Mainstream Media
Mainstream News Articles of interest
Brent and Kimber explore ancient rainforests, old growth clear cuts, and talk to some of the members of the Fairy Creek Blockade - otherwise known as the Rainforest Flying Squad.
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- Published on Thursday, 24 June 2021 12:09
- Written by editor
Shaw Community Link
https://youtu.be/iRtzj9aqA3M
The Climate Issue: a reflection on 2020
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- Published on Monday, 14 December 2020 14:52
- Written by editor
In a year of bad news, here are some things to celebrate
December 14TH 2020
The Climate Issue
The best of our climate-change analysis, delivered every fortnight
The stripes on our banner were developed by Ed Hawkins of the University of Reading. They represent the years from 1850 to 2018 and the colour marks each year’s temperature, compared with the average in 1971-2000.
In a year of bad news, here are some things to celebrate. Eleven days ago Britain said it would reduce its greenhouse-gas emissions by 68% below 1990 levels within ten years, becoming one of the first countries to adopt a short-term target that is in line with what the science says is needed to meet the goals of the Paris agreement. The governments of
more than 127 countries, representing roughly two-thirds of global emissions, have either made or are considering promises to reach net-zero emissions by around mid-century. Joe Biden’s election to the White House,
Xi Jinping’s promise to aim for carbon-neutrality in China by 2060, and the EU’s Green Deal all raise hopes for renewed leadership in tackling climate change from the world’s largest economies and largest emitters.
The pandemic and rolling lockdowns dealt an unexpected blow to fossil fuels, which has caused an unprecedented drop in global emissions. King coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels, is on its way out in the West. Covid-19 recovery plans have provided
an opportunity to shift economies away from fossil fuels. Over the past 12 months, green innovation and venture capital have been boosted, and
more and more investors are pressing polluting companies to shape up. Some are
testing the courts as a last-resort measure to exert pressure.
The Climate Issue: Chinas push for net zero
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- Published on Monday, 19 October 2020 13:00
- Written by editor
With President Donald Trump pushing a pro-coal, anti-climate agenda and systematically dismantling the environmental policies of his predecessor, Barack Obama, the expectation has long been that the European Union and China would have to take the global lead in limiting carbon emissions.
October 19TH 2020
The Climate Issue
The best of our climate-change analysis, delivered every fortnight
The stripes on our banner were developed by Ed Hawkins of the University of Reading. They represent the years from 1850 to 2018 and the colour marks each year’s temperature, compared with the average in 1971-2000.
Carbon dioxide gets all the attention when it comes to greenhouse-gas emissions, and with good reason: it accounts for roughly three-quarters of all global emissions. Methane, accounting for roughly one-sixth, comes in second place. But the volumes belie its importance. Carbon dioxide can stay in the atmosphere for centuries before it is reabsorbed by vegetation and the oceans, whereas methane remains for years or decades. During that time, methane has a much greater warming influence on the climate—83 to 87 times greater than carbon dioxide over 20 years.
Between a quarter and a third of methane emissions escape from the fossil-fuel industry, including from leaky installations and pipes. Patching these up has long been seen as “low-hanging fruit” in efforts to stem emissions. So the European Union’s plans, published last week, to require oil and gas companies to report and fix methane leaks is a step in the right direction. Just how big (or small) a step that is will not be clear until next year, when legislative proposals are due.A Letter on Justice and Open Debate
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- Published on Monday, 14 September 2020 11:22
- Written by editor
July 7, 2020
https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/
The below letter will be appearing in the Letters section of the magazine’s October issue.
We welcome responses at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Our cultural institutions are facing a moment of trial. Powerful protests for racial and social justice are leading to overdue demands for police reform, along with wider calls for greater equality and inclusion across our society, not least in higher education, journalism, philanthropy, and the arts. But this needed reckoning has also intensified a new set of moral attitudes and political commitments that tend to weaken our norms of open debate and toleration of differences in favor of ideological conformity. As we applaud the first development, we also raise our voices against the second. The forces of illiberalism are gaining strength throughout the world and have a powerful ally in Donald Trump, who represents a real threat to democracy. But resistance must not be allowed to harden into its own brand of dogma or coercion—which right-wing demagogues are already exploiting. The democratic inclusion we want can be achieved only if we speak out against the intolerant climate that has set in...
Scotland Quietly Wipes Articles About Sir John A. Macdonald From Website
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- Published on Monday, 27 August 2018 15:15
- Written by editor
Indigenous people have "legitimate concerns" about how he should be remembered, the Scottish government said.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF CANADASir John A. Macdonald, seen in 1890, was Canada's founding prime minister.The Scottish government has removed articles about the legacy of Sir John A. Macdonald from its website, citing the concerns of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
"While we want to celebrate the very positive contributions Scottish people have made across the world, we also want to present a balanced assessment of their role and are reviewing the wording of these articles in that light," the Scottish government said in a statement provided by media manager Tom Whittles.
"We acknowledge the controversy around Sir John A Macdonald's legacy and the legitimate concerns expressed by indigenous communities on the commemoration of his life. The views of these communities must be respected."
