Keep 'Em in the Ground

They will be stripped. Every piece of fine ornamentation removed and placed in storage for another year. Their bodies will dry in the cold wind as they are dumped unceremoniously, compared to their previous occupation, at the roadside. Like so much trash.

Christmas trees of course are being dumped by the thousands, by the tens of thousands, perhaps millions all across North American cities. The cities are arranging for special pickups. Happily for the consciences of some, the trees will be mulched or used in high-tech composting facilities. Yet I can't help wondering if, much like coal and oil, we shouldn't have just left them in the ground.

The birth of Jesus, stripped of all meaning and transformed into a reason to go to the mall is becoming a global holiday. One close friend in a recent email described what she saw on that holy day as "obscene". But think of the day that all 6 billion (or will it be 9 billion by then) of us want a tree in our living room. That will be the definition of obscenity.

I don't quite understand how people started chopping down and hauling trees inside their homes. I assume that it's a pagan thing. Rightly worshiping the beings that provide the oxygen you breathe, not to mention the winter warmth and countless other selfless services they provide. I might also assume that people, our ancestors at least, wouldn't have been so stupid as to actually uproot a tree.

But then things got a little out of control.

And so we have to face the logical conclusion. We must cut out Christmas trees from our annual tradition. Obviously we have to first cut out all the "obscene" gift giving so I'm not holding my breath. That would be terrible for the ailing economy after all.

I'm happy to report that our Christmas tree is a mere branch and that it does the job. Another friend decorates a wreath.

Just some ideas for next year.

Lucky 100

It's funny how things turn out. This is my 100th post since I started this new blog. And it seems to take me back to the beginning.

So our Dear Leaders are arriving in Copenhagen. And it seems that chances of a climate deal are getting slimmer every second. Some states are walking out, ministers are quitting, rich countries continue to dominate poor ones. Same old song and dance. If this was an Israel-Palestine "peace" conference then this would be fine, business as usual, more settlements, more stolen land and we could all go back to the television or computer. But this is about the end of a stable and balmy climate, the time that has allowed so much life to flourish. If we continue to act as we have been since the industrial revolution then we risk our own species (fine) but countless others as well (unacceptable).

To all the people that care about reducing our emissions and at least trying to stop runaway change: what are you going to do now? These talks are going to fail. There is going to be no deal because the corporations and politicians and elites that have benefited from all this hyper consumption and extreme energy consumption can't allow one.

Here's a more straightforward example. I had an amazing conversation about doctors the other day; doctors can't want people to be well, otherwise they would be out of a job. So they have no interest in actually having people reduce their self-destructive practices, the choices that make them sick. It's easier to hand out some pills. But that's an aside.

What are you going to do now? This is the question. If you finally know that everything is on the line are you going to finally do something? Or do you still have some faith that if you go to work every day and join candlelight vigils and write letters to politicians and achieve nothing? Or are you going to walk away from your violent and self-destructive society, recognizing that it's irredeemable? Or better still are you going to smash the systems that cause all these emissions and risk life on earth?

Of course I write this in front of a computer in an office in a city so I'm a part of the destruction of our planet just as much as all of us. So fuck it. Do what you want. That's what the saboteurs at Copenhagen want anyway.

Dear Leader

I hope you enjoy this letter to our Dear Leader. I'm sure he's paying attention! Ha ha.

Dear Prime Minister Harper,

It's so good to write you so much and to let you know what I'm thinking. That's what freedom is all about.

I wanted to wait until more information had come out about the issue of the torture of Afghan detainees turned over to Afghan authorities by Canadians. First, I am desperately disappointed in your government's savaging of diploma Richard Colvin's character and testimony before committee. Mr. Colvin is merely doing his job and describing his actions vis-a-vis this issue. I, like most Canadians, know that he warned your government repeatedly about torture by our allies. However this reporting was ignored. But obviously he was right about something because our country's policy changed subsequent to his reports. How do you justify attacking a civil servant's character for merely doing his job?

These attacks were directed by your government but the lead character assassin was Defense Minister Peter MacKay. He claimed to have never seen Mr. Colvin's allegations as he should have as Defense Minister. What a joke! And his excuse was that he gets a lot of emails every day. What a pathetic excuse. That's what he employs staff for. Staff should be reading these emails (from diplomats no less) and flagging important reports such as Mr. Colvin's so that the Minister can read them. That this didn't happen and Mr. MacKay's hapless excuses demonstrate his incompetance. No wonder we are losing the war in Afghanistan.

As a Canadian at war, I demand the resignation of Minister MacKay. We are at war, one in which our very freedom is at stake. We can't risk our freedom on an incompetant Minister who is no better than a whining bully.

Cap and Trade

Well I wanted to embed this video but YouTube doesn't allow this anymore. Very sad considering it stops the spread of messages like this. Please click this link to check out a very interesting video called The Story of Cap and Trade. It's a nice introduction to the issue and some of the problems around our top solution.

The problem with this debate to my mind is that the "Little House on the Prairie" option is not on the table. Maybe we need to start talking to people about real solutions. So strap on your overalls and stick that piece of grass between your lips. It's time to grow your own food and never travel. I don't think that's as marketable as "wind power" or "cap and trade" but we still have the chance to go there. Or go nowhere.

Cold in Yer Bones

I’m a wimp. I can’t tell you how much I feel the cold now that I’m an old man. It wasn’t so long ago that I would get up, wash my long hair (this is high school considering no one I know really knew me in high school) and walk to the bus stop and head off to school. My hair would freeze on my head it was that wet. I was pretty crazy, but I didn’t feel the cold. Not at all.

Now things are a little different. I’m not really complaining, I just figure out new ways of dressing for the cold, specifically my extremities. Dan knit these amazing felted mittens which I don’t think I’ll ever be without now. But my dear feet aren’t used to the cold. I’ve been pampered my whole life never having to chop my source of fuel or pay for it in any real way. Now my toes get so painful if they aren’t covered in several layers of wool.

It’s humbling but then I should be humbled. I’m a tiny insect compared to the mighty redwood that is the world. And it makes me think that if I was a real animal that I would probably be just about wrapping up my life around this age. I’d have already had kids and seen them grow and all that would be left would be to return to the earth to feed my children and their children and their children.

