But you see Rafe, corporate culture is in denial, because corporate culture is the base of our free emterprise system. Free enterprise is profit at all costs and damn nature, trouble is, nature will soon damn us!

Our whole ecconomy is so intertwined with the stock market, including pension plans and alike, if the stock market crashes, the whole free world will crash with it!

This isn't free enterprise or free trade, or alike, it is our entire world ecconomic system tied up in the Dow Jones or its spawn. The stock market is nothing more than a massive ponsie scheme and the bubble will burst, simply because we can not sustain the ever increasing demand for profit.

We are all going to be like Ed Deak, trouble is, for many, they will have no skills to survive in the real world and the global calamity will be complete!

We have lost our ability to survive as we sold off a great portion of our manufactoring to China, so we can save a few cents at Walmart or get a McDonalds toy.

How amny out there can groe beans?; Corn?; Wheat?: Rice?; Chickens?; Cows?; how many can repair a car?; a watch?; a toilet?

These are skills needed to survive? Do you have the tools?; the knowledge?; the will?

Jobs are a smokescreen: fish farming is about control of the food supply in the same way that Exxon et al exercise control over energy through their government stooges, Archer Midland Daniels exercises control over grain production and distribution, and Vivendi et al are working to exercise control over water. Anyone want to start an air company? One has to wonder how much "legal" control can be established before the whole of humanity, and the rest of the Earth with it, come crashing down.

Well said, Rafe. The more the evidence piles up against fish farms located in the Broughton, the more the government and industry deny it. Clearly, an "arrangement" was entered into between the Provincial government and the Norweigan industry, blessed by the Federal Minister of Fisheries. And they appear to be unable to rethink that agreement. Makes you wonder about the government's ability to manage the rest of our affairs. Good Lord!! The incompetence is frightening.

in a similar vein, here's a great article from Derrick Jensen

"We are slaves who know next to nothing of freedom."

http://www.liberatefreedom.com/archive/2006/10/15/freedom-%e2%80%94-to-give-our-brightest-deepest-truth/

Once again the 'talk' is of delusion. We are deluded into thinking that things will be fine and the great technology developments willl solve everything!

Only upon our deathbeds do many of us acknowledge that the solutions reside in us; and bemoan the fact that we ignored the issues; did not do enough; consumed too much; and so on.

Unfortunately then its too late; your final actions lay all the responsibility on those still alive, and those not yet born.

Good luck Earth! You can count on us (homo sapiens) to keep deluding ourselves so that we can continue our pursuit of stuff and money!

Quote..

Jobs are a smokescreen: fish farming is about control of the food supply in the same way that Exxon et al exercise control over energy through their government stooges.

Campbell (BC's Own drug abuser - convicted of same), is instrumental in all this. He, because of his connection ($) with the rat fish industry, together are the problem. It's about time, oh wait there’s more? Of course Virk, Basi, Ms Clark, Marrison, Alantic Salmon are the smallest of our problems. He has to go, before he sells all of BC. Thank god Raif is still there. When is your new radio show happening?

Great Rafe and great Right to Bear. Is it REALLY possible that such a person as Patrick Moore actually exists?

Judas was Jesus' forever faithful best friend compared to Moore as an environmentalist.

Truman Green stated: "Great Rafe and great Right to Bear. Is it REALLY possible that such a person as Patrick Moore actually exists?"

Of course!

Remember there is not a lot of room for a career in the environmental movement, and much infighting of who does what and what does one do to get paid.

How often does an environmental group have the same director for 20-30 years?

Of course there is also high turnover in environmnetal groups (Directors or canvassers) because the work often seem pointless. Too many people deluded into thinking that all is well; technology is our saviour; and God blessed us (just ask W Bush or Stephen Harper!).

Shat, I could market myself as an "Enviro Insider" to help coprorations and industry manouever around the 'tree huggers' based on my experience!

