Make Ignorance History

Americans ask "Why do they hate us?"... Why do you think?!

2013-04-25T12:25:00.001-07:00

As the saying goes, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. In 2001, after the 9/11 attacks happened, it seemed that a lot of people were confused. "Why do they hate us?" and "Why would someone do this?" seemed natural questions to ask in the wake of a tragedy. But of course, the Bush administration fed Americans the same BS that we hear all the time: "They hate our way of life. They want to take away our freedom". In the aftermath of the recent tragedy in Boston, we've heard these same statements all over the media and from government officials.

Can we just think about this for a second... How is "they hate our freedom/way of life" an acceptable or rational answer? Who are "they"? What do they hate about our way of life? What kind of freedoms are we really talking about here? Ok, let's just say "they"are scary foreigners who practice a religion that is not the dominant one in our culture. "They" are young men, armed and dangerous, ready to die for what they believe in, no matter how insane their beliefs maybe. Now, let's use our imaginations for a minute. Picture you are living in Kabul or Baghdad. Foreign soldiers invade your city, and soon death and destruction is everywhere. The soldiers claim to have a noble (or even religious) motive for the violence, but either way your loved ones are maimed or killed in the crossfire. You would probably not have very many nice things to say about those soldiers, would you? You might even feel the need for justice (i.e. revenge) so that the bastards that killed your family or friends wouldn't go unpunished. Now, does this scenario sound familiar? This is probably how some Americans are feeling right now.

Now I'm not saying that the Boston attacks are exactly the same as the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Both US soldiers and Al Queda extremists are ready to die for their causes. In the case of the US, the "cause" (fighting for our freedom) is so ambiguous, politically manipulated and purposefuly deceiving that sadly many don't even understand it themselves.

The CBC posted an article today about the interrogation of the surviving Boston bomber. According to officials, Dzhokhar told the FBI that they were angry about the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the killing of Muslims there.

In this time of absolute sorrow and despair, it is seriously messed up to think the best way to prevent future terror attacks is to have an "eye for an eye" attitude. Or to treat the accused as an "enemy combatant", virtually stripping him of all human rights. If Americans are so worried about preserving their freedom, then I think they need to step up and lead by example. If Americans can uphold basic international laws such as the Geneva Conventions, and stop killing innocent civilians by drone-malfunctions and pointless occupations of far away places, maybe the international community will actually respect Americans and their foreign policy. If you ask me, it is constant US invasions (for oil or whatever be the excuse the next time) that are breeding terrorists. As westerners, we need to swollow our pride and be the bigger person sometimes. This is the perfect time to show how civilized us westerners really are.

Finally an update on the Robocall Scandal!

2012-08-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

Leave it to Maude Barlow to stick to her guns when most other Canadians have stopped paying attention. The Council of Canadians, the organization that Maude Barlow chairs, is refusing to let the federal government sweep the robocalls scandal under the rug. The Council of Canadians is backing 9 Canadian voters who are challenging 7 conservative MPs for their involvement in the scandal. However, lawyers for these 7 MPs have said asked the challengers to put up $250,000 to cover the MPs' costs in case the challengers lose. Can they even do that?! These 9 voters are the same people who last week applied for Elections Canada to release more information about the situation to the public. Surprise, Surprise... They were denied.

I think it's extremely sad that so many Canadians are not bothered by this. If it was the other way around, there is no way that the conservatives would let this slide if they thought the NDP or Liberals were cheating. Stephen Harper barely secured a majority government in the last election. The National Post reported that at least 34 ridings were affected by robocalls. For a country with such a small population, 34 ridings are a lot to mess around with.

Some people have said that we need to stop "whining" about robocalls. For those people who might not see how blatantly deceptive these calls were, here is an actual transcript from one of the calls:

"This is an automated message from Elections Canada. Due to a projected increase in voter turnout, your poll location has been changed. Your new voting location is at the Old Quebec Street Mall, at 55 Wyndham Street North. Once again, your new poll location is at the Old Quebec Street Mall, at 55 Wyndham Street North. If you have any questions, please call our hotline at 1-800-443-4456. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. (French version recorded in another woman’s voice follows.)”

That message was left to a voter in Guelph on election day. Weird, huh? Because Elections Canada claims they never made such calls.

I think that all Canadians need to be more concerned with this situation. Because if it's ok to let the conservative party cheat and get away with it scot-free, what is to stop candidates in the next election to follow in their footsteps? Maybe next election, the Liberal party will think of an even sneakier way to steal votes. If Harper can do it, why can't they? Why can't the Green Party? The NDP? Is that really the precedent we want to set for Canadian democracy? I sincerely hope not. Good on ya, Maude. People will always call you crazy when they are trying to cover up a scandal. Keep stirring up the conversation until justice is served and our democratic system that we hold so dearly is protected and restored to what it once was.

Guor Marial: A True Olympic Superstar

2012-08-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

In the past week, there have been several athletes who have become overnight international celebrities. Missy Franklin is the USA's "it girl", Ryan Lochte is the new Micheal Phelps, etc. But one athlete's story incredible story has gone a little bit under the radar, and is definitely worth talking about.

Guor Marial is a refugee from South Sudan living in the United States. He fled his home country at age 16 during the brutal civil war that killed dozens of his family members and friends. In fact, 28 of his family members were killed in the war. He was also kidnapped twice. Now he's been living in the US for 12 years and has become one of the top marathon runners in the world. He qualified for the 2012 London Olympics, but was unable to compete on team USA because he is not a legal citizen (even though he is a permanent resident). Officials tried to convince him to compete as part of the Sudanese team, but he refused:

“I lost my family and relatives, and in South Sudan 2 million people died. For me to just go and represent Sudan is a betrayal of my country first of all, and is disrespecting my people who died for freedom." he said to one reporter.

Since South Sudan is still such a new country, they are not members of the IOC at this time so he could not compete under the South Sudanese flag. Luckily, he appealed to the IOC and was granted permission to compete as an independent. There are only three other athletes competing as independents this summer in London.

Before arriving at Heathrow airport, Guor told reporters:

"I will be wearing the Olympic uniform, but inside I will be holding the South Sudan flag in my heart, and the people of South Sudan and the refugees.These are the people I will be representing at the Olympics."

Although his personal best does not put him as a frontrunner in his event, he is expected to finish between 15th-20th. But just the fact that he is there representing the people that many Northerners forget about: refugees. I think a lot of people would rather not hear the stories of rape, loss, and desperation that is the reality for millions of refugees world wide. It's much easier to think that these people are just greedy, and here to steal our jobs and tax dollars. But stories like this one, heartwarming enough to grab the media's attention, are a reminder to everyone that refugees ARE in your neighbourhood. They have been through experiences that most North American's can't even imagine. And they are worthy of our respect, in the spirit of the Olympic games.

Don't forget to cheer for Guor on August 12th!

