Where Did All the Trees Go?

On a recent day trip to Manning Park in the interior of Beautiful British Columbia, our family was very saddened to discover that the picnic area at Lightning Lake has had all its trees, specifically the lodgepole pines, removed. We imagine this has to do with the pine beetle infestation the area is suffering under.
Although I guess this is really the only viable solution at this point, it really hit home a couple of things:

1. Global warming is having a definite local effect as the winters aren't getting cold enough to kill off the pests
2. Inaction eventually has its consequences

When will we learn that ignoring a serious problem too long leads to even greater problems later on. If some simple strategies had been applied to control the outbreak 10 years ago, would my son have been able to grow up to see Manning Park the way I had seen it?

Oh well, I guess the forestry companies and provincial government are now making money by harvesting the dead and dying trees. It is so reassuring to know we only act when there's a profit motive...

Crises in Lebanon

Super Squirrel is full of squirrelly fury at the situation between Israel and Lebanon right now. Granted, Hizbollah is firing rockets into their country, but as far as I am concerned, Israel's is not a "measured response" no matter what Prime Minister Steve says. Of course, Israel should have a right to defend itself, but does that justify the massive, continuous bombardment of a non-combatant country and the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians?
They say Hizbollah is a terrorist organization that must be uprooted. But what happens when the uprooting creates a brand new crop of young terrorists? Won't that simply continue the cycle of violence?

Sometimes it amazes me that the citizens of Israel, many of whom fled horrific violence and terror in the first half of the 20th century, so easily respond with the imposition of violence (and indeed terror) on their mid-east neighbors. Whatever happened to "never again"?! Isn't all war really terrorism?