In today's Globe on the front page with photo, a story of interest strictly to those nostalgic for all things 1988: 'Bobsledders make a cool run to B.C.' [ed. note -- I hope this is not their idea of going for that coveted 'younger' demographic]
On page 3: 'Canada ties for last among developed countries in early-childhood care'
page 7: Canada becoming pariah for aggressive indifference to global warming
page 13: those Greek riots explained, sort of
Given how many of them are required, I can understand having a cap on the prominence of articles to the effect 'Canada under Harper increasingly a shithole'. But I can't be the only person who's been wondering for a few days why Athens is in flames.
I note that the Jamaican bobsled story is kind of hard to find on-line, since it's accurately treated as a minor story under Sports. Evidently on-line readers are assumed to be more interested in that whole 'news' thing.
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I was very relieved to see the 'Canada becoming a pariah' article, no matter what page it was on, since one of the greatest failings of the Canadian media over the last year or two has been its almost total lack of coverage on this issue. We've coasted for years on a combination of profound self-righteousness and a misapprehension of reality, feeling sure that because we have lots of, um, nature, and also blue boxes, we must have a sterling environmental record and must OF COURSE be on the side of the angels in international negotiations on the question. Well, no.
Just as an example, I have it on reliable authority that Ottawa was very wary about getting boxed in to commitments on the environment file by Germany during the G8 Summit in 2007 (even Bush wound up being far more forthcoming than Harper). The word was to "beware Angela Merkel" - because she had actually read the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and supported its conclusions.
Sorry? Beware Angela Merkel? The woman, let us not forget, is a trained scientist (doctoral thesis on quantum chemistry). We're meant to beware her because she's actually read - and what's more, undoubtedly understood - the report of a panel that, as its name suggests, is not just a panel of experts, but is reviewed by governments as well - including the Canadian government...
We should *beware* her because she thinks that the conclusions the panel has drawn are reasonable? For crying out loud, the panel's conclusions reflect the current consensus in the global scientific community!! What are we doing by NOT concluding the panel's conclusions are reasonable? oh, don't get me started...
Yes, it's time we woke up and realised that we're actually the bad guys for once - and what's more, seen as such by the outside world.
(Although let's not hasten to beatify Merkel too quickly - she may be way ahead of us when it comes to action on climate change, but only to the extent that it doesn't prevent German auto manufacturers from continuing to turn out big sleek sedans, or what's left of German heavy industry to keep those smokestacks belching).
Yes, it's very odd the way Canadians just sort of assume we're better than the US on environmental stuff, no matter what our government actually does.
It means people don't really get angry, which allows Harper to get away with truly evil stuff. He doesn't even pretend much. This is the guy who in 2002 sent out a fundraising letter about "the 'battle of Kyoto' — our campaign to block the job-killing, economy-destroying Kyoto accord." I reckon he's a denialist at heart, though he doesn't quite dare frame it that way. But Canadians just don't care.
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