That's a big swing

Amazingly, we have somehow managed to experience a 21 degree temperature swing since this morning. Maybe what is even more impressive than the fact that we experienced such a large temperature swing is that it basically happened as forecast.

A consequence of this huge swing is that buildings are much warmer than I think they should be. I guess it will take another day or so for things to work themselves out with regards to building temperature.

Score
Cameron 65
Neil 30

Is this not backwards?

I presume that if there is a 30% chance of rain it means that there is a 70% chance that it won't rain. Some might even say that in such circumstances rain is less likely than no rain. This approach seems reasonable, or at least pretty close to reasonable, to me.

Apparently this isn't the approach that Environment Canada takes. Even though there is only a 30% chance of precipitation, and presumably a 70% chance of no precipitation, they have opted to go with the rain icon in their 7-day forecast.



Apparently bad forecasts aren't enough for Environment Canada, these guys also want to confuse the Canadian public by using forecast icons that don't really reflect the forecast.

Thanks guys, your off-beat, mischievous sense of humour never fails to warm my heart and bring a smile to my face.

A Few Quick Notes 296

-Today was a pretty great day. I know that at one point the high was expected to be 11, I am pretty confident that the temperature made it that high. Though there were a few cloudy periods, for much of the afternoon the sun was shining brightly. As far as I can tell, the forecast is calling for similar conditions for tomorrow.

-It seems that I have now fallen to 1/14 in this year's Roll Up the Rim to Win competition. My mid-week spurt of five cups seems to have done nothing to help me win. I am starting to think that my hear may not be in it this year, which is fine, as it likely means that I will buy less pre-made coffee (but more whole-bean coffee).

-Neil and I bussed ourselves over to local commercial district and made a few purchases. The main reason for making the trip was to purchase a step stool for $9.99, but we ended up acquiring a few other items while we were there. For a few product demonstrations check out the following video.



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We also purchased another bag of potting soil as well as two packages of seeds. Not surprisingly, I purchased some scarlet runner beans to replace the plants that I had to cut down, and also a package of tomato seeds so that I can try to grow some tomato plants for Neil.

-The plays we saw last night were much better than I expected them to be. A few of the plot points were a little far fetched, though I didn't always pick up on this until after the play had ended, but on the whole quite watchable. Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised, but I don't think that there were too many non-theatre students, or friends of theatre students, in attendance. Actually, I feel pretty comfortable that we were the only individuals without a connection to someone involved in the production.

After the plays we checked out the schedule for the music student's graduation recitals. If things work out well we might be able to catch a few of these free shows.

I should also mention that Neil didn't like my joke about being "more cultured than yogurt." I have no idea why he found this so troubling.

-Apparently this evening was 'Earth Hour.' For some reason I still don't have a good handle on exactly what this is. Maybe I will know more by next year, as it does seem to be somewhat of an annual event.

-I have a gut feeling that we will either be having chicken or beef for dinner tomorrow night. I guess I should try to decide in the near future as I will have to defrost something either way.

Reallocation of powers: Aquaculture style

A few days ago I was listening to CBC Radio One and happened to hear a story about a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling (there is this one too). It seems that the Court found that fish farms, or aquaculture facilities, should be fall under federal jurisdiction, though for more than 20 years this area had been administered by the provinces. The federal government has been given a year to take over.

As far as I can tell this hasn't received all that much attention, though I don't now why. Firstly, this seems to be one of the biggest division of powers cases in the past few years (at least as far as I can remember). Secondly, neither the provinces nor the federal government were looking for this change, it came about because of third party litigation. Thirdly, this likely means a big shake-up in the various federal and provincial ministries. All of a sudden a number of provinces have capacity in a an area that is no longer in their jurisdiction, and the federal government has to scramble to put in place this capacity.

On top of all of this, there is the issue that started the controversy in the first place, which is the charge that aquaculture poses environmental threats to native fish populations, among other problems. Though not a juicy story in the traditional sense, it might be worth seeing how such a change impacts the aquaculture industry (as there will presumably be newly implemented national standards) and the relationship of provincial governments with the aquaculture sector.

Blog-off
Cameron: 14
Neil: 0

Ten Ways to Help the Environment

Over the past few years most of us have been bombarded with rhetoric and propaganda about the importance of being conscious about our impact on the environment. In particular, many of us have been advised to think about applying the three R's (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) to the greatest extent possible in our daily lives.

Unfortunately, most of these pleas and exhortations seem to fall on deaf ears. We still see huge gas guzzlers on the street and empty coffee cups in the gutters. People don't seem to be getting the message and taking it to heart.

Today, I realized that part of this problem might be that many of the advisories promoting environmental consciousness don't come with corresponding suggestions about how to put the related principles into effect. Explicit suggestions about how members of the public can go about reducing, reusing, and recycling need to be made available.

