Briarpatch articles from September 2000

Briarpatch archives from September 2000

Motley crew (Canadian Alliance elections).
September 1, 2000... Now that the Canadian Alliance electoral farce is finally over, we can only hope that the party's three heavy-weight contenders have knocked each other out and split the party for good. The three political pugilists seem somehow related to the...

Biotech invasion (academic challenge to Monsanto's contract with University of Manitoba).
September 1, 2000... A recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that Monsanto has signed a $7 million ten-year contract with the University of Manitoba to turn a campus building into the Crop Technology Centre. Monsanto's biotech investment is...

No sweat: students win "no sweat" victory at U of T.
September 1, 2000... The University of Toronto has hopefully started a trend. Students Against Sweatshops has forced the U of T's administration to adopt a "no sweat" policy after an 18-month campaign, which included a ten-day sit-in in the president's office. ...

Dirty clothes: Wal-Mart and the Burma connection.
September 1, 2000... The Ethical Trading Action Group (ETAG) released information that Wal-Mart Canada has increased its import of clothes from Burma, despite repeatedly claiming that it had stopped sourcing merchandise from that country. Shipping documents...

Wal-Mart named sweatshop retailer of the year.
September 1, 2000... About 40 people took to the streets of Toronto in June to hold a ceremony to present Wal-Mart with the Sweatshop Retailer of the Year award. The presentation was held across from the Toronto Convention Centre, where the Retail Council of Canada...

Running off at the mouth: the Sask. Party wants to turn back the clock.
September 1, 2000... The Saskatchewan Party seems poised to win a landslide victory in the next provincial election. Expect the party to do its best to turn back the clock to when dinosaurs still roamed. They'll bring in privatized health care (making Ralph...

Feminization of poverty: even in our rich society, the face of poverty is still female.
September 1, 2000... Remember the feminization of poverty? Long ago in the 1980s, before the attention of the nation's elites turned almost exclusively to the ups and downs of the stock market and the ins and outs of the leadership of a party whose name no one can...

Midwifery care.
September 1, 2000... In June, the Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence released "Midwifery Care: Women's Experiences, Hopes and Reflections," written by Lorna Breitkreuz, Cathy Ellis, Cindy Hanson and Meaghan Moon. The report was the first collaborative...

Blaming the victim: intolerance masquerading as rights.
September 1, 2000... The neo-conservatism of the last two decades is largely a specious defense of the indefensible. This is nowhere more evident than in the Right's slant on civil rights. The objective of the Right has consistently been to make liberals look...

Small truth & the large lie: violence against husbands in perspective.
September 1, 2000... A small truth can often perpetuate a very large lie. Such is the case in the reaction of some to Satistics Canada's recently released, allegedly gender-neutral study of domestic violence. The study reports that eight percent of women and seven...

Starbucks victory (company agrees to sell Fair Trade coffee).
September 1, 2000... The next time you drink a cup coffee, you can help people in the Third World Just three days before the launch of a nation-wide campaign against Starbucks in the United States; the company agreed to sell Fair Trade coffee in more than...

Take the Fair Trade challenge.
September 1, 2000... Most Briarpatch readers are familiar with the basics of fair trade as they apply to coffee: farmers get a better price, intermediaries are bypassed, and consumers get better coffee for a few cents more per cup. In fact, most could probably list...

Modest proposal: a guide to the newest tourist attraction in Prince George (Chinese refugee camp).
September 1, 2000... Welcome to the Prince George Refugee Concentration Camp! We hope that your visit with us will be enjoyable and informative. This Information Guide has been prepared so that you will understand the background and purpose of this pioneering...

Pulling the nuclear plug: you wouldn't think they'd want to build a nuclear power plant near an active earthquake fault.
September 1, 2000... They almost did until the Turkish government pulled the plug. The year is 2020. At the turn of the century, a now-defunct corporation called Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) urged Turkey to buy nuclear reactors, at a time when other...

Susbistence perspective: beyond the globalized economy.
September 1, 2000... The Subsistence Perspective: Beyond the Globalized Economy by Veronica Bennholdt-Thomsen & Maria Mies Zed Books, London & New York, 1999. Available in Canada from Fernwood Publishing, Halifax, N.S. I only review book's that I think are...

Eco-socialism or eco-capitalism? A critical analysis of humanity's fundamental choices.
September 1, 2000... Eco-Socialism or Eco-Capitalism? A Critical Analysis of Humanity's Fundamental Choices by Saral Sarkar Zed Books, London and New York, 1999. Available in Canada from Fernwood Publishing, Halifax, N.S. In Eco-Socialism or Eco-Capitalism,...

Imagine democracy.
September 1, 2000... Imagine Democracy by Judy Rebick Stoddart Publishing Co. Limited 2000, 244 pages, $27.95. These are hard times for the left in Canada. It seems governments of all stripes are adopting neo-liberal policies of free trade, tax cuts,...

Say what?? (quotes about human rights in Canada).
September 1, 2000... HELPING WOMEN "It could have been a disgusted boyfriend or husband of one of his patients who had an abortion." - John Hof, spokesperson for the Campaign Life Coalition. Hof doubted anyone in an anti-abortion group would have been...

Briarpatch art raffle: the lucky winners are.
September 1, 2000... The 2000 Briarpatch Art Raffle was a huge success. Thousands of tickets were sold from coast to coast. We especially thank the artists listed below who donated their artwork for our raffle. Hats off to Larry Raynard and Joanna Kirsch at Focus...

Fed up with fake food: something to chew on.
September 1, 2000... I'm mad as hell about my food and what's happening to it. I'm incensed about what is happening to my family and friends, and the society around me, all because of the food industry's greed. Dining used to be a joy. Now, it's a desperate...