Alternative News
Articles from non-mainstream as opposed to corporate for profit sources.
A catastrophic spill
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- Published on Wednesday, 21 October 2020 07:38
- Written by editor
It’s time to ban this dirty fuel and protect the Arctic
We’re in a race against time to prevent a catastrophic spill of heavy fuel oil (HFO) in the Arctic.
As Arctic sea ice thins and shrinks, more and more ships powered by HFO are sailing through this fragile ecosystem. HFO is a bottom of the barrel fossil fuel that is heavy, sticky, and highly toxic. Every ship that passes through increases the risk of an accident or fuel spill. If there’s a spill in the Arctic, HFO can’t be cleaned up. The toxic compounds in this dirty fuel get stuck in the ecosystem and food chain, impacting humans and wildlife for generations.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is about to discuss a ban on HFO – and a strong ban is the only way to prevent a tragic accident with long lasting impacts. Canada has the opportunity to influence the IMO negotiations by coming with a strong position supporting a ban in the Arctic without loopholes or delays, and we need them to do exactly that.
BAN HFO IN THE ARCTICPressure has already been building on the Canadian government because of members like you. Last month I let Transport Minister Garneau know we had reached 27,277 petition signatures showing your support for a strong ban on HFO. That petition is still growing, and we’ll keep the Minister updated as more people add their names.
The right to a good life for all
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- Published on Wednesday, 18 November 2020 13:22
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Dying for iPhones
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- Published on Wednesday, 21 October 2020 04:10
- Written by editor
Children in the Congo are dying mining cobalt for Apple and Google’s phones. But these tech giants just claim that’s not their problem.
The kids’ desperate families have taken the fight to court -- can you chip in CA$93 to get these families justice and hold Big Tech accountable?
A,
It’s terrifying work.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, children as young as 10 climb into holes barely wider than their bodies. They spend hours there, digging out tiny chunks of cobalt to be used in cell phone batteries. All for $2 a day.
Dozens have died or suffered catastrophic injuries but Apple, Google, and other tech giants just say it’s not their problem.
The families of these children say otherwise and are suing Big Tech for damages. But these billion-dollar companies have the most expensive lawyers working around the clock to get the case dismissed.
We’ve already started to help them fight this case -- can you chip...
No Short-Term Remedy to Irans Economic Challenges
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- Published on Wednesday, 21 October 2020 03:44
- Written by editor
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2221 ... October 21, 2020
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No Short-Term Remedy to Iran’s Economic Challenges
Cyrus Bina
Iran’s economy has never been more vulnerable and fragile. Last month, President Hassan Rouhani complained that the United States has been waging “economic warfare” against Iran by slapping sanctions on the country’s energy, finance, banking, industrial, and shipping sectors.
In a bid to isolate Iran further, amputate the remaining ties between its financial institutions and the global banking system and prohibit the access of the government in Tehran to much-needed hard currency, the United States on October 8 introduced a new set of sweeping sanctions targeting eighteen Iranian banks that were not previously targeted with punitive measures.
The following interview about the combination of mishandling of the Iranian economy by the Islamic Republic government, which in large part purposefully and insistently reinforced by American sanctions shortly after a green light to a handful of known Islamist contacts prior to the Guadeloupe conference (January 4-7, 1979 in Gusdelupe) that turned the tides against the Iranian Revolution, endorsing Ayatollah Khomeini (and handpicked government of Mehdi Bazargan),...
Read more: No Short-Term Remedy to Irans Economic Challenges
Universal Basic Income Is Not the Answer
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- Published on Tuesday, 20 October 2020 01:40
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2220 ... October 20, 2020
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Universal Basic Income Is Not the Answer:
A leftist case for social investment
Matthew Flisfeder
Is a guaranteed liveable universal basic income (UBI) the right solution for current economic woes? Or does it make more sense to re-invest back into public institutions and social services?
In August, Winnipeg Centre MP Leah Gazan proposed extending the CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) into a permanent UBI. Motion-46 proposes introducing an unconditional, guaranteed liveable income to all Canadians above the age of 18, paid on a regular basis, supplementing benefits already received from current and future government public services. The motion has been received positively by many, including students.
A recent article in The Uniter states, "For post-secondary students, many of whom have had to deal with precarious work conditions, coupled with having to adapt to abrupt changes in how classes are delivered, a basic income could prove to be beneficial." But is UBI really the solution?
In the context of increasing government cuts, can we even be sure that UBI will keep us afloat...
