A People’s History of American Empire by Howard Zinn

Canada must withdraw from ‘inhumane’ war: Taliban spokesman

A Taliban spokesman is urging Canadians to pressure their government to pull its troops out of war-torn Afghanistan.

In an interview with CBC News, Qari Yousef Ahmadi said Canadians are involved in the war only because the United States influenced them to join.

“I ask the Canadian people to ask their government to stop their destructive and inhumane mission and withdraw your troops,” said Ahmadi, speaking on his cellphone from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan.

“Our war will continue as long as your occupation forces are in our land.”

Ahmadi, considered by Western media outlets to be a legitimate representative of the Taliban central council, said the Taliban will continue to fight occupation forces until they are driven out of the country, just as the Afghan mujahedeen resistance continued to fight Russian troops until they withdrew in the 1980s.

Ahmadi said if the public knew the truth about the Afghan war, they would be horrified.

He said NATO countries are hiding the true number of casualties they’ve had since the mission began in 2001.

Killing more civilians

He also argued that while NATO accuses the Taliban of killing more civilians than soldiers with their suicide bombing, the United States is killing even more civilians when it bombs villages and towns.

“I invite you to contact these people in the villages; you can find out for yourself,” he said.

Independent Canadian military analyst Sunil Ram said some of Ahmadi’s points are not completely off base. Ram said independent studies show that the American military has underestimated the number of U.S. soldiers killed and wounded.

Ram said Canada’s tally of dead soldiers is accurate — a total of 85 soldiers have been killed since Canada first sent troops to Afghanistan in February, 2002.

But Ram noted that the number of wounded has never been made clear.

He also agrees that the U.S. has done widespread bombings during the mission.

“The Americans will come in and flatten a village,” he said. “It’s standard tactic.”

Eradication of poppies ’secondary’

Ahmadi also touched on the Afghan drug trade in his interview with CBC News, denying the allegations that the Taliban are funded by profits from poppy crops and the heroin trade.

He said that while the Taliban are against the drug trade, because they are Islamic, the organization is not focused on eradicating Afghanistan’s numerous poppy fields.

“Our priority is to expel the foreign soldiers who have invaded our countries,” he said. “At the moment, eradication of the poppies is a secondary issue.”

A Talking Books panel gets into an intense debate on Human Smoke, Nicholson Baker’s new book about WW II

People often refer to the Allied response in WW II when talking about “just” wars. American author Nicholson Baker sees things in a very different light, arguing that the world would have done better to pay heed to mid-century pacifists.

In Human Smoke: The Beginnings of World War II, the End of Civilization (Simon & Schuster), Baker takes direct aim at the assumption that the British and Americans acted without self-interest in countering Hitler’s aggression.

To create his unconventional history, Baker drew on articles, speeches, memoirs, letters and other historical documents of the time, culminating in the moment that the U.S. entered the war. He uses this “collage” of sources to bolster his claims that Roosevelt and Churchill were bigoted warmongers, compelled more by arms sales than by the desire to stop Hitler.

Best known as a novelist, Baker also focuses on the efforts of pacifists of the time, from the famous Gandhi to the lesser-known, including American Jeanette Rankin. The first woman elected to the American House of Representatives, she voted against declaring war on Germany, saying “I want to stand by my country. But I cannot vote for war. I vote no.” Later, she added, “I felt that the first time the first woman had a chance to say no to war, she should say it.”

Baker’s controversial re-examination of this pivotal time has sparked many strong reactions, including a heated debate in a recent episode of CBC Radio’s Talking Books.

Panelists Tom Jokinen, Antanas Sileika and Lynne Van Luven disagree about the quality of the writing in Human Smoke, as well as the validity of Baker’s interpretations. Find out why one panelist gets a stomachache just looking at this book, while another thinks it’s beautifully researched.

Listen to host Ian Brown and his guests talk about Human Smoke here:

http://www.cbc.ca/wordsatlarge/blog/2008/06/a_talking_books_panel_gets_int_1.html

Tory attack on carbon tax is dishonest: economist

A prominent resource economist has pronounced himself disgusted with “dishonest” Conservative attack ads on a Liberal carbon tax proposal that’s yet to be unveiled.

“The Conservatives — and I say this with great sadness because I don’t care which political party is in power — but if we’re going to do anything about climate change, we’re going to have to be honest with people,” Marc Jaccard of Simon Fraser University told CTV.ca on Tuesday.

“This is just totally dishonest.”

On the weekend, the Tories previewed ads aimed at the proposed carbon tax, painting it as Liberal Leader Stephane Dion’s “tax on everything.”

The ads are to start running Tuesday.

Jaccard, a co-author of the recent book Hot Air, said the Conservatives’ own policy on reducing greenhouse gas emissions won’t work because it doesn’t put a price on carbon for consumers.

