tedsherk

Global slavery

2011-12-16T23:07:00.000-08:00

Did you know that if you drive a car made in Mexico, like the 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, there's a good chance you're helping perpetuate slavery? Here's the connection: slaves make charcoal to smelt aluminium in Brazil, which is shipped to Mexico and used in maquiladoras (Mexican factories) owned and operated by Volkswagen. Volkswagen isn't kidding when they tell you to "forget what you remember" about the Beetle.

This ain't no hippie car.

There is no planet B

2011-03-19T17:03:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle

Nuclear power - A poster child for the planned economy

2011-03-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

For those who are confused and wondering why, despite severe, long-term economic, environmental and public health risks, as well as actual impacts, nuclear energy continues to be a mainstay of modern industrial power systems... *breath* ...well, there are reasons that representatives of government, industry, and corporate media are incapable of offering a satisfactory explanation.

Here is an analysis that begins to get to the heart of the issues involved.

A "cosmic vignette" by Lord Rees

2011-02-21T08:49:00.000-08:00

The following is an excerpt from a BBC broadcast of the Reith Lectures 2010. The Reith Lectures are a series of annual radio lectures held in the UK on significant contemporary issues, delivered by "leading figures from the relevant fields".

And I’ll conclude with a cosmic vignette. Suppose some aliens had been watching our planet from afar for its entire history. What would they have seen?

Over nearly all that immense time, 45 million centuries, Earth’s appearance would have altered very gradually. Continents drifted; the ice cover waxed and waned; successive species emerged, evolved and became extinct. But in just a tiny sliver of the Earth’s history, the last one millionth part, patterns of vegetation altered at an accelerating rate. This signalled the growing impact of humans and the advent of agriculture.

Then, in just one century, came other changes. The amount of carbon dioxide in the air began to rise anomalously fast. The planet became an intense submitter of radio waves - the output from TV, cellphones and radar transmissions. And something else unprecedented happened: small projectiles, launched from the planet’s surface, escaped the biosphere completely. Some were propelled into orbits around the Earth; some journeyed to the moon and planets.

If they understood astrophysics, the aliens could predict that the biosphere would face doom in a few billion years when our sun flares up and dies. But could they have predicted this sudden fever less than halfway through the Earth’s life? And if they continued to keep watch, what might these hypothetical aliens witness in the next hundred years in this unique century?

Open letter to Environment Minister Peter Kent

2011-02-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

If you agree that remediation of harm done to the Athabasca region, and reparations to its native peoples, should be paid for by oil sands developers, and not by Canadian taxpayers, please consider cutting and pasting (and editing as necessary) one of the following open letters and sending it to Prime Minister Stephen Harper (contact) or Environment Minister Peter Kent (email: Minister@ec.gc.ca, website)

Contact the Minister

Tel.: 819-997-1441
Fax: 819-953-0279
Email: Minister@ec.gc.ca

The Honourable Peter Kent
Minister of the Environment
Member of Parliament for Thornhill (Ontario)
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
10 Wellington Street, 28^th Floor
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0H3

Version 1

Subject: Responsible regulation and taxation of oil sands

Dear Peter:

Oil sands developers in Alberta are getting away with murder, and the Canadian government seems to be turning a blind eye.

As I write this, I am thinking of the millions of innocent human beings who have been killed or displaced, and will continue to be so likely as a result of anthropogenic climate change. I’m also thinking of northern Alberta where the smell of hydrocarbons from the terrible scar of the tar sands replaces the scent of flowers, and of cancer rates in the Chipewyan First Nation community.

Instead of letting companies run roughshod over our Athabasca forests with minimal penalty, in particular companies with foreign-headquarters and little concern for Canada's long-term interests, they should be taxed and a large portion of their profits earmarked for, among other things, remediation programs.

Peter, I was disappointed to find you on the Polluter Harmony site. I expect more of the newsman who used to grace my family's living room nightly.

Please stand up for the environment and impose proper regulation and taxation on the oil sands.

Sincerely,
Ted Sherk

Version 2

Subject: Make polluters pay! Tax bitumen extractors in Alberta

Dear Peter:

Oil sands developers in Alberta are getting away with murder, and the Canadian government seems to be turning a blind eye.

Instead of letting companies run roughshod over our Athabasca forests with minimal penalty, in particular companies with foreign-headquarters and little concern for Canada's long-term interests, they should be taxed and a large portion of their profits earmarked for, among other things, remediation programs.

I was disappointed to find you on the Polluter Harmony site. I expect more of the newsman who used to grace my family's living room nightly.

As I write this, I am also thinking of the millions of innocent human beings who have been killed or displaced, and will continue to be as a result of anthropogenic climate change. I’m also thinking of the spring to come, the wildflowers that will bloom and their beautiful scent in the air. I’m also thinking of northern Alberta where the smell of hydrocarbons from the terrible scar of the tar sands replaces the scent of flowers.

Please stand up for the environment and impose proper regulation and taxation on the oil sands.

Sincerely,

Ted Sherk

---

Background:

Canada.com news coverage: Environment minister unfazed by anti-oil sands campaign

CBC: The Nature of Things two-hour feature on the Albertan oil sands

FORD FOCUS - Chapter 3

2011-01-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

Fixing Rob's Mistakes

Think of the effect George Bush and throngs of misinformed, rhetoric-driven voters had on the U.S. economy, and then read this:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/858032--scrap-streetcars-for-subways-ford-says

Here are some facts about Transit City:

FACT: LRT and street cars are not the same thing.

FACT: 1/3 of the proposed Eglinton LRT will run underground.*
(i.e. between Laird Ave. and Keele St.)

FACT: Transit City vs. Ford's "plan"

In case it's not obvious, I deeply resent having to take time away from other important work to try and protect Toronto's future against this buffoon. Thank goodness our city's governance structure has some ability to temper Ford's rhetoric with reason, and keep him in check.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/915410--ford-transit-city-hybrid-plan-in-the-works?bn=1

When my thesis is done, I will be doing some serious advocacy, including more canvassing. Hopefully it won't be too late by then to save the Jane LRT as well.

*Sources: City of Toronto, 2010; Google Maps

Jobs in Ontario's renewable energy sector

2011-01-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

Do you know someone who's out of work in Ontario and interested in renewable energy? Here's a (non-comprehensive) list of jobs being created as a result of Ontario's Green Energy and Green Economy Act. These are companies you could refer them to.

Company	No. of jobs	Location
Canadian Solar	500	Guelph
Sustainable Energy Technologies and Melatron	300	Guelph
Fronius (inverters)	100	Mississauga
Canasia Power	500	London
Seimans		Windsor
Samco	60-100	Scarborough
Windtronics	174	Windsor
Lower Mattagami River Project	800	Timmins James Bay
Solar Source	150-200	Windsor
Niagara Tunnel	?	Niagara
GSL and MecaSolar	15	Wallaceburg
	?	Leeds & Grenville
More on the way!

For more information, see http://cpconference.ca/

FORD FOCUS - Chapter 2

2010-12-27T14:38:00.000-08:00

Rob Ford follows in Hitler's footsteps

In what is becoming a common theme on my blog, here's another way Rob Ford poses a threat to Toronto.

Similarity between Rob Ford and Hitler:

After being democratically elected, he aggressively seeks to dismantle democratic structures and processes to reduce opposition to his agenda.

Exhibit A: Rob Ford declares Transit City dead before a council vote is even scheduled http://www.thestar.com/news/transportation/article/900774--not-so-fast-province-warns-ford-on-killing-transit-plan

Exhibit B: Proposal to downsize council from 44 to 22 councillors, citing "more productivity, less waste" http://www.robfordformayor.ca/issues/

Exhibit C: Announces "surprise" tax freeze that was not in his campaign, a tax decrease in real terms that would deliver greatest benefit to wealthy property owners (e.g. him and his brothers).
http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/12/01/16389921.html

CBC offers a more sympathetic perspective, citing Rob's recognition of the need for council support http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2010/12/01/toronto-ford.html

Some of you will I'm sure consider such a parallel alarmist, but this is my blog, and I see no harm in calling out Rob's potentially egregious mistakes. Rob, as he likes to be called (Toronto Sun, 2010), is in my opinion worse than a disgrace to Toronto's mayoral office, he's a danger to our city's democracy.

2010-11-28T19:50:00.000-08:00

While reports on the conflict in Korea dominate the news, I was just reading about this sea mammal, the "cow of the sea", that lives off the coast of Okinawa Island. Its existence is threatened by a proposed relocation of a US Air Forces base. Thinking about how vulnerable this creature is to destructive forces beyond its control, I can't help but feel the same sense of vulnerability for our own species as a whole.

We are so oblivious, so wrapped up in our immediate circumstances... Imagine if instead of fighting over territorial control, we set ourselves to the rather more important challenges of ensuring our long-term survival as a species, and understanding our place in the universe.

It is at least encouraging to read about China taking a diplomatic role in moderating the conflict over this disputed Korean territory. One wonders what can be done to bring the peoples and nations of the world together to tackle humanity's overarching challenges.

Getting past Pyotr the Great(ly Annoying) ...and his buddies

2010-11-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

Everywhere I look in Toronto, I see male chauvinism. From the CN Tower, to sexist ads on the TTC, to government spending on war machines, to biographies of "great men" at the TPL, there! to the ubiquitous acronyms and other military-derived idioms like "changing of the guard" (referring to Toronto's mayoral transition), "top brass", "fight", "charge", "power", "control", even an innocuous little word like "uniform". It's everywhere.

I hate this aspect of our culture, honestly. I really hate it. I'd rather be a pawn in a world shaped by female influence than a successful man in a man's world. Take Col. Russell Williams for instance, until recently the commander of Canada's largest Armed Forces base in Trenton, Ontario. Here was a man with immense confidence in the power he had acquired "rising" through the ranks of the Canadian Armed Forces--power "vested" in him by the military and by the state. A man with a fetish for "girly" pink panties, an avid golfer, photographer, and athlete, apparently aroused by violence. His father was a metallurgist at Chalk River Laboratories, Canada's premier nuclear research laboratory (Wikipedia, 2010). This man is no "freak". He is an entirely predictable product of the implicit norms around gender division. Last year, Col. Russell Williams was a quintessential successful man. In reality, he was also a shell.*

After confessing, he expressed a desire to shield his wife from as much of the fallout of his crimes as possible, repeatedly referencing "my wife" in a pathetic attempt to sound normal. "My only concern," he said, "is how upset my life is right now. I am concerned that they are tearing up my wife's brand new house." Col. Russell Williams defends himself as a materialist, mostly concerned for himself and his family. Indeed, what could be more normal?

The peculiarity and absurdity of male-dominated culture was highlighted again for me recently watching an episode of A&E Biography about Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov, aka Peter "The Great". A man hailed as the founder of modern Russia, Pyotr is remembered mainly because his boyhood fascination with war games was allowed to develop unchecked, giving him the military strength as an adult to wage war against various neighbouring politically entities, including Sweden and his half-sister, Sophia. Little reason is given in the documentary for his war mongering, beyond a fascination with materialism and conquest for their own sakes.

Pyotr Romanov is an extreme example of masculine ideals made manifest. Such unchecked power is thankfully unheard of in modern Western democracies (though certainly not in other parts of the world). Western men today have to negotiate at least to some degree with women about how to allocate resources, what constitutes legitimate decision-making process, appropriate decorum, and so on. But it's not enough! Male domination is crippling our culture, and our species. It already brought us once to the brink of self-annihilation through nuclear warfare. Of course, as a man, my joking admonishment for women to "take over the world" is itself a masculine perspective. What I really want is to live in a world where women are equal, heck, even more than equal with men. I'd take that over the status quo. Where are all the women who want this too?

The trouble is, I suppose, that there are reasons we've reached this equilibrium of dominant patriarchal societies becoming ubiquitous the world over. Might makes right, history is written by the victor, victor's justice, and all that. Time and again, women are beaten by their more physically powerful male counterparts, whether it's Sophia and her half-brother Pyotr, or the extinct indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin by the Spanish (more).

So how do we get around this perennial domination of women by men, and of female cultures by their patriarchal rivals?

Anyone?

*See the shallowness of letters written by Williams to the parents of the murdered women.

Do concrete and uranium grow on trees?

2010-11-23T17:33:00.000-08:00

Nuclear may be necessary, but it sure as heck isn't "clean" or emissions-free.

