Guys’ rules for girls
I have been working to bring order to the electronic congestion and confusion on my computer. That is a slow process since I keep finding old material to read. One…
Norman Farrell
BC Hydro: privatize and regulate strictly
As managed since 2001 under Premiers Campbell, Clark and Horgan, BC Hydro has been an unqualified disaster. The company has used falsehoods to justify capital spending of about $40 billion…
Energy innovation
Hindered by the political power exercised by fossil fuel companies and financial institutions supporting those industries, Canada’s federal government has been little involved in development of non-destructive renewable energy sources.…
Early forests in southwest BC
While clearing files from an old computer, I rediscovered one involving my maternal grandfather, long-time Chilliwack resident Jim Mahood (1885-1976). He recalled his career in the forests of southwest British…
Behave like our house is on fire… because it is
A 2021 study published online by Cambridge University Press aimed to learn about “experts” promoting the claim that human impact on Earth’s climate is either non-existent or insignificant. Researchers examined…
Indisputable peril
Perhaps this year’s most important publication is by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Almost one hundred scientists from thirty-eight nations report that risks to long-term human survival…
Her Majesty’s Disloyal Opposition
It is sad that in 2022, Canada’s second largest political party has stopped believing in community responsibilities and cooperation, mutual respect between individuals, the rule of law, and democracy itself.
The planet you think you live on no longer exists
Ben Rawlence’s new book, THE TREELINE, is a blend of reportage, nature, travel and science writing. Telling the story of our changing climate through six species of tree, it documents…
Neoliberalism, racism, assimilation
SFU Assistant Professor Kyle Willmott finds neoliberalism behind calls for assimilation and the rewriting of history to elevate racist abuses to “remarkable works” and “good deeds.” Dr. Willmott identifies the…
Sociopathic political leaders
Moderating risks of viral illnesses depends on greater understanding of submicroscopic infectious agents. Political Leaders guided by business loyalties, myths and unfounded expectations will not support scientific resources needed for…
Porky pies
Porky Pies: Cockney slang for Lies. New York Times is willing to broadcast this about the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I doubt they’ve done likewise for American Presidents,…
Climate poison could be an asset
Methane, which the BC government has supported with billions of dollars in subsidies and tax relief, is a risk to public health. Methane emissions escaping from northeast BC gas fields…
Malevolence, lies, and broken promises
As repugnant as protesting blockaders are, there is a connection between that behaviour and the lies and broken promises political operatives think unimportant.
Economic interests rank higher than human life
In this piece, I argue that political disdain for science endangers our lives. Evidence allows the inference that BC health policies known to be inadequate were followed to facilitate public…
Curiouser and curiouser
sh writer Lewis Carroll wrote those words for Alice in 1865. Carroll, born Charles Dodgson, was also a church deacon and an Oxford trained mathematician. Were he a 21st century…
EVs will not disrupt the grid
electricity. That assumption is encouraged by utilities and vested interests enriched by massive spending to build unneeded capacity. Of course, the global oil industry has its own reasons for promoting…
An untapped energy source
Humans need stable energy supplies that do not harm the Earth and an underutilized source lies beneath our feet. Geothermal is clean, limitless, predictable, and almost carbon free. But geothermal…
Architects of unrest
Events unfolding in Ottawa revive memories of January 2021 when Trump followers tried to subvert the democracy America has practiced for generations. Urged on by Republicans, hateful mobs repudiated civil…
Existential topics
English journalist George Monbiot published a Twitter thread on January 28 that resonates powerfully with me. The contents are reproduced…
As soon as the shit hits the fan…
With unprecedented sea level rise forecast as a result of climate change, the Dutch government is racing against the clock to figure out how to keep one of the world’s…