But I happen to be civilized so I’m likely to hang on for a few more years now.

Sunspots et al

I've been thinking about the climate change deniers. I probably know some of these people who obviously have been convinced that climate change is being caused by sunspots or some other natural phenomenon. Now these people are probably getting a lot of attention because of the people that back them, mainly coal and oil companies. But for a second let's assume that they don't have a vested interest and that they are right (and I'm sure that sunspots are playing a part along with other things).

Is the answer then that we shouldn't worry about pumping out all these greenhouse gases from producing all the shit we love to buy, growing our food, heating our houses and driving our cars? Is the 401 a natural phenomena? What about a Walmart? What about avocados and mangos in Nova Scotia?

Hardly.

Ultimately even if climate change was being caused by sunspots it still doesn't justify the continued presence of all the crazy things that make modern civilization. So what the heck are we arguing about? Why the fuck are we so stupid?

Slippery Slope

From Democracy Now!:

"While traveling to Vancouver, BC, Canada on Weds., Nov. 25th, to speak at the Vancouver Public Library at a benefit for community radio stations, Amy Goodman and her two colleagues were detained by Canadian authorities. Amy was questioned extensively about the speech she intended to give; their car was gone through by armed border guards, and their papers and laptop computers were scoured. They were detained for well over an hour, and were made an hour late for the event at the Vancouver Public Library."

This is quite chilling. I thought briefly about writing to the Immigration minister Jason Kenney about her detention at the border. Maybe I still will, pointless as it would be. But this is a case of George Galloway all over again. If you recall he was forbidden to enter Canada because he supported terrorists or some garbage. He, in fact, was on a mission to Gaza to deliver supplies to the people there, not even the elected government of Palestine. I wrote the minister on that occasion and have yet to receive a response.

The Conservative government is chilling. The Government of Canada is clearly mad, broking no criticism, even while most Canadians would never dare to challenge the official line on Afghanistan or the Olympics. So what's the concern about people coming to talk? And this is supposed to be a democracy. It's nice when you catch glimpses of what our country actually is all about.

Incidentally, the Dominion has a new special issue out about the Olympics. I encourage you to pick it up and if you like the quality and journalistic integrity of what you read make a donation to the Dominion Media Coop.

Full Fridge

We just bottled probably 30 litres of sauerkraut. Now there is no room in our fridge but it makes a pretty and tasty picture.

Gywnne's World

Thanks to Marya for that nice comment.

I too saw Gywnne Dyer on his cross country tour. And his faith in crazy technological solutions really scared me. There are much easier ways it seems to me: public transit, population control, everyone gardens, only plant fruit and nut trees in cities, no more cars, no more plastic. Population control is of course really the biggest bang for your buck but of course you all know how I feel about that. Gywnne said that the population would stabilize at 9 billion and then drop as everyone becomes more affluent. What does that mean for consumption and the climate though? More people consuming more. Not exactly a good recipe.

Anyway his technological solutions all revolved around the concept of "buying us time". So we'll build some space mirrors, blast some sulphur into the atmosphere and construct wind powered boats that will make clouds over the ocean. And paint all the roads white (oil based paint?).

But the question no one answers, as Marya rightly pointed out, is: what are we buying ourselves time for?

I guess Gwynne's answer is: to come to some kind of international agreement that will allow everyone to prosper but will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop runaway climate change. Things are going really well on that front. The Copenhagen meetings are basically over before they started. Way to go Dear Leaders!

My answer to the question of buying time for what is a little different. This is about avoiding reality. We are not buying time we are like an addict who puts off quitting or addressing his or her addiction for another day. We must remain deluded at all costs. Focused on endless growth on a finite planet. Believing that we can have it all. That it is our right. We must never remember that we and our shit are our food. That we are material beings, just like a tree or a chipmunk. That we live in relationship with other beings on this planet. We must never accept that we are destroying the planet and that we can stop anytime. Nothing is written in stone.

What do you think we are buying time for? So that we can buy a new car before we can't anymore? So that you can get that new cell phone?

It's time to stop. This civilization is an illusion. Reject it. Walk away. Start now. Smash your television. We can't continue to support this madness.

Engineers to the Rescue

Technology to the rescue. And guess who, it's the engineers who will lead us. Another group is now pushing for technological solutions to climate change: The British Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Some of the solutions on offer include: artificial trees (one wonders what's wrong with the real thing, oh yeah we didn't invent those), space mirrors (old reliable!) and painting the roofs of buildings white (well that one is maybe sensible).

But the most important thing and this demonstrates the average attitude of the civilized human (especially the elites since the regular civilized human just nods along thoughtlessly) is this quote which pretty much sums up civilization's insanity.

"The institution believes it's time to go to war on climate change – the climate is about to attack us and it's time for us to fight back." - Tim Fox

It's almost like real wars where there is no history and nothing came before the evildoers (earth?) decided they wanted to attack the good (civilized humans who just happened to be minding their own business). Time for war. That's a great starting point. That should take care of that pesky climate problem.

These fake trees are quite laughable. Of course they are more efficient, running on renewable energy of course. Hmm, what do these fucking engineers think real trees run on?

Bread or Circuses

I came across this on tsn.ca. Not a good sign.

"A few years ago, we were competing with other teams and entertainment options for discretionary money. Now, we're competing with bread and milk."

- Red Wings VP Steve Violetta on having about 1,000 empty seats at the Joe Louis Arena for a game against Boston Tuesday night.

That's It

So that's it. First the European Union made a valiant but pointless effort to throw some money at the problem. Then Canada decided that there would be no legislation binding Canada at the Copenhagen talks in December (check back a few posts). Now the final nail in the coffin: the US is putting off legislation on climate change until after the talks, when the heat is down.

So that's it. No plan, just marching into the future with a blindfold on. La la la. Let's plan for our retirement and maybe grab a burger later. Ain't life grand?

Seems to me that we need to rethink everything because the state isn't going to act. That much is as obvious as the nose on your face. Do you doubt it? After all you know and have read. If the state won't act and the corporations won't act then the citizens have to act. We have to do whatever it takes, take any step that will protect the planet.

Today I read a National Geographic in an office. It listed a number of the species that are now extinct. They are gone. They are never coming back. Normally that wouldn't necessarily be sad, as some species die and some evolve that's how the game is played. But to read through that list of disappearing beautiful communities was heartbreaking. Worse than any genocide. And it's our fault. All our big homes and roads. We are the problem. The state is not going to be part of the solution.

Resonating

Excerpt from Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood:

Surely I was an optimistic person back then, she thinks. Back there. I woke up whistling, I knew there were things wrong in the world, they were referred to, I'd seen them in the onscreen news. But the wrong things were wrong somewhere else.

By the time she'd reached college, the wrongness had moved closer. She remembers the oppressive sensation, like waiting all the time for a heavy stone footfall, then the knock at the door. Everybody knew. Nobody admitted to knowing. If other people began to discuss it, you tuned them out, because what they were saying was both so obvious and so unthinkable.

We're using up the Earth. It's almost gone. You can't live with such fears and keep on whistling. The waiting builds up in you like a tide. You start wanting it to be done with. You find yourself saying to the sky, Just do it. Do your worst. Get it over with. She could feel the coming tremor of it running through her spine, asleep or awake. It never went away, even among the Gardeners. Especially--as time wore on--among the Gardeners.

Photos

A Lighter Shade of Red

Speaking Remarks Honourable Darrell Dexter DEFSEC Atlantic September 9, 2009 7:00 p.m. Cunard Centre, Halifax, NS Check against delivery (Audience 200 plus)

Good evening [Business New Brunswick] Minister Boudreau, dignitaries, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen. A special welcome to the many partners who have traveled to Nova Scotia for this important trade exhibition, especially to our partners from Atlantic Canada. We are pleased to be your host for DEFSEC Atlantic, the largest exhibition of its kind in Eastern Canada.

I understand that this is one of the most unique events of its kind in the country. I am honoured to both represent the government of the Province of Nova Scotia and to speak on behalf of this region and industry. With companies represented here from Canada and around the world, it is an excellent forum for collaboration among industry and government stakeholders.

We believe that partnership and collaboration is key in growing this sector not only for Nova Scotia, but also for our Atlantic neighbors. Over the last seven years, Nova Scotia's aerospace and defence industry has grown by an astounding 183 per cent. In 2008, aerospace and aerospace parts manufacturing accounted for more GDP then fishing, forestry, agriculture and tourism combined, in our province.

Here in Nova Scotia, the industry generates in excess of $600 million in revenues each year. When combined with defence spending, the industry contributes $1.5 billion to the provincial economy each year. The aerospace and defense industry in Nova Scotia is helping to build a more prosperous economy in this province. With 80 per cent of annual aerospace sales destined for export, the industry is poised to capitalize on future growth opportunities.

This government is committed to supporting the aerospace and defense industry in Nova Scotia because we recognize the opportunities that these industries play in supporting our economy. For instance, in July, I was in attendance when Lockheed Martin Canada opened its new home in Nova Scotia. The company plans to create up to 100 great career opportunities for our young and talented workforce as well as our seasoned professionals.

These jobs offer excellent wages and working conditions that will help to keep our skilled and experienced workers employed at home. Nova Scotia is fortunate to have the Aerospace and Defence Industry Association of Nova Scotia to support the advancement of the sector and the Human Resources Partnership to work with employers to meet skills and labour needs.

As a province, we have the highest concentration of Canadian Forces personnel in Canada. I know from my experience in the Navy how important the armed forces are to the history of this province and our economy. (insert story from your time in the Navy if you like). Investment in Nova Scotia by companies like Lockheed Martin, L-3 Communications, General Dynamics, Pratt & Whitney and others in Atlantic Canada, helps business in the industry flourish.

Given the strength of this industry and strong partnerships, I am confident that we will continue to see growth and economic spin offs from this promising industry- which translates into more opportunity for all of us. Thank you for the opportunity to speak and I wish you much success during this exhibition. I hope you find it both productive and successful. Thank you -END-

Last Chance for Democracy?

I just got this message from Jack Layton (who strikes me as being quite organized):

Thank you for your previous email in support of protecting Canada's environment.

I want to take this opportunity to update you on my Party's work to advance the fight against dangerous climate change. Our efforts received a major setback due to the combined forces of Conservative and Liberal MPs who voted together to delay Bill C-311, the New Democrat Climate Change Accountability Act.

Bill C-311, with tough, science-based reduction targets for our greenhouse gases, offered Canada a real chance to prove to the world that it is serious about tackling climate change. It passage by Parliament would have given Canada the credibility it sorely needs when it goes to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Now, instead of taking leadership on the environment, Canada will go to Copenhagen with nothing to offer.

For our part, New Democrats will seek any parliamentary measure possible to return C-311 to Parliament.

The decision by Liberal MPs to join with the Conservative to deny passage of this important legislation made one thing clear: more votes for the Conservatives and Liberals will mean less tangible action to protect our environment.

Others agree with our assessment:

“To date, Liberal environmental policies are indistinguishable from those of the Conservative government that have pushed Canada to last place among developed nations in protecting climate and the natural environment.“ – Stephen Hazell, Executive Director, Sierra Club Canada on September 21, 2009.

“This Bill (C-311) has wide support from a broad spectrum of Canadians. Politicians need to set aside their partisan differences and agree on these science-based emissions reduction targets. Time is running out.” - Mark Fried, policy coordinator, Oxfam Canada on October 21, 2009.

“Passing this Bill (C-311) before Copenhagen in December is Parliament’s only hope of proving that we are prepared to work seriously through the United Nations to find a solution to global warming. The Liberals voting with the Conservatives may have made that impossible.” - Dale Marshall, David Suzuki Foundation on October 21, 2009.

Looking forward, you can continue to count on our team of New Democrat MPs to push our plan to take on big polluters, protect our environment, and invest in sustainable solutions. I invite you to check the following link to find out more about our work: http://www.ndp.ca/platform/environment/aplanthatwillwork.

