October 2014

by Bruce Mason • The worldwide People’s Climate March on September 21 marked a global tipping point in climate change awareness and action. One reason for that is Neil Young’s release of his anthemic Who’s Gonna Stand Up? “I’m giving you permission to please use this music in videos, clips and communications, or in any way you see fit during this...

October 2014

by Lynne Quarmby • The thousands who gathered for the People’s Climate March in Vancouver on September 21 enthusiastically agreed to wait five minutes – before taking to the streets – to listen to Dr. Lynne Quarmby, professor and chair at SFU’s department of molecular biology and biochemistry. They wanted to hear what we all need to hear – and know...

October 2014

A quagmire rife with rhetoric DRUG BUST by Alan Cassels • The people’s briefing note on prescription drugs It pollutes our water, warms our planet and destroys the environment. Or…it provides jobs, reduces our dependence on foreign oil and delivers economic growth. It’s either a godsend or evil incarnate. What’s the “it” we’re talking about...

October 2014

the science behind your beliefs by Bruce Lipton • Bruce H. Lipton, PhD is a stem cell biologist and an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit. He is the bestselling author of The Biology of Belief and The Honeymoon Effect: The Science of Creating Heaven on Earth. In May, he spoke on the Honeymoon Effect at the Hay House-sponsored I...

Does mention of allergen-free peanuts, striga-resistant cowpeas, salt-resistant wheat, beta-carotene rich sweet potatoes and virus-resistant cassavas make you think of GM? If so, you’ve missed the great unpublished story: all the non-GM breakthroughs solving precisely the kind of problems (drought-resistance, salt-resistance, biofortification etc.) that GM...

by Dennis Kucinich • The Administration’s response to the conjunction of the September 21st People’s Climate March and the International Day of Peace? 1. Bomb Syria the following day, to wrest control of the oil from ISIS which gained its foothold directly in the region through the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Jordan, funding and arming ISIS’...

October 2014

by Irwin Oostindie • First Nations from the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Washington State have come together to sign a historic treaty to protect the Salish Sea from tar sands oil and related threats. The treaty prohibits the increased transport of tar sands products through the Salish Sea and specifically makes the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain...

October 2014

graphic memoir an inspiration to new generations READ IT by Bruce Mason • He is a a civil rights icon and the sole surviving speaker of the 1963 Freedom March on Washington as well as a 12-term US Representative (Democrat) of the Congressional 5th District of Georgia. Now, add comic book superhero to the list of John Lewis’ legendary achievements. Last...

October 2014

deciding our future by Elizabeth Murphy • This upcoming civic election will decide Vancouver’s future even beyond the next four years. After endless controversies over the last two election terms totalling six years, the results of the election will determine whether Vision Vancouver and Gregor Robertson will get a third term in office or if there will be a...

October 2014

by Ashley Rose • With the approach of Thanksgiving, beautiful Vancouver offers one final flourish of light and colour as summer gives way to fall. Themes of bounty emerge – images of harvest, heartier foods, body-warming spices, baked apples and cinnamon, rich sauces and breads – in a caravan of autumnal opulence moving into the starkness of winter. ...

October 2014

October 2014

SCIENCE MATTERS by David Suzuki • As an elder, I’ve watched Canada and the world change in many ways, for better and worse. Thanks, in part, to cheap energy and technological growth, the human population has more than tripled. As a boy, I could drink from streams and lakes without worrying about getting sick. My father took me fishing for halibut, sturgeon...

October 2014

FILMS WORTH WATCHING by Robert Alstead • Among the documentary fare at VIFF this month is Just Eat It – A Food Waste Story. It chronicles Vancouver foodie filmmakers Jen Rustemeyer and Grant Baldwin’s six-month challenge to live solely from food waste. As they pursue this interesting experiment, the couple dig into the broader issues of industrial food...