July 24, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
There
is a Market today: But we haven't forgotten at all, of course! Let's make sure our MLAs know that, and have some fun while we're at it :-) Here's the idea: This summer, let's send Island MLAs summery postcards - traditional and digital - to let them know in a light-hearted way that democracy is important to us - even with all the distractions of the summer!More at:http://www.pronpei.vote/ There are many ideas on the website, some of which will be shared here in the coming days. ------------------------------ Franny Armstrong is a documentary filmmaker of The Age of Stupid, McLibel and Drowned Out, founder of 10:10. A few years ago she wrote the essay used on July 24th in the anthology Global Chorus.
History will remember us lot for one thing only. No, not Pippa
Middleton’s bum, plump though it is. We will be known as the generation which
did or did not keep this planet habitable for human life. July 23, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Sunday,
July 23rd: PEI needs to review top-ranked education systems in the world and adopt educational best practices. Finland is widely recognized as a world leader in education. This forum will be a video conference Q&A session with teacher and parent participants from Finland. PEI educators, parents, and the general public are invited to attend – including decision makers from the Department of Education. The event will be streamed live on Facebook and recorded for publishing to YouTube. Tuesday,
July 25th: Genetically-modified salmon plant environmental assessment 'woefully inadequate,' says coalition - CBC News online article by Kevin Yarr'A classic example of project splitting'CBC News on-line, Friday,
July 21st 2017 AquaBounty received permission in mid-June to build an enclosed facility in Rollo Bay West that will produce 250 tonnes of genetically-modified salmon a year for food. The company received initial approval for the plant in 2016. What was approved at the time was an egg production facility, with the eggs being shipped out of the country to be grown to market size. AquaBounty amended its proposal after receiving approval. In June, the minister of communities, land and environment ordered amendments to the company's plan in order to address concerns raised during public consultations. Now, the company must inform government "in the event of escape or release of fish, at any stage of their life cycle" according to a letter from the Minister, addressed to AquaBounty. The province also ordered AquaBounty to provide monthly water-quality test results for a minimum of two years. "The environmental impact assessment for this project was woefully inadequate," said coalition member Gary Schneider, who also sits on the multi-interest advisory committee reviewing federal environmental assessment processes. "This is a classic example of project splitting, where the company was able to get approval for a smaller piece of the project (raising eggs) and then returned a short time later with what would seem to be their actual plan, thereby avoiding an independent evaluation of a very different project." The group also said the public consultation process was inadequate and poorly advertised. --------- The chair of the Coalition for the Protection of PEI Water is Catherine O'Brien, who both directs and stars as Marilla Cuthbert in the production of Anne and Gilbert at The Guild, which runs until mid-October. I bought tickets for a show last week and was again overwhelmed by the talent that this Island has in its theatres. The story and songs (by a team which included the witty, and devastatingly serious, Nancy White) are catchy, touching, and very funny at times, and the cast is made up of beautiful people who can dance like firecrackers, act and sing. The duets between O'Brien and Marlene Handrahan as Rachel Lynde are are particularly gorgeous and richly-textured, and those two possess great comedic timing. It's really a lovely production.Website, with photos mostly from a previous year's cast, and related info. -------------------- Ehren Cruz is a performing arts curator, director of the Asheville, North Carolina LEAF Community Arts, will be involved producing the Mundial Montreal music festival in November of this year, and is the founder of the visionary artist community SolPurpose. Humanity stands on the threshold of the most critical challenge we have collectively faced in the history of our story. Our world teeters on the brink of irreconcilable environmental and social crisis. Yet as the urgency rises, vital pathways of wisdom, hope and harmonious reconciliation also stand before us. I believe our greatest chance to not only survive, but thrive, is through supporting and enhancing pathways of creative expression from a core level within our schools, homes, communities and political systems. Championing the arts allows and nurtures our deep and powerful connection to the innate creator spirit within us; it also fosters an inherent honouring and emotional bond between ourselves and the world in which we interact. The idea that we are in any way separate from the Earth and its plants, animals and people is perhaps the greatest cancer to infiltrate the human mythos. We are and always have been vibrationally, consciously and anatomically unified with the life-force of all things on this planet. Yet this understanding must penetrate beyond our logic and reason. What we are seeking is the re-initiation of our species into an emotional and spiritual coherency with our interdependent relationship with Earth and humanity. We are seeking the revitalization of our tribal roots, embracing both our primal origins and our advances in science and technology not as dueling forces, but as synergistic allies. In short, we have hope! In fact, I believe that humanity is finally breaking through a profoundly challenging adolescence. As we slowly dispel the seemingly countless layers of fear, inadequacy, guilt, shame and disempowerment we have accepted from others or placed upon ourselves over centuries of injustice, we are at long last emerging as environmentally conscious, socially empowered and spiritually liberated co-creators – making the necessary changes to elevate humanity into a new era of powerfully peaceful, actively creative and unified world citizens. — Ehren Cruz July 22, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Farmers'
markets are open today in: Fresh
and local products found at farmers market - The West Prince Graphic article by Melissa Heald
The West Prince Graphic, Wednesday, July 19th, 2017 <snip> Now in its ninth year, Tammy Dean, who owns and operates the Bloomfield Orchard with her husband Rohan, said the market began because there was a demand in the area for local products. “We were approached by local farmers in the area who were basically wanting to sell their products at a market and they were looking around the area for space.” That led to the orchard allowing the market to operate out of its already existing apple stand just off Route 2 near Bloomfield Corner. “Our apples are later in the season, usually the end of August until November, so we did have the availability and people were use to dropping in here for local products anyway,” explained Ms Dean. Along with the orchard itself, both Clohossey Farms and Webb’s Vegetables have been vendors at the market since the beginning, while other vendors vary from year to year. “We were selling out by 10 O’clock when we first opened,” said Ms Dean, “It really was a great demand and a great showing of local people as well as tourist in the area.” And since that first year, visitors to the market has been steady. Trevor Webb of Webb’s Vegetables said the farmers market is just another outlet for his business to sell their produce. “It gives us a little bit of exposure,” he said, saying his favourite part about the market is speaking with customers. Saturday, Mr Webb had available potatoes, beets, lettuce, basil plants and beans. In the future, he will have carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers for sale. Danny Lynch from Fortune Cove was selling a variety of preserves and baked goods for his wife’s business Leila’s Angels and Crafts. The farmers market also supports the Young Millionaire Program by offering space for the young entrepreneurs to sell their products. The decision when to open the market each year is determined by when the fresh produce is available to sell, said Ms Dean. “A lot of people come for the fresh veggies.” The decision to close the market for the season is made when the traffic to the site begins to dip. “When people are closing up their cottages and kids are back in school, we really find the numbers drop,” said Ms Dean, adding on average the market closes right after Labour Day. Ms Dean agreed that people seem to really enjoy
shopping at farmers markets. “I think they just like buying local and
supporting people in their community. And everything is so fresh.” --------------------------------------- Here is the tribute to Boyde
Beck from Wednesday's Mainstreet on CBC Radio (16 minutes long), for when you
have a chance, this weekend. 1. cut back or
