Falling down blue...

Ohhhh dear - as my friend Jon would say.

I have been away for far too long. My desire to hone my writing skills apparently slipped behind my obsession with growing tomatoes on my balcony (from scratch! that's right, I germinated!) and the ever-present temptation of a glass of wine or a Guiness and good conversation.

But the chill is back in the air. I foresee many hot cups of [organic, shade-grown, fair trade] coffee and regular blogging in my near future. I have many summer adventures to write about, reflect on... but I will be definitely be sorry to say goodbye to warm sunny afternoons spent napping and reading the paper outside.

Kind of down of late - will be doing my best to pick myself up as the leaves come falling down around me. So please excuse any excessive brooding.

Read this: A carbon-tax-fuelled recession: Nothing but hot air?

An article in the Globe this past weekend discussed Stevie Harper's claims that the Liberals proposed carbon tax would jettison our economy off the deep end and into a recession. Economists at U of Calgary and Simon Fraser say that neither party's climate change plans would inflict significant economic pain. The Liberal carbon tax proposal (which does not include gasoline) would see much of the carbon tax revenues collected funnelled back to individuals and corporations in the form of tax cuts. This is in line with several articles I read while at RRU discussing how to achieve climate change results using economic policy.

And for the record: one of the economists notes that the Liberal plan would likely outperform the Conservative one when it comes to achieving emissions reductions due to several structural flaws that would render the Tory plan ineffective.

Consider these things at the poll people!

Tongue Twister

I am a ladybug in amber...

So I finally got around to reading Slaughterhouse-Five! I always knew that I would be a Kurt Vonnegut fan, if ever I could find the time to get to one his works in the pile of books I've amassed over the past few years (from Christmas gifts, hand me down books from my Mom, and random second-hand book stores). Well, the Master's is long done, and I am loving my new found time for non-academic reading.

Actually, I am tempted to make a list of all the books I have read of late and post it here for y'all to check out. ("y'all being all six of you, if that!) Hmm.... I will add making a 'book list' to my 'to-do list' for tomorrow. Also on my 'Sunday to-do list' is to make a 'grocery list'. And to make a 'weekly to-do list' for the upcoming week. I have to admit, I am a bit of a chronic list maker. One of my work buddies asked me what I was up to this weekend, and my first thought was "checking things off my lists".

There you go, perhaps some of you learned something about me today. (HW, check out all this opening up... I'm just one big open... book!) HA.

Current Fave Quote:

"Why you? Why us for that matter? Why anything? Because this moment simply is. Have you ever seen bugs trapped in amber? ... Well, here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of this moment. There is no why."

Thanks KV. I so wish you weren't dead.

Happy Fursday!

Love, Rusty

Shifting Sands

For those of you who haven't yet caught the Globe's 8-part series on the impact that developing Alberta's oil sands is having across the country, read it!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/oilsands

Featured in the series are aerial pictures taken by Edward Burtynsky, a Canadian photographer renowned for his large-scale pictures of industrial landscapes. I caught his Manufactured Landscapes exhibit when it was at the AGO in 2004. I love how he uses photography to trigger awareness of social and environmental issues. (Note AG career-envy here!) Check out his photos of the oil sands through the link above.

Back to the Blog

I have this crazy idea that perhaps I can use my blog to keep my friends and family more up-to-date on the ups and downs and all arounds of my everyday life. I also think it might be a fabulous vehicle through which to practice writing, of which I have done very little since finishing my M.A. We shall see how long it lasts!

So, expect updates and rants and raves and links to things I am passionate about. And of course, pictures of my furball Rusty... (:

Things on my mind of late:

Yesterday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon wrote a web-exclusive commentary for the Globe and Mail entitled "Being in Afghanistan is dangerous, not being in Afghanistan is more dangerous." I wish that this had been shared in the print edition as well, because Canadians need to better understand why our mission in Afghanistan should not immediately end come 2009... including you, Stephane Dion!

And yes, I am liberal-minded. The United Nations is a liberal institution. It aims to maintain international peace and security, to safeguard human rights, to provide a mechanism for international law, to promote social and economic progress, to protect the environment... in short, to improve the human condition on this planet. For all humans, not just the educated and wealthy ones. Therefore, the instability in Afghanistan is problem that challenges all of humanity and one that ultimately requires a global effort to solve. As a "have" country, I believe we have a moral imperative to pitch in. As do all the other "have" UN member countries. We need to remove the blinders that keep us focused on the number of Canadian soldiers lost and look at the progress cited by the UN Secretary General here.

He concludes:

"The Afghan government has far to go before it regains control of its own destiny. But that day will come. It is hard work. There is little glory. It requires sacrifices. And that is why we are there."

In other news. People often have a hard time understanding the connection I've made between environmental and cultural issues. An environmental engineer with a graduate degree in intercultural studies? I don't get it... well, here is an article which highlights perfectly the intersection of the two areas:

The War Over the Polar Bear - Macleans.ca - January 23, 2008

Finally, a great site that makes a mockery of carbon offsetting - love it!!!

About Cheatneutral:

Cheatneutral is about offsetting infidelity. We're the only people doing it, and Cheatneutral is a joke.

Carbon offsetting is about paying for the right to carry on emitting carbon. The Carbon offset industry sold £60 million of offsets last year, and is rapidly growing. Carbon offsetting is also a joke.

If this was Facebook, I would change my status to "Amy is done blogging for today. " Until next time!