Corals are severely bleaching five times as often as in 1980

ScienceNews

Bleached coral off Florida. U.S. Geological Survey

Warming tropical waters are largely responsible, researchers say. Story here.

Are some Manitoba media stifling dissent on the hog barn issue? One activist speaks out.

John Fefchak of Virden (L.) has been a critic of the hog industry for years. An Air Force veteran now in his eighties, he writes many letters to the editor. They're often in a losing cause, and often at odds with the "pro-hog" editorial stance of many mainstream media. But neither circumstance nor time have deterred him. His letters drive home the wrong-headedness of politicians who "cheerlead" for an industry with so many downsides, including a propensity to pollute our precious waterways. Below is John's latest letter, telling of his experiences with the Sun, a daily newspaper in Brandon, Manitoba.  (PinP)

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Is The Brandon Sun Newspaper Applying a Double Standard?

On Nov. 14th, 2017, the Sun published yet another story about yet another hog producer complaining of being "hard done by." This after the Pallister government had already passed legislation recklessly slashing health and environmental protections, in order to pave the way for even more mega-barns. Still, the producer wasn't happy. He thought that legislation, which surely guarantees more pollution, more cruelty to animals and more disease among humans and animals alike, didn't go far enough. That's because a local council had the nerve to exercise some autonomy and turn down his own bid for a new barn.

But when I wrote a letter-to-the-editor to express these concerns, the editor informed me, it would not be published!

"It's not that we're not interested," he wrote. "But we are receiving far too many letters on one single issue to run. At some point, it becomes too much. I would really appreciate letters on other topics."

And that made me wonder, "Isn't that what Newspapers do...share the voice of the people?"

Personally, I have been writing letters to the Sun for nearly two decades. And editors I've dealt with up 'til now have always encouraged me to "keep writing." I believe my letters cover important issues like, animal stewardship, health, water, environment and future generations. 

Limiting letters from people like myself, while faithfully covering every burp and squeal from the pork industry, smacks of a double standard to me. Surely if their argument is, they're getting too many letters on one topic,...what about too much coverage from the Industry side?

After all, the Sun does advertise that it welcomes letters. Now, it seems to be saying something quite different...that freedom of expression just may be curtailed. 

And that's too bad.

John Fefchak,

Virden, MB

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Twenty-five percent of the earth could see a permanent drought by 2050

Nation of Change

If Earth’s temperature goes up by 2 degrees Celsius by 2050, more than one-quarter of the world would live in a state of drought. Story here.




Parched ground in the southern US. 2011. Photo by Aljazeera English.

'Bomb Cyclone' Forecast to Hit East Coast. (US & Canada)

LIVESCI=NCE

Just when you thought the weather couldn't get worse, the Washington Post hits us with "bomb cyclone." That's right, forecasters suggest this "bomb" will make the U.S. East Coast unbearable for many. Story here.

Scientists Can Now Blame Individual Natural Disasters on Climate Change

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN

Hurricane Sandy - a Pexels photo.

Extreme event attribution is one of the most rapidly expanding areas of climate science. STORY HERE.

A Dreadful Year-- Farewell 2017!

WORLD

RESOURCES

INSTITUTE

The year we are leaving has been disastrous … Literally ...

STORY HERE.

Surprising revelations about Canada's ice age past. What do they tell us about the present?

SCIENCE MAGAZINE

Western Canada shed its icy cover a thousand years earlier than previously thought, and the circumstances of the ancient glacial retreat can help understand present-day climate patterns.

A new study provides the new glacial retreat timeline based on an analysis of moraine samples. Researchers collected samples of deposits that formed after the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, which covered large portions of western Canada, retreated. Using beryllium isotopes to date the samples, the authors found that the CIS may have in fact been largely melted by 14,000 years ago, while newer, smaller alpine glaciers sprung up in pockets between the newly-bared mountain peaks. 

Researchers also used simulations to show how warm temperatures during the late Pleistocene era contributed to CIS's early retreat, which had, in turn, contributed to a significant rise in sea level at the time. According to the authors, CIS response to abrupt climate change could be a model for the behavior of the Greenland Ice Sheet, which is comparable in size to CIS. 
Lastly, the authors suggest that their data does not support the migration of people down the west coast, because much of the lower elevations across the area remained covered in ice until about 11,000 years ago.

The research was done by a team of scientists, headed by Brian Menounos of the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George.

Ice Loss and the Polar Vortex: How a Warming Arctic Fuels Cold Snaps

 inside

climate

 news

The loss of sea ice may be weakening the polar vortex, allowing cold blasts to dip south from the Arctic, across North America, Europe and Russia, a new study says. Story here.

A country road in Manitoba. PinP photo.

Alarming link between fungicides and bee declines revealed

the guardian

Fungicides are found to be the strongest factor linked to steep bumblebee declines, surprising scientists and adding to the threats to vital pollinators. Story here.

Bumble bees forage on chives in 

an organic garden in Manitoba, CA.

PinP photo.

RELATED: Tainted honey spells more trouble for bees. Are we losing the battle to save them?

Friends of the Earth Fights for Bees. PLEASE DONATE!.

Friends of the Earth 

Donald Trump’s EPA could soon allow bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides to be sprayed on 165 million acres of farmland.

A honeybee hive in Manitoba, Canada. PinP photo.  

Chemical giant Syngenta requested permission to douse our crops with these toxic chemicals. If the EPA grants Syngenta’s wish, the impact on bees and other pollinators could be devastating.

From your backyard to garden retailers to supermarkets, we’re cutting off the demand for bee-killing pesticides. And we’re pushing states and the federal government to ban them. But we need your help to keep this important work going in 2018.

Bees are dying at alarming rates. Monarch butterflies are declining. And a new study found that 75 percent of insects in German nature preserves have disappeared over the past three decades.

Scientists say this indicates that we are in the midst of an “Insect Apocalypse.” One of the key culprits is the massive increase in the use of pesticides.

And science continues to mount that these same pesticides are harming children’s brains, disrupting our hormones, contributing to cancers and more. That’s why we need a rapid shift to organic agriculture -- which is better for people and pollinators.

These pesticides are harming our health and our food system. But they’re generating millions in profits for Syngenta, Bayer, Monsanto, Dow and other pesticide companies. They spend millions every year on lobbying -- in part to block the EPA, state agencies and lawmakers from taking action on their bee-killing products!

We need your help to stop the pesticide industry: Will you give $27 -- or more -- to Friends of the Earth?

Research finds flies carry bacteria — some harmful to people and animals

The Western Producer

They come every summer without fail, but flies are more than an aesthetic problem. Story here.

Sarcophaga (Flesh Fly).
Family.... Sarcohagidae.Larvae 
feed on dead animal flesh. 
A Wickimedia photo by "Prog"