This week @ rabble.ca: Preparing for Harper's Israel visit

Details: Published on Tuesday, 14 January 2014 00:00; Written by editor

10 Jan 2014

Hey rabble readers,

Fact of the day! If in a single day everyone who visited rabble donated $3 we would exceed our goal ($20,000) for our winter donation drive! Please chip in right now.

The babble book club is ringing in the new year with a fantastic read, one we've all been waiting for! We're reading The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King, which has been praised just about everywhere for its blend of personal experience, humour and critical discussion of Native history in Canada. Join us in our first selection of 2014 and share your experience in our babble thread before the final discussion on January 17 at 2 p.m. EST.

Foreign Minister John Baird has just named lawyer and ardent Netanyahu government cheerleader Vivian Bercovici as Canada's new Ambassador to Israel, in advance of the Prime Minister's first trip to that country later this month. Over the holiday period rabble's Parliamentary Reporter Karl Nerenberg did his best to prepare the ground for the PM with his own visit and now shares some of his notes. Read his story here.

This week's top news

'Partners for Peace' documents Israel-Palestine conflict through women's perspective
In the documentary 'Partners for Peace,' 13 women travel to Israel and Palestine to learn about the conflict and to explore how they may support the work of Israeli and Palestinian women.
By Paul Weinberg

Indigenous peoples have the law, but government has the power
The Elsipogtog Nation's protests have forced SWN to leave the province until 2015 when they will continue their fracking. What continues to drive these colonial projects across Canada?
By Brian Ward

First Nations resist fuel and mining developments to protect us all
First Nations are bringing their cases before the Canadian judiciary and standing as a formidable barrier against the Harper government's fossil fuel expansion agenda.
By Andrea Palframan

Harper government plans to make it harder to become a Canadian citizen
Changes proposed to the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration file by the Harper government include extending the qualifying period for residence and eliminating citizenship by birthright.
By Edward C. Corrigan

Anti-racist activism and white 'allies': A conversation with Dr. David Leonard
The concept of the white ally has been put into question for a variety of reasons. Dr. David Leonard elaborates on this and why anti-racism shouldn't be centred from a white perspective.
By Suey Park

What's abstinence got to do with it?
The Wynne government needs to implement the updated 2010 sex-ed curriculum in Ontario because the current version is out-of-date and out-of-touch.
By Katie Lynes

This week's top blogs

NDP-Grit coalition to defeat Rob Anders? Unlikely! This is a Tory civil war
The job of Liberals and New Democrats and Greens in Calgary Signal Hill is to find a way to defeat the Conservative candidate, whether or not his name is Rob Anders.
By David J. Climenhaga

University partnerships with industry compromise academic principles
A recent report by the CAUT reveals that multiple industry partnerships violate standards for academic integrity.
By Samantha Montgomery

Fat-shaming, sexism and Rob Ford: A discussion on fatphobia and bullying
Rob Ford has been subjected to wide scrutiny for his scandals, and baseless attacks on his weight. But what if he were a woman? Would these attacks be more pointed and hateful?
By Connie Russell, Gerald Walton

Another province in Canada loses its winter energy supply, this time in Newfoundland
Newfoundland has been slammed by winter weather events exposing the frailty of its energy supply grid and the folly of the principles on which it was built and is set to further expand.
By Roger Annis

Coming out at work -- can it affect your career?
How your work's culture prevents you from coming out.
By Laura Brightwell

NAFTA at 20: Some perspectives from planet earth
It's 2014, which means it's NAFTA's 20th anniversary, which means expect fairly regular commentary for a few months on how Canada, Mexico and the U.S. would be worse off without the free trade treaty.
By Stuart Trew

We make exercise scary: A call for physical literacy
It is time we stop making exercise scary. We need to start making movement fun and create confident movers instead of guilting people to look and exercise a certain way.
By Courtney Szto

This week's top columns

The closure of DFO libraries is an attack on knowledge and democracy
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is closing seven of its 11 libraries and dismantling their contents, not just books but maps and journals of rare quality.
By Rick Salutin

Who's watching the CSE? A call for national security accountability
Unwarranted surveillance is our new reality. The Canadian Security Establishment is the governmental entity conducting this type of spying, not on one Canadian in particular, but on all Canadians.
By Monia Mazigh

The myth of the skills shortage in Canada's labour market
Canada's politicians are fond of trumpeting that our economy has performed better than almost any other jurisdiction. But the numbers indicate that Canada's jobs performance has been ho-hum at best.
By Jim Stanford

Writing with little tools: Thinking outside the word processor box
While artisans could do good work with a single tool, they understand that their best comes from the judicious use of ideal implements.
By Wayne MacPhail

A number is never just a number: Words to retire in 2014
It's out with the old -- from "austerity" to "taxpayer," Hennessy's Index rounds up a list of words to toss before turning a new page on 2014.
By Hennessy's Index

Showdown: Extreme weather vs. science
What will climate change mean in terms of future wind damage? Scientists debate whether data on the frequency and intensity of extreme wind are already showing significant upward trends.
By Ole Hendrickson

MORE FROM...
Naomi Klein, Linda McQuaig, Rick Salutin, Duncan Cameron, Wayne MacPhail, Murray Dobbin and others! Read columns...

