Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Global Warming and Other Fun Environmental Myths

The disciples of the United Global Warming Evangelical Movement (are you a member?) took it hard across the jaw last week as revelations by a whistle blower hacker revealed that some of the prime data used to advocate that the Earth was warming had been tampered with. LINK.

And so it appears that the vaunted "Hockey Stick Graph", the chart that shows the Earth's temperature rising precipitously has been, if not discredited, badly diminished. While true believers continue to pooh pooh the impact of the manipulated data scandal, a clear and decisive victory has been posted by climate change doubters.

Sweet revenge for those scientists who have withstood ridicule and ostracization because of their resolute refusal to give in to climate hysteria.

Now that a crack has been punched into the foundation of radical environmentalism, let's explore other myths and misconceptions of the movement with an open mind. At least let's have some fun!!

Re-cycling is bad for the environment.
Don't waste your time. Curbside recycling is by far the worst form of environmentalism, a counter productive act that actually increases your carbon footprint. Come to think of it, almost all forms of re-cycling are bad for the Earth!!!
Read my favourite article debunking the myth of re-cycling written by John Tierney in the New York Times. Some delicious quotes;
  • ...the simplest and cheapest option is usually to bury garbage in an environmentally safe landfill....
  • The typical household in Mexico City buys fewer packaged goods than an American household, but it produces one-third more garbage.
  • A typical McDonald's discards less than two ounces of garbage for each customer served -- less than what's generated by a typical meal at home.
  • If Americans keep generating garbage at current rates for 1,000 years, and if all their garbage is put in a landfill 100 yards deep, by the year 3000 this national garbage heap will fill a square piece of land 35 miles on each side. This doesn't seem a huge imposition in a country the size of America. The garbage would occupy only 5 percent of the area needed for the national array of solar panels proposed by environmentalists.
Ha Ha. Read the article if you have an open mind, environmentalists, skip it!!!!!
Hybrids vehicles are worse for the environment than Hummers!!
According to a report, entitled "Dust to Dust: The Energy Cost of New Vehicles from Concept to Disposal," when the amount of energy it takes to produce the vehicle before it gets on the road -- and the amount used to dispose of it are figured in to the carbon footprint, the Hummer comes out far ahead of the Prius.
In "dollars per lifetime miles," a Prius' "energy costs" average $3.25 per mile, compared to a mere $1.95 per mile for a Hummer H3.
Implausible-probably. The report was attacked by a enviormentalists who drew other conclusions, but the inference is clear. Don't assume politically correct environmental alternatives are a panacea.

Buy local programs are a bad idea.
Transportation is just one of the factors in determining a product's carbon footprint. The marketplace buys products from far away producers because it is cheaper and more efficient and that usually includes the overall carbon footprint.
Buying fresh grown flowers from a local hothouse is usually a poorer environmental choice that getting them from a hot climate country that grows them in bulk outdoors. Buy local programs are usually a smokescreen to encourage local producers to shut out foreign competition. Don't buy into the myth.

Organic Food is Crap
Studies have conclusively proven that organic food is nutritionally equal to mass produced food. There are no health benefits and the 'natural' pesticides used by organic farmers are more dangerous and toxic than those big bad chemicals provided by big pharma. Producing organic food uses up significantly more resources and has much higher carbon footprint than conventionally produced food. If all the world's food were produced organically, we would starve. Watch the incredible entertaining episode of Penn and Tellers' exposé on the organic food industry on their cable show "BULLSHIT"
Watch a funny video about an organic taste test from the show. LINK

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs are no big deal.
We've all been bombarded with exhortations to change our regular inefficient incandescent light bulbs to those curly CFL neon bulbs to save energy. You know, those new-fangled bulbs that emit an uncomfortable and annoying ghoulish white light.
Truth be told, in our situation in Quebec and almost all over Canada where electricity is cheap and the weather cold, they don't make economic or environmental sense.
CFC's may use electricity more efficiently but really are no money savers at all, even if they consume up to three quarters less energy than regular light bulbs.
The problem with conventional light bulbs is that they turn up to 90% of the energy consumed into heat. But in Canada, this heat is not wasted, at least not for the 7 or 8 months a year that we heat our homes. On top of it, in the summer when the heat is actually wasted, we hardly use the bulbs at all, given the extended hours of sunlight. Instead of the 75% savings that are touted, we actually reap less than 10-15% savings. The expensive and resource rich manufacturing process destroys almost all believed to emit dangerous radiation. Although manufacturers claim that CFLs outlast regular light bulbs, in my own experience the opposite is true, with CFLs burning out or reducing output to the point that they have to be changed, at a rate far superior to incandescent bulbs. By the way, don't ever drop a CFL, the mercury inside them is toxic!

