climate change policy, science, and activism; photography; cartography and mapmaking
Does anybody know of any climate-related jobs in Toronto?
All of these sectors are potentially of interest: government (federal, provincial, municipal), academia, non-profits, and the private sector.
I am interested in work in a wide variety of sectors including:
Feel free to email me at rather than post comments here.
On November 28th, British journalist George Monbiot will be giving a talk in Toronto: “Countdown to Copenhagen: Who in Canada is Killing the International Climate Treaty?” The event is partially sponsored by DeSmogBlog.
Monbiot is a good writer and strong climate change campaigner. I suggest those in Toronto consider attending. I once saw him speak at Oxford’s Environmental Change Insitute. I also reviewed his book on climate change.
Date: Saturday, November 28th
Time: 2:00 to 4:00pm
Location: J.J.R. MacLeod Auditorium, Medical Sciences Building, University of Toronto
1 King’s College Circle, Toronto
Admission: suggested donation of $10-$25. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.
Seating is limited; come early to guarantee a seat.
People in Toronto should consider seeing the excellent folk band The Gruff at the Dakota Tavern tonight (249 Ossington Avenue). Their concert in Ottawa on Wednesday was great fun.
Here are some samples:
More are here.
Wandering through Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is an enjoyable way both to experience the diversity of life and appreciate the degree to which its history has come to be comprehensible for human beings. From the grand displays of ancient bones to the more abstract explanations of taxonomy and evolutionary history, the place is a monument to the scientific understanding of the world. Given the power of that discourse – derived from the exceedingly high level of evidence provided by physical remains, genetics, and the study of living creatures – it makes it all the more astonishing that anybody out there believes that the Earth is 6,000 years old, that all the creatures on it were created simultaneously, and that evolution is not a powerful ongoing process that explains our biological origins.
Over and above matters of scientific understanding, the story told by the ROM is also enormously more compelling than the story of creation by an omnipotent god. The latter may have fireworks, but the former has a lot more power and beauty. It makes the creation story look like a bad Hollywood film that happens to star someone famous: the Waterworld of theories.
This weekend, I am visiting Toronto, which always induces comparisons with Ottawa in which the capital city comes off looking badly. I like subways and shops that are open past 6:00pm. If this dire economy can provide space in Toronto for someone with no particular interest in private enterprise, perhaps I will find a way to relocate myself here over the course of the next few years.
Also, one quality for which Toronto should be praised is the availability of Gingerbons spicy and sweet ginger candy. They taste like a fantastic amalgamation of ginger and honey, and I have only ever seen them in a bulk food store on Bloor Street, a couple of blocks east of Jane.
Now, off for a late, greasy diner breakfast.
The day after being re-united with my 50mm f/1.8 prime lens, I managed to break it into two pieces by accidentally smashing it into a wrought iron railing. Because of the Toronto snowfall, I was carrying my camera in ziploc bag. Due to the careless movement of my arm, a lens that I have used for years met what may be an untimely end.
I will investigate whether it is possible to have the two halves re-joined. If not, I will have to consider whether it is more sensible to replace the f/1.8 lens or buy the more expensive but more solidly constructed f/1.4 variant.
[Update: 29 January 2009] The word is back from the camera repair people. They estimate the chances of repairing the lens for less than the cost of a new lens at approximately zero. Also, it would take six to eight weeks. Eventually, I suppose I will buy a new 50mm lens.
On the occasion of my 25th birth{}day (intentionally misspelled to protect against spam robots), I will briefly enumerate the best things that happened in the past year:
Hopefully, the coming year will involve the same sort of contact with friends and family, though a few Grand and Operatic Events of Colossal Magnitude and Importance would not go amiss.
If you are a friend of mine and happen to be in Toronto today, please let me know. Emily and I are having a joint birthday party at Tristan’s house, and your phone call or email will lead to directions being sent to you.
Please don’t be offended if you haven’t already received a personal invitation. It is quite challenging to keep track of who is where at what time.
Vegan curry is promised.
Until Wednesday evening, I will be in Toronto for a conference. Does anybody know about any interesting plays, shows, art exhibitions, and so forth that are ongoing in the city now or happening during that timespan? Options that are inexpensive and unusual would be preferred.
My days will be full, but the evenings are pretty much completely free. Photos from the expedition will emerge when next I can bring my camera and my main computer into contact with one another.
My weekend in Toronto yielded knowledge of two new interesting places:
The first is a Louisiana Cajun restaurant called Southern Accent. It is located at 595 Markham Street, near the Honest Ed discount store. Their serving staff are very friendly and accommodating, the decor is pleasantly unusual, and the food is novel and tasty.
The second is an excellent used book store called A Good Read. It is located at 341 Roncesvalles Avenue. It is a boutique-style shop, rather than an encyclopaedic warehouse like Chapters, and it seems to be stocked almost exclusively with the kind of books you would feel lucky to find in a normal used book shop. I picked up a massive tome on the history of cryptography that I mean to work through over the course of many lunch hours.