Leftnews.org - News and Views From The Left




small leftnews


Creative Commons License

Archive for April, 2007

The moral bankruptcy of the European Union in its policies towards Cuba | ZNet

Posted by Faiz on 30th April 2007

“[As] long as the European Union shows its double standard and depravity by attacking a small Third World nation, while at the same time hiding its own crimes, it will continue to languish in the purgatory of discredit on the international scene and in the eyes of the world.”

Posted in World | Leave a Comment

CUPE > MédiaMatin to continue publishing

Posted by graham on 30th April 2007

–A union running a paper. Rather great!

Posted in Canada, Unions | Leave a Comment

The Calgary Sun - Transit union boss calls city’s ad misleading

Posted by graham on 30th April 2007

–The government should not be in the business of misleading the people it is supposed to represent. The people of Calgary should demand better. Support the workers.

Posted in Canada, Unions | Leave a Comment

Day denies prison privatization plans but is he being honest?

Posted by graham on 30th April 2007

–Is he ever?

Posted in Canada, Unions | Leave a Comment

Afghanistan: This war is not about human rights | in their own words

Posted by graham on 30th April 2007

–James Laxer continues to tell us the real truth.

Posted in Articles, Canada | Leave a Comment

Harper and O’Connor can’t escape torture scandal | in their own words

Posted by graham on 30th April 2007

–Or, at least they should be able to. Derrick O’Keefe tells us why.

Posted in Articles, Canada, Rights | Leave a Comment

5th ALBA Summit in Venezuela Strengthens Regional Integration

Posted by graham on 30th April 2007

–The new trade model seems to be getting more attention. The socialist model for trade’s core principle is “don’t screw-over your neighbour just to get ahead”. Seems sensible, no?

Posted in Economics/Trade, World | Leave a Comment

Richest 1,000 carry on getting richer - Independent Online Edition > This Britain

Posted by graham on 30th April 2007

–Equality is in the other direction, comrades.

Posted in Economics/Trade, Rights, World | Leave a Comment

Darfur: War without end - Independent Online Edition > Africa

Posted by graham on 30th April 2007

–It will not end because the governments of the countries that could do something continue to ignore the conflict. If we truly had democracy in the West things like this would not continue to occur.

Posted in Rights, World | Leave a Comment

US report blames Iraqis for failing reconstruction | Iraq | Guardian Unlimited

Posted by graham on 30th April 2007

–Yep, blame the oppressed for things going badly. It couldn’t possibly be the fault of the “liberators”.

Posted in World | Leave a Comment

Scientists meet in Bangkok to tackle global warming | Climate change | Guardian Unlimited Environment

Posted by graham on 30th April 2007

–They say scientists, however, there have been mass walkouts from the IPCC over the rather political position they are talking in trying to balance profits with the environment. There needs to be some popular pressure put on our governments to stop right-wing party hacks from interfering with the process.

Posted in Environment, World | Leave a Comment

Turks rally to stop Islamist president | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

Posted by graham on 30th April 2007

–Anyone know any decent analysis of what is going on in Turkey?

Posted in World | Leave a Comment

put this on yer sandwich, hellmanns

Posted by tracy on 29th April 2007

From: geoffrey tanner

So Hellmanns is having this contest. They’ve secured empty lots in five Canadian cities and they want to give out plots to people to garden on. What a concept, eh. Unilever Community Gardens. (Unilever owns Hellmanns). Co-opting community gardens is pretty low. I read all the small print and it’s pretty awful. I think one of the most offensive rules is they reserve the right to tend your garden for you if they don’t like the way you are tending it. I could go on and on. I won’t. I think we should all enter this contest. Fill out the e-forms with bogus info then write the 150 essay that they request. I suggest starting off straight but veering off into anti-Hellmanns/anti-Unilever rants. Get yer creative juices flowin’ and have some fun! Enter as many times as you can. And send this to everyone on your contact sheet. It would be awesome if we clogged their system so bad that they had to cancel their contest. If you want to enter, or just check it out, go to www.hellmanns.ca and click on the GARDENS button.

