tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85553744979933057182012-01-26T08:16:57.534-08:00Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.comBlogger1421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-16571813480983384722012-01-25T15:29:00.000-08:002012-01-25T15:30:14.869-08:00

"Liberals continue to gain steam" shouts the headline from the Globe and Mail. "But the poll, as emphasized by La Presse, showed the Liberal Party climbing to 19 per cent of decided voter support, up significantly from the meagre 14.2 per cent share of votes it received in the province last May" declares The Hill Times. "The Liberals, on the other hand, have gained nine points in Quebec

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-59000342400107100312012-01-18T21:38:00.000-08:002012-01-18T21:39:44.977-08:00

So I ended up reading an article entitled "some people shouldn't talk about science".  While I found the article interesting at first, I was utterly repulsed by the idea that we should arbitrarily limit scientific discussion.  Even someone who is uninformed can contribute meaningfully to a scientific discussion, I thought. And then I read this article. And, filled with righteous indignation I

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-81335168241104703632012-01-09T19:30:00.000-08:002012-01-09T19:30:29.550-08:00

Joe Oliver's open letter is right on the money. Critics of his comments miss the point entirely (see here and here). As I highlighted earlier using the example of the Darlington nuclear power plants or the Bruce Power steam generators, large segments of the environmental movement are no longer interested in the safe construction of oil pipelines, nuclear power plants or other industrial projects

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-43694069629945366272011-12-15T16:21:00.000-08:002011-12-15T16:22:38.338-08:00

The recent Auditor General's Report on Ontario's Electricity Sector - Renewable Energy Initiatives highlights trends where the McGuinty government failed to adequately assess, plan or analyze their renewable energy plans. Perhaps it should have been taken as a bad omen when, in explaining the objective and scope of the audit, the report states: We did not rely on the Ministry’s internal audit 

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-27532900250540549032011-12-07T17:00:00.000-08:002011-12-07T18:06:44.692-08:00

To fully cover what's in the Auditor General's report, I'm going to try to explain the main points in a few postings. So please bear with me as I try to explain how the Auditor General came up with some startling facts on how much McGuinty's Green Energy plans will cost you. According to the Auditor General's report on Ontario's renewable energy plans, only 14% of Ontarians know that renewable

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-60792703254886883162011-12-05T16:07:00.000-08:002011-12-05T17:04:24.628-08:00

I'm feeling quite sarcastic today after reading about the Auditor General's report on the Ontario Liberals' green energy plans. Who would have thought that rapidly giving out billions of dollars to projects that generate electricity at significantly higher cost than other sources would result in increased costs to the consumer. The only thing new, perhaps, is the exact cost which the Auditor

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-89400370116494010812011-12-01T16:27:00.000-08:002011-12-01T17:23:41.700-08:00

Climate groups and others are advocating that Canada stay home from Durban since they are not willing to commit to Kyoto. Some see this as transference, an attempt to avoid criticism of the real problems (ie the USA and China) and find a scapegoat. What I think they are really concerned about is that Canada and its representatives will act as saboteurs at the conference, stalling or slowing

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-43290621790645696922011-11-28T17:49:00.001-08:002011-11-28T18:09:57.782-08:00

The Kyoto treaty, even from an environmentalists’ point of view, is flawed and insufficient to stop global warming. It was always the intention of environmentalists that it was to be a stepping stone to something more. But practical experience is showing that environmentalists were wrong to expect that nations would be willing to sacrifice their own prosperity in exchange for something so

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-79092195530739000362011-11-27T10:09:00.001-08:002011-11-27T10:13:44.424-08:00

A common refrain for some people who criticize Harper is that he ‘hates science’. They will usually list a few causes celebre (ie Insite, climate change, etc…) where Harper supposedly ignored or is ignoring scientific advice in a decision or a position. These accusations do an injustice to the issues under consideration by grossly simplifying them but more so I tend to think they are

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-54627084432693022522011-11-24T20:09:00.000-08:002011-11-27T10:27:58.431-08:00

There was an interesting article in the Huffington Post recently about the condo buildings that are sprouting up in Toronto. It covers a number of details about the estimated lifespan of these buildings and how the beauty of floor to ceiling windows comes at a cost.But there is one issue that I felt they neglected to mention in their article. The windows have argon gas inside to provide

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-84582226763226962542011-11-13T10:14:00.000-08:002011-11-13T10:43:50.003-08:00

… is another man’s treasure. In my mind, this adage is very applicable to the treatment of so-called ‘nuclear waste’. To be clear, nuclear ‘waste’ can come in many forms; from the steam generators that are being recycled by the Bruce A Restart project to the spent fuel bundles (or rods) ejected from the core. Not all these ‘wastes’ are created equal, but many if not all of them share one

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-35422126653479023852011-05-01T20:13:00.000-07:002011-05-01T20:20:26.459-07:00

While I was derelict in my duties updating this blog, I did update my poll tracker and am willing to try to make a prediction as to where the parties will end up tomorrow. The final polls have been incorporated into the graphic below. Based on the polls performed throughout the campaign, I predict that the final results will be:CPC 36.3%LPC 21.9%NDP 28.3%BQ 7.0%GRN 5.6%This shows the CPC

