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Kudos to Robin Carson for his ‘ Doom ‘ n ’ Gloom ’ article . It is easier to focus on the delights of white grapefruit than to acknowledge the situation we humans are creating for ourselves . According to Global News ( Aug 20 , 2013 ) “ Worldwide costs of natural disasters have increased steadily from an annual average of losses of $ 25 million in the 1980s to $ 130 billion in the 2000 ( s ).”

In all things doomy and gloomy , I prefer to look at causes and seek prevention rather than to focus on raising funds for cures . It is indeed difficult to be , or have been , an

Albertan and curtail our love affair with carbon fuels , which have accounted for so much of the Alberta story . But our children and our grandchildren belong to the future , and we do have some small influence and a somewhat larger responsibility to do what we can to leave them a healthy environment with clean air and water . And I also cannot help but notice that , alongside the immense environmental destruction caused by the tarsands extraction that will undoubtedly riddle Albertans in particular and Canadians in general with huge externalized costs in health care alone — along with all this , the Alberta treasury is not reporting huge gains . It is difficult for me to see the benefits for Albertans of this practice .

Ma Nature ’ s patience seems to be wearing thin in all the ways Robin outlined in his editorial , and she is now speaking to us in a language that causes us to take notice . Are we truly strong enough to take the necessary steps through actions dictated by our minds , hearts , and wallets , or do we still prefer to focus our attention on preference of white or red grapefruit ? Perhaps the recent election of solid , caring mayors will be the catalyst for change away from doom and gloom .

You will notice that in this issue , there are very few photographs in which individuals can be recognized . The article on the 50 th Anniversary Gala , for example , contains no candid photographs . The reason is that we are now bound by the ARTA Privacy Policy , itself a product of provincial privacy legislation , that does not permit disclosure of personal information without express permission . A picture in which you are identifiable is personal information .

This policy will have at least two results . First of all , you will be asked for your permission to publish your picture . At the branch level , if you will be photographing an event and want , say , pictures of the winners of a golf tournament to be published , we must have permission from each person in the picture who can be identified . At large events , you might find a disclaimer by way of a sign or an announcement that photographs are being taken .

The second result is that where n & v does not have permission to publish , we cannot publish . That is the reason for the lack of candid photographs in this issue . This is not the fault of ARTA , but of Alberta legislation . So , in the future , don ’ t be surprised to have someone ask you to release your likeness when your photo has been taken . You always have a choice , but we would love to share your ARTA experience with others .

8 Winter 2013