Why not support the efforts of the Coastal First Nations in stopping Enbridge from building a pipeline from the oilsands to Kitimat and sending tankers down the coastal waters of BC. Go HERE. Read and click the link at the bottom of the page.

Thanks.
peace,
bill

p.s. You'll dig the full page ad in the Globe & Mail. The PDF is HERE.

This is excellent news. Thank you Coastal First Nations.

Consider watching and sharing this movie, Farmed Salmon Exposed. It's a troubling movie though there is time to act to save wild salmon and oceanic ecosystems.

Will you consider doing what research you require of yourself to determine the veracity of the claims made in this movie? If you see that fish farms are dangerous to wild salmon, and thereby to huge marine and coastal ecosystems, will you boycott farmed salmon and lobby for wild salmon? Just asking ...















Supporters of Wild Salmon Circle on facebook

Forest lovers, take note of the following email from the brand spanking new, and most excellent, Ancient Forest Alliance. First of all though, meet Ken Wu, the environmentalist behind the formation of the Ancient Forest Alliance.

Ken Wu

Please forward far and wide!
 
The ANCIENT FOREST ALLIANCE (AFA): 
A New Organization to Protect BC’s Old-Growth Forests and Forestry Jobs! 
 
Website:  http://www.ancientforestalliance.org
 
Join us on Facebook HERE.
 
Two months ago in January, 2010, several BC conservationists announced the formation of a new grassroots organization, the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA). The founders include former Wilderness Committee activists Ken Wu, TJ Watt, Tara Sawatsky, Katrina Andres, and Brendan Harry in Victoria, and Vancouver activist Michelle Connolly. 
 
The AFA is working to build a hard-hitting campaign through a broad-based movement to protect BC’s endangered old-growth forests and forestry jobs.  Already 90% of the old-growth forests in the valley bottoms where the largest trees grow have been logged on Vancouver Island, while thousands of BC forestry jobs have been lost under the Campbell government due to massive raw log exports to foreign mills. The AFA is calling on the BC Liberal government to protect our endangered old-growth forests and to ensure the sustainable logging and value-added processing of second-growth timber instead.
 
The Ancient Forest Alliance will be unconstrained by the restrictions of charitable status that hamper the effectiveness of most large environmental organizations. Charitable status dictates that you can’t condemn or condone politicians despite how backwards or pro-environmental their stances are.  We will hit much harder, and give greater rewards to politicians based on their forest policies. We can get a lot more political and effective now – as the fates of ancient forests and forestry jobs are, perhaps unfortunately, directly determined by politics.
 
As such, the Ancient Forest Alliance will:
-          Undertake major grassroots education and mobilization campaigns (rallies, slideshows, hikes, campouts, protests, letter-writing, petition drives, etc.), particularly in provincial swing ridings that determine whether or not the BC Liberal government holds on to power.
-          Empower, train, and guide new citizen activists to form “Ancient Forest Committees” (forest activist teams) to fight for ancient forests and forestry jobs, particularly in provincial swing ridings.
-          Undertake outreach to new allies in First Nations communities, faith groups, businesses, unions, and other environmental groups.
-          Explore and document BC’s endangered ancient forests and their destruction with photos and video.
And much, much more!
 
Since its launch the Ancient Forest Alliance has grown at a viral pace. On Facebook  in the span of just over  6 weeks, more than 6000 new members have joined the organization.  On our Facebook group pages you can also see truly spectacular PHOTOGALLERIES of Canada’s largest trees and stumps, taken by AFA photographer TJ Watt (you don’t need to join Facebook to see them) – See them HERE.
 
***SATURDAY, MARCH 27 – RALLY for BC’s ANCIENT FORESTS and FORESTRY JOBS
 
- PLEASE come and recruit friends and family to our rally (Avatar theme – wear blue!) in downtown Vancouver :
- Meet at Canada Place at 12:00 noon, begin marching with the fun Carnival Band at 12:30 pm, speeches and rally begin at 1:00 pm at the Vancouver Art Gallery
- Speeches by Dr. Judith Sayers (Hupacasath First Nations), Stephanie Goodwin (Greenpeace), Jens Wieting (Sierra Club), Ken Wu (AFA), others...
- Already almost 300 people have preconfirmed their attendance via Facebook. See rally details HERE.