eliminate animal protein consumption; Let there be a global chorus of multi-disciplinary, sustainable approaches to the gravest challenges this Earth has ever encountered. Count me in! Let my garden grow! — Arran Stephens
July 21, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Cardigan
Farmers' Market
is open today from 10AM-2PM. The crowning of Island political leaders - The Eastern Graphic article by Allan RankinPublished on Wednesday,
July 19th, 2017, in The Graphic newspapers Political coronations, where a chosen one ascends to leadership, without the divisiveness or financial costs of a contested convention, can be good or bad for a party, depending on the circumstances. I have some personal experience with such coronations. In 1993, I was part of a small group that convinced Catherine Callbeck to seek the leadership of the Liberal Party of Prince Edward Island, and I watched her breeze through an uncontested convention that saw her crowned party leader. At the time, the Liberals were sailing along in the polls. Unlike some political leaders who never know when to quit, the late premier Joe Ghiz retired from provincial politics still popular and highly respected by Islanders. A successful businesswoman and former minister in the liberal government of Premier Alex B Campbell in the 1970s, Callbeck had a unique cachet, and a proven track record politically. Following an election in which the Liberals captured all but one seat, she became the first woman elected premier in Canada. It was an historic accomplishment, and throughout her relatively short time as premier, Callbeck exhibited integrity and resolve. Her bold attack on the provincial deficit, however, put her out of favour with public sector employees, and the Liberals would pay a heavy political price in the ensuing provincial election. Nevertheless, the coronation of Catherine Callbeck as leader of the Liberal Party was a sound strategic decision at the time, and it assured the party of a third consecutive term in government. As the wheels began to come off the Liberal political bus in 1995, the Conservatives faced the challenge of finding a new leader. But rather than crown a chosen one, the Tories found synergy, and a legitimate leadership contest took shape. I remember watching that Tory leadership race from the other side of the political fence. Liberals unblinded by their own partisanship knew the Conservatives were coming, and they could hear the hoofbeats. The incumbent Conservative leader, Pat Mella, had performed extraordinarily as a single-person Official Opposition, however, the leadership candidates would be Charlottetown businessman Wes MacAleer, former MP Pat Binns, and O’Leary veterinarian Dr Gary Morgan. It proved an even-tempered, well managed contest, with the bean farmer from Hopefield coming out on top and going on to win the government in 1996, and serve three consecutive terms as premier. I believe a coronation could have served the Conservative Party well in 1981, at the tail end of Angus MacLean’s premiership. As Islanders will recall, real estate developer Jim Lee succeeded MacLean as party leader, after defeating cabinet colleagues Fred Driscoll, Pat Binns, and Barry Clark, at a contested convention. Lee of course became premier, possibly one of the most under appreciated in recent Island political history. But sometimes you wish history could be reshuffled like a deck of playing cards. If the provincial Conservatives had successfully recruited rising political star at the federal level, David MacDonald, and crowned him leader, the party might have run the table for the next several elections. Imagine the debates between the dynamic and socially progressive clergyman, MacDonald, and the young Harvard trained lawyer Joe Ghiz, about to take the political stage for the Liberals. But then again, had MacDonald made the jump from Ottawa back to the Island, Ghiz may have stayed away from provincial politics altogether. Moving to the present day, I believe leadership coronations still haunt and perplex the backroom strategists of our two major political parties. Premier MacLauchlan walked into his job without a challenge from inside or outside the Liberal Caucus. The party establishment flocked to him, viewed him as a kind of saviour, capable of breathing new life into the public affairs of the province, and ready to sweep away the scandals and misdeeds of the Robert Ghiz government. The jury is still out halfway through a term marked by stutter step decision making, broken campaign promises, and a preponderance on command and control government. It could be that the crowning of King Wade was a strategic mistake for the Liberals, and given the conventional three-term limit for governing parties on Prince Edward Island, MacLauchlan could very well suffer the same fate as the Callbeck-Milligan administration when the next provincial election rolls around. The Conservatives seem to be heading for a contested leadership this time around. Their back room, as it is, would prefer to crown Stratford-Kinlock MLA James Aylward, however Rustico-Emerald MLA Brad Trivers refuses to fall in behind Aylward, and is running his own impressive “back to basics” campaign. It would also not surprise me if a dark horse candidate emerged from the political shadows in the coming weeks. It is both prudent and publicly responsible for the conservatives at this moment to have a genuine contest of competing political visions and personalities, so that party members and all Islanders can evaluate and judge. Political coronations prevent that. ----------------------------------------------------The fifth episode of the "Boiling the Frog" Al Franken/David Letterman five minute video discussing climate change is here: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6bb176c541/boiling-the-frog-ep-5-igneous?playlist=515525 ---------------------------------------------- American folksinger Margaret "Peggy" Seeger writes the July 21st Global Chorus essay: I AM A PESSIMIST. Homo sapiens is an incredibly intelligent and monumentally stupid species. Amoebas manage their lives better than we do. Our human world is run by one gender given to aggression, competition and action without a care to consequence while the other gender overbreeds. We regard war as unavoidable human behaviour. We assume that finite natural resources can support infinite economic growth and overpopulation. Having learned little or nothing from previous failed civilizations, we continue to make the same mistakes over and over. I AM AN OPTIMIST. I have to be or I couldn’t continue working. All over the world catalytic individuals, neighbourhood committees, communities, corporations and countries are tackling social and environmental problems. War will soon become environmentally and economically impossible to wage. The dire state of the planet will force us to stay home and live simply. We will educate women and control men. We’ve always pulled together in wartime. Let’s look on saving the world as a war to be won. We can do it. I AM A REALIST. The pessimist believes that the world will roller-coaster into chaos, savagery and species extinction. The optimist knows that enough of us will survive and evolve to do a better job next time around and that many of the other species that we’ve left alive will still be around to help us. But at the end of the day (and the beginning of the new one) the realist says: I don’t know. Fingers crossed. — Peggy Seeger July 20, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
This evening Market at the Farm Centre runs tonight from 4-8PM. It's a fine, cool, welcoming spot, easy parking behind the building (some choose to walk over from the grocery store nearby), with many fresh vegetable vendors, other foodstuffs, and craftspeople. There is some prepared food you can have there or take home for supper, and last week there was live music, too. ----------- It is very sad to hear of passing of Boyde Beck, who was such an wealth of knowledge and wonderfully entertaining storyteller of Island history. CBC Mainstreet devoted yesterday's last half hour to their weekly guest; for those of you like me who weren't able to hear it, I'll pass on the link when it's available. ----------------------------- The
fourth short video (five minutes) on climate change, with U.S. Senator Al
Franken and comedian David Letterman, starts with Franken pointing out his
grandson in a photo, explaining why he never wants his grandkids to think he
didn't try to do anything to help the environment (and fight climate change) --
his "Poppy Moment". The two guys review some footage from
Letterman's trip to India and discuss energy issues there, and spend the rest
of the episode jawing in a bit of a mutual admiration society. Still funny. -------------------------- And more from the States, with a minute from late night talk show host Stephen Colbert's guest Andy Serkis reading a few Donald Trump tweets in his persona of Gollum from the movie series Lord of the Rings. Just silly. from The Guardian website (the other Guardian) https://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2017/jul/13/andy-serkis-transforms-into-gollum-to-read-donald-trump-tweets-video -- if my attempt at an embedded link doesn't work, the actual link is: link here
