 6" ham sub, 1,060 mg.
- East Side Mario's baked ziti pasta with sausage, 2,310 mg.
- East Side Mario's Bigga Spaghetti with Meatballs, 4,290 mg
Source: National Sodium Policy Statement

Even God's Going Greener

2007-10-24T19:17:00.000-04:00

From The Book Standard, by way of Grist.org.

Thomas Nelson will publish the world's first eco-friendly Bible later this month. The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Daily Bible will be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and production will flow from a FSC-certified forest through a paper manufacturer and printer that have FSC chain-of-custody certification.

The Bible will contain recycled fiber and was developed along with Domtar, a paper manufacturer with a strong environmental commitment. Thomas Nelson is currently working with the Green Press Initiative, a U.S.-based organization that helps the book publishing industry reduce their paper usage, to reduce the company's carbon footprint.

This isn't my first exposure to the Green Press Initiative. During our vacation in late July/early August, we made a stop in Perth, where I bought a calendar that has the Green Press initiative stamp on it.

I looked them up and found them interesting. Though I intended to post about Green Press at the time, I held off on the basis that talking about calendars in August is sort of like putting up Christmas decorations before Halloween.

The calendar itself is published by Amber Lotus Publishing and they claim to printing on 100% post-consumer recycled paper (cover stock is 20% recycle) using soy-based inks. They plant a minimum of 3000 trees every year and offset their carbon dioxide emissions through NativeEnergy.

There's an awful lot to like there, and going forward that Green Press logo will be something I look for.

United Animal Nations Halloween Reminders

2007-10-21T09:22:00.000-04:00

With Halloween on the way, I can already look forward to Oscar barking at every ghost and goblin that makes it to our door. Boy, you just don't get tired of that, eh?

Actually, at our old place, it was kind of cool because we could set a gate at the top of the stairs that led down to the front door. Oscar would bark himself hoarse through the banister at all the little kids just as Christine would open the door, scaring the kiddlies senseless for a brief moment. Hilarity would naturally ensue.

That's not an option in the new crib. We have a fairly wide entrance hall, which in this instance will complicate things. So we're going to have to figure something out.

Here are other things to bear in mind as Halloween creeps up on, courtesy of the United Animal Nations (said from the pet's point of view).

1. No treats for Fido. Chocolate can be toxic to dogs and cats, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed. Don’t give us candy, no matter how much we beg!

2. Take care with candles. If you add a candle to your carved Jack-o’-lantern, make sure we can’t knock it over and get burned or cause a fire.

3. Dress without stress. If your pet likes to wear a costume (please don’t force us if we don’t!), make sure it’s safe. No small dangling pieces that we can chew or choke on. Make sure we can breathe, see and hear clearly, and that the costume doesn’t trip us or restrict our movement.

4. Get unplugged. Well, you can keep your lights and decorations plugged in, but make sure we can’t chew on the wires and cords.

5. Privacy please! Unless your pets are super social and friendly...put them in a separate room when trick-or-treaters come to call. All those strangers can be scary and stressful for us.

We're #1!

2007-10-21T08:14:00.000-04:00

In rudeness.

Reader's Digest set out to determine which city in Canada was the most polite. The Ottawa Citizen covered the results which included Ottawa coming in 11th. Of 11. More below.

RD sent teams of researchers to gauge the politeness of people in major cities across the country. The teams used three tests. At 10 busy intersections, they dropped a folder filled with papers to see if anyone would help pick them up.
The RD teams also walked behind people entering public buildings to see if they would hold the door open. and bought small items in 10 stores to see if the sales clerk would say thanks.
Maybe people here mistook the RD teams for Americans with their puny little dollars, and who needs to be nice to them anymore?
Besides, we're busy running this exasperating country. We don't have time to make nice with every butterfingers rube from out of town who lacks the hand/eye co-ordination necessary to walk and grasp a sheaf of papers at the same time.
Moncton finished first in the survey, and it's true Monctonians are unfailingly nice to visitors. But these are the same people who tell you with a straight face that the well-named Tidal Bore is a fascinating natural phenomenon. And they insist that Magnetic Hill is not a shabby trick to pull on innocent little children.
Montreal was ranked fifth, and there's no doubt that Montrealers are sophisticated. When blind drunk, for example, Montrealers never urinate on their own statuary. They much prefer coming to Ottawa on Canada Day to urinate on ours. Nothing says gracious urban living like drunks urinating in public at the War Memorial.
RD's head office is in Montreal, but that wouldn't influence the survey results, surely.
Calgary and Vancouver tied for second? Be for real, RD.
In Calgary, it's considered polite to talk about how much money you make and what a civic blessing it would be if Newfoundlanders were banned in Alberta. It's the height of wit in Calgary to refer to Red Deer as "Dead Rear."
In Vancouver, a visitor finds himself gagging on civic smugness. All they talk about is how much they paid for their house, and how much more it's worth now. Know what, you Kitsilano kook? Nobody cares about your paper fortune.
Toronto finished third from the bottom, no surprise there. People in T.O. are constantly crabby because the Maple Leafs are a foul blot on the city's fair face.
Anyway, who cares what RD thinks? RD is so boring we already forgot everybody in those "Most Unforgettable Character" articles. The survey explains why RD is only seen at the dentist's office. Because reading it is associated with pain.
In Moncton, they have a colloquial expression used to indicate total disagreement with any statement, political or otherwise: "And a pig's behind is pork, too."
Ottawa dead last in civility? Yeah, RD, and a pig's behind is pork, too.
The Most Courteous Cities
(Rankings as published in Reader's Digest)
City/score
1. Moncton: 80 per cent
2. tie: Calgary and Vancouver: 77
3. Edmonton: 73
4. tie: Victoria, Charlottetown, St. John's: 70
5. Montreal: 68
6. tie: Halifax, Winnipeg: 67
7. Regina: 63
8. Quebec City: 62
9. Toronto: 60
10. Saskatoon: 57
11. Ottawa: 50