Maybe I could become wealthy doing it! I wonder if Patrick Moore has any grand kids? What would Moore say if asked will poar bears be extinct soon (perhaps by 2050 according to the Federal Government;s time table!)

Its the consumption stupid! (maybe we nedd a 'Glutton Tax')and whatever threatens endless and increasing consumption is a threat to industry, corporations and governments (tax revenues).

Shat again!

Aplogies!

My typing is awful this morning!!!!

Should be:

corporations
polar bears

and so on........

The sad fact is, things will get worse, a lot worse before things get better. War and pestilence will reign supreme for the next century as rising sea levels, reduced rainfall and increase heat will cuase global chaos.

Canada will survive, but will it be Canada or the Untited Sates of Canada? If the ecconomy fails, decreased industry will be helpful, but massive unemployment will be a nightmare. Democracy as we know it (very little here anyways) will all but disapear when emgergancy powers will enable one party rule for a long time. Throw in a nuclear wae (just a small one - no more than ten bombs) will further exacerbate the situation.

Then the methane escapes out of the tundra!

Thanks again Rafe, for helping to keep this in the public eye. Sometimes we need to keep fighting just because it is the right thing to do, and giving up would be wrong. It’s not over yet.

PLEASE HELP! We need EMERGENCY DEFORESTATION imediately. We are being overwhelmed by giant trees that are blocking our views and spotted owls are overrunning our shopping malls as we speak. There's even rumors about wild salmon spawning in our rivers. If anyone anywhere has any earth moving equipment or tree cutting tools bring them to British Columbia as soon as posible! We can't hold out much longer.

Truman said:

Hey Truman...! Amen to that bro...

freebear said:

Of course!

Remember there is not a lot of room for a career in the environmental movement, and much infighting of who does what and what does one do to get paid.

Yeah freebear perhaps, but imo, never have I seen such a "Judas" as Moore. He was a cofounder of Greenpeace for gawd sakes.

Peace dudes,

-Bear

RTB said: "Yeah freebear perhaps, but imo, never have I seen such a "Judas" as Moore. He was a cofounder of Greenpeace for gawd sakes."

So.... maybe he left because Greenpeace became too corporate (Greenpeace International); or the office politics were diagreeable?

HOw many original environmentalists (in ENGOs) are there? Many I am sure are not growing organic vegetables; minding free range chickens; walking only, etc.

Do not get me wrong, I disagree with Moore; but hey we all have to earn a living!

My point is, the amount we have to change will likely never happen until the crisis is obvious; and eevn if we do change our ways, it will be too late!

I wonder what Patrick Moore (and everyone else of course) will say when he is on his deathbed? Sorry grandkids, dollars were more important than polar bears, wild salmon, and so on!

I don't think anything is going to couple and spawn his offspring for him,at least ,anything with a conscience.

Hopefully his kind will land up being washed down the drain with the waste water.

Freebear said:

Hi Freebear,

About Moore, maybe it was politics, maybe it was economics, but my point was it wasn't loyalty and love for the Earth Mother he lives on, which made him change his course of action, that is for sure. Moore went from saving the earth and her creatures to destroying the earth and her creatures. He went from logging, to fish-farming, and now he is involved by being the bought-out mouthpiece in the promotion of nuclear energy. In this his actions are reprehensible...

Yes, Patrick Moore has a lot to explain to his grandchildren. But really too, when you think about it, we all do if we don't wake up and start to disallow the destruction of the earth to continue...right??

Peace Freebear,

-Bear

Eight grandchildren says it all.

Tony Blowair was on about global warming today and neer a word about population control.

Nature will adjust our population soon enough anyway.

Forget Gardchildren: Most people who are happily feeding at the trough also have no children. They looked at the situation many years ago and decided it was "Not fair to bring a child into this world."

What on earth is any organism here for if not to attempt to reproduce?

No! You are not placed on the planet to:
"Enjoy it while it lasts!"