Concrete: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/12/sarah_harmer_on.php

Uranium: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium_mining#Health_risks_of_uranium_mining

The politicians should scrap the rhetoric and give it to us straight. A sustainable energy system IS possible, but it requires a departure from ~~traditional~~ Modern energy mindsets.

Conservatives' politics as dirty as their energy policy

2010-11-23T15:52:00.000-08:00

"When you pay 80 cents for [electricity from] a wind turbine that is only operating half the time, and then have to close nuclear and coal plants to do it, you're paying twice!"
-John O'Toole, MPP for Durham, lying through his teeth to disparage Ontario's Green Energy and Green Economy Act in defense of nuclear developments in his region, Nov 23, 2010

C'mon John. We all know you're trying to protect nuclear industry jobs in your riding. But stick to the facts. Under the Green Energy Act, wind energy gets 13.5 cents (on shore), or 19 cents (off shore, OPA, 2010), plus a maximum 1 to 1.5 cent adder if the project is owned by a community or aboriginal group (OPA, 2010).

Mr. O'Toole went on to criticize the Liberals' estimate of 50,000 green jobs being created in the renewable energy sector, saying that these come at the expense of 56,000 jobs lost in other sectors, such as steel smelting and nuclear. Well, John. That's kind of the POINT. People don't want the products those companies supply! We don't want more nuclear plants. We don't want more cars and road infrastructure. We do however, want to live in a Province where people can earn a decent wage making things of value.

FORD FOCUS - Chapter 1

2010-10-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

Ford. The name that has become synonymous with "idiot"

So let me get this straight. Mayor Ford is going to abolish the $60 vehicle registration tax, saving each taxpayer a maximum of about $60 every four years. Yet he plans to build out road infrastructure at a cost of $700 Million over 4 years.

Oh. My. God.

Seriously. Oh. My. GOD.

No.

Acoustic space and the work of Philip Beesley

2010-10-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

One of these days, I'm going to create a "sound archive" blog, for sharing this stuff with a more targeted audience. But in the meantime, I'll post this here.

I was at the keyboard tonight, and created a sound that I could imagine using as a kind of "acoustic backdrop" in a worship setting, or perhaps for a communal prayer setting as Taizé seeks to be.

The sound quality of this sample is very good, so it's a large file. But if you have a nice sound system, and a quiet place to listen, I thought you might enjoy just putting this on in the background. It's not a "song", just something to fill the acoustic space, and hopefully has a calming effect.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8848985/Analogue%20Basic%20with%20AVerb.aif

There's an architect in Toronto whose work I've found particularly inspiring lately. I don't know how many of you will resonate with the work of Philip Beesley, but personally I'm not aware of anyone who is as conscious of the influence of environment, that is, of form, space, and atmosphere, on spiritual well being as this man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v86B9Nz_LVU

Emily Pilloton on getting past "Going Green"

2010-10-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most important statements I've heard on sustainability in years, its emphasis on "green products" notwithstanding. It's so good in fact, I transcribed it from the interview between design expert Emily Pilloton and TreeHugger Radio host Jacob Gordon.

JG - "You wrote a manifesto/rant/founding paper that was published in Core77. You defeinitely pushed some buttons in there. You touched on a bit of a sensitive nerve in the green design fanatic community, like we are over at TreeHugger. And one thing you say is that people need to get over the notion of "Going Green" (big air quotes around that). What are you predicting will happen here, and what are you saying the design community ought to be doing about this whole "Going Green" thing?"

EP - "Well I'm... okay I'm, [hesitating] I knew I was going to push some buttons with that. Y'know this is not to say that I am anti-sustainability or anti-Green Design in any way. Um...ya I was the managing editor of Inhabitat... and a lot of my own personal furnature designs [were] very much rooted in environmental responsibility. But the point that I'm trying to make is that sustainability is much bigger than that, it's much bigger than... y'know, using bamboo to design your coffee table and then calling it a day.

Y'know so much of what we talk about within sustainability and physically going green, which is all the eco-initiatives. They're all about "how" we're designing: What we're design with; What the manufacturing process is, what's the embodied energy. And these are all "how" questions. "How" are we designing.

What I sort of hope for the next wave of sustainability is that we're talking about what we're designing in the first place. I refer to this as the Bamboo Coffee Table Paradox~, where we're using these great green materials, and, y'know, maybe this is more environmentally sensitive, and you can call it Green Design, but... do we really need more coffe tables? And that market is always going to be there. It's never going to go away. But as designers I think we have a responsibility, not just to look at how we're making things that we'll always gonna keep making, and to reorient, or to change the question, but what are we designign in the first place, What are we putting out there in the world? And are those things socially relevant. Are they improving life; are they empowering people? Are they enabling anything beyond that immediate function. And that's sort of my pet peeve, is that, we're not talking about the substance, we're talking about just the process.

I would go so far as to say we don't need new coffee tables. We need things like the HippoRoller, and we need systems and new economies, and new enterprises that can support, y'know, ventures in the developing world, but that are not necessarily rooted only in environmental initiatives."

The full interview can be found in the TreeHugger Radio archives, podcast 58 from 2/5/09.

Installing Pixel Qi reflective screen on Samsung N150 netbook

2010-07-30T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is a departure from my other posts, but I'm pretty excited about this sunlight reflective screen I just bought and installed. It's more than a year ago since I first looked into the availability of laptop screens that reflect light, rather than filter it the way LCDs do. What's the big deal? Well, as someone who loves sitting outside, under a tree or wherever, reading, blogging, writing papers, Facebooking, etc. it gets frustrating when everytime the sun comes out from behind a cloud, I have to squint and reorient my laptop. Now with the Pixel Qi screen, I can read my computer like it's a book, while doing all those computery things.

Finally, three weeks ago I discovered a blog post (on the day it was written) revealing that a company called Pixel Qi was selling sunlight reflective screens through MakerShed, a DIY computer warehouse in California. After a few hours researching how to do the installation, I bought one.

Here's a little photo blog showing how to do the installation.

Set up the netbook on the soft packaging material to prevent scratching the seashell exterior finish. I loaded the installation instructions for a similar netbook on my Mac for easy reference. It's good to read a few different accounts of how to do this before attempting it yourself. Little tips help you avoid silly errors that you'd never think to watch out for before it's too late.

Make sure you have all the tools you need, and a suitable workspace before starting the install. It sucks to get halfway through and realize you're missing something you need to get to the next step. Here I have a clean cream cheese container for holding small parts (specifically screws, and screw covers which are held on by adhesive that needs to be kept dust-free. ) The student and library cards come in handy in for gently separating the bezel from the screen.

Careful not to crack the bezel when easing the card in and separating the bezel from the back cover. I used my fingernail to create a little gap, wide enough to slide in the card. Then used the wide surface area of the card to distribute pressure over a wider portion of the bezel to avoid cracking it.

You can see the clips through the space the cards create. Gently pull the two sides apart and the clips give way (eventually... though the ones on the bottom were stickier and needed so much force I was worried about breaking something. Be careful not to let your hand fly off after the clips give way. You can avoid this by bracing your arm against another part of the netbook, or the table.)

Once you have the bezel off, it looks like this, and you can set to work on the screws. Don't do what I did, and forget which screws came from where. There are short ones and long ones, which need to back in the holes they came from.

Then lift the normal screen away from the back cover, letting the tape peel off the back of the screen. Sometimes you need to pull it. Be careful not to pull it in a way the strains the webcam connector.

Remove the tape covering the pin connector.

You can do all this without removing more than the single piece of tape that covers the pin connector. There are no clips on the pin connector, so just gently ease it out.

Connect the new screen. Be careful to not to scratch or drop a screw driver on the screen.

Connect the power cord (which should have been disconnected right at the start, unless you like that tingly sensation of being a low voltage ground and the whiff of burning electronics.)

Now turn it on and hopefully you'll see something like this. Even better if you've hackintoshed your netbook and see an OS X desktop.

I'm such a geek.

Then reverse the process and you're laughing!

A critique of media sensationalism

2010-06-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

After more than 35 hours on the streets of downtown Toronto this weekend, I've gained a new appreciation for non-violent protest as a critical component of a functional democratic process. The G20 protests have left me more informed, and feeling more secure, about the ability of real, conscientious citizens to express dissent in a powerful and positive way.

Source: BlogTO, 2010

Whenever 10,000 people gather in downtown Toronto to voice opposition to a governance forum of questionable legitimacy (i.e. the G-20), that is first-page news: a hundred banners, thousands of signs, symbols and slogans expressing a common disapproval for the way our democratically-elected leaders make decisions affecting Human Rights, the Environment, and Gender Equality. So Starbucks and a few other stores had windows smashed, after the official protest was over, and by a handful of young men with their own axe to grind. That is second-page news.

Blazing police cars is an eye-catching image, understandably disturbing to many TV viewers without proper context or a perception of the miniscule scale of these acts in relation to the countless acts of peaceful free speech and collective-expression that took place over three days.

It is unsurprising that corporately-owned news agencies would lead their coverage with footage of violence and property destruction, appealing to their viewers' baser natures in a short-sighted clutch for ratings (=> advertising => profits). The corporately-owned news media, those owned (and influenced) by large corporate interests, do not, CAN not be considered independent media, the Free Press which has been a pillar of functional democracies for hundreds of years. Public news agencies, such as CBC News, are governed by a Board of Directors, who are appointed by government (CBC, 2010). In a political climate such as the one we currently have nationally, CBC loses some legitimacy as its direction comes from a government with a weakly held mandate (oh proroguement...)

Far more disturbing than the burning of police cars and smashed storefronts, are the low standards for national media reporting on the protests. Canadians deserve better; we need better if we're to have a truthful understanding of the issues, if we're to be truly politically engaged and continue to enjoy the benefits of a fair and representative democracy.

Whose roads are less safe?

2010-06-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

One of the beautiful things about statistics is the way they can put the lie to stereotypes and popular misconceptions. If I were to ask you, which country has safer roads, South Africa a developing country with a shortage of civil engineers and weakly enforced traffic laws, or Canada?

Before you answer, consider this statement from the BBC's coverage of Zenani Mandela's death in a traffic accident on the eve of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

"South Africa has one of the world's worst road safety records, and there are an average of 42 deaths each day on roads across the country."
-BBC, 2010

See how subtly the statement reinforces perceptions of South Africa's inferior road safety next to the rest of the world, using vagaries like "one of the worst" to link Zenani's death to a general malaise of underdevelopment. I wonder whether, after Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris, any journalists were tempted to make the claim "France has one of the world's worst road safety records".

Now, consider the numbers. 42 people per day is equivalent to 15 thousand annually. This represents 1/3 of traffic fatalities in the US, whose population is 6X larger than that of South Africa. This means that there are in fact TWICE as many deaths in the US (and Canada) relative to the population as there are in South Africa. Again...WHOSE country has one of the worst safety records?

I would expect that with the high proportion of pedestrian and bicycle traffic on South Africa's roads, they may in fact be safer for the average traveler than roads in developed countries.

Blessing of the Bicycles

2010-04-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

I recently attended one of those sorts of events you just don't come across all that often, and yet, in the city, strange, profound, serene, grotesque things seem to happen with heartbeat regularity. This was one such event, Blessings of the Bicycles at Trinity St. Paul's United Church (and Centre for Faith, Justice and the Arts.) It's a mouthful! But I suppose this is what it takes, or what it means, to be a thriving Christian institution in the Heart of the City. There is some amount of writing about Blessing of the Bicycles to be found on the web, to which I'll refer you. At this time of night, in this state of calm, all I feel the need to set down is a prayer, printed in a sort of bulletin given out to supplement the ritual blessing of my (well actually, my friend's friend's) bike last Sunday.

Prayer of lament, visioning, and petition

Each petition ends with "God of Life",

and you respond: "Hear our prayer."

Let us pray:

Present in a world groadingin under the excesses of consumption,

we give thanks for the simple beauty of the bicycle. God of Life...

Present in a city filled with traffic aggravation, we pray for

victims of road rage and biek theft. We ask to be mindful as we

ride, and we ask to keep calm in the face of aggression.

God of Life...

We now observe a moment of silence for all who have been injured or who have died while riding. (silence...)

God of Life...

Present in a city needing better bike lanes and respectful sharing of the transportation commons, we pray for all those who propose, design, and vote on bike-friendly roadway commons.

God of Life...

Present in a community filled with children and young people, we pray for those learning to ride. Keep them smart, safe, and visible on their neighbourhood roads. Keep drivers mindful and alert for kids on bikes. God of Life...

