» Archive: April 2005
Mexico City Mayor Emerges as '06 Front-Runner
by Susana Hayward
Published on Friday, April 29, 2005 by Knight Ridder
MEXICO CITY -- When he became mayor of one of the world's largest cities, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was coy about his ambitions. He drove an old car, dressed humbly and annoyed reporters who had to attend his daily, punctual 6 a.m. news conferences.
That was more than four years ago. On Thursday, he was the man to beat in the 2006 presidential election, and his left-of-center Democratic Revolutionary Party, or PRD, no longer seemed likely to be a distant third in Mexico's political races.
Latin America in Revolt
from Green Left Weekly:
For over two decades the US has forced neoliberalism — and its accompanying poverty and despair — down Third World throats in order to make the world better for US business. To many, the spreading US economic empire, backed by the point of a gun and a loan, has seemed unassailable. But now, unable to defeat a rag-tag bunch of Iraqi militias, and rapidly losing allies in Latin America, the empire is not looking so strong.
As yet another neoliberal, pro-US government falls in Latin America, Resistance’s Stuart Munckton looks at the continent that might defeat Uncle Sam.
Pepper? It's what I put on my q-tip.
A US jury has decided that police shouldn't q-tip pepper spray into protesters eyes. Literally.
They're still killing protesters in Haiti
Canadian-trained and -vetted Haitian police killed five protesters yesterday. This kind of thing has been happening on a fairly regular basis.
The problem is that tens of thousands of people have been protesting the illegitimate, non-elected government and calling for the return of their elected government. Latortue probably figures that he can take a hit or two in the international press to keep the movements from growing.
Meanwhile, Canada continues to support Latortue, and tens of thousands of Haitians continue to risk death to demonstrate against him.
Democracy for the Majority World
This guy has created a map of what the ridings for a "global parliament" might look like. His stated purpose is not to propose actual ridings, but to illustrate how a fair (at least: one person, one vote) global electoral system would break down by region.
It's a good way of illustrating the injustice of the rule of many by the few, in any case.
Jack Layton is Kaiser Sosei
After ten years of slicing and dicing social programs, $100 billion in tax cuts for the most wealthy and corporations, $4.6 billion in new spending is, apparently making people freak out.
Apparently, it's enough to warrant the claim that Jack Layton is the devil. (See the last line of Ibbitson's column.)
It's almost as hilarious as all of the major media giving Thomas d'Aquino (of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives) what amounts to an op/ed in the news section to diss the rollback of the "modest" tax cuts (coming as they did on the tail end of ten years of quite immodest tax cuts).
Toribio
Justin Podur reports on what's going on in Toribio, where an indigenous community with a long history of resistance is now the battleground for the government and the FARC. It's the same community that organized a referendum on "free trade" agreements that the Colombian government was signing with the US.
Colombia's indigenous peoples have long been invisible in the mainstream media, but these combats have seen reports on Toribio appear all over AP wires and on BBC world. Even the best reports, however, present the story as a battle between the FARC and the government, with the indigenous communities being either the background or the battlefield itself. And while many of the messages of solidarity and support that have come from organizations and individuals of conscience in Colombia and throughout the world describe the urgent humanitarian situation, with over 1800 people displaced, dozens of houses destroyed, dozens injured and several killed, it is very important that the words and message of the communities themselves not be lost.
The NGO-ization of politics
Arundhati Roy on the NGO-ziation of politics, from her talk Public Power in the Age of Empire:
It will be easy to twist what I'm about to say into an indictment of all NGOs [non-governmental organizations]. That would be a falsehood. In the murky waters of fake NGOs set up or to siphon off grant money or as tax dodges, of course there are NGOs doing valuable work. But it's important to consider the NGO phenomenon in a broader political context.
9/11 and our daily programming
Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called 20th hijacker, has pled guilty.
Granted, the case is receiving a surprising amount of coverage after a 3 1/2 year media blackout, but by mere virtue of the fact that it IS a case that has been under a 3 1/2 year media blackout...
More Moussaoui
The Washington Post has run a piece on the Moussaoui plea including an artist sketch of "Zacarias Moussaoui appearing before U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema"...
Residential School Program Priorities
CBC: "The cost of a program that was supposed to fast track claims of residential school abuse is skyrocketing. The cost of administering the program has reached $34 million, while less than $1 million has been paid out."
In other news...
A few hundred people in Iqaluit (and Salma Hayek) staged a demonstration against climate change. Because, y'know, we can make basic changes that would stop the climate from changing so fast.
A journalism prof at the Université de Moncton dissed the Irving family's media monopoly in New Brunswick publicly. The Irvings own all of the English dailies in New Brunswick, and something like six of the weeklies.
