soapbox

"Apply this recipe to the countries of the third world and you will see how many people among the hungry masses of our planet will no longer consume corn. "Or even worse: by offering financing to poor countries to produce ethanol from corn or any other kind of food no tree will be left to defend humanity from climate change." The octogenarian leader wrote that during a meeting earlier this week between the US president and American car manufacturers, "the sinister idea of converting food into combustibles was definitively established as the economic line of the foreign policy of the United States". . . . . . . . .. . . THE ABOVE QUOTE IS BY FIDEL CASTRO . . . .MARCH 29,2007 . . .

THE ELECTRIC DRYER IN A HOUSE IS A TRUE ENERGY HOG.WITH THE COST OF ELECTRICITY GOING SKY HIGH,MAYBE THIS COULD BE A SOLUTION .IT WAS FOR ME.SIMPLY STRING A LENGTH OF TWINE CLOSE TO THE CEILING FROM ONE END OF A ROOM TO THE OTHER AND SECURE IT AT BOTH ENDS ,AND VOILA YOU HAVE AN INDOOR CLOTHES LINE. . . . . .AN AVERAGE ELECTRIC CLOTHES DRYER USES 5000 WATTS OF ELECTRICITY...A CFC LIGHT BULB USES ONLY LESS THAN 20 WATTS EACH.

SOME OF THE SIDE EFFECTS OF LIVING IN ONE AREA AND COMMUTING TO ANOTHER AREA ::#1 TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK . . .#2 . .TAX INCREASES . . .#3 . . LESS FOODLAND . . .#4 . . LESS GREENSPACE # 5 . . . .INCREASED SMOG & -STRESS #6 . . . .SCHOOL AND HOSPITAL CROWDING . .. # 7 .. .COSTLY CLIMATIC EXTREMES. . . .# 8 . .LOST TIME AND PRODUCTIVITY

"We're not asking people to go and live in a cave and eat cold beans; that can't be the way we approach the problem of global warming," Ridley said, dismissing some early criticism that business would suffer. "The idea of this is there are simple things that are putting emissions up into the air and we can do simple things to start cutting back on them, but that doesn't mean you close your restaurant." As for those at home who are faced with an hour of darkness on a Saturday night, "we hope people will be catching up with their neighbours and having barbecues. "It's really about moving away from the despair that global warming seems to produce and starting thinking of what can we do about it." Ridley said that if successful, the Sydney blackout would be a world first. . . . . . .this preceding snippet info is one example of what people in different parts of the world are doing to combat global warming . . . . . . EVERY LITTLE BIT HE...

. . . .IN THE PREVIOUS POST (ABOUT GRAPES) I FORGOT TO MENTION A FEW THINGS. . . . . .THAT BUNCH OF GRAPES IN THE PICTURE WAS FROM A HUGE GRAPEVINE,GROWN OVER A TEN YEAR PERIOD AND-LOCATED IN THE HEART OF A LARGE CITY. . . . .ITS ROOT SYSTEM EXTENDED 13 FEET RADIUS FROM THE TRUNK IN ALL DIRECTIONS,AND OCCUPIED ONE FOOT OF SPACE BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE SOIL. . . . . . . . . IN THE WINTER I WOULD PRUNE ALL THE VINES FROM THE PREVIOUS YEARS GROWTH,AND THE GROWING CYCLE WOULD REPEAT ITSELF IN THE SUMMER. . . . . . THE SOIL WAS VERY FERTILE AROUND THE PLANT THE REASON BEING THAT I BURIED COMPOST ALL AROUND THE AREA OF THE ROOT SYSTEM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.IT PRODUCED A ROUND REDISH PURPLE SEEDED GRAPE WITH A FIBROUS SHELL. . . .THE VINES IN THE SUMMER EXTENDED 15 FEET IN ALL DIRECTIONS,AND PRODUCED 75 POUNDS OF GRAPE IN ONE SEASON.

