Alternative News
Articles from non-mainstream as opposed to corporate for profit sources.
Vote together
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- Published on Monday, 24 November 2014 19:00
- Written by editor
People are organizing across Canada to defeat Harper and move Canada forward.
We can do it, but only if we work together. Are you in?
From Vancouver to Halifax, and from the Prairies to the North, something special is happening across Canada right now.
Over the last few weeks, thousands of people have started coming together to spark a people-powered election campaign to defeat the Harper Conservatives and move Canada forward. Click here to join the campaign.
It’s simple: a majority across Canada want a strong democracy, a fair economy and a clean environment. But despite the Harper Conservatives’ record, the vote could split and they could win again - unless we vote together.
There isn’t a moment to lose - the polls are getting closer, and some pundits even predicting that Harper could call an election this winter to win with his new support and low voter turnout.[1-2]
We need your help to get ready now. Click here to sign the Vote Together pledge to defeat the Harper Conservatives and move Canada forward.
[coalalert] RAVEN COAL - BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
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- Published on Monday, 24 November 2014 15:00
- Written by editor
Burnaby Mountain, Energy East. Climate Change.
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- Published on Monday, 24 November 2014 14:00
- Written by editor
Friends,
Something big is happening right now.
Last week the governments of Quebec and Ontario announced that they had aligned on seven conditions for the approval of the Energy East pipeline -- including a legislated climate test.
That means Energy East won't be able to move forward through the Provinces without a finding that it won't impact climate change -- a finding that isn't supported by science.
At the same time, fierce community resistance on Burnaby Mountain has been stopping Kinder Morgan's work on the TransMountain tar sands pipeline for over 4 days, with dozens on dozens of arrests -- and the detention of an 11 year old girl -- and a presence that continues to grow. These two things may be happening on different sides of the country, but could not be more connected.
The connection is simple: neither the TransMountain pipeline nor Energy East...
The fennel flower
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- Published on Tuesday, 25 November 2014 01:22
- Written by editor
Report back: November 2014
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- Published on Tuesday, 25 November 2014 01:22
- Written by editor
Left Strategies for the 21st Century
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- Published on Saturday, 22 November 2014 22:44
- Written by editor
LeftStreamed — Recorded in Ljubljana, Slovenia -- 10 November 2014
Left Strategies for the 21st Century
Learning from the failures of Communism and Social Democracy
Leo Panitch was invited by the Slovenian Inštitut za delavske študije (Institute for Labour Studies) to give a lecture on left strategies.
Click here to view presentation
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Taking on corporate power
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- Published on Tuesday, 25 November 2014 01:22
- Written by editor
Class 101: Workers, Middle Class, and the 1%
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 23:00
- Written by editor
LeftStreamed — Recorded in Toronto, July 2014
Class 101:
Workers, Middle Class, and the 1%
A discussion between John Sharkey and Jordy Cummings about class... what is class, manual vs intellectual labour, what is exploitation, and how does it relate to other oppressions? The relation of labour struggles to other social movements?
John Sharkey and Jordy Cummings are both active members of the Education Committee of the Greater Toronto Workers' Assembly.
Click here to view presentation
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This week @ rabble.ca: Harper's new attack on refugees
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 15:00
- Written by editor
Victoria
LNG, fracking and B.C.'s energy future
The Council of Canadians and the GVTA Social Justice Committee are organizing a public forum against Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals and fracking on November 26 in Victoria.
By Council of Canadians
21 Nov 2014
Hi rabble readers,
This week, francophone Canadians took to the streets calling for adequate financing for CBC and its French television service, Radio-Canada. The Conservatives argue that the Corporation's woes are its own fault, but don't consider practical, feasible funding models. You can read Karl Nerenberg's full report here.
On Parliament Hill, the Harper government is preparing for its latest attack on refugees. First the Conservatives attacked refugee health; now they're setting their sights on social assistance. Looking for more news from the Hill? You can find all of our Hill Dispatches right here. Support our Parliamentary team with a donation today!
We're delighted to welcome feminist blog the Belle Jar to our blogs roll! Created and maintained by Toronto-based writer Anne Thériault, the Belle Jar aims to be an intersectional, non-oppressive space. You can check it out here.
Left in Love, our lefty dating column, is back! Will a shared passion for the arts kindle a radical spark? Join our latest couple on their date to find out!
Activists are drawing a line in the tar sands! You can win a copy of A Line in the Tar Sands: Struggles for Environmental Justice (editors: Stephen D'Arcy, Toban Black, Tony Weis, and Joshua Kahn Russell; foreword by Naomi Klein and Bill McKibben) by writing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line "A Line in the Tar Sands contest" by November 30. Canadian addresses only please. Torontonians come on out Saturday, November 29 in Toronto at Beit Zatoun, 1 p.m. for a book launch!
