Grant Schulte-Associated Press-08/31/2011 WASHINGTON - The governor of a midwestern state that would be affected by a pipeline proposed to go from Canada to Texas urged President Obama to deny a federal permit for construction of the pipeline. Details here. PLT: Isn't it sad that the world is so short of enlightened politicians such as this!

The Amazon forest is at risk . The Brazilian Congress has watered down strict forest protection laws and brave Brazilian activists are being murdered for speaking out . It’s time for us to take this critical battle global -- if we all call on President Dilma to veto the bill, we could save the Amazon .

Wpg. Free Press Aug 30 - '11 NEWFANE, Vt. - U.S. National Guard helicopters rushed food and water Tuesday to a dozen cut-off towns in the northeastern state of Vermont…. Details here. ===== PLT: When will this world wake up and smell the C02? This is getting just stupid!

350.org Aug 28'11 Almost the entire environmental community condemned the final State Department report on the environmental impact of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline released this morning… Details here.

Canadian Press - Aug 28 - 2011 Courtesy Yahoo! News HALIFAX - Up to 180,000 homes were without power in Quebec on Sunday as hurricane Irene steamed northward as a tropical storm... Details here.

Campaigners disappointed as White House says 1,700-mile pipeline will not cause significant environmental damage. Details here. ===== The Alberta tar sands - source of "product" for the pipeline courtesy, the Boreal Songbird Initiative  PLT: As pessimistic as I am about President Obama actually stopping this thing, I think the gist of this story is a tad misleading. It is the President, and only the President (not the "White House" or "State Department"), who must sign off on the actual permit that will allow it to proceed. And that has yet to take place.

By Jim Efstathiou Jr. - Bloomberg - Aug 22, 2011 Michael Mann, a Pennsylvania researcher who’s been a target of climate-change skeptics, was cleared of wrongdoing by U.S. investigators in the flap surrounding e-mails hacked from a U.K. university. Details here.

CBC.ca | The Current The Keystone XL project is a proposed pipeline that would carry crude oil from Alberta to Texas. Critics call it a disaster in waiting ... saying the pipeline would pass through many environmentally sensitive areas, and there's little doubt that at some point, there would be big spill. Proponents say the line would give oil hungry Americans a safer supply of oil. And create a lot of jobs in a time where help wanted signs are desperately needed. Click headline for details. Please read update, *below. PLT: Below is a message I sent this morning to "The Current," (with a copy to "The National.)" ===== Dear Piya, Anna-Maria et al, As a faithful listener and environmentalist, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your coverage of the anti-pipeline protests in Washington! To me, these are nothing less than a critical battle against the ravages of climate change. At the heart of this struggle is a Canadian project. The

See update, *below. If you enjoy this blog, please consider  donating to the author to keep it going.  Just click on the link below . Thanks! - Larry                                                                                                        PLT: I have just posted the following in the "comments" section of "Common Dreams," an alternative online media in the US. The story was about the critical protests taking place at the White House. Hundreds are there to demand President Obama not allow the proposed Canadian pipeline to carry Alberta tar to the Texas Gulf coast and the profound implications it would have for the environment and climate change: "I just want the world to know from up here in Canada that our flagship TV newscast, CBC's, 'The National,' is studiously avoiding any coverage of the protests so far. Shame on the CBC and the rest of the media for its undercoverage of this critical juncture in the environmental history of our

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world."   Read the whole letter here. Jack with his wife, Olivia Chow BBC photo

For Aug. 26, 2011 R-Town papers BY Jim Harding On August 16 th several hundred people walked the green mile along Regina’s Albert Street, taking their call for a provincial nuclear waste ban to the government. They want an end to the industry group, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), negotiating with northern communities to “host” a nuclear dump without the people of Saskatchewan having any say. This was the completion of a 20-day, 820 km walk started July 27 th from Pinehouse. Along the way walkers made new friendships and networks that bring the north and south closer together. At the front of the colourful parade was a big, blue balloon “earth” encircled by cutouts of the world’s children holding hands. There was much magic as I watched, over the heads of the block-long string of people in front of me, as “the earth” bobbed up and down as its carriers led the way. And then I remembered a similar walk, thirty-two years ago, on February 22, 197

WASHINGTON - August 22   Given that a number of presidential hopefuls have been voicing their opinions recently on climate science, the Union of Concerned  Manitoba's unprecedented, catastrophic floods of 2011 -  the costliest in the province's history. Wpg. Free Press photo. Scientists (UCS) thought it would be helpful to provide a short list of authoritative scientific assessments on climate science... Details here.

