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Showing posts from 2011

CWB: Farmers Should Sue for Damages

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By John W. Warnock, The Leader-Post December 31, 2011 The Harper government has quickly pushed through legislation abolishing the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) single desk. This was done without... Combine in wheat field. PLT photo

The People's Corporation Loses the Common Touch

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If you like this blog, please consider making a donation. Thanks! Larry Dear Editor, It's sometimes referred to as "the people's corporation." I don't believe the CBC deserves that endearing title any longer. Just last night, we were treated to another spectacle on "The National." Each member of the high-profile "At-Issue" Panel, to one degree or another, pooh-poohed almost every question posed by viewers as part of a year-end special. No, they chimed, there is no serious gap between the rich and poor in this country. On the contrary, Andrew Coyne informed us, huge progress is being made in reducing poverty in Canada.  Rex Murphy seconded the motion, reminding us, we've actually never had it so good! (Rex seldom opens his mouth but to change feet!)  No, the Occupy Movement has had no real impact. (No one offered, of course, that this might be because blind, narrow and stupid politicians refuse to recognize good, new

‘Secret’ Environment Canada Study Warns of Oil Sands’ Impact on Habitat

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Postmedia News  22'11 - Mike De Souza OTTAWA — Contamination of a major western Canadian river basin from oil sands operations is a “high-profile concern” for downstream communities and wildlife, says a newly-released “secret” presentation... Details here. Courtesy of the Guardian

Santa, Give Our Farmers Some Love

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Laura Rance Wpg Free Press 12/24/2011 Some moisture, some better prices very welcome under the tree. Details here.

The True Spirit of Christmas is Alive and Well in Winnipeg!

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For a few years now, my stepdaughter, Coralee Crowe, has been involved with some friends, making blankets and distributing them at random to needy people in the City of Winnipeg at Christmas time. This year was no exception.  I decided it's time to put aside for awhile, the usual kinds of stories on this blog, (which some might consider "gloom & doomish,") so that my readers (and I) can be reminded, there's another world out there, where hope for a better future burns as brightly as ever.   And where people like Coralee never give up that hope. Coralee, your mom and I are proud of you!  If your objective this year was to make a difference in someone's life by your contribution to 100 Good Deeds, then consider your mission accomplished.     Below is Coralee's report to friends and family on how things went this year (2011).  Larry. == "Cael, myself, Terry and Heather headed out last evening to accom

Greg Selinger Strikes a Blow for Fire Safety - Shuts Down "Occupy Winnipeg!"

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If you like this blog, please consider a donation. Thanks! Larry PLT: Congratulations, Mr. Premier, I feel much safer now that you have evicted the three remaining protestors from the camp in Memorial Park. It was, after all, a firestorm waiting to happen - perhaps enveloping your place of business - the provincial legislature - if not much of the capitol, itself! (Sarcasm intended.) Might we now expect provincial authorities to move in on owners of million dollar homes and evict them under cover of darkness, if they do not have firewalls installed between their houses and attached garages?   Of course not. That would be ridiculous!  But is it any less ridiculous to bring down the heavy hand of government on the Occupiers and no one else? The inference here seems to be that any fire where there are a few tents - (perhaps $89 specials from Canadian Tire?) would represent a much larger hazard to public safety than the massive fire which recently destroyed the huge home in Li

The Home of "Canada's Reindeer" is Being Destroyed. They Need Your Help!

Please donate generously to this Nature Canada cause. =====  PLT; If there were any justice in this world,  it would be the tar sands corporations (and their mindless investors) who are paying the bill to help our caribou. Afer all, who else (apart from our hollow, compliant politicians) is responsible for denuding vast areas of precious boreal forest,  depriving these bautiful, vulnerable animals of critical habitat!

The 20 Worst Wall Street Banks Funding Our Filthiest Polluters

Dec 13, 2011 Alternet A new study identifies the top 20 "climate killer" banks by the amount of financial support they give the coal industry. Details here. PLT: Please also read, "How Ethical are Canada's Ethical Funds?"

