Greenspiration News: 11 reasons to be optimistic
Angela Bischoff
greenspi at web.ca
Sun Jan 16 14:50:04 EST 2011
Greenspiration News
Need a wall calendar? I have 2011 bicycle calendars for sale - the images are all of bikes in lesser developed nations.
Send $10 (plus $2 shipping) to: Tooker Gomberg Activist Fund, 19 A Withrow Ave, Toronto, ON M4K 1C8
Have a great year changing the world!
-angela
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WikiLeaks: Stop the crackdown – take action!
The vicious intimidation campaign against WikiLeaks is a dangerous attack on freedom of expression and the press. Top US politicians have branded WikiLeaks a terrorist organization, and urged corporations to shut it down. Commentators have even suggested assassinating its staff.
Whatever we think of WikiLeaks, legal experts say it has likely broken no laws, and the group works with leading newspapers (NYT, Guardian, Spiegel) to carefully vet what it publishes - so far less than 1% of the cables leaked to it.
We urgently need a massive public outcry to defend our basic democratic freedoms.
Sign the petition to stop the crackdown -- let's reach 1 million voices this week!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/wikileaks_petition/?vl
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The year ahead in bikes
These 2011 bike trend predictions written by a Portland blogger also have some resonance here north of the border. It will be an interesting year to watch and to help influence decisions about active transportation!
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Ten reasons to oppose the Harper candidate in your riding
http://rabble.ca/news/2011/01/ten-reasons-oppose-harper-candidate-your-riding
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Plane Stupid
We have a problem. We're flying too much, and it's changing the earth's climate. Aviation is the fastest growing cause of climate change. But instead of doing anything about it, the Government is planning more flights and larger airports. Learn more and watch the 1 minute video.
http://www.planestupid.com/polarbears
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Fixing the Future
In this one-hour PBS special, Host David Brancaccio visits communities across America using innovative approaches to create jobs and build prosperity in our new economy.
http://www.pbs.org/now/fixing-the-future/index.html
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Eleven reasons for activists to be optimistic in 2011
http://rabble.ca/news/2011/01/eleven-reasons-activists-be-optimistic-2011
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Republicans Attempt to Stifle Action on Climate Change
After first day in Congress, Republicans have outlined three bills aimed at limiting power of the Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/01/07-0
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Update and Information on Bill S-10 - from the Canadian Students For Sensible Drug Policy
On Monday December 13, 2010, Bill S-10 moved through the Senate and onto the House of Commons, where it received first reading on December 14. The likely scenario is that Bill S-10 will have a devastating effect on communities across the country.
The rhetoric of ‘tough on crime’ protects only politicians, not young people. The federal government has shown the true goal of the ‘tough on crime’ agenda is to play divisive politics for political gains. The government has shown no evidence to counter the staggering reports of the damage caused by overzealous punitive policies. The government also refuses to provide their information on how much Bill S-10 is predicted to cost. We have however seen the investment of billions of dollars into the prison system to prepare for more and longer periods of incarceration for non-violent crime. Canada’s current government is investing in political strategies, not the health and safety of people in Canada.
Your support is needed!
Some of the provisions in Bill S-10:
• Mandatory minimum sentence of 6 months for growing 6 or more marijuana plants. The intent to distribute must be proven, but ‘distribution’ includes giving a small amount to a friend. This sentence increases to 9 months if the property is rented.
• Mandatory minimum sentence of 18 months for making cannabis oil, hashish, or edible products, such as cookies.
• Mandatory minimum sentence of 2 years for anyone distributing drugs ‘on or anywhere near where young people frequent’. Can you think of anywhere ‘young people’ don’t frequent? A person selling or giving one pill of ecstasy to a friend is now facing a minimum two year federal prison sentence if they are caught somewhere frequent, such as the library, mall, or even on the walk there.
• Mandatory minimum sentence of 2 years for involving anyone under the age of 18. So if a 19 year old shares drugs with their 18 year old friend, the 19 year old is facing a minimum two year federal prison sentence.
• Reschedules a number of amphetamines and other substances from Schedule 3 to Schedule 1. One of these substances is MDA, and substance sometimes used in Ecstasy. This means that a young person caught with one pill of ecstasy that was actually made up of the rescheduled substances could be looking at Schedule 1 possession charges, which include jail.
• Will overload already burdened drug treatment courts system. In order to justify the ‘tough on crime’ aspects of this bill, drug treatment courts are being held up as the silver lining. If you are actually eligible for the program, you then must also live close enough or be able to afford the trip to the limited number of DTC’s in some urban areas. Implementing mandatory minimum sentences will increase demand and the backlog in the existing DTCs.
For more info:
CSSDP: Just say NO to mandatory minimums! http://www.cssdp.org/our-campaigns/no-mandatory-minimums
Cannabis Facts for Canadians: Accumulated videos, transcripts, media pieces, and more relating to the Bill S-10 saga http://www.cannabisfacts.ca/mandatoryminimums.html
Why Prohibition: Information & Organizing http://whyprohibition.ca/s10
Misleading and Misguided: Mandatory Prison Sentences for Drug Offences. By the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network:http://www.aidslaw.ca/publications/interfaces/downloadFile.php?ref=1583
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Canada's public water systems could be up for sale under CETA
The Council of Canadians and The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) released a report last week raising serious concerns about the threat a trade deal with the European Union poses to Canada‚s public water systems.
Public Water For Sale: How Canada will privatize our public water systems is a report to municipal, provincial and territorial governments regarding the Canada European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). It warns that public water in Canada will be lost unless the provinces and territories take immediate steps to remove water from the scope of negotiations.
CETA would open up public municipal water systems across Canada to privatization. Europe is home to private water giants such as Veolia Environment and Suez. At the request of these private, for-profit water corporations, Canada‚s provincial and territorial governments are considering including drinking water and wastewater services in their services commitments under CETA. Once systems are privatized, public control and accountability would be lost.
"CETA is a water privatization deal," says Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians. "Our public water is being negotiated away behind closed doors. We need to act now or we will wake up one morning and our public water systems will be gone."
To read the report, go here: http://council-of-canadians.c.topica.com/maaor51ab1X0HaVvgcDbaeQy7T/
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Global Bee Emergency - Sign the petition
Quietly, globally, billions of bees are being killed off threatening our crops and food. But a global ban of one group of pesticides could save bees from extinction.
Four European countries have begun banning the poisons and bee populations are recovering. But chemical companies are lobbying hard to keep all killer pesticides on the market. A global outcry now for a ban in the US and EU, where debate is raging, could provoke a total ban and a ripple effect around the world.
Let’s build a giant global buzz calling for these dangerous chemicals to be outlawed in the US and EU until and unless they are proved to be safe. Sign the petition to save bees and our crops and send this to everyone:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees/97.php?cl_tta_sign=e7139c8309a24dada849ff31aba65aaf
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Time Magazine on Psych Drugs and Violence
Top 10 legal drugs linked to violence
http://uniteforlife.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/time-magazine-on-psych-drugs-and-violence/
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Some fantastic videos here:
http://ecosanity.org/blogsanity/
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Cities in Focus | New York City
New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Department of Transportation are on a mission to make the Big Apple the "greatest, greenest big city in the world" by ramping up bicycle infrastructure across the city, introducing bus rapid transit to the Bronx, and pedestrianizing Times Square, among other bold transportation initiatives.
Wow – catch this inspiring 6 min. video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbB5p2KYtyw&feature=player_embedded
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