“Their policy is to regulate industry and then have these offset loopholes where industry can subsidize consumers. But those are the types of policies that have never worked in the past,” he said.

The Conservatives have said their plan will cut Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent below 2006 levels by 2020. But many environmental groups join Jaccard in saying the plan won’t work.

If it did work, the Conservative plan wouldn’t see Canada’s Kyoto Protocol target — to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent below 1990 levels by 2012 — achieved until 2025.

The Liberals are said to be proposing putting a tax on carbon. While the policy has yet to be released, the Grits have said it will be “tax shifting” and “revenue-neutral,” meaning that any revenue collected would be given back in the form of income or other tax cuts.

In the House of Commons’ question period on Monday, junior minister Jason Kenney accused the Liberals of engaging in a massive tax grab to pay for billions in unbudgeted election promises.

Dion said the ads are “misleading and a lie.”

Honest dialogue

“I’m not a fan of Stephane Dion, but when you get a politician out there that’s trying to start an honest dialogue and say to people, ‘you know what? We won’t get our emissions down if there isn’t a price on them and that’s just the truth’,” Jaccard said.

“And to see politicians saying, ‘Maybe I can stay in power’ or gain more power, or maybe a majority government, by distorting this” disgusted him, he said.

“Every one of those ads should say, ‘Oh and by the way, your income taxes are going down if (the Liberals) do put in that tax,’ but it’s not there.”

The Liberals say their plan, unlike the Conservative one, offers offsetting tax cuts.

Dion has said the plan won’t drive up prices at the gas pump, where high oil prices have driven gasoline prices up to record levels.

Some of the Tory ads were to run at gas pumps in Toronto and other parts of southern Ontario.

But Fuelcast, the company that operates the pump-side advertising network, said Monday it won’t run the ads.

The Conservatives have said they have a binding contract with Fuelcast, but if the company doesn’t honour the deal, they will up their radio buy instead.

Net neutrality bill hits House of Commons

This issue is certainly of grave importance; we must be wary of any legislation that threatens to regulate the internet….. kudos for the NDP for attempting to introduce legislation that would keep the internet more ‘free’. Interesting how this story doesn’t generate much discussion on mainstream media…

From CBC.CA May 28

The NDP has followed through with its promise to introduce legislation to the House of Commons that seeks to keep the internet open and free from control by service providers.

“This bill is about fairness to consumers,” said Charlie Angus, the NDP’s digital spokesman, in the House of Commons on Wednesday. “The internet is a critical piece of infrastructure not just for Canada but for the world … this bill protects the innovation agenda of Canada.”

The private member’s bill, C-552, is in reaction to moves by some of Canada’s largest internet service providers (ISPs), including Bell Canada Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc., to limit their customers’ uses of the internet. Bell, Rogers and a few others say a small percentage of customers have been congesting their networks by using peer-to-peer applications such as BitTorrent, so they have slowed the internet down at peak times of the day.

The ISPs’ actions have provoked outrage from internet users, with about 300 protesters taking to the steps of Parliament Hill on Tuesday. Critics have said the targeting of peer-to-peer applications is just the tip of the iceberg. If ISPs are allowed to decide which internet applications can and can’t be used, innovative new companies that were born from experimentation — such as Google, Amazon and eBay — may not happen in the future.

Manley concerned Afghan panel recommendations not being met

The chair of the panel that examined Canada’s mission in Afghanistan told CBC News in an exclusive interview that he is concerned the federal government may not be acting on key recommendations more than four months after his report was tabled.

In its final report presented in January, the panel headed by former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley criticized Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government for being too close-mouthed in its communications strategy for the Afghan mission.

The panel also said the effectiveness of Canada’s military and civilian activities in Afghanistan and the progress of Afghan security and government must be tracked.

But in an interview with the CBC senior correspondent Brian Stewart that aired Thursday, Manley said the Canadian government has not helped public understanding of the mission or of the many complex issues surrounding it.

“It certainly concerns me if we are not getting the information out to Canadians,” said Manley, who, along with the other members of the panel, visited Afghanistan for 10 days in November.

“The Canadian focus is less and less on what the troops are doing, what we should be doing and in fact, whether our report is being implemented.”

In March, the Conservatives, with support from the Liberals, passed a motion that would keep Canadian soldiers in Kandahar until 2011.

The motion was contingent on two recommendations of the Manley report: that NATO allies provide 1,000 extra troops to help the Canadian effort and that Ottawa secure access to unmanned surveillance drones and large helicopters to transport Canadian troops around the region.

But details of the Afghan mission are still subject to tight information control by the Prime Minister’s Office, while key departments, such as Foreign Affairs and the Canadian International Development Agency, remain media averse.

During his interview, Manley said the concerns raised by the panel surrounding what the government reveals about the mission are serious enough to threaten the mission’s overall success.

