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Women & Children are 14 Times More Likely to Die During a Disaster, yet Gen
2007-08-02 18:37:00
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 2 (IPS) - When the United Nations concluded a two-day debate Wednesday on the potential devastation from climate change, it covered a lot of territory: deforestation, desertification, greenhouse gases, renewable energy sources, biofuels and sustainable development.But one thing the debate lacked, June Zeitlin executive director of the New York-based Women 's Environment and Development Organisation (WEDO) told IPS, was a gender perspective. "Women and children are 14 times more likely to die than men are during a disaster," she said. In the 2004 Asian Tsunami, 70 to 80 percent of overall deaths were women. And in the 1991 cyclone disasters that killed 140,000 in Bangladesh, 90 percent of victims were women. "Similarly in industrialised countries, more women than men died during the 2003 European heat wave," Zeitlin told a panel discussion Tuesday, in advance of a first-ever thematic General Assembly debate devoted exclusively to climate change. She also said that...
More About: Children , Disaster , Times , Aster

Ungrateful Canadians
2007-08-02 03:49:00
... "Just 20 per cent said they 'strongly support' Canada's fight in Afghanistan". Harumph. At least our BFF has thanked us for our role in Afghanistan, unlike those ungrateful taxpayers. Look what they're making us do! We have to make them pay $104,575 so we can learn how to sell the war to them. The federal government could significantly boost support for the Afghan mission if it were to emphasize diplomacy and human rights, according to opinion polling compiled over seven months for the Department of National Defence.Really? You mean emphasizing the needless suffering and civilian deaths doesn't work?Nik Nanos, president of Ottawa's SES Research, said the government-commissioned survey is "standard ... technique for political campaigns.""You start introducing content and you measure how you can move the dial," he said. Right, good to know how best to massage the facts.The poll, at a cost to taxpayers of $104,575, is the latest to look at how to present Canada's military mi...
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Remind Me Again: In Whose Interest Does the Government Govern?
2007-07-27 19:19:00
Tiny Town Demands Justice in Dioxin PoisoningA U.S. health agency has made research subjects of people in tiny Mossville, Louisiana by repeatedly monitoring dangerously high levels of dioxin in their blood while doing nothing to get the community out of harm's way, residents say.Further, the agency failed to release important test results for five years, and made it difficult for the community to obtain the actual data, say residents and their lawyers. "The air is staggering," said resident Haki Vincent. "Come stay at my place and you will see firsthand that the air and water is repulsive." Mossville is closed in by 14 chemical factories, including Petroleum giant Conaco Phillips and Georgia Gulf, a vinyl products manufacturer that had revenues of 2.4 billion dollars in 2006, according to the company. Dioxin compounds are a byproduct of petroleum processing and vinyl manufacturing and residents in Mossville say the factories are releasing amounts into the air that are making them ...
More About: Government , Interest , Remind Me , The Go , The G

The Costs of the Iraq War - Who is picking up the tab?
2007-07-27 03:14:00
So about a trillion dollars is spent by American taxpayers to kill Iraq is.Aside from the direct cost to American taxpayers, there are additional costs incurred by the war in Iraq. For instance the cost of dealing with 2 million refugees - primarily in Syria and Jordan - is astronomical. How about the cost to the UN and NGOs - humanitarian support, food aid, and helping refugees? Canada and other NATO countries are paying to hold the bully's coat (by picking up the slack in Afghanistan).This doesn't even include what it has cost the Iraqi people themselves. So the Iraq occupation costs everyone money - well, almost everyone. Ah, I see. Transferring more money from those who have little to those who already have a lot. Killing hundreds of thousands of people in the process. Good policy, GWB.Red Jenny
More About: Iraq War , Costs , Picking

Underpaid women: Stupid Letters to the Editor
2007-07-26 03:07:00
You know, I have no one to blame but myself. I know how the National Post makes my head spin, and yet some macabre force compells me to read it. Anyways, today I found this little gem of a letter to the editor:Underpaid womenRe: Why Men Earn More, editorial, July 23.The bottom line is that if women want to earn as much as men, they have to behave like men in the employment marketplace. That usually means: work longer hours at intellectually challenging, personally unrewarding careers that offer a poor workplace environment, physical hazards, pay linked to performance, an imposition on nonworking lifestyle choices or some combination of the above.Furthermore, women would have to take on more responsibilities, make family sacrifices and be more productive in the jobs they have. That's how men do it. Women can do it too, if they so choose.Now I could politely tell the author to climb back into the cave from whence he came, and let us women go back to eating bonbons while our menfolk h...
More About: Stupid , Letters to the Editor , Letters , Editor

The Whiner Files: Backpack Edition
2007-07-24 19:13:00
Oh no! Not the backpacks! Grownups with backpacks - why that's nearly as bad as women who wear sneakers for their commutes. Selfish sneaker wearing women - caring about their own comfort more than they care about how their legs look to the menz. Dude - let me 'splain. We don't have enough SPACE for everyone to drive. Some people can't even afford a car, or are too young to drive. Hence the subway. When you can't store your whole day's worth of stuff in your car, you have to carry it somehow. The backpack is the most body-friendly way to do that. If you don't like backpacks, you can carry a plastic grocery bag. And leave the rest of the backpack-toting world alone. I find people are actually pretty careful with their backpacks and even when they aren't, if you ask them nicely to move, they cheerfully oblige. Let's practice together, in our non-bitchy voices: "Can you please move your backpack so I can sit down? Thanks." What do people carry in their backpacks? Well, those la...
More About: Backpack , Files , Edition , Pack , Whine

The Challenge of Progressive Solidarity: Hamas, Palestine, plus a Fishy Ana
2007-07-24 03:13:00
From MADRE:The question is: how do we support the people of Palestine without endorsing the Hamas leadership? Let's be clear: Hamas' long-term social vision is repressive. Hamas is a movement driven by militarism and nationalism. It aims to institutionalize reactionary ideas about gender and sexuality, and it uses religion as a smokescreen to pursue its agenda. And there is another, equally important question: how do we put forward this critique of Hamas without reinforcing the Bush Administration's anti-Arab, anti-Islamic rhetoric? We do that by taking a stand for a sane and humane US policy in the Middle East. When we demand an end to both Israeli occupation and US attempts to control the resources and governments of the region, we refuse to be conscripted into Bush's "war on terror." Some people worry that criticizing Hamas means casting doubt on the legitimacy of its leadership. It doesn't. MADRE recognizes that Hamas won a majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council t...
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One of These Countries is Not Like the Others
2007-07-22 17:08:00
Let's play a game.What do these countries all have in common:Chile Philippines Sri Lanka India Bangladesh Pakistan Israel Mozambique Liberia UK Germany Canada ... something not shared by that beacon of women's rights, the United States of America. Yep, these nations, and many others, have been run by women. In America there has been no woman president. Only 16% of congress are women. Well, someday perhaps the USA will catch up. Maybe the Philippines or India can come and liberate American women. In Canada, we aren't exactly doing so well, either. No women lead any of the four major parties. We have never had more than 21% women in parliament, with few of these coming from aboriginal, immigrant or other minority women. Granted, attaining gender parity in politics may not be the most urgent and pressing matter facing women, but it is one visible marker that helps us guage our progress.Inspired by India electing its first woman president, Pratibha Patil.Red Jenny
More About: Countries , Like , The Other , These , The O

In return for your feedback, there's a little something for you in this pos
2007-07-18 16:51:00
I know I haven't posted much lately, and nothing of substance for quite a while. This last push with work and school and 14 hour days has been wiping me out. As of Friday my schedule will be clearing up significantly and then I promise we will return to our regularly scheduled blog postings (probably more, actually). Perhaps even a blog redesign. I'm tired of this template. So, here's me asking for your feedback. What kind of features would you like to see? Is my blog currently too cluttered, too plain? What kind of posts? More funny stuff, more commentary, more news, more photos, more videos? Or less of any of these? Any particular topics you'd like me to focus on? Let me know - I'm always interested in what you have to say!In the meantime, here is your little something, as promised, courtesy of Deleted Images:"The Junkyard of Art," resurrects digital photos that would have been erased from the hard drive of history. The photographers were shaky, or clicked the button accident...
More About: Feedback , Return , There , Thing , Turn

Little People
2007-07-12 06:46:00
Street art with a twistThis one is called Small Gods and was taken in front of Westminster Abbey.See more at Litt le People - a tiny street art projectRed Jenny

Can Biological Essentialism Die Already
2007-07-10 04:17:00
Come on people. I thought we got beyond this decades ago.Red Jenny
More About: Logic , Ready , Logical , Biol , Essential

