THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

[Gary Ruben]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

You're probably right about no Ontario election in the near future, although, going another few years and possibly watching their leader blow another lead can't be appealing. Right now I think the Cons are leading in the polls. Come election time in a few years they might not be. McGuinty is a better campaigner than Hudak. He presents a more positive image and message on TV and that's what it's all about.

In this riding the federal conservative beat the incumbent liberal. The provincial election did not have an incumbent in this riding. The Liberals won by a lot. The federal and provincial riding boundaries are the same. Which brings up the question of why the vote changed in such a short time from conservative to liberal if it wasn't image and message.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

I don't think Ontario will end up bankrupt. People should expect to pay for the electricity they get and the companies should expect to be paid for the electricity they deliver.

If the Liberals smarten up we won`t end up bankrupt. Ontario can`t afford to have higher energy costs than its competitors for manufacturing jobs which for the most part are the U.S. as they have already lost most of the jobs that can go to China and India and Asian countries.

Unless you think the federal NDP can repeat in Quebec they won't be a force in the next election. I see the Liberals making a return and judging by the attack ads on Rae the conservatives do as well. The conservatives aren't really doing that well. The passed laws against Air Canada to keep the airline running and so far haven't been able to enforce that law. The thing is if Rae wins as Liberal leader (if he even runs for the position) the conservatives will need a majority every time. Rae knows how to work minority governments.

Do you think Ontario is building for a non confidence vote and an election this year? The federal attack ads on Rae and the Ontario bashing in general could be a lead up to a non confidence vote and election. If they can get the NDP to go along with it. Horwath seems to me to be satisfied with what she has right now.

Hard to say that the NDP will manage to maintain their position in Quebec but only time will tell. Quebec is pretty volatile politically. I don`t think the liberals are that exciting to Quebec.

I don`t see any point at trying to defeat the Ontario Liberals at this point as the NDP and Conservatives are not logical coalition partners and another election would not return a different result.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

In other words Gary you are over the hill and when it comes your time there may unfortunately not be an ice flow to send you adrift on to your endgame reward. We may have to give you a Viking funeral instead which would then add to global warming. Irony upon irony.

I don't know about the Viking funeral. I never liked the heat that much. :) Cremation is expensive. They use a lot of natural gas. Probably the environmentalists don't know.

Anyhow, just so I make it to the big chess game in the sky. Maybe Capablanca will spot me a rook.

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

Gary, this has not happened before in March. Never. I was outside for about one hour and my skin is all tight, this happens when the uv index is high. I must try and see what the ozone levels are like this year, last year ozone was down 40% in the unprecedented hole.

Gary, you are an elderly person, who has no doubt lived a good life. I doubt the young of today will be able to have that priviledge. Show some respect and empathy for todays youth, what type of a life will they be having. With changes this fast I do know what will happen, this is just the start.

In other words Gary you are over the hill and when it comes your time there may unfortunately not be an ice flow to send you adrift on to your endgame reward. We may have to give you a Viking funeral instead which would then add to global warming. Irony upon irony.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

I don't think Ontario will end up bankrupt. People should expect to pay for the electricity they get and the companies should expect to be paid for the electricity they deliver. No more, no less. For people who don't have fixed rate contracts for natural gas and electricity, the price of electricity may well be up but the price of natural gas this winter is likely less due to the weather. If they heat with electricity that should also be lower due to the warm weather. Rising property taxes is a bigger problem. There are some big companies involved in wind. Transalta runs wind at Wolfe Island, On. and Shelburne, On. They produce around 400 MW of electricity from wind. It's not an insignificant amount.

It might well be worse for those wanting to hook solar up to the grid. I haven't kept up on that. One company in Ontario is trying to sell its photowatt division in Ontario and has been for some time.

Unless you think the federal NDP can repeat in Quebec they won't be a force in the next election. I see the Liberals making a return and judging by the attack ads on Rae the conservatives do as well. The conservatives aren't really doing that well. The passed laws against Air Canada to keep the airline running and so far haven't been able to enforce that law. The thing is if Rae wins as Liberal leader (if he even runs for the position) the conservatives will need a majority every time. Rae knows how to work minority governments.

Do you think Ontario is building for a non confidence vote and an election this year? The federal attack ads on Rae and the Ontario bashing in general could be a lead up to a non confidence vote and election. If they can get the NDP to go along with it. Horwath seems to me to be satisfied with what she has right now.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

What do you think of the new pricing and rules for wind and solar the provincial government announced earlier today?

