A Movement in the Making

I kayaked with a beluga whale! I saw a beaver in the wild! I climbed a sand dune! I could not have said that until a few weeks ago and the exhilaration of it spilled over to my blog – see posted about a week ago. I was truly awestruck and still am marveling that this was indeed my country – really, came at me from out of the blue. If anything, it’s made me even more eco-conscious and a great advocate for eco-travel and conservation.

Ironically, just as the thrill for the natural world subsides, my mood falls in to an abyss as word of wildlife destruction in the Gulf Coast starts to permeate the headlines. Not just any wildlife, but the whales that I had so fondly become accustomed to. Shockingly, these massive animals that fear none have found their match in deadly oil that slowly is killing everything it touches.  What an awful thought! I’m not surprised then that the tourism industry would be affected, not only on the Gulf Coast, but also in Canada where oil exploration continues throughout northern Alberta.

Prospecting for oil is big business, which regardless of good intentions and taking the necessary precautions, is driven by consumerism and is done at the expense of another reliable industry. Opting for greater investment in green technology and alternative energies just might save tourism, or save just about every other business out there. Business are waking up to the realities that consumers do not want to support products that are damaging to the environment, cause wildlife extinction or cause air qualities to deteriorate and alas, the CSR executives, Green PR Consultants and Tech junkies are finding more and more areas for work.

Most of the world is waking up to this reality and Canadian industry is well poised to lead the way. Bombardier was just awarded to created energy savings high speed trains for Chinese expansion (think China’s version of the TGV), but Canada’s National VIA Rail hasn’t yet upgraded. Is it that our politicians and CEO’s are simply too old to adjust in their ways of thinking? It seems counter productive to support oil exploration in the name of business development when it destroys others, while at the same time destroying our quality of life through the air we breathe, the water we drink, the animals we enjoy…the list goes on.

The contradictions are astounding and in searching out solutions and sharing ideas, I’ve recently started to blog on another site : http://www.greeniters.com where I hope to continue to share my thoughts and also learn something new along the way about all things Green. Feel free to visit!

Challenges of Development

Would the thought of losing your left hand be enough of a deterrent to not commit a crime? It certainly would be for me! Heck, the thought of a fine or public scrutiny would be enough to keep me at the speed limit! These are the thoughts going through my head when I read about a Nigerian Islamic Court baring a Twitter feed discussing dismemberment for criminal punishment. So not only are the sentences harsh, but the Islamic Court also ruled that discussion of it via Twitter should be silenced – just another sign of a blossoming theocracy!

Sharia law. I think the Iranian’s were the first to instill it during the ’79 Revolution and its institutionalization in several Islamic nations has since been adopted. The intermingling of Islamic tenets and the law dictate the conduct of the citizens. Yet I don’t think Islam and democracy are or should be ever contradictory.  Rather a bizarre interpretation of Islamic preachings are used as a political tool to instill fear, squash dissent and ensure that the ruling elite are never challenged. I’m not an expert, but in my ignorant eyes today, I see Sharia law as a cop out to real leadership and equate it with a police state.

On the other hand, harsh punishments for criminal offenders also take place in other areas of the world – drug traffickers in Thailand, kidnappers in China- though none that I can think of had ever enforced bodily dismemberment as a tool for justice. It reminds me of something out of the Middle Ages, one where human rights, international law and political retribution were obsolete.  These deterrents may be strong deterrents for criminal activity, but one that isn’t humane and life sentences or losing a hand for petty crime is not a solution. Economic development, social services and education may have lead these vagrants on another path away from criminality and a life sentence and towards prosperity and opportunity. Money put towards these goals would be money well worth it in the long run, yet the long run is rarely in the best interests of political leaders in nations such as these. Therein lies the challenges of development.

Artistic Reflection

I’ve been thinking a lot about how art imitates life. Who could forget the music that characterized much of the 60′s? Buffalo Springfield, Joan Baez, Jefferson Airplane to name a few. That was protest and self expression all at once. And it’s not just in western culture either; I read yesterday how Sufi poetry in India speaks out against the caste system in India and listened to a report on art that was destroyed in the Haitian earthquake a few weeks ago and what a great tragedy it was for the nation. How to replace historic pieces? It’s seems parallel to losing all your belongings in a fire, except instead of one lifetime’s possessions, it was many century’s worth for the entire population.

The arts are a way of telling history (who could forget the wall paintings by the ancient Egyptians?); an establishment of a nation’s identity.  Why else would Israeli’s have looted the Palestinian Research Center upon its invasion into South Lebanon in 1982?  But when we go to the world’s most established and renowned art center’s, they’re full of artworks from abroad; Greece, Rome, China, Persia, India. Relics of a colonial past? The net worth of the artifacts alone would be astounding, and I’m therefore not surprised about the growing number of lawyers involved in the art trade and recovery.

When I first arrived in Austria, there was a case that surfaced surrounding Gustav Klimt’s work – perhaps the most famous Austrian painter – who’s works were left behind by the fleeing family during WW2. I arrived in Vienna, just in time to see the paintings before the US Supreme Court ordered them to be returned to the family, which now resides in the US. This is one of a very small number of cases, validating the return of property to its rightful owner. It’s debatable whether or not these artworks were national treasures or whether the expulsion of the artist himself invalidated that claim.

I enjoy the arts and am always eager to hear what’s new on the radio or wander the galleries. I’ve got to say though, I haven’t been too impressed with modern thoughts and ideas being reflected in music or in art. Of course, there’s been some bands, who have had personal experiences or strong sentiments toward a given issue – U2′s ‘Sunday, Bloody Sunday,” Midnight Oil’s “Beds are Burning,” Neil Young’s “Rocking in the Free World,” but in general, the type of work that is crowding the airwaves is not nearly as reflective of reality as it used to be… or is it? Do people just not have the same feelings toward Iraq and Afghanistan as the did toward Vietnam? And do visual artists feel more compelled to be abstract or modern in their paint strokes than the impressionists or renaissance painters? Are they torn between making a profit or making a statement?

