2009 RISE Celebration
The RISE Celebration is coming up this Thursday! Join us in celebrating the achievements of immigrants and those who support immigrants. Enjoy a great show featuring performances by Le Fuzz, the People’s Poets, Izuba, Global Voices Choir and Firefly Theatre.
Tickets only $25.00. Call the Citadel Box Office at 780-425-1820 or go to www.citadeltheatre.com
Submitted by Katrina Paufler
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Thank You
Thank you, EMCN TEAM, for your thoughtful condolences and support during our sad time.
It was a very difficult time for all of us, my siblings and me. We were saddened by the passing of our Dad, Father in law and Grand-father Benjamin Latekoue Lawson-Body. Your presence, calls and emails helped to lighten our burden. It was a comfort to the entire family. We were so grateful for your helping hand in our time of need. We'll always remember and appreciate all that you did for us.
Thanks again and May God Bless you.
Submitted by Yolande Lawson-Body
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The truth about swine flu
Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2009, 9:44:04 AM
Subject: The truth about swine flu
Dear friends,
Evidence is emerging that traces swine flu to giant factory pig farms that are dirty, dangerous, and inhumane. Sign the petition to the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization to investigate and regulate these threats to our health:
No-one yet knows whether swine flu will become a global pandemic, but it is becoming clear where it came from – most likely a giant pig factory farm run by an American multinational corporation in Veracruz, Mexico.(1)
These factory farms are disgusting and dangerous, and they're rapidly multiplying. Thousands of pigs are brutally crammed into dirty warehouses and sprayed with a cocktail of drugs -- posing a health risk to more than just our food -- they and their manure lagoons create the perfect conditions to breed dangerous new viruses like swine flu. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) must investigate and develop regulations for these farms to protect global health.
Big agrobusiness will try to obstruct and scuttle any attempts at reform, so we need a massive outcry that health authorities can't ignore. Sign the petition below for investigation and regulation of factory farms and tell your friends and family and we will deliver it to the UN agencies. If we reach 200,000 signatures we will deliver it to the WHO in Geneva with a herd of cardboard pigs. For every 1000 petition signatures we will add a pig to the herd:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/swine_flu_pandemic
Last week the flu was all that we talked about -- Mexico has been nearly paralysed and across the world leaders halted air travel, banned pork imports and initiated drastic controls to mitigate the spreading virus. As the threat shows signs of subsiding the question becomes where it came from and how we stop another outbreak.
Smithfield Corporation, the largest pig producer in the world whose farm is being fingered as the source of the H1N1 outbreak, denies any connection between their pigs and the flu and big agrobusiness worldwide pays huge sums of money for research to argue that biosafety is ensured in industrial hog production. But the WHO has been saying for years that 'a new pandemic is inevitable'(2) and experts from the European Commission and the FAO have cautioned that the rapid move from small holdings to industrial pig production is in fact increasing the risk of development and transmission of disease epidemics. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that scientists still do not know the extent that infectious compounds produced in factory farms affect human health.(3)
Studies abound of the horrific conditions endured by pigs in concentrated large-scale operations, and the devastating economic impact on small farmer communities of bloated large-scale operations.(4) Smithfield itself has already been fined $12.6m and is currently under another federal investigation in the US for toxic environmental damage from pig excrement lakes.(5)
But even with all of this damaging evidence, a combination of increased global meat consumption and a powerful industry motivated by profit at the cost of human health, means that instead of being shut down - these sickening factory farm operations are propagating around the world and we are subsidising them (6). In the wake of this swine flu threat, let's hold industrial pig producers to account. Sign the petition for investigation and regulation:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/swine_flu_pandemic
If we resolve this global health crisis boldly by reassessing our food consumption and production, and urgently calling for an inquiry into the impact of factory farms on human health, we could put in place tough farm practice rules that will save the global population from future animal borne lethal pandemics.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/swine_flu_pandemic
in hope,
Alice, Pascal, Graziela, Paul, Brett, Ben, Ricken, Iain, Paula, Luis, Raj, Veronique, Milena, Margaret, Taren and the whole Avaaz team
(1) Biosurveillance report tracing the disease to the Smithfields farm: http://biosurveillance.typepad.com/biosurveillance/2009/04/swine-flu-in-mexico-timeline-of-events.html
