Weekly Newsletter Contest
Take a look at the two pictures below... do you think you know who these adorable little ones are? Send your best guess to kpaufler@emcn.ab.ca for a chance to win!
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News from the Professional Programs
On Jan 12 the largest ever group of ETIP students started classes at the new Nova Plaza, which has been dubbed Immigrant College by staff there. The class consists of 70 students –Mechanical, Civil and, for the first time, Electronics engineers, as well as 2 BPEG Chemical Engineers. Another first for this year, ETIP is working in collaboration with APEGGA (Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta) to provide assistance to and fees for the application process to begin registration with APEGGA.
Justine Janus-Miguel has joined the teaching staff teaching Communications. Students are enthusiastic and ready to begin their classes and look forward to the opportunities in their future.
Submitted by Luella Gaultier
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Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action – Annual Dinner
On March 3 the work of EMCN will be featured at the annual dinner of the Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action. This is an evening event and I encourage staff to consider attending, both to share in this honour and to learn more about the excellent work of the Centre. Details of time, place and cost will be forwarded soon, but this is an advance encouragement to you to consider attending.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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ANIW- Mentors of Today and Tomorrow
Mentor
Submitted by Helen Rusich
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Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities - Third Biennial Leadership Dinner - A Tribute to Larry Shaben
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Faculty of Health and Community Studies: Visiting Scholar Lecture Series - The Real Global Crisis
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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News Release: International Mother Language Day
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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University of Alberta’s International Week 2009
February 2 - 6
“Hungry for Change: Transcending Feast, Famine and Frenzy”
International Week fosters global citizenship through engagement with today’s most pressing issues. Working with faculty members, student and community groups, government departments and non-governmental organizations, the Week will feature over 60 free events ranging from hip hop and direct action workshops to expert panels and addresses dealing with issues surrounding the food crisis and other imminent dangers facing our global community. This years’ theme Hungry for Change: Transcending Feast, Famine and Frenzy calls us to examine the intersection of global phenomena such as climate change, economic disparity and economic crises and failed policy that culminate in persistent food challenges with special attention to the devastating impacts on the developing world. We will explore why people are starving in a world that produces enough food to feed everyone, what can be done to mitigate the impacts of the crisis and how to plan for the food security of coming generations. The theme also invites broader discussion on global inequity, instability and societal transformation.
Hard copies of the program are available from the International Centre on the ground level of HUB and around town, or online at http://www.iweek.ualberta.ca/iweek.cfm
We look forward to seeing you in February!
Program Highlights
February 2 Noon Keynote: Francis Moore Lappé, a world food and hunger expert who has authored or co-authored sixteen books including Diet for a Small Planet, will deliver a talk entitled Ending Hunger, Feeding Hope. She is the co-founder of three organizations, including Food First: The Institute for Food and Development Policy and the Small Planet Institute, and is a recipient of the 1987 Right Livelihood Award (a.k.a. the “Alternative Nobel”).
February 2 Evening Panel: Feast and Famine: Health Impacts asks how the challenges of obesity and malnutrition are connected here in Canada and abroad. Join our panel of experts to learn how the problems of food scarcity and abundance are related to our environmental, social, cultural and economic contexts.
February 3 Evening Special Guest: Palagummi Sainath, a journalist from India, delivers his talk The Age of Inequality. Once described by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen as “one of the world’s foremost experts on poverty and hunger”, Sainath is a dedicated development reporter who has written extensively on the negative impacts of globalization on rural Indian communities.
February 4 Noon Special Guest: George Monbiot joins us via videoconference to deliver his talk Transcending Feast, Famine and Frenzy. Monbiot is a renowned environmentalist and author of bestsellers such as Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning and The Age of Consent: A Manifesto for a New World Order. He was presented with a United Nations Global 500 Award for outstanding environmental achievement by Nelson Mandela.
February 4 Evening Panel: Biofuels: Food, Fuels and Futures will debate and explore the branding of biofuels as a green alternative by the Canadian Renewable FuelsAssociation, the winners and losers in society with respects to the production and consumption of biofuels and the role of the biofuels trade in the world food crisis.
February 5 Noon Panel: International Perspectives on Research Needs and the World Food Crisis with guests from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the China College of Agricultural Policy, and the World Bank.
February 5 Evening Address: Alex McCalla will deliver his talk What is Next for Commodity and Food Prices? McCalla is a renowned scholar and practitioner of Agricultural Economics who has worked extensively with the World Bank as well as Consultative Group in International Agricultural Research.
February 6 Evening Concert: Features award winning aboriginal artist Fara Palmer and high-energy female fronted Reggae band Souljah Fyah.
