soapbox

PLANT CLOSING . . . . . . December 27, 2007 - A Malton plant that recycles meat trays and other products made of polystyrene is closing. Opened in 1991 and operated by the Canadian Polystyrene Recycling Association (CPRA), the plant has been badly hurt by the healthy Canadian dollar and the fact many municipalities don't allow their residents to put polystyrene in blue boxes for recycling. ......THIS TYPE OF INDUSTRY IS DESPERATELY NEEDED IN THE TORONTO,CANADA . . .REGION . . .NOW . . . . .TONNES OF TRASH HAS NOWHERE TO GO . . .OTHER THAN . . .DREADED . . .LAND . .FILL . . .AND ITS . . . .PROBLEMS.

. . . . . . . . . . . . ELECTRIC POWER DEMAND IN ONTARIO FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 2007 IS SHOWN IN THE ABOVE PICTURED GRAPH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WHAT IS INTERESTING . . ABOUT . . .THIS . . .IS . . . . THE . . . . .BOTTOM . . .GREEN . . .SPIKES . . . ON . .THE . .GRAPH . . .WHICH . . .INDICATES . . . THE . . .MININUM . . . ELECTRICITY . . . .USAGE .EACH . . GREEN . . . BOTTOM . . SPIKE(THERE ARE 30) . . . . .AVERAGES . . .OUT . . .AROUND . . . .14000 . . .MEGAWATTS . . . OF . . .ELECTRIC . . POWER. . . . . .THIS . . . .MININUM . . . . DEMAND . . . . . HAPPENS . . . .EACH . . . .NIGHT . . . WHEN . .THERE . . IS . .MININUM . . .HUMAN . . .ACTIVITY. . . . . . .. . . . . . .SO . . . .WHAT . . .YOU . . .SAY . . . . . . . . . . . . .FOR . . ONE . . THING . . . IT . . .SHOWS . . .THAT . . WE . . .HUMANS . . LIVING . . .IN . .ONTARIO . . .CANADA . . . .ARE . . . CAPABLE . . . OF . . ADAPTING . . . .OUR . . . LIFESTYLES . . .TO . .

. . . . . . . . ONE REASON WHY .. . .THE STORY . .AND . .FATE . . OF . .THE . ."UNSINKABLE" . . .TITANIC . . . IS . . . SO . . POPULAR . . . .IS THAT . . IT . .MIRRORS . . . TRUE . . .LIFE . . . IN . . . THIS . . .GENERATION . . . THE . . . .ANALOGY . . .IS VERY . . . ACCURATE . . .WHEN . . .YOU . . .COMPARE . . . .PRESENT . .DAY . . .DILLEMA . . . .ABOUT . . .CLIMATE . . .CHANGE . . .(AKA:ICEBERG) . . . . . .AND . . .PLANET . . EARTH . . .(AKA:TITANIC) . . . . . . . . UNLESS . . .WE(EVERYONE) . . CHANGES . . . .COURSE . .(GAS/ENERGY GUZZLING LIFESTYLE) . . . .WE . . .MIGHT . . .STILL . . . AVOID . . .THAT . . ICEBERG . . . .BUT . . . .THERE . . .MUST . . .BE . . .PROGRESS.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MINE . . . . . . COMING . .TO . . . . . .ONTARIO . . . SOON ? ? . . . . . . . . . THIS . . .IS . . .WHAT . . .A URANIUM . . MINE . . .LOOKS . . LIKE . . . . . . . . IN . .THE . . REGION . . . .BETWEEN . . .KINGSTON . . . . .AND . . . OTTAWA . . . . IN . . .EASTERN . . .ONTARIO . . .CANADA . . . . . . . .30,000 . . . .ACRES . . .OF . . .PRISTINE . . . .FOREST . . . .AND . . . .FARMLAND . . . .HAS . .BEEN . .STAKED . . OUT . . BY . .PROSPECTORS . . . .IN . . .ORDER . . TO . . .REGISTER . . .AND . . .CLAIM . . .AND . .SELL . . .TO . . . .FRONTENAC . . .MINES . .CORPORATION . . . . .LOOK . . .CLOSELY . .AT . . THE . . . ABOVE . .PHOTO . . .OF . .A . .URANIUM . . .MINE . do . . you want or(need) this in ONTARIO . . . . . .for me i would rather have it remain farmland,and forest. . . .THIS IS THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET OF SO-CALLED "CLEAN" NUCLEAR ENERGY.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..If we consume less Chinese emissions will necessarily go down. Proof? WalMart is the biggest retailer in the world and a majority of its goods (84%) come from China.In other words, Chinese emissions don't happen in a vaccuum: they are a direct result of over-consumption in Canada and the U.S. for goods we don't need with money we don't have (i.e. credit cards). We can lower our emissions and China's at the same time by buying less crap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SOUNDS LIKE A SENSIBLE SOLUTION . . . . . . . . . ..

