by Beth Shapiro 365Gay.com New York Bureau
Posted: September 15, 2005 5:00 pm ET
(New York City) The Vatican has begun its investigation of America's 229 seminaries to root out gays.
The threat that the Catholic Church was embarking on a pogrom against gay clergy first arose last month when new regulations submitted to Pope Benedict for his approval suggested that gays not be considered for the priesthood. (story)
The Church is attempting to lay blame on gays for the child abuse scandal that has rocked Roman Catholicism. Vatican investigators arrived in the US this week to gauge the scale of the scandal and to determine how many gay priests are in the priesthood.
A document obtained by the New York Times shows the investigators will seek to have priests turn in suspected gays. The Times said it received the document from a priest "who was granted anonymity because he feared retribution".
It shows that the inquisitors will conduct confidential interviews with every faculty member and seminarian, as well as everyone who graduated in the last three years.
Among the questions all seminarians and teachers will be asked are: “Is there evidence of homosexuality in the seminary?" and "Are there signs of particular friendships.” Both questions must be answered the document says.
Meanwhile, Pope Benedict continues to study the proposal for barring gays from entering the seminaries. But, archbishop Edwin O'Brien, the American cleric leading the investigation in an interview last week with a Catholic publication said that "anyone who has engaged in homosexual activity, or has strong homosexual inclinations,” should not be admitted to a seminary.
The Human Rights Campaign labeled the investigation a witch hunt.
“The real debate around this witch hunt isn’t between us and the Vatican, it’s between the Vatican and the truth,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “When the church makes gay men a scapegoat for pedophiles, it ignores one problem and creates another. It does nothing to keep children safe or punish criminals.”
**Yeesh. The Church sure has some 'unique' ideas on damage control. Don't they realize that if they root out gay priests they are essentially shooting themselves in the foot? The seminary IS gay. If they get rid of the gay priests, there will be no one left to spread the word of X!
16 September 2005
15 September 2005
Confessions On A Dancefloor
Reportedly the new album cover...
From madonna.com:
"I want people to jump out of their seats"
Never one to understate, those were the exact words Madonna used to describe the songs on her upcoming album, -"Confessions On a Dance Floor". The 12 delicious tunes of pure 'unapologetic dance music' including the single "Hung Up" (out Oct. 17th) is scheduled to be released on November 15th on Warner Bros. Records. This time out, the original Queen of Dance Music returns to where she began and kicks it up a few extra notches.
"It's in her blood" says Madonna's co-producer/partner in crime, DJ and Madonna musical director, Stuart Price (aka Jacques Lu Cont). "She has a dance halo over her head. We made this record without any preconceived notions. It was straight from the gut - unencumbered...not over edited...very spontaneous, concluded Price.
If 'Confessions' were equated to a new dance step, it would a stunning blend of musical styles with one foot in the roots of early disco (a la Giorgio Moroder/Abba on ecstacy) and the other foot gloriously ensconced in the future of music - a dance step that could only be accomplished by one artist.
Confessions on a Dance Floor is all about having a good time straight through and non stop." says America's ultimate Dancing Queen.
Vying for American affection (and dollars)
Gosh...it's unfathomable to believe that a billion dollars (CAD) worth of goods passes one way or other over the Canada-U.S. border daily. It makes the scale of a billion dollars worth of goods arriving from China everyday on American shores by ship even more crazy!
China beats out Canada as top exporter to the US in July
China edged out Canada for the first time in July as the world's No. 1 seller of goods to the US, according to international trade data released this week. “This is perhaps the wake-up call that people need,” said Nancy Hughes Anthony, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “We have to take it very seriously and be prepared to compete.” In July, Canada sold goods worth US$20.6 billion south of the border, down from $24B in June. China, meanwhile, drew $21.3B for its exports to the US, up from $21B a month earlier. Last year, China replaced Mexico as in the No. 2 spot for selling goods to the US. Canada, meanwhile, has seen its exports to the US grow at a more even pace. “It was bound to happen,” said Stephen Poloz, chief economist at Export Development Canada. “US trade with China has been growing faster than trade with anybody.” But there are some caveats about the trade data. Canada still maintains its historical spot in first place as far as cumulative sales to date for the year, with exports totalling $158.7B so far. China's exports to the US amount to $130.5B for the year to date. Plus, Canada's sales to the US are typically low during the summer, when most of the automotive industry shuts down for vacation, while China's summer numbers are high. The US Commerce Department does not adjust the country-by-country statistics for seasonal variations. And while Canada has ceded the top position to China for now, it still maintains the No. 1 title for two-way trade. Total trade between Canada and the US in July alone was worth $39.2B; total trade between China and the US that month was valued at $24.9B. (Canadian Press 050915)
China beats out Canada as top exporter to the US in July
China edged out Canada for the first time in July as the world's No. 1 seller of goods to the US, according to international trade data released this week. “This is perhaps the wake-up call that people need,” said Nancy Hughes Anthony, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “We have to take it very seriously and be prepared to compete.” In July, Canada sold goods worth US$20.6 billion south of the border, down from $24B in June. China, meanwhile, drew $21.3B for its exports to the US, up from $21B a month earlier. Last year, China replaced Mexico as in the No. 2 spot for selling goods to the US. Canada, meanwhile, has seen its exports to the US grow at a more even pace. “It was bound to happen,” said Stephen Poloz, chief economist at Export Development Canada. “US trade with China has been growing faster than trade with anybody.” But there are some caveats about the trade data. Canada still maintains its historical spot in first place as far as cumulative sales to date for the year, with exports totalling $158.7B so far. China's exports to the US amount to $130.5B for the year to date. Plus, Canada's sales to the US are typically low during the summer, when most of the automotive industry shuts down for vacation, while China's summer numbers are high. The US Commerce Department does not adjust the country-by-country statistics for seasonal variations. And while Canada has ceded the top position to China for now, it still maintains the No. 1 title for two-way trade. Total trade between Canada and the US in July alone was worth $39.2B; total trade between China and the US that month was valued at $24.9B. (Canadian Press 050915)
13 September 2005
JOKE
Q: What is George W. Bush's position on Roe vs Wade?