Remember that Child Soldier in GITMO? Neither does Canada

2012-06-20T23:11:00.000-07:00

I hope I am not the only person who has been wondering about the Omar Khadr case over the past few weeks (OK, years). For those who don't know about Omar Khadr, I'll give you the recap:

July 27 2002 - Omar Khadr, a 15 year old Pakistani-Canadian, is captured by American forces in Afghanistan following a four-hour firefight. He was accused of throwing a grenade at a US soldier which killed the man. The firefight began because US soldiers were trying to break into his residence "with or without consent", and the occupants opened fire on the Americans. However, the Western media failed to convey some pretty major details. Khadr threw the grenade AFTER US forces had bombed the compound he was staying in, killing several civilians. The US soldiers had ALREADY thrown a grenade into the living complex, before Khadr supposedly threw his grenade. The soldiers proceeded to shoot Khadr 2-3 times in the chest (reports vary) Funny... I don't remember those details being emphasized on the news... But to clarify, reports do vary of which side fired first. But Khadr personally did not throw the infamous grenade unprovoked.


Omar Khadr - Being treated by medics after being shot in the chest by US soldiers

Now let me be clear here: I mean absolutely no disrespect to the Americans and Canadians who have served in Afghanistan. I'm not even trying to argue whether Khadr is guilty or not. Honestly, he might have done it. But what happened after this day in 2002 is troubling, to put it lightly.

Khadr was treated by US forces for his injuries. How sweet of them. They then proceeded to ship him to Guantanamo Bay, and torture him for 10 years. Some of the techniques the US admitted to using while "interrogating" Khadr include:

The "Fear Up" technique. This technique is described by the judge as "a technique used as an attempt to raise the fear level of a detainee." In Khadr's case it included telling him that a detainee who "lied to interrogators" was raped in the showers by "big,black guys".
The "love of freedom" and "Pride/Ego Down" techniques which, according to Judge Parrish are "attempts to gather information through appealing to a person's desire to go home or implying that he was not really an important person.."
The "Fear of Incarceration" technique which the Judge said was "an attempt to gain cooperation in order to return to a normal life rather than be detained."

Oh and these are only the techniques that were used on this fifteen year old boy BEFORE he was hooded and sent to GITMO indefinitely. I strongly encourage everyone to at least read the Wikipedia entry about this case for further details.

So in 2006, Khadr signed a pre-trial agreement, pleaded guilty to the charges and all details of the charges, and accepting an 8 year prison sentence (not including the years of torture he already endured at GITMO) but with the agreement that he could be transferred to Canadian prison to serve the rest of his sentence there.

Still smiling after 10 years... Can he taste the freedom?

Fast forward six years later. It is now 2012. Where is Omar Khadr? Well for one thing, he is now 25 years old. And face it: whether he was a terrorist before or not, he probably hates the West a lot more now after spending 10 years being tortured in a secret prison. Today, news broke that his lawyers and Senator Romeo Dallaire are headed to Ottawa to ask why the hell his transfer is taking so long. This is a CANADIAN citizen, who was 15 years when he was arrested. He was never allowed a fair trial, and has now spent over 1/3 of his life in the most notorious, lawless secret prison on earth. And sorry if you didn't catch that: remember Romeo Dallaire? He's the guy who witnessed the most atrocious crimes against humanity imaginable in Rwanda, some of which was committed by child soldiers. You would think he would be the guy who would want punks like Khadr put away for good. Sorry, but that's not the case. Senator Dallaire has decided to use his celebrity and political power to fight for the human rights of Khadr. Because that's the thing about human rights: They are supposed to be for everybody, even fanatical kids who live in the mountains of Afghanistan. Christ, Luka Magnotta is currently having his day in court right now, and reportedly the government paid tens of thousands of dollars to ensure that he got transferred to Canada for a fair trial. No one put a hood over his head, as far as I know he hasn't been tortured, and he even gets a really good lawyer. Go figure. Oh and also, the five US soldiers who shot Khadr in the chest, bombed the compound killing several people and animals... what happened to them? They all got rewarded Purple Hearts. True story.

Is it just me, or has the world gone completely crazy?

2012-06-07T09:18:00.002-07:00

I am positive that just about everyone in the world has heard of the "Montreal Butcher". I almost don't want to say anything more about this story, because I know that sick people like him are happy to be notoriously famous for completely disgusting acts. What I think is completely ridiculous is that in the past week or so, the media has been FLOODED with stories of cannibalism, body part slicing, sex with severed bodies, etc. If any big corportations or politicians have any skeletons in their closets, I strongly advise them to spill now because absolutely no one will be paying attention, and the media won't care.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who at first thought all of these horrible reports of cannibalism and dismemberment were about the same case. Wrong! So just to clarify, I've decided to make a short list of the killers of the week:

1) First of course, is Luka Rocco Magnotta: the Scarborough (aka serial killer capital of the world) born porn star who filmed himself killing a university student with an ice pick, sexually assaulted his corpse, and then mailed various body parts to the Conservative Party headquarters, the Liberal Party and two Vancouver elementary schools. Thankfully, it only took the police a day or two to catch him reading articles about himself in an internet cafe in Europe. Two things: a) is there any other use for an ice pick these days BESIDES murdering people? I'm pretty sure you can get pre-cubed ice machines. Also... why the Liberal party and not the NDP? Did theirs get lost in Canada Post? There are still a lot of unknowns about this story...

Labatt doesn't seem to be buying the "there's no such thing as bad press" theory

2) "The Miami Zombie" - Probably the second most talked about news story in the past week. A man in Miami tripped out on the designer drug "Bath Salts" and chewed off a homeless man's face while they were both naked. I swear I didn't make this up. The whole thing was captured on camera and lasted 18 gruesome minutes. If you are completely sick and deranged, you can find the video online. Apparently "Bath Salts" are legal in Canada. For now... Apparently there have been other cases of people going absolutely crazy on this drug and growling and "threatening to eat people". Actually. The homeless man in this case survived, but is still in critical condition. And doesn't have a face. This is messed up.

The guy on the left is the "zombie" and the right is the victim

3) The Brain-eating Killer Roommate - This is the story that has COMPLETELY gone under the radar. A man in Maryland killed his roommate, dismembered his body (#trending), and reportedly ATE the heart and brain of his now missing roommate. On Tuesday, the killer's brother went to his house and discovered tins containing a human head and two hands. The accused tried to convince his brother that the remains were not human, and then destroyed the evidence as soon as he had the chance. The rest of the roommate's body was found in the garbage near a church.

The smiling guy is the victim, the guy with the creepy stare is clearly the murderer.

I don't even know what to think of all this.... I guess they say bad things happen in threes?

The Ghosts of Residential Schools Continue to Haunt the Federal Government...

2012-06-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to hear that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (set up in 2007 as part of the apology to First Nations people affected by residential schools) is still digging deeper to solve the horrible mysteries of Canada's past that many people would rather forget. The CBC announced today that Ontario's chief coroner (Dr Andrew McCallum) has been searching through Ontario's records and has found that at least 120 "missing children's cases" were actually deaths associated with the residential school system.

