Topics

1

Canada / Canadian mining companies: doing harm round the world

« on: November 24, 2009, 11:27:14 PM »

Seeing no thread on mining or C-300 (please move if there is one!) --

The word "Canada" is so reviled in some places that travelling Canadians mask their citizenship by wearing American flags on their caps and backpacks.

In Ottawa this week, at a House of Commons committee, MPs will continue debating a Liberal private member's bill designed to put controls on mining companies overseas.

Tor Star

Some good maps and so on at the link as well.

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Sappho's Salon / Organizing in vulnerable countries

« on: July 17, 2009, 03:14:30 PM »

Hallo - Hope all's been good here. It's been a while and I'm not sure who is where, so I'm posting this on both enmasse and bread & roses.... Sorry to drop in out of nowhere but I know there's people here who might be able to help, and not sure who is on which board.

So....

A friend of mine is looking to start up a lesbian and gay group in a country that does not currently have one. This involves quite a few risks, more from society than from government. So she's hoping to learn from the experience of the brave people who have done this sort of thing before. There may be some here who can suggest resources, lessons, tips, other types of advice. If so, I'd be very grateful to hear them, either on thread or by private message (more appropriate for some things, perhaps).

Thanks so much... Be well....

3

Banter / The National Post brings you: Pope Dress-Up

« on: April 20, 2008, 10:49:24 AM »

ROCHET

An over-tunic usually made of fine white linen reaching to the knees. The rochet is decorated with lace or embroidered borders, broader at the hem and narrower on the sleeves. In recent years, lots of lace was frowned on, but at Benedict's coronation his secretaries were wearing semi-transparent ones, trimmed at the hem and sleeves with deep lace borders.

So much more on the sartorial splendour of Nosferatu XVI brought to you by the National Post at http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/ ... ?id=450529

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Banter / Best ... headlines ... ever

« on: April 13, 2008, 12:26:57 PM »

No, not "worthy Canadian initiative."

Two recent headlines from the Dili Weekly, a rather cool new publication out of Timor:

“Liquica OK aside from murders, rapes, witchcraft accusations”
... which rather puts things in perspective

"Catholics Celebrate Easter"
... stop the presses!

Any good headlines you've come across lately?

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Sappho's Salon / Queer media concentration

« on: February 21, 2008, 10:37:17 PM »

Same ol' story:
Xtra! buys Fab

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Creatures great and small / Glow-in-the-dark cats

« on: December 18, 2007, 12:41:20 PM »

From South Korea:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071212/sc ... reacloning

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The philosophical and the spiritual / "Pink Sunday"

« on: December 18, 2007, 11:35:38 AM »

It starts feeling Christmassy for different people at different times. For me it's Gaudete Sunday when the joy starts. Twice a year the priest comes out wearing pink. We're supposed to refer to it as "rose vestments" officially, but it's clearly pink. And the day's about joy, a near-commandment to be joyful. I always think of the (straight) priest who pranced out at my old church in Vancouver's West End, declaring: "No, this is pink! Let pink into your life!" Things could hardly be more screwed up, but rejoice anyway, and hope.

From one homily:

The joy in question is not necessarily a bubbly feeling. In the ancient world, they understood happiness differently than we do today. For Aristotle happiness referred not so much to a passing emotion as to a whole quality of life: being in a right relationship with other human beings, with the world and ultimately with God.* Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” expresses this view of happiness. One of the lines says, “Even a worm has contentment.” That is, the lowly worm is in correct relationship with its world. For the worm it comes naturally. For us, we need to work at it...

8

Banter / Goin to the wall for memberships

« on: December 18, 2007, 11:15:53 AM »

In the NDP faith commission thread, Anne posted this:

I have never torn up my NDP card because I have never had one.  This latest faith based development will not stop me from getting one; I had no intention of joining anyway.

I will not join any group unless I'm pretty much prepared to go to the wall for that group and , other than my library card, I don't think I have any outward symbols of allegiance.

Apart from this being my favourite post of the month anywhere (i love the image of being out on the barricades fighting for the local library!), it made me wonder what membership cards are in people's wallet and whether they'd go to the wall for them. I'll second the library card and add my VIA rail frequent traveller card. I think i might go to the wall for train service too....

9

Activism / Enza Supermodel for CFRB radio host

« on: October 28, 2007, 01:54:15 PM »

Enza Supermodel Hosts CFRB 1010’s Talk Idol
October 28th 2007 - Local activist and journalist Enza “Supermodel” Anderson is the newest entrant to “Talk Radio Idol”, a competition being run by Toronto radio station CFRB 1010.