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-53271778113706697162011-04-19T21:57:00.000-07:002011-04-19T22:05:31.658-07:00

Hate to say I told you so, but I did. Today, in Nanos' 'Leadership Index' Harper is up a whopping 15%, more than making up for the amount he dropped. Since the attacks ads are still running, I guess those ads weren't as effective as some thought, eh?Sure some will say it was turned around because of the CPC's job in highlighting the Liberals attributing something to Harper that he didn't say.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-10836278835033496662011-04-17T14:25:00.000-07:002011-04-17T14:53:09.122-07:00

Margins of error are additive. If you were going on a trip, and were asked to measure the length, width and height of your bag to determine its length + width + height to ensure its appropriately sized. If you planned ahead you might have a tape measure with you, if not you can borrow one from someone else. Suppose your measurements are:Length (L) = 65cmWidth (W) = 30cmHeight (H) = 120cmTo

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-56508355193346806462011-04-16T14:27:00.000-07:002011-04-16T15:10:32.411-07:00

Once I again I am delinquent in posting an update, mostly because nothing has changed. The Tories are stuck around 39%, the Liberals around 27% and NDP around 19%. The debates had no significant effect, the mini-scandals have had no effect, nothing has had any effect. Or have they?I like how some polling groups try to look at underlying perceptions of politicians (ie Nanos' leadership

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-31436072012878077482011-04-12T14:41:00.001-07:002011-04-12T14:57:27.395-07:00

I didn't bother posting an update for the last number of days because there really was nothing interesting going on, although rest assured I was faithfully updating the spreadsheet with the latest polls. With the leadership debate tonight and the recent leak of a draft of the Auditor Generals report on G8 spending, there might be a change in the polls in the next few days. Or there might

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-41735823732555839282011-04-06T15:06:00.000-07:002011-04-06T15:14:38.918-07:00

Just a quick update, only three new polls to report on, the EKOS-iPolitics poll and two Nanos polls. No significant net change to the overall standings in my poll tracker... *yawn*My poll compilation shows the Tories at 37.9%, the Liberals at 27.5%, the NDP at 17.2%, the Bloc at 8.7% and the Green trailing at 6.8%. Remember that this is not a straight average of the recent polls but rather is a

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-48962813675949924302011-04-04T15:49:00.000-07:002011-04-04T16:03:31.365-07:00

Four polls to include in our poll tracker; two from Nanos, one from Leger and one from Harris Decima. All have very different results and trends; Leger and Decima show a narrowing race with the Tories looking at another minority government, Nanos shows the Tories pulling away with a majority easily within reach. The net effect is no real change day over day for the Tories in our poll tracker,

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-32871375669707440152011-04-02T09:02:00.000-07:002011-04-02T09:30:56.063-07:00

In my opinion, Stephen Harper has done the right thing proposing to grant a loan guarantee to Newfoundland so that it can develop the Lower Churchill hydroelectric project and an undersea transmission line to sell that electricity to the USA. From a political point of view though, he's walking into a minefield that pits Newfoundland (7 seats) against Quebec (75 seats). Rex Murphy in the article

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-17306025738071790882011-04-02T05:47:00.000-07:002011-04-02T06:08:50.137-07:00

There have been three new polls since I last updated the poll tracker. Two Nanos daily tracking polls and an Ekos poll. The biggest difference between the two polls is the level of support for the Green party, which tracks higher in the Ekos polls than it does in the Nanos polls. I suspect that this has something to do with the methodology used; Nanos polls do not prompt the poll takers for

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-84839849124894359382011-03-31T15:15:00.000-07:002011-03-31T15:40:44.570-07:00

Once again today there was only a single new poll released today to be incorporated into our poll tracker and that was the Nanos poll that showed the Liberals up to 32.7% and the NDP down to 15.9% with the Conservatives steady at 39.1%. That boosted both the Tories and the Liberals in my poll tracker, but since the poll doesn't take a straight average the Liberal gains were moderated.Not to be a

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-58294195881341555302011-03-30T16:23:00.000-07:002011-03-30T16:57:43.148-07:00

With the beginning of the election, I'll be tracking the polls and reporting here on a daily basis or whenever there is something interesting to report. I'll post more details how I am compiling the data later.There has only been one poll released that contains data from after the election call and that is the recent Nanos poll that showed the Tories in the lead with 38% and the Liberals trailing

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-12769128358875794192010-12-31T13:37:00.000-08:002010-12-31T14:38:19.924-08:00

A much-debated editorial article in Gulf News, a publication from the UAE has provided me much amusement this New Years Eve. It seems that when they decided to run the article the preparers decided to try to cram as much criticism of Harper and his government (relevant or not) into as few paragraphs as possible. The blatant errors and hypocrisy amused me.Harper would have to have invented a time

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-79893648507628131472010-12-28T10:43:00.000-08:002010-12-28T10:52:48.102-08:00

The Toronto Star has an interesting article on Bob Sopuck, the new Conservative MP from Manitoba. I strongly recommend the article as it seems to give an unbiased look at his environmental credentials and background.What caught my eye however, was the fact that he attended and graduated from Cornell University. That name may not be as familiar to you as Harvard or Yale, but it is an Ivy League

