Topics

1

Life from a feminist view / Petroleum and Patriarchy

« on: March 13, 2012, 07:31:22 PM »

Currently reading this book.

The Oil Curse:
How Petroleum Wealth Shapes the Development of Nations
Michael L. Ross

There's a chapter on petroleum and patriarchy, which gets into why oil rich nations tend to have extremely sexist societies.

Then it hit me. As I recently wrote for the Star, we're headed into a Dutch Disease economy here, thanks to how the tarsands are driving up the cost of the loonie, killing jobs in the manufacturing sector, especially here in Ontario and Quebec.

Not that the Harper Government seems to give a shite.

But anyway, as Ross, the author of this book, points out, manufacturing draws women out of the home, and into the workforce. That means they have autonomy, independence, money etc. Oil, on the other hand, encourages them to stay home.

Connect the dots folks.

2

Weather / November's Cold Rain ...

« on: October 31, 2011, 06:20:43 PM »

... made of wet boots and rain. (Tom Waits)

Am I cheating by starting this tonight?

It's cold, dark and dull out there and I am trying to gather up the strength to hand out candy.

3

USA / Will USians Occupy Wall Street?

« on: September 16, 2011, 10:26:26 PM »

This is what I got into the paper today.

If thousands of protestors start camping out in the financial heart of America on Saturday, New Yorkers can blame Canada.
That’s because the move to #OccupyWallStreet — as it’s known on Twitter — began with the Vancouver-based counter-culture magazine Adbusters in July.
“A worldwide shift in revolutionary tactics is underway right now that bodes well for the future,” it announced on its website. “On Sept. 17, we want to see 20,000 people flood into lower Manhattan, set up tents, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months.”
 “We did it because we had this feeling that America was ready for a kind of Tahrir moment,” says Adbusters co-publisher Kalle Lasn. “There is a lot of people who lost their jobs, who lost their houses. The whole country has been hurting and yet, somehow, the people who brought this on, they are getting clean away with it, without any justice being served to them.”

Look like it's gonna be hitting Europe too.

More here.

And here too.

Plus here.

 

4

Feminist News / Gravel v. Lifesite

« on: March 07, 2011, 10:34:13 PM »

Have we got a thread on this?

It is a rare lawsuit in which one of the parties feels obliged to   spell out his belief of when life begins. But the case of Raymond Gravel   v. Life-SiteNews.com et al. is no ordinary dispute.
It pits two   extremes of Canadian Catholicism against each other, a rebel priest   claiming he has been defamed by a take-no-prisoners pro-life news   service. And as Father Gravel sees it, his reputation has suffered   because he has been falsely portrayed as an abortion advocate. "The   plaintiff is against abortion and considers human life to be sacred," he   states in a court document, adding later: "The plaintiff sincerely   believes that human life begins with conception."
Featuring two   parties who have both, in their own way, rankled the Catholic   establishment, the case before Quebec Superior Court is being watched   closely within the Church. LifeSiteNews says that if successful, Fr.   Gravel's $500,000 lawsuit would force the 14-year-old operation out of   business. Fr. Gravel says he has tried other avenues to stop   LifeSiteNews's incessant criticism of him and decided the courts were   his only hope.

 

5

Weather / Could it be January 'cause it feels so cold without you here

« on: December 31, 2010, 12:37:02 PM »

It is spring like in Montreal on the last day of 2010. I hope that's a sign!

6

USA / Bernie Sanders!

« on: December 10, 2010, 06:07:26 PM »

 

http://twitter.com/#search?q=Bernie%20Sanders

http://pol.moveon.org/no_bailout/?rc=tw

Has been on his feet for hours filibustering against the tax cuts for the rich. What a speaker.

http://isberniesandersstilltalking.com/

7

Environment / Only 3,200 wild tigers left ...

« on: November 19, 2010, 07:23:46 PM »

http://www.globaltigerinitiative.org/

And here's a piece emailed to me which is not online. I didn't activate the links.