It’s truly amazing what the arts can do for a pysche and a society. It can up-lift, invigorate, motivate, tell history all at once and be treasured for years to come – definitely something to be treasured!

Chinese Fortune Cookies

China, China, China. What can I say, it’s a walking contradiction. How can a society, in some ways, have developed thousands of years in advance of the Western World but fall behind in others – way behind? After all, it was the Chinese who avoided the Plague by implementing hygenic measures; and it was the Chinese who invented gun powder. They should be more economically advanced with the best insitutions and scientific discovery. I guess that’s what a Civil war, a World war and dabbling in Maoist socialism gives you.

I think now though, they’ve finally gotten a hold of capitalism and is taking it for a ride. It’s been reported that China is leading the world in investments in alternative energies – but arent’ they the one of the world’s greatest emitters? Something that the US is aiming for and Canada has feebly given up. It’s ironic too that China would invest so heavily in wind and solar energies, knowing the long history that it’s had in striking up oil deals with auspicious leaders around the globe, notably Sudan , which others wouldn’t touch with a stick.

Democracy however isn’t important to China, money is. Loosening its grip on Tibetans or Taiwanese is unlikely to come any time soon, despite the support that the US may lend to them. At the same time, the tides of democracy are hard to quell in a growing and globalized world. Why else would Google have reported a major cyber attack and “also said hackers had infiltrated the private Gmail accounts of human rights activists, suggesting the effort might have been more than just mischief“. Using the internet to squash opposition, what kind of government does that? Kudos to Google for not packing up shop and leaving, but rather creating Goojje - Google’s little sister.

China has entered the 21st century with a bang, and to the bank I might add, but it hasn’t gone far enough. Coming to terms with the past would be a first step in identifying exactly who they, what their goals are and how they will go about in achieving it. No more claiming to be one thing and doing another. Next, identifying niche markets has worked fantastically and is likely to continue, along with the further development of the provinces, which is sure to reduce the number of poverty stricken families – imagine what a billion productive workers could do for the economy? I don’t dare think that minimum wage would rise soon as it’s cause for heavy investment from abroad. But one can only hope that with greater investment, the spread of web technologies and raising of living standards, a middle class will emerge to threaten the status quo. Something happend like that in 18th Century France, no?

Whatever may happen in the future, China will always be a major player in the world’s economy. But altering attitudes, behaviour and policy of the ruling elites to respect democratic values is another task entirely. We may just have to wait until the elders die out and a younger generation replaces them a la Democratic House. It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t still advocate for change or get rid of sanctions or stop critisizing. It just means patience is necessary.

Olympic Spirit

My friend the other day posted on their facebook page that they’ll be in San Francisco for the Olympics and was excited that they were within mere hundreds instead of thousands of kilometres away.  I chuckled to myself thinking, I’m in the same country and I’ll be farther away from them than my friend will be!

I’m excited for them.  Really, I am.  And the hype is building; the torch passes through our cities, the athletes start showing up on tv, the radios promote giveaway holidays to go see them.  You’d be a fool not to start getting excited.  I even bought a pair of Olympics mittens to show my spirit.  They were more than I normally would’ve paid for them, but what the hell? I put them in my purse, promising to bring them out at the first sign of snow, which I’m still waiting for :S  (gotta love global warming …story for another day).

Anyway, I came across those little red mitts the other day and turned them over, only to find out that they were made in China!  Whaaat?!  What happened to The Bay? My shock having worn off in a matter of minutes, my rational side kicked in to realize that I paid a mint for these mitts and they weren’t even quality made by The Bay! Grrrrr.  I’m all for free trade and I understand that exports cause greater competition, lowering prices and booting out the inferior products.  I just didnt’ think that The Bay was one of those inferiors.

I heard a woman the other day complain that all our goods now come from China, Bagladesh or some other far off country and it made me realize how many Canadians are confused by trade and and disgruntled that jobs are moving abroad, especially at a time when unemployment rates are skyrocketing.  But then again, I don’t think a lot of them realize that it’s by importing foreign goods that we are able to maintain low prices.  If they were too high, we’d be complaining about that or the tax breaks that we don’t recieve or how far we have to travel to keep that job that pays too little….

If Canadians are put out of work because jobs have vanished, then the task at hand would be to find another trade or tone up on another skill and chalk it up to another affect of globalization. In Canada, education is and will always be the key and is reiterated over and over again and even exemplified in the efforts that are in place to provide unemployed workers opportunities to become skilled at alternate trades or professions through the Second Career program .

Bottom line, Canada’s economy isn’t based on manufactured goods, otherwise it wouldn’t be as prosperous as it is.  I do feel bad that so many workers have lost their jobs in the last few months/year(s).  It’s going to be a long and tiring process to re-integrate into the work force.  But, this is the way the world is turning and it won’t stop to pick up the pieces for a handful  (relatively speaking) of manufacturers.

What is more troubling is to find scores of highly educated and un/under-employed citizens who aren’t utilized to their potential and become over-qualified for the positions they are able to hold on to.  That’s a real shame.  And thus, highlighting the importance of attracting investment and economic development across the nation, which has been and will likely continue to be at the forefront of policy research and debate.

In any case, I turn to mitts, and although I like the Bay’s quality better, I’m sure they would’ve been priced even further outside of my budget.  I put them on proudly, hoping that Chinese manufacturer’s know just how cold the winters can be in Canada, and prepare excitedly for the hockey match of the year!