Greenpeace's Year in Pictures (Video)

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Durban: Where the Climate Deniers-in-Chief Ran the Show

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Mark Hertsgaard -The Nation - 12/21/11 A different and more dangerous breed of climate denier commanded the stage at the recently concluded international negotiations in Durban, South Africa. Details here. Courtesy of Alternet

Study Documents Nigerian Children Died From Families’ Gold Mining

Environmental Health News Large numbers of infants and toddlers have died from lead poisoning in Nigerian villages where their parents process gold ore inside their family compounds, according to a report… Details here.

A Dirty Salvage Operation

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 BULLIT MARQUEZ / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Residents retrieve a car which was washed away in Friday's flash flooding in southern Philippines Monday. With funeral parlors overwhelmed, authorities organized the first mass burial of unidentified victims who were swept to their deaths in one of the worst calamities to strike the region in decades.

Does Politics Trump Science in the Obama White House?

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Politico - Dec 15 '11 President Barack Obama turned it into a campaign-trail talking point: He would end the Bush administration’s “war on science.” Read more: Smog over New York.

Lax Federal Monitoring Putting Canadians at Risk: Environment Commissioner

By Jason Fekete, Postmedia News December 13, 2011 OTTAWA — The public safety of Canadians is increasingly at risk because the federal government is failing to monitor and enforce its regulations on dangerous goods and decades-old oil and gas pipelines, Canada's environment watchdog warns in a new report. Details here.

White Christmas? Dream on: Environment Canada says Snow Less Likely Over Time

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By: Michelle McQuigge, The Canadian Press - 12/12/2011 TORONTO - Dreaming of a white Christmas may be a holiday tradition, but Canadians are more likely than ever to wake up instead to the dreary brown reality wrought by climate change, Environment Canada said Monday. Details here. The shrinking Columbia Icefield, an important source of meltwater for Canada's prairie rivers. PinP photo.

A Stunning and Disturbing Tableau of Mother Earth - a Must-See Video!

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Canada's "Law and Order" Prime Minister (Letter to the Editor)

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If you like my blog, please consider a donation. Thanks! Larry Dear Editor, If Stephen Harper is so keen on becoming a "law and order" Prime Minister, why does he seem to have so little regard for the law, himself? Since coming to power about six years ago, his government has been riddled with a litany of dirty tricks, domestic and international crimes. The most recent is his scandalous decision to withdraw from the Kyoto Accord, a legally binding, international agreement to limit human emissions of greenhouse gases, which are causing catastrophic climate change. (Have you noticed Manitoba's tragic and terrible flooding lately?) Even China put Canada to shame at the recent climate talks in Durban, showing a willingness to "step up" and show some environmental leadership while Harper showed none. His "operative" at the talks, Peter Kent (who I now refer to as our "Minister of Environmental Destruction"), once again proved, neither o

Ancient Climate Record Points Toward Potential Rapid Climate Changes

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ScienceDaily (Dec. 8, 2011) — New research into Earth's paleoclimate history by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies director James E. Hansen (l.) suggests the potential for rapid climate changes this century, including multiple meters of sea level rise, if global warming is not abated. Details here. PLT: Dr. Hansen is one of those rare birds - a scientist/activist! Here, he is shown being arrested at demonstrations at the White House, protesting against the Keystone XL pipeline. We need more like him!

Climate Conference Approves Landmark Deal

By ARTHUR MAX, Associated Press DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — A U.N. climate conference reached a hard-fought agreement Sunday on a complex and far-reaching program meant to set a new course for the global fight against climate change for the coming decades. Details here. ====== PLT: Canada continues playing its role as a dinosaur, leading us further into world isolation as a climate criminal. Even China has showed more leadership there than we did! Shame!

Homeless Family Occupies Foreclosed Home in Brooklyn (Video)

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Carbon Dioxide Emissions Break Growth Records

CBC News Dec. 5 - '11 Emissions rebound fast from global financial crisis, driven by developing world. Details here.