   

Bringing Tigers Back From The   Brink of Extinction

 

 

Protecting habitat by linking human and   environmental security WILL save tigers

 

  It is hard to imagine a world without tigers. Yet today there are fewer   than 3,200 of these magnificent predators left on the planet. In the past   century, their populations have plummeted from 100,000 to only about 2,500   breeding adults.      This catastrophic decline in tiger populations is a direct result of two   things: 1) habitat destruction, and 2) relentless hunting for their bones,   claws, and teeth, which are used to make ornaments and products that   claim—falsely—to have medicinal value. To save these species, rapid and   effective action must be taken to protect their habitats and reduce demand for   their body parts.      So how can this be done?     On Nov. 21, the 13 countries where tigers still roam (TRCs) will meet in   St. Petersburg, Russia, for a four day summit to launch a last ditch effort to   save this magnificent animal. At this meeting, two major initiatives must   commence to:     

• Protect tiger habitats bysupporting local projects, such as   eco- and ethno-tourism opportunities, that have small environmental footprints   yet can generate substantial revenues. Funds from these ventures can be used to   protect and expand critical habitats and finance the economic, health, and   infrastructure needs of the people who live near these biospheres. When people   who live near ecosystems receive direct economic benefits from them, they will   preserve them. Demonstrating that the habitats of tigers have greater value   preserved than destroyed creates a personal incentive for people to protect   them.

     

• Reduce demand for tiger parts. An international public awareness   campaign must be started that clearly shows that tiger parts are utterly   ineffective at treating medical problems. They have less medicinal value than   talcum powder. National and international naturopathic associations should   become partners to spread this message.

     

• People should also be encouraged to join www.globaltigerinitiative.org   and www.savetigersnow.org.   Additionally, domestic laws should be strengthened to prosecute those involved   in the poaching, trade, or sale of tiger products, and penalties should be   increased and enforced for those identified as being involved in these   activities.

     The annihilation of tigers is not an esoteric issue. Tiger habitats can   have immense long-term, sustainable economic and ecological value to the people   who live near them. They can also act as carbon sinks and buffers to   deforestation and the degradation of water sources.      Human security and environmental security are two halves of the same whole.   Initiatives that support both of these objectives will preserve the remarkable   biodiversity that lives on our planet and will enable us to save keystone   species like tigers. It would be hard to imagine a world without them.     To support the Global Tiger Initiative, visit www.globaltigerinitiative.org     To learn more about the Save Tigers Now campaign, visit www.icforum.info and www.savetigersnow.org.     Dr. Keith Martin is a physician and Member of Canada’s Parliament, as   well as the Founder and Chair of the Canadian Parliament’s first All-Party   International Conservation Caucus. This year he launched the International   Conservation Forum (www.icforum.info),   which offers conservationists, environmentalists, scientists, NGOs, and the   general public a platform to share research findings and solutions to urgent   environmental challenges. Most recently, Dr. Martin launched an international   campaign to save rhinos from extinction (click here to learn   more) and is using the icforum.info site to promote the   Global Tiger Initiative.   

 

8

Cause we're all in this together / Hospitals

« on: November 11, 2010, 10:36:15 PM »

Debra's post inspired this thread.

As some of you know, I have spent the past year running from hospital to hospital dealing with family. They are badly-managed, badly-designed, and appallingly filthy.

Anybody who goes in without an advocate and caregiver or ever-present friend/family member is in big trouble.

I should mention a CBC Radio show I caught the other day, White Coat, Black Arts, which discussed hospital design. A little thing like where the nurses' stations are located on floors makes a big difference.

Say you summon a nurse. She (let's say she's a she) comes all the way to your room to learn that you're in pain and need a clean gown. Then she goes schlepping all the way back. Time lost, energy wasted. Some lower paid, unskilled worker could be stocking those things closer to where they needed, work redistributed etc. It's so obvious.

And the germs. My God the germs. When you're crammed in 4 to a room and sharing a toilet?

9

Life from a feminist view / Feminomics

« on: October 21, 2010, 05:39:03 PM »

Very excited! I am having breakfast with Marilyn Waring tomorrow. A heroine. Just wish it wasn't at 8 a.m.

She's in town as a keynote at this conference.
http://www.rabble.ca/whatsup/mothers-and-economy-economics-mothering-conference

For those of you familiar with her work, any ideas/requests/thoughts on what I should ask?

http://thestar.blogs.com/broadsides/2010/03/womens-work.html

10

Australia / Australia First Woman PM: Julia Gillard

« on: June 24, 2010, 09:48:01 PM »

Yowza!

''I ran through my mind how many men would have made it into politics if  the measure were looks. Nothing personal boys, but let’s be frank, not  many of you would make the cut. ''

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/828300--coal-miner-s-daughter-becomes-aussie-pm

You should see the sexist YouTubes.