“Our report included a large assessment of how things were going, and it was not a glowing assessment,” Manley said. “In fact, I think we were pretty clear that if things didn’t change, the whole effort in Afghanistan was in real peril of being lost.”

The five-member panel also said Canada must place greater emphasis on diplomacy and reconstruction, and the Canadian military focus must shift gradually from combat to training Afghan national security forces.

Government working on ’signposts of progress’

A special cabinet subcommittee has been set up to co-ordinate Canada’s efforts, as recommended by the Manley report.

Senior government officials insist the cabinet is very focused on Afghanistan, while sources say task forces within Foreign Affairs and CIDA are working to unveil a series of “signposts of progress” on the mission, perhaps as soon as mid-June, the CBC’s Stewart said.

But Roland Paris, associate professor at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for International Policy Studies, told CBC News that despite the urgent need for more information on the Afghan mission, there has been “no significant change” in the level of transparency or detailed reporting from the Canadian government.

“What we’ve been lacking is a very specific set of goals and clear benchmarks that we can use to evaluate whether or not we are making progress toward these goals,” Paris told CBC News.

He added there is “much more detailed, much more unvarnished reporting” on the mission in Iraq than the mission in Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda said the government would increase the number of briefings it offers reporters on the Afghan mission in an attempt to be more open about what is happening there.

“Our goal is to better inform Canadians about Canada’s activities on the ground,” she told reporters at a press conference in February.

But Oda also suggested the media was at fault for government’s difficulty in communicating the Canadian mission’s good news stories.

Japan allows military use of space

CBC News
Reversing a nearly 40-year-old ban, Japan’s parliament voted on Wednesday to allow the nation’s space programs to be used for national defence.

The country’ upper house of parliament approved the legislation with a 221 to 14 vote, seconding an earlier approval by the lower house and lifting a ban on the military use of space in place since 1969.

The law gives Japan’s military greater freedom to develop advanced spy satellites for intelligence and allows the country to pursue a joint missile defence shield with the United States.

The law requires that space programs be used for defence only and that they “contribute to establish a safe society, remove various threats to life of the people and ensure peace and safety of international society, as well as the national security of our country.”

Under the new measure, Japan’s defence minister will join a special task force responsible for overseeing Japan’s future space projects.

Japan is prohibited from offensive war by its U.S.-drafted 1947 constitution. But the country has begun to relax its controls on the military, upgrading the Defence Agency to ministry status last year.

Its space program has also been historically focused on peaceful endeavours such as research and communications. Japan launched its first satellite in 1970 and has achieved several major scientific coups in space, including launching a probe that collected samples from an asteroid.

But starting with the launch of its first spy satellite in 2003, Japan has been increasing its presence in space, partly in response to a perceived nuclear threat from Communist North Korea.

It has since launched three other intelligence-gathering satellites.

Bush highlights bond between U.S. and Israel in speech

America’s support for Israel and its right to self-defence is unshakeable, U.S. President George W. Bush told the Mideast country’s parliament on Thursday.
Addressing the Knesset in Jerusalem as part of Israel’s 60th anniversary celebrations, Bush condemned anti-Semitism and anyone who questioned the Jewish state’s right to exist, as well as those “who quietly excuse them.”

“We believe that free people should strive and sacrifice for peace. So we applaud the courageous choices Israeli leaders have made.

“We also believe that nations have a right to defend themselves and that no nation should ever be forced to negotiate with killers pledged to its destruction,” Bush said to powerful applause.

He said the war on terror is an ancient ideological battle between good and evil, citing opponents such as Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Bush reaffirmed his uncompromising position on negotiating with “terrorists and radicals,” drawing comparisons between the present and the beginning of the Second World War.

“As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared, ‘Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided,’” Bush said, referring to comments by Idaho Senator William Borah, a Republican.

“We have an obligation to call this what it is — the false comfort of appeasement which has been repeatedly discredited by history.”

He said that while Israel’s population may be just over seven million, “When you confront terror and evil, you are 307 million strong because the United States of America stands with you.”
Last-ditch effort to promote peace

Bush’s five-day Mideast journey, which includes visits to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, is part of his ongoing effort to drive Mideast peace talks forward as he approaches the end of his tenure.

Although he made no mention of the peace negotiations in his speech, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told Reuters the president remained “hopeful” a deal could be struck by the time he leaves office in early 2009.
Bush’s repeated and unequivocal declarations of support for Israel on Thursday, however, could serve to further undermine his reputation as a peace broker to Palestinians, who received only passing mention in the president’s address, the CBC’s Peter Armstrong reported from Jerusalem.

With the speech coming as the two groups try to advance peace talks, “the Palestinians are going to be quick to point out that [Bush] had a lot of support for the Israelis, unflagging support, and not even a mention of them and their struggle,” Armstrong said.

As Israelis continued their anniversary celebrations, Palestinians held events across the Palestinian territories on Thursday to commemorate what they call “nakba,” which is Arabic for catastrophe.