----------------------------- Lee Bycel is a rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Napa, California, and an adjunct professor of social justice at the University of San Francisco. He writes the July 20th Global Chorus essay. This would be a good essay to mark the sixth months since the Trump presidency began. As long as there is life, there is hope. Often the world appears dark when one looks at the suffering caused by wars and natural disasters. Yet, somehow human beings survive with hope. Since the beginning of humanity, the world has advanced technologically, scientifically and medically. I often wonder, have we advanced humanly from the story of the first two brothers, when Cain kills Abel? Why is that we look around us and still find that every day we are killing each other? What will it take for our humanity to progress? Einstein understood this challenge: “We can’t solve the problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” We have used the same kind of linear and redundant thinking to try and solve the great challenges facing humanity and we have not advanced much. Courageous and creative thinking and questioning might lead to constructive and sustainable solutions. For humanity to survive, we will need to collaborate and reorient our thoughts and actions to be more about us than me; more about the future than the past, more about survival for the planet than about protecting an unsustainable lifestyle for the “haves” in the world. In the Darfuri refugee camps of Chad, in the streets of West Oakland, in the mountains in Aspen, in the skyscrapers of Manhattan, I have met many people who deeply yearn for a more just and humane world. Understanding that yearning inside oneself is the first condition for change – which is followed by the realization that other human beings share that same profound yearning. Hope is found each day when we ask, “How can I become more humane and human? What can I do to diminish the hurt and anguish in the world? What am I willing to risk so that all who live in the global village can flourish?” There is
hope when we shape a story where brothers and sisters can sit together in peace
so that finally the Cain and Abel narrative will not shape our world. Each of
us is a creator of worlds; together we are creators of a world where human
beings can live in dignity and peace and where the human spirit can flourish. July 19, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
For
the next few days, there are farmers' markets open in several locations
throughout P.E.I. Here is an article from last week's Island Farmer publication: http://www.peicanada.com/island_farmer/article_2dbcda1c-6652-11e7-acf2-cb7cd15c216a.html The big get bigger again - Island Farmer article by Ian PetriePublished on Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 I’m one of these irritating people who has never gone into a Walmart. I know it’s self righteous crap, and how lucky I am to have had work that paid well enough that I could take this stand. My strong feelings about this are not because I think consumers should be deprived of good value, it’s because the business model being used finds profits by ruthlessly squeezing producers, including farmers. Walmart now earns more than half its revenue from selling food, and Canada’s big food retailers Loblaws (Superstores here) and Sobeys have little choice but to try to play the same game. Now with Amazon buying Whole Foods and getting ready to take on Walmart, Lidl, a German grocer known for low prices invading North America, Costco doing what Costco does, and so on, food retailing is starting to resemble The Game of Thrones. I worry that farmers will be like those disposable armies that end up slaughtered on the field of battle. When I studied economics at university back in the late 1960’s (yikes) there were strong regulations called anti-trust laws to prevent companies from controlling too much market share. Canada lagged well behind the United States in “trust busting”, and we allowed banks, telecommunication companies, airlines and so on to get big in order to compete with American heavyweights. The thing is someone was paying attention. The ability to control markets through raw economic power was considered wrong, and if too extreme, illegal. The thinking was this protected consumers by fostering more competition. I would argue it did the same for producers. Farmers on PEI talk about a time when there were a dozen buyers. Now, for most, there’s one or two. What does this mean? Research in both Canada and the U.S. shows that while food prices have gone up by about 1000% over the last 40 years, the share that goes back to the farmer has been cut in half. It varies from commodity to commodity but it averages about 10% now. Some of that is explained by value added products that make food more convenient, bags of cleaned lettuce rather than heads for example, but the trend has been constant, and the market power of shrinking numbers of processors, brokers, and wholesalers is a main reason why. They do it because they can. I was reminded by an article in the U.K. Guardian how this trend began. It started in the late 1970’s after Robert Bork, a failed U.S. Supreme Court nominee, wrote a book called The Antitrust Paradox. He argued that legally enforcing competition allowed inefficient companies and producers to survive. He wrote that anti-trust regulations should focus solely on “the welfare of consumers.” In other words, if consumers are getting good value because a very few dominant companies exercise their economic power, that’s just as it should be. Court scholars acknowledge that ”consumer welfare” remains ambiguous as a legal term, but this thinking has dominated U.S. Supreme Court rulings for decades now, and tells us why no one is blinking an eye about the recent mergers and acquisitions in the food industry, and no one will. And don’t look to politicians to change any of this. With farmers now just 2% of the population, politicians know they’d be crazy to question a system that promises such good value. Farming and food prices have been central to economic development since the Second World War. As Canada industrialized, government policy pushed farms to become bigger and more efficient. This freed up kids growing up on farms to become factory workers, and cheaper food gave families more spending power for industrial goods. Government programs backstopped farmers' incomes, but Canadian programs are nowhere near as generous as those in the U.S. and Europe. More recently food prices have been discussed as social policy, especially the importance of food security for low income families. I think steps to raise incomes through a higher minimum wage, or a guaranteed annual income are better approaches to solve this than using it to justify cheap food at Walmart. Am I picking on Walmart? Yup. Here's the thing. The Walton family, the main shareholders of Walmart, has amassed a fortune of $139 billion as of April this year not by charging consumers too much, the historical reason to worry about abusive market power, but enforcing cheaper and cheaper prices from their suppliers. With little market clout or bargaining power, the only defense for farmers is to work together to control over production. For example that's what United Potato Growers of Canada tries to do in open markets, and supply management achieves in regulated industries. As for me I boycott Walmart. I’m sure it’s making a big difference. ------------------------------ David
Letterman and Senator Al Franken discuss roadside trash, climate change, and
explain a carbon tax in Part 3 of their "Boiling the Frog" series
(about five minutes). ------------------------ Global Chorus for July 19th is by Yongjune Park, editor of the South Korean magazine Indigo Magazine How are we to live in a world of injustice and pain, a world of what Susan Sontag called the “simultaneity of wildly contrasting human fates”? What are the responsibilities of those who are well to those who suffer? Life is, in part, a tragedy. Yet tragedy is the form that recognizes that if a genuine human community is to be constituted, it can only be on the basis of our shared failure, frailty and morality. Since part of the greatness of the human being is to recreate her or his life, our shared responsibility is to question and resist the forms of domination that crush the possibility of hope. Our endeavor should go far beyond just making global connections. It is time to move on to taking action. It is inescapably important that we concern ourselves with the adversities and tribulations of the people of the world as a whole, rather than being confined only to our immediate neighbours. This is where hope begins. To be
hopeful in hard times, as one of my heroes Howard Zinn said, is not just
foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not
only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage and kindness. Hope
calls for action. If you have hope, you will move, act and engage with other
people. Hope is not something that we aspire to. And hope is not what you can
prove or seek evidence of out there. It arises from an action. It is what we
become, and it is who we are when we are engaged. Hope is, simply, an action.