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-57804556139218522642010-09-26T16:18:00.000-07:002010-09-26T17:00:56.021-07:00

The Chronicle Herald recently published an article that purports to state a number of 'facts' concerning the long gun registry. At least, I'm assuming that was their intent, because the title is "Harper's (long-gun registry) index" and it would make no sense if they were stating fallacies. My problem with it? They're not all true, some are half-truths and of those that are true, some are

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-72962264980265514272010-08-07T11:24:00.001-07:002010-08-07T11:49:48.456-07:00

If you've read my blog more than once or twice, you'll know that I oppose wind and solar power subsidies based on the fact that they do not generate electricity consistently or cheaply enough to be considered an 'alternative' energy source. Moreover, I do not believe that increasing the amount of electricity generated from wind farms will significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions since the

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-53204814536049527822010-08-03T17:25:00.000-07:002010-08-03T17:41:53.962-07:00

If you read the Toronto Star recently, you might think that wind power's only problem is unreasonable health concerns, and a minor case of NIMBY.I'm still undecided about the health effects of wind power, to be honest. I can't see any reason why they might cause health problems, but I'm not willing to dismiss the idea out of hand without any widespread implementation and observation. I'm pretty

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-89440783422069807572010-08-02T07:01:00.001-07:002010-08-02T07:18:45.090-07:00

People often criticize Harper for excessive partisanship, and while that may be true, I'm unwilling to accept that as a criticism from Liberals and Ignatieff supporters. Principally because the Liberals have attempted to turn every issue into an attack on Harper in one way or another.His criticism of Harper and the nuclear industry illustrate this more clearly than most:Michael Ignatieff says

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-69624965408650955792010-07-02T16:06:00.000-07:002010-07-02T16:31:19.775-07:00

Looking at electricity generation from windfarms in Ontario from last month reveals some interesting details. As always, the data that I am using is publicly available on the IESO website.Figure 1: Wind generation for Ontario in June, 2010 - Datapoints are hourly.As I've come to expect, sometimes the windfarms produce large amounts of electricity and sometimes they produce nearly nothing. The

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-46085888147676475682010-06-26T11:23:00.000-07:002010-06-26T11:52:44.957-07:00

Increasingly, the question must be asked whether or not electricity generation can occur without direct or indirect government subsidies and loans. If the answer is no, then to what extent should the government be involved in the process and should it be allowed to 'play favourites' when it comes to supporting groups pursuing electricity generation.There needs to be a clear difference made

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-73235711987305323422010-06-23T17:35:00.001-07:002010-06-23T17:56:15.045-07:00

Kim Campell, err... I mean Julia Gillard has been appointed Prime Minister after Brian Mulron... I mean, Kevin Rudd stepped down. The reason seems to surround the climate change policies that Rudd advocated, and then back-tracked on, but as all things, is likely a combination of a large number of things. In any case, it will be interesting to see if Gillard's term is short lived.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-13863370022524578512010-06-22T17:47:00.000-07:002010-06-22T19:06:05.427-07:00

Who cares?Most people reading the title probably thought exactly that.Helium? And what's that three mean? And so what if we're running out of it? Bear with me and I'll try to change your mind.Helium-3 is an uncommon isotope of Helium that has two protons and a single neutron. It occurs naturally and can be produced through the beta decay of tritium, an isotope of hydrogen with three protons.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-52988461818966838852010-06-16T16:46:00.000-07:002010-06-16T17:25:00.357-07:00

So, Obama is seeking some big deal on alternative energies as a result of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Trying to link the two issues is akin to proposing to repair the roof when your basement is flooding. Sure, maybe your roof needs fixing, but shouldn't one focus on the leak in your basement?The US' problem is that their oil dependence is forcing them to ally with less than reliable

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-52300809743062924072010-06-15T17:41:00.000-07:002010-06-15T18:10:25.510-07:00

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the endless fear mongering about nuclear power plants. In some sense, its understandable that in the aftermath of the oil spill disaster in the gulf, people are more and more skeptical of safety claims of so-called 'experts' and people who work for certain industries.But sometimes, the media blows minor issues far out of proportion.Reading the Japanese

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-59165623755170748422010-06-12T17:01:00.000-07:002010-06-12T18:09:48.996-07:00

If your electricity rates were to double, the effect it would have on your monthly bills wouldn't mean more than a few hundred dollars a year most likely. To be sure, that might crush those living beneath the poverty line and those living paycheque to paycheque, but for the middle and upper class, just a mild inconvenience. But rising electricity rates don't just affect your monthly electricity

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-59913475556879547672010-05-29T16:55:00.000-07:002010-05-29T17:15:22.873-07:00

By amusing coincidence, I happened to be reviewing the recent Czech legislative election results which will in all likelihood lead to a centre-right coalition taking power with a decrease seen by all the parties of the left; Green, Communist and Social Democratic PartyAnd then I happened on an article in the New York Times talking about the increasing power of the Communist party in the Czech

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-79777887603998111312010-05-29T16:25:00.000-07:002010-05-29T16:47:31.926-07:00

A recent report shows that even in Toronto, Canadians generally didn't buy the H1N1 hype, and wisely chose to ignore the hysteria and go about their normal lives. I've always felt that the H1N1 hysteria was overblown and that people who bought into it were worrying themselves sick over nothing. I can recall the media breathlessly reporting that this could be the Black Plague of our times.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-20719303009630316462010-05-18T00:09:00.001-07:002010-05-18T00:14:22.528-07:00

Wait! Stop! No!This doesn't fit our neat narrative of the Harper government hating science!