Naturally, this has sparked some debate. There are a number of points about this whole thing that I find particularly amusing.

1. The seriousness with which some people are reacting in comment sections online and in the paper. Come one, people. Reader's Digest could do this once a month and come up with different results. This is hardly an exact science. Don't worry about it.

2. The variety of reactions across the country. In looking up the article, I came cross several recaps of it from newspapers in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Ottawa is last, and many people seem to agree it's deserving of its positioning. Vancouver is tied for second...and many people seem to think that's a a load of crap.

3. The reaction to the article above taking toungue-in-cheek shots at other cities. To those who think that the article was written seriously, I have an early Christmas present for you; a very tiny portion of dictionary.com which relates to the definition of "irony":

—Synonyms 1, 2. Irony, sarcasm, satire indicate mockery of something or someone. The essential feature of irony is the indirect presentation of a contradiction between an action or expression and the context in which it occurs. In the figure of speech, emphasis is placed on the opposition between the literal and intended meaning of a statement; one thing is said and its opposite implied, as in the comment, “Beautiful weather, isn't it?” made when it is raining or nasty.

It's not fully completely applicable but it should lead you down the right path.

In any event, such studies are amusing, but that's about the extent of it in my opinion. I'm not from here but I've lived here many years, have no intention of leaving, and have met some great folks. Yet there are days that I come home ranting about how much I hate people in general.

The odd "test" in this survey is the one about having doors held open. I NEVER have that problem. I find that 95% of the time people will hold doors for others.

My great symbol of rudeness here, there and everywhere is the use of cellphones in public places. But that's a whole other topic for another day...

Real Hair Racket

2007-10-16T19:04:00.001-04:00

I've never heard of this sort of thing before. If true, it goes to show that there's no end to the imagination of people willing and able to exploit others in a less fortunate position.

Amy Winehouse is set to donate £50,000 to a Romanian orphanage after discovering her hair extensions could have come from there.

The 'Rehab' singer - who wears a weave to boost her trademark beehive hairstyle - was shocked to discover orphans often have all their hair cut off to provide extensions for Western women. Although Amy has ensured the pieces she uses come from ethical sources, she is determined to help.

A source said: "Amy met a lovely lady from the group Beauty Hurts and they started chatting about the real hair racket. She had no idea orphans were exploited. She knows where her weave comes from and to be honest, it's the US where most of the unethically culled hair ends up, but she still wanted to help. Amy was keen to keep her generous donation secret but realises it's important to highlight the issue."

Inspirational Sausage

2007-10-09T23:08:00.000-04:00

A three-legged dachshund named Longfellow runs to the finish line to win a race at the Annual Savannah Wiener Dawg Races Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007, in Savannah, Ga. Longfellow missed last year's races after being hit by a car and losing one of his hind legs. After recovering for the year, Longfellow joined more than 175 dachshunds from around the South to compete for prizes during races at the Oktoberfest Festival on the Historic River Street Waterfront. (AP Photo/Photo Stephen Morton)

Self-Conscious About Driving a Smart Car?

2007-10-08T09:46:00.000-04:00

Then probably this little guy isn't for you.

You're looking at Nissan's newest electric car, which is getting a little press these days. I'm not certain why, because the press release I found about it dates back to 2005.

In any event, that it's electric is almost an afterthought because *gasp* its wheels rotate for easier parking!! Now you're talking progress!

Apparently it will also cheer you up after a bad day. I'm all for trying to look beyond a paradigm but that's just..odd.

TOKYO (Sept. 30, 2005) - Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today unveiled Pivo, its imaginative electric car concept, in partnership with renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami at the company's Nissan Ginza Gallery in downtown Tokyo.

Pivo, which will be on display at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, features an innovative cabin that revolves 360 degrees, eliminating the need to reverse. Thanks to its compact body, the car is also exceptionally easy to maneuver.

The three-seater car comes with a number of user-friendly technologies, including Nissan's Around View Monitor which reduces blind spots by displaying the outside surroundings on screens mounted on the inside of the car's A-pillars located on either side of the windshield. A dash-mounted infrared (IR) commander allows the driver to operate the navigation and stereo systems with simple finger movements without letting go of the steering wheel.

Pivo is powered by Nissan's compact, high-performance lithium-ion battery and its unique Super Motor, resulting in zero emissions.

