Jack Layton's Last Letter

"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

A RUDE AWAKENING: THE NORTHERN WALK TO REGINA FOR A NUCLEAR WASTE BAN

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, 1979. Then, walkers carried a huge white elephant, made of paper-mache, to symbolize what they thought of the government’s uranium policies of the day. How much longer, I thought, will it take for us to learn the hard lessons about the toxic economy and start to seriously make the shift towards sustainability?

Climate Science References for the (US) Campaign Trail

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.

Growth of Cities Endangers Global Environment, According to New Analysis

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 photopublished August 19 in PLoS ONE. Details here.

Salmon Inquiry to Wade Into Contentious Issues of Fish Farms and Disease

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.

Dozens Arrested Outside White House in Keystone Pipeline Protests

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. 

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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 while bad-mouthing the peaceful opponents of it, might sound rather self-serving, indeed! 

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Here is a complaint I sent to The National today: (While the story appeared on CBC Online, The National breathed not a word of it last night.) "What is WRONG with you people? A seminal struggle is underway in Washington, DC, where peaceful protesters are trying to protect our very planet from a massive, destructive CANADIAN project and all you can give us are BODY TATTOOS? Did Stephen tell you not to cover this?"