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This week's top podcasts

Award-winning photojournalist investigates animal exploitation, honours animal rescuers and sanctuaries
In her new book, We Animals, photojournalist and animal rights activist Jo-Anne McArthur shares her stories and photos documenting animal cruelty around the world.
By John Bonnar

The story of Omar Khadr
Edmonton lawyer Dennis Edney says he has never met anyone like Omar Khadr. Edney says that despite everything that's happened to him, he's never heard Khadr say an angry word about anyone.
By Redeye Collective

Oral histories, labour and feminism in Manitoba
Scott Price talks about the history of the labour movement and feminist struggle within the labour movement in Manitoba, and about the importance of oral history for social movements.
By Scott Neigh

Pigs suffer horrific injuries during extreme cold weather in Toronto
On Tuesday, Toronto Pig Save held a vigil at Lakeshore and Strachan in temperatures that felt like -37°C with the windchill.
By John Bonnar

This week's top rabbletv

Lubicon Lake Nation continue anti-fracking campaign
Lubicon Lake Nation continue to fight against fracking and the injunction granted in favour of Penn West Petroleum.
By rabble staff

This week's top books

'Together, we've got a fighting chance': Ed Finn's extraordinary life
'Ed Finn: A Journalist's Life on the Left' describes Finn's journalism career, his contributions to issues such as labour rights and poverty and his firm stance on Canada's left.
By Amira Elghawaby

In this issue

Upcoming events

HalifaxIn whose backyard? Halifax toxic legacies
This morning meeting invites members of Mi'kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities in the Halifax Regional Municipality to discuss historical and current concerns around environmental injustices.
By ENRICH Project

VancouverDialogue Cafe: Sexual Assault, Safety and Public Transit
How can we improve public transit safety for women and girls? Join Women Transforming Cities and the AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre for an evening of discussion and planning.
By Women Transforming Cities

OttawaBook launches: Islands of Decolonial Love and Wild Rice Dreams
Join us for an evening of story, song and poem with Leanne Simpson and Vera Wabegijig! Hosted by Wabu Rice, author of Midnight Sweatlodge.
By Octopus Books

This week's top in cahoots

Union targets Carnival Cruise CEO Arnold Donald in campaign
We believe that Arnold Donald is shooting himself in the foot by supporting the outrageous demands of Crown Holdings management, which are really aimed at breaking the union.
By United Steelworkers

United States considers $300 million for Great Lakes clean-up budget
There is a stark contrast between funding in the United States to clean up the Great Lakes and the Harper government's inaction on this file.
By Council of Canadians

Act now to save Canada Post!
On Dec. 11, 2013, Canada Post announced drastic cutbacks to our public postal service. Send a message to your MP, via email or print and mail (postage is free!), or print and display a window sign.
By Canadian Union of Postal Workers

Taxpayers subsidize obscene levels of compensation of top CEOs
Because of an unfair tax loophole, only half the income from stock options is taxable.
By Canadians for Tax Fairness

Active babble topics

Major social transformation is closer than you may think
By epaulo13

Canada's power producers have failed us
By NorthReport

York university dean orders accommodation of male student who won't work with women
By Unionist

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This week's top tool

How to stay safe as a human rights defender
What frontline activists need to know.

What do you think of Ezra Levant speaking at CUP NASH76?

This week, Canadian University Press (CUP) has been hosting its 76th annual national conference, which attracts young journalists from all across the country. When CUP announced one of their keynote speakers would be Sun Media's Ezra Levant -- speaking this Saturday, Jan. 11 -- there was quite a bit of push back from those planning to attend and other concerned individuals.

What do you think of Ezra Levant speaking at CUP NASH76?

Choices CUP clearly stated that many delegates voted for Levant to speak and they're not endorsing him. Don't attend if you don't like him. Levant's hateful comments and accusations of libel have discredited him as a journalist able to have this type of platform. Levant is Canada's best known conservative pundit and not all university newspapers are 'liberal,' so this isn't shocking. Clearly a bunch of people wrote Levant's name as a joke, which backfired terribly. None of the above.