Vancouver NDP MLA candidate Rollie Keith was forced to resign his candidacy because of an article he wrote where he said there wasn't any evidence for Milosevic committing "genocide". (Noting, as we should, the difference between massive human rights violations and genocide.) Returning from service in th emil, he wrote:
However, the NATO bombardment has been counterproductive, as it has created a significant European humanitarian problem of more than 600,000 external refugees that threaten to destablize the surrounding vulnerable nations, exacerbating regional security. Another estimated 600,000 plus internally-displaced Kosovars are also being subjected to the deprivations of the full-scale civil war. Then in the end the international community will also have to rebuild not only Kosovo, but the rest of Yugoslavian to ensure their future participation in the new Europe of the 21st century, This is what the failure of diplomacy with its consequent ill-prepared and ill-conceived air bombardment has accomplished.The apparently unacceptable statement that he made was this:
What is crucial to have happen then, is that the unjustified moral certitude that that has resulted in the demonization and vilification of Yugoslavia and its nationalist President Milosevic cease, and be replaced by a rational discourse to enable a fair and just solution to be agreed to.Add that to the list of things you're not allowed to say in Canadian politics.
Call to Support "Surviving Canada"
In a month or so, journalist/activist Macdonald Stainsby is heading on a long, ambitious journey across the western half of Canada and up north to document the situation of indigenous nations.
In his words:
I intend to visit several different nations who have current threats to their very survival as a people. I will hitchhike from Montreal, zig-zagging across Canada westward, stopping in Vancouver before heading directly north, where the greatest threats to both indigenous and environmental survival are taking place: in the Northwest Territories and Yukon.
He'll be documenting the whole thing with weekly articles, photos, and possibly some audio.
I strongly urge you to visit his web site, Surviving Canada, and make a donation to help him cover his costs.
Independent journalism of this is as rare as it is valuable. If we want more of it, we need to support the folks who take it upon themselves to practice it without compensation, and often at personal financial cost.
So sent Macdonald five bucks, or $100 if you can afford it. We'll all benefit.
I think I've turned Catholic just by watching
CBC.ca says, "Pope Benedict XVI spoke to reporters Saturday, telling them in four languages that thanks to their coverage of the papal transition, the "entire world" has been focused on the Roman Catholic Church."
"Closer ties between U.S., Canada inevitable: Ridge"
The Globe and Mail ran a piece today in their "International" websection written by "investigative reporter" Michael Den Tandt.
The BBC and Torture
John Pilger: "Can you imagine the BBC and other major broadcasters apologizing to a rogue regime which practices racism and ethnic cleansing; which has 'effectively legalized the use of torture'?"
Israel and War Crimes
York U law professor Michael Mandel says that under Canadian law, Israel's West Bank and Gaza settlements are war crimes.
Today in Canada
Telus froze wage and vacation increases to put pressure on its employees in Alberta. A union rep said Telus was trying to start collective bargaining over "at square one". Moncton was planning to run its sewage plant with wind power.
The Liberals delayed a Conservative effort to call an election by about three weeks, and Ralph Goodale was thinking about giving Canada's only nuclear power station a $200 million grant. Anglo teachers in Québec went on strike.
Pierre Pettigrew is contemplating running as a compromise candidate for the Presidency of the Organization of American States.
Disney is going to make video games in Vancouver, and Gordon Campbell's BC Liberals had an eight point lead as an election was called.
The conservative party was trying to recruit a TV news anchor to run in Québec, and Harper and Martin traded insults, as did some Liberal loyalists. Three independent MPs held the balance of power.
The press reported that Paul Martin is seeking "an independent foreign policy".
Saskatchewan made it easier to sell organic wheat, SaskEnergy doubled its profits, Ontario wanted to have more renewable energy, and the Ontario Teachers' Pension plan bought a Massachusetts-based power company.
High School students in New Brunswick said that idle hands are the devil's workshop, and the CBC wrote an article about Brascan that didn't really explain anything.
Presidents Quit, Brits Fret
Ecuador's Lucio and Italy's Berlusconi and the Washington Post covered the foreign policy announcements.
A woman chaired Bahrain's parliament today.
It appears that France is going to vote against ratification of the EU constitution. They're even reading about the proposed constitution en masse.
India is investing in rail in a serious way... but other infrastructure? Not so much.
Allergies have become more intense in the last 25 years, according to a study.
The tragic hotel fire in Paris was reportedly caused by "a night watchman's girlfriend who placed candles on the floor to set the scene for a romantic tryst but then left in a rage over his drunken state".
Ecuadorian police used tear gas on the tens of thousands of demonstrators before the president was sacked.
US Republicans didn't mind that UN ambassadorial nominee John Bolton wanted to get rid of the UN, but now that he's been called a "serial bully", they're delaying his confirmation. Bolton reportedly "chased [a female colleague] through the halls of a Russian hotel, threw things at her and verbally threatened her about business deals."
China didn't waste time asking the Pope to sever ties with Taiwan.
