Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

This week I’ve been surfing around the blogosphere, finding some new blogs, and of course voting for my favourite blogs in the Canadian Blog Awards.

In a completely serious plea for help, I’ve made a video to encourage people to vote - for me.

There’s a passage I found, which people on the website where it came from were raving about. I think it’s worth noting, because it insightfully sums up the true destructive nature that our society brings to the world. We are so powerful as a species, and we are shirking our responsibilities to our future, and generations to come. I would hope anyone who is “pro-life” would read the following, and reflect on their lifestyle - to see if it meets the demands they place at the feet of pregnant women. Are they preparing the world for the children they insist must be born at any cost?

Why are world leaders leaving people with no purpose in life other than to “improve the economy”? Are we that aimless as an intelligent species as to be only concerned about making money? Is that humanity’s goal - make more money than the last guy? If it is, we should remember that money can’t buy happiness, and we can’t breathe or eat money. It’s difficult to work for things other than “the economy” unless we feel safe. The economy improves during wartime, because no one feels safe and thus is willing to work themselves to death for the greater good of their side.

Rashers101

November 14, 2006 01:20 AM

I evade my personal responsibility for the things I choose to do. I blame the government, the oil companies, George Bush, the economy, the wealthy and anybody else I can think of for the destruction that my lifestyle causes.

I put my comfort, my convenience and my conformity ahead of the lives and livelihoods of thousands of future generations, and I try not to think too much about my daily contribution to the destruction of the world that was left to me by thousands of past generations. I put myself far, far ahead of my ancestors and decedents and take from them for the most trivial of reasons.

I ignore the real human pain, suffering and death that my behaviour causes. I turn the page, switch the channel, and change the topic of conversation. I pretend that the science isn’t definitive yet, or that there’s no point in changing before others do, and I convince myself that ’scientists’ will come up with a technological solution that will make my lifestyle and me OK.

I avoid, I deny, I justify and rationalise, I pretend, I project, I squirm and squeeze and do whatever I can to maintain my concept of myself as a good person while still doing what I do. I evade my moral responsibility a day at a time in the hope that reality will somehow be different tomorrow morning.

I steal from those who live far away from me, and who I do not know because I see their pain as cartoon pain, and not fully real. I causally destroy what future generations will depend upon to live because they have yet to be born and it is only me, and my time and my normalcy that is important.

I am like those who, sixty years ago, did their jobs and lived their normal lives and didn’t ask questions about where their jewish neighbours had gone. I am like those who participated in slavery and other atrocities, except that the effects of my crimes will outlast all those others.

And it is OK, because today I am normal, and busy, and have other things on my mind and, if what I do is really so bad so many people wouldn’t be doing the same, would they?

But when, in the hours before I die, I think back upon my life and what it has meant, I must do one thing. I must hope and hope and pray and pray that there is nothing beyond life and beyond time and beyond myself, that there is no balance, no karma, no morality and no justice.

Because if there is, and I do what I do, knowing what I know….

Well, lets not think about that.

Other bloggers have noticed the comment too. Please pass it on in an email or blog post of your own.

-Cross posted to Off The Grid-

I found a fantastic government resource [PDF], with documentation on what you need to consider when going off the electrical grid either as a new home builder, or home renovator. There are pages and pages of detailed suggestions, and steps for planning an ideal off-grid home, so browse or delve right in. You can’t help but learn something by reading just a page of it. Here are a few interesting points and definitions from the document:

Off-grid homes have shortened the [electricity delivery] line and have the electricity generating equipment in their backyards [instead of hundreds of kilometers away]. Their electricity comes from a photovoltaic array (solar panel), wind turbine, micro-hydro turbine and/or a fossil-fueled generator. Collectively, the other parts of the system equipment are known as the balance of system (BOS) and include low-voltage (12 volt) direct current (DC) electrical storage (batteries) and regulating equipment (controller, inverter, battery charger, DC disconnect and monitor) right in the house. Instead of paying for someone else to look after the supply of electricity, people living off-grid need to be their own power managers.

Obviously not everyone is willing to take on the responsibility of maintaining their own power supply station(s). Yet everyone has to manage their power consumption, anyway. For people less dedicated to energy independence and “Do It Yourself” projects, there are systems that work both on and off the grid, so that the grid’s power supply is always present if needed. If you’re in a location where the electrical grid is already installed, you can design your off-grid system so that it sells electricity to the hydro (power) company when a surplus is collected from the renewable source on your property.

You may have seen power inverters in Canadian Tire, or an electronic store like Radio Shack. They plug into your car’s cigarette lighter, and turn the 12V DC battery current, into 120V AC current for your mini TV, DVD player, or any small device with a standard North American electrical two prong plug. It turns out off-grid homes use the exact same technology, only much larger or “stacked” models.

Make sure you research inverters carefully to find the one that will best serve your needs. Look at the continuous power rating and the surge capacity.

