meanwhile, the evil empire is still pushing poison.  great solution to roundup-ready resistant weeds… more of the same, but stronger!  more big bucks for Big Chem.  canada remains their experimental lab…  —nb

bravo!  encore un pays qui montre son intelligence.  netherlands, belgium, spain, canada, south africa, norway, sweden, portugal, iceland, argentina, new zealand, denmark, uruguay…  keep that ball rolling!  —nb

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PARIS — French President Francois Hollande has signed a law authorizing gay marriage and adoption by same-sex couples, after months of nationwide protests and wrenching debate.

His signature means the first gay marriages may be celebrated in France within about 10 days. Hollande’s office said he signed the bill Saturday morning, a day after the Constitutional Council struck down a challenge to the law.

Hollande, a Socialist, had made legalizing gay marriage one of his campaign pledges last year. While polls for years have shown majority support for gay marriage in France, adoption by same-sex couples is more controversial. The bill prompted months of widespread protests, largely by conservative and religious groups. Some were marred by clashes with police. It became a flashpoint for frustrations at the increasingly unpopular Hollande.

but, hey, it was on the richter scale!  —nb

i know the feeling.  —nb

boycott.  —nb

thepeoplesrecord:

An Indonesian court has ruled indigenous people have the right to manage forests where they live, a move which supporters said prevents the government from handing over community-run land to businesses.
May 17, 2013

Disputes between indigenous groups and companies have become increasingly tense in recent years, as soaring global demand for commodities like palm oil has seen plantations encroach on forests. In Thursday’s ruling, Constitutional Court judges said that a 1999 law should be changed so it no longer defines forest that has been inhabited by indigenous groups for generations as “state forest”, according to court documents.

“Indigenous Indonesians have the right to log their forests and cultivate the land for their personal needs, and the needs of their families,” judge Muhammad Alim said as he handed down the ruling, state news agency Antara reported.

While environmentalists welcomed the ruling, they warned it could unintentionally lead to an upsurge in disputes between authorities and communities over the classification of indigenous land. In March, seven villagers were shot in northern Sumatra, where a dispute over a forest claimed by both the community and government has been simmering since 1998.

The National People’s Indigenous Organisation filed the challenge to the 1999 law, which has let officials sell permits allowing palm oil, paper, mining and timber companies to exploit their land. The group said Friday’s ruling affected 40 million hectares (98 million acres) of forest - slightly larger than Japan, and 30 per cent of Indonesia’s forest coverage. Despite their living there, the area was legally classified as “customary forest”, a term that describes forests that have been inhabited by indigenous people for a long time.

“About 40 million indigenous people are now the rightful owners of our customary forests,” said the group’s chief Abdon Nababan.

Stepi Hakim, Indonesia director of the Clinton Climate Initiative, said the ruling would give legal grounds for indigenous communities to challenge businesses operating in their forests, but this could lead to a string of new disputes. “As soon as this policy is delivered, local governments have to be ready to mitigate conflicts,” he said.

Source

so sad that it might get ugly, but so glad that indigenous lands are being recognized in a country with such ecological richness which is being demolished for globalized greed.  —nb

(via qbits)

Robert Fulford
(via propertyofcanada)

i can cope with this analysis.  —nb

(via qbits)

nifty design!  —nb

canadianoftheweek:

Ground Control to Commander Chris Hadfield…

He’s arguably the most awesome and definitely one of the best known astronauts since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon, and now Cmdr. Chris Hadfield has done it again. Today he wraps up his stay on the International Space Station, and marks the occasion by releasing the first music video ever produced in space, a revised take on David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”

It’ll be good to have Hadfield back among us here on Earth, but we’ll certainly miss the way he so conscientiously and entertainingly brought us along for the ride.

Here’s the video:

he got my attention, so he’s worthy!  —nb

(via qbits)

qbits:

dendroica:

(via dispatchesfromdenver, lori-rocks)

i know those muscari!  —nb