Filasteen: First Day of Bil’in and Na’alin Closure – Follow It Live!
Sister Sage's Musings: Female Bloggers vs Many Female Columnists
I thought Jane Taber was insipid, particularly when Question Period isn’t playing on the big TV screen. Truth be told, many of these women columnists are a disappointment in this day and age and I have to wonder why they actually get paid to write: Christy Blatchford, Gloria Galloway and now, this Margaret Wente. The latter illustrating what happens when they have absolutely nothing to write about. Like so many, it would even appear her little column on this subject wasn’t researched as it should. According to livejournal.com stats: 63.4% of women are more likely to maintain a blog. Only 36.6% (Thanks Dr. Dawg for... [Read More...]
Matthias in Marburg (Salut Québec :): Ouvrez les frontières!
Je suis en train d'écouter le chanteur militant Tiken Jah Fakoly que j'aime bien. Je vous recommande vraiment son oeuvre qui parle, entre autres, des problèmes politiques et sociaux en Afrique d'une perspective critique et lucide. Voici sa réponse (avec Soprano) aux frontières établies par des hommes, surtout occidentaux, pour controler les vies de tout le monde mais tout d'abord des pauvres: "Ouvrez les frontières"!Pour la liberté de circulation et de séjour pour toutes et tous! Des droits égaux pour chaque personne de notre planète; des papiers pour touTEs ou pour personne!Tiken Jah Fakoly Ft. Soprano / Ouvrez les frontièresHochgeladen... [Read More...]
Climate Justice Links: “G8/G20 People’s Summit in Toronto will call for ‘system change, not more of the same’”
Filasteen: US Dept of Justice asked to regulate AIPAC as a foreign agent
Matthias in Marburg (Salut Québec :): Free SMS Versand geht wieder
Der kostenlose Versand von Kurznachrichten aufs Handy, den mein Blog schon länger in der rechten Blogspalte unten bietet, war ausgefallen. Jetzt läuft der Free SMS Service aber wieder. Viel Spaß bei der Nutzung! Read More →
Dawg's Blawg: Rights and Democracy: widow stonewalled by Cons
The Conservative members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade are none too happy that the widow of former Rights and Democracy President Rémy Beauregard wants to appear before the Committee. Here is her letter, in full:Mr. Allison, President:Members of the Committee:I am writing to you to request to appear before the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development with respect to the Rights & Democracy's hearing. I am presenting this request as the wife of Remy M. Beauregard, President of the organization until his sudden death which happened last January 8th.The three dismissed managers,... [Read More...]
Peace, order and good government, eh?: Monsters
Shorter Jim Abbott: Even if we're complicit in torture we should get off on a technicality. Edited to add: if Atrios ever decided to sue me for back royalties, I'd be in deep trouble. The Monsters title is another favourite of his. It fits. Note: If you're wondering why there appears to be a change in the commenting policy, please see The spammers made me do it. Read More →
Climate Justice Links: “March 16th climate criminal award action”
Dawg's Blawg: “Why are bloggers male?”
...asks Margaret Wente in today's Globe & Mail.My first thought: Kate McMillan won't like that. My second thought: can we expect another post in her tiresome "Not Waiting for the Asteroid" series? If this keeps on, she might actually have a point.Commenter "pipesdreams," in any case, has done all the heavy lifting necessary:If the author had bothered to do any research at all, she would have seen that the statistics from popular blogging communities beg to differ. See: LiveJournal's gender divide http://www.livejournal.com/stats.bml that shows 63% of women more likely to maintain a blog versus 37% of men. But here's Wente, who sounds... [Read More...]
Dawg's Blawg: Release the files
No, those files. Now. Read More →
The Galloping Beaver: Opposition!(?)
This could get interesting.I expect the Cons to come out at any moment and declare parliament treasonous or some such shit. Anything really that might distract or detract from the issue at hand. Read More →
Dawg's Blawg: Torturegate is over with
John Ibbitson: "The detainees issue is dead in the water."On the positive side, all passengers were saved on the Titanic, and President Dewey kept the US out of the Korean War. Read More →
Sister Sage's Musings: Hallelujah! Celebrate Canadian Democracy Day!
