Earth Hour: one more exercise in futility

With only 11 hours to go before Earth Hour celebrations(?) get under way here in E-Town, I can't help but think about just how useless this whole thing is. Its one thing to take small, tangible steps to decrease our impact on the environment but this is just plain ridiculous. The whole idea that turning off my lights for one hour will really enhance my perspective on the matter is truly laughable.

Consider that we have 365 days in a year composed of 24 hours each. This gives us a total of 8,760 hours in a given year. Let's assume for the sake of this argument that 8 hours a day are spent sleeping cutting average daily use of electricity to about two-thirds of the day. That leaves us with 5,840 hours of plugged-in time over the course of a year.

The proposal to cut into that staggering total by a single hour, dropping plugged-in time to 5,839, will not do anything in the long run. While some will argue that that impact adds up when you consider the number of participants, it still amounts to nothing in the end. If you want to make yourself feel better by identifying yourself as a participant in this farce, you go right ahead and pat yourself on the back all you want. The sad fact of the matter is that for most people this is all that they will do before cranking everything back up to full power and carrying on with their lives as if nothing had even happened.

This story is not about what people are willing to sacrifice for a mere 60 minutes. Unfortunately, this continues to say a whole lot more about what we as a society still can't bring ourselves to do with the rest of our precious time.

Post Earth Hour Update:
I spent the bulk of my evening watching a movie with my family. I did manage to steal a few quick glances out of my apartment window to see how others in the neighborhood fared. Generally speaking I saw little difference and more than a few neighboring apartments that made no apparent effort to hide what would be normal energy use. Either I'm surrounded by people with climate change awareness up the wazoo, or no one cared. I tend to think it was the latter...

Go Harper, Go!!

I'm getting really tired of hearing about this whole affair but I'm anxious to see how this plays out.

Maybe this will help the Liberal Party find their way out of the bottom of the barrel they've been spending so much time in.

Yet Another Reason I've Lost Faith in the Rising Generation

As a student and teacher, I've encountered a variety of learning styles and personalities. While I still cling to the belief, or hope, that most people eventually find their way to contribute to society, we just never seem to run out of the "what-the-heck-is-wrong-with-you?" variety.

During my lunch break today, I made a quick trip over to the nearest Subway to indulge in a delicious Turkey breast sub on wheat. Mmmmmm.... The two customers after me were two teenage girls somewhere around the age of sixteen or so. I'd like to assume that by this point in one's life, they would have figured out the basics of ordering food from a menu. Instead, to my combined amusement and bewilderment, these two bastions of intellectualism order "a sandwich." The confused worker raised an eyebrow and politely asked what kind of sub they would like to which the girls responded with raised eyebrows of their own: "What kind? What are you talking about?"

Before this matter was even settled, a new round of stimulating questioning commenced. "How much does a sub cost?" The employee, looking even more confused now, informs them that the price depends entirely on, once again, the kind of sub being ordered. More confusion. By the time I had received and paid for my meal, the two little Misses has just settled on the choice of bacon, the general idea of the menu remaining somewhat elusive to them.

But Jason, you say, this is only about a sandwich and nothing more. That may be true, but it is for me indicative of a general trend plaguing society. In our efforts to be inclusive and not subject our children to the heartache of failure, we have essentially made many of them lazy and stupid. No need to think things through on your own, oh no. And certainly not when teacher is there to pass you along regardless of your effort and mom and dad keep things fairly relaxed for your oh-so challenging lives.

Only a sandwich, yes. But I see the problems behind these kinds of things far too often to not be concerned.

Election Thoughts

I'll be the first to admit that I didn't find the recent Alberta campaign all that exciting. While I agree that there are plenty of areas that could use a little more attention I can't help but feel that things are still pretty darn good here. That we are in a position to be worrying about some very specific concerns is rewarding at some level.

