Gateway Pipeline

18 01 2012

“Maybe before we go through this Gateway, we should ask ourselves a few questions about our desired future.“  The quote is from an article in the Edmonton Journal by Mike Robinson of the Bill Reid Foundation.

That’s what bothers me most about our Government’s ‘git er done’ approach concerning the export of Western oil.  It’s as if jobs, the economy, jobs and more jobs are the only factors worth considering.  That’s the appearance at least, especially if you glance through local media.  I appreciate the concern too of potentially affected communities and the damage a theoretical spill may have on them, but even that is somewhat short-sighted given the ‘earthly’ concerns that spread far beyond our boundaries.  Sure we may provide ‘safe’ oil, ‘secure’ oil and even ‘environmentally friendly’ oil (spin is a wonderful thing) …but for what purpose?  To use obviously.  To use, to generate more use, and to eventually come back to haunt us like a dark cloud might drift across an unprotectable boarder.  The bigger picture needs to be looked at, and I haven’t heard anyone locally suggest talking about it.  Aside from this article in today’s paper that is.  Lol, but I suppose I don’t get out much either.

Mike Robinson also mentioned a book by Thomas Berger – Northern Frontier, Northern Homeland: the Report of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Inquiry (1977).  I remember reading this back in one of my early University classes.  I completely forget the course (obviously an option of some sort) and I recall only the Native Canadian instructor and some discussion with my Dad (who worked for oil companies for most of his life) around some things the book had to say.  Again, I don’t recall what we talked about other than talking, but considering how damning the report was then to pipeline development, they probably weren’t the most uninteresting conversations.  But it is odd how, as Mike suggests, we’re still at the same place we were over 30 years ago.  I suppose the national economy isn’t something to write home about, foreign enterprise isn’t as uneventful as it once was and the general state of connectedness we share with other countries is only adding to our pile of concerns …which only makes the lure of easy oil money that much more appealing.

To state the obvious this planet isn’t getting any less crowded.  I don’t think it’s a matter of whether or not these pipelines will happen, but more the case of when they’ll happen.  And unfortunately, given our present concerns at least, I don’t think another 30 years is going to make a difference in how we handle them.  But here’s hoping.

Image from yukondigitallibrary.ca


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bias

7 10 2011

I’m not saying this always happens, but it happens enough to take notice …a subtle variation of a confirmation bias that gets picked up by the media.  Selective reporting may be a better description.

Recently the City of Edmonton conducted a thorough review on the effects of lowering the posted residential speed limit in 6 communities from 50km/h to 40km/h.  Naturally, lowering the speed limit means vehicles drive slower which means less accidents occur which means the communities are safer etc, ec, etc …but you have to consider the data to understand exactly what the benefits actually are.  You can’t just naturally assume what you feel to be right.  The results were recently released however, and what stood out for me was the claim that the speed reduction trial “…resulted in a 25% drop in severe injuries from collisions.”  I thought this was odd for a few reasons; what sorts of ‘severe injuries’ occur in residential communities with speed limits of 50km/h and more importantly, how is it that a 10km reduction in speed translated into a 25% drop?  It didn’t sit right.  The number of severe injuries would normally be low in the first place, and a reduction in speed from 50km/h to 40km/h is quite negligible, so why would there be a dramatic 25% drop?

But that’s stats for you; mailable data …often customized to suit your own needs.  If a stat says that there was a 25% reduction in severe injuries and you naturally assume that the stat itself is for the benefit of your community and neighborhood, then you would naturally confirm your bias by giving that information elevated importance.  Case in point, both Global Edmonton and the Edmonton Journal lead off their related articles with a statement to exactly that – a 25% decrease in severe injuries.  And sadly, rather than going on about any of the other data collected by the study (“Overall, operating speeds were reduced by 7%“) they (the Journal in this case) post personal comments that are at times unrelated to the study  …”It’s about community safety, it’s about reduced collisions, it’s about creating that safe environment … where kids can play without fearing being hit by speeding vehicles, -Coun. Amarjeet Sohi said.”  Well, not really Councillor Sohi, it’s more about presenting information that furthers your own preconceived ideas as to how 40km/h will be a better speed than 50km/h.  If you think that reducing speeds by 10km/h in residential zones will reduce collisions, then you will use that sort of data to further your opinion.  It’s also about selling papers too, lets not forget that.

