Satirical film targets 'development' for tribes; David Mitchell narrates.

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Published on Friday, 07 February 2014 13:40

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r16 r18.

In the satirical animation 'There You Go!', development experts claim to bring 'sustainable development' to an imaginary tribe. Instead, they bring destruction. © Oren Ginzburg/Survival

Read more: Satirical film targets 'development' for tribes; David Mitchell narrates.

Save the date

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Published on Friday, 07 February 2014 13:35

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Save the date: April 24 2014

Connect with the spirits of the Amazon

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California

Details to follow….

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Survival International, 6 Charterhouse Buildings, London, EC1M 7ET, United Kingdom.

Survival International USA, 2325 3rd Street, Suite 413, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA

www.survivalinternational.org

Company rejects union's 2-year pay freeze

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Published on Friday, 07 February 2014 11:35

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STOP THE CONTRACTING OUT AT NEW HORIZONS CARE HOME IN CAMPBELL RIVER

Check out the facebook link below: 

https://www.facebook.com/crcares

Company rejects union's 2-year pay freeze

Campbell River Courier-Islander Wed Feb 5 2014
Byline: Sian Thomson
Source: The Courier-Islander

The last faint hope seems to have disintegrated for staff, patients and their families at New Horizons for Seniors Care Home.

Mike Old, Communications Director for the Hospital Employees Union, announced Tuesday that Park Place, the new owners of New Horizons Seniors Home, rejected "out of hand" a proposal submitted to the company by the union that would have kept the staff there for another two years, with no wage increases.

New Horizons care home on 14th Avenue provides affordable and supportive housing including 94 beds with 20 designated for dementia clients, six geriatric mental health beds, 60 general beds, eight complex care beds plus the new 54 unit assisted living and adult day program complex, On March 31 this year, the current contract between New Horizons Community of Care and the Hospital Employees Union (HEU) expires. When the contract expires, rather than negotiate a new collective agreement with the HEU, the owners decided to bring in a service partner.

The Employer is Park Place Seniors Living, a company out of Vancouver, owned by Al and Jenny Jina. It is set to contract out to a  new employer at New Horizons and handed out 118 lay off notices to the workers on Dec. 30, effective March 31.

"We did this to maintain the facility, quality of care, and protect jobs," said Old. "We would continue the contract with the same terms for another two years which would have put some stability in their plan to move forward. We are profoundly disappointed for the seniors and their families and for our members, but this seems to be the business model of Park Place, this is what they do, and they have done it elsewhere. It is a pattern across the board, a contractor comes in and offers lower wages."

Read more: Company rejects union's 2-year pay freeze

Stop US-style voter suppression becoming Canadian law

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Published on Friday, 07 February 2014 08:18

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The Conservatives’ new election law contains US style voter suppression measures that would make it harder for young people, Aboriginal people and low-income people to vote. 
We need your help to create a massive public backlash now before these measures become Canadian law.

Please Sign This Petition Now The Harper Conservatives are trying to rush their 242-page election law through Parliament with minimal debate and no expert testimony, despite major flaws that would have lasting consequences for our democracy.[1]

It boils down to this: instead of giving the people who investigate election fraud the power to compel testimony - the key power Elections Canada has needed to get to the bottom of the robocall scandal - this new election law would make it harder for young people, Aboriginal people and low-income people to vote.[2]

Incredibly, the misleadingly named “Fair Election Law” would even make it illegal for Elections Canada to promote voting.[3]

There’s still time to stop the worst parts of this bill from becoming law. The Conservatives promised this law to repair their reputation from the robocall election fraud scandal, and that makes them extra sensitive to a major public backlash.[4]

Will you join us and speak out now? If 25,000 people sign this petition we will organize a major petition delivery at the committee meeting.

Please click here to call for urgent changes to this election law:

The law contains some good measures to curb fraudulent robocalls. However, it imposes unnecessary new voter ID laws that would make it illegal for people to vote by using a voter identification card or by having someone “vouch” for their identity with a legal statement.