I don't know if my education was typical, but I first heard the word "residential schools" in first year university. I had NO idea that the Canadian government had treated its own children and families so brutally. I was taught in my public school education that John Cabot "discovered" Newfoundland in 1497. We did learn about the Beothuks, a aboriginal group that settlers legitimately killed off, some killed as game. But no one EVER told us that the Canadian government had forcibly taken away aboriginal children from their families, forced them to convert to Christianity, in many cases abused them physically and sexually, and forced them to forget their own languages and culture in a drastic "white-washing" effort. Maybe we didn't talk about residential schools because they still existed until the 1990s. When I was in elementary school, residential schools probably still existed in Canada.


Shanawdithit - Last of the Beothuks

I feel ashamed that this happened in my country for so many years. But the best thing we can do is to honor the people who are alive today and STILL living the repercussions of the residential school system. The more we talk about these children, many of whom ran away and died in their attempts to return to their families, the more people will understand why so many Aboriginal people today are dealing with decades of inter-generational pain and suffering. Aboriginal people have been through more than probably any other race. And they are still fighting today to retain their culture and languages. Hopefully the more residential schools are in the news, and in our school books, the more respect the survivors will be given by the general public. This isn't something that happened hundreds of years ago. This is something that the parents and grandparents of young people today lived and suffered through.

How the Conservatives are Ruining the Canadian Immigration System

2012-05-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of the omnibus Bill C-38 yet, you should probably take a few minutes to look into what is going on in regards to Canadian immigration policy. Bill C-38, aka the "Jobs, Growth, and Long-term Prosperity Act" is likely to pass this summer, and implements several dangerous provisions of the Harper government's budget. This budget has a decidely anti-immigrant tone, part of which includes eliminating the 280,000 current immigration applications in an effort to get rid of the "backlog". Take a second and think about that number: That's 280,000 individuals, many of which are separated from their children, spouses, and other loved ones. Many of which have the job skills that our country and labour market are in DESPERATE need of. Canada is the second biggest country in the world. We have PLENTYof room for more Canadians who will pay taxes, contribute to our economy and bring a wealth of knowledge from another part of the world. Luckily, some Canadians have noticed that simply axing these people's long, painstaking applications is completely immoral and simply unfair. A group of lawyers are seeking a class-action suit against the government, and seeking an injunction so that if Bill C-38 does pass, they will try to block it from actually being implemented. Civil litigation is perhaps the last remaining aspect of our legal system that protects the human rights of people, and not corporations or governments. Let's all try to spread the word about the conservative party's plan to axe these applications.

These are the people who only come to Canada to "steal our healthcare"... That baby might even be a terrorist...

Perhaps even worse (actually probably much worse) for Canadians is Bill C-31, which Jason Kenney introduced this past winter. This bill essentially destroys all human rights that are currently provided to immigrants and refugee claimants in Canada. This bill strips refugees of their rights by making it legal for the government to imprison refugees for one year without charge or even a warrant. It also imposes strict timelines that unrealistically force claimants to prove their claims in a very short ammount of time. This is done intentionally to reduce the number of successful claims. The new provisions also give the government power to revoke refugee status at ANY time and deport the person back to their country, regardless of the danger this may pose the person. Even worse, the new bill destroys the right to family re-unification for refugees, making it much harder for refugees and immigrants to reunite with their loved ones and children. If a person is finally granted refugee status, under the new law, reunification with spouses and loved ones is delayed for 6-8 years. Just imagine how you would feel if you were forcibly separated from your child for 6-8 years. That is a significant chunk of your child's life. In some cases, the child might not even recognize their parent once finally reunited. Furthermore, Bill C-31 gives the government the power to forcibly TAKE any refugee children under the age of 16, again without any warrant or reason, and keep them from their accompanying parents for one year. Oh and also don't forget, this bill also strips refugees of much of their health care. Sorry to the Somalian diabetic grandmother who has just escaped decades of brutal civil war. I guess you'll just have to go without insulin for a while.

What the hell is going on at the Ministry of Immigration? Who in their right mind made a middle-aged, racist, white guy the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism? Isn't that a bit counterproductive? I guess that must be Harper's idea of "multicultural"...a white guy from Calgary who believes that Canada's decision not to invade Iraq was a collosal error as it "damaged our relations with the US". Oh, he also does not believe in gay marriage,and he denied citizenship to Guy Valliere, a man who had served this country in the second world war because he did not make a "solid application with a strong case". I'd rather the manager at Starbucks run the immigration department than this moron.

This is who Harper believes best represents multiculturalism and immigrants in Canada ... Seriously.

Obama openly supports gay marriage!!!!

2012-05-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

News broke yesterday that Obama has announced that he officially supports gay marriage. Some people are calling this political suicide, as Obama has probably alienated most voters in red states. That being said, his announcement is a huge step in the right direction towards equality for all couples around the world. The United States is still one of the major superpowers, and they know it. So if this announcement was breaking news in Canada, imagine the reach that this message of acceptance will have worldwide. Half way around the world, I'm sure some people are talking about how the President of The United States of America is cool with gay marriage. If you compare global politics to a high school, then Obama is pretty much the popular jock who just stood up for the kid getting bullied. Once someone that people think is "cool" stands up for something unpopular, chances are others are going to start looking at their own homophobic beliefs and questioning them. If this works in a schoolyard setting, why can't it work on an international scale?

What I found to be the best part of this announcement (click here to watch it), is that Obama explains the process of how he came to the realization that banning gay/lesbian marriage is discrimination. He explains that although he believes everyone should be equal, like many moderates he didn't understand why civil unions were not satisfactory for gay and lesbian couples. Then, he says something that really sums up the entire reasoning for the whole gay marriage debate in a way that even the most ignorant people will understand. I'm paraphrasing, but basically Obama says this: I understand that the word "marriage" is really important to lots of people because of many reasons. That's why some people are threatened, because they don't want the tradition of marriage to be changed. But those are the EXACT same reasons that gays and lesbians are fighting for the right to marriage equality. They are teachers, firemen, soldiers, blue collar, white collar, everyday Americans too. Gays and lesbians don't grow up in some weirdo cult or on a deserted island. They grow up in the same society as everyone else, where girls and boys are taught that when you grow up, you are supposed to fall in love and get married and have babies and live happily ever after. The word "marriage" and everything that comes with it (religious beliefs, tradition, commitment etc) means just as much to LGBT couples as it does to straight couples. If anything, LGBT couples probably take marriage a lot more seriously than many straight couples, because they fight so hard for the same rights and understand exactly why its important to their community.

Five years ago, if someone told me that the President of the United States was going to publicly announce support for gay marriage, I would have laughed in their face. I guess there might actually be some hope that the world is becoming a slightly happier, safer place for all people regardless of sexual orientation.

Taking Animal Rights International - TUAPA

2012-05-03T07:59:00.001-07:00

I'm going to continue the dog theme from last week's post and tell you about the most amazing event that has happened to me in a long time. This past weekend, my boyfriend and I drove out to the Toronto airport where an adorable, sweet, bundle of love was waiting for us in the arrivals gate. We had decided months ago that we wanted to adopt a dog from Taiwan, and a lot of people thought we were crazy. But was it ever worth it, and the seemingly complicated process of bringing a dog from a foreign country was actually a breeze.

