My scrap of dirt

Instead of getting angry about nuclear power and ranting at all of you guys, for once, I'm just going to link to a note (in French) by Dominique Voynet that's particularly articulate, I think.

I also want to link to all these photos from the aftermath of the tsunami/earthquake in Japan; they're awesome and incredible (both in the original sense of the word), and incredibly moving. I also like photos because they make the reality of something like this more palpable to me, even though it remains hard to believe when you're safe and quiet in your corner of the world. Anyway; it's terrifying just how much damage natural catastrophes can do.

And to finish, a cool story from a mom about how she dealt with slut-shaming and her 10-year-old son. I love this because it's doing more than saying, slut-shaming is wrong! and it's actually giving parents (and non-parents) some tools for how to confront this kind of stuff when it happens. I think a lot of why we still don't react to gendered harassment (whether it comes out in the form of homophobia, sexism, or slut-shaming) is that we just aren't sure how to. It's cool to see how other people do it so we can, not necessarily reproduce it exactly, but learn from it. :) Also, a nice reminder that this is why you need to talk to kids about sexuality when they're pretty young, and you can't wait until they're older - these mechanisms are set in place very early on, and if you don't address it there, it's way harder to do anything about them later, once they're well-rooted into a broader system of being in the world.

For anyone who think the current oil spill disaster is solely BP's fault, rather than a product of the way that we exploit oil resources... We could not have stopped Gulf oil gusher, ExxonMobil chief tells Congress.

Scapegoating doesn't help, although I have no sympathy for the situation that BP finds itself in. The problem is much more systemic than that, and I hate that we're probably going to fail to implement any kind of decent regulation to prevent this kind of thing from happening again. And yes, that probably means a ban on off-shore drilling, as far as I'm concerned.

A few links I've been meaning to post:

- French interview with José Bové "L'écologie n'est pas compatible avec le capitalisme".

- Still in French, on dubbing and fan subtitling: L'aversion originale des studios.

- Hamlet: Facebook edition

- Dr. Horrible: Facebook edition

- An update on Dollhouse Season 2, what we know at the moment.


Day is not starting out too well. Hopefully it will get better.

Found at The Ecologist thanks to emsana.

It's a video on global warming that focuses on the very important concept of feedback mechanisms. From Wikipedia because I think a concrete example is necessary:

"The climate system is characterized by strong feedback loops between processes that affect the state of the atmosphere, ocean, and land. A simple example is the ice-albedo positive feedback loop whereby melting snow exposes more dark ground (of lower albedo), which in turn absorbs heat and causes more snow to melt."

Basically in the long term our actions can have much more impact than we expected, especially since the extent of feedback mechanisms are often hard to predict. It also partly explains why, if we were to stop existing and affecting climate right now, the temperature would still continue rising for a while.


Wake Up, Freak Out - then Get a Grip from Leo Murray on Vimeo.


The video also mentions a few other important things:
- We've known this is happening for twenty years now. (I am frankly growing impatient with us.)
- We need to consume less.
- Our capitalist (rather, productivist) system requires that we continue consuming more. And the people who benefit most from that system in the short term are going to do everything they can to maintain the status quo.

"We have to do the things we do that seem so hard on the community to make sure there is a community."
- Joss Whedon interview

This is so true it hurts. And it's so true because it transcends the issues that writers and actors have been having with the AMPTP - at the very core of environmental issues, this is what it's about, too: making tough choices so that we can go on, instead of turning a blind eye to the situation and hoping it'll get better on its own. It doesn't. Civil rights were never won without a fight; the free market will never help the poor, and it certainly will never improve the environment crisis.

We have to make tough choices. And start thinking long term, instead of thinking about how we can make the most money fastest. Instead of believing in a market that's only done good to the richest. That's the only way we're ever going to create communities instead of trigger wars.

The choices are not going to get any easier, either. We complain about rising gas prices while thousands of people are dying of hunger. Let me stress that. Dying. Of hunger. Because the Western world wanted coffee and so developing countries started monocrops instead of feeding their own people. Speaking of eating - start eating less meat. I don't care you like it. Because we eat so much meat, our pasture footprint (the surface on the planet we need to feed ourselves) is 8 times bigger than developping countries. I don't care you love meat. Us liking beef cannot justify using resources so disproportionately and leaving other people starving.

I'd like us to stop thinking it's not related. Of course you're not directly starving a Senegalese when you buy meat - it's not about making people feel guilty. It's about understanding that we're in this together. That it's all interrelated and that our system is deeply unequal in our favor. That we all live on one Earth and our actions do have consequences. Our system, our way of life, has consequences for the planet and for other people. It's about changing. It's about realizing that we're living above our means, worse - that WE are living above EVERYBODY ELSE's means, and they never got a say in the matter.

One of my most hated quotes of all times is a quote by George Bush who said "the American way of life is not up for negotiation". Of course it fucking is. Americans are real nice people (well. most of them anyway.), but that doesn't give America a right to stomp all over the rest of the world.

Let's realize how superior we've been acting, let's stop being brats, and instead of feeling guilty, let's make changes. Soon we won't have a choice anyway, but it's not even about that - I'll rant more about that later, I think. We've built a sick world. We need to reconnect with each other and with the very ecosystem that allows us to exist. Think about your impact. Then do whatever you can to reduce it.

Moderation might not seem as sexy and fun as excess, but it's not a bad thing. We should celebrate moderation - there is nothing wrong about being respectful enough of people and the planet not to care online about getting the most of everything. Excess doesn't mean satisfaction.


(Note the irony of the song I'm listening to - and then turn off your lights whenever you're not in a room.)