Present in a world of work, we give thanks for those who build, repair, and clean our bikes and who rely on bikes to earn their living. We pray for prosperity, abundance, and the sharing of skills in the biking community. God of Life...

Present in diverse and beautiful communities, we ask for Your protection and blessing on all who ride: children, elders, homeless folks, students, workers, atheletes, messengers, eco-activists, wellness enthusiasts, enjoyers of riding, and all those take to the streets, bike paths, and parks. Keep us safe as we ride. God of Life...

Blessing

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be ever at your back

May all your journeying be joyous

May you and your bicycle be held in God's hand.

Amen.

2010-03-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

"There is a fire burning over the Earth, taking with it plants and animals, ancient skills and visionary wisdom. At risk is a vast archive of knowledge and expertise, a catalogue of the imagination, an oral and written language composed of the memories of countless elders and healers, warriors, farmers, fishermen, midwives, poets, and saints. In short, the artistic, intellectual, and spiritual expression of the full complexity and diversity of the human experience. Quelling this flame, and rediscovering a new appreciation for the diversity of the human spirit as expressed by culture, is among the central challenges of our times." Wade Davis, 2009 Massey Lectures

Parsing a "No-Nonsense" Guide to Globalization

2010-03-23T23:13:00.000-07:00

Having followed the "globalization" phenomenon for more than ten years, and TA'd a course on the topic, I've started to form an opinion... (yes, just one) that "globalization" should be renamed. Am I asking too much? Here's the trouble, the descriptor "globalization" is simply too general. It could apply equally to any number of global trends, from arts to culture to micro-finance, and yes, to the insidious creep of Western-style capitalism.

I'd suggest a different label, something like "global homogenization and cross-cultural exploitation" as a more accurate label for the cultural and economic trends currently encompassed by "globalization". Not as catchy, but also not prone to linking greater global interconnectedness with the exclusively negative outcomes associated with economic and cultural hegemony.

The danger I see is that if "globalization" is the problem, then "localization" pops out as the apparent solution. Trends towards increased global awareness and interconnectedness are not inherently a problem. However, the superficial concept of "globalization" leads to an apparently obvious panacea of "going local". Yes, re-localizing is part of the solution to global homogenization and foreign exploitation, but so equally is global awareness and interconnectedness. Peter Dicken has written an excellent text book on globally-integrated economies. I highly recommend it as a complement to the No-Nonsense Guide.

2010-03-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

Kudos to students at the U. of Waterloo for continued creative activism in the struggle to build climate awareness.

music for the coming holocaust

2009-12-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

this is beautiful... what a joy it would be to work on a project like this.

Analogous thinking about what it means to "work"

2009-12-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

This is interesting... I've been thinking about what it means to "work", as in "to find work", "to do work". We don't often think of the connection between "work" as it relates to employment and "work" as it's defined in Physics.

In physics, work is "the amount of energy transferred by a force acting through a distance." So in a physical sense, work has kind of two conditions; a force must act, and energy must be transfered through a distance. If the force acts, but energy isn't transferred over a distance, then no work is done. In other words, for something to be "work", it must move something (e.g. mass, energy) over a distance. And then you can think about what "distance" means in an employment setting. The other component of work is force, which is defined using mass and velocity (" style="vertical-align: middle; ">). Velocity has both a direction and speed. Speed is just the rate of change of velocity, so that's pretty straightforward. More difficult in relating this concept back to employment, is defining direction. What it means to move "forward".

Think about an industrial-scale solar plant, tens of thousands of photovoltaic panels spreading across the landscape. Does this fit our sense of what it mean to move forward? Are the people building infrastructure like this truly what we would consider "workers"?

Perhaps it's not always possible to move forward; perhaps sometimes you need to go sideways, or even backwards before you can move forward. If building a centralized solar plant gets you into a position where you can begin to build distributed rooftop solar applications, perhaps then there's value in it. But the energy exerted to build the centralized plant doesn't become "work" until it moves... what? mass? What's the mass? Mass then could be analogous to society, in which case work is only done when society moves, that is, when society changes.

Therefore, if you're not changing society, you're not doing work. Huh...

Expressed in a positive sense, if you are spending energy and changing society in a forward (i.e. desirable) direction, then you're doing work.

Sting plays Robert Schumann and releases his Un-Christmas album

2009-12-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Hey, I found out this morning on CBC that the letters of Robert and Clara Schumann have been revived in a new stage production, starring (wait for it) Sting and Trudie Styler! That's a show I wouldn't mind seeing in theatres, or on DVD.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/programs/saic/2009/12/02/sting_schu.html

Sting's latest album is on a winter theme, but watching this video, it doesn't quite seem to achieve that air of romance and authenticity you'd hope for. My read on it is that Sting's stardom makes it tough to connect on a personal level with the other musicians in the room; it looks, if not wholly staged, perhaps like a rich man's fantasy playhouse.

I think he's also too much of an ironic figure to embody the sort of deep, winter spirituality that you find on, say, Cockburn's High Winds, White Sky.

And he definitely cannot pull off that beard... actually, maybe can, "pull off the beard" if it's as real as it looks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFAleFnbRgw

Ah, the Sting phenomenon offers me no end of amusement....

Personal GHG emissions (Canadian Average)

2009-04-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

[Source: Created by Ted Sherk with data from Zerofootprint, 2008)]

This figure represents per capita emissions for Canada, based on data from ZeroFootprint. Please contact me for a detailed methodology.

The Edison Company - arts or engineering?

2009-03-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

Isn't this interesting.... the Edison Company, which was affiliated in some way (I'm not sure how) with inventor Thomas Edison who created the first electrical distribution system in New York, produced movies for 6 years during the early 20th Century. We can see some evidence of a similar energy technology/entertainment cross-over in the appearance of solar panels in American films like Wall-E, and perhaps a better parallel in Pixar's use of computer animation normalizing and creating demand for high tech computerized devices. The cross-over between arts and engineering is something that has been unfortunately ignored by many programs designed to encourage energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy.

Who is neighbour?

2009-03-14T12:50:00.000-07:00

This blog has kind of turned into a bunch of random reflections, well... that's what it started as too, except that at the beginning they were tailored to Leah and now they're more just whatever's on my mind. (sip of chamomile tea) More or less irrespective of an audience. I don't have a particular audience in mind anyway.

So continuing in that vein, it seems that people have a tendency to think mostly about other people they know. I don't know why I'm an anomaly in this respect--I seem to spend most of my time thinking about this abstraction of the millions of people who are almost certainly going to feel the brunt of climate change, and those who (arguably) already are, for example in Darfur. For some reason I don't need a human face to represent those people to care about them, or maybe I extend the emotion and relational feelings I have for people I know and love to these unknown millions. (another sip) I don't know. Damn, the sun is glorious on this open page of Small Is Profitable.

False piety

2009-03-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

The trouble with church people, based on my limited experience, is that we generally don't know how to be good. Our sense of the world is based on abstractions that are so far from empirical reality that when we try to do something "right", like for instance, buy a more fuel efficient car, we often end up doing more harm than good.

As an example, I'm seeing more Priuses show up in church parking lots in KW than ever before, which leads me to suspect that something in the pious mindset of church-goers motivates them to purchase a fuel-efficient vehicle as an action that represents their commitment to Creation Care. But because they don't know that the amount of carbon emissions that are produced in the manufacture of a car is about equivalent to its lifetime emissions from driving, they're unaware that it would probably be better for them to just keep driving their old car. (UNESCO, date unknown)

There's a problem with the way knowledge viewed and used (or ignored) in the church. While Christians are familiar with certain powerful concepts, such as loving one's neighbours and enemies, turning the other cheek, the log in your eye, and God, we have more or less lost, or de-emphasized, the importance of knowledge, which can even be found in our own tradition expressed in Bible passages like, "Go to the ant, thou sluggard" and Proverbs 2:1-5.

----

As a final note, this argument is misleading for many reasons that someone with a graduate degree in Environmental Studies should be able to identify. Its most obvious flaw that if driving your old car consumes X mmBTU over its lifetime, and making a new one consumes Y, then the comparison that needs to be made in order to answer the question "Will buying a new car have a lower energy impact than continuing to drive my old one?" is: Y vs. X*(proportion of lifetime remaining)=Z.

If Z is lower, then it's better to keep driving your old car than to buy new.

For example, using AskPablo's numbers, if driving a car consumes roughly between 327 and 726 mmBTU over its lifetime, and making one consumes 113 mmBTU, and you expect your car to last another 3 years, then the calculation is (worst case scenario) 726*(years remaining/total years) = 726*(3/10) = 218 mmBTU. So in that case, Z > Y so based on energy alone it would be better to buy new. But that's based on the number for the Highlander SUV. If your old car was a Corolla or Civic, consuming let's say 500 mmBTU over its life, you'd get Z = 150

Hm... let's ask the question differently. Let's ask, is it better to drive my old car for one more year (think of that as the marginal environmental cost) or to buy new? Then 726*(1/10) = 73, which is lower than buying new. Therefore the energy used in driving your car for another year is lower than the energy of making a new vehicle.

Darn...

This is complex...choosing a valid metric is not trivial.

And then there are so many other factors that go into converting this energy calculation into a comparison of carbon emissions, and more broadly into a measure of long-term societal benefit. All I can say is, don't just ask Pablo. Spend time in school and learn how to do your own proper research.

2009-02-18T23:08:00.000-08:00

In Bloom

2009-02-01T22:46:00.000-08:00

acknowledge, but signaling to producer, vulnerable

too much

the scream like an old man

the wash out

clean

dancy

Novoselic (Milosevic) long legs

stoner expressions

benevolence

tinkerbell twirling

horror-like flash betweens

everything

attention caught, how did it go

motion

experiential motion

e-motion

i like the part at the end where he goes to punch something and hurts his hand, and stumbles to the mic with his hands between his legs like an early-pubescent girl with cramps

Ladri di biciclette (the bicycle thief)

2009-01-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

My friend Kat invited me to see Vittorio De Sica's post-WWII masterpiece Ladri Di Biciclette last week at the Working Centre. The more I think about this movie, the more I realize how relevant it is, and how timely for them to show it at the Working Centre in the midst of a recession.

Its depiction of a society recovering from war and in particular one family's struggle to make money and achieve some level of material well-being strikes me as kind of a knell for consumerism. (Of course, anyone who knows me knows I see pretty much EVERYTHING as a death knell for consumerism, or at least for consumptionism.) But Ladri Di Biciclette is perhaps even more relevant today than it was during the post-war boom. The father character, Antonio, is motivated by fantasies of opulence, celebrating when he lands a well-paying "city job", and exclaiming to his wife "you will have money to throw away!"
Later, when unable to retrieve a stolen bicycle that is his only apparent link to employment, he treats his son to an expensive restaurant meal, teaching him the ethic of "working to consume" by giving him a taste of consumption-based hedonism, couched in family values. What a toxic mix!

OK, so I'm taking a pretty hard counter-cultural interpretation of what might otherwise be a pathos-inducing human story. I actually do have a great deal of empathy with Antonio and his desire to treat his family well, make a decent living wage, and live well, but... I think the movie also gets to the heart of my difficulties with the approach many advocates for social justice (of which I am one) currently practice. It's reasonable to assume that social justice is only possible in a society that values it. When social programs aim to equip lower-income people with the means to become consumers, there will continue to be hoarding, violence and unhappiness.
One time Kat pointed out over a cup of tea that there is a link between social equality and environmental protection, that is, both are impossible as long as people at all levels of society share the same consumerist aspirations.

Alternatively, we as a society could aspire to different goals, such as a deep understanding the nature of things around us, or something like that--something that everyone can strive for without necessarily depriving others of the opportunity to pursue the same dream. A goal like this gives us the same power and stability we instinctually seek through wealth accumulation, but again, it doesn't come at anyone else's expense. If anything, that knowledge can be shared to allow societies to understand their respective environments, leaving everyone better off.

The path towards peace requires a substitution of knowledge for consumption. There's little doubt in my mind about this.