And even though the impossible can take a little while, we will go forth to try
hard anyway. July 18, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The
second short video in a series on explaining climate change with Senator (and
former comedian) Al Franken and former late night host David Letterman; this
time explaining the relationship with the fossil-fuel promoting Koch brothers
(who are not really named after magicians Siegfried and Roy), democracy, and what people can do
(in both Canada and the United States). "(P.E.I. Climate Change Secretariat executive director Todd) Dupuis said any significant further reductions in emissions will have to come from changes to personal transportation and home heating, as well as the agriculture industry, which are the Island's top three sources of greenhouse gases." Lots
of room there for good policy to help Islanders made those changes. 1. allow, even encourage, our mass media to distract us with pseudo
debate; My solution is sharing a smile en route to Earth’s better future. If, you are worried about change, a chuckle helps you live differently. For a hopeful grin try: writing a climate change limerick, e.g., www.climatemodellingprimer.net/ClimateChangeVerses shooting a “low carb” movie short, e.g., greenscreen.herokuapp.com or…. Start now, have fun and help others change. Add a chorus line: “The best solutions share a smile!” — Ann Henderson-Sellers July 17, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
When
a bucket of water on part of a wooden chicken coop was lifted, a whole mess of
earwigs was surprised (as was I) and scurried away. That's about the
image I got reading the e-mails Georgetown-St. Peter's MLA Steven Myers has
been sharing on the between members of the Public Schools appointed Board and
government. (I have only seen the e-mails on Myers' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/steven.myers.pei Last line of defense for accountability - The Eastern Graphic article by Paul MacNeillby Paul MacNeill, published on Wednesday, July 12th, 2017, in The Graphic newspapers ------------------------------------ July 16, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today
is the last day of PEI Fest, with the films Serenade for Haiti and Spotlight
playing this morning and afternoon. Website program
page. Spending time around water is a summer tradition and one that has entertained people from all walks of life. Its impact on our lives is immeasurable and the many ways we intersect with water are countless. Designed to shape the new story of water, ‘100 Days of Blue’ asks people to get in, on, near or under water daily for 100 days and to share their experiences through their own personal networks and a vast array of social media platforms. This simple, optimistic gesture of expressing love for our blue planet demonstrates the vital role it plays in our health and wellbeing and helps us tell the new story of water each year throughout all 100 days of summer. <snip> The idea is simple. Beginning on Memorial Day and ending on Labor Day, the unofficial bookends of summer in the U.S., share an image, thought, video or reflection about your water using the #100DaysofBlue hashtag. More at:http://www.wallacejnichols.org/144/1176/may-29---sept-5-2017---100daysofblue.html To see others' postings and post your own, as we surrounded by and just a bit above sources of beautiful, but vulnerable water: https://twitter.com/hashtag/100daysofblue?src=hash&lang=en ------------------------------------------ From the essay by "J." Nichols for today from Global Chorus: 365 Voices on the Future of the Planet, edited by Todd E. MacLean, and with a nod to the right whale and their supporters:
Fifteen years ago the hawksbill turtle in my hands would’ve been
hog-tied, slaughtered and carved into trinkets. Today, it swam free. July 15, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA NewsFarmer' Markets (that I
know of that are) open today -- a great day to see what fresh vegetables and
such you can get from a local producer. July 14, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Cardigan Farmers' Market is open today from 10AM to 2PM, at the old train
station.  ---------------- Another movie tomorrow where tickets might still be available: Documentary: A Better Man, 2PM, Florence Simmons Performance Hall "Illuminating a unique paradigm for domestic-violence prevention, A Better Man offers a fresh and nuanced look at the healing and revelation that can happen for everyone involved when men take responsibility for their abuse. It also empowers audience members to play new roles in challenging domestic violence, whether it’s in their own relationships or as part of a broader movement for social change." Event details and ticket link ------------------------------------------------ Some pretty severe disappointment in both the federal and provincial government about responsibilities that they do not seem to be taking seriously (besides climate change, federally; provincially, approval of genetically modified fish rearing without meaningful public consultation): Federally, the Fisheries Minister has a Marine Protected Area, but he's going to allow oil and gas development in most of it. from: http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/opinion/editorials/2017/7/12/editorial--gulf-habitats-under-attack.html EDITORIAL: Gulf habitats under attack - The Guardian EditorialMain editorial, Wednesday, July 12th, 2017 Instead of taking measures to protect endangered whales and other fragile marine life in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, our so-called environment friendly federal government is heading in the opposite direction. In recent
weeks, scientists and environmentalists were sent reeling by the deaths of
seven right whales in the Gulf. Several others entangled in fishing gear were
cut free - one with tragic consequences this week when a fisherman died after
being struck by a floundering whale. ----- There are many on-line petitions, but you can also send a quick e-mail directly: Minister Dominic LeBlanc <dominic.leblanc@parl.gc.ca>Prime Minister Trudeau <justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca> and to find your P.E.I. MPs' contact info: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Parliamentarians/en/Constituencies/FindMP?textCriteria=pei <firstname.lastname@parl.gc.ca> is the template --------------------------------------- Tzeporah Berman speaks about fossil fuel development, and is the author of This Crazy Time, and wrote this day's Global Chorus entry. Wikipedia biography. “What I wanted to ask you is … Do you really think we have a chance?” She looks about eighteen. Clearly moved by the speech I have just given on the impacts of climate change, tears brim in her shining eyes as she gathers her courage to ask a question that is so … raw. Without allowing my head to take over, I answer from the heart, “I do. But only if we can get out of our way. Only if we allow ourselves to listen to our instincts, to be guided by our values and not short-term politics or economic interests. Only if we all engage. Daily.” “I will,” she whispers, her relief palpable. “Thank you.” On the way home that night I ask myself if I truly believe my own answer or whether I was simply finding an answer that I knew would put out the flames of fear in that young girl’s eyes. I am relieved to find when I dig deep that I not only truly believe that we are capable of systemic change to ensure a safer, cleaner and more just world but that I feel it already happening almost like a humming beneath my feet. There is no question that we are currently living in a dangerously unsustainable world as a result of dumping 30 billion tons of pollution into the atmosphere annually from the use of oil and coal. We are truly living the global tipping point moment. However, a cleaner and safer world powered by renewable energy – the sun and the wind – is no longer a pipe dream of some west coast hippies: for the past two years, new investment in renewable energy electricity generation has exceeded that in oil, coal and nuclear combined. Sometimes it seems impossible. Too big. But at these times, we need to remember that technology, communications and transport entirely changed in our grandparents’ lifetimes and will again in ours. And in that young girl’s lifetime, we will re-envision the world toward a post-carbon industrial society. How quick and how difficult the transition will be will depend on how much we engage, and our willingness to act with our heads and our hearts. — Tzeporah Berman July 13, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA NewsThe Farm Centre Farmers'
Market is open today from 4-8PM, 420 University Avenue,
Charlottetown. The Uninhabitable Earth - New York magazine article by David Wallace-Wells
Famine, economic collapse, a sun that cooks us: What climate change could
wreak — sooner than you think
Alarmism Is the Argument We
Need to Fight Climate Change - Slate article by Susan Matthews
New York magazine’s global-warming horror story isn’t too scary. It’s not
scary enough.