I found out about the Taichung Universal Animal Protection Association (TUAPA) through a classmate who recently returned from teaching english in Taiwan. She got involved with TUAPA while there and returned to Canada with three rescues. TUAPA is more of a sanctuary for dogs and cats then a traditional shelter. Currently TUAPA houses approximately 1000 cats and dogs and is a recognized charity running primarily off donations and adoption fees. The dogs run free during the day in a pack-like setting and the few volunteers they have try to give the dogs as much love as they can, although the dogs far outnumber the volunteers.

Living in Canada, where there are doggie spa's, pet psychics, pet acupuncture and massage therapists, dog bakeries etc., it's hard to imagine the life of a street dog in Taiwan. In Taiwan, most people do not spay or neuter there pets due to a stigma of "turning your dog gay". For that reason, the government has struggled for years to control stray populations. It's not uncommon in Taiwan to see people poison dogs, shoot them like pigeons, or run them over with cars and passersby often do not even stop to take a second look at the hit dog. And unlike in Canada and the US where it is in vogue to adopt a dog instead of buying from a breeder, in many parts of the world people simply don't think like that. If they wanted to adopt a dog, they could just take one home from the street, so why would they bother paying for an adoption fee? Maybe the most horrifying threat that faces stray dogs in Taiwan is the fact that many people set bear-traps that snap shut on dogs' limbs, leaving many dogs with amputated limbs, missing ears, etc if they even survive the traps.

Clearly there is a huge problem in Taiwan and in many other countries around the globe with stray dogs. TUAPA was formed in 1994 to help address these problems by taking in hundreds of stray cats and dogs, spaying and neutering them, providing life saving health care and immunizations, and even rescueing pets from the local government kill-shelters. Since adoption rates with Taiwan are fairly low, TUAPA relies heavily on foreign adoption from Canada and the US. Of course, there are thousands of unwanted dogs waiting in shelters and foster homes in Canada, but there is arguably a greater need for protection in places like Taiwan. Many shelters in Canada have waiting lists for certain types of dogs (like small hypoallergenic dogs) and intense screening processes to ensure that the homes are suitable for the pets. TUAPA also wants to ensure the dogs find amazing forever homes, but they are more than willing to make the process as efficient and painless as possible for the dog and the adoptive family.

TUAPA chooses hundreds to make a list of the 50 most adoptable dogs suitable for the long "journey of love" to North America. These top fifty dogs are the sweetest, healthiest, and most likely to adjust to life in another country. You can choose from chihuahuas, poodles, great danes, and other purebred dogs as well as many more three legged, or one eared, mutts. They even have a youtube channel, run by volunteers where you can watch each dog interact with people and other dogs. For only a small donation of a few hundred dollars (they will pretty much accept any reasonable donation seeing as they truly want to find dogs forever homes and make room for new residents), the dog will be shipped with a volunteer passenger to the closest major city (Toronto, or Montreal etc). The dogs come spayed or neutered and up to date with all shots. My vet in Toronto was shocked to see how thorough the vetrinary care in Taiwan is. As the adopter, all you have to do is pick them up at the airport, where TUAPA volunteers will assist you with receiving the dogs. They come with a folder of medical records, a leash, collar, new blankets and you can even keep the crate if you wish (valued at approximately $200) or choose to donate it back to the organization. All in all, this organization does unreal work to make the world a more humane place for all animals.

One last thing. People kept telling me over the past couple weeks that "rescue dogs appreciate you more". I didn't really understand or believe these people, because all dogs as far as I'm concerned are loyal and loving to their families. But after having Wayne (that's him above!) for only 12 hours or so, I understood. The way he looks at me with those big brown eyes as he falls asleep on the couch half on top of me, I know that he is so happy to even have a warm place to call home and that he won't have to worry about scrounging for his next meal. Honestly, I think adopting a TUAPA dog is the best decision I've ever made.

***An english (and Canadian) version of the TUAPA website is in the works, and I'll post more information soon if anyone wants to get involved by donating, fostering or adopting ***

BSL - Bull Shit Legislation

2012-04-26T07:48:00.000-07:00

Today in the Toronto Star, there is a heartwarming survival story of an Oshawa woman and her beloved dog. Essentially what happened was that Scarlett, the cutie pictured above with her owner, got loose and ran into her neighbors yard. The dog was believed to be a pitbull, and was apprehended by the Oshawa Animal Services. For the past year and half, the owner has been battling with the courts to get her dog back. This dog has absolutely no history of aggression, but because of the current Pit Bull ban in Ontario, dogs with pit-like traits are often exterminated.

This story has a happy ending, well, sort of. The owner claimed that the dog was not a pitbull at all, but a boxer/Rhodesian mix. Someone from the Canadian Kennel club had to testify that this dog was likely a boxer mix, and not a pit bull. So, finally, this pup is returning home.

But wait a second.... if this guy had testified that Scarlett was a pitbull, she would have been killed. For simply being born with certain physical characteristics. Most dog people know that really a pitbull is not that different from a boxer, American bull dog, or Staffordshire Terrier to name a few. So really now, why is it considered ok to euthanize an innocent pitbull, but not ok if it's a boxer or some other breed?

First of all, in Ontario, pit bulls are not even recognized as a specific breed but instead a type. Many people say that pitbulls are bred to kill or fight. This is simply not true at all. Pit bull terriers were originally bred in England as cattle dogs. They came over with settlers to the USA hundreds of years ago. In the USA and Canada, they became popular police and therapy dogs. They were known as excellent family pets, and because of their gentle disposition they were even given the nickname the "Nanny Dog".

But, as we all know, at some point some idiots started forcing dogs to fight to the death for their own entertainment (and to profit off betting on the dogs). Pitbulls became a favourite for these assholes. So, for a few decades now, the "nanny dog" has been horribly abused in the hands of sociopaths like Michael Vick. Some dog fighting rings have been busted, but who wins at the end of the day? Vick is still a free man making millions in the NFL, and the dogs caught up in this mess mostly get euthanized.

So today in Ontario, pit bulls are illegal due to ridiculous breed specific legislation. Even though experts agree that these dogs are not inherently "bad" or "aggressive" any more than all other terrier breeds, they continue to suffer, be taken from their owners, and many perfectly good dogs are killed for no reason. Unfortunately, this trend is catching on and many states and provinces are following Ontario and banning pit bulls. Personally, I believe making Pit bulls illegal because they are "aggresive" is like saying asians shouldn't drive because of their skin colour, or that black people shouldn't be trusted because they "steal". Dogs aren't born bad, same as people aren't born bad. They are a product of their environment: if they are abused, they will be abusive back. Why is there not harsher punishments for animal abusers? Why do we continue to blame the victims? It's complete bull shit.

