University of Alberta Faculty of Law Blog

The Israeli people have spoken

The people of Israel have spoken again, electing the hoopoe as their national bird in honour of the country's 6oth birthday celebrations. President Shimon Peres announced the results of the polls today, crowning the bird in an official ceremony (you can see the bird's crown in the picture).

The national bird selection process was sponsored by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. The hoopoe is not an endangered species, perhaps due to the conservation measures announced in Leviticus 11, where the hoopoe is included in a list of unholy birds, which are not to be eaten, together with the vulture, the heron, and the bat (!)

Agua de beber

Good news comes from the UK today, as the British Government bans bottled water at all meetings and other "official business" (what does that mean?). For the record, I don't buy mineral water: I find it bland and boring. Nothing compares to the flavour of local water drank sans glass from the faucet or the garden hose.

The British government recognizes that tap water is more environmentally friendly than the bottled varieties transported over great distances (check out this wiki to learn more). The ban is part of the government's commitment to more sustainable practices, and I look forward to seeing how long the ban will be sustained.

In the mean time, this University should follow the example of the meeting, and ban from its meetings and other "official business" everything but locally fetched water (hey, we're close to the source!) and produce from its experimental farms. At the very least, let's switch to pop.

English QB: "An Inconvenient Truth" is "partisan"

Last week, in Dimmock v. Secretary of State for Education and Skills, [2007] E.W.H.C. 2288, Burton J. of the English Court of Queen's Bench found that Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth promotes "partisan political views" within the meaning of section 406 of the Education Act 1996 and, as such, requires presentation of differing opinions as to "climate change".  Nine particular issues are identified (evidently conceded by the Department) where "Mr. Gore may be in error" and, pursuant to the education authority's duty set out in section 407 of the Act "to secure balanced treatment of political issues", his Lordship ordered that the film be accompanied by a "guidance note" pointing out those errors and posing questions for class discussion.

China is #1

in producing CO2! No word on what the first prize is. More seriously, how this will affect global discussions on GreenHouse gases is uncertain at this stage. Will China be pressured to join some sort of protocol or will the U.S. join China in holding out? Where will emissions trading play into all of this? There are no easy answers as we speak, but no doubt this issue will not go away.