This week's top news
Here's how to shift culture and reduce harassment
Creating a workplace culture to reduce harassment is not easy but some organizations are tackling the problem.
By Ella Bedard
High-end condos for sale... in occupied Palestinian territories
There has been a deluge of construction projects of homes in and around East Jerusalem. Is this in order to maintain a geographic stranglehold on a united Jerusalem as capital of the Jewish state?
By Paul Weinberg
Push for fossil fuel divestment gains momentum
Will divestment from fossil fuels in Canada stop extreme resource extraction? Maybe not, but it's a step and an important part of the change!
By Jennifer Mills
The 2014 G20 summit: What did it achieve?
Will the impact of decisions made by G20 leaders last weekend be transitory?
By Stephen Price-Thomas
Food activists celebrate gains at Halifax conference
500 food advocates gathered in Halifax to talk about what the food movement has achieved and what their powerhouse can accomplish next.
By Wayne Roberts
Mediation fails, Nova Scotia's Bill 1 moves to arbitration
After weeks in mediation, a settlement could not be reached between Nova Scotia's four health-care unions and acute care employers.
By Ella Bedard
Most families lose out in Harper's new tax plan
The fight for what's better for Canadian families continues. Will it be Harper's "family-focused" tax cuts or can the NDP sway people with their childcare plan?
By Ashley Splawinski
Read more: This week @ rabble.ca: Harper's new attack on refugees
November 21st, 2014 Weekly Indigenous news on rabble.ca
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 11:22
- Written by editor
rabble.ca weekly e-news for November 21st, 2014
This is your daily dose of our Editor top picks! For more new rabble content, visit www.rabble.ca Indigenous This week's top news and analysis about the struggles of indigenous peoples for rights and sovereignty. For more on indigenous issues visit our topic page: http://rabble.ca/indigenousThe case for distinguishing between human rights and group rights November 21, 2014 | By Rick Salutin The legal decision that denied chemo to an Aboriginal girl based on her parents' Aboriginal rights makes it sound like a noble but tragic conflict between two rights -- but these rights are not equal. Push for fossil fuel divestment gains momentum November 20, 2014 | By Jennifer Mills Will divestment from fossil fuels in Canada stop extreme resource extraction? Maybe not, but it's a step and an important part of the change!
Read more: November 21st, 2014 Weekly Indigenous news on rabble.ca
How will we memorialize the dead?
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 11:22
- Written by editor
To honor all of the dead in Jerusalem, we must redouble our efforts toward a better future
When we heard the news of the brutal murder of Rabbi Moshe Twersky, 59, Rabbi Aryeh Kupinsky, 43, Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Goldberg, 68, Rabbi Kalman Zeev Levine, 55, and Zidan Nahad Seif, 30, we felt deep horror and grief. We mourn and condemn the gruesome murders at the Har Nof synagogue. Our hearts break for the victims and for their families - may their memories be for a blessing.
Any act of violence, especially one against civilians, marks a profound failure of human imagination and causes a deep and abiding trauma for all involved.
All lives are sacred. With every life taken, God’s presence is diminished in our world.
In mourning the five lives lost in Jerusalem this week, we reject the pattern of condemning the loss of Israeli lives while ignoring the loss of Palestinian life. We also mourn the daily killings and other forms of violence against Palestinians which are all too often ignored, dismissed, or rendered invisible by the ongoing occupation and oppression of Palestinian people.
We mourn for the families of Mayar Amran Twafic al-Natsheh, 10, who was shot in the face by Israeli military; 11 year old Saleh Samer Attiyeh Mahmoud who was blinded by close range Israeli gunfire; 14 year old Palestinian American Orwah Hammas, 21 year old Mohammed Jawabreh, both shot and killed by Israeli military, and 22 year old Khayr al-Din al-Hamdan, a Palestinian citizen of Israel killed by the police.
As we mourn all of these lives lost, it is important to ask ourselves honestly: how will we memorialize the dead? The only way to fully honor their memory is to put our grief in context.
This wont work without you
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 11:22
- Written by editor
The government’s spying plan will put every Canadian under the microscope - and we need your help to push back. We’ve shown them what we’re against, but now it’s time to show them what we’re for.
Take Action!
David here from OpenMedia. The last few weeks have been truly amazing: over 7,500 Canadians just like you have pitched in to help shape sensible new pro-privacy rules to protect us from reckless spying.1
I’m coming up against a tight deadline, and I want to make sure your voice is heard before it’s too late:
I’ve been working on our Privacy Pillar for some time – and I have to say that our privacy has never been under such threat. The government recently rammed their spying bill through the House of Commons,2 and just introduced new powers to put our private lives under their microscope.3
Things will keep getting worse unless we push back. That’s why it’s so important that as many Canadians as possible take part and help shape privacy protections that work for all of us.
