All Along the Pipeline
By Michael Jessen Written in 1967, Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower simmers with images of an impending day of reckoning. A mysterious and understated poem of simple rhyming couplets, it is the ideal musical accompaniment to the reality of today’s war on oil from Alberta’s tar sands. The businessmen and plowmen of Dylan’s song […]
The strangest creatures on Earth
By BBC Earth When Steve Backshall and his Deadly team began their expedition to find 60 of the world’s deadliest animals, little did they know that it wouldn’t just be the dangerous animals that would send a shiver up their spines. When the Deadly team travelled to Madagascar they discovered that it was definitely home […]
Interest rates drop at banks supports housing markets
Despite some indications of lower sales prices in the Boundary, the housing market in B.C. and across Canada remains buoyant and mortgage trends show signs of encouraging further investments. The Bank of Canada is ready to meet on Sept. 7 to set upcoming interest rates. Interest rates are a strong indicator for housing sales. […]
Scientists discover massive underground river 13,000 feet beneath the Amazon
Mongabay.com Researchers at Brazil’s National Observatory have discovered evidence of a massive underground river flowing deep beneath the Amazon River, reports the AFP. Presenting this week at the 12th International Congress of the Brazilian Geophysical Society in Rio De Janeiro, Elizabeth Tavares Pimentel reported the existence of a 6,000-kilometer-long (3,700-mile) river flowing some 4,000 meters […]
Are mermaids real? Vampires? Dragons or werewolves?
By BBC Earth 1. Vampires Tales of vampires which have been the inspiration for horror movies the world over originate from a small flying mammal that weighs less than two ounces. Of the three species of vampire bat the one that has contributed to the misunderstanding and fear of bats more than any other is […]
The great upward and northward migration is underway
By David A Gabel, ENN As global temperatures warm, organisms equipped with the gift of mobility and spreading their seed will seek climates with which they are familiar. In the Earth’s northern hemisphere, this means travelling both north and to higher elevations. This movement of species has been documented for some time and is expected […]
Life in a world without oxygen
By Andy Soos, ENN The Earth’s oldest fossils have been found in Australia by a team from the University of Western Australia and Oxford University. The microscopic fossils show convincing evidence for cells and bacteria living in an oxygen-free world over 3.4 billion years ago. The earliest identified organisms were minute and relatively featureless, and […]
Canadian regulations would require CO2 controls on coal-fired power plants
By Reuters, Calgary Canada is moving ahead with new regulations for cutting emissions from coal-fired power plants as environmental groups decried one project that they said won a speedy approval just in time to avoid the tighter rules. Environment Minister Peter Kent said the regulations, aimed at gradually phasing out coal-fired power generation as a […]
Environment takes dramatic decline as an issue of importance to Canadians: report
In just three years, the environment has lost its status as one of the top five issues facing Canadians, with only 49 per cent ranking it as very important. According to Bensimon Byrne’s latest Consumerology Report, concern has fallen significantly since 2008 (down 11 points) and ranks behind issues such as the price of gas, […]
There are only 14 different kinds of noses, study says
By Rachel Slaff of msnbc How many different shapes of human noses are there? Ten? Fifty? Hundreds? The correct answer is 14, according to Abraham Tamir, an Israeli scientist. And while the study has its limitations, it is the first-of-its-kind survey detailing the shapes of schnozes. Tamir set out to count, sort and categorize the […]