Females are willing to do more work than men for less credit, a reality that will always keep our daughters down no matter how diligent they are in school and work. And it isn’t a new story. | Leah McLaren

Hundreds of protesters interrupted the Olympic torch relay through downtown Victoria on Friday night.

Unemployment reduces C02 as a side effect of people not working. A real environmental movement pushes for a radical change in how we work– a democratically planned economy with green jobs.

“Friday’s vote is the latest major political upheaval for Haiti since Preval was elected in February 2006, following two years of turmoil sparked by the ouster of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide”

“Officials have said it would expand U.S. access to seven Colombian bases while maintaining at 1,400 the cap on military personnel and contractors specified by U.S. law. … U.S. law specifies that no more than 800 U.S. military personnel and 600 civilian contractors may be in country at any one time. Currently, there are 230 U.S. service personnel and 400 contractors in Colombia”

Commentary by Eric Margolis

“If you’re going to convince me that opposition to the CFS is a left position, you’re going to need a lot more than recycled Tiny Tory talking points and a rejection of any sort of solidarity campaigns.”

“Young classical superstars setting a new standard that combines artistic excellence with a social conscience.”

American Preeminence Is Disappearing Fifteen Years Early | By Michael T. Klare

“A gathering on Thursday at Government College University in Lahore was particularly hostile. Rarely in her travels as secretary of state has Mrs. Clinton encountered an audience so uniformly suspicious and immune to her star power as the polite, but unsmiling, university students who challenged her there.”

It was a remarkable show.

“Pakistani women – much like the country’s youth and professionals, whom Clinton met in similar meetings in Lahore on Thursday – seemed more keen on discussing security issues. The questions that met with most applause from the audience were on US drone attacks”

Also see: U.S. Use of Drones Queried by U.N. | New York Times

CUPE National has placed CUPE Local 3903 under administration. I have been named as the administrator. I’m Lynn McDougall, a CUPE National Representative, and Coordinator of the Ontario University Workers Coordinating Committee (OUWCC).

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“Defense spending continues to be an important factor pushing the economy as it has grown rapidly even as the economy has shrunk. Defense spending now accounts for 5.6 percent of GDP, the largest share since the first quarter of 1993. By comparison, it peaked at 7.6 percent in the 3rd quarter of 1986, at the height of the Reagan build-up. In its last pre-September 11th projections, the Congressional Budget Office projected defense spending for 2009 as 2.4 percent of GDP.”

Also see: U.S. states vie to land F-35 fighter bases | Reuters

“Attracting the F-35, the Pentagon’s costliest acquisition program at $300 billion over coming decades, would be a shot in the arm to surrounding communities.”

“And tonight, let me tell you that, so long as I’m president, you will never have a stronger ally than the AFL-CIO. That’s why we’re proud to stand with the JLC to oppose boycotting Israel.” — Remarks by Richard L. Trumka, President of the AFL-CIO, Jewish Labor Committee 2009 Annual Human Rights Dinner, October 27, 2009

You can send your comment on Trumka’s position to the AFL-CIO at: www.aflcio.org/siteguides/contactus.cfm.

FYI:

* Palestinian Trade Unions Endorsing the BDS Call
* Worldwide Unions Supporting BDS

“Since the investigation was “solely criminal” based upon “smuggling and fraud,” we urge law enforcement and the media not to take advantage of this tragedy in order to demonize American Muslims generally, and those who are African American Muslims in particular.”

Fault Lines’ Avi Lewis reports on polarization and power in the Americas.

I think most people, even its supporters, have clued into this by now.

In the early days of the People’s Republic of China, labour re-education camps were set up to keep dissidents in check. Decades later, the camps are still open and have become a growing embarrassment for the government in Beijing. | The Real News

The world is upside down if the Tories are siding with the people and public ownership over the Liberals. The NB Grits are no longer remotely progressive. The next election with see the New Democrats take a bit out of their base.

“The United Steelworkers (USW) and MONDRAGON Internacional, S.A. today announced a framework agreement for collaboration in establishing MONDRAGON cooperatives in the manufacturing sector within the United States and Canada. The USW and MONDRAGON will work to establish manufacturing cooperatives that adapt collective bargaining principles to the MONDRAGON worker ownership model of “one worker, one vote.”

“Citing its strong health indicators on such things as life expectancy and infant mortality, [World Health Organization director general Margaret Chan] said, “In a country of this level of economic development, to be able to achieve those very good health indices is not easy.” … Cuba, she said, “has the right vision and the right direction. Health is a state policy and health is seen as a right of the people.”