ScienceDaily (Aug. 20, 2011)   The explosive growth of cities worldwide over the next two decades poses significant risks to people and the global environment, according to a meta-analysis Vancouver. PLT photo published August 19 in PLoS ONE. Details here.

The Canadian Press - Au 20-'11 VANCOUVER - After months of hearings in relative obscurity, the public inquiry into the decline of sockeye along British Columbia's fabled Fraser River is finally bound to grab some headlines. Details here. Courtesy, National Geographic.

The Canadian Press - Au 20'11                                                                     CBC photo WASHINGTON - 65 protesters were arrested Saturday as they participated in a peaceful protest outside the White House aimed at pressuring President Obama to block TransCanada's controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Details here.  ===== PLT: Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird, left something out whilst peddling this filthy project in the 'States recently. He said it would be "good for the Canadian economy." What he failed to say is that it will also be rather good for the pocketbooks of Tory "bagmen" like Derek Burney, once Canada's Ambassador to the U.S., and Canadian Senator Pamela Wallin. Both have their snouts in the trough as officials of companies involved in the tar sands. These are facts the two would obviously rather not have the public know about.  Otherwise, the praises they sing in public in support of the pipeline

By: Jennifer Graham, The Canadian Press - 08/16/2011 REGINA - Some northern Saskatchewan residents say they're drawing a line in the sand to protect the environment from nuclear waste. Details here.

By MEERA SELVA   08/16/11 Huff Post Green LONDON -- Royal Dutch Shell has shut down the main leak at one of its North Sea oil rigs but said Tuesday it is struggling to stop a secondary spill.... Details here. PLT: Isn't it odd how oil companies have no problem in sucking oil from remote places....just problems repairing the leaks that happen!

If you enjoy this blog, please consider  donating to the author to keep it going.  Just click on the link below . Thanks! - Larry                                                                                                        PLT: I guess Prime Minister Harper's pledge to be a government "for all Canadians," should have contained a caveat…."except for asbestos widows." Harper's kinder, gentler regime has sent a threatening letter to a woman whose husband had died of an asbestos-related ailment for using the Conservative party logo on her website. The site consists of a personal essay telling of her husbands struggle with his disease and a reminder of Canada's shameless refusal to attach warnings to our asbestos exports.  Please also read; "Harper Disgraces us all, Once Again," and  "Help Convince Canada to do the Right Thing About Asbestos!"

Economic Recession a Blip on Oil Consumption's Upward Climb World Consumed 87.4 Million Barrels Per Day in 2010 Washington, D.C. ---- Global oil consumption reached an all-time high of 87.4 million barrels per day in 2010, according to a new Vital Signs Online report from the Worldwatch Institute. The 3.1 percent increase more than makes up for the brief decline in consumption caused by the economic crisis. "Between the recession, the BP oil spill, and instability in the Middle East and North Africa, oil markets have been on a roller coaster the last few years," said Worldwatch Sustainable Energy Fellow Saya Kitasei, who co-authored the report along with Worldwatch researcher Natalie Narotzky. "When the dust settles, however, it is clear that the momentum of future market growth has moved to the developing world, where oil consumption did not miss a beat during the recession and shows no sign of slowing." Key findings from the report, w

By Clare Demerse , Pembina Institute - Au 8 '11 Anyone who works on climate change policy in Canada, like I do, ends up talking about the oil sands on a daily basis. Details here.

Shawn Mccarthy — Globe and Mail - Aug. 07   Maxim Power Corp. is racing to beat proposed federal emission regulations that could derail its plan to build a 500-megawatt coal-fired power plant in the mountains of western Alberta. Details here. PLT: Please sign the petition here. 

WorldWatch Institute Aug 11 '11 Washington, D.C.–The Worldwatch Institute is mourning the loss of Institute Board member and visionary business leader Ray Anderson, who died this week after a 20-month battle with cancer. Details here.  Courtesy, the New York Times.

Rolling Stone Politics - by Al Gore The first time I remember hearing the question "is it real?" was when I went as a young boy to see a traveling show. Details here.

Aug 8 The Dominion  Miles Howe FREDERICTON—Over 1,500 people from across New Brunswick & beyond take to the streets to oppose fracking... Details here. PLT: Gee I don't recall seeing any coverage of this in the mainstream media (MSM)! Surprise!