You (with all your fancy technology and education) are charged with the care of a delicate jewel.

Mid term results are not good.

Umslopogaas; The willingless for liberals to off their own offspring speaks volumes about their sanity.
[ that's an original I think ].

Ron, what are you talkig about? Drinking again?

OUR INDEBTEDNESS IS OUR BIGGEST ASSET IN THE STRUGGLE TO SAVE PLANET EARTH'S SPECIES!!

We collectively have the power to bring this frankenstein monster to its knees, every head of the Hydra monster at once, simply by refusing en masse to repay our loans, as soon as we have critical mass. We have to spread the idea, developing events will create the critical mass very soon. We need the idea of this simple, effective way of saying NO, STOP IT! to all this suicidal madness, in order to avoid despair and desperation as the situation unfolds. We need to remind each other that we have the power, as soon as enough of us are ready to ACT in unison.

An absolutely grassroots movement. Party politics is part of the problem. If you have ever studied it from the inside, it is designed to weed out creative thinkers, principled individuals and other unruly types early on. Unless you are willing to take orders from your superiors, you are unlikely to last long in any political party, so that is what we get for representatives, yes-people to the "powerful". But we have the real power as soon as we are ready to use it. We can't wait till 2009 to get rid of Campbell/Harper/Bush. Even then our political system will just change the name of the yes-men.

Here are some comments from my partner Jen:

We need to brush up on contract law. A contact is a mutual binding agreement between two or more individuals or between two or more corporate entities or between an individual(s) and a corporate entitiy. Therefore if we have borrowed money form a bank, trust, fund or credit union and if these folks are not able to guarantee our water security and continue to finance our planet's destruction and the impoverishment of humanity then we should declare financial war on them and refuse to repay our loans EN MASSE. We probably will never need to actually do it just making sure everyone knows they have that option will scare the hell out of the bankers and they willl have to get over their addicton to power abuse and negotiate with us.

OUR INDEBTEDNESS IS OUR BIGGEST ASSET IN THE STRUGGLE TO SAVE PLANET EARTH'S SPECIES!!

Gordon Campbell and cronies and the NDP and their cronies, have torn up all our social contracts, let's show them where it gets them trying to push the people around.
Party politics is not capable of setting the people free and saving our life-source, our water.

Will you help us distribute flyers at every social justice event from now on that speaks of this strategy?

So ENRON's Skilling gets 24 years in prison but what about the largest union in North America, in California, that was gutted by the corruption? How will those folks retire?

...hummmm interesting.

-Bear

Crisis precipitates change, but we have to learn to see the 100 year crisis we are in, instead of just the short-term shocks we typically think of as crisis.

Let's all keep chipping away at the problems and learn the skills and respect we will need to rise up from the ashes.

M

Gordon Price said it best at the Wosk Center for Dialogue yesterday (on sustainable transportation for GVRD - moderated by none other than our very own Rafe): "We all know what is happening and what needs to be done but most won't act until the full blown crisis is staring us in the face"