. . . . . . . . . .Greenpeace http://www.presentsfortheplanet.ca/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .THOUGHTFUL . . . .LAST . . .MINUTE . . .CHRISTMAS . . . GIFTS . . . . . . . IDEAS . . . . . . .CLICK . . . . . . .ON . . . . . . .THE . . . .ABOVE . . . .WEBSITE . . . . . .

By HENRY C. JACKSON, Associated Press Writer Mon Dec 17, 4:02 PM ET JEFFERSON, Iowa - Because of rising demand for ethanol, American farmers are growing more corn than at any time since World War II. And sea life in the Gulf of Mexico is paying the price. . . . . .ALL . . FOR . . THE . . .LOVE . . . . OF . . .A . . .CAR .. . .... .....TO . . REPLACE . . GASOLINE . . WE . . GROW . . .CORN The nation's corn crop is fertilized with millions of pounds of nitrogen-based fertilizer. And when that nitrogen runs off fields in Corn Belt states, it makes its way to the Mississippi River and eventually pours into the Gulf, where it contributes to a growing "dead zone" — a 7,900-square-mile patch so depleted of oxygen that fish, crabs and shrimp suffocate. The dead zone was discovered in 1985 and has grown fairly steadily since then, forcing fishermen to venture farther and farther out to sea to find their catch. For decades, fertilizer has been considered the prime cause

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .As a result, South Korea too will have to prepare to reduce greenhouse gases. Until recently, the country had no obligation as it was classified as a developing nation. But as the world’s ninth largest greenhouse gas emitter and the world's 11th largest economy, the country is expected to face pressure from developed countries to set a higher target. "We need to replace the current carbon energy-based economic structure with a structure using low carbon, clean energy technologies,” said Choi Jae-chul, the director general of the International Economic Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. South Korea will find it virtually impossible to continue its free ride. According to the 2004 UN Development Program report, South Korea ranked ninth in the world in carbon dioxide emission, recording a staggering 93 percent increase in emissions since 1990, the third highest after China (103 percent) and India (97 percent) in the top

http://www.storyofstuff.com/ This video is by Annie Leonard who traveled around the world for 10 years trying to understand where all the 'stuff' we buy comes from and where it goes. She uncovers hidden costs of our purchases and what drives us to be part of this consumer lifestyle and offers hope and insights for change. Children will be moved. Maybe the new way of activism is putting a stop to buying stuff---at this point it has become quite an addiction. Who will ask friends and relatives to not buy "stuff" for our children? . . . . . . . . . . . .WATCH THIS VIDEO AND THEN THINK BEFORE YOU BUY . . . NEXT . .TIME.

Dec 16, 2007 04:30 AM Thomas Walkom What's the point of a nuclear regulator that can be bypassed when it proves inconvenient? Federal MPs unanimously voted to overrule Canada's nuclear watchdog last week. They said it was to protect the public. The real reason seems to be that they couldn't bear to break up their six-week Christmas holidays. At issue is the federal Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.'s Chalk River nuclear reactor. It uses weapons-grade uranium to produce medical isotopes. It's also 50 years old. Only five plants in the world produce isotopes. Atomic Energy of Canada, or AECL, sells its output to MDS Nordion, a private company with a lock on the North American market. So when AECL announced last month that it was shutting down its Chalk River reactor for safety reasons, there was some consternation in both the corporate and medical worlds. The dispute between AECL and its regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, turns on the issue of backup power.