“Primarily at the heart of the nakba is the question of 60 years of dispossession and of loss, they say, and frustration — they still don’t have that second state that was supposed to emerge in 1948,” Armstrong said, referring to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who either fled or were driven out of their homes during the 1948 war over Israel’s creation.

In Bethlehem, Palestinian gatherers released 2000 black helium balloons, each containing a small message pledging their commitment to the struggle to return to their homes. In the West Bank city of Ramallah, thousands stood in silence in downtown Manara Square as a siren wailed, and then listened to a taped speech by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Meanwhile, three Arab legislators were ushered out of the Knesset chamber when they held up a sign that read “We shall overcome” during Bush’s speech.

The American president also took the opportunity Thursday to oppose Iran’s nuclear ambitions, saying in his speech it would be an “unforgivable betrayal for future generations” to allow it to possess some of the world’s deadliest weapons.

PM’s plan will increase troops, update equipment

This war-mongering excuse for a Canadian P.M. has got to go….

Harper unveiled the plan at an armoury in Halifax on Monday, alongside Defence Minister Peter MacKay.

“As the name implies the first priority of our Canada First Defence Strategy is to strengthen our ability to defend our country and protect our citizens,” Harper said.

“The bottom line is that we will substantially strengthen the Canadian Forces, we will gradually increase the number of regular troops and reservists and provide them with more and better equipment to make them as effective and safe as possible.”

Spending on the military will increase to $30 billion over the next 20 years, Harper said.

Part of that money will go to a strategy to recruit greater numbers of regular and reserve force troops — including efforts such as a new television ad campaign currently running.

MacKay said the federal government’s military shopping list includes search-and-rescue planes, combat helicopters and new fighter aircraft to replace Canada’s CF-18 fighters.

In addition, Harper said, the plan will enhance the Canadian Forces’ ability to carry-out surveillance and security in the north and will improve Canada’s ability to contribute to global security and meet its commitments on continental security.

Canada is fortunate in many ways to have a defence alliance with the United Stated that has been nurtured for decades by governments both Conservative and Liberal,” Harper said.

“This relationship however, only works if it is governed by mutual respect, and the way to earn that respect is to ensure Canada shoulders its fair share of the burden of defencing North America.

The prime minister also said the plan will create thousands of jobs for Canadians, thereby providing a boost to the economy.

Sean Penn speaks at Coachella Valley Festival, urges youth action

INDI, Calif. – Sean Penn spoke at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Sunday, urging the young crowd to involve themselves politically.

The Oscar-winning actor, a late addition to the music festival, joking referred to his out-of-place billing among the 125-plus performers.

Wearing a T-shirt and jeans and smoking a cigarette while he sat on a stool, Penn said he unfortunately couldn’t perform his “a cappella Celine Dion cover act” since he had “compromised his upper register.”

Instead, Penn urged festival-goers to join him on his “Dirty Hands Caravan,” a biodiesel cross-country bus trip he plans to launch Monday, arriving in New Orleans on May 4. The purpose of the trip, which he hopes 300 will join, is to encourage young people to be more politically and environmentally involved.

“The government can’t do it,” Penn said. “They can’t save this thing.”

Penn said that while younger generations were smarter and more technologically savvy than any before it, they were separating themselves through technology.

He also criticized the war in Iraq.

“For the 3,000 people we lost on 9/11, we’ve lost 4,000 in this war, and that’s just American soldiers,” Penn said.

“And why did we let it happen?” he added. “It’s simple: We let it happen.”

The “most powerful third party is you and me,” Penn said.

Penn was one of the few participants to discuss politics at the Southern California festival, where dancing and music were far more prevalent.

Robotic vigilante hits street as homemade ‘Bum Bot’ patrols in Atlanta

Greg Bluestein, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA – Cars passing O’Terrill’s pub screech to a halt at the sight of a 136 kilogram, waist-high robot marked “SECURITY” rolling through downtown long after dark.
The regulars hardly glance outside. They’ve seen bar owner Rufus Terrill’s invention on patrol before – its bright red lights and even brighter spot light blazing, infrared video camera filming and water cannon at the ready in the spinning turret on top.

“You’re trespassing. That’s private property,” Terrill scolds an older man through the robot’s loudspeaker. The man is sitting at the edge of the driveway to a child care centre down the street. “Go on.”

The man’s hands go up and he shuffles into the shadows. Almost immediately, a group of men behind him scatters too.

The Bum Bot’s reputation, it seems, has preceded it.

The electronic vigilante – on the beat since September – has enraged neighbourhood activists, who have threatened protests. Street people say it’s intimidating. And homeless advocates question the intentions of its inventor, who uses the Bum Bot as a marketing tool and a political prop.

Stop The Clash of Civilizations

letters to editor!!