My Beef With the Federal Budget

2012-04-12T09:03:00.004-07:00

Alright. I'll try to keep this as brief as I can. So as many of us know, since the Harper government has a majority, we pretty much are forced to deal with the new federal budget. And after only a few days of the budget being released, already plans are in motion to implement the plethorum of cuts to federal spending. I understand that we are just recovering from a worldwide economic crisis, caused by criminal activities within the financial sector, but I won't get into that today. That being said, I find this budget EXTREMELY hypocritical to the so-called tenants of coservativism. Let me explain:

First of all, aren't conservative politicians supposed to be all about creating jobs? Let's see... 19 200 federal jobs cut. That is a lot of Canadians who planned a secure career in public service that now have to scramble to make other plans. Let's not forget that these cuts don't just affect the people getting canned, but their spouses, children, friends, retirement plans, etc. Yes, of course, they are all receiving some sort of severance package. But according to many public servants, the packages aren't as amazing as the media is making them out to be. For example, one man was supposed to retire in 18 months. The package he was offered gives him $400 LESS each month from his pension than he would otherwise be receiving. How are massive job cuts supposed to help Canadian families?

Secondly, aren't conservatives supposed to care about our service men and women? Is it not the responsiblity of our federal government to ensure that our veterans (many of who suffer from PTSD, ambutated limbs, etc) have access to the programs that will help them live normal lives again? I thought that's why the Veteran's Affairs department was created. But nope, instead of taking care of our veterans, the feds are cutting 261 jobs from Veteran's Affairs. Most of those jobs involve providing essential services to those who fought for our country. But I guess they don't matter to Harper. Not a priority.

Now on top of cutting funding for veterans, the conservatives are also getting rid of most of those "lefty" programs. Let's cut all environmental programs and any form of government outreach. Forget programs that engage youth with their own country and provide leadership skills (aka Katimavik). All the young people in the North that were excited to take part in Katimavik and help lift themselves out of the third world conditions they live in, well I guess they can go back to abusing drugs and alcohol to stay busy. The CBC is finally getting quality Canadian content on the map and becoming relatable to many age groups, but let's slash their funding too so that the only successful Canadian shows can be cancelled. Oh and who needs food inspectors anyways. Lysteria isn't that bad, is it? I guess we all forgot about that Maple Leaf disaster that happened a few years ago. And don't even get me started on the cuts to CIDA. Already this government has turned our aid budget into a subsidiary of the mining industry. Yes that's right: our tax dollars are going directly into the already deep pockets of Barrack Gold and other multi-million dollar mining companies. But now, let's just slash any possible hopes that Canada will continue to provide life-saving aid to the poorest people on the planet. I guess that's not important to Canadians anymore.

So ok: Conservatives are all about saving money and small government. Got it. But this is what I find profoundly hypocrital: in the midst of massive layoffs accross Canada affecting tens of thousands of Canadians, Harper is going ahead with plans to expand our existing prison system and build mega prisons. Of course, most of the Canadians living behind bars are there for non-violent crimes. Forget about rehabilitation, let's just lock up more petty criminals. It's not like our tax payer money goes to pay for each prisoners food, accomodation and entertainment. I guess it doesn't make sense to the feds to rehabilitate non-violent criminals so they can participate and contribute to our economy, instead of spending outrageous ammounts of our money keeping them locked up. I'm not talking about freeing Paul Binardo. I'm talking about the majority of criminals in jail for tax evasion or having (god forbid) dealt pot.

Moreover, Harper is going ahead with plans to buy top of the line F35 jets for a joint airstrike program with the states. Oh, and due to a small "accouting error" they actually cost at least $10 BILLION dollars more then Peter MacKay told us. And now we find out, that the conservatives knew since at least 2010 that they were lying about the pricetag on these luxury jets. My question is: why do we even need $25 billion dollar jets right now? Aren't we cutting 19,200 jobs? I understand we need to replace our ancient planes for the Air Force, but why are the only planes being considered the most expensive ones on the market? What war are we planning on fighting that require these planes? Couldn't that money be better spent supporting our veterans?

Anyways, I guess I wasn't as brief as I promised to be with this post. I just wish I could get into Stephen Harper's head for a few minutes and figure out what the hell he's trying to do with our beautiful, democratic country. Unless we all band together to get him out of Ottawa and put Rae or Mulcair or even May into power, what are the the conservatives going to cut next? Or waste our hard-earned money on next?

Pickton Survivor - A Symbol of our Justice System's Failure to Protect Women

2012-04-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

In the news today there are reports that a woman who survived Robert Pickton's brutal attack will testify against him in court. This woman, who is being called "Ms Anderson" thought she had scored big when Pickton offered to pay her $100 to have sex with him at his farm. She turned up at a local hospital with several near-fatal stab wounds. This all happened in March 1997.

"Ms Anderson" wasn't the only women to escape the Pickton farm alive. Another woman was taken home by Pickton, handcuffed and then attacked. She managed to escape and ran down the street naked until she could wave down a car. She told the police what happened. Pickton also told the police of the event, but he claimed this woman attacked him when he picked up her poor soul on the side of the road. It turns out that this woman was a heroine addict, so the police did not investigate further or file charges against Pickton because they thought it would be unlikely that they would get a conviction. Pickton was only arrested in 2002. Imagine how many lives could have been saved.

How many beaten, bloodied prostitutes does it take to figure out that this guy was up to no good? Apparently in BC, the lives of these two women did not mean too much to police. They even knew where this guy lived and obviously knew he had a history of misogynistic violence!

As we all know, the DNA of 33 separate women was found at the Pickton farm. In 2007 at the beginning of this trial, Pickton admitted to an undercover police officer posing as a cell mate that he had killed 49 women, and was hoping to kill one more to make it an even 50. He reportedly fed their bodies to his pigs, and sold ground pork containing human remains to friends and neighbours.

I still can't believe that after dozens of women went missing in British Colombia, Canada, one of the most beautiful and supposedly safe places on the planet, this guy still walked free for years. Shockingly, there were at least two women who told police that this guy was kidnapping women and trying to kill them. It goes to show how little rights that women in the sex trade enjoy. Apparently, it's "not a big deal" if someone goes on a murdering spree, as long as the women are heroine addicts or prostitutes. What a sad commentary on the way our justice system treats women in Canada.

Aung San Suu Kyi Elected (again!) in Burma!

2012-04-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

In my lifetime, I can honestly say I have never seen a crowd of smiling Burmese citizens in the news. I am so happy to write that Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi has been elected democratically in Burma (aka Myanmar). If you didn't already know, Burma was under violent military dictatorship from 1962-2011 and brutal ongoing civil war. Last year, the military government was replaced by a civilian government, and hope for an end to the decades long civil war became prevalent.

Recently, I watched two amazing documentaries telling the stories of some of the people of Burma. The first which I saw at the TIFF Human Rights Watch Film Festival was Burma Soldier which followed the life and memoirs of Myo Myint, a former (you guessed it) soldier, political prisoner and peace activist. The second film I watched this weekend was Burma VJ. I will discuss that film further under "Documentary of the Week". I couldn't help but imagine how the Burmese citizens featured in these two powerful films are feeling today, as their hero Aung San Suu Kyi is finally being recognized as the official leader of Burma in a landslide victory for the opposition party.

