“Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction.”

March has some exciting and interesting markers to take note of – there's a New and Full Moon eclipse. In other words, it's a turnaround month for everyone.

The question is, what are you going to do with all the power that's in the sky? 

As well, there are two equinoxes every year. These are when the Sun shines directly at the equator, which means the length of day and night is equal. The Vernal (spring) Equinox occurred earlier this week when the Sun enters Aries.

Our year has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Our spring is from the Vernal Equinox (March 20) until the summer solstice (June 20), which is the beginning of Cancer. To mark the end of summer, the Autumnal Equinox occurs on Sept. 22 when the Sun enters Libra. Then autumn lasts until the winter solstice, which is Dec. 21, when the Sun enters Capricorn.

This is why Aries and Libra are opposite signs; and Cancer and Capricorn are opposite signs; and the four of them in a circle are like 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock.

The first eclipse in March was a New Moon that came on March 9. It was in the sign of Pisces, which is relating to fears. So are you meant to get scared around the time of the eclipse? Of course not!

Rather, it was a time just either side of March 9 to think about what you're really scared of and – as if not more importantly – about where that fear or those fears came from.

In many cases, the answer will be that your fears came from something that happened to you in the past, possibly your childhood? Possibly a parent made you feel not good enough in some way or perhaps you let an ex run riot over your feelings? Either way, this is the month to acknowledge and sweep these fears away.

The second eclipse is a Full Moon eclipse and takes place on March 23. This is a sure sign from the heavens that it is your life that is in focus.

This is not any old full moon but a lunar eclipse.The lunar eclipse may only be partial and observable across Asia, Australia, North and South America, but it comes at a time when the cosmos is heaving, so to speak.

In a previous article I talked about a great wave of change and its literal manifestation is in the way of serious flooding, looking towards southern USA and you will see major flooding going on. Even here water from the lake sits at my driveways edge. But also in its more important sense is of inspiring major events on the national and international stage.

Six months ago, on 28 September, a lunar eclipse on the same Libra-Aries axis became the signature on Russia’s intervention in Syria, so this is one of many situations which is now at a turning point.

And if you yourself can think back to that same time period and associate it with a certain turn of events, you too can expect to arrive at a crossroads now or in the near future.

March has been full of important cosmic developments, but none as significant as the lunar eclipse which takes place today.

This eclipse mirrors one that occurred in late September so these two time periods are connected. Maybe you reached the end of a long journey six months ago and a sense of closure was experienced or perhaps something unexpected happened that sparked a chain of events.

We will find that we want to be more in touch with our feelings and sensitivity, not less. Our emotions are our guide to a better life, not the ego-mind. But these must be our deeply felt authentic emotions, not reactions we borrow from a popular group-mind or a substitute rationalization used as avoidance and denial.

Analysis over dogma, healing over division, wholeness over alienation. Deep changes now will abide and be a strong influence.

Nothing at the moment is happening by chance : 

the universal wheels of karma were set in motion a while ago.

Easter is early this year, which has again inspired a heated discussion as to whether or not there should be a fixed date for this Christian festival. The reason why the date changes from year to year is the moon. Easter falls on the Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, which occurs on and around 21st March each year. That first full moon occurs this week.

We should remember that planetary alignments such as these are rare and the recurrence of such a collection is even more rare. Time is a continuum and like a spiral it circles and circles but moves forward at the same time.

Therefore we are never at any one place for long, nor do we ever return, despite the cyclical nature of time and planets. Planets will return to certain degrees within the zodiac over the course of time, but never in the combination presented today.

Eclipses may be seen as indicating times when our intentions and decisions carry more weight.They indicate turns in the path for our individual lives, and our planet as a whole

The thing to remember about eclipses is - a solar eclipse holds a vial of secrecy, leaving a haze to things you cannot see. Which is the opposite of a lunar eclipse that raises the vial, for all can see.

Here in Canada that might be in now seeing the newly elected Liberals (last pair of eclipses) and their 1st. Federal Budget, (this months eclipses).

As Will Rogers put it “Chaotic action is preferable to orderly inaction.”

Seven Nanaimo city councillors express 

non-confidence in mayor

 by  Staff Writer - Nanaimo News Bulletin
posted Mar 15, 2016 at 11:00 AM

Seven Nanaimo city councillors have signed a letter of non-confidence in the mayor, Coun. Bill Yoachim revealed last night.

At Monday's meeting, Nanaimo city council fielded questions and concerns from the public tied to alleged workplace bullying.