Debate over Macdonald's legacy has raged across Canada in recent weeks. The City of Victoria removed a statue of Canada's founding prime minister as part of a project to reconcile with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
Read more: Scotland Quietly Wipes Articles About Sir John A. Macdonald From Website
A growing share of aid is spent by private firms, not charities
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- Published on Tuesday, 06 June 2017 09:30
- Written by editor
But they need to diversify
Print edition | International
May 4th 2017“THE gold rush is on!” That is how a cable from the American ambassador to Haiti described the descent of foreign firms upon Port-au-Prince in early 2010. An earthquake had flattened the city and killed hundreds of thousands. But a deluge of aid presented an opportunity. The message, released by WikiLeaks, noted that AshBritt, a Florida-based disaster-recovery firm, was trying to sell a scheme to restore government buildings, and that other firms were also pitching proposals in a “veritable free-for-all”.
Read more: A growing share of aid is spent by private firms, not charities
Christy Clarks Hand Delivered $150K Donation to Haida Gwaii Nation while Considering her Brothers $10-Million Windfarm Bid Leaves More Questions Than Answers
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- Published on Thursday, 02 June 2016 14:45
- Written by editor
John Horgan didn't hold back while questioning Premier Christy Clark on a rather puzzling $150,000 donation that ended up indirectly benefitting her brother, Bruce Clark, President at Broadwing Renewables Inc.
A donation that appears to have no paper trail, policy, or even a record that the request for the donation was ever made. The donation went to a First Nations school in Haida Gwaii that oddly enough is under federal responsibility, not provincial, to complete a feasibility study on building a new gym for their school.
It's also worth noting that there had already been two of these studies done on the same school in the past 10 years paid for by federal funds.
While reading some of the exchange between Horgan and Clark (found here), I can't say I was too surprised to learn that an FOI into any and all communication related to this donation turned up absolutely nothing. So, like most things surrounding Clark and the B.C. Liberals, there seems to be a thick cloud of secrecy surrounding this decision. We are left with more questions than answers.
In Sweden, an Experiment Turns Shorter Workdays Into Bigger Gains
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- Published on Thursday, 02 June 2016 10:45
- Written by editor
GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Arturo Perez used to come home frazzled from his job as a caregiver at the Svartedalens nursing home. Eight-hour stretches of tending to residents with senility or Alzheimer’s would leave him sapped with little time to spend with his three children.
But life changed when Svartedalens was selected for a Swedish experiment about the future of work. In a bid to improve well-being, employees were switched to a six-hour workday last year with no pay cut. Within a week, Mr. Perez was brimming with energy, and residents said the standard of care was higher.
“What’s good is that we’re happy,” said Mr. Perez, a single father. “And a happy worker is a better worker.”
Read more: In Sweden, an Experiment Turns Shorter Workdays Into Bigger Gains
Outgoing Defense Minister Ya'alon: Extremists Have Taken Over Israel
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- Published on Thursday, 26 May 2016 09:15
- Written by editor
AUTHOR: Jonathan Lis
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.720653
May 20, 2016
Extremist elements have taken over the country, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon warned on Friday morning as he explained his resignation from political life.
"This morning I told the prime minister that I'm resigning from the government and the Knesset and taking a break from political life," Ya'alon said at the IDF's military quarters in Tel Aviv. "I have no intention of leaving the public and political life, and in the future will return to compete for the national leadership of Israel."
"I saw before me the safety of Israel and its citizens in all of my acts and decisions, and the good of the country above all other considerations. This was so in security and professionals matters and in matters of values and rule of the law."
Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon explains his resignation at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv on Friday, May 20, 2016.CREDIT: Tomer Appelbaum
Read more: Outgoing Defense Minister Ya'alon: Extremists Have Taken Over Israel
Environment Canada officers failed to uphold the law in order to keep in line with Ottawas Priorities
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- Published on Friday, 05 February 2016 15:00
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VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail
Published Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 7:21PM EST
The federal department that enforces Canada’s environmental laws is in such disarray that some officers say they have been ignoring infractions in order to keep in line with Ottawa’s “priorities,” according to an internal government report which is included in this article.
The report by Gordon Owen, who is retiring at the end of January as head of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s enforcement branch, says a public service employee survey revealed serious problems that require immediate action.
BC Supreme Court Rules Province Breached the Honour of the Crown by Failing to Consult Gitgaat and other Coastal First Nations
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- Published on Friday, 15 January 2016 15:00
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Gitga'at celebrating 'huge victory' after court rules province failed in duty to consult
CBC News Posted: Jan 13, 2016 1:12 PM PT Last Updated: Jan 13, 2016 4:36 PM PT
Demonstrators protest on the streets following the federal government's approval of the Enbridge's Northern Gateway pipeline in Vancouver, British Columbia June 17, 2014. (Reuters)
Christy Clark interfering in local band election to aid
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- Published on Tuesday, 22 December 2015 14:00
- Written by editor
VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Dec. 08, 2015 8:50PM EST
Premier Christy Clark has been accused of interfering in a local band election to help a candidate who supports a $10-million wind farm proposal involving her brother, Bruce Clark.
