Briarpatch articles from July 2002

Briarpatch archives from July 2002

Art raffle. (Openers).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... This beautiful bowl and pitcher were donated by Gerald Morton from Kennedy, Saskatchewan who uses local materials for his art. Just a reminder to those subscribers who have not yet returned your Briarpatch art raffle tickets yet. Please...

Star Wars. (Openers).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Dr. Helen Caldicott, the world's leading anti-nuclear spokesperson, joined peace groups at the USA consulate in Toronto on June 13th for a funeral procession to mark the death of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty and to denounce the...

Dig this. (Openers).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The people Tambogrande, Peru are struggling to preserve their way of life. In this verdant place, farmers grow lemons, papayas and mangoes in soil that covers vast deposits of precious metals. Manhattan Minerals Corporation, a Canadian mining...

Rumours of borders: refusing to recognize the existence of imposed boundaries is an important part of maintaining First Nations' identity, but it sure shakes up the colonial government.
July 1, 2002... Charlie "Wolf" Smoke It was bound to happen, sooner or later, that an Indigenous person born in North America would be denied residency by the colonial governments that have stolen the continent from the Indigenous Peoples of this land....

Problems behind problems: a young person from "The 'Hood" endeavors to stop the ripple effect of cultural genocide.(Canada)
July 1, 2002... Regina is the city where I have lived for most of my life. The majority of my time here, has been spent in the North Central part of the city. For those who are not familiar with our city, North Central (also known as The 'Hood or The Flats)...

Another bid for freedom: an interim parole hearing raises hopes that Leonard Peltier will walk free after spending over a quarter of a century behind bars because of the FBJ's fabrications and their with holding of evidence.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... On June 26, 1975 federal agents Ron Williams and Jack Coler entered Pine Ridge Reservation in search of a red pick-up whose driver they wanted to question. What transpired next ultimately resulted in the incarceration of Leonard Peltier. He...

Rules of the road: if you are guilty of resisting oppression pay heed to these tips on how to react to cops practicing their new anti-terrorist techniques.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... My parents always told me to never trust the cops - now I really know what they meant. We were heading east along the Crow's Nest highway, coming up on Sparwood, about 16 kms from the B.C./Alberta border when we saw the cop. He had...

Special agent man: beefing the border; if you are guilty of resisting oppression pay heed to these tips on how to survive interrogation at the USA border.
July 1, 2002... In the early afternoon of February 19th, 2002, I crossed the international bridge between Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan. I was on my way to a speaking engagement that had been set up by students at Michigan State University. ...

Lean on me: nurses discover they can win even Tory support with ads and actions.(Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions )
July 1, 2002... While the left searches for its first big victory in more than a decade, a number of nurses' unions across the country are experimenting with a largely untried method of pressuring politicians. On its surface, the method appears to be...

The other American drug war.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Drug prices increased 1267 percent between 1975 and 2000, according to a recently released University de Quebec a Montreal (UQAM) study. This astronomical rise in drug prices is costing us our Medicare, while driving up the huge profits of...

A student appreciates being "bribed" to attend a recent public forum.(native americans and health care)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... My Ed Admin lecturer offered the class bonus marks for attending the recent health forum featuring Maude Barlow and Allan Blakeny. I was unable to attend so I borrowed the handouts and audiotape of the event from another student. What...

Catalogue of errors: contracting out threatens Regina libraries.
July 1, 2002... A horror story is unfolding in the place where Regina residents read and learn, building culture and community. Management is the author of a determined push to contract out services at the Regina Public Library - a move that will hurt...

Tricho what? "I'm so stressed; I could pull out my hair".(health)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... We have all heard this expression before; some of us have even said it. However, for millions of people around the world, this is not just an expression. Approximately 5 percent of the population is compelled to pull out their own hair. This...

Hungry for democracy: an up-date on the legal battle over your right to consume your ballot.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Two women who were charged with blending their ballots into a "soy smoothie" drink have gone to court. Stephanie Grossman and Jill Sturdy were charged with eating their ballots during the 2000 federal election with the "intention to delay or...

The brothel to the cemetery. (Music Review).
July 1, 2002... The Tiger Lillies Misery Guts Music P.O. Box 10578 London, England SW 1P 4DY www.tigerlillies.com They've been described as "Tom Waits on steroids," but I feel there's at least one other drug involved. The Tiger...

The Art of Natural Building. (Book Review).
July 1, 2002... The Art of Natural Building. edited by Joseph F. Kennedy, Michael G. Smith & Catherine Wanek New Society Publishers, 2002. P.O. Box 189 Gabriola Island, BC V0R IX0 www.newsociety.com "Natural builders emphasize...

There is an Alternative: Subsistence and Worldwide Resistance to Corporate Globalization. (Book Reviews).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... There is an Alternative: Subsistence and Worldwide Resistance to Corporate Globalization. edited by Veronika Bennhioldt-Thomson, Nicholas Faraclas and Claudia Von Werlhof Zed Books Ltd., London, 2001. review by Stacy Chappel ...

Good News for a Change: Hope for a Troubled Planet. (Book Reviews).
July 1, 2002... Good News for a Change: Hope for a Troubled Planet. David Suzuki & Holly Dressel Stoddart Publishing Co. Ltd., 2002 reviewed by Teresa Neuman Everyday we hear bad news about the future of our planet. In Good News for a...

The Best Man for the Job: Joe Fratesi and the Politics of Sault Ste. Marie. (Book Reviews).
July 1, 2002... The Best Man for the Job: Joe Fratesi and the Politics of Sault Ste. Marie. Harvey Sims ECW Press, Toronto, ON, 2001. ecwpress.com 2001 reviewed by Rick Palmer This was a difficult book to review as I knew most of the...

Alien: The Strange Life and Times of Mendelson Joe. (Book Review).
July 1, 2002... Alien: The Strange Life and Times of Mendelson Joe. as told to Nadia Halim ECW Press Toronto, ON 2000. www.ecwpress.com reviewed by Ron Thomas I've been handed a "Joe job!" I've been a fan of Mendelson Joe for 30...

Dubya speak.(President George W. Bush)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... "People make suggestions on what to say all the time. I'll give you an example; I don't read what's handed to me. People say, 'Here, here's your speech, or here's an idea for a speech.' They're changed. Trust me." Interview with the New...

Chretien vs Martin: who is to blame? (My Opinion).(Canada: Jean Chretien, Paul Martin)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... To hear most commentators and editorialists tell it, Jean Chretien has behaved very badly in his recent skirmishes with Paul Martin Junior. It is clear their sympathies lie largely with Martin. He is variously portrayed as a victim of an...

Global Warming and Imperialism.
July 1, 2002... Dear Briarpatch, I want to add a few words to Lukin Robinson's fine story titled "Global Warming and Imperialism" in the June 2002 issue. "The oppressed (of the world)," he writes, "have turned increasingly to the fundamentalists...