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Showing posts from April, 2011

Blizzard Worsens Flood Woes for Manitobans

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Manitoba News Release ............................................................ April 30, 2011 FLOOD BULLETIN #29 .    A major storm is causing snow and rain along with high winds that are expected to shift from southerly to northerly directions across most of southern Manitoba.  The slow-moving system is expected to move across Manitoba today (Sat.) and tomorrow.   A lonely Robin awaits the return of spring. The storm will affect the dates of river crests and prolong the duration of the flood.  Forecasters are assessing the storm's impact and will have more information once it is over. .    Due to high wind gusts forecast across southern Manitoba today, those properties with flood-protection works and exposed to north winds can expect wind setup and wave action and are advised to assess the need for flood-protection reinforcements. Assiniboine River .    Water levels on the Shellmouth Reservoir increased by 1.18 ft. since yesterday to 1,411.55 ft.   Above, the br

"Massive" Crop Losses Feared in U.S. South's Drought

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Apr 28, 2011 Reuters The worst drought in more than 40 years intensified across Texas over the last week, with high winds and heat causing "massive crop losses," with little relief in sight, according to weather experts Thursday. Details here.

Larry Tries Again to Draw Attention to the Manitoba Flooding & Climate Change Connection

PUBLISHER'S COMMENT: Below is my letter to Terry McLeod, host of the CBC Radio "Information Radio," morning show in Winnipeg. It is in response to an invitation he extended to listeners to comment on the current flood situation. I'm not holding my breath that it will be used. My record in having such letters/emails see the light of day "on the air," especially on the climate change topic, has not been too good! I hope they will prove me wrong this time! l.p. ========== Dear Terry, Perhaps it's high-time for us to recognize the link between climate change and the increasingly serious floods we are facing in our province and elsewhere. Climate change is caused by humans. We are creating too many greenhouse gases by, among other things, the vehicles we drive and the planes we fly in. These, in turn are warming the planet and creating more extreme weather events such as the flooding which has definitely been on the increase in both frequency a

Last Members of Manitoba First Nation Leaving as Reserve Monitors Flood

By: The Canadian Press 04/25/2011 WINNIPEG - The last residents of a Manitoba reserve on the U.S. border were leaving Monday if they weren't needed to monitor flooding, said the man in charge of the evacuation. Howard Nelson said about 800 members of the Roseau River First Nation would have traded life on the reserve south of Winnipeg for that in city hotels. He said the evacuees could be there for five to 10 days, but it was hard to predict because the road into the community might be closed by flooding. However, the water on Monday was still almost two metres below the top of a protective dike. Nelson said pumps were being used to get water out of almost 30 flooded basements in low-lying areas. This year's spring flooding has forced about 1,600 people to leave their homes in Manitoba — most from Roseau River and the Peguis First Nation along the Fisher River near Lake Winnipeg. =====  The number of people displaced by the flooding is only a fraction of what it wa

BP Getting $13 Billion Tax Break? {TAKE ACTION}

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PlanetSave - 24 Apr 2011   Last Wednesday, it was determined that BP would be getting  $13 billion in tax credits. It is not clear if BP is even going to pay any taxes at all or if it will actually get money from the government after this. Why is BP getting so much money? Because of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico…. Yeah, that’s right, BP got to write off its losses from the oil spill. Residents and animals are suffering (if they haven’t already suffered and died) from this unprecedented disaster, the country is struggling, and BP gets to skip tax season because it’s own mistake caused it to lose money. $13 billion is hard to even comprehend. But let’s put it this way: it’s about equal to the EPA’s annual budget, which just got slashed considerably by a Tea-Party-wacky Congress, and it’s equal to about 1/3 of the total budget cuts our government has put forward for 2011. Now , though, one of my favorite sites, CREDO Action, is pushing BP to take responsibility for i

Second Garbage Patch Confirmed in Atlantic Ocean

Joshua S Hill - Planetsave Planet Earth’s oceans now have a second confirmed garbage patch filled with plastic "remains." Details here.

Truth Comes out on 'Fracking' Toxins

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By Andrew Nikiforuk, 20 Apr'11 TheTyee.ca   Who finally tells us the nasty chemicals used for shale gas drilling in Western Canada? The US Congress. Details here. Courtesy Treehugger

Earth Day 2011: Peace with Earth Day

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Apr 22'11 - Ecological Internet    A 
Re-Declaration of a "Planetary Ecological Emergency."  Details here.

