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Occupy Wall Street: A new avenue for hope and change
Occupy Wall Street: A new avenue for hope and change

Lately we’ve all been hearing a lot about Occupy Wall Street (or Occupy Oakland, DC, San Francisco, and many places in between). Many are calling it the Tea Party of the Left, with its focus on unemployment, corporate greed and crony capitalism. I just call it opportunity.

I recently spoke to my father about Occupy Wall Street. He’s not particularly political, and is a retired teacher and farmer living in a conservative part of rural…

No turkey for Thanksgiving this year?
No turkey for Thanksgiving this year?

As you sit down for Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family this year, imagine looking across the table and not seeing a turkey. It may be hard to fathom, but it is a reality too many Americans face this year.

New Keystone XL documents raise fresh concerns about State Department
New Keystone XL documents raise fresh concerns about State Department

Despite conclusive evidence that the State Department has overseen a corrupt Keystone XL tar sands pipeline review process, the Obama administration indicated last Thursday (November 10) that the department will remain in charge of the new environmental review of the proposed pipeline.

Watch The Story of Broke and take action to end polluter subsidies
Watch The Story of Broke and take action to end polluter subsidies

Friends of the Earth is proud to team up with Annie Leonard, creator of the hit video The Story of Stuff, on her latest project -- The Story of Broke. This new video describes the myriad ways in which our government subsidizes big polluters and other destructive industries and then tells us that we’re broke.

As Annie illustrates, the truth is we're not broke. If we shift government spending away from the "dinosaur economy"…

Momentum to stop Keystone XL surges as thousands circle the White House
Momentum to stop Keystone XL surges as thousands circle the White House

12,000 strong. That's how many people showed up Sunday, November 6 -- exactly one year before Election Day 2012 -- to link arms around the White House in a circle of hope (three rings deep!) and urge President Obama to stop the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline. As the sun set over Lafayette Park, President Obama's motorcade was met with a deafening chorus of “Yes you can stop the pipeline.”

Last day of the tour
Last day of the tour

Friday, October 28, 2011

Whew! After four-plus days of non-stop action here in Atlantic Canada, our tour is starting to slow down. We just had our last meeting this morning with the local government, and we have the rest of the day off to relax and discover Newfoundland!

I wanted to take this time to thank all of you who have been reading the blog and ask you to check back next week…

St. John’s and food sovereignty
St. John’s and food sovereignty

 

The past four days touring Atlantic Canada have been a whirlwind!

Tonight we hosted our fourth and last public forum in St. John’s. This city is the birthplace of AquaBounty’s genetically engineered salmon, as it was a professor at a local university who first invented the technology. We had more than 80 people in attendance, and the audience was really active during the Q&A time.

One concern that has come up every night…

Halifax and a potential ban on genetically modified salmon
Halifax and a potential ban on genetically modified salmon

Day three on the road, and things aren’t slowing down one bit! Yesterday we received news that the official opposition party here, the New Democratic Party, introduced a motion in the Canadian Parliament that would ban the introduction of genetically engineered salmon into the Canadian food supply.

The motion, introduced by Fin Donnelly, reads:

Fredericton and the Canadian media
Fredericton and the Canadian media

Day two on the genetically engineered salmon tour, and things are coming along well. We drove four hours this morning from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, to Fredericton, New Brunswick. Most of the day was spent in the car, but we also had a number of interviews with local press and got to meet our hosts from the Conservation Council of New Brunswick and the Fundy Bay Keepers, two of our allies in Canada.

The first day of the fishy business tour
The first day of the fishy business tour

Late last night, I finally arrived in Charlottetown, on Prince Edward Island, to kick off my genetically engineered salmon tour of Atlantic Canada. It was already dark when my plane landed so I couldn’t see just how beautiful the island is. Thankfully, though, I had a chance to take in the scenery today, as I drove with my fellow tourmates from Charlottetown a little more than an hour to Bay Fortune, where the AquaBounty facility…