Could Shell be Linked to a Takeover of Vestas? This could get weird, ‘cos of the whole Boycott Shell thing.
Blog
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In Edmonton, but no thanks to WorstJet

Jet lag, lack of sleep, and a whole day of company orientation isn’t doing much for my clarity of thought right now. What I need is steak and beer.
Last night’s flight was supposed to get in at 10:30, but what with WestJet‘s faffing around, we got in well after midnight. It was about 1am (or 03:00, Toronto time) before I got settled in the hotel room.
I’ve never been in a city with trolley buses before. Guess I can’t say that any more. It’s also the furthest west I’ve ever been.
I wonder if the snow drawing below (as seen from my hotel window) is supposed to be a hometown homage to Bob The Angry Flower?
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two cheers for sandisk
SanDisk used to have terrible packaging for their memory cards, but no longer. Now they use a small, simple cardboard box with a PET insert. Not perfect, but much better; no knives required!
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i’m really sorry …
We bought a car today. We’ve been car-free for over 10 years, nearly four of them in Canada, too.

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Chicken Payback
I had the misfortune to have a Swiss Chalet lunch near an argument. It was actually more of a harangue since it was very one-sided, and I was on the verge of getting up to tell the antagonist to shut up.
I don’t know the relationship, but it was an older guy and a younger woman, possibly his daughter. He was going on and on about how she was cutting work to go to the gym, how she was being paid for working 37.5 hours a week but was only working 35, did she feel good about stealing from the company, it didn’t matter if she got the work dones, she was paid to be there, her a manager too, etc, etc.
What was particularly pathetic was that he only ever gave her a couple of seconds to answer before launching another tirade. I think she maybe said about 10 words in a fifteen minute period.
I suspect he thought he was making a good point, but he was just coming across as a complete dork. And he was putting me off my food, too.
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Photos of Toronto’s WindShare Coop AGM 2006
Paul Gipe posted pictures of the Toronto’s WindShare Coop AGM 2006.
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shaving on the go
Neat eBay find; an unused Gillette Travel razor:

It is absolutely tiny, and it looks as if it has never been opened, let alone used. The blades are still in their cellophane wrapping, and the razor has its cardboard “blade” in place. I wonder how old it is?
The case doesn’t look very robust (it’s that cardboard leatherette that falls apart at the slightest use) but I’ll be able to shave in style anywhere in the world. -
WindShare AGM 2006
WindShare is having their AGM tonight. I got a nice plaque for my years on the board.
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roti frenzy
How much does it rock that my work is within easy walking distance of Roti Boys? Their jerk chicken paratha-style roti is full-on at all times.
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Ontario Government Giving Every Household a Say in Province’s Electricity Future
The Energy Minister wants your thoughts on the Supply Mix. Quick, do you know what the supply mix is? Do you care?
I’m guessing that, as long as the lights are still on, that you can read my blog, the fuel bills aren’t too high, and acide rain hasn’t caused the cat to rust, you don’t really care about the Supply Mix.
But Donna Cansfield wants you to care. She’s sending everyone a brochure Our Energy, Our Future (online here) to make you think that they’d give a one before they go build nukes anyway. And since you were consulted, it’s your fault when the cost overruns roll in.
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send not for whom the (division) bell tolls
It may sound like the first line of a particularly contrived blues song, but I woke up this morning and realised I’ve completely forgotten how to do long division. Guess I’ve used calculators for far too long.
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How to dismantle an nuclear power station
… [the] process is only projected to be completed by the end of this century, as it is not considered safe to start dismantling the highly radioactive core until the 2080s
— BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Tackling the UK’s nuclear legacy
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bankie haircut
I had my hair cut last night by Arthur, who came over from Clydebank in 1969. His workmates were amused how broad his accent got when we were talking.
It was at The Barber’s Chair, a chain (franchise?) of old-style barber shops. I think I’ll be back.
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snow fair
We get a little snow, and the TTC goes borked again. Gahh!
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green drinks Toronto
Green Drinks Toronto was good last night. Had a chance to catch up with Jim Prall, too.
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cleanairpass
cleanairpass claims to offset the emissions from your car. Hmm…
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Staedtler Noris Ergosoft

I like these pencils. And no image scaling tricks were used; the bigger pencil is the bigger, thicker Learner’s Pencil. At the back is a Lee Valley belt-clip sharpener.
I think I was supposed to review these for Pencil Revolution, but looks like someone beat me to it.
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everything old is new again: clean coal
Clean coal seems to be in vogue, but when I read about it, I thought — hang on, isn’t this just the old town gas technology?
I’m guessing the new clean coal guys don’t want us to know about the old town gasworks in the UK, most of which still have toxic wastes lurking deep down.
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the mighty elocom
I’d been suffering from some winter eczema on the blade of my right hand. It meant (like, if I wanted to) I couldn’t karate chop, but I could probably give someone a pretty good karate sandpapering.
It got worse recently, and beyond the control of over-the-counter meds. The doctor gave me a wee pottie of Elocom, a fearsome skin ointment, on Friday. The eczema’s almost gone; it’s just a tiny bit of dry skin now.
