Good Intentions: the Sugar-Coating of the Masses

This recent poll I saw via CTV might look good at first glance t some but it shouldn't really mean anything. It throws around a bunch of numbers talking about what some people are "willing" to do for the environment but that's pretty much it. No talk at all, with maybe one exception, about what real people are actually doing.

I guess knowing that people actually want to be more environmentally conscious should be noteworthy. The problem is that for far too many of us, it's all talk and not much else. It's kind of like Kyoto with a lot of fluff to make you feel good but when it comes down to it, you haven't really done anything.

Canadians need to wake up and start taking responsibility for their own actions. If we want to whine and complain about the apparent shortcomings in government policy, we'd better be more than just willing to make some needed changes in our own lives. If we want to make any meaningful impact on the environment, we have start making changes in our own lifestyles.

Perhaps what's more of an "inconvenient truth" is that too many of us just don't care enough yet.

Tainted by Association

An American trade group that represents millions of restaurant and fast-food workers in the United States is offended by a yet-to-be released ad for Nationwide Insurance. Apparently the worker portrayed in the ad, played by none other than thespian Kevin Federline, imagines himself in a music video instead of attending to his burgerly duties. The National Restaurant Association claims that this is an insult to workers in the industry as the ad asserts that employment in the industry is "demeaning and unpleasant."

Or, maybe they just didn't want to be shown in the same light at K-Fed/Fed-Ex. I know I wouldn't.

Not just for Geeks Anymore

Last night my wife and I went to see Video Games Live, a concert featuring music from a number of classic video games. I've long been a self-described geek, a fact graciously tolerated by my loving wife, and I purchased tickets to the event months ago. I wondered, though, in the days leading up to the show just how many people would show up.

As we made our way to the front of the Jubilee Auditorium, both of us were impressed to see a sell-out crowd of not just gamers, but also families and other adults eager to relive a little nostalgia. The music was provided by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and it sounded incredible.

As a gamer I was in heaven, but as a music lover, I have to say that it was perhaps one of the finest concerts I've ever attended. Anyone looking for an enjoyable night out should definitely look into this. Info can be found at the website linked above.

Working Too Hard

Here's an interesting piece from the Houston Chronicle talking about how some scientists are concerned that we may have been a little too eager to prove that climate change/global warming is the problem that many in society like to think it is. Don't get me wrong because I certainly don't deny the fact that our activities are certainly having an impact on the world and or that we could do for some positive change in our environmental habits. However, to attribute all our climate problems to greenhouse gases is a tad excessive in my book.

It kind of reminds me when I was in elementary school. Back then I was told with my fellow impressionable students that the "hole" in the Ozone layer was growing so fast that by the year 2000 we'd only be able to go outside if we were wearing fur coats or some variation of space suit. Well, we all know that that didn't really happen. Most people are fine with a little sunscreen and some common sense.

There's nothing wrong with drawing attention to growing problems. There is a huge problem when that message is blown out of proportion compelling so many to join in on the fun or risk the consequences.

New Year's Resolutions: Belated Edition

It's been far too long since any sort of real update. I'll credit that to a busy few months at school coupled with some personal matters requiring my attention.

I've seldom taken the time to write down any kind of goal that I have set for myself. Perhaps, though, taking advantage of this space might just give my blogging a bit of a shot in the arm.

Here are a few blogolutions (ba dum bum tchhhh....) for the upcoming year.

1. Post more regularly. There's always plenty going on around the world and in our own country to talk about. Sometimes the best way to figure out what you really think about any topic is to take some time to write about it.

2. Comment more often on other blogs. Blogging can often be a great opportunity to engage in healthy discussion and debate. Plus, it's a lot more exciting to share your ideas with others whether they agree or not.

3. Write about more local content. Even though I have little desire to fully engage in true Edmontonianism, at least in this point in time, there are a number of increasingly important issues worthy of more discussion. I'll try not to limit that to the Oilers poor performance as of late. Yikes.

4. Use this as a medium to collect my thoughts on my upcoming teaching experiences. I'll be beginning my first student teaching earl next month teaching German out in Spruce Grove, a community just west of Edmonton. I'm really excited, if not a tad nervous, for the opportunity to teach a foreign language. I expect to learn a great deal about myself in the coming months... perhaps more than I could expect. Simply wunderbar!

5. No more procrastinating... starting tomorrow.