Again, thank you for your ongoing interest to have Canada's elected representatives act on climate change. Feel free to forward my email to anyone interested in environmental protection. All the best.

Sincerely,

Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)
Leader, Canada's New Democrats

--

His message is pretty accurate I found after reading this CBC article on the voting today. The best part is the Stephane Dion was the first Liberal to vote against the bill. Not that I'm surprised, he's a Liberal.

Great timing, the delay of this bill. This Saturday is an international climate day of action. And in December the state system has its last chance to prevent run away climate change at the Copenhagen Summit. So don't hold out much hope for Canada being a strong supporter of a strong and binding agreement. The government doesn't even accept 1990 as its baseline year. Seems all the more reason to oppose the state system though we're too scared to do that aren't we.

Anyway pathetic and naive me, I actually decided to write to my MP who is Liberal and the Dear Leader Michael Ignatieff himself telling them what I think of them. If you want to reach him too you can email him at IgnatM@parl.gc.ca. Below is the message that I wrote him in case you feel like doing some cutting and pasting. I don't expect it will do much but one must still act right?


Dear Mr. Ignatieff,

I'm writing to urge you to support the passage of Bill C-311. I have read on cbc.ca that the Liberal Party is working with the Conservative Party to delay the passage of this urgent bill. Frankly this is pathetic and demonstrates that the Liberals and Conservatives present Canadians with mere mirrors of one another. No wonder Harper is riding so high in the polls. The Liberal Party of Canada has nothing to offer.

Climate change is the most important issue, period, considering that the survival of our species is at stake. Time is running out to do something to prevent runaway climate change. It seems from your party's actions that you don't share my concern. This is troubling to say the least.

This is the last straw. If this bill is not passed before the Copenhagen UN Climate Summit in December then you can forget about my support in the next federal election. I will work tirelessly in support of the only other option available to me, the federal NDP. I don't care if the Conservatives get their majority; at least they don't pretend to care about the planet. The Liberal Party is fading fast and is obviously completely out of touch with what matters to
Canadians. Good luck.

Sincerely,

Nightly Grind

I'm grinding my teeth away. Kiss my famous smile goodbye. Every night I have no control. It's coming from somewhere inside me. I'm starting to realize what is causing it. I could just get a mouthguard but that's just like putting up a space mirror to fight climate change. Technology is not a solution to this problem.

And my problem is climate change. Our problem is climate change (maybe you should be grinding your teeth too). We're fucked if we don't do something quickly. Fucked. Fucked. Fucked!

And I don't see that our governments, our dear leaders are going to take action. The economy is the most important word in their vocabularies. So "expensive" climate action is trumped before it was ever considered. All I read makes me realize that they cannot take action. They cannot take action as long as our lifestyles are impacted. This is not just Canada by the way India and China also have lifestyles to ensure. And lifestyles can be translated as us having lots of possessions.

I have already accepted that I'm going to be digging in the dirt growing food, that I'm going to trap animals for food, that I'm going to wear animal skins and chop down trees for warmth, that a bath will be an annual treat, I'll never eat a tropical food, rarely drink alcohol. I'm not even pretending that I will have this computer to gaze into on a planet without human caused climate change. I don't want any of the frills of modern life because I know they will destroy the planet. But is anyone talking about this? No, not even the environmentalists that should know better.

So I don't even know how to start talking to people still living in the old paradigm. The one that will, if not destroy all life on earth, at least end the human species (not such a bad thing but not all humans deserve this fate). These people are so entrenched in this system I don't see how they can get out. How do you say: "You'd better learn to grow turnips if you're planning on having kids", or "Can you imagine, without machines, how much human energy would go into weaving that sweater that you bought for $20"? And what's the use of talk? People don't care. They are more worried about jobs and the immediate and I can't blame them for being in the present. It makes sense if you are really an animal.

Thus I grind my teeth. I know what I should do but I don't want to go there. I'm so conflicted. I love my life here. I love the clean air and the dark night under a million, billion bright stars. I love living how we all have to live (and I'm still hanging on to a lot of things that I know I shouldn't). I don't want to give this up and fight against my species.

So for now grinding will continue and just maybe I'll figure out what I have to do. I know already that Canada is working to sabotage the Copenhagen talks that might, just might save our species. Obviously if this comes to pass then Canada is my enemy, the enemy of life. We'll see after the conference is over. Then it's decision time, one that most people are hardly aware of and that's scary and depressing.

Working Thoughts

For now I have to make some money to cover certain expenses (electricity, phone, internet, cooking oil, insurance, property taxes and probably a few more that I can't think of). So not an inexhaustible list. But these expenses require cash--unfortunately you can't barter with Bell to pay your phone bill. I don't think they are intelligent enough for that. So that means that I'm going to have to do as everyone else (apart from the rich who just get richer from having money) and sell my labour.

This is the model of our society. You sell your labour, get cash and then use that cash to purchase the things that you need like food, shelter, booze, clothing. Producing these things yourself is discouraged and you're told that you're not as efficient as a farmer in producing food or than the sweatshop worker in producing your clothes. Never factored into the equation is developing useful life skills like spinning or gardening. These skills have no value. So we go to school for one thing and focus our lives on that skill, accounting say. And you had better pray that we always need accoutants, because you can't eat ledger sheets.

This weekend I'm working for Elections NS and making a certain degree of money. Basically I'm sitting in a room and doing very little to get tiny pieces of paper so that I can cover my un-barterable expenses. It's a nice job and I'm lucky to have it but what amazes me is that I'm not working hard at all and I come home so exhausted, way more exhausted than I would be planting garlic or pruning trees which I might call real work.

I wonder what it is. Probably a combination of sitting and a lack of exercise. Humans were made to move their asses. We are animals. So sitting around at a computer or at a desk just doesn't make sense to our cells. I wonder if this is the cause of my exhaustion at the end of the day. Perhaps it's also a lack of variety, a lack of stimulation.

Ultimately, I'll be happy to be finished this little job soon and then I'll be able to pay my bills for a few months. But wouldn't it be great if I didn't have to sell my labour and focused on more important things like building my personal and community resiliency. In the end isn't that more valuable than tiny pieces of paper?

