PLANET IN PERIL

by Larry Powell It has been exactly two weeks since I contacted Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP), Manitoba's main farm lobby group, to comment on my story,  "New Studies Show Farm Chemicals Are Affecting More Than Bees. Bird Populations are Declining, Too.  Is modern agriculture's toxic hold on nature becoming a death grip?"   (It appeared both on this blog on July 30th and subsequently in the Virden Empire Advance weekly. A number of other publications declined to publish.)  I reported on new research showing that insecticides, widely used on crops in this province and elsewhere, were associated with declines in populations of birds which eat insects. The chemicals, members of the "neonicotinoid" family, are the same ones which have, for some time, also been linked to large and significant declines in populations of pollinators, especially honeybees.  Purple Martins.  Among  the "insectivorious"  birds  on the decline. Larry Powell

The Canadian Press GUELPH, Ont. - Former Conservative party staffer Michael Sona has been convicted of trying to prevent voters from casting ballots during the 2011 federal election. Details here.

Center for Food Safety Over a hundred million additional pounds of toxic pesticides associated with cancers and birth defects are coming to a field near you. UNLESS YOU STOP IT! To help, click  here. "Crop-Duster." PIP photo. Please also read: "New Studies Show Farm Chemicals Are Affecting More Than Bees. Bird Populations are Declining, Too.  Is modern agriculture's hold on nature becoming a death grip?"

The Manitoba Co-Operator CNS Canada – The number of Prairie canola acres makes the region a great place for honeybees to thrive — but given increasing winterkill rates, canola growers must make sure they take the precautions needed to maintain that relationship. Full story here. Related:  "New Studies Show Farm Chemicals Are Affecting More Than Bees. Bird Populations are Declining, Too.  Is modern agriculture's hold on nature becoming a death grip?"

Alternet A herbicide marketed by Monsanto is linked to a string of birth defects in pigs. Full story here. Related: " Field of Nightmares. Ottawa embraces the use of Roundup by Canadian farmers by letting corporate seduction trump scientific evidence."

The Guardian Canadian government closely monitoring how legal rulings and aboriginal protest pose an increasing ‘risk’ for multi-billion dollar oil and mining plans. Details here. Photo Credit - Idle No More.

By PAUL KRUGMAN  - New York Times -  AUG. 10, 2014 In the latest Times Magazine, Robert Draper profiled youngish libertarians — roughly speaking, people who combine free-market economics with permissive social views — and asked whether we might be heading for a “libertarian moment.” Well, probably not. Polling suggest s that young Americans tend, if anything, to be more supportive of the case for a bigger government than their elders. But I’d like to ask a different question: Is libertarian economics at all realistic? The answer is no. And the reason can be summed up in one word: phosphorus.

Sum Of +Us The results are in! Apparently the residents of Likely, BC are safe to drink the water after 4.5 million cubic metres of toxic material from Mount Polley Mine’s tailings pond poured into their water supply. But when we look a bit closer, we know things aren’t right. Details here. Related: " Huge Environmental Disaster at a British Columbia Gold Mine Follows Years of Government Warnings"

Columbus Dispatch Scientists say climate change is exacerbating toxic-algae problems in Lake Erie and across the country. Details here.

David Suzuki Foundation British Columbians watched news coverage of the Mount Polley Mine disaster with shock and concern after a collapsed dam released almost 15 million cubic metres of toxic effluent into the salmon-rich Quesnel River systems. In addition to concerns for area residents' immediate health and safety, dead fish are appearing and there are fears the spill could cause harm right up to the Fraser River. Details here. Please Also read:  " Huge Environmental Disaster at a British Columbia Gold Mine Follows Years of Government Warnings." 

By David Suzuki and Ian Hanington. The Heartland Institute's recent International Climate Change Conference in Las Vegas illustrates climate change deniers' desperate confusion. Details here.