On an interesting development reported by Dennis Bueckert, Canadian Press
>
> Published: Sunday, October 29, 2006
>
> OTTAWA -- It's only a matter of time before Canadian corporations are sued
> over their greenhouse emissions, say experts in the investment field.
>
> Just as tobacco companies have been sued for the health effects of
> smoking, the argument runs, polluters could be held responsible for
> contributing to global warming.
>
> Already the state of California has sued six of the biggest auto makers,
> charging that greenhouse gases from their vehicles have caused billions of
> dollars in damages.
>
> Canada hasn't seen a similar case yet but it's coming, predicts Julie
> Desjardins, an adviser to the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.
>
> "It's only going to take the first lawsuit to get things going,"
> Desjardins said in an interview. "I think that advocate groups, interest
> groups, people interested in the environment, will look for a good first
> case."
>
> A lawsuit wouldn't necessarily be based on direct impacts of emissions.
> Shareholders could sue a firm for not disclosing the volume of its
> emissions or its vulnerability to the effects of climate change, she said.
>
> "Investors in that company are going to be able to claim, `You did not do
> your due diligence; you did not communicate to me as an investor the risk
> that I was taking in buying your shares.' "
>
> Even if lawsuits are rejected, they could still have an impact on the
> company's reputation and drive down the value of its shares, said
> Desjardins.
>
> Eventually some companies will wind up paying costly settlements, said
> Martin Whittaker, director of MissionPoint Capital Partners, a private
> investment company involved in the global carbon market.
>
> "There is a feeling of inevitability about that," he said. "In some way,
> shape or form, that is going to happen."
>
> Linking emissions from a certain plant to a specific climate event is
> impossible, but researchers have suggested methods for quantifying damages
> and allocating responsibility among polluters.
>
> Tobacco companies have been successfully sued even though the precise
> mechanisms by which smoking causes cancer aren't fully understood.
>
> Wherever a damage can be linked to a cause, litigation will follow, said
> Hugh Wilkins, a lawyer with Sierra Legal Defence.
>
> The climate issue poses special challenges because most of the damages
> will occur in the future, he noted. But some impacts are already being
> seen.
>
> "It's a developing area of the law, and I think eventually there will be
> opportunities to sue over climate change."
>
> C Canadian Press 2006

Money talks?

Hi RTB:

You said: "About Moore, maybe it was politics, maybe it was economics, but my point was it wasn't loyalty and love for the Earth Mother he lives on, which made him change his course of action, that is for sure."

I appreciate what you were saying, I was just also taking a dig at ENGOs in general; often their staff no better than the general population when it comes to consumption and greed (human nature I believe is also to respect mother earth).

Of the ENGOS I have worked for and volunteered with, politics are part of the problem. Sometimes ENGOs (again my experience) seem to weed out creative thinkers, principled individuals and other unruly types early on. Unless you are willing to take orders from your superiors, you are unlikely to last long in any ENGO. As noted above it is also a problem in party politics.

Then again those of us who do care, but see little real action, despair. I remember being told at an ENGO workshop that suicide is one of the leading causes of death amongst enviros.

I know I would feel better if there was real action being taken that we all can (and in some cases must) take part in.

Hi again freebear,

I understand you to be a principled, committed individual to the dire issues of the earth, and just as all of us, has suffered disillusionment in the past. But freebear, you, from what I read, appear to be still working towards a greater understanding and better solutions to problems affecting the earth today. In this I commend you. Nevertheless, despite your experiences, is not the greater enemy, those who injure the earth with their eyes wide open?? I am sure the flawed humanness of ENGO’s shows up indeed, but in general they are on the same page as people who care about the earth, so why worry about them my friend?? Or do you??

You said:

Just a thought, but if the ENGO efforts are not in line with ones eco-philosophy, then perhaps the onus should be that individual to start an organization which IS true to their philosophy… Just a thought, as I believe in the full expression of the individual in their unique fashion… We should never allow ourselves to be oppressed, as there is work for everyone who love the earth, and much work to be done too brother…

Peace,

-Bear

Hi RTB:

Start another ENGO; yes I have thought about it, but I do not think so.

Instead, as a Planner, I am trying to develop plans that are really forward looking, challenging currently held assumptions, and bringing forward 'true' (full cost accounting; life cycle accounting; ecological footprint; and so on) sustainability. Whether anyone cares is another matter.

P.S. Being single still, I suppose one of my disappointments with ENGOs was not finding a similar minded female partner! What are the chances of meeting a woman in a community who cares about the environment and a sustainable (re: ecological) future ?

Yes, I am pining for an ecological warriorette!

...freebear said:

Awesome efforts my friend...!! About anyone caring or not, I believe it is care now or care later, but fb, eventually, with the obvious flying in their face, everyone will care, as the issues at hand, are that dire. Stay the course...

