I found this when looking for A Christmas Carol and since it was free I decided why not take a look.
IT is a set of 6 short stories (though some of them are decidedly short on narrative) and only some of them are Christmas-y. I liked the last three stories best personally. For a free book it was ok. But while A Christmas Carol iz certainly a classic, these stories are pretty much forgettable.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Saturday, December 26, 2015
The Christmas Snail
Each year the girls buy Christmas Tree ornaments at the Ten Thousand Villages sale here in town. This year Eldest bought a snail, and dad was given the challenge of writing the story of the Christmas Snail. Here is what developed:
They didn't even see
me. But then I am used to that. Nobody ever sees us snails. Or when
they do the make rude noises and squish us or run away as if we were
some disgusting monster. I think only spiders get treated worse than
us.
At any rate I saw it
all. From beginning to end I was there. Unlike those uppity other
animals you might hear about I don't think I had anything to do with
what happened. I just watched it. And I will never forget it. I don't
really understand, because I am only a snail. But I will never forget
it.
It almost made me
run and jump. But, well, you know, snails aren't really great at
that.
Do you want to hear
my version of the story?
It was a strange
day. There I was in Nazareth, creeping along, trying to stay moist,
when this foot just missed me. It was a man leading a donkey. Then
the donkey hoof just missed me on the other side. Around then I
decided maybe I would stay still. You know, to recover from the
fright. But fate, it seems, had other plans.
As the donkey's back
hoof came by it kicked me forward. At the same time a bundle of cloth
fell off the donkey's back. The bundle and I landed together in a
heap. Grumbling about how far they had to go and the delay and the
time, the man stopped and bent over to get the bundle of cloth, and
of course I got scooped up along with it. Before I knew it I was
stuck on the back of the donkey, heading who knew where.
That was a horrible
journey. Day after day in the hot sun! I was sure I would get fried.
Luckily there were lots of nooks and crannies in the baggage so I
could find a place to hide. And between the morning dew and the
donkey sweat and the occasional splash of water while the man and
woman were drinking I got just enough moisture to keep from totally
drying out.
I had no idea where
we were going. It appeared they did not want to go but they said that
they had no choice. The woman was very pregnant. The man was very
worried. The donkey was smelly and tired. The woman was tired. The
man was getting anxious. The donkey just wanted to stop, the man had
to keep urging it forward.
Finally we came to
another city. Bethlehem I think the man said its name was. It was
late in the day. Thankfully the sun was almost down and it was
getting cooler. I was starting to shrivel up. The man sounded much
more relaxed when he said:
“Tonight we will have a real bed in a real building. No more sleeping on the hard cold ground. And maybe a real meal for a change. I still have family here, I am sure one of them can take us in.”
“Tonight we will have a real bed in a real building. No more sleeping on the hard cold ground. And maybe a real meal for a change. I still have family here, I am sure one of them can take us in.”
In her gentle voice
the woman said:
“That will be nice.” Then suddenly she groaned with pain. “Joseph, I think the baby is coming, my water just broke.”
“That will be nice.” Then suddenly she groaned with pain. “Joseph, I think the baby is coming, my water just broke.”
By that point I had
started to slide down the donkey. And suddenly I was almost washed
off by this rush of fluid that came at me. I was able to hold on, and
to be honest I was very happy for all that refreshing moisture.
The man made the
donkey go even faster then. He led us from one house to another,
asking if he and the woman could stay there. They all said no.
Finally he turned to the woman and said:
“Its no use Mary,
none of my cousins remember me or my father. I guess we will have to
try that inn over there”
And so he led the
donkey across a square to an old inn. It sounded very busy. There was
lots of light pouring out the windows and doors. The man left us on
the walk and went up to the door. I could just barely hear him
pleading with the innkeeper, saying that his wife was having a baby
and they needed a place. He was gone a long time. All the while the
woman kept groaning. It seemed she was about to fall off the donkey.
Finally he came
back. He didn't sound happy.
“Well they say
they are full, and I don't have enough money to change their minds.
But they told me we can go out back and stay with the animals.”
The woman said:
“That will be
better than the middle of the street. Hurry Joseph, I need to get off
the donkey. It is almost time.”
So the man Joseph
led us around behind the building. There was a little shelter back
there with a few animals tied up inside. Joseph helped the woman off
the donkey and settled her on a pile of straw.
“Is that ok Mary?
Are you going to be alright?”
All the woman could
do was grunt.