. . . .. . .. THE GRAPES TO THE LEFT WERE GROWN BY ME IN THE SUMMER OF 2006.IT WAS A GOOD YEAR FOR GRAPES BUT A DISAPPOINTING YEAR FOR OTHER REASONS.IT SEEMS THAT GLOBAL WARMING MIGHT HAVE A TEMPORARY BENEFIT TO GARDENS AND VINEYARDS,ESPECIALLY FOR PLANTS THAT REQUIRE A LOT OF HOT WEATHER LIKE GRAPES,PEANUTS SUNFLOWER,RASPBERRIES,CANTALOUPE,WATERMELON, ALL OF WHICH I HAVE GROWN. . . . . . .BUT THERE COMES A POINT WHEN GROWTH STOPS BECAUSE OF TOO MUCH HEAT.I HAVE PERSONALLY SEEN THIS HAPPEN TO SOME FRUIT TREES. . . . .SO WE SHOULD ALL PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING IF WE CAN.

. . . . . . . . . ABOUT TIME .. . . .A LOT OF TIME IS SPENT ON COMPUTERS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE LATEST SOURCE CODE,AND USING IT IN THE BLOG . . . . . FOR INSTANCE TODAY AND YESTERDAY I TRIED FOR HOURS ON END TO FIGURE OUT THE INSTRUCTIONS TO IMPROVE THE RANKING ON THE INTERNET BY USING LINKS.I SUCEEDED ONLY PARTLY DUE TO THE LONG AND COMPLICATED INSTRUCTIONS....KEEP IT SIMPLE SHOULD BE THE MOTTO . . .BUT IT ISN'T.

SORRY FOR INCONVENIENCE

. . . . WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING,IT FREQUENTLY IS ASSUMED THAT THEY REFER TO THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE ATMOSPHERE BY CARBON DIOXIDE.. BUT THEY FORGET THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE DONE BY SUCH THINGS AS SUPER HIGHWAYS THROUGH VIRGIN FORESTS.THESE FORESTS ARE ONE OF THE PLANETS LAST REMAINING DEFENCES AGAINST THE ONSLAUGHT OF CO2 EMMISSIONS FROM MOTOR VEHICLES AND INDUSTRIAL USES...............NOW ADD HYDRO TRANSMISSION LINES,OIL, GAS AND WATER LINES ALL CRISS--CROSSING THE COUNTRY AND NEXT THING YOU KNOW ,THE FORESTS AND ALL THE GOOD THINGS THAT COME FROM THEM DISAPPEAR..........>>>>.THIS IS PROGRESS ////???????

Green Granny gets 10 months for protesting 2010 Construction Tuesday, March 6th, 2007 Green Granny Betty Krawczyk salutes her supporters upon arriving at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver yesterday. The elderly environmentalist, who has already spent more than two years in jail for anti-logging protests, was handed a 10-month sentence for criminal contempt of court yesterday. An elderly environmental crusader —known as the Green Granny — was sentenced yesterday to 10 months in jail for criminal contempt of court while her supporters stood outside the Vancouver courthouse in protest. Betty Krawczyk, 78, was arrested last year for violating a court order to stay away from the construction site of the Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement project in West Vancouver. The road is being upgraded for the 2010 Winter Olympics. She has already spent the equivalent of two years in jail for anti-logging protesting. “I made a commitment to this province 15 years ago, and I intend to honour that commitment t...

Fri Mar 2, 6:47 AM ET UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that global warming posed the same threat to humanity as war and warned of an "unconscionable legacy" being left for future generations. In a speech to a UN International School Conference, Ban acknowledged that the "majority" of the UN's work still focuses on the prevention and resolution of conflict. "But the danger posed by war to all of humanity -- and to our planet -- is at least matched by the climate crisis and global warming," he said. Pledging to raise the issue at a summit of the G8 major industrialised nations in June, Ban said the absence of decisive measures to combat climate change would place an appalling burden on succeeding generations. "That would be an unconscionable legacy; one which we must all join hands to avert," he said. "As it stands, the damage already inflicted on our ecosystem will take decades, perhaps centuries, t...

