my corner of the sandbox

The Tyee – A Coalition: Still the Only Way Out

2010-10-26T10:57:00.002-03:00

When will the Liberals and the NDP get it? Without some kind of accord between these two parties, the country is locked into a kind of political version of the movie Groundhog Day -- doomed to repeat the same depressing, cynical and destructive politics day-in, day-out until our democracy is so damaged that no one will bother voting.

The Tyee – A Coalition: Still the Only Way Out

Someone should really tell Vic Toews

2010-10-12T15:23:00.001-03:00

Thanks to "peace order and good government, eh?"

Robert Pape, a University of Chicago political science professor and former Air Force lecturer, will present findings on Capitol Hill Tuesday that argue that the majority of suicide terrorism around the world since 1980 has had a common cause: military occupation.
\
\Someone should really tell Vic Toews - Peace, order and good government, eh?

"Underground" Group of Cadets Say Air Force Academy Controlled by Evangelicals

2010-10-01T11:57:00.000-03:00

An anonymous cadet at the US Air Force Academy (USAFA ) spoke out against alleged religious discrimination at the school last week, saying that some cadets must pretend to be evangelical Christians in order to maintain standing among their peers and superiors. In an email to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the whistleblower stated that he is part of an "underground group" of about 100 cadets who cannot rely on proper channels to confront evangelical pressure.

"Underground" Group of Cadets Say Air Force Academy Controlled by Evangelicals

Newly discovered planet 'habitable'

2010-09-30T08:40:00.001-03:00

Astronomers have discovered the first planet outside the solar system with the potential to support life.
The planet orbits a red dwarf star called Gliese 581, 20 light years from Earth, in the middle of the star's habitable zone, meaning that temperatures on its surface are just right for life to develop.
US-based scientists found the planet using precise measurements from the Keck telescope in Hawaii, which has been scrutinising Gliese 581 for more than a decade.
The new planet, called Gliese 581g, is one of several known to be orbiting the star, but is the first to be discovered in the so-called Goldilocks Zone, where the distance from the star means that temperatures are neither too hot or too cold for life to exist.

Newly discovered planet 'habitable' - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Don't Forget the Motor City

2010-09-28T19:16:00.003-03:00

An interesting entry on Talking Heads member David Byrne's blog, with photos of the Motor City. And link to a documentary which is a real eye opener.

Anyway, this gives me a week in Detroit, with some free time to look around. A lot has been and continues to be written about Detroit, a handy living symbol of America’s industrial decline and of the human and urban effects of the recent crash. It’s also a symbol of various attempts to revitalize a town on the ropes, including building urban farms; renovating communities; starting arts programs, and creating incentives to bring some much-needed life back.

David Byrne's Journal: 09.23.10: Don't Forget the Motor City

The former guerrilla set to be the world's most powerful woman

2010-09-28T12:03:00.002-03:00

The world's most powerful woman will start coming into her own next weekend. Stocky and forceful at 63, this former leader of the resistance to a Western-backed military dictatorship (which tortured her) is preparing to take her place as President of Brazil.

The former guerrilla set to be the world's most powerful woman | Brasil |Axisoflogic.com

F.B.I. Searches Antiwar Activists’ Homes - NYTimes.com

2010-09-26T15:20:00.001-03:00

Here's a scary little wake-up.

F.B.I. agents executed search warrants Friday in Minneapolis and Chicago in connection to an investigation of support of terror organizations.
The searches in Minneapolis took place early in the morning at the homes of people who have helped organize demonstrations against the war in Iraq and protests held two years ago during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

F.B.I. Searches Antiwar Activists’ Homes - NYTimes.com

Bring Back a National Energy Plan - David Suzuki

2010-09-23T13:37:00.001-03:00

As one of the only developed nations without a coordinated energy strategy, Canada is making an important economic and moral mistake.

The National Energy Program was implemented by the federal Liberal government in 1980 partly in response to skyrocketing oil prices. When the Conservatives came to power in 1984, they dismantled the divisive plan. Although the program did accomplish some of its goals, reducing foreign ownership of the oil industry as well as our dependence on oil, its most lasting legacy was to entrench a great divide between the oil-rich west and the federal government.

Bring Back a National Energy Plan - David Suzuki — THE MARK

Climate change enlightenment was fun while it lasted. But now it's dead

2010-09-21T18:16:00.001-03:00

George Monbiot

The closer it comes, the worse it looks. The best outcome anyone now expects from December's climate summit in Mexico is that some delegates might stay awake during the meetings. When talks fail once, as they did in Copenhagen, governments lose interest. They don't want to be associated with failure, they don't want to pour time and energy into a broken process. Nine years after the world trade negotiations moved to Mexico after failing in Qatar, they remain in diplomatic limbo. Nothing in the preparations for the climate talks suggests any other outcome.

Climate change enlightenment was fun while it lasted. But now it's dead | George Monbiot | Comment is free | The Guardian

Canada, Israel & Palestine

2010-09-21T09:57:00.000-03:00

By Yves Engler

ZNet

Monday, Sep 20, 2010

Current peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian officials are unlikely to end, let alone reverse, Palestinian dispossession. The power imbalance between the sides is simply too great. While Canada could be part of the solution, so far it has been part of the problem.

Canada, Israel & Palestine | Palestine |Axisoflogic.com

Federal Court allows Abousfian Abdelrazik to sue foreign affairs minister | rabble.ca

2010-09-20T13:11:00.001-03:00

In a decision that must have added a certain edge to the next Cabinet meeting after it was announced, the Federal Court of Canada on Aug. 30 gave the green light to a $3-million lawsuit brought by Abousfian Abdelrazik against Lawrence Cannon, minister of foreign affairs. Abdelrazik is suing Cannon for misfeasance in public office, intentional infliction of mental suffering and breaches of his charter rights to mobility and to life, liberty and security of the person.

Federal Court allows Abousfian Abdelrazik to sue foreign affairs minister | rabble.ca

Rick Mercer 'the lie sack'

2010-09-19T15:50:00.001-03:00

Accidental Deliberations

2010-09-18T15:11:00.000-03:00

There's been plenty of talk about how a single blogpost has changed the course of Sweden's ongoing election. But it's worth pointing out exactly what the problem is that's earned so much public sympathy, and how it fits into what the right wants to do to healthcare in Canada:

A young Swedish woman named Emilie wrote a blog post about her mother losing her health insurance. In Sweden, there's a national health plan that covers your living expenses if you lose your job due to failing health. While Emilie's mom has been certified unable to work by her doctors, the government functionaries running the national plan didn't believe her, and just cut off her benefits. Emilie wrote that she and her mother are now considering selling their home, as it's the only way they can be eligible for any more government benefits.

Accidental Deliberations

Global NATO Raises Alarms From Arctic To Brazil

2010-09-18T00:47:00.001-03:00

Rick Rozoff
The current century’s only and history’s largest military bloc will hold the latest of what have become annual summits in Lisbon, Portugal this November 19 and 20. Heads of state, defense chiefs and chiefs of general staff from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s 28 full members will be in attendance, as will be leaders from an unannounced number of the military alliance’s forty some odd partner states.
Global NATO Raises Alarms From Arctic To Brazil « Stop NATO

2010-09-14T19:19:00.002-03:00

Bombshell from London

By Eric S. Margolis

September 14, 2010 "Toronto Sun" -- THE London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), is the world’s leading think tank for military affairs. It represents the top echelon of defence experts, retired officers and senior military men, spanning the globe from the United States and Britain to China, Russia and India.