Aristide Blames U.S. for Haiti Violence
Newsday covered it, today's (April 20th) Democracy Now! covered it with video of the actual news conference (around the 4 minute mark - if you want to fast forward), Carribbean Net News actually mentions Canada's involvement and The Washington Post references Aristide's statements in the final sentence of a piece that says the current government is at the root of the violence according to Human Rights Watch.
OurTrent
The folks at OurTrent.ca are working for more transparency and accountability in Ontario universities.
CBC:RSS
Not exactly news, but it's worth noting that the CBC, at long last, has RSS Feeds for national and local coverage.
Volpe in Montréal
At his announcement of the changes to immigration policy this morning, Joe Volpe was confronted by Palestinian refugees who are facing deportation.
More photos here.
In Today's News
Kids in Winnipegs north end turned their school grounds into a "gorgeous garden". The body of one of 84 women missing or murdered in the last 20 years in Western Canada was found by an oilfield worker in a field near Edmonton.
Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell said that an early federal election "would be stupid", and Toronto mayor David Miller said that Toronto should get half of any new federal funding for cities.
Students in Saskatoon picked a Pope in a mock enclave and Indian outsourcing companies were setting up shop in Toronto.
The Liberals warned that their funding programs for cities would be at risk if an election was called, and Québec continued to be pissed off at the Liberals. Prison guards in New Brunswick used tear gas after prisoners tried to break through a prison wall by smashing it, an inmate was found dead in a Manitoba prison,Trout from a lake in PEI were found to contain high levels of mercury, and a magazine for and by gay youth out of Halifax was having trouble attracting advertisers.
Iraqi Resistance
In spite of recent speculation that the insurgency may be waning, the bad news for the occupation forces in Iraq just keeps rolling in. For daily analysis of the slow bleeding of US military might in the fertile crescent, add Iraq Occupation Watch to your bookmarks.
By the way, this weekend I watched the 1965 movie The Battle of Algiers, which has, for good reason, been experiencing a resurge of interest of late.
And finally, as always, trust Doonesbury to hit the nail on the head -- the nail in the coffin of the doctrine of full-spectrum dominance, that is.
Still Going: 10s of thousands demonstrate in Haiti
AHP: "Several tens of thousands of Fanmi Lavalas supporters demonstrated this Thursday in the streets of Port-au-Prince to continue to demand the release of political prisoners, the end of political persecutions and the return to constitutional order which was broken, they said, with Aristide's forced departure."
Disaster Capitalism
Naomi Klein: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
It certainly seems that ever-larger portions of the globe are under active reconstruction: being rebuilt by a parallel government made up of a familiar cast of for-profit consulting firms, engineering companies, mega-NGOs, government and UN aid agencies and international financial institutions. And from the people living in these reconstruction sites--Iraq to Aceh, Afghanistan to Haiti--a similar chorus of complaints can be heard. The work is far too slow, if it is happening at all. Foreign consultants live high on cost-plus expense accounts and thousand- dollar-a-day salaries, while locals are shut out of much-needed jobs, training and decision-making. Expert "democracy builders" lecture governments on the importance of transparency and "good governance," yet most contractors and NGOs refuse to open their books to those same governments, let alone give them control over how their aid money is spent.
First Review
Plenty of folks have linked to the Dominion Weblog (including Andrew Coyne), but none that I know of have offered an overall assessment of its contents.
Now all that has changed. The site Live Free or Die says that here at the DDW, there is:
More baffling relativist tripe than you can shake a stick at.
I've asked them to define their term "moral relativism". I don't know what it is, except that it's bad and we do it. I'll post a reply when it comes in.
In the mean time, I decided to address an identifiable instance of moral relativism--if it is defined as a lack of consistent moral standards--here.
I haven't jumped into a pointless debate lately. Could be fun.
(That's actually a pretty loose definition of moral relativism. There's a longer definition, but it doesn't make any sense at all in the context of what those live free or die kids are talking about.)
ME Realpolitik
WSWS: "The issue of permanent US bases in Afghanistan is a sensitive one. Not only does its overtly colonial character provoke hostility among Afghans but more broadly it exposes Washington’s imperialist ambitions within the region. Thus when questioned directly by the press, Rumsfeld was evasive. 'We think in terms of what we are doing rather than the question of military bases,' he declared."
WSWS: "In the early days of the US occupation, the head of the American operation, L. Paul Bremer, instituted a sweeping “de-Baathification” program and disbanded the Iraqi army—a move subsequently seen as a major blunder by many in the US security establishment. Within months of the US invasion, however, the CIA began quietly recruiting former officers of Saddam Hussein’s hated Mukhabarat secret police."
"After the dissolution of Bremer’s occupation authority and the installation of long-time CIA asset Iyad Allawi as the prime minister in the provisional government, the recruitment of former Hussein regime members was stepped up. Allawi is himself an ex-Baathist, and built his US- and British-backed exile group, the Iraqi National Accord, around disgruntled Baathist officers and intelligence agents."