Why FOTC is just OK

2008-10-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

People have told me they think Flight of the Conchords is the best comedy act/show going these days. Well I can't think of a better one (LMOTP comes close), but FOTC is still really just OK. They do a good job of humanizing marginalized parts of urban society (muggers, druggies, etc.) but they're also perpetuating problematic stereotypes in a way that evokes nervous laughter from at least a few female and minority viewers. Here we have another couple of slick "white" guys, singing songs about how and how not to get laid, about racial equality, the triumphs and tragedies of inner city life, etc. But let's take a closer look at one of these issues: racial equality. Their "black paper white paper..stick it together with the tape of love" song champions love's ability to overcome racial antagonism. And yet, when you look at the "hottest" women according to Brett and Jemain's characters, they're all tall, thin, blonde, symmetrical "beauties"...no sterotype being challenged here.
In fact, the show is generally dealing with stereotypes, which I guess is normal for comedy shows. The trouble is, FOTC stereotypes aren't all that insightful and in my view serve to entrench negative stereotypes as often as they deconstruct or parody them.

So there's a little rant on last year's New Kids On The Block comedy troupe. Go Monty Python! http://time-blog.com/middle_east/2008/09/monty_pythons_guide_to_the_mud.html

Brain, Muscle, Fat - In That Order

2008-09-27T06:54:00.000-07:00

Following recent coverage of the US and Canadian elections, I feel moved to write a brief dialectic. A major shift in our collective priorities seems called for if are to free ourselves from the economic malaise and brutal militarism that is the natural outcome of certain aspects of the North American way of life. Our culture is rooted in a shallow, and often meaningless, form of hedonistic consumerism, which offers little promise of real fulfillment or concern for greater goals.
I was lucky enough to find myself seated across from Jack Layton a month ago in an airport lounge. After five minutes of trying to think of a question worth asking him, we ended up having a pleasant and meaningful conversation about a variety of things related to sustainability, including his former involvements with the Toronto Cycling Committee through which he knows my dad. He also gave a good answer to my question about the NDP's strategies for growing environmental awareness across Canada by funding community-level advocacy. It was a good ten minute conversation, by the end of which I had renewed confidence that despite being a political animal, Mr. Layton has a genuine passion for the environment and sustainability...and space exploration! Hahaha :) (He said as he was taking his seat on the plane, quite out of the blue, that he's reading a book about the Apollo project.)
So, here's my dialectic on the shift in priorities that I see helping us kick the habit of exploiting the wealth of nations less powerful than ourselves. This is part of addressing "security issues" that are of such importance to our US counterparts, and restoring Canada's good name in international circles as a peacemaker, leader on the environment (and now sustainability), and a country that not only contains enormous wealth, but generates prosperity beyond its borders.
------
Canada needs to maintain its sovereignty. How do we do this? With economic and military power? Perhaps. Certainly this is the strategy pursued by those nations with the highest degree of sovereignty around the world, i.e. the G-8. How then do we increase economic and military power? We increase economic power by improving productivity while reducing consumption. This gives a net benefit to our country, while benefiting our trading partners and countries in which we're involved in humanitarian work and peacekeeping as well. It's no good to be highly productive if we then go and consume an equivalent amount of resources to the income we've generated. By doing so, we increase global inequity and miss opportunities to direct surpluses into investments for the good of society.
Instead, we should focus on funneling those resources into wealth creating enterprise -- investments in knowledge creation (education), culture, technology, particularly information technologies that give people access to the information needed to improve their own lives and make better decisions. We should dwarf the significant value of our natural resources with a culture of wealth creation that will garner the respect of powerful nations and individuals around the world.
We should have access to, control over, and actively be developing technologies and intelligence that allow us to carry out effective warfare, not the sloppy "death from above" tactics being increasingly relied on in Afghanistan. When you deprive civilians of their human rights, you harden their culture against you. The reality is that there are people, subcultures, in this world whose ideas do not deserve a voice. I am referring to organizations or structures that promulgate hate, such as terrorist organizations, or to borrow a historical example, Apartheid. For good reasons, these are always in the minority, and so we should not be forced into dialogue with them because we're incapable of overpowering or outsmarting them. Overpowering a terrorist subculture can often be done more effectively through diplomacy and appealing to the better judgment of moderates than through firepower. Improving the the quality of life of people in foreign nations is a much better way to secure our county than living a lifestyle that necessitates their exploitation. Power is a measure of knowledge. If we lack the knowledge to achieve our aims, we have only ourselves to hold responsible.

2008-09-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

AAAAAHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/global_business.shtml

Global Business updates weekly. The original broadcast is available here.

What makes The Diableros so great (for a Scot/Brit descended twenty-something who grew up in Scarborough/Ajax/Whitby/Oshawa)

2008-08-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

Like an old leather boot stepping on the rusty gas pedal of an Oshawa-built jalopy, The Diableros roar out of the stable with balls a-blazin' ...for peace.

Is there a contradiction in this music? Of course...it's a rock show. It's not supposed to make sense. It reflects reality but it's not real. It's art. Yes my few and faithful blog readers, this is art.

So why do I like this band so much...

The Lyrics
They've got a message that rust-belt industrialists need to hear, condensed into "cause it's not home, just miles of road"
"You got held up, I got the afternoon."
"...just miiiiiiiiiles...." awesome hold over.
They're honest.

Broken Barns
the crooning. oooooooh the crooning.
"far...ooo, three days drive in a car and he's still what he used to be"

The Feel
S.O.L.I.D. yet organic and collaborative.

Song construction
The way it takes so long to get it...you have to listen to the whole song, i.e. it's not soundbite music. It takes time to say something important.
Non-cyclical: it goes somewhere. It's progress baby, like a good child of industry.
Subtle but uncontrived time changes: long 6/4 signatures inserted over 4/4 ([song])

Instrumentation
Pete Carmichael: voice, twelve-string guitar
Ian Jackson: guitar
Phoebe Lee: drums
Matt Rubba: organ, tambourine
Ian Worang: bass

But the number one reason I like The Diableros is that they create identity for me as a kid who grew up in the eastern GTA at the end of the 20th Century.

Here's a song by song break down of why I like this band so much I'd (almost) trade in my degree to be playing at this level in my late twenties.

Up In The Mountain Range
This song is a beautifully vivid, hard-hitting criticism of Canada's military involvement in Afghanistan. I'm not sure whether the political caricature is Harper or Bush; it's equally applicable.

Ever Changing

Nothing Down in Hogtown
strut keyboards
thick rock
drum thing sounds like Beetles Twist and Shout

Lyrics
"not ready for the country, high up above"
what is this, heaven? retirement? living having given up a dream?

"I've been pouring out energy into a vat and sipping it down"

"So I'll take this liberty, I'll wear an axe if you take a vow
And I don't want to sing that song, sounding hard core"

"to fuel the strong"

Any Other Time
stars, looking at the stars song
Torontoness
sentimentality
colours, yellows and oranges,

Lyrics
"Any other time I make like I've been a fool...
(pause) I've played a fool.
a fooooooooo.....00000000lllllll

I got the crush, that gives me that sanctity (so perseptive)
Is it enough when I'm left in solitude
sweeeping the dust, paying the propper dues

fool... [driving, bass drops and...] foooooooooooooooooooooooooooo,0000 oool

You got held up I go tthe afternoon
Is it enough to really give up on you.

Now we are lost"

patterns with chords changing underneath...signature NY

"we should take the time we get and give out
when it's gone and we're apart, i'll try to work without regret and carry a charge
work without regret and carry a chaaaaaaaarrrgge..."

guitar changes
rhythm guitar harmonic interference
added two beats and...lead goes up the 8ve, amazing

Turning Backwards

country feel, swagger
rolling triplets

such a story teller

Lyrics

"Regret the
trouble grasping good sounds
I find it hard to get by only once in a while
when I'm leaving my silence behind

Well you have gone insane and I see it in your eyes
well it's only dark in corners of your mind
rivers in your veins can carry thoughts downstream to valleys where branches can grow again"

restored nature, life! lifelike imagery

nature allusions...so beautiful

"Through hazy skies come golden rays of light, that can only take my mind
(it all plays out so slowly...drama!)
where trails of smoke unwind

I can hear the clocktowers
turning backwards
chiming to a time I was waiting there outdoors"
I dwelled out there (dwelled as the wrong emphasis... too Handelian)

bass sounds like its revving

crash...lead... crash
through the ashes emerges the plaintive guitar smoking through
keys, so much pathos
band bass fives
oh the soaring Ian's holds steady over, switches and band harmonies follow

crashes fall on the one

Mist

oh mist...
sweeps in guitar, perfect twang
thwang...

"The party died" (what is this style)
bass
"and then so did you"
change
"didn't say much together white mist overdue" (over dew?)
sexy...
"I remember your honey, and ice pickles too
I remember your jewelery and merry cackles you made"
Guitar pulls us out of it...like a winch
thwangk, thwank

"So here's our goodbye. It's long overdue" (falters)
"Can't speak for forever. And I can't blame what's true. Just say that I'm sorry, for the pains that broke you.
And I'll just say I'm happy for all the things (emphasis amazing) that you gave.

Ian pulls us up...
Merry cackles you made...

swing, grhh

Telepathic Love
overtone hangs over....
"Would you send a message via a telepathic vibe
sen dit now because I'm feeling so deprived

Could you send a...

Telepathic affair.
Send a message via telepathic vibe

Give me something without giving a thing"

So this song is a cover. Shows respect for our collective musical heritage.

Kicking Rocks

Awesome.

in. tro.

bam boodu bam boodu bo....

"I've my bastion. You've got your shell.
You're always pushing ...on what you dwell"? what?
"So I've been thinkin, what's up with that

You say you're silent well get used to that
you open building doors for working class"
...somthing about cadillacs

"You're only kicking rocks from the East.
I see you hanging like a scarecrow when your fields are dry.

I get up and fill my hamo in the morning.

I hear the ..

I've got a move on and cut the slack
2.5 million won't hold me back"

...rocks forin

"and you aim to high" (2nd time slightly different, such sublty!)

"When will you light my soul?!!

When the nights are cold!

When will you light my soul.

dee dee dee dee dee dee dee

I don't care how punk rock you want to be. It just doesn't mean anything ..."

drumm... da datata. da datata. sets up

Incredible feel. OMGosh

Left From The Movies

"All of my friends are gone and I'm fire fighting
As I stand on your lawn, I remember slightly. How the sparks surprised me.

And it made a wonderful sound. I couldn't believe how loud. It felt like I had just left from the movies...
so I recorded..." (the sentence just goes on adding a piece to the story with each line)
"but not anymore"(so honest release)
"Now it's all coming through me."

music mirrors the process
then it comes
And I was led astray, far from your way
said a fool
don't think he's on holidays

beautiful story.

No One Wants To Drive

Oh man...this song is so amazing.

magical sonorous
Bass.

Do do do do "...the night we took the car without tellin your dad
thoughts of not comign back the best dreams we ever had
houses and amber spaced out like a waitresses teeth who served us coffee on the way to a useless speach

kids in the parking lot just barely gettin by

I want to leave this town, but no one wants to drive.
'cause it's not home. I'm goin back, not goin home.

Sometimes your looks at me remind me of your mom
back in my high..." etc. sugary sentimentality. a bit much

guitar...Ian that pattern fits

"Kids in the parking lot just barely gettin by

I want to leave this town, but no one wants to drive."

wtf is happening in the guitar. Ian we love you.

Broken Barns

Why The Diableros are so amazing cont.

sonically

narrative

song structure

British Columbian Emotions

2008-07-08T17:54:00.001-07:00

Having returned from my trip to visit my brother's family in Victoria, I'm just coming down off the high of a range of new experiences, ideas, and even a few new emotions. This photoblog is an attempt to communicate a few of these. I'm aware of the irony of the shirt, but I don't fly very much, and I'm involved in connectivity solutions that reduce air travel. So, I feel comfortable wearing it.

Reflections on two days in Vancouver, a photoless blog

2008-06-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Sitting in the quiet calm of my brother and sister-in-law's guest room, this feels like a good space to process the last two intense days in Vancouver, intensely beautiful, intensely ugly, and intensely sad.
I guess I regret not bringing a camera along, since I would've enjoyed highlighting these reflections with a few photos. But, since I didn't, I'll put extra care into describing the experience vividly and accurately.
The benefit of not bringing the camera, is that now I get to let my memory have final say on what's worth saving rather than whether or not I happened to take a picture of something.

So what stands out...

