David Goutor: NDP needs to get Europe right (in The Toronto Star)

"The experience in much of Europe shows that social democratic policies can actually work."

Full article: NDP needs to get Europe right.

David Goutor is an assistant professor in the School of Labour Studies at McMaster University.

Hugh Graham: West stumbling in Afghanistan’s Heart of Darkness (in The Toronto Star)

Full article: West stumbling in Afghanistan’s Heart of Darkness.

This is worth reading. There is an old joke about the little old lady asking a soldier: "I understand why you have to toughen them up for war, but how are you going to soften them up afterwards?"

Joe Fiorito: Casinos? Here’s a better idea (in the Toronto Star)

Full article: Toronto News: Casinos? Here’s a better idea, writes city columnist Joe Fiorito.

A really good idea for replacing casinos and lotteries - probably won't happen, though!

Gwynne Dyer: China’s impending financial crash (in Straight.com)

Full article: Gwynne Dyer: China’s impending financial crash.

Tim Harper: Northern Gateway, Keystone clogged, the tar sands look east (in The Toronto Star)

Full article: Canada News: Tim Harper: Northern Gateway, Keystone clogged, the tar sands look east.

In case the headline is not clear, that's east within Canada... the (Far) East is west of us...

Gillian Steward: Canada advances into brave new world of synthetic biology (in The Toronto Star)

"[Peter Facchini, a Canada Research Chair in Plant Metabolic Processes Biotechnology], who was born and raised in Toronto and completed his PhD at U of T, first made a name for himself a few years ago when his team of researchers identified the genes that program cells and enzymes in the opium poppy to synthesize codeine, morphine and a variety of other pharmaceutically important alkaloids.

"The opium poppy is the only source for these vitally important pain relievers. But it has earned a bad name for itself since morphine is also used to make heroin.

"As it stands now, poppies must be sown and harvested so the codeine and morphine can be extracted. Some are grown for legal purposes in countries like Australia and France. But elsewhere, as in Afghanistan, they are cultivated to supply the illegal drug market; fields in that war-torn country produce five to six times the volume of the legal trade.

"Facchini’s research actually makes it possible to produce codeine and morphine in factory-like settings that could be easily regulated, contained and protected."

Full article: Canada advances into brave new world of synthetic biology.

Who's Counting? Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies and Global Economics by Terre Nash - NFB

Who's Counting? Marilyn Waring on Sex, Lies and Global Economics by Terre Nash - NFB.

In this feature-length documentary, Marilyn Waring demystifies the language of economics by defining it as a value system in which all goods and activities are related only to their monetary value. As a result, unpaid work (usually performed by women) is unrecognized while activities that may be environmentally and socially detrimental are deemed productive. Waring maps out an alternative vision based on the idea of time as the new currency.

If Washington Can't Fix It, Can We Do It Ourselves? (on AlterNet)

Sara Robinson of AlterNet interviews Alan Durning, the guiding force behind Seattle’s influential Sightline Institute:

If Washington Can't Fix It, Can We Do It Ourselves?.

Go: The game to beat all games (in The Economist)

Full article: Go: The game to beat all games | The Economist.

Fascinating article on the history, past and present, of the centuries-old game of Go - at least 2,500 years old!

In 2014, corn biofuel is out, wood biofuel is in (Grist)

"If cellulosic ethanol can succeed commercially, though, ethanol could come from the corn stalks of the corn that American farmers are already growing to turn into high fructose corn syrup, for instance. It’s not perfect, but if the country’s going to pursue ethanol, this is the best way to do it."

Full article: In 2014, corn biofuel is out, wood biofuel is in.

Thomas Walkom: Toronto’s last-ditch attempt to soften Canada-EU free trade deal (in The Toronto Star)

"At issue is the proposed Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, a pet project of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"Like most modern trade agreements, this proposal is less about freeing trade and more about limiting the ability of governments to regulate global business.

"But unlike Canada’s original free trade pacts with the United States, the Canada-European deal requires immediate buy-in from the provinces. ...

"Usually, provinces get a pass when free trade is under discussion. This time, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty deserves to have his feet put to the fire."

Full article: Canada News: Walkom: Toronto’s last-ditch attempt to soften Canada-EU free trade deal.

Why Obama Is Wrong About Natural Gas (Jeff Goodell in Rolling Stone)

"... rather than being a "bridge fuel" to the future, as many natural gas boosters like to call it, natural gas may turn out to be, as climate blogger Joe Romm puts it, a 'bridge fuel to nowhere.' Obama, of course, is never going to say that. But a little less wide-eyed boosterism would be welcome."

Full article: Why Obama Is Wrong About Natural Gas.

A prehistoric worm, with a primitive backbone, is Canada’s contribution to the human family tree (in The Toronto Star)

A prehistoric worm, with a primitive backbone, is Canada’s contribution to the human family tree.

One of the marvelous Burgess Shale fossils looks like it has moved into the main stream after all!

Martin Regg Cohn: Why Ontario won’t apologize to Alberta over the tarsands — sorry, oilsands (in The Toronto Star)

"... it hurts when Alberta’s exports drive up our double-edged petrodollar and price our exports out of the market. ... My polite (if impolitic) answer, at the end of a scrum, merely pointed out that our manufacturing heartland has paid a heavy price in lost jobs. Heard of Caterpillar? ...

"When your bitumen belches carbon into the atmosphere, remember that Ontario is rapidly closing all its coal-burning power plants to reduce our pan-Canadian footprint for greenhouse gases. I don’t hear you thanking us for that. ...

"When you feel our pain, we’ll celebrate your gain."

Full article: Canada News: Cohn: Why Ontario won’t apologize to Alberta over the tarsands — sorry, oilsands.

Great letter (even if imaginary) from the Premier of Ontario to the Premier of Alberta.

Death of backyard rinks linked to climate change (in The Toronto Star)

Death of backyard rinks linked to climate change.

Finally, a global warming issue that may actually mean something to Prime Minister Harper.