The beautiful image you see is not photoshopped. It is a photo of the heirloom "Glass Gem" maize variety recently rescued by seedsperson Greg Schoen and carefully stewarded by the Seeds Trust. When I saw this photo, I was overwhelmed. This, I thought, is a glimpse into the world we have denied ourselves because of how we choose to live. This is a picture of what kind of world we could live in if we only willed it.

At some point today, Whistler village council will receive a proposal for a private post-secondary institution to be built near 2010's old Olympic Village. The for-profit Whistler U would accept 1500 students and include a private high school on the premises.

Cynics who think that the chances of receiving a decent education in the Disneyfied aesthetic of B.C.'s most churlish resort town are slim will scarcely be reassured by the way project leader Doug Player described his motivations for the project.

In a province already embroiled in an acrimonious battle with its teachers union, The University of British Columbia is facing strike votes from two of its three collective bargaining units, with the third feeling more and more marginalized by the BC government and its employers. Meanwhile, the highest paid employees at the University have been allotted wage increases, merit pay and performance bonuses totalling $9-million.

The last blog entry on Blind Man with a Pistol contained unpublished research that was not my own and material from private meetings made public without the consent

A common trope has emerged on radio talk shows, online media and the daily papers as Occupy Vancouver struggles against an increasingly hostile city hall, opportunistic electoral candidates and the justice system: the movement has alienated itself from the majority of Vancouverites even though that majority claims to support the stated goals of the global occupation. For anyone who has visited the art gallery lawns and is familiar with the struggles and demands voiced by the occupiers, this accusation should be infuriating.