- CONFIRM and INVITE all your friends to come via Facebook at HERE.

***Note: We encourage Victorians to make the trip to Vancouver for the day – with the new Skytrain Canada line going to Richmond now, you can get to downtown Vancouver very quickly with public transit.
 
MEDIA COVERAGE
 
We’ve also received a huge amount of media coverage for our campaigns during our short existence. Here are just a few of the news articles:
 
Pandora Fans feeling Blue over the Earth - Metro News (March 17)
 
Threatened BC forest dubbed Avatar Grove - Maclean’s Magazine (March 11).

No Logging Plans for Giant Fir: TimberWest  - Times Colonist (March 6).

World’s Largest Douglas fir at Risk – Vancouver Sun (Feb.26)
 
The Avatar Blues – Times Colonist (Feb.26)

Giant Fir Threatened [Video Clip] – A-Channel TV (Feb.25)

Rare Stand of Old-Growth Trees near Port Renfrew only partly protected – Times Colonist (Feb.20)
 
Environmental Group: Protect Rare Forest Giants Marked for Logging near Port Renfrew – Times Colonist (Feb.19)
 
Old Forests, New Twist – Monday Magazine, (Jan.20)

Old-Growth Forest Activists Launch New Group – Goldstream Gazette/Black Press (Jan.19)
 
***You can see even more of the articles and news releases, and learn more about the organization on our WEBSITE.
 
 
TO VOLUNTEER, EMAIL US.
 
 
***PLEASE DONATE!!
 
As a new grassroots organization, we are in GREAT need of funding. Per dollar, your support will go farther with us than virtually anywhere else, to build a most effective movement for our ancient forests and forestry jobs!
 
DONATE ONLINE HERE.

You may also send cheques made out to the "Ancient Forest Alliance" at:

Ancient Forest Alliance
706 Yates Street
PO Box 8459
Victoria, BC V8W 3S1

STAY TUNED for more info and updates on the Ancient Forest Alliance and on how you can help...




 

I'm a regular reader of DeSmogBlog.com. I found this youtube vid by Greenpeace on it along with more info and links relevant to the story. Check out this vid, have a chuckle and then mosey on over to the DeSmogBlog.

The following email from Alexandra Morton arrived this morning. Forward it to all interested parties in your address book, please. Spread the word.

Email from Alexandra Morton:

Salmon Are Sacred
GET OUT MIGRATION

Last week a fish farm magazine (Intrafish) reported that stickleback fish are the source of sea lice, not salmon farms and our government scientist appeared to agree.  The non-government scientific community of BC have thoroughly and repeatedly trounced this, and yet here is it again.

Therefore, I have decided it is time to take the issue of industrial salmon farming to the people in an unprecedented way. I have written letters, done the science, met with government and industry around the world, engaged in government processes, talked to thousands of people, been the subject of international media and films and today I stand facing a vertical wall of impenetrable denial. Nothing has brought reason to this situation. We will lose our wild salmon if government continues to carelessly put farm salmon before wild salmon every time.
 
Because there has been no significant progress in spite of this enormous effort and time spent by many, I no longer feel there is hope of reforming this industry. Government is allowing Norwegian salmon farmers to continue denying even the most basic issues, like sea lice and ISA virus introduction to the North Pacific.  If we let this play out our wild fish simply will not survive
 
So it is time for the Get Out Migration.  I am not talking about all aquaculture. I am referring specifically to the massive scale Norwegian feedlots.  There are Canadian fish farmers who know how to use tanks on land who are not impacting our wild salmon and herring. This is about saving wild salmon and all of us who depend on them.
 
I will begin deep in the beautiful Ahta River in mid April with the salmon and move by boat through the Broughton Archipelago to Sointula. On Earth day April 22 I will simply start walking to Victoria and ask people join me to stand up for wild salmon so that our politicians will know we exist. We will communicate our progress and connect the countries facing this industry through the website www.salmonaresacred.org  We hold salmon as sacred because they so generously feed our world. They built the soil of this province with their flesh, they grow our children, they feed the trees that make the oxygen we breath, they are food security in a world losing ability to even pollinate flowers.
 
When we get to Victoria, we will meet with representatives from government.
 