Video: Watch Lakota Song Unhinge Sen. Warren After Keystone XL Vote
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 11:22
- Written by editor
Greg Grey Cloud being led away from Senate chambers by police after bursting into a Lakota song following the narrow defeat of legislation that would have enabled construction of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline.
ICTMN Staff
11/19/14
As Senator Elizabeth Warren announced that the Keystone XL pipeline vote had failed to pass, the wailing strains of the Lakota unci maka wiwayang wacipi song floated down from the gallery.
It was Greg Grey Cloud, enrolled member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and founder ofWica Agli, a group created to bring back traditional values of masculinity and eradicate violence against women and children.
“Grandfather look at me, I am standing here struggling, I am defending Grandmother Earth and I am chasing peace,” Grey Cloud sang, according to a translation he provided to the Lakota Voice .
“The court will restore order,” Warren said, as police moved in and led away several people, including Grey Cloud.
The Senate had just narrowly voted down a bill that would have enabled construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The 59 votes in favor and 41 against came just one shy of the 60 votes needed to pass the legislation, which had prevailed in the U.S. House of Representatives with a 252–161 vote on November 14.
Read more: Video: Watch Lakota Song Unhinge Sen. Warren After Keystone XL Vote
End Shells Arctic dreams
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 11:00
- Written by editor
Shell has asked the US government to extend its drilling lease in the Arctic, and give it another 5 years to try to extract oil.
Tell the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to say no, and end Shell's Arctic drilling dreams for good.
Shell has been trying, and failing, to drill in the Arctic for eight years. Most recently, Shell's made a request to the US government to extend its lease to drill for another 5 years.
If this plan is rejected, we can sink Shell's plans for good. There's no way any oil company should be drilling in the Arctic. It's far too difficult and dangerous -- and a spill would irreversibly damage the fragile ecosystem that's home to endangered polar bears, bowhead whales and walruses.
Shell's attempts to drill in the Alaskan Arctic have been plagued by accidents and legal delays. So far, it has spent $6bn and hasn't extracted a single drop of oil. Its leases will start running out soon, so the oil giant is in a panic, pleading with the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) to extend its drilling permits for another five years. Let's make sure the answer Shell gets is 'no'.
Sign the petition against extending Shell's permission to drill in the Arctic.
The Arctic is one of the planet's last remaining wildernesses. As climate change melts the Arctic ice, oil companies are moving in to extract more of the fossil fuels that caused the melt in the first place. Shell has led the charge to extract the billions of barrels of oil that lie beneath the seabed.
Unilever sues vegan competition
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 11:00
- Written by editor
PAOV – Celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern started a petition asking Unilever to drop its lawsuit against an American company making innovative food products that compete with their brand. His petition was just covered in the New York Times, and we think you might be interested in signing it.
Tell Unilever to Stop Bullying Sustainable Food Companies
Andrew Zimmern United States
Sign Andrew's petition
Hampton Creek is a startup food technology company striving to solve some of the world's biggest problems. It's using plants to create products to help ensure food security to feed starving people, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the healthfulness of foods, and end the cruel treatment of animals.
Unilever, a UK-based 60 billion dollar multinational corporation, filed a lawsuit confessing that Hampton Creek is taking away market share from a couple of its products: Hellmann's and Best Foods. Thus, as Unilever admits, it's attempting to rely on an archaic standard of identity regulation that was created before World War II to mandate that Hampton Creek removes its products from store shelves.
Unilever is not only contributing to these problems by using inhumane, unsustainable, and unhealthy ingredients, but rather than solving important global issues, is trying to prevent others from doing so. As an example, even purchasing just one jar of Hampton Creek's "Just Mayo" instead of Best Foods/Hellmann's saves land and water usage, reduces CO2 emissions, eliminates hundreds of milligrams of cholesterol.
When a 60 billion dollar company flexes its muscles to prevent a good-for-the-world startup company from succeeding, there are only two words for that: corporate bullying.
Please ask Unilever to focus more on creating a better world rather than preventing others from trying to do so.
Sign Andrew's petition
TransCanada hired worlds largest PR firm to target Council of Canadians Energy East campaign
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 10:44
- Written by editor
The leaked documents courtesy of Greenpeace are as follows:
- Energy East Campaign Organization: Promote, Respond Pressure (August 5, 2014)
- Research Synthesis (no date)
- Grassroots Advocacy Vision Document (May 15, 2014)
- Digital Grassroots Advocacy Implementation Plan (May 20, 2014)
- Strategic Plan: Quebec (May 20, 2014)
Ottawa — Today, Greenpeace released documents revealing that the Council of Canadians was one of the first groups targeted for U.S.-style opposition research by TransCanada’s public relations firm, Edelman. Edelman is the largest PR firm in the world with links to the Tea Party and Walmart.