. . . . . . . .Canada and the U.S: Colossal Fossils Bali and Ottawa – On the closing day of the UN climate talks in Bali, Canada and the United States were jointly awarded the “Colossal Fossil” award by a global network of over 400 environmental organizations. The two countries earned the dishonour by being in a dead tie for garnering the largest number of “fossil of the day” awards, which recognize the countries that have done the most to block progress at the talks each day of the 14-day conference. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .hoo-ray we 're number 53 . . . out of 56 . . . .as being one of the worst polluters . . on the planet . . . . . . .and also . . . .the C.F. award (see above) was awarded to 2 countries we call home. . . . . . . . .not . .'canada's finest hour'.

. . . . . . . . DOES NOT MAKE A SEASON . . . . . . . .JUST BECAUSE . . . .WE . . .(TORONTO,CANADA) . . . GET . . . . .A . . . .BLIZZARD . . .IN THE MIDDLE . .OF DECEMBER-2007 . . . . . .DOES NOT MEAN . . . . . .THAT . . . GLOBAL WARMING . . . .HAS . . STOPPED . . . . .MANY . . DENIERS WOULD HAVE YOU BELEIVE THAT. . . . . . BUT . . .BEFORE YOU CELEBRATE . . . . REMEMBER LAST . . DECEMBER(06) . . . .AND . . DON'T . . FORGET . . .JANUARY(07) . . . . .THINGS . . .WERE SO . . .BAD . . . THAT . . .THERE WAS NO FROST OR SNOW . . . . ON THE NORMALLY COLDEST MONTHS OF THE YEAR. . . . . . . SKI . . RESORTS IN THE TORONTO . . .REGION . . .CLOSED . . .DUE TO LACK OF SNOW AND LACK OF COLD TEMPERATURES . . . . . . . . THIS BLOG INVITES . .YOU . .TO REMEMBER . . .TO . . ..BE VIGILANT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE . . IN THE LONG TERM.

click here for Big Box Mart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .this animated cartoon is so funny and so professionally done that . . . . . .i decided to feature it again on . . . .my . . . . .blog . . . . . also . . . .the above mentioned big . . box . . store . . . .is . . .now . .in the process . . . .of . . .building another BIG BOX STORE WITH ACRES OF PAVED PARKING IN THE WATER FRONT AREA OF TORONTO,ONTARIO,CANADA . . .I . . .SUGGEST ALL PEOPLE HERE IN THE CITY TO LOOK . . .CAREFULLY AT THIS VIDEO . . . . .BEFORE YOU . . SUPPORT SUCH . . A STORE . . . OR SHOP IN ONE . . .ITS ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY IS . .DISMAL . . .AS IS . . .THE BITTER CONSEQUENCES TO ALL THE LOCALLY OWNED . . . . . . AND MANAGED SMALL BUSINESS IN THE AREA. . . . . . . . SO . . .THINK BEFORE . .U . .BUY . . .AT THE BIG . .BOX . . .STORE. . . .ENJOY THE CARTOON.

. . . .. IN BEAUTIFUL ONTAR-AR-IO,CANADA ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY ACRES OF SCENIC GREEN FOREST WOODLAND WITH A MILLION DOLLAR LOOKOUT VIEW OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTRYSIDE. . . . . . . . . . . .THE PLACE . . . . IS . . .THE DUNLAP . . .OBSERVATORY . . . . . .AND . . . . ACREAGE . . . . . . . . .THE PRESENT OWNERS . . THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO HAS DECIDED THAT THESE LANDS ARE SURPLUS TO THEIR NEEDS AND SO THEY WANT TO SELL . . . . . . . .BUT . . . .NOT EVERYBODY IN SURROUNDING RICHMOND HILL WANT IT SOLD.IN FACT THE VAST MAJORITY WANT IT KEPT AS IT IS, AN ISLAND OF GREEN IN AN OCEAN OF PAVED HIGHWAYS AND SUBDIVISIONS. . . . . . . PETITIONS HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TO QUEENS PARK PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TO PRESERVE THIS LAND AS AN ECOLOGICAL RESERVE AND NOT SOLD TO DEVELOPERS . . . . . .ALSO PUBLIC DEMONSTRATIONS WILL BE HELD SHORTLY TO CARRY THIS MESSAGE LOUD AND CLEAR. I HOPE THE MPP'S ARE LISTENING.