I’ve been an IISS member for over 20 years. IISS’s reports are always authoritative but usually cautious and diplomatic, sometimes dull. However, two weeks ago the IISS issued an explosive report on Afghanistan that is shaking Washington and its Nato allies.

The report, presided over by the former deputy director of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency, MI-6, says the threat from al-Qaeda and Taliban has been "exaggerated" by the western powers. The US-led mission in Afghanistan has "ballooned" out of all proportion from its original aim of disrupting and defeating al-Qaeda. The US-led war in Afghanistan, says IISS, using uncharacteristically blunt language, is "a long-drawn-out disaster".

Just recently, CIA chief Leon Panetta admitted there were no more than 50 members of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Yet US President Barack Obama has tripled the number of US soldiers there to 120,000 to fight Al Qaeda.

Bombshell from London: Information Clearing House: ICH

2010-09-14T19:19:00.000-03:00

Ottawa’s media rules muzzling federal scientists, say observers

2010-09-14T19:09:00.000-03:00

More Images »

Dr. Andrew Weaver with the Climate Change 2007 report in Victoria, BC on Friday, October 12, 2007.

Photograph by: Ray Smith, Victoria Times Colonist

The Harper government has tightened the muzzle on federal scientists, going so far as to control when and what they can say about floods at the end of the last ice age.

Natural Resources Canada scientists were told this spring they need “pre-approval” from Minister Christian Paradis’ office to speak with national and international journalists. Their “media lines” also need ministerial approval, say documents obtained by Postmedia News through access-to-information legislation.

The documents say the “new” rules went into force in March and reveal how they apply to not only to contentious issues including the oilsands, but benign subjects such as floods that occurred 13,000 years ago.

Ottawa’s media rules muzzling federal scientists, say observers

Le Carre on 'the Russification of Britain

2010-09-08T12:34:00.001-03:00

Ex MI5 / MI6 man John Le Carre talks to Radio4's Today program about his new book. He then goes on to talk about how the Muslim boogeyman is being used to erode democracy much more than the IRA ever was.

Le Carre on 'the Russification of Britain

2010-09-08T12:34:00.000-03:00

Oldest Marijuana Stash Found

2010-09-07T16:09:00.001-03:00

Dec. 3, 2008 -- Nearly two pounds of still-green plant material found in a 2,700-year-old grave in the Gobi Desert has just been identified as the world's oldest marijuana stash, according to a paper in the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Botany.
A barrage of tests proves the marijuana possessed potent psychoactive properties and casts doubt on the theory that the ancients only grew the plant for hemp in order to make clothing, rope and other objects.
They apparently were getting high too.
Oldest Marijuana Stash Found: Discovery News

Obama Has Signalled His Coming Complete Surrender To Zionism And Its Lobby

2010-09-04T15:33:00.000-03:00

Alanhart.net

He did it with seven words. “Ultimately the U.S. cannot impose a solution.”

He was speaking at the White House the day before the start of the new round of direct talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, after he had met with them and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. (In my last post I anticipated Obama saying at the point of his complete surrender that “America can’t want peace more than the parties.” He also said that – ahead of schedule!)

Today there is a growing number of seriously well informed people of all faiths and none (including me) who believe there will only be peace if it is imposed.

Obama Has Signalled His Coming Complete Surrender To Zionism And Its Lobby

DJ Green Lantern (Feat. Eminem) - Bush Knocked Down The Towe

2010-09-03T22:41:00.000-03:00

How Fox North became Harper's priority | rabble.ca

2010-08-31T11:30:00.000-03:00

Remember the attack ad the Paul Martin Liberals used in the 2006 federal election campaign that backfired so badly it helped galvanize Canadians to turf them out instead?

Aimed at terrifying Canadians about the militaristic and undemocratic impulses of Stephen Harper's Conservatives, the Liberal ad intoned over a war drumbeat: "Soldiers with guns... In our cities... In Canada... We did not make this up."

Today the tables could be abruptly turned on the Conservatives with this far more sinister message: "The prime minister's office. In a first-world democracy. Controlling a major media network. We did not make this up."

How Fox North became Harper's priority | rabble.ca

“Sowing Light” Part 1: Bringing Solar Power to Rural Venezuela

2010-08-31T10:48:00.000-03:00

By James Suggett

Venezuela Analysis

Tuesday, Aug 31, 2010

Good-news story.

“We live in paradise. Look, the people are very tranquil, the kids are growing, and we cultivate food without contamination because we know how to produce natural fertilizer from worms. And now, with solar electricity, it’s like a dream,” said the Venezuelan farmer Ramón Dávila with a smile, his solid stature and rough, wrinkled skin bearing the signs of six decades of rural life in the remote Andean village of El Quinó.

“Sowing Light” Part 1: Bringing Solar Power to Rural Venezuela | Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela |Axisoflogic.com

A good year for Québec solidaire | rabble.ca

2010-08-30T10:33:00.000-03:00

In the past year, Amir Kadir, Québec solidaire's first elected MNA, has become one Québec's most popular personalities. He has won plaudits from all observers and, more importantly, from the public for his performance in and out of the National Assembly. His widely publicized positions denouncing political corruption among the ruling Liberals, supporting the battles against the government's spring austerity budget, or lambasting mining and pharmaceutical corporations, have won him a growing recognition among working people and the wider public

A good year for Québec solidaire | rabble.ca

Endless War, Humanitarian Crisis, and Perpetual Resistance: U.S. Foreign Policy in the 21st Century

2010-08-29T13:46:00.001-03:00

The unnamed war: what's happening in the media shadows.

In 2009, the mainstream U.S. media reported with satisfaction that the Pakistani government had finally responded positively to the United States and NATO’s demands[1] for an aggressive military policy aimed at depriving the resurgent Taliban of “safe havens” in Pakistan.[2] The subsequent offensive, featuring a Pakistani invasion of these areas and aerial assaults by the U.S. and its NATO allies, and has become just another unexceptional element of the open-ended military campaign formerly known as GWOT (the “Global War on Terror”), but which, under the Obama administration has continued without a name. It receives little attention from the mainstream media, which is focusing its limited attention on Afghanistan, to the exclusion of the other “hot wars” the U.S. is currently conducting in Iraq and Pakistan.

Endless War, Humanitarian Crisis, and Perpetual Resistance: U.S. Foreign Policy in the 21st Century

Harper's Christmas Card: him looking at pictures of himself

2010-08-29T10:17:00.002-03:00

Harper’s $130 Million Chapter 11 Giveaway

2010-08-28T16:49:00.001-03:00

Posted by Jim Stanford
Canada’s federal government made an important announcement this week. It was kept deliberately quiet: with a news release issued at 4:45 pm on a calm Tuesday in the middle of the late-summer news “dead zone.” But it should set alarm bells ringing for anyone concerned with the anti-democratic direction of global trade law.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government reached a $130 million out-of-court settlement with the bankruptcy trustees overseeing the restructuring of AbitibiBowater Inc., a failed forestry and paper giant. The settlement relates to a claim that Abitibi brought against Canada under NAFTA’s notorious Chapter 11 process. This process is a bizarre kangaroo court in which investors from one NAFTA partner (and only investors - normal people aren’t allowed in) can sue another NAFTA government for actions which are deemed to break NAFTA’s broad investment rights provisions. If a Chapter 11 tribunal rules against the offending government, it can order damages be paid to the aggrieved investor.

