Isn’t It Time You Gave the Geezers a Push Back?
I don’t like it, not one bit. If you read enough decent newspapers and journals over enough time you may catch an unwelcome awareness of changes underway across our world.…
The Mound of Sound
The Hunt For Red November
It’s called the “law of the instrument” and is sometimes put this way – “to a man who has only a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” With that, let’s…
In the Time of the "Official Truth" There’s No Room for Journalism
John Pilger looks at what the Western media offer up as journalism and sees instead propaganda. He sees the essence of the mainstream media as not information but power. The…
When Sea Level Rise Meets Nuclear War
You might remember it from a photo like this (there are several). It’s Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands where, from 1948 until 1958, the United States detonated scores of…
Now The Guardian Chimes In – Time to Nationalize Canada’s Fossil Fuelers
They took their sweet time. On Tuesday we proposed nationalization of fossil fuel companies as the best way to keep hydrocarbon reserves safely in the ground and clearing the way…
Caution. This May Make Your Jaw Drop.
The book opens with this mea culpa: “I am a United States Army general, and I lost the Global War on Terrorism,” Lieutenant-General Daniel Bolger begins his history of the…
"Weapons of Peace"
Because nothing conveys “peace” more than the name Kalashnikov. The Russian manufacture of the legendary/infamous AK-47 is looking to move up-market. Faced with soft domestic and international sales, the company…
2014 Hottest Year on Record
The books aren’t closed – not yet – but 2014 is shaping up to be the hottest year on record. In Canada that means since reliable records were first kept…
We’re Just Not Smart Enough to Survive Ourselves
Another warning from Stephen Hawking that artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. According to the legendary theoretical physicist, the problem isn’t just what we might manage…
The Corporation Indicted
From what I’ve seen it’s all over but for a trial and a trip to the Greybar Hotel for Jian Ghomeshi. The evidence against him is as wide as it…
What Message Are We Sending?
I spoke to my brother last night. He lives in a smallish city west of Toronto. The conversation turned to weather. Brother mentioned it was just below freezing out his…
Postcards from Pripyat
It’s been almost 30-years since the Chernobyl reactor catastrophe transformed the nearby city of Pripyat, Ukraine into a ghost town. British cinematographer, Danny Cooke, captured what remains of the city…
Hell, Even Nancy Grace Gets It. Ferguson Grand Jury Was a Sham.
Never thought I’d see the day but the Ferguson grand jury that refused to indict Darren Wilson was so ginned up even Nancy Grace won’t buy it. I feel that…
A Scientist’s Emotional Turmoil
University of Lethbridge professor, James Byrne, writes in the Edmonton Journal, that climate change fuels many emotions: As a climate change research scientist, I was recently asked to share how…
Time for a New Approach to ISIS?
When the Islamic State overran most of Sunni Iraq, the West invoked the default option – air strikes. We decided that a good course of therapy with precision-guided, thousand pound…
Is It Time to Nationalize Fossil Fuels?
There are times when governments must intercede to protect their citizens against significant threats and dangers. Fossil fuels present a significant threat and danger to life of all forms around…
A Swift Kick In the Nuts for Kinder Morgan
The worm has turned – for now. Pipeline giant, Kinder Morgan was in court today only to be sent packing. The court refused an application to extend the company’s injunction…
Want to Stop Climate Change? Here’s How.
Easy as pie. Easy, peasy. All we have to do is tweak a few laws. New law. Matters relating to climate change and including claims for consequential human suffering and…
Why Blockadia Matters
You may not be familiar with the notion of “Blockadia.” It’s an umbrella term for the loosely connected ‘web of campaigns standing up to the fossil fuel’ industry. The protesters…
Just Because It Says "Peer Reviewed" Doesn’t Make It So.
It used to be that research that had been peer reviewed represented the gold standard in credibility. Prestigious journals would accept papers, subject them to rigorous peer review, and then,…