Repulsion

I have to write about this one because I feel that it's a good sign. Yesterday I walked into a massive Atlantic Superstore. I do this maybe twice a month when I need flour or nachos (well the truth is that I don't really need them). Not a big deal.

But this time when I walked in I had my head in my hands in no time and I was literally stumbling through the aisles trying to find what I wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. It was a completely bewildering experience, I don't usually get instant headaches (in fact I never get headaches) and really a sense of repulsion, no other way to describe it. Not even when I'm dumping the shit bucket.

That's the thing. Finally life is making sense. A shit bucket makes sense. I shit, I compost it and I eat it in the form of veggies later and then I repeat. Makes sense.

A supermassive grocery store doesn't make sense. All that food with no garden--certainly no shit--all the bright packages, all those bright lights; who fucking knows what death solvent they use to clean the floors. Imagine working there! Yikes.

I'm quite proud that my civilized body is learning intuitively what is right and wrong. Because there are things in this life that are right and wrong. Things that we just know inside. The problem arises when you grow up believing that the grocery store is where food comes from and that veggies are all perfect with no blemishes, just like your skin should be. These are insane lessons of an insane culture.

More and more I'm realizing that I have to start telling new stories because teaching how to grow food isn't enough. Humans need legends. Right now the corporations decide what our legends are, what stories create our world.

A winter challenge. Next to knitting my felted clogs.

Read Between the Lines

There you have it. We have our solution to climate change. It turns out it's all the fault of our beloved economy. This year global greenhouse gas emissions will drop by 3% due to the global recession. So it follows that in order to save ourselves, other sentient beings and ensure the continuation of life on earth we need to drop the economy. Yes that same economy that we are reminded about every day like parishioners in the pews.

It's strange but the linked article doesn't even raise this point. I wonder why that would be? Doesn't my analysis make sense and provide us with the simplest solution to our biggest problem? It surely makes more sense than the smoke and space mirrors that are being suggested today. So instead of dumping the economy as any logical and sane person would, the article suggests: "We need an energy and environment revolution. Business as usual would increase temperatures by 6C. To hold emissions to 450ppm [parts per million], we need in the region of 18 nuclear power stations, 17,000 turbines, 100 concentrated solar power stations and 16 carbon capture and storage plants to be built every year until 2030".

Huh? So we need to feed the economy that's the cause of these emissions in order to get these emissions under control. We need to build more stuff, crank out more plastic, pour more concrete and build a whole new fleet of vehicles to save ourselves? What?

Why can't we learn the simplest lessons? What is our fucking problem?

What the funk are we doing? This article is important because it punches some serious holes in our ideas about using technology (like space mirrors and sulfur in the stratosphere) to solve our climate change problems (which it should be remembered we caused). The Arctic Ocean is turning acid, and will be unable to support its vital foodchain by 2100 according to one scientific study. More good news it seems.

So I've decided that instead of just telling you about this dismal news I'm going to offer some suggestions as to what we should do about it. The planet is going to die if we keep going business as usual--or at least humans are going to die and take a lot of other beings with us. If we had any sense we would do something about it. It's like a bullet is flying at you from a great distance and you know that it's coming but you also know that you have some time so you won't move out of the way.

And that's what we have to do: move out of the way.

1) Abandon cities which are the cause of climate change. Too many people, too much stuff, too many twisted dreams. There are lots of opportunities and possibilities for starting communities that are actually self-sufficient, not the greenwashing we are used to. Try working on organic farms as a start and then when you know what to do, get some land with some friends and build a community focusing on permaculture. You can do this and really it's the only way you're going to actually reduce your footprint in a meaningful way; a hybrid is a disaster as is a low-flow toilet which you should never shit in anyway.

2) Accept that you must live with less. You'll never fly on another plane, you'll never eat another kangaroo steak, you'll never eat another mango, you'll never taste a sweet drop of coffee, you'll never eat a green salad in winter. Don't consume these things. This kind of requires pursuing the first point as your constructive poverty will facilitate it. This is not sad, this is real, we live in fucking Canada.

3) Tell stories that reject the concept that humans are exceptional beings and celebrate the wonderful complexity and specialness of earth's ecosystems. We are most definitely not exceptional beings. We are just more cunning than other beings. If we were exceptional then we wouldn't destroy the landbase on which we all depend; this behaviour is psychotic. And stories matter, they make the world, especially for young people.

4) If you can't do these things or want more action, then you have to take strategic action against the state (government and corporations) that facilitate the destruction of the earth (and ourselves). How could you do anything less when your future is at stake? These bodies are irredeemable from my perspective since they take as their foundation the concept of endless growth. You can have human organization in some form of course and some resource extraction but these should be local and reflect local realities. One's action should focus on places that these systems are their weakest (transportation and energy would seem to be good targets).

5) At the very least think about overpopulation and make it a subject in your daily conversations. There are far too many humans on this earth and that's wrong. Wrong. Choose not to have children or adopt or parent with a group of adults. These arrangements are possible.

If, like me, you accept that we are on a collision course with extinction then you can't do anything less than walk away or fight. There's a great story called the Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K. LeGuin that you might want to read too. We can stay behind and work in amongst the crumbling cities and broken people and that's admirable but it doesn't mean that the seas aren't still going to turn acidic. This shit is serious. No more time to mess around.

Another thing we have to do is say we made a mistake. Take some responsibility. I guess that's what I'm getting at here. The past two hundred years and possibly the past ten thousand years have been a great mistake, since the first person placed the first seed in the ground. My ancestors made a mistake, your ancestors made a mistake. Let's go back 200 years; let's choose to go back 200 years and not regret all the imagined things we are missing.

We'll have the earth and each other and that's enough.

I Know a Place

I've been listening to a great song by the Arcade Fire which is old but only recently was delivered via a wwoofer so it's new to me. It's called No Cars Go. I think it's about the future but maybe you can tell me what you think. Either way it's a great song and that's enough in itself. You can listen to it online here or download an mp3 here.