The Progressive Economics Forum » Harper’s $130 Million Chapter 11 Giveaway

Luke Powell - Photographs Fine Art Landscapes Afghanistan

2010-08-28T12:40:00.001-03:00

A beautiful photo-essay from the mid-70's. About 100 photos.

Luke Powell - Photographs Fine Art Landscapes Afghanistan Pakistan Ladakh Middle East Central Asia Travel Muslim Islam Palestine Egypt Vermont Ceylon Sri Lanka Afghan women children

Monsanto in Gates' Clothing?

2010-08-27T11:42:00.000-03:00

by Eric Holt Gimenez

If you had any doubts about where the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is really placing its bets, AGRA Watch's recent announcement of the Foundation's investment of $23.1 million in 500,000 shares of Monsanto stock should put them to rest. Genetic engineering: full speed ahead.

Monsanto in Gates' Clothing? The Emperor's New GMOs | CommonDreams.org

#26: Disband NATO | Dangerous Ideas | Big Think

2010-08-27T11:38:00.000-03:00

It's been over 20 years since the Berlin Wall fell, yet the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO), a military group which was originally created to defend Western Europe from Russia, continues to exist, with 28 member states pledged to collectively defend one another in the face of outside aggression.

MIT linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky thinks it's time to disband the organization, which he believes is now an "international intervention force" that only exists to project U.S. military power on the other side of the globe

#26: Disband NATO | Dangerous Ideas | Big Think

Canada unpredictable on human rights says new Amnesty boss - thestar.com

2010-08-24T11:43:00.000-03:00

MONTREAL—Canada’s position on human rights issues is becoming harder and harder to predict, says Amnesty International’s newly appointed boss.

Salil Shetty said Monday that Canada is now taking drastically different positions in areas such as torture and the death penalty where it has traditionally been progressive.

“Generally speaking if you talk to most Canadians, there’s a big gap between what they believe Canada does and what the reality is in terms of government policy and actions,” Shetty said in an interview.

“It’s a G8 country, it’s a major world power and it has produced so many leaders on these issues, so it has (had) a trendsetting or agenda-setting role.”

Amnesty’s new secretary general said it’s hard to know where Canada stands on many issues.

“You could predict where Canada stood on many of the issues in the past and now you can’t be sure,” Shetty said before delivering a speech at the CIVICUS World Assembly, a gathering of civil society groups.

Canada unpredictable on human rights says new Amnesty boss - thestar.com

The Transformation of Latin America is a Global Advance

2010-08-19T12:19:00.000-03:00

by Seumas Milne

Nearly two centuries after it won nominal independence and Washington declared it a backyard, Latin America is standing up. The tide of progressive change that has swept the continent for the past decade has brought to power a string of social democratic and radical socialist governments that have attacked social and racial privilege, rejected neoliberal orthodoxy and challenged imperial domination of the region.

The Transformation of Latin America is a Global Advance | CommonDreams.org

Bin Laden is Dead: Long Live “Bin Laden”. Who’s keeping the terror myth alive?

2010-08-17T16:21:00.001-03:00

While the mainstream media rarely if ever question the belief that bin Laden is still alive, some cracks have been appearing in the consensus. In a September 11, 2009 piece in Britain’s Daily Mail, Sue Reid wondered, “What if everything we have seen or heard of him on video and audio tapes since the early days after 9/11 is a fake—and that he is being kept ‘alive’ by the Western allies to stir up support for the war on terror?”

An even more prominent sceptic is UPI Editor at Large Arnaud de Borchgrave whose July 26, 2010 commentary titled “Elvis bin Laden” may herald a new consensus. Sifting much the same evidence as Reid, the “legendary journalist” stated that “some key intelligence officials are taking bin Laden’s reported demise seriously.”

Bin Laden is Dead: Long Live “Bin Laden”. Who’s keeping the terror myth alive?

2010-08-13T12:11:00.001-03:00

Hungary's Defiance of IMF and European Authorities Scares the Guardians of Austerity in Europe

2010-08-13T11:19:00.000-03:00

by Mark Weisbrot

The government of Hungary has taken on a lot of powerful interests in the last couple of months, and so far appears to be winning - despite provoking outrage from everybody who's anybody.

"The IMF should hold the line," shouted the Financial Times in an editorial the day after Hungary sent the IMF packing in July. "With so many countries in vulnerable positions, it cannot be seen to be a soft touch. Showing a few yellow and red cards is a good way to send a signal to other governments that might be tempted to flirt with indiscipline."

This is the great fear among the defenders of European "pro-cyclical" policies - that is, policies that weaken the economy during a recession or when it is barely growing. Hungary's defiance could conceivably spread to other governments currently being squeezed by the IMF and European authorities.

Hungary's Defiance of IMF and European Authorities Scares the Guardians of Austerity in Europe | CommonDreams.org

Oliver Stone: the new Michael Moore? – Prospect Magazine

2010-08-11T14:11:00.002-03:00

I like documentaries, I love Latin America, I am generally sympathetic to left wing politics. I guess this makes me the target audience for Oliver Stone’s new film, South of the Border, but that said, go see it, it is great. No matter what your politics, it is worthwhile to see what a real filmmaker can do with a tired genre.

Oliver Stone: the new Michael Moore? – Prospect Magazine « Prospect Magazine

Ansel Herz: How to write about Haiti

2010-07-23T23:29:00.000-03:00

Source (Huffington Post)

Actor Sean Penn, who is helping manage a camp of displaced earthquake victims in Haiti, is making pointed criticisms of journalists for dropping the ball on coverage of Haiti. He's wrong. I've been on the ground in Port-au-Prince working as an independent journalist for the past ten months. I'm an earthquake survivor who's seen the big-time reporters come and go. They're doing such a stellar job and I want to help out, so I've written this handy guide for when they come back on the one-year anniversary of the January quake!

HaitiAnalysis.com Ansel Herz: How to write about Haiti

Israel jails Arab for 'deceit rape'

2010-07-21T08:58:00.002-03:00

An Arab living in Israel has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for having consensual sex with an Israeli woman who apparently believed he was Jewish.
Sabbar Kashur was sentenced on Monday after being convicted of "rape by deception".

Israel jails Arab for 'deceit rape' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

A hidden world, growing beyond control

2010-07-19T11:29:00.001-03:00

A major 2 year investigation of the 'security world' created after 9/11 in the U.S. by the Washington Post

The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work.
A hidden world, growing beyond control | washingtonpost.com

Big Oil makes war on earth

2010-07-19T08:36:00.000-03:00

By Ellen Cantarow

If you live on the Gulf Coast, welcome to the real world of oil - and just know that you're not alone. In the Niger Delta and the Ecuadorian Amazon, among other places, your emerging hell has been the living hell of local populations for decades.