Reports on the link between the Mexican factory farm and the flu:
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/for-la-gloria-the-stench-of-blame-is-from-pig-factories-1675809.html
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-fg-mexico-flu28-2009apr28,0,1701782.story
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=can-swine-flu-be-blamed-on-industri-09-05-01
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227063.800-swine-flu-the-predictable-pandemic.html?full=true
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/swine-flu-outbreak----nat_b_191408.html
(2) WHO pandemic information
http://www.euro.who.int/influenza/20080618_19
(3) FAO, EC and CDC reports on the risks of industrial farming on public health FAO and CIWF and http://www.cdc.gov/cafos/about.htm
(4) CIWF and PETA video reports of the disgusting conditions for animals in factory farms and the disease ridden manure swamps:
CIWF and PETA
(5) Reports on Smithfield's animal welfare and environmental damage http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/for-la-gloria-the-stench-of-blame-is-from-pig-factories-1675809.html
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/press/releases/new-report-highlights-the-trouble-with-smithfield-article03132008
http://avaazimages.s3.amazonaws.com/SmithfieldJan08.pdf
(6) Reports on UK tax payers subsidising factory farms http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/farming/5225298/Taxpayers-forking-out-700-million-for-factory-farming-in-England.html
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
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Special Mother's Day Edition of the Granny Bulletin
Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2009, 8:00:54 PM
Subject: grannybulletin] Special Mother's Day Edition of the Granny Bulletin
The Granny Bulletin
May 5, 2009
The Granny Bulletin is a regular email update on the SLF Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign, intended to keep grandmother groups across Canada informed about, and connected to each other and the grandmothers and grassroots projects in Africa that are supported through their dedicated fundraising and awareness-raising efforts.
Welcome to a special Mother’s Day edition of the Granny Bulletin.
Mother’s Day is when everyone remembers and acknowledges the extraordinary place that mothers play in our lives … and in our world.
We are inviting you to celebrate Mother’s Day in a really meaningful way by participating in A Mother’s Day for Africa.
Here’s how you can help. Encourage your family and friends to visit the Stephen Lewis Foundation website (www.stephenlewisfoundation.org), click on the special Mother’s Day button at the top and make a donation online in honour of their loved one.
Once they have completed their donation, they will have the opportunity to send a personalised e-card to the person being honoured.
This is a wonderful way to make a significant gift this Mother’s Day. And it will all be added to the more than $6 million (YES! $6 million) raised for the grandmothers of Africa including the funds raised directly by the more than 220 grandmother groups across the country.
We know how important your work is, and we can’t thank you enough. Your collective efforts support grassroots organizations that are turning the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Let’s continue spreading the word and building the movement.
Together, let’s make this Mother’s Day, a Mother’s Day for Africa.
In solidarity,
The Grandmothers Campaign team
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
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Watch the story of a gold ring, featuring No Dirty Gold
Date: Monday, May 4, 2009, 10:25:13 PM
Subject: Watch the story of a gold ring, featuring No Dirty Gold
Watch EARTHWORKS and the No Dirty Gold campaign on Ecotrip: the Real Cost of Living
New Sundance series explores the true cost of a gold ring,
airs May 5 - 10th
Dear friends,
Host David de Rothschild, Julie Fishel of Western Shoshone Defense Project, and Shoshone Elder Carrie Dann in Mt. Tenabo, NV
Want to know about the true cost of dirty gold mining? Watch No Dirty Gold campaigners, community members and jewelry retailers on the Sundance Channel's series, Ecotrip: the Real Cost of Living. Starting May 5th, the series will air its "gold ring" episode chronicling the environmental and community impacts of gold mining.
EARTHWORKS' Bonnie Gestring, members of the Western Shoshone Nation in Nevada (where most gold in the United States is mined) and the Tiffany & Co. CEO Michael Kowalski (one of the original endorsers of the No Dirty Gold campaign's Golden Rules) help tell the story of modern gold mining, why it needs to be cleaned up, and the steps EARTHWORKS and others are taking to make more responsible mining happen.
Ecotrip: the Real Cost of Living is an eight-part original series exploring the origins and environmental impact of common everyday products. Hosted by eco-adventurer David de Rothschild, whose far-flung travels have garnered international attention, the half-hour primetime program investigates iconic items from cotton t-shirts and paper napkins to salmon and cell phones, and follows their life cycle from production to disposal, revealing the environmental, social and health effects along the way.
You can see clips of the "gold ring" episode here, here and here.