Then there were
voices approaching. Women were coming. When they got to where we
were one of them said:
“Thee innkeeper sent for me. I am the local midwife. I am here to help. Let me see how things are going.”
“Thee innkeeper sent for me. I am the local midwife. I am here to help. Let me see how things are going.”
I sort of lost track
for a while then. Joseph started to unload and brush off the donkey
and in that process I got flung off into a corner. But at least there
I was safe. Nobody would step on me over there. While I couldn't see
anything, I could hear everything.
It appears the woman
was having her baby. It seems much easier to just lay eggs like us
snails do. But apparently that is not how it happens with humans.
There was a lot of screaming. The woman who called herself midwife
kept trying to calm Mary down. Meanwhile I found a nice little puddle
in my corner and settled in.
Still I listened. I
heard Mary say that this was a special baby. She talked about a visit
from an angel who told her that the baby was God's baby. It didn't
sound like the midwife believed her. Joseph talked about a visit he
had from an angel who told him the same thing. They talked about how
this baby was going to change the world. I have to admit I didn't
really know quite what they mean. After all, I am only a snail and
really don't know much about the world.
Then it was done.
The baby was born. Did I mention that laying eggs seems much easier?
Anyway everybody was very happy. The baby let out a loud scream and
then quietened down. But there was something odd.
From my corner I saw
this bright light shining. And I was sure I could hear music. And for
some reason I felt just so happy. Everybody's voices had gone quiet,
and all the animals too. At that point I knew I had to see the baby.
So I started to move over toward the light.
As I crept over
toward the manger two things happened. The light got brighter and the
music got louder. At first I thought it was just music but as it got
louder and clearer I could hear voices. Sweet soft voices singing the
baby to sleep. The pigeons in the rafters joined in the song. I can
see why. You just couldn't help but sing when you heard that song. It
drew you in somehow.
And the light. How
can I describe it. Normally when you spend your life so close to the
ground you see a lot of shadows. All the lights are up high and
blocked by people or objects. But this was different. The light
seemed to just be there, no shadows. I think it was coming from the
baby but even then there was no shadow from the manger. The light
just shone through everything
and everybody.
Just
as I started to get closer to the manger, almost close enough to
start thinking about climbing up one of the legs, there was a new
noise. A bunch of shepherds came rushing up yelling and shouting.
They were very excited. And they had big clumsy feet. I had to slide
under a piece of wood to avoid getting squashed.
The
shepherds rushed in, but as soon as they saw the baby they stopped
dead. They just stood there in silence for a while. Then they told a
story. They talked about angels appearing to them. They said they had
been told that this baby was the Messiah. They said that they had
been told to find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped up in bits of
cloth – just like this baby
here.
The
shepherds started to sing “Glory to God in the Highest! Peace on
earth, good will to men”. They said this is what the angels had
sung to them. They stayed and
watched the baby sleep for a while. Eventually the sheep came
wandering in and laid down beside the manger. Then the shepherds
gathered the sheep and headed back out of town. I could hear them
singing and shouting as they went, telling everyone what had happened
that night.
Still
there was the music and the light. Making things seem so calm, so
special.
Just
as dawn was breaking I finally got to the top of the manger. And I
could see the baby. Even with all that light shining, light that
should have blinded me, I could see him. And looking at him I was
sure that somehow things would be alright. Even for us snails.
I
slid down into the hay he was lying on. And just sat there looking at
him, listening to the song, and feeling very content. But
it was exciting too. I knew why the shepherds had been singing and
shouting. I wanted to dance and sing! Sadly I can't do such things.
So instead I sat there and watched and listened.
After
a few days the family left. I stayed behind.
I had had enough traveling for the lifetimes of many many snails.
But every time a new animal comes in, as we rest in the night, I tell
the story of the Baby. And sometimes, as I tell it, I hear the song
again and the manger seems to glow a little bit...
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Book 7 of 2015 -- A Christmas Carol
Many years ago (like 36) I was in a play for the first time. The play was A Christmas Carol and I was playing Scrooge.
Over the years I have seen various productions of the story -- everything from Alastair Sim's classic to Henry Winkler in An American Christmas Carol to Mickey Mouse to the Muppets. And a few years ago I took art in a staged reading of it.
ANd then I found a free copy of it for my KOBO. (I also found a free book of short stories for Christmas by Dickens which is next in my reading plan)
So I thought that maybe I should start a new tradition of reading it each year.
It is a nice little read. ANd there are bits that you always miss when it is put to the stage/screen.