A: He really doesn't care how people get out of New Orleans.
A: He really doesn't care how people get out of New Orleans.
The latest from Clusterfuck Nation
Rocks in Our Heads
September 12, 2005,
The impediments to clear collective thinking about the problems we face were not washed away by Hurricane Katrina -- and may still be there after Hurricane Ophelia romps up the Atlantic coast later this week.
One Big Thought making the rounds of the editorial pages is that "fuel efficiency" will be the cure-all for our energy predicament -- that if everybody could trade in his Ford Explorer for a Toyota Prius, life in the USA would just purr happily forward. This has been the position of the more metaphysical branches of the enviro sector, as personified by the Rocky Mountain Institute and its preposterous "hyper-car" project.
The truth is that it does not really matter whether the freeways are crammed full of SUVs or nimble hybrid cars. The problem is car-dependency and the infrastructure for daily living predicated on it, not the kind of vehicles we run. I have yet to hear one US senator of either party propose that part of the recent $300 billion highway bill ought to be redirected to rebuilding America's passenger rail system -- even after the bitter lesson of Katrina, which demonstrated that people who don't own cars can't get out of harm's way in this country.
Another Big Thought still clogging the collective imagination is the idea that if only we switch to "alternative fuels" we can run the interstate highway system, Disney World, and WalMart just like before. The country is full of people now who want gold stars for running their household car fleet on discarded Fry-Max oil from the local Dunkin Donuts. . . or on oil squeezed from hemp seeds. Notice that the premise of a drive-in society remains.
Now the scary part of this is that these ideas are coming generally from the smarter people in our society. The dumb ones are are praying for the Rapture, or waiting for the market to magically fix everything, or sitting around the suburbs of Houston oiling their riot guns in front of the Nascar telecast.
In the background, the US is chugging straight into the Christmas 2005 clusterfuck, which will consist of large numbers of citizens finding themselves financially crushed by the cost of heating their houses combined with the persistent high cost of fueling their cars for all the chores of daily life. More people may die in Chicago as a result of high heating costs this winter than were killed by Katrina on the Gulf Coast.
In the economic sector, the delusion persists that the US Economy will be "unaffected" by the massive losses entailed by Katrina (as the New York Times put it last week). We don't need no steenkin' Mississippi Reever sheeping terminals or oil refineries. It is hard to imagine what species of gnostic theology this line of thinking is predicated on. Or how the economic press figures that price inflation of all ordinary household goods will not shoot up when truckers are paying twice as much this year to move frozen fried chickens from Arkansas to Philadelphia -- not to mention the fact that the disposable income previously allocated to Blue Light Special shopping in the chain stores is now being blown out the tailpipes of people struggling to pay for their fifty-mile commutes.
The disruptions now underway will ramify whether further traumas occur this season or not -- more hurricanes, terrorist incidents, financial stumbles. People have been e-mailing me to ask if this is the beginning of The Long Emergency. I'm not a hundred percent sure myself, but you can see it from here.
September 12, 2005,
The impediments to clear collective thinking about the problems we face were not washed away by Hurricane Katrina -- and may still be there after Hurricane Ophelia romps up the Atlantic coast later this week.
One Big Thought making the rounds of the editorial pages is that "fuel efficiency" will be the cure-all for our energy predicament -- that if everybody could trade in his Ford Explorer for a Toyota Prius, life in the USA would just purr happily forward. This has been the position of the more metaphysical branches of the enviro sector, as personified by the Rocky Mountain Institute and its preposterous "hyper-car" project.
The truth is that it does not really matter whether the freeways are crammed full of SUVs or nimble hybrid cars. The problem is car-dependency and the infrastructure for daily living predicated on it, not the kind of vehicles we run. I have yet to hear one US senator of either party propose that part of the recent $300 billion highway bill ought to be redirected to rebuilding America's passenger rail system -- even after the bitter lesson of Katrina, which demonstrated that people who don't own cars can't get out of harm's way in this country.
Another Big Thought still clogging the collective imagination is the idea that if only we switch to "alternative fuels" we can run the interstate highway system, Disney World, and WalMart just like before. The country is full of people now who want gold stars for running their household car fleet on discarded Fry-Max oil from the local Dunkin Donuts. . . or on oil squeezed from hemp seeds. Notice that the premise of a drive-in society remains.
Now the scary part of this is that these ideas are coming generally from the smarter people in our society. The dumb ones are are praying for the Rapture, or waiting for the market to magically fix everything, or sitting around the suburbs of Houston oiling their riot guns in front of the Nascar telecast.