These lyrics seem right if you want to check them out:

We know a place where no planes go
We know a place where no ships go

(Hey!) No cars go
(Hey!) No cars go
Where we know

We know a place no space ships go
We know a place where no subs go

(Hey!) No cars go
(Hey!) No cars go
Where we know

(Hey!)
(Hey!)
(Cars go!)

(Hey!) Us kids know
(Hey!) No cars go
Where we know

Between the click of the light and the start of the dream [4x]

I don't want any pushing, and I don't want any shoving.
We're gonna do this in an orderly

Manner. Women and children! Women and children! Women and children,
Let's go! Old folks, Let's go!

Babies needing cribs, let's go!

Preserving

It's that time of year. I got a taste of it last year but this year it just feels right, it's not a chore. We are preserving food for the winter. That means fermenting, freezing, canning and jams.

Frances does the jams and the sweet stuff. She's been making everything out of green tomatoes: mincemeat, chutney, dill "pickles. She made a mincemeat crumble this morning and it was so great. No chow sadly. And she made lots of jam and jelly out of all the chokecherries that grow everywhere in August.


This evening we canned up probably at least 30 litres of tomatoes. All different colours, reminds me of the tri-colour pasta. It's nice to have canned tomatoes for the winter. I suppose ideally we'd love to have enough canned for two one litre jars a week, at least. Really easy to do too. I never thought about the canned tomatoes that I bought before but they are I think lined with that chemical that everyone was worried about in their plastics. Is it BPA? And a wwoofer told me that it's likely that the tomatoes are cooked in massive aluminum pots, wherever the hell they cook them up. Not exactly a nice process. Even if we buy organic that doesn't mean they were produced in a healthy way. So what better way than to can them up yourself?


We made lots of pickled beans this summer. Some with chillies and some without. We pasteurized them which is too bad but means that they'll last a bit longer. One can only eat so many beans right?

As usual I'm making my kale chi on a weekly basis. As the leaves are frosted they become more purple and the kim chi changes colour which is cool. I also grated three gallons of kohlrabi and we are krauting it up. It smelled so amazing. The salt is definitely running out and I still don't have any idea how to make it. Do you?


We got a bunch of basil from our friend Candy. She has a greenhouse and grows huge basil plants. Much bigger than anything I grew this summer. Thanks to a generous donation of pine nuts from our friend Alison, we made a few litres of pesto for the winter. I can't wait, I love pasta more than anything I'm coming to realize.

Last and never least, we bought a nice dehydrator and have been drying zucchini and apple and some mushrooms. We might make some jerky in it though this reveals how much flesh is mostly water, as you end up very little in the end.

Sunset Side

Conservative

This stencil followed on pretty nicely from Scotiabank. I can't tell you how happy I am with the crispness of the stencil and matching the Conservative logo so nicely. Again the stencil kind of speaks for itself but I think it works well on two levels. Either the party is dumb or the people that choose them. And really I know I should make equivalent stencils for the Liberals and the NDP, those other holy parties: maybe the three of them are our dear state's holy trinity.

At the Halifax Craft Fair in May I got quite a dirty look from the only old white guy that I saw practically all weekend. Sorry friend, your beloved party is never going to win the cities. And what kind of response did you expect from all these liberal artists?

Scotiabank

This shirt celebrates another stupid statement from 2008: A bank telling you that you are richer than you think.

Um, sorry but you got it the wrong way round. Really your customers should be calling you on all your excessive wealth dear Scotiabank. In August, Scotiabank reported that their profits had dropped to $931 million. Dropped? Isn't that sad? Well I guess that's a few fewer ivory back scratchers for all those unlucky shareholders.


So who's really richer than they think?

Chrysis

Well this one kind of speaks for itself. But happily thanks to all those nice commercials from GM and the Bank of Canada reporting that the recession is over, we have nothing to worry about. But if you want to remember the most popular word of fall 2008 then you might want to pick up this stencil.

Time To Think

What an interesting Saturday morning. I got up and found that Kathleen Petty was interviewing Jeff Rubin, former head of CIBC World Markets on The House. Rubin is arguing that the world is about to get a lot smaller as peak oil sets in and obliterates the global economy. And instead of doing what most journalists do, Petty is going to keep the story going by wondering what peak oil will mean for governments and policymakers in the next few weeks. All I can say is good luck managing peak oil my dear bloated, inefficient governments. Maybe you can hire a few more staff and expand your parking lot and that should be enough. Except what are those new workers going to eat?

And then following The House was White Coat, Black Art, a show about the medical profession. Usually half interesting exposes into sleep-deprived doctors and nurses, today the subject was the hype about Swine Flu, our old friend H1N1. Wow! Doctors and public health officials were lamenting the scaremongering perpetrated by Health Canada and numerous public health agencies across the country. And the result of this scaremongering is big business for the corporations selling TamiFlu, ventilators, gloves, and masks (oh yeah, and of course body bags). Of course in the end it's kind of understandable. Thanks to lawyers and insurance, governments are scared to underplay the potential deadliness of a virus, to cover their backsides, as my mum would say.

Technology

I think that this is the best stencil that I have ever made. It is the most thoughtful and complex, yet simple. It's definitely a bit risky in Catholic Cape Breton but I would recommend it for anyone who knows what modern, industrial, civilized humans actually believe in. And I got a hint for ya, it ain't some dead guy hanging on a cross.

It makes me think of a book I just finished, Climate Wars by Gwynne Dyer. I had the pleasure of hearing Dyer speak at McMaster University when this book came out. He's just the right level of cynicism for me I think (he mostly knows we're doomed since the project before us is so daunting). He talked about things I had never heard of in relation to climate change and got me thinking more deeply than I had before. Unfortunately it did not inspire me with confidence in our chances. And his book unfortunately has proved to be a techno-fix masturbation about how humans can fix the climate. He even suggests (a bit tongue in cheek thankfully) that humans take over from the earth in managing the climate system. Ha ha, what a fucking joke.

But technology is on parade in Climate Wars. Space mirrors, shooting sulfur into the stratosphere with guns, making clouds from automated ships in the equatorial regions, growing meat in petri dishes. It's a perfect world, nothing to stop our beloved economy. And just makes me think more and more of the appropriateness of this stencil.