The "gold ring" episode starts airing on May 5th, and continues at various times through May 10th. Check the schedule online.
Happy viewing,
the No Dirty Gold team
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
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April 28 Newsletter
Invitation to Worker Art Show
Submitted by Karen Gabert
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Research Participants Needed
Submitted by Mark Wheller
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Help fight the anti-reform attack ads in BC!
Date: Thursday, April 23, 2009, 3:58:08 PM
Subject: Help fight the anti-reform attack ads in BC!
To all Fair Vote Canada supporters
Dear friends,
The TV attack ads against electoral reform in BC start today.
Yesterday the small, but well funded, campaign of a few backroom strategists who want to keep the system the way it is launched their first TV ad. In a deceiving soft tone they call electoral reform too complicated for voters (how insulting) and actually try to claim that our current system provides accountability to voters. It’s a sham, but we know they plan to run this ad a lot on TV because they have no supporters on the ground to sell their message of fear and confusion and will be spending all of their money on attack ads.
We want you to watch their ad – and then donate to help the BC-STV campaign fight them on the airwaves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVw-H6N0xyw
We know we can beat these ads – but we need your help. We have our opponents handily beat on the ground with literally thousands of volunteers, lawn signs, and brochures as well as speakers and letter writers active in every corner of the province and from every political background.
We had the support of 58% of British Columbians in the last referendum. Our opponents have only one advantage - because they haven’t spent any money campaigning, they can dump every penny they have running this ad.
If we are able to compete with them fairly on the airwaves – we will win. You can help make that happen.
Please visit www.stv.ca and make a significant online donation today, or print the form and mail a cheque today to British Columbians for BC-STV.
As you know the BC referendum will have a defining effect on the electoral reform movement in North America. We can’t let a few backroom politicians destroy the work of thousands of hardworking average people who want real change.
We believe that if we can raise $250,000 between now and the end of the campaign we can run them off the airwaves. Any contribution you can make will make a huge difference. Thank you for your consideration and support!
Best regards,
Roy Ball
Vice President,
Fair Voting BC
rballgp@imagotrackers.com
Please Support the BC Citizen's Assembly's Recommendation on Electoral Reform
On May 12 ... Vote for Better Democracy, Vote for BC-STV
www.stv.ca
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
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Climate: fight the spin
Date: Friday, April 24, 2009, 3:03:25 AM
Subject: Climate: fight the spin
Dear friends,
Next week, talks on the crucial global climate treaty will come to Washington DC -- but their outcome is threatened by a $50-million flood of lobbying and propaganda ads from coal, gas, and oil companies like Exxon.
To puncture their spin we don't need $50 million -- but we do need $50,000 so we can film a rapid-response joke spoof ad, seizing attention by using the same images and music that the oil industry has paid so much to promote. It is going to be brilliant -- and effective!
Click here to chip in (even a small amount helps) so that we can make the ad, exposing their propaganda before the meeting kicks off next week. We'll launch it with a stunt and press briefings - and book a cable buy timed to beam the ad into the hotel rooms of climate delegates and negotiators. Click here to donate:
Next week's negotiations -- a gathering of the world's 19 biggest economies -- could help unblock the talks to build a fair, binding global agreement to massively cut carbon emissions and help the most vulnerable countries cope with climate change.
The USA, site of next week's talks, is key. President Obama is locked in a battle with oil and coal supporters in Congress. To reach a deal strong enough to avert climate catastrophe and unlock millions of green-energy jobs, he needs help in pushing back the special interests. If the US and the other biggest emitters commit to serious climate action, they can help lead the way to a historic agreement at the final talks in Copenhagen this December.
We all have a stake in winning this fight. Click below to donate to film a rapid-response parody ad that explodes the oil company myths, and helps put climate negotiations back on track:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/make_the_climate_ad
With hope,
Ben, Brett, Raj, Iain, Alice, Ricken, Paula, Paul, Graziela, Milena, Pascal, Margaret, Luis, and the rest of the Avaaz team.
Sources:
"Avalanche! Agenda fuels ad landslide" - Politico, April 12 2009
"An Army of Lobbyists Readies for Battle on the Climate Bill" - Yale Environment 360, 16 March 2009
"The Climate Change Lobbyist Explosion" - The Center for Public Integrity, Climate Change Investigation
"Lobbyists Flock to the Climate Issue" - New York Times, 23 February 2009
"$199.5 Million Spent On Energy Ads Since Obama’s Inauguration" - The Wonk Room, Think Progress, April 15 2009
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
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Celebrate Earth Day with EARTHWORKS
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 8:15:43 AM
Subject: celebrate Earth Day with EARTHWORKS
It's my day!