Eilis Pourbaix
Global Education Coordinator
University of Alberta International
3-600 Enterprise Square
10230 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, AB, Canada
T5J 4P6
Tel: (780) 492-6442
Fax: (780) 492-1134
E-mail: eilis.pourbaix@ualberta.ca
www.international.ualberta.ca
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Free Online Income Tax Program
There is a free income tax program on line, called Studio Tax 2009. You are able to do up to 20 free tax returns and then either print and send it in or efile. I have done it for the last two years and had my money in my account within a couple of days.
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Edmonton's Next-Gen Hub / Board Recruiting 2009
Learn about us online, visit: www.edmontonnextgen.ca
If you are between the ages of 18-40, passionate about making Edmonton a city of choice for young people, then this is an opportunity to make a difference in our growing City.
What is the Next Gen? Next Gen's mission is to create a city that attracts young people between 18-40 years old and gives voice to the Next Generation in the life and growth of our community. The Committee as a hub for networking and learning events, fosters leadership opportunities and its strategic priorities are to advise, empower and engage. Next Gen is an administrative committee that involves a cross-sector of civic-community collaboration, and brings together diverse volunteer Next Gen Edmontonians and staff from City departments.
Who are we looking for? 6 community members between the ages of 18-40 who live in Edmonton and have a demonstrated passion for Edmonton. Individuals who are willing to assume a leadership role on projects, initiatives and events and are able to work with volunteers with various backgrounds.
Individuals who have previous Board or Committee experience and/or experience working with volunteers. Dynamic and action-oriented individuals who will act as a community liaison to the Committee and provide leadership and support to the ongoing project work of the Committee and its working groups.
Term: All members are appointed to serve a two-year term. Members serve on a voluntary basis. Responsibilities: Attend 10 regularly scheduled meetings of Edmonton's Next Gen Committee during the year. Meetings are held on a monthly basis at a downtown location every second Monday from 11:30 am-1:30 pm.
A time commitment of approximately 10-15 hours a month or more. Attend & participate on at least one working group of the Next Gen Initiative. Working groups meet once a month for 1-2 hours and these meetings are held on a regular monthly basis in the evening.
TO APPLY - please fill out the application package by January 22, 2009 online at: www.edmontonnextgen.ca / Interviews by the nominating committee will be held in February.
For more information, please contact:
Christine Causing / E: Christine.Causing@edmonton.ca
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Canada's top media personalities and The Walrus join with jhr to launch new human rights essay competition
TORONTO, Jan. 13 /CNW/ - Canada's top media personalities and The Walrus Magazine join jhr(Journalists for Human Rights) in launching a new initiative called Write the Wrong, Canada's largest human rights essay competition.
Created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the UN adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, Write the Wrong encourages high school students across Canada to write 1000 words on the subject of child rights.
"This program strives to make human rights education a priority in schools across Canada," says Ben Peterson, who co-founded jhr in 2002 to raise awareness about human rights worldwide.
Shortlisted essays will be evaluated by a jury panel of some of Canada's top media personalities known for their expertise in human right reporting. These include Kevin Newman, Anchor and Executive Editor, Global National; Marci Ien, News Anchor, CTV Canada AM; Mark Kelley, Correspondent, CBC News: The National; Sally Armstrong, Contributing Editor, Maclean's Magazine; Jared Bland, Managing Editor, The Walrus; and Ben Peterson, Executive Director, jhr.
The winning essay will be published on The Walrus Magazine website and on jhr's new website www.jhr.ca. The author will also receive a Mac Mini and be invited, along with the other top 5 essay writers, to jhr's Youth Human Rights Training Conference in August. The top 5 essays will also be published in an e-magazine distributed across Canada in June 2009. Deadline for submissions is Friday April 10th. For more information about the project go to www.jhr.ca/writethewrong
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Social Enterprise: The Quebec Experience & Demonstrating Value
The Social Enterprise Fund, with the University of Alberta School of Business invite you to focus on critical factors in successful social enterprise
9:30 The Quebec Experience
Carole Couturier, Building Social Enterprise, Quebec
11 Demonstrating Value: Measuring Value in Social Enterprises
Liz Lougheed Green,
Vancity Community Foundation
Date: February 4th, 2009, 9:30am - 12pm
Location: MBA Alumni Room: 4-06 Business Building
Address: University of Alberta, School of Business, 4-06 Business Building, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2R6
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Seniors Programs and Services Information Guide
For an electronic copy of the provincial government's updated 2008-2009 Seniors Programs and Services Information Guide, go to Publications at www.seniors.gov.ab.ca.
