Oct 7, 2010

by Howard Pattinson There is something magical in observing bears in the wild, but the question is how should we behave in bear country? Ideally, we want to be able to enjoy the wilderness and allow the bears to thrive in their habitat. If you come across a coastal grizzly bear, be aware that its evolution will have an affect on how it reacts to you. Grizzly...

Oct 7, 2010

by Dr. Henry Cloud Have you ever heard yourself say, “Whatever possessed me to say yes to this in the first place? Why didn’t I just say no?” Or, after negotiating a deal, have you ever thought, “Why didn’t I ask for –––––––? I could kick myself!” If you have, that is pretty normal or...

Oct 7, 2010

INDEPENDENT MEDIA by Steve Anderson Whose side are you on? It’s a little known fact that television services go through the same wires as internet services. This means that the practice of throttling or slowing access to internet services under the auspices of congestion is questionable, to say the least. After all, telecom companies always seem to have...

Oct 7, 2010

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina Mung beans and lentils are seeds with the potential and life force to grow into large, strong plants. For this purpose, these little embryos contain a rich store of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and carbohydrates, all ready and waiting for the right conditions of heat, moisture and oxygen to be present in order to grow. As soon...

Oct 7, 2010

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot It is surprisingly easy to get tip cuttings of soft fruits such as blueberries, gooseberries, figs, kiwis and currants to take root. Following the few simple techniques outlined below will result in enough berry bushes to grow your own ‘berry walk’ with enough leftover plants to share with friends and...

Oct 7, 2010

UNIVERSE WITHIN by Gwen Randall-Young It’s much too easy to slip from “we’re pretty good” to “there’s something wrong with you,” which is the root of racism…  – allenswriting.blogspot.com I had hoped by the time we reached the 21st century, racism and discrimination might have been a thing of the...

Oct 7, 2010

FILMS WORTH WATCHING by Robert Alstead One of the less cut-and-dry eco docs at VIFF this year is Windfall (October 10, 13) a relentless attack on wind energy seen through the prism of a small town in upstate New York where industrial wind energy became a divisive local issue. It raises important issues about just how “green” large wind...

Oct 7, 2010

SCIENCE MATTERS by David Suzuki with Faisal Moola When wading through the words of pundits and the babble of political posturing, I can’t help but think of some of the simple truths we learned as children. Remember those stories from Aesop, Hans Christian Andersen and the Grimm brothers that enthralled us while imparting powerful messages? Two childhood...

Oct 7, 2010

  Since salmon farms took the Sechelt area by storm 30 years ago, residents, First Nations, scientists, businesspeople, organizations and even government employees have tried to minimize the impact of this industry, but to no avail. Salmon farms crowd animals and they use vaccines, chemicals and engineered foods to speed growth. They are feedlots....

Oct 7, 2010

by Meredith Lawrence Imagine being imprisoned and tortured for peacefully demonstrating for your right to religious and cultural freedoms. Imagine having to flee your home to escape persecution because of your spiritual beliefs and never being able to return to your homeland. Then imagine making a new life for yourself in a foreign country and finding the...

Bill C-36 permits Health Canada to issue  secret recall orders… by Shawn Buckley Every time I hear the Minister of Health promoting the new Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (Bill C-36), I think of George Orwell’s book 1984 and the famous “Ministry of Truth,” which was responsible for deceiving the public. It’s not that the...

Oct 7, 2010

by Rod Marining According to Statistics Canada, in 2007, without any public process, Canada and China began shipping Tar Sands crude oil through Vancouver Harbour. Currently, two oil tankers per week carry up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil through Burrard Inlet and the dangerous Second Narrows, past our beaches and parks and into Georgia Strait. The oil...

Oct 7, 2010

by Ronald Wright On Easter Day 1722, a Dutch fleet in the South Seas sighted an unknown island so treeless and eroded they mistook its barren hills for dunes. They were amazed, as they drew near, to see hundreds of standing stone images as tall as an Amsterdam house. “We could not comprehend how it was possible that these people, who are devoid of heavy...