One of the better...
...email forwards of recent memory.
An old Arab lives close to New York City for more than 40 years. He would love to plant potatoes in his garden, but he is alone, old and weak. His son is in college in Paris, so the old man sends him an e-mail. He explains the problem:
"Beloved son, I am very sad, because I can't plant potatoes in my garden. I am sure, if only you were here; you would help me and dig up the garden. I love you, your father."
The following day, the old man receives a response e-mail from his son:
"Beloved father, please don't touch the garden. It's there that I have hidden 'the THING'. I love you, too, Ahmed".
At 4pm the US Army, the Marines, the FBI, the CIA and the Rangers visit the house of the old man, take the whole garden apart, search every inch, but can't find anything.
Disappointed, they leave the house.
Another day later, the old man receives another e-mail from his son.
"Beloved father, I hope the garden is dug up by now and you can plant your potatoes. That's all I could do for you from here. I love you, Ahmed."
The Case Against Alan Dershowitz
[The following was written by Regan Boychuk (reganboychuk at hotmail.com), who is a graduate student in political science at York University. We generally welcome guest posts and suggested links; if you have something you'd like to say, or wish to respond publicly to something in the Dominion or on the weblog, send it to us. --dru]
Dershowitz vs. Public Committee Against Torture in Israel
Alan Dershowitz is a well-known lawyer and professor at Harvard law school, a prolific author, and makes regular appearances in the media. When it comes to Israel, he is particularly outspoken and taken quite seriously within certain segments of the North American mainstream.
Whether he deserves to be taken seriously is another issue altogether.
In a recent talk at Osgoode Hall Law School, Professor Dershowitz repeated many of the controversial claims of his recent book, The Case for Israel, but one struck me as -- even by his standard -- exceptionally far-reaching.
In the course of arguing that Israeli authorities no longer torture Palestinians, Dershowitz claimed he had a long conversation with the Israeli human rights organization, Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), in which PCATI not only conceded that there was no longer any torture for them to investigate, but that they refused to change their name because it helped them attract media attention.[1]
Although organizers of his lecture wore shirts arrogantly proclaiming, "Dersh knows more than you", I decided to check his claim.
First, I visited PCATI's website and immediately found its July 2003 report containing 48 affidavits testifying to the continued use of torture against Palestinians by Israeli authorities.
More than three years after Professor Dershowitz claims torture had stopped, PCATI reported: "Each month, the ill-treatment reaching the level of torture as defined in international law is inflicted in dozens of cases, and possibly more. In other words -- torture in Israel has once more become routine."[2]
read more...Dworkin, take II
Susie Bright has an interesting retrospective on Andrea Dworkin's effect on feminism.
Here are a bunch of her writings, online. Intercourse is probably worth reading first.
Peak Oil
With a flurry of attention in recent weeks (due in no small measure to the skyrocketting price of gas), it seems the concept of "peak oil" is finally beginning to enter the public consciousness in a big way. James Howard Kunstler lays out the prospects in the latest issue of Rolling Stone:
Carl Jung, one of the fathers of psychology, famously remarked that "people cannot stand too much reality." What you're about to read may challenge your assumptions about the kind of world we live in, and especially the kind of world into which events are propelling us. We are in for a rough ride through uncharted territory.
Kunstler is writing for an American audience, but there is little in what he says that doesn't apply to Canadians as well -- especially given our dependence on natural gas to heat our homes for much of the year.
Do the collapse? Nah.
Christian Science Monitor: "Barring a disaster or unforeseen crises, the assumption of a North Korean collapse appears wishful, and is a scenario taken less and less seriously by US partners in the six-party talks. Indeed, it now appears the theory of collapse held by influential voices in the Bush administration has itself collapsed among US officials and analysts working closest on North Korean issues. Critics say the US doesn't yet have a Plan B."
TTC to Strike
CTV: "Commuters in Canada's biggest city may find themselves stranded early Monday morning as Toronto transit workers are planning to go on strike."
And that just happens to be the day I'll be arriving in Toronto. Dang. Couldn't it be a fare strike instead?
