WildPath
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Posts posted by WildPath
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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.
- Mark F and Fatty Liver
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Ottawa announces plan to phase out 'inefficient' fossil fuel subsidies | CBC News
QuoteOttawa published its plan for eliminating inefficient fossil fuel subsidies today — making Canada the first country among wealthy, heavy-emitting nations to do so, according to the federal government.
In 2009, the countries that make up the G20 publicly promised to "phase out and rationalize ... inefficient fossil fuel subsidies" over the "medium term."
Such subsidies "encourage wasteful consumption, reduce our energy security, impede investment in clean energy sources and undermine efforts to deal with the threat of climate change," said the G20 communique.
Doesn't go far enough, as expected, but at least it is something?
- Fatty Liver and Wideleft
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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.
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4 hours ago, Wideleft said:
It occurred to me as I was in downtown Toronto last year with all the massive apartment buildings that I was thankful these people mostly vote progressive.
You could fit a lot of small prairie towns into just one of those buildings.
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
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8 hours ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:
Here is an excellent illustration as to why huge dumps of rain after a heat wave is so dangerous:
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.
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1 hour ago, Mark H. said:
An environmental topic that is near to my heart:
TREES
In summer, I am out and about harvesting dead hardwoods for firewood.
I am seeing more dead ash, oak and maple than I'm used to - especially the oak.
In the past, dead oak was either beaver chewed or the creek washed soil away from their roots. This is no longer the case - some massive oaks are just dead.
I've noticed some oaks dying as well. Any hypothesis as to why so many this year?
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6 hours ago, Dan38 said:
People sure do like to prove Mr. Barnum right.
On ocean levels; the ocean rises about one foot every 100 years or so, has been for centuries. It's why we find remnants of towns 400 feet under water. The world was a vastly different place even 2000 years ago. Shorelines were not what recognize today. I can wrap my head around science especially the type that has nothing to gain from it's results.
The old "99.9% of scientists agree about climate change" chant. That would be almost all scientists, right ? So why should anyone believe what a biologist says about climate change or how about that pharmacologist or that zoologist because they all know everything about the climate, don't they ?
Keep on running scared people. it's amazing what brainwashing can do.
I thought there were more people waking up. Alas...
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.
QuotePrevious investigations have unearthed Exxon documents that suggest the company sought to spread doubt about the science. One internal paper set out the "Exxon position" to "emphasise the uncertainty in scientific conclusions" about the greenhouse effect.
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9 minutes ago, Dan38 said:
I called this scam out when it first rose from the snake oil Gore was selling. What a waste but look at all the revenue the Gov's get from all the hype. Another money grab. If they really looked at the truth instead of blindly believing the IPCC report and computer models they might find that there are other causes of the supposed CO2 increase. What if it is the sun causing climate change ? How about a tilt in the earth's axis ? Only problem is our wonderful leaders can't tax the sun or the earth, they only have gullible humans to tax. Of course it is all our fault ! Throw money at it. It won't solve anything but gee it's nice to have so much money to play with. Never mind poverty or pollution or illness or disease, once we applaud the Emperor's clothes we can all live happily ever after.
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.
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11 hours ago, GCn20 said:
Gotta be honest. Not many indigenous "celebrate" Canada day. Not that we don't respect the country, or love it, just that it isn't a day that was particularly great for our people. It's a day to reflect, and to remember what was lost, and what needs to be accomplished for the future of our children and grand-children. Canada Day, for us, brings hope for reconciliation and rejuvenation in the spirit of cooperation and peace.
That being said, I completely agree that a Canada Day celebration in Winnipeg most definitely NEEDS to include indigenous culture and practices as a sign of reconciliation and to show respect to the original stewards of this nation.
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.
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23 hours ago, Brandon said:
I see mainly the celebration of Indigenous culture which is nice but not very inclusive for the vast majority of the population who are not a part of it? You'd think the city would want to be inclusive and celebrate the day that represents nearly every one since everyone is a Canadian citizen and should be proud of the Red and White
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.
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2 hours ago, GCJenks said:
In my mind WFH needs to be treated like going to the office, dressed for work, breaks as per the office. I always start when I would normally leave and finish when I get home so they get at least an extra hour from me those days too.
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.