I think the pricing is still too high and "the most generous in the world" as advertised by one of the local solar companies. It should reduce the stampede a bit and still bankrupt Ontario if enough producers are able to take advantage of it. Apparently Ontario Hydro has hit the producers with extra charges to hook up with the grid, further reducing the supposed guaranteed return. The whole scenario is very iffy for an individual considering taking advantage of this new gold rush.

Have you seen the conservative attack ads on Bob Rae? I guess they don't want him to win the liberal party leadership. Rae has been a nightmare for the Conservatives. It was Rae who moved the non confidence motion which defeated the Joe Clark government. After Rae moved to provincial politics, the Conservatives won the most seats in the provincial election. They were something like about 5 seats short of a majority. Bob Rae made the agreement with David Peterson which made the liberal Peterson the Premier and ended more than 40 years of Conservative rule in Ontario.

I would wait until Rae wins to start poisoning the water. Rae has some baggage that will hurt him in the future. He is a known quantity. There is no need to play the cards so early. There is the perception that this Tory attack ad strategy helped to derail Dion and Ignatieff, but the fact is that their own ineffectiveness and the policies that they promoted and their election tactics had more to do with their demise than some negative ads did.

If the conservatives can reign in their own excesses they have pretty smooth sailing through the next election. A lot is riding on the NDP choice of a party leader and at the moment I can see the Liberals returning to their role as the official opposition but of course things can change quickly.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

What do you think of the new pricing and rules for wind and solar the provincial government announced earlier today?

Have you seen the conservative attack ads on Bob Rae? I guess they don't want him to win the liberal party leadership. Rae has been a nightmare for the Conservatives. It was Rae who moved the non confidence motion which defeated the Joe Clark government. After Rae moved to provincial politics, the Conservatives won the most seats in the provincial election. They were something like about 5 seats short of a majority. Bob Rae made the agreement with David Peterson which made the liberal Peterson the Premier and ended more than 40 years of Conservative rule in Ontario.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

I took a long walk today along the Ganatchio trail which is by Sand Point beach. Sightings of hot women wearing flattering clothing = 16 including one very hot blonde wearing a skimpy bikini. Global warming due to end of ice age = priceless. Please can I have more of it?

We (my wife and I) went to the cemetery to tidy up a bit. We usually don't go until late April when it warms up.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

I took a long walk today along the Ganatchio trail which is by Sand Point beach. Sightings of hot women wearing flattering clothing = 16 including one very hot blonde wearing a skimpy bikini. Global warming due to end of ice age = priceless. Please can I have more of it?

[Gary Ruben]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

Gary, you are an elderly person, who has no doubt lived a good life. I doubt the young of today will be able to have that priviledge. Show some respect and empathy for todays youth, what type of a life will they be having. With changes this fast I do know what will happen, this is just the start.

Yes, I suppose we all try to live a good life. However, life is also about loss and pain.

I've long ago stopped fighting the battles I don't think I can win. LIfe is here and it's now and it's what we make of it, the way I see things. If there is something after then it's a bonus.

[Paul Beckwith]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

Gary, this has not happened before in March. Never. I was outside for about one hour and my skin is all tight, this happens when the uv index is high. I must try and see what the ozone levels are like this year, last year ozone was down 40% in the unprecedented hole.

Gary, you are an elderly person, who has no doubt lived a good life. I doubt the young of today will be able to have that priviledge. Show some respect and empathy for todays youth, what type of a life will they be having. With changes this fast I do know what will happen, this is just the start.

[Gary Ruben]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

What will happen in the summer? Next winter as more sea-ice vanishes? Beyond that?

I hope you were working on your suntan today.

Ice vanishes every year. Icebergs break away and melt. This is the 100th anniversary of the Titanic which hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic.

I don't know what the rest of the year will bring. Weather is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you will get.

[Paul Beckwith]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

[Paul Beckwith]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

What will happen in the summer? Next winter as more sea-ice vanishes? Beyond that?


Temperature above normal (March 8 to 15th, 2012) Bright red is +15 degrees Celcius Climate change in action...

[Gary Ruben]

Re: THE NEW One and Only Climate Change Whatever...

I think that they already have found "better, safer, and more efficient ways" but the idea of nuclear power summons up a great deal of opposition that many politicians would prefer to avoid dealing with.

The Americans are still using a Gaseous diffusion (1940's technology) for making the SWU's for their light water reactors. Most others have started using Centrifuge technology. The plant using it also buys SWU's from Russia and will for some time. Even after the Megatons to Megawatts program finishes. They refuel about half the nuclear reactors in the U.S. and about a quarter of the ones in the world from what I know. And that includes reactors in Japan.