It is a day of Great Joy in the hearts of many progressives to-day. Representatives of all three Opposition Parties filed Questions of Priviledge, citing Conservative cabinet ministeras with contempt of Parliament to-day. (March 18th, hereby declared Canadian Democracy Day) Read More →
Dawg's Blawg: Push comes to shove
Shall Parliamentary supremacy be upheld?Three appeals to the Speaker from Derek Lee (L), Jack Harris (NDP) and Claude Bachand (BQ). Should the Speaker rule that the continuing defiance of Parliament by the Conservatives is a breach of Parliamentary privilege, motions will be presented:Turn over the unredacted Afghanistan documents, or be found in contempt of Parliament.Updates to follow.UPDATE: Deets from Kady O'Malley. Read More →
The Galloping Beaver: If things were going well in Afghanistan…
This wouldn't be happening. (Emphasis mine)This refusal to allow reporting of certain combat actions is one of the odd experiences of being at war with the Canadian military and I have complained about it for years, as have others. But the gag order on embedded reporters in Kandahar continues. The excuse the Canadian Forces gives is that Taliban guerrillas might learn from immediate media accounts whether their warheads had hit a target or not, which would allow them to recalibrate. That's a legitimate concern even though most Taliban firing isn't that sophisticated. Rockets are simply hurriedly stuck in the ground at a rough angle and... [Read More...]
Challenging the Commonplace: Per Vote Subsidy
Peace, order and good government, eh?: “We have no reason to believe that the situation has improved”
Afghan detainees still at risk: lawyer Detainees handed over to Afghan authorities by Canadian soldiers still face a substantial risk of torture, a civil rights lawyer has told MPs. Paul Champ, counsel for Amnesty International Canada and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said Wednesday he has seen no evidence to suggest torture in Afghan jails has ended. While the Conservatives stall and the opposition sits on its hands. Why would the representative of Amnesty International Canada have any less credibility on this than government and military officials whose stories have already been undermined and contradicted? Update: According... [Read More...]
Peace, order and good government, eh?: All the news that’s fit to hide
Brian Stewart at the CBC reveals what's being kept from us by the Canadian military in Afghanistan. That includes things that the Americans and the British freely share with their citizens but in the name of operational security our military insists on keeping secret. It makes you wonder why those other countries hate their troops. Stewart concludes: ... secrecy that seems out of proportion to the actual needs of operational security is only likely to feed into the current climate of doubt and suspicion about the war. For when people start feeling they are not getting the full picture, that is when they begin to question the pieces they... [Read More...]
Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Severe Autism Reality Guest Comment from Jersey Guy
The following comment was offered in response to the post Stephanie Lynn Keil on Curing Autism: "I don't have an autistic child but I taught at a school for autistic kids for two years. I find it unbelievable that a parent of a child who head bangs, gnaws his own wrists until they're bloody and who is unable to speak or communicate would not want her child to be normal. I know that normal people suffer, too, but severe autism is a horrible scourge. I'm not talking about Asperger's but severe, incapacitating autism, the kind that makes kids howl in torment for hours at a time. That kind of autism isn't merely a different way of relating to the... [Read More...]
CEP Union: CEP Local 3000 Construction
From the CMAW website. There are a number of interesting items. The dispatcher / Business Agent Angelo Marchetto is a CEP representative. CEP Local 3000cFort McMurray and Northern AlbertaPresident: Yvon CollinDispatcher/Business Agent: Angelo MarchettoCell: 604-219-8912Alberta Organizer: Peter MackeiganCell: 1-780-619-7405From the CEP Western Region WebsiteLOCAL 3000cAlbertaPresident – Jean Pierre Martel1535 Achigan Street, St. Sophie, QC, J5J 2R3Recording Secretary – Yvon CollinTreasurer – Walter ReisP.O. Box 6608, Fort McMurray, AB, T9H 5N41st VP – Mike Kelliher1750 Lynn road, Campbell River, BC, V9W 3V72nd VP – Kevin Lloyd19 Sheriff... [Read More...]
CEP Union: Ownership Still Uncertain at Canwest.