Please help us out by sending as many letters to different papers/media outlets as possible. Here’s some sample templates to help you out so we can send as many letters to the editors as possible and show that there is much support in our communities for this cause. See links at bottom of this post for quick access to editors. If you can, send one to your MP.

Peace and Love (and thanks!!)

D-F(ng)s

Dear editor,

The situation for many residing in the downtown Eastside is very visibly dire. The complaint sent to the United Nations makes a very strong case that Canada is violating fundamental human rights with regards to housing in the downtown eastside, and I hope that through ‘embarrassment’ and ‘shame’ the government will finally take affirmative action to improve the lives of our society’s most vulnerable, There’s no place like home…. In a country as prosperous as Canada, there’s no place for homelessness.

Dear editor,

As much as I support the Tibetans and the ongoing struggle for human right protections in China, it would be hypocritical of me to ignore the human rights violations taking place in our own back yard. The government can and should do more to ensure that adequate social housing is available to all Canadians, regardless of one’s socio-economic situation. As homelessness in our city increases, the situation is much more than embarrassing, it is tragic, and our government should feel ashamed of their inadequate ‘solutions’ to this issue.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/feedback/

The Province:

provletters@png.canwest.com or call 604-605-2029
(To permit speedy verification, and confirmation that the text received is uncorrupted, please provide your full name and full postal address including hometown, and a daytime telephone number.)

metro: vancouverletters@metronews.ca

Official Downtown Eastside United Nations complaint webpage

If you’d like to learn more about the Downtown Eastside issue, check out the link to the official web page that provides details of the ‘No Place Like Home’ complaint that will be sent to the United Nations today. You can view the actual complaint in PDF format from the website.

http://www.noplacelikehomevancouver.org

Make Zimbabwe’s votes count

Zimbabwe is on a knife’s edge between democracy and chaos. Results still have not been released from the 29 March elections–and each day, more signals emerge that Mugabe will resort to violence and fraud to hold on to power.

Mugabe is unlikely to listen to the world’s outcry–but he might listen to his old friend and powerful neighbour Thabo Mbeki, president of South Africa. Click below to add your name to a petition calling for the results to be released, verified, and peacefully honored, and we will do all we can to deliver it to Mbeki–through diplomatic channels, over the radio, and in a public event when Mbeki travels to New York for a United Nations meeting next week.

The more of us sign the petition, the powerful the message that South Africa’s reputation as a world leader is on the line. Click here to add your name, and then forward this email to friends and family:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/democracy_for_zimbabwe/7.php?cl=72162151

South African president Thabo Mbeki said on Monday that “it’s time to wait” on Zimbabwe. But the more time passes, the greater the danger grows that the will of Zimbabwe’s people will be ignored. Avaaz launched this petition earlier in the week to its African members, and thousands signed on; now, we need people around the world to add their voices in solidarity and take the pressure to the next level.

In a crisis like this, a petition is just a small step–but it’s something all of us can do, to raise our voices and call for what’s right. And as history shows, international solidarity can be a powerful thing.

With hope,

Ben, Graziela, Ricken, Galit, Paul, Iain, Pascal, Milena, and Esra’a–the Avaaz.org team

PS: Here’s what to expect this week:

• On Saturday, leaders of the Southern Africa Development Community will gather in Lusaka, Zambia to discuss the crisis. We’re working to buy radio time to reach these regional leaders with Avaaz members’ global message.
• On Monday, the Zimbabwe high court has promised to decide whether to release of the voting results. But a lawyer for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said Wednesday that it would be “dangerous” if the court did order the release, raising fears of violence.
• South Africa is chairing the United Nations Security Council this month, and Mbeki will be joined by other world leaders for a special meeting in New York on Wednesday. Expect Zimbabwe to be high on the agenda.

Grains Gone Wild

By PAUL KRUGMAN

Published: April 7, 2008 “New York Times”

These days you hear a lot about the world financial crisis. But there’s another world crisis under way — and it’s hurting a lot more people.

 I’m talking about the food crisis. Over the past few years the prices of wheat, corn, rice and other basic foodstuffs have doubled or tripled, with much of the increase taking place just in the last few months. High food prices dismay even relatively well-off Americans — but they’re truly devastating in poor countries, where food often accounts for more than half a family’s spending.

There have already been food riots around the world. Food-supplying countries, from Ukraine to Argentina, have been limiting exports in an attempt to protect domestic consumers, leading to angry protests from farmers — and making things even worse in countries that need to import food.

How did this happen? The answer is a combination of long-term trends, bad luck — and bad policy.

Let’s start with the things that aren’t anyone’s fault.

First, there’s the march of the meat-eating Chinese — that is, the growing number of people in emerging economies who are, for the first time, rich enough to start eating like Westerners. Since it takes about 700 calories’ worth of animal feed to produce a 100-calorie piece of beef, this change in diet increases the overall demand for grains.

