Written by Ricken, Laryn, Anne-Marie, Iain and the Avaaz Canada team
Friday, 18 December 2009
Enough is enough. As the world enters a desperate 36 hour effort to stop
catastrophic global warming in Copenhagen, Canada is receiving the global
"fossil award" for wrecking this crucial summit! And new leaked documents
show that while the entire world is increasing cuts to carbon emissions, the
government is rolling back ours.
A massive national outcry forced Harper
to stop blocking the Bali talks in 07. But Harper's friends in the oil companies
know that Copenhagen is the make or break moment for climate. It will not
be easy to win this time, but to save the planet and our country we have to.
Let's mount a tidal wave of pressure on Harper with the largest
petition in Canadian history - click below to sign, and forward this email to
everyone. We have 36 hours:
According to our political and business leaders, as well as the main stream media, the Great Financial Crisis of 2009 is ending. Green shoots of recovery are seen everywhere. But by now we all know that the key to preventing a depression has been the bailout of the large financial institutions by taxpayers. The U.S. government will run a deficit of $1.4 trillion this fiscal year. Stephen Harper's government will have a deficit of around $55 billion.
But what is going to happen in 2010? How are governments going to pay for all this debt that they have created? Will there be rampant inflation? Governments can't just print money - except in Zimbabwe.
Economists and other defenders of the status quo insist that the crisis was caused by bad investment decisions by individuals, corporations and financial institutions. This was particularly true in the housing market. They insist that there is nothing really wrong with the free market and free trade economy. But others want to know why the British and American governments were so committed to defending the big banks and doing so little for main street. This requires a deeper look at the cause of the financial and economic crisis. Write Comment (0 Comments)
While Harper was in Copenhagen tonight, he declined to present
Canada's speech to the plenary (unlike many other world leaders), and
sent Environment Minister Jim Prentice in his stead. There is nothing startling in this speech, and it includes many of
the positions already identified in previous positions. It continues
the language of synchronising Canada's efforts with the US, and
maintaining a one-track approach (implying a new agreement rather than
the Kyoto Protocol). Far as I can tell, there are no concrete tragets
identified, no new financing commitments, or reference to emerging
science.
Bleary-eyed after a late night blogging, I dutifully hauled myself out of bed at 6:30 and crawled onto the special shuttle bus to the conference centre. I arrived just in time to make my way through UN security, sprint down the long halls to the Canadian public gallery, and arrive breathlessly in time for the 8:00 am public briefing.
On Dec. 12,
you are invited to join in the fun at The Better Good. This year marks the 40th
anniversary of the first bed-in held by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969. The Better Good in conjunction with the
Saskatoon Peace Coalition, will host its own bed-in to promote peace and
awareness in Saskatoon.
What is a Bed In? People sit in a bed as a non-violent way of protesting wars and
promoting peace. Various people will be sitting in bed at The Better Good to
promote peace to customers, passers-by and the media. 12 Days of Peacefulness will lead up to our Dec. 12 event
featuring a Bed In, Mindfulness Walk for Peace, group singing of Give
Peace a Chance and Yoga practice.
The Bed-In
will be held at 640 Broadway Avenue, Saskatoon
from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm. For more information contact
Write Comment (0 Comments)
Report from Copenhagen
Written by Rosa Kouri
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Lots of drama in the main plenary! I have to admit I'm a bit lost in it
all. Yesterday, the small island nation of Tuvalu stuck it's neck out
demanding a contact group to sort out the legal future of the Kyoto
Protocol. Many countries supported them, others objected. The chair
suspended those talks until a solution could be reached. There was an
impromptu demonstration in the hallway to support the Tuvalu proposal.
Prairie Sky School is holding a Writing for Rights
event on December 10, 2009 Our event will focus on the rights of
children and protection of the environment. Location:3337 15th Ave., Regina, SKContact: 306-525-9898
Regina AI Group 91 is holding a Writing for Rights
event on December 10, 20097pm An informal evening of letter-writing and
fellowship to mark the 61st Anniversary of the UDHR. Everyone is welcome. Location:College Avenue and Angus St., Regina, SKContact: 585-0889
Saskatoon
ThirdAvenueUnitedChurch is holding a Writing for Rights
event on December 10, 2009 304
3rd Ave N, Saskatoon , SKContact:
1-306-652-6813
Everyone is welcome to hear Judge David M. Arnot, Chief Commissioner,
Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, "Making Human Rights a Reality"
at Augustana Lutheran Church: 7th Ave and Broadway. Organized by AI Group 33 Saskatoon, the UN Association of Canada (Saskatoon) and the SHRC
On May
19, 2006,
six to seven police broke into my home and searched for the book 'Nine
Commentaries on the Communist Party'. They didn't find the book they wanted but
found several Falun Gong books. They put me in the detention centre in Haidian
District, Beijing.
I was locked in a small cell (about 220 square feet) with 30-35, sometimes over
40 people. I stayed in the detention centre for over three months before I was
transferred to the labor camp.
Even when I
was in the labor camp, I could feel from the attitude of the guards that they
got pressure from the outside world. One guard even mentioned to me once that
international human rights organizations cared about me.
Only after I arrived in the US did I learn that Amnesty members
around the world had written me hundreds, if not thousands, of letters. All the
letters were impounded by the authorities. But I believe that the pressure from
international society, of course including the letters from Amnesty members,
helped me a lot.
All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owners. Opinions expressed in articles within this site are those of their owners and may not reflect the opinion of ActUpInSask.org, its staff, or its associates.
Enough is enough. As the world enters a desperate 36 hour effort to stop
catastrophic global warming in Copenhagen, Canada is receiving the global
"fossil award" for wrecking this crucial summit! And new leaked documents
show that while the entire world is increasing cuts to carbon emissions, the
government is rolling back ours. 
On Dec. 12,
you are invited to join in the fun at The Better Good. This year marks the 40th
anniversary of the first bed-in held by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969. The Better Good in conjunction with the
Saskatoon Peace Coalition, will host its own bed-in to promote peace and
awareness in Saskatoon.
On