This Earth Day,
Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle
with EARTHWORKS
Dear friend,
Today, Earth Day, help protect communities and the environment from the negative impacts of mining, digging and drilling. It's easy. Just reduce, reuse and recycle with EARTHWORKS.
REDUCE
Use your consumer power! Send a signal to the mining, digging and drilling industries that they need to clean up their act.
Sign the No Dirty Energy pledge to push drilling companies to behave more responsibly. And sign the No Dirty Gold pledge to encourage retailers to responsibly source their gold and other metals.
REUSE
Spring cleaning? Don't trash the thingawhatzit that you finally mustered the willpower to get rid of. Freecycle it instead!
Freecycle is a community who communicates via email list whenever they have something they want to give away (or get) -- for free. Check it out.
RECYCLE
If you've got an old mobile phone, don't toss it in the trash. If it's landfilled, the toxic heavy metals it contains could leach into groundwater. Recycle it instead. Go to recyclemycellphone.org and you can recycle your cell phone for free, from home. Just print out the postage paid label and mail.
DONATE TO EARTHWORKS
OK, so donating to EARTHWORKS isn't as famous as a Earth Day activity, but it ought to be.
Support EARTHWORKS
Click here to help us protect communities and the environment
EARTHWORKS does the hard work to make sure that communities and the environment have a voice when grappling with the negative impacts of mining, digging and drilling. Whether it's strengthening mining laws, cleaning up abandoned mines, protecting landowners, or closing toxic drilling loopholes, EARTHWORKS has the Earth's back. And we need your support.
You can donate with confidence: EARTHWORKS is a Better Business Bureau accredited charity, and has Charity Navigator's four star rating.
Happy Earth Day,
Alan Septoff and the rest of the EARTHWORKS team
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
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Why I shop Unwrapped
Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 9:00:21 AM
Subject: Why I shop Unwrapped
Dear friends,
My mom's love and support has meant so much to me over the years. A run-of-the-mill Mother's Day gift certainly won't do.
That's why I'm picking out an unexpected gift at Oxfam America Unwrapped.
When I was traveling in India and Sri Lanka with Oxfam, I saw how education can give children – especially young girls – a sense of self-worth and confidence. So this year, I'm giving my mom books for kids to help pass on the support she's shown me.
There's so much more to choose from. Check out all the unexpected gifts that do good at:
OxfamAmericaUnwrapped.com
Give young women a chance to get ahead once they're out of school, with gender rights training.
Don't lay an egg. Get something for mom that's adorable as you were when you first hatched – a dozen fuzzy chicks.
Mom's love allowed you to grow from a tiny seedling. So plant 100 trees in her honor, and help poor communities shade their crops and fight climate change.
Here's how it works:
- You purchase an item.
- You personalize a gift card.
- The card goes to your friend or loved one.
- Your donation goes to those who need it most.
This Mother's Day, I hope you'll join me in making a difference by doing something different – with Oxfam America Unwrapped.
Thanks so much.
Sincerely,
Scarlett Johansson
Oxfam America Ambassador
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
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April 21 Newsletter
Call for Facilitators- AAISA Module 2L - Working with Immigrant and Refugee Individuals and Families with Special and Complex Needs
Submitted by Ralph Paufler
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Research Participants Needed
Submitted by Mark Wheller
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Donate-A-Ride
Submitted by Ralph Paufler
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May Week – The Labour Arts Festival
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Everybody’s Children
Submitted by Ralph Paufler
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May Works Tour 2009 – GWG Piece by Piece
Submitted by Karen Link
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Millwoods Mosaic Safe Harbour Article
Submitted by Laurie Hauer
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Congratulations
Lucia, our Employment Career Practitioner at Nova Plaza has been offered and has accepted the position of "Community Counsellor" with EMCN at HQ.
We will miss Lucia here at Nova, her services and her friendly smile, but we must congratulate Lucia and send many blessings her way as she joins Val's team at HQ.
Thank you Lucia for all your time, dedication and support to our team and those who we serve here at Nova.
Cheers
Submitted by Hazel Benson
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Portfolio opportunity for you!
