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Adam Beach is My Hero

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If you like my blog, I hope you'll consider a donation. Thanks! Larry by Larry Powell I don't spend a lot of my life adulating celebrities. In this case, I'm making an exception. Adam had a rough life, growing up as a native kid on a Manitoba reserve. Now, he's an established television star.  But wait, there's more.  He has a social conscience!   He's already made his mark as a cop on "Law and Order." Fame-wise, how much further can you go! Now, he's starring in a new CBC TV series called "Arctic Air." At first, I was leary. The promos hinted at a show all about exploitation of northern resources. So, I watched, with low expectations.  But Adam's character, an executive of  an aviation company, actually shows a sensitivity for the people there who are being affected by the ravages of climate change.  (I really liked it when he punched out a mouthy Calgary mining millionaire. The millionaire showed his ugly, racist

Greens Join Forces With Liberals and Environmental Groups Against NDP’s Plan For Mining In Provincial Parks

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"The idea of a peat mine inside a provincial park is simply sickening,” says Beddome (January 10, 2012) WINNIPEG – Green Party Leader James Beddome, joined by Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard, Manitoba Wildlands Director Gaile Whelan Enns, and Wilderness Committee Campaign Director Eric Reder spoke out against the NDP allowance of peat mining in provincial parks today at the Manitoba Legislature.  The Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park, adjacent to Lake Winnipeg, may be home to a 531-hectare peat mine if an Environment Act license is granted.  “Regulations are urgently needed to allow continued, and environmentally sustainable, harvesting of peat for gardens and related purposes,” says Gerrard.  “While there is a place for peat harvesting in Manitoba, there is no place for mining in provincial parks.” Beddome added that a provincial compost strategy is also needed, because compost can be used as a replacement for peat in gardens. “Using compost and other alternatives, ra

Tar Sands Pipeline Critics Hit Back at 'Radical' Claims

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Jan 10'12 CommonDreams.org Canadian Minister blames environmental, other "radical" groups for blocking Enbridge pipeline. Details here.

Calling All Radicals - Now is the Time for Good Folks Like us to Show Joe Oliver & His Motley Crew What we are Capable Of! Sign the Letter!

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Dear Larry , I don't know what it is about today but I'm feeling slightly,  well … radical. How about you? When I wrote before Christmas about an impending government  attack on Canada's environment movement, I wasn't expecting  a formal Declaration of War just 9 days into the New Year. It  came in the form of an " open letter " from Natural Resources  Minister Joe Oliver that’s receiving heavy media coverage all  across the country. The open letter is in response to public hearings into the  Gateway Pipeline that got underway earlier today in BC. The  Gateway project consists of two parallel pipelines between  an inland terminal at Bruderheim, Alberta, and a marine  terminal near Kitimat, British Columbia, each a length of  1,177 kilometers. The plan to build pipelin

Stop Privatization of Canada's National Parks - Please Sign Petition!

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A waterfall along the Icefields Parkway - Jasper Nat'l. Park. PLT photo  In days, the Harper Government will privatize a section of Jasper National Park and let an American-owned company blast a 300m metal walkway into our World Heritage mountains -- but Jasper's Superintendent has the power to stop them. Jasper Park's Superintendent Greg Fenton, a local Jasperite, has the ability to stop the privatisation of the park that he grew up in and loves. Fenton is currently bending to the Harper Government's demands, but by sending a strong message of public disapproval to Fenton – he can not only save the park that he loves from corporate ownership but can also ensure that our other treasured National Parks remain publicly-owned and run. Private international companies should not be profiteering off our national treasures. Click here to ensure our parks stay in public hands -- sign the petition calling on Fenton to save Jasper National Park before it's too late! PLT:

Peat Mine Comments Deadline Extended

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  The Government of Manitoba is actually considering a proposal to mine peat inside Hecla/Grindstone provincial park. If you are concerned about this, the deadline for expressing that concern to the government has been extended. Read more here. Peat Mine Comments Deadline Extended

What if a Supertanker Tanks?

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Vancouver Sun January 8, 2012 Enbridge promises tough safeguards against a spill if its Northern Gateway pipeline is approved. Details here.  A sheen on the water from the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.  Please also read: "A Quiet Shift in the Federal Criteria for Approval of the Gateway Pipeline."

U.S. Judge OKs Alfalfa Strain Made by Monsanto Co.

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San Francisco Chronicle 1/7/12 A federal judge has upheld the government's decision to let the nation's alfalfa growers plant the genetically engineered, herbicide-resistant strain manufactured by Monsanto Co., Details here. PLT. Canada hasn't proceeded with GM alfalfa - yet. But it will, whether farmers or the public want it or not.

Bird Deaths Explained! The United States Department of Agriculture is Killing Them!

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January 6, 2012 By Zachary Shahan - Planetsave The birds were killed by the USDA! Details here. PLT: What about Canada? Are we doing it here too? Hmmm.

If You Liked Bovine Growth Hormone, You’ll Love "Beta Agonists"

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Counterpunch Feb 2010 - MARTHA ROSENBERG   While researchers and scientists investigate the cause of our diabetes, obesity, asthma and ADHD epidemics, they should ask why the FDA approved a livestock drug banned in 160 nations… details here. Photo courtesy of Alternet.

Climate Change 'In Front Of Us'

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Winnipeg Free Press - Jan 6 '12 A top climate scientists, David Barber of the University of Manitoba warns, if the (warming) trend continues, we may see the increasing pattern of warm days as more curse than blessing. Details here.   The normally tranquil Big Boggy Crk. in western Manitoba,  swollen by the record floodwaters of 2011. PLT photo.