Briarpatch articles from December 2001

Briarpatch archives from December 2001

WTO Fails Again. (Openers).(protests against World Trade Organization will continue)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... The coalition of civil society groups in Doha laud the courage and determination shown by developing counties in defending the trade system from an imposition of the USA's and EU's corporate agenda on the developing world. The troika of the...

For peace on earth. (Openers).
December 1, 2001... The Canadian Peace Alliance, Canada's largest umbrella peace organization and a member of the September 11 Peace Coalition, is co-ordinating a list of the peace events across the country. Check what's happening in your community or add your...

Letters.
December 1, 2001... Dear Briarpatch, I support the serious, thinking majority among the demonstrators who attended world summit meetings. How else can they gain the attention of the big corporations and the many national governments that support their...

The WTO... and the $300 grits.(demonstrations against World Trade Organization during Qatar meeting)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... November 9, 2001 marked the first day of the most recent round of negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Delegates from the 142 member nations met in Doha, Qatar and one of the key agenda items was further negotiation on the...

We're paying for free elections so you don't have to! (...your corporate friends).
December 1, 2001... Last year, Canada's major political parties continued to be well-funded by corporate contributions, according to information provided by Elections Canada. The Liberal party raised an annual all-time high of $20 million in contributions, with...

Classism in the classrooms.(charter schools in Canada)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... In most countries, the public sector has been responsible for providing Kindergarten to Grade 12 education. But in the United States today, and to a lesser extent in Canada, the corporatization of education is growing rapidly because the...

Spells and Counterspells: Why Act now?(importance of protest)
December 1, 2001... The days are short and cold, the streets are uninviting. The political climate seems as chilly as the winter winds, and everybody is saying that 911 changed everything. Why take action now? The government, the media, even some of our own...

Where is the voice of the Minority?(not all Canadians support war on terrorism)
December 1, 2001... As one of the minority of Canadians opposed to the bombing of Afghanistan and Canadian involvement in that military misadventure, I feel disenfranchised by our media. But for a few very lonely voices, the overwhelming bias of the media has...

Can we spare a loaf... or a leaf?(cognitive dissonance and world food supply)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... We had roast chicken for supper tonight. Kind of a family tradition on Sundays. Last night it was steak. This week we'll enjoy lamb chops, when one of our lambs comes home from the butcher in a box. We are dedicated carnivores, and well-fed...

Between the lines: In 1977 a progressive publisher emerged from the House of Zonk. This is the story of the commitment that has kept them going for nearly 25 years.(Between the Lines)(Company Profile)
December 1, 2001... "Remember," said Benjamin Franklin famously, "that time is money" The American Revolutionary's 1748 remark stands as a byword for industrial capitalism's hurry-up ethic. Franklin was a printer by trade, and printers often say that...

Snaking through economic disruption hits Canada's capitalist heartland.(Ontario Common Front protest)
December 1, 2001... The Ontario Common Front's fall campaign of economic disruption got off to a flying start in Toronto as a series of "snake marches" paralyzed human and vehicular traffic into Toronto's financial district for several hours. The...

When banks make change... Someone's going to Pay: The signs seem to indicate that we're heading for a $5 coin.(Canadian currency)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Change is often subtle. It can happen in such small ways we hardly notice. One day, the glass milk bottle was replaced by plastic; overhearing a one-way conversation in public introduced you to the cell phone; for almost any inquiry you are...

Backlash on campus: A student union is under attack for being too successful at organizing resistance to the corporate agenda.(Concordia Student Union)
December 1, 2001... The Concordia University administration and its allies in the news media continue to attack free speech and left-wing activism. Two student leaders have been expelled and the student union executive has been compared to terrorists. Since...

Whose business is change?(protest against Business Action for Sustainable Development)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... These were the slogans hanging on banners outside the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris on October 9th. Rhythms of Resistance, samba bands from Amsterdam and Belgium, joined activists from across Europe and gathered in Paris to...

Jailhouse Justice. (Reviews).
December 1, 2001... by Don Baron published by Oracle House Calgary, AB ISBN9696913-1-9 Remember Farmer's For Justice? You may recall media coverage from a few years ago when dozens of farmers illegally crossed the Canada-U.S.A. border with truckloads of...

Fight to Win! (Reviews).
December 1, 2001... Bakunin's Bum CD (Fund-raiser for The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty) The G7 Welcoming Committee Winnipeg, MB. This album features the music of Norman Nawrocki and 1 Speed Bike, together as Montreal-based Bakunin's Bum, which...

An open letter to Jean Chretien . (My opinion).(against G-8 meeting in Alberta)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2001... Dear Prime Minister Chretien The November Briarpatch magazine brought me an appeal from Edmonton's Raging Grannies. They want me to tell you that Kananaskis is not an appropriate site for next year's G-8 meeting. They are right, of...