"Global Credit Scam"
More from Stan Goff's highly recommended book
Full Spectrum Disorder: The Military in the New American Century, this time on the "global credit scam" known as dollar hegemony, the bubble on which the whole world economy sits, and on which US power is entirely dependent:
The citizens of the United States are only indirectly paying for our military adventures. In fact, the source for funding U.S. wars is also the fountainhead of the U.S. standard of living. The true source of funding for American adventurism is to be found in the central banks of Europe, China, Japan, and elsewhere. They are paying for U.S. wars. Since the U.S. abandoned the gold standard in the wake of Vietnam (where U.S. gold reserves were depleted almost to their legal limit), these central banks—holding U.S. Treasury bonds, which are basically IOUs—have been tied to U.S. currency. The dollar is effectively shored up by oil state investments in dollar-denominated assets and slaked like a vampire by the external debts of ruined economies. No country can afford to wean itself without risking the collapse of the whole house of cards. The U.S. is in the unique position of being able to print as much money as it wants to cover current account deficits, which has indebted the U.S. to the point that they know, and their creditors know, that they will never pay it back.In 1972, Saudi Arabia said it intended to buy up U.S. companies—productive capital instead of bonds. The U.S. showed its sword, telling the Saudis in no uncertain terms that this would be considered an act of war. The deal was subsequently sealed that the Saudis could invest as non-controlling stockholders and in Treasury bonds, in exchange for certain “security” arrangements. The Saudis helped establish the petro-dollar, and the U.S. was safe in the catbird seat.
Now Europe, for example, had to pay for its oil in dollars, loaning their own value, as it were, to the U.S. for dollar paybacks through Treasury bonds. Europe was being forced to maintain large reserves of dollars to defend themselves from currency speculators, after the U.S. also abandoned fixed currency exchange rates. But this meant that the U.S. could pay for oil in money that it could print, which it did—a practice that would normally devalue the currency in an open market, were it not for the fact that the same devaluation would now wipe out creditors like Europe. This catch-22 remains the basis of dollar hegemony, which is the basis of U.S. economic hegemony. And it means that the U.S. government's debt is now a kind of Mafia arrangement, where Europeans and all the rest are essentially being “taxed” by this practice. They know the U.S. will never pay back its debt, but if they try to sell off their Treasury bonds, the dollar will crash down around all of them, beginning with their own central banks. So they are making “loans” via Treasury bonds that they already know they'll never get paid for. This is what is financing U.S. militarism.
Future US Ambassador to the UN
Boston Globe: "The former head of the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research testified yesterday that John Bolton, President Bush's nominee for ambassador to the United Nations, is a 'serial abuser' who tried to fire and intimidate one analyst who did not agree with Bolton's view that Cuba is developing biological weapons."
Messe a-go-go
The T-Star has a piece on the decline of the Catholic church in Québec, from 90% attendance in 1960 to less than 7% today.
Contains this rather amusing bit:
"Should nuns wear miniskirts?" scoffs John Cornwell, author of a critical biography of the late Pope John Paul II. "Should we have hamburgers and Coca Cola instead of bread and wine?"
Probably not, although back in the 1960s, the church in Quebec sought to stem falling attendance by celebrating what it called "messe a-go-go," mixing rock music with Holy Communion.
Author William Blum on Co-op Radio Wednesday Night
Tune in to Vancouver Co-op Radio's "Discussion" with host Yolanda Tsangarakis. She will be joined by William Blum, author of "Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since WWII," "Rogue State: a Guide to the World's Only Superpower," and his latest, "Freeing the World to Death."
The War on Terror, American Exceptionalism, the state of the American empire, and future prospects for crushing imperialism will be discussed. No holds barred. Call-ins will be welcomed...
7:00-8:00pm, Pacific Standard Time, 102.7 Co-op Radio, Streaming Live at www.coopradio.org
Upping the Anti #1
Upping the Anti, a journal by the folks at Autonomy & Solidarity, recently released its first issue.
The Dominion weblog's own Dave Mitchell has a review of Hardt and Negri's Multitude in there.
Andrea Dworkin RIP
Andrea Dworkin passed away yesterday.
Canada Failing Haitians Says McDonough
Former NDP Leader Alexa McDonough Speaks out on Canada's role in a deteriorating Haiti. She raises questions about a reported $7 million in illegal arms shipments by U.S. to Haiti's puppet Prime Minister, Gerard Latortue.
Read it and circulate it, call your MP, pressure them to follow suit and speak out also...
Allan Rock is heading to Haiti this week as part of the UN Security Council /UN Economic and Social Council delegation to Haiti, April 13-16, "to review progress achieved in areas such as security, development, the political transition, human rights, institution-building and the humanitarian situation."
"On 23 November 2004, Members of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti elected H.E. Mr. Allan Rock, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to become the Chairman of the Group.
Contact Allan Rock, convey McDonough's (and your own!) message to him about the farcical nature of this "mission" to Haiti, premised as it is on the illusion of "progress achieved."
Rock.A@parl.gc.ca
India, China, Power
Washington Post: "India and China, the world's two most populous countries, agreed on Monday to create a 'strategic partnership' in an effort to end their longstanding border dispute and boost trade and economic cooperation."
Spend and Surplus
Venezuela is in an economic sweet spot. The government has been building major social programs, but thanks to rising oil prices and the actual collection of corporate taxes, they're running a surplus. Not a bad position for nation-building, or whatever you want to call it.
Venezuela could post a fiscal surplus this year rather than the deficit forecast by the government if oil prices continue at current levels, Finance Minister Nelson Merentes said on Saturday.