Delight, connectedness with my past (my family visited Vancouver in 1986 for the World Expo, aka Expo '86), formative experience, and the soberness of
The ride up Chancellor Blvd. and Broadway's West Coast retail, boardsport shops and designer sunglasses
Light wispy tree canopy, cement, moss-aged road
view of mountains, riding up the hill with a tea in one hand, young girl practicing skateboarding, forest trails,
anthropology, the big penis. oh what would Jon Hines say if he were here....
tour
tour highlights
potlatch
woman with face vagina and round, red circle lips
Bill Reid's raven on the old gun turret, an aboriginal creation story that incorporates and reclaims the Canadian military battlements

totem poles "outside"

enjoying nature, reading in the grass, the feeling of clean earth, mountains

meeting Eve, remembering what attracted me to her. seeing some beautiful things in her and Dave's life, and wondering if I also sensed something Dave wishes was different, or whether it was my imagination.

terrible collision
mangled bicycle, pool of half-dried blood on the road, a large pool. crushed helmet

I asked the police officer, how did this happen? He said, "A bike and a truck got together."
it took a minute or two to process, then I began to cry as I lifted my bike onto the rack on the bus, hoping this wave of tears would stop by the time I entered the bus to pay my fare

Sign seen from the bus: "Ours to preserve with hand and with heart" -Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR)

Needless to say, the cyclist fatality put a damper, a big damper, on the rest of the morning. It made me start questioning
it made me remember the value of life

solar powered trash compactor?

Three feet away from Alan Kay

2008-06-19T16:38:00.000-07:00

It was a little surprising to find an invite in my inbox a month ago to a "special David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science Distinguished Lecture". It was addressed to Comp Sci alumni and included lunch with the speaker, Dr. Alan Kay. As this sounded like a unique and interesting opportunity, I RSVP'd despite the fact that I'm not a CS alumnus and was only enrolled in CS for two academic terms.

Sometimes casual decisions lead to some pretty amazing experiences. I didn't realize it at the time, but after hanging off Dr. Kay's armchair for over an hour, I began to understand that I was listening to one incredibly remarkable man. His ideas are among the most astonishing, while also being perfectly reasonable, that I have heard in a long time, on both philosophical and practical levels.

At 2pm the same day, we (that is, me and handful of CSers who met at lunch) also got to hear Eric Veach, who was one member of a small team of 'software architects' at Google describe some of the behind-the-scenes workings of Google Maps. Veach was both the top of his class and the top student in the university when he graduated from CS in 1997. Here are my notes from the afternoon, as well as additional ones from Kay's convocation address the next day. I couldn't get enough of this guy!

-----------
Many of our themes co-evolved with the inventions of networked personal computers, graphical user interfaces and dynamic object-oriented programming. -http://www.vpri.org/

Proceedings of SIGGRAPH 2000 - PIXAR!!! website
------------
Chuck Thacker - invented tablet PC Xerox PARC
www.vpri.org
a research centre for augmenting human intellect
intellectual amplifier - 192 kilobytes which you can interpret to mean 1 Mhz, supported 20 users, UCLA, Butler Lampton operating system
Bob Taylor, UC R Linchider, Lang Roberts, Wes Clark, Paul Baron, Len Kleinrock, Bob Kahn, VMT Corp
1969 the intergalactic network, unlimited desktops, "Wat For" "ppl who were supposed to be thinking were believing. (I asked myself) do I love this because I understand it or because it's a good idea" coping is what humans were made for.
Math and Science give you an escape function from the current (now) [paradigm].
SAP 350 lines of code 17,500 books, "never met anyone in business who can deal with 350 M things unless they were dollars"
I think you should be more explicit here in step two - and then a miracle occurred "but it's the miracles which are important

------------
language, market, ?, ? - the four idols
normal is a construct
"no one likes the child who says the emperor has no clothes"
the problem with computer science in the university is that it has become incremental...new paradigms are hard to ...get funding for. got funding for something that had almost no chance of success from some woman who had seen 294 similar uncreative proposals and was upset and frustrated with them, so funded theirs. then he found matching funding...this was Xerox PARC-scale funding
when I walked up he was talking about The Bible and how people (cultures) use different parts of it depending on what problems they're facing... people don't read it.. not uniform how they're ...
------------
"Funded at the Xerox PARC level -- may not succeed but is likely to come up with some interesting stuff." Xerox PARC Smalltalk laid the foundation of windows ~200,000 lines of code is 10 books, 1/10,000th this would be Moores "Law" of Software
Ad Hoc organizations are messy. Math is clean. "do not touch any of the wires". Mine can run with 10% of ourselves disconnected
Ad Hoc | Science and Math
disorder order

No centre networks ARPAnet, Ethernet, Internet
No OS internet all the way down
No programming languages
No applications
No mainframes
-------
What do children do? -one laptop per child Teach kids variables -Brilliant
one kind of object, completely polymorphic
by learning one kind of abstraction you can deabstract...? Maxwell had to think statistically, Bonnie his wife, the original screenwriter of Tron. Gary Starkweather, John McCarthy's version of Maxwell's equation. APL, a toy language, David Reid's thesis Butler system designer simula - simulus calculus, semaphore (exactly the wrong way to do it.)

in the west, we like nouns and hate verbs. in the East, they like verbs and hate nouns. so to them a rock is a thing in process, and to us it's just a thing.

> 1 Million nodes and still be self-balancing - really amazed at the work of these early creators of the internet. TCPIP only a few heuristics added. Computer can simulate our own ideas, not just old media...printing press, it was 100 years before ppl realized what it was "before it realized what it was..." anachronistic.

No gears, no centres. ARPA/PARC Outlook everything is kind of like the internet. 100 trillion cells in body., 60 billion pants "the way you scale" any particular cell not critical (cancer cell?) Mathematicians will go through any amount of work to avoid doing work - kind of work won't do scunt work. one of the better Master's degrees his mother is a math'cian M for Marshal McLuhan..."widgets, apps, real? classes "dynamic mathematics". Google - type in lonely kernel (in so far best version of Javascript) Dan Engles computing has committed the great sin of trying to be smarter than the past, rather than building on it. "amplifying us rather than imitating old media" fold up into their natural entropy http://www.smalltalk.org/alankay.html

Ivan's 70th birthday, sorted ppl by whether they understood significance of what he did. something for humans didn't worry about what's wrong with TX2 or what's wrong with computers, Engelbert 75 papers very profound. computing is one of the great art forms of the 20th and 21st centuries.

A Book Review

2008-06-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

I've been pondering lately what kinds of media offer the best form of expression for different sorts of ideas. A lyricist told me a few weeks ago that he reserves his most controversial/challenging ideas for his art because they're received better when expressed abstractly, rather than simply stated outright. So I don't know whether a blog is the best place to post a book review. I guess some people write short blogs, with a handful of concisely expressed personal reflections. However, as someone who likes to mix media, I think I'll risk it and write a review here for Drive, A Road Trip Through Our Complicated Affair with the Automobile.

Drive, by Tim Falconer, is a very readable, topical book -- particularly as the car, and our dependence on it, are under so much scrutiny in the age of climate crisis. The book has a lot to offer for anyone who is either casually or professionally interested in transportation history and culture.
Drive starts out strong, with a local focus on Toronto, and is jam-packed with meaty stats on the growth of motorization of Southern Ontario, as well as successful social movements that stemmed this growth, saving Toronto's unique neighbourhoods. Drive is accurately described as a road trip, since Falconer offers a narrative account of his journey through America in his 1991 Nissan Maxima. He makes planned and unplanned stops along the way, such as a surreal visit to the GM Power Center, where Cadillac and Corvette engines are made, as well as Detroit, Indianapolis, and other U.S. "conurbations" that have been shaped by the automobile. Woven throughout the narrative are Falconer's own reflections, along with insightful commentary and factual knowledge. Falconer uses pop culture references to good effect, retelling scenes or summarizing episodes from South Park and The Simpsons to add humour and context to his observations. The book loses speed a little towards the middle, while Falconer tries to squeeze unnecessary detail into the sections on car clubs, and personal visits. However, this is partially redeemed by the personal and participatory flavour it lends to the book. The author is careful to give space and credit to all those who insist on joining him along the way to share their story, or to simply show off their car. Four stars.

Jane's Marathon

2008-05-04T22:48:00.000-07:00

This all started for me on Friday night, in Waterloo. I like to listen to CBC in the mornings, usually on my Macbook. Flip4Mac is a little clunky in that it stores an entire radio broadcast from the time you tune in until you close your browser tab. So, on Friday morning when I closed the lid of my laptop, it had stored Jane Farrell's interview with Sheila Rogers on Jane's Walk. When I got home in the evening and opened the lid again, there was Jane Farrell talking about this series of walking tours organized by the Centre for City Ecology. (It took me a minute to realize that the walks are named for Jane Jacobs, not Jane Ferrell :) The more I listened the better it sounded. I went to the website and the farther down I scrolled the better these walks looked. What caught my eye at first, were the names John Sewell and David Crombie, long-time figures in Toronto municipal politics (both former mayors), as well as the walk by Steve Brearton, called The Bicycle in Toronto’s History. Then I noticed a walk called Retracing Stop Spadina, and having just attended the book launch of Drive: A Road Trip Through Our Complicated Affair with the Automobile and read about Jane Jacobs and her NIMBY coalition that put a stop to the radial, arterial expressways which might have choked Toronto's neighbourhood culture, I realized Jane's Walk was something I couldn't afford to miss.
This was all happening between 10:30 and 10:45 on Friday night. I called my dad to see if he wanted to join me at Parliament and Temperance at 11 am Saturday for Brearton's walk through bike history. His response was luke warm, "Maybe... I'll see how things look tomorrow and call you if I decide to come."
Next I called my friend Scott B. Scott is the man I always call when I get a last-minute, often hair brained, idea. Most notably, he once spent five hours with me in a gas station in Limerick, ON, on an invitation to attend an amateur car rally. He later graciously described this experience as "surreal". In response to the Jane's Walk invite, Scott told me he was moving tomorrow, but would've come otherwise. He'd caught the media blitz too, and apparently the minister at his church, Knox Presbyterian (on Harbord), had mentioned Jane Jacobs and the Stop Spadina movement in a recent sermon.
It was after 11 pm when I got off the phone with Scott. I scanned through the list of Saturday walks, and opened tabs on each of the ones that looked most interesting. Then I checked the Greyhound schedule and planned to catch a bus to Bay and Dundas at 7:30 am. With my bookmarked tabs I'd plan the day's walk schedule on the bus, after reading a chapter from Drive for added motivation.
The plan worked nicely. I found myself in Dundas Square the next morning, making use of Toronto's free wireless to load Google maps for the desired walk locations. I had two parallel day plans, or "Jane Plans":

1. John Sewell's Redeveloping Public Housing: the old and the new followed by Steve Brearton's The Bicycle in Toronto’s History.
2. David Crombie's Building Community: Swansea from Rural Suburb to City Neighborhood followed by Retracing Stop Spadina.

Whichever of these I chose, I was definitely going to be at Eglinton and Warden at 3:30 to catch The "City of Industry Tour", a snapshot of life on the Golden Mile, the economic locus of Toronto's ultramodern motor suburb in the 50's (i.e. Scarborough, spelled variously Scarboro, depending on how ultramodern you're feeling.) More on this history below.
Looking at my laptop clock and making a few rough distance/travel time calculations, I decided to go with Plan 2.

At 9:58, as I walked out of the Quebec St. exit at the High Park subway station, I was greeted by the following scene:

David Crombie was already well into conversation with the cluster of people. He had a mic and a small portable speaker. He was accompanied by a local historian, Norman, who brought along a photo album with historical photos from Swansea. At several points during the tour, we could actually stand on the spots where some of those photos were taken and see the changes around us.
Before I jump into my notes and pictures from the walk, here's some background on the paper I'm writing which motivated my interest in Jane's Walk.

Soft Cities: The role of connectivity in greening and humanizing urban energy use

Introduction and Abstract
Since the end of the First World War, there have been distinct, macro-level trends in urban design that affect energy use in cities. Cities that once consisted of mid-high density, "walkable" neighbourhoods are experiencing nodal, linear expansion along arterial highways. Since the post-WWII energy and material resource boom, these trends have led to an explosive growth in low density, car-dependent neighbourhoods. The energy costs, as well as social and other environmental implications, of low-density suburbanism are becoming increasingly apparent, not only to planners but also to the general public.
Popular culture is reflecting a change in preference from "drivable suburbanism" to "walkable urbanism". City planners and municipal politicians are looking for strategies to reduce energy load in cities. Individuals are becoming increasingly concerned about the environment and climate change and looking for ways to reduce their energy footprint. Thus, there is impetus to assess energy trends in cities and develop creative strategies to facilitate both socially-intelligent and historically-informed solutions.
This paper explores emerging trends in the use of connectivity technologies, such as PDA's and wireless networks, in reducing energy consumption, particularly at the community- and neighbourhood-level. Community Energy Planning (CEP) literature is reviewed, as well as literature pertaining to the nature of community and environment. Following the literature review, implications for urban transport planning are discussed with case studies in active modes and car sharing.