Hotter, Drier, Meaner: Trends Point to a Planet Increasingly Hostile to Agriculture

By Douglas Fischer - De. 5'11 The Daily Climate   A host of data – from sediment cores to ongoing drought in East Africa to computer models – point to one conclusion: Our increasingly hotter, drier planet is going to be a tough place to farm. Details here.

On Climate, Canada is a Rogue State

Nov 29th, 2011 Marc Lee · Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives On Sunday, CTV leaked Canada’s intentions to pull out of the Kyoto treaty process on climate change. What is significant about Kyoto is that it is a legally binding... Details here.

Is Canada's Environment Minister Bullying Poor Countries at the Climate Talks?

Mike De Souza, Postmedia News December 3, 2011 DURBAN, South Africa — Signs of progress emerged Saturday at international climate change negotiations as thousands took to the streets urging global leaders to step up their efforts. Details here.

Three Quarters of Climate Change is Man-Made

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 Quirin Schiermeier - 04 December 2011 - Nature Independent study quantifies human influence  on global warming.  Details here. Lk. Manitoba PLT photo

Once Again, The National "Afflicts the Afflicted and Comforts the Comfortable!" (Letter)

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If you like my blog, please consider a donation.Thanks!Larry Dear Editor, I think the CBC should change its name from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to the Canadian Business Corporation. Boy, has Big Oil ever found a friend in important branches of our national broadcaster! While there are, mercifully, some notable exceptions (such as "The Current" and "Quirks & Quarks," - radio programs who actually tell the truth about climate change), The National still lags far behind, with its pro-industry bias still out there for all to see.  Lately, the Corporation has found a new "darling" in the likes of David Wilkins, a former US Ambassador to Canada. Wilkins now gets his paycheques from the Canadian oil industry!  David Wilkins, (l.) "ambassdor-for-hire"    But The National didn't see fit to mention that when he led the newscast the other night, spouting his pro-oil, anti-science propaganda. Ironically, the Radio

Global Leaders Call On Canada To Fight Climate Change In New Ad

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Huffington Post Nov 30-'11 WASHINGTON -- African leaders including Archbishop Desmond Tutu have released an ad calling on Canada to step up the battle against global warming, rather than actively promote the use of its tar sands. Details here. Also watch the video, below, with activist Zodwa Rannyadi of Soweto.

Still in Superbug Denial: FDA Rejects Petitions to Stop Feeding Antibiotics to Healthy Livestock.

OnEarth Nov 29-'11 No one can accuse the FDA of rushing to judgement. Details here. PLT: You don't suppose this is because "Big Food Agri-Biz" is calling the shots here? Naaaah! And we wonder why there is an Occupy Movement!

Is Climate Change Boosting a Lethal Disease in Australia?

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The Daily Climate - Nov 29 - '11   Fruit bat by Merlin Tuttle, Bat Conservation International For 17 years, the Hendra virus smoldered in its host bat population, only rarely crossing to humans. Then it exploded, likely triggered by heavy rains and floods in Australia earlier this year. And that has public health doctors nervous about climate change. Details here.

Oil Sands, World’s Largest Energy Project, Faces Severe Water Shortages

By Andrew Nikiforuk - The Tyee The oil sands, the world’s largest energy project, will face severe or even catastrophic water shortages due to declining glaciers and snowpack in the Rocky Mountains, warn Canadian water researchers. Details here.

Climate Conference 2011: Canada Says Kyoto Protocol 'Biggest Blunder,' May Withdraw

Tom Zeller Jr. - Huffington Post Global climate talks got an inauspicious start in Durban, South Africa, on Monday with reports that Canada planned to withdraw fully from the Kyoto Protocol,  Details here.