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-1253944315879930172010-04-15T20:08:00.001-07:002010-04-15T20:22:01.761-07:00

Just wanted to point out a few things about Obama's plans for NASA. Compare the following two statements.Obama noted that the Constellation Program, which had sought to send astronauts back to the moon by 2020, is behind schedule, over budget and overall less important than other space investments.And"By the mid-2030s I believe we can send people to orbit Mars and bring them safely back to

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-33164620932102083312010-04-14T19:54:00.000-07:002010-04-14T20:32:42.257-07:00

The big nuclear summit ended with a fizzle. No major announcements, no big agreements. Just a token consensus to secure 'vulnerable' nuclear supplies. Because those dangerous stockpiles in Canada are the real threat to nuclear security, eh.Meanwhile, Japan-USA relations reached a new low as Obama refused to squeeze Hatoyama in for more than a chat during the summit, and so in return Hatoyama

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-63434046046259395002010-04-12T19:58:00.001-07:002010-04-12T20:21:42.823-07:00

Yes, you read that title right, a major threat to international nuclear safety has been eliminated thanks to the Obama administration. The Canadian government, widely known to be a prime proliferator of nuclear weaponry has, under great pressure from Obama, broken down and agreed to transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the USA.What's that you say? It was being used to produce

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-48585588647003354082010-03-28T06:20:00.000-07:002010-03-28T06:59:15.424-07:00

According to the IESO website, 560 MWh of electricity use was avoided as a result of Earth Hour and I'm going to tentatively accept that figure for the sake of argument. The real question I want answered is how much carbon dioxide was really avoided with this exercise.The way not to answer this question is by taking a chart of total capacities and dividing the 'savings' out among all the

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-54358055921822516232010-03-28T06:10:00.000-07:002010-03-28T06:19:32.919-07:00

So the last week was an interesting one as far as wind power was concerned. Like a roller coaster, the amount of electricity produced by the wind farms increased and decreased before increasing again and decreasing again.It didn't get as low as we've seen it before, but it didn't get as high either.Capacity factor: 27.80%Maximum Output: 808 MWMinimum Output: 27 MWBiggest change hour-to-hour:

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-28847604769022776342010-03-27T06:28:00.000-07:002010-03-27T07:05:50.775-07:00

Earth Hour is coming, tonight in fact. An hour where millions of Canadians will shut off their lights and celebrate how environmentally conscious they are. I won't be one of them.Earth Hour in Ontario isn't about conservation. Shutting off the lights in your home one hour a day is not going to have any long term effect on the environment, as your 40Weq fluorescent light bulb is not the

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-13971044609784937842010-03-20T17:13:00.000-07:002010-03-20T17:40:23.257-07:00

First the good news for wind advocates, this week, wind power broke 40% capacity factor for the first time since I began tracking it.Bad news, wind power fluctuated wildly across the week, rising as high as 922 MW and sinking as low as 5 MW. If we were only using electricity when the wind blows this wouldn't be a problem, or if we had another way of 'smoothing' out wind power across a week. But

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-70682718971675717182010-03-20T10:10:00.000-07:002010-03-20T11:00:16.416-07:00

McGuinty certainly has found a way to raise more money for his spending sprees. Rather than raising the PST.. err.. HST or raises income taxes, he's going to raise your electricity bills. And because that money is not going directly to the provincial government, he hopes to confuse Ontarians into believing that its those nasty electricity companies, and not his government which is taking more and

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-84490114350967177512010-03-16T19:24:00.000-07:002010-03-16T19:29:41.419-07:00

In a nearly unanimous vote, the Illinois Senate has opened the path for the construction of nuclear power plants in that state.That doesn't mean they'll start building nuclear plants, but removing an arbitrary ban on nuclear power based on groundless fearmongering in the wake of Chernobyl is a good first step.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-80056385610145429212010-03-15T19:24:00.000-07:002010-03-15T19:42:15.804-07:00

I've been thinking increasingly about the problem of intermittent power from wind mills. Partly because I've been visiting the Spanish electricity website where they indicate a relatively more stable supply of electricity from wind power. Which made me wonder if having more wind power somehow causes the output on average to be more stable. It probably would if you had multiple independent

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-84141966274252432422010-03-15T18:29:00.000-07:002010-03-15T18:51:39.688-07:00

Seems like someone has found out that their rates have increased recently and that all that effort they put into trying to 'game' the system has not brought the savings they wanted.Now, I understand why she is upset. She was told that if she did as the government wanted that she would save money, now she is realizing that despite doing exactly what the government wanted, her rates have increased

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-54481906530442677782010-03-14T19:32:00.000-07:002010-03-14T19:52:43.211-07:00