We cannot match the corporate fish farm PR machine, nor their lobbying power. So I am simply inviting people to make themselves visible by joining us on foot, electronically and by mail.   This will be peaceful, colourful, musical, fun, family oriented. Unless we all stand up and become visible, government will continue to degrade the laws of Canada to the benefit of the salmon farming industry, as suggested in the most recent throne speech.  The salmon farming industry cannot survive unless is it free to grow relentlessly to meet their responsibility to their European shareholders. BC cannot survive this, we know we cannot pour an endless amount of fish into the ocean. We will carry a message to the Federal government – do not degrade the Fisheries Act again so that it no longer protects the fish that belong to the people of Canada.
 
Please stand up for wild salmon by joining a migration emerging from the Broughton Archipelago then leaving Sointula on 22nd April and closing with a blessing in Victoria on Mothers’ Day (9th May). If you are interested in hosting other events, leading a migration arm from the Fraser River Valley, Gold River or other places in B.C. or just joining us for one step of the way please let us know. www.salmonaresacred.org This website will be active shortly.

Hope to see you on this migration.

Alexandra Morton

The billblog has been debating whether to post a review of Brasstronaut's debut album, Mount Chimaera. It's a gem so why not? Well, there's a disclaimer that could undercut the value of the opinions of your weird, yet wonderful scribe, namely, the familial relationship with a member of the band. I begat Samuel Davidson, the EWI / clarinet ninja with Brasstronaut.

To offer value, the billblog has waited with infinite patience for other reviewers to do their job, for tweeps to tweet and for bits of opinion and reflection from extraneous music lovers to float into the mix. The verdict from the input thus far? It's a crazy-ass success and generously applauded even before it's US release later this month. So this review is solely based on the comments of others. (Well, maybe not "solely", but certainly a strong "mostly".)

Consider these:

NOW Magazine: 4 out of 5 N's "Who knew that jazzy horn solos could fit so well into guitar rock songs?"

Straight.com: 4 out of 5 headphones "One gets the impression that Mount Chimaera was a carefully plotted-out affair, with Brasstronaut shooting for precise objectives. Thrilling audiences was surely on that list, and it’s a directive that the outfit has unquestionably accomplished."

FASHION Magazine: "Laid back trumpet and synth bellows morph into taut and jaunty tunes. But an opposite spin always appears on the next number, turning Mt. Chimaera’s eight songs into a torturously brief album. However loud or quiet these songs can be, just crank the volume and let Mt. Chimaera run its course."

the Sil: 4.5/5 "Thanks to the group’s innovative use of drums, trumpet and clarinet, Mt. Chimaera is essentially an r&b-soul album. Brennan Saul, the group’s drummer, is Brasstronaut’s secret weapon. His drumming is more textured than is often expected from indie-rock drummers—at times giving the songs a timeless, jazz quality that is perfectly accented by the group’s use of clarinet and trumpet lines in place of lead guitar riffs."

There are more reviews to be had on the web, but the point has been made. Non?

And furthermore, the billblogger attended the first live concert of Brasstronaut's lengthy North American tour, discovering that while Brasstonaut's recorded music slays, their live performance vapourizes and leaves one a mere grease-spot and a bit of ash on a chair. I noticed that musicians in the audience were riveted, eyes a tad glazed and some leaning forward. Your odd, yet lovable scribe, didn't even get around to taking photos. It was the first time I had taken in a live Brasstronaut performance.

My buddy, B., put the Mount Chimera into the player in his van, in continuous play whenever he drove. And so on. Just reporting here. Just saying.

My own comment is this: Not only are the musicians of a high-calibre but their sense of ensemble playing is superb and the layering of sounds exquisite.

Why not catch Brasstronaut on tour? If you live in Kamloops, Nelson, Canmore, Lethbridge, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Fargo, Chicago, Windsor or Peterborough you are too late for this tour. However, you are in luck. if you live in Boston, NYC, Brooklyn, London, Guelph, Toronto, Jamestown, South-By-Southwest (Austin), Toronto, Ottawa ... and so on all over the map. Check the tour schedule HERE.

Want the album? Get it from the Brasstronaut Home Page or from iTunes. It's available as a CD and in vinyl in Canada and soon in the USA. Not sure if the distributor has them in your local CD outlet, but do ask.

On twitter: @Brasstronaut.

Keep on having a successful tour guys. Hope you make it to Vancouver Island.

Peace out.