WildPath

I am assuming that a connection exists between the two as well. Hoping that it won't lead to more corner cutting and bypassing environmental concerns that we have already seen with the Sio Silica project.

It is hard not to lose all optimism regarding our future climate. To get into a mental space of despair is easy with all the news and projections. I've shared it before, but one book that helped me have some optimism is The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. It is science-based fiction, but it is well researched and shows a fictional account of how climate disasters, some of which we are seeing already, can cause huge changes in behaviour (which we are not seeing). Unfortunately we are experiencing the hottest temperatures recorded and we are actually seeing some regression from climate pledges. P&G have recently cut their forestry pledge (Focus: P&G drops forest pledge, drawing ire of green groups, investors | Reuters) and other organizations are going back on carbon neutral pledges. I am hugely skeptical of any corporate announcements of carbon neutral by 2050 pledges. Both because it is too little too late, but also because it is easy to take the advantages of those announcements and then walk them back as it becomes obvious that it is too financially lucrative to abandon them.

Ottawa announces plan to phase out 'inefficient' fossil fuel subsidies | CBC News Doesn't go far enough, as expected, but at least it is something?

I like this even though I'm not into pro sports as much as I once was: Original: Tie Domi. Shawn Cronin going back to my earliest memories of hockey. Current: O'Shea? The guy was such a saviour from years of ridiculousness. He wins and does it the right way. No others that I can think of, but I do like the nod to Terry Fox, so I'll go with that too. I get emotional talking about him with students every year. Hero who let me down: Hmmm, Charles Roberts? Maybe just because I didn't realize at the time anything about how his off-field behaviour hurt his performance and the team. Though I still love to watch old clips and tell others about how exciting he was. Original villain: Pavel Bure / Mike Pringle. I also have faint memories of really disliking O'Shea because he seemed to always do well against the Bombers. Current villain: Max Verstappen (if racing counts), maybe Bo Levi/Dave Dickenson (I love to see them struggle after being so dominant) I'll probably update this after I put more thought into it. There's some dusty cobwebs in my head that might unearth more memories.

Toronto elected Rob Ford. Twice. I have no faith in them as voters 😁 But at least I now know that I can excuse any of my behaviour by saying I might have done it "in one of my drunken stupors." Toronto mayor Rob Ford admits using crack cocaine in a 'drunken stupor' | Rob Ford | The Guardian

I think that video misrepresents what is actually going on when mass amounts of water fall after a heatwave. The health grass in both cases is allowing water to come into the cup from outside rather than making a seal like is happening in the third frame. While having actively living plants in an area is great for preventing landslides and erosion, this video shows something else. The same effect would be observed by placing a cup upside down on a table and putting a few coins under parts of it. A better way to create the video would be to completely strip the above-ground foliage to illustrate the effect of having living roots in the area. Though having life above the soil also greatly improves soil loss and erosion as well. If anyone is interested, there is a lot of stuff about how the loss of tall grass prairie in Manitoba (and surrounding areas) has changed how water percolates through soil. We currently have 1% of the original tall grass prairie that previously existed. There are a few isolated places in Winnipeg where tall grass prairie remains, including the Living Prairie Museum that is worth the visit.

I've noticed some oaks dying as well. Any hypothesis as to why so many this year?

Your response is that "hey, non-climate scientists also agree the humans are causing climate change?" That's how you defend your view? A better response would be to show how the majority of climate scientists (being specific with the science that they study) don't agree that humans are causing climate change. Obviously you didn't do that because you can't. You could have also tried to express your own personal qualifications for why you think professional scientists are wrong. If you want the take from climate-specific scientists - The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change | Science. Not sure what you are saying that some science has nothing to gain from the results. Pretty much any industry that relies on fossil fuels benefits from any uncertainty related to climate science. These are huge corporations that have significant political power and a history of using it in nefarious ways. ExxonMobil has had accurate climate models for decades that have reliably predicted climate change from emissions and tried to spread uncertainty related to climate change to justify the billions of dollars that they rake in.

Seriously? ‘Case closed’: 99.9% of scientists agree climate emergency caused by humans Poverty, pollution, illness and disease all worsened due to climate change. I'd post more, but I'm fairly confident that would be a waste of time.

Agreed. Have you noticed the day being looked upon as reflection rather than celebration is increasing more recently? I think it used to be assumed that everyone in Canada should celebrate Canada Day regardless of the history of the country and how indigenous people have been treated throughout the history and pre-history of the nation of Canada. Some posters still think this should be the case, regardless of the history, especially the geographically-specific history and significance of The Forks. What I've observed is that many indigenous people/groups are realizing that it is okay not to celebrate and be happy with Canada Day and a portion of non-indigenous society realizing that not all people may see it as a great day or even a great history to celebrate. I think what we are seeing at the forks is an attempt to mesh together the somewhat recent tradition of fireworks and celebration with the acknowledgement of a hurtful past and that everyone may not have the same perspectives toward the day. I liked that the festivities allowed different groups of people to mark their own meaning for the day. You could go there to celebrate or you could go there to reflect about what the creation of Canada as a nation meant or you could even do a bit of both.