Disappearing giants
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- Published on Monday, 19 October 2020 07:12
- Written by editor
We can protect BC’s endangered rainforests – if we act now
British Columbia is known for its iconic old growth forests, but less than 1% of the province's forests have giant trees left standing – and unless we work fast to protect these endangered giants from reckless logging, they’re at risk of disappearing forever.
Boeing: A New Report, An Old Story
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- Published on Monday, 19 October 2020 04:20
- Written by editor
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2219 ... October 19, 2020
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Boeing: A New Report, An Old Story
Harry Glasbeek
Item 1. A major tobacco company had to deal with regulators in the Czech Republic. The regulators were demanding that rather alarming health hazard signs be put on cigarette packs. The tobacco company argued that, really, tobacco was not that dangerous but, even if it did kill people, it would be wise for the government not to inhibit smoking too much. After all, if it caused premature deaths, tobacco would preserve the government’s revenues. As people age, they use costly health and social well-being programmes way more than younger folk. A few premature deaths might be cost-effective.
The coronavirus period political debate is infused with this argument. It is a shameful argument, but it inheres in the logic of capitalism.
Item 2. In the late 1960s, Ford Motor Company wanted to fight off competition from small European and Japanese cars. Under the direction of Lee Iacocca, it set out to produce a car that weighed no more than 2000 pounds and cost no more...
Raining glyphosate
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- Published on Monday, 19 October 2020 04:00
- Written by editor
A,
Indigenous elders are about to take the Canadian government to court, to protect plants, animals, and people from aerial spraying of toxic glyphosate.
You’ve shown time and time again that when ordinary people come together, we can win. And with your help today, this small group of Indigenous elders can make the government respect their rights, and stop the toxic pesticide planes.
If you’ve saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation will go through immediately:
Donate CA$93 nowDonate another amount
Thanks for all that you do,
Amelia and the team at SumOfUs
Here's my original email:
Indigenous elders are going to court to stop Monsanto's toxic poison from being sprayed all over their traditional territory.
Can you chip in CA$92 to help them launch their lawsuit?
If you’ve saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation will go through immediately:
Support Mikmaq Treaty Rights & Livelihood
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- Published on Sunday, 18 October 2020 09:48
- Written by editor
INM National Week of Action Oct. 19th - Oct. 23rd
Read more: Support Mikmaq Treaty Rights & Livelihood
Raining glyphosate
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- Published on Sunday, 18 October 2020 05:28
- Written by editor
Indigenous elders are going to court to stop Monsanto's toxic poison from being sprayed all over their traditional territory.
Can you chip in CA$92 to help them launch their lawsuit?
If you’ve saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation will go through immediately:
Donate CA$92 nowDonate another amount
A,
It's raining glyphosate in Canada: forestry companies are using planes to spray Monsanto's toxic pesticide on remote Indigenous forests.
Animals are dying and food and medicine plants are being wiped out. It’s a huge crisis for these communities but, so far, the Canadian government, who can force the forestry companies to stop this rain of death, is turning a blind eye to the destruction.
But with your help, that’s about to change.
A brave group of Indigenous elders has been working tirelessly in the fight of their lives -- and they are on the brink of filing legal action against the Canadian government...
The Sanders Moment and After: Socialist Strategy and State Crisis
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- Published on Sunday, 18 October 2020 01:34
- Written by editor
Socialist Interventions Pamphlet ... No. 20 ... October 18, 2020
The Sanders Moment and After: Socialist Strategy and State Crisis
Bernie Sanders’ campaigns were seen as an apparent breakthrough for the left, allowing the widespread delegitimation of neoliberal ideology to be expressed within the parameters of the party system. Their failure compels socialists to return to difficult organizational and strategic questions – and the answers are as uncertain as ever. As contemporary analyses of this period, these essays both shed light on the forces that led to the present conjuncture, and illustrate the political and organizational challenges that are relevant in the post-Sanders moment.
Edited by Stephen Maher and Rafael Khachaturian. Essays by Seth Adler, Eric Blanc, Alleen Brown, Jane McAlevey, April M. Short, Jane Slaughter, Ingar Solty, and others.
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Will Escaping Americans Test Canadas Capacity for Sympathy?
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- Published on Saturday, 17 October 2020 04:04
- Written by editor
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2218 ... October 17, 2020
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Will Escaping Americans Test Canada’s Capacity for Sympathy?