Firstly, I have to congratulate my good friend, Rob Anderson, for his victory in the riding of Airdrie-Chestermere. I've known Rob and his family for a few years now and I know that he'll do a fantastic job for his constituents.

Secondly, I was surprised as anyone else at how big Ed Stelmach won. I was expecting a significantly reduced majority, especially given the doom-and-gloom prophecies of the opposition and media. If anything, my trust in the main-stream media has been further damaged and I will continue to look for my information elsewhere.

Lastly, to all the naysayers who can't seem to stop whining about anything... pack up and leave if its that horrible. If you want to spend your time always looking for something else that needs fixing, it shouldn't come as a surprise that you'll never be satisfied. No one expects you to be thrilled with yesterday's outcome but now that the choice has been made it might not be such a bad idea to act a little constructively instead. If you can't do that then good riddance and don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Merry Christmas!

For the longest time, Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. Apart from the holiday traditions, it just seemed that most people were a little bit happier than they might normally be. While the trend continues to this day, I have to shake my head at the seeming attempts to slowly rid ourselves of Christmas.

I don't know how many times I've read stories like these in the papers. In short, I think the whole mentality is stupid. In our quest to appear inclusive and welcoming, vocal 'crusaders' have made it their responsibility to ensure that we don't even mention the true nature of our holidays. Oh sure, its fine for you to bring whatever traditions you want to our country. They propose we sweeten the deal and avoid the risk of hurting anyone's feelings by getting rid of our own.

While I'm all for being a tolerant nation and I am proud to belong to a country that is by and large a very welcoming one, what gives anyone the right to dictate the very words I say as a means of a holiday greeting? If you are too thin-skinned to handle a simple 'Merry Christmas' thrown your way from a sincere well-wisher, then you need to suck it up and move past your tattle-tale response. I don't throw a hissy-fit if someone wishes me a 'Happy Hanukkah' (spelling?). Instead I recognize that this is what it is: a way to share a little bit of happiness with someone else regardless of their creed or religion.

Think for a second about the outrage we would hear if Christians started making the same kind of noise about other celebrations as they are often afforded. There is no way in the world they would get away with that sort of campaign. What is it then that makes Christmas such a vulnerable target? What is it that makes it okay to target this particular holiday and not others?

So to all you whiners who despise the diminishing displays of holiday cheer, I wish you a very Merry Christmas. I hope you're happy.

6 years later...

Today is the final day of my student teaching at McNally High School in Edmonton. Not only does this mark the end of my practicum, but it signifies the completion of my degree in Education. I can honestly say that there have been few events in my life that I have looked forward to as much as this one.

With school behind me, I'm eager to enjoy a relaxing Christmas break with family and friends throughout the province. No deadlines to worry about, and certainly no anticipation of yet another semester on campus.

This is a new phase for my family and all of us are eager to get started and see how it plays out.

The Sky is Falling!!

I can not for the life of me understand how this kind of arrangement is a problem.

"Canada wants the international community to reach a deal by 2009 so that it can be implemented by the time Kyoto expires.

However, Canada is refusing to apply its own binding targets until the big emitters such as the U.S., China and India do so first. "

If Climate Change is such a huge problem that requires this immediate response, why is it such a bad thing to demand that everyone contribute to the solution? If we are really dealing with a global catastrophe, why would we in our right minds allow these kinds of emissions to continue?

We're constantly bombarded with the idea that we're killing our planet, and ourselves, faster than we realize. A problem on this kind of scale would require a global response, period. What's with the wiggle room?

I, for one, am glad to have a government in power that isn't going to sign off on the latest in a series of feel-good-while-doing-nothing accords. It's refreshing to hear the recognition that everyone, and not just the wealthy nations of the world, do its part. No one is arguing that anyone needs to do more than their fair share. But demanding drastic action from one party, while excusing inaction in other more problematic areas of the world, is about one of the most ridiculous things I've heard in my life. That is, next to the whole idea of catastrophic man-made climate change.