A story of redemption, a story of what we might do if we knew for sure how people would remember us after our death, a story of social conscience.
Maybe I should broaden my new tradition to not only read it but read it to the girls....
Over the years I have seen various productions of the story -- everything from Alastair Sim's classic to Henry Winkler in An American Christmas Carol to Mickey Mouse to the Muppets. And a few years ago I took art in a staged reading of it.
ANd then I found a free copy of it for my KOBO. (I also found a free book of short stories for Christmas by Dickens which is next in my reading plan)
So I thought that maybe I should start a new tradition of reading it each year.
It is a nice little read. ANd there are bits that you always miss when it is put to the stage/screen.
A story of redemption, a story of what we might do if we knew for sure how people would remember us after our death, a story of social conscience.
Maybe I should broaden my new tradition to not only read it but read it to the girls....
Sunday, November 29, 2015
NaBloPoMo -- Favourite Advent Hymn(s)
Today's RGBP prompt is:
So I am going with some favourites.
My long-time favourite is one called Tomorrow Christ is Coming. Some people would say it is depressing. But it is real. It talks about the darkness in the world. Best sung in a minor key to mark the tone of the lyrics. But I don't push for it to be sung in worship every year -- I can sing it for myself.
A more recent favourite is People Look East, which apparently is a challenge to play -- particularly at the speed at which it is intended to be sung.
And this coming Sunday we are singing one that I have always wanted to sing. She Walked in the Summer by Miriam Therese Winter
And finally, as the Magnificat is a common Advent reading I have to mention my favoured musical setting of it -- the Canticle of the Turning
NaBloPoMo Day 29: Best Advent carol and whyANd what does best mean???? Who decides?
So I am going with some favourites.
My long-time favourite is one called Tomorrow Christ is Coming. Some people would say it is depressing. But it is real. It talks about the darkness in the world. Best sung in a minor key to mark the tone of the lyrics. But I don't push for it to be sung in worship every year -- I can sing it for myself.
A more recent favourite is People Look East, which apparently is a challenge to play -- particularly at the speed at which it is intended to be sung.
And this coming Sunday we are singing one that I have always wanted to sing. She Walked in the Summer by Miriam Therese Winter
And finally, as the Magnificat is a common Advent reading I have to mention my favoured musical setting of it -- the Canticle of the Turning
NaBloPoMo -- Book 6 of 2015 Accidental Saints
I loved this book. I mean it is one of those books where the title alone is a good reminder. Because we do find God in all the wrong people. And thankfully we are also the wrong people ourselves. But the content is wonderful.
I have come to believe that we are definitely people of story. And Bolz-Weber is a great storyteller. This is a book that I may suggest as a study group project in the new year.
Friday, November 27, 2015
NaBloPoMo -- Names
Here is the RGBP prompt for today:
As readers of other posts this month may have noticed, my favourite book by a country mile is The Lord of the Rings. At the same time I have long thought that the image of a quest works well (not perfectly but well) as a metaphor for life. And thus arose Following Frodo.
In fact at one time I tried to change the html for the comment line to say how many "Fellow Questers" there were rather than how many comments there were. Almost got it to work too.
As it happens, when I did a paper on Christology in LOTR I noted that Frodo is one of the Christological characters (along with Aragorn and Gandalf) in the work...so maybe Following Frodo has a subconscious meaning as well?
Other blogs I have started have had much more mundane names. I started one for the church in Atikokan (Riverview United) and called it "Riverview Rolls On". After all, as the web-presence for the congregation it needed to be linked to the congregation. Then about 7 years ago I started a blog to post worship resources I had written and called it simply "Worship Offerings". And then 5 years ago when I moved here I created a new blog, because I had gotten into the habit of blogging stuff specifically for ministry, like early sermon thoughts, and called it "Ministerial Mutterings" because that is what it is (and Mutterings sounded better than Mumblings).
NaBloPoMo Day 27: Explain the name of your blog or regular writing venue.10 years ago I started this blog. At that time there were lots of blogs with clever names out there, partly because many bloggers were sort of kind of pseudo-anonymous, And so I needed to choose a name.
As readers of other posts this month may have noticed, my favourite book by a country mile is The Lord of the Rings. At the same time I have long thought that the image of a quest works well (not perfectly but well) as a metaphor for life. And thus arose Following Frodo.
In fact at one time I tried to change the html for the comment line to say how many "Fellow Questers" there were rather than how many comments there were. Almost got it to work too.