Aung San Suu Kyi had already been elected democratically in the 1990 election, however her political enemies had her living on house arrest from 1989 up until November 13th 2010. It is so uplifting to see how a country so positively destroyed economically, emotionally and violently could do a complete 360. I can't imagine being born into a country where journalists are murdered for even taking a picture or delivering the news to the world. Hopefully the joy of the Burmese people will not be short-lived.

We have to remember: Peace and democracy are not to be taken for granted. People are dying all over the world even today for the opportunity for their children to vote and have a say in the affairs of their own countries. I hope the international press continues to follow this rare good news story.

Congratulations Aung San Suu Kyi!

This is a monumental win for democracy and a step towards WORLD PEACE!

Miss Universe Canada Contestant Kicked out for Being Transgendered

2012-03-25T18:55:00.001-07:00

Today news broke that Vancouver resident Jenna Talackova, one of the finalists for Trump's Miss Universe Canada was disqualified. Why? Because she was born a biological male. Talackova had sexual reassignment surgery in 2010, and has not commented on being booted out of the competition because she wants to make an official statement through her lawyer at a later date.

Clearly, this is a stunningly beautiful person. She likely has a strong character as going through the process of becoming a woman is not the easiest thing to do. Why shouldn't she have the same opportunities as other women to compete in this beauty pageant? Isn't that what beauty pageants are really all about? Beauty? Inside and out?

Some people might argue that being trans was not the reason she was kicked out, but an official from the pageant confirmed the bigotry, commenting: "She did not meet the requirements to compete despite having stated otherwise on her entry form." (Vancouver Sun)

I would really like to believe that Canada is one of the few places in the world where transgendered people can enjoy most (if not all) of the same human rights as the rest of us. Being trans does not diminish a person's character or merit. All Canadians should be outraged that this beautiful person is being discriminated against for simply being true to herself. What better role model for young women than a person who has been through the ringer and has come out the other side confident and proud of her own identity. Shame on Trump and shame on Miss Universe Canada.

Harper wants Canadians to stop .... Bob Rae?

2012-03-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

The conservative party has just launched a new attack ad against Bob Rae, criticizing his record as premier of Ontario. Most politically tuned-in Canadians have heard of the "Rae Days", especially anyone who has beef with the NDP. Conservative supporters in Ontario LOVE to talk about how Rae raised taxes, and how the number of welfare recipients rose at the time.

But hold on a second.... Bob Rae hasn't been Premier of Ontario for twelve years now, and these criticisms are not new. Furthermore, Bob Rae is only the interim leader of the third place Liberal party. The Liberals haven't even chosen their official replacement for Ignatieff yet.

So why is the Harper gang up to their old tricks and bullying the former Ontario premier? There is no upcoming federal election and the conservatives are enjoying their majority government. Even if there was an election called tomorrow, the NDP would be the most significant challenge at the moment.

The only reason I can think of is that they are threatened. Harper knows his party made some pretty illegal and sneaky moves in the last election. And guess what: the Liberals and NDP found out and they aren't going to let this one go. So, Harper wants to discredit both the history of the interim Liberal leader AND the NDP.

Here's the difference between Bob Rae and Harper. Rae is a man with the best intentions for the everyday Canadian. In the past, he's made some well-intended political decisions that turned out poorly. However, even in the latest attack ad they show a clip of Rae stating that he is happy to discuss his past decisions.

Harper on the other hand, prefers to deflect any questions about the suspicious and illegal actions his party is being accused of during the robocall scandal.

If Canadians can't see through this cheap shot at Rae, and realize that Harper is just trying to change the subject from the robocall scandal to, well, anything else, then clearly they are dumb enough to support Harper and his sneaky gang who potentially stole the last election.

The average Canadian REALLY needs to take 10 minutes out of their day and actually watch the news or pick up a newspaper (anything but the SUN counts). If they did, they would know that Harper has not only prorogued parliament in an effort to shutdown the inquiry into the treatment of Afghan detainees and kill over 30 bills, his government was found to be in contempt of parliament, and now potentially diverted voters to the wrong polling stations in order to twist the election further into his favour.

Please people just pay a little bit more attention and don't just vote for who your parents voted for! Think for yourself and get informed.

American Goes on Afghan Killing Spree and it Actually Makes the News!

2012-03-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday before dawn, and American sergeant deployed in Kandahar province officially lost it and went on a massive killing spree. When he was done, 16 innocent civilians were left dead (including several women and young children) and their surviving family and friends are now utterly traumatized. According to The Telegraph, the killer could face the death penalty under military law.

To many of us this news is hardly surprising. Although there are certainly many caring, hardworking soldiers serving overseas, the military seems like the ideal job for a sadistic sociopath. Why are people so surprised when professional killers suddenly go off the beaten path and start murdering people without consent from above? Take Russel Williams for example: Everyone thought he was "so normal" and a "great soldier" until we all found out that he was running around Orleans in little girls underwear, raping and murdering colleagues and stalking and killing young women near his cottage.

In this weeks case of the killing spree in Afghanistan, this soldier had already completed three tours of duty in Iraq and was in his first tour of Afghanistan. The latest estimates from Human Rights Watch, The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) indicate that upwards of 17,000-37,000 civilians have been killed directly or indirectly by the war in Afghanistan. In Iraq, civilian deaths from violence in the US war reached a staggering 114,725 according to IraqBodyCount.org. Unfortunately, most of those deaths did not become national news. So my question is: why is this new case of civilian deaths in Kandahar province so different? Could it be that soldiers who are trained (ahem... brainwashed) into a hyper-testosterone driven detachment of the value of human life might get hooked on "taking out terrorists" and truly go off the deep end? I sense there might be some correlation here.

And people wonder what motivates suicide bombers to hate the United States and its allies.

Human Rights Watch Film Festival

2012-03-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

This week TIFF is hosting the annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Each night a different documentary is screened. Each night also features a different human rights issue. Last night I went to see "Burma Soldier". Honestly, this was one of the best docs I've ever seen. The film tells the story of a Burmese man named Myo Myint who joined the army at a young age. He was appalled by the civil war, and eventually became an activist for democracy and peace. Most of the footage of this doc had to be smuggled out of Burma. Some of the scenes in this film were so shocking. I couldn't believe some of the footage of Burmese soldiers raping and pillaging their own people. Definitely worth checking out!!!

Tonight I went to see "This Is My Land... Hebron". This film was extremely eye opening. I would like to think that I already had a pretty good understanding of the Israel/Palelistine conflict, but apparently not. The film tells the story of the city of Hebron. In Hebron, Palestineans vastly outnumber the couple of hundred Israeli's who have settled there. However, this film makes it very clear who is in control. I have seen many documentaries that show graphic depictions of violence, rape and the aftermath of war. However, I found this film particularly hard to watch despite that there is no blood and guts. The hatred in the young childrens voices and eyes as they hurl rocks at women, children and the elderly will haunt my dreams for a while to come.