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Join us for our Wed Jan 21 Community Dialogue
Hi all,
I'd like to update you on our last dialogue as I got a lot of feedback on my last update (I had neglected to tell you about new Community Initiatives that come from the dialogues until then) and let you know our next dialogue is this coming Wednesday, January 21 from 6:30-8:30 at the Parkdale/Cromdale Community League Hall (11335-85 Street). Put it into your agenda & join us if you can.
We have no keynote address this time, but we can begin with a general discussion of education before we get into addressing our questions and, through them, developing connections with interesting people and ideas.
At our last Community Dialogue, entitled 'Affordable Housing in the Richest City' we had a good discussion of Co-op housing, and briefly considered co-housing as alternatives to the twin dilemmas of mortgages or renting. Once we got into the World Cafe process people at one table got a bit focused and are now working on developing a Community Initiative based around first aid courses.
Right now they are checking to see about community interest and costs of courses from St. John's Ambulance, and other details. In a few weeks they may have completed a Seed Grant Application which, if approved, could provide them with up to $1,000 with which to implement their Initiative, and they would also have our continuing support with their work.
The group is a multicultural one that will bring together people from two or three different ethno-cultural communities once it gets going. From now on I'll try to keep you better informed (in as few words as possible).
Please join us this coming Wednesday, January 21 from 6:30-8:30 at the Parkdale/ Cromdale Community League Hall (11335-85 Street) for our next Community Dialogue.
Thanks,
Chris Ford
Program Director
Action for Healthy Communities
#201, 10554-110 Street, Edmonton, Alta, T5H 3C5
Ph: 780-944-4687, Fax: 780-423-4193
Email: actioncf4@shawbiz.ca
www.a4hc.ca
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Interdisciplinary Studies Conference- January 21 - 22, 2009 Truth and Reconciliation: Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools
This past summer Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued an apology to Aboriginal communities expressing sorrow for the ill treatment suffered by many children in Indian Residential Schools. The painful legacy of those schools continues to be manifest in many ways. But the force of healing is also manifest in powerful ways as communities take action to change the trajectory of a painful history to a future of hope. The journey from Truth to Reconciliation is not traveled by "others", of whom we are mere observers - we must all travel that journey together. The Winter I.S Conference at The King's University College is an invitation to be part of that journey. This conference is co- sponsored by the Aboriginal and Church leaders "Remembering the Children" Initiative. All events are open to the public at no charge.
For more information go to www.kingsu.ca
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
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Omar Khadr documentary
CBC TV Newsworld - Monday, January 19 at 8 pm. at http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/index.html
Link to the full program: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2008/omarkadr/#
Submitted by Jim Gurnett
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Exciting new awards program for Canadian immigrants
I’m writing to you today to tell you about an exciting, new awards program for Canadian immigrants, the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2009.
This is the first Canadian national awards program for immigrants — a people’s choice award that recognizes people who’ve made a difference since they arrived in Canada. Whether it's a community advocate or volunteer, a successful entrepreneur or a cultural icon, we’re looking for Canada to tell us who are the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants. From now until January 30, 2009, Canadians can submit their nominations online at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/top25. After our panel of judges selects a shortlist, we’ll call on all Canadians to vote for their favourite in February, 2009. Winners will be announced in May, 2009.
Now, we’re reaching out to various communities to help spread the word across Canada. As someone who has worked with new Canadians, you may have met an inspiring immigrant who has made their Canadian dreams a reality in your community. It’s quick and easy to nominate someone at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/top25 or view our online video to learn more. And, we’d be pleased if you forward this email to your contacts to celebrate this awards program.
Best regards,
Varun Munjal
Canadian Immigrant Magazine
www.canadianimmigrant.ca
Submitted by Helen Rusich
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Gaza is dying
Dear friends,
Spread the word - as the awful Gaza death toll passes 1000, our Ceasefire Now petition is being delivered worldwide through ads, phone calls, and meetings with world leaders. We urgently need to reach 1 million signatures this week, act now and forward this email:
Sign Ceasefire Petition,
see our US ads!
Gaza is dying -- the battle ha s moved deep into its cities, jam-packed with 1.5 million civilians lacking food, medicine or water. President Bush undermined Thursday's United Nations ceasefire resolution and over 1000 people are now dead. The borders remain closed -- journalists can't get in, and desperate civilians can't get out.
But the global movement to end this war is building -- as we spread the word the petition is at 430,000 signatures and rising, it has been delivered to top leaders at the EU, UN and Arab League, our US members are flooding their representatives with phone calls, and Avaaz members worldwide have donated over $120,000 to an ad campaign in key newspapers.
