A duck walks into an oilslick...

Syncrude, a synthetic crude oil company, has been charged under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act and the Migratory Birds Convention Act for the deaths of 1,600 ducks in one of its tailing ponds. The company's lawyer is calling bullshit, noting the social trap that is our globalized, oil-dependent dystopian world. We all have blood on our hands, but Syncrude just has adorable duck blood on their hands; if the company loses in court, a precedent is set that would force businesses to be [more] accountable to environmental laws. Honestly, what company can be horribly profitable and continue to experience financial growth at a global scale if they can't engage in destructive behaviour?

I mean, what are a few ducks anyway?

Iggy.Wontgofar says:
"sick and tired of hearing about a few ducks dying - we consume many more than that daily at every cinese restuarant - PEKING DUCK ever heard of it????

The greens in this world make what suits them as a cause; hypocritical I'd say!!!"

From: "Syncrude conviction would end industry, lawyer argues" (CBC)

Tinfoil hats and the death penalty

I am not quite sure what the following comment has to do with the state of the death penalty in California, but it's pretty brilliant anyway:

CATEYESPRETTY said:

"I wish that Mr.Billy Graham would speak to the Presidents wife and tell her to quit terrorizing me by Satelite with my own dysfuntional family.And also meet with Mrs.Cindy McCain and Mrs.Ronald Reagan.They are terrorizing me and my family by satelite,stealing from us,putting the Lagos mafia on us.Cindy McCain put my father in a convalesant home in 2008,where he was strangled,then stole all of his money along with Michelle Obama.Now they are here at 23 Azalea Dr.Gretna,La trying to put me away for telling people what they have done and are still doing.They are controlling every aspect of my life.They even drove my sister into insanity,and she is still lying in a La mental hospital since hurricane Katrina.They also exploited me to thousands of people.Michelle Obama has people working for her saying she wants me powerless and she goes around tell all of the law informent agencies that we are mentally ill ,when we are not so she can lock us up and steal everything we have for her people in Lagos Nigeria and Kenya...."

From: "Calif. case spotlights dysfunctional death penalty" (Yahoo! via Associated Press)

Women serving on U.S. submarines = Frankenbabies

While women have been chivalrously been given the right to serve on submarines for quite some time in other countries, up until now, this was not the case in the United States. This is about to change, as it looks like the Navy is going to allow women, as well as non-closeted homosexuals to serve on submarines. To make matters "worse", smoking will now longer be allowed. Manly men are not happy.

The more scientifically inclined are not just concerned about moral issues of letting gays serve in the Navy; they are also concerned about how life on a submarine could damage a woman's ability to reproduce, which is totally counterintuitive to natural selection, right? Oh, the costliness of it all!

Postman2 said:
"Women of child-bearing age must be protected from the radiation and chemical loaded environment encountered in a submarine. Without the ability to deploy it's snorkle to "breathe" for weeks at a time, submarine atmosphere can become highly polluted with amine and other chemicals. Should a women be or become pregnant in this toxic environment, who knows what damage can occur to the fetus. How is the Navy going to protect against that?"

From : Plans to allow women and gays, ban smoking shake world of Navy submarines (Washington Post)

A few words on restructuring and budget cuts

André found this great comment. Not all comments need to be crude or poorly informed. When you bring Machiavelli in to illustrate fiscal choices a city can make, you know you have a winning comments.

Anthill said:
"Transit City [Note: Transit City is an expensive transit expansion plan in the city of Toronto] is the easiest cut, because it's hard to imagine how good it could be.

"The innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents, who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them." - Machiavelli, "The Prince""

From: Newstand: April 23, 2010 (Torontoist)

Happy Earth Day!

It's Earth Day, which means lots of articles about how to be green. Just last week, the thoughtful man in front of me at the grocery store had remembered to bring his reusable cloth bags. He had purchased a good ten bags of groceries, which is a lot to carry. Luckily his SUV was only parked a short walk from the entrance to the store. Hey, at least he's trying, right? As Kermit the frog lamented, "it's not easy being green".

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, here are some earthy comments:

Over at CBC, OwenAbrey said:

"Isn't it incumbent on science to qualify who has an invested interest in the outcome going a certain way?

If the only way a "climate scientist" can continue to be funded is if he produces a certain conclusion, shouldn't alarm bells be going off?