"ecological warriorette"...I love it...!! Bets are that it'll happen for you freebear. :-)

Peace and love my friend,

-Bear

Last month a contingent of small town mayors from BC were given a trip to Norway. Who paid? When our mayor left Tahsis he wasn't a supporter of fish farms. When he came back he said he had been impressed by the advances in technology and the possibility of employment and development for our region.

I'm sure there have been advances in technology. Norway got very tough with them, chased them out of the fjords, said they weren't allowed within five miles of the shoreline.
Ireland is getting just as tough and Scotland is on the verge of draconian because their sports industry has been ruined by disease carried into the rivers and streams by escaped farm fish.

What use the advances in technology if they are not forced to USE them?

Budget slashes to federal fisheries and the lackadaisical attitude of the provincials means we have ONE GUY to enforce all fisheries regulations on the west coast of Vancouver Island. What can one guy do? And if he did enforce rules and regulations and if the court did levy fines the liEbrals would just reimburse the industry, they've done it before.

Slice is devastating to a broad spectrum of sea lice. The improved technology they aren't bothering to use would allow electro-static charges which would maybe make the fish feel itchy (but no itchier than they are with lice hanging off them like bunches of grapes) and would kill the lice. But, of course, there is no law to force them to use the advanced technology.

There are strict laws about the disposal of dead fish. And so when there was a huge fish killoff in our inlet those laws were so well followed that boaters saw thousands of dead fish floating in Esperanza inlet, with seals, eagles, ravens, gulls, you name it feasting on what might well have been diseased atlantic salmon.

I have grandchildren. Big House teaches me that until they can speak for themselves it is my duty to speak for them.

They should spray Slice on the cabinet in Victoria.

Hi Anne Cameron,

Excellent informative post once again from you anne c. :-)It seem simply that there is no fool-proof safe way to have open-net fish farms, and the only safe possibility would be by inland, closed containment farming of these fish, and organically raised. Charge the public for this increase in overhead if need be, fair enough. These fish farms need to be kept away from streams and oceans period.

Absolutely, and speak up for them and their children we must...

Malachite Green would work too... :-)

Peace anne c,

-Bear

ps,
anne, where would I get info on fish farms feeding rendered cattle parts, including the spinal cords, to the fish??

What does it take to end chicken little's denial?

I'm sorry but Rafe's Rants don't hold (salt) water:

http://www-sci.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/sealice/statement_e.htm

Pink salmon numbers will continue to fluctuate as they have for centuries long after this debate becomes a distant memory, salmon farms or no salmon farms.

Farming

My first paid work was spraying herbicide on weeds in a neighbouring "farmer"s feilds. I was maybe 12 years old. I (of course) read all the "precautions" suited up in "Bio Containment" level 4 and carefully proceeded out on the feilds at 12 to earn 50 cents CDN per hour.

Though I could probably read quite well at that time there were no "precautions": maybe the "Instructions" actually recommended hiring your neighbour's kid to squirt the stuff about. Luckily for me the stuff they called Herbicide in the late '50s did not hold a candle to Agent Orange (Roundup) so I am not here to start a class action suit against my long dead and well liked (by me) neighbour so long ago

My point is: Those messing about with the rearing of fish in net pens know about as much about what they are doing with chemicals and environment as I did then: not a thing.

Take the nets out of the water

PS: I have worked with Biological engineers on land based fish farms and I was impressed with their knowledge and thouroughness. If you read the post again you will notice that I am easily impressed so:
take the nets out of the water
and then watch the land based farms very closely.

Yeah, Slice would certainly help Victoria find it's feet

"What are the chances of meeting a woman in a community who cares about the environment and a sustainable (re: ecological) future ?

Yes, I am pining for an ecological warriorette!"

Off-topic advice:

Do what us bike-boys do and find yourself a bike-girl! They're (for the most part) smart, informed, involved, and strong.