And some of the Tweets, good and bad:

adzap                                      
             Wow!!! Now we have an unwed,  childless, atheist PM. I've never felt so represented. #spill

ashe_lives_here                                      
             Gillard's gvt signs $400mil deal  exporting brown coal to Vietnam. Nobody notices, too busy talking about  PM's hair color #Gillard #spill

clivepugh                                      
             What's more embarrassing: a PM  who speaks mandarin, or a PM whose hair is the colour of a mandarin? #spill

11

Life from a feminist view / Call for Papers: Seeking Pro-Choice Activists’ Stories

« on: November 29, 2009, 10:01:29 PM »

Feminists For Choice is seeking essays or narratives from feminists about what drives them to activism.  Essay topics may include, but are not limited to, the following themes:
•    When did you first call yourself a feminist?
•    What does feminism mean to you?
•    Did you grow up in a pro-choice household, or was your family anti-choice?
•    If you grew up in an anti-choice household, what influenced your decision to become involved in the pro-choice movement?
•    What does the pro-choice movement mean to you?
•    What does activism look like to you?
•    What do you envision as the future for the pro-choice movement?

Pro-choice activists of all ages, gender identities, races, and experience levels are encouraged to contribute.

The essays will be compiled into an e-book, which will be available for download at www.feministsforchoice.com.  All proceeds will benefit Feminists For Choice, and will enable us to continue expand our online resources for the pro-choice community.

http://feministsforchoice.com/call-for-papers-seeking-pro-choice-activists-stories.htm

12

North Africa and the Middle East / Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism?

« on: June 01, 2009, 09:16:34 PM »

Great analysis on this bullshit. And with Canadian content goodness too.

13

Politics / CTV and that Dion Interview

« on: May 27, 2009, 05:25:34 PM »

Apologies for starting a new thread if there's one already. Too busy to search.

http://www.cbsc.ca/english/documents/prs/2009/090527.php

Ottawa, May 27, 2009 - The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) today released two decisions (1, 2) concerning the broadcast of three false starts of an interview by CTV anchor Steve Murphy with Liberal leader Stéphane Dion during the October 2008 federal election campaign.  Each restart had been requested by Mr. Dion and granted by Mr. Murphy, CJCH-TV (CTV Atlantic)’s news anchor.

One decision related to the first broadcast of the false starts (which were followed by the broadcast of the full 12-minute interview) on CTV Atlantic’s newscast CTV News at 6 on October 9.  The other related to the rebroadcast by CTV Newsnet of the restarts on the public affairs discussion program Mike Duffy Live Prime Time later that same evening.  The CBSC concluded that both broadcasts violated certain provisions of the Radio Television News Directors of Canada (RTNDA) Code of (Journalistic) Ethics and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Code of Ethics.

Steve Murphy’s first question to Stéphane Dion was: “If you were prime minister now, what would you have done about the economy and this crisis that Mr. Harper has not done?”  Dion started to answer the question, but then asked to start again because it was not clear to him whether Murphy meant if Dion had been prime minister for the last two years or if he were elected prime minister five days later in the general election.  Murphy agreed to start again, but he did not clarify the confusing question.  He simply re-asked it in more or less the same terms as the first instance.  After two more restarts, the full uninterrupted interview followed.  During it, Mr. Dion provided information about the Liberal economic plan, the proposed carbon tax, deficits, the green shift, taxes, comparable European national policies, and Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan.

In his introduction to the news item, Murphy informed viewers that CTV News had originally told the Liberals that the false starts would not be broadcast, but that it had changed its mind, later deciding that the public had the right to see the entire exchange.  The false starts were also shown on Mike Duffy Live Prime Time, where they were followed by discussions with politician panellists and journalists about the reasons for the restarts and how they might affect the campaign.

More ...

14

Creatures great and small / Orangutans

« on: April 25, 2009, 11:28:37 PM »

OMG, I just watched the most incredible documentary online. Free stream or download.

It's about the rescue of an Indonesian orangutan from deforestation. No words. All from the poor critter's point of view. You must watch this.

You can find the link via Broadsides: http://thestar.blogs.com/broadsides/2009/04/greenwashing.html

15

Activism / Are wiminz too dumb to blogue?

« on: February 19, 2009, 09:13:58 PM »

Alternet: Can Feminist Groups and Bloggers Bridge the Digital Divide?

Is it just me or is this insulting?