. . . . . . . BOLD BEAUTIFUL BIKES . . . . . . . . . THE MOST EFFICIENT MODE OF HUMAN TRANSPORT EVER INVENTED . . . . . . . . .BEJING,CHINA . . . .USED TO BE THE BIKE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD .. . .. BUT AT A WRONG TIME IN WORLD HISTORY A WORRISOME TREND IS DEVELOPING IN THAT CITY.MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE ABANDONING THE BIKE IN FAVOUR OF THAT MOTORISED MONSTER WE CALL THE AUTOMOBILE . . . . . . I SINCERELY HOPE FOR THE SAKE OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND SURVIVAL OF THIS PLANET EARTH,THAT PEOPLE IN BEJING AND OTHER CITIES OF THE WORLD WILL LET SANITY PREVAIL AND RETURN THE BIKE TO ITS PROPER PLACE ON OUR STREETS...........

. . . . . . HOW WELL I REMEMBER THE SUMMER OF 2005.IT WAS REALLY A HOT ONE HERE IN TORONTO.AS A PASTIME I NORMALLY DO A LOT OF RUNNING 2 OR 3 TIMES A WEEK,HOWEVER IN THAT YEAR I WAS FORCED TO STAY INDOORS. . . . . . . .THE REASON ? . . . . SMOG . . . . .AND PLENTY OF IT .IT WAS A RECORD YEAR FOR SMOG.THERE WERE OVER 40 DAYS WHEN PEOPLE IN THE CITY WERE WARNED BY THE HEALTH AND WEATHER DEPT'S THROUGH THE MEDIA NOT TO DO ANY STRENOUS WORK OR EXERCISE OUTDOORS.IN MY OPINION THAT SUMMER WAS LOST TO THE FORCES OF POLLUTION. ITS JUST ONE MORE REASON TO TRY AND PREVENT THIS TYPE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

. . . . . . PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR OVER-SIMPLIFYING THE TITLE OF THIS POST- BUT I AM TRYING TO GIVE OUT SOME OF THE INGREDIENTS FOR A BETTER ENVIRONMENTAL WORLD.I HAVE MUCH EXPERIENCE WITH TREES IN CANADA AND FIND THAT THEY ARE A PERFECT SOLUTION TO THE MYRIAD PROBLEMS OF POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE AND IS LOW TECH AS WELL.FOR INSTANCE AS A WATER ABSORBER THE DEEP ROOTS OF A LARGE MAPLE TREE IS IDEAL.IF THE TREES ARE WELL PLACED AND PROPERLY PRUNED FOR SAFETY.IN ADDITION THEY ENRICH THE SOIL WITH THE FALLING LEAVES.MANY OTHER BENEFITS FROM TREES ARE MUCH TOO MUCH TO MENTION IN THIS SHORT POST,BUT STAY TUNED FOR FUTURE POSTS..

. . . . . . If every Calgary household put in one compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), which can last for seven years, each bulb would eliminate 60 kg of greenhouse gases (GHG) per year. Mid-sized cars produce approx. 4 tonnes of GHG a year, SUVs 6 tonnes. So, if 300,000 Calgary houses put in one bulb, it would be equivalent to taking 15,750 mid-sized cars or 10,500 SUV's off the road for one year + + + + + +The above information courtesy of a church in Calgary,Alberta.