Second, there’s the price of oil. Modern farming is highly energy-intensive: a lot of B.T.U.’s go into producing fertilizer, running tractors and, not least, transporting farm products to consumers. With oil persistently above $100 per barrel, energy costs have become a major factor driving up agricultural costs.

High oil prices, by the way, also have a lot to do with the growth of China and other emerging economies. Directly and indirectly, these rising economic powers are competing with the rest of us for scarce resources, including oil and farmland, driving up prices for raw materials of all sorts.

Third, there has been a run of bad weather in key growing areas. In particular, Australia, normally the world’s second-largest wheat exporter, has been suffering from an epic drought.

O.K., I said that these factors behind the food crisis aren’t anyone’s fault, but that’s not quite true. The rise of China and other emerging economies is the main force driving oil prices, but the invasion of Iraq — which proponents promised would lead to cheap oil — has also reduced oil supplies below what they would have been otherwise.

Climbers scale Golden Gate Bridge to protest Olympic torch run

Three people protesting China’s human rights record and the impending arrival of the Olympic torch climbed the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Monday and tied a Tibetan flag and two banners to its cables.
(Paul Sakuma/Associated Press)

Three pro-Tibet protesters climbed the suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday to protest the coming arrival of the Beijing Olympics torch relay in San Francisco.

The protesters, tethered together on the suspension cables halfway up the bridge, unfurled two giant banners reading “One World, One Dream” and “Free Tibet ‘O8″ — a play on the official slogan of the Beijing Games. One of the climbers also displayed a Tibetan flag.

The climbers spent about three hours suspended more than 25 metres above traffic before descending around 1:15 p.m. PT to be taken into police custody, the CBC’s Chris Brown reported from the city.

The climbers are all American citizens and supporters of Students for a Free Tibet, said Tsering Lama, a spokeswoman for the activist group.

Four other members, including a Canadian student who attends the University of British Columbia, were arrested at the site, Lama told CBC News.

All seven face charges related to trespassing, conspiracy and causing a public nuisance, CNN reported.

The torch is due to arrive Wednesday in San Francisco, its only North American stop on a tour that has been marked by protests against China’s policies toward Tibet and Sudan.

The highly visible protest has forced San Francisco officials to make some changes to the torch procession, and police said they were taking “extraordinary precautions,” the CBC’s Brown said.

“All in all, it’s going to be a very sizable police presence,” he said.

Last leg of Olympic torch run cancelled in Paris

Meanwhile Monday, the last segment of the Olympic torch run through Paris was cancelled after thousands of anti-China protesters repeatedly prompted officials to stop the procession, extinguish the flame and put the torch aboard a bus.

Despite beefed-up security, the relay had to be suspended at least five times as demonstrators threatened the torch. A vehicle carried the Olympic flame for the last part of the route but a runner was allowed to carry the torch for the final five metres into a sports stadium in the south of Paris.

At least 28 people were arrested during the relay as thousands of people including demonstrators lined the torch’s route through the city streets.

The protesters, tethered together on the suspension cables halfway up the bridge, unfurled two giant banners reading “One World, One Dream” and “Free Tibet ‘O8″ — a play on the official slogan of the Beijing Games. One of the climbers also displayed a Tibetan flag.

The climbers spent about three hours suspended more than 25 metres above traffic before descending around 1:15 p.m. PT to be taken into police custody, the CBC’s Chris Brown reported from the city.

The climbers are all American citizens and supporters of Students for a Free Tibet, said Tsering Lama, a spokeswoman for the activist group.

Four other members, including a Canadian student who attends the University of British Columbia, were arrested at the site, Lama told CBC News.

All seven face charges related to trespassing, conspiracy and causing a public nuisance, CNN reported.

The torch is due to arrive Wednesday in San Francisco, its only North American stop on a tour that has been marked by protests against China’s policies toward Tibet and Sudan.

The highly visible protest has forced San Francisco officials to make some changes to the torch procession, and police said they were taking “extraordinary precautions,” the CBC’s Brown said.

“All in all, it’s going to be a very sizable police presence,” he said.

Downtown eastside information/links/blogs

Here’s a link to the blog  which covers a variety of issues in the dtes and elsewhere. It’s the one which was instrumental in the barring of homeless man and Carnegie director, William Simpson. There’s a posting on a CCAP rally on February 29th, and you may have to scroll around a bit to get other homeless posts.
http://www.downtowneastsideenquirer.blogspot.com 

This one is for the Sun article on William Simpson.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=9a0f844c-28d3-4b54-912a-130079fe3f80&p=2