I was there and I saw people that represented the huge diversity that exists within Canada/Winnipeg. Interesting how they seemed to feel included in the celebration. Indigenous culture is a huge part of Canada/Winnipeg and represents everyone who lives in this land as that is part of the history of the land and the country. For that to not be included in a celebration on Canada Day, as it has been in the past, would be hugely disrespectful, intentionally not inclusive, and not a reflection of the country. Finally, not everyone who lives in Winnipeg/Canada is a Canadian citizen, many are not.

I did it for a few years and I think this is good advice. I found it really easy to work too much and basically extend the amount of time I am working, rather than having a smaller period where I am more focused. Having a proper home office that doesn't need to be used for anything else would be good too.

Didn't even think of that. Makes sense. How about a grand finale next year where the crowd gets to shoot fireworks at the drones and see how long it takes to down them?

I was right beside where they setup and I didn't hear a word. I only heard the muffled sounds. I thought the drone show was an interesting idea and a nice change from fireworks. The group I was with was impressed with the drone show, but then let down how quickly it ended. Seemed like something they could have done into a more lengthy show, but it was nice to see something different.

This is likely what will be happening in Manitoba if the PCs are defeated. All those cuts will have to be made up. It will look like huge spending by the NDP just to get to stable ground and will be attacked by the PCs in the next election. Its how the label of fiscally responsible can be applied when facts/insight/analysis don't matter.

Lies don't matter when your target audience doesn't value truth.

I wonder if there is hope with a lot of remote work becoming available. Anecdotally, I know several people that have cast away from the city for places with lower taxes while still retaining jobs they can do remotely. Many also appreciate having space to raise kids and grow some of their own food as well.

On the bright side, road construction and traffic delays have caused me to switch to commuting with my bike and it is MUCH more enjoyable experience. My commute before road construction was about 25 minutes, now it is often an hour (full of aggravation). My commute on my old bike is only about 45 minutes. Never thought the drive across town (15 km) would be quicker on my bike, but it usually is. The commute has also gone from stress-causing to stress-relieving.

I checked out the tweet that has now been fixed. The comments are atrocious. So much anti-pride/trans/etc. garbage in there. Responding to a misinformed post that has nothing to do with the subject.

Too late now to save Arctic summer ice, climate scientists find | Climate crisis | The Guardian We're starting to see our actions cemented in, yet we happily pronounce "Net Zero by 2050" like it actually means something.

Hard to be a master strategist when you only surround yourself with people who tell you what you want to hear. I believe that was a major folly of Stalin's too.

I typed up a long response to this before actually reading the article and the article basically took all my points. I've been following this pretty closely and there's been some shortcuts taken along the way. I know the province has basically announced it is open season for mining, but something this potentially damaging should have all the due diligence before taking any action and that hasn't been done. Beyond the potential damage to a beautiful environment, there is the potential for damage to livelihoods and the economy as many people count on the aquifer producing plentiful amounts of clean water. Sio has also recently been announced as a sponsor for the Bombers.

If you're talking about the story I posted, Goertzen did apologize for the appointment. Regarding racism in the currently political parties in Manitoba, I'd be suspect, but I doubt the NDP or Libs would have something like that slip through. There's no way either Wab or Dougald would defend residential schools and colonialism(Here's a look at Brian Pallister's full comments on Canada Day statue toppling — and what he's said since | CBC News). Even his own Indigenous relations minister resigned because of that. There's also no way that either of the other parties would appoint a minister in the same role that would defend residential school on the day of his appointment (New Manitoba Indigenous minister says residential school system believed 'they were doing the right thing' | CBC News). There is racism inherent in the history of Canada and in every political party, but it is much more prevalent in one particular party. For all those incidents to come up in just the last few years, and at the highest levels of the PCs says something about the party regardless of the "yeah, but..."

Manitoba justice minister apologizes for appointment of former MLA who downplays residential school harm | CBC News Oops, a little of that closeted PC racism was caught in public again. I don't see this as big of a story as when the premier or Indigenous Reconciliation minister actively defended residential schools, but it is becoming a pattern.

Yes! Please do this, just do it well. Use evidence to backup your beliefs and admit when evidence proves your ideas faulty. A diversity of perspectives is great, but not a diversity in value for truth and logic. I honestly question how anyone can support the CPC or modern conservative parties and I would like to get an answer to that. Throwing out opinion and then not backing it up unfortunately confirms my ideas that it can't be backed up. Rejecting fact and legitimate research shows that your perspective lacks credibility. If you truly believe in your arguments, take the time to show your work. Countless times you've been called out and haven't followed through. Your disregard when others post facts that clearly refute what you are saying says something about how your perspective is developed.