The gallery space for the Pivo event, which was designed by Murakami, features a futuristic vegetable garden installation, as well as large balloons and illustrations of "Pivo-chan," a character he designed based on the concept car's inspiring image.

Here's a short video clip.

Ever hear that a genius is not appreciated in his or her own time? Well, someone came up with a similar car YEARS ago and got laughed at for it.

Let that serve as a lesson to not judge an idea entirely on first impressions, people.

A Corn-ucopia of Options

2007-10-07T10:58:00.001-04:00

This is a subject matter that I came across a while ago, but struggled to come up with a way to display it. This being thanskgiving weekend in Canada, the timing seems right now.

One of my first posts on here was about discovering the various things that could be accomplished with hemp. More and more I'm finding out that the same is true about...corn.

I found out more about ethanol a while ago:

Ethanol is a liquid alcohol made of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon and is obtained from the fermentation of sugar or converted starch contained in grains and other agricultural or agri-forest feedstocks. In Canada, ethanol is presently made principally from corn and wheat.

Ethanol is blended with gasoline to produce a fuel which has environmental advantages when compared with gasoline, and can be used in gasoline-powered vehicles manufactured since the 1980's. Most gasoline-powered vehicles can run on a blend consisting of gasoline and up to 10 percent ethanol, known as "E-10"...

But I only recently found out that corn can be used to make plastic. The main benefit appears to be in the time it takes to biodegrade.

But of course, whenever something highly beneficial to the environment comes to light, it takes no time for someone to find a flaw in it. CFLs use less energy but contain mercury. Wind turbines are too loud. Creating solar panels is too costly.

This article covers both the potential benefits and drawbacks well and I tihnk, when it's all said and done, if the corn plastic is available to me, I'll take it.

Seagulls Will Eat Anything.

2007-09-30T19:55:00.001-04:00

This cracks me up. It was sent to me by a buddy. Click on the picture.

A seagull in Scotland has developed the habit of stealing chips from a neighborhood shop.

The seagull waits until the shopkeeper isn't looking, and then walks into the store and grabs a snack-size bag of cheese Doritos.

Once outside, the bag gets ripped open and shared by other birds.

The seagull's shoplifting started early this month when he first swooped into the store in Aberdeen, Scotland, and helped himself to a bag of chips. Since then, he's become a regular. He always takes the same type of chips.

Customers have begun paying for the seagull's stolen bags of chips because they think it's so funny.

Or...Procreation Day??

2007-09-30T19:30:00.000-04:00

When I wrote the post below, I didn't anticipate coming across this other type of "day off" for a specific cause:

MOSCOW (AP) - A Russian region best known as the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin has found a novel way to fight the nation's birthrate crisis: It has declared Sept. 12 the Day of Conception and for the third year running is giving couples time off from work to procreate.
The hope is for a brood of babies exactly nine months later on Russia's national day. Couples who ``give birth to a patriot'' during the June 12 festivities win money, cars, refrigerators and other prizes.
Ulyanovsk, a region on the Volga River about 550 miles east of Moscow, has held similar contests since 2005. Since then, the number of competitors, and the number of babies born to them, has been on the rise.
Alexei Bezrukov and his wife, Yulia, won a 250,000 ruble prize - equivalent to $10,000 - in June after she gave birth to a baby boy, Andrei. Bezrukov said patriotism wasn't their motive for having a child, their third, although the money was welcome.
``It was a patriotic atmosphere, you know when everyone around is celebrating, but I wasn't thinking of anything but my son,'' he said. ``The whole thing is great, it's great to get 250,000 rubles when you have a new baby to take care of.''
Russia, with one-seventh of the Earth's land surface, has just 141.4 million citizens, making it one of the most sparsely settled countries in the world. With a low birthrate and very high death rate, the population has been shrinking since the early 1990s.
It is now falling by almost half a percent each year. Demographic experts expect the decline to accelerate, estimating that Russia's population could fall below 100 million by 2050.

Usually when I post I like to include a graphic of some kind, but in this case I don't think I should.

Humanitarian Days?

2007-09-30T17:15:00.000-04:00

There's an election coming soon in Ontario and along with elections come...Promises!

The Green Party of Ontario is proposing six new statutory holidays, dwarfing a pledge by the governing Liberals that would see Ontarians receive one additional day off.

Under Green leadership, vacation days would be provided in March, April, August and November and municipal and provincial polling days would be holidays.

"It gives people more time to spend with family and gardening and cleaning the house and that makes people feel awful good about themselves and then they feel better at work," party leader Frank de Jong said yesterday in an interview.

I posted about something similar not too long ago. At the time, I believe it was the Federal party that was suggesting a shorter work day and/or additional vacation time. I don't recall the specifics of it.

Naturally, on the surface that sounds very appealing. But I spoke with a gentleman from Alberta (through work) recently who, while discussing an entirely different subject, brought up a different idea I like even more.

He took part in program with Habitat for Humanity which consisted of travelling to Mexico to help build homes for people in need of affordable housing.

What is Habitat for Humanity Canada?

Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national, non-profit, faith-based organization working for a world where everyone has a safe and decent place to live. Our mission is to mobilize volunteers and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting homeownership as a means to breaking the cycle of poverty.