The pressure is working -- so we're ratcheting it up with hard-hitting US ads pressing Barack Obama personally for an immediate change of tack, face-to-face petition deliveries to European leaders this week to get them to act, and working with Palestinians and Israelis to plan bold actions on the ground. But every one of these actions becomes stronger as more of us join the campaign. We need to reach 1 million signatures this week -- thank you for signing the petition already, let's all of us now take a moment to forward this email to all our friends and family so they can join us and be heard:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/gaza_time_for_peace
Voices for a ceasefire are finally being heard in the Israeli cabinet and media, Hamas is signalling it could accept a deal including Turkish forces and EU monitors, but the sides are too far apart to end this themselves.[3] That’s why action by world powers is critical to break the deadlock -- and global citizens’ voices can make all the difference if we raise an unstoppable voice calling on incoming President Obama, the EU and Arab and Muslim states to guarantee a fair and lasting ceasefire.
This week we are lobbying European and Muslim states for a more effective international initiative to end the violence, protect civilians on all sides and make normal life possible again in Gaza, while reaching out to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon who is in the Middle East working for a deal (we met him last year to deliver our food crisis campaign). Meanwhile we’re challenging contacts on both sides to think creatively and accept a fair, internationally-overseen agreement.
We've already run member-funded ads in the influential Washington Post and Roll Call, the US Congress newspaper -- on the day of his inauguration this coming Tuesday, we will press Barack Obama to abandon Bush’s failed policies and act immediately to end this war, using his own words alongside hard facts to make the case in ads, US media debates and directly lobbying his team.
It's amazing what we can do when hundreds of thousands of us come together arond the world -- and if we raise our efforts to another level this week, we could help to finally end the Gaza horror. Follow the link below to take the first step by signing the petition, then spread the word so others can do the same:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/gaza_time_for_peace
With hope and determination,
Paul, Graziela, Alice, Ricken, Luis, Brett, Ben, Iain, Paula, Veronique, Milena and the whole Avaaz team
P.S. For a report on some of Avaaz's other campaigns so far, see: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/report_back_2
Sources:
1. "White House behind US volte-face on ceasefire call":
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/09/gaza-us-security-council-abstention
"Israeli PM Ehud Olmert claims to be able to order Bush around":
http://www.juancole.com/2009/01/israeli-pm-ehud-olmert-claims-to-be.html
2. Washington Post: Israelis Push to Edge of Gaza City:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/11/AR2009011100616.html
3. Haaretz, "Olmert ignoring calls from Barak, Livni for immediate Gaza truce":
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1055214.html
Other Voice - Sderot and Gaza residents calling for a ceasefire:
http://www.othervoice.org/welcome-eng.htm
On Hamas acceptance of a Turkish force, first reported in the Arabic Al-Hayat newspaper, see:
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domestic/10771766.asp?scr=1
"Gaza bloodshed continues despite UN calls for ceasefire", 9 January 2009:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/09/gaza-fighting-un-ceasefire
"Reigniting Violence: How Do Ceasefires End?" (6 January 2009) is a statistical analysis by an MIT professor, based on Israel's own data for rocket fire (which it shows stopped for four months) and on which side struck first. It provides useful factual background for how the Israel-Hamas truce effectively collapsed in November well before it expired (facts poorly reflected in some news reporting):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-kanwisher/reigniting-violence-how-d_b_155611.html
International Crisis Group's Ending the War in Gaza report (5 January 2009):
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5838 l=1
This Rasmussen Reports poll from the US is of interest: Only 31% of Democrats support offensive, most prefer a diplomatic solution:
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/americans_closely_divided_over_israel_s_gaza_attacks
"Gaza: outlines of an endgame", Ghassan Khatib (6 January 2009)
http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/gaza-outlines-of-an-endgame
Jerusalem Post: "Israel must get out of Gaza now", 8 January 2009: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1231167305710 pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
Reuters: "Hamas seeks truce but says lifting siege a must" (5 January 2009) http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L5111105.htm
The US Army War College has just released a substantial report supporting the view that Hamas can and must be brought into negotiations and is capable of sustaining a long-term truce, or even peace with Israel. Linked via:
http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/node/10703
The inside story of the civil strife between Fatah and Hamas and the Bush administration's involvement in this debacle is best-told in The Gaza Bombshell, an investigative article published in the leading US magazine Vanity Fair in April 2008:
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/04/gaza200804
Submitted by Miranda Bestman