So, I have one question for wind advocates. In Ontario, with a total installed 'theoretical' capacity of 1085 MW, for a one hour period, you couldn't scrap together more than 2 MW of output. That's pathetic.A nuclear reactor or a coal fired power plant may shut off for repairs but its generally predictable when it will occur and for how long. When they are operating, they can operate

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-52794070084274437782010-03-09T19:21:00.000-08:002010-03-09T19:30:03.922-08:00

Thump.You hear that sound? That's the sound of someone's writing style hitting rock bottom.Perhaps I'm being harsh though, I disagree completely with his point of view. But that's not unusual, you have to deal with people everyday who you don't agree with. What I can't stand, however, is when someone's logic is internally inconsistent.For example, he attacks the budget for giving money to AECL to

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-73626601782871622242010-03-07T15:11:00.001-08:002010-03-07T16:44:42.260-08:00

One thing that should never be rushed, is political analysis of science policy. Better to delay judgment and make a good policy than to rush into a bad decision without thinking.Some highlights from the budget that I like include:Funding CouncilsConsidering that around the world, government agencies are strongly pushing to reduce science budgets [1,2], I think the fact that Harper isn't going to

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-58590716235261565642010-03-06T19:16:00.000-08:002010-03-06T19:56:51.775-08:00

So this week is probably exactly the nightmare that I keep referring to for wind power. The overall capacity factor was up slightly from last week but only because of a large peak that occurred between the second and third days.The power output went from almost nothing to over 900 MW in the period of a day and then dropped rapidly back down under 200 MW. Then it bounced back up and down for a

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-38648929738040306172010-03-06T06:29:00.000-08:002010-03-06T06:34:30.243-08:00

And by crazies, I mean, anyone who would dare to praise the Chinese government for being 'ahead' in the 'clean energy race'.Look at the facts for goodness sake, China produces 90% of their electricity from coal and oil. A meagre 0.06% comes from 'other' sources like windpower.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-3538986785873465232010-02-28T11:52:00.000-08:002010-02-28T12:01:52.127-08:00

If there's one thing I don't mind, its facts. I've been open about my position on wind power and its usefulness (or lack thereof) in generating electricity for Ontario. So I don't mind looking and publicizing facts about wind power.So in that trend, I'll be posting data taken from the IESO public reports concerning wind generation in Ontario every weekend.For the week of February 16 - 23, there

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-55028105073111463592010-02-27T06:43:00.000-08:002010-02-27T06:49:36.198-08:00

This is a very good article concerning green power and their potential in Ontario. I would just like to highlight one very important quote.In a report two years ago, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) told the government that "wind and solar power will never be more than a niche supplier of power in Ontario."People in the system know that wind and solar power is a dead end for Ontario. People in

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-66747044656181407352010-02-14T19:57:00.000-08:002010-02-14T20:08:29.642-08:00

Next time you are in a debate with a climate change activist and use a non-peer reviewed source of information, if they protest angrily that only peer reviewed material should be acceptable, give them this quote.He said many of the criticisms were based on a mistaken belief that the IPCC could not use so-called grey literature – reports from outside academic journals such as from campaign groups

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-81927693250787570642010-02-13T15:56:00.000-08:002010-02-13T16:23:14.111-08:00

“Simply put, we're putting the science back into the rocket science at NASA,” White House science adviser John Holdren said at a budget briefing Monday.So, Obama has decided to cut NASA's plans to return to the moon, redirecting that money to vague research plans for rockets.The point of politicians in science policy is not, or should not be, to direct every step of the research that is going on.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-83386588134825868422010-02-12T21:51:00.000-08:002010-02-12T22:00:22.634-08:00

This is an interesting way to sell cars I guess. I'm not sure if I'd be more likely to buy an Audi based on this advertisement, but watching it makes me laugh.Based on some comments on Youtube I think there is some worry that we may be headed down this path where ultimately people are arrested for such 'crimes' as using incandescent light bulbs, but I think these fears are ultimately overblown.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-84015144007066310372010-02-10T17:36:00.000-08:002010-02-10T19:09:45.292-08:00

The real problem with wind power is its unreliability, as I've stated time and time again. But in places like Canada, can wind power actually increase the reliance on fossil fuels? It seems counter-intuitive but the answer is 'yes'.In countries like, Denmark, which relied almost exclusively on fossil fuels in order to provide electricity, the introduction of wind power, even as an unreliable

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-42607933705905631992010-02-09T18:37:00.001-08:002010-02-09T18:38:32.553-08:00

If you own an apartment or a home you know what how it feels to pay utility bills. As a student living with your parents or in a dorm where your utilities come as part of the package, you don't appreciate how much things like electricity really cost you. Or how necessary it is.Imagine if you had to live without electricity for one week and I don't mean that silly 'Earth Hour', where people turn

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-2223400073347728392010-02-08T17:59:00.000-08:002010-02-08T19:27:18.872-08:00

There's a lot of talk about wind power being the 'future' of Ontario. Which gives us the opportunity, fortunately or unfortunately, to see wind power in action and gauge its true usefulness in generating electricity.An extremely good resource is the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) website, which documents the price of electricity in Ontario, the spot prices, Provincial Benefit,