    Dear Larry , We are asking you to show solidarity with asbestos victims in the Third World and support the campaign to demand the Canadian government ban asbestos mining and exports. Asbestos kills over 100,000 people every year, and Canada is a major player in the death-dealing industry. In a change of tactics, we’re not targeting all Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) - but just one. A number of other like-minded organizations are also ‘adopting’ a MP and focusing their efforts on convincing him/her what their party is doing is wrong, unethical and immoral. In our case – we have chosen to focus our efforts on the Federal Environment Minister, the Hon. Peter Kent, MP for Thornhill, Ontario. Peter is an intelligent guy and knows what his government is doing is wrong. We need to encourage him to support an end to Canada’s mining and export of asbestos. Peter and his government can prevent thousands of cases of cancer

Food Safety First Aug 10'11 PLT photo  After decades of protecting consumers against dangerous products, federal food safety inspectors are being pulled out of meat plants that produce for local citizens in BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Details here.

Manitoba Co-Operator The federal government has announced a grant of $10 million to Cargill Meat Solutions for its plant at High River, Alberta. Details here.           PLT photo   PLT: While one might welcome the fact that this money will go toward pollution control, it is one more indication that Canada has no plan whatsoever to embrace the "polluters pay" principle. Why should Canadian taxpayers be paying for what Cargill ought to be doing itself? What is even worse - Canada is poised to slash the number of food inspectors  in the name of Harper's holy crusade to hack and slash the deficit. I wonder if the situation described in my earlier blog post, "Cargill Meat Recall in the 'States," will now become even more common here?

Improved forest management needed. 9 August 2011, Rome - Extreme weather events and natural disasters will pose an increasing threat to the world's forests… Details here. PLT photo

By Kim Tingley - OnEarth - a Survival Guide for the Planet - Jul.29/11 These insects may experience emotions similar to our own. Details here.

RAINFOREST Action Network  If TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline is approved, close to 1 million barrels of thick tar sands crude will flow each day at high pressure from Canada through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and all the way to Texas, threatening countless communities and over 2000 waterways, including America's largest under ground water source—the Ogallala Aquifer. Tell President Obama to block the Keystone XL oil pipeline. TAKE ACTION HERE.

 by Larry Powell If you enjoy this blog, please consider  donating to the author to keep it going.  Just click on the link below . Thanks! - Larry                                                                                                        A tractor located in a market garden east of Lumsden, Saskatchewan, sits in water in the Qu'Appelle Valley town northwest of Regina on April 17, 2011. Water-logged Prairie farmers and ranchers are to receive $448 million to help deal with devastating flood damage, Thursday Aug 4, 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Roy Antal

Green/ThinkProgress - 08/4/11 Texas is now in its worst-ever one-year drought, according to John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas State Climatologist… details here. An underweight longhorn  (Jay Janner/AP) Washington Post.

Democracy Now 08/05/11 In one of the largest meat recalls in U.S. history, this week the food giant Cargill ordered the recall of 36 million pounds of ground turkey. Details here.

by Chris Mooney - DeSmogBlog They come at you at public events, wanting to argue. They light up the switchboards whenever there’s a radio show about climate change. They commandeer your blog comments section. They have a seemingly insatiable desire to debate, sometimes quite aggressively. Read more about this story.

Guardian.co.UK  Aug 5 '11 Friends of the Earth Europe claims ministers have attempted to undermine European fuel legislation that would affect exports. Details here.

By: Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press - 08/4/201 LAGOS, Nigeria - A region of Nigeria's oil-r ich southern delta suffers widespread ecological damage as spilled oil seeps into its drinking water, destroys plants and remains in the ground for decades at a time, according to a United Nation s report. Details here.

by Larry Powell   Below is a complaint I launched with the CBC Ombudsman, Kirk LaPoint (above).   It arose from an interview on the CBC Radio program, The House. (Read "PLT" Takes Former Ambassador to Task for Bullshit Comments on the Keystone XL Pipeline" ) l.p. ===== Kirk LaPoint, Ombudsman, CBC. Dear. Mr. LaPoint, Please consider this a formal complaint about a program aired on "The House" on Sat. July 23rd, 2011. In it, a former Canadian ambassador to the US, Derek Burney, strongly defended the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which is scheduled to carry tar sands oil from Alberta, to the Texas Gulf Coast. Burney accused environmentalists opposed to the project of being "emotional" and "violent," although he was never challenged to give examples of what he meant. It turns out,(according to Wikipedia) Mr. Burney is on the board of Trans Canada Pipelines, builders of the project. This, however, was never revealed during the inter

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