Only TWO Seats Remain!!
What is Portfolio Development?
Portfolio development is the process of identifying, assessing and recognizing what a person knows and can do. This process can take various forms and the outcomes can be used for a number of purposes. Portfolio development includes a series of exercises in introspection and self-assessment for the purpose of looking at oneself holistically. A person translates his/her life and work experiences into ‘learning’ and creates a portfolio or package of accomplishments and skills. This translation process is guided by Portfolio Development facilitator/s.
Why participate in Portfolio Development?
- It will guide you through a process of identifying and documenting your skills and competencies.
- It helps to identify where you are now and where you want to go, and how to get there.
- It provides you with a great professional development opportunity that translates into both your professional and personal life.
Date: 8 consecutive Fridays beginning April 24th and ending June 12th, 2009.
Time: 9:00 AM – 12 Noon
In addition to 3 hours of group participation every week there is 2-3 hours a week of individual time for personal reflections in the form of assigned activities and tasks.
IMPORTANT! The Portfolio Development program does not allow for absences.
What additional benefits are there?
- A Portfolio Development Program Certificate issued by PLA (Prior Learning Assessment) Centre in Halifax will be awarded to participants at the conclusion of the training.
- You will have a portfolio which can be proudly shown and continuously added to.
- Phase Two Training: become a Portfolio Development Facilitator yourself!
$50 - which will be taken from your EMCN Professional Development fund.
In addition: as you will create your own personal portfolio, materials you choose to use are your individual responsibility.
See you there!
Submitted by Toyin Fatona and Laurie Hauer
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"Blood Mother" nominated for an Alberta book award
Su Croll’s book, “Blood Mother” has been nominated for the Stephan G. Stephansson Award (Alberta Poetry Award). The awards will be handed out at a gala in Calgary in late May.
Alberta Literacy Awards Shortlist 2009
Submitted by Jacqueline Scott
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Recreation Programs
Hello,
Here is the link to all of our summer programs for children and youth.
Teressa Johnson - Multicultural Coordinator Community Services - City of Edmonton 8th Floor, CN Tower, 10004-104 Avenue NW Edmonton, AB, T5J 2R7
ph: (780) 496-7846 fax: (780) 577-3525
"Everyone deserves music" Michael Franti
* Please consider the environment before printing this email
Take a look! The Guide is actually already up in PDF format AND you can even find it! Yipeee!
Shortcut to: http://www.edmonton.ca/recreation-programs.aspx
Submitted by Ralph Paufler
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Thank jewelers who pledged not to buy Pebble's dirty gold
Date: Friday, April 17, 2009, 10:07:44 AM
Subject: thank jewelers who pledged not to buy Pebble's dirty gold
From AK to UK to oppose dirty gold
Alaskan community leaders and fishermen opposed to the Pebble mine proposal
travel to Anglo American's annual shareholder meeting in London
Please thank the British jewelers who pledged not to buy gold from the Pebble mine
TAKE ACTION
Click here to thank the six UK jewelers and designers who pledged not to buy gold from the Pebble mine proposal
A delegation of Alaskan Native leaders and fishermen flew from Bristol Bay to London this week to take on mining industry giant Anglo American at the company's April 15th shareholders meeting. They brought with them their communities' concerns about the massive Pebble mine project Anglo has proposed in the headwaters of Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska. EARTHWORKS' No Dirty Gold campaign staff accompanied the Alaskans.
You can follow their progress at a new website, ak2uk.com.
Bristol Bay is irreplaceable
Some of the most-productive salmon-spawning rivers on Earth flow into Bristol Bay, which supports the world's biggest commercial sockeye fishery. London-based Anglo American has failed to grasp the depth and breadth of the opposition to the Pebble mine, which would irreparably damage the salmon fishery and cultures that depend on it for survival. Britain is also the largest consumer of Bristol Bay canned sockeye salmon.
Everett Leroy Thompson, Bristol Bay fisherman
Credit: ak2uk.com
UK Jewelers support Bristol Bay
As the Alaskans traveled to London, six prestigious British jewelry retailers and designers representing 260 stores announced they won't buy gold from Anglo American's "Pebble" mine. Goldsmiths, Beaverbrooks, Mappin & Webb, Watches of Switzerland, Fifi Bijoux and April Doubleday took this step at the invitation of local Alaskans by signing the Bristol Bay pledge.