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-33367306517225893102010-02-07T14:53:00.000-08:002010-02-07T14:59:07.247-08:00

This is almost getting routine.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's report is supposed to be the world's most authoritative scientific account of the scale of global warming. But the Telegraph, of London, has discovered a series of new flaws in it including: * the publication of inaccurate data on the potential of wave power to produce electricity around the

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-22046041748264768202010-02-05T16:28:00.000-08:002010-02-05T16:30:12.041-08:00

Usually... not a smart idea.But nothing about this guy surprises me anymore. His attempt to blame lobbyists after 'easy' money was a nice touch, except for the fact that he received millions of dollars to investigate the bogus claims he made.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-29644178572835474802010-02-04T17:39:00.001-08:002010-02-04T18:01:49.907-08:00

After my previous arguments concerning the cost of nuclear power versus how much Dalton McGuinty is promising to pay the Korean consortium per kWh, I decided to do a little bit of my own analysis on how much wind power costs per kWh and came to a relatively surprising result which leads to some very disturbing questions.It is estimated by wind energy proponents that, per MW of installed capacity,

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-31953225409717016032010-02-02T18:52:00.000-08:002010-02-02T19:24:44.382-08:00

After I mentioned in a previous post about the so-called 'deal' that Ontario signed with Samsung to provide electricity at 13.5 cents per kWh, I started to wonder, how much would it cost per kWh if Ontario went with the $26 billion plan for the new nuclear reactors at Darlington? Would it be more or less than the rate at which we will be paying for the windmills?I could quote some studies that

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-80228993696754201472010-01-31T08:23:00.000-08:002010-01-31T08:42:36.936-08:00

One thing that I've noticed in reading news and reports is how easy it is to be confused by the terms "installed capacity" (measured in MW) and "electricity produced" (measured in kWh). So I felt that maybe I should explain the difference.In layman's terms, when you build an electricity generating station there is a maximum amount of electricity that the station can produce at any given point in

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-2956780061516274962010-01-31T07:44:00.000-08:002010-01-31T08:21:59.925-08:00

This is an interesting article, but it highlights perhaps the narrow-mindedness and stubborn focus of some environmentalists.The article essentially states that we probably have enough oil to last 100 years and fuel the expanding economies of the developing world. And yet, the author insists that we must invest now in alternative energy technologies at great cost to ourselves. To encourage us,

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-33045547843697676712010-01-24T06:54:00.000-08:002010-01-24T10:06:27.904-08:00

This, on the surface, might seem to be a relatively minor scandal.Apparently, in the 2007 IPCC report they claim that because of global warming, the Himalayan glaciers will most likely have disappeared by 2035. Turns out that this claim has absolutely no scientific backing whatsoever.But when a leading glaciologist had the gall to point out, through an official report, that this claim is bogus,

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-32441724425570534382010-01-21T14:38:00.000-08:002010-01-21T15:00:03.185-08:00

Dalton McGuinty and Samsung have signed an agreement so that Samsung will provide 2500 MW of solar and wind electricity to Ontario for 20 years. The Globe and Mail points out that the Ontario government has offered Samsung a 'generous sweetener' of $400 million. But this is chump change compared to the truth, if anyone bothered to do basic math. The real cost is going to soar over $10

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-18206326600090654592010-01-20T15:46:00.000-08:002010-01-20T16:35:57.954-08:00

It appears that other nuclear reactors are getting into the Cobalt production game. But I'm not sure how much to trust the details of this news report. They are wrong about a number of details quite frankly. Canada's Chalk River reactor does not (to my knowledge) produce 80% of the world's supply of Cobalt-60. It, together with the three other major isotope production reactors does produce 85%

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-9475287230944865402010-01-20T15:32:00.001-08:002010-01-20T15:45:24.188-08:00

Obama's White House seems intent upon ignoring the message that Massachusetts voters sent to him last night.Press secretary Robert Gibbs said on MSNBC's "Daily Rundown" that the message from the Democratic defeat in Massachusetts was "not that we somehow abandon our pursuit on things that are important to the middle class." The message that the voters sent Obama last night was that they don't

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-24668264495560225662010-01-10T10:58:00.000-08:002010-01-10T11:40:13.799-08:00

There's a lot of talk about technology and innovation these days from all political parties and both north and south of the border. In the USA, Obama promised to 'listen to the science' and has embarked on numerous scientific endeavors. Before him, George W. Bush heavily backed NASA and spent millions on the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (setting a goal of 2015 for an affordable

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-10309840514987054572010-01-03T17:27:00.000-08:002010-01-03T17:49:47.235-08:00

Interesting article I noticed in the BBC got me thinking about nuclear power plants and evacuation plans in cases of emergencies. Mudslides in Brazil have damaged evacuation routes that would be used during a nuclear accident and so the local mayor is floating the idea that the nuclear reactors should be shut down as a precaution. Nothing is operationally wrong with the nuclear reactors, but I

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-28788901060676826462010-01-03T17:06:00.000-08:002010-01-03T17:23:44.638-08:00

