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Canadian Food Inspection Agency Deer in the Headlights of ISA Virus in Farmed Salmon

Sun, 27 May 2012 11:25:00 +0000

Dear CFIA why are you ignoring ISA virus?

by Alexandra Morton

There is an article featuring my work on the cover of the Seattle Times today. Below is a letter sent to The Canadian Food Inspection Agency today:

Dear Nathalie Bruneau: On May 14, 2012, I attended the CFIA meeting in Port Hardy, to inform First Nations of the CFIA surveillance initiative to "provide additional evidence to update the status of three diseases of significance in anadromous salmonid populations in BC."

ISA virus is one of the three diseases of significance listed by the CFIA in this initiative. You asked First Nations to contact the CFIA if they saw evidence of the 3 viruses of concern. You informed us the ISA virus is your file.

At this meeting, I asked you what follow-up the CFIA had engaged in after receiving positive test results from an OIE reference lab for ISA virus in BC farmed salmon I bought in T & T markets in Vancouver BC earlier this year. Dr. Fred Kibenge, who runs the OIE reference lab for ISA virus, reported the HPR7b and HPR5 mutations. The owner of the supermarket chain, Loblaw, confirmed these fish had been reared in British Columbia net pens.

You responded that there has been no follow up by the CFIA to these ISA virus positive tests.

Update:

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Nikolas Barry-Shaw, Alexandra Morton, Janine Bandcroft May 28, 2012

Sun, 27 May 2012 10:51:00 +0000

This week on GR

by C. L. Cook

Nikolas Barry-Shaw is a Montreal-based independent researcher affiliated with the Canada-Haiti Action Network, who has spent more than three and a half years digging into the actions of Canadian NGO's operating in Haiti and elsewhere. The fruit of that research is the newly released book, 'Paved with Good Intentions: Canada's development NGO's from idealism to imperialism.'

Testing just how "non-governmental" these NGO's are, 'Paved with Good Intentions' also begs the question: "Just who benefits most Canadian NGO ministrations?" Nik is also finishing his post-graduate studies at McGill and finds himself in the middle of Quebec's student uprising, or the "Maple Spring."

Nikolas Barry-Shaw in the first half.

And; two weeks ago, Mainstream, one of the largest fish farm operators in B.C. waters, reported a mass outbreak of infectious haematopoietic necrosis, or (IHN) at one of their operations in Clayoquot Sound. It is a disaster necessitating the destruction of thousands upon thousands of infected, and possibly infected, fish and another in a growing list of disasters for the fish farming industry as a whole.

Alexandra Morton is founder of the Raincoast Research Society, Director of the Salmon Coast Field Station, and co-founder of the activist organization, Salmon are Sacred. She is famously based in

AFRICOM: New Colonial Miliary Arm in the Dark Continent

Sun, 27 May 2012 06:53:00 +0000

AFRICOM Expands Mission In Africa

by TRNN

On May 16, General Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, announced that AFRICOM, the American military mission in AFRICOM, would expand its activities, sending soldiers throughout the continent in a new plan of training, and it would involve a new combat

division. Now joining us to talk about this is Maurice Carney. He's the executive director and cofounder of Friends of the Congo, based in Washington, D.C.

More at The Real News

Maurice Carney: A U.S.-based unit has been selected as the Army’s first “regionally aligned” brigade, and by next year its soldiers could begin conducting operations in Africa.

Defining "The Arab Street:" Spring Descending to Chaos?

Sun, 27 May 2012 06:47:00 +0000

Redefining the 'Arab Spring': Is Chaos Overtaking Revolution?

by RamzyBaroud l Palestine Chronicle

The age of revolutionary romance is over. Various Arab countries are now facing hard truths. Millions of Arabs merely want to live with a semblance of dignity, free from tyranny and continuous anxiety over the future. This unromantic reality also includes outside ‘players’, whose presence is of no positive value to genuine revolutionary movements, whether in Egypt, Syria, or anywhere else.