Clive Hamilton in Requiem for a Species describes a dark relief
that comes from accepting that “catastrophic climate change is virtually
certain.” This obliteration of “false hopes,” as he describes it, requires an
intellectual and an emotional knowledge. The first is attainable. The second, because
it means those we love, including our children, are doomed to insecurity,
misery and suffering within a few decades, if not a few years, is much harder
to acquire. To emotionally accept impending disaster, to attain the gut-level
understanding that the power elite is incapable of responding rationally to the
destruction of the ecosystem, is as difficult to face as our own mortality. It
means a future bereft of options. It obliterates the dreams we have for our
children. It forces us to accept that no matter what we do we cannot finally
protect our sons and daughters. The most daunting existential struggle of
our time is to ingest this awful truth – intellectually and
emotionally – and yet continue to resist. July 12, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Farmers'
Markets are
open in Stanley Bridge (9AM-1PM) and Charlottetown (9AM-2PM).
There is excellent food at the markets, including seafood. LETTER: What are GMOs really about? - The Guardian Letter to the EditorPublished on July 11, 2017 GMOs are sold to the
public as being required to somehow increase food production for a starving
world. This is the corporate line. Allan Finney, July 11, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today: Regulatory acrobatics helps GM fish facility, P.E.I. Greens accuse - The Guardian article by Teresa WrightPeter Bevan-Baker adds his concern about GM salmon facility on P.E.I. Published on Friday, July 7th, 2017 Last month, the provincial government approved an application by AquaBounty Canada Inc. to expand its current facility in Rollo Bay by building two 40,000-square foot structures where the company will rear AquaAdvantage salmon, a sterile genetically modified salmon, from eyed egg to market size. Many were surprised by the application, as the company originally said its plans would only involve producing the salmon eggs in P.E.I. and then shipping them to Panama to grow to full size. They were to be processed into fillets in Panama and then sent back to Canada for sale. Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker says the fact this change in plans did not require a whole new environmental assessment is a case of “regulatory acrobatics.” “There’s lots of levels in which this is problematic for me, but I think first and foremost it’s the regulatory dance that’s being played here. It just doesn’t sit well with me and, instinctively, I don’t feel good about that,” he said. Bevan-Baker says he is also concerned about the amount of taxpayer money that has been handed to the company. The province recently provided AquaBounty with a $14,000 grant for its grow-out facility. A spokesman for the economic development department said the money was to assist the company with the requirements of its environmental assessment. “It is not uncommon for IPEI (Innovation P.E.I.) to provide grant assistance to companies working their way through expansion projects of this nature,” the spokesman wrote in an email to The Guardian. Since 2002, the province has provided $818,000 in non-repayable support to AquaBounty, including grants and labour incentives. In July 2016, Island Investment Development Inc. (IIDI) also approved a provincial loan to the company of $717,000. AquaBounty has also received money from the federal government. In 2010, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) provided AquaBounty Canada Inc. and Aqua Bounty Technologies Inc. with a conditionally repayable contribution of $2.87 million. ACOA also gave the company an unconditionally repayable contribution of $337,000 in April 2016 to develop its hatchery. Bevan-Baker says he believes the company is large enough to fund its own operations. “The fact that government is willing to give so much taxpayers’ dollars to something which, and I think I speak for a lot of Islanders when I say, I have instinctive concerns about, is troubling,” Bevan-Baker said. “The money behind this organization is considerable. And it’s my personal opinion that they should be able to fund all R&D (research and development) and all applications for whatever regulatory hoops that they have to jump through without any public funds being put in there.” He says he has heard from a number of nearby residents who have concerns about the facility, notably about the pre-existing deep-water wells the company acquired when it purchased the property in Rollo Bay. “I think it’s problematic that we’re actually in the process of writing the first Water Act for our province and something as important as this went through. I don’t think that was the right thing to do.” Environmental advocacy groups from across Canada were in P.E.I. last week and called on Federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna to halt the development of the AquaBounty facility until more study and consultation has been held on the environmental and ethical concerns involved in growing genetically modified animals. ----------------------Today's Global Chorus essay is by Hannah Quimby, director of Quimby Family Foundation.
Scribbled on a piece of
paper, stored in a box of old sentimental items, is a letter from my high
school friend. It starts with, “Belief is the foundation. Since the beginning
of time, people have given meaning to life through belief.” I love this simple
statement written from one 17-year-old to another. I love it because 16 years later
the message is still relevant and fundamental to how I want to work in the
world. Maintaining a solid belief that, collectively and individually, we can
create positive change in our communities and can slowly restore our
environment helps keep us going despite what we may witness to the contrary. July 10, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today: One stop political shopping, the same Charlottetown law firm at the helm of both major PEI political parties - The Eastern Graphic article by Allan Rankin
Published on Wednesday, July 5th, 2017, in The Graphic newspapers Walsh is a junior lawyer with the Charlottetown firm Stewart McKelvey, and the scion of an old Conservative family. Her father, Leo Walsh, was part of the Angus MacLean rural renaissance in the early 1980s, served as a Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs for Pat Binns, and held other prominent positions, including regional head of ACOA. Like they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and Margaret Ann Walsh grew up in a family steeped in politics. That is a good thing, and from what I have seen from her involvement as a spokesperson during the past provincial election, the daughter is exceptionally smart, knows the Island well and possesses organizational skill. I am not even troubled that she is a lawyer, politics and law deeply intertwined, and the legal profession essential to how government is structured, regulated, and controlled. What does trouble me, however, is that Margaret Ann Walsh is part of the Stewart McKelvey law firm, and just down the hall in the same law firm, the president of the Island Liberal Party, Scott Barry, hangs his professional hat. That’s right, the presidents of both major political parties work for the same law firm, blending their partisan responsibilities with the firm’s collective goal of attracting clients and making money. As already stated, there is a legitimate and necessary connection between law and politics and the administration of government, but that relationship also produces great financial benefits for the lawyer, through securing ongoing legal work from government departments, representing government in court actions, and acting on behalf of businesses and organizations dealing with government at various levels. A successful Island law firm will maintain connections with both major political parties by financially contributing to both parties, and by ensuring someone in the firm has influence within the two party leaderships. This means regardless of which party forms the government, lucrative files can be retained, and simply moved from one office to another, and the gravy train can keep on rolling. It’s not the first time the Charlottetown firm of Stewart McKelvey has harboured the presidents of both the Liberal and Conservative Parties, or exercised inordinate influence over the political affairs of the province. The alumni of the firm, in its various iterations over the years, includes several party executives, as well as former and present politicians. For instance, when lawyer Joe Ghiz became Liberal premier in 1986, founding partner of the firm Alan Scales, a close friend of Ghiz, was the gris eminence of the rival Conservative Party. Since then, Murray Murphy, Geoff Connolly, and Jim Travers, all Stewart McKelvey lawyers, have served as senior officers of the Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island at one time or another, along with Keith Boswell, who is a judge of the federal court. Now joining those ranks is Margaret Ann Walsh. On the Liberal side
