Briarpatch articles from February 2003

Briarpatch archives from February 2003

Briarpatch's 30th anniversary. (Openers).
February 1, 2003... Yes! It's been 30 years since Briarpatch first rolled off the Gestetner and we invite your help to celebrate this milestone. If you are a long-time subscriber (or even medium-time), we would be pleased if you would send us a note about what...

Fundraising. (Openers).(Saskatchewan Federation of Labour)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... We have recently held two events that brought in some desperately needed funds. We would like to thank all those who participated in our 9th annual Swim-a-Than and our first annual This Hour has 22 Artists. Local artists and labour celebrities...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... Dear Briarpatch, We applaud Romanow for demonstrating the sustainability of Medicare. A publicly funded system delivered through non-profit services is crucial for all women in Canada. But like other reports on health care reform in the...

Resuscitating the system: Saskatchewan, the birthplace of medicare, must now take a stand to maintain our values and ensure that attention is paid to the Romanow Report.(Roy Romanow's Royal Commission report and recommendations)
February 1, 2003... Roy Romanow, head of the Commission on the Future of Medicare, tabled his long awaited report, "Building on Values, The Future of Health Care in Canada," on November 28, 2002. The report offers 47 recommendations that could reform the present...

Pushing the pendulum: Larry Hubich, newly elected president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL), in conversation with Nick Bonokoski.(Interview)
February 1, 2003... Nick Bonokoski: Since you were the secretary treasurer of the SFL for eight years you must have had a good understanding of what being the President meant. Now that you are the President have there been any surprises? Larry Hubich: There...

Coping nicely now! Vancouver residents dum the corporate politicians and embark on an experiment in democracy.
February 1, 2003... Imagine that you and your neighbours have just elected a diverse group of community activists to your city council and school board, tossing out an arrogant clique of corporate toadies in the process. That's exactly what happened on...

Greenpeace's latest campaign is aimed against their own workers and seems to contradict their principle.
February 1, 2003... Greenpeace (GP) door canvassers are used to pounding the pavement. Every night they walk miles and miles to spread the Greenpeace message of environmental care. Still, the canvass workers of Greenpeace Canada's Toronto office, members of OPIEU...

Public watchdod with a private agenda: the leash on our guard-dog has changed hands and the broadcast industry is now calling the shots on what our standards of acceptable content should be.
February 1, 2003... The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The name used to command respect from most Canadians and compliance from most broadcasters. It used to protect the airwaves from rampant American penetration, providing...

Taking social assistance to a new low.
February 1, 2003... BC's Minister of Human Resources, Murray Coell, states with satisfaction that the Liberals, in power since May of last year, have cut the welfare rolls by 29,000. He has been quoted as stating that the mission of his ministry is "to find people...

Destroying the FTAA monster: Cuba hosts the second meeting to plan the battle to protect our hemisphere.(Free Trade Agreement of the Americas )
February 1, 2003... If the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) is a monster that must be destroyed, then the II Hemispheric Meeting on the Struggle against the FTAA was the place for monster slayers to sharpen our swords and gear up for battle. Over...

Carrying the message out of Africa: a Canadian nurse has made sure that Chimsoro's death didn't end her mission to shine a spotlight on the devastation caused by the AIDS epidemic.(Auxillia Chimsoro, African AIDS activist )
February 1, 2003... Janice Cibart wasn't looking for adventure when she went to visit friends in Zimbabwe in 1996. But the three-month vacation changed her life soon after she landed in the capital, Harare. Just before Cibart went on vacation, she was working...

Fair travel: a look at how your dream vocation can support a model community based on sustainable development.
February 1, 2003... Getting to Bushara Island Camp from Edmonton, Albert a is a bit of a production-it feels like you are going so far east you just might end up west. First stop is Calgary. Then London, Rome, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, until landing in Entebbe, Uganda...

State of siege: a canadian returns from Palestine determined to increase international pressure to end the latest "apartheid system".
February 1, 2003... The road to Rafah, Gaza's southernmost city, is a dangerous one. As we stop at the Gush Katif Junction, my Palestinian driver becomes nervous. "They often shoot here," he says. A group of 10-year-old Palestinian boys approach our car. My driver...

Walking billboards. (Artist's Voices).(t-shirts)
February 1, 2003... Markus Rubrecht had nothing to wear. Pie was tired of the monotonous clothing produced by corporations that everyone in Regina seemed to be wearing. He was yearning for independent threads and an outlet with messages that would spark dialogue...

Buying the wind. (My Opinion).(wind power)
February 1, 2003... There I was again last night, lying in the dark, pondering the wisdom of going the SaskPower shade of green. It all started in the fall when I told our slow-to-green electrical utility that I would pay an extra seven dollars each month for...