COMMUNITY GARDENS ARE FOR PEOPLE, NOT MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS.

Posted in Environment | 5 Comments

Opposition, workers dont like Murphys suggestions

Posted by graham on 27th April 2007

–We must protect the public health care system.

From the article:

Unionized health-care workers say they know exactly where Murphy is going, and they don’t like it.

Daniel Leger of the Canadian Union of Public Employees says if hospital equipment is sitting idle late at night, renting it out to the private sector is not the solution.

“We should put an extra shift on. Put an extra shift on 4 -12. Put an extra shift on the weekend. Hospital workers, health care workers are shift workers. We don’t mind working a 4-12 shift,” Leger said.

Posted in Economics/Trade, New Brunswick, Unions | Leave a Comment

Bringing the World Bank into the 21st Century | ZNet

Posted by Faiz on 27th April 2007

“The vast majority of the countries that have followed its policies have suffered a sharp slowdown in economic growth over the last 25 years, and a resulting decline in progress on social indicators such as life expectancy and infant and child mortality.”

Posted in World | Leave a Comment

Health Canada muzzles oilsands whistleblower

Posted by tracy on 27th April 2007

AB physician sounded cancer alarm, slapped with College complaint

Posted in Canada, Environment, Health | Leave a Comment

Reconstruction in Lebanon | ZNet

Posted by Faiz on 27th April 2007

“Amnesty International stated after the war ended that many of the attacks on Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure were collective punishment, and not the “collateral damage” that Israel claimed.”

Posted in World | Leave a Comment

The Three No’s of Jerusalem | Counterpunch

Posted by Faiz on 27th April 2007

“[The Israeli] government have reflexively rejected every Arab peace offer, whether from Saudi Arabia, Syria, the Arab League or Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president. Ariel Sharon’s and Mr Olmert’s policies these past seven years have shaped a new paradigm in which Israel is the rejectionist party. The Three No’s of Khartoum have been replaced by the Three No’s of Jerusalem: no negotiations with Syria, no acceptance of the Arab initiative and, above all, no peace talks with the Palestinians.”

Posted in World | Leave a Comment

Private sector could rent N.B. hospital rooms: Murphy

Posted by graham on 26th April 2007

–Yet another unworkable and generally ridiculous idea out of this Liberal government. What world are they living on? We do not have to come up with hair-brained schemes that are, quite obviously, going to lead to the demise of the health care system and economy of this province… if we wanted the economy to collapse we could have just left the Conservatives in power. They are just wasting time and money trying to come up with ‘new’ ideas. Who do they think that they are? Everything that they are coming up with is nuts and not based on any knowledge or experience from the academic or work worlds. There has to be a response to this from those that actually know how the system is put together and what changes need to be made politicians should just stay out of the way if privatization is all they can come up with. No one wants it and there are many alternatives.

Posted in Economics/Trade, Health, New Brunswick, Rights, Unions | Leave a Comment

Time Inc., UPM to study logging effects on Acadian forest

Posted by graham on 26th April 2007

–Ah, there is nothing like commercialised research to give you completely biased results. What do we think is going to come out of this research, that they should cut back on logging? Would that even be an option to report?!?

Posted in Environment, New Brunswick | Leave a Comment

South End Press | Getting Off

Posted by walker on 26th April 2007

Pornography is big business, a thriving multi-billion dollar industry so powerful it drives the direction of much media technology. It also makes for complicated politics. Anti-pornography arguments are frequently dismissed as patently “anti-sex”–and ultimately “anti-feminist”–silencing at the gate a critical discussion of pornography’s relationship to violence against women and even what it means to be a “real man.”

In his most personal and difficult book to date, Robert Jensen launches a powerful critique of mainstream pornography that promises to reignite one of the fiercest debates in contemporary feminism. At once alarming and thought-provoking, Getting Off asks tough but crucial questions about pornography, manhood, and paths toward genuine social justice.