Outline:

Introduction
Motivations for research
Research problem/question

Review of Community Energy Planning Literature
What is community?
What is environment?
Community Energy Planning

Urban Transport Planning: lessons from history

Social Implications of Car-dependent Transport System
Contribution to social segregation
Contribution to income disparity

Highway Insecurity: the dangers of inequality

Solutions from Community Energy Planning
Densification, Connectivity Technologies, and Active modes: the ways ahead

Conclusion

Here are my notes from the walk, along with a few pictures* and videos. They're a bit fragmented, but coherent enough to be interesting I hope.

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Swansea, High Park, Humber River, 1940’s, bounded on three sides by water. One hundred years ago, people in the village of Swansea grew up with a sense of being close to water, close to nature. The next closest village was the Village of West Toronto. During amalgamation, the Province listened to what they had to say, and promptly did the opposite~ No to service agreements. Here's a new Chair, Fred Gardiner. "I can't make people go to meetings, but if you tell them that grants come quicker and easier if you come to the meetings, maybe they'll come." Lansing, Willowvale, Newtonville - these were all villages like Swansea that we've never heard of because the people who lived there didn't care enough to protect their history, (i.e. give it value in the planning process.)

After this 15 minute history lesson, we turned towards....
Bloor used to stop at the Humber, and continue in Etobicoke. Like most of Toronto's oldest roads, it was originally a First Nations trail. West Toronto is celebrating its 100th anniversary of incorporation this year. Next year is its 100th anniversary of amalgamation. (It only existed as a city for one year.) Bill Temple, wife Mary wore those big flowery hats. Fine brewing, temperance movement. The issue in those days was "wet or dry". Bill Temple was a champion of the temperance movement. Near the end of his life, when the temperance movement had fallen out of favour, Bill Temple came to one of David Crombie's meetings when he was a young councilor, sat down at the back across the room, and watched him through the meeting. When it came time to vote, Crombie said, "It was like God was moving my hand."

Vierkoetter Sanitarium - mineral bath, "the minnies", "where boy meets girl"

Ernst Vierkoetter was a renown German swimmer who decided to make his home in Swansea after visiting on a swim meet. He was known as the "The Black Shark". Swam to Toronto Island, and other feats like this. Parents asked Vierkoetter how many days it would take their children to learn to swim. “With parents, 10 days. Without parents, 5 days.”
Toronto used to lock swings together on Sundays. Actual spring water flowed towards the lake, “We all learned how to skate on Grenadier Pond.
Great dip in the land. Wendigo Way (was the name of the ravine) Wendigo is equivalent to Manitou, meaning “great spirit”. Moses Znaimer and Ellis Way. Art Deco built in 1920's. One of ten Carnegie Libraries – highest # outside of New York, NY. Toronto Public Library – best run department in the City of Toronto. R. C. Smith – around 1900, Ethel. TB treatment at the Minnies.

Joy Station only one left in the world. In an "act of vandalism", developer tore down and then died in a plane crash. Swansea has a very harsh sense of justice, note that there are no courts in Swansea~ Dr. Generations? used to be York Bros. Funeral Parlour. Bill Small connection.
McDonald’s went through pains to build in the style of the strip. If fire ladder couldn’t reach it, then couldn’t build it. Five story limit. Snowden’s Drugs long-time fixture of the village, Snowden...saw this somewhere else (also Scott).

Island in the Humber River where a local bagpiper used to go to practice to avoid disturbing the neighbours. Crombie’s parents once went for a boat ride down the river; his father thought it would be a relaxing date, but they were serenaded for much of the trip by the sound of this fellow practicing bagpipes.
Runnymede Theatre started out as vaudeville, then ...

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Retracing Stop Spadina

HiMY, Andrew, Antonio, Christina, Tristan, Adrian
HiMY charted the route where the expressway would have gone.

Genesis of Spadina Expressway. 50-60-70 yrs, private transpo companies provided public transit in Toronto. There was very little quality control. The streetcars would run out to the suburbs and end on “squatter’s land”, not actually squatters land, just inexpensive real estate. So workers would tend to buy land at the end of the trolley line where it was cheapest, but still with convenient access to transit.

The expressway was supposed to go to Harbord, demolishing part of the Casa Loma grounds.
U of T had the lobby power to stop it at Harbord. The proponents then looked into tunneling it, so hard set were they on the concept of an arterial road connecting the south and north ends of the city.
In addition to Stop Spadina, there was another coalition called Go Spadina. "Afterall, that’s what the big American cities were doing. "Led to the "hollowing out" of U.S. cities.

Subprime mess, not proven in the 60’s that expressways negatively impact the livability of cities
The argument was that they connect people, connect neighbourhoods.
Metro was out of money. What ended up being built was the Allen. People called it the Baby expressway. Metro level gov’t – Chairman Allen. City officials often get infrastructure named after them b/c of their position in the City not necessarily because of their contribution to the project. 1971 “If cities are built for cars, then Spadina expressway is a good place to start. If cities are built for people, then Spadina is a good place to stop.”
We’ll build the mall, developers put $ into the expressway, both directly and indirectly.
LA river, “the Davis ditch”
Jane Jacobs was living in Brooklyn, NY, and didn’t want her sons to go to Vietnam. So, she came to Toronto and found the same highway controversy.
Casa Loma # 1 tourist draw, attraction for school groups
Expressway architectural drawings easily available online
“air rights”

HiMY talked about the Aug. 16 Christie (pits) Street riots (great book review avail. on Google Scholar)
Union and construction jobs at stake. now the same union protects the neighbourhood
Italian, 2nd, 3rd generation – city much more complex than it was in 1960. Subway tunnel digging machines - $98 M by City of Toronto in ’95, sold for $4 M. Cost more to fill in the Eglinton subway. 40% of a highway’s land is taken up by on- and off-ramps. Toronto curfew. Metro Links City of Toronto can’t do anything with sidewalk – Bill Davis’ last act was to protect this sidewalk.

Thank goodness.

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Scarborough Golden Mile “City of Industry Tour”
spur line = rail line servicing an industrial area
entrepreneurs from around the world get the opportunity to have their own space which they’re not be able to downtown
Michael Thompson - take ownership of the community

Mark Ripp performs "Everything is Made..." at 54east ;)

poverty in Wexford -> Irish came to Scarborough
Golden Mile – originally aboriginal land -> agriculture -> manufacturing base to services and retail
City of Industry
decontaminated and desensitized munitions factory and provided housing for returning veterans. later they were relocated to the newly built development of Regent Park, Shuter Ave.??
Golden Mile modeled on Brentford, England
Frigidaire one of the first plants to locate in Scarborough’s Golden Mile. Delco auto parts, 2500 jobs plant closed in 1993. SKF factory made ball bearings

land adjacent to 401 has replaced the golden mile post-war industrial powerhouse
Councilor Michael Thompson
exceedingly important to recognize history of comm’y
bike trails on Pharmacy Ave. (reducing the number of lanes). Create spaces that invite people to walk and cycle.
trees + greening the neighbourhood – recognize env’t
The Country Cougars
“a city that has some sense of its history would have preserved that sign.”

10,000 workers at GECo. “Our comm’y isn’t as young as it was before” (this struck me as an obvious comment until I realized that it was referring to trends around in- and out-migration as well as an aging population.)
GTA bloggers
work worth doing...Now House (CMHC)

Golden Mile
As a final comment on the city built for cars, now that many cars are imported or made by foreign-owned companies, we're sort of trapped in an economic dependency for these companies to provide the means to get around our own cities.

*For a full virtual tour of five different walks, feel free to explore the links below:

Jane's Walk 2008 - Swansea from Rural Suburb to City Neighbourhood
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=122610374&k=Z2E34VWXT2ZMYFBEPB5UQ

Jane's Walk 2008 - Retracing Stop Spadina
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=122610374&k=Z3L522PRW3WMYFBEPB5UQ

Jane's Walk 2008 - The Golden Mile "City of Industry Tour"
Part 1: http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=122610374&k=ZXF3QVV4R53MYFBEPB5UQ
Part 2: http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=122610374&k=Z3GXX35XQ2VMYFBEPB5UQ

Scarborough Music Series
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=122610374&k=Z3F2Z3RSR4VMZA1AXG54S

Jane's Walk 2008 - Commies and Christians: A Riverdale Heritage Walk

Leslie Street Spit - Slated for Development?

2008-04-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

I was home in Scarborough for a couple days, and my mother mentioned that developers are proposing a parking lot and Wal-Mart on the Leslie Street Spit. Since I don't have a lot of time to blog these days, I'll let the good folks from OurFaves Toronto speak to the issue. It largely speaks for itself. Sometimes I wonder what's happened to Toronto since I left 7 years ago.

"It's really scenic and beautiful. As a relatively new Torontonian, I didn't discover it til my last marathon course took me there. Really a hidden gem." - Robin

"You get the best of the city and the country - with great views of the skyline plus lots of birds and other wildlife. To avoid the crowds, try a winter walk." - Morgan

"It's a nice bike ride out there, then you turn around and look back at the islands and the skyline in the distance, and feel like you're a million miles from downtown in the middle of Lake Ontario." - Sharon

http://www.flickr.com/photos/digbytoast/sets/72157601216092134/

I couldn't find an article describing SmartCentres' proposal, or details of the discussion at city council. This is the closest I found:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080409.TORBRIEFS09-2/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/

My friend wheel needs truing - any suggestions?

2008-03-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

So I've been a bit conflicted lately about comments made by some of my friends which reflect on my other friends, and not sure how to manage/resolve the conflict. I guess one way to illustrate the nature of the situation is to look at my friend wheel (courtesy Facebook).
See the big lump of connections on the bottom left? Those are between my Grebel (i.e. religious) friends, and the rest are my non-Grebel (predominantly non-religious) friends.
The conflict derives I think from two sources. One is a kind of disconnect between my religious and non-religious friends, who generally know about each other, but don't actually know each other. The other source of conflict is that I can hear truth in the statements made by each group about the other, and am struck by a sense of how great it would be if each group were open to understanding how they are viewed by the other. Yet, I'm frustrated by being at a loss to see a workable way for this to happen. My impression is that were each group open to hearing and understanding the views of those outside their circle, then they would both benefit. Not only that, but the tendency for this conflict to manifest negatively would be reduced. Knowing the strengths of the other, not necessarily even by actively getting to know each other but simply recognizing that there's opportunity to learn from the other, could be a way to build bridges in our community and in turn benefit each of us as individuals.

To Know

2008-03-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

I recently made the choice to become a vegetarian. After realizing that the folks in Toronto who I surveyed for my grad thesis, and whose decision to take serious ownership of their energy footprint I hugely respect, were spending $15,000-$30,000 to reduce their GHG emissions by the approximately the same amount as I'm responsible for by being a meat-eater, I decided it was something I had to do. I'm a bit apprehensive about the switch - I've relied on meat as my primary source of protein, and being a very active person (preparing for a mini-triathlon in June) it may be a challenge to figure out how remove meat from my diet without it having some effect on my physical abilities. The decision fits with a much larger issue though, which is understanding the up- and downstream consequences of my purchase decisions. My resource management prof showed this picture of a piece of tar sands extraction equipment in class on Friday, and commented that "If oil sand developers were really about job creation, why wouldn't they use a lower impact form of extraction that employs more people?" Being educated about the sort of a world we're creating through our economic decisions is an important part of being a responsible citizen, and for me personally, part of being a Christian with some degree of integrity.

"When you want a glass of milk, why buy the cow?"

2008-01-13T12:13:00.000-08:00

This is the catch-phrase of local car sharing organization I joined in December, and I must say, I have been very impressed with their services. For $10 per month, and $6/hour of use, anyone with a clean driving record for the last three years, and who is 23 years or older, can join and have access to several cars in the area of Uptown Waterloo. Compared to the expenses, both financial and environmental, of personal vehicle ownership, the car coop offers several advantages:

$10 membership fee instead of monthly insurance payments (which are usually $50+)
no repair worries
2003 or newer model cars, except for their Honda Insight hybrid which is a 2000 (and doesn't show its age :)
no snow shoveling or other parking-related hassles

If you use a car occasionally, (a few of times a week or less), then you will likely find a car sharing an economic boon. Call or message me if you have questions! I'm excited to talk about the coop.

