Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

We’re headed to South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore, and will be back after Canada Day. Can you think of anything more Canadian than going to the States for our nation’s birthday? Neither can I.

June 30th is the 99th birthday of the Tunguska event in Siberia. Check out the explosion.

Also, a happy birthday to you know who, if you’re reading this bro.

I think stylist Peter in Toronto just doesn’t want to run out of men to submit to the torture of wax. Like our free to shave/not shave sisters, men have to stand up for our right to be hairy. Everyone has their preference, but when you think about it, almost always the preference is rooted in what you were raised to think was normal, and has no biological basis or sense whatsoever.

The BBC is reporting about its use of Windows Media Player and its Digital Restrictions Management to distribute television shows online. The use of that particular player and copy protection system has limited the ability of thousands of TV fans from watching the show online, because they haven’t gone out to buy the Microsoft software.

If you don’t know what the future will hold, it’s harder to make sound investment decisions. It seems obvious to me that many people are ignorant of the costs we will consider to be too great. How else could we explain the sale of more than a few thousand SUVs a year in the world?

Why are we directing investment of citizens into vehicles and even housing that we know is obsolete and excessively wasteful? We don’t sell 486 computers anymore because even though they get most jobs done, they waste resources (eg. time, energy). People buy dual-core CPUs now because they get the same job done that a 486 can do, but in less than half the time, and by using less power. Where’s the sense in buying an SUV (486) that gets 15 Miles Per Gallon (MPG) of gasoline, when you can transport 6 people in an efficient vehicle (dual-core) that gets 30 MPG? Using half the resource (gas) to accomplish the same goal (moving people/equipment) is what is known as efficiency, or SAVING MONEY!

I find it pretty surprising that John Baird ordered this report that determined the government isn’t educating people fast enough on what to do about major purchases/investments. Unfortunately, Baird’s shown himself to be completely useless when it comes to implementing sound environmental policy. His government has done nothing positive on the subject in their 18 months in office, which is completely pitiful. For a so-called mainstream party to not have a workable environment plan upon their election is a disgrace. They’ve been begged by the Green Party to steal the Green Party Green Plan, but still there’s no acting from the now vacationing House.

Unless Canada acts immediately to put a price tag on greenhouse gas emissions, the government risks causing “serious economic dislocation,” an Environment Canada-sponsored report warned Wednesday.

In order to avoid the economic fallout, the report by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy recommends that Ottawa begin clearly mapping out the costs of emissions.

If companies and consumers have enough advance notice about the financial incentives for reducing emissions, they can make appropriate environmental and investment decisions, the paper says.

“If the government neglects to clearly communicate the [greenhouse gas] price schedule well in advance, it risks causing serious economic dislocation…because society’s capital stocks will not be well prepared,” the report warns.

“In essence, inadequate and delayed communication by the government of a [greenhouse gas] ‘price’ could lead to substantial long-term economic costs.”

“Economic dislocation,” is simply a polite phrase for, “Canadians are being totally screwed by Conservative economic disorganization”.

Not Bill, this is the CIA Robert Gates. Do we want the American top security/intelligence expert to not know even how to send an email? This may beat out Larry King not knowing how to use Google, in the best demonstration of powerful people who don’t have a sniff about how to improve in their profession.

As many as 1500 Pentagon computers were brought offline on Wednesday in response to a cyber attack. Defense Secretary Robert Gates reported of the fallout both that the attack had ‘no adverse impact on department operations’ and that ‘there will be some administrative disruptions and personal inconveniences.’ When asked whether his own e-mail had been compromised, Gates responded, ‘I don’t do e-mail. I’m a very low-tech person.’

In just under 2 weeks, on July8, I’m hosting the 2nd Annual SaskBlogs BBQ in Regina, but there’s another free BBQ in Regina this week. The details from the poster are here:

The Regina Multicultural Council
in honour of
Canadian Multiculturalism Day
Will be holding a BBQ
June 27th 2007

Featuring:
Street Culture Kidz

Festivities run from 5-8pm and take place in Wascana Park at the band shell and surrounding area. Entertainment, Hot Dogs, hamburgers and beverages will be provided at no charge.
Come out visit and enjoy!

Uranium in the ditch off of Highway 11. Highway 15 can’t survive a nuclear blast, trust me.

(This is of course a joke, since Uranium oxide doesn’t exactly start up with its fancy fission when a truck crashes.)

- The Blizzard Capital almost became the nuclear capital of the province.

–
Hat tip to Politics and Poetry.

How to get your name off a no-fly list

Listening to Adler on Friday, I heard Counsel General Louis Loukins explain how to clear your name from the US no-fly list if you have a name that is similar to someone the government doesn’t want flying. There’s a certificate you can obtain by visiting the Department of Homeland Insecurity and answering some questions.

Who is DHS TRIP for?

People who have been repeatedly identified for additional screening can file an inquiry to have erroneous information corrected in DHS systems.

[Image of DHS employees laughing at the names of passengers]
Should I use DHS TRIP?

* What is redress?
* How do I know if I’m on a watch list?
* Are there multiple watch lists?
* How do I avoid secondary screening?

So you can present that certificate of innocence to airport security, to prove to them that they shouldn’t be suspicious of you any more, even though their magic list from the government has already told them not to trust anything you say or do. So essentially the certificate is a farce, and maybe worse than worthless. Any terrorist worth their salt is going to have a forged certificate ready in the event they are pulled to the side. Great job DHS, you’re proving once and for all that your heads are… elevated threats to our security.

Good golly, are they trying to write parody? This looks more hokey than the Duck and Cover hysteria of the 1950s. And consider that the 1950s films had the amateur advantage of being crudely made on film with child actors.

Homeland Security Advisory System
Homeland Security Advisory System

Current Threat Level

June 22, 2007 — The United States government national threat level Elevated, or Yellow.

The U.S. threat level is High, or Orange, for all domestic and international flights. Only small amounts of liquids, aerosols and gels are allowed in carry-on baggage.

See the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website for up-to-date information on items permitted and prohibited on airlines.
Recommended Activities

* All Americans should continue to be vigilant, take notice of their surroundings, and report suspicious items or activities to local authorities immediately.