tar sands, paving paradise, carbon tax, AB election, drugs, energy

[angela bischoff]

“People will have their liberties taken, but will be distracted from any
desire to rebel, by propaganda, enhanced by pharmacology
 a dictatorship
without tears.”
Aldous Huxley, California Medical School, San Francisco, 1961.

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Don't forget -- tonight is a total lunar eclipse (Feb. 20), when the moon
travels directly through the Earth's shadow in space. This occurs only
when we have the right alignment between the Sun, Earth and Moon. It is
entirely safe to watch, unlike a solar eclipse. It will occur between
10-11 p.m. tonight eastern time.

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Canada’s Toxic Tar Sands: The Most Destructive Project on Earth

Environmental Defence report released Feb. 15, 2008

Because of their sheer scale, all Canadians are affected by the Tar Sands,
no matter where they live.

If you live downstream, your water is being polluted and your fish and
wildlife may be dangerous to eat. If you live in Saskatchewan you are a
victim of acid rain. If you live in BC, “supertankers” may soon be plying
your shoreline carrying Tar Sands oil to Asia. If you live in Ontario, you
are exposed to harmful emissions from the refining of Tar Sands Oil. And
the impacts do not stop at Canada’s border – US refineries are re-tooling
to handle the dirty oil from Alberta.

With the Tar Sands, Canada has become the world’s dirty energy superpower.

Environmental Defence’s report highlights the environmental and human
health effects of the Tar Sands. And, outlines what the federal government
should do to clean it up.

Download the full report:
http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/reports/tarsands.htm

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Paving paradise for another frigging highway...

Arrested While Protecting the Forest From Suburbia

On February 13, 2008, Royal Canadian Mounted Police from Langford, a
thriving western suburb of Victoria, British Columbia, surrounded and
arrested six protesters occupying a tree sit in a small forested area set
for logging to make way for a highway overpass. Within hours, a
feller/buncher moved in and began its destruction.

The tree sit has been continuously occupied since April 2007 to resist
what the activists say is the unnecessary destruction of an area of unique
geological and environmental importance and cultural significance to First
Nations.

Find out more at: <http://treesit.blogspot.com>http://treesit.blogspot.com

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BC introduces carbon tax
By Dirk Meissner, THE CANADIAN PRESS

VICTORIA - Finance Minister Carole Taylor introduced an escalating carbon
tax on most fossil fuels Tuesday, one she says is designed to ignite an
environmental social movement in British Columbia and across Canada to
fight climate change.

Full article here:
<http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2008/02/19/4859806-cp.html>http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2008/02/19/4859806-cp.html

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B.C.’s Revenue-neutral Carbon Tax

On July 1, 2008, subject to approval by the legislature, British Columbia
will begin to phase in a fully revenue-neutral carbon tax with built-in
protection for lower income British Columbians.
The purpose of the carbon tax is to encourage individuals and businesses
to make more environmentally responsible choices, reducing their use of
fossil fuels and related emissions. The tax has the advantage of providing
an incentive without favouring one way to reduce emissions over another.
Business and individuals can choose to avoid it by reducing usage,
increasing efficiency, changing fuels, adopting new technology or any
combination of these approaches.
A higher price for higher-carbon choices also makes greener options more
commercially viable, thereby encouraging businesses and entrepreneurs to
develop innovative solutions that offer consumers and business affordable,
lower or no-carbon emission alternatives.

Read full article here:
<http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2008/backgrounders/2008_Backgrounder_Carbon_Tax.pdf>http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2008/backgrounders/2008_Backgrounder_Carbon_Tax.pdf

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Reports of Gunman’s Use of Antidepressant Renew Debate Over Side Effects

By BENEDICT CAREY
Published: February 19, 2008
New York Times

Steven P. Kazmierczak stopped taking Prozac before he shot to death five
Northern Illinois University students and himself, his girlfriend said
Sunday in a remark likely to fuel the debate over the risks and benefits
of drug treatment for emotional problems.

Over the years, the antidepressant Prozac and its cousins, including Paxil
and Zoloft, have been linked to suicide and violence in hundreds of
patients. <snip>

Dr. Garland said some people could and did become agitated and
unpredictable in response to the drugs, usually just after starting to
take them or soon after stopping. <snip>

Sara Bostock, of Atherton, Calif., whose daughter committed suicide
shortly after taking Paxil, acknowledged that the interaction between drug
effects and underlying emotional distress was hard to untangle.

Ms. Bostock wrote in an e-mail message, “As an observer and suicide
survivor, my main wish is that medical professionals, regulatory
authorities and other scientists will examine closely the entire medical
and treatment history of the perpetrators of these violent incidents in
which innocent people are victims.”

She is a founder of http://www.ssristories.com, a Web site that has
tallied 2,000 news reports of violent acts in which people were thought to
be taking antidepressants or had recently stopped them.

Read full article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/us/19depress.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1203451978-46MSx97A4qx03stIei5hbg

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Public Interest Alberta / Alberta Votes March 2008
Your Voice Matters > http://www.democracyisadialogue.ca/site/index.cfm

We are all impacted by the decisions made by our elected officials. Will
future generations of Albertans have a healthy & sustainable environment?
Will we have quality/accessible childcare? What are we going to do to
strengthen our public healthcare system?

Will we have a strong, accessible & affordable education and
post-secondary education system for our kids? What about the crisis in our
community service agencies and in our homecare/seniors care system?

Make a difference in our future, use your voice.

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Thirst for green energy has its cost:
Alternate fuels need more water, and the U.S. is bound to look north
February 17, 2008
Peter Calamai
____________

Water guzzlers

Estimated gallons of water used to produce fuel to drive a family sedan
one mile:

Gasoline: 1
Hybrid-electric: 10
Hydrogen: 25
Ethanol: 40-130

The range for ethanol climbs with amount of irrigation needed to grow the
source material chosen for the biofuel conversion. Most intensive is corn,
the first choice for ethanol in Canada.

Source: Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy,
University of Texas at Austin
___________

BOSTON–Forget about feeling smug just because you drive an electric hybrid
car or fill the tank of the family sedan with ethanol.

Scientists say such energy-saving efforts could contribute to an even
bigger environmental problem by adding pressure on North American's
dwindling water resources.

In turn, this could lead to renewed U.S. demand for Canadian water, one
expert warned here at the annual meeting of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science.

This new dark side of going green emerged at a symposium that portrayed
energy and water as conjoined twins. <snip>

Read full article here:
http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/Environment/article/304355

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