Shortly after longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in the Tunisian revolution in January 2011, some of us warned that the initial euphoria could eventually give way to unhelpful simplification. Suddenly, all Arabs looked the same, sounded the same and were expected to duplicate each other’s collective action.

An Al Jazeera news anchor might interrogate his guests on why some Arab nations are rising while others are still asleep. The question of why Algeria hasn’t revolted has occupied much international media.

“No Arab Spring for Algerians Going to the Polls,” was the title of a US National Public Radio (NPR) program by Andrea Crossan on May 10. The very recent Algerian elections were mostly juxtaposed with much more distant and sporadic realities in other countries, rather than in the context of Algeria’s own unique and urgent situation.

Why should Algeria be discussed within the context of

Waiting for the the Count in Egypt's First Elections

Sat, 26 May 2012 14:33:00 +0000

Egyptians Wait for Election Results

by TRNN

The vote narrows down to Muslim Brotherhood candidate and former prime minister under the Mubarak regime.

More at The Real News

Watch full multipart Jihan Hafiz Reporting from Cairo

Less Smart by the Minute: Updating the B.C. Hydro Experience with Smart Meters

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:04:00 +0000

Face to Face with Smart Meters (Part 5)

by Victoria Community TV Presents

160 Scientific Studies show danger Walt McGinnis joins us again for an update on the campaign to stop Smart Meters in B.C. This show features exclusive footage of a press conference held at the Provincial Health Officer's office on May 9. Over one hundred people hand delivered 160 scientific studies to Dr. Kendall's office.

The program also features renowned Cellular Biophysicist Dr. Martin Blank informing us that electro-magnetic radiation is damaging to cells and to DNA.

Produced by Lazarus Productions

Lies and Consequence: 15 Wars Past

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:44:00 +0000

Lies and Consequences in Our Past 15 Wars

by David Swanson l War is a Crime

"Kings had always been involving and impoverishing their peoples in wars, pretending generally, if not always, that the good of the people was their object. This, our Convention understood to be the most oppressive of all Kingly oppressions; and they resolved to so frame the Constitution that no one man should hold the power of bringing this oppression upon us."-- Abraham Lincoln

AFGHANISTAN

Prior to 2001, the Taliban was willing to turn Osama bin Laden over to a third country if he was promised a fair trial and no death penalty, and if some evidence of his guilt of crimes were offered.

In 2001, the Taliban warned the United States that bin Laden was planning an attack on American soil.

In July 2001 the United States was known to have plans to take military action against the Taliban by mid-October.

When the United States attacked Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, the Taliban again offered to negotiate for the handing over of bin Laden. When President George W. Bush refused, the Taliban dropped its demand for evidence of guilt and offered simply to turn bin Laden over to a third country. Bush rejected this offer and continued bombing. At a March 13, 2002, press conference, Bush said of bin Laden "I

NATO's Toxic Legacy: Billions Needed to Ameliorate Afghanistan's Environmental Damage

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:39:00 +0000

NATO’s Gift to Afghanistan - Buried Toxic Waste: Billions needed for environmental cleanup

by Matthew J. Nasuti l www.kabulpress.org

The primary decision that NATO officials reached in Chicago this week was to leave behind an Afghanistan contaminated by a decade of hazardous military waste.

The plan is for NATO to wash its collective hands of their toxic handiwork.

There are estimated to be more than a thousand NATO dumpsites located in Afghanistan, holding thousands of tons of buried hazardous waste. If these NATO officials did the same in Germany or the United States they would be serving long prison terms for their environmental crimes, but Western officials are conveniently ignoring both national and international law in Afghanistan.

Buried liquids and other wastes are a slow-moving and expanding time bomb, and therefore NATO officials are seeking to scurry home before the full extent of the problem can be assessed and the costs of cleanup calculated. United Nations officials, to their discredit, have opted to remain silent, revealing once again the Western bias of the UN against developing countries.

Mass Arrests Mark Maple Spring's 100th Day

Fri, 25 May 2012 13:08:00 +0000

Maple Spring: Nearly 1,000 Arrested as Mass Quebec Student Strike Passes 100th Day

by Democracy Now!

