Robert Pim Butchart, a pioneer in the thriving North American cement industry, was attracted from Owen Sound, Ontario to Canada’s West Coast by rich limestone deposits. In 1904, he developed a quarry and built a cement plant at Tod Inlet (on Vancouver Island) to satisfy Portland cement demand from San Francisco to Victoria. Jennie Butchart […]

Almost all insects are harmless to humans, and most bugs actually contribute positively to the environment we inhabit, but there is a pervasive bug-aversion in our culture. There are any number of reasons why an individual may feel threatened by insects, and certainly fear is particular to each person, but overall, our aversion is a […]

I waited as Momma locked the front door of her one-bedroom condominium. She blew air kisses goodbye to her neighbor Gladys and bent down to nuzzle Milo, the community tabby cat.   “Let’s go, Momma! Gotta hit the 10 before rush hour.”  I grabbed her Samsonite. It barely weighed anything.  “Did you pack enough stuff?” I […]

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has compiled a list of items and activities that the agency has deemed as having the potential to cause cancer. Though many items in the more dangerous classifications are not regularly encountered by the average human, such as radioiodines, which are released during atomic […]

Urban farming may seem like a quaint throwback to simpler times or a charming nod to pastoral life, as city-dwelling hipsters in soiled overalls and wide-brimmed hats claw at the succulent store-bought soil that nurtures the heirloom tomato plants in their backyard. But urban farming is more than just a saccharine hobby for city-dwellers looking […]