In the background, the US is chugging straight into the Christmas 2005 clusterfuck, which will consist of large numbers of citizens finding themselves financially crushed by the cost of heating their houses combined with the persistent high cost of fueling their cars for all the chores of daily life. More people may die in Chicago as a result of high heating costs this winter than were killed by Katrina on the Gulf Coast.
In the economic sector, the delusion persists that the US Economy will be "unaffected" by the massive losses entailed by Katrina (as the New York Times put it last week). We don't need no steenkin' Mississippi Reever sheeping terminals or oil refineries. It is hard to imagine what species of gnostic theology this line of thinking is predicated on. Or how the economic press figures that price inflation of all ordinary household goods will not shoot up when truckers are paying twice as much this year to move frozen fried chickens from Arkansas to Philadelphia -- not to mention the fact that the disposable income previously allocated to Blue Light Special shopping in the chain stores is now being blown out the tailpipes of people struggling to pay for their fifty-mile commutes.
The disruptions now underway will ramify whether further traumas occur this season or not -- more hurricanes, terrorist incidents, financial stumbles. People have been e-mailing me to ask if this is the beginning of The Long Emergency. I'm not a hundred percent sure myself, but you can see it from here.
Tuesday-ness
So, I'm posting an obligatory blog, even though the past few days have proved what a boring life I lead. It certainly feels like the end of the racing season to be sure...it's dark at 8pm and all the late-season races have moved their start times up in the evenings to compensate (that would be the Tuesday Crit series and Thursday track racing series...). This weekend is the final Provincial race - the legendary Mt. Norquay Hill Climb.
I had been considering going up to Red Deer this weekend, but I think I'll hold off on that until next weekend. I'm captain of my company's 10K running team for the Calgary Corporate Challenge, which is going on over this week and the weekend (The CCC is supposedly the biggest event of its kind in North America). We typically field an 'okay' team, however every year I try and recruit the fastest runners in the company but it never seems to work out right. The company has put a lot more money and focus on the CCC this year, so hopefully that will produce more participation and interest in the years to come. We even got awesome Dri-Fit shirts to wear!
Joe is still on the picket line for his company. Yesterday, he was walking around the perimeter of the building and got struck by a customer leaving the parking lot in his car. Joe yelled at the guy to stop but he kept moving through the entrance and could've ran Joe over had he not rolled off the front of the car and out of the way. The guy didn't even brake. Joe wasn't hurt, but was pretty shook up. There was a police report filed and the company's onsite surveillance tapes of the parking lot were confiscated by the city police. This guy was a complete asshole and hit Joe specifically because he is a picketer. I hope he gets slammed with charges by the police. We should find out tomorrow what's going on. Too bad Joe has nothing to sue for. In the meantime, he's picked up two or three shifts at Swan's during the week and has scheduled his mid-term for Level 1 in the Canadian Petroleum Production Accounting course for September 30.
I had a big long talk with Doug about the state of the world last night. He has been sensing from Kirk that things are on the way out, and after a phone call to Kirk he found out that his hunches were true. Poor Doug. He is such a wonderful guy. He is starting to question his approach to dating, and whether getting into a 'longer-term' relationship is an effort in futility. I am convinced that he just hasn't found anyone worthy of his love and devotion yet. I can't wait for him to meet this guy, someday.
I ran with Ross yesterday and found out from him that his best friend from high school was killed in South Korea on the weekend. He was on a motorbike and got hit while turning left. Ross was pretty shell-shocked on Monday. My condolences go out to him -- take care buddy.
That's about it for today. He's a picture that sums up the Bush family's interest in any social caste lower than themselves.
Nothing will stop the Bushes from taking their vacations...
I had been considering going up to Red Deer this weekend, but I think I'll hold off on that until next weekend. I'm captain of my company's 10K running team for the Calgary Corporate Challenge, which is going on over this week and the weekend (The CCC is supposedly the biggest event of its kind in North America). We typically field an 'okay' team, however every year I try and recruit the fastest runners in the company but it never seems to work out right. The company has put a lot more money and focus on the CCC this year, so hopefully that will produce more participation and interest in the years to come. We even got awesome Dri-Fit shirts to wear!
Joe is still on the picket line for his company. Yesterday, he was walking around the perimeter of the building and got struck by a customer leaving the parking lot in his car. Joe yelled at the guy to stop but he kept moving through the entrance and could've ran Joe over had he not rolled off the front of the car and out of the way. The guy didn't even brake. Joe wasn't hurt, but was pretty shook up. There was a police report filed and the company's onsite surveillance tapes of the parking lot were confiscated by the city police. This guy was a complete asshole and hit Joe specifically because he is a picketer. I hope he gets slammed with charges by the police. We should find out tomorrow what's going on. Too bad Joe has nothing to sue for. In the meantime, he's picked up two or three shifts at Swan's during the week and has scheduled his mid-term for Level 1 in the Canadian Petroleum Production Accounting course for September 30.
I had a big long talk with Doug about the state of the world last night. He has been sensing from Kirk that things are on the way out, and after a phone call to Kirk he found out that his hunches were true. Poor Doug. He is such a wonderful guy. He is starting to question his approach to dating, and whether getting into a 'longer-term' relationship is an effort in futility. I am convinced that he just hasn't found anyone worthy of his love and devotion yet. I can't wait for him to meet this guy, someday.
I ran with Ross yesterday and found out from him that his best friend from high school was killed in South Korea on the weekend. He was on a motorbike and got hit while turning left. Ross was pretty shell-shocked on Monday. My condolences go out to him -- take care buddy.
That's about it for today. He's a picture that sums up the Bush family's interest in any social caste lower than themselves.
Nothing will stop the Bushes from taking their vacations...
12 September 2005
Damn you, Katrina!
Gulf offshore oil support industry remains in shambles
As the energy industry attempts to restart its platforms, pumps and pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, efforts are being hampered by the severe damage to the coastal facilities that serve as the staging area for offshore operations. The Louisiana coast is home to a huge concentration of service companies that bore the brunt of Hurricane Katrina's landfall last month. The assessment of offshore facilities is still a work in progress, but industry officials said it will take considerably longer to recover from Katrina than it did a year ago after Ivan, which skirted the eastern edge of the Gulf energy fields. By contrast, Katrina barrelled directly through a region of the Gulf crammed with producing platforms and then ploughed into the coastal area south of New Orleans, leaving boats, barges, hangars and helicopter pads destroyed. Therefore, it will need to find new locations to perform tasks. Nearly half of oil and natural gas normally produced in the Gulf still remains idled, according to the federal Minerals Management Service, as service firms struggle to right themselves and help their customers assess and repair damage. The same amount of time after Ivan's landfall, only one-quarter of production was still shut down. But the effects of Ivan lingered. In February, five months after Ivan's impact, 4% of daily oil and gas production was still idled. Katrina's destruction appears likely to linger even longer. “There is a mass logistical nightmare out there right now” in the offshore support industry, said Eugene Kim, a senior analyst with international energy consultant Wood Mackenzie. “In my opinion, that's as crucial as the platforms and pipelines and processing plants being mechanically damaged.”
What's more, the permanent damage this time could be greater. The US Coast Guard reports 52 platforms were sunk by Katrina, compared with only seven by Ivan. Many of these platforms won't be rebuilt, meaning the pockets of oil and gas they were tapping could end up out of reach. Katrina also appears to have permanently washed away part of a crucial peninsula used by oil companies as a staging area for work in the Gulf of Mexico, slowing down repair work and raising questions about where to rebuild. The storm effectively turned the course of the Mississippi River westward near Venice, LA, and took part of the town with it, said Simone Theriot Maloz, executive director of Restore or Retreat, a local nonprofit group that studies the delta. The river's shift would further complicate oil-industry efforts to restore exploration and production from the Gulf of Mexico.
(Globe and Mail 050912)
As the energy industry attempts to restart its platforms, pumps and pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico, efforts are being hampered by the severe damage to the coastal facilities that serve as the staging area for offshore operations. The Louisiana coast is home to a huge concentration of service companies that bore the brunt of Hurricane Katrina's landfall last month. The assessment of offshore facilities is still a work in progress, but industry officials said it will take considerably longer to recover from Katrina than it did a year ago after Ivan, which skirted the eastern edge of the Gulf energy fields. By contrast, Katrina barrelled directly through a region of the Gulf crammed with producing platforms and then ploughed into the coastal area south of New Orleans, leaving boats, barges, hangars and helicopter pads destroyed. Therefore, it will need to find new locations to perform tasks. Nearly half of oil and natural gas normally produced in the Gulf still remains idled, according to the federal Minerals Management Service, as service firms struggle to right themselves and help their customers assess and repair damage. The same amount of time after Ivan's landfall, only one-quarter of production was still shut down. But the effects of Ivan lingered. In February, five months after Ivan's impact, 4% of daily oil and gas production was still idled. Katrina's destruction appears likely to linger even longer. “There is a mass logistical nightmare out there right now” in the offshore support industry, said Eugene Kim, a senior analyst with international energy consultant Wood Mackenzie. “In my opinion, that's as crucial as the platforms and pipelines and processing plants being mechanically damaged.”
What's more, the permanent damage this time could be greater. The US Coast Guard reports 52 platforms were sunk by Katrina, compared with only seven by Ivan. Many of these platforms won't be rebuilt, meaning the pockets of oil and gas they were tapping could end up out of reach. Katrina also appears to have permanently washed away part of a crucial peninsula used by oil companies as a staging area for work in the Gulf of Mexico, slowing down repair work and raising questions about where to rebuild. The storm effectively turned the course of the Mississippi River westward near Venice, LA, and took part of the town with it, said Simone Theriot Maloz, executive director of Restore or Retreat, a local nonprofit group that studies the delta. The river's shift would further complicate oil-industry efforts to restore exploration and production from the Gulf of Mexico.
(Globe and Mail 050912)
11 September 2005
Sunday - lack of things to post
*Sigh*
Well, the rain has finally stopped, but it's not like anything terribly exciting has gone on this weekend. EVERYONE stayed at home last night, particularly because it was raining in sheets and the low overnight was supposed to be +2C or something insane like that. I heard on the news today that there was even the 'S' word mentioned somewhere in the country! Yipes! Is it that time already?
Today I went and did my picture shoot with Randall for the magazine article. We went out to the Veteran's Memorial Park and did some shots with the bike, my travel bag and champion jersey. It's still pretty cool out despite the sun's attempt to crack through the clouds, so I thought that was more than enough outdoors exposure for today. I'm getting so delicate...
Here are some pics to warm up an otherwise frigid day.