of the political fence, the party executive involvement is no less
impressive. Former senior partner Gordon Campbell, now Acting Chief Justice of
the PEI Supreme Court, was once president of the Liberals, as was the current
MP for Charlottetown, Sean Casey. Other former Liberal Party executive
members have included the late Brendan Curley, Spencer Campbell,
Scott MacKenzie and of course Scott Barry. Moreover, it’s just a matter of time
I believe before the firm’s current rising star, Jonathan Coady,
ascends to a position of party executive authority. He will have to choose blue or red. The important point to be made here, is that when it comes to Stewart McKelvey as a law firm, there is only one side of the fence, and partisan politics is played out as a zero-sum game, with party allegiances kept for one purpose, to harness and maintain government business and influence within the firm. In my opinion, such control and influence by a single Charlottetown law firm is not at all in the democratic interests of Prince Edward Islanders. It creates a professional oligarchy that can exercise inordinate power, secretively and without accountability. Of course, there are other law firms in Charlottetown similarly plugged into party politics. The firm of Carr, Stevenson and MacKay has particular sway with the present MacLauchlan government. Gordon MacKay has known MacLauchlan since high school days, and served on the UPEI Board of Governors during MacLauchlan’s tenure as president. Barb Stevenson, partner in the same firm, has been a prominent member of the Liberal Party for years, and both she and MacKay encouraged our premier to enter politics. Yet another partner in the firm, Bill Dow, has been chosen by MacLauchlan as the new Liberal fundraising chairperson. But in the high stakes world of law and government, the spotlight now is very much on Stewart McKelvey, with Scott Barry and Margaret Ann Walsh holding the keys to future patronage, regardless of which political party wins the next election. Soon the Island Conservatives will choose their new leader. That person will find it hard to retain any semblance of independence, and avoid being controlled and led around by the lawyers and other members of the Charlottetown oligarchy. They should go back to basics, to borrow the campaign slogan of Brad Trivers, and look for inspiration in the blueberry farmer from Lewes, J Angus MacLean. Nobody owned him. In the meantime, if you are seeking to influence government policy, or need a major political favour, visit the offices of Stewart McKelvey on Kent Street and ask for either Margaret Ann or Scott.It’s a kind of one-stop political shopping. ------------------------------------------------ And from David Weale: THE VIEW FROM THIS BRANCH
Old Political Ruts - THE VIEW FROM THIS BRANCH post by David Weale
Published on Sunday, July 9th, 2017, on social media Also, there was also absolutely no sense in our household that our wellbeing had anything to do with political loyalty. It meant, of course, that we missed out on the election excitement and drama, and the collective orgasm of being a member of the winning party on election day, as well as the collective depression of being a loyalist belonging to the losing side. As a young man I did become involved in the political process when I supported Angus MacLean in his bid to become Premier, and ended up in his office during the two years he served; however, that had nothing to do with partisan loyalty, and we both understood that. I was there because I believed strongly in what he stood for, and still do. My point in all of this is simply to say that there comes a time when uncritical political partisanship can seriously jeopardize the well being of the society. I do understand the stability that the old-style politics afforded, but there is a fine line between stability and stagnation, and I believe we have crossed it. Long ago. When the political leadership manifests a loyalty to party, and party supporters, that supersedes the well being of the entire province, it is time for a political re-set. I am not suggesting that the two old parties will never again be worthy of support, only that Islanders need to pay attention closely to see if they deserve it, and be willing to withhold it if they don’t, no matter how your grandfathers voted. Time to get the wheels out of old ruts. Time for some fresh vision. Something that will allow us to move past the mediocrity that cripples our current system. -----------------------------Global Chorus is by Iowa State professor and organic farmer Frederick Kirschenmann, author of Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays from a Farmer Philosopher There are plenty of interviews if you web-search for him. Here is a succinct biography: https://www.leopold.iastate.edu/people/frederick-kirschenmann Back in 2005 James Hansen warned us that “we have at most ten years to make drastic cuts in emissions that might head off climate convulsions.” One thing the climatologists seem to have misjudged is the speed at which climate change is taking place. Polar ice caps are melting faster than most predicted. Severe weather events seem to be dominating the planet sooner than they imagined. Consequently it is easy to become discouraged about our future on the planet. However, we do know what we need to do and while we humans have a verifiable track record demonstrating our ability to remain in denial, there is also a record demonstrating our ability to take significant action in brief time periods. While it is increasingly difficult to remain optimistic about our fate it is important to remember that hopefulness is different from optimism. Optimism assumes that things will turn out alright, which, ironically often leads to inaction. Hopefulness is about doing the right thing even when we are uncertain about the outcome. And when we act together in hope, often an unanticipated convergence of events take place which bring about unimaginable change. Joining together as a global community and doing the right thing even though we cannot be sure of the outcome is our only hope, and our children and grandchildren are depending on us to do it! — Frederick Kirschenmann July 9, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today:
Thomas Berry was a Catholic priest, author, "geologian and ecotheologan".
The Great Work before us, the task of moving modern industrial
civilization from its present devastating influence on the Earth to a more
benign mode of presence, is not a role that we have chosen. We were chosen by
some power beyond ourselves for this historical task. The nobility of our
lives, however, depends upon the manner in which we come to understand and
fulfill our assigned role. July 8, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Farmers'
Markets are open today in: The one-hour special celebrates Canada’s 150th
Anniversary of Confederation and Canadian youth by highlighting Canada’s young
change makers and their ability to build a stronger, more compassionate Canada
over the next 150 years. ------------------------------------ From Islander mother, writer and visionary, Jill MacCormack, today's Global Chorus essay. Jill blogs at http://prattleandponder.blogspot.ca/ It goes without saying that we are living in a time of tremendous social confusion and environmental discord. This awareness can cause despair or be viewed as grounds from which new ways of understanding and responding can emerge. Why consider new ways of responding? Because right now as you read this you are a living, breathing creature of a wondrous and beautifully interconnected web of life. A web which holds us all in its balance and is capable of amazing resilience and regeneration if given the protection it requires to do so. How can we facilitate this protection? By choosing to live more gently in the world. Through speaking out against practices which are harmful to LIFE in all its complexity, and collectively moving towards a way of living which is more mindful of the daily choices we make, we can better safeguard and share the world’s limited resources. Why be hopeful? In making conscious choices such as actively simplifying our lifestyles, resisting the seductive lure of consumerism and the monoculture it generates, and honouring our connection to the natural world, we are choosing to create a better plausible outcome than what is predicted if we continue on our current trajectory. How we, who have the power of choice, choose to live our lives matters deeply to the rest of the world. Willingness to acknowledge the gravity of our current situation and choosing to act for the better in the face of that knowledge, creates the positive change our world so desperately needs. We cannot afford to be cautiously optimistic. HOPE is needed for us to change our ways of interacting with each other and the world. --Jill MacCormick July 7, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
The Cardigan