Good Thing They Have Us
2007-07-10 01:10:00
Cuz see, they can't do anything on their own. Pity the poor passive peeps in African/Muslim/Third World places. They need us to bomb them into peace/prosperity/equality/democracy. An organized leadership push by Muslim women for Muslim women is taking place, quietly but purposefully... Muslim women, who will meet in Malaysia later this year, are pursuing a 10-year plan for advancing women's worldwide leadership within Islam. Womens E-News> Yup, they are just waiting there, hoping for bored and wealthy Westerners to come in and save them. A Malawian teenager built a wind power system for his house... He now provides lighting for his parents' home, and battery charging for his neighbors. His blog (with pictures) is wonderful. Boing Boing>Yep, good thing they have us.Red Jenny
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Where the Hell is Matt?
2007-07-08 19:14:00
In case you've never seen this, it's really cool. Matt travels the world and films himself dancing, then edits it into a video. Gives a real small world perspective. Really neat. Watch it, and then check out the outtakes. More info at wherethehellismatt.comRed Jenny
More About: Hell , Where

HMOs Kill More Americans than Terrorists do! Why Aren't we Bombing Them?
2007-07-06 19:18:00
In fact, not just HMOs, but the whole health care profession. Next up: the War on Health. This war sponsored by Pfizer. The war on Communism has been "won". The War on DrugsTM is busy filling jails at home. And now the War on TerrorTM may no longer be working to justify the vast military-industrial spending. For some reason the war on peanuts never took off, but I think this one really has a shot. We already have a backlash toward doctors because of the recent attempted London bombings. (Keep pushing the doctor aspect, see, because people might mistakenly think the detainments of Indian doctors has to do with their foreign-ness not their doctor-ness. We already have a war on foreigners. We are trying to start the war on health, people.) The foot soldiers in this war are already marching.Post title shamelessly stolen from here.Red Jenny
More About: Terrorists , Americans , Kill , Bombing , Bing

I Now Pronounce you David and David
2007-07-06 01:42:00
Watch before it's removed from Youtube And here's GavinDoes anyone know where I can find a clip of "Step Class"?Red Jenny
More About: David , Pronounce , Davi , Pron

Guilt, Privilege and the Pain of Living in a World of Domination
2007-07-05 00:33:00
Someone close to me is in pain because he feels marginalized for who he is: a white male.He's basically a "gender-blind", "colour-blind" regular Nice GuyTM who believes in equality for all. He sees people as human first and wants the same from others. The common definitions of sexist and/or racist (seen as individual attitudes or prejudices) do not apply to him. But there's a deeper, structural understanding of racism & sexism as a system of power that goes far beyond any individual beliefs or discrimination. In other words, we are all racist and sexist because we participate (i.e. live) in a racist, patriarchal system of dominance. That doesn't mean we're all Ann Coulter. It also doesn't remove our responsibility to try to do something about the system.As a feminist, anti-racist activist, this interests me, of course. This is a situation in which all the theories I read are pretty irrelevant - here there is pain; there is real anger and hurt. This young man hurts because he is...
More About: Living , World , Pain , Guilt , Domina

Behind Iron Bars: A Graphic Novela
2007-07-03 19:33:00
From the always amazing Words Without Borders, check out Behind Iron Bars , a short graphic novel by Jorge Garcia and Fidel Martinez in English and Spanish. The anarchists' union I had joined when I started working at a noodle factory and whom I joined in the streets to defend the republic against the revolt of the armed forces in July 1936.That summer everything seemed possible: even some of us women went to the front.We shared the trenches with men who insulted us for refusing to wash their clothes. But soon they made us retire from combat, accusing us of spreading venereal disease. We returned to our old prisons, those of being wives and mothers.Read the whole thing, or check out another by the same authors: Ballad of Ventas Prison. Also try this odd piece, A Bomb in the Family.Red Jenny
More About: Graphic , Graph , Novela

If You Really Don't Want to Kill Civilians, Perhaps Airstrikes Should be Av
2007-07-01 15:11:00
It's just, you know, that airstrikes always kill civilians. That's what they do. They aren't that accurate. They can't distinguish between a wee little lad and the big bad Taliban fighter who lives next door. Not to mention, killing civilians doesn't earn us the "hearts and minds" of said civilians. It's a proud day for Canadians. Murdering Afghan people without justification. Happy Canada Day.Red Jenny
More About: Kill , Strike , Civil , Really , Ally