Yoachim, who said publicly there has been bullying, also said seven politicians have signed a letter telling the mayor they have non-confidence in him.

“Seven of us have signed and signed the same document so it’s not just Gord Fuller,” he said. “Because seven of us want to get work done and communicate and be professional and let the city go where we got to go.

“Seven of us aren’t going to sit back and get stalled in nonsense.”

He can’t wait until the “full truth” comes out and is open to signing an affidavit to what he has witnessed.

Coun. Wendy Pratt urged the public to trust council that it is doing the best thing to move the city forward.

“There isn’t one person at this table that wants to harm our city, harm our citizens, not represent you properly, we are here because we were elected to do just that. We were elected to govern this city and to move it forward,” she said. “We are working very closely with our new CAO to make that happen and you have to trust us that, that's what we’re doing.”

Nanaimo Mayor Bill McKay said in the course of the question-and-answer period that he’s seen bullying and said “perhaps we should seek out a third-party investigator.”

He also said he would be more than willing to undergo a Work Safe B.C. investigation

When a resident asked if he would resign as mayor of Nanaimo, he said: “No I will not, sir.”

More to come.

Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition
  
If you're only going to watch one thing on this subject, watch this.

Scientifically Flawed: Pacific Northwest LNG
"Scientifically Flawed: Pacific Northwest LNG". Still not sure about Lelu Island and LNG? Here it is fully explained. If you're only going to watch one thing on this subject, watch this.
Posted by Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition on Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Up Goes Your Hydro Bill ...Again!

BC Hydro - CEO Jessica McDonald applied to the B.C. Utilities Commission to hike the rate for the next fiscal year to the tune of a four per cent increase, April 1st. Why? Because they say they need more time to update their forecasts in light of recent events in the mining and LNG sectors.

 No April fools joke here.

B.C. Utilities Commission "that would mean an extra four dollars a month for the average residential customer."

BC Hydro`s plan is to make a three-year rate application using ``government mandated rate caps`` of four per cent this year, 3.5 per cent next year and three per cent in the following year.

Why? Because BC Hydro says "it expects to continue to see an overall increase in demand for the next couple of decades."

Or, perhaps it is BCH who needs cash now to pay those banker loans, particularly the loan of 300 million dollars plus they had to borrow recently to give to the BC Liberals to balance their books?

To seek out the greater truth within BC Hydro s media statement, it seems my request for an interview has gone unanswered. It sorta makes sense with the cat and mouse tactics Ted Olynyk, BC Hydro Communications Officer for Vancouver Island has played since our last conversation at a local Star Bucks.

The one and only question I had for Ted was to show us how it is so that they (BCH) expect to continually see an overall increase in demand for the next couple of decades? Being that BC Hydro is only supposed to build capacity to serve BC only customers.

In asking economist Erik Anderson this same question, Anderson`s response was "I find it hard to answer without swearing." "That since 2005 there has not been an increase in the recorded sales to "Domestic", BC only customers." "In fact, a recent peak in BCH sales amounted to 300 GWhrs, more than the average across the last 10 years."

Anderson went on to say, "In those 10 years, sales to large industrial customers has been decreasing because commodity prices have collapsed." "This reality has recently been highlighted by a Minister Bennett decision to give mining companies, who are facing insolvency if not already in it, a payment holiday, or deferment for their operating electricity bills."

"If you recall in 2013 BC Hydro gave California 5,300 GWhrs" Anderson says "or about 10% of the total BC Domestic annual consumption." "That means that somewhere in their generation assets and private power contracts they had this amount that was surplus to our Domestic needs."

I too recall that Enron shell game back-firing, it was later ordered by US courts, leaving BC Hydro Rate Payers on the hook for tens of millions of dollars in fines.

Anderson continues, "That tells us that BC Hydro has control of generation capacity of about 140% of the amount they expect to get from building Site C."

Its starting to make sense that for about the last 15 years BC Hydro has regularly built domestic demand "forecasts" that called for electricity sales to be 70,000 GWhrs per year.

Which is an amount in excess of 40% greater than is being actually recorded.

"These so called forecasts have in essence been un-true, as seen by several over the past 10 years." Anderson explains, "They should be dubbed, worse than fiction." "The demand forecasts by BC Hydro were only ever meant to serve the end purpose of more construction in BC."

So even with a zero change in provincial demand for more than 10 years BC Hydro official debt has increased by 160% or more like 400% if you include the IPP contracts that are in effect, but not counted as official debt.