Bear: I'm not sure how you'd get information on what goes into fish pellets...the wall of silence has been slammed into place...Rafe says seven pounds of other fish to produce one pound of salmon but the figure I was told was 21 pounds of "biomass"...which would leave plenty of room for slaughterhouse parts, (eyeballs, eyelids, lips, arseholes...yum yum)..and don't forget the ground up chicken feathers so the pellets don't plummet down and through the bottom netting before the fish get the chance to eat them...

My particular soapbox is around the harvesting of krill, a microscopic shrimp-like critter which is the base of the food pyramid. 850 metric tonnes of it is hauled out of the Strait of Georgia yearly, to be added to the processed pellets in order to turn the yucky gray flesh of the captive fish pink.

I knew a woman who worked at a fish farm and she was required to wear a gyproc'ers mask over her nose and mouth when feeding the fish because of the high amount of estrogen in the feed...

There probably is better technology than is used here, but the fish feed lots have to be forced to use it or they'll just keep on keeping on with the cheapest methods possible.

From where I stand (screeching and railing) it really does look as if they are doing to the fish what they did to the buffalo...wipe'em out, make people increasingly dependent on agri-business and you control the population without needing to invest in all those pricey bullets, bombs, and nerve gas grenades.

The trip to Norway and the excellent propaganda which resulted from it shows the industry is getting craftier. No smarter , mind you, just craftier.

Fish could be raised in tanks, with proper final sewage treatment, but it would cost more. The technology is there, the industrial and political will is not.

It's a case of mind over matter...they don't mind and they think you and I and our grandchildren don't matter.

If they can raise these things miles offshore in the North Sea where the weather is far worse than it is here, they can raise them far enough away from the smolt runs that the wild fish will have half a chance.

Shorten the fishing season to allow more fish to spawn...cut the catch quota on commercial and sports fishing...fund the hatcheries again..and for heaven't sake put more inspectors on the job, one guy can't do everything!

They're also doing an effective job of propogandizing the native band councils.

Craft. Very crafty.

Ok, so in Rafe's column we are told that farmed salmon are turned from their natural grey state ( is this how you would describe Fraser River white springs, which don't transfer the pigment to their flesh.....is this the same shade of 'grey' you are describing?)with the aid of 'dyes'.
Or does the farmed salmon become pink as Anne Cameron's extensive research apparently shows, due to the 850 metric tonnes of krill?
How about rockfish, or sablefish, would you describe their flesh as the same grey shade?
Estrogen? For what purpose? Bunk...sheer bunk.

ELOQUENCE, n. The art of orally persuading fools that white is the color that it appears to be. It includes the gift of making any color appear white.

Ambrose Bierce

I'm sure Terry ( The Age of Persuasion )O'Reilly would agree

Dang! Ambrose is one of my favourites.
C'OTTER you should also check your sources. Have you read "Incedent at Owl Creek"?
'Nough said on that topic.
It is fairly obvious that these things are not simply one way or the other. posters seem to be arguing on the one side that close inshore fish farming is a disaster. On the other side I do not find anything except C otter

We heard Al Gore, and aren't slitting our wrists at Marpole Community Centre..

Future Sustainable Energy workshop at Marpole Oakridge Community Centre

http://advanced-sailcars.blogspot.com/

Silbury School & Resource Centre (silbury.ca) organized a series of hands on educational workshops held at Marpole-Oarkridge Community Centre on Sustainable Energy. Elementary level school kids and home learners assembled advanced, radio-controlled sailcars were one of the future sustainable vehicles. Only revived (non-recharbeable) alkaline batteries were used by these students. These better-than-recycled batteries. worked just like magic. Thanks also to Ian Su, and the helpful staff at Marpole-Oakridge Community Centre for this edu-fun activity. The Solar Power Roadshow brought the sailcar workshop materials on an gasoline-free electric bike. despite the 8*C weather.

