green elephant: republicans for environmental protection (rep)

This is an interesting interview: David Jenkins from REP talks about the Texas drought (yet, floods the other day, 'Texas floods force drivers to abandon cars, flee for their lives'), climate change, Al Gore, conservation and environmental protection, Jon Huntsman's withdrawal from the Republican race and more.

podcast: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00mwzc6/One_Planet_The_Dry_Lands_of_Texas/

(3:10) 'agricultural sector lost over $5.3 billion in 2011...'
 'in april 2011, governor rick perry called for a statewide weekend of prayer for rain... what texas got was a summer of record-breaking heat, virtually no rain - and wildfires.'
'4 million acres burned, 1600 homes, half billion trees died of thirst'

(9:00) 'i lay a lot of this at the feet of right wing talk radio, the people like rush limbaugh and those folks. Also some of the big industries, the coal industry, who has a vested interest in trying to prevent curbs on greenhouse gas pollution.'

'the party is being lead around the nose by a relatively small group of people'

open letter to tom flanagan

RU A CDN CITIZEN?

I THINK UR JIST A RIEL WANNABE WITH NO GABRIEL


nevermind. ("But once he decided to apply for citizenship, he volunteered to teach a summer class in the subject to force himself into a crash course.")
please disregard.

open letter to joe oliver, minister of natural resources

Hey Joe,

Re: 'Unfortunately, there are environmental and other radical groups that would seek to block this opportunity to diversify our trade. Their goal is to stop any major project no matter what the cost to Canadian families in lost jobs and economic growth.'

where you goin' with that gun in your hand
Hey Joe, I said where you goin' with that gun in your hand, oh
I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Yeah, I'm goin' down to shoot my old lady
You know I caught her messin' 'round with another man
Huh! and that ain't cool
Huh hey hoe, I heard you shot your mamma down
You shot her down now
Hey Joe, I heard you shot your lady down
You shot her down in the ground yeah!
Yeah!
Yes, I did, I shot her
You know I caught her messin' round messin' round town
Huh, yes I did I shot her
You know I caught my old lady messin' 'round town
And I gave her the gun
And I shot her
Alright
Shoot her one more time again baby!
Yeah!
Oh dig it
Oh alright
Hey Joe,
Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
Hey Joe, I said
Where you gonna run to now where you gonna go
I'm goin' way down south
Way down to mexico way
Alright
I'm goin' way down South
Way down where I can be free
Ain't no one gonna find me
Ain't no hang-man gonna
He ain't gonna put a rope around me
You better believe it right now
I gotta go now
Hey, Joe
You better run on down
Goodbye everybody
Hey, hey Joe...

open letter to deborah yedlin

Re:Keystone pipeline decision in a word: politics
By Deborah Yedlin, Calgary Herald January 21, 2012

I would have to disagree with Deborah Yedlin's analysis. The Keystone pipeline decision in a word? Macondo

The environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico was a game changer, with its poor risk assessment, flawed equipment, its teflon responsibilities among the parties, the 11 deaths on the platform, the costs to local industries and common 'little' people, including health, a point which Yedlin missed.

The US regulatory agency was completely revised.* It also brought the 'obscurities' of pipelines and oil extraction to the fore. Additionally, Macondo introduced a disaster in US waters by a foreign multinational, so scrutiny and the environmental impact assessments required are now more intense. The public is watching.

Any company can promise anything, whether it be 'jobs,' 'science facts,' 'human rights,' or whatever may be industry and government public relations messages that day, but the proof is in the slick. Then, after Macondo, there were the Michigan River (Enbridge, July 2010) and Yellowstone River (Exxon Mobil, July 2011) spills.

The main thing: the oil industry rarely finds itself at fault.

*MMS/BOEM. See more: http://www.pyrelog.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=bpoilspill

more knut, the dreamer & a winning design

I like this one more than the one with the hollow guts.

Read more.