En garde, environmentalists!!!


Back to the data-fixing scandal.
Isn't it puzzling that environmentalists have roundly rejected the notion that the case for global warming has been weakened by the data fixing scandal?
Wouldn't normal and reasonable person be happy that the possibility that the case for global warming has gotten weaker?

Imagine if your doctor told you that one the major diagnostic tests which was conducted on you and which confirmed a medically terminal diagnosis was faulty. Wouldn't you be happy and wouldn't you shout out in joy at the possibility of living longer!

How would you react if your family jumped up to deny the results.
NO! NO! We don't care about that. We're sure he's dying!! Arggh!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Ethnocentrism Alive and Well in Quebec

Just as we said good riddance good-bye to Pierre Falardeau, a nasty and cruel racist, a new breed of immigrant and anglo bashers is rising to take up the mantle of ethnocentrism.

A good example of these type 'intellectual' haters is blogger Louis Prefontaine, who's pseudo intellectual bashing of all things not francophone is gathering quite an audience.

His latest rant concerns the bone fides of Anglophones and ethnics and their right to be considered "Quebecois" Les anglophones sont-ils Québécois?

According to Mr. Prefontaine, Anglos can never be considered part of the Quebec 'tribe' because their first language is English and that they share a point of view that is different from the francophone majority.

It is this type of ethnocentrism that has been a hallmark of the ultra-nationalist Quebec movement, from Lionel Groulx, to Pierre Faladeau to the latest crop of French, white Catholics, who demand that Anglos and ethnics mimic their views and behaviour.

As a statuesque Black African immigrant woman told the Bouchard-Taylor Inquiry (in perfect French;)
"I guess I have to eat poutine!" I guess I have to eat maple syrup!"

That's what being a Quebecker is to these racists. Everyone can be a Quebecker, as long as they act like a francophone, speak like a francophone, think like a francophone and vote like a Francophone.

This recurring theme is so racist that it demands denunciation.

The discussion of who is a Quebecker is uncomfortably reminiscent of the Nazis discussion of who is a Jew and begs the question -to what end?

What exactly is Mr. Prefontaine's point.

If Anglos and immigrants are not Quebeckers, what is the inference. Should they be denied civil rights? Should they wear a scarlet letter? Should they be asked to leave or be shown the door? Should their votes be counted or discounted? WHAT EXACTLY IS THE POINT?

Every day ethnocentrics rain down scorn and invective on Anglos and ethnics. They use the word 'meprise' (contempt) to describe our behaviour, all the while using the foulest of references and terms to describe Anglophones, Ethnics and our language.

They tell us that our existence threatens their Quebec culture, French language and Christian heritage. The hate is real.

One of the more twisted aspect to this ethnocentrism is the idea that Anglos and Ethnics owe Francophones 'respect'.

It is a recurring theme. RESPECT RESPECT RESPECT.

If you are born to an English or Ethnic family in Quebec, you are automatically assumed to "owe respect" to Francophones by virtue of their majority status, while Francophones, of course, owe no such respect to minorities.
According to these militants, everyone is born as an equal, but some more equal than others, the concept of 'Original Sin' perversely re-defined.

The idea is as ludicrous as right-handers demanding that minority left-handers give them 'respect', yet the concept is a hallmark of the collective mindset of nationalists and goes largely unchallenged.

Here's a typical comment that I pulled from an article denouncing the perfectly legal English only election signs erected by an Aylmer candidate. It is sadly typical.
"Every time that they can 'legally' post a sign in total disrespect for the French language, they will."
("Chaque fois qu'ils peuvent « légalement » s'afficher en total manque de respect pour la langue de la majorité, il vont le faire.")

And so it seems that availing oneself of legal rights
is contemptible, if you are English, that is.

When René Levesque first imposed Bill 101 on Quebeckers, he did so with a profound sense of sadness, understanding full well that while he believed the law to be necessary, it represented a setback in terms of personal freedom.