The organization was founded in 1985, consists of 30,000 volunteers and 70 Affiliate organizations from coast to coast, and is a member of Habitat for Humanity International which spans 100 countries, has built over 200,000 homes, and is now building a new home every 24 minutes.

I linked the above, but I'm not entirely certain that it's correct. This gentleman had explained that the organization he worked with was not a religious one, yet this clearly says that HFH is faith-based.

In any event, his idea was that companies should establish something along the lines of a Humanitarian Day (his name, not mine, but I like it). The point would be that once a year (minimum), a company could award an employee a Humanitarian Day if said employee wanted to take part in a charity event of some sort. These would be cumulative and ONLY to be used for that purpose. One would have to provide proof of participation (because you just know some people would try to treat them as an extra vacation day).

I love it. The impact on a company would likely be minimal and it may just encourage some folks to get out there and do their part.

I suggested to him that he escalate the idea to senior management and I have no idea whether or not he did, but I'll talk to him again some day (it's the nature of my work) and if he hasn't, I will. I would love for this kind of thing to become common place.

That's My Girl!

2007-09-22T08:44:00.000-04:00

Mrs THIT was out of town last weekend dealing with a family matter. Usually when she leaves for a spell, she calls upon arrival at her destination and before she sets off to come home.

I received a call from her at an odd time while she was away though, which always raises a question mark, right? And sure enough she was somewhat distraught. Thankfully it wasn't due to any harm coming to her or any member of her family.

While driving on the highway, they (Christine and her sisters) came upon a minivan. Its occupants, for undetermined and highly illogical reasons, had decided to keep their dog in a carrying case. That's fine, except that the case was strapped to the outside of the vehicle.

Because of high winds, particularly in a moving vehicle (and in a brewing storm, an indication in itself that the case-on-the-roof plan is not real sound), choice words that Christine had for these people were not hitting the mark.

So she called 9-1-1. :-)

She asked to speak with police, was transferred, explained to the person who took her call where she was and the situation she was looking to report. To their credit, the police took her complaint seriously and said they were sending a car out.

Out of curiosity, the ladies followed the car in question and sure enough, within minutes, a cop had pulled the minivan over for a chat.

Unfortunately, we don't know how the story ends, exactly. I suspect they were asked to remove the case and bring it inside the vehicle, but that no punishment as such was delivered. And it may well be that a couple of miles down the road, the driver returned the case to its previous position and went on his merry way, cursing the carload that ratted him out. We were hoping for a follow-up call to let us know how it was handled but this point we haven't received one.

But at least it serves as an illustration of how to go about dealing with one of these situations. For animal lovers, seeing that kind of idiocy is infuriating and the first instinct might well be to get more directly involved. Admittedly, it might be mine.

Don't. Let the professionals handle it. Even PETA, recognized for their hands-on approach, would suggest this. In an e-mail to people on the mailing lists, here's what they recommend:

Find out which agency is responsible for investigating and enforcing anti-cruelty laws in your state, county, or town. This may be a local humane society or a taxpayer-funded animal shelter. In areas without such organizations, citizens should call the police or sheriff's department.

If an animal is in a life-threatening situation, call authorities immediately. Follow up with them in a timely manner to determine their findings and their planned course of action. If they do not respond right away, call PETA at 757-622-7382.

Still, we may try to keep on top of this one. I'm wondering if there's a way to find out what the outcome was, and if so, we'll do just that.

Speaking of Poisoning Your Own...

2007-09-18T10:33:00.000-04:00

From Voice of America:

For the first time in Japan, two elected officials are warning the Japanese public of dangerous levels of mercury in dolphin meat, and condemned its consumption, especially in school lunches. They say the public is unaware of the health problems associated with the meat, and are on a mission to educate them. Catherine Makino reports from Tokyo.

Two city assemblymen from the fishing town of Taiji in the southern prefecture (state) of Wakayama, say short-fin dolphin meat was taken from supermarkets in the city and tested for mercury over the past year. Junichiro Yamashita and Hisato Yono say it contained more than 10 to 16 times the government's limit.

Although supermarkets are removing it from their shelves, Taiji is moving ahead with plans to build a $3 million dolphin processing plant. In addition, there are plans to expand the government's program of supplying school lunches with dolphin meat.

Speaking to journalists, Yamashita strongly denounced those plans, and said the school lunches were like feeding children "toxic waste." He says the government does not warn people that eating dolphin meat is a health hazard - mercury can cause severe brain damage and potentially fatal health problems.

"I stressed to the town council that it was risky and dangerous to use the meat, and it should be destroyed," he said.

Japanese medical researchers have also voiced concern about the high levels of mercury found in dolphin meat. Sea animals pick up the mercury in polluted coastal waters.

He says the government and the fishing industry hide the information from the public.

"The mass media is not taking it up because it could threaten the economy of the small town of Taiji, and hurt major fishery industries and the hunting drives of dolphins," he said.

Environmental groups such as Greenpeace and the Elsa Nature Conservancy of Japan warned two years ago that short-fin dolphin meat was contaminated. The groups also used the warning in a campaign to stop Japan's annual dolphin hunts.

About 2,300 dolphins are killed yearly in Taiji and 20,000 throughout the country. In Taiji, the mammals traditionally are herded into small coves, where they are speared and hacked to death. Most other countries ban dolphin hunting.

