Stephen Hawking Coming to Waterloo?

And bringing the babes with him.

Ontario boreal forest score it big

TORONTO (Reuters) - The government of the Canadian province of Ontario said on Monday it will conserve a huge swath of the province's northern boreal forest to protect polar bears and other wildlife and to help fight climate change.

The plan to protect permanently at least 225,000 square kilometers of the forest -- an area nearly the size of the United Kingdom -- won praise from environmental groups, which said it should serve as an example for other governments.

"We are overjoyed with the announcement," said ForestEthics senior campaigner Gillian McEachern. "This is the largest conservation commitment in Canadian history."

Ontario's northern boreal region takes up 43 percent of Ontario's landmass and soaks up about 12.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. The protection of a big swath of it is a key part of the provincial government's plan to fight climate change.

Boreal forests are northern forests that are affected by long winters. They are made up mainly of evergreen conifers. The conservation plan aims to protect polar bears, caribou, wolverines and other wildlife that live in the Ontario region from climate change and to ensure that forestry and mining development doesn't destroy the forest's pristine ecosystems.

"(Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty) is providing some direction and some objectives to the process," said Monte Hummel, president emeritus, World Wildlife Fund Canada. "It's an invitation for everybody to come to the table and in my view that's how things should be solved."

Ontario's Liberal government said that scientists and native communities will work together to map and protect a network of conservation lands. As well, the government will work with northern communities and resource industries to create a sustainable development plan.

"Although the northern boreal region has remained virtually undisturbed since the retreat of the glaciers, change is inevitably coming to these lands," McGuinty said in a statement.

"We need to prepare for development and plan for it. It's our responsibility as global citizens to get this right, and to act now."

U.S. energy company on trial in Canada for environmental crimes

Edwards v. DTE Energy

From a press release:

(Sarnia, Ontario) - On Monday, July 7, 2008 the Ontario Court of Justice set
a trial date for the prosecution of DTE Energy Company. The Michigan-based
coal-fired power plant operator faces charges for polluting the St. Clair
River. Judge Austin scheduled an ex parte trial after the accused declined
to appear in Sarnia Court on Monday. This is the first time that a U.S.
company has faced prosecution in Canada for transboundary pollution.

Detroit Edison, a wholly owned subsidiary of DTE, operates the St.
Clair/Belle River coal-fired power plant complex in eastern Michigan.
Monitoring data show that these facilities emit significant amounts of
mercury each year, with more than half landing locally in Canada and the St.
Clair watershed. When the mercury enters the St. Clair River, it spreads
throughout the food chain, harmfully altering fish habitat and rendering
fish unsafe for human consumption, which is a violation of Canadian
fisheries law. Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin; a single gram of mercury
per year is enough to contaminate a 25-acre lake to the point that fish are
unsafe to eat.

Scott Edwards, the Informant in the case, initiated the private prosecution
in early 2007. Under Canadian law, citizens can use the criminal courts to
prosecute individuals and corporations for violations of the Fisheries Act.
The Fisheries Act is one of the country's most powerful environmental laws,
making it an offence to deposit pollutants into waterways, destroy fish
habitat, or contaminate fish.

"Two years ago I wrote a letter to DTE Energy asking for a meeting to talk
about the company's mercury emissions. The company has never responded to
this request. For two years DTE officials have refused to recognize Canada's
jurisdiction, declining to show up in court time and time again. With a
trial date finally set, I look forward to the opportunity to put all the
facts on the table," says Scott Edwards, Informant in the case known as
Edwards v. DTE Energy.

Scott Edwards is the Legal Director for Waterkeeper Alliance, a global
coalition of 180 grassroots environmental groups, and an authority on
mercury issues. He is being aided by three other affiliates of Waterkeeper
Alliance, Mark Mattson, Doug Chapman and Doug Martz. Mattson is lead
investigator and the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper. Doug Chapman is lead counsel
and the Fraser Riverkeeper, based in Vancouver. Martz is the St. Clair
Channelkeeper.

The trial is set to begin February 2, 2009 in Sarnia court.

More AFA Ridiculousness

I never thought I'd say this, but good for McDonald's.

Tyson Homosexual: World Class Sprinter

awesome.

Reason #4693 why John McCain won't win

It's well understood that Republicans want to beat Obama by insisting that he's "different" from regular Americans. But they need to decide if he's argula-eating-intellectual-wine sipping-elitist different or radical-secret-muslim-america hating-terrorist different. The two caricatures, while both "different", aren't exactly compatible.

"What kind of coke would you like?" "Sprite please."

Classy.

Yay racism!