CBC Tells the Whole Climate Change Story for a Change

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If you like my blog, please consider a donation. Thanks! Larry PLT: Bob MacDonald, host of CBC Radio's Quirks and Quarks science show, (l.) has seemed reluctant to spell out all the impications of our climate crisis, both on his own show and on his appearances on "The National." He (& other on-air personalities), repeatedly refer to "El Nino" or "La Nina" when trying to explain severe weather events when, in fact, those phenomena play a role in only a small percentage of our catastrophic storms. But on his show this weekend, Bob actually had guests who explained the story plainly and comprehensively. This is significant for, without such detail, many people will brush off the term "climate change," when used without context whatsoever (as it often is),  as something they can do nothing about. Please click here, scroll down, listen to the podcast and you'll understand what I mean.

Canada Should Fight a Pollution Battle Instead of a PR Battle

Huff Post Green - Hannah McKinnon Climate Action Network Canada - 11/24/11 In the lead up to the next round of UN climate talks, instead of taking responsibility for their own pollution problem, the Canadian Government is focusing on a full scale public relations and diplomatic campaign to ensure no door is closed to Canada's highly polluting tar sands. Details here.

Can the Oceans Continue to Feed Us?

By Renee Schoof | McClatchy Newspapers - Nov 10 '11 WASHINGTON — Far out on the Pacific Ocean, the world's industrial fishing fleets pursue one of the last huge wild hunts — for the tuna eaten by millions of people around the world. Details here.

Quiet Shift in Feds' Criteria for Approving Northern Gateway Pipeline

By Gerald Graham, 16 Nov 2011, TheTyee.ca 'Need for project' now trumps environment in fine print of pipeline documents. Details here. PLT: And people wonder why there is an Occupy movement!

Time to Test Corporate Leaders to Weed out Psychopaths

By Mitchell Anderson, Today, TheTyee.ca Shark-like, they rise fast but risk killing the world economy, concludes a business professor. Details here.

Broadcaster Bill Moyers "Nailed" the Motivation Behind the Occupy Movement - Even Before it Began! (Video)

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ACTION ALERT - URGENT, PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!

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Uganda's Protected Mabira Rainforest Threatened Again by Sugar Production By Rainforest Portal, a project of Ecological Internet - November 21, 2011 TAKE ACTION HERE NOW:

Public Happy Face on Ottawa's Cuts Smeared by Official's Private Memo

Mike De Souza - Vancouver Sun - Nov. 20-'11 OTTAWA — A senior Environment Canada bureaucrat who publicly defended the federal government’s plans to slash funding and eliminate “redundancy” within the country’s ozone monitoring programs, privately approved a briefing note that concluded there was no duplication in its network, Postmedia News has learned. Read more here. PLT: It is truly a sad day when a Prime Minister can instil such fear in his public servants that they feel compelled to tell a different story in public than in private, just to keep their jobs! 

Extreme Weather to Worsen With Climate Change-IPCC

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Reuters - Nov 18-'11 More heat waves, heavier rains, worse cyclones likely. Details here. Courtesy of Common Dreams

Common Infections Will be 'Untreatable' if Antibiotic Misuse Continues

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Ecologist - Nov 19  Scientists issue new warning as campaigners call for stronger controls on excessive use in intensive farming. Details here.

Be - Without Water? A Video of the Struggles of Citizens of New Brunswick Against Fracking

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EU Lawmakers Call For Action to Protect Bees

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(Reuters) - Nov 15'11    European Union lawmakers on Tuesday called for stronger action to protect Europe's bees, saying that the rapid decline in the bee population could PLT bumblebee photo affect the growth of important food crops. Details here.

New Report is First To Quantify Health Impacts From 
World's Worst Toxic Pollution Problems

Blacksmith Institute - New York - Nov 9'11 

Report Identifies Top Pollution Problems and Sources, and Reveals Surprising Finding About Corporations and Pollution. Details here.