Asia Times Online :: Asian news and current affairs

What was Washington’s role in the coup against Australian prime minister Rudd? | Australia |Axisoflogic.com

2010-07-16T19:28:00.000-03:00

By James Cogan

As more information drips out, the role of Washington in the June 24 political coup against former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd looms ever larger. It is increasingly apparent that the Obama administration had become concerned that Rudd was wavering in his support for the crisis-wracked US-led occupation of Afghanistan, and that one of the driving forces for his political assassination may well have been US insistence that the Australian government—a key US ally—align itself unconditionally with Obama’s intensification of the criminal war.
What was Washington’s role in the coup against Australian prime minister Rudd? | Australia |Axisoflogic.com

Pambazuka - Africa's market-led development: Pro-corporation, anti-farmer

2010-07-15T19:27:00.002-03:00

Richard Jonasse
As evidenced by USAID administrator Rajiv Shah's recent speech to the US Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC), the US and the Green Revolution's 'solutions' for African agriculture remain more of the same, rooted in a corporate-funded, GMO-oriented and market-based system designed entirely in the interests of Western business. While US development aid fasts becomes simply 'an investment subsidised by US taxpayers with high returns for US corporations', African farmers' groups such as COPAGEN, LEISA and PELUM continue to organise in defence of self-determination and genetic biodiversity, writes Richard Jonasse.

Pambazuka - Africa's market-led development: Pro-corporation, anti-farmer

G20 Toronto - Summary Report: Police State Canada (Video)

2010-07-14T13:56:00.001-03:00

Here is an excellent video summary report of the G20 weekend police state.
In this report, you will see:

police shielding some black block individuals and letting them through their lines
a report that the police cars left as "bait" were left with the gas caps removed!
police standing and watching as police cars burn, while they have every opportunity to get them extinguished
police standing by watching the vandalism without intervening
unwarranted police brutality and arrests
police charging on horseback and trampling a girl
report of threats of gang rape by police of a woman in detention
report of a woman strip-searched and cavity searched by male police officers

Correction: during the video it states that the opposition leaders are not calling for a public inquiry. In actual fact they did and are now working towards an inquiry while the Conservatives do everything in their power to block an inquiry.

Police State Canada | Global Research TV

Al Jazeera reports "West still undermining Haiti." CNN tells a different story.

2010-07-13T16:07:00.002-03:00

This Al Jazeera report confirms Dady Chery's analysis in May and updated several times since, Bill Clinton's Dictatorship in Haiti. The indomitable Haitian people have been fighting off foreign domination all their lives and they will not sell their sovereignty now for a mess of pottage. Given their choices, they choose to clear the rubble with shovels, shunning heavy equipment and rebuild their houses themselves. Why? Because they refuse to use bulldozers and foreign contractors that carry the pricetag of their independence.

Al Jazeera reports "West still undermining Haiti." CNN tells a different story. | Haiti |Axisoflogic.com

Arrested at G20 summet for blowing bubbles

2010-07-13T07:44:00.000-03:00

Cary in the Sky with Diamonds

2010-07-08T14:32:00.004-03:00

This year, the FDA has allowed experimentation with LSD after 50 years. Before Leary, the hippie phenomenon, et all, interesting results were being had at the Beverley Hills Clinic.

Before Timothy Leary and the Beatles, LSD was largely unknown and unregulated. But in the 1950s, as many as 100 Hollywood luminaries—Cary Grant and Esther Williams among them—began taking the drug as part of psychotherapy. With LSD research beginning a comeback, the authors recount how two Beverly Hills doctors promoted a new “wonder drug,” at $100 a session, profoundly altering the lives of their glamorous patients, Balaban included.

Cary in the Sky with Diamonds | Vanity Fair

Econopocalypse: the Marxist animated whiteboard explanation

2010-07-05T09:05:00.002-03:00

happy 4th, u.s.a.! alan ginsberg & piano of tom waits

2010-07-04T10:43:00.001-03:00

China's launches global English TV channel

2010-07-04T10:31:00.001-03:00

China's state news agency Xinhua has launched a 24-hour global news channel in English.
Officials said CNC World would present "an international vision with a China perspective".

China's Xinhua launches global English TV channel | World News |Axisoflogic.com

Secret Ingredient In Honey That Kills Bacteria

2010-07-04T10:18:00.005-03:00

Ultimately, researchers isolated the defensin-1 protein, which is part of the honey bee immune system and is added by bees to honey. After analysis, the scientists concluded that the vast majority of honey's antibacterial properties come from that protein.

Secret Ingredient In Honey That Kills Bacteria | World News |Axisoflogic.com

Want to dance?

2010-06-26T21:19:00.002-03:00

t toDon't ask. I don't know the origin of this.Talented toddler-- at least that.click below.

Wanna dance?

Chossudovsky on the G8 Meetings

2010-06-26T12:26:00.000-03:00

Iraq’s Ancient Ruins Face New Looting

2010-06-26T09:47:00.005-03:00

Holly Pickett for The New York Times

DHAHIR, Iraq — The looting of Iraq’s ancient ruins is thriving again. This time it is not a result of the “stuff happens” chaos that followed the American invasion in 2003, but rather the bureaucratic indifference of Iraq’s newly sovereign government.

Thousands of archaeological sites — containing some of the oldest treasures of civilization — have been left unprotected, allowing what officials of Iraq’s antiquities board say is a resumption of brazenly illegal excavations, especially here in southern Iraq.
Iraq’s Ancient Ruins Face New Looting - NYTimes.com

Bang a gong with Stockhausen

2010-06-21T20:02:00.004-03:00

Stockhausen’s Mikrophonie I (1964) is a beautiful meeting of five people, a large gong, a microphone (used as a friction device) and a filter. From that unlikely grouping comes a cosmos of sound, so ripe is the idea of amplfied resonant metal. Need I point out that this is a major root of the later Neubautens and Organums of the world ? The clip below is packed full of interesting info so you can read along whilst having your face melted. click below for video of piece. One of the fathers of electronic music.

Dangerous Minds | Bang a gong with Stockhausen

A documentary on the Gulf spill with Avie Lewis of Al Jazeera

2010-06-20T11:24:00.002-03:00

Ignored and Forgotten

2010-06-18T16:32:00.002-03:00

Ignored and Forgotten | Adbusters Culturejammer Headquarters

Energy for the Future: LIFE, NIF & Photon Science

2010-06-18T12:08:00.002-03:00

LIFE, an acronym for Laser Inertial Fusion Engine, is an advanced energy concept under development at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Based on physics and technology developed for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), LIFE has the potential to meet future worldwide energy needs in a safe, sustainable manner without carbon dioxide emissions.

Energy for the Future: LIFE, NIF & Photon Science

Embargoes and Blockades used as a Method of Warfare

2010-06-17T17:38:00.002-03:00

I'm reminded of all the talk in the past week about the U.S.'s longest war is going on in Afghanistan. That would be 7 years now. Did somebody forget about the start of the embargo of Iraq in 1990. I would venture a guess that this would be the longest war so far-- like 20 years. And that one isn't exactly over. If it was I haven't heard about it. Of course these things aren't necessarily announced any more..

