The PenOpticon

"Now mind you, people make mistakes" is what Fredericton Judge, Graydon Nicholas, told a packed courtroom after sentencing Peter Leon Howe to two years "house arrest" yesterday. Howe's crime? Last July, he killed a 22-year-old cyclist and left him dying at the side of the road.  Howe had consumed a case of beer and half a bottle of whisky at a party. He was smashed out of his mind when he refused an offer to stay over with a relative, got in his car, and ran down Robbie MacRitchie, 23. What a sad, unnecessary tragedy.  A drunken, irresponsible idiot, gets to walk away after snuffing out the life of a young man who was minding his own business — and being kind to the planet — by cycling. So what if it was Howe's first offense!  Anyone who gets behind the wheel of a car after consuming that much alcohol must have been practicing and honing his "skill" for a number of years.  This may be the first time Howe has killed someone, but it seems likely — and lucky — that he simply "missed" on earlier drunken outings. Of course, that's pure speculation on my part.  Maybe Howe never had a drink in his life and just decided to test his limits last summer. Regardless, "house arrest" is a ridiculous sentence.  But what should we do this people like this?  I'm just writing from rage over such a stupid crime and sadness for the MacRitchie family. As for me, my body aches from a couple of days cycling to work. I was going to bus it today, but I'm going to pedal anyhow. See if I can spin some rage into a little joy. And remembrance.

Looks like I'm raiding YouTube again, but this is too good to miss.  Roy's lyrics would make Richard Dawkins grin like a chimp and they sure put a smile on my face.  There's a long preamble before he starts playing, but it's worth the wait — Zimmerman throws in some kick-ass Bluegrass licks, too. A true Evolutionary:

The Toronto Star's Catherine Porter has written a lovely catalogue of the global warming horrors that await Toronto and the GTA in the coming decades: drought, flash floods, algal blooms, power shortages, water shortages, mosquito-borne disease… you get the idea.  My only quibble is that nowhere does Porter acknowledge that all of these problems will be exacerbated by population growth and development.  Prosperity in Ontario is fueled by population growth and that population is rapidly pushing east, west and north around the Golden Horseshoe. The Ontario government has decreed that four million additional souls will feed off this land over the next 25 years. God knows how many of us will be sustained in 2050.

This growth will come largely because of federal immigration policy which is slated to admit some 300,000 immigrants per year.  As a Queen's University study notes "Immigration has become the central dynamic in both population and labour force growth in Canada."  The authors of this study explain that in the late 1980's Canadian immigration policy moved away from setting immigration levels to match short-run economic conditions.  Instead, our government now takes  an optimistically long view of things and ignores current unemployment and economic performance when setting immigration targets.  I would add that the feds also ignore environmental factors and the carrying capacity of the land when setting these levels.

Instead, the problem of where to house those extra four million bodies has been downloaded to Ontario.  And Ontario, with dubious wisdom, has cranked out the "Places to Grow" plan. This "plan" is really more like a menu that details how the southern half of this province will be carved up and served to developers. I ranted over the folly of this plan a while back, and groups such as the Neptis Foundation have found their own faults with it.  They point out that Ontario's Places to Grow plan:

1. Does not contain measures that would result in the better, more productive development of currently unbuilt areas within urban boundaries, nor in significantly increased re-urbanization of the built-up areas of the region.
2. Does not provide strong protection for environmentally sensitive lands not associated with the Greenbelt. Much stronger policies are needed in a growth management plan.
3. Does not protect agricultural land across the whole region. The proposed policies retain the standards currently in force, which have failed to protect farmland.
4. May not decrease automobile use and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the plan’s support for transit, complementary measures to reduce automobile dependence are not included.
5. Contains few specifics on how success will be tracked and measured.

Even the Neptis critique, while it makes valid points, never questions the fundamental assumption that Ontario's population needs to grow significantly beyond current levels.  Of course, the issue of immigration — since the majority of Canadians are immigrants or the children of immigrants — is a touchy one. But it is an issue that must be addressed if we are to make real progress in reducing our environmental footprint in order to ensure long-term survival and a decent life for our children.

The stereotypical image of modern-day televangelists is so deeply embedded in North American culture, that it is hard to imagine how these hucksters continue to attract and keep followers. Today's Toronto Star expose of Toronto's Prayer Palace is a case in point.  This flying-saucer-shaped Prayer Palace sprawls over a large property at Finch Ave and Highway 400. The Star's investigation uncovered a pattern of shady business dealings, exposed the opulent lifestyle enjoyed by Pastor Paul Melnichuk and his twin sons, Tim and Tom (also pastors in the church), and illustrated the good intentions of a 3000-strong congregation that is largely ignorant of the fact that they are being duped.

While the Star's coverage suggests this "church" does little in the way of charity work, it has nothing to say about the group's methods or the content of its services. For this information we turn to the Ship of Fools, a site that employs "mystery worshippers" to rate churches — sort of a Consumer Report on places of worship. The Ship of Fools review of the Toronto Prayer Palace is less then glowing and includes this slightly menacing episode:

What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
As the three-hour mark approached and the altar call and second offering were announced, I left, so I really can't say. But I was doing double-duty at the Prayer Palace that Sunday. Not only was I worshipping mysteriously, but I was doing a review for a popular television program that spotlights spirituality in contemporary Canada. When I returned with the crew to film my piece on the sidewalk outside the church, we were shadowed by several church members and interrupted several times by a rather large and imposing usher. A car drove from the church and parked behind our cars for a few minutes; I thought I saw someone in the car take down our license plate numbers. These people were not at all pleasant and obviously strove to make us uncomfortable. Frankly, they gave me the creeps; my producer actually feared for our (and our camera's) safety.

Creepy, for sure, but then the prospect of spending three hours a week in a place like the Prayer Palace, sounds like hell to me. So why even bother to waste keystrokes on a story like this. After all, if people really want to give a tenth of their income to help support the Melnichuk lifestyle, then that is their choice.  However, as a tax payer, I want more accountability from churches and other charitable organizations. Let them all file a quarterly report detailing the amounts received and spent. If money is being diverted merely for the pleasure of the pastors, revoke their status as a charitable group and let them pay taxes. Can I get an Amen on that?

YouTube is famous for prank videos and bone-crushing skateboard mishaps, but video clip culture also allows the world to sample pockets of beauty and skill that would never have seen the light of day a few years ago. These days anyone can "make it" — all you have to do is make it.  That's what Andy McKee did. Check out this gorgeous piece of music that blends complex tapping, harmonics and guitar percussion techniques to create a rich, mesmerizing sound.  Clearly,  Andy McKee has listened to and learned much from the likes of Michael Hedges, Don Ross and other players who have redefined the acoustic guitar for the digital age. Thanks for sharing this Andy: