October 31, 2008

October in Review, Part II

Journalist uncovers US meddling in Bolivia, call to fire Globe and Mail columnist, Irving tightens grip on media monopoly

by Dominion Staff

The Dominion - http://www.dominionpaper.ca

Vancouver Olympic Committee board member Dick Pound said that 400 years ago, Canada was a "land of savages." The International Olympic Committee ruled out an inquiry on Pound's comments, and Globe and Mail columnist Margaret Wente defended Pound's point of view, extending the sentiment to the present day. "A neolithic culture cannot possibly give [Native people] a future," Wente wrote. In response to her column, over 2300 people joined a Facebook group calling for both Pound and Wente to be fired.

The SS Dignity reached the shores of the Gaza Strip. Aboard were an international delegation and seven Palestinians. "My feelings are bittersweet. Although we're overjoyed at reaching Gaza a second time, that joy is tempered by the fact that the conscience of the world has been reduced to a small boat and 27 seasick activists. This mission is a reminder of not only the efficacy of non-violent direct action, but also of the deafening silence of the international community," said one of the activists on board.

Thousands of refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo took advantage of a ceasefire to try to return to their villages. UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, warned of a crisis of "catastrophic proportions" in eastern Congo as attacks by Tutsi rebel groups displaced more than 200,000, who fled fighting and sought refuge in communities and displacement camps near the besieged city of Goma. "The situation is becoming critical. ... The water and sanitation needs are enormous...," said Matt Gribbin, Mercy Corps' program coordinator in Congo. More than 1,000 have already crossed into Rwanda, and thousands more headed for Uganda. United Nations Peacekeeping Force is already stretched to the limit, and Laurent Nkunda, leader of the rebel army, "taunted" the UN, saying he could push past its peacekeepers any time he chooses. Hussein Mursal, director in Congo of Save the Children, said, "The conflict is now threatening the lives of our aid workers so we have temporarily had to withdraw our staff to safety. With the humanitarian crisis worsening day by day, it's vital for us to be able to get help to communities, but the security situation is making it impossible."

Former Chair of US Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan admitted that he "made a mistake in presuming that the self-interests of organisations, specifically banks and others, were such that they were best capable of protecting their own shareholders and their equity in the firms."

Halifax's only "last resort" shelter – one that tolerates a variety of behaviours such as use of drugs and alcohol – announced it will not be opening this winter. People will still find a bed in two expanded Halifax shelters, which plan to change their "dry" policy this winter.

Workers who load coal onto trains and trucks bound for Nova Scotia Power blocked a train trying to pick up coal in Sydney, Cape Breton. The workers, who are seeking higher wages, have been locked out since September 15 and the company has brought in replacement workers.

The only English newspaper in the province of New Brunswick not owned by the Irving media monopoly suspended publication after less than a year of operation. One of the reasons cited by the Carleton Free Press was that their Irving owned competitor was decreasing its per issue price from $1.25 to 25 cents.

The World Wildlife Foundation's Living Planet Report found that humans use 30 per cent more resources than what is sustainable. The report estimates that the ecological debt accumulating yearly is equivalent to twice the losses incurred during the ongoing credit crisis.

Leaders of three trade blocks in Africa agreed on the creation of an expansive free trade zone, encompassing 26 African nations.

Canada successfully opposed the addition of chrysotile asbestos to a global dangerous-substance register at a conference in Rome, Italy. Canada is the world's second-largest producer of the toxic substance. Seven hundred people are employed in chrysotile asbestos mining in Québec. The substance is a known carcinogen.

A study showed that cell-phones and the internet are considered "essential utilities" by Canadians, who are more likely to cut down on concert tickets, movie-going, DVD-buying and magazine subscriptions (ouch!) due to the credit crunch.

Popular mobilizations continued in Colombia, where indigenous and other social sectors led a 20,000-strong march to the southern city of Cali, demanding to meet with President Alvaro Uribe. The Confederation of Colombian Workers held a general strike that paralyzed the country. An emergency picket in Toronto in support of the general strike and against the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement, and a gathering in Sault Ste. Marie, showed solidarity with Colombian popular movements.

Days after Prime Minister Steven Harper's re-election with an "enhanced" Conservative minority government, representing 22 per cent of eligible voters in Canada, Harper guaranteed that the government will maintain a balanced budget in the 2008-2009 fiscal year, but not beyond. During the campaign Harper had promised not to undertake deficit spending.

Pratt and Whitney, the Canadian corporation that has received approximately $1 billion through various subsidies over the past 25 years for military production, secured a large new investment deal. Investissement Québec announced that they will invest $125 million in the company over the next three years for Research and Development. Pratt and Whitney make engines for civilian and military aircraft, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.