Fish and a bicycle, out of water

2007-12-11T21:47:00.000-08:00

Dark satanic mills of Vaughn White painted cyclist memorial “RIP Bianca” 12/09/06 …very sad, but also... very, um (as my mother completed my sentence) very tacky. [my father had heard of this accident. Apparently… (details)] What have we done to this earth? How can God forgive this? What kind of legacy is this to leave our children? In a city where there were once churches on every corner, there are now car dealerships. Porche, Saturn, glow in the noise and gloom, reflecting on slushy dirty asphalt. Black Mercedes, grey machines crouch in garages and dark show rooms. “Fine cars”. Truck cabs block the sidewalk, idling. Where there was once the sound of running water, there is now the roar of combustion echoing on concrete. And when the water does run, it’s filled with salt and engine oil. Where birds once sang, now an airplane screams…invisible overhead. Where are the human people? All I see are bad decisions.
Indian single tear watches from billboard clichéd mockery.

Police 2007

2007-11-10T22:30:00.000-08:00

Well, here are Jon and me and about 15,000 quinquagenarian ska/reggae fans at the ACC on Thursday. My grandpa sweater and collared shirt helped us fit right in...

We were a little farther back this time, but it worked out... here's a 50-foot long Brontosaurus walking along the jumbotron during In Your Footsteps.

Hey there Mr. Dinosaur you really couldn't ask for more
You were God's favorite creature but you didn't have a future...

They say the meek shall inherit the earth

little Andy Summers and his guitar...

the requisite Message in a Bottle...





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In Your Footsteps...





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We couldn't quite hit those high 'yayos'





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Roxy sing-along...

The scoop on school

2007-09-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

I now have a fairly clear idea of how my Fall is shaping up. The final word from the Grad Studies office was that my average is just too low to allow admission without a term of qualifying courses. But the good news is, 3 of those half credits will come from a senior essay which will basically be reading volumes of research related to my thesis, and putting the readings together into a paper at the end. I'll also take two other upper year undergrad ES courses, one on professional and scholarly practice in Human Geography, which again deals with research methods and ends with a proposal. And the last course is very exciting...Resource Management taught by Dr. Brent Doberstein. He has done research related to deforestation in Haiti and resultant flash floods at the Haitian/DR border. When I met with him this morning, he was keen to have me in his class, and he mentioned having employed two people as research assistants who are currently working in Haiti for MCC, Mary Lynn Steckley and her husband.
The really interesting thing is that Mary Lynn has a Masters in Geography, and a lot of experience doing field research under difficult conditions (previously in Indonesia), while her husband has a Masters in Poli Sci. Brent said that her husband often works as her research assistant when they go abroad, since she's the one with a background in the field.

One more plus is that I'll be paid as a full-time Grad RA!

So if I can maintain a term GPA of 80%, I'll be admitted officially and begin a TA in the Winter. In the meantime, I'll have ample time for research and preparing my thesis, and the added benefit of getting to broaden my academic background into sustainable development. Prof. Doberstein and his "international case study" approach to teaching resource management is something I'm really looking forward to.

Hope and Imagination

2007-09-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

A lonely person's tools for survival

It's not often that I go into a card shop and leave with the feeling of actually having a new and valuable insight into what it means to be a man in love.
As I browsed through the card rack at Earthwinds yesterday, looking for a distinctive one to add flair to a gift I'd chosen (rather uncreatively) from Tim and Nat's registry, my eyes happened over this: (bold formatting added by me)

"My Husband is a man of character who understands commitment and does more than his share to make his family comfortable, safe, and secure.

I adore him.

My Partner is a man who is patient, optimistic, caring and wise.

His sense of humor and support hold me up when I can't do it myself.

I'm grateful for him.

My Best Friend is the only man with whom I can share my deepest secrets and know they will be safe."

The stack of cards with this message was sitting there alongside the rest of the Hallmark-esk pastels and creams. But, I liked it, and some part of me said, "I want to be like this," and "I want a partner who will say these things about me."

Something I realized last night, late last night, is that throughout my life, the most important and powerful motivator has been a hope to one day discover that true love which allows people to really develop their full humanity. I know that sounds a bit heavy, but that's OK because I think it's important. I never understood this, but without that underlying hope, the promise of a love worth living for, very little else holds meaning, at least for me at age 25.

1 Corinthians 13

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor, and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Sometimes I find it hard to muster the imagination to look beyond what might have been, and see what could be. I don't have a true love in my life right now, but I still have faith that I will find that love. So I better get out of bed; it's time for church...

Things we take for granted

2007-09-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

These five aspects of a functioning democracy stood out for me in the book I was reading tonight.

autonomous media
an active Parliament
powerful state governments
elected local councils
an independent election commission

...give power to the people over the people who rule over them. cool huh?

Rediscovering the library

2007-08-31T16:49:00.001-07:00

Another nice thing about my day, was that after saying goodbyes at ARISE and leaving early to drop off equipment for Rockway's SR101 system, I was able to go back to campus and spend most of the afternoon in DP. Campus really feels like home again, which it hasn't for a while as I've been an academic hanger-on, 9 toes in industry and one at school.
After DP closed at 5, I biked to the WPL to see if they had a DVD of Guns Germs and Steel, which wasn't on loan but none of the library staff could find it. I settled for the book version instead, and another DVD called, TOTAL Yoga - Fluidity - Power - Grace. Apparently, it's from something called the Flow Water series. Looks good though.

Unbelievable Improbability

2007-08-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

I don't usually think of myself as lucky. I almost never win prizes at raffles (which I think is most people's experience. It should be, or raffles wouldn't make any money, but I digress...)
This week has has left me feeling completely blessed and I just want to take time to write that down and be grateful. An hour ago I was hunched over my computer in the DP library drafting some emails, and I noticed a reminder to go see the registrar about some important thing to do for my grad school app. I quickly packed up my things and scurried over to Needles Hall, and who did I see coming through the doors of the foyer, but my Forecasting prof. from last Fall who I'd emailed for a reference without reply. Not only was I lucky enough to run into her completely at random, but she'd just got back yesterday from Brisbane and was leaving this evening for a week...AND she said she remembered me and was more than happy to give me a good reference! (smiley sigh)
The series of events starting with a 2 hour lunch with Sandra, Derek, (former ARISE guy) Richard, and a RE consultant from Montreal, leading to several productive meetings with my (soon to be official, hopefully :S) supervisor, and culminating yesterday with an agreement from [the aforementioned solar company] to fund a portion of my research, yes, it was very a fortunate series of events. Now to have three good references from two preferred profs and my boss....it's just really fantastic. I am so lucky.... now if only I had some good friends to celebrate with.

"People came to borrow your parents' boat"

2007-08-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

Just continuing on my last entry...

Something just doesn't seem right when a Canadian citizen doesn't know what a canoe is. I don't know what to make of the fact that Max is choosing an AK47 to protect his family rather than simply living a less overtly materialist lifestyle. I'm sure the choice hasn't been presented to him, which is a failing of those of us who know a 'third way' and for whatever reason miss the chance to share it. He told me about the "way it is in India." Every family needs one boy who's "the bad boy." That's how people know not to mess with your family. Your oldest (boy) takes the family business, your second may excel academically, but one of them needs to be the gangster. Max's sentiment may be a shock response - not surprising - but it's the glib "get 'er done" attitude that worries me. It reminds me of this unfortunate poem.
http://www.bittersweetme.net/RussVaughn_Poetry.htm#p8
"We love our sheep, we Dogs of War." Those of us who drive regularly, eat meat beyond what the earth can sustain, fly unnecessarily, or otherwise use resources that necessitate foreign military intervention, are as much a party to violence as soldiers. To me, an incident like a home invasion would be cause for grief and reflection on something that's clearly broken in the social fabric of our neighbourhood...or MEGAcity, as the appliance salesman, former Mayor of Toronto, and original "Bad Boy", Mel Lastman used to call it. Sheesh...
I guess my point is simply that we can all do more at home to welcome immigrants and new Canadians into the culture and society that makes Canada appealing to those seeking refuge from conflict and violence. We don't want British-style ghettos that kindle terrorism; we don't want American-style income disparity that leaves gates and guns as preferred tools for personal security. (If we were talking about computer science, I think we'd call these brute force solutions.)
Speaking of Comp Sci, today is a very exciting one for me. I discovered that I passed my last course, which means I'll be graduating in October. So very exciting! :)

PS - Check out the new Black Car link in my friendly links... my house mate and I have been looking for a way to decommission the Honda by turning it into art. This looks like a great way to do it, and be part of something bigger at the same time.

A White Rabbit's Foot in the 'Borough

2007-08-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows I wouldn't breathe a word of rumour about Scarborough's gang-related violence. Rumours perpetuate stereotypes, and cement norms, but... tonight I could hardly believe what my neighbour M'k told me after I walked over to his driveway to comment on how well his flowers looked despite the mid-August heat.
Max's home was invaded twice in June and July by a gang of youths who held his wife at gunpoint demanding money. Details came out so quickly, and surprisingly matter of factly - his glass door was smashed in and H'a his wife tricked the assailants into going to look for money in the garage while she locked doors and called the police. I felt like a thick miasmic fog had dropped over us as we stood there in the night air.
I'd just come down Markham Rd., from Scarborough Town Centre, watching the cars in the parking lot and remembering a decade ago, my sister and brother and I on our way to pick up a few last minute gifts on Christmas Eve Day. I'd driven past the former City Hall, feeling proud of its sweeping white architecture, dedicated by the Queen in 1979. Now the words of my friend Paul Charbonneau echoed in my mind about all the empty city halls in the GTA that came after the megacity formed...after amalgamation. A bit of an overstatement, but true in some ways.
All I could do while Max talked was listen, and offer optimistically that I hoped he would stay with his family in Scarborough because, "Scarborough needs good people, Max. Like you...and my parents." As he went on with his plans for preparedness, I looked down at the garden, and made the odd wilting comment about guns not being the answer, and taxes for social programs. I figured you can't talk to a man whose wife has just been held at gunpoint about the principles and values of restorative justice. At least I couldn't. Max's solution was an AK47. I'm not kidding, and he talked about India and other places, "Canada is worse!" I said, "well, you do have a beautiful garden."
"My garden is beautiful, my house is beautiful." "Your family." "My family is beautiful. But outside is garbage everywhere. India, Russia, it's everywhere...Canada is worse!" Try to picture Max speaking with a kind of glib intensity and an excitement in his voice, standing in his white prayer clothes on the porch step. He sounded like a man with a game plan - somehow intelligent, simple-minded, and business-like. His Lexus SUV was parked behind us on the patio brick driveway.
The final irony is that my parents had left the door open for two days when they flew to Victoria on Sunday to visit my brother's family. I suppose it's a miracle that in our family's 25 years in this neighbourhood, our home has never been broken into, let alone had a home invasion. I don't doubt that the little white, ten year-old Subarus in the driveway are probably a better security feature than Max's flashing anti-theft keypad.
Scarborough is not a comfortable place to be sometimes, but it's closer to the world than any probably any other city.

Throughout the city of Scarborough, apartment complexes cover the skyline, which have a wide range of prices. Scarborough is a city that is extremely multicultural which allows for great diversity in everything from stores restaurants and entertainment. The city offers a little bit of everything to everybody...it is easy to find a great place to live.

http://www.4torontoinfo.com/community/scarborough.asp

Big City, Small Neighbourhood

2007-07-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

Uptown Waterloo may be the centre of a city of 100,000 people, but it still feels like a neighbourhood. I like this about Uptown, and I guess it's not unusual for neighbourhoods that border on a university campus. St. George campus in Toronto feels the same way. You meet people! Yesterday on my bike going to work I met no fewer than 4 people who have some level of significance in my life.
First it was Mary-Lou Klassen, calling a greeting as we met going opposite ways in the bike lanes on Father David Bauer. Then, a minute later I recognized the slouching shoulders of Tim Corlis from behind as he walked along the gravel path in Waterloo Park. He was on his way to teach a class and tells me that he, Sara, and Claire, are leaving Waterloo so that he can begin a PhD at UBC in the Fall.
Then I encounted Will Winterfeld as I often do coming the other way on the path through North Campus.
Lastly, there was Richard Janzen, waiting at the lights at Bearinger Dr.
This is the great thing about a bikeable/walkable city...you meet people and have the choice to interact with them. Sure it's a little slower than a car, but I think the quality of life aspect far outweighs simple speed. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I would rather spend 25 minutes on a bike in the morning, getting my heart rate up in the fresh air of an uncongested city than 15 minutes in a car breathing filtered air in heavy traffic. (Blogger doesn't recognize "uncongested" as a word. I guess I really am in the minority... Like the Inuit with their words for snow, you think we'd have a few words for traffic jam.)
On the way home I saw Tierney and Steve from Grebel. I saw Leah coming home from work on my way to yoga. It turns out that my yoga instructor Andrew has a PACS minor from Grebel. Connections abound.... Then in the evening, my actual neighbour Mohrgan and I walked to the band shell at Waterloo Park for Neil Young, Live at Massey Hall 1971.
Somehow two days morphed into one there, but that gives you the idea. We live in a wonderful little city. Hopefully it'll hold its character as Waterloo becomes even more the hub of technology, leading research, international and peace studies. It'd be hard to find a better place to call home.

