An Australian defence expert says America is playing a dangerous and potentially disastrous game with China. The American plan, known in Washington as Air-Sea Battle, is strategically flawed, Australia’s foremost regional defence expert, Hugh White, said, and risks escalating a US-China struggle to the level of nuclear strikes. It is
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The Disaffected Lib: Mr. Harper, If It’s Science That You Really Want
The Prince of Darkness says he’ll let “science” determine the fate of the Northern Gateway and, presumably, Kinder-Morgan bitumen trafficking proposals. Harper insisted Tuesday a decision on major projects such as the Northern Gateway will be made independently by scientists examining the “economic costs and risks” associated with the project.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: What Keeps the F-35 Airborne?
If you follow the international news on the F-35 it appears Lockheed has made it through the rough patch and now has the controversial warplane flying straight and level. Although the F-35 is over budget (grossly), overdue and underperforming and remains beset by serious technical problems, the Pentagon and America’s
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Drought – America Isn’t Alone
Russian wheatfield ravaged by locusts and drought Another giant grain exporter, Russia, is also being hammered by drought leaving Brits fearful of major food price increases. Farmers in Russia are being crippled by severe drought, which has caused a potentially devastating drop in the country’s grain production.Fears are mounting that
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Will Drought Overtake Athabasca?
I’m not sure that Harper/Enbridge will get the Northern Gateway pipeline/tanker port up and running before climate change closes in on them. The drought of 2012 is going to send a shockwave through world food prices well into next year and quite possibly beyond that. The Third World already lives
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Was It Good for You Too?
An Aviation Week editor spent some time recently at Edwards Air Force Base filming an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in flight. His recording was disrupted by a severe sonic boom from an F-35 speeding through the Edwards high-speed corridor. Notice the F-35 boom at the 7 second mark. Then compare
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: There Are Ways to Fix It – Eventually
The struggle of the 21st century will be to reduce atmospheric carbon concentration to safe levels. There’s a fair chance it can be done, given time, commitment and vast resources. One way to reduce carbon is to extract it from the air and mineralize it, that is turn it into
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Water, Water, Where Exactly?
This image is an absolute eye-opener. We think of Earth as the Blue Planet, literally covered in water – fresh, saltwater or frozen. So, just how much water do we really have to go around? This much: This picture shows the size of a sphere that would contain all of
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Ted Turner Talks Global Philanthropy – "Save Everything"
Billionaire Ted Turner is outspoken about the state of our Earth, and he puts his money where his mouth is on a scale that shames many affluent countries. His message is plain, we can no longer ignore the future. Living in the present is a formula for catastrophe: We need
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: A New Civilization for a New Epoch
Goodbye Holocene, hello Anthropocene. The Holocene epoch of the past 12,000 years is said to be giving way to a new epoch, one in which man will be the key shaper, hence the name “Anthropo – cene.” The most significant feature of the new epoch will be a far harsher
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: A Glimpse of Enbridge Muscle
Enbridge Muscle in Michigan This is what happens when you don’t play ball with Enbridge. You wind up with a couple of armed guards on your property – just in case. Livingstone county farmer, Keith Huff, has an Enbridge problem. He’s in a right-of-way court dispute with the pipeline company.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: America’s Latest Drought Victim – the Mighty Mississippi
America’s drought has forced traffic closures on the Mississippi River in Wisconsin and Arkansas and in Mississippi it’s not even knee deep in places. “It looks like a coastline out there,” said Reynold Minsky, president of the 5th Louisiana Levee District board. “There are more beaches on the river than
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Mitt Romney Has a Problem. Her Name is Rachel Maddow.
There aren’t many American journalists today who can hold a candle to Rachel Maddow. She’s aggressive, fearless and relentless – perfect qualities for exposing a charlatan like Mitt Romney. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: An Eye Into Christian Bigotry
Anyone looking for the ugly face of Christianity need look no further than Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Grace Baptist Church decided to respond to the construction of a mosque by erecting 13 crosses along the route Muslims will take to pray. It’s part of a wave of Islamophobia that has swept through the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Time For Sober, Second Thought on Canada’s Future
Several decades ago we cut out the middleman and settled down to an existence where “because I can” leads directly to “so I shall.” What has fallen into desuetude was what once existed between the two, contemplation. It was the sticky, moral middle ground that had to go. Within it
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Weaver Backs Hansen Research on Global Warming
For more than a quater century, NASA Space Laboratory director James Hansen has led the effort to warn the world about the fact of global warming. Now, Hansen has created another stir across the world with the announcement of a research study based on data from the past six decades
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: We Outlawed the Potlach for B.C. First Nations
But not for our unelected, unelectable and outgoing premier, Crispy Clark. Her credit card statements for 2011/12 fiscal year just came in to the tune of $475K. Madame premier wracked up a tab of $3,267.66 at Ferris Oyster Bar in Victoria and $2,279 at Bishops in Vancouver. Her Rogers and Telus
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Vancouver Under Climate Change Gun
Vancouverites and the region’s masses of visitors might have to kiss Granville Island and other attractions goodbye. Sea level rise is estimated to reach 80 cms. in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and upwards of 120 cms. in the Lower Mainland’s Fraser River estuary by 2100. Sea level rise sounds far
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: California Prepares to Meet Climate Change Head On
Reports released this week by the California Energy Commission and the California Natural Resources Agency reveal adaptation measures the state will need to take to address climate change impacts and they’re innovative. State researchers foresee temperature increases of 2.7F over 2000 averages by 2050. Note that’s 2.7F higher than the state
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: James Hansen – I Was Wrong
Global warming guru and head of the NASA Goddard Space Laboratory, Dr. James Hansen, now says he got it wrong when in 1998 he testified to Congress about the future that climate change would bring to our planet. “I was too optimistic. My projections about increasing global temperature have been
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