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Contributors: Robert Alstead, Steve Anderson, Alan Cassels, Adrien Dilon, Carolyn Herriot, Vesanto Melina, Faisal Moola, Geoff Olson, Howard Pattinson, Gwen Randall-Young, Joseph Roberts, David Suzuki, Eckhart Tolle, Cameron Ward
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Cover photo: Geoff Olson Design: PeopleInk
Health Spirit Ecology Justice Creativity GET THE BIG PICTURE
And then there was The mystery that dazzles Geoff Olson LIGHT
What really counts in healthcare Alan Cassels
Stand up for your rights Cameron Ward
Grizzly bear know-how
And then there was light ................................................ 6 Geoff Olson
Counting what “counts” in healthcare ...................... 12 Alan Cassels
Getting along with grizzlies ......................................... 15 Howard Pattinson
Fight for your civil rights .............................................. 20 Cameron Ward
IN EVERY ISSUE
CULTURE In defence of the CRTC ................................................. 30 INDEPENDENT MEDIA Steve Anderson
The low down on Get Low ........................................... 31 FILMS WORTH WATCHING Robert Alstead
Summer peace WRITING ON THE WALL by Joseph Roberts
ONE THING I want is a world without nuclear weapons. So does Lucy Walker whose film Countdown to Zero opened in Toronto this month. Countdown to Zero is a major documentary film produced by Participant Media and Lawrence Bender, Academy Award-winning producers of An Inconvenient Truth. The Global Zero movement, launched in December 2008, now includes over 200 political, military, business, faith and civic leaders plus hundreds of thousands of citizens working towards the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide. Check it out at globalzero.org
Given that the USA possesses the majority of atomic bombs, America can lead the way by ridding the world of thousands of their own atomic bombs. My suggestion: start with the obsolete, rusting nukes and then get rid of the more precious modern ones. According to the World Court in The Hague, even the mere possession of atomic weapons is a crime against humanity. One reason is that nuclear weapons do not discriminate between civilians and military; we are all cremated equally.
Back in 1982, when I dreamed up Vancouver’s first Walk for Peace, we didn’t have computers (or even an event permit), but we managed to create Canada’s largest anti-nuke peace event with 35,000 people in attendance. That number grew to 100,000 by 1984. Back then, cameras used film so, unfortunately, there is little on the web to show that such a wonderful event ever happened. Let’s change that. If you have an inspiring photograph or a written piece, we invite you to share your favourite memories from those first three Walks for Peace. Send it to editor@commonground.ca or mail it with a SASE to Common Ground, Lets Talk Peace,
ENVIRONMENT Climate change deniers deluded ................................ 22 SCIENCE MATTERS David Suzuki with Faisal Moola
HEALTH Food and compassion ..................................................... 9 NUTRISPEAK Vesanto Melina
ORGANICS Seed savvy ...................................................................... 14 ON THE GARDEN PATH Carolyn Herriot
SPIRITUALITY Happily ever after .......................................................... 16 UNIVERSE WITHIN Gwen Randall-Young
The nature of “I” ............................................................ 17 A NEW EARTH Eckhart Tolle
NEWSBYTES ................................................................... 10 RESOURCE DIRECTORY ................................................ 23 DATEBOOK ...................................................................... 32 CLASSIFIED ..................................................................... 33 ON TRACK ZODIAC Adrien Dilon ................................. 34
#204 - 4381 Fraser Street, Vancouver BC, V5V 4G4.
We need more of this kind of creativity because the human race wants to survive. Either you are with the human race or the arms race so choose very wisely. Get active now or radioactive later.
Brazil wins
A massive online campaign by the Avaaz community in Brazil has just won a stunning victory against corruption. The “clean record” law was a bold proposal that banned any politician, convicted of a crime of corruption or money laundering, from running for office. With nearly 25 percent of the Congress under investigation for corruption, most said it would never pass. But after Avaaz launched the largest online campaign in Brazilian history, helping to build a petition of over two million signatures, 500,000 online actions and tens of thousands of phone calls, the people won.
Avaaz members fought corrupt congressmen daily as they tried every trick in the book to kill, delay, amend and weaken the bill. Avaaz still won the day every time. The bill passed Congress and more than 330 candidates for office already face disqualification.
Silvia, one Brazilian member, wrote to us when the law was passed, saying, “I have never been as proud of the Brazilian people as I am today! Congratulations to all that have signed. Today, I feel like an actual citizen with political power.”
The Avaaz strategy in Brazil was simple: make a solution so popular and visible that it can’t be opposed and be so vigilant that we can’t be ignored. This victory shows what our community can do, at a national level, cont’d page 29…
