the watcher

If Chevy is trading Copp he is playing the game right to the end. He doesn't have long.

The difference in today's world than in the past is that the wackos tell everyone about their fantasy driven imaginings and alot of people believe them. Enough to elect some of them. I am truly worried about the world right now.

The thing is ANY open pit mine is a butt ugly affair. It is the cost of our modern world. The real trick is getting mining companies to do proper reclamation. I'm not sure if they pay the same government levy for reclaiming that gravel and shale pits do. In those pits the fee is charged as it is sold and the Gov is responsible for the reclamation. I'm not sure about open pit mines. I know if companies are responsible for reclaiming it will be like pulling hens teeth. The other big risk is retention ponds that work and don't leak. The last mine I worked at (lead and Zinq ) still resembles a lunar landscape the last I heard. And I worked there in 1992 when it closed. I just took a peek on Google Earth and it really doesn't look like it's been reclaimed. You would think 30 years would be enough time. Edit : But I agree , I don't see a whole lot of reason to start mining our Parks

Not just thoughtless but plain stupid. What politician has no ability to address an issue or question with a bit of " political double talk " and not make a target of yourself. She is way, way over her head .

To quote Chris Hedges - " Trump is the face of our collective idiocy. He is what lies behind the mask of our professed civility and rationality ----- A sputtering , narcissistic, imbecilic megalomaniac " I believe Hedges is right.Trump is a symptom of the inner rot that infects the world right now. He would never have been elected if he didn't mirror the ethos of a large portion of the USA

There are a great number of staunch defenders of democracy in the USA. ( as long as their candidate and party win )

Someone needs to start a Philosophy Debate thread. I had a period where I voraciously read as many religous texts and books on the history of religion as I could. The history of Christianity is particularly fascinating. Most Christians know very little of it.

I think it's competence level deteriorated since Pallister left........Whoda think it ? Basicly when he baled out the rest just quit trying. Which borders on criminal given the situation.

It would be nice to know what is happening. I'd like to base some decisions on what's going on. It makes it tough to do when there is so little info.

Ill add that to my watch / read list. ( Anything delay finishing up my 2021 books )

I'll check it out. I don't know what will happen in the states. Having private power companies and the general attitudes down there in my mind are going to be an issue. I don't know if they get off the coal train soon. Plus they have struggled with transmission as well. Their political situation is bound to enter and grind things to a halt. Wind and solar are good but I don't know if there are many or any countries where they make up the bulk of electricity production. There's certainly nothing wrong with them as a strong supplement. Again Canada as a whole is situated pretty well with our ability to produce hydro power.

It's a discussion. It should be discussed and argued. I tell my Grandkids they can have whatever opinion they want but they need to be able to say why. You will note I've never said global warming isn't a massive issue. I've never said we shouldn't wean ourselves off fossil fuels as they are the major cause. I haven't said combustion engines are better than EVs . What I have said is our concern beside EVs should be how we produce electricity. The switch from fossil fuels needs to be done intelligently. And it will be painful. And I'M surprised how many people don't understand that.

All energy sources have their enviromental costs , yes. BUT those costs aren't equal. On methane from cows : I have pasture I rent out. I have crop land I rent out. My pasture will be green and removing CO2 from the atmosphere before seeds are in the ground on the crop ground. When my renters are cutting ripe grain in August on the crop ground my pasture will still be removing CO2 for months to come. I don't believe that was ever worked into the calculation of methane removal. AND marginal land is usually used for pastures. It saves it from being grain farmed. On the other hand there is a good argument about the amount of water cows consume and the amount of food a cow consumes to produce 1 pound of tasty beef. Can 7 billion people be sustained when we feed so much to cows and pigs. Answers are never simple. People who produce studies will always have a point of view they wish to promote. Our age of information it making it increasingly difficult to ferret out what to believe.

My information was from a DW documentary which is Germany's public broadcaster. "FACT: The greenhouse gas emissions associated with an electric vehicle over its lifetime are typically lower than those from an average gasoline-powered vehicle, even when accounting for manufacturing." That's not what I was challenging. I said it depends on your energy source, how you produce your electricity. " FACT: Electric vehicles typically have a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline cars, even when accounting for the electricity used for charging." Do you know what type of electricity generation is being used to calculate that ? If it is hydro I % 100 agree. So if it's in Canada , I agree. If it's nuclear let's say in France, I agree. If it's in countries that rely on Coal generated power (especially older plants ) I disagree. If it's a world wide average, I have no idea.

Apparently EVs cost the environment more to both make and destroy. If your source of electricity is coal then combustion engines will cost the enviroment less than EVs. If your source of electricity is hydro/ nuclear/ wind / solar.... then EVs will cost the environment far less. But none of that might effect whether or not EVs become the norm. 10 or 15 years ago I was listening to a car show ( which I never do ) and the interviewer asked the " expert " if he thought EVs would ever become popular. His tone was dismissive and obviously he didn't think much of them. To his surprise the expert said they would push combustion engines off the market. Not because of a desire for a greener world but because they have far less moving parts, will cost far less to produce and the profit margins will be far greater.

My understanding of Thorium salt reactors is that the waste is inactive after only 150 years which is a game changer . Most reactor disasters have been due to coolant issues which they don't have as well. It's been a while since I've read and watched about them but they look so promising to me.

Friggen awesome

If the world can get over the " eww factor " of the word nuclear and invest heavily into thorium salt reactors most of the issues of powering our society can be overcome. They need to be a part of a more green society.

I missed this . That's awesome.

I think the world is certainly ready for evs for passenger vehicles. Charging stations will eventually come . In my mind the biggest issue in weaning off fossil fuels Is food production and long distance transportation. That issue will eventually be hammered home to all consumers. 99% of what you buy has been in a truck. Everyone is in a panic when they fill their car ( it should be a car not unneeded SUVs and oversized pickups) but it will cost far more when transportation and food prices rocket. Canada because of our size and weather will be particularly hard hit. I believe we will rue the day our rail system was dismantled.

I watched a good report by DW documentary ( German ) on the switch from fossil fuels. Part of it was about Norway who has built up a huge slush fund from their North Sea oil . They are now using that fund to move away from fossil fuels. The Gov there is building or at least supporting the building of charging stations. They have also removed the sales tax from electric vehicles. Meanwhile our oil money has been frittered away.

The man needs a biology lesson.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/10/global-covid-19-death-toll-may-be-three-times-higher-than-official-figures

But it still depends on how the vote shakes out. I have no feeling anymore about the % of hard right people in the party but if it's around % 50 you can get a spit of that vote and have a moderate sneak in. ( ala Joe Clark ) The question then becomes an a moderate control the party. If the hard right numbers are over % 50 then you are absolutly right. A final vote would likely be a combined right wing vote. Again I can't see a Kenny or Poulievre winning a General election although you never know. I also think having a hard right opposition leader is really divisive for this country.

Having Kenny come in could quite likely spit the right wing vote with Poilievre. It could allow a more moderate Conservative ( Charest ) to slip in, depending how the vote shakes down. I can't see either Kenny or Poilievre winning an election. I doubt either could pull the center vote their way.