As it happens, when I did a paper on Christology in LOTR I noted that Frodo is one of the Christological characters (along with Aragorn and Gandalf) in the work...so maybe Following Frodo has a subconscious meaning as well?
Other blogs I have started have had much more mundane names. I started one for the church in Atikokan (Riverview United) and called it "Riverview Rolls On". After all, as the web-presence for the congregation it needed to be linked to the congregation. Then about 7 years ago I started a blog to post worship resources I had written and called it simply "Worship Offerings". And then 5 years ago when I moved here I created a new blog, because I had gotten into the habit of blogging stuff specifically for ministry, like early sermon thoughts, and called it "Ministerial Mutterings" because that is what it is (and Mutterings sounded better than Mumblings).
NaBloPoMo -- Christmas
Every year there is a challenge for the worship leader (or at least this worship leader).
What do you do with a story that had been told so often? How do you keep it fresh when everyone knows it? WHat is the thing that people need to hear about Christmas this year?
ANd here we are, 4 weeks away and I have yet to find my hook for the year.
Which troubles me. Because I would like to feel more planned than that.
BUt I think I might have it.
What would happen if we heard the angel today? What would Christmas look like if it happened in 2015?
This Sunday, to talk about hope, I am going to ask what the causes of our despair are. What do we need the angel song of hope to conquer? What does the birth of Jesus bring to this struggling, warring, broken world today?
YEars ago the an angel visited the congregation of Riverview United to share his account of witnessing the Christmas story. He may have to come back, only this time not only to witness to a birth 2000 years ago, but also to bring a word of hope and promise to the present.
For unto you is born this day in the City of David.....glory to God in the highest, and on earth -- peace.
What do you do with a story that had been told so often? How do you keep it fresh when everyone knows it? WHat is the thing that people need to hear about Christmas this year?
ANd here we are, 4 weeks away and I have yet to find my hook for the year.
Which troubles me. Because I would like to feel more planned than that.
BUt I think I might have it.
What would happen if we heard the angel today? What would Christmas look like if it happened in 2015?
This Sunday, to talk about hope, I am going to ask what the causes of our despair are. What do we need the angel song of hope to conquer? What does the birth of Jesus bring to this struggling, warring, broken world today?
YEars ago the an angel visited the congregation of Riverview United to share his account of witnessing the Christmas story. He may have to come back, only this time not only to witness to a birth 2000 years ago, but also to bring a word of hope and promise to the present.
For unto you is born this day in the City of David.....glory to God in the highest, and on earth -- peace.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
NABloPoMo --- Advent
Hope
The world grows dark
Despair fills the news
What leads us forward
What keeps us trying
We light a candle and pray for --
Hope
Peace
Or at least the Prince thereof
We look for it in vain.
Racism, injustice, whose lives matter?
A second flame flickers into life
We look for the Kingdom
We await the Kingdom, and pray for --
Peace
Joy
A world filled with tears.
Laughter that sounds hollow
We look for something beyond.
Great tidings, for all the people
We sink into trust.
We live by faith, by prayer,
and our eyes reflect the candle light of --
Joy
Love
One flame waits to burst forth
One great driver lies penned up in our hearts.
Dare we let it out?
Can we live its richness?
In the face of fear and hatred
One thing stands alone
And so we commit ourselves to --
Love
Christ
A young couple
A full inn
An Imperial edict
And a baby
Shepherds and angels
Great news of great Joy.
THe Prince of PEace
The Child of Love
The Source of Home
Born in the midst of fear and suffering
Christ
Thanks be to God.
The world grows dark
Despair fills the news
What leads us forward
What keeps us trying
We light a candle and pray for --
Hope
Peace
Or at least the Prince thereof
We look for it in vain.
Racism, injustice, whose lives matter?
A second flame flickers into life
We look for the Kingdom
We await the Kingdom, and pray for --
Peace
Joy
A world filled with tears.
Laughter that sounds hollow
We look for something beyond.
Great tidings, for all the people
We sink into trust.
We live by faith, by prayer,
and our eyes reflect the candle light of --
Joy
Love
One flame waits to burst forth
One great driver lies penned up in our hearts.
Dare we let it out?
Can we live its richness?
In the face of fear and hatred
One thing stands alone
And so we commit ourselves to --
Love
Christ
A young couple
A full inn
An Imperial edict
And a baby
Shepherds and angels
Great news of great Joy.
THe Prince of PEace
The Child of Love
The Source of Home
Born in the midst of fear and suffering
Christ
Thanks be to God.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
NaBloPoMo -- Victims of our Own Success
Is that a way to describe humanity?