Maude Barlow & Vandana Shiva on the Rights of Mother Earth - Video

Early Signs of White-Nose Syndrome Spreading to Bats in Nova Scotia

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Department of Natural Resources - Apr. 18'11 Nova Scotians are being asked to help slow the spread of a lethal bat disease, called white-nose syndrome.      Details here. Little Brown Bat (courtesy PlanetSave)

Agriculture: The Unlikely Earth Day Hero

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For over 40 years, Earth Day has served as a call to action, mobilizing individuals and organizations around the world to address these challenges. This year Nourishing the Planet highlights agriculture—often blamed as a driver of environmental problems—as an emerging solution. Details here.

A Reprieve For The Mekong - Xayaburi Dam Delayed

International Rivers - Apr 21 '11 Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia have now agreed that the decision on the Xayaburi Dam be deferred and elevated to the Ministerial level. The decision brings a much needed, if temporary, reprieve to the mighty Mekong River. Details here. Please also read: Dam Construction Is Set to Destroy the 'Mother of all Rivers' 

Manitoba rolls out its new electric vehicle policy

By: Staff Writer Wpg Free Press Apr 21 - '11 The Manitoba government rolled out its new electric vehicle policy today to get more clean energy cars on the road. Energy and Mines Minister Dave Chomiak said the province will also sign another memorandum of understanding with Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada to use the province as a testing ground for its i-MiEV electric vehicle. Mitsubishi has already signed a deal to develop electric-powered buses with New Flyer. Koji Soga, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada said his company was delighted to be working with the province. The company is bringing two of its i-MiEVs to the province for testing. The province is also creating an advisory committee on how electric transporation can be safely and economically introduced to the province. Chomiak said electric vehicles will never be mass-produced in Manitoba, but that the province can be involved in the developing the techology for reliable electric transporation.

Who Benefits from GM Seeds?

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*by Sam Burcher - Agroecology Offers Real Solutions to World Hunger After Decades of GM Hype The Via Campesina (the Peasants’ way) is emerging as a potentially powerful international movement mobilizing resistance against the GM Corporations, which have consolidated their agro-chemical companies into just five major global players; Monsanto, Bayer, BASF, Syngenta and Dupont. A recent report by the Friends of the Earth (FOE) 1 has highlighted the struggle between the two forces for control of the seeds. On one side are the 1.5 million members of the Via Campesina, who are demanding food sovereignty or the right to grow healthy food from local, time-honoured seeds.  On the opposing side are the mega Corporations, which have gained so much power through patents on GM seeds.

Bill McGibben Speaks to Power Shift 2011 - a Must-See Video!

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Canada Has More to Offer the World Than Oil

Eric Swanson at Apr 15, 2011 DOGWOOD Initiative Enbridge CEO Patrick Daniel has been getting a lot of attention lately while pushing his view that his Northern Gateway oil supertanker proposal for B.C.’s coast presents a profound choice. We couldn’t agree more. Details here.

Manitoba Floods Close Main Highway Artery Into the 'States - Is THIS Climate Change?

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by Larry Powell - In its latest flood bulletin, the Government of Manitoba has announced it has closed a key access road between Winnipeg and North Dakota, PTH 75, (l.) "as a result of rising floodwater."                                The flooding is already covering a larger area of the province than ever before. And flood levels in the Red River Valley are expected to top leves in 2009, the 2nd worst flood in the province in 150 yrs.        There have been hundreds of rural road closures, states of emergency and evacuations of both residences and personal care homes.                            Two deaths have been attributed to the flooding.                                            Ice jams on the Assiniboine River west of Winnipeg yesterday caused the water to rise almost 2 meters (6ft). The jams have now moved out, sending water downstream. And that is expected to raise water levels of 30 cm (1 ft) going into Winnipeg.   The Town of Melita (in the southwest

US Meat and Poultry Is Widely Contaminated With Drug-Resistant Staph Bacteria, Study Finds

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ScienceDaily (Apr. 15, 2011) — Drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (r.), a bacteria linked to a wide range of human diseases, are present in meat and poultry from U.S. grocery stores at unexpectedly high rates... Details here.

Conversation with Deepak Chopra - GE Alfalfa - Video

deepakhomebase on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free Since the making of this video, the USDA has, to its everlasting shame, approved both GE alfalfa and GE sugarbeets. Canada threatens to do the same! l.p.

