ENVIRONMENT MINISTER EXPECTS NEW CLIMATE DEAL BY 2015: Proposed Durban Platform follows 13 days of UN negotiations
My comment on the above story:
C R A P ! ! !
This "Flying Down To Durban" movie has been no more than another chance for the major emitters to stick their collective heads in a new patch of sand - at great expense to the environment and taxpayers around the world - and led by the world champions of head-in-the-sand-sticking, Canada.
My only hope for this fiasco is that the real world leaders will decide to stop listening to the used car salesmen that Walmart World sends to these useless gatherings and start the transition to a post-oil world without us. This would include closing their borders to trade and travel (especially winter tourism) to and from countries like Canada and the US and telling us to stick our heads wherever we wish, as long as the "sun don't shine" there.
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MY WEBSITE — ANewHumanity.CA
Sunday, December 11, 2011
I don't want to play your game.
This is a comment I wrote to a series on rabble.ca titled "A progressive dialogue: Beating the right at their own game".
I do not believe that working within 'The System' is a viable option at this point in time as the nature and magnitude of the problems facing the world mean that implimentation of ideas having a chance of meaningful effect will never be done by democratically elected policy makers. For this reason, I am one who has wrestled with refusing to vote as a 'rational response'.
My decision is that, if there is a Green Party candidate, I will vote if not, I won't. This is not just for reasons of ideological policy support but, just as importantly in my mind, that Green parties do not have the issue of a group of incumbents seeking re-electon and can actually say what they mean during campaigns or any time they get the chance.
With a major part of the path to a more livable world being relocalization, reskilling and a general 'hunkering down' of humanity, I see local elections as far more important than federal or provincial ones as those are only going to be changed by revolution (hopefully non-violent) and complete re-vamping of the structures of governance. However, post-revolution, there will need to be a coalescing of progressive ideas and those to impliment them, around a trustworthy centre, and the baggage-free Greens are where I would put my trust.
Leadership in such a world will not come from the existing political crowd or from anyone looking for a hierarchical structure to head, it will emerge from the mass and from an environment similar to the present 'Occupy Movement'. While it is great to have alternative news sources such as rabble.ca, if momentum is going to gather strength, the mainline media need to pick up the ball and start reporting movements and events that don't end with little, old ladies being pepper sprayed and hauled off to the slammer. Constructive approaches to the biggest problems humanity has ever faced should quailify as newsworthy without the knee-jerk reactions of paramilitary police forces.
The ideas are there, the leaders are there, but I don't believe they will ever see the light of day on the world stage without revolutionary change. This can and will happen, but only if and when the majority of citizens understand and become sufficiently outraged to act decisively and with an already-past-the-fail-safe attitude.
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MY WEBSITE — ANewHumanity.CA
I do not believe that working within 'The System' is a viable option at this point in time as the nature and magnitude of the problems facing the world mean that implimentation of ideas having a chance of meaningful effect will never be done by democratically elected policy makers. For this reason, I am one who has wrestled with refusing to vote as a 'rational response'.
My decision is that, if there is a Green Party candidate, I will vote if not, I won't. This is not just for reasons of ideological policy support but, just as importantly in my mind, that Green parties do not have the issue of a group of incumbents seeking re-electon and can actually say what they mean during campaigns or any time they get the chance.
With a major part of the path to a more livable world being relocalization, reskilling and a general 'hunkering down' of humanity, I see local elections as far more important than federal or provincial ones as those are only going to be changed by revolution (hopefully non-violent) and complete re-vamping of the structures of governance. However, post-revolution, there will need to be a coalescing of progressive ideas and those to impliment them, around a trustworthy centre, and the baggage-free Greens are where I would put my trust.
Leadership in such a world will not come from the existing political crowd or from anyone looking for a hierarchical structure to head, it will emerge from the mass and from an environment similar to the present 'Occupy Movement'. While it is great to have alternative news sources such as rabble.ca, if momentum is going to gather strength, the mainline media need to pick up the ball and start reporting movements and events that don't end with little, old ladies being pepper sprayed and hauled off to the slammer. Constructive approaches to the biggest problems humanity has ever faced should quailify as newsworthy without the knee-jerk reactions of paramilitary police forces.
The ideas are there, the leaders are there, but I don't believe they will ever see the light of day on the world stage without revolutionary change. This can and will happen, but only if and when the majority of citizens understand and become sufficiently outraged to act decisively and with an already-past-the-fail-safe attitude.