CBC Radio Explores the History of the Embattled Canadian Wheat Board (Podcast)

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Wheat.  It is the most important cereal grain in the world and, along with fur trapping and the railroad, it made Canada. We are one of the largest wheat exporters on the planet, about 19 thousand tons a year, more than any other crop. There are some 75,000 farmers across the Prairies who make their livelihood from it. And to sell their wheat, they have depended for generations on the Canadian Wheat Board.   The Wheat Board, as we know it today, was established in 1935 to control prices, so as to benefit farmers in the Great Depression. Now, however, the Wheat Board could be gone by Christmas. The Conservative government has been promising to get rid of it for years, and with its majority in parliament, is making good on that promise. It's hard to say what it will mean to farmers and the rest of us. If anybody has an idea, it is John Herd Thompson, who has documented the history of the Wheat Board. Winnipeg born-and-bred, he earned his PhD at Queen's University a

Dirty air Fosters Precipitation Extremes

By Janet Raloff - Science News Nov 13'11 Changes to clouds encourage drought in dry areas and torrential downpours in moist ones. Details here.

Robert Redford - Thank You, President Obama (Video)

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Funny - but True!

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Of Banksters, Occupiers and Head-Knockers

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What to do with the Occupy camps. How about - let them be!  by Larry Powell A peaceful camp It's hardly surprising.  The mood of Canada's elites is becoming increasingly ugly as the "Occupy" movement continues to "hang in there" for a lot longer than they likely expected.  It is, after all, what elites do. They simply cannot tolerate those who challenge the very system that keeps them in power. Cops are already being ordered to start knocking some heads in some Canadian cities, as well as south of the border. Neither is it surprising that some news media are misrepresenting what the movement is all about.  A recent editorial in the Dauphin Herald, for example, dismissed the protesters as "whiners," whose support is dwindling. (In fact, the movement has persisted and spread to many parts of the world.) The editorial also proclaimed, "It was the squandering of tax dollars (by governments) which originally created the m

Rick Mercer on the Death of the Wheat Board (Video)

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Annother Tory Outrage

PLT: At least one Tory MP is actually threatening legal action against a retired Alberta farmer, Norm Dyck, who had the audacity to write a letter-to-the-editor, criticizing the government for its attempts to kill the What Board.  1) First, Mr. Dyck's brief note,  2) his explanation of what happened, 3) his actual letter 4) and a PLT comment! =========== 1) Friends of the CWB:   I have already spoken to my friend and former farmer neighbor Art Macklin so he knows of my 'offensive' letter and approves of this circulation action.  Please forward to any individuals who are concerned re the threat to Democracy by actions of the Harper Government.  Thanks  ======== 2) Yesterday my Federal MP Chris Warkentin Peace River,  while meeting with him in his office in Grande Prairie accompanied by two members of Kairos, while I was speaking on the subject of the CWB was less than receptive to any input on this topic.  Input specifically as to the requiremen

US Energy Dept. Panel Warns of Environmental Toll of Current Gas Drilling Practices

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Pro Publica Nov 10 - A federal energy panel issued a blunt warning to shale gas drillers and their regulators today, saying they need to step up efforts to protect public health and the environment or risk a backlash that stifles further development. Details here.

Maine Farmer Heads Group
 Challenging Genetics Giant

The Portland Press Herald - November 9 A fight to maintain consumer choice and farm independence has landed Maine farmer Jim Gerritsen on Utne Reader's list of "25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World," published in the November/December edition of the magazine on newsstands now. Details here.

Has Business as Usual for the Tar Sands Come to an End?

Environmental Defence Dear Larry, The first cut is the deepest . Business as usual for the tar sands industry has come to an end. Today, we can all celebrate a huge victory. President Obama has agreed to delay the construction of TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline in order to further review its potential impacts, including climate change. This shows the importance of standing up for the clean energy future we want. Just 3 days ago, 12,000 Americans showed up at the White House to urge President Obama to stick by his pledge to reduce dependence on oil. Please take a minute to send a thank you note to President Obama.    Canada needs to pay attention to this message. There is no such thing as “business as usual” for the tar sands industry any longer. The longer Canada delays getting serious about reining in tar sands pollution and transitioning to a clean energy economy, the more of this type of controversy we should expect.   The delay announced today