Back to reality and Debbie Downer-ness tomorrow. And a big welcome to Hildert and Martijn to the blogosphere!
Rested...
Shaved...
Clean...
Well, the rain has finally stopped, but it's not like anything terribly exciting has gone on this weekend. EVERYONE stayed at home last night, particularly because it was raining in sheets and the low overnight was supposed to be +2C or something insane like that. I heard on the news today that there was even the 'S' word mentioned somewhere in the country! Yipes! Is it that time already?
Today I went and did my picture shoot with Randall for the magazine article. We went out to the Veteran's Memorial Park and did some shots with the bike, my travel bag and champion jersey. It's still pretty cool out despite the sun's attempt to crack through the clouds, so I thought that was more than enough outdoors exposure for today. I'm getting so delicate...
Here are some pics to warm up an otherwise frigid day.
Back to reality and Debbie Downer-ness tomorrow. And a big welcome to Hildert and Martijn to the blogosphere!
Rested...
Shaved...
Clean...
10 September 2005
09 September 2005
...And who will be feeding us?
And a little closer to me and mine....what's going to happen to farming when the 'cheap' fuel inputs are no longer cheap? WHEN oil starts to run out, what will happen to the current 'agribusiness' model? Will it undergo a fundamental transformation to a more decentralized, simpler small-scale system, or to something more centralized, huge-scale and heavy-equipment focused, run by multinationals that will be the only ones left who can afford the fuel inputs to equipment, fertilizer, etc.? I don't think the picture looks too rosy for independent small farmers in the future, and maybe not even for the multinationals.
Farmers caught in fuel spiral
Ed Rempel, a farmer from Starbuck, MB, becomes defiant in the face of skyrocketing diesel and fertilizer prices. "We're going to quit selling," he declared in an interview. "The marketplace will simply have to pay us more for our production. If they don't, we're gone." Rempel realizes that a mass, worldwide boycott of grain markets by farmers is unlikely, so he and his friends have been considering acting like farm input suppliers and passing along their costs. "But how are we going to bill the markets for a fuel and fertilizer surcharge?" he asked. Farmers across the Prairies are harvesting a crop with combines burning a more and more precious commodity. The price of fuel has been zooming higher for the past year, and Hurricane Katrina has blown it through the roof. Later in the fall, with farmers licking their wounds from high fuel prices, many will have to head back into the fields to burn probably even more expensive fuel and pour into the ground another precious commodity: fertilizer. Both ammonia and urea fertilizers are made with natural gas, a commodity that has more than quadrupled in cost in the past five years. The disruption of the Gulf of Mexico energy industry by Katrina has cut US energy supplies by about 10% and competition for North America's remaining sources of energy is expected to become intense. "We've been dealing with these occasional price spikes for five years now, and it looks like we're about to see round three," said Roger Larson, president of the Canadian Fertilizer Institute. "I wouldn't be too optimistic that there's any room for fertilizer manufacturers to improve their costs of production in the next six months." Farmers can read that as meaning fertilizer prices are going up. Diesel prices have also steadily increased in recent years and this recent spiraling comes at the worst time for many farmers like Ernie Sirski. The Dauphin, MB, farmer is in the middle of harvest and dreads the thought of his soon-coming fuel bill. Only a couple of years ago he paid about 45 cents per litre. Now it might be 85 cents, or more.
(Western Producer 050908)
Farmers caught in fuel spiral
Ed Rempel, a farmer from Starbuck, MB, becomes defiant in the face of skyrocketing diesel and fertilizer prices. "We're going to quit selling," he declared in an interview. "The marketplace will simply have to pay us more for our production. If they don't, we're gone." Rempel realizes that a mass, worldwide boycott of grain markets by farmers is unlikely, so he and his friends have been considering acting like farm input suppliers and passing along their costs. "But how are we going to bill the markets for a fuel and fertilizer surcharge?" he asked. Farmers across the Prairies are harvesting a crop with combines burning a more and more precious commodity. The price of fuel has been zooming higher for the past year, and Hurricane Katrina has blown it through the roof. Later in the fall, with farmers licking their wounds from high fuel prices, many will have to head back into the fields to burn probably even more expensive fuel and pour into the ground another precious commodity: fertilizer. Both ammonia and urea fertilizers are made with natural gas, a commodity that has more than quadrupled in cost in the past five years. The disruption of the Gulf of Mexico energy industry by Katrina has cut US energy supplies by about 10% and competition for North America's remaining sources of energy is expected to become intense. "We've been dealing with these occasional price spikes for five years now, and it looks like we're about to see round three," said Roger Larson, president of the Canadian Fertilizer Institute. "I wouldn't be too optimistic that there's any room for fertilizer manufacturers to improve their costs of production in the next six months." Farmers can read that as meaning fertilizer prices are going up. Diesel prices have also steadily increased in recent years and this recent spiraling comes at the worst time for many farmers like Ernie Sirski. The Dauphin, MB, farmer is in the middle of harvest and dreads the thought of his soon-coming fuel bill. Only a couple of years ago he paid about 45 cents per litre. Now it might be 85 cents, or more.