Independent reports have confirmed that fraud by individual voters is so rare that it basically doesn’t happen. In turn, 120,000 Canadians voted by being vouched for in the last election, and voter ID changes will hurt people who have a hard time establishing their address at election time the most.[5]

Read more: Stop US-style voter suppression becoming Canadian law

Pete Seeger and the NSA

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Published on Thursday, 06 February 2014 01:46

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"I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this."

Pete Seeger, 1955, testimony pursuant to subpoena before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

The world lost a clear, strong voice for peace, justice, and community with the death of singer and activist Pete Seeger last week. While Seeger was known as an outspoken musician not shy about airing his political opinions, it’s also important to remember he was once persecuted for those opinions, despite breaking no law. And the telling of this story should give pause to those who claim to be unconcerned about the government's metadata seizure and search programs that reveal our associations to the government today.

In 1955, Seeger was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he defiantly refused to answer questions about others who he associated with and who shared his political beliefs and associations, believing Congress was violating his First Amendment rights. He was especially concerned about revealing his associations:

I will be glad to tell what songs I have ever sung, because singing is my business. . . . But I decline to say who has ever listened to them, who has written them, or other people who have sung them.

Read more: Pete Seeger and the NSA

Major operation to save Earth’s most threatened tribe makes progress - News from Survival

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Published on Thursday, 06 February 2014 00:00

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Major operation to save Earth’s most threatened tribe makes progress

After months of campaigning by Survival International, Brazil’s government is finally acting to evict illegal invaders from the Awá tribe's land. © Mário Vilela/FUNAI

Read more: Major operation to save Earth’s most threatened tribe makes progress - News from Survival

Satirical film targets 'development' for tribes

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Published on Wednesday, 05 February 2014 15:50

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Satirical film targets 'development' for tribes.

Who really benefits from development? We've just released a new short animated film which torpedoes the myth that imposing 'development' on tribal people helps them.

Take a couple of minutes to watch it, then please share it with your friends.

'What kind of development is it when people lead shorter lives than before?' Roy Sesana, Bushman

Click to watch There You Go!

Survival International, 6 Charterhouse Buildings, London, EC1M 7ET, United Kingdom.

Survival International USA, 2325 3rd Street, Suite 413, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA

www.survivalinternational.org

‘Kenyan government forcing us into extinction’: evictions of Sengwer tribe escalate - News from Survival

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Published on Wednesday, 05 February 2014 10:16

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‘Kenyan government forcing us into extinction’: evictions of Sengwer tribe escalate

Homes of the Sengwer tribe in Kenya's Cherangany Hills torched by forest guards© Justin Kenrick/ Survival

A Kenyan government campaign against one of the few hunter-gatherer tribes left in east Africa has escalated, as evictions spread throughout their ancestral home.

The Sengwer have cared for the Cherangany Hills of western Kenya for centuries, but the government is forcing them from their homes in the name of safeguarding urban water supplies and protecting the forest.

As it became clear that the government plans to evict the Sengwer from not just part but all of their ancestral land, one Sengwer man described the situation as ‘a disaster. The Kenyan government is forcing us into extinction.’

In the Embobut forest in the Cherangany Hills, as many as a thousand homes have already been torched, together with blankets, food stores, cooking utensils and school materials.

Evictions are now planned for the rest of the Cherangany Hills. This means that the tens of thousands of Sengwer who are indigenous to the hills will be expelled from their homes.

The government is violating international human rights agreements, and the country’s own constitution and court rulings. A High Court judge ordered last week that anyone defying court rulings against the evictions should be arrested, but the police then moved in to assist the Kenyan Forest Service with the evictions.

The Kenyan Forest Service is a forest guard unit funded by the World Bank and the Finnish Government, and had been torching Sengwer homes for ten days.