TAKE ACTION: thank the UK Six
Please send a letter to the six jewelers and designers who signed the Bristol Bay pledge not to buy gold from Anglo American's Pebble gold mine project. We often spank companies who do the wrong thing -- it's important that we also thank those companies who get it right.
Thanks,
Bonnie Gestring and Payal Sampat,
and the rest of EARTHWORKS' No Dirty Gold team
Instructions:
- Go to the action page
- Read the sample letter and edit it if possible. Customized letters have greater impact.
- Click "Send My Message" to send your letter to Goldsmiths, Beaverbrooks, Mappin & Webb, Watches of Switzerland, Fifi Bijoux and April Doubleday.
- Much more information about the Pebble mine, the trip from AK2UK, and the Bristol Bay Pledge can be found on the action page.
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Education is the most powerful weapon
Date: Friday, April 17, 2009, 7:56:06 PM
Subject: "Education is the most powerful weapon ..."
Take action now
Send to a friend
"Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world" ~ Nelson Mandela
The subject line of this e-mail comes from a quote from Nelson Mandela. I think we all agree with him on the impact education has in reducing poverty, especially in the poorest nations.
That's why back in 2000, the world’s leaders, including Canada, promised that every boy and girl in the world would have access to education by the year 2015. Some progress has been made, but we're not going to make that goal if we don't start working harder to meet it.
This summer, when the world's richest nations meet at the G8 Summit in Italy, Canada could be a world leader in pushing for education for all. Send a message to your Member of Parliament telling him or her you want Canada to be a world leader in education.
Since 2000, 40 million more kids have been able to go to school due to changes in policies in both the North and South. This is in part because world leaders committed to meeting six 'Education for All' goals to provide quality, universal primary education, to reduce illiteracy and to ensure that girls and boys would have equal access to the benefits of learning.
But since 2005, aid levels have stagnated, and the donor countries are showing signs of faltering in their commitment. Canada, for example, currently provides less than half of our “fair share”, based on our national income, of the global requirements to meet these goals.
There are still 75 million children and 774 million adults who do not have access to the basic human right of education, and we still have hundreds of millions of illiterate adults and children who cannot read and write.
We are working with the Canadian Global Campaign for Education http://www.campaignforeducationcanada.org, a coalition of 22 international development organizations, research institutes, faculties of education and teachers’ federations working to meet the Education for All goals. They are holding a 'Week of Action' next week (April 20-26th) along with partners in over 100 countries to remind Canada of its commitments to education for all.
One of the events they are organizing is a breakfast for your Member of Parliament in Ottawa - if you send a message right now you can ask your MP to show their support for education for all at the breakfast event and in the House of Commons.
Canada can become a leader in pushing for education for all. Please take action today.
Thanks,
Dennis Howlett
Coordinator
Make Poverty History
PS: Now that you've read this, give someone else the chance to learn to read this. Check out The Big Read event, in Canada and around the world: http://www.campaignforeducationcanada.org/gaw/en/ The Big Read is a collection of stories about literacy from authors like Nelson Mandela, Paulo Coelho, Alice Walker, Desmond Tutu Elizabeth Hay and Wayson Choy.
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
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End the US-Cuba embargo
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2009, 11:11:47 AM
Subject: End the US-Cuba embargo
Dear friends,
Urge the US government to engage constructively with Cuba and lift the embargo. We'll sail a giant banner past the Summit of the Americas this weekend to deliver our message:
On Monday, Barack Obama announced a welcome and long-overdue shift in US policy on Cuba, lifting restrictions on family members visiting and sending financial support to relatives on the island.
This week, the U.S. administration is watching for the world's reactions -- as it decides whether to move further. A strong international response now can send a signal to American politicians that we welcome these first steps -- but that much more is needed. It is time to bring an end to the failed and divisive US policy that has punished ordinary Cubans for almost five decades.
We have a unique chance to let be heard at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago this weekend, where Obama will for the first time discuss Cuba with all of his counterparts from throughout the region. Sign the petition calling for US-Cuba engagement now -- Avaaz members will sail a boat in the harbor near the summit and the number of petition signatures will be painted on the boat's sail, for reporters and leaders from across the Americas to see:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/lift_cuba_embargo
When the United States put its first embargo on Cuba in 1960, the policy's supporters claimed it would accelerate democracy and human rights. A half-century later, the claim has proven hollow, and has caused immeasurable economic harm to ordinary Cubans, blocking agricultural and medical supplies, new technology, information and ideas.