"We planned for a fiscal deficit of 1.8 percent, but if the current conditions continue we are probably going to have a surplus," Merentes told a news conference.
Anti Occupation Protest in Iraq
Juan Cole: "Tens of thousands of Shiites came out Saturday to Firdaws Square in downtown Baghdad to protest the continued US military presence in Iraq. It is the largest demonstration ever achieved by the Sadr Movement, who are Shiite nationalists. The crowds reenacted the pulling down of the statue of Saddam Hussein two years ago by pulling down effigies of George W. Bush and Tony Blair, dressed in orange jumpsuits to recall torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and elsewhere."
Mexican Congress Votes to Impeach Leading Candidate
Check out The lndependent's coverage of the latest attempt to forestall another leftist victory in Latin America.
US Had Hand in Violating Iraq Oil Sanctions
Molly Ivins writes plainly about the business of profit-making in Iraq.
A little backgrounder on Custer Battles and Bush's Executive Order of May 22, 2003, to go with Ivins perspective
Google Maps
It has been interesting watching the different reactions to the new satellite image feature that google recently added to their maps site. (Be sure to check out the memory maps that people have made of their childhood stomping grounds using GoogleMaps and Flickr.)
Here's the latest one, from the weblog liminal existence: Satellite Pictures of BC Forests
In BC, the longest-standing environmental issue is that of forestry - clearcuts, raw log exports, habitat, etc. I grew up in the interior of BC, so the sight of massive clear cuts isn't particularly surprising, though always upsetting. But what all those mountain highways hide is the extent of activity. It's impossible to capture valley after valley of clearcuts in a single photo, and equally impossible to get a really compelling view from an airplane.
Google Maps' satellite view presents a different, compelling method of visualizing ecological change. Exhibit A is a view of Vancouver Island's west coast. Zoom out for some context. The green is, well, rainforest. The brown patches are spots where trees that are now very likely homes in America, or paper once grew. Just above is Tofino and the Carmanah rainforest, location of the famous road blockades of the early 1990s. I think, though I'm not sure, that the centre of the image is the Walbran valley. Exhibit B has some on-the-ground pictures.
Dobbin v. Bay St.
In the Georgia Straight, Murray Dobbin lets corporate Canada have it... on its own terms.
The sheer lack of entrepreneurial vision is evident in Bay Street's determination to tie itself to what more and more economists are declaring a declining economic power. The growing consensus is that smart countries and companies are getting in on the game where the growth is: China, India, Brazil, Russia, and South Africa. But not Canadian companies. Even retiring World Bank president James Wolfensohn recently expressed surprise that Canada sends only six percent of its exports to these rapidly growing markets. Business writer David Crane says: "Canada's future well-being will depend on companies with a global strategy, not a North American strategy."
Bummer.
Toronto Star: "The smell of beer hung in the air after a truck carrying 46,368 bottles of Keith's tipped over on a Halifax overpass yesterday."
Pontifications
The excellent and enigmatic weblog Body and Soul has a whole string of posts linking to various arguments about the legacy of the recently deceased Pontifex Maximus, if that kind of thing is your cup of communion wine.
Rah Rah Wolfowitz?
George Monbiot thinks that Wolfowitz as World Bank President is a good thing. His argument: the world bank is designed for the express purpose of controlling the third world for the benefit of creditors in the US and Europe. Being profoundly undemocratic, he argues, it is unreformable. ("The US can veto any attempt to revoke its veto.") Thus, having a neocon psycho will make it harder, not easier, for it to continue its fundamentally damaging program of exploitation.
It also demolishes the hopeless reformism of men like George Soros and Joseph Stiglitz who, blithely ignoring the fact that the US can veto any attempt to challenge its veto, keep waving their wands in the expectation that a body designed to project US power can magically be transformed into a body which works for the poor.(16) Had Stiglitz's attempt to tinker with the World Bank's presidency succeeded, it would simply have lent credibility to an illegitimate institution, thus enhancing its powers. With Wolfowitz in charge, its credibility plummets.
Multipolar vs. Imperialist
ZNet has an interesting article entitled Venezuela at the Crossroads of the New Humanity Century
In order for the countries of the periphery of the world capitalist system to survive, they have to start claiming their resources for themselves. They must first meet the needs of their local populations. Only after these needs have been met, can they then consider trade. This trade cannot be based on petrodollars, or, even petroeuros. Both of these currencies were created by colonialists to assure a trade imbalance that provides the core countries with real goods in exchange for debt. Since countries at the core of the system cannot be trusted to help bring a stop to a model that has been so fruitful to them, the countries of the periphery have to start organizing and integrating in such a way as to form new economic and development blocks or "poles".And:
Venezuela has proposed and is actually pursuing concrete projects for South American integration (PetroSur: a South American Oil Company, TeleSur: a 24-hour news and cultural channel with a South American perspective, and energy-goods trade that bypass the petrodollar). It is also bolstering already existing integration agreements such as Mercosur (created by Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to establish a common market), CAN (Community of Andean Nations) and had a main role in the creation of the CSN (South American Community of Nations). All of these efforts are serving to make the South American pole a reality.