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MY WEBSITE — ANewHumanity.CA
Friday, December 9, 2011
Wake up, the sun HAS set on the British Empire (and all others).
27 countries meet in Brussels to attempt to come to an agreement to stabilize current financial chaos in the EuroZone, 26 come to consensus enough to start the process, the UK disagrees, saying "What is on offer isn't in Britain's interests so I didn't agree to it."
This is the 21st century PM Cameron, the century where we have to let go of national interests in order to rebuild the world into something that will allow the human species to survive. This is known as co-operation and requires an ability and willingness to compromise for the common good. Financial chaos is just a minor issue in the truckload that has to be solved if we are to continue the human experiment and every one of them is going to require a lowering of national, corporate and personal wants in order to fill the common need.
Europe has already leapt years ahead of North America in implementation of sustainability, not because they are not greedy (a universal, human trait), but because they are less greedy. However, the UK still harbours delusions of being elite within their group (in the US its called exceptionalism) and Canada's 'leaders' just repeat what their American handlers tell them with no attempt to think about the future. Perhaps this is as it should be, the 'Elders' (Europe) going ahead and teaching by example while the UK and the New World carries on as if there is nothing to be concerned about.
At this point in the transitional process, the best hope for the parts of the world that are devoid of mature leadership is the rise of bottom-up movements like Occupy to provide the environment which will allow such leadership to emerge. The glaring example of immature thinking provided over and over again by the meeting of non-violence with violence exposes this lack of leadership for all to see on the world stage. Get your tickets for the show, its starting to get crowded on the streets.
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MY WEBSITE — ANewHumanity.CA
This is the 21st century PM Cameron, the century where we have to let go of national interests in order to rebuild the world into something that will allow the human species to survive. This is known as co-operation and requires an ability and willingness to compromise for the common good. Financial chaos is just a minor issue in the truckload that has to be solved if we are to continue the human experiment and every one of them is going to require a lowering of national, corporate and personal wants in order to fill the common need.
Europe has already leapt years ahead of North America in implementation of sustainability, not because they are not greedy (a universal, human trait), but because they are less greedy. However, the UK still harbours delusions of being elite within their group (in the US its called exceptionalism) and Canada's 'leaders' just repeat what their American handlers tell them with no attempt to think about the future. Perhaps this is as it should be, the 'Elders' (Europe) going ahead and teaching by example while the UK and the New World carries on as if there is nothing to be concerned about.
At this point in the transitional process, the best hope for the parts of the world that are devoid of mature leadership is the rise of bottom-up movements like Occupy to provide the environment which will allow such leadership to emerge. The glaring example of immature thinking provided over and over again by the meeting of non-violence with violence exposes this lack of leadership for all to see on the world stage. Get your tickets for the show, its starting to get crowded on the streets.
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MY WEBSITE — ANewHumanity.CA
Friday, December 2, 2011
Benevolent assistance and hostile take-over — are they really the same thing?
A question posed by the CBC regarding the financial troubles of the Attawapiskat First Nation:
Do you agree with the federal government's move to put Attawapiskat under third-party management? Why or why not?
My Answer:
No, I do not agree and, of course I'm gonna tell you why!
I'm pretty sure that if you picked any group of people and gave them a huge amount of money (say $90million) to manage without assistance you would get essentially the same result. This could be any Canadian village, a church organization, a service club, a large, charitable ngo or any group you could pick . . . . unless the group had a good percentage of members who were accustomed to manage immense amounts of money or . . . . the giver of the money made a condition that the group accept training and assistance with money management for a period after receipt. This is nothing like taking the authority away from the receivers but puts a responsibility on both parties for good stewardship.
Governments of the type we are stuck with at the moment see their primary purpose as making themselves redundant by cutting the size of public service and cutting out services, programs, inspection, oversight, and anything else that adds to the common good of those they are governing. If they were to second one or two 'redundant' accountants to a First Nation such as Attawapiskat for a pre-agreed to term, the expertise could be transferred and handed down for generations to come.
Unless I'm missing something, this would seen prudent and, if done with some sensitivity, should be gladly accepted by those receiving the money. It would also be considerably more efficient than having the money poorly managed and accounted for and then spending millions more on investigations and reports to answer the question. "Where did the money go?"
Nobody can reasonably be expected to pick up the skills necessary to manage millions of dollars with no assistance. It usually doesn't work for lottery winners, professional athletes, movie stars or inheritors of large fortunes so why would it work for a group of people who have mostly lived a remote and rural lifestyle and whose inter-generational knowledge of European ways is largely based on the dysfunctional Residential School system.