In the 1950s, the coastal waters around a small town in Japan called Minamata experienced massive mercury poisoning. About 3,000 people who ate seafood from the town's coastal waters were sickened and suffered permanent harm.

Pesticides Blamed for French Health Disaster

2007-09-18T08:20:00.000-04:00

I'm posting this out of personal interest, since these are two places that I've been to on cruise vacations.

Aerial view of a banana field in Martinique destroyed by Hurricane Dean in August 2007. Photo:Jacques Demarthon/AFP

PARIS (AFP) - The French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique face a "health disaster" with soaring cancer and infertility rates because of the massive use of banned pesticides on banana plantations, a top cancer specialist warned Monday.

"The situation is extremely serious. The tests we carried out on pesticides show there is a health disaster in the Caribbean. The word is not too strong. Martinique and Guadeloupe have literally been poisoned," Professor Dominique Belpomme told the capital's Le Parisien newspaper.
On Tuesday Belpomme is to deliver a report commissioned by the National Assembly, which will highlight the dangers posed by the long-term use of chlordecone, also known as kepone, on banana crops.

Chlordecone, which kills weevils, was banned in France's Caribbean territories in 1993, but it was used illegally -- often sprayed by aeroplanes -- up to 2002.

"The poisoning affects both land and water. Chlordecone establishes itself in the clay and stays there for up to a century. As a result the food chain is contaminated, and especially water. In Martinique most water sources are polluted," Belpomme said.

According to the cancer specialist, the impact on health will be "more serious than the tainted blood" scandal -- in which some 4,000 French people were infected with blood contaminated with the HIV virus in the 1980s.

"The rate of prostate cancer is major. The French Caribbean is second in the world ranking. Extrapolations show that nearly one male in two will be a risk of developing prostate cancer," he said.

"In addition the rate of congenital malformation is increasing in the islands. And women are having fewer children than 15 years ago. The standard theory is that this is because of the pill, but I think it is linked to pesticides," he said.

Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier said the situation was "very serious" and promised to "treat the question of chlordecone with the greatest openness."

But Christian Choupin, head of the Martinique and Guadeloupe Banana Producers' Association said Belpomme's report was unscientific.

"One has the impression that people are dying like flies in the French Caribbean, which is far from the reality," he said.

The French islands produce 260,000 tonnes of bananas a year, worth some 220 million euros (305 million dollars). The industry also receives 130 million euros in EU aid.

In August Hurricane Dean destroyed all the crop in Martinique and some 50 percent in Guadeloupe. Barnier said this represented an opportunity to rebuild the banana plantations "with zero pesticides."

Belpomme said chlordecone does not affect the fruit itself because the contamination "is confined to the skin".

Organic Recycling on the Way?

2007-09-17T08:52:00.001-04:00

From the Ottawa Sun.

In a report obtained by the Sun, which is expected to be released today, city staff is recommending the city start recycling your kitchen scraps by March 1, 2009.
That's about six months later than council agreed to earlier this year when it instructed staff to move ahead with the program, but is the earliest the company selected to collect the wet waste can be up and running. Staff is recommending the city's planning and environment committee award the 20-year recycling contract to Orgaworld Canada Ltd, a Netherlands-based recycling operation.
Staff is recommending the green boxes be picked up every week and residual waste every two weeks.

"Biweekly pick-up of the remaining 20% should not be problematic because the residual waste is neither bulky nor odourous, with the exception of disposable diapers," the report says.
With a $25-million start-up cost, almost half going towards purchasing the green bins, the annual operating cost for taxpayers will be $13.4 million, which equals an additional $38 on every municipal tax bill. The $25-million cost will come out of the city's waste reserve fund, but the additional cost to taxpayers won't begin until the program starts in 2009.
The city has been working on a green box program for several years in an effort to divert 60% of its waste away from area landfills. Currently, Ottawa residents generate 330,000 tonnes of waste annually, and 27% of that is kitchen waste. With its black and blue box and leaf and yard waste pickups, the city diverts 32% of waste from area dumps.
In 2001, council initiated a green box pilot project that included 5,300 households. The program yielded a 49% diversion rate -- 15% higher than the city average.
Orgaworld will be responsible for building and maintaining its processing plant and is in the process of buying a nine-hectare piece of property north of the city's Trail Rd. landfill.
The report suggests households that participate in the green, blue and black box programs will produce two or fewer bags of residual waste every two weeks.
"Jurisdictions that have moved to bi-weekly collection of residual waste tend to experience higher participation rates in their organics and recycling programs," the report says.
The city anticipates it will save money by picking up the residual waste every two weeks but first has to renegotiate with the collection companies.
The program will include all urban households and rural villages.

Alternatively, buy a weiner dog. Table scraps will be a thing of the past. Of course, you have a whole other kind of waste to deal with...

Goodsearch Expands to Goodshop!

2007-09-11T16:27:00.000-04:00

Not that I can do any online shopping right at the moment, since my house is outside of the time/space continuum, but when I do I can take a second to check if maybe my purchase wouldn't help a charitable organization ever so slightly.

Clicky clicky!