Read more: ‘Kenyan government forcing us into extinction’: evictions of Sengwer tribe escalate - News from...

GMO salmon

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Published on Monday, 03 February 2014 11:00

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 Environment Canada just allowed the production of GMO salmon eggs, and Health Canada is the last barrier preventing mutant fish from landing on our dinner plates.

Tell Health Canada to reject FrankenSalmon that Canadian consumers don't want and that could harm our wild fish stock.

There is one last step before Canada becomes a live laboratory for the first GMO animal grown for human consumption.

Environment Canada let AquaBounty clear a crucial hurdle when it allowed the American company to produce genetically-modified salmon eggs on a commercial scale. Now, there is only one step left before mutant fish hits our dinner plates -- approval from Health Canada to allow GMO salmon for Canadian consumption.

You can bet that AquaBounty will now use...

Read more: GMO salmon

Mandela's Robben Island comrade denounces persecution of Bushmen

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Published on Monday, 03 February 2014 09:40

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The veteran anti-apartheid activist Michael Dingake has denounced Botswana's persecution of the Bushmen.© Michael Dingake/Survival

Michael Dingake, a veteran ANC activist from Botswana who was imprisoned on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela, has issued a scathing critique of his government’s persecution of the Bushmen.

In an exclusive interview with Survival International –  published by Botswana’s Sunday Standard  – Mr Dingake denounces his country’s treatment of the Bushmen as ‘sub-humans’.

The Bushmen have been harassed and intimidated by the Botswana government for over a decade. In three waves of forced evictions in 1997, 2002 and 2005, they were removed from their ancestral lands.

Despite landmark court victories which guaranteed the Bushmen’s rights to return to their ancestral land and hunt game, their main means of survival, they are routinely arrested and abused for hunting.

Read more: Mandela's Robben Island comrade denounces persecution of Bushmen

Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands Found Guilty - Judge Collette previously stated that he wanted to make an example out of the three protesters

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Published on Monday, 03 February 2014 02:20

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MI CATS 3 Found Guilty by Jury

For Immediate Release

January 31, 2014

Contact: Chloe Gleichman, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Chris Wahmhoff, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The trial of peaceful activists from Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands (MI CATS) ended today with the jury finding Vicci Hamlin, Lisa Leggio, and Barb Carter guilty of both charges brought against them: trespassing and resisting and obstructing an officer. Supporters are deeply saddened that after deliberation for over 10 hours the verdict returned as guilty of all counts. The jury was split most of this time, returning to the courtroom several times for clarification. Sentencing was scheduled for March 5th and the defendants’ bail was revoked and immediately taken into custody.

On January 15th when a denied motion to quash was heard by Judge Collette, he told the MI CATS that they would not be allowed to argue that their actions were “environmentally necessary”. Collette said, “If there is somebody leaking oil on a piece of property and you race out in the yard, and you go in and you stop it, and they charge you with trespassing, I’d throw that case out in a heartbeat. That’s what I think of as ‘Environmental Necessity.” The judge obviously does not understand the severity of the looming climate crisis and that unjust laws allow for the destruction of communities and public health so corporations like Enbridge can maximize their profit. Moreover, the outcome of the case was especially discerning since Judge Collette previously stated that he wanted to make an example out of the three protesters.

This action in which Lisa, Barb, and Vicci were a part of, was not only aimed at stopping the expansion of Enbridge tar sands pipelines before the next disaster, it was also to stand in solidarity with First Nations land being turned into a sacrifice zones to mine tar sands. They used their positions of relative privilege to support communities currently being poisoned in Detroit and others because of extraction industries that put profit before people. Their actions were nothing less than necessary.

Read more: Michigan Coalition Against Tar Sands Found Guilty - Judge Collette previously stated that he...