Farmers' Market is open today (and tomorrow) from 10AM-2PM. Bluefin is a tale of epic stakes set in North Lake, Prince Edward Island, known as the “tuna capital of the world.” Local fishermen swear the spectacular Atlantic bluefin tuna are so plentiful here they literally eat out of people’s hands. But many scientists contend the species is on the brink of collapse. Can both claims be true?Ticket Pro link  ---------------------------- Saturday, July 15th: A Better Man, 2PM, Florence Simmons Hall, Holland College, more info Illuminating a unique paradigm for domestic-violence prevention, A Better Man offers a fresh and nuanced look at the healing and revelation that can happen for everyone involved when men take responsibility for their abuse. It also empowers audience members to play new roles in challenging domestic violence, whether it’s in their own relationships or as part of a broader movement for social change. PEI Fest Website--------------------- Speaking of movies, one that is in the process of being made but could use some funding is Prehistoric PEI, by William Becket. There is an Indigogo fundraising site, with some very nice little incentives if you give certain amounts of money. P.E.I.'s fossil history is interesting and it will be great to see this film get going! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/prehistoric-pei-documentary#/ ----------------------- Today's Global Chorus is by Richard Zimmerman, founding director of Orangutan Outreach. In many ways awareness on this issue has really happened over the past three or so years since it was written. Look sideways at the cluster of punctuation after his name, as that's copied directly from the book. Ecological nightmares are a dime a dozen these days, but one you probably haven’t even heard of is the decimation of tropical rainforests in order to clear land for oil palm plantations. Palm oil is a hidden ingredient in everything from cookies, candy and junk food to shampoo, soap and skin cream. Ironically, it’s also used for biodiesel, a so-called “green” fuel. Ninety per cent of the global supply of palm oil comes from Indonesia and Malaysia. The UNEP estimates that the forests of Borneo and Sumatra are being cleared at a rate of six football fields per minute every minute of every day – releasing so much carbon into the atmosphere that Indonesia now ranks third behind only China and the U.S. in carbon emissions. Palm oil is synonymous with global warming and climate change. Orangutans are gentle, intelligent creatures who share 97 per cent of our DNA. They live in only two places on Earth – the forests of Borneo and Sumatra – and they are critically endangered. Orangutan babies are precious little bundles of orange fluff with big brown eyes and even bigger smiles, grasping their mother’s shaggy red hair high in the treetops. Deforestation has led to the slaughter of thousands of orangutans as palm oil companies expand into their forest home. When the forests are cleared, adults are shot on sight. They are beaten, burned, mutilated, tortured and often eaten. Babies are torn off their dying mothers so they can be sold to animal smugglers. Since this holocaust began, more than a thousand orphaned and displaced orangutans have been rescued and brought to rehabilitation centers in Borneo and Sumatra. An attempt is now being made to reverse this horrific trend. Since 2012 more than 100 rehabilitated orangutans have been released back into a safe, secure forest in the Heart of Borneo. It takes around 300 individuals to maintain a stable gene pool, so with hundreds more scheduled to be released in years to come, for the first time in history a new wild orangutan population is being created. Despite having spent years in cages, the orangutans are not wasting any time. Nine months after the first orangutans were released, the monitoring team was greeted by a wonderful surprise: babies. If you want to reduce global warming and save the planet, then save the orangutans and their forests. — Richard Zimmerman, {:(|} July 6, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Today: REV. BOB HUTCHESON: Our brothers’, sisters’ keepers - The Guardian Opinion piece by Bob HutchesonAbout 25 evicted tenants in old building on Cumberland Street find new accommodations by July published on Wednesday, July 5th, 2017, in The Guardian Well, the 150th
anniversary celebrations have come and gone, albeit with mixed reviews.
- Rev. Bob Hutcheson, of Charlottetown, is a retired minister of the United Church of Canada. -------- Not finding suitable -- in just a prominent location -- accommodations for the two businesses (Sadat's Restaurant and the Asian Grocery) by this time should give Holland College and the City great shame. --------------------------
Donald Trump’s Withdrawal From the Paris Accords Is a Crime
Against Humanity - The Nation article by Mark HertsgaardThis is murder—even if Trump’s willful ignorance of climate science prevents him from seeing it as such. https://www.thenation.com/article/donald-trumps-withdrawal-paris-accords-crime-humanity/ "By removing the rules and regulations that require polluters in the United States to change their ways, Trump’s repudiation of the Paris Agreement will slow progress at the very time when humanity’s survival requires faster action than ever. " ----------------------------Today's Global Chorus is by Paul Ekins, a professor of sustainable economics and co-Director at the UK Energy Research Centre. Good words, and we must be relentless in trying to convince some others of the truth in his words.
Humanity is indeed at a crossroads. There are many choices
to be made, but two fundamental changes are required to how humankind currently
goes about its business: first, we need to realize deep, deep down that our
species, like all others, is part of and profoundly dependent on the biosphere,
and that lasting damage to this biosphere is the most anti-social, and
stupidest, outcome that we can bring about; and second, we need to realize
deep, deep down that our societies are now profoundly interdependent, so that
damage to one can very easily become damage to many, and co-operative
international relations are essential if we are to thrive and, in the long
term, are perhaps even a condition for survival. July 5, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Wednesdays in summers mean Farmers' Markets open in Charlottetown (9AM-2PM) and now Stanley Bridge opening today (9AM-1PM). Tomorrow: Guest
speaker will be Honorable Robert Mitchell, Minister of Communities, Land and
Environment. His topic will be the Prince Edward Island Water Act. There will
also be a short question and answer period after his presentation. ------------------------- Here
is a great, in-depth article on how organic farmers deal with pests:
Our Island Mansion Has Many Rooms - The Island Heartbeat blog by Allan Rankin
We should never kid ourselves into thinking that Prince Edward Island is a simple place, where class divisions don’t exist, and all of us live pretty much the same social and economic realities. When I was growing up at Glover’s Shore, on the outskirts of Summerside, I was very much an outlier. Most of my friends at school lived in the big houses in town, and their fathers owned stores and sold insurance, while my father worked in construction, troweling cement and putting up buildings. It wasn’t race divided New York, or the poor side of town that Johnny Rivers sings about, but I felt excluded and apart. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t seem to cross that divide that separated Glover’s Shore from the more established town, and at Summerside High School I felt a strange kinship with the Acadian students, whose labouring class parents stayed within their designated, apartheid-like community west of Central Street. It puzzles me when people in government, and occasionally the media, claim that rural and urban Prince Edward Island are one and the same. They would have us believe that Tignish is just like Brighton, or that the lobster fishermen of North Rustico or Murray Harbour have a great deal in common with the lawyers and accountants on Queen Street in Charlottetown. It is true that many residents of our capital city are just one generation themselves from the farms and small rural villages that once doted the province, and there have been some levelling influences over the past twenty years. Nevertheless, we do have a capital city which tries extremely hard to be sophisticated and urbane, and I believe that rural and urban Prince Edward Island still to possess their own distinct personalities. What follows is a tale of two places. My wife’s family comes from Christopher’s Cross, just north of Tignish, a traditional Irish and Acadian community of farmers and fishermen. They are proud, hard working people who, in the early part of the last century, liberated themselves from the economic slavery of merchant barons by organizing cooperatively, and building their own economic independence. Today, the Tignish area is one of the wealthiest communities in the province. But when I started going there in the late 1960s, Tignish was less opulent, and the economic gulf between rural west Prince and Charlottetown was deep and wide. For my wife’s two sisters, getting out of Tignish after high school, and away from a simple, unadorned rural lifestyle was a priority. They set out for Saint Dunstan’s University in Charlottetown, and then to other parts of Canada, where the bright city lights beckoned. After many