Dec 13, 2007 04:30 AM peter calamai science reporter Concern over the shortage of medical isotopes is not the only reason the Harper government has chosen to make Canada a nuclear safety outlaw, and it may not even be the overriding one. Two other concerns likely figure in the government's decision to do an end run around the country's nuclear safety watchdog – the impending privatization of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL), a federal Crown corporation, and getting regulatory approval for a new generation of Candu reactors. The prospects for both are improved by undermining the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the independent body that regulates all nuclear matters in the country, from the Pickering power reactor to the radioactive tritium that makes exit signs glow. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . THE TORONTO STAR NEWSPAPER HAS A MORE ACCURATE ASSESMENT OF THE RECENT CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE NUCLEAR MEDICINE ISOTOPES . . . . . . . . THE GOVERNMENT HAS OVER-RULED THE SAFT

. . . . . . . AT DUNDAS SQUARE IN TORONTO ONTARIO,CANADA ON DECEMBER 8,2007 . . . . .A DISPLAY OF . . SOME OF THE ARTIFACTS . .OF . . OUR PRESENT DAY . . . LIFE . . .STYLE . . . . . . . . . . . THE OCCASION WAS THE WORLD WIDE RALLY AND ECOLOGY MOVEMENT TO EMPHASIZE THE NEED TO . .reduce . . MAN MADE GREENHOUSE GAS EMMISIONS.

. . . . . . . . . . "Will those responsible for decisions in the field of climate change at the global level listen to the voice of science and knowledge, which is now loud and clear?"

The Amazon may be larger, the Nile longer, but no river flows through the lives of as many people as the Yangtze, known in China as the Chang Jiang. Despite the spectacular views, for many it brings back memories of bitterness and pain. Zhang Zheng Jun now lives with his wife in one room overlooking the river, his only belongings spilling out of a suitcase. In March he was forcibly relocated - his home demolished to make way for a bridge over the new reservoir created by China's Three Gorges Dam. Zhang is angry about his treatment by the authoritiesWhen he refused to accept the government's compensation offer he was arrested and his house torn down. Up to four million people may lose their homes before the project is completed in 2009. More than 1.5 million people have already been forcibly resettled, but many complain they have yet to see any compensation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MILLIONS OF UNTOLD STORIES ALONG THE RIVER . . . . . . . . .IT'S

