1. FIRST THE BEES, THEN THE BIRDS Our feathered friends are under threat from neonicotinoid pesticides. David Suzuki also wrote about this dangerous category of pesticides in our current issue.
2. BOMBS AND BOMBS AND BOMBS AND BOMBS AND MORE BOMBS The Gaza death toll is up to 173. It’s pretty clear that Israel is currently run by swaggering assholes hell-bent on genocide, but given their overwhelming military advantage, it seems to me that the only the tactic that will get Palestinians a prosperous future is non-violent resistance as opposed to rockets that Israel easily swats aside. Who knows if non-violence is possible. I can see how it’s hard to embrace non-violence after someone bombed your children.
3. CANADA TAKES A THOUGHTFUL, NEUTRAL STANCE ON ISRAELI BOMB CAMPAIGN Ha ha ha, kidding. ‘Israel has a right to defend itself and this is all Hamas’ fault,’ suggests a paraphrased bombing-civilians-apologist John Baird. “Canada calls on its allies and partners to recognize that these terrorist acts are unacceptable and that solidarity with Israel is the best way of stopping the conflict,” says (not paraphrased) Prime Minister Stephen Harper. These two should tell this to the parents of the Gaza teens who got sniped this past May.
4. “A WALL OF FLAME A COUPLE OF STOREYS HIGH” As the drought-battered Northwest Territories burn, professors and climatologists state the obvious: we’ll see more of this as climate change worsens. It’s a real shame that governments let things get this bad — we should’ve been making massive public investments in alternative energy 20 years ago. There’s no excuse. Scientists warned us. The only question is, how bad will we let this get? We’re not powerless. We can still work to cut emissions.
5. MEANWHILE, HERE’S MORE ON SASKATCHEWAN’S FLOOD CLEAN-UP In 40 years, Denise Belisle has never seen anything like the floods that devastated her Redvers-area farm.
6. MEANWHILE, U.S. CONGRESS ATTEMPTS TO LEGISLATES AMERICAN HEADS INTO SAND A pedo- ‘stached Virginia Republican is trying to stop the U.S. Department Of Energy and Army Corps of Engineers from using public money to “design, implement, administer or carry out specified assessments regarding climate change.” Basically: the facts don’t support his beliefs so he wants to stop scientists from doing their job. What a cowardly, un-American, science-bashing asshole.
7. CORNWALL TEEN STABBER PLEADS GUILTY Sentencing is Aug. 6.
8. CHURCH OF ENGLAND VOTES TO ALLOW WOMEN BISHOPS Better late than never. Story here.
9. A WORLD WITHOUT RAMONES R.I.P., Tommy, the last remaining original Ramone. http://youtu.be/BbDekaqw3lQ