In 1990, in arguably some of the most chilling lines written in recent history, Gary Clyde Hufbauer, et al., wrote, regarding embargoes, in an advisory document for the George H.W. Bush Administration: ": ... We present our short list of 'do's and don'ts' for the architects of a sanctions policy designed to change the politics of the target country ... (3) Do pick on the weak and helpless ...(5) Do impose the maximum cost on your target ..." (1) On Hiroshima Day 1990, the most comprehensive embargo ever imposed by the UN., was imposed on Iraq.

Embargoes and Blockades used as a Method of Warfare

Global Research TV | Centre for Research on Globalization

2010-06-17T15:20:00.000-03:00

This is to announce the formation of GRTV, which will be the video arm of the Canadian-based web site, Global Research. I've been subscribing to it for a few years and love it. Do yourself a favour and check it out.

Global Research TV | Centre for Research on Globalization

Stephen Harper delighted to help flotilla 'farce'

2010-06-15T12:59:00.003-03:00

While governments around the world denounced the Israeli attack and Turkey decried it as an act of "state terrorism," Prime Minister Stephen Harper cheerfully followed through with a planned meeting the next day with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Appearing with Netanyahu, Harper merely expressed regret about the loss of life and the fact that it interfered with Netanyahu's visit to Canada: "I'm sorry this has coloured this [visit]," said Harper, "but delighted you were able to join me at least last night and today, and we've had some important talks, so welcome to Canada."
Welcome to Canada?
Stephen Harper delighted to help flotilla 'farce' | rabble.ca

Haitians see Canadians as ‘the occupiers’ « Yves Engler

2010-06-15T02:07:00.004-03:00

Three weeks ago, the front page of Haiti Liberté showed a picture of President René Préval next to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and two Canadian soldiers. Part of the caption below read, “Préval under the surveillance of the occupying forces.”
While Canada’s dominant media rarely describe this country’s role in Haiti critically, it’s common in Haiti’s left-wing weeklies. Since Ottawa helped overthrow Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s government in February 2004, Haiti Liberté and Haiti Progrès have described Canada as an “occupying force”, “coup supporter” or “imperialist” at least a hundred times. (continue below)

Haitians see Canadians as ‘the occupiers’ « Yves Engler

Moon Has a Hundred Times More Water Than Thought

2010-06-14T20:29:00.001-03:00

Andrew Fazekas

for National Geographic News

Published June 14, 2010

Could this be the final blow to the theory that the moon is bone dry?

Not only does the moon's surface hold a "significant amount" of water—as two NASA crashes confirmed in October—but, a new study says, the moon's interior may hold at least a hundred times more water than previously estimated.

Moon Has a Hundred Times More Water Than Thought

Ancient Mars Had Vast Ocean, New Evidence Shows

2010-06-14T20:24:00.003-03:00

Mars Had Earth-like Atmosphere?

An ancient ocean on Mars would mean the planet once had a thick atmosphere and a hydrological cycle similar to that of Earth.

"If Mars had an ocean, it must have had clouds and rain, snow in the highlands, ice caps forming, a groundwater system, and all of these things that we have here on Earth," Hynek said.

Ancient Mars Had Vast Ocean, New Evidence Shows

A Very Canadian Coup d'Etat in Haiti

2010-06-14T15:09:00.002-03:00

by Richard Sanders

Things went from bad to worse after Canada's Liberal government helped plan and carry out the 2004 regime change that illegally ousted President Aristide's democratically-elected government. Canada then helped empower and entrench an illegal coup-installed puppet regime that launched a reign of terror in which thousands of prodemocracy supporters were executed, jailed without charge, driven into hiding, or exiled. This Canadian-financed dictatorship, propped up by UN-sanctioned occupation forces, was applauded by corporations greedy to profit from "reconstruction" contracts, the privatisation of public services, and the wage-slavery of Haitian sweatshops.

Canada has a lot to answer for. Here are ten ways in which our government contributed to this major travesty of justice in Haiti:

A Very Canadian Coup d'Etat in Haiti

Twilight of the Gods (of Film Criticism) « The Bygone Bureau

2010-06-14T10:46:00.000-03:00

In April of 2008, Sean Means, the film critic at The Salt Lake Tribune, began to compile a list of his colleagues who no longer had their full-time gigs. Since January, ten major publications, including Newsweek and the Village Voice, had eliminated their film criticism spots, and another eleven would follow suit: by the end of the year, there would only be 126 full-time reviewers left in the United States. No wonder critics declared that the sky was falling. (continue below)

Twilight of the Gods (of Film Criticism) « The Bygone Bureau

Canada’s Deepening Democracy Crisis

2010-06-13T18:31:00.002-03:00

Global Research, June 13, 2010

Murray Dobbin's Blog - 2010-05-03

Canada is in the midst of a crisis in democracy unique in its history. There is simply no other historical example that one can compare it to. It is multi-faceted and it affects every aspect of our national politics and political discourse. It is inexorably eroding the political fabric of the country and therefore our viability as a democratic nation.

First, we have a government so contemptuous of democracy that it is utterly unapologetic in trying to impose on the country an agenda opposed by probably 75 per cent of the population — treating its minority status not as a mandate to work with other parties but as an irritating impediment to re-engineering the country along the lines defined by the U.S. Christian right.

Second, we are amongst a tiny handful of countries still saddled with the absurdly anachronistic voting system that allows for government by executive dictatorship by any party that can get 40 per cent of the vote.

Third, Canada is witnessing a continuing catastrophic decrease in voter turn out with just 59 per cent voting in the October 2008 election — a result which put us 16th out of 17 peer nations. This aspect of the crisis is largely the result of the first two: a deliberate plan by the political right to downsize democracy through relentless partisanship and people’s frustration at seeing their votes count for nothing.

Fourth is the crisis within the Liberal Party and its virtual collapse as a vehicle for nation-building. The era of Trudeau and Turner has been replaced by that of Paul Martin and Ignatieff — cynical servants of the wealthy and spear-carriers for neo-liberal economic policies that are anathema to genuine democracy and nation-building. This internal crisis has led to a ceiling for their popular support of no more than 35 per cent. While one party’s problems may not fully qualify as a crisis in democracy, the absence of a strong centre-left mainstream party puts the fruits of democracy at risk

Canada’s Deepening Democracy Crisis

The Anti-Empire Report

2010-06-12T14:05:00.000-03:00

By William Blum

killinghope.org

Friday, Jun 11, 2010

The worst thing that ever happened to the Jewish people is the Holocaust. The second worst thing that ever happened to the Jewish people is the state of Israel.

The Anti-Empire Report | Global Empire |Axisoflogic.com

The Method of the Madness

2010-06-08T18:08:00.001-03:00

Why did the Israelis open fire on members of the ship? Israel, Turky, the U.S, Brazil, Russia, Iran.......
Pepe Escobar

Why would Israel, in a deliberate and methodical operation planned over a week in advance - according to statements by senior Israeli military commanders made in Hebrew-language media days before the attack - target an unarmed ship on a humanitarian mission flying the flag of Comoros? (Unlike Turkey, Comoros is a party of the Rome
Statute of the International Criminal Court, which has jurisdiction over war crimes committed on vessels of member states.)

Asia Times Online :: Middle East News, Iraq, Iran current affairs

China increases wages

2010-06-08T17:47:00.001-03:00

Obviously things aren't standing still in China. Unions there have seen steady pay increases. All good for China as it ramps up domestic demand. Watch out folks; prices are on the rise at Wallmart.

By Olivia Chung

HONG KONG - As workers in the United States and Europe face layoffs and growing unemployment lines, their Chinese counterparts are demanding and getting higher pay and better conditions as they seek a larger slice of the country's growing prosperity.

Putting more cash in pay packets also supports the government's twin goals of reducing threats to social stability and rebalancing the export-dependent economy by boosting domestic consumption.

Asia Times Online :: China News, China Business News, Taiwan and Hong Kong News and Business.

The Truth Behind the Israeli Propaganda

2010-06-05T17:18:00.000-03:00

by Robert Fisk

I have, of course, been outraged at armed men boarding ships in international waters, killing passengers on board who attempt to resist and then forcing their ship to the hijackers' home port. I am, of course, talking about the Somali pirates who are preying on Western ships in the Indian Ocean. How dare those terrorists dare to touch our unarmed vessels on the high seas? And how right we are to have our warships there to prevent such terrorist acts.

The Truth Behind the Israeli Propaganda | CommonDreams.org

Gulf Oil Spill (PHOTOS): Animals In Peril

2010-06-04T19:28:00.003-03:00

A photo essay from Huffington Press. I couldn't look at them all but here they are.

Gulf Oil Spill (PHOTOS): Animals In Peril

Economic Hit Man- Perkins

2010-06-01T11:31:00.002-03:00

Thai, Argentine Textile Workers Unite Against Slave Labour | World News |Axisoflogic.com

2010-05-29T16:50:00.000-03:00

World News

Thai, Argentine Textile Workers Unite Against Slave Labour ( 0)

Print This ShareThis

By Marcela Valente

Inter Press Service

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Textile cooperatives founded by former slave labourers from Argentina and Thailand will jointly launch a new brand of clothing in June to raise awareness about exploitation and promote decent jobs in the garment industry.

Thai, Argentine Textile Workers Unite Against Slave Labour | World News |Axisoflogic.com

Sugary drinks and their equivalent in junk food - Boing Boing

2010-05-23T10:58:00.001-03:00

~~World of Mysteries'~~ Men's Health's "Harmful Drinks in America" is a series of photos of sugary beverages next to their caloric equivalent in junk food. Here's a 280 calorie Rockstar Energy Drink alongside a mountain of 6 Krispy Kreme donuts. Of course, that's nothing compared to the 345 calorie Arizona Kiwi Strawberry drink (equivalent to 7 bowls of Froot Loops) and the 870 calorie Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte, (equivalent to 12 Dunkin' Donuts Bavarian Kreme Doughnuts).

Sugary drinks and their equivalent in junk food - Boing Boing

2010-05-19T19:24:00.001-03:00

Bakery chain Panera Bread opens non-profit, pay-what-you-want shop

2010-05-19T18:55:00.001-03:00

By Christopher Leonard

Raw Story

So-called 'Radiohead business model' tremendously successful in propelling massive music sales, now being replicated with bread.

The national bakery and restaurant chain launched a new nonprofit store here this week that has the same menu as its other 1,400 locations. But the prices are a little different — there aren't any. Customers are told to donate what they want for a meal, whether it's the full suggested price, a penny or $100.

Bakery chain Panera Bread opens non-profit, pay-what-you-want shop | Civic Revolution |Axisoflogic.com

2010-05-19T10:30:00.002-03:00

Where do Cursors come from? Nathen Pyle

2010-05-19T10:23:00.003-03:00

ei: Challenging Canada's myths about its role in Palestine

2010-05-19T00:25:00.001-03:00

At the end of March, the Liberal Party of Canada staged a conference exploring the challenges Canada will face in 2017, the state's 150th birthday. Robert Fowler, Canada's longest-serving ambassador to the United Nations and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's former special envoy to Niger, caused a fervor on the final day of the conference by contending that Canada's reputation and foreign policy effectiveness in the Middle East have been diminished as a result of domestic pandering to Jewish voters -- because foreign policy has been put in the service of domestic electoral concerns.

ei: Challenging Canada's myths about its role in Palestine

Who's influencing policy decisions in Stephen Harper's government? | rabble.ca

2010-05-17T12:34:00.000-03:00

In the wake Marci McDonald's newly released book The Armageddon Factor: The Rise Of Christian Nationalism In Canada, a political firestorm has erupted on Parliament Hill, igniting debate about just who's influencing the policy decisions made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The release of McDonald's book comes amid the brewing tension of apparent ideological moves made by the Harper government, including the 'Mexico City Policy' for the upcoming G8 maternal and child health initiative, the rescinding of funds of women's organizations who promote a full range of family planning options, and the denial of federal tourism funds for Pride Toronto.

Who's influencing policy decisions in Stephen Harper's government? | rabble.ca

Five Questions Monsanto Needs to Answer about its Seed Donation to Haiti

2010-05-17T12:07:00.001-03:00

by Timi Gerson

Monsanto has donated $4 million in seeds to Haiti, sending 60 tons of conventional hybrid corn and vegetable seed, followed by 70 more tons of corn seed last week with an additional 345 tons of corn seed to come during the next year. Yet the number one recommendation of a recent report by Catholic Relief Services on post-earthquake Haiti is to focus on local seed fairs and not to introduce new or "improved" varieties at this time.

Five Questions Monsanto Needs to Answer about its Seed Donation to Haiti | CommonDreams.org

May 17, 1902: Ancient Antikythera Calculating Mechanism Discovered

2010-05-17T10:18:00.002-03:00

1902: A diver exploring a shipwreck off the coast of Antikythera, an island between the Greek mainland and Crete, brings up a heavily encrusted mechanism that turns out to be the world’s first known scientific instrument.
The Antikythera mechanism plotted the positions of celestial bodies 19 years into the future — and as an added bonus, it kept track of upcoming Olympics.

May 17, 1902: Ancient Antikythera Calculating Mechanism Discovered | This Day In Tech | Wired.com

Mark of the Beast: Obama's latest Monsanto pick, Elena Kagan

2010-05-16T17:21:00.000-03:00

16 May, 2010
Countercurrents.org

First, we spit out our coffee over President Obama's appointments of former Monsanto goon Michael Taylor as Food Safety [ sic ] Czar and ‘ biotech governor of the year ' Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture. Then we choked on our grits when he made Monsanto lobbyist, Islam Siddiqui , the US Ag Trade Representative. Now, the real food movement has completely lost its appetite with Obama's nomination of Monsanto defender, Elena Kagan, to the US Supreme Court.

Mark of the Beast: Obama's latest Monsanto pick, Elena Kagan

Silenced for Speaking the Truth about Guantanamo

2010-05-15T10:55:00.000-03:00

by Robert Fisk

I began my column last week with the words "We know all about Guantanamo". I was wrong. Courtesy of the Toronto press - until a few days ago, when half of them were censored out of the drumhead courts martial that pass for "justice" in this execrable place - I have been learning a lot more. Because the case involves a Canadian citizen - and because the Canadian government is doing sod-all for its passport-carrying prisoner - it hasn't been getting a lot of publicity on this side of the Atlantic. It should.

Silenced for Speaking the Truth about Guantanamo | CommonDreams.org

May 7, 1952: The Integrated Circuit … What a Concept! |

2010-05-07T09:48:00.001-03:00

1952: British radar engineer Geoffrey Dummer introduces the concept of the integrated circuit at a tech conference in the United States. The world is about to change.
At the heart of every electronic device today — from computers to aircraft navigation systems — is a little circuit that has changed computing and ushered in the digital era, much as the steam engine helped usher in the Industrial Revolution.

May 7, 1952: The Integrated Circuit … What a Concept! | This Day In Tech | Wired.com

Ecuador: Kichwas Preparing to Defend Their Land Against Canadian Drilling

2010-05-06T15:53:00.001-03:00

At an historic assembly in Ecuador two weeks ago, roughly 1000 Kichwas "overwhelmingly" agreed to mobilize against the Calgary-based oil company Ivanhoe Energy.

The government of Ecuador recently gave Ivanhoe drilling rights on the Kichwa's traditional land within the UNESCO Sumaco Biosphere Reserve in western Ecuador.

The biosphere reserve, located near the Yasuni National Park, has been declared one of the world's 10 "hot spots" of biodiversity. The region is inhabited by roughly 20,000 indigenous People and Ecuador citizens.

Ecuador: Kichwas Preparing to Defend Their Land Against Canadian Drilling | Mostly Water

Ecuador: Kichwas Preparing to Defend Their Land Against Canadian Drilling

2010-05-06T15:53:00.000-03:00

At an historic assembly in Ecuador two weeks ago, roughly 1000 Kichwas "overwhelmingly" agreed to mobilize against the Calgary-based oil company Ivanhoe Energy.

The government of Ecuador recently gave Ivanhoe drilling rights on the Kichwa's traditional land within the UNESCO Sumaco Biosphere Reserve in western Ecuador.

Ecuador: Kichwas Preparing to Defend Their Land Against Canadian Drilling | Mostly Water

Greek Wealth Is Everywhere but Tax Forms - NYTimes.com

2010-05-05T11:02:00.000-03:00

ATHENS — In the wealthy, northern suburbs of this city, where summer temperatures often hit the high 90s, just 324 residents checked the box on their tax returns admitting that they owned pools.

So tax investigators studied satellite photos of the area — a sprawling collection of expensive villas tucked behind tall gates — and came back with a decidedly different number: 16,974 pools.

Greek Wealth Is Everywhere but Tax Forms - NYTimes.com

Cairo tribe recycles 80% of city waste - highest in world

2010-05-04T15:09:00.000-03:00

The 2009 film Garbage Dreams, which is currently airing on PBS, documents the Zabbaleen a tribe that lives off of collecting and recycling trash from Cairo. They manage to recycle 80% of trash (vs 32% in the U.S.), the highest level in the world, well above most first world recycling levels, using primitive techniques shown in the film. As depicted in the film, and on NPR, since 2003 Cairo has been hiring foreign companies, who recycle much less, taking away their livelihood. They are trying to raise enough money (you can donate, buy a t-shirt or help) to grow their Recycling school, to teach more of their children their practices. Good interview with the film director here.
posted by Berkun (7 comments total) 13 users marked this as a favorite

Cairo tribe recycles 80% of city waste - highest in world | MetaFilter

Christian ‘doctrine’ fueled dehumanization

2010-05-04T12:53:00.001-03:00

By Valerie Taliman

NEW YORK – A groundbreaking report examining the roots of Christian domination over indigenous peoples and their lands was released this week at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

North American Representative to the Permanent Forum Tonya Gonnella Frichner, an attorney and founder of the American Indian Law Alliance, presented a preliminary study on the “Doctrine of Discovery” and its historical impacts on indigenous peoples, with a focus on how it became part of United States laws.

Christian ‘doctrine’ fueled dehumanization: UNPFII report | Indian Country Today | Content

Dismayland (click to expand) by Jeff Gilette

2010-05-03T13:12:00.004-03:00

YouTube - KenLoachFilms's Channel

2010-05-02T10:07:00.001-03:00

Ken Loach has put all his films on utube for free viewing. Happy May Day!

YouTube - KenLoachFilms's Channel

US hegemony, not "the lobby," behind complicity with Israel

2010-04-27T16:47:00.001-03:00

Many of Israel's critics blame an "Israel lobby" for the near-total complicity of the US in Israeli annexation, colonization and cleansing programs in the occupied West Bank. This complicity continues to the present, despite the "row" that erupted after the Israeli government humiliated US Vice President Joe Biden by announcing the construction of 1,600 settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem while he was visiting the country. Indeed, despite the apparent outrage expressed by top White House officials, the administration has made clear that its criticism of Israel will remain purely symbolic. However, as we shall see, the lobby thesis does little to explain US foreign policy in the Middle East.

ei: US hegemony, not "the lobby," behind complicity with Israel

ThreeHundredEight.com: Issues Poll

2010-04-21T12:02:00.001-03:00

Are Canadians leaning more to the Right these days. Apparently not. Read on.

EKOS recently released a set of poll results about various issues facing Canadians today. They say its intent is to provide a more formal assessment of these issues than the recent polls released by the Manning Centre.

ThreeHundredEight.com: Issues Poll

Volcanic and glacial landforms of Iceland

2010-04-19T12:18:00.001-03:00

Some amazing photos of the eruption.

SwissEduc: Stromboli Online - Volcanic and glacial landforms of Iceland

Elder farmers in Japan to use power suits in the future?

2010-04-15T23:26:00.001-03:00

A Tokyo Agriculture and Technology (TAT) University postgraduate student is seen demonstrating the new power-assist suit for elderly agriculture workers, developed by Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology professor Shigeki Toyama.

The team has developed a heavy-duty 30 kilogram (66 pound) model, for lifting big loads and pulling vegetables out of the ground, and a 23 kilogram version designed for lighter tasks such as picking grapes. Unlike the other power suits meant to enhance the strength, this power suit reduces the muscular activity while the user is performing tasks as picking or crouching. They are developing algorithms in order to enable the power suit to perform more tasks without an effort.

lder farmers in Japan to use power suits in the future? | robaid.com - Rob Aid presents robots, gadgets. tech and bionics

Is Canada Fighting an Imperialist War in Afghanistan?

2010-04-13T16:16:00.001-03:00

Recently a small group of professors at the University of Regina suggested that Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan was an act of imperialism and should not be glorified. The professors were vigorously attacked by Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, a number of Conservative Members of Parliament, and a long list of editorial writers, columnists and directors of news in the mainstream Canadian media.

On this subject, a new group of scholars argues that the United States is a major imperial power, dominating the world, and this is a good thing. These would include Antonia Negri, Michael Hardt, Deepak Lal and Naill Ferguson. Canadian Liberal leader, Michael Ignatieff, is often seen as part of this group. Samuel P. Huntington, the eminent U.S. scholar, writes that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are part of the “war of civilizations” between Christianity and Islam, and there is no question who we should support.