Anderson has been CFRB’s Pride Parade guest commentator for the past three years of its ten years of coverage, and feels that her entry in the competition is significant. “It says that the station is ready to come out in its own way,” she said.

“For a station with a conservative history to include a voice from one of the country’s biggest alternative communities, would be brilliant,” Anderson said. “Surely the country has room for one broadcast host with a colourful perspective?”

Anderson, as Canada’s self-styled “most popular supermodel drag queen” believes that she would draw an enormous audience both from her own community as well as from those who would be entertained by an alternative character being added to the mix of a high-profile station.

Anderson promises that her audition will deliver on surprises, spontaneity, and cheeky and provocative viewpoints. Her pilot program airs this
Sunday October 28, 2007 and runs from 9:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Call in at 416 872 1010 or 1 800 561 CFRB(2372)

To vote for Enza “Supermodel” Anderson as CFRB’s new Talk Radio Idol, go to http://www.cfrb.com and choose ‘Shows and Schedules’ to locate the shows list. Click on Talk Idol. Voting takes place from Sunday10pm to Monday at noon. Vote early and often.

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News / Che Geuvara's beard up for auction

« on: October 27, 2007, 01:59:21 PM »

The macabre collection of memorabilia purchased yesterday by a lone bidder was compiled by a Cuban exile CIA operative named Gustavo Villoldo, who was tasked to help capture Guevara and, after his execution by the Bolivian military, secretly bury him in the middle of the night. Before Guevara's hands were cut off, Villoldo helped fingerprint his corpse, and a "death mask"--a plaster cast of his face--was made as proof that the real Che had been captured and killed. The covert operative also clipped a portion of Che's beard as a memento of the CIA's triumph over Latin America's most famous revolutionary.

The National Security Archive, meanwhile, offers new info on Che's death: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB232/index.htm

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Europe / Hayrunisa Gul to "modernzie" her head scarf

« on: August 20, 2007, 11:33:08 AM »

Turkish first lady in waiting seeks political redesign

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Sappho's Salon / Gaysian

« on: July 03, 2007, 09:08:23 AM »

Several friends have spoken to me lately about being lesbian or gay in different Southeast Asian countries. I'm used to thinking of SEA as a relatively accepting part of the world: you won't be bashed if you're a lesbian/gay traveller, most of the time, in the way you might be elsewhere, and there's a routine acceptance that homosexuality exists. More among men than among women, admittedly -- seems like there's a belief that lesbians don't exist.

But friends are telling me the family pressures and so on are such that they're afraid to tell their families, to live openly, to tell friends from their own country about their sexuality. They'll tell foreign friends, but not closer friends, becuase they think the West is more progressive (and yes that seems to include the good ol' USA.)

This seems bizarre to me. I look at Southeast Asia and see strong civil society (stronger than Canada's in many cases) and at least "tolerance." People here seem to see those things when they look at North America. Is this some weird disconnect that I'm failing to understand? Anyone have experience in this area? Me, I'm just trying to think it through in the hopes I can offer more than platitudes on the whole topic.

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Narrow Shoulders / Southeast Asia travel

« on: May 31, 2007, 07:48:17 PM »

There must be some experts here!  :wink:

Heading to Southeast Asia in a couple of weeks, very much on the budget plan. There's always checklists of what you should bring (mosquito net, air mattress, US dollars as ready cash), but for me I always find when travelling I have forgotten the most important thing and spend half the trip kicking myself.

Any world travellers who can advise on what to bring along?

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The Americas / How pink is Latin America's pink tide?

« on: May 09, 2007, 01:22:57 PM »

Many are speculating about the true colors of Latin America’s much-heralded “pink tide.” Just how close to socialist “red” are the region’s new left-leaning governments? This Report approaches the question from a different angle: Do the new governments promote the rights of women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, who are often associated with the color pink? We take a critical look at the opportunities and obstacles that Latin America’s shifting political context presents to Latin Americans who challenge sexism, homo- and transphobia, and their intersection with class and ethnic/racial exclusion. Without providing easy answers, the contributors to this issue—including journalists, academics and activists from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Venezuela—analyze the potential for change in the new environment.

How pink is the 'pink tide'? Feminists and LGBT activists challenge the left

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News / Iran bans eybrow plucking for men

« on: April 29, 2007, 09:09:35 PM »

"Western" style haircuts also illegal.