Transition

2007-07-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

I learned today that despite my best efforts to repair past relationships at ARISE, there won't be a position for me in the Fall after all.
I guess I have to accept that ARISE wasn't a great fit, though it was a very good one at times, and one that I felt, and still hope, will carry me into a field where I'll continue to find meaningful work. The projects I've been involved with at ARISE have surpassed what I imagined and hoped for when I started here 14 months ago. Working in downtown Toronto, with a community of capable, committed, volunteers who truly care for the earth. This is in many ways an ideal job... and I remember that, despite the sour note of losing my position at ARISE in the midst of the work going very well (strange irony). This isn't to say I haven't learned a lot and had some major growth in other areas of my life in that time. In a way, the end of my romantic relationship parallels the loss of my job. I can see things that done differently could've put me in a better position now...but I did what could as the person I was. It's funny how songs just pop into my head at the most appropriate times. "I did what I did..." says BB King.
Sometimes blogging feels a bit self-indulgent. I might spend this time studying, or out for an espresso with Matt and Mohrgan. But tonight things suddenly feel a lot more complex and I'm glad to take the time to reflect. Tonight, Mohrgan, Matt and I may read each others' blogs and sip espressos in virtual company...

Environmentalist without a cause

2007-07-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

Pulling into my driveway at 8:30 after another long day in Toronto selling and coordinating the selling of solar power systems, I feel strangely empty. What good is solar power without people to celebrate the fresh air and overall sense of global-responsibility with? As a salesperson, or even an industry rep, people are always on guard, even just a little. You can't relate to them on a conflict-free level, simply enjoying the process of making clean energy a reality in Ontario. There's nothing more disheartening than spending my Saturday evening with a customer in Etobicoke arguing over a calculator, and then to be told that I may as well be selling anything because ARISE is really just about making money without regard to the environment. And what can I respond? In some ways, it's true.

Gliding along

2007-07-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling very happy with the direction this WISE project is taking me. Just in the course of working through the challenges of implementing residential PV in a tight little urban neighbourhood has given me an excellent idea for a graduate thesis, looking at the feasibility of distributed micro-generation in urban retrofit applications. It even sounds like a plausible grad thesis! These community projects are the most successful current model for getting systems out there into the residential setting. But they're seriously lacking data to assess their efficacy in meeting Ontario's goal of narrowing the electricity supply/demand gap.
I think a thesis along these lines would score highly for relevance and researchability.

I haven't mentioned it yet in my blog, but one of the joys of working on the WISE is the residents I get to visit. They often have interesting insights into energy issues. I enjoy being invited into their homes and seeing the different ways people express themselves in the place they live. It's also a chance to hone my people skills.
The second resident I met with on Friday was ARISE's VP of Corporate Development, Steve V. After giving him the presentation, I mentioned the Nomad he purchased for his cottage last summer, and he came back with the comment that Africa could hold opportunities for our little solar-power systems. In fact, he has a niece working for an NGO in The Gambia.

Really...? How exciting to hear a senior executive at ARISE reflecting the vision for micro-solar in Africa that I've been working on for a year with the interest and support of West African partners.

And lastly, I'm continually crossing paths with prof. Chris Mills, who teaches in the UW Health Studies Dept, and is an active advocate for pedestrian-friendly urban planning. She rides a neat little belt-drive bicycle and runs a new music concert series out of her home. She offered Mathmatikos a spot to play in the Fall. Our first paid gig!

Now, onto the details of making all this happen...

Sand in the clay - sales and stewardship in a complex environment

2007-07-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wish I was more of an academic and could live away from the miriad conflicts of interest that exist for someone who makes a living selling a product on moral grounds instead of financial or other more tangible factors. Fortunately in solar, there's feel good and "coolness" factors as well to lighten things up a bit.
It's one thing to sell cars or insurance, but to mix selling with your core beliefs.... I used to think it was a beautiful marriage - sell something you believe in, you never have to overspin, you rarely have to compromise. And I think it can be done, but it's treading on dangerous ground when you start to mix ethics and selling. I think one solution is to make sure you're as technically competent as possible, and leave the ethical arguments to the David Suzuki's and Al Gores of the world.
This is a good reason to stay politically neutral in sales, but it's also a good reason to live below your means. As a champion of sustainable living, no one will point fingers at you for being in business just to make money if you live simply and know your stuff.

The overlaps can be good too. It's not a bad feeling to walk into a room of like-minded characters, (and everyone in this field is a bit of character), who hang out and talk about their day-jobs like it was a hobby. In the environmental field, you can do meaningful work and live your philosophies in very practical way. This is definitely something to be grateful for, even if it's tough to navigate.

The blog title comes from something I heard at the Green Neighbours 21 meeting yesterday in Toronto. Jeff, who's Program Director for Water Efficiency at the City, was telling a story about a woman who called him up concerned about her garden. She'd done a number of things to 'improve' the fertility of her clay soil, which wasn't yielding despite best efforts. She told him she'd tried to do the right thing, tilled and compost-fertilized etc. Then she acted on something she'd read about sand being porous and good for low-water plants. She poured a bed of sand on top of the clay and then planted. Jeff said with a wry smile, "What happens when you mix sand and clay...you get cement. "

When you're out of school and there's no right or wrong answers anymore, no black and white, it's hard to know whether you're making the difference you want to. I've thought about grad school and whether it would be better to pursue these goals in a more neutral, research-focused context. But I'm not ready to give up on sales yet. There's a core of people who have put a lot into the West Toronto initiative, and they're counting on ARISE to deliver. At least for the next few weeks, I'll be committed to building on their efforts and working on our collective belief that this is a means to a cleaner, more people-friendly environment.

Caring for the earth and each other

2007-07-09T03:11:00.000-07:00

I'm becoming aware of a much deeper connection between love of the earth and love for people, a connection that has been largely overlooked in my search for spiritual environmentalism to date. On Monday mornings, I do yoga and so I guess I'll have to wait to explore the topic in a later blog.

Customer #001

2007-06-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

The first person to sign up for a PV system through our Toronto project was this guy - http://www.creativelx.com/

He returned my call from the set of the Much Music video awards where his lighting design company is taking down after yesterday's show.

the murky world of international business ethics

2007-06-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

What do I do with Congolese would-be business partners who offer to fly me to Edmonton for a weekend to watch soccer, promise suitcases of money and cash deals, and drive Mercedes SUVs?
"Ted, you don't understand," says the Consular General with a patronizing smile, sitting across from me in a plain little office rented from the Canada Christian College at DVP and Eglinton. "If [the government ministers] like it, your problem won't be clearing customs...or any other bureaucracy, it will be to meet demand."

If there's anything I'm getting out of Out of Poverty, it's that the people you choose as business partners need to have a highly sophisticated ethical framework in order to get positive results on the ground.

Maybe I'm being too critical of the wrong things. I don't know.

tree planting with Claire and an attorney general

2007-06-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

I think I'll try a stream of consciousness for this entry. Today's trip to St. Claire West village was so surreal, it seems appropriate. A timeline too, b/c every minute was full of meeting people, having conversations, adventures and fun!

8:45 - pick up bus tickets from the turnkey
9:45 - head to Waterloo Park for Circle of Creation outdoor service
10:14 - check cell phone and realize i still have time to catch 10:30 greyhound to Toronto
10:27 - pull into grt terminal, lock up my bike and board the bus
10:29 - catch the eye of a cute poli sci grad student from Montreal and have a good conversation about society's little "vices" - lawers, alcohol, stuffy post-protestantism, Eastern European politics...
12ish - walk out of the St. Claire West subway into glorious sunshine and call real estate agent Chris Chopik from EvolutionGreen for directions to the Strawberry and Asparagus Festival
losing track of time and finding myself in a utopian children's garden in conversation with Claire - a middle-aged professional gardener who reminds me of Mrs. Whatsit from Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.
- meeting Chris and being introduced to to Michael Bryant, MPP for Downtown West Village and wearer of awesome brown hemp pants and a snazzy fair-trade cotton shirt he got from BC.
- talking to one of Bryant's aids, an Osgood Hall law student who's into all green social things
- meeting dozens of Torontonian environmentalists and eating Asparagus Dogs with organic strawberry smoothies and certified organic beef stew cooked in a solar oven
4:15 - tour of Chris' awesome green home with dual-flush toilets and bookshelves full of liberalist-envrionmentalist books, like The Everyday Activist, 100-Mile Diet, and The Literary Companion to Sex (I hope I can say that, I mean we're all open-minded here right?)
8:30 - spotting friend from UW Math, and riding home "critical mass" style with only smiles and politeness from passing drivers. except for one strange dude in a pick-up truck who yelled "sexy" at us from across the street. No idea what that was about...(?)

Overall, a very rich and memorable day. (Hopefully Michael's aid sends me the pictures and I'll post them here later)

learning to read Out of Poverty

2007-06-09T04:35:00.000-07:00

A friend recently recommended John Stackhouse's Out of Poverty And Into Something More Comfortable to me. Reading it reminds me how tough it is to take real knowledge, not just opinions, from a narrative about global issues. After years in the field as a writer, Stackhouse is of the mindset that big, overly-ambitious, top-level aid is less effective than supporting grassroots micro-initiatives - a mindset that I'm inclined to strongly agree with. Policy-makers, and those who influence them, may control vast flows of a kind of resource, money or food, but no one in a seat of power has more influence over human ingenuity than small people working together in their area of understanding. Small people delivering on good ideas have always had the biggest impact. (Sometimes small people find themselves in big positions.)

And yet at the same time, the statistician in me asks what truth am I finding in these pages? When you read a book like this, you're not just reading the ideas of one person and his friends, editors, and publisher. At least I hope not. I think you're reading this book because hundreds of small but knowledgeable people in the academic and international development field have read this book too and given it their approval to shape the minds of small, less knowledgeable people like me about how development works. I'm reading stories that have been tested in a peer-review process, and then by thousands of readers with whom this book resonates. So I guess I can relax and just enjoy the stories, comfortable with a medium where there are few figures and quantifiable data.

If there's one thing I feel comfortable taking from this book, it's that no matter how small and insignificant a person may be perceived to be, we're still in a position of great power in the world we move.

Public tenders, ashtanga in the park, and music in the street

2007-06-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

Today I found an email in my inbox at ARISE from the West Toronto Initiative for Solar Energy (WISE). We've been chosen by the WISE steering committee to deliver between 50 and 100 residential solar power systems to residents of High Park. ARISE is on a hiring spree this week, and my new co-worker Paul had the following response when I told him I was on my way to Yoga in the park after work. "Cycling is my yoga."
This could be the start of a beautiful friendship...

Yoga was fantastic, in the sun with a warm furious breeze shaking the trees around us. We relaxed and stretched on a grassy hill overlooking a game of cricket. Our instructor Andrew had even brought an extra yoga mat for someone who didn't show up, which he sold to me for $15. At the end of the class, Andrew gave us a little more insight into Yoga philosophy than his usual "inhale/exhale, smile at the sun". Something he said about the inside Yoga teacher and the outside Yoga teacher struck a chord with me and I stayed after for a little while to chat. I felt a connection to him and some of the ideas that underly this kind of meditation.

Then on the way home, I recognized Jon Arnold and Matt standing in the back of a red pick-up, each with an elbow on a piano that they were steadying as we rounded the corner onto Erb. Jon sat on the wall of the flatbed and played when we waited for the light to turn. Back at Roslin, Matt's friend helped us set it down by the curb and we played for the neighbours.

Just one of those memorable days when you feel like things are coming together for the better.

Ted