. . . . . . TWO PLACES IN THE WORLD WHERE CRIMES AGAINST NATURE HAVE BEEN COMMITTED ON A GRAND SCALE IN THIS POST #1 IS THE ARAL SEA IN RUSSIA ^ ^ ^ ^WHERE CERTAIN AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES HAVE CAUSED THIS ONCE GREAT INLAND SEA TO DRY UP AND BECOME TOXIC # 2 IN THE GREAT GREEN COUNTRY KNOWN AS CANADA ^ ^ ^ ^ ^THOUSANDS OF SQUARE MILES OF LUSH GREEN FORESTS HAVE BEEN RIPPED OUT OF THEIR ROOTS ^ ^ ^ ^ ^AND REPLACED WITH A DESOLATE, ARID MOONLIKE LANDSCAPE DEVOID OF LIFE ^ ^ ^ ^THE PLACE ? ? ?THE ATHABASKA OIL SANDS---ALBERTA - - - -MANY MORE SUCH CRIMES ARE COMMITTED EVERY DAY IN CANADA IN MY NAME ^ ^ ^SUCH IS OUR (?) WAY OF LIFE.

. . . . . . IS . . CLIMATE CHANGE ^ ^ ^ ^(WMD=WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION)^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE WHOLE WORLD UNITES IN COMBATING THE MAN MADE CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE,PLANET EARTH WILL NOT SURVIVE.(MY HUMBLE OPINION)

. . . A LOT OF PEOPLE INCLUDING SOME OF MY FRIENDS WHOM I WOULD CONSIDER VERY INTELLIGENT HAVE HOPPED ON THE HYBRID CAR BANDWAGON ^ ^ ^ ^IN MY OPINION THATS A MISTAKE, SINCE THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE EARTH BY MOTOR VEHICLES IS NOT ONLY DONE BY THE EXHAUST PIPE EMISSIONS BUT FROM THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE DONE BY ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS,CLEARING OF FORESTS OR AGRICULTURAL LANDS AND STILL THESE HYBRIDS NEED FUEL AND VERY TOXIC BATTERY SYSTEMS ^ ^ ^ ^SOO ITS FOOLHARDY TO LOOK UPON THE HYBRID AS THE SOLUTION TO POLLUTION ON THIS PLANET.

. . . . . . . . IF . .AIR . .PLANES . .ARE A MAJOR POLLUTER OF THE PLANET THEN WHY ARE PEOPLE SO KEEN ON TRAVELLING TO DISTANT COUNTRIES ^ ^ ^DO THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING? ? ?? ? I PERSONALLY KNOW MANY FRIENDS WHO TRAVEL REGULARLY AND OFTEN ^ ^ ^THEY SEEM OBLIVIOUS TO THE HARM THEY ARE DOING TO THE ENVIRONMENT ^ ^ ^ALSO I MUST CONFESS THAT I MYSELF AM TEMPTED TO TRAVEL,AFTER LOOKING AT ALL THE TRAVEL BROCHURES (BUSINESS TAX DEDUCTABLE COURTESY OF CANADIAN TAX PAYER) ^ ^ ^ ^SO . . . .IS THIS MOUNTAIN TOO HIGH ?AM I TILTING AT WINDMILLS ? ?ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

. . . . . . CANADIAN-PM-HARPER ASKS OPPOSITION LEADERS IN PARLIAMENT FOR SUGGESTIONS TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE ^ ^ ^ I HAVE ONE OR TWO ^ ^ ^WARNING LABELS ON CARS "WARNING-THIS CAR CAUSES SMOG" OR"WARNING-THIS CAR EMITS-CARBON-DIOXIDE"OR "WARNING-THIS CAR -IS DANGEROUS TO THE HEALTH OF PLANET EARTH"-YOU GET THE PICTURE-I HOPE THE P.M. READS BLOGS OR AT LEAST THE OPPOSITION LEADERS GET THE PICTURE- - - -THIS IDEA WOULD OPERATE SIMILAR TO THE WARNING LABELS ON CIGARETTES.ITS AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME,AND WOULD COST VERY LITTLE TO IMPLEMENT - - - - SO- - -WHAT ABOUT IT ! - - - -IS- -ANYBODY- - LISTENING ? ?