The quality, sophistication and reliability of DC/AC inverters and the power they provide have improved significantly in the last number of years and can be more stable than the grid. (When the Luets had a blower door test done on their house to see how airtight it was, the tester commented that the quality of their power was better than grid power, as noted by how smoothly the fan in the blower door ran.)

In the sample off-grid home used for the Yukon document, the Luet family uses a Trace SW2512 (2500 watt, 12 volt) inverter as the brain of their electrical system. It uses a special stand-by “search” mode to save power, and activates only when a load needs to be powered.

The important point to take away from the government guide, is that an off-grid home works best under ideal conditions built into the home from its conception. However, ideal situations rarely exist, so there are still many measures you can make for any home, that will reduce your dependency on grid-electricity. And if the technology works in the harsh climate of the Yukon Territory, it can work anywhere in Canada with more annual sunlight hours.

A Sun pillar rises over the church in the foreground this evening:

And here’s a sun dog from Friday. It’s hard to see, it’s just above the leftmost hopper car, to the right.

The moon tonight, in the east-southeast.

It’s cold out there tonight, and getting colder. Feeling like -38 in the morning, which is pretty much -38 if you’re an American using outdated measurements, or a Canadian using Celsius.

Miss Cellania wrote me today with a news story in the Leader Post she’d found. It turns out the Highway32.ca crew that is seeking road repairs from the government, have made a calendar to raise awareness and funds. The province is responsible for fixing highways, but they neglect rural infrastructure to the best of their ability, and use the money on their beloved “education and healthcare” excuse instead. It wouldn’t be so bad if they did spend the money on ed and health instead, but we have among the longest wait times in the country, and I work in the education field, and my wage doesn’t even keep up with inflation.

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A lively commenter has declared breastfeeding “shameful” and “lowerclass”. What are babies supposed to eat, Cordon Bleu?

Apparently, women only breastfeed in public to be exhibitionists, and if we allow that, the whole moral fabric of society will unravel, and we’ll be left with chaos and men peeing and pooping in public [because that never happens right now]. Imagine the anarchy, where instead of “nurse-ins” with breastfeeding mothers protesting for a right to openly bare their boobs to their babies, we’ll have roving mobs of men staging “pee-ins” for the right to pee whenever, wherever they want. Possible sites of protest include the National War Memorial, where urinaters were so rudely interrupted while relieving themselves upon the monument last July. Yup, it’s a slippery slope people, and it will just get slipperier if people keep spraying milk and pee on it all the time. (Sorry for the gross visual image you may have just formed, but we have to remember what chaos would look like if we want to be motivated enough to avoid it.)

There’s absolutely no difference between a mother feeding a crying infant with the organ designed for that purpose, and a guy in a business suit whipping it out so he can answer the call of nature all over the street, floor, or dinner table. I just had an idea. If women wore some kind of long cloth, over their head, and big enough to cover their entire body, they could slip a baby under it, and feed it without exposing any skin. Then decent society would be safe from those attention grubbing mother-monsters.

Oh, I found a cloth just like I was thinking of. I guess all the good ideas were taken years ago. Let’s see about getting these distributed to nursing mothers ASAP!

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Speaking of women who know their place, it’s fortunate for Rona Ambrose that she keeps having conflicting appointments made for her so she doesn’t have to be questioned about the environment.

Holy minority government Batman! Here’s a flashback to last year, when I made my 2006 election predictions. Enjoy:

It was yet another cool day out, and I stayed inside. The election campaign is “heating up” as “they” say though, so I’m sure the news won’t be boring at least. Oh wait, it will be. We did the same thing just 15 months ago in June 2004. Here’re my 2006 election predictions:

* Harper will say the Liberals are corrupt and hate marriage.
* Martin will say the Conservatives are scary and hate gays.
* Layton will say, “What about health care?”
* Duceppe will say, “What about Quebec?”
* And the Canadian public will say, “Who’s Jim Harris? You mean there are 308 Green Party candidates? There are that many Green Party members in Canada?!”

And on January 24th, the Tuesday after the Monday election, we’ll all be saying, “Why in the H. E. Double Hockey Sticks. did we just spend $400 Million on an election to get another Liberal minority government with fewer NDP seats, no Green seats, a lot more Bloc seats, and just enough Conservative seats to send Harper out to pasture to use his spiffy new cowboy hat?” So put away about $12 for each person in your household, because that’s how much you’re paying for this exercise in democracy. Merry Canvassing everyone, and a Happy New Government!

I’d like to see fewer Liberal seats, more NDP and Green seats, and more Conservative seats in Quebec and Ontario. The chances of this actually happening is what Santa is for. If anyone can bring a miracle, it’s Santa. All I want for Christmas is a new democracy; one that doesn’t break the day after it comes out of the ballot box. And one that isn’t hogged by Ontario and Quebec; they’ll let other provinces play with it. One that protects the privacy of Canadians, and upholds the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. At least with a minority government, we can send the toy back to the makers if it breaks before its five year warranty expires. But, you know what a pain it is to get something fixed when it breaks; you have to send it away to Calgary or Oshawa after finding just the right sized box to pack it, and that’s when you noticed the product was made in China. Wait. This analogy is over.