(Western Producer 050908)
Definitely Debbie Downer
Sarathena and Natasha -- this story just keeps going on and getting worse and worse. It is so sad that animals end up being the victims of human intrusion into hinterland ecosystems -- places that people's homes and transportation routes really shouldn't be, all due to someone's greed and people's desire to live 'in the wild' away from other people, when all that is in fact happening is that they are building huge suburbs in the middle of nowhere that are susceptible to natural forces (e.g., natural grass/forest fires that destroy homes built in these areas, but really shouldn't be there) and where the animals of these ecosystems are involuntarily exposed to human activity. Particular to this story is that this route is an essential link for Canadian transportation, and even though many measures have been taken to protect the wildlife in the Banff/Lake Louise area, many animals are still being killed every year by cars and trains on this small section of the Pass through the Rockies. We find it essential, I guess the migrating animals do too and that's where the problem lies.
Orphan bear cubs killed by cars
The deaths of two orphaned grizzly cubs, killed by cars on the Trans-Canada Highway, has pushed the number of bears killed in Banff National Park to five since June -- almost one-tenth of the grizzly population in the park. The sole surviving cub of the two collisions near Banff late Wednesday night is being tracked for capture, destined for temporary quarantine at Calgary Zoo and an uncertain future. "Six bears out of the park this summer - that's 10 per cent of the population," said Tracey Henderson of Grizzly Bear Alliance, adding she was "heartbroken" by the deaths. The two cubs - one male, one female - were hit by two vehicles on the Trans-Canada Highway near Banff. The third cub, a male, was not injured. The cubs, less than a year old, were orphaned three weeks ago when their 10-year-old mother, Bear 66, was killed by a CPR train near Castle Junction. They had been closely monitored by Parks Canada staff, but their chances of survival had been put at less than 5%. It is thought the two cubs slipped under a fence beside the highway. The section of fence is older, and does not have an apron beneath the ground to prevent wildlife from travelling beneath it despite several years of lobbying to have it improved. Jim Pissot, of Defenders of Wildlife Canada, said the cubs' deaths came as little surprise, but defended the decision not to capture the cubs. "These aren't simple issues, they are complex issues with lots of factors. And it's not a simple solution. It's a solution that involves every driver in Canada's parks, every hiker in Banff, every person that puts out a barbecue in a campground, right up to the prime minister in terms of the funds available for park management."
(Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, Globe and Mail 050909)
Orphan bear cubs killed by cars
The deaths of two orphaned grizzly cubs, killed by cars on the Trans-Canada Highway, has pushed the number of bears killed in Banff National Park to five since June -- almost one-tenth of the grizzly population in the park. The sole surviving cub of the two collisions near Banff late Wednesday night is being tracked for capture, destined for temporary quarantine at Calgary Zoo and an uncertain future. "Six bears out of the park this summer - that's 10 per cent of the population," said Tracey Henderson of Grizzly Bear Alliance, adding she was "heartbroken" by the deaths. The two cubs - one male, one female - were hit by two vehicles on the Trans-Canada Highway near Banff. The third cub, a male, was not injured. The cubs, less than a year old, were orphaned three weeks ago when their 10-year-old mother, Bear 66, was killed by a CPR train near Castle Junction. They had been closely monitored by Parks Canada staff, but their chances of survival had been put at less than 5%. It is thought the two cubs slipped under a fence beside the highway. The section of fence is older, and does not have an apron beneath the ground to prevent wildlife from travelling beneath it despite several years of lobbying to have it improved. Jim Pissot, of Defenders of Wildlife Canada, said the cubs' deaths came as little surprise, but defended the decision not to capture the cubs. "These aren't simple issues, they are complex issues with lots of factors. And it's not a simple solution. It's a solution that involves every driver in Canada's parks, every hiker in Banff, every person that puts out a barbecue in a campground, right up to the prime minister in terms of the funds available for park management."
(Calgary Herald, Calgary Sun, Globe and Mail 050909)
Globalization pipe dream?
Globalization (and capitalism by default) are thought to be unalterable natural laws of economics, however it should be noted that these concepts of trade and commerce are only a couple of hundred years old, and coincidentally are heavily reliant on having a cheap energy source in order for them to execute in their full capacity. I wonder how tenuous globalization actually is? Is it a way of doing business that will fall by the wayside as soon as the variable of cheap energy is removed from the equation? I predict that IF we are seeing the end of cheap oil inputs into our economic system, huge globalized companies such as Wal-Mart that base their entire supply chain on cheap energy inputs and the transportation companies that have fuel as a huge chunk of their capital expenses (ie. airlines) will be the first victims to shrivel in the post-oil age.
Global trade patterns vulnerable to high oil
The price of oil is poised to climb so high that it may dramatically change the dynamic of global trade and force companies to look closer to home for imports and exports, says a new paper by CIBC World Markets economists Jeff Rubin and Benjamin Tal. North American traders will be lured back to Mexico and Latin America and away from China and Asia, at least for some types of goods, as oil makes shipping costs prohibitive. They predict that the price of crude will reach US$100 a barrel by the end of 2007 and that the price of shipping manufactured goods will rise accordingly. Indeed, transportation costs could rise to a point that they become a barrier to global trade, and it may already be happening, the economists say. “It would pretty well offset the trade liberalization efforts of the past four decades,” Rubin said yesterday. He estimates that $100-a-barrel oil would be tantamount to almost tripling current tariff rates, and would force companies to re-examine how they do business. Many importers and exporters are not prepared for major changes to their supply routes and they will face a “huge challenge” dealing with higher costs. While higher transport costs will affect the price of different goods in different ways, overall transport costs will be about 130% more expensive at $100 oil than when oil cost just $30 a barrel. “All of a sudden, proximity to major markets becomes far more important in determining comparative advantage,” the economists write. “Distance translates directly into costs.” In particular, goods that cost a lot to ship will be affected the most. History backs up the argument, the economists say, pointing to previous oil shocks that brought global trade to a standstill.
