Magic Statistics

Virgin Atlantic seems to be having little success enticing its customers to purchase carbon offsets along with their air travel tickets.  The airline finds it necessary to resort to guilt-tripping.

An airline is attempting to embarrass its passengers into paying compensation for the climate change emissions of their flights by getting cabin crews to sell “carbon offsets” from the duty free trolley.

Virgin Atlantic has instructed crew to announce to each row of passengers that they are offering the offsetting service as well as discounted perfume and alcohol.

Virgin believes that peer pressure will play a big part in persuading people to offset their emissions. Unlike the situation with so-called “charity muggers” outside stations, passengers at 36,000ft cannot walk away.

Consumer advocate organisation Which? has objected, saying that passengers should not be pressured into buying something they don’t really want by shame-mongering flight attendants. I agree with Which?, but I would hope some Virgin Atlantic passengers are made of sterner stuff regardless.  Just say no to carbon offsets!

Green spokesman Jeff Gazzard likens Virgin CEO Sir Richard Branson to “Pope Richard . . . selling papal indulgences”.   Mr Gazzard is clearly a heretic.

Previous related posts:

• Greenliness is next to godliness
• Get your sin offsets here
• Environmental indulgences

The City of Halifax has announced that it will pay singer Celine Dion to perform there next August.  One would think the phenomenally successful entertainer needs no financial help from the municipality but, apparently, one would be wrong.

Musical diva Celine Dion is set to play a large outdoor show at a downtown Halifax park next fall.

Municipal councillors have agreed to provide up to $150,000 to bring the Quebec-born singer to the Halifax Common on Aug. 23, 2008.

Here’s another inauspicious omen: Canadian Press, the source of the Vancouver News 1130 story, thinks August comes during the "fall" in Nova Scotia.  That is definitely not good.

Appearances by other unnamed musicians are rumoured.

Mayor Peter Kelly indicated that this summer may be a busy one on the Halifax Common concert scene.

"Right now, there are three proposals … The other two are near completion, as well," Kelly said.

But he would not say who those bands are.

I wonder how much the city will cough up for them, whoever they are.

h/t: Fighting for Taxpayers, where is posted a very unflattering photo of the diva.

Previous related post: Celine Dion’s Oprah moment

When I first started blogging at Anglican Essentials Canada about six weeks ago, I cross-posted those items here as well.  Because those posts tend to be longer and require more background knowledge, however, earlier this week I decided to stop doing that.  So, readers of this blog who want to know my take on what's happening in the Anglican Church of Canada are asked to visit Anglican Essentials Canada Blog.  The comment threads are much more active over there, too.

These are the items I've posted at AEC Blog in the past three days:

• Same-sex blessings could split Anglican Church of Canada: Primate
• Niagara lobs one across the bow
• Anglican Church of Canada hit with $1 billion lawsuit