You've heard of the holy trinity I expect: Father, Son and Holy Ghost (who is the holy ghost anyway?). How about a new one: Civilization, Technology and Economy. Get down on your knees boys and girls!

Hitchhiking

I'm starting to learn to hitchhike. I need to do this because if I spend money on the bus or a shuttle I'll have nothing left in a year or so. Not a recipe for sustainability. But I need to travel to Halifax at least once a month to meet a very special lady. So yesterday I found myself at the side of the road under the hot sun trying to make my way to New Glasgow.

Happily I'm easing into hitching. My first attempt I traveled with a very seasoned hitchhiker who taught me to walk to the end of onramp merging lanes before setting up shop. Thank you Amber! That time we only had to get from Truro to Halifax and did so in pretty quick fashion; we even were offered a ride in a Hummer. Never thought I'd find myself driving along in one of those. I mostly thought of throwing bricks through their windows. But the driver was so nice it was hard to hate him for destroying the planet. But then again we all are playing our part in cooking the earth, aren't we?

So I want to tell you about my trip. First off, as I was informed by one ride, hitchhiking in Ontario is pretty impossible. People aren't friendly, especially in southern Ontario. I'm sure that in northern Ontario it would be fine. I wonder what it is that makes people stop. I was thinking that perhaps they remember a time when they didn't have much money so they want to help out those who don't as well. Maybe it's just a small town, rural thing to offer rides. I'm reminded of the great documentary, the Power of Community about how Cuba survived Peak Oil. The government mandated that anyone with a vehicle had to stop and offer rides to anyone who asked. If you didn't you would be punished. It's nice that in Nova Scotia you don't have have the government force everyone to act kindly.

So my first two hours were pretty crappy. I was so close to home and no one would stop to pick me up. It might have had something to do with the RCMP vehicle that was parked maybe a hundred feet away (investigating a break-in to some vehicles). So I spent two hours before getting a ride with a nice fellow about 7 km down the road. Not a great start. This was when sadness started to set-in. Hitchhiking is about highs and lows. When you're getting rides it's great, when you're not or getting pathetic little steps you feel like shit (and that probably impacts your ability to get rides).

But then a nice man who worked for the roads department stopped. I'm sure that government policy is not to stop but I'm so happy he did. He drove me all the way to the Canso Causeway. When I got there I walked across to mainland Nova Scotia. Pretty cool experience I think. Not many people have done that--partly because there is definitely no sidewalk.

Then I stopped at the gas station and little restaurant and the nice lady filled up my waterbottle and even gave me some ice. So nice. Then a nice older gentleman picked me up not long after I set up shop. Turns out he was from Judique and knew a bunch of people I knew. Small world.

I was feeling good when he dropped me off near Tracadie. I was dancing and having fun trying to convince people to stop. It was nice to see them smile even if they were not stopping. That's when you know you're enjoying hitchhiking. My next ride was a young guy who drove me to Antigonish in relative silence, apart from the blaring satellite radio.

The last ride was the sweetest. I had literally just gotten out of his vehicle when another man stopped to drive me the rest of the way. We had some lovely chats about dog shows and politics (don't worry I didn't mention the problem of civilization). He drove me all the way to Jane's cottage and now I'm off to the beach. Sweet. Another warm day. We'll see how warm the ocean is.

So what's the lesson in all this? I don't quite know. Hitchhiking is actually quite fun and it's nice to know that we're all not totally divorced from one another. We can still support one another when we're all going the same way anyway. Now I just have to hitch all the way to Halifax one day. And winter is coming. Hmm. Maybe the bus will be my winter ride of choice. Or maybe I'll get my driver's licence.

First World No World

How many earths will it take when all the humans on this planet live like we do in Canada? Big cars, big homes, meat three times a day. Maybe 12? That sounds about right, except that we only have one earth and it's not ours.

This is the goal of the global economy ultimately: "prosperity" for all, or perhaps more accurately for a certain percentage of the population, since the World Bank and the IMF must understand that we can't physically achieve this goal. Or maybe they're insane. I'm inclined toward the latter statement.


So this shirt was created to remind people that as more people move into the category of First World, the less likely there will be a world in the end. You can't make a Hummer out of thin air.

Why not instead meet in a new place, neither First nor Third World? Where is that place? We'd better find out and quick.

Palestine

What's in a word? In the Middle East, a lot. For years, there were no Palestinians. They didn't exist according to people like Golda Meir. And most of the world bought it. The people of British Palestine were just Arabs, Jordanians or Syrians or Egyptians, certainly not a specific, unique group. Eventually, the sheer weight of sanity (and a few hijackings and suicide blasts) eventually moved people to recognize the Palestinian people, though no one is in a hurry to support them to a just solution to their conflict with the state of Israel.

But still no one will utter the word Palestine. Listen to the news, it's always West Bank this or Gaza that. Never Palestine; it doesn't exist. Yet. Not that I want to celebrate the creation of another oppressive and violent state on earth. But the name of this place matters.

Calling Palestine Palestine might actually change the world. And the best part is, you're unlikely to be accused of anti-Semitism for wearing one of these shirts. Well I'm sure that some people might try. But in the end it's just a word and that's all I was going for. A word, a powerful word.

And I really loved the prison stripes of this specific shirt. So many people wanted to buy it but I just couldn't part with it. It's too perfect an example of my work.

2012

Lots of people are sure that something big is coming in 2012 (check out this alarmist website I found). No one precisely knows what. I'm trusting that it's the moment that humans either grow up or die. We really only have two options.


The year 2012 is the end of the Mayan Calendar apparently and as with most humans through history (except us) the Mayans viewed life as cyclical as opposed to having a fixed start and finish. So at the end of the calendar the world is destroyed and renewed. I'm inclined toward the Mayan view of the world given that it reflects ecological realities as opposed to a weird end of days obsession. Life is cyclical. You are born, you grow, you reproduce, you die and your organic matter is recycled into countless other beings and in countless other forms, through time.

What could be more beautiful than that? Everlasting life without Jesus.