Leo Panitch
When Donald Trump was elected in 2016, I started hearing from American friends that they were thinking of migrating to Canada. Sensing that most of them didn’t really mean it, I would joke in response that we would "build a wall and make you pay for it." And I sometimes reminded them that Canada had more often been the refuge for those escaping the overthrow of reactionary regimes. A good many white people in Apartheid South African used to refer to Toronto as "To-run-to."
Especially since the already infamous first presidential debate of 2020, where Trump appeared to morph into sounding more like Benito Mussolini than the shyster businessman of the P.T. Barnum "there’s a sucker born every minute" variety, I have been getting more declarations of intent to migrate to Canada. They seem more sincere and credible this time.
Immediately after watching the debate myself, I was impelled to go hunting for my battered old copy of It Can’t Happen Here, Sinclair...
Read more: Will Escaping Americans Test Canadas Capacity for Sympathy?
YouTube chose Trump
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- Published on Saturday, 17 October 2020 03:08
- Written by editor
YouTube is turning over its homepage advertising to Donald Trump on Election Day!
Tell YouTube to pull the plug on Trump and ditch all political ads.
A,
YouTube is turning over its homepage advertising to the Trump campaign on Election Day. When Americans go to the polls, Trump will be broadcasting his hateful lies and conspiracy theories on the world’s biggest social media platform.
Facebook and Twitter have already banned political ads in the election run-up in a desperate attempt to stem the tide of disinformation. But YouTube has decided to hand Donald Trump a megaphone instead.
If there is a massive public outcry, we can force YouTube to pull the plug on Trump and ditch all political ads for the duration of the election. We need you to join the call:
Canada & the Binding Treaty on human rights
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- Published on Wednesday, 18 November 2020 13:22
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Video callout from Sleydo (Molly Wickham)
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- Published on Friday, 16 October 2020 10:34
- Written by editor
The struggle against Coastal GasLink continues!
Please watch and share this important message from Sleydo (Molly Wickam) on the current state of the struggle.
Callout for long term supporters on the ground.
Protect the HeadwatersA message from Sleydo, Molly Wickham, spokesperson for the Gidimt'en Checkpoint.
Indigenous Voices on Reconciliation
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- Published on Wednesday, 18 November 2020 13:22
- Written by editor
World Food Day Exclusive: Watch Sabrina and Idris Elba
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- Published on Friday, 16 October 2020 09:38
- Written by editor
WATCH
World Food Day Exclusive: Check Out Sabrina and Idris Elba’s Trip to Sierra Leone
...Read more: World Food Day Exclusive: Watch Sabrina and Idris Elba
How to View Saturday's Covid, Capitalism & Ecology Livestream
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- Published on Friday, 16 October 2020 08:02
- Written by editor
Read more: How to View Saturday's Covid, Capitalism & Ecology Livestream
The Events of October 1970: From Yesterday to Today
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- Published on Friday, 16 October 2020 04:04
- Written by editor
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A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2217 ... October 16, 2020
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The Events of October 1970: From Yesterday to Today
Marc Bonhomme
In 1970, the national question and the social question were merged (especially in Montreal). The big "bosses" were English. The overwhelmingly francophone working class was exploited as well as oppressed and vice versa. Language on signs and in the workplace, and the names of companies, were predominantly in English.
A petty-bourgeois "Quiet Revolution" (1960-1966) was followed by a proletarian "Quiet Revolution" (1966-76), the zenith of which was the general strike of 1972 with its brief pre-revolutionary moments. The latter was defeated by the hegemony of the petty-bourgeois Parti Quebecois (PQ) whose social project was the construction of Quebec Inc., which enjoyed temporary success with Ottawa’s help, for example, in supporting Bombardier and SNC-Lavalin.
The events of October 1970 expressed a lack of confidence that the proletarian-but-inarticulate project of national liberation combined with social emancipation could succeed. The relative electoral success of the left-wing independentist Rassemblement pour l’Indépendance Nationale (RIN) of 1966 (6 per cent of the vote) gave way to the PQ...
Read more: The Events of October 1970: From Yesterday to Today
Alarm bells over logging
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- Published on Thursday, 15 October 2020 14:50
- Written by editor
More Articles...
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- New Book Off Press from New Society Publishers
- The Eighteenth Brumaire of Donald J. Trump: A Response to Bryan Palmer
- VIDEO: Rally with hereditary Leaders of Wet'suwet'en
- Not Completely a Company Town
- Covid, Capitalism & Ecology: A conversation with Mike Davis and Rob Wallace
- Youre Our Inspiration
