Schwarzenegger and DSK: when powerful men cross lines
By Tracy Weber in ProPublica. The week’s news about the sexual conduct of politically powerful men gives me a queasy feeling of déjà vu. As the French agonize over whether Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s star power quashed past allegations, I can respond cynically: Yes, that probably happened. But we should not automatically assume that timelier reporting about […]
What the frack is going on?
By Michael Jessen When you’re addicted to something, you’ll do anything to satisfy your need – and so will your drug supplier. In North America, one of our addictions is to energy, a commodity that is overabundant or in excess of demand – hence a drug on the market. For every addiction, there is a […]
Markham City Council bans criticism of Apartheid regimes
On May 3, a majority of Councillors from Markham City Council adopted a motion to censor “Israeli Apartheid Week” that is organized each year in March by students on Canadian universities. Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is a week of lectures and film screenings that takes place peacefully on campuses each year and hosts prominent academics and […]
New details in the bin Laden docs: portrait of a fugitive micro-manager
By Sebastian Rotella in ProPublica During his final years, Osama bin Laden expressed interest in everything from killing President Obama to his deputies’ personalities to an article in an extremist magazine that he didn’t like, according to two U.S. officials familiar with material seized during the raid that killed bin Laden. A trove of digital […]
Slocan Valley Farmers group producing food guide
By Malin Christensson Where do you get local seeds or manure for your garden? Is there someone raising chicks for sale in the Slocan Valley? Who could you ask about how to keep honeybees? There is lots of interest in gardening and eating local food, yet sometimes it seems both a mystery and an illegal […]
Arctic nations eye future of world's last frontier
By Andrew Quinn, Reuters Leaders of Arctic nations gather in Greenland this week to chart future cooperation as global warming sets off a race for oil, mineral, fishing and shipping opportunities in the world’s fragile final frontier. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will join foreign ministers from seven other Arctic states in Greenland’s tiny capital […]
Canadian Cancer Society applauds provincial moves on pesticides
The Canadian Cancer Society B.C. and Yukon today congratulated Premier Christy Clark and Opposition Leader Adrian Dix for agreeing to put forward legislation that would protect the health of children and families by banning the sale and use of cosmetic pesticides in British Columbia. “This is a big step forward for cancer prevention in our […]
The original sea monster
By David A Gabel, ENN If an extra terrestrial civilization were to study the history of Earth, they would most likely conclude that this is the planet of the dinosaurs, giant reptiles who ruled the world for hundreds of millions of years. Humans, currently the dominant species, have not even existed for one per cent […]
Tree treatment helps rare woodpeckers keep their home
A 2007 wildfire in a portion of the Pend D’Oreille Valley was good news for a family of Lewis’ woodpeckers, a species which prefers dead or well-decayed trees for nesting. But while the fire created valuable breeding habitat for the woodpeckers, the high risk of trees falling was a serious threat to transmission lines. The […]
Alliance blasts province over wolf 'management' plan
An alliance of 23 animal rights and environmental groups in BC and across Canada is furious at the BC Liberal government’s decision not to consult them regarding a new “wolf management plan” it is developing. According to a press release from the Canadian Wolf Coalition, speaking on behalf of the alliance, “The groups are greatly […]