Finally, if Canada is paying grants on this area of science, who determines the terms of reference. For example, lets say this Mr Weaver influences funding, I would like to know yes or no. If he does, does the terms of reference in any way include AGW? If it does, it has prejudiced the study, and that study should be invalidated. What irritates me is the lack of disclosure.

No other field of science would tolerate the sloppiness, the lack of rigor, and the failure to disclose. It is the most serious blow to science perhaps ever. But like a chicken with its head cut off it is running all over the barnyard oblivious."


"B.C. climatologist sues National Post" (CBC)


Tractor said:
"Wasn't the murderer Ira Einhorn one of the founders of Earth Day....hmmmmmmm...I'll bet Holly Maddux would like to have something to say about it all. Oh I forgot, Ira turned her into compost in his closet while he was at an Earth Day rally. "

From: Earth Day turns 40: started humble, now global (Salt Lake City Tribune)

I'd want to think that this last comment is an attempt at trolling, but unfortunately I think I am incorrect:

unregistered user said:
"dude u suck who gives a crap i mean we arnt goin any where fast so u dont need to worry u envirment freak!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so in conclusion havent u noticed that ppl dont realy care about hybrid cars and houses also who gives a crap about alternitive recources so ur stupid and GAY"

From: Earth Day 2010 - 40th Anniversary (Seattle Post Intelligencer)

I lolled

The following comment is not original or surprising. This one is pretty popular.
Still, when I came across this comment today, I actually laughed out loud:

Some yahooligan wrote:

"QUESTION - IS IT TRUE OBAMA IS A MUSLIM ?"

From Obama keeps up pressure for financial overhaul (Yahoo!)

Mmm.. steamed cabbage... nomnomnom

I think this commenter's name "AustrianEconomics" was some sort of vague political reference to what the commenter thinks Austria stands for. I'm not quite sure, because this is from an article discussing the sodium content of Americans' diets, and potential government interventions to promote better eating habits.

AustrianEconomics posted:

"OMG, well it's about time, of course we should tell people not to eat salt!!!! how dare they eat food with flavor, no one should eat food with flavor. we should eliminate sugar, and spices as well. how dare we enjoy food. how DARE WE"

From: "FDA calls fort salt cutbacks" (Los Angeles Times)

Check your PhDee at the door, evolutionists!

New rule to keep dinosaurs fun: All dinosaurs must be at least 2 metres tall, because anything smaller isn't cool enough to merit a trip to the museum.

Thanks, Lukas, for this little gem!

"6sidedraftweber" said:

"Oh how cute… doggy “dinosaurs”…. So now we have Fido-rex as a new “species” to be inserted in the brain dead evolutionary agenda of the utterly duped. Mmmm hmmm there “science”… your paper PhDees in ‘man-came-from-monkees’ is making you guys look about as smart as a door stop…. I do like the artistic drawing however… that certainly “proves” that these cute little Dinos’s existed… for sure…"

From: "Doggy Dinosaur Was Built for Head-Butting" (FoxNews)

Charter of Rednecks and Freedom

Anonymous said:

"AND I HAVE WAY MORE FANS THAN THE RIGHTWING TROLLS WHO DESECRATE BOTH DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL FAIRNESS, SOME OF WHOM POST DOZENS OF COMMENTS, WITHOUT USING CAPS TO MAKE IT OBVIOUS THEY ARE THE SAME PERSON, ESPECIALLY POOR BASHING COMMENTS THAT QUALIFY AS HATE SPEECH UNDER THE CANADIAN CHARTTER OF RIGHTS YOU REDNECKS DESPISE SO MUCH!! AND YOU ONE OR TWO PEOPLE KNOW WHO YOU ARE, AS DO CANWEST EDITORS NO DOUBT!"

Comment posted in response to "Half of Vancouver Olympic Village social housing may go to market-rate rentals" (Vancouver Sun)

Capitalism stole my virginity

An important lesson for all about who wins at winning correctly:

Rick said

"People stop your whining and saying this and that about my Country and my Capitalism,if you don;t like it here then go back to where you came from and whine to your own government.If you want to live in a Capitalism country then shut your mouth, some of us are sick of your whining and trying to change OUR ways to suit you and by the way it was Capitalism that defeated Hitler and because of Capitalism the US became the most powerful country this a world has ever seen and the US of A is only a few hundred years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Comment posted in response to the story "Canadian flight lands in London as air traffic resumes" (CTV)