With these financial obligations now assumed to all BC Citizens it seems clear to be asking the question to BC Hydro Board Members, and BC Provincial Gov Leaders - Does Site C Dam have a greater purpose, being that its`cost is now approaching 9 Billion dollars?

With LNG export in the toilet, BC Liberals using the courts to bully protesters off Site C land, (who in fact represent most to all BC rate payers,) along with an even greater court battle with First Nations ahead, And this week a National Carbon Tax push by PM Justin Trudeau, Christy Clarke's most recent attempt is to sell Site C electricity to Alberta, all for the purpose of assisting our neighbour province in getting off their dirty electrical production.

As for your hydro bill increase April 1st ...

It really is no joke as Economist, Erik Anderson points out "A 4% increase is a politically determined amount." "BC Hydro is really in need of far more revenue right at this very time as its volume of sales to customers is slipping."

"Several hundred million owing from the mining industry is one of the best pieces of validating evidence."

With the Liberal Cabinet desperate to have folks working at jobs prior to the 2017 election, which explains why the subsidy by BC Hydro, and indirectly, to all BC Hydro customers who will eventually have to pay this bill through higher rates.

Had prompt me to ask ...what might be a more accurate increase to debt ratio for which BC Hydro has occurred to date?

Anderson closes by saying, "If BC Hydro were to set rates to just break even, we would now be paying at least 30% more." " Add in Site C and the paying down of $6 billion of unpaid amounts yet to be collected, sitting in the "Regulatory assets accounts," and you could add another 25% on top of the 30%."

Is it just me, or does it feel like you too have been duped, particularly as it is all unfolding on April Fools Days? It seems this is one hard red pill to swallow.

February 29th, 2016 is a Leap Day. 

This extra day is inserted to our annual calendar every fourth year.  The reason this is necessary is to keep our calendar in line with the four seasons.

The way I recall this, is that a full circle around our sun requires 365 days plus 6 hours. In four sequential years using our 'Gregorian calendar,' we have an additional 24 hours, throwing the calendar off by one day. If that were continued, the first day of spring would eventually become May 1st and beyond.

What I have learnt since is the seasons remain the same regardless of how we identify time. Though in an agricultural world to keep 'man-made time' in parallel to the sequence of the seasons, it seems fitting every four years to add one day.

If you are one to look out there into the vastness of the Big Sky.

And vision all those cold, empty, barren planets out there. It should make each, humbly appreciate the potential piece of  paradise the universe has given us.

Often daily choices we make are based upon what we believe to be true, but in all honesty can in fact be assumptions. The truth is that even though we have some amazing technologies, we really know very little about our little old planet, Earth. And 'our' place in the universe.

Throughout all of time until about 1500 AD, mankind believed that the Earth was at the center of the universe. And that the Sun and Planets all rotated around the earth. But around 1500AD a scientist named Nicolaus Copernicus (Pisces) presented a theory that the earth actually rotated around the Sun.

And as time went on, most scientists started accepting this theory as being a fact. But the truth in the room is that it was never actually proven to be true. In fact, to this day ...science is still unable to prove whether the Sun rotates around the Earth or the Earth rotates around the Sun.

Imagine if you were a scientist comfortable in your middle age, and were to find out that all the data you presented to the world was in fact wrong. What would you do? Would you stand on the top of a mountain and shout it out to the world, or would you choose to go along with the skeet and hope nobody noticed it until you were safely "retired"?

When asked, even Albert "don't touch my hair" Einstein said he wasn't really sure if his theories were correct because they were based on other theories.

Don't get me wrong ...I do not know one way or another if the Sun rotates around the Earth or the Earth around the Sun. That is not the point. What I am suggesting is that as we go through our lives at this current time, this planet energy is asking each one of us to question what we assume to be facts.

Could science and politics be leading us in the wrong direction? 

Could it be that ancient civilizations had known more about the true nature of the universe than we do today? The reason for saying this is, throughout history, its seems always to have a handful of leaders that are hell-bent on leading the masses to war and conflicts in an endless pursuit of power and control.

Right this moment there are over 300 wars going on this planet. The fact of this matter is we should have Lot's of questions, but few do. Even when presented with a truth, it seems denied by a majority who choose to hold tight to a paradox-ed theory, or ... divine intervention itself.