I was at a little gathering today at the old Storyeum in Gastown which shut down in November ‘06 and has been empty since. There are some proposals coming in from the community for a new use for the space, one of which is a fitness facility. The group today is trying to promote it’s use as a homeless shelter, community centre and support services. It’s headed by a woman and Carnegie member named Audrey Laferriere. She has a petition going with about 3000 signatures but is not well-supported, especially by CCAP, who have a different perspective. Her site is:

http://storyeum.googlepages.com/

Another activist slightly outside the mainstream (she is against the present head of DERA, and I think she may be at odds with David Eby as well), but a really nice person, well-spoken, passionate and knowledgeable about the history of the dtes. I met her today in person at the “rally”. This is her blog: www.downtowneastside.blogspot.com

Here’s a story in The Tyee about the Backpackers Inn on Hastings, which is owned by the same group of six friends who own the SRO next to me I was telling you about. Interesting background if you haven’t read it already.
http://thetyee.ca/News/2008/03/20/Backpackers/

Tibet – 1.5 million people say it’s time for China to have dialogue with the Dalai Lama

On Monday, thousands of people in 84 cities worldwide marched for justice for Tibet–and delivered the 1.5 million-signature Avaaz petition to Chinese embassies and consulates around the globe. (Click below for photos.) Avaaz staff have engaged with Chinese diplomats in New York and London, delivering the petition and urging action. And a growing chorus of world leaders is joining the call.

China is on the fence–indicating an openness to talks with the Dalai Lama, while at the same time pressuring other governments to support its continuing crackdown. Each day, more leaders declare their stance. It’s time to redouble our efforts–click below to send a personal message to your head of state, urging support for dialogue with the Dalai Lama–and check out the photo gallery from Monday’s day of action!

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_report_back/5.php/?cl=69515489

Together, we’ve built an unprecedented wave of global pressure. The Avaaz petition is one of the biggest and fastest-growing global online petitions on any topic in history; since it launched on March 18, it has been signed by 100,000 people per day–an average of more than 4,000 per hour, day and night.

Politicians understand that there is power in numbers. We need to show them that they have more to gain by listening to their own people–and heeding the cry for help from Tibet–than by giving China a pass in the lead-up to the Olympic Games. Take action now

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_report_back/5.php/?cl=69515489

We’re privileged to be alive at a time when people anywhere can reach out and support people everywhere–instantly. If we have the power to make things better, we have a responsibility to act. Thanks for what you’ve done so far, for the people of Tibet and for a more humane world for all.

With hope,

Ben, Ricken, Graziela, Galit, Paul, Iain, Pascal, and the Avaaz team

PS – The more people sign the petition, the more powerful our call for change. We will hope to deliver it to the Chinese government again once we reach our target of 2 million signers. If you haven’t already, please forward the email below to your friends and family, and urge them to sign the Tibet petition!

Letter to Eddie Vedder to be given tonight at solo show

Dear Mr. Eddie Vedder,

I’d like to commend you for your efforts in living and promoting the messages and ideals of LOVE, peace, hope, human community, environmental stewardship and spiritual awareness. Collectively we need more cultural icons devoting energy to these worthy causes, and I’d like to thank you for staying true to your principles and not compromising your integrity, even as you have undergone both incredible scrutiny and success both in your career and personal life.

As you are well aware, our planet is facing many serious political, social and environmental issues. It is becoming more and more apparent that the coproratocracy – the alliance of corporations, governments and military- are leading us down a very dangerous path. It is also becoming more apparent that a non-partisan spiritual revolution/re-awakening is necessary now more than ever. The messages of LOVE and peace are universal and throughout the ages have been modeled by prophets and spiritually inclined wise men and women of all ethnicities. Every living organism is capable of experiencing the beauty and energy of an existence that is steeply rooted in love, and for those that still doubt the power and authenticity of love’s potential quantum mechanics is providing us with verifiable, scientific evidence that the power of the heart and mind are much greater than many of us have given them credit for.

Now’s your chance to help us out!

Dear all you fellow fungi,

The Fungus is doing a project on homelessness in Vancouver…. and here’s your chance to help out some good ol’ fashioned grass roots democracy! Our mission requires us to sift through some data – You Tube video clips and old media archives will help us convey the story of the Downtown Eastside – and we have a request! We would like concerned citizens to contribute stories, video footage, media archive reports/articles, and anything else, directly to us at TheFungus. Please send your material (or a link to access it) to us via a submitted comment to this post.

Thanks for your support!

Peace, The Fungus

Rafe Mair opposes privatization of bc’s rivers

it’s time to join rafe mair and get rid of this  ‘morally bankrupt’, gordon campbell led liberal government. spread this video to as many voters as possible because the future of our rivers and streams in bc is at stake.

UN criticizes Canada Twice in One Day (Oct. 22, 2007)

UN Criticizes Canada Twice in One Day

A good rep gone bad.

By Rob Annandale
Published: October 22, 2007
TheTyee.ca

Canada’s treasured self-image as a land of wealth and justice took a hit on Monday when two UN officials separately blasted the country’s recent social and human rights record.

UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour said Canada’s decision last month not to support a declaration on indigenous rights suggested her compatriots had an “unduly romantic” view of their country. And UN housing envoy Miloon Kothari wrapped up a two-week Canadian tour by releasing a highly critical preliminary report.

But the international organization has not soured entirely on the country that used to top its lists of the world’s best places to live. On the heels of last week’s survey suggesting the majority of Afghans approve of a continued foreign presence on their territory, UN humanitarian chief John Holmes praised Canada’s role in Afghanistan and expressed hope its troops would stay as long as necessary.

A new study puts Canada’s military budget at around $18 billion annually, its highest since World War II and more than 100 times higher than federal spending to combat homelessness. And while two out of three UN officials may disapprove, it doesn’t take a political scientist to know which of these issues – Afghanistan, aboriginal rights or homelessness – is most likely to be a major election issue next time around. No wonder Arbour aimed her barbs not at Stephen Harper, but at all Canadians.

Sign an online petition re: Tibet and help make history

Dear friends,

We reached our target! In just 7 days over 1 million of us have signed the petition calling for human rights and dialogue in Tibet–the fastest growing internet petition in history. As the crisis continues, it’s time to deliver our petition and make sure Chinese President Hu Jintao hears our voices.

An International Day of Action has been declared for Monday, March 31st. On Monday, thousands of people in cities across the world will march to Chinese embassies and consulates, and stack hundreds of boxes containing our petition outside them. 1 million signatures makes a mountain of boxes–it will send a powerful global message.

We have just 4 days left until the petition delivery. Could we get to 2 million signatures in 4 days? We can do it–if every one of us recruits at least one more friend to sign the petition by forwarding the email below.

————————————————–

Dear friends,

After decades of repression, the Tibetan people are crying out to the world for change. The Olympic spotlight is now on China, and Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama is calling to end all riots and violence through restraint and dialogue.

China’s hardliners are lashing out publicly at the Dalai Lama–but many Chinese leaders believe dialogue is the best hope for stability in Tibet. The government is right now considering a crucial choice between repression and dialogue that could determine Tibet’s–and China’s–future.

We can affect this historic choice–President Hu Jintao values China’s reputation, and he needs to hear from us that the ‘Made in China’ brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing will succeed only if he chooses dialogue over the hardliners’ repression. An avalanche of global people power is moving to get his attention. In just one week, over 1 million people have signed our petition, which will be delivered in rallies at Chinese embassies worldwide on Monday–click below to join the global outcry, and then forward this email to friends and family right away:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/70.php/?cl=66904787

China’s economy is dependent on “Made in China” exports that we all buy, and the government is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this summer a celebration of a new and respected China. China is also a sprawling, diverse country with much brutality in its past, so it has good reasons to be concerned about stability–some of Tibet’s rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and development today comes from hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from those Tibetans seeking dialogue and reform.

The Tibetan people have suffered quietly for decades. It is finally their moment to speak–we must help them be heard.

With hope and respect,

Ricken, Pascal, Graziela, Iain, Paul, Galit, Milena, Ben and the whole Avaaz team

Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests and the Chinese response:

Reuters reports unrest continues:
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed1/idUSPEK369654

China allows first journalists back into Lhasa, monks speak out:
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/local%20news/tibet/2008/03/27/149167/Tibet-monks.htm

Europe and the US step up calls for dialogue:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/27/europe/27europe.php

Prominent Chinese Intellectuals call for fair approach to Tibet:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/24/asia/chinasub.php
———–

B.C. power project raises environmental concerns in Pitt Meadows

CBC News

A plan to build a series of hydro-electric facilities along B.C.’s Upper Pitt River, about 40 kilometres east of Vancouver, drew vociferous opposition during a meeting Tuesday night in nearby Pitt Meadows.

More than 1,000 people packed Tuesday’s gathering in a secondary school gymnasium, and many more were turned away.

Many residents are opposed to Run of River Power Inc.’s privately funded plan to divert eight tributaries and construct seven powerhouses just off the river’s main stem.

The company would also carve off a section of forested land in Pinecone Burke Provincial Park for a transmission line.

Run of River chief executive Jako Krushnisky said the project would deliver badly needed clean energy to a growing population in British Columbia, generating enough electricity to power 50,000 homes.

“The province’s population has grown from 1.6 million to four million people, and at the same time, no major generation has been built in this province,” Krushnisky said.

However, opponents say the Run of River project will carve a swath through a pristine provincial park, while damaging wild salmon runs and area wildlife.

The proposal to build power lines and hydro-electric stations in what some call the “jewel” of the region is unacceptable to Danny Gerak, who owns a fishing lodge on the Upper Pitt River. He said the project would damage sensitive wildlife habitats and drive tourists away.

“[Tourists] don’t want to see power lines,” Gerak said.

“They see that every day. They want to see trees and they want to see wilderness. And if this comes in there, the tourism in that valley is over.”

B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office still needs to approve the plan before it moves ahead.