During her visit to Old Massett, a small native community on the north end of Haida Gwaii, Ms. Clark announced at a public meeting that the province was making a $150,000 grant to the Old Massett Village Council (OMVC).
The money is for a feasibility study of a proposed $4-million expansion to the 40-student elementary school on the reserve.
The announcement gave a boost to the campaign of Mr. Rea, who has been a long-time supporter of Mr. Clark’s proposed wind farm.
Read more: Christy Clark interfering in local band election to aid
Historic GMO News: NY Times Backs Labeling
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- Published on Friday, 04 December 2015 16:45
- Written by editor
Spurred on by the U.S. FDA’s recent approval of genetically engineered salmon, the New York Times editorial board has, for the first time, come out in favor of GMO labeling.
Do you think the tide is turning?
Here’s the article.
25 Foods That Kill Cancer Stem Cells
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- Published on Thursday, 03 December 2015 09:45
- Written by editor
A new scientific review in the journal Anticancer Research has identified 25 compounds that are found in foods and that have a tremendous capacity to kill cancer stem cells.
B.C. Canada Day terror plot trial judge says RCMP may have acted illegally
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- Published on Thursday, 19 November 2015 22:45
- Written by editor
Mounties may be guilty of knowingly facilitating a terrorist act, says judge
By Geordon Omand, The Canadian Press Posted: Nov 18, 2015 6:36 PM PT Last Updated: Nov 18, 2015 6:36 PM PT
John Nuttall and Amanda Korody were found guilty in June 2015 of one count each of conspiring to commit murder and possessing explosives for the benefit or on behalf of a terrorist organization. (RCMP)
There is evidence the RCMP broke the law while conducting a high-profile terrorism sting and must hand over confidential legal documents, says a B.C. Supreme Court judge.
Justice Catherine Bruce has not yet ruled whether the RCMP entrapped John Nuttall and Amanda Korody into plotting to blow up the B.C. legislature in 2013, but she said in a ruling released Wednesday that the Mounties may be guilty of knowingly facilitating a terrorist act.
Read more: B.C. Canada Day terror plot trial judge says RCMP may have acted illegally
Shell calls it quits in the Arctic...for now
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- Published on Tuesday, 29 September 2015 10:15
- Written by editor
Shell updates on Alaska exploration
28 Sep 2015
Shell today provides an update on the Burger J exploration well, located in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea. The Burger J well is approximately 150 miles from Barrow, Alaska, in about 150 feet of water. Shell safely drilled the well to a total depth of 6800 feet this summer in a basin that demonstrates many of the key attributes of a major petroleum basin. For an area equivalent to half the size of the Gulf of Mexico, this basin remains substantially under-explored.
Canada economy - The new rustbelt - The puzzling weakness
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- Published on Friday, 28 August 2015 11:45
- Written by editor
From the print edition: The Americas | http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21662567-puzzling-weakness-manufacturing-new-rustbelt
IF YOU visit south-western Ontario and the Niagara peninsula you will see scenes of industrial decay. Steel mills, vehicle-parts factories and food processors sit abandoned, their car parks studded with tufts of grass. The region has the look of a rustbelt, and that has Canadians worried.
Manufacturing took a beating in the late 2000s and early 2010s, when high oil prices drove up the value of the Canadian dollar, making factories less competitive. But Canada should now be recovering from that bout of Dutch disease. The “loonie”, as Canadians call their currency, has been dropping along with oil prices. On August 25th it fell to its lowest level in a decade against the American dollar. That, plus the strong economy in the United States, the market for three-quarters of Canada’s exports, should have...
Read more: Canada economy - The new rustbelt - The puzzling weakness
Stephen Harpers courts: How the judiciary has been remade
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- Published on Tuesday, 04 August 2015 14:45
- Written by editor
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/stephen-harpers-courts-how-the-judiciary-has-been-remade/article25661306/
The judge looked down at the full-bearded young man who sat relaxed and smiling before him. Omar Khadr, a former teenage terrorist, was in a Canadian courtroom for the first time.
Read more: Stephen Harpers courts: How the judiciary has been remade
The shocking human toll of FIFAs corruption
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- Published on Wednesday, 27 May 2015 15:30
- Written by editor
In the end, it only took a $150 million scandal to make Americans care about soccer.
FIFA, the notoriously corrupt and yet seemingly invincible governing body of world soccer, has finally landed itself an indictment that some would say is worthy of its reputation. The charges against a handful of senior FIFA officials include money laundering, racketeering, bribery and fraud. In short, the federal lawsuit alleges what millions of soccer fans have suspected all along: that FIFA officials have been using the organization's massive influence to line their pocketbooks.
Stephen Maher: It could get ugly at polling stations this fall thanks to Fair Elections Act
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- Published on Wednesday, 20 May 2015 11:45
- Written by editor
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang/FilesPierre Poilievre.
When Elections Canada mails out Voter Information Cards this fall, a new sentence in bold letters will appear at the bottom: Please note that this card is not a piece of ID.
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