Jason's Notes About Stuff

( image credit ) I was recently going through old blog drafts and came across this one from nearly 8 years ago . It was basically just brainstorming about how to improve society in general. I'm proud to say that in the meantime, I've done my best to move the needle ever so slightly, becoming more involved in politics, including running for office at the provincial level and organizing my thoughts further in a wiki . I also now work for a charity that helps bring free education to those who need it most. My most recent efforts include promoting proportional representation and helping organize a Green regional association . Who's ready to join in and help? :) Here's my original brainstorming notes from June 2010: Communist? Capitalist? Democratic? Socialist? Does anyone really know what these terms actually mean anymore? Hybrid system. Use best aspects of existing societal structures. Freely available to all citizens of the world: - Basic educa...

According to  Natural Resources Canada , "Canada has the third-largest proven oil reserve in the world, most of which is in the oil sands." "Proven oil reserves are estimated at 171.0 billion barrels. " Canada's current population is about 36.7 million . So, one could perhaps argue that my current share of Canadian oil is about  4,659.4 barrels . Since Brent Crude is priced at about $70/barrel today , that's about $326,158 USD or, even better: $420,662 CAD ! Hurray, I'm rich! 💵💰 But wait just a second, you say. That oil is still in the ground. It costs money to extract it and transport it to a buyer. Well, crap. Maybe I'm not that rich after all. So how do I turn this black gold stuck in the ground into big dollar signs? More bad news: Our infrastructure has evolved over the years to export most of our oil to the United States. That worked great when oil was scarce and prices were high. People raked in the cash. But ...

See:  The day oil rained down on Burnaby Ever since I moved to BC, not far from the path of the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion , I've been asked: "What do you think about that pipeline?" My response, from the beginning, has been a very confident: "Pipeline won't get built." "But how can you be so sure?", they ask. "'Cause people won't let it." I sincerely hope that I will be right about this. On March 23rd, 2018, two sitting Members of Parliment from two different political parties joined protesters at Kinder Morgan's gates in non-violent civil disobedience . They were both arrested. I completely support their actions, and those of everyone putting themselves in harm's way to help protect the land and water for future generations. These people are true heroes, selflessly sacrificing their own time and freedom so others can enjoy the safety and comfort of not being poisoned by catastroph...

From the December 2010 issue of Nutrition Action magazine : "...if it's an epidemic, that means it's been triggered by the environment. And what do you do if you have too much malaria? You drain the swamps. What do you do if you have too many deaths on the highway? You impose seat belts. These are public health measures. What do you do when you have an epidemic of obesity? We're going to have to impose taxes on soft drinks and subsidize healthier food. And we need safe neighbourhoods where kids can play. ... My grandmother knew that if you want to lose weight, you have to eat less and exercise more We're still there, but the real trigger of the obesity epidemic is the environment I couldn't agree more.

Climate Change is big news. It's a dividing issue. Us versus Them. Depending on who you believe, it's either a) the most catastrophic event of our time , or... b) completely made up. So -- Is it real? Probably. The underlying principles are well understood. When will it happen? It's likely to have already been happening since we started burning large amounts of fossil fuels. Recent studies indicate that the measurable climate effects could be delayed 30+ years, so we might only be seeing the effects of carbon emissions from the 70s and 80s . That's right, all the emissions from those 1980s big V8 cars haven't even registered yet, never mind the more recent SUVs . What will future effects be? Hard to say. Warmer average temperatures. More storms. "Freak" weather. Rising sea levels, no doubt. Will there be a "tipping point" where the changes start spiraling out of control and threaten human survival? Maybe. But we don't know en...

There seem to be more and more calls to conserve and "save the environment" these days. Now, I'm all for efficiency. I hate to see unnecessary waste, and I love nature. I pick up my trash . I own the most fuel efficient car in its class. I do what I can to keep things nice. The environmentalists have one thing right. We can't continue to consume resources at our current rate. Something needs to be done, but I don't understand the current approach of advertising and trying to "shame" people into conservation. Appealing to morality works in some cases, but it has absolutely no effect on the worst abusers -- corporations. The only reasonable way to affect this behavior is to adjust costs or make laws. So instead of subsidizing cheap, dirty energy , money needs to be forcibly redirected and invested in new research and technology . "But we can't do that! The economy will crumble, and people will lose jobs!" Fine, keep relying on cheap,...