Catastrophe In The gulf of Mexico: 
Devastation Persists One Year After Spill

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Centre for Biological Diversity Apr 12'11 It’s been a year since BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig blew up in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 people and unleashing the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. Details here.

Dam Construction Is Set to Destroy the 'Mother of all Rivers'

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AlterNet / By Aviva Imhof - Apr 15 '11 A series of dams proposed along the Mekong River threaten 41 fish species with extinction and puts the livelihoods of nearly half a million people at risk. Details here.

The Red River Valley Could be Headed for its Second-Worst Flooding in a-Century-&-a-Half - The Gov't. of Manitoba

In its latest flood bulletin, the Government of Manitoba states, "While the upper level of the forecast range has been reduced slightly, it still remains somewhat above 2,009 levels for all points on the Red River. 2009 was the second-largest flood in the past 150 years." While cooler-than-normal temperatures will blunt the severity of the flooding, it will also make it last longer than it otherwise would, the Government adds. A swollen stream spills into Boggy Creek, just above Lake of the Prairies (on the Assiniboine River system) in western Manitoba. PUBLISHER'S COMMENT: It's only mid-April. Yet,  already two people have died and hundreds more have been displaced in flood-related incidents. Scores of roads have been washed out and many homes and businesses are isolated by the floodwaters. Ranchers report conditions hazardous for their livestock. At least three personal care homes have been evacuated. At least one boil-water advisory has been ordered. The

Earth to EPA: Bees Need Help Now

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PANNA - Apr 14 '11 In the last four months, 1.2 million people around the world have raised their voices on behalf of honey bees – urging officials to take decisive, precautionary action by suspending a suspect class of pesticides (neonicotinoids) known to undermine honey bee immunity . Details here.

EARTH DAY..22 APRIL - A Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,   We put aside this day each year to officially recognize and appreciate our Planet and to honour the sacred elements of Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Some estimate that North Americans alone need five planets, the size of our earth , to sustain their continued and present rate of green house gas emissions. This is very sad and alarming news. Our governments have an important role to play in solving this problem. Unfortunately,however,it is governments that have allowed and encouraged activities that increase emissions and brought us to a place of crisis.   Our governments are supposed to be accountable for their actions, to regulate and make decisions that protect public interest, the environment. Human health and survival depends on a healthy environment. Yet, today's governments are unduly influenced and controlled in too many ways by industry and corporations with their promises of investments,development,technological solutions and globalized trade. I have yet to s

Prairie Flooding Delays Seeding Two Weeks So Far

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Manitoba Co-operator - Apr 13'11 By: Rod Nickel Winnipeg | Reuters Farmers in flooded Western Canada look to plant at least two weeks later than normal as... Details here. A flooded farm field near Winnipeg.

UN Document Would Give 'Mother Earth' Same Rights as Humans

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By Steven Edwards, Postmedia News UNITED NATIONS — Bolivia will this month table a draft United Nations treaty giving "Mother Earth" the same rights as humans — Details here.

Parties Support Ag Sector, Differ on Details

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MB Co-Operator Apr 13 The agriculture policies of all five major Canadian political parties were put front and centre in a debate hosted by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture in Ottawa on Monday . Details here.

Don’t Blame Canada - a Different Perspective on Tar

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Earth Island Journal - Apr '11 I’ve always been surprised that so many environmentalists, typically found on the political left, are such stalwart believers in the conservative doctrine of supply-side economics. Details here. PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Another view of the Alberta oil sands. Not mine! l.p.

La Via Campesina Opposes the Inclusion of Agriculture in Carbon Markets

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LA VIA CAMPESINA JAKARTA, 11 APR'11    www.photius.com   As the first session of climate negotiations for the year come to a close in Bangkok, Thailand, it is clear that the urgency of avoiding a climate disaster  and delivering climate justice remain unaddressed. Details here.  

Greens Call for Ban on Federal GMO Research

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Manitoba Co-Operator - Apr 10 '11 A ban on federal research into genetically engineered crops, eventual 100 per cent testing of slaughter cattle for BSE and reducing allowable pesticide residues in crops are on the federal Green Party's policy wish list. Details here. Elizabeth May, Leader, Green Party of Canada.

Climate Tipping Points | Allianz Knowledge

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Climate Tipping Points | Allianz Knowledge

Are Authorities "Coming Clean" Over Dolphin Deaths in the Gulf of Mexico? (Video)

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Watch video here: Courtesy of Newsy.com Please also read, Scientists link oil on Dolphins with BP Spill A "swim with dolphins" fun park in Mexico.