As for the data itself, well …the best way to read it is to actually read it: (PDF on this site)

“According to the time-series intervention model, the estimates of the overall odds ratio for severe collision was 0.75, implying reductions in predicted collision counts of 25% with a 95% confidence interval of -81%, 77%. Alternatively, the estimates of the overall odds ratio for PDO collisions was 0.94, implying reductions in predicted collision counts of 6% with a 95% confidence interval of -28%, 21%. The results of the analysis are depicted in Figure ES7.  However, these reductions were not significant, as the 95% confidence interval included zero, implying no change or no effect. Generally, when a confidence interval is very wide like this one, it is an indication of an inadequate sample size (i.e. short “After” period) and implies poor precision. Consequently, the results of the collision analysis were inconclusive and additional research will be required to substantiate the impact of the pilot project on the number and frequency of collisions.“

But hey, let’s not forget about the children ;)


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supply and demand

1 08 2011

This article by Shelia Pratt in the Edmonton Journal the other day got me thinking …not so much about the plight of the Somali emigrants or the transition some face when coming to a new part of the country (which is important and meaningful stuff to be sure!) but instead about drugs, gangs and drug related violence.  What exactly is it that we are trying to ‘fix’ in these situations?  Sure, drugs are bad.  Gangs are bad too.  Fighting over drugs and territory leads to deaths and future violence …common sense.  What we seem to miss though is that drugs serve a purpose.  Ditto for gangs; they’re both filling holes.

Drugs fill ‘happy’ holes.  They give us that ‘something’ we don’t get in our un-drugged lifestyle.  Going after the pushers and dealers somewhat ignores the more important fact that us ‘regular’ people desire their services.  We’re the ones who keep them in business.  It’s supply and demand basically, and rather than addressing the reasons for us wanting drugs in the first place, we conveniently skip over our own shortcomings and look to the dealers …it’s their fault we want what they’ve got.  But it’s not them though, it’s us.  When was the last time you met a dealer whose livelihood depended on making a non-drug user want drugs?  It doesn’t happen because they don’t care.  If you’re not interested in what they’ve got, they won’t spend another minute trying to convert you.  They’re not in the business of making people want drugs …they just pass them out.

Gangs on the other hand fill ‘family’ holes.  They give certain people a purpose, a community and a meaningfulness that they don’t get from the families they would normally relate with.  Gangs are that substitute family for those whose regular family isn’t quite what it should be.  That is to say; there’s something missing from it.  It could be anything, but ultimately it doesn’t provide enough …which is a big reason why people seek out gangs.  Kid-people typically; not getting the right attention from the family bringing them up …no matter what shape it may happen to take.

So there you go, drugs and gangs are bad.  People and families though …sad.  It’s so much easier to blame others.  It’s easier to look for an excuse than it is to admit there’s a problem.  I don’t believe it’s a ‘traditional vs modern’ conflict either.  The problem it seems is not just admitting that there’s an issue, but coming to an understanding that there’s always going to be an issue …and that’s just what life is.  Issues. All sorts, too.

Maybe it’s time to own up to them?


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thoughts…

16 07 2011

“Personally I think the farmers themselves -myself included -are to blame, for going along with the creation of a food system that severed the cord between farmer and consumer.“

That’s a neat little quote from Darcy Goodrich Hardisty in the Edmonton Journal letters section earlier today.  He discusses, essentially, the disconnect between global and local markets in terms of food consumption, but what I found interesting was its relation to music.  Lol, just hear me out …and substitute ‘food system’ for ‘music business’.  For example, look at the disconnect between artists and fans when big business steps up as the middle man …and as a consequence of this the independent, local artist becomes less valued in comparison with the larger, factory-bred equivalent.  Music on a small scale isn’t really good until it hits the big market, that’s the presumption at least …and that bond between local artists and fans is essentially hijacked by the greed quest for success.