Pretty simple. Make your way to the site through Goodsearch specifically and part of your purchase is donated. No extra charge, very little extra time, and just about any charity you can think of it included. Good plan.

I'd love to save the world more often, but...

2007-09-10T22:03:00.000-04:00

After a number of months of leisurely seeking topics to write about, usually having to pick from a few of them and setting aside the rest for a rainy day, I've finally encountered my worst enemy.

And it is...Redneck Racing.

That's right.

Nascar.

I have just gone through my longest posting "dry spell" since I started this thing for kicks. And it finally hit me why I struggle with it so much now.

It used to be that in the old place, my computer was in the guestroom, well away from the TV. But now it's in the basement with 42 inches of plasma and constant Nascar programming roaring. I find it difficult to read about environmental issue and such while some guy is talking about how his car "runs good". boogity-boogity-boogity my ass, I can't concentrate. Climbing the CN Tower was easier.

I certainly haven't lost interest. Far from it. In fact, I'm going to have a long weekend this...huh...weekend, and rededicate (if that's a word) myself. I'm going to go over all of this years posts and act on the things I'd said I'd do, but haven't. I can already think of a couple off the top of my head. There are probably more. The move of course was a distraction, but it continued to be a distraction for longer than I'd anticipated.

Another roadblock; I'm having difficulty receiving things I've ordered through the mail. It didn't occur to me as I was ordering that my street, as far as Google maps and so on are concerned, does not exist yet. I found this out while trying to order a pizza one night. Raising the dead would have been easier. So if I want to order items such as the shoes in the previous post, or the CFL Fans Fight Cancer shirt, I have to think twice. God only knows how often that kind of data is updated.

Admittedly though, while hardly an expert, there are times when I feel I've covered a topic fairly thoroughly. How much more can be said about compact fluorescent light bulbs, for example?

As a result, I may change the name of this blog. I'd considered "Power of One" as a reflection that an awful lot can be accomplished if everyone just does their little part. But if I had an early concern about how Treehugger in Training abbreviates, "Power of One" is hardly better.

These Shoes Better Be Made For Walking

2007-08-27T22:06:00.000-04:00

I may have a lot to do before long.

I'm not good at buying sneakers. I don't think I'm a cheap person, but there are certain things I don't like spending big money on. Sneakers are among them.

So I usually go cheap. And have to replace my purchase a few months later. It also takes no time until they start to smell like a friggin' bog, that may be a whole other issue.

The last time I went shopping for sneakers, I said to myself "Self, for once, go all out and spend more than $17 on a pair of sneakers. Live a little, dawg!"

And I did. I spent about $33!

It didn't help. Those sneakers sucked too. They might have lasted a little longer but only marginally so. And some peice of plastic (or something) broke in the back at some point, inside, and is gashing the back of my foot mercilessly. Verily, a walk to my mailbox has turned into a bloodbath.

Ah, but now I'm taking the plunge for real!

I recently came across a site called simpleshoes.com. They sell...huh...shoes. As you might have guessed, they sell "ecosneakers" among other types of footwear made from recycled tires, organic cotton, etc.

I've actually looked into this before. A couple of the natural product stores I've been to have had more "naturally produced" sneakers on display. They're usually a little more expensive than a mini-van and uglier than a bowling shoe. Both of those factors caused my interest to be minimalized.

But I'm pretty pleased with the Simple Shoes selection. So I went ahead and ordered a pair today.

Some details:

Just because a shoe is planet-friendly doesn’t mean that it has to look like a hippie clod-hopper. So we’ve developed a line of sustainable sneakers called ecoSNEAKS™. The men's Sno Tire is made from these sustainable materials:

Washed leather and organic cotton canvas uppers
Organic cotton linings
PET laces
PET pedbeds
Yes, that outsole used to be a car tire
Vulcanized rubber sidewall, toecap, and heelcap
100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms
Your new favorite sneaker.

I'm going to pretend for a moment that i actually knew what PET was and share that peice of information with you too:

...recycled plastic bottles are collected to create PET (polyethyleneterephthalate)...

Gesundheit.

I hope I'm pleased with my purchase because they're probably going to see some severe use. Earlier this year, a lady that works for the same company I do added a link at the bottom of her e-mails which led to her Weekend to End Breast Cancer team page. Remembering how encouraging I found it when people contributed to my CN Tower Climb last year, I decided to make a small donation to one of her teammates.

I happened to speak to that teammate recently and asked about the walk. Discussing it made it seem like an interesting challenge.

The Weekend to End Breast Cancer benefiting the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation is your chance to discover what it means to be a hero. During one amazing weekend, June 6-8, 2008, thousands of women and men will join forces in Ottawa to walk 60 kilometres and make a real difference in the fight to end breast cancer.

60 kilometres over two days. I'm strongly considering it. I heard that every mile you walk adds an hour to your life. After this, I'll be damn near immortal.

That'd be cool.

Target: DMX!

2007-08-27T19:16:00.000-04:00

So Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pleads guilty to animal abuse charges and now awaits sentencing on december 10th. That means no football in 2007, and assuming he gets at least a year in jail (as expected), none in 2008 either. Being away from the game that long, it's likely that he'll never play in the NFL again.