Fuck Facebook

Most people really like this stencil, despite the fact that they are Facebook drones (Facebookers?). Facebook, I think, is kind of like a 9-5 job, something you do due to a lack of options and hate every second of. But I guess it keeps you in touch with people, that's what most people tell me in response to this patch. But what kind of relationship do you have with a person with you read about their life on their digital wall?

I had an interesting thought about Facebook the other night. Talking with a friend about the commodification of the world I wondered where it would end. I guess ultimately the plan is for everything to have a price tag, or be associated with tiny pieces of paper or numbers on a computer. Good luck when air is commodified (though I don't think the morons that run the world will figure that one out before natural controls kick in).

So really, human relationships should have an economic dimension too. These social networking sites like Facebook basically celebrate and encourage the collection of "friends" like baseball cards. You don't actually have relationships with people of course, that doesn't matter; quantity over quality is the motto of the modern world.

Remember that kid who beat you up in primary school? Is he now on your facebook list? Fuck him and Fuck Facebook!

Subtract Economists

There's a great line from the Simpsons, you might remember it. The incomparable Lionel Hutz, sitting at the Simpson's kitchen table, asked the family to imagine a world without lawyers. They imagined a world of peace and happiness and joy. He shuddered.

Perhaps now economists are the new lawyers. Most people should be pretty pissed off at the people that have designed the shell game known as the global economy. How many people are living in tent camps outside of major cities having been evicted from their homes? How many people have lost their retirement incomes in a moment? Why isn't Allan Greenspan hanging from a tree? Why are the rich, the economists all collecting government bailouts while the poor, with their ranks growing every day, all toil and rot?

Originally I designed this shirt with a shotgun (easy for subtracting things) but it didn't look good on printing so I went back to school for the old subtraction formula.


Thanks to Drew for being such a good sport!

Fuck Don't Breed

This shirt kind of speaks for itself. I consider it part of my ongoing population series including the One Child Policy, Stop at Two and Vote for Human Extinction.


Humans are sexual animals; we like to fuck often. Nothing wrong with that, despite what various churches and politicians like to tell us. Sorry boys, nothing wrong with feeling good with another person (or bunch of people, but with polyamory good luck is all I can say). So this shirt celebrates the sexual urge but says, lets not be thoughtless when it comes to population.

Earth is certainly overpopulated and our numbers are poised to drop pretty soon once ecological reality finally dawns on us--unless of course we embrace birth control in a big way. Seriously though, if humans are the top predator in the global ecosystem then logically we should have the smallest number of members of our species. Remember that ecosystem pyramid from primary school: plants on the bottom with the largest population, followed by insects, then small mammals then large predatory animals, like eagles for instance, with the smallest population. We have smashed this natural pyramid pretty good.

So Fuck Don't Breed. Simple: have fun and choose abstinence. Live a great life and leave the earth a better place than when you entered it by not having children.

Fashion File

So I want to share my latest stencils with the world. If you like any that you see you are most welcome to copy my ideas (not for profit of course) or contact me and I'll mail you a shirt or patch, depending on what catches your eye. If you're in Halifax you can catch my table at the Halifax Craft Fair at the North Street Church, September 12-13.

I've got some new ideas and I'm going to do my best to post them here as I develop them. There are some missing still but I'll get them up eventually. As before, I'll post some of my thinking with each stencil.

These pictures were all taken at the Evolve Music Festival with a bunch of beautiful humans acting as my sexy models. Ah free labour!

Here's links to some of my old shirts, in case you'd forgotten:

I Am Compost
One Child Policy
Ethanol = Poverty
Stop at Two (kids)
Vote for Human Extinction
Self-Hating Human

Worth Reading

I'm so happy to hear that this discussion is taking place in the mainstream media. Finally we can get serious about what we're facing. I find myself, for the first time, disagreeing with George Monbiot. But you should make up your own minds and please, please read this debate and leave some comments, either there or here!

Scenes from a Garden

Our garden is looking fabulous. I wanted to share some pictures so you can see how much can be grown even in the wilds of Cape Breton. But seriously, we've done so much this year and I should be celebrating. So here it is. I hope I am not to prideful.

(By the way, these pictures are actually a few weeks old so imagine our garden being even more lush)

This is a picture (below) taken from my mother's bedroom window. The garden in the foreground is the old house garden which has always been a garden. You can see the start of the area that we opened up to garden just above it. It's pretty big and we can't capture it in its entirety from our available vantages.


Here are the zucchinis that I struggled to protect from cucumber beetles for numerous weeks until they took off. Now they have won the battle for all intents and purposes. We ate the first zucchini for lunch today (pretty pathetic compared with Ontario I know). The squash and pumpkins are doing well too.


Here is a picture of two of the potato beds with salad greens, kale and peas behind. You can also see the scarecrow that Matt and Erin made for us. The potatoes are so healthy and we have more kale than we know what to do with. I'm going to make kale chi one of these days (kim chi with kale).


We planted 1,000 strawberry plants earlier this summer and some of them are doing really well. A lot died though and we learned some useful tricks in the process. I actually spent most of today weeding the strawberries with mum. I also had a nap in the new hammock, a freecycle find if you can believe it.


Here is a closeup of the potatoes and their pretty flowers. We have lots of different varieties including blue potatoes and an amazingly yummy variety that you won't find at the grocery store. They are red skinned with red flesh inside and make amazing wedges.


I always say that onions are the basis of all food so we are trying to grow as many as we can. This bed looks impressive but it would probably only last us a few months in the winter. We'll need to grow a lot more next year. But some are very large sized which is amazing for a converted hayfield.


Here is a pretty picture that mum took of one of her market bouquets and some currents that came off our two small bushes. We definitely need more berries.


Dan makes an amazing beet salad and this was the first beet we picked. Looks pretty good doesn't it?


Living here, I've probably never eaten so healthy. For one thing, I no longer buy perogies from the superstore like I used to in Hamilton. And there's no more unhealthy soy burgers and the like. Just beans and grains and fresh veggies. Mum is the master of the salad and we eat at least one of these a day. Probably explains why we use so much oil and vinegar.


And so I'll conclude with the advice of a amazing, beautiful and wonderful special lady: Smile to myself because life is great. Thanks for reading!