For much of our history as a species we did not have great lives (by modern standards lives were downright substandard). Mothers were far more likely to die in childbirth. Children were lucky to live to 5 years old. Subsistence and survival was the name of the game.
But continually we improved. We got better at food production, and developed technology, and life got better, easier. We developed medical care. Sure sometimes the development cycle was hit and miss. Sometimes there were great leaps and sometimes things just didn't change. But overall we kept getting "better" at controlling and making use of the world around us.
And today? Today much of the global population enjoys a fantastic average life expectancy. WE can make things grow where nature says they shouldn't. We can drive the cold of winter away and ease the heat of summer (inside at least). We can turn a key and drive across the country. We can manipulate not only the chemistry of our world but the very DNA in our organisms. And it appears to be killing the planet.
Silent Spring. Love Canal. CFCs. Greenhouse Effect. Acid Rain. Chernobyl. Fukushima. And that is just a partial list...
Maybe our success will be the cause of our demise?
Now let us be honest, the ideal of living so that we don't impact our environment is a myth. All organisms change their environment. Sometimes destructively, sometimes symbiotically. And most don't have the ability to choose or control what that impact will be.
So we need to make a choice. And more and more I am convinced that there is no sustainable choice that will allow us the lifestyle to which we have become accustomed.
WE are (justly) proud of the things we have accomplished as a species. ANd those accomplishments may set the stage for us to be even better. OR we could become the victims of our own success...leaving a chnged planet behind for what ever species comes next.
For much of our history as a species we did not have great lives (by modern standards lives were downright substandard). Mothers were far more likely to die in childbirth. Children were lucky to live to 5 years old. Subsistence and survival was the name of the game.
But continually we improved. We got better at food production, and developed technology, and life got better, easier. We developed medical care. Sure sometimes the development cycle was hit and miss. Sometimes there were great leaps and sometimes things just didn't change. But overall we kept getting "better" at controlling and making use of the world around us.
And today? Today much of the global population enjoys a fantastic average life expectancy. WE can make things grow where nature says they shouldn't. We can drive the cold of winter away and ease the heat of summer (inside at least). We can turn a key and drive across the country. We can manipulate not only the chemistry of our world but the very DNA in our organisms. And it appears to be killing the planet.
Silent Spring. Love Canal. CFCs. Greenhouse Effect. Acid Rain. Chernobyl. Fukushima. And that is just a partial list...
Maybe our success will be the cause of our demise?
Now let us be honest, the ideal of living so that we don't impact our environment is a myth. All organisms change their environment. Sometimes destructively, sometimes symbiotically. And most don't have the ability to choose or control what that impact will be.
So we need to make a choice. And more and more I am convinced that there is no sustainable choice that will allow us the lifestyle to which we have become accustomed.
WE are (justly) proud of the things we have accomplished as a species. ANd those accomplishments may set the stage for us to be even better. OR we could become the victims of our own success...leaving a chnged planet behind for what ever species comes next.
Monday, November 23, 2015
NaBloBoMo -- Climate and Politics
Yesterday the Provincial Government announced its plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In the past governments in this province have been less than active on this point. In a world where people have, for years, been calling for reduced TOTAL emissions I have heard more than one Alberta government talk about reducing emissions on a per barrel rate. Which means that total emissions would in fact RISE due to the ongoing and (at the time) rapid growth in the oil industry.
Yesterday's plan is much more aimed at total emissions.
Among the pillars:
Certainly it is better than past "plans". But there are concerns.
IT is one thing to talk about replacing coal-fired generation. It is another thing (and often a very expensive thing) to actually do it. And that may (likely will) lead to higher power costs.
Same with the carbon-tax. THis plan has it applied to everything--home heating, gasoline/diesel. Which means it will raise the costs of everything. NOt just the stuff you buy directly but everything. Because all those businesses whose costs go up will pass the costs on.
And the reality is that lower income folk not only have less "unassigned" money to spend but they are also more vulnerable to these increases for other reasons. If you have lower income you can less afford to redo your house to improve the insulation or add solar panels or..... You are more likely to drive an older vehicle. You are less likely to be able to replace your furnace/hot water heater/major appliances with more efficient ones. And so you pay the cost of using more carbon....
But then again. I have long believed that if we are honest we have to admit we have not actually been paying the full cost of energy. Because how do you assign a financial cost to the ecological costs of burning emissions, or of a changed water flow, or of nuclear waste. There is no such thing as "clean" energy -- just a different form of "dirty". Maybe a carbon-tax is one way of doing it?