Bill 101 was the thin edge of the wedge that led us to the present situation where militants view the limitation of rights not only as no big deal, but righteous.

It reminds of a policy enacted by the town where I live in and the consequences of giving people power over others.

The city was disturbed by the large houses that were being erected in place of small homes that were being razed. Because some citizens felt that their smaller homes were being overshadowed, a consultation process was initiated to allow neighbours to have input on proposed projects.
It wasn't long before neighbours were no longer commenting on the outside dimensions of the planned homes.
At one meeting a woman demanded to know what colour carpeting was being contemplated. Aargh!!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Quebec versus Canada - Some Statistics

Here is a collection of statistics taken from various sources comparing Quebec to the Rest of Canada (ROC).

Family Income
Quebec = $53K
ROC = $65K

Cell Phone Penetration
Homes with at least one wireless phone-
Quebec = 65%
ROC = 77%

Babies born out of wedlock
Quebec - 62%
ROC - 30%

Quebec has the second highest rate in the world (Iceland=66%). The rest of Canada is at the low end of the scale with Germany, Italy and Ireland. Japan is in a class of it's own with just 2% of babies born out of wedlock. Link

Household net worth
Quebec families are worth aproximately 45% of British Columbians.


Suicide Rate (per 100,000 people)
Quebec = 27
ROC = 17

Number of Christians attending weekly church services
Quebec = 6%
ROC = 20%

Murders rate per 1,000,000 people
Quebec =12
ROC = 20

People who smoke (over the age of 15)
Quebec =25%
ROC = 20%

Average price of a home
Quebec =$232,00
ROC =$360,000

Workers who take no vacation days
Quebec =4%
ROC =11%

Workers who admit to falsely calling in sick
Quebec =47%
ROC =23%

Friday, November 27, 2009

Video Friday- INFOMAN Checks out the State of French in Downtown Montreal

Awhile back INFOMAN, a Quebec humorist who has a TV show on radio Canada set out to humiliate LE JOURNAL DE MONTREAL for a sensationalist story that claimed that downtown Montreal was on the verge of becoming Anglicized.
I added subtitles, so enjoy.
Have a good weekend.




Thursday, November 26, 2009

What Makes Quebec Ultra-Extremists Tick?



It was quite unsettling to see a swastika superimposed on the Canadian flag at the demonstration against the Supreme Court's ruling on Bill 104. It happened when a small group of Quebec language ultra-extremists vented their rage in front of the Old Montreal office of Brent Tyler, who successfully challenged the law on behalf of clients.

While there is nothing wrong with exercising one's democratic right to protest, I am amazed at the mindset of these extremists who harbour so much hate.

For the vast majority of Quebeckers, both for and against sovereignty, hate doesn't really enter into the equation. Anglos who remain in Quebec have made peace with the fact that almost half of Francophones would prefer independence. That being said, Anglos don't hate Francophones who share that opinion and by and large the vast majority of Francophones don't hate Anglos at all.
In fact most of us count numerous friends on the other side of the equation, it's the way it is in Quebec.
Most of those who voted for sovereignty don't hate Canada, they just feel that culturally Quebec should become independent to protect it's heritage and future as a Francophone society.
Fair enough.
They recognize, however that they enjoy personal and political rights that are the envy of the world, coupled with one of the highest standards of living.

However, there is a small coterie of language extremists who can best be described as unbalanced.

They equate the struggle of Quebec independence as a heroic battle of oppressor and victim. Breathlessly they re-live the Battle of the Plains of Abraham on a daily basis and view their perseverance of 250 years of Anglo domination as a heroic struggle of epic proportion.

They view themselves as embattled Palestinians, victims of a powerful and overwhelming enemy. In fact, at most demonstrations, they fly the Palestinian flag (sometimes even the Hezbollah flag.)

Here's a collection of hate, culled from various web sites.
















These people live in a dangerous fantasy world. Not only do they hate Anglos, but also those Francophones  who don't agree with them.

They rant and rave, using words that confound the imagination;

COLONIZATION
HUMILIATION
CULTURAL GENOCIDE
OPPRESSION
RESISTANCE
FREEDOM

Perhaps Louis Prefontaine, a next generation Anglo-basher sums up their attitude;

"Anglophones and Francophones do not share historical equality. The French carry the weight of 250 years of domination and decline, while Anglophones in Quebec, behave like a small Rhodesian minority, imposing their values and language."