L'adoption, prévue mardi 13 mai, du très controversé projet de loi sur les OGM a, à la surprise générale, été empêchée par le vote d'une motion de procédure. Défendue par le député communiste André Chassaigne, qui estimait qu'"il n'y a pas lieu de délibérer", celle-ci a été adoptée à une voix près – 136 contre 135. "Le texte est rejeté", a déclaré, visiblement ravie, la présidente de séance, Catherine Génisson (PS).

Une bonne surprise, totalement inattendue.

Bien sûr, elle sera sans doute de courte durée vu que le gouvernement du moment n'en a pas grand chose à faire du principe de précaution et peut-être encore moins de ce que pensent la communauté scientifique et écologiste, et les français, mais quand même. Un petit peu de démocratie qui marche, de temps en temps, ça fait plaisir. Un petit bâton dans les roues de ce gouvernement qui me décourage l'âme sur mon vélo quand j'écoute le podcast du journal de 12h de France Culture... ce n'est pas désagréable.

Je parlais justement hier avec une icelandaise qui a elle aussi remarqué (difficile de le louper si on fait un peu attention) que l'Europe, contre toute logique (sauf capitaliste irréfléchie), tend de plus en plus à ressembler aux Etats-Unis... ici au Canada, plus possible de trouver de la luzerne non-contaminée par les OGM après leur introduction dans les champs. Alors j'espère qu'en Europe, on aura la consciense d'éviter ça juste pour les millions que les grandes companies semencières veulent se faire sur les OGM.

Parce qu'une fois qu'on dit oui, on ne peut plus reculer. On ne pourra jamais reculer, une fois que des OGM auront commencé à se disperser dans la nature.

Ce serait bien si pour une fois, on prenait le temps de réfléchir aux conséquences de nos actes.

Who: YOU! Everyone around the world
What: Earth Hour
When: March 29, 2008, 8pm your local time
Where: In your own home and/or workplace
Why: To create AWARENESS about energy consumption

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This happens in your home or your workplace at 8pm (your local time) on March 29th WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE WORLD by simply turning off your lights, your TV, your dishwasher, your heating or a/c. You don't have to be in Toronto (they won't let me not put something in that spot) or a major city to participate.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On March 29th, 2008 at 8pm local time Earth Hour will commence ALL AROUND THE WORLD.

Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a POWERFUL MESSAGE about the need for action on global warming.

Be part of making Earth Hour 2008 a huge, global success by telling your friends and family. Remember, every single light makes a statement and makes a difference.

Last year, on 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney (Australia) businesses turned off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour. This massive collective effort reduced Sydney’s energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour, which is the equivalent effect of taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.

++Pledge your support for Earth Hour and find out more about the lights-out campaign at earthhour.org, the official website.

Récupéré sur le blog d'une autre française au Canada:

Trois minutes d'écologie et le capitalisme est-il soluble dans l’écologie?, par Pierre Foglia.

C'est provocateur et je ne suis pas fan du ton, moi l'avenir de la planète me préoccupe en terme d'écologie, mais ce qui compte c'est qu'il soulève des points très importants, surtout dans le deuxième billet. C'est tout notre système qu'il faut repenser... et surtout, c'est bien de s'inquiéter du réchauffement de la planète, mais il faut voir comme ça s'inscrit dans une plus grande échelle, parce que sinon on va casser un truc pour en réparer un autre (genre: le nucléaire...).

Sur ce, je retourne à mon livre du moment: Le Pari de la Décroissance. Il y a comme un thème...

First the not so funny, and I wish I'd posted that last night, but last night was busy and exhausting so I didn't:

November 20th is Transgender Remembrance Day. I attended the evening of storytelling that they'd organized at school for the occasion. I was amazing. Most of the stories were uplifting and the speakers had a lot of humor and I really enjoyed it. It always makes me think a lot, and I like that it pushes me to be more and more comfortable with everything that's in between genders, everything that's not easy to label. Girls who like boys who want to be girls who like boys... it's a myriad of possibilities out there, and it makes no sense to limit ourselves to what fits in a box. Identity is never that simple anyway.




Second the funny, aka Joss Whedon, who stopped by whedonesque again earlier. "Meanwhilst, December 7th approacheth. Just wanted to assure you guysthat I'll be there -- even, if by some miracle, the strike is over. Foxis right across the street from a nice park so it'll either be theMutant Enemy Picket or the Mutant Enemy Picnic." I'm so going, but I'm still waiting to find out when I should leave... I should have bought my ticket to L.A. today, but I forgot, so I'll just have to buy it by next week. Best scenario for me would be for the strike to end Dec 8th - I can picket, and we win! Woot!

I've also found out that December 8th is a day for International Demonstrations on Climate Change! Apparently in L.A. they're doing a plunge on Santa Monica Beach, and I'm so there as well. Yay crazy activist weekend! (Check it out, a lot of countries are participating and you can probably find something happening in your corner - I know something's happening in Vancouver, too, but hopefully it won't involve swimming in cold, cold ocean water.)

For skeptics about global warming, or even for anyone, the following video makes an interesting argument. Basically, the guy argues that whether or not global warming is real, the course of action to take is pretty obvious.


Interesting Argument About Global Warming - Watch more free videos

One thing though - while his presentation might seem fair to both sides, the leniency goes to the side that says global warming doesn't exist. Let's be clear: there's OVERWHELMING evidence now that global warming is, indeed, happening, and that we're responsible for the speed and intensity of this climate change (as opposed to previous ones that have happened throughout the history of our earth). Of course, you'll always find a scientist somewhere ready to say the opposite, but the scientific community as a whole has accepted this is a fact. (See for example the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, especially its Fourth Assessment, two part of which have been published this year.) So it's not exactly like the two lines are equal as likely scenarios. There's pretty damn tough evidence in favor of global warming.

For a very basic but extremely clear and comprehensive understanding of global warming, there's nothing like Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth".