Independent News
Paralympics: An enjoyable alternative to the Olympics
It's been almost two weeks since Whistler co-hosted the 17-day sporting extravaganza. Immediately after the closing ceremonies, the Five Ring Circus and its security entourage left town.
While our Olympic hangover slowly subsides, the stage is being set for the 2010 Paralympics -- a more relaxed and less intrusive event than its over-bearing cousin, the Olympics.
While the Olympics had over 5,500 athletes and officials from 80+ countries, the Paralympics will only have 1,350 athletes and officials from 40+ countries. The games will run from March 12 to 21, and events will include biathlon, sledge ice hockey, wheelchair curling, and cross-country and alpine skiing, for a total of 64 medal events.
Harper's Hitlist: The Afghan torture affair
rabble.ca columnist Murray Dobbin details the harm Prime Minister Stephen Harper is doing to the political and social fabric of Canada in a new essay commissioned by The Council of Canadians. This article is an excerpt taken from the essay, the third in a 10-part series on Harper's assault on democracy.
In contempt of Parliament: refusing to hand over documents on Afghan torture
Discussion continues in wake of Vancouver Olympic protests
Following the debate and community discussion hosted by rabble.ca last month on the topic of the Vancouver Olympic protests, I was asked to write a short commentary piece. You can read the piece here. For those who have been following this from other parts of the country, it's worth stressing the achievements of all those activists who put in years of work, which include:
Transforming society through popular power
Communal councils build houses and repair roads, organize sports and create a community history. Federico Fuentes explains how the councils work and why they succeed in bringing about real change. Fuentes writes and edits the Bolivia Rising blog and is a member of the Caracas bureau of the Australian Green Left Weekly.
To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.
Free speech at risk in Apartheid Week debacle?
It's interesting to imagine what John Stuart Mill would have made of the Ontario Legislature.
The great 19th century political theorist, considered one of the seminal thinkers of Western civilization, is perhaps best known for his fierce defence of free speech as one of the foundations of liberty. Mill surely would have found it curious that elected members of the provincial legislature -- presumably people who value liberty and democracy -- unanimously voted last month to condemn "Israeli Apartheid Week," an annual student-run teach-in held on campuses in Canada and around the world, which takes a critical look at Israel's policies towards the Palestinians.
Fighting violence against women in Ethiopia
Semhal Getachew is a women's rights lawyer from Ethiopia. She was one of the speakers at an International Women's Day forum organized in Vancouver. In this interview, she talks about domestic violence, one of the biggest problems facing women in Ethiopia today.
To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.
Civilization costs money: U.S. healthcare, Harper budgets and more
Who counts? In Harper's budget world it isn't women, the environment or indigenous issues. But he counts deficits. And plenty is being counted for the U.S. health care bill but not necessarily what matters - like universal coverage. That said, maybe the progressives have something up their sleeves. Single payer does exist in parts of the bill, if we can only get it to count. And we also serve up some rumours about something Obama might do and if he does, it will be very bad.
Of course we have our feature Below The Fold (News You Might Have Missed)
United States steps up bombing campaign in Pakistan
The U.S. military, with the tacit approval of the highest levels of governments, is conducting an intensive bombing campaign in areas purported to be under Taliban control. The large number of civilian casualties from these attacks have deeply angered large segments of the population of Pakistan.
To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.
Weekly Audit: Doomsday for the CFPA?
Just when the Democrats need to be tougher than ever on financial reform, Senate Banking Committee Chair Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), seems to have given up completely and put the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) at risk.
Last fall, Dodd called the Federal Reserve’s regulatory efforts an “abysmal failure.” And yet, on March 1, he proposed housing a consumer protection agency within the Fed instead of establishing the CFPA as its own independent entity. This drastic change in strategy has left many Democrats shaking their heads. WTF, Senator Dodd?
A change in focus
As Andy Kroll reports for Mother Jones:
Asia Pacific Currents: Turkish union leader imprisoned
Africville apology angers community activist
Last month the mayor of Halifax apologized to the former residents of a black community razed to the ground in the 1960s. Denise Allen says the apology was totally inadequate. Allen is spokeswoman for a group of people with family ties to Africville. She says the compensation settlement reached with Halifax Regional Municipality is illegal.
To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.
Kenney nixes queer content from guide for new Canadians
A freedom of information request by Canadian Press revealed that the office of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney deleted references to the civil rights of queer Canadians from a guide for immigrants. We speak with NDP MP for Burnaby, Bill Siksay.
To find out more about Redeye,check out our website.
"Stay-the-course" Budget tilts Canada rightward
Debt deflation danger
Canada's Conservative government, that does not believe in government, has a plan to reduce public services. As announced in the budget it intends to cut public service jobs, and reduce the rate of increase in our already reduced public spending. The projected deficit (aka the all purpose excuse) of over $50 billion was invoked as the rationale.
Poor, disabled at top of BC Libs' hit list
Ontario condemns dissent at universities
Criminal charges laid in workplace fatality
Deficit hysteria: Poor suffer most in deficit wars
One of the few iconic tales of Canadian politics revolves around how Paul Martin, as Liberal finance minister in the 1990s, wrestled the deficit to the ground with his bare hands.
While there's some truth to it, the legend sidesteps an important question: was Martin's ruthless "hell-or-high-water" deficit-slashing really the only thing that would have worked? Could a defter touch have solved the deficit problem without laying waste to much of our social infrastructure in the process?
All this is worth raising now that we've entered into another era of deficit hysteria, with governments and the business community making deficit elimination their top priority and shunting aside almost every other goal.