To listen to an interview with the author:

http://lists.wort-fm.org/archive/permalink/wort_070309_120401apafri.mp3

Posted in Health, Rights | Leave a Comment

Al-Qaida thriving despite war on terror

Posted by walker on 26th April 2007

The head of Scotland Yard’s counterterrorism command said yesterday that al-Qaida had survived the six-year long “war on terror” launched by President George Bush and Tony Blair, and its central leadership had retained the ability to order devastating attacks on Britain.

Deputy assistant commissioner Peter Clarke, the national counterterrorism coordinator, warned in a lecture last night that terrorists “have momentum” and were on an “inexorable trend to more ambitious and more destructive attack planning”.

“We have seen how al-Qaida has been able to survive a prolonged multinational assault on its structures, personnel and logistics. It has certainly retained its ability to deliver centrally directed attacks here in the UK.

Posted in World | Leave a Comment

Parliamentary Committee recommends support to women’s advocacy | fafia

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–And so does the rest of Canada.

Posted in Canada, Rights | Leave a Comment

How to pay taxes like a corporation | rabble news - everyone’s a critic

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–Jim Stanford on taxes and who actually pays them.

Posted in Articles, Canada, Economics/Trade, Unions | Leave a Comment

UN Criticises Iraq for Concealing Casualty Figures - CommonDreams.org - Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–If the UN is being critical then you know that there is a very big and real problem.

Posted in Rights, World | Leave a Comment

The leadership of Europe in the balance | in their own words

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–Rabble’s Duncan Cameron talks of the current political fight in France.

Posted in Articles, Canada, World | Leave a Comment

Anti-poverty Activists Fight to Eradicate Predatory Lending - The NewStandard

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–If only. Isn’t all lending to the poor at hight interest rates predatory?

Posted in Articles, Economics/Trade, World | Leave a Comment

BBC NEWS | Europe | Excerpts: Putin’s address

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–Putin is throwing some weight around. We all still see Russia as a real player on the world scene and it is about time that the leadership start standing up to the US hegemony in the region.

Posted in World | Leave a Comment

Analytical Monthly Review, “Another “Reform” Fraud from Chidambaram”

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–Industrialisation of India seems to continue without any benefits for the vast majority of the people there. The people must push Congress to actually follow-up on their supposed caring for the poor.

Posted in Articles, World | Leave a Comment

Bayrou hints at poll support for Royal - Independent Online Edition > Europe

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–This is news. If the liberal candidate is going to through some tacit support behind Royal (as he should — they have the same basic ideology) then it is going to make the competition between Royal and Sarkozy the Nut a real race.

Posted in Articles | Leave a Comment

Heat turned up on Rice from Guardian Unlimited: News blog

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–There needs to be consequences for lying to the public and sending a nation to war.

Posted in Articles | Leave a Comment

Guardian Unlimited | Comment is free | The puppet who cleared the way for Iraq’s destruction

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–Andrew Cockburn lays out the realities of the current situation in Iraq and who should get the blame for the disaster that is the US occupation of Iraq.

Posted in Articles, World | Leave a Comment

Draft United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: The First Nations Are Asking the National Assembly to Adopt a Resolution of Support | CNW Group

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–Why is it that things that seem so reasonable by the vast majority of the world seem impossible for our leaders to do? Support the struggle of First Nation communities.

Posted in Canada, Rights | Leave a Comment

CLC/CTC > “When are 250,000 lost jobs a crisis? – Now!” Georgetti says

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–Ken Georgetti states that the Environment Minister seems to only care about jobs when it suites the Conservatives’ agenda.:

“I am astounded to hear the Minister of the Environment describing the hypothetical loss of 250,000 good-paying jobs in the manufacturing, forestry and processing sectors as a looming crisis. Because three weeks ago, the same number of jobs loss did not warrant any government concern.”

Read and find out where.

Posted in Canada, Unions | Leave a Comment

Past UNBSJ president endorses amalgamation

Posted by Graham on 26th April 2007

–Amalgamation is just another word that means cuts to our system of post-secondary education. If we want an accessible and responsible education system in this province we are going to have to pay for it… try raising corporate taxes to a level on par with the rest of the country.

Posted in Economics/Trade, New Brunswick | Leave a Comment