Berlusconi Going Down?
Guardian: "Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, rebuffed calls for his resignation yesterday after a stinging defeat in regional elections, a sign that voters may be preparing to get rid of him in the general election next year.... Francesco Storace, defeated president of the politically important Lazio region, described the result as a 'slaughter' for the centre-right."
Blow the Bank Down
Here are a few choice readings aimed at clarifying the significance of Paul Wolfowitz's appointment as President of the World Bank.
First, from back in April 2003, a remark that highlights the audacity of the neocons' wolfish assault on multilateralism in their recent choice of WB Honcho -- one wolf eating another:
The World Bank, under the direction of James Wolfensohn, is posing a problem for neocon Wolfowitz. The World Bank, though dominated by the U.S. which has 16.2% of voting shares, has an institutional loyalty to multilateralism. As U.S. unilateralism advocated by U.S. neocons gives the back of the hand to the very foundation of the U.N., which is the institutional manifestation of multilateralism, there is predictable conflict between the two Wolfs. The World Bank Wolf is a neo-liberal, while the Defense Department Wolf is a neocon.(Henry C. K. Liu, quoted in Stan Goff's Full Spectrum Disorder)
Second, a penetrating analysis by the Global Justice Ecology Project on the renewed synergy of military and economic domination within US foreign policy:
In 2002 Wolfowitz was one of the primary authors of the Bush administration's National Security Strategy. In it he advocated pre-emptive war with Iraq. It further calls for U.S. economic and military domination in every corner of the world and promotes the idea of pre-emptive attacks on any nation that in some way threatens American interests. These ideas are not new, however, and were preceded by two others, a September 2000 document put out by the neo-conservative Project for a New American Century (which Wolfowitz chairs) and a Defense Department report Wolfowitz co-wrote in 1992.The 1992 and 2000 reports are very similar. Both promote a global missile defense system; budget increases for the U.S. Defense Department; small, deep penetrating nuclear weapons; and the specific targeting of Iraq, Iran and North Korea. In the 1992 report, Wolfowitz argues that the U.S. should be active in "deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role." And the Times Online (of the UK) writes that in this report, Wolfowitz, "envisaged the use of nuclear, biological and chemical weaponry pre-emptively, 'even in conflicts that do not directly engage U.S. interests.'" In its 2000 document, the Project for a New American Century promoted the idea that U.S. global dominance could be advanced by "some catastrophic and catalyzing event, like a new Pearl Harbor."
With this history, the nomination of Wolfowitz to lead the World Bank is a clear sign that the Bush Administration is determined to use whatever avenues it can to pursue its goals of "full spectrum dominance" over the rest of the world. Under current World Bank President Wolfensohn, the Bank has been somewhat resistant to advance the agenda of the Bush administration by financing projects in Iraq. With Wolfowitz at the helm, however, Vallette projects that "the World Bank may be able to complete what the Iraq Invasion started two years ago: U.S. corporate control over the world's second-largest oil reserves."
[...] While Wolfowitz has been promoting violence to force populations into subordination, as the new head of the World Bank, he will be mastering the art of economic coercion as well.
And finally, a razor-sharp piece by George Monbiot challenging the faulty assumptions of those who decry Wolfowitz's nomination to an institution that's been morally bankrupt since its inception:
Wolfowitz's appointment is a good thing for three reasons. It highlights the profoundly unfair and undemocratic nature of decision-making at the bank. His presidency will stand as a constant reminder that this institution, which calls on the nations it bullies to exercise "good governance and democratisation" is run like a medieval monarchy.It also demolishes the hopeless reformism of men such as Stiglitz and George Soros who, blithely ignoring the fact that the US can veto any attempt to challenge its veto, keep waving their wands in the expectation that a body designed to project US power can be magically transformed into a body that works for the poor. Had Stiglitz's attempt to tinker with the presidency succeeded, it would simply have lent credibility to an illegitimate institution, enhancing its powers. With Wolfowitz in charge, its credibility plummets.
Best of all is the chance that the neocons might just be stupid enough to use the new wolf to blow the bank down. Clare Short laments that "it's as though they are trying to wreck our international systems". What a tragedy that would be. I'd sob all the way to the party.
...and a late addition from Simon Helweg-Larsen:
Also check out IRC's Right Web profile of Wolfowitz.
Reactionary in Shepherd's Clothing
Green Left Weekly has an interesting article about the former Pope that brings us back to some recent history:
Reagan, as president, quickly moved to form a united front with John Paul II against liberation theology. The pope fought the theology while the Reagan administration nd its Latin American allies murdered the liberationists.
