Of Ducks and Death

Just when a decision was made finding Syncrude responsible for the deaths of approximately 1,600 ducks in April 2008, the company finds itself under the lens once again only five days after the decision was handed down. On October 27, another Syncrude tailings pond dealt a death blow to 230 ducks in the Athabasca oil-sands production area of Alberta.

This is a shameful event, and in the least, incredibly bad timing for Syncrude.

From a Public Relations POV, Syncrude's CEO, Scott Sullivan, has reacted by holding a news conference and issuing a statement regarding the tragedy. He also revealed the unfortunate news that the death toll would likely rise, (as he himself updated the number of birds euthanized to 330) saying, "I think we need to engage the scientific community and we need to understand what role weather played in this event, and any other factors that made this different." – Syncrude has claimed that an occurrence of freezing rain in the area forced the ducks to land in order to avoid the poor flying conditions.

Sullivan's admission that there is a need to engage the scientific community so events like this are not repeated is appropriate, but I would like to know the level of involvement science played in determining Syncrude's existing barriers. Other companies have had success in preventing this from happening. The question now for Syncrude is whether or not its deterrent methods were being properly deployed.

If Sullivan is going to be as forthcoming as he says he will be about revealing where Syncrude can improve, maybe ducks won't need to die such horrible deaths in the future. Due to society's thirst for fuel, it's an unfortunate reality that oil sand extraction in Alberta isn't leaving any time soon.

Pardon me whilst I run past you naked...

I really wanted to write a clever title like, "Streakers In Sneakers" for this blog post, but alas, in many cases the folks I saw in the photos I collected (most of which by Getty Images and Associated Press) were not wearing any. But, I'm sure the above title grabbed your attention just the same.

Now, I'm no prude, but I have to say the people above known as, "streakers," are a hard group to peg. Clearly they are trying to draw attention to a movement, idea, company--or maybe just themselves--and nudity always grabs a headline, but what does that say about us? Okay, maybe I am a prude.

This subject came to the forefront of my attention because a man in the U.S. decided to streak a Democratic Party rally where President Barack Obama was speaking. Juan Rodriguez took up a challenge by a web company, BattleCam.com, that offered to pay $1,000,000 to anyone who would streak the U.S. President with its website written across his or her chest. He or she also had to yell out the website's name a half-dozen times.

Truly we are witnessing desperate measures in a depressed American economy.

Now, a person can easily counter with, "People are talking about BattleCam.com now, right? There is truth in this, but I question the level of dialogue that will surround this company in the long run. I liken it to fireworks going off in the middle of the afternoon. A limited number of people will witness it, and the timing will (hopefully) be seen as inappropriate.

There will always be an audience for the goofy and absurd, but I worry that this mindset is entering areas where respect and decorum used to exist.

Triumph In the Jungle

I first heard about Ingrid Betancourt in a 2004 documentary on CBC's The Passionate Eye called, The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt. Her story saddened me in that there was no resolution at the end of the story. At the time CBC aired the production, two years after she had been kidnapped in 2002, Betancourt was still being held captive by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia) Many believe it was her progressive views, and her running as the OXYGEN- Green Party candidate during the presidential campaign, that led to her disappearance three months before the Columbian elections were held.

Betancourt was freed this past July in a daring move to release her and 14 other hostages that were still being held captive. She had now been missing for over six years. When I heard of her freedom in the news, my memory brought me back to how I had felt after watching The Passionate Eye documentary. Her story finally had a positive conclusion.

Betancourt has written a book about her ordeal called, Even Silence Has An End. My one complaint is that the book's release has come when I cannot dedicate the time I would need to delve into its 544 pages. Red River College is my mistress at present. There are simply too many assignments to do, and assigned books to read, that a pleasure read (if this book could even be so called) is not possible. I will buy it, but the book will have to patiently wait.

The fact that Betancourt has beaten the odds and came out alive in this horror story is a testament of her determination to live. A happy ending to this story shouldn't have taken six years to be written, but I'm glad it has finally come.

Newsweek Is Weak

I'm not a die-hard political follower, but there is one publication that I like to digest on a regular basis. Weekly, even. I've tried Macleans magazine this past year, but for some reason it never really grabbed my attention. One magazine that has been able to overcome my erratic attention span is Newsweek.

Newsweek was launched in 1933 by a group of U.S. stockholders. In 1961, The Washington Post Company purchased Newsweek and has held onto it for the past 49 years.

Until the Post revealed last week that it sold Newsweek for $1 this past summer.

Newsweek's total liabilities were in excess of $47 million, so don't run out with your bag o' loonies trying to source out a deal. This venerable magazine is worth a lot more in my opinion as at least an introduction for many people into the larger issues facing our world. American politics can be very entertaining as well. I only wish their influence was curbed a little bit more so the rest of the world didn't have to worry about the possibility of an ex-Alaskan governor controlling arguably the most powerful nation on the planet.

I hope Newsweek can sort out its financial troubles in order to stay afloat. There's no real enemy here, it's just the state of the magazine market in 2010. Until the day comes when we are comfortable enough to read everything online (or magazines become solely a subscription market), a magazine's publication costs will always threaten its bottom line. Newsweek's $5.95 per issue cost doesn't help its situation either and the reason why I've been a subscriber for the past three years. When you're trying to print a quality magazine every week in a declining ad market, I guess you can sometimes shoot yourself in the foot. I suppose the commentary of contributors Fareed Zakaria, Jonathan Alter, and George F. Will don't come cheap; nor should they. They are worthwhile investments to their institution, journalism. Jon Meacham, Newsweek's editor, has left the magazine to pursue other interests, leaving behind some large shoes to fill. His insight into the week's events were always thoughtful and intelligent.

