Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

Westerners, as a whole, have a harder time understanding the impact pollution has on our environment. This is due to a combination of things (not really our education system in relation to elsewhere). One factor is that a lot of our jobs are based on resource extraction and agriculture. These jobs require heavy equipment with diesel engines, and people don’t want to feel shame about their ‘office’ equipment. They didn’t build the equipment anyway (they just repair it). If it was so bad, no one would build it, right?

Another factor is that unless an entire forest is on fire, we just don’t SEE pollution in the air like more urban-dwelling Canadians do. Calgary and Edmonton get smoggy, at least they have in the Summer when I’ve been through, but it’s not a year round problem. Regina and Saskatoon tend to get foggy at worst. Smog in those two cities is usually attributable to stubble burning, or a forest fire. Our water sources are not so great as it is in Toronto, to raise our humidity to the point where we can’t breath from the mixture of moisture and muck.

And so a combination of economic induced denial sets into people. It especially settles in people who have no grasp on chemistry, history, or physics because they lack the logic defenses their mind needs to shrug off propaganda fed from other people who depend on our broken systems not being changed.

If your skies looked like this, would you have 2nd thoughts to the seriousness of air pollution too? For some people out here, it’s the last straw they need to give up on logic, and to give in to denial and complacency.

- Museum with ship and a “new” elevator, 2 minutes south of Moose Jaw on Highway #2. There’s a NFB film about this ship, and the poor man who built it. He wanted to sail it back home to Europe, but was committed and died. He tried to tow it across the prairie with animal and human power, to sail it up to Hudson’s Bay via our river systems. In a way he’s a metaphor for people of this country who don’t understand or even acknowledge we have an air pollution problem. They build too many of the wrong vehicles, and mis-use them until they go crazy and die, defeated. Hard working, but in a role that can’t last. Instead of finding a new way to live where we are, we’d rather destroy ourselves on the chance that we can get back to how things used to be; Back to better times.

One of the more notable bloggers in Canada is Canadian Cynic. He rightfully nearly blew a gasket when I suggested a few months ago that he might have a few things in common with Kate from Small Dead Animals. Frankly I think he’d deny breathing oxygen if he heard that Kate admits to doing that. But anyway, the point of me bringing up CC is that he has a cool challenge to take on. If you’re reading this, you’re challenged to remain polite for the entire day of Monday (at least while conversing on your blog). The winning “side” gets the respect and admiration of, well, probably the same people who declare victory.

Good luck comrades. And yes, I used the word comrade to ham this up a little.
And if you’re a “progressive” and don’t play nice on Monday, I’ll paddle your bottom.

Hat tip to Wingnutterer

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On Sunday I went on a road trip to Wood Mountain with my pal Jesse, and I picked up my new XO laptop from the OLPC program. It’s so tiny, when I saw the box I honestly thought it was a part, like the box for the AC adapter maybe. Photos and videos will come later this week.

I also bought a huge amount of discount cheese. The wheel of cheese was almost bigger than the XO laptop, but cost about 5% as much. I’ll also eat the cheese, whereas the laptop I will not so much as lick, unless asked nicely.

Taken in a restaurant by the title name, in Winnipeg.

The “weed” that will haunt many a gardener this year. Remember, if you catch them young, and unsprayed, you can eat their delectable little green leaves in salad. Their yellow heads can be carefully picked for wine making.

This is a fun tool for those who have seen the funny posters.

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Hat tip to Ashley

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Earth Hour lead me to Google’s analysis of black Google pages, which apparently save no power over white pages. I haven’t tested it myself, but it would be easy with a Kill-a-Watt electricity use tool.

- My place of play

- My place of work

-McDonalds didn’t shut off more than a few lights and a sign for Earth Hour, but tried to participate more than Subway apparently.

I’m going to turn out from 8-9 today.

-Seems the Bay in Winnipeg Polo Park is turning out the lights

The energy saved isn’t very significant, but the unity shown by darkening the cities together may send a message that we can work together on making real change if we keep pressure on those who deny that we can’t.

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Leftdog lets the partypoopers know what’s what.

ACR has the headline the mainstream media probably wanted to run with.

The web is buzzing with ordinary folks who think the TSA is full of really SMRT people. These particular ones found that I predicted the new War on Boobs.

- Flemming, SK old grain elevator is getting a facelift on one side

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I’m back in Regina after a very odd day. It’s strange to say goodbye to someone for probably the last time, but that’s what I did. Then arriving back in town just in time for a birthday party, and 3 games of laser tag which have been planned for more than a week. I finished 2nd, 1st and 1st and scored 5th on the daily leader board. A day with lows and highs, and in two capital cities.

-One Red Paperclip house in Kipling

- Near Confusion Corner in Winnipeg on the way back from a birthday supper

- Grey Cup 2007 sign won in a bet with Manitoba, on our border

- Good advice about taking the stairs instead of the elevator. I do about 12 flights a day in separate trips.

Without fail, going to Winnipeg in a non-Summer season has brought a snow storm. Even more unfortunate are the circumstances that brought me here, but such is life, and the cycle of it. Still it’s strange to make a surprise mid-week trip to another city, and even worse to feel guilty about enjoying the moments of leisure, when a relative is at death’s door in hospital. It’s more important than attending something like this.

Last night my brother, sister-in-law, and I piled into their white car and drove to Langbank. We stopped in Kipling and I saw the Red-Paperclip house for the first time. They have red paperclip lights up on the power poles on the highway. The farm where we spent the night has seen about a century of Canadian Winters. On the wall of the computer room was a photo of the 1913 harvest.

After a hearty breakfast (and homemade midnight snack of muffin and chicken noodle soup), we were on our way into Manitoba. The snow started at about the border, and increased in intensity until it was a whiteout by Brandon. The radio only had warnings for highway 16 until that point. Fortunately we made it through into clear weather, and it was sunny by Portage la Prairie. I had lunch at a nearly empty A&W, while my siblings stood in line behind about half a dozen Mounties and others at Subway. I finished eating nearly before they got back to the car.

Parking in Winnipeg wasn’t too hard, and we found our way to visit in the hospital. It was apparent that we’d be staying an extra day by that point. And the weather wasn’t going to let us return tonight in peace anyway it turned out. A local weather report indicated traffic accidents and closed roads.

When merging in Saskatoon or elsewhere… Don’t Stop! Zack explains why there are bad drivers in Saskatoon (and most of the province) who couldn’t figure out Circle Drive, so they took out the traffic circle that gave the Drive its name!

Simply put, Saskatchewan doesn’t train its drivers well enough.

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And Quebec doesn’t train its children any more how to operate their bodies’ sexual organs. Learning to operate your body safely is an optional component of the curriculum.