At this point, the take-over of the Attawapiskat people's affairs will tend to ensure the extension of that dysfunctionality for at least another generation. Perhaps, by that time, we will be looking to the First Nations people to assist us in learning skills that will allow us to survive in a post-oil world. I expect they will treat us better than we treated them.
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MY WEBSITE — ANewHumanity.CA
Do you agree with the federal government's move to put Attawapiskat under third-party management? Why or why not?
My Answer:
No, I do not agree and, of course I'm gonna tell you why!
I'm pretty sure that if you picked any group of people and gave them a huge amount of money (say $90million) to manage without assistance you would get essentially the same result. This could be any Canadian village, a church organization, a service club, a large, charitable ngo or any group you could pick . . . . unless the group had a good percentage of members who were accustomed to manage immense amounts of money or . . . . the giver of the money made a condition that the group accept training and assistance with money management for a period after receipt. This is nothing like taking the authority away from the receivers but puts a responsibility on both parties for good stewardship.
Governments of the type we are stuck with at the moment see their primary purpose as making themselves redundant by cutting the size of public service and cutting out services, programs, inspection, oversight, and anything else that adds to the common good of those they are governing. If they were to second one or two 'redundant' accountants to a First Nation such as Attawapiskat for a pre-agreed to term, the expertise could be transferred and handed down for generations to come.
Unless I'm missing something, this would seen prudent and, if done with some sensitivity, should be gladly accepted by those receiving the money. It would also be considerably more efficient than having the money poorly managed and accounted for and then spending millions more on investigations and reports to answer the question. "Where did the money go?"
Nobody can reasonably be expected to pick up the skills necessary to manage millions of dollars with no assistance. It usually doesn't work for lottery winners, professional athletes, movie stars or inheritors of large fortunes so why would it work for a group of people who have mostly lived a remote and rural lifestyle and whose inter-generational knowledge of European ways is largely based on the dysfunctional Residential School system.
At this point, the take-over of the Attawapiskat people's affairs will tend to ensure the extension of that dysfunctionality for at least another generation. Perhaps, by that time, we will be looking to the First Nations people to assist us in learning skills that will allow us to survive in a post-oil world. I expect they will treat us better than we treated them.
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MY WEBSITE — ANewHumanity.CA
Monday, November 28, 2011
Convergence
This plethora of problems seems to beg for a convergence of clarifications, don't you think? Here's a selection of reading material I've come across lately that, for me anyway, really puts all these events into a coherent perspective.
The Arab Spring was a series of revolutions against oppressive regimes, each one building on the success of those that preceded it. What made it mostly work and what has not been available in the past was the instant communication provided by 'Social Media' services on the Internet.
Moving Planet was a worldwide day to move beyond fossil fuels, with over 2000 events in more than 175 countries. While many groups pitched in to provide support, logistics and help getting the word out, this was mainly an effort of Bill McKibben and 350.org Again, success could be traced to the use of the Internet to spread ideas, bring news of arrests by the Empire as they happened and the creation of instant community.
Occupy Wall Street started pretty much as a single event in Now York City but momentum, communications and the pent-up frustration and anger of several generations soon turned it into a 1,500 city, global movement. Many people who had never been part of a bottom-up, ground-swell movement did not 'Get it', and still don't. The clearest explanation that I have seen for those who have spent their whole lives subservient to The Empire appeared in !yes Magazine.
The Great Turning, a book by David C. Korten lays out the case for and the course to, a peaceful and just world that works for all people which he calls "Earth Community". Korten writes from a variety of perspectives including those of economist, historian, journalist, statistician, spritualist, humanitarian, dreamer and pragmatist. He also draws on the work of numerous colleagues from a wide array of disciplines and has the ability to present the resulting superabundance of ideas, anecdotes and concepts as a unified and lucid whole.
And finally, if anyone was wondering if this is some new idea that was cooked up in a short time, with little thought to back it up, here is a re-issue by rabble.ca of a story about the New Politics Initiative 10 years after — "What goes around, comes around".
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MY WEBSITE — ANewHumanity.CA
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Is Harper trying to increase Canada's military might?
We [Canada] are fast becoming no more than an an insignificant backwater of the most powerful and destructive Empire the world has known. If we are even remembered in the post collapse world it will be as one of the minor players in the great degradation of humanity.