Father Jindal

Speaking of potential VP's, I bet you didn't know that Bobby Jindal is an exorcist!

Women Can't Fight

It's easy to see the logic behind putting Jim Webb on the Obama ticket....seems like a pretty solid choice. That is, until you read anything he's ever written. His favourite subject seems to be defending the cause of the confederacy. And, well, there's also this.

Fat ladies singing...

It's been a busy couple weeks and my contributions to this blog have plummeted. They will be back soon! But in the meantime, I feel that I must make an appearance to say that I sure am happy the US primary season is finally over.

Very interested to see how Clinton handles stuff. I just read that she's now saying in public that she wants to be VP. Bold move. Although it may be a longshot, I kinda hope Obama goes for it. And for one reason only: they will win. For all the punidtry on the pros and cons, I cannot for the life of me imagine that ticket losing in November. The biggest argument is that it will undercut Obama's message of "change". This is completely true. But who will care? People who already support Obama aren't going to move to MCCAIN of all people because Obama all of the sudden has a bit of ole' Washington atatched to him.

All this said, I can understand why Obama would rather risk it and not have the Clintons as 2nd bananas.

Blarg.

Monkey in the Machine

Doc Oc lives -- in monkey form!

B.C. Supreme Court: Drug laws unconstitutional

Canada's laws prohibiting possession and trafficking of drugs were struck down as unconstitutional Tuesday by the B.C. Supreme Court, in a case focusing on the plague of drug addiction in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

However, Justice Ian Pitfield gave Ottawa until June 30, 2009, to fix the law and bring it in line with the constitutional principle of fundamental justice.

The ruling, in a case challenging the federal government's jurisdiction over Insite, Vancouver's controversial safe-injection site, goes well beyond the site itself.
...
"The court ... affirmed the right of people with serious addictions to access the health care they need to deal with the addictions and the coincidental health affects of those addictions," Monique Pongracic-Speier said.

My hope is that this is the beginning of a new way of legislating drug law. Eventually, I'd like to see this attitude prevail throughout North America. I think it will. For one, possession laws have to change: the States is running out of room in the prisons!

Nepal abolishes 239-year-old monarchy

The world is a changing place...

KATHMANDU, Nepal – The world's last Hindu kingdom became its newest secular republic today as Nepal's legislators, led by former communist insurgents, abolished the monarchy that had reigned over this Himalayan land for 239 years.

A great auteur passes on

Sydney Pollack has been perhaps one of my favourite filmmakers and actors since I was a teenager. He imbued everything he did with his own sensibilities and I always respected his gently no-nonsense approach to his actors.

Here's a peek inside this wholey human, incredibly poignant master of capturing the human instinct to be recognized.

The Dawn of a New Era

I wasn't all that interested in the mission to Mars until I saw this slideshow and read this:

A scoop on Phoenix Mars will dig 20 inches into the Martian soil, into a layer of ice. For a decade, NASA's mantra on Mars exploration has been "follow the water." This will be the first time that instruments will actually touch some of Mars's water. Phoenix Mars does not have any instruments for directly detecting life, but it will be able to detect chemical signals that might indicate whether Mars was habitable for life.

Very cool! It's amazing to me how simple and yet fundamental water is to life, as we perceive it.

Kudos, NASA!

Lenny Bruce iñ Africa

Word up from Mozambique. I canºt really write long because internet here is expensive and I have a bus to catch. Just wanted to say hi. Im in Nampula now, the main city in the north of Mozambique after having taken the train yesterday from Cuamba. Im off to Ilha de Mocambique today, then Pemba and Ihla de Ibo before flying from Pemba back to Dar. Malawi was really amazing. Iºll post photos when I get back. Word.

Oh yeah... the best thing about Mozambique so far... being able to greet Africans with ªHola Amigoª

How has no one thought of this yet??

Finally, someone's invented a urinal-based video game!

I strongly believe that every urinal in the world should have some sort of video game technology included. It just makes sense.

R Kelly trial

Just in case you were wondering, R Kelly has a significant mole on his lower back (refrain: "ohhhhhh, a mole on his baaa-ack!") Yes, that's right, the R Kelly child porno case is still going on. And the "child" in question is 23 now--and an R Kelly fan.

"You piss; we'll hit you"

Apparently, peeing in public is NOT okay.

That according to Abidjan, where they're trying to rein in public peers.

The city is full of home-made signs urging people not urinate in public.

"My brother, don't urinate here," reads one.

Others are more forceful in their warnings: "You piss; we'll hit you."

But the notices seem to have done nothing to deter those apparently unconcerned about relieving themselves in full view of passers-by.