The Occupation of Alcatraz: Photo Essay
2007-06-29 19:36:00
Thousands of American Indians and their families occupied Alcatraz Island from November, 1969 to June, 1971. The story of this occupation is absolutely amazing and I thought today, on this Day of Action, that it might serve as inspiration. A proclamation on Alcatraz Island tells new arrivals where they are. Signs hung on the dock on Alcatraz Island read, from left to right, "Red Power. Indians," "Human Rights, Free Indians," "Remember this land was taken from us!" "Alcatraz for Indians." For many people, the occupation was the first time they had been surrounded by other Indian people. The experience was one of cultural renewal, exhilaration, and a new-found sense of Indianness. Indian women played a major role in the occupation. They served on the is land council and the security force and worked in the health clinic, the day care center, and the school. Stella Leach, a Colville/Sioux woman, took a leave of absence from her job at the All Indian Well Baby Clinic in Berkeley, Calif...
More About: Photo , Essay , Patio , Catra , The O

Rumour has it the natives will be restless tomorro...
2007-06-29 04:44:00
Rumour has it the natives will be restless tomorrow (Friday, June 29). Nobody really knows what's going to happen ? there could be roads blocked, train routes compromised, taxes hiked way up on native cigarettes, anything at all....Come the Day of Action, expect a plethora of grievances and calls for redress. Here are a few of the lesser-known ones:WE DEMAND that something be done about the belief that Aboriginal people get everything for free. This might seem to be true if you count the bad water in Kashechewan, illness from black mould in inadequate housing, linguistical genocide, diabetes and rampant sexual abuse. But trust me, we've paid for all this. WE DEMAND that the feds actually appoint a native person as the minister of Indian Affairs. We humbly ask: isn't the attorney general usually a lawyer? Isn't the minister for the Status of Women usually a woman? Doesn't the minister of Transportation have a driver's licence? Isn't the minister of Defence usually defensive?...
More About: Rumour , Restless , Native , Tomo

Stop the Big Media Takeover: Canadians for Democratic Media
2007-06-28 19:22:00
Lately it seems a large media merger is in the news all the time. Recently we've seen the mergers of CTVGlobeMedia with Chum, Canwest with Alliance Atlantis, and Quebecor with Osprey. Generally media convergence means less media choice for all Canadians . Media diversity is the cornerstone of democracy. But media ownership is more highly concentrated in Canada than almost anywhere else in the industrialized world. Almost all private Canadian television stations are owned by national media conglomerates and, because of increasing cross-ownership, most of the daily newspapers we read are owned by the same corporations that own television and radio stations.This means a handful of Big Media Conglomerates control what Canadians can most readily see, hear and read. It means less local and regional content, more direct control over content by owners and less analysis of the events that shape our lives. It also means less media choice for Canadians and fewer jobs for Canadian media workers...
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Indigenous Peoples Fighting Ongoing Colonization and Genocide: Australia
2007-06-27 19:17:00
Indigenous peoples all over the world are fighting valiant battles to protect what's left of their land, peoples, and cultures in the face of ongoing colonialism. While there are some small victories, the vast juggernaut of globalized corporate Capitalism simply steamrolls on. Helping this along is the paternalism of well-meaning liberals. It is from the "white man's burden" that some of the most lasting harm has come. Apartheid in South Africa grew out of the same reserve system we have in Canada. Self-government for the natives in semi-autonomous communities - sounds almost progressive doesn't it? Well, we all know how that ended up.Similarly, misguided but mostly benevolant people, who wanted to improve the lot of young native children through education, created Residential Schools - known as The Stolen Generation) in Australia . This was genocide dressed up as education, with devastating consequences. What happens when nearly an entire people is subject to state-sponsored phys...
More About: Fighting , Genocide , Indigenous , Peoples

This Blog is Rated R
2007-06-25 19:16:00
This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words: * bomb (3x) * murder (2x) * crap (1x)Fuck. I've been found out. Ok, so as a public service announcement, kids, you better get your parent or guardian to accompany you while you read my most dangerous ideas: perhaps Iraqis and Afghanis don't like it when we bomb them, war and capital punishment both bear a striking resemblance to murder, and there's something wrong with a world in which the working class must spend their meager earnings on crap they don't need but are programmed to think they want. Via brownfemipowerRed Jenny
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How the Cult of Busy Protects Capitalism
2007-06-23 18:23:00
I have a confession to make. The other day I was reading Ways to begin gutting Capital ism (and this - Strategies that have Failed), and the first thing that I thought was yeah, but who has TIME for this. Neighbourhood associations, local currencies, growing my own food, it all sounds great, but geez, there's practically no time to eat and sleep any more let alone adding all that face time with people. (I'm also kind of shy, but that's another issue altogether.)As regular readers know, I'm quitting my job of 9 years and going back to school, and the more I think about it the happier I am about this decision. The truth is, I have a great job, with good pay, a fair bit of autonomy, and great co-workers. But it's not nourishing me. And I have no time to even contemplate a change in my daily routine, such as would be necessary to get more involved in my community. I used to be time rich and cash poor. Now, relatively speaking, I'm cash rich and time poor. I wouldn't really call th...
More About: Cult , The Cult , Prot