Publication Ban?
According to this Conversvative American blog (about whose reliability I have no idea), the Liberal "sponsorship scandal" is about to bust wide, wide open. For example:
[quote deleted for fear of getting nailed in some round about way via the publication ban (the Dominion's website is currently hosted stateside, though we publish in Canada)]The claim is also made that the Liberals are going to call a "snap election" to get another mandate before all revelations are made public. That would seems pretty dubious, though. The Liberals would be asking for a massive backlash from the voters.
Conservative government, anyone?
Thanks to Chris from Zeke's Gallery for the link.
If you want to start the downward spiral into self-destructive nihilism get depressed, read the comments on the blog post linked above.
Mad as a hatter
Mercury poisoning is much more common than you may expect. Sure, we know not to eat certain types of fish, and maybe we'll start asking more questions about the fillings in our teeth, but The International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology provides a wealth of information that you just may want to bookmark and read up on over time.
This movie from U of Calgary is a quick demonstration of "How Mercury Causes Brain Neuron Degeneration".
On Recent Massacres in Haiti, Media Coverage Thereof
It was ugly and false enough for Iraq, which at least can be said to have had a vicious dictatorship before the invasion. Haiti, before the invasion, had - elections. Elections whose results were annulled by - the invasion. Elections whose winners are being physically liquidated and massacred by - the invasion.
The invasion, whose justification is now - to stop the possible disruption of - elections.
Now would be an appropriate moment for a rhetorical question like: "How stupid do they think we are?"
On a similar note, a US security firm working in Iraq sent out a memo to its employees saying that "actually it is 'fun' to shoot some people."
PR and Nukes
In one of their better PR moves of late (the outraged Communist line just doesn't play that well with the western press) , North Korea has offered to return to talks if the focus is "mutual disarmament".
Here's what the US had to say:
On Thursday, it said the focus of any future talks should no longer be on the North alone, but on regional disarmament by all parties involved.Not that the Bush Administration gives a [], but the only response that wouldn't make the US look bad was to ignore it altogether.
Mr Hill said that if the North Koreans wanted to make "sarcastic" statements, they should come back to the talks and make them there, and not put out what he called "silly" press statements.
Maybe the DPRK has lured away a White House PR flak?
The Québec-Japan Connection
A Dominion article on the student strike has been translated into Japanese by one "antiwar translation brigade". Cool.
Sigh.
Boston Globe: World Bank votes unanimously to make Wolfowitz its president
If it's an April Fool's joke, it's not very funny.
Economic Disruption Week Continues
CMAQ: "Earlier today [ed: Thursday, March 31st] around 500 students swarmed into the Complexe Dejardins as part of CASSÉÉ's week of "economic disruptions". While inside, many students blocked entrances, clapping and cheering, while others went into the IGA supermarket and raided food, cheese, and wine. While a minor scuffle broke out between an IGA security guard and students trying to take a cart out of the IGA, only a small amount of food was taken and the police did not get involved and there was no violence or property destruction."
Quebec Students Occupying the Vieux Montreal CEGEP
March 30, 2005 -- Police surround the student-occupied Vieux Montreal CEGEP, dismantle blockades, and appear to be preparing to take the building. Other students and protesters surround the police, and an hour later, they go back from whence they came. In the meantime, the people inside wait for police to move, and play foosball while keeping the table ready to block the doors. After the police leave, students gather to rebuild the barricades. Completely by chance, I was inside when all of this happened, and took some photos.
Legalize it, part II
Here are a whole bunch of critiques of Swedish Prostitution Law.
While there are no doubt a lot of faults with Swedish (as with any other), attacks on one system or another inevitably have--to some extent--the effect of distracting from the fundamental issues. Until someone provides a pretty serious alternative analysis, I'll stick with the basic (obvious!) principles from the other post. Namely, that policy must...:
And I should add: take into account that we live in a society that is violent and exploitative towards women....aim to eliminate, not perpetuate, violence against women
...take into account the socio-economic situations that make prostitution necessary or appealing, including histories of abuse, lack of decent jobs, lack of pay equity
...reach out to all of those (arguably the vast majority) who are working as prostitutes who not by choice, but by necessity
...not criminalize the activities of those being exploited (which often intensifies their exploitation
On that last topic, Robert Jensen's Just A John? Pornography And Men's Choices is essential reading.
Commodify your alienation?
Cuddle Parties, Reform and Revolution
The intrigue of the cuddle party phenomena is it is a commercial response to the experience of alienation. While one can not fault the Cuddlers for this (indeed, what other response could there be in this commodified world?), the interest is too look at it as an attempt to remedy the social experience of alienation. The hetero-normative nuclear world limits options for people to have a variety of kinds intimacy in their lives and the cuddle party provides a way out- provided you have a ticket to play.