The Robocall Story Gets Better

2012-02-28T21:12:00.000-08:00

So, news broke today that we finally know the name of the person responsible for the Guelph phonecalls directing voters to the wrong polls during the last federal election. I swear I am not making this up, but the name released is "Pierre Poutine" . Really?! Pierre Poutine?! That sounds like a name that Bart Simpson would give to Moe when prank calling or something. Very offensive codename if you ask me.

In other (and perhaps less shocking news) the calls have been linked to the Conservative party. Apparently, Bell Canada released records that show someone from the local Conservative candidate's campaign called RackNine (the call center responsible for Robocalls) 30+ times. However strangely, the CEO of RackNine claims that they were not working with the candidate's campaign. I smell electoral fraud....

Who knew that Stephen Harper was not only a bully, but a cheater too! Bob Rae says it best:
"The Conservatives have one mode of operation and that is attack. They will never slow down and say 'I’m sorry' or 'you’ve made a good point', or 'I appreciate what you have to say, whatever it may be.' It’s attack, attack, attack."

And people say Canadian politics is boring. I'll take this story over the US Primaries any day!

Should NGOs Reject Money from Badass Celebs?

2012-02-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

I recently found out that 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) is an official "Celebrity Partner " of the World Food Programme (WFP). ABC Nightline even reported on 50 Cent's recent trips to Somalia and Kenya. In just a few minutes, the ABC coverage highlights what can go wrong with celebrity endorsements. Something about a group of Somalian refugee children rapping "In Da Club" just makes me feel uneasy.

ABC points out that originally WFP was initially reluctant to accept 50 Cents' donation, but money talks so of couse they did. This may be the worst PR move they've made in decades. First, the ABC story talks about how much money 50 Cent has donated and how he wants to live a more meaningful life and leave a legacy as more than a guy who had a few hit songs. Isn't that lovely? Then ABC casually mentions that 50 Cent contributes to WFP by donating a percentage of profits from each can of his new energy drink. You would think that the logical next step in the coverage would be for the ABC journalist/producers to at least mention that this is an extremely self-serving for 50 Cent, who not only can use the WFP name to sell overpriced unhealthy drinks but also benefits from all of the press.

But no, here's the kicker: The only "issue" ABC Nightline has with this partnership is that working with WFP could damage 50 Cent's "Bad Boy" Reputation. Are you freaking kidding me?! That is the only problem you see with this? They bring this criticism up at least 3 times, even asking 50 Cent if he is concerned about the "harm" that his humanitarian work could cause his image. Seriously, this has got to be a huge practical joke. But it raises a good question: Should NGOs reject money from celebrities whose image could harm their agency's credibility? I'm not sure. If that money can save lives, than of course they should, but maybe they don't need to make a huge deal of it and bring a massive camera crew into a refugee camp. The funniest part for me was the picture above: the baby even feels uncomfortable with 50 Cent being there, and the producers clearly thought this was good footage to include.

To watch the coverage, click on this link: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/africa-50-cent-humanitarian-rapper-children-music-15788960?fb_ref=.T0v1CFk3ry0.like&f

Documentary of the Week

2012-02-20T14:01:00.000-08:00

The Tillman Story

Directed by Amir Bar-Lev (2010)

This movie follows the case of Pat Tillman, the NFL star who enlisted in the US Army after watching the coverage of the 9/11 Twin Tower attacks. This story was covered obsessively by the media a few years ago, but this movie does a great job at cutting through the propaganda and telling the real story (which is MUCH more dramatic!). Basically, Pat Tillman was idolized as a "hero" by both the army and the media when he decided to enlist. What a great story to get other young men and women to enlist, right? Wrong. As much as Fox News and the military painted an image of Tillman as the "All-American Hero", his family insists in this film that he was as flawed as any other human being. Despite his "jock" looks, he was actually very intelligent and informed on world issues. He was also disgusted by US foreign policy when he saw what was really happening in Afghanistan and Iraq. When he died in 2004 in combat, the military decided to take advantage of this tragedy for their own benefit. They told the media (and his family) that he died in a firefight with up to 20 Taliban combatants. The army even made the witnesses of his death keep quiet about the truth. What really happened is that he was killed in friendly fire by his own platoon who mistook him for the enemy. The story of how far the military and US government officials (as far up the chain as Rumsfeld himself) went to cover up the truth and the fact that they had completely fabricated the story of his death is the real heart of this documentary. This movie is excellent and does a better job of showing who Tillman really was then any statue or Fox News story.

The best line in the whole film is from Tillman's funeral when his brother says: "He's not with God. He's fucking dead." Those two short sentences really sum up the main message of this movie: war is gruesome and dirty and good looking, smart, football players can get their heads literally blown off by their own buddies. But since Lockheed Martin and US contractors make so much money off these wars in far away lands, they do not want you to know that. They would rather every dead soldier be glorified for "heroic" acts they did not even commit. Lies and coverups are no way to support our troops. The best way to support our troops is to send them all home.

My only complaint about this doc is that they barely mention that another man was killed in the same incident. He was an Afghan soldier from a group working with the US army to fight the Taliban. He was shot to pieces as well. It would have nice if the film at least mentioned his name. That is one of the main problems with the War on Terror. We always hear about the Canadians and Americans killed, but we rarely hear about our allies or civilians that suffer the same horrible deaths. They have families too and "died fighting for our freedom" as much as Tillman did. They deserve a bit more respect, and I think Tillman would agree with me if he was still around.

Transgender People Banned from Flying in Canada?

2012-02-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, it seems that the Ministry of Transportation has updated the Identity Screening Regulations and banned trans people from flying on their airlines. The updates came into July 27th 2011, but have only recently been discovered by trans rights supporters. I guess nobody usually reads those types of long, boring documents. Well, one blogger finally did and found that this was recently added to the regulations:

5.2 (1) An air carrier shall not transport a passenger if …
(c) the passenger does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents;

This is absolutely insane! I can't even think of a reason why this would be a rule. This is as blatantly discriminatory as making Black people use a different water fountain. It is no surprise that the Minister of Transportation, who is ultimately responsible for this, is a part of Harper's conservative government.

Denis Lebel - Harper's right hand man?

I was happy to hear that my own MP Olivia Chow created a motion to amend this discriminatory regulation, but of course the conservatives shot this down. According to a statement from Denis Lebel's camp, this rule is necessary "to ensure security and are applied in the same way to all passengers irrespective of their gender.". Hmm... seems more like the complete opposite of that: Clearly only passengers who's official gender on their passport does not match their appearance will be affected by this hateful rule.

Olivia Chow says it best: “If your face matched the photo on your identification, then what does it matter whether you’re male, female, gay, straight, transgender. This is discriminatory.”

For the latest on this story, check out Mississauga Trans-Activist Christin Milloy's blog:
http://chrismilloy.ca/2012/01/transgender-people-are-completely-banned-from-boarding-airplanes-in-canada/

Or Tabitha Southey's op-ed from this past Saturday's Globe and Mail:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/tabatha-southey/gender-offender-this-airport-rule-promotes-prejudice-not-security/article2326299/

Does Chris Brown deserve a Grammy? Just as much as Rihanna "deserved" a beating

2012-02-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

Right now Chris Brown's producers, crew, family and friends are probably all celebrating his win tonight at the Grammy's for Best R&B Album. I know that people make mistakes and sometimes deserve a second chance, but personally I find the image below hard to forget.