We can always hope that the new owners understand journalism but lets make sure we educated them. Let’s hope new owner gets journalismSo now that we have some idea of who is interested in buying Canwest’s newspapers which one of the bidders should we, the employees, be cheering for?According to news reports “about” six companies or consortiums have submitted expressions of interest in the first stage of the sale process as outlined in the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) proceedings. A committee of secured creditors is supposed to decide by next week which bidders, if any, move onto the second stage of the process.One consortium... [Read More...]
Canadian Cynic: What you won’t read in the news
Turns out our military isn't being 100% straight about what's happening in Afghanistan.Which is worse: a policy that allows the military to obscure from the people it serves what is actually going on, or a media group that willingly joins in with the scheme?Openness. Accountability. Bullshit. Read More →
Creekside: Inside the new recalibrated Afghan committee
Back in 2007 the Cons claimed that all the Geneva Conventions do not apply in Afghanistan because we are not officially at war with Afghanistan. Yesterday in the Afghan parliamentary committee, Con MP Jim Abbott attempted to resuscitate that position..Appearing as a witness before the committee, Paul Champ, human rights lawyer for Amnesty International and the BC Civil Liberties Association, advised that the UK suspended detainee transfers in June 2009.If the Brits still think the risk of torture is too great, he asked, why does Canada think it's safe, particularly in light of the 2009 report from the US State Dept dated March 11 2010 regarding... [Read More...]
Canadian Cynic: Paging Captain Canada Stephen Taylor! Captain Canada to the useless douchebag phone, please!
Yo, Stephen! Now that your delightful wanker conference is over and you've returned to your gig at the Manning Centre for The Frantic Fluffing of Other Wankers, a question if I might, regarding the following:At first the Conservatives, who voted against the motion, said they considered it "non-binding" and indicated they would continue to send out the 10-percenters.I'm curious, Stephen ... given your alleged expertise with Canadian democracy and stuff like that, perhaps you could explain the curious consequences of a minority government deciding that it simply isn't going to abide by the will of Parliament. Really, I'm pretty sure that has some... [Read More...]
The Cylinder: “Good Muslim, bad Muslim”
Canadian Cynic: They were for 10 percenters, before they were against them.
Um ... what?The fight over mail-outs from MPs known as "10-percenters" heated up on Parliament Hill Wednesday, as the Conservatives chose to ignore a vote to ban the flyers -- only to have the PMO later endorse the principle behind the initiative.At which point Stephen Harper hung Con MP Steven Fletcher out to dry, then bit the head off a live kitten. Or something.JESUS, BUT STEVEN FLETCHER IS A DISHONEST DOUCHEBAG. I'm getting seriously tired of these asinine refutations that deliberately misrepresent someone's point of view. Here's Fletcher:"On the issue of the ten percenters, I do not know what the party opposite has against freedom of speech."Fuck... [Read More...]
Molly'sBlog: Molly’sBlog 2010-03-18 02:02:00
LOCAL NEWS/CANADIAN LABOUR- WINNIPEG:SOLIDARITY PICKET FOR CNIB WORKERS TOMORROW, MARCH 18:WWWWWWWWWWW The following is from Local 832 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. WWWWWWWWWWW Solidarity Rally being held in front of CNIB Thursday March 18.Clients who rely on CNIB services want to be heard. A Solidarity Rally will be held in front of the CNIB Office at 1080 Portage Avenue from 2:30 to 4:30p.m. The press conference for the media will be at 3:00pm and UFCW Local 832 President Robert Ziegler will be speaking along with MFL President Kevin Rebeck, CNIB staff who are currently locked out and Eric Mackinder President of the... [Read More...]
Broadsides: Women’s Work
Sister Sage's Musings: Happy St-Paddy’s Day–From Sister Sage’s Musings
Funny how I always consider the Sunday when the St-Paddy’s day parade is held here in Montreal. Yes, I spent the afternoon getting soaked. However, today is the official day, so I shall play a couple of oldies here. Balbulican over at Stageleft has commemorated the occasion with some good ol’ Irish music, some recipes, some folklore, some memories. There isn’t that much for me to add. I can’t drink beer due to health reasons, so JJ and Balbulican will have to take that beer for me. My contribution will be a few of my favourite tunes from “The Dubliners”, a group my mom introduced me to a... [Read More...]