years living away, one of them returned to the Island with her family and settled in Charlottetown. The other has since followed. Their attachment to the Island, and to family, is strong and abiding, but even the acceptance of family has its limitations. Their father, a well educated and accomplished man whose contributions to the cooperative movement on the Island are prodigious, didn’t care much about the material world or its social conventions. The old beat up blue Duster he drove for many years also transported calves in the back seat when necessary and wasn’t much to look at. So when he attended a credit union meeting in Charlottetown, and overnighted at his daughter’s house in Brighton, she would get him to leave the Duster at our house in Breadalbane, and pick him up there, rather than suffer the embarrassment of having the old car from the country parked in her suburban driveway. But there was a kind of poetic justice to it all. Years later, the mother up in Tignish felt similarly embarrassed to have her Brighton daughter’s Lexus SUV sitting outside her modest country home. When she complained, the wiser, older Charlottetown daughter quipped, “put a horse blanket over it mother, and call it a day.” It seems that modesty is offended by luxury, just as luxury is offended by modesty. To borrow a Biblical platitude, our Island mansion has many rooms. Driving from East Point to the barrier reef at North Cape we pass through many different communities, separated by ethnicity, economic livelihood, and class. Le Region Evangeline is not Highland Belfast. Hillsborough Village is not Lewis Point Park. Souris is not Stratford. And speaking of driving, have you ever noticed that Charlottetown people find it difficult to leave their metropolis. The distance to any rural location seems intimidating and formidable, almost like a cross Canada expedition. “Drop the sweater off when you’re in town,” is the city dwellers expectation, not “I’ll drive out and pick up the sweater.” The highways connecting rural Prince Edward Island to the capital city seem to go in only one direction, and our government has encouraged that one-way traffic with policies that make it increasingly difficult to live in rural communities east and west. Instead of flying off to Florida, or cruising the seven seas, perhaps it should be mandatory for Charlottetown residents to winter holiday in Souris, or St. Louis, and experience rural life for themselves. Our Island mansion does have many rooms, and we remain a community separated in profound ways. ------------------------Yesterday, NASA announced its next astronaut class, including two Canadians, Jennifer Sidey and Joshua Kutryk, both from Alberta. Today's Global Chorus essay is by Marc Garneau, the first Canadian astronaut in space. Garneau is current an MP and Minister of Transport; the leap to politics has not been as smooth as his space days, but this essay is certainly poetic:
When you first look at Earth from space, it is achingly beautiful. It is
mesmerizing. You can’t take your eyes off it. A warm and inviting sphere of
light and colour, surrounded by the utter darkness of space; our shared home,
our only home. July 4, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Tuesday
odds and ends: JORDAN BOBER: Moving democracy forward - The Guardian Opinion piece by Jordan Bober“We are deeply disappointed that both Premier MacLauchlan and yourself have missed this golden opportunity…”
An open letter written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by members of the P.E.I. Coalition for Proportional Representation and personally delivered to the Prime Minister last week his stop on Charlottetown, along with the digital signatures of hundreds of Islanders who signed it. Dear Prime Minister: - Jordan Bober, Charlottetown, on behalf of
the P.E.I. Coalition for Proportional Representation ------------------------------------------ And the Global Chorus essay for today is written by explorer and
anthropologist Wade
Davis, whose interview on CBC Radio's The Current from last
year was replayed this morning, of all coincidences. From the intro on the CBC page to listen to the 25 minute interview: Wade Davis has spent more than a decade travelling the globe to visit the peoples, cultures, and languages, in danger of extinction. The anthropologist says the cultural life of our planet is under assault and deserves to be heard. On Christmas Eve, 1968, Apollo emerged from the dark side of the moon to see rising over its surface not a sunrise but the Earth itself ascendant, a small and fragile planet, floating in the velvet void of space. This image more than any amount of scientific data showed us that our planet is a finite place, a single interactive sphere of life, a living organism composed of air, water, wind and soil. This revelation, only made possible by the brilliance of science, sparked a paradigm shift that people will be speaking about for the rest of history. Almost immediately we began to think in new ways. Just imagine. Thirty years ago simply getting people to stop throwing garbage out of a car window was a great environmental victory. No one spoke of the biosphere or biodiversity; now these terms are part of the vocabulary of schoolchildren. Like a great wave of hope, this energy of illumination, made possible by the space program, spread everywhere. So many positive things have happened in the intervening years. In little more than a generation, women have gone from the kitchen to the boardroom, gay people from the closet to the altar, African Americans from the back door and the woodshed to the White House. What’s not to love about a country and a world capable of such scientific genius, such cultural capacity for change and renewal? Creativity
is a consequence of action, not its motivation. Do what needs to be done and
then ask whether it was possible or permissible. Pessimism is an indulgence,
orthodoxy the enemy of invention, despair an insult to the imagination. July 3, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA NewsJuly 2, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA NewsJuly 1, 2017Chris Ortenburger's CA News
Happy Canada Day!  It's an odd day, a mix of both regular Saturday and holiday, with Farmers' Markets open in Charlottetown, Summerside and Cardigan, but the public library and several businesses closed or closing early. Here is an interesting two minute video "Why Canada 150 Is the Beginning of Indigenous Reoccupation." If it does not work at that link, you should be able to find it through Vice's Facebook page. Related, here is a national CBC story from three days ago about the National Farmers Union supporting the Idle No More group's call to action. ----------------------------------- Electoral Reform: Coverage by the local CBC yesterday, on the Prime Minister's reaction to the Letter from the P.E.I. Coalition for Proportional Representation, including many comments by member Jordan Bober, is here. --------------------- An upcoming event: Friday, July 14th: Documentary: Bluefin, by John Hopkins, 8:30-10PM, Florence Simmons Hall at Holland College, part of the PEI Fest. Tickets needed. Here's a chance to see
Bluefin, the acclaimed National Film Board of Canada documentary by Island
filmmaker John Hopkins. Q&A will follow the screening. ---------------------- Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world. Those words from Jack Layton’s last message to Canadians inspired people across the country. It was a message of hope – and, more important, it was a call to action. Hope itself – blind hope, is not enough. We can’t just hope that somebody else will take care of our problems. Hope is not a strategy. We must work to make hope a reality. That is the major reason I was drawn to a career in politics – to help bring people together and work for change.We know that we must change direction – in Canada and in our world – because right now, we are on a collision course with disaster. The signs are clear – from the unprecedented flooding that devastated Calgary in 2013, to the horrendous typhoon that ravaged the Philippines. But we can change course. We can take action. We can give the next generation reason to hope. There are so many things we could achieve – a national public transit strategy would be a good start. That’s something I have been promoting for years, because public transit is a cornerstone of both social equality and sustainability. Civic leaders and municipalities and business groups are all singing the same tune now; only the federal Conservative government remains deaf on this issue. Ultimately, the government will change course – or people will get together and work and vote to change the government. It will happen. Will something as basic as public transit in Canada change the world? Nothing will, in isolation. But changing course will – and bringing people together with a common mission. People will join the chorus if they see reason to hope. When enough voices join the chorus, no government can turn a deaf ear. You can’t do it solo. By joining your voice with others, the voice becomes strong. The music soars. Eventually, everyone will hear. The lone voice may be lost. The global chorus will be heard. — Olivia Chow |