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5 hours ago, Sard said:
Generally the batteries on those drones are only good for 10-15 minutes, so a 10 minute show seems about right for what they are capable of. Do do anything longer, they'd need another full set of drones.
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?
- Tracker and Wanna-B-Fanboy
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On 2023-07-03 at 10:17 AM, FrostyWinnipeg said:
Yeah there is audio to go with it. Some said they could not hear it that well,
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.
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33 minutes ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:
Actually, the growth is 18.5% during that period.
The growth in the private sector during this time is 9.8%.
So, its double you say. True.
What is missing is context.
During 2011, the Harper government did a 25% slash of jobs ACROSS the board. Every facet of federal public servants were affected.
So, after Harper's government got sacked, the public sector had to catch up and rehire a tonne of staff to get back to decent staffing levels to deal with the back log and be able to effectively administer public services.
Ok. So, then private sector grew 9.8% during the time frame mentioned.
If you factor in the 25% initial deficit, the government is well behind the private sector in terms of growth.
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.
- Wanna-B-Fanboy and Wideleft
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4 hours ago, JCon said:
The liar.
https://twitter.com/Taleeb/status/1670813632421044225
Either Poilievre is terribly uninformed or he’s misleading people intentionally. BC has had its own price on pollution since 2008 with the support of both major provincial parties - and the majority of British Columbians.Lies don't matter when your target audience doesn't value truth.
- Tracker, Wideleft, blue_gold_84 and 3 others
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6 hours ago, Wideleft said:
It's inevitable that there will be almost no small towns in 20 years. So many are already essentially gone and we're not going to solve that problem with 40,000 acre farms of any kind.
"The actual number of farms in Manitoba continued to grow until 1941 and peaked at 58,024 when the average farm size was 291 acres. The decline in numbers has been relatively steady since 1941. In 2006, the most recent census year, there were 19,054 farms with an average size of 1,001 acres."
https://www.manitobaaghalloffame.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/MAHF-History-of-Ag-in-MB.pdf
"Number of Farms. The 2021 Census of Agriculture counted 14,543 farms in Manitoba, a moderate decrease of 1.7 per cent from the previous census, which reported 14,791 farms in 2016. Manitoba farm numbers rank sixth in Canada and account for 7.7 per cent of Canada’s 189,874 farms in 2021. The number of farms in Canada declined by 1.9 per cent, compared to 2016.
The average farm size was 1,177 acres in 2021, 1.3 per cent smaller than the 1,192 acres in 2016. Manitoba’s total farm area was 17.1 million acres in 2021 compared to 17.6 million acres in 2016, a decrease of 2.9 per cent.
The number of farm operators in Manitoba declined 3.4 per cent to 19,465 people in 2021. The ratio of farm operators to the number of farms was 1.3 for Manitoba, slightly less than the Canadian average of 1.4. In 2021, 43.2 per cent of farm operators in Manitoba worked more than 40 hours a week on average on agricultural operations, compared with 44.5 per cent in 2016. At the national level, this percentage was 36.9 per cent in 2021. More farmers worked off the farm in 2021, with 46.1 per cent of farm operators in Manitoba reporting an off-farm job, compared with 42.9 per cent in 2016.
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.
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7 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:
Road construction in 2023.
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.
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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.
- Fatty Liver, Wideleft and Noeller
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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.
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2 hours ago, Tracker said:
India has signed an agreement with Kazakhstan for a major natural gas pipeline which will reduce imports from Russia dramatically. Putin remains a master strategist.
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.
- the watcher, Tracker, Bigblue204 and 1 other
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7 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:
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.
- Mark F, Wideleft and blue_gold_84
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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..."
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Quote
McCrae was co-author of a March 2022 article in the Dorchester Review that suggested the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation "promotes a darker view of Canadian history than the facts justify" and inflates the number of people who died at residential schools.
In a Western Standard article published in December 2022, McCrae also wrote that the evidence on Indian residential schools "does not support the overall gruesome narrative put forward around the world for several years."
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.
- Wideleft, JCon and blue_gold_84
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12 hours ago, GCn20 said:
I am here simply to present a different viewpoint to the echo chamber.
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.
- Wanna-B-Fanboy, blue_gold_84, JCon and 5 others
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The Environment Thread
in General Discussion
Posted
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.