Look at the life-cycle of cars: minerals extracted from the ground produce toxic mine tailings, a massive amount of energy is used to produce a single car, arable land and forests are destroyed to make roads, oil extraction industries pollute the sea and earth to produce the fuel cars need, wars are fought to secure oil hegemony, CO2 is burned by cars causing global warming and lethal smog, millions of people are run over and injured in car accidents, road rage and traffic jams less the quality of lives of citizens, insidious advertising by car companies dominates public spaces (called 'mind pollution'), needed housing is displaced by roads (as in NYC), cars at the end of their life cycle become waste (as in the photo above). . . .. .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . .. .. TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER WRITTEN . . . . . . . . . . . .UNFORTUNATELY . . .THESE . . . WORDS WILL NEVER APPEAR IN . . . .FRONT . . . . PAGE . . .MEDIA . . . . . .SIMPLY . . .BECAUSE.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . The auto industry and demanding drivers put pressure on politicians to invest public funds in roads. Modern cities are designed to accommodate the car. But in this era of peak oil and climate change, this misallocation of public funds is suicidal. Cars need to be phased out and investment in public transit increased. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SHINDURI BEACH, South Korea - Chung Hwan-hyang surveyed the damage from South Korea's worst oil spill, saddened by the knowledge that the oyster farm she and her husband ran for 30 years was lost. "My oysters are all dead," the 70-year-old woman said Sunday as she and thousands of others cleaned foul-smelling oil from Shinduri Beach. "I cried and cried last night. I don't know what to do." Some 2.7 million gallons of crude gushed into the ocean after a collision Friday between a barge and a supertanker carrying more than 260,000 tons of crude oil. For Chung and other residents of Taean County, nearly 100 miles southwest of Seoul, the spill brought despair and shock at how the pollution shattered lives and businesses. . . . . . . . . . . .THE AREA WHERE THE COLLISION CAUSED OIL SPILL OCCURED (IS ?) WAS A SEASIDE TOURIST AND CONSERVATION AREA . . . . . . .AND NOW ITS RUINED THANKS TO OUR DEPENDENCY ON OIL. . . . . . . .SOLUTION ? . . YOU ASK ? YES . . . .

"China is in the process of industrialization and there is a need for economic growth to meet the basic needs of the people and fight against poverty," said Su Wei, a member of the country's delegation at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali. "I just wonder whether it's fair to ask developing countries like China to take on binding targets or mandatory targets," Su said. "I think there is much room for the United States to think whether it's possible to change (its) lifestyle and consumption patterns in order to contribute to the protection of the global climate." . .. .... ... . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . this comment from the china delegate to the climate conference in bali,indonesia . . . .seems to make sense . . . .partly . . . .but the problem of climate change will not go away if china is exempted from pollution controls. . . . . . MOST . . DEFINITELY . .THE . . LIFESTYLE . . . AND . . . CONSUMPTION . . . .PATTERNS . . .

. . . . . MANY PHOTOS OF THE WORLD WIDE RALLY(TORONTO REGION) TO PROTEST THE GREENHOUSE GAS EMMISSIONS ON PLANET EARTH (DEC 8-07)

DECEMBER 8-2007,QUEENS PARK RALLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .THE SPEAKER AT THE MICROPHONE IS DONNA DILLMAN,THE COURAGEOUS GRANDMOTHER FROM THE SHARBOT LAKE AREA OF ONTARIO .. . . . . . .WHERE . . . . .A URANIUM MINE . . .IS BEING . . . .DEVELOPED . . . .AGAINST THE WISHES OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE COMMUNITY. . . . . . .SHE . . .HAS BEEN . . .ON . .A 62 . .DAY HUNGER STRIKE . . TO PROTEST THE . . .PLANNED OPENING OF THE MINE.

. . . . . . . THIS PHOTO OF A DISABLED CAR AND MAKE BELIEVE COFFINS REPRESENTING THE REAL STATISTICS OF THE DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY AUTOMOBILES WAS TAKEN AT A SATURDAY DEC 8/07 RALLY AND MARCH BY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN TORONTO,ONTARIO,CANADA

Thursday December 6 2007 By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent NUSA DUA, Indonesia, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Climate change is creating millions of "green jobs" in sectors from solar power to biofuels that will slightly exceed layoffs elsewhere in the economy, a U.N. report said on Thursday. Union experts at U.N. climate talks in Bali, Indonesia, said the findings might ease worries among many workers that tougher environmental standards could mean an overall loss of jobs for many countries. "Millions of new jobs are among the many silver, if not indeed gold-plated, linings on the cloud of climate change," Achim Steiner, head of the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) said in a statement. "New research reveals that these jobs are not for just the middle classes -- the so-called 'green collar' jobs -- but also for workers in construction, sustainable forestry and agriculture, engineering and transportation," he said. The study of "Green Jobs"

