Wednesday-Night

See also Inland Waters Biodiversity and The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and the University of Guelph Canada’s Aquatic Environments

Photo of the Coorong and Lower Lakes Ramsar site, around Goolwa.
July 25
Rising demands threaten wetlands
The recent surge in demand for food and biofuel has increased the risks facing the world’s wetlands, warn scientists.
A declaration by 700 […]

June 28, 2008
As drylands get drier and violence grows, new crises resembling Darfur will arise.
Jeffrey Sachs
NEWSWEEK
The world will experience a growing risk of conflicts over food, energy and water in coming years. The population rises each year by about 80 million people, with most of the increase in impoverished regions already facing […]

June 27, 2008
It’s impossible not to be moved by a plea to end someone’s suffering — but the arguments against assisted suicide are ultimately more compelling
Margaret Somerville,The Ottawa Citizen
Moreover, “secular cathedrals” — our parliaments and courts — have replaced our religious ones. That has resulted in the legalization of societal ethical and moral debates, including […]

Exploring Mars
Historic pictures sent from Mars
June 26
Martian soil appears able to support life
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - “Flabbergasted” NASA scientists said on Thursday that Martian soil appeared to contain the requirements to support life, although more work would be needed to prove it.
Scientists working on the Phoenix Mars Lander mission, which has already found ice […]

Ian McAllister photo
By Andrew Findlay
(Georgia Straight Magazine) More and more foreigners are paying top dollar for the opportunity to see a magnificent grizzly in the wild. British Columbia, though, still permits the sport killing of an animal that is highly evocative of what remains of our wilderness and is regarded as a keystone indicator of […]

More on tar sands
26 June
Brilliant move by Greenpeace. Bravo!
Jeffrey Jones, Reuters
(National Post) CALGARY — If it’s sand you crave on your vacation, then Greenpeace might have just the travel idea for you.
But you could have some hefty cleaning bills by the time you get home.
In an increasingly heated debate over the ecological impact of Canadian […]

June 26
As France prepared to take over the rotating presidency of the European Union, the member countries remained in a lather over the rejection of the Lisbon treaty by Irish voters. The Irish prime minister was given until October to come up with a plan for what to do next. Most […]

More on Maxime Bernier

June 27
Bernier, keep daddy out of it
(Globe and Mail) … why on earth was Gilles Bernier, ex-politician and father of judgmentally challenged Maxime, taking the microphone on his son’s behalf? Can his 45-year-old son not defend himself?
June 26
Now it is he-said-she-said which will likely guarantee a continuing readership — and when will […]

More on www.wednesday-night.com with link to photos
Happy Fête nationale to one and all!
This week we are very pleased that Guillaume Lavoie, a seasoned international observer and consultant in government relations has offered to come to Wednesday Night to discuss his recent trip to Iraq, and more particularly, Iraqi Kurdistan.
He “got to […]

June 28
PM values loyalty not democracy
Harper promoted ministers who were unelected, or unelectable
SUSAN RILEY, Canwest News Service
There has been a lot of head-scratching over Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s mini cabinet shuffle this week, but the message it sends seems simple: Some people are just better than others - smarter, better-educated, richer. Who cares if they […]