May 2013

Music is a powerful communication tool–it causes us to laugh, cry, think and question. Bassist and five-time Grammy winner, Victor Wooten, asks us to approach music the same way we learn verbal language–by embracing mistakes and playing as often as possible.  Lesson by Victor Wooten, produced by TED-Ed. View full lesson:...

May 2013

• Many environmental experts have warned about the unsustainability of fish farms for a decade now and we have documented those objections in many previous articles. Unfortunately, nothing has yet been done to improve the system. As usual, government agencies and environmental organizations around the world turned a blind eye to what was predicted to become...

May 2013

DRUG BUST by Alan Cassels • The people’s briefing note on prescription drugs Dear new member of the Legislative Assembly: • You’re likely facing a steep learning curve in getting used to your new job so I’d like to offer you some translation help. For free. You can expect that, just as you are settling into your new office in the Legislature and...

May 2013

by Steven S. Sadleir • There is an awakening of consciousness occurring on the planet right now. Day by day, more people are considering their potential to evolve. A metaphysical awareness is being fostered within the media. The seeds being planted are shifting the collective consciousness of humanity. Information is being communicated that is sparking the...

May 2013

• On February 1, Raging Granny Marge Johnson spoke at the Enbridge Commission Review Panel in Vancouver. She was accompanied by two other Raging Grannies who acted as observers. Below is a transcript of Marge’s address at the Enbridge Commission Review Panel. The Raging Grannies are a group of women my age who are strong and firmly believe in social...

May 2013

spiritual growth through music by Bruce Mason • I had myriad opportunities to chat with legendary music icon and spiritual teacher Victor Wooten during his three successive annual pilgrimages to the Haven on Gabriola Island. During breaks in the intense daylong workshops, before and after sound checks and performances and over breakfast and late-night...

May 2013

by Thomas King • The year is 1717. Voltaire is sent to the Bastille because his rather edgy writing makes powerful people uncomfortable, a massive earthquake strikes Antigua, Guatemala, and France gives a portion of land along the Ottawa River to the Sulpician Missionary Society. France doesn’t own the land, but for the French Crown, such matters are...

May 2013

SCIENCE MATTERS by David Suzuki • Access to information is a basic foundation of democracy. Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms also gives us “freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.” We must protect these rights. As we alter the chemical, physical and biological...

May 2013

FILMS WORTH WATCHING by Robert Alstead • This year’s DOXA Festival (doxafestival.ca), our version of Hot Docs, bristles with ideas and provocations over its 10 days in May. If the five films I’ve seen are representative of the whole program, expect some intelligent and well-crafted documentaries coming your way, along with lively Q&As and...

May 2013

UNIVERSE WITHIN by Gwen Randall-Young • The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof. – Richard Bach Is it ever okay to turn your back on your family? We think of commitment and loyalty as a good thing, but in my experience they can...

May 2013

A NEW EARTH by Eckhart Tolle • To read Eckhart Tolle’s latest column, please see the current print edition of Common Ground For copyright reasons, we are authorized to publish this column in our print version only. More than 1/4 million people read Common Ground every month! Pick up your copy today. This article appeared in the MAY 2013 print edition...

May 2013

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina MS, RD • When people consider going green, their focus is often on buying a vehicle that guzzles less gas, riding their bike more or eating local. Yet we hear from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN that livestock are responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions – more than all forms of...

May 2013

by Mac McLaughlin • Aries | Taurus | Gemini | Cancer | Leo | Virgo | Libra Scorpio | Sagitarius | Capricorn | Aquarius | Pisces The karma gods are up to their antics and we can expect to witness some very dramatic events coming to pass in the month of May. We have a classic battle brewing as Scorpio Christy Clark and Taurus Adrian Dix square off for the...