rabble.ca - Redeye

More bike commuters on the road

Redeye Collective — Wed, 30 May 2012 01:06:36 +0000

Vancouver has made big strides in recent years to make it easier for cyclists to get around the city safely. Bike Hub is a member-based organization that works to remove barriers to cycling. Every year Bike Hub organizes Bike to Work Week. Steph Gray is Bike Education Manager at Bike Hub.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

New monopoly capitalism

Redeye Collective — Wed, 30 May 2012 00:36:50 +0000

Over the past 30 years power and money has become concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Barry Lynn explores how a small number of corporations have destroyed their competition while maintaining the illusion of a free market. Lynn is the author of Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Doctors protest cuts to health care for refugees

Redeye Collective — Tue, 29 May 2012 00:49:05 +0000

On May 11, about 30 doctors marched into the Toronto office of the Federal Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver and occupied the office while another 50 doctors waited outside. It was one of several protests across the country against a planned reduction to the health care coverage for refugee claimants. Dr. Meb Rashid was one of the doctors who occupied Joe Oliver's office. He is director of the recently opened Crossroads Clinic, a refugee health clinic run out of Women's College Hospital in Toronto.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Movie: Big Boys Gone Bananas!

Redeye Collective — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:08:35 +0000

Big Boys Gone Bananas! documents the campaign Dole waged against Swedish filmmaker Fredrik Gertten to try to prevent him from showing his film Bananas! from being distributed in the United States. This first film documented the struggle of Nicaraguan workers to take Dole to court for health problems suffered as a result of use of a banned pesticide.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Mayday: A Graphic History of Protest

Redeye Collective — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:20:54 +0000

Mayday: A Graphic History of Protest is the title of a new comic produced by the Graphic History collective. It traces the history of Mayday from its beginning in the late 1800s to its expression in Canada today. Writer Robin Folvik and illustrator Sam Bradd talk about the comic and the process of creating it.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

The big banks' big secret

Redeye Collective — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:57:30 +0000

In 2008 Stephen Harper said that Canada has the only banks in the western world that were not looking at bailouts. But a new report says that several banks did need extra money - billions of dollars, in fact - to stay afloat. David Macdonald is a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and author of the report.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Movie: A Separation

Redeye Collective — Sun, 13 May 2012 01:06:30 +0000

Asghar Farhadi directs this award-winning drama about a woman who wants a divorce from her husband so she can leave Iran with the couple's child. Film critics Martha and Marty Roth saw the film and share their differing opinions on the movie.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

The false paradigm of peace: Revisiting the Palestine question

Redeye Collective — Sat, 12 May 2012 02:33:55 +0000

Ilan Pappe is an Israeli historian and activist currently teaching at the University of Exeter in Britain. In May 2012, he toured Canada speaking about his current research. Redeye spoke with him in advance of his talk in Vancouver. Ilan Pappe is author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Kinder Morgan pipeline would increase tanker traffic into Vancouver

Redeye Collective — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:44:27 +0000

In April, Kinder Morgan announced that they were planning to expand an existing pipeline that carries crude oil from Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C. The new pipeline would mean a tanker a day would be navigating the waters of the Burrard Inlet. Ben West is with the Wilderness Committee.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Harper budget a disaster for environment

Redeye Collective — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:02:46 +0000

The Conservative budget for 2012 will weaken environmental standards across the board. This is especially concerning when it comes to corporations seeking approval for major industrial projects. Gwen Barlee is policy director for the Wilderness Committee.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Reimagine the CBC

Redeye Collective — Thu, 03 May 2012 01:16:34 +0000

One of the casualties of Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's 2012 budget was the CBC. The network faces a 10 percent cut in funding over the next 3 years. In anticipation of the cuts, OpenMedia.ca and Leadnow.ca launched a project to encourage Canadians to discuss what they valued about the CBC and what they would like to see change. Tyler Morgenstern is spokesperson for Reimagine the CBC.

To find more about Redeye, check out our website.

Lester Pearson's Peacekeeping: The Truth May Hurt

Redeye Collective — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:50:28 +0000

A new book by activist Yves Engler says that far from being a peacekeeper, former prime minister Lester Pearson was a dedicated cold warrior and an ardent supporter of NATO. Engler takes a close look at key moments in Pearson's in foreign policy. Engler is author of Cars and Capitalism and Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Film: Bear 71

Redeye Collective — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:46:52 +0000

An innovative multimedia projects documents the life of a female grizzly bear in Banff National Park. The story of Bear 71's life is told from the bear's perspective and is illustrated by hundred of trail cam images of wildlife in the Rocky Mountains. Filmmaker Leanne Allison is bringing Bear 71 to the DOXA documentary film festival.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Vancouver neighbourhood fights condo development

Redeye Collective — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:09:47 +0000

Long-time residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside say new condo owners moving into their neighbourhood don't want them around. A new condo project is being proposed for an area of the Downtown Eastside that has so far been spared from gentrification. Dave Diewert is a long-time housing activist in the Downtown Eastside.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Research on Enviropig halted

Redeye Collective — Wed, 02 May 2012 00:38:51 +0000

The University of Guelph has been doing research into a genetically modified pig since the mid-1990s. The Enviropig would have produced waste lower in phosphorus than that of a regular pig. Paul Slomp is Vice-President of the National Farmers Union. He explains why Ontario Pork withdrew funding for this research.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

The promise and failures of international law

Redeye Collective — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:52:21 +0000

One important impetus for the creation of international law was the two world wars of the 20th century. The United Nations was born with the intention of preventing war and promoting peace and justice. The International Court of Justice was created at the same time. Michael Mandel is a professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. He examines the record of these institutions.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

