When algae first emerged from the oceans some 480 million years ago to become plants, they had no roots, so they established a symbiotic relationship with fungi, which were essentially nothing but roots. The fungi had the capability of extracting critical moisture and minerals from the ground, while the algae could photosynthesize sugars from sunlight, so the two organisms established a mutually beneficial partnership. This is a subject that has been explored by Dr. Suzanne Simard in her seminal book, Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest. Rupert Sheldrake has explored the mysterious world of fungi even further in his remarkable book, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds. And George Monbiot has added further dimensions to this fascinating subject in Regenesis, in which he examines the complexity of life systems in soils. Chapter 1, “What Lies Beneath”, is particularly illuminating.
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Thinking the World – The Quadra Project
We talk a lot about thinking, but rarely think about what thinking really is. René Descartes, a 17th century French philosopher, thought he had brought the subject to a close with his conclusion that, “I think, therefore I am.” But his position was countered by the 18th century French philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who contended that,“I feel, therefore I am.” But all this speculation was centuries ago, without either having access to the wealth of neurological and cognitive evidence available in the 21st century.
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New book offers an easy-to-read primer on Indigenous Rights
By Regan Treewater, Alberta Native News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
(ANNews) – “This book is not intended for lawyers,” begins author Bruce McIvor in his new book Indigenous Rights in One Minute: What You Need to Know to Talk Reconciliation. “It’s meant for non-lawyers interested in Canada’s commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, and how to make it a reality” (10).
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The Quadra Project: Globalization – Part 1
Peter Zeihan, in his 2022 book, The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization, offers an insightful and credible explanation for the globalization process that affects us all, and is becoming increasingly relevant because of global economic, political and environmental factors. Although his book might exaggerate the importance of America, his ideas deserve our attention because they provide a framework for illuminating other related subjects.
At the end of World War II, in 1945, the world was in a political and economic mess. Although Germany and Japan had been defeated, most of the rest of the world had been heavily damaged by the conflict. In the East, an imperial Japan was in ruin, as was China after the Japanese invasion of its northern territories. In Europe, Germany, too, was in ruin. Great Britain, Italy, France, Russia and their many adjacent countries had been heavily damaged.
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Public Launch in Campbell River of Homalco First Nation’s Graphic Novel
Xwémalhkwh Hero Stories, was publicly launched at a reception at the Museum at Campbell River on February 27, 2025. Homalco’s Community Launch was held in November, 2024, at the Discovery Inn. Xwémalhkwh Hero Stories is the latest outcome of a journey of rediscovery and preservation of Xwémalhkwh history, culture, language, and traditions that began in the early 1990’s with recordings of the stories of the elders.
At the gathering on February 27, the Project Manager and Editor of the Graphic Novel, Tchadas Leo, explained how the novel came into being as an outgrowth of Homalco’s radio station, The Raven, 100.7 FM’s podcast series, that used a portion from the recordings of the Elders to produce 12 episodes entitled, Remember – Recordings of the Elders Explored, available on Spotify. The gathering was treated to segment of one of the recordings with the voices of Elders speaking their language and translation. This introduction provided the context for the graphic novel which tells three traditional stories.
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