In an attempt to fill this ozone hole sized void I have come up with a few simple approaches and practices that (if adhered to) will significantly contribute to the reduction of green house emissions and levels of other pollutants, while simultaneously significantly reducing one's average household consumption.


1. Take cold showers

Not only are cold showers more energy efficient than warm showers, they have a tendency to make the showerer want to do things as quickly as possible. My suspicion is that shower related water use could be cut in half by simply implementing this one change to one's showering regime.

R's Used: Reduce


2. Use old newspapers as wallpaper

Some people like to change their wallpaper on a yearly, or at least semi-frequent, basis. Not only is this wasteful but it is also expensive and time consuming.

If one insists on making such changes to their décor the least they can do is use previously used paper to cover their walls. For a grey appearance standard newspapers will do the trick. If more colour is desired the decorator can use either fliers or colour comic section.

An additional benefit of this suggestion is that as the layers of paper begin mount over the years they will begin to also act as insulation, thus reducing heating and cooling costs.

R's Used: Reuse, Recycle


3. Burn garbage to heat your dwelling

Many people buy wood or oil to burn to heat their dwellings. Not only is this wasteful and detrimental the environment, it also is quite expensive.

People should take advantage of the fuel sources that already exist in their home before they move to external sources. Newspapers are an obvious first choice, but garbage generally can be used. This technique is a particularly environmentally friendly way of getting rid of those pesky plastics that aren't recyclable.

R's Used: Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle.


4. Eat directly from pots and pans

While many suggest that it is polite to eat from plates and bowls, this is clearly wasteful and hurtful to the environment.

Every effort should be made to eat something directly from the vessel (e.g. pot, pan, or bowl) in which it was prepared. Not only does this save on water during the washing process, it also saves on time (the environment's best friend and ally).

R's Used: Reduce, Reuse


5. Wear less clothing

Clothing these days is quite bulky and frequently made from nasty synthetic fibers. Not surprisingly, neither the bulk nor the synthetic content is doing the environment any favours.

People should make an effort to wear fewer pieces of clothing (maybe you could skip wearing underwear 3 days a week) as well as clothing that uses less fabric (meaning briefs rather than boxers). A close to full application of this principle would mean that women would wear bikinis while mean would wear those nice, tight, small swimming shorts. The only downside of this principle is that heating costs would go up in the winter (but surely there would be a net gain in the environment's favour).

R's Used: Reduce


6. Download or stream movies instead renting physical copies

Many of us have been advised that downloading or streaming movies is bad. This is not the case. Downloading or streaming movies (and there are many legal sources) prevents the need for the creation of those ghastly discs and cases, most of which just end up broken.

An additional benefit of this principle is that it means fewer trips to rental locations will be necessary. This will mean less wear and tear on both footwear and cars.

R's Used: Reduce


7. Consume hard liquor instead of beer or wine

While many of us, myself included, prefer beer and wine to hard liquor, these options are clearly not the environmental choice. Not only do beer and wine frequently have more associated wood based packaging, they provide less impact by volume. This means less hard liquor has to be packaged and shipped to get a larger number of people drunk. Clearly this is the option that should be promoted given the fragile state of the environment.

R's Used: Reduce


8. Vacations should only be take to dreamland

While many of use like to take vacations to new locations this is not a sustainable practice. Jets, cars, and trains all produce damaging emissions, none of which can be justified with the leisure argument.

A viable alternative to the traditional vacation is to take an extended trip to 'Dreamland.' Not only is this trip more financially viable, it also completely reduces any of the additional green house gas emissions associated with a trip to parts foreign. Clearly this is the type of trip that those concerned about the environment will be taking in the years to come.

R's Used: Reduce.


9. Use glow in the dark paint on walls and ceilings

Instead of trying to remember to turn off the lights when you leave the room why not just do away with electric lights altogether? While this might seem to be quite a sacrifice at first, it really isn't all that big a deal. The lost light can be replaced by painting the ceiling and walls with glow-in-the-dark paint. This will mean that each affected room will be constantly glowing and that you don't need to think about turning anything off or on when you enter or leave.

R's Used: Reduce


10. Cook meat only until it is rare

While many of use really like to consume a well cooked meal from time to time, very few of us think about the energy expenditure that is associated with the process. Having an electric element or propane burner on for hours on end is actually quite burdensome.

When cooking meat only cook it until it is rare, anything else is unnecessary and wasteful. A well done steak isn't a culinary or taste choice but a giant middle finger pointing directly at Mother Earth.

While vegetables can't be rare or well done, they can be served raw or just cooked enough that they are warm. Either of these options is preferable to the nutritionally and environmentally unsustainable practice of over cooking vegetables.

R's Used: Reduce.