I know Rex Murphy's got a good vocabulary and all, but who on Earth who knows anything about climate change was touting biofuels as a solution to that problem?

This CBC climate crank claimed tonight that environmentalists saw things like ethanol and whatnot as climate silver bullets.

Some of the biggest boosters of biofuels have been U.S. President George Bush and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and I suspect more for reasons that have to do more with perceived energy security and domestic partisan politics than fighting climate change.

Most responsible environmentalists have said from the get-go that food crops shouldn't be converted into fuel -- or tropical forests, for that matter. I believe it was also environmentalists who noted that food crops produced with industrial agriculture techniques aren't climate-friendly. They do think there's some promise in converting cellulosic fibre (i.e. straw and other biomass) into ethanol. But the economics aren't there for that process yet.

There was nothing in Murphy's commentary that reflected those facts. Draw your own conclusions.

Seen at Norman's Spectator via Kinsella -- From Angus Reid Strategies:

Canadians give top marks to doctors, teachers and police officers, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll has found, while politicians garner the least amount of respect.

In the online survey of a representative national sample, a large majority of Canadians say they have a great deal or a fair amount of respect for doctors (94%), police officers (83%) and teachers (83%). At the bottom end are politicians (25%), lawyers (44%) and journalists (49%).

The results of the current survey are especially noteworthy when compared to those of an identical poll carried out by the Angus Reid Group in 1994. Interestingly, over the past 14 years, respect for every single profession—with the exception of doctors—has diminished across the country.

The professionals who endured the most noticeable slump are journalists. In 2008, less than half of all respondents say they have a great deal or a fair amount of respect for journalists (49%), compared to 73 per cent in 1994.

Okay, why? Too left-wing a bunch of elitists, like the conservative MSM-haters will say? Or too right-wing a bunch of craven, careerist, corporate lackeys like the lefty MSM-haters will say? Or both?

Craigslist has become such a toxic mess that many users are giving up on it, claims this Globe and Mail story.