Getting past the illusions and getting ourselves back to the real heart of the matter. Of doing what we do with excellence for no other reason than because we can and because we choose to do so. This is about realizing, or remembering that each of us are really just "cells" in a larger overall body. We all have our own special talents and abilities that are meant to be shared with each other so we All grow and prosper.

Back to the leap day theory ...

And for those of us old enough to remember Li’l Abner cartoons are aware that on February 29th is the one day every four years that a woman can officially propose to a man. The reason behind this tradition probably dates back to Victorian times, although Irish legend locates it in the fifth century with a deal struck between Brigid of Kildare and St Patrick.

Since February 29th was a date with no legal standing, conventions could be overridden with a clear conscience. Although if the man declined his lady’s proposal he had to buy her twelve pairs of gloves to cover the embarrassment of her lack of an engagement ring.

At the end of the day, February 29th 2016 essentially is a free day on the books. Perhaps giving each of us this free time to question what we assume to be fact.

Fish Testing Positive for Cocaine & Anti-Depressants

Fish found in Washington’s Puget Sound are tripping on Cocaine, Prozac, Advil, Benadryl, and Lipitor.

Unfortunately, there is no aquatic drug dealer responsible for it. Instead, the intoxication is the result of tainted discharge water.

Pharmaceutical pollution could be to blame for the many drugs showing up in the tissues of juvenile Chinook salmon. Estuary waters near the sewage treatment plants were found to contain a cocktail of up to 81 different drugs, according to a new study out of the National Oceanie and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

There are several plausible theories about the Puget Sound’s high concentration of drug-infused water. Jim Meador, an environmental toxicologist at the NOAA's Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, published a study that offered two options.

One possibility is that people in the areas around the Puget Sound use more of the detected drugs. However, it is also likely that the problem lies with the treatment of waste water.

 “The concentrations in effluent [waste water] were higher than we expected,” Meador said in the Seattle Times, “We analyzed samples for 150 compounds and we had 61 percent of them detected in effluent. So we know these are going into the estuaries.”

 The connection between the chemicals found in the water and fish was determined after the same substances were found in both juvenile Chinook and staghorn sculpin. The two species have different life cycles, with the sculpin staying in the same body of water while the Chinook migrate from the Sound to the sea and back again. For both species to be exposed to the same chemicals suggests a shared habitat was affected.

Salmon are an indicator species, meaning that they act as a warning system for environmental problems due to their sensitivity to changes in their living conditions.

 Drugs that humans take can get into the water in a few different ways. The most obvious way is that when a person discontinues using a drug, they may flush the leftover supply down the toilet, with the effluent not properly filtered by sewage treatment plants. On other occasions, when a human takes a pill, their body may not absorb all of the drug and will eliminate the remaining amount in urine which then (ideally) will be flushed down the toilet.

Human drugs leeching into the rivers are causing problems for fish. In the heavily polluted portions of the Potomac River near Washington DC, intersex fish have been found. Scientists believe this is the result of estrogen from birth control and menopausal medication finding its way into the water.

It gets worse for fish exposed to anti-anxiety drugs. In a study from the Scientific American, perch that were placed in clean water were less aggressive than fish that had been exposed to benzodiazepines – calming drugs, such as Valium or Xanax.

In addition, the fish that were exposed to benzodiazepines explored more dangerous areas, ate faster, and put themselves in riskier situations.

Although brave fish may not sound like a problem, the change in their behavior could spell bad news for their ecosystem. For example, while increased eating speed sounds harmless, if perch eat more zooplankton at a faster rate, then there is less zooplankton to eat algae. This, in turn, causes algae blooms. In addition, more fearless fish will expose themselves to more predators, which could then impact the perch population.

The EPA is attacking this problem by adding various pharmaceuticals to a watch list of potentially harmful contaminants that warrant investigation. The World Health Organization is also calling on water treatment plants to seek methods to improve wastewater treatment so as to remove drugs and contaminants from their main source of entry: effluent water.

For those anxious about the effects of their anxiety medication, scientists have some advice to reduce the pharmaceutical footprint at home, the most obvious of which is to not flush unused pills down the toilet or pour them down the drain. Instead, locate a community based drug take-back program.

More and more local governments have been encouraging drug take-back days since a federal law went into effect in 2010. For more information, speak to a local pharmacist.

 © Carlos Garcia Rawlins / Reuters

 Feb. 22, 1919
State Funeral of the Late Right Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier

    

Canada is Free. And Freedom is its Nationality.

 Sir Wilfrid Laurier