More than 400,000 filled the streets of Montreal this week as a protest over a 75 percent increase in tuition has grown into a full-blown political crisis. After three months of sustained protests and class boycotts that have come to be known around the world as the "Maple Spring," the dispute exploded when the Quebec government passed an emergency law known as Bill 78, which suspends the current academic term, requires demonstrators to inform police of any protest route involving 50 or more people, and threatens student associations with fines of up to $125,000 if they disobey.

The strike has received growing international attention as the standoff grows, striking a chord with young people across the globe amid growing discontent over austerity measures, bleak economies and crushing student debt. We’re joined by Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, spokesperson for CLASSE, the main coalition of student unions involved in the student strikes in Quebec, and Anna Kruzynski, assistant professor at the School of Community and Public Affairs at Concordia University in Montreal. She has been involved in the student strike as a member of the group, Professors Against the Hike.

Guests: Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the spokesperson for CLASSE, the main coalition of student unions involved in the student strikes in Quebec,

Road to Tyranny: House Refuses NDAA Amendment

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:58:00 +0000

Wilkerson: New Military Powers the Road to Tyranny

by TRNN

There's a piece of legislation about to be passed here. It's already been passed by the Senate. It's working its way through the House. And that's the National Defense Authorization Act, which hands the Pentagon somewhere upwards of over $600 billion to carry out its activities.

Buried in that apparently more than 600 pages of act is an amendment that will allow military and military intelligence to go after people and arrest and detain without trial those it believes are supporters, not just activists, but supporters of al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and--get this--associated forces, whatever that means.

More at The Real News

TRNN Replay: Larry Wilkerson: National Defense Authorization Act that passed the Senate giving the military power for indefinite detention without trial is a draconian violation of our rights

Watch full multipart Wilkerson on GOP Race

Watch full multipart New Military Detention Powers Threaten Basic Right

Read more...

Canadian Immigrants and Asylum Seekers Speak Out

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:38:00 +0000

MIGRANT JUSTICE GROUPS HOLDS ANNUAL ‘STATUS FOR ALL MARCH’ to denounce repressive immigration policies in the streets of ParcEx and Villeray

by NOII, Dignidad Migrante, et al

In a climate of ongoing attacks on immigrant and refugee rights, various migrant justice groups are calling a press point ahead of the annual 'Status for All' March taking place on Saturday May 26^th.

The purpose of this march is to make space in the media and public discourse for a more real, deeper analysis of immigrant issues says Rosalind Wong, member of Solidarity Across Borders and one of the march's organizers. « We’re bringing light to positive solutions that are being built every day from the ground up in our communities. We reject the fear and division that the government is trying to create in order to promote its own discriminatory and exploitative agenda».
The march will highlight different realities being faced by refugees and asylum seekers, by temporary foreign workers and by people without status in Canada.

Media Convened to Pre-March Press Point

Saturday May 26^th, 12:30PM

Departure point for ‘Status for All’ March – corner of Boyer and Jean-Talon

(metro Jean-Talon)

Paola Ortiz, Noé Ricardo Arteaga Santos, and representatives from the Status for All March coalition (No One Is Illegal, Dignidad Migrante, Mexicans United for Regularization, Immigrant Workers’ Centre, JOC-Montreal,
Read more...

A Dime a Day in UN Food Support for Somalia

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:40:00 +0000

UN Starves One Million Somalis on 10 Cents A Day

by Thomas C. Mountain

The UN announced its budget for feeding the over one million Somali refugees under its care for the next year and have allocated less than 10 cents a day to do so.

Anthony Lake, once nominated to head the CIA, now UNICEF supremo, held a press conference in April 2012 to declare a budget of $35 million for the next year to feed the Somali refugees in its care, over one million and growing by the day.

And all the while the UN is funding the 20,000 man strong African Union army "pacifying" Mogadishu to the tune of over $350 million, $30 million a month and counting.