I am not saying that Chris Brown is not a talented R&B artist, but I feel like in this globalized world of instant communication, we as a society have a increasingly short memory span. Our society idolizes celebrities, and like it or not, young impressionable minds look up to these people. I must admit, I do like a few Chris Brown songs, but I truly believe that he should not have even been nominated because of his history of domestic violence. Do we really want to send the message out to young boys that it's ok to beat your girlfriend, as long as you are really sorry after? That people will still look up to you and idolize you no matter what? I think that there are PLENTY of other talented rappers and R&B artists that are just as deserving of that Grammy. Celebrities don't have to be perfect. They are people too. But we (the consumers) can choose which album to download and what songs we request on the radio. Are people really "over" domestic violence? Is that old news now so we can just pretend it never happened? Many artists careers have been ended over a lot less. Is Chris Brown really sooooooooooo talented that we should just forget about his past? I don't think so.

Attawapiskat Didn't Happen Overnight

2012-02-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

Canada has been airing some of it's dirty laundry since the fall, as the Attawapiskat housing crises has been followed intensively by the media. It's about time ordinary Canadians took a look into our own backyard. Unfortunately, this has given some less-educated people a great opportunity to make racist arguments about "those lazy, alcoholics spending all our tax money on drugs" or something to that effect. I'm sure by now, many people have heard their uncle spew this type of insensitive statement over the dinner table. But as usual, whenever there is a "crises", people forget that these things don't just happen over night, and aren't caused by laziness on the part of the Aboriginal population.

If you are not familiar with the situation, basically there is an extreme shortage of housing in North Ontario's Attawapiskat First Nation community. People are living in the types of dwellings you'd expect in a refugee camp, not in our own province. I'll break down for you how this all came to be:

In 1979, there was a massive oil spill that leaked 30,000 litres of diesel under Attawapiskat's elementary school. In 2000, then Liberal AANDC Minister Robert Nault promised to build them a new school. A year later, they had to close the school down because of effects of the spill. They put up portables and held classes there instead.

In 2004, Rodolfo Stavenhagen (former Deputy Director General of UNESCO) visited Canada and formally reported that there were serious problems with the housing in Attawapiskat. He noted that overcrowded and inadequate housing conditions, as well as difficulties to access basic services, including water and sanitation, were plaguing the people of this community. In December 2007, a new AANDC minister (Chuck Strahl) was appointed and the plans to build the new elementary school were cancelled. AANDC stated that Attawapiskat was not a priority and they had no "health or saftety concerns" for this community. I guess Chuck must have missed (or dismissed) the UNESCO report.

As residents continued to bear with deplorable living conditions, they began to get increasingly angry that their long ignored community sat right next to a billion dollar DeBeers Mine. So in 2009, some people from Attawapiskat decided to block the road to the mine to raise awareness about their crises. In the same year, there was a massive sewage flood that caused 90 people to evacuate their homes. DeBeers paid for a temporary shelter (trailers) for these displaced persons, which they still live in today.

Meanwhile, Chief Theresa Hall was becoming increasingly frustrated. The government had promised $700,000 to repair the homes damaged by the sewage and wasn't acting to make this promise a reality. By October 28 2011, Chief Hall called for a state of emergency in Attawapiskat for the third time. AANDC Minister John Duncan claimed his department knew nothing of the conditions, however they had visited the community several times that year. By December, the Canadian Red Cross made Attawapiskat a priority, since clearly they were being neglected by the federal government for years. They began to fly in all kinds of emergency supplies (blankets, water etc). As journalists began to document the crises and interview the people of Attawapiskat, suddenly it became breaking national news.

I won't explain the rest of the story, since most people know that there was controversy about hiring a third-party consultant to help the community with their finances. Basically, since the fall, Attawapiskat has continued to be serviced by relief agencies like True North Aid (an Ottawa based NGO) and the Canadian Red Cross. It seems in the past few months, there has been so much talk and not enough action. Everyone is playing the blame game and not focusing on what needs to be done now: get these people into houses with running water and heat!

If you are interested in the latest news on Attawapiskat, check out this article:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/02/10/attawapiskat-homes-modular-moving.html

Documentary of the Week

2012-02-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

This week I've chosen "Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars" (2005) which is directed by Zach Niles and Banker White.

This film tells the story of a group of refugees from Sierra Leone who are living in a UNHCR camp in Guinea. They were musicians before the war, and with little to do at the camps, decide to start a band they call (you guessed it) "The Refugee All Stars". Throughout this doc, we learn not just about their music but about their struggles to deal with memories of the war, and the life of a refugee. I didn't expect to actually like the music they play (I know that sounds awful), but their songs are full of courage, hope and are really catchy. I think this film is ultimately important because it humanizes the plight of refugees. Sometimes, the sheer number of refugees seem so crazy it's hard to remember that each person has (or had) a family, and a tragic tale that he/she has to live with. One man in this film seems completely broken, despite his friends efforts to get him out of his depression. When you hear him tell his story, you will find it amazing that he is even still alive and able to function. I don't think I will ever forget the sadness in his eyes or his story.

This movie might seem a bit old (released 7 years ago) but I think that makes it even more interesting because you can watch the movie and then follow up on their latest news and successes. One random fact about this film: Rapper/Actor Ice Cube was one of the producers! Would not have guessed that.

This film is available on Netflix.

The Future of Women in the Workforce

2012-02-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

Forbes just published an article revealing that there are NO women on Facebook's board of Governors. As Facebook is going public and is one of the most cutting edge companies in the world, it is crazy to believe that they do not seem to value fair representation of women. One woman in particular has an issue with this: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Watch the TED Talk below for an eye-opening look into women's role in the workplace. It's only 15 minutes and well worth it!

http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html

Sandberg argues that in terms of representation of women in the workplace, regardless of industry, women's representation seems to be stagnating and even declining. There are more women then ever in University, but there are only 10-20% women in leadership roles in all sectors. Sandberg takes issue with the fact that many women do not take enough pride in their own success. Women tend to downplay how smart and experienced they may be in their field. She also points out (with research to prove it) that the more successful a women is, the more unlikeable she is. However, the more successful a man is, the MORE likeable he is. Successful women are over and over portrayed as over-ambitious bitches, while successful men are seen as guys that you want to have over to watch Sunday football. I have definitely seen many examples of this over the past few years. Take the 2008 US democratic primaries. Hillary Clinton was constantly criticized for her clothing and business like image. She was portrayed by much of the media as being an aggressive, pushy and pretentious bitch whereas Sarah Palin was portrayed as a stupid but loveable "sex kitten". They even made pornos about her (remember Nailin' Palin?). Whether you agree with their politics or not, both of these women deserve to be celebrated for their success and not reduced to sexual objects.

I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather journalists say nothing at all about strong women like Palin then disrespect them and make a mockery of their success. We are kind of short on strong, positive role models right now. At least we have Sheryl Sandberg!