I understand that the maximum sentence could have been up to five years. Even taking into account that he (eventually) admitted to his guilt, only getting one would seem light, particularly in light of his involvement.

Ah, but what's this?

Rapper DMX is in hot water after Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies, on a tip of animal cruelty, found animal carcasses, a cache of guns and a half pound of suspected illegal narcotics at the oft-troubled musician's Cave Creek, AZ, home. According to Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office, the investigation into alleged animal cruelty is ongoing...

No charges or arrests have been made. Friday's (8/24) search was prompted by reports that pit bulls kept by the rapper at the home in rural north Phoenix were not being given enough food or water. A dozen pit bulls were seized, the bodies of three dogs were dug up in the yard and a variety of assault-style weapons were taken from the home, Arpaio told the Associated Press.

DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was not home during the search.

However, DMX's lawyer, Murray Richman, told the news agency on Saturday (8/25) that he had no knowledge of narcotics at the home. He said a caretaker was caring for the dogs and "all sorts of people" were staying at the home.

Richman said DMX, a staple at nightclubs around town, had not been at the home in months. Arpaio told the newspaper that witnesses said they had seen him in the Cave Creek area more recently than that.

Man alive. DMX's bullshit (Sorry...alleged bullshit) story and Vick's are near identical. Claiming "I'm never there" while others say otherwise and blaming those that supposedly are.

Wonder if the "tip" that led to the search came from Michael Vick? The similarities and timing are just too strange. I don't recall ever hearing of a celebrity getting busted over this sort of thing, but now two in the space of a few months?

I'm sure that lovely record cover above will help DMX's case, too.

Can I Just Take a Picture or Something Instead?

2007-08-20T19:17:00.000-04:00

From the Worldwatch Institute:

Panda Dung makes Green Souvenir

The Research and Breeding Center for Giant Pandas in Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan Province, is offering a new line of panda-themed souvenirs made from the animals’ manure, Chengdu Daily reported. The center, home to some 60 giant pandas, has launched a program that enables it to recycle hundreds of tons of excrement from its residents annually into handicrafts, paper, and even bamboo carbon. The locally made handicrafts, which include puppets, fans, and brush pots and combine regional cultural features with images of China’s “national treasure,” have caught the eyes of many panda-loving tourists, the Daily reported.
The innovative souvenirs have created a new source of income for the center, which used to spend between 5,000 and 8,000 yuan (US$662–1059) a month treating the pandas’ waste. The products are officially titled “green handicrafts made from panda dung” because of their environmentally friendly features, and some even retain the smell of fresh bamboo, the giant panda’s major food source.

As a kid, I occasionally made green souvenirs too, but I thought it was because I ate too much relish in my hot dogs.

When Buying Organic Pays

2007-08-18T09:44:00.000-04:00

Grist Magazine's advice section recently directed a reader seeking information about organic foods to a Consumer Reports article that I found useful and that I thought I'd share. It deals with which organic foods are best to purchase.

Being that there's some debate as to whether buying organic is worthwhile (mostly based on how organic "organic" actually is) the input is welcomed. Mind you, I'm not sure if the details included reflect the situation in Canada, but it's should be useful as a guideline, at the very least. Here is the basic breakdown...

Buy These Items Organic as often as Possible

Apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, red raspberries, spinach, and strawberries.

Meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy.

Baby food.

Buy These Organic if Price is No Object

Asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet corn, kiwi, mangos, onions, papaya, pineapples, and sweet peas.

Breads, oils, potato chips, pasta, cereals, and other packaged foods, such as canned or dried fruit and vegetables.

Don't Bother Buying These Items Organic

Seafood, cosmetics.

...With full details in the article itself. The products are separated based on cost increase of buying organic as well as the level of pesticide that you'd be avoiding.

Animal Laws in Ontario 115 Years Old??

2007-08-15T19:04:00.000-04:00

I knew laws were not strong, but I didn't know they were this ancient. They were written in 1892.

This came to my attention while hearing about Tre Smith, the gentleman who saved a dog from a hot car. Of course, when faced with a judgement call to make in a high-pressure situation, one is often the victim of hindsight.

From CTV:

A handful of activists rallied at the Toronto Humane Society offices on Wednesday in support of an investigator, who was suspended after he handcuffed the owner of a dying Rottweiler to his SUV.
Tre Smith's suspension from active duty represents a reversal of fortunes for the animal cruelty investigator, who is being reviewed for actions that stem from the July 31 incident.
Smith smashed a car window to rescue the dog, which was gasping for air and foaming at the mouth inside the sweltering SUV, when he arrived on scene.

Initially, Smith was lauded for saving Cyrus, the 50-kilogram Rottweiler.

But Smith's actions came under review after the dog's owner alleged he was beaten while left handcuffed to the vehicle.
/
At the time of the incident, Toronto Humane Society spokesperson Lee Oliver said he was fully supportive of the officer's actions in handcuffing the dog owner.

"He was jeopardizing the rescue operation and was threatening the safety of people at the scene," Oliver told CTV News.

"He handcuffed him to the car to neutralize that threat."

However, the owner of the dog alleged that passersby beat him and that he was bleeding when he was eventually taken away by police officers.
/
Smith will no longer be allowed to work on the frontlines while the incident is being investigated.