Iran has finally come out with a response to the Obama offer concerning their enriched uranium supplies. While the details are important of course, what is also important is the timing of the response, two days AFTER Obama's self-imposed 'deadline'. Nothing says "I don't care what you think" like waiting 48 hours after someone's deadline to make a response, and indeed, an ultimatum.Iran must be

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-68354006671994736812009-12-22T15:13:00.000-08:002009-12-22T15:22:29.967-08:00

Somehow OPG has managed to accidentally dump about 300 000 litres of tritiated water into the lake.Obviously, the fact that such an accident has occurred bothers me, but probably not for the same reasons it bothers Sierra Club or Greenpeace. In all likelihood there is probably a greater threat posed by the hydrazine than the tritium.As much as I don't think current tritium levels are a threat (

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-21665665413334550382009-12-17T15:26:00.000-08:002009-12-17T15:37:34.685-08:00

So the Harper government has finally decided to officially put the commercial side of AECL up for sale.This is a good move that actually has nothing to do with the sale of 'reactors' as the Toronto Star's headline would lead you to believe. And it has nothing to do with reactor safety as comments on other news sites would have you believe. The nuclear power plants are owned by the utilities NB

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-58348602016438173182009-12-08T15:28:00.000-08:002009-12-08T15:52:08.148-08:00

CNN is reporting that there has been a marked decline in the number of Americans who believe that man-made global warming is a proven fact. The article laments:Only 45% of those surveyed agreed with the statement that "Global warming is a proven fact and is mostly caused by emissions from cars and industrial facilities such as power plants and factories." That number is down from 54% who agreed

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-30833486878870231102009-12-06T18:37:00.000-08:002009-12-06T19:10:45.362-08:00

The Toronto Star has been quick to blame the Harper government for the isotope 'fiasco' and has repeated their criticisms many times.Which is quite unfair given the circumstances, but I wouldn't care so much if I didn't think they were playing fast and loose with the facts in their quest to blame Harper for this.How long must Canadians wait for Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government to settle

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-81575471271346892009-12-06T14:06:00.001-08:002009-12-06T14:21:47.703-08:00

This is a must read column in my opinion concerning how we understand and respond to science and to how facts are presented.Anyone considering a field in science policy or politics in general should take this lesson to heart. Know who you are speaking to and gauge your discussion to appeal to their own cultural values. Some may think that massaging one's argument to win your opponent over is a

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-88232110274204386452009-12-04T17:58:00.000-08:002009-12-04T19:49:34.853-08:00

One thing that perhaps speaks the loudest in terms of the Sierra Club's impartiality is their paper "Tritium on Tap". As I mentioned a few days ago, its commonplace for scientists to demonstrate their biases in how they present data and the facts. This is a very good example of that.I'm not going to address some of the papers they quote here, mostly because I've looked into some, and the issues

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-47579942892507305882009-12-03T20:48:00.001-08:002009-12-03T21:04:28.478-08:00

Well.. that's certainly reassuring now isn't it. "Huge Study Finds Cellphones Don't Raise Tumor Risk" the headline practically screams out at you.Of course, if you read the fine print the story is a little different. The study followed people in Scandinavia over thirty years from the 1974 to 2003 over which time we saw a huge number of advances, both in terms of medicine and technology, including

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-61075971997012880712009-12-02T14:21:00.000-08:002009-12-02T14:46:23.707-08:00

What has been dubbed by some as "Climategate" has certainly turned some heads and brought some of the scientists involved into disrepute. Moreover, the entire 'scandal' has possibly tarnished the reputation of scientists in the eyes of the general public.Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.What people are seeing through the personal emails that were sent back and forth between these scientists is

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-38410520672873200402009-11-20T14:13:00.000-08:002009-11-20T14:27:05.403-08:00

One thing I learned in reading the news is to be aware of the source of your information. Often, special interest groups have a way of skewing the facts in a way that suits their purposes. You may think this rich coming from me, but I've been very open about my biases. This news article is not clear in the fact that its 'source' is an organization that is itself biased against nuclear power.The

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-46827225525163141692009-11-18T18:44:00.001-08:002009-11-18T18:45:06.313-08:00

.. and into the fire.The world lurches from one crisis to the next.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-9042259235398246972009-11-18T16:22:00.000-08:002009-11-18T16:27:04.611-08:00

India's nuclear power plants run at reduced power because they lack uranium.Canada is one of the world's three biggest exporters of uranium.Demand, meet supply.

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-58940290980091402982009-11-15T09:02:00.001-08:002009-11-15T09:14:26.130-08:00

The other day I mentioned the interesting topic regarding first names and Japanese culture, today I will mention Obama's faux pas regarding bowing.Honestly, I know that among some this is a big deal. I find it irritating more that he is hypocritical. He does not bow to the Queen in this way and allows a ridiculous breach in protocol by his wife but then practically kisses his toes when speaking

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-18306973859437514922009-11-13T17:42:00.000-08:002009-11-13T18:07:20.389-08:00

This article was interesting to me for a number of reasons.One reason was because of this comment by the Japanese Prime MinisterStanding beside Mr. Obama at the Japanese equivalent of the White House, the Kantei, Mr. Hatoyama said, “We’ve come to call each other Barack and Yukio, and gotten quite accustomed to calling each other by our names.”To westerners this may not seem very significant. So