A wind-generator was used to show how sail battens, sail luffing, and tacking against the wind is done. The students took home printed material on sail cars, and sailing in general, for further reading.

Get young future leaders actively engaged in the battle
against Climate Change and Peak Oil.

Let your kids build renewable energy devices
with Silbury Connector courses at
Capilano College Continuing Education's
hands-on Future Tech workshops, suitable for ages 8-14.

These workshops will run every Tuesday
from January 30, 2007 to March 20, 2007
hours: 4:00pm-5:30 pm.

Presented by Rob Matthies thru the Silbury Connector

Course # YTHS21311

To register, call 604-984-4901
Cost : $155

See photos of previous workshops, held at Vancouver Museum ..

http://sustainablevancouver.blogspot.com

Hi anne Cameron,

Thanks for your reply sister, and as I said earlier, I enjoy your spirit and your take on these dire issues.

Yeah, not much chance of getting the info from the general public information available eh?? I will try another angle and see if it works.

Anyways, the harvesting of krill would be extremely threatening to the ecology of the oceans, somethinig I need to look into more.

There are many thoughts about the “advantages” of wiping out the fish. Certainly minimal to protect after fish are all gone right?? Pipelines, tanker, sewage, dams and so on are “much more important” right?? No life, nothing to protect, and may exploitation begin...Pathetic.

Yeah, true, and man, do they ever work on these communities. On the central coast there is a fish farm dude that lives right in the community. He just moved there recently. My thoughts are that even though it is beautiful place to live, that is NOT why he is there… Let see, how do you spell smooooozin’ with the locals….humm? He wants fish farms in this community and that is what he is there to implement.
Actually, you put it well anne, “crafty”...

Amyways, because these neo-con humans can’t be trusted to implement the higher standards for fish farming that is available, for now, I vote for NO FISH FARMS at all, as too much is at stake…
Peace sister,

-Bear

From tomorrow's Guardian:

Hey G,

Thanks for the excellent article my friend. It is a pitious situation for the sea-creatures of our earth. With the neocons "running the show", money talks and things are not looking to improve quickly...Pathetic.

We have to stay the course on this one for sure...

Peace G,

-Bear

Of course, the neo-cons and ecosystem rapists will just leave on the next shuttle to the next planet they can exploit!

Dream on we are stuck on this planet until she sheds us like dead fleas!

freebear said:

...True freebear, and they won't have learned a thing after all this. Pathetic.

Peace brother Bear,

-Bear

BBC just mentioned that a significant number showed up to sympathize with the environment.
Local weather is a bit ugly today on this island but I guess we are going to need to get out there and get some news coverage. Harper still gets breifings, I hope, and it does seem to make a difference if a couple of grannies, a teenager and a rock star all show up in the same town and are interviewed on international media. This may not turn out to be the most effective approach to global warming or destruction of the ocean ecosystem, but it keeps that tiny candle burning on a cold wet blustery day.

Though I really love to read my own postings on thetyee (and occassional responses) on reading the above I should quit for now - I've "Stop(ped) Making Sense"
PS: it doesn't matter how many times I try to spell "Occassionally" it always looks wrong - not requesting a thetyee "spellcheck" yet though

Rock on doggone...!!

My heart is with you. Dress warm, and give them the chilling message of what's really happening to the delicate eco-systems in our oceans. It will be death to our oceans if the exploiters are allowed to continue... Unacceptable...

Give 'em the voice of the people my friend...

Peace,

-Bear

Our mayor went to Norway, too. You can bet the booze and the food was extraordinary! Is our mayor gullible? He's still one of the Marketplace Faithful. Nice guy, but even the events of the last 5 years of corporate corruption has not diminished his faith in corporate rule rather than cooperative worker-community owned ventures. If the mill fails, he's ready to sell out to the fish farmers, and so are the rest of the villagers. One disaster after another. They never learn.