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November 23, 2005

Selective Logging Practices Damage Amazon Basin

An informative (albeit slightly technical) article on a new study analyzing the impact of selective logging on the Amazon Basin. Using a new, ultra-high-resolution satellite-imaging technique, the study reveals that selective logging has damaged the Amazon Basin by more than two times what experts originally thought.

Interesting Facts: The Amazon Basin contains the largest contiguous rainforest on Earth. This region is nearly as large as the continental United States and contains many of the world's diverse plant and animal species. Experts estimate that illegal logging practices destroy over 10,000 square miles of rainforest per year!!!

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November 21, 2005

Bait and Switch: Ralph Goodale's Tax Cuts

Okay, maybe Monday isn't a good day to learn about tax law but this article by my wife's law professor is a real eye-opener. Lisa Philipps, a tax law and policy professor at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School unveils some of the hidden realities behind Ralph Goodale's mini-budget.

Something to think about when you go to the polls.

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November 19, 2005

Saving Carlos

I cried during my breakfast this morning. I cried for a kid I don't even know. I cried for his family...

On the front page of the Toronto Star today were two stories:

The first -- An 18yr old boy was shot at the funeral of another young shooting victim. There were 300 mourners present.

The second -- The harrowing story of a young shooting victim, Carlos, and his recovery as one of the "lucky ones".

As many of you know, my brother-in-law is one of the "lucky ones". He remains in the hospital, his health improving at a snail's pace. Our hope for his full recovery shining ever so slightly brighter.

Please read Saving Carlos. I guarantee your perspective on gun violence will change. If this story impacts you the way it has me, please pass the link along to someone you know. There's a little activist in everyone.

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November 18, 2005

Defining Reparations: Canada's Chinese Head Tax

It would appear the fight for redress over the Chinese Head Tax has scored its first victory. The federal government has agreed to pay $12.5 million toward the development of a Chinese Canadian Community Foundation. The deal was negotiated with the National Congress of Chinese Canadians.

A quick history lesson: Chinese immigrants were instrumental in the construction of one of Canada's greatest achievements: the Canadian Pacific Railway. Most historians agree the CPR was one of the great steps toward unifying the nation.

Upon completion of the railway, Canada imposed a $50 head tax on Chinese immigrants (1885). In 1903, the amount was raised to $500 -- equivalent to about two years wages. And if that weren't enough, in 1923 the government imposed the Exclusion Act. The Exclusion Act barred Chinese immigrants from entering the country altogether, effectively preventing Chinese workers from reuniting with their families left back in China. The Act was repealed in 1947. In total, the Canadian goverment collected over $23 million in head taxes.

There is however opposition to the recent agreement. Organizations such as the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) and the Ontario Coalition of Head Tax Payers and Families feel this move toward redress is far from satisfactory. They argue the deal does not compensate individual families, nor contain the necessary apology language. It would appear the fight for full redress continues.

If you'd like to learn more about this dark period in Canadian history, you should check out the documentary film In The Shadow Of Gold Mountain.

You can also learn more by visiting the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC)

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November 15, 2005

Re: My Vote Is Not For Sale

As promised, you can listen to The Current episode I mentioned here.

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November 14, 2005

My vote is not for sale!

This morning, the CBC's The Current featured two economist debating a controversial economic theory. The theory posits that the act of voting has no inherent economic value. In essence, voters would be better off staying at home and using their time elsewhere as that time could be better spent (economically speaking of course). I'll try and find the full details once it's posted on the CBC website.

Whether or not you accept this theory (I certainly don't), I find it interesting in the context of the Liberal government's soon to be released Economic Update. The "update" promises billions of dollars in income tax breaks, corporate tax cuts, financial incentives for small businesses and increased support for immigration. Sounds good to me (at least in theory). There is one problem though...the timing of its release.

This "Economic Update" comes days/weeks before an impending call for a federal election. This is a thinly veiled attempt to garner voter support. I cry bullsh*t. My vote is not for sale!!!

This kind of political maneuvering is bad for Canada. It panders to our short-term political memory and rewards governing by soundbite. I know many will argue that this is just good political strategy, but just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Clearly, our vote is extremely valuable in the eyes of politicians. We should not forget this. Whether or not you believe this Economic Update is good for Canada, make sure you let the Liberals (and all politicians for that matter) know that they have to earn your vote, not buy it. Let's not cheapen our democracy.

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November 7, 2005

Heads Up: Five minutes of Garbage Film Competition

This sounds pretty interesting. Pass it along to any aspiring film-makers/environmentalist you know.

0footprint and the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival announced today a new and exciting collaboration. For the first time a revolutionary environmental enterprise and a leading entertainment brand have come together to launch the first annual Five minutes of Garbage, a film competition that uses humor to explore the dirty world of garbage and what we can do to clean things up.

These comedic films must be five minutes in length and must be about garbage generated by a typical high rise office tower, characteristic of any urban setting. Read the rest here.

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Sleep-out in Solidarity on November 19th

Saw this post on Craigslist:

Do you get tired of being asked for money every time you pass a homeless person? Do you get tired of being asked for change on your way to dinner at your favourite restaurant? Or on your way home?

I ask these questions because homeless people are people. They shouldn’t be ignored. We don’t know how they got on the streets nor can we generalize or become desensitized to them. Many of them do not want to remain there. They want the same things you do -- the things you already have: a home, three square meals a day, a job, a bed to sleep on, a chance to eat at a restaurant now and then. Even the simple things we take for granted like getting a haircut or a hot shower.

I am a volunteer for a group named Humanize Toronto (www.humanizetoronto.org). We’re organizing a “Sleep-out in Solidarity” at City Hall on November 19, 2005 from 9 pm to 9 am.

Now before you start to protest or think it’s far too cold to stay outside from 9 pm to 9 am on a November night, think about where you’ve slept the other 364 days. In a warm bed, I’m sure. Okay, maybe some of you roughed it and went camping for a few days earlier this year. However, you chose to do this.

Most homeless people do not choose to be there. They don’t choose to run away from abusive parents. They don’t choose to be kicked out of psychiatric wards and hospitals shut down by the Tories and Liberals. They don’t choose to squeeze the last of their RRSPs to pay this month’s rent because they lost their job and can’t find another.

My point is there are so many factors that lead to the number of people we see on the streets.

Well, I’m not asking for your money. Just your time. I’m asking for you to sleep somewhere else for one night out of 364 on Saturday November 19, 2005. We’ve stayed out partying, raving, having sex, etc., so it’s not like we can’t do this…together.

I’m inviting you to come out for one night, to bring a sleeping bag, a toque, mittens, some snacks, an instrument if you want (or cards and friends) and some resilience. We’re providing hot coffee, a bite to eat, music and chance to do something about a problem we see everyday but feel powerless (or maybe apathetic) about changing. You might be too busy to do it – but even if you come for a few hours it’ll help.

We’re doing this to get (and hold) the mayor’s attention. We just want the mayor and city council to cement a plan with an actual timeline (because they have made empty promises and created "plans" that haven't come to fruition). The only way to get an actual (accountable) plan in place is to get a significant number of people to show some solidarity by sleeping out on Saturday November 19 at 9 pm at City Hall because I do believe there’s a grain of truth to the adage, Strength in numbers.

(For more information, please visit www.humanizetoronto.org.)

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