People across China continue [zh] to announce their candidacy in local district level People’s Congress elections, but how far this new surge in civic consciousness can go remains uncertain.   The case of Liu Ping in Jiangxi province has drawn greater attention recently after Liu and fellow candidates Li Sihua and Wei Zhongping were prevented, […]

By Thomas Schueneman, Global Warming is Real The latest issue of the Monthly Energy Review published by the US Energy Information Administration, electric power generation from renewable sources has surpassed production from nuclear sources, and is now “closing in on oil,” says Ken Bossong, executive director of the Sun Day Campaign. In the first quarter […]

A new Greenpeace ranking report shows all eight of Canada’s major supermarket chains are making progress on implementing sustainability policies that will help reduce the burden on some of the most commercially popular – but unsustainably harvested – seafood species.   The third annual report on seafood sustainability, “Emerging from the deep: Ranking supermarkets on […]

Why is it that our collective social intelligence on so many critical matters falls dramatically short of our individual citizen intelligence? It is amazing that our society can function as well as it does, given that we are in a state of continuous denial about so many things we do as a society. It feels […]

There have been more sudden infant deaths in British Columbia in the first half of 2011 than for all of 2010. Sudden infant deaths occur when a previously healthy baby dies in sleep-related circumstances, and no cause of death is found on autopsy. The BC Coroners Service is urging parents to educate themselves on safe […]

Reuters Vast deposits of rare earth minerals, crucial in making high-tech electronics products, have been found on the floor of the Pacific Ocean and can be readily extracted, Japanese scientists said on Monday. “The deposits have a heavy concentration of rare earths. Just one square kilometer (0.4 square mile) of deposits will be able to […]

By Terry Macalister, guardian.co.uk Britain’s richest man is planning a giant new opencast mine 300 miles inside the Arctic Circle in a bid to extract a potential $23bn (£14bn) worth of iron ore. The “mega-mine” – which includes a 150km railway line and two new ports – is believed to be the largest mineral extraction […]

Public comments are now being sought on a new report that recommends short- and long-term actions to protect B.C.’s species at risk. Developed by an independent, 10-member task force announced in the August, 2009 speech from the throne, members were chosen for their experience or expertise in a wide range of sectors, including environmental protection, […]

The following is a letter, by school district superintendent Jean Borsa, which was sent home with Castlegar students last week: Dear Parents/Guardians:                                                                       […]

The retiring baby boom generation and a declining population are creating a war for talent as businesses compete for employees, according to a new survey. Over half of Canadian employees (57 per cent) recognize this trend to have a direct impact on their careers, Randstad’s latest Global Workmonitor survey revealed. Chinese employees feel this most […]