DECOLONIZE THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION AND EVICT MONSANTO WORLD WIDE

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Published on Monday, 03 February 2014 01:40

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REPRINTED FROM IDLENOMORE.ca
BY INM COMMUNICATIONS ON JANUARY 31, 2014

Poster and article submitted by Quanah Parker Brightman and UNA

The American Indian Contribution To The World's Food

Did you know that over 62% of all the food that the entire world eats today was originally developed by American Indian people ? It’s true ! In fact, if you took out all the food in your cupboards and refrigerator that was developed by Indians, you wouldn’t be left with much to eat. Have you ever gone to a movie and had a tub of popcorn ? Well, if it weren’t for the ingenuity of ancient Indian folks, you’d have to eat something else at the movie ! Yes, that’s right, Indians invented popcorn ... and many other foods and drinks you enjoy today. The list below will clearly convey the overwhelming Indian contribution to the food of today’s world.

A partial list of the foods originally developed or discovered by Indian people (Most of these foods were Indigenous only to the Americas - meaning they did not grow anywhere else in the world)

Corn - all types including sweet, flint and popcorn

Beans - almost all types including Pinto, Lima, Kidney, Navy, Red, White, Black, Green (String, Pole, French, Snap), Butter, Great Northern and Wax

Squash - all types including Zucchini, Acorn, Spaghetti, Crook neck, Summer, Winter and Butternut

Tomatoes - all types including Red, Yellow and Orange, from cherry to melon size

Potato - 250 varieties grown (20 varieties are 75% of total harvest) 3,000 Varieties were developed by the Incas

Cacao (Cocoa and Chocolate come from this)

Peppers - all types including Green, Chili and Banana

Sunflowers (the seeds and oil as well)

Read more: DECOLONIZE THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION AND EVICT MONSANTO WORLD WIDE

Activist Toolkit roundup: Impacts of globalization

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Published on Monday, 03 February 2014 01:20

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BY MEGAN STACEY | JANUARY 31, 2014

What do you think of when you hear the word globalization?

I tend to think about the new forms of communication dominating a world with fewer and fewer boundaries and borders. My Skype icon and ability to email friends or mentors spread halfway across the globe help to enrich my life every day.

But that's just one piece of the puzzle. When we add the word corporate in front of globalization, does it change your view? Do you think of eroded worker rights and the loss of Canadian jobs?

January 31 is the Intercontinental Day of Action Against Corporate Globalization. You can be a part of the movement by checking out a demonstration in your community. Share campaign materials with your friends and fellow activists. Stand up for systems of fair and sustainable trade.

Read more: Activist Toolkit roundup: Impacts of globalization

Remembering one of the heroes, Alfred Joseph

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Published on Monday, 03 February 2014 01:20

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BY TYLER MCCREARY | FEBRUARY 1, 2014

On Thursday, January 30, 2014, Alfred Joseph, the Witsuwit’en hereditary chief Gisday’wa, passed away at the age of 86. Surrounded by his family, he will be remembered in his community, across Canada, and throughout the world for his contribution to the advancement of Indigenous rights.

Born on March 1, 1927 in the community of Hagwilget, Alfred Joseph grew up amidst two worlds colliding. His early years were immersed in the traditions of the Witsuwit’en people. He learned to follow the seasons like countless generations had: hunting in the fall, trapping in the winter, and fishing and feasting in the summer.

I remember sitting with Alfred Joseph and talking about his youth. He fondly recounted his early days, describing how children in Hagwilget would carry salmon up the hill from the canyon to the smoke houses. He also remembered how the men would travel out to the territories in the winters to trap furs (poignantly noting the long period of sexual abstinence it involved).

The young Joseph was learning to set snares and to travel out onto the territories when he was taken to the Lejac residential school at Fraser Lake. From 1938 to 1943, he was culturally dislocated into a place where his traditions weren’t practised and his language was banned. It was not until 1946 that he was able to travel out to the territories to trap.

Read more: Remembering one of the heroes, Alfred Joseph