CBC - Nova Scotia
–This is what has happened to freedom of expression in Canada. We ban organizations that have international respect because other sponsors whine.

Yahoo! News - Chewing insects help increase diversity of trees in the jungle, study shows
–Who knew that herbivorous insects could drive plant diversity?

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Amazon will not handle book on Bush-Saudi links
–Freedom of expression Amazon is not.

CORRUPTION: Canada Backs Firm Banned by World Bank
–Canada is backing a firm with corruption charges in Africa. I do not think that this is a good position for Canada to take.

Oxfam press release: US blocking trade deal at WTO
–The US is blocking deals that would change the rules in WTO for the better.

OneWorld U.S. Home / Today’s News - Rights Groups Raise Alarm Over Cambodia
–Jim Lobe. The rights groups raising the alarm are Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. A big deal to say the least.

rabble columns
–A few words on fairness and the role of the police in the justice system. It is not law and Order redone but it is good to see that not all the media are jumping on the bandwagon of guilty until proven guilty idea that the Toronto police are using.

Trade treaties heighten privatization threat to Medicare and health care reform - new study
–The threat to health care from trade treaties. The liberal idea that everything should eventually be privately owned is not one that most people are backing but there may be little we can do if we sign onto more of these international trade deals without understanding the fine print. Have a read of this news release from Policy Alternatives.

ZNet |Third Party | Johnnie Been Good?
–Greg Palast looks at the DNC and at John Kerry.

Turning the Tide: An Independent Iraq
–A few words from Chomsky about an independent Iraq and the reasons that the US is not willing to leave.

TheStar.com - Chr�tien gets role in feud over Russian oil company
–This could be intersting: The legal disputes over the oil company that is being raked over the coals so that Russia can continue to nationalize the oil sector are going to have Chretien as moderator. The interesting thing here is that now that Chretien is in the private sector we can actually see exactly where on the political spectrum he lies.

Yahoo! News - Environmentalists claim victory on government’s working forest plan
–Chnages to the Forest Plan in Canada is a good change from the idea that we need to cut trees down to have “development”.

Socialist Worker / www.socialist.ca
–The NDP in BC need to stay left. They get kicked out of office every time they try to do policy that is like the Liberal.

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Banners held high as thousands bid farewell to a journalist and revolutionary
–A great article that would do Paul Foot proud. Remeberance of people who really do great things. I especially like the quote from Shelley’s poem: “Rise like lions after slumber in unvanquishable number — shake your chains to earth like dew which in sleep have fallen on you — Ye are many — they are few.”

TomDispatch
–The real story at the DNC convention: there is no story. Tom Engelhardt.

ZNet |Third Party | Election Hyperbole
–An interesting call to inaction on the left about the American Federal Elections. I kind of agree with Albert here… on some of his points.

rabble columns
–Martin should either govern or resign: by Duncan Cameron

rabble news
–The American Socail Forum. A look at the people on the ground.

“Innovation” Exposed - An ongoing inventory of major privatization initiatives in Canada’s health care system, 2003-2004
–A great look at the privatization of our heath care system.

MSF Canada | Press Release [28 July 2004 ]
–MSF has withdran from Afghanistan. You know the place is getting bad when. Not enough recognition goes to these people for the risks they take to help others. 30 aid workers have dies in Afghanistan since 2003.

Economist.com | The Brazilian Amazon
–Buildig a road through the Amazon. Just cut all the trees down now and kill off all the species because progress leads the way. Here is an idea: Try a train!

POLITICS-U.S.: Hegemony Yes, Empire No in a Kerry Foreign Policy: “Hegemony Yes, Empire No in a Kerry Foreign Policy ”
–Ahh, Jim Lobe.

Florida-Audit
–Big surprise, money is being awarded to companies that backed Jeb Bush. Accenture is one of the names. Does this company do anything by the book?

Iran-Cda-Kazemi, 2nd Writethru
–Iran has changed the official report that states how Kazemi died. Now, I think that Canada has milked this and distorted this story for its own end but there has been equal distortion on Iran’s side as well.

CBC News: Premiers plot health care strategy
–The provinces should not have to have a strategy to get more money for health care. The Liberals have to follow through or our health system will not survive and neither will we.

CBC News: Cities may have to wait for gas tax cash: Godfrey
–It starts. The Liberals are not goingn to give what they promised…. at least not right away. Cash for cities is on the backburner. Do they think we will forget?

rabble columns
–Outsourcing of provincial government projects leads to taxes being sent to other nations. Why do we not build government run projects (like the ferries) in the province?

rabble news - everyone’s a critic
–A look at the Democratic National Convention from a Canadian-left perspective.

Polaris Institute - Corporate-Security State Project
–Paul Martin and the war state.

ZNet |Science | The Corruption (and Redemption) of Science
–This is an interesting retort to the Monbiot article about the corruption of science by the Bush administration and the corporations funding science these days. This article is not so much saying that science is not being corrupted but instead says that it is not a conspiracy but more the outcome of the market system. Either way, I think that this needs to be examined and taken seriously by the public.

POLITICS: Iraq War Straining U.S.-Turkey Ties
–Jim Lobe.

They broke the law with pride
–A queen’s pardon for the women who wanted the vote and broke the law to raise attention to get it? Some would rather they were not pardoned but celebrated.

There can be no quick fix in Sudan
–Another article about Sudan. This guy has 25 years of experience in the Sudan. This is an important topic and is not getting the attention in the media it deserves, even if the attention is more than the Rwandan crisis got.

The real reasons Bush went to war
–A good look at the reasons for war and why the Bush administration is still telling us tales.

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Sudan to face ‘genocide’ inquiry
–The term “Genocide” is being concidered by the UK to attach to the Sudan crisis. The legal obligation if the term was to be adopted would be that something would need to be done to stop it. I think that the moral obligation would be to do something now…. the question is: Will it involve the international community as a whole?