There is still hope though I guess. Journalistic opinion need not lie in publications on the newsstand. There are always the likes of small "r" Republicans to fill in the gaps left behind.

So, what's so great about The Event?

Even though I'm considered a target market, I still feel I'm a tough nut to sell. Every once in a while though I wait with anticipation (not "Glee") when a television program makes a decent attempt to get my attention. So it was with said expectation that I parked myself on the couch to watch, wait for it (feigned suspense), The Event.

The Event had all the good trademarks of a television premiere; commercial build-up, suspense, secrecy, mystery, believable characters, extra-terrestrials, but it feels too familiar. From what I've seen so far, The Event is Lost meets the X-Files. Should I feel guilty that I'm not impressed? Many consider imitation as the highest form of flattery, but I think NBC may have bought into a self-flattering dud. It's too bad, I like Jason Ritter's character, Sean Walker. The fact that Ritter's real-life dad was none other than Jack Tripper helps a lot too.

It may be too early for me to make a prognosis, but I have a nagging feeling The Event will prove "uneventful." I may not be alone in my prediction. According to Media Life Magazine, ratings for The Event fell off considerably after its second episode, down 19 per cent from its premiere. To top it off, rumour has it that NBC has a script long enough to run five seasons of The Event.

That's a shame.

The show's production values look pretty well done, so The Event couldn't have been cheap to produce. Any decision made by NBC I'm sure will be quick like a guillotine if this show doesn't improve and fast. Maybe they can air The Cape. Until writing this post, I had not heard about this show at all, but I have to say it looks ultra-cool. We could use a prime-time Batman, no?

So, what might the future hold for The Event? Only the network execs can say for sure, but I think their event needs a phenomenon.

Myths, tiffs, and My iPhone 4

I have to admit I'm not much of a gadget-head, but I was really excited when the iPhone 4 was released in Canada. So much so that last August I waited in line for eight hours to buy one at the Apple Store in nearby Winnipeg.

Yeah, you read that right. Eight hours.

I needed an upgrade anyway, so I thought I would treat myself to the latest in technology. I had heard all the hype about the iPhone 4's dropped calls, signal interference, and unreliability, but I decided to risk it and drop the cash on an iPhone 4 just the same.

Now, there was a bit of a campaign against the iPhone 4 and Steve Jobs when the problems I mentioned entered the media spotlight. His competitors had a heyday saying that the iPhone 4 was useless at the one thing it should do easily; that is, being a phone. I watched the live online conference as Steve Jobs addressed all the purported issues with his latest toy. He played the situation very cool, talking sensibly about the problems his team had found and the seriousness of the claims. He said that the signal issue problem was one that other smart phone makers have too as everyone tries to fit all their parts into smaller designs. He played down the seriousness of the problem and made a good P.R. move by giving iPhone 4 owners a free case of their choice to correct the issue.

After having my iPhone 4 for over a month now, deliberately trying to drop a call by holding the phone in the so called "death grip", my iPhone 4 has yet to fail in its service to me. That's not to say anyone else did not have a legitimate issue with this device, but I am not one of them. The only time I've had a concern is once when my ear touched the "mute" button on the touchscreen, and the conversation became a one-way communication by accident.

Oops.

Just the same, I took advantage of Apple's free phone case. I downloaded the app for it and three weeks later a friendly Purolator delivery person dropped it off at my door. Why not, right? It's free, and if I happen to drop the phone, it has a better chance of surviving the fall unscathed. I could get into all of the iPhone 4 features and how much I enjoy using it, but all that kind of stuff you can find on Apple's website.

For now, the iPhone 4 can add me to the list as a happy customer.

When Brown Goes "Green"

Pet owners can be faced with numerous difficulties, none of which are insurmountable. Each challenge involves the same patience, understanding, (as best can be offered on a human/animal level anyway) and creativity you would likely use in any other area of your everyday life. But I am especially impressed when an individual takes on a challenge most people would steer clear of, or at least step over.

Enter Matthew Mazzotta , a conceptual artist from Cambridge, Massachusetts. His Project Park Spark, funded through MIT and partnered by the City of Cambridge, includes a special "methane digester" that converts poop to power. Well, methane to be exact.

If you're a responsible dog owner out for a walk and your dog does a "doo-doo", which it inevitably will, what do you do (no pun intended) with it? Public garbage containers are not always nearby, and once it's in a baggie you want to be rid of it as fast as possible. In Mazzottas model, the only special equipment a dog owner needs is a biodegradable baggie and a weak nose. Once you've done the right thing and picked up the offending matter off the ground, you toss it into his "methane digester" and you're finished. The container is air-tight so no need to worry about getting too close. Once inside, bacteria break down the organic bonanza into methane which is used to power a nearby lamp.

As a greenhouse gas, methane is far more worse than carbon dioxide. When animal waste enters a landfill, as is usually the case, it just sits there, breaks down, and rises into the atmosphere. As pet ownership becomes more popular, (in 2001 there was an estimated five million dogs in Canada) there are two obvious obvious side effects we are forced to deal with.

Mazzotta is leaving it up to the community to best decide how they would like to use his new method of energy capture. For now, he's lighting a path to a new way of thinking for the people of Cambridge.

Genius.