The document says that Edelman will “prepare a research profile of key opposition groups by examining public records (including financial disclosures, legal databases and legislative records), traditional media sources and social media. All relevant findings will be compiled in a written, fully documented report, to include a summary of findings and assessment of strengths and weaknesses.... We will begin with the Council of Canadians.” (p. 7 of Energy East Campaign Organization)
Edelman’s Mike Krempasky is listed as the senior Counsel “responsible for the overall strategic direction and directly responsible for the success of the campaign.” Krempasky had to apologize for his Walmart campaign that used fake grassroots bloggers. Krempasky co-founded Redstate.com, has promoted online opportunities for Tea Party activists and has assisted right-wing blogs to adopt social media techniques boosting the Tea Party. Edelman has a history of recruiting third parties to smear its clients’ critics, including for the tobacco industry and the American Petroleum Institute.
“TransCanada likes to sell this as a nation-building project. This isn’t how you build a nation,” says Maude Barlow, chair of the Council of Canadians. “These Tea Party tactics are not welcome in Canada. We are open to a debate, and have nothing to hide. But we do not accept these smear tactics. We truly believe this export pipeline is all risk and little reward for Canadians.”
“They have hired the world’s largest PR firm because opposition to Energy East is growing,” says Andrea Harden, the Council of Canadians’ Energy and Climate Justice Campaigner. “From overflowing town halls to provincial reviews and increasingly critical municipal and First Nation leaders, TransCanada is losing public support despite their heavy-handed advertising and desperate tactics.”
Monsanto just got even more evil
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 10:44
- Written by editor
The day after the island of Maui passed a moratorium on GMO crops, Monsanto announced it was suing them to override the will of the people.
This is outrageous. Can you chip in CA$10 to help fight back against Monsanto's bulling?
Donate CA$10 now
Last Tuesday, the voters on the Hawaiian island of Maui passed a moratorium on genetically engineered crops.
The very next day, Monsanto announced plans to sue Maui to block the law from going into effect.
Maui is one of the most biologically diverse places on earth -- but it's being turned into one giant, open-air biological experiment by the rampant use of GMO crops and pesticides.
Monsanto and its allies spent more than $8 million to convince voters to defeat the GMO moratorium and still lost. So now they’re sending an army of lawyers to overturn the will of the people.
Can you chip in CA$10 to stand with Maui and pressure Monsanto to drop the lawsuit?
Monsanto, Dow, BASF, and other huge biotech companies have flocked to Hawaii because the climate allows them to plant and grow seeds that they can sell all over the world. Today, nearly 10 percent of all Hawaii's farmland is owned by just five biotech firms, including Monsanto.
Veto this pipeline -- no matter what
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 10:44
- Written by editor
Today, the U.S. Senate narrowly rejected a bill forcing approval of Keystone XL. We know they'll keep trying until the bill passes.
Ask President Obama to promise to veto this tar sands pipeline.
We’re safe -- for now. The U.S. Senate has just blocked approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. We’re out of the woods for the moment, but when right-wing Republicans take over the Senate in January we definitely won’t be.
Now is the time to remind President Obama that the power to stop Keystone still lies in his hands. If the bill reaches his desk, there is only one course of action: veto this pipeline.
The struggle to switch the world to clean energy is one of the biggest fights of our time. This is no overstatement -- climate scientists all over the world can’t emphasize enough that if we don’t kick our addiction to fossil fuels, in the words of former NASA head James Hansen, it’s "game over for the climate".
Believe it or not, the time is particularly ripe to stop this thing. The U.S. just signed a historic climate change deal with China. President Obama doesn’t want to tarnish his legacy of climate action, and with no more elections ahead of him, he has nothing to lose. As of right now he’s already considering a veto -- we need to tell him, when the time comes, to follow through. Let’s make sure he knows to hold the line.
Tell President Obama to stand up for the climate: pledge to veto the Keystone XL pipeline.
40 years of protecting the environment through law
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- Published on Friday, 21 November 2014 10:44
- Written by editor
In this Issue:
WCEL Nets Environmental Award | Flawed Site-C Decision Leads to Law Suits | Paying for Climate Change | Leading Haida Lawyer and Gitanyow Hereditary Chief receive Andrew Thompson Award | New at West Coast
Dear PAOV,
Wow - West Coast is 40! Reflecting back as one of the first organizations of its kind in Canada, it’s clear that what West Coast does today remains...
Read more: 40 years of protecting the environment through law
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- Partners in Crime: The Continental Capitalist Offensive and the Killing Fields of Mexico
- Massive illegal forest clearance threatens unique uncontacted tribe - News from Survival
- ITUC Newsletter 53: L20, G20, Tunisia.. Latest News from the ITUC
- Dining Out in Dinkytown
- Canadian Taxpayers Federation report accidentally pushes higher taxes?
- Stop the Termination of Indigenous Rights - Take Action Now
- Our victory