An oil tanker off the west coast of South Korea has been hit by a barge, causing thousands of tonnes of oil to spill into the Yellow Sea, South Korea's maritime ministry says. The collision at about 7:30am local time (2230 GMT) on Thursday left holes in three containers aboard the Hong Kong-registered Hebei Spirit, a ministry official said. Lee Jang-hoon said the barge ship was being towed and "collided with the oil tanker at anchor, breaching the cargo section and leaking crude oil". He said that because the ship had tilted slightly "it's unlikely there will be huge additional spills". The 146,000-tonne tanker was struck while at anchor off Daesan port in the Taean region. There were no human casualties in the accident, but the extent of its potential damage to communities or wildlife in the area was not immediately clear, another ministry official said.The maritime ministry said the Hebei Spirit had already leaked about 10,800 tonnes of crude oil into the

. . . .DO THE ABOVE . . . . . . . .AND . . . .MOST . . . . IMPORTANT . . DONT. .BUY . .A..CAR.

ONE PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, EIGHT PICTURES IS WORTH EIGHT THOUSAND WORDS

. . . . . . . Dec 04, 2007 04:30 AM Peter Gorrie ENVIRONMENT REPORTER The province is letting development run roughshod over protection of invaluable natural resources, Ontario's green watchdog says. The region around Toronto is being decimated by expanding suburbs, highways and gravel pits, despite creation of the GTA Greenbelt and regulations to control urban sprawl, Environmental Commissioner Gordon Miller says in his annual report, to be released today. In the North, lack of planning and reliance on policies that give mining companies virtually unfettered access to the fragile wilderness threaten to destroy what Miller calls an "ecological treasure." . . . . . . . . . . . ..THANKS TO GORDON MILLER FOR THIS IMPORTANT ANNUAL REPORT . . . . . . .AND ALSO THANKS TO THE NEWSPAPERS FOR THE ARTICLES (ABOVE CLIP TORONTO STAR) . . . .. .. . .. .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . THIS REPORT IS VERY TIMELY AS IT COMES WHEN THE BALI ECOLOGY CONFERENCE IS IN SESSION IN IND

. . . . . . . . . .THERES NOTHING AS DULL OR UNINTERESTING THAN THE BANK OF CANADA INTEREST RATE CUT. . . . . . . FOR MOST PEOPLE IT GENERATES A BIG YAWN . . . . BUT FOR PEOPLE IN CERTAIN INDUSTRIES . . .LIKE . . .AUTOMOBILES ,REAL ESTATE THIS IS EXITING AS A GREY CUP GAME. WHAT IT MEANS IN REAL TERMS IS THAT PEOPLE CAN AFFORD TO BUY MORE GAS GUZZLERS WITH LESS MONEY . . .THUS ONE OR TWO INDUSTRIES WILL BENEFIT . . . . . BUT OVERALL IT IS . . VERY BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.

. . . . . . . . . REMEMBER THE MONTH OF DECEMBER(06) AND ALSO JANUARY 2007 . .. . .HERE IN ONTARIO, CANADA THESE TWO MONTHS WERE THE WARMEST ON RECORD. . . . . IT WAS SO WARM THAT NO FROST OCURRED AT ALL AND NO SNOW . . . .UNTIL FEBRUARY OF 2007 . . . . . . . . . .ASK ANY SKI RESORT OPERATOR TO CONFIRM . . . SINCE THERE WAS NO SNOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE SKI RESORT BUSINESS WERE LAID OFF AS THE SKI RESORTS SHUT DOWN . . . . . .this blog post is a reminder to those who would use the recent cold weather as evidence that global warming is over . . . . . . . . (the deniers of global warming) . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ON THE CONTRARY . . . . . . NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR BY HUMAN ACTIVITY THAT CHANGES THE TREND TOWARDS A WARMER PLANET EARTH . . . . . .presently a UN climate conference in Bali,Indonesia attended by 1000's of participants from hundreds of countries will try to get a universally accepted agreement to reduce greenhouse gases world wide. . . . . .one can only hop

DIVIDE CITIES INTO 2 SECTIONS,ONE SIDE DRIVING AND THE OTHER SIDE NON DRIVING.