Climate Change Poses Major Risks for Unprepared Cities

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Scien ceDaily (Apr. 7, 2011)   Cities worldwide are failing to take necessary steps to protect residents from the likely impacts of climate change, even though billions of urban dwellers are vulnerable to heat waves, sea level rise and other changes associated with warming temperatures. Details here. Rio de Janiero, Brazil fotolive.org

Taseko Tries Again: Puts Fish Lake at Risk a Second Time!

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Manitoba Wildlands - Apr 9 '11 A revised application for the rejected Prosperity Mine still calls for the destruction of one of the two fish-bearing mountain lakes originally scheduled for eradication. Read more. Fish Lake. Environment Canada

Scientists Link Oil on Dolphins to BP Spill

By Leigh Coleman - Reuters - Apr 7'11 BILOXI, Mississippi (Reuters) - Scientists confirmed on Thursday that they have discovered oil on dead dolphins found along the U.S. Gulf Coast, raising fresh concerns about the effects of last year's BP oil spill on sea life. Details.

No to a New Tar Sands Pipeline

New York Times Opinion Pages - Published: Apr '11 Later this year, the State Department will decide whether to approve construction of a 1,700-mile oil pipeline from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast called Keystone XL. The Department should say no. Details here.

What's on my Food?

Pesticide Action Network North America, is a non-profit and non-governmental organization working to advance sustainable alternatives to pesticides worldwide. We gladly accept donations for our work and all contributions are tax deductible in the United States. Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) 49 Powell St., Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA Phone: (415) 981-1771 Fax: (415) 981-1991 Email: panna@panna.org Web: http://www.panna.org

It's Time for Change. Big Change! (Global Warming & the Manitoba Flood Connection)

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Dear Editor,                                                                                          Many Manitobans are upset that the federal election is happening at the same time as major flooding threatens their homes, businesses and farms.  Red River Valley - 1997 - Natural Resources CA After all, who wants to be distracted from the stressful job of protecting your livelihoods and families by yet another political campaign and trip to the polls? In a saner world, there would actually be candidates on the ballot from the two major parties we could vote for, who would be attacking the root causes of the catastrophic flooding so they don't get worse in the future. These candidates would already know that these events are on the rise in both frequency and intensity, due to climate change. Climate change is anthropogenic. If that is too big a word for you, Stephen, or you, Michael, it just means, it is caused by human beings. That's because we

National Research Council Disavows GM Wheat

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Canadian Biotechnology Action Network Update. Thursday, April 7, 2011: The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) issued a statement to clarify that it has no plans to research genetically modified (GM) wheat. Details here.

Honeybees 'Entomb' Hives to Protect Against Pesticides, Say Scientists

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Fiona Harvey guardian.co.uk 4 Apr'11 By sealing up cells full of contaminated pollen, bees appear to be  attempting to protect the rest of the hive.  Details here.      

Koch Brothers' Deeds Exposed in New Film - Please Donate!

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AlterNet Dear Friend, I'm writing to ask you to support an incredibly important film, one that will save lives and thwart what may be the most destructive pair of brothers in American history. A $50 gift today will get you listed as  a "producer" plus this exclusively designed Shepard Fairey t-shirt  with the Koch-topus logo https://bnf.actionkit.com/donate/kb_donation_alternet  By now you have probably heard of the nefarious Koch Brothers. They are two super wealthy radical conservatives who are spreading their billions to crush working people, destroy the environment, undermine health care, demean immigrants, avoid responsibility for their own death and destruction, and the list goes on. Already the Koch's have paid $30 million in fines for 300 oil spills, and invested $34 million to support groups who are trying to steal rights away from teachers,fireman, police, nurses -- our neighbors and friends. We have to get the truth about the Koch's to million

Can We Solve Our Environmental Crisis Without Talking About Climate Change and Global Warming?

AlterNet / By Brendan Smith and Jeremy Brecher Poll-oriented groups say that public opinion surveys prove Americans care most about jobs and lack the capacity to act on some distant threat. But here's where they're wrong. Details here.

Record Stratospheric Ozone Loss in the Arctic in Spring of 2011

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Geneva, 5 Apr '11 (WMO)  Depletion of the ozone layer- the shield that protects life on Earth from harmful levels of ultraviolet rays - has reached an unprecedented level over the Arctic this spring… Full story here.