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-37833418408859156302009-11-06T14:28:00.000-08:002009-11-06T14:33:21.377-08:00

You didn't need to be a medical expert to figure this one out.But I don't have anything to add to this article.I will add one thing to this article however. Considering that there are lies, damn lies, and statistics I'll be careful to say too much, but shouldn't we be using last year's statistics as a proper reference rather than last week. It doesn't say much that hospitalizations are up three

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-39226027632350266662009-11-05T15:58:00.000-08:002009-11-05T16:05:05.160-08:00

For all the talk that some anti-nuclear environmentalists make about nuclear power plants and the 'dangers' they pose in terms of radiation, coal fired power plants, which emit larger amounts of radiation into the nearby ecosystems largely get a pass on this issue.One reason is control and government regulations. Nuclear power plants have (and rightly so) an incredible amount of radiation safety

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-31518943310268913252009-11-03T14:47:00.001-08:002009-11-03T15:09:59.137-08:00

Its always fascinating to me the instinctive knee-jerk opposition nuclear energy receives from the most ardent environmentalists. Especially when the same people, in practically the same breath demand that government do something, anything to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions.If you want to really reduce your carbon emissions, you need to build nuclear power plants. There's no two ways about it

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-11180727469239801662009-11-01T15:54:00.001-08:002009-11-01T16:01:38.323-08:00

I know how the optics of this look.But in all honesty I'm not surprised. Its not unusual for some government agencies to only have hard copies of some documents. Or at least to claim they only have hard copies available. Here's a question though. To arrive at such a number, someone would have had to taken the time to actually count all 4476 pages one at a time. Was that really the best use of

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-27701523962920680942009-10-29T14:15:00.000-07:002009-10-29T14:37:45.559-07:00

Of these two sets of comments by Silver and Powers, I'm tempted to agree with Silver more.Not because he has worked as a consultant for utilities but because his points seem more valid and his chief complaint seems extremely well considered as well. Powers complaint concerning 'sovereignty' may be valid, and his use of historical experience is useful in understanding his point of view, but is

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-71568133758948602002009-10-28T16:23:00.000-07:002009-10-28T18:58:35.439-07:00

I think Margaret Wente nails this one right on the head.The media-overexposure of H1N1 is dangerous in its own way as people are now realizing. Part of the problem is that people in the media and government seem to have forgotten a fundamental human nature, the nature to be suspicious.If a vendor is trying desperately to sell you something that you are hesitant to buy, are you more or less

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-5736616920883887762009-10-27T14:51:00.000-07:002009-10-27T15:29:19.760-07:00

Somewhere in a news report I was reading recently, the fact that Australia had reported an increase in the confirmed flu cases over 8 times the normal seasonal flu was highlighted as a reason for the near-hysterical response by some governments and people.That was an impressive number I thought, and quite convincing when held in isolation, but then I remembered that the Australian flu season is

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-90479011955484852562009-10-23T15:27:00.000-07:002009-10-23T15:52:54.359-07:00

Ironically, the one major issue that seems to be dominating the Canadian technology/political news is the one issue that I am loathe to touch with a ten foot pole. The future of AECL has been in doubt for several months as the federal government made it clear that they intended to sell AECL to private companies. At first brush, this is not necessarily the 'death knell' that many people make it

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-28789999821364783672009-10-13T15:43:00.000-07:002009-10-14T19:32:48.666-07:00

Alright, so Raphael and I have restarted our poll tracker. So I'll discuss the boring technicalities of why I compile the polls the way I do. Some of what I do may seem simplistic, but I have put some thought in behind why I am doing it that way.The Politics of BinningThe first thing that I do is 'bin' the polls based on their polling end date. Binning the polls is a way of accumulating more

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-84168660504415607912009-10-03T14:35:00.000-07:002009-10-03T15:11:34.872-07:00

The lights go out.That'll be the first thing that you notice. You'll look outside and will probably notice that the lights at your neighbours and the streetlamps are out too. Odd though, there isn't a thunderstorm, must have been some grid problem again, you'll think. You're used to power outages though, you've remembered to keep a flashlight handy.But why won't your cell phone turn back on?

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-5582992376839417212009-10-01T15:08:00.000-07:002009-10-01T15:44:47.366-07:00

I say this often, but I can't say it often enough. Wind power is not an alternative energy source. It can not nor will it ever be able, on its own, to replace coal, nuclear, oil or any other consistent source of electricity.I hear talk however about 'combining' wind with electricity generation from hydroelectric projects. Which again, is just foolishness. The problem stems from the fact that when

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555374497993305718.post-38924575717494290972009-09-19T20:25:00.000-07:002009-09-19T21:06:34.141-07:00

To remind you why the Czechs seem so .. paranoid about the USA betraying them. I'll give you a few reasons:1) 30 September 1938: Munich agreement in violation of French alliance agreements surrenders large portions of Czechoslovakia to Hitler.2) 15 March 1939: In violation of the Munich agreement, Germany occupies the rest of the country and splits the remnants between Hungary, Poland and a newly

Erichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14556765364730568391noreply@blogger.com1