And maybe the best way to encourage people to change is to give them a financial incentive?
There is another piece to this.
One of the handicaps the Alberta oil industry has is that we are landlocked. Our producers need the goodwill of neighbouring jurisdictions to get their product to market, preferably through pipelines (which are most definitely safer and more efficient than rail or truck). But because Alberta has a history of preferring economic growth over acting on climate change there is a sense that this gets in the way of that goodwill. One of the hopes is that making strong action on the file will not only make a difference in the health of the climate and the health of Albertans but will also help create that goodwill for future discussions on pipeline projects -- because Alberta will still have an economy largely dependent on the oil industry for some time to come, even if this round of diversification talk bears more fruit than ever other round over the last 30+ years. This is why it was deemed necessary this be announced before the upcoming international climate change summit.
THere have been some of the expected naysayers. There is a (common) complaint that to make these sorts of changes and announcements when the economy is in decline is "kicking a man when he's down". On the other hand, experience has shown that there is a distinct lack of drive to do it when things are booming and growth is exploding either. And again, sometimes we need a driver to push us to change. Those are more present when times are tougher.
The interesting thing is that the industry appears to be on-side (yes that link IS from an oil company presser, but I can't find a link to the article I read this afternoon). Not sure what that means....
In the past governments in this province have been less than active on this point. In a world where people have, for years, been calling for reduced TOTAL emissions I have heard more than one Alberta government talk about reducing emissions on a per barrel rate. Which means that total emissions would in fact RISE due to the ongoing and (at the time) rapid growth in the oil industry.
Yesterday's plan is much more aimed at total emissions.
Among the pillars:
- eliminating coal-fired power generation by 2030. very ambitious given that a high percentage of power in this province is coal-fired
- replacing 2/3 of that coal-fired generation with renewable sources
- a carbon-tax of $20 per tonne in 2017, rising quickly to $30 per tonne.
- revenue from the carbon tax to be reinvested in anti-pollution measures and to be used to offset the load the carbon tax will place on lower income Albertans
Certainly it is better than past "plans". But there are concerns.
IT is one thing to talk about replacing coal-fired generation. It is another thing (and often a very expensive thing) to actually do it. And that may (likely will) lead to higher power costs.
Same with the carbon-tax. THis plan has it applied to everything--home heating, gasoline/diesel. Which means it will raise the costs of everything. NOt just the stuff you buy directly but everything. Because all those businesses whose costs go up will pass the costs on.
And the reality is that lower income folk not only have less "unassigned" money to spend but they are also more vulnerable to these increases for other reasons. If you have lower income you can less afford to redo your house to improve the insulation or add solar panels or..... You are more likely to drive an older vehicle. You are less likely to be able to replace your furnace/hot water heater/major appliances with more efficient ones. And so you pay the cost of using more carbon....
But then again. I have long believed that if we are honest we have to admit we have not actually been paying the full cost of energy. Because how do you assign a financial cost to the ecological costs of burning emissions, or of a changed water flow, or of nuclear waste. There is no such thing as "clean" energy -- just a different form of "dirty". Maybe a carbon-tax is one way of doing it?
And maybe the best way to encourage people to change is to give them a financial incentive?
There is another piece to this.
One of the handicaps the Alberta oil industry has is that we are landlocked. Our producers need the goodwill of neighbouring jurisdictions to get their product to market, preferably through pipelines (which are most definitely safer and more efficient than rail or truck). But because Alberta has a history of preferring economic growth over acting on climate change there is a sense that this gets in the way of that goodwill. One of the hopes is that making strong action on the file will not only make a difference in the health of the climate and the health of Albertans but will also help create that goodwill for future discussions on pipeline projects -- because Alberta will still have an economy largely dependent on the oil industry for some time to come, even if this round of diversification talk bears more fruit than ever other round over the last 30+ years. This is why it was deemed necessary this be announced before the upcoming international climate change summit.
THere have been some of the expected naysayers. There is a (common) complaint that to make these sorts of changes and announcements when the economy is in decline is "kicking a man when he's down". On the other hand, experience has shown that there is a distinct lack of drive to do it when things are booming and growth is exploding either. And again, sometimes we need a driver to push us to change. Those are more present when times are tougher.
The interesting thing is that the industry appears to be on-side (yes that link IS from an oil company presser, but I can't find a link to the article I read this afternoon). Not sure what that means....
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