The American empire

Chalmers Johnson reminds us that the United States is much more than just a major military power. It has 735 known bases in 38 countries, five Central Commands which cover the world, 12 aircraft carrier strike groups, a fleet of strategic bombers which strike anywhere in the world, an arsenal of nuclear missiles and 1.5 million active military personnel. The official U.S. policy of Full Spectrum Dominance includes military devices in space, the ability to carry out surveillance of entire populations, monitoring everyone’s telephone calls, faxes, emails, internet communications, telegrams, cell phones and the books you take out at the local library. There are also a good number of secret bases around the world used for holding “suspects” indefinitely and subjecting them to “aggressive interrogation.” The most important one is at Bagram Air Force Base near Kabul.

The world is the U.S. sphere of influence. President Barrack Obama has intervened in Pakistan, Honduras, Haiti, Columbia, Yemen and Somalia, greatly increased the number of U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, and has produced the largest military budget in history.

The U.S. Petroleum Institute and the Anglo and American oil corporations strongly supported the war on Iraq as Saddam Hussein was cutting them out of the second largest oil resource in the world. They also supported the war in Afghanistan, a necessary part of gaining control over the oil and gas resources around the Caspian Sea. This has been the official U.S. geopolitical strategy in Central Asia since the declaration of the Carter Doctrine in January1980.

What is imperialism? Imperialism has been around at least since 2500 B.C. It has always been the imposition of the rule or authority of a more powerful country or state over a weaker one. It takes the form of the domination of another country’s political, economic, religious and cultural systems. It is the denial of a weaker country’s right to democracy and self determination.

Regime change and creating a puppet government

On October 7, 2001 the U.S. government launched a massive air and missile attack on Afghanistan. The U.S. allies on the ground were the Northern Alliance warlords, the remnants of the horrendous Islamist government (1992 to 1996) that had been driven out of Kabul by the Taliban. With the U.S. bombing, it was not long before the Taliban fled and the Northern Alliance forces captured Kabul. U.S. and NATO forces arrived on the ground and they are still occupying the country after nine years. Michael Ignatieff has referred to the U.S. invasion as “necessary imperialism.”

How did the U.S. government and its NATO allies create the present puppet government? On November 27, 2001 the United States brought together a group of Afghans at Bonn, Germany to create an interim government. Five new broad-based Afghan democratic political parties and alliances asked to be represented at this conference, but the U.S. government said no. The representatives chosen were mainly from the Islamist Northern Alliance.

When it came time to select an interim leader, the “representatives” voted for Abdul Satar Sirat of the Rome group which wanted the restoration of the constitutional monarchy established in 1964. Hamid Karzai received no votes. But the U.S. government made it clear that Karzai had to be their choice. The interim government established by this process was mainly composed of Islamist war lords.

An Emergency Loya Jirga (or Grand Council) was held in June 2002. Around 1500 delegates were selected, although the new democratic parties were almost completely excluded. Nevertheless, 900 delegates signed a petition calling for the restoration of the constitutional monarchy. The U.S. government, Hamid Karzai and the Northern Alliance warlords rejected this demand.

The U.S. government made it clear that they were not going to allow the Afghans to reinstate their liberal democratic Constitution of 1964. They insisted on a new constitution with a very strong, centralized presidential system. They rejected the creation of a federal state. Canadian officials supported and assisted the U.S. government in this process. The Afghan people had no role in drafting the new constitution. There was no public debate on the draft, which was kept secret.

A Constitutional Loya Jirga was convened in December 2003. The 500 delegates were carefully selected by the political allies of the U.S. government. Nevertheless, there was strong opposition to the proposed constitution. At one point 48% of the delegates walked out in protest. No vote was taken, yet interim president Hamid Karzai declared that the constitution was adopted “unanimously.”

Backing the narco warlords

The new constitution allows for the formation of political parties. Around 80 have registered, and 50 are considered to be strongly committed to democracy. Yet the U.S. government and President Karzai have refused to allow them to participate in any election. They prefer the present system, where warlords, drug lords and radical Islamists control the legislature and hold prominent positions in the Karzai government, beginning with the two Vice Presidents. It is no surprise that at least 65% of eligible voters refused to participate in the last presidential election.

Afghanistan is a very poor country and it has not yet developed a capitalist class. Therefore, past governments followed the model created by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in Turkey, which relied on the state for important and necessary developments. The U.S. government and its NATO allies, especially Canada, have rejected this Afghan model and imposed a free market free trade model of development, emphasizing foreign ownership and control, especial in the resource area.

Today US/NATO forces continue to expand the war, killing thousands of innocent Afghan men, women and children. Canadian troops specialize in the night raids in towns and villages, kicking in the doors of people’s homes, assaulting and arresting “suspects.” All recent polls indicate that the Afghans strongly want a negotiated end to the war. Who stands in their way?

The U.S. and Canadian governments, and their NATO allies, have imposed on the people of Afghanistan a corrupt and detested government. Many Canadians are fully behind this project, just as many Canadians strongly supported British imperialism and colonialism. But other Canadians are not at all proud of the role of their government and military in this poor country. The latest Ekos Research poll shows 34% of Canadians support the mission in Afghanistan and 49% oppose.

John W. Warnock is retired from teaching political economy and sociology at the University of Regina. He is author of Creating a Failed State: the U.S. and Canada in Afghanistan (Halifax: Fernwood Publishing, 2008).

Global Research Articles by John W.

Is Canada Fighting an Imperialist War in Afghanistan?

Forty years on, Vatican tells Beatles: We love you, yeah, yeah, yeah

2010-04-13T10:15:00.001-03:00

By Daily Mail Reporter

The Vatican has forgiven The Beatles on the 40th anniversary of their break-up - as sex scandals continue to rock the Catholic Church.

Absolving the British group of their excesses involving 'drugs and blasphemy', the Vatican's newspaper L'Osservatore Romano hailed them as a 'precious jewel'.

In a front-page article, it said: 'It's true they took drugs, lived life to excess because of their success, even said they were bigger than Jesus and put out mysterious messages, that were possibly even Satanic.

Forgiven: The Beatles (from left, George Harrison, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney) during their first U.S. tour in 1964. The Vatican has called them a 'precious jewel'

Forty years on, Vatican tells Beatles: We love you, yeah, yeah, yeah | Mail Online

One of the World's Best Kept Secrets: Cuban Medical Aid to Haiti

2010-04-10T11:51:00.001-03:00

Consumers of U.S. corporate media were given the impression that the American invasion/disaster relief action was the primary foreign benefactor to Haiti’s hundreds of thousands of earthquake victims. Not so, not by a long shot. Cuba, Venezuela and the neighboring Dominican Republic were first on the scene with the most help, and have committed to building a comprehensive health care system for Haiti.

“The Cuban medical contingent was roughly three times the size of the American staff, although they treated 260.7 times more patients than U.S. medical personnel.”

Cuban doctors in Haiti

Media coverage of Cuban medical cooperation following the disastrous recent earthquake in Haiti was sparse indeed. International news reports usually described the Dominican Republic as being the first to provide assistance, while Fox News sang the praises of U.S. relief efforts in a report entitled "U.S. Spearheads Global Response to Haiti Earthquake" – a common theme of its extensive coverage. CNN also broadcast hundreds of reports, and in fact one focused on a Cuban doctor wearing a T-shirt with a large image of Che Guevara – and yet described him as a "Spanish doctor."

One of the World's Best Kept Secrets: Cuban Medical Aid to Haiti | Cuba |Axisoflogic.com