Earth Hour comes at 8:30 this evening wherever you are. And it's easy to make fun of this self-described "movement" as an emptily sanctimonious piece of "slacktivism" where we turn off a few lamps briefly and feel virtuous. But it is important to protect the environment from all sorts of things including the "light pollution" that means too many urban kids have never really seen the stars. We can have the comforts, conveniences and wonders of modern technology and production without cutting ourselves off from nature... if we use our hearts and our heads. So during Earth Hour take a few minutes to reflect on where we'd be if we had no artificial light, or heat, not even fire that we had learned to control. But also reflect on where we'd be if we had no green spaces, no habitats, no wild companions on the planet. And then resolve to protect both the environment and the economy with intelligent compassion.

Including making a pledge to The Environment: A True Story if you haven't already, and spreading the word if you have, so we can stop pouring money, time, effort and concern into bad policy driven by bad science, and devote them instead to the things that really need doing.

Our documentary project "The Environment: A True Story" has already reached 20% of its funding target. Many thanks to all those who have backed it so far and are helping spread the word. Now let's get to the next milestone and then on to full funding so I can produce this film. If you're opposed to bad policy based on flawed science, and tired of the bullying and false claims (like that 97% of scientists agree with the alarmist scenario on man-made climate change, endlessly repeated by journalists and by politicians like Barack Obama but dissected here by the Friends of Science), make a pledge now so I can tell the real story of what we do know about the past history of the Earth and what it means for all of us today and tomorrow.

The time is right. Let's make it happen.

The ludicrous claim that 97% of scientists support the alarmist position on man-made climate change was dissected in another excellent talk at the 2017 EEA "Essentials of Freedom" conference, by Michelle Stirling of "Friends of Science". For a disquieting examination of how this much-trumpeted but entirely inaccurate figure was arrived at, download the Friends of Science publication here.

Just heard an excellent, very energetic and entertaining speech by Marc Morano of Climate Depot here at our Economic Education Association of Alberta annual "Essentials of Freedom" conference. (It's on tomorrow as well if you're in Calgary and can join us.) Marc showed some clips from his film Climate Hustle and highlighted some of the absurd contradictions in the predictions of climate change alarmists, where falling or rising temperatures both cause drought and floods at the same time, as well as higher and lower crime, terrorism and probably a cracked kitchen sink as well.

Great stuff.

For those of you who don't have a two-hour block to watch the entire thing, here is a list of clips in the proper order. Enjoy!

It’s a brand new year and the brand old "It Happened Today" is back. Thanks for your patience during the December respite. I do hope to continue the feature through 2017 and beyond with your help. As a crowd-funded commentator, I respond to your priorities. But I also do need your help. As I explained in a video last fall, I’m privileged to have a number of outlets for my work. But despite the fancy title my position with the U of O is sessional. I get paid a fixed fee per course, with no benefits or pension and no guarantee of teaching in any given year. Likewise my newspaper and radio work is freelance. And while I’m grateful to all those employers, the core of my livelihood is your crowd-funding of the documentaries and your general support through Patreon and other platforms.

So here’s the thing. My daily "Wish I’d said that" and "It Happened Today" features currently earn me about 57 cents each, assuming all the money pledged via Patreon is for them alone. Mind you, they’re U.S. half-dollars. But still, much as I enjoy creating the quotations and historical vignettes, I simply can’t afford to do it indefinitely at that rate. I have to put my time and effort where people really value them, meaning reward them, so my work pays the bills and feeds my family.

A lot of people are dismayed by the way things are going in Canada and want to fix it. And I’m doing my best to reclaim true Canadian values, to change the culture so we can change the politics. But one thing Canadians need to get better at if they want to remain True, Strong and Free is to give more. A new Fraser Institute study confirms that we still lag far behind our American neighbours in voluntary giving. Only in one American state, West Virginia, do people give a smaller share of total income to charity than in any Canadian province, and only Manitoba is above West Virginia. But it’s voluntary giving that really helps people in need, and sustains voices like mine that don’t parrot the CBC vision of Canada.

I’m not asking for a million dollars. I’m asking for three bucks a month from anyone willing to pay a dime, or $7.50 from anyone good for an entire quarter, per "It Happened Today" and "Wish I’d Said That" daily combo. So if you enjoy them and want them to continue, and you’re not already a backer of the documentaries or a patron, please visit www.johnrobson.ca and follow the links to make a monthly pledge. I quite literally can’t do it without you.

Thanks.

Wrapping up 2016 and looking forward to 2017, a word of thanks to all those who made our documentary work possible in the past year.

Great news, especially for US and international shoppers: Our True, Strong and Free documentary is now available on Amazon.com.