Things are changing rapidly in the world, but as of this moment, we can say a few things about the major political parties of the Western world, with reasonable certainty. It is now undeniable, that by their actions, the major parties of the Western world, including the Democratic party of
Continue readingTag: Beijing
Things Are Good: Beijing Replacing Gas Taxi Fleet with Electric Taxis
Smog and Beijing go hand in hand due to the explosive growth of car ownership and poor environmental management. That’s starting to change. China’s capital city has mandated that when any new taxi hits the street that it has to be electric. This follows their efforts to replace their buses
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The "Piss Away" Province
The key to understanding the dilemma is to realize that Tar Sand, bitumen, is just a part of Alberta’s oil history. The province has also produced a vast amount of conventional crude oil. It’s actually produced and exported a good deal more conventional crude oil than Norway. That brings us
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Is Raul Castro’s Cuba the First Big Winner in Cold War II?
Now that Washington and Havana appear to be on the road to kissing and making up, it’s worth considering whether the timing is really that spontaneous? Cuba was always the Soviet’s toe hold in the Americas. It was over Soviet designs in Cuba that the world was brought to the
Continue readingLeDaro: Smog in Beijing
It is getting really bad in Beijing. People on the streets wear masks as well as commuters in the trains wear masks.
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics: Cheer for the athletes but don’t be naive: the Olympics are about politics
TweetNational leaders covet the opportunity to host the international event and multi-national corporations invest billions of dollars in advertising to its massive world-wide audience. Competing in glorious national stadiums and sports centres in between commercial breaks, the athletes appear to be little more than commodities. Make no mistake, the Olympic
Continue readingLeDaro: Hong Kong: Polluted skyline
If we keep burning fossil fuels at the current level this kind of smog may spread worldwide. SOUPY: An eagle flew over Hong Kong’s polluted skyline Monday. Off-the-charts air pollution in Beijing in the past few months has shown signs of drifting to Hong Kong. (Lam Yik Fei/Getty Images)
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Traveller’s Guide to Beijing. Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Passport and, Oh Yeah, Plenty of Oxygen
The World Health Organization sets the safe level at 25. The U.S. EPA puts the emergency level at 300. For days Beijing has been at anywhere between 600 and 900. The figures are for PM2.5 or particulate matter tiny enough to be absorbed into human tissue. Air quality has long
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