This is exciting news - Vancouver won’t have homeless people by 2010. Oh, but they will have thousands by 2011.
My solution to getting rid of the homeless in Vancouver? Eat them. It’s just a modest proposal.

Ashley agrees, but since she’s more socialist, she recommends we send them to a developing country first, where they can eat them instead. Canadians don’t need the extra protein.

And speaking of ideas that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has swirling around in his conservative brain, I was talking today with some Green supporters who are skeptical that Jim wants to take effective steps at reducing poverty among mid/low/no wage earners. I’m willing to give Jim some benefit of the doubt - since I’m not from Ontario, and I’ve already forgotten about the .5% hike to my income tax in July.

I’m going to wallow, waddle, or walk through some of the generous endorsements of my blog I’ve encountered recently while milking people for compliments during the final voting round of the Canadian Blog Awards. As I’m sure you know [because if you don’t know, you’re a poop head] I’m among the top 5 Progressive Blogs in Canada this year, and am going for at least 4th place (watch out Matthew Good!). There’s a tight race so far for both first and 3rd place, so assuming I’m not hovering in fifth, I’ve got a shot at a medal! I mean a top 3 finish prize, which is probably a fancy smanchy graphic I can wear proudly on my blog. It’s oh so Canadian to finish in fourth place (when thinking of the Olympics that is), but I’d be pleased as punch to be recognized by my peers as the third best something or other.

Not to leave out my other pride and joy (That I share with two other writers Conscious Earth, and 1337hax0r) - Off The Grid did quite well in the Science/Technology category and I think has a shot at a top place finish. I think Canadians are only just beginning to learn about off-grid technologies where they can save money, live with cool gadgets, and laugh smugly when power lines go down, as they continue like nothing happened (aside from their neighbours all freezing and being cranky that is).

Photo: Destined for 4th place.

So continuing what is known as a “wankfest” in crude blogger lingo, here are my ego inflating endorsements from some famous (and not yet famous) bloggers that know I exist, and even possibly stop by my blog to read or comment from time to time. Some have been exagerated, so I encourage you to read their blogs to find out if they were endorsing me, or mentioned me in passing and I jumped on their gossip like Homer on a donut.

• Saskboy - “Kate, would I be able to get an endorsement for the Best Progressive Blog?

  Kate - “Only if “progressive” is amended to “pinko”..”

• Sam Burns
• Easternblot - “you can throw your support behind Off The Grid. Its author, Saskboy, is a regular reader of Easternblot, and also an expert on tinfoil hats for pets.”
• Syncro - “I’ll vote for ya…..Just send me ten bucks.”
• Bow. James Bow. - “Newcomers The Next Agenda and Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy make impressive debuts.”
• Havril - “some misguided kid […] drunk on Saskatoon-berry wine”
• Diane’s Stuff
• Miss Cellania
• Thoughtinterrupted - Best Sci/Tech blog - Off The Grid. This was another discovery from round 1, and it’s a topic I’m interested in but often find overly complex. Kudos to the Off the Grid writers for breaking it down into readable, manageable chunks.
• SUZANNE - “Saskboy, I am virtually certain that just about anything you have to say is more important than Raymi’s blog, as much as I disagree with some of your opinions. Why? Because you’re addressing issues that are more important.”
• Ottawonk - “full of bloggy goodness”
• Rick Mercer - said nothing. No link for him. Harper-valley on the other hand… SCOUT’S CHOICES:
  best progressive blog:
  abandoned stuff by saskboy
• The Screaming Pages - “Many political blogs are dull. Aside from a notable few (Dustmybroom, Abandoned Stuff, Small Dead Animals), most write about the same topics day after day.”
• Zaphod2016 - “ALL aspects of traditional media are dinosaurs. What makes the opinions of Lou Dobbs, Larry King or even Bill O’Reilly so important? I’d rather get Saskboy’s (et all) opinion.”
• Olaf - Prairie Wrangler - “Best Progressive Blog: Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy- He’s the underdog here, and who doesn’t like the underdog? He’s prolific and provides a diverse variety of information on countless topics. He puts a lot of work into keeping things interesting for the readers, he’s unpredictable and can be, on rare occasion, quite convincing, despite the fact that I’ve never once agreed with him.”
• Dave - The Galloping Beaver - “Best Progressive Blog is tough. I like all of them. Without adding much comment, I’m going with Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy. I like the style.” “Best Sci/Tech Blog is tough. They’re all great. I’m going with one which gathered my interest - Off The Grid.”

And as my long, yet incomplete list comes to a close tonight, I can only lament that I didn’t finish posting my self-promotion YouTube hype video, which would surely seal my place as the top wankin’ blog of 2006, if not Best Progressive. I instead spent a couple hours digging people’s cars out of the piles of snow we have clogging our parking lots and streets. Darn real life productivity is really cutting into my online life which is oh, so much more important…