B.C. criminal justice system in crisis

Redeye Collective — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:21:22 +0000

Christy Clark launched a comprehensive review of the province's justice system two months. She says her goal is to make it more efficient and modern. But a new report prepared for the B.C. Civil Liberties Association says a business administration model won't help to fix what's broken in B.C.'s justice system. Kevin Tilley wrote the report Justice Denied.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Book: The Will of Many

Redeye Collective — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:52:11 +0000

Democracy usually refers to a form of governance for a nation state. However many modern social movements have grown in explicit rejection of this kind of democracy. Marianne Maeckelbergh is author of the book The Will of Many: How the Alterglobalisation Movement is Changing the Face of Democracy. She explains participatory -- or horizontal -- democracy.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Survivors of violence face complex legal issues

Redeye Collective — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:24:18 +0000

Over half the women in Canada are survivors of violence. The vast majority of women who seek support services will also have to face legal battles. Angela Marie MacDougall talks about the kind of legal issues that women may have to negotiate. MacDougall is executive director of Battered Women's Support Services.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Canada's record on legislating strikers back to work

Redeye Collective — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:59:42 +0000

Canada's governments are among the worst offenders when it comes to legislating striking workers back to work. Since 1982 more complaints have been made against Canada at the level of International Labour Organization than any other country in the world.

Workers in Newfoundland and Labrador have strongly resisted back-to-work legislation in their province. Hans Rollman tells us about a couple of creative strategies unions there used to fight this tactic. Hans Rollman is a reporter, columnist and opinions editor for the Newfoundland and Labrador-based website theindependent.ca.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Psychopaths Inc

Redeye Collective — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:20:25 +0000

In 2010 a U.S. Supreme Court decision rolled back legal restrictions on corporate spending on the grounds that political speech by a business entity could receive the same First Amendment protections that people do. But the notion that corporations are people is under attack. Joel Bakan wrote the essay Psychopaths Inc which challenges the idea of corporate personhood. It appears in the new Occupy Handbook, a new book published in April 2012. Joel Bakan is a professor of law at the University of British Columbia.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Wilderness Committee faces defamation suit

Redeye Collective — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:38:19 +0000

Taseko Mines has proposed to partially drain Fish Lake in the interior of B.C. and use the lake basin to hold waste rock for their proposed Prosperity Gold-Copper Mine. When the Wilderness Committee commented on this plan on their website, Taseko brought a defamation suit against them. Joe Foy is National Campaign Director for the Wilderness Committee.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Uranium production for the tar sands

Redeye Collective — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 04:22:30 +0000

Uranium has been mined in Saskatchewan since the 1930s. Provincial premiers from Tommy Douglas to Brad Wall have exploited its use as a raw material for nuclear power and nuclear weapons. Public opposition to uranium development has led the government to use the University of Saskatchewan as a fig leaf. D'Arcy Hande is a retired archivist and environmental activist.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

B.C. teachers adopt plan to fight Bill 22

Redeye Collective — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 03:42:15 +0000

The B.C. government passed Bill 22 on March 15. It bans further strikes and sets the conditions for mediation. The B.C. Teachers Federation met for its annual convention two days later. They agreed on a plan of action to fight the legislation. Jim Iker is First Vice President of the BCTF.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Gondola proposed for Squamish park

Redeye Collective — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 02:03:11 +0000

Stawamus Chief Provincial Park protects the world-famous granite cliffs just outside Squamish, B.C. Sea to Sky Corporation is applying to remove land from this Class A park to build a gondola to carry people from the valley floor to the summit. Gwen Barlee worries that this project could be the thin edge of the wedge in a park system that is already severely underfunded.

To find about more about Redeye, check out our website.

Civic election financing

Redeye Collective — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 03:11:38 +0000

One of Vancouver's major political parties got two-thirds of its money from corporations and developers. The other big civic party got almost a million from one single developer. Terry Martin has been involved in local politics since the early 1980s and has worked on numerous election campaigns.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Shutting down Canada's asbestos industry for good

Redeye Collective — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 02:16:12 +0000

The two remaining asbestos mines in Quebec have been shut down since last fall. A Canadian investor is trying to raise $25 million to re-open it. Meanwhile activists are working equally hard to keep the mine closed -- and to finally put an end to Canada's export of this deadly mineral. Kathleen Ruff is author of Exporting Harm: How Canada markets asbestos to the developing world.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Evaluating the pressures on Iran

Redeye Collective — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:27:55 +0000

News reports about a potential Israeli attack on Iran are no longer in the headlines. But that doesn't mean it's not on the agenda. Conn Hallinan is a columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus. He talks about what the dynamics around the threat of a military attack -- and the effects of sanctions currently in place.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Canadian farmland going for bargain basement prices

Redeye Collective — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:21:19 +0000

There's a land rush going on in the Prairie provinces. Investment companies are buying up large areas of farmland and making a profit from appreciation in the value of land. Melanie Sommerville has been researching One Earth Farms, a company which leases large amounts of land from First Nations. Sommerville is a doctoral student in geography at UBC.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.

Compensation for Gulf oil spill

Redeye Collective — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 03:20:07 +0000

Earlier this month BP announced that a settlement had been proposed between the company and those affected by the oil spill. Antonia Juhasz says that BP jumped the gun with this statement in an effort to make its investors happy. She says the legal process has only just begun. Antonia Juhasz is author of Black Tide: The Devastating Impact of the Gulf Oil Spill.

To find out more about Redeye, check out our website.