I'm Now Officially a Thinking Blogger
2007-06-23 17:22:00
Thanks to Politics Plus for the Thinking Blogg er award. Here are the rules: If, and only if you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (there is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).Now the hard part. I have to choose 5 from the long list of amazing blogs I read. So, I've taken my daily read list, removed any that (as far as I could tell) had already been awarded this, and also very large and popular blogs. Here's my five, in no particular order:Marginal Notes is one of my favourite feminist blogs. She takes no shit and I admire her for it.A Canadian Lefty in Occupied Land for his long, well-reasoned, and thought-provoking posts. Sand Gets in my Eyes, an American ex-pat in Saudi Arabia. From her I get a very different and valuable perspective on many issu...
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Vocabulary Building
2007-06-22 18:53:00
Now, don't get me wrong. I like words. I like the feel of a rolling multi-syllabic word in my mouth (say that out loud: "multi-syllabic" - so satisfying). I'm just not so convinced that I can use these new words three times in my daily language, to really make them my own.Slap Upside the Head has learned me about "homofascism" - from which Bill Whatcott, a mayoral candidate, is committed to protecting Edmontonions. Also, via JJ, I was schooled about "secular humanist fundamentalists" and their "fetophobia". Fetophobia is of course the reason the "secular fascists" visit the "abortuaries". I have a good word. How about "asswipery"?Red Jenny
More About: Building , Vocabulary , Bula

Creepy Love Songs
2007-06-21 18:46:00
So, this post at The Vanity Press has been lurking in the back of my head. Then this morning, I was listening to this song, and the refrain began to creep me out:"My salvation lies in your love"*That got me thinking to another song that is really creepy: I'm sorry that I hurt youIt's something I must live with everydayAnd all the pain I put you throughI wish that I could take it all awayAnd be the one who catches all your tearsThats why i need you to hearI've found a reason for meTo change who I used to beA reason to start over newand the reason is You Gag me with a spoon.This CD was sent to me by a creepy** ex, who was stalking me. Interestingly, I was involved in an online support group and I wasn't the only one who'd had this exact same song sent to me. It's THE abusers' anthem. Other notable mentions: Every breath you take; Escape ("You can run you can hide but you can't escape my love"); Never gonna give you up ("A full commitment's what I'm thinking of /You wouldn'...
More About: Songs , Love , Love Song , Creepy , Cree

Lifestyles of the Poor and Displaced (Photo Essay)
2007-06-21 01:33:00
Happy World Refugee Day. How shall we celebrate the 10 million global refugees? They don't make a Hallmark card for today. So instead let's go visit some refugee camps, featuring the #1 and #2 sources of refugees: Afghanistan and Iraq. Iraqi RefugeesMujahed Mohammed/AFP/GettyMosul, IRAQ: An Iraqi boy walks through erected tents at a camp for displaced people in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, 06 April 2007.Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/GettyBaghdad, IRAQ: An elderly Iraqi displaced woman weeps inside her tent at a camp for displaced people in Baghdad, 14 January 2007.Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/GettyBaghdad, IRAQ: Iraqi displaced children play outside a camp for displaced people in Baghdad's al-Karrada neighbourhood, 25 March 2007.From IraqSloggerAfghan RefugeesThe tents of the camp are crowded together, increasing the likelihood of epidemics of communicable diseases.Crowded living conditions also prevent the proper drainage of water. Stagnant pools form which can further the spread of communica...
More About: Photo , Lifestyles , Essay , Poor , Lace

The Current Situation in Gaza & The West Bank
2007-06-20 19:17:00
I haven't had the energy to post on this, despite the significance of what is going on right now. But, this article is worth reading: From Nakba to Gaza : Palestine at the friction point. It's pretty long, but interesting.Also worth reading, The Crisis in Gaza: Made in Israel, A Tale of Two Governments and of course, Robert Fisk: Welcome to 'Palestine'BendibRed Jenny
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Men, Women, Gay, Straight, Trans, Bi, Unisex - Everyone looks better in whi
2007-06-20 00:47:00
The late 1960s were a time of throwing off the shackles of traditional societal gender norms, including the rules surrounding who could wear lace pants. Unisex clothing popped up on runways mid-decade, reaching suburban malls by the time today's ad appeared.Wicked hot. Via TorontoistHappy Pride!Red Jenny
More About: Women , Trans , Straight , Everyone , Look