“Just Say No” to prescription drugs DRUG BUST by Alan Cassels Follow doctor’s orders. Make sure you fill your prescriptions. Don’t stop taking your drugs without consulting your doctor. Those sentiments form the heart of medical advice and we’re all expected to follow orders, right? After all, it’s your health that’s at...

  I’m hopeful; I’m hoping that, in fact, the people will rise up against the smart meters because the issue is so much like the HST. It’s the government imposing – imposing something on the people that hasn’t been sufficiently looked into and that the people are upset about and they are spending a billion dollars without any...

Nov 1, 2011

by Brigette DePape     On June 3, in an unprecedented protest, Brigette DePape, a Parliamentary Page, silently held up a sign during the throne speech of the Government of Canada in the Senate that read “Stop Harper!” She was quickly removed. This article represents a shortened version of the talk she gave at theThinking Beyond the Ballot...

Oct 31, 2011

INDEPENDENT MEDIA by Steve Anderson The other day I decided to visit the site of “Occupy Vancouver.” I found a network of service tents scattered among open spaces, filled with people engaging in what seemed like unending conversations about politics, democracy and the future. An ethos of sharing and collaborating pervaded the space and people...

Oct 31, 2011

NUTRISPEAK by Vesanto Melina In the September issue of Common Ground, I reviewed research related to acid-base balance and diet. To summarize, meats, dairy products and grains are acid forming, which means that after these foods are digested and metabolized, they influence body fluids to be acidic. This is due to the particular mix of amino acids and...

Oct 31, 2011

ON THE GARDEN PATH by Carolyn Herriot Around the world, tens of thousands of people are taking to the streets asking for a better reason to get out of bed in the morning. People are finding their voice because so many things need to change. It’s hard to know where to start, but for me it starts with hunger. When I know that money-hungry traders, having a...

Oct 31, 2011

UNIVERSE WITHIN by Gwen Randall-Young Are we the masters of our own fate or is there a destiny unfolding for us? We often hear ourselves and others pondering what we are supposed to be doing in this lifetime. What is our path, what is our purpose? Some just seem to know while others can spend a lifetime trying to figure it out. Then there are those who...

Oct 31, 2011

FILMS WORTH WATCHING by Robert Alstead Often, when watching a feature film, the shaping hand of the director is barely noticeable. There’s a certain sameness, particularly with Hollywood stuff, in the tone and treatment of the subject, which itself is often a rehashed or plagiarized storyline. The movie could have been made by any number of directors....

Oct 31, 2011

  Organic Food Bar Organic Food Bar started the RAW organic movement back in 1997 and launched the very first RAW organic bar in a wrapper. Today, they still lead the industry by making their bars fresh daily in their own GMP-certified facility, which is also organic and kosher-certified and solar powered. They also use FSC-certified paper for their...