I don't really have a problem with the investigation. There's nothing to indicate that it's of the "witch-hunt" variety, and if Mr Smith had to go to such lengths it's not surprising that his superiors would want to review the situation.

At the end of the day though, I feel pretty confident that there's one less person out there who thinks that leaving his dog in a hot car is no big deal. And the publicity from this situation may result in a much-needed update to anti animal abuse laws. So...Thanks, Tre!

Anti-Wrinkle Pizza

2007-08-13T18:41:00.000-04:00

Not surprisingly, it's meatless. :-) maybe one day, for the hell of it, we'll make an effort to build this bad boy.

From France24.com.

A so-called "anti-wrinkle" pizza created by a nutritionist in southern Italy has caused a stir, with pizza purists protesting against the desecration of the national dish, La Stampa newspaper reported Monday.

The "primula" pizza is made up of three times the amount of fibre found in a classic pizza and boasts that it contains more magnesium and iron, thanks to its ingredients, including wholemeal flour.

At least eight vegetables or sauces in the pizza allegedly create the anti-oxidant effects against ageing: tomatoes, rocket, garlic, courgettes, basil, mushrooms, carrots and spinach.

The formula was devised by Eugenio Luigi Iorio, a nutritionist and biochemist at the University of Naples, in collaboration with Cosimo Mogavero, owner of a restaurant called La Fabbrica dei Sapori (The Taste Factory) restaurant.

Pope Benedict XVI apparently loves the "anti-age" pizza, according to the newspaper. He ate one of the pies during a party for the Vatican guards catered by Mogavero.

But the new invention has its detractors, including the True Neapolitan Pizza Association, which says the wholemeal flour in particular prevents the characteristic crust from forming.

One Joint = Five Cigarettes

2007-08-12T17:31:00.000-04:00

I'm posting this because I've known people that have tried to convince me that smoking pot is no big deal. It may not be as bad as other drugs, but one shouldn't mistake that for "not being bad".

In any event, by no means am I knowledgeable about this, so I'm laying it out and that's it.

I wonder what those that defend pot based on medecinal usage say in response to news that it's also equivalent to five "cancer sticks".

LONDON (Reuters) - Smoking one cannabis joint is as harmful to a person's lungs as having up to five cigarettes, according to research published on Tuesday.

Those who smoked cannabis damaged both the lungs' small fine airways, used for transporting oxygen, and the large airways, which blocked air flow, the researchers said.

It meant cannabis smokers complained of wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness, the study by experts at the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand found.

The researchers tested 339 people -- those who smoked only cannabis, those who smoked tobacco, those who smoked both and non-smokers.

The study found only those who smoked tobacco suffered from the crippling lung disease emphysema, but cannabis use stopped the lungs working properly.

"The extent of this damage was directly related to the number of joints smoked, with higher consumption linked to greater incapacity," said the authors of the report published in the medical journal Thorax.

"The effect on the lungs of each joint was equivalent to smoking between 2.5 and five cigarettes in one go."

The British government is considering whether cannabis should be reclassified as a more serious drug because of the dangers associated with stronger strains.

So Much for Paradise.

2007-08-12T15:22:00.000-04:00

As advertised, we went to the Farmers Market at Lansdowne Park earlier today, but overall we weren't overwhelmed.

In fairness, the Ottawa Super Ex is coming so the market had to move. Still, it wasn't quite what we were looking for. It may just depend on what one is looking for. For a wide variety of produce and crafts, go to the Byward market. The Farmers Market has some produce, but also baked goods, jams, etc. If that's more to your interest, go there. We'll probably give the Farmers market another try in about a month or so to see if the location change didn't have more of an impact than we know.

While I'm going subject matters from past posts, I should mention that we did, in fact, make our way to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard on Thursday evening. We went to the Walkley road location around 8PM...And there was a line-up to outside! I don't know if this location is normally that busy, but being that someone walking by asked another person in line why there was such a long line, I suspect it isn't.

Therefore, the staff there deserves a fair bit of credit. The line moved quickly, and these people were very enthusiastic despite what must have been a crazily busy day, so more power to them. I hope to come across results of this little event at some point.

Earlier in the week, I was also pleased to take advantage of a great deal by the University of Ottawa.

Their football seasons ticket structure was announced recently; $20 for four home game, half of which goes to NCAFA. NCAFA is the region's youth football organization.

I was extremely pleased to hear about this. Last year, single games cost $10 each, so the savings are incredible. And still the university will be sharing the income. As a result, I'm going to do some sharing of my own.

Last year, when the Ottawa Renegades CFL franchise was facing suspension, I'd attempted to start a program of sorts by which people could purchase tickets and donate them to charity. The league couldn't be bothered to acknowledge my existence so it never happened, but I'd already contacted several organizations and felt lousy that I couldn't follow through.

Well, it may not be on the same scale, but I'll follow through now. I've purchased three seasons tickets (one for myself, naturally). The other two will go to the Boys and Girls club, Big Brothers, etc, if they'll have them. For an extra $20 or so, I'll get to the games, and tie up an irritating loose end from last April.

Go Gee-Gees!