The UN created these refugees in the first place, sending in the Ethiopian army in 2006 to bring fire and sword to newly peaceful Somalia, followed by the UN dispatched relief forces, now over 15,000 from Uganda, ever since 2008.

Read more...

The BC Coastal Bear and Wolf Patrol Turning Trophy Hunting Around in the Great Bear Rainforest

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:49:00 +0000

A Park for Killing

by Ian McAllister l Pacific Wild.ca

This past long weekend I traveled by speedboat up Burke Inlet to the Kwatna River–The Kwatna watershed is a powerhouse in the world of grizzly bear strongholds with its vast sedge-filled estuary and Sitka spruce floodplain forest surrounded by snow-capped granite mountains.

The lower portion of the valley was recently celebrated as one of the newly protected conservancies in the Great Bear Rainforest. By all accounts it should be the perfect place to view wildlife in a wild setting.

Upon entering the inlet I am met out in the bay by Jason Moody, one of the Nuxalk Bear Patrol Watchmen from Bella Coola. Son of the late Nuxalk Chief Qwatsinas, Jason is one of a core group of First Nations who are involved in stewardship and monitoring throughout the Great Bear Rainforest. Jason informs me that two groups of trophy hunters have just been dropped off and as I scan the estuary I can see the fully camouflaged hunters working their way up the river.

Jason’s presence here uncovers what appears to be the illegal transportation of one of the groups of hunters.

It is illegal under the Wildlife Act for resident hunters to pay for transportation from someone without a valid transporting license. This law ensures that only licensed guide outfitters, or those with a valid transport
Read more...

Paying for Your Surveillance State

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:34:00 +0000

Your tax dollars at work...against you

by Open Media

Would you want up to three billion dollars¹ of your country’s tax dollars spent on Vic Toews’ online spying plan? How would you feel if Public Safety Minister Vic Toews had already quietly set aside your tax dollars for the scheme?

This isn’t a hypothetical question. Despite media stories saying the bill will die, just last week Vic Toews arrogantly proclaimed that the government is still "intent on proceeding" with his unpopular warrantless online spying bill.² And he just set aside millions of your tax dollars to pay for it.³

Today, to push back, we’re launching a viral video—a new tool to help you educate as many Canadians as possible about this costly online spying scheme. We know from experience that when people get informed and get vocal en masse, we win.

Watch the video:

Read more...

Remembering to Forget a Century of War: Memorial Day Whistling Past Empire's Graveyards

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

How to Forget on Memorial Day: Whistling Past the Graveyard of Empires

by Tom Engelhardt l TomDispatch

It’s the saddest reading around: the little announcements that dribble out of the Pentagon every day or two -- those terse, relatively uninformative death notices: rank; name; age; small town, suburb, or second-level city of origin; means of death (“small arms fire,” “improvised explosive device,” “the result of gunshot wounds inflicted by an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform,” or sometimes something vaguer like “while conducting combat operations,” “supporting Operation Enduring Freedom,” or simply no explanation at all); and the unit the dead soldier belonged to.

They are seldom 100 words, even with the usual opening line: “The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.” Sometimes they include more than one death.

They are essentially bureaucratic notices designed to draw little attention to themselves. Yet cumulatively, in their hundreds over the last decade, they represent a grim archive of America’s still ongoing, already largely forgotten second Afghan War, and I’ve read them obsessively for years.

Read more...

Indignados Back in Spain

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:39:00 +0000

Educational Strike in Spain Brings Hundreds of Thousands Into the Streets

by TRNN

Students, parents and teachers from all levels of the Spanish public education system went on strike to protest the massive cuts proposed as part of the government's austerity program.

More at The Real News

Watch full multipart Protests In Spain

Related Story: Spain's "Indignados" Mobilize Against Austerity

Read more...

Last Post for B.C. Farmed Salmon Disease Outbreak

Thu, 24 May 2012 07:42:00 +0000

Cerma's Crisis in Canada!

by Don Staniford l GAAIA

A letter was sent today (24 May) to Cermaq's CEO Jon Hindar regarding the non-disclosure of disease data - read online here!

The Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture (GAAIA) also filed a formal complaint with the Oslo Stock Exchange (Børs).

GAAIA’s complaint provides evidence of non-disclosure in Canada relating to:

1) Cermaq’s refusal to publish disease data

2) Damning disease data released via the Cohen Commission

3) Cermaq’s refusal to allow Government inspectors onto sites

4) Lack of transparency on risks of Infectious Salmon Anaemia

5) Breach of bio-security relating to Infectious Haematopoietic Necrosis

Read in full via 'Damning Evidence of Non-Disclosure of Disease Data'

The latest news from British Columbia certainly does not inspire confidence in Cermaq’s bio-security procedures. Indeed, Cermaq could well be in deep water with the authorities for failing to properly inform the public, First Nations and the relevant authorities.

Read more...

End of Growth Author @ Capilano

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Renowned Energy Economist, Peak Oil Expert Jeff Rubin Speaking at Capilano This Thursday

by Damien Gillis l The Canadian.org

Former CIBC World Markets Chief Economist-turned Peak Oil spokesperson Jeff Rubin will be discussing his latest book, The End of Growth, at Capilano University this Thursday evening, starting at 7:30.

After building a successful career out of accurately predicting the rise and fall of oil prices for his clients, Rubin shocked many in the financial community when he left his position at CIBC to focus on informing the public about the dangers of an oil-dependent globalized economic model.

He and a growing number of energy and economics experts believe the end of cheap, easy-to-get fossil fuels means higher and more volatile energy prices which will render the distance and energy-intensive global economy unworkable in the near future.

Rubin's first book on the subject, Why Your World is About to Get A Whole Lot Smaller: Oil and the End of Globalization became a Canadian bestseller in 2009, launching his career as an author and public speaker on issues surrounding Peak Oil.

Read more...

Unpacking Harper Federal Budget Bill C-38

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:22:00 +0000

NDP Opposition Budget Hearing on Vancouver Island: The Environment, Fairness between Generations and Acting for the Public Good.

by NDP Party of Canada

Let's talk about what's in the Federal Government Budget Implementation Bill C-38 and how it will affect your lives and the lives of your children.

The New Democratic Official Opposition is hosting regional budget hearings across the country from May 22nd - May 25th. We want to hear your thoughts on the recent Omnibus Budget Bill and share with you information about the many non-budget measures hidden in the massive 425-page bill.

Wednesday May 23rd

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

First Metropolitan United Church Fellowship Hall,

932 Balmoral Rd., Victoria

Vancouver Island MPs Denise Savoie (Victoria), Randall Garrison (Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca) and Jean Crowder (Nanaimo-Cowichan) invite you to a discussion on the Budget's impact on you and on Vancouver Island's communities.

Read more...

Kristallnacht in Israel: Thugs Attack African Immigrants

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:49:00 +0000

Africans Attacked in Tel Aviv Protest; MKs: "Infiltrators" are Cancer

by 972mag.com

Coalition MKs incited the crowd against the refugees and asylum seekers during a protest in south Tel Aviv, which was followed by attacks on African immigrants and confrontations with police. A Likud MK called for the prosecution of Israelis giving shelter to Africans.

More than 1,000 Israelis protested this evening (Wednesday) against the African refugees and asylum seekers who have settled in South Tel Aviv in recent years. According to eyewitnesses reports, the crowd grew angry and ultimately violent, following speeches from Knesset Members, including members of the government coalition.

It was one of the most violent protests Tel Aviv has known in recent years. Confrontations were continuing between police and Jewish citizens at around 10:30 p.m. local time.

Dozens of protesters tried to move from the Hatikva neighborhood, where the rally was held, towards Tel Aviv’s Shapira neighborhood, where most African refugees live. They were stopped by police. Protesters attacked a car passing by carrying African immigrants, smashing its windows. Shops associated with the African community were vandalized.

[UPDATE: As of midnight, activists in Hatikva are still reporting looting and occasional attacks on Africans.]

Read more...