Some argue that as long as the embargo exists, the Cuban government can blame it instead of being forced to address its own systemic failures and serious breaches of freedom of speech, association and dissension.
Today there is more hope than ever that Cuban - US relations can change, with implications for the whole region. Across Latin America leaders are calling on President Obama to initiate a new beginning. In the US, recent surveys find that three quarters of US citizens want their government to shift away from the policy of isolation, and even previously hard-line Cuban exile groups are calling for change.
At this moment, as the United States and the region responds to Obama's tentative first steps, our voices have a critical role to play. If we remain silent, we risk ceding the debate to polarizing forces in the US and in Latin America who fear a reconciliation.
Sign the petition now, send this message to friends, and watch for the Avaaz sailboat in Trinidad on Saturday:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/lift_cuba_embargo
Let's send a massive message to President Obama and all the regional leaders gathered in Trinidad that a new beginning in relations is possible -- if they are ready to move past the failed policies of the past and embrace the opportunities of the present.
With hope,
Luis, Alice, Paula, Graziela, Ben, Raj, Iain, Ricken, Brett, Paul, Margaret, Pascal, Taren and the rest of the Avaaz team.
SOURCES
Obama Lifts Broad Set Of Sanctions Against Cuba, Washington Post, Tuesday, April 14, 2009:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/04/13/ST2009041303010.html
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll showing that three-quarters of Americans surveyed think the US should end its five-decade estrangement with Cuba:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/10/poll.cuba/
Leading organization for Cuban exiles calling on the White House to expand relations with Cuba’s government:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/politics/09cuba.html
Human Rights Watch report "Families Torn Apart: The High Cost of U.S. and Cuban Travel Restrictions", includes recommendation to the the U.S. government to terminate the economic embargo on Cuba:
http://www.hrw.org/en/node/80478/section/1
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
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CBC update - petition delivery
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 1:21:00 PM
Subject: CBC update - petition delivery
Dear friends across Canada,
In the last several days, an amazing 125,000 of us have come together to Save the CBC and Radio-Canada from damaging budget cuts. Our petition was delivered on Friday by Canadian celebrity Wendy Crewson and MPs from all 3 opposition parties to Parliament, while planes overhead flew large banners in English and French. Here's a picture of the petition delivery and press briefing at the House of Commons:
Our spectacular petition delivery drew reporters and TV cameras from all the major networks, but while major media like La Presse in Quebec ran the story, we had to wonder why editors at all the other corporate media outlets (and CBC competitors) didn't.
In a bid to break into the corporate media, on Saturday Avaaz volunteers passed out 2500 Save the CBC buttons to celebrities attending the Genie Awards, and encouraged a few of them, including Crewson, to speak out on stage for the cause. It worked! Some major newspapers mentioned the Save the CBC campaign for the first time (see below).
Next week opposition politicians will deliver our petition to Prime Minister Harper when Parliament returns to session, so let's still keep building our numbers by forwarding this email and asking people to sign up at this link:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_cbc
This tremendous response from Canadians is the beginning of the restoration of the CBC as a strong public service institution in our country. But there's a long way to go -- as feared, the Harper government is considering plans to bailout big media corporations like CanWest and CTV, while insisting on starving the CBC of funds. This is a terrible abuse of taxpayer money to support political friends and partisan media while strangling the independent public broadcaster.
Our members of parliament are all back in their constituency offices right now, and available to listen to us. If you know the name of your MP, click below to find their phone number and give them a call politely asking them to stand up for Canada's public broadcasters.
http://www.avaaz.org/canada_mp_phone_numbers
Or to send a message to your MP, use this action tool at the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting website:
http://www.friends.ca/yourMP
For a long time, the CBC has been forced to rely on advertizing for an increasing percentage of its revenue, making it carry American rather than Canadian shows, and focus on commercial rather than cultural content. This is part of a long term strategy to eventually privatize and sell off the CBC. But this aggressive strategy is now backfiring, and we are seeing a movement of Canadians come together to restore and protect the long term health of this national treasure. Let's keep up the pressure.
With hope and determination,
Ricken, Lisa-Marie, Laryn and the Avaaz Canada team
PS - here's the La Presse story (in French) that covered the petition delivery
And here's a Globe and Mail story about the Crewson and the CBC at the Genies
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