I was once told that your value as an artist is whatever the market will bear.  I thought that was wrong not because wanting to make hoards of cash is bad but because the product your producing as an artist isn’t an essential service.  You’re hyping ‘art’ …and the resulting economy produced by this (large scale touring with support teams, studio/video production, publishing, copyright, branding/marketing etc.) is not just often hollow and frivolous (how many number 1′s can there be!) but inadvertently hurts the independent ‘artist’ who is trying to reach out to local fans that have been brought up on a diet of glitz, glam and the cult of celebrity.  The artists’ need for stardom has led to their fans quest for the same, and stardom is always looked for elsewhere.  The severing of the cord as Darcy puts it is just the consequence of …greed business.

I’ll let that simmer over the weekend ;)


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Journal targets Sun readers

19 10 2008

‘TERRORISTS TARGET U.S.A. VIA ALBERTA’

That’s the headline from today’s Edmonton Journal – typically a liberal paper who’s fairly cautious with the use of exaggeration and hyperbole. Usually. Not in this case though. The article discusses the idea that Alberta’s (BC) pipelines and oil properties, which supply the U.S., are vulnerable targets that can be used by terrorists to inflict economical damage to the States.

Aside from disrupting the oil and gas industry, these actions would also “hurt the rest of the economy …and shake up consumer confidence and foreign policy decision-making.” …according to the Calgary-based defense and security analyst Mercedes Stephenson. Stephenson’s unbiased view on our security needs aside, who else better to have input then a company called Global Strategic Resources, which develops and teaches emergency-preparedness courses in the U.S. and Russia. The company’s founder Igor Shafhid mentions that international foes of the U.S. are “closely watching that nation’s sharp economic decline …Those are things terrorists states or countries will take advantage of. If it goes towards recession or depression in the United States, I suspect some activities might start happening in the next few years in the form of biological, radiological or who-knows-what-else terrorism.“

Be at ease though kids, because he also states that terrorists “are in a waiting time right now.” and that “there’s no need to fear the world will be destroyed.” – lol. Whew, that’s relieving. I don’t mind the world being destroyed, but if it could happen later rather than sooner then at least I can get around to a few things I’ve been putting off.

Sarcasm aside, I suppose I should fill you in on a little background to this whole ‘terrorists striking the oil patch’ thing. You see, just last week there were two separate bombings directed at pipelines that run through the land surrounding Dawson Creek, which is a B.C. town close to the Alberta border. Certain land owners from that area are the hands-down favorites for being the culprits, and their complaints stem from the treatment they receive from the oil companies who buy and use the neighboring lands. This is nothing new of course, and there is a long history of conflict between farmers and oil companies in that area, the most public being the case of farmer/activist Wiebo Ludwig who, in the late 90′s, was convicted of bombing and vandalism because he felt the oil companies sour gas wells affected the health of the residents in the area.

The latest pipeline bombings seem to be the same thing happening all over again.

What grinds my gears however is that this time around, the idea of ‘disgruntled farmers’ is being used to imply something unrelated – terrorism. Terrorism, that is, as most of us ‘post 9-11′ people understand it. To even remotely conclude/associate that the Alberta oil-patch is a prime target for international terrorism because of an incident involving upset farmers and imperious oil companies is simply careless. Reckless. Sensationalizing. The Edmonton Journal is not the Edmonton Sun – at least not yet!

In a neighboring article by Elise Stolte, Mr. Wiebo Ludwig is interviewed and he shares his thoughts on the actions of those responsible for the new pipeline bombings. He makes some very interesting comments. “It drives people to the point where they have to take the law into their own hands ….they take something more than the law in their own hands – something having to do with justice that is beyond the law, because our laws don’t embrace it. …I’ve been there; I’ve wanted to do terrible things to the industry because of what was happening to us here – not because I wanted to pay them back, but to stop them somehow because they wouldn’t listen. We talked for six years to authorities, wrote letters ad nauseam, and everybody just passed the buck. And when you get to that point, you say, well, there’s only one thing left. You’ve got to shake them up.” Although Mr. Ludwig is far-removed form the image of an international terrorist, I wonder if perhaps his opinions might lend some insight into this type of mind?

Or maybe it’s just the case that the Edmonton Journal was along the right track …and Osama Bin Laden was driving the pick-up truck that some people saw leaving the scene of the pipeline blast ;)

Who knows, maybe the terrorist mastermind got tired of living in his cave.


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