Our real wealth (land, water, all other resources both renewable and non) are in the hands of greedy, uncaring and low functioning individuals, as is our less important financial wealth and our so-called 'democratic' governments whose members and bought and paid for at election time. We have intelligent thinkers who can see through the futility and stupidity of Empire after 5,000 years of failure but, because their alternate social and financial systems do not offer the unsustainable, and for most, unattainable lifestyles of Empire they are denigrated as doomsayers and lunatics.
The world is quickly approaching a convergence of many crises which, taken together, have the potential to comprise the most general and most devastating cataclysm the human species has ever encountered - we could use some good thinkers, planners, stewards and humanitarians. And we had better listen to them if we don't want our grandchildren and their grandchildren to spit on our graves.
It is completely within the human capacity to design and initiate a new way for us to interact with the world around us and with each other but it would require adjustments and upheavals that only a few are currently willing to agree to. So here we are, rushing headlong towards the cliff edge, hoping that an unknown someone will fill the valley before we get there. They won't.
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Our real wealth (land, water, all other resources both renewable and non) are in the hands of greedy, uncaring and low functioning individuals, as is our less important financial wealth and our so-called 'democratic' governments whose members and bought and paid for at election time. We have intelligent thinkers who can see through the futility and stupidity of Empire after 5,000 years of failure but, because their alternate social and financial systems do not offer the unsustainable, and for most, unattainable lifestyles of Empire they are denigrated as doomsayers and lunatics.
The world is quickly approaching a convergence of many crises which, taken together, have the potential to comprise the most general and most devastating cataclysm the human species has ever encountered - we could use some good thinkers, planners, stewards and humanitarians. And we had better listen to them if we don't want our grandchildren and their grandchildren to spit on our graves.
It is completely within the human capacity to design and initiate a new way for us to interact with the world around us and with each other but it would require adjustments and upheavals that only a few are currently willing to agree to. So here we are, rushing headlong towards the cliff edge, hoping that an unknown someone will fill the valley before we get there. They won't.
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Saturday, November 26, 2011
Could this be the start of a Smart Grid that actually is — or is not?
If the "Smart Meter" push by BC Hydro could have a result like this, then I would support it, at least in principle.
I am not 100% positive that RF radiation is safe but, with the air full of it already, I believe this will only be an insignificant addition. The privacy issue is another matter altogether. We are already being logged, CCTV'd, chipped, swiped, bar-coded, GPS'd, triangulated and having our privacy stripped from us every time we wake up in the morning so I'm really not that happy with some 14 year-old hacker tuning into when I do my laundry or have a shower.
If, however, telling our inanimate and mechanical metering devices to "Smarten Up" was going to allow me to adjust my power usage for optimal efficiency (from my perspective) and even to hang enough PV's on the roof and erect enough windmills on the front lawn to actually save some money and the world at the same time, that would [probably] be good - except for the PO'd neighbours.
Because it is pretty hard to imagine any business enabling this or even allowing to happen right under its nose, I would want to have a closer look however. If this is just to allow BC Hydro to collect data at my expense, I will refuse to have one installed if I can catch them at it.
Let the neighbours laugh because I am the only one on the block with an old and dumb meter, it just seems to suit me better. And, I can always remind them about the noisy windmills and glaring PV panels, maybe even the smell from a possible biogas co-generating set-up and the pigs required to run it . . . . . YEAH!
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I am not 100% positive that RF radiation is safe but, with the air full of it already, I believe this will only be an insignificant addition. The privacy issue is another matter altogether. We are already being logged, CCTV'd, chipped, swiped, bar-coded, GPS'd, triangulated and having our privacy stripped from us every time we wake up in the morning so I'm really not that happy with some 14 year-old hacker tuning into when I do my laundry or have a shower.
If, however, telling our inanimate and mechanical metering devices to "Smarten Up" was going to allow me to adjust my power usage for optimal efficiency (from my perspective) and even to hang enough PV's on the roof and erect enough windmills on the front lawn to actually save some money and the world at the same time, that would [probably] be good - except for the PO'd neighbours.
Because it is pretty hard to imagine any business enabling this or even allowing to happen right under its nose, I would want to have a closer look however. If this is just to allow BC Hydro to collect data at my expense, I will refuse to have one installed if I can catch them at it.
Let the neighbours laugh because I am the only one on the block with an old and dumb meter, it just seems to suit me better. And, I can always remind them about the noisy windmills and glaring PV panels, maybe even the smell from a possible biogas co-generating set-up and the pigs required to run it . . . . . YEAH!
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