But others argue that such the predictions are too simplistic. Robert Hattin, who runs a packaging machinery company in Hamilton, says there's no doubt high energy prices are making shipping far more expensive. “Whether it's a pouch of Sudafed or a car, your freight costs are going to go up,” he said yesterday. But establishing a new trade pattern can't be done quickly or cheaply. And many Canadian companies do most of their business within North America, and so a shift in pricing to Asia is not going to make a huge difference to his bottom line, and wouldn't prompt him to set up a new supply route. Rather, companies like his will wait out the higher energy prices and try to absorb the extra costs. Indeed, much of the CIBC World Markets argument depends on businesses believing that oil will indeed continue to climb, and stay expensive for some time to come, said Bernie Wolf, director of the international MBA program at York University. “The world doesn't change on a dime,” he said. “You won't make shifts if you're not sure these changes are relatively permanent.” Only a few months ago, predictions of oil prices of $100 a barrel or more seemed out in left field, but have since become more mainstream as prices keep climbing. Goldman Sachs caused a stir in March when its analysts warned prices could spike to US$105.
(National Post, Wall Street Journal, Globe and Mail 050909)
Global trade patterns vulnerable to high oil
The price of oil is poised to climb so high that it may dramatically change the dynamic of global trade and force companies to look closer to home for imports and exports, says a new paper by CIBC World Markets economists Jeff Rubin and Benjamin Tal. North American traders will be lured back to Mexico and Latin America and away from China and Asia, at least for some types of goods, as oil makes shipping costs prohibitive. They predict that the price of crude will reach US$100 a barrel by the end of 2007 and that the price of shipping manufactured goods will rise accordingly. Indeed, transportation costs could rise to a point that they become a barrier to global trade, and it may already be happening, the economists say. “It would pretty well offset the trade liberalization efforts of the past four decades,” Rubin said yesterday. He estimates that $100-a-barrel oil would be tantamount to almost tripling current tariff rates, and would force companies to re-examine how they do business. Many importers and exporters are not prepared for major changes to their supply routes and they will face a “huge challenge” dealing with higher costs. While higher transport costs will affect the price of different goods in different ways, overall transport costs will be about 130% more expensive at $100 oil than when oil cost just $30 a barrel. “All of a sudden, proximity to major markets becomes far more important in determining comparative advantage,” the economists write. “Distance translates directly into costs.” In particular, goods that cost a lot to ship will be affected the most. History backs up the argument, the economists say, pointing to previous oil shocks that brought global trade to a standstill.
But others argue that such the predictions are too simplistic. Robert Hattin, who runs a packaging machinery company in Hamilton, says there's no doubt high energy prices are making shipping far more expensive. “Whether it's a pouch of Sudafed or a car, your freight costs are going to go up,” he said yesterday. But establishing a new trade pattern can't be done quickly or cheaply. And many Canadian companies do most of their business within North America, and so a shift in pricing to Asia is not going to make a huge difference to his bottom line, and wouldn't prompt him to set up a new supply route. Rather, companies like his will wait out the higher energy prices and try to absorb the extra costs. Indeed, much of the CIBC World Markets argument depends on businesses believing that oil will indeed continue to climb, and stay expensive for some time to come, said Bernie Wolf, director of the international MBA program at York University. “The world doesn't change on a dime,” he said. “You won't make shifts if you're not sure these changes are relatively permanent.” Only a few months ago, predictions of oil prices of $100 a barrel or more seemed out in left field, but have since become more mainstream as prices keep climbing. Goldman Sachs caused a stir in March when its analysts warned prices could spike to US$105.
(National Post, Wall Street Journal, Globe and Mail 050909)
The Price of Partisanship
More criticism that top FEMA officials were Bush political appointments
Last Updated Fri, 09 Sep 2005 11:48:00 EDT
CBC News
As rescue workers prepare to speed up the process of retrieving the dead and New Orleans police are soon expected to begin removing the thousands of people still believed to be holding out in the city, the Washington Post reported Friday that President Bush chose unqualified political supporters rather than disaster experts to head the agency leading the relief effort.
The death toll from Hurricane Katrina topped 300 but is expected to climb higher. 25,000 body bags have been shipped to the area. And the dark-brown water poisoned by submerged bodies, bacteria, gasoline, oil, chemicals and debris is slowly falling. A fifth of the city's 75 major drainage pumps are back in operation.
The Washington Post reported Friday that five of the top eight officials at FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, had little experience in handling disasters and owed their jobs to their political ties to Bush. Further, the Post reports that as political operatives took the top jobs, professionals and experts in hurricanes and disasters left the agency.
The director of FEMA, Michael Brown, already under fire for his performance as the Hurricane Katrina disaster unfolded, came under further pressure when Time magazine reported that his official biography, released by the White House at the time of his nomination exaggerated his experience in disaster relief.