A class action lawsuit against Maple Leaf Foods was filed on behalf of 4,200 people in six provinces across Canada. The lawyer representing the plaintiffs told the CBC that deaths resulting from tainted meat sold by the company could be higher than the 20 deaths currently attributed to the scandal.

Saskatchewan's Crown Corporations Minister Ken Cheveldayoff and Enterprise Minister Lyle Stewart appointed Duncan Hawthorne, the President of Bruce Power Inc., to the Uranium Development Partnership (UDP). The UDP will advise the government on the uranium and nuclear industry, and plans to release a report about nuclear power in Saskatchewan by March 31, 2009. The public will not be consulted about nuclear power until it is published.

Also in Saskatchewan, Labour Minister Rob Norris was met with catcalls and a spontaneous round of "Solidarity Forever" as he attempted to make a presentation at a labour conference. Norris is credited with rolling in essential service legislation and new union organizing rules that are considered anti-union.

The RCMP terrorism unit began an investigation on the explosions along Encana's gas pipelines in northern British Columbia.

A Winnipeg city councilor proposed that Winnipeg spend $100,000 on a "civic celebration" if the Olympic torch passes through the city. The torch will be lit in Greece in early 2009 and will travel across Canada over a span of 100 days.

The International Monetary Fund launched an investigation into director Dominique Strauss-Khan to determine if the severance package given to a senior IMF official, with whom Strauss-Khan had a relationship, was abnormal.

The Organization of Petroleum Producing Companies announced that they would cut oil production in order to stop oil prices from bottoming out. Oil fell 58 per cent from a July peak of $147.27 to $63.22 a barrel. The Toronto Stock Exchange also fell, experiencing its worst close since 2004.

Harry LaForme, the Chair of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission, stepped down. Assembly of First Nations grand chief Phil Fontaine voiced concern that LaForme's resignation may derail the process. More than 150,000 First Nations people were forced to attend residential schools between the late 1800s and 1996.

Austria's "maverick fascist" politician Jörg Haider was honoured in a state ceremony that was attended by more than 50,000, after he was killed in a drinking and driving accident. During his political career, Haider pushed Austrian politics towards the right and attempted to form alliances with far-right groups in the European Union. As the economy continues to decline and the extreme-right gains prominence throughout Europe, there are serious concerns about the resurgence of fascism. "The question is whether we can assume that in the decades since 1945 countries like Austria, Germany and Italy have been able to create a different, more stable democratic political culture," said Anton Pelinka, a professor at Central European University in Budapest.

The government of Cuba announced the discovery of 20 billion barrels of oil under Cuba's portion of the Gulf of Mexico, more than twice previous estimates.

The Guardian reported that 10 per cent of the $700 billion US bank bailout would be used to pay off Wall Street finance workers, "a substantial proportion of which is expected to be paid in discretionary bonuses."

Paul "Duncan" Giesbrecht's body washed up on the beach in Stanley Park. Giesbrecht, who lived on the streets, was released from hospital to the streets of Vancouver in September after addictions and mental health treatment. "In the gap between hospital and housing, he was living outside again, alone except for the dogs, and falling through the cracks in the system," said Judy Graves, housing advocate for the City of Vancouver.

Investigative journalist Jeremy Bigwood published proof of "a clear policy of US intervention and meddling in Bolivia's internal affairs," linking US funders to the anti-Morales opposition movements concentrated in the region known as the Media Luna.

People in the Papua province of Indonesia rallied to demand independence from the Indonesian state. Papua makes up the western half of an island shared with Papua New Guinea. The area was occupied by the Dutch until 1963, when it was transferred to Indonesian control.

Anti-Olympics organizers hosted a successful conference in Vancouver, attended by more than 200 people. An outdoor concert by Bedouin Soundclash in support of Insite, the safe injection site in the city's Downtown East Side, was swarmed and shut down by riot cops. One local resident commented that she thought the police were "practicing" for 2010.

Media Democracy Day events in Vancouver, Kingston, Ottawa, Toronto, and Montréal were based around three themes: education about how the media shapes our world; protest against exclusive and corporate media; and change in media laws and celebrating independent media.

Paul Cellucci, the former US ambassador to Canada, told Canadians that if elected president, Barack Obama would be a "danger" to Canada. Cellucci, a lifelong Republican, hinted that Obama may renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

A study by a team of researchers at Yale University showed that holding a cup of warm coffee can cause people to be "more generous and trusting."

Nova Scotia courts ruled that chickens do not count as pets and can not be kept in residential areas.

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