Brown was a friend of former Bush campaign director Joe Allbaugh, the previous FEMA head. Brown had also headed an Arabian horse association. Last week, as criticism of his response to the disaster grew, Bush gave Michael Brown a public vote of confidence when he said, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
Brown's biography on the FEMA website said he had once served as an "assistant city manager with emergency services oversight". Time magazine quoted an official in Edmond, Oklahoma as saying the job was actually "assistant to the city manager" with little responsibility. Time also said Brown padded his academic accomplishments.
In response to the report on Time's Web site, FEMA issued a statement that took issue with elements related to an unofficial biography and described his job in Edmond as "assistant to the city manager".
A Pew Research Centre poll said President Bush's approval rating fell to 40 per cent, down four points since July, to the lowest point Pew has recorded. The poll found that 67 per cent of Americans thought Bush could have done more to speed up relief efforts and only 28 per cent believed he did all he could.
To make matters more difficult for Bush, Colin Powell, the former U.S. secretary of state criticized the disaster response by all levels of government in an interview on ABC's 20/20 to be broadcast tonight.
"There was more than enough warning over time about the dangers to New Orleans. Not enough was done. I don't think advantage was taken of the time that was available to us, and I don't know why.
Last Updated Fri, 09 Sep 2005 11:48:00 EDT
CBC News
As rescue workers prepare to speed up the process of retrieving the dead and New Orleans police are soon expected to begin removing the thousands of people still believed to be holding out in the city, the Washington Post reported Friday that President Bush chose unqualified political supporters rather than disaster experts to head the agency leading the relief effort.
The death toll from Hurricane Katrina topped 300 but is expected to climb higher. 25,000 body bags have been shipped to the area. And the dark-brown water poisoned by submerged bodies, bacteria, gasoline, oil, chemicals and debris is slowly falling. A fifth of the city's 75 major drainage pumps are back in operation.
The Washington Post reported Friday that five of the top eight officials at FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, had little experience in handling disasters and owed their jobs to their political ties to Bush. Further, the Post reports that as political operatives took the top jobs, professionals and experts in hurricanes and disasters left the agency.
The director of FEMA, Michael Brown, already under fire for his performance as the Hurricane Katrina disaster unfolded, came under further pressure when Time magazine reported that his official biography, released by the White House at the time of his nomination exaggerated his experience in disaster relief.
Brown was a friend of former Bush campaign director Joe Allbaugh, the previous FEMA head. Brown had also headed an Arabian horse association. Last week, as criticism of his response to the disaster grew, Bush gave Michael Brown a public vote of confidence when he said, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
Brown's biography on the FEMA website said he had once served as an "assistant city manager with emergency services oversight". Time magazine quoted an official in Edmond, Oklahoma as saying the job was actually "assistant to the city manager" with little responsibility. Time also said Brown padded his academic accomplishments.
In response to the report on Time's Web site, FEMA issued a statement that took issue with elements related to an unofficial biography and described his job in Edmond as "assistant to the city manager".
A Pew Research Centre poll said President Bush's approval rating fell to 40 per cent, down four points since July, to the lowest point Pew has recorded. The poll found that 67 per cent of Americans thought Bush could have done more to speed up relief efforts and only 28 per cent believed he did all he could.
To make matters more difficult for Bush, Colin Powell, the former U.S. secretary of state criticized the disaster response by all levels of government in an interview on ABC's 20/20 to be broadcast tonight.
"There was more than enough warning over time about the dangers to New Orleans. Not enough was done. I don't think advantage was taken of the time that was available to us, and I don't know why.
Poll: Most Say Abandon Low-Lying Areas
By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer
6 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - More than half the people in this country say the flooded areas of New Orleans lying below sea level should be abandoned and rebuilt on higher ground
An AP-Ipsos poll found that 54 percent of Americans want the four-fifths of New Orleans that was flooded by Hurricane Katrina moved to a safer location.
Their skepticism about restoring New Orleans below sea level comes as the public mood has darkened after one of the nation's worst natural disasters.
Almost two-thirds, 65 percent, say the country is headed in the wrong direction — up from 59 percent last month. President Bush's job approval was at 39 percent, the lowest point since AP-Ipsos began measuring public approval of Bush in December 2003.
Two-thirds of those surveyed say the federal government was not adequately prepared to respond to the disaster. And about the same number said the state and local governments deserve much of the blame for the slow response.
Despite their gloomy mood, people are donating to hurricane victims at record levels. Almost two-thirds in the poll say they have already given money.
The poll of 1,002 adults was taken Sept. 6-8 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
6 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - More than half the people in this country say the flooded areas of New Orleans lying below sea level should be abandoned and rebuilt on higher ground
An AP-Ipsos poll found that 54 percent of Americans want the four-fifths of New Orleans that was flooded by Hurricane Katrina moved to a safer location.
Their skepticism about restoring New Orleans below sea level comes as the public mood has darkened after one of the nation's worst natural disasters.
Almost two-thirds, 65 percent, say the country is headed in the wrong direction — up from 59 percent last month. President Bush's job approval was at 39 percent, the lowest point since AP-Ipsos began measuring public approval of Bush in December 2003.
Two-thirds of those surveyed say the federal government was not adequately prepared to respond to the disaster. And about the same number said the state and local governments deserve much of the blame for the slow response.
Despite their gloomy mood, people are donating to hurricane victims at record levels. Almost two-thirds in the poll say they have already given money.
The poll of 1,002 adults was taken Sept. 6-8 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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