Greenspiration News: Never Give Up!

Wed Mar 24 23:11:56 EDT 2010

Greenspiration News

“War is the greatest destroyer of human life, the greatest polluter,  
the greatest creator of refugees, the greatest cause of starvation and  
illness. We all have to care – not just for our own little circle, but  
for the universe.” Muriel Duckworth.

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Jane Goodall: "Never Give Up"
Bill Moyers Journal, March 19, 2010

"....there are sort of two main causes of intense environmental  
destruction. And one is absolute poverty. Because what can you do  
except cut down some more trees and try to grow food in the tropics.  
Cut the tree cover down, and you soon get a desert. And that's  
happening all over the developing world. It's happened in the U.S.,  
the great Dust Bowl. Over agricultural use. So, poverty is one. And  
unsustainable lifestyles is another. And that's you and me and all the  
others like us."

Watch/Listen: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/03192010/watch.html

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Scientists warn of demise of Canadian climate research

When government funding for a foundation dedicated to climate research  
dries up at the end of the year, scientists say the aftershocks of its  
departure will be felt not only in Canada but by researchers around  
the globe.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20100314/climate_research_100314/20100314?hub

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Climate-change scientists feel 'muzzled' by Ottawa: Documents
A dramatic reduction in Canadian media coverage of climate change  
science issues is the result of the Harper government introducing new  
rules in 2007 to control interviews by Environment Canada scientists  
with journalists, says a newly released federal document.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Climate+change+scientists+feel+muzzled+Ottawa+Documents/2684065/story.html

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Money spent on tar sands projects could decarbonise western economies

WWF-UK and The Co-operative have launched a report showing how the  
massive resources being poured into environmentally damaging tar sands  
could kick start ambitious green energy plans in Europe or enable the  
world to hit half of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals in the 49  
least developed countries, including averting four million child  
deaths annually.

The thought-provoking report, Opportunity Cost of the Tar Sands, puts  
into perspective the estimated £254 billion ($379 billion) the big oil  
companies are planning to invest in tar sands between now and 2025.

Report available at:
http://assets.wwf.org.uk/downloads/oppcoststarsandsdev.pdf

Guardian coverage:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/15/bp-shell-tar-sands-green-energy

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
Fair Vote Canada

I was concerned to realize a few things about the way Canada’s  
democracy works, or doesn’t work.

Most of us are represented in Parliament by people we voted against.
Most MPs represent mostly people who voted against them.
The number of seats a political party wins does not usually reflect  
the number of votes they received.
Usually a single political party has all the power, even though most  
of us voted against them.
However, I was encouraged to learn that it doesn’t have to be this  
way. Here’s how democracy works elsewhere.

Most developed countries use proportional voting systems that  
accurately translate the votes people cast into representation in  
Parliament.
Countries with proportional voting have a more consensual type of  
government and a more civilized style of politics.
Countries with proportional voting elect more women, and the diversity  
of the population is better reflected in Parliament.
People who live in countries with proportional representation tend to  
be more satisfied with their politics, their politicians, and their  
government.
That’s why I decided to take action. I’ve signed Fair Vote Canada’s  
Declaration of Voters’ Rights, and I invite you to do the same. You  
can read and sign the Declaration of Voters’ Rights by clicking on  
this link:http://www.fairvote.ca/en/civicrm/profile/create?gid=7&reset=1

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

POST COP15 | TIME TO BE BOLD | DECLARATION

At THE COP 15 CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE IN  Copenhagen, the whole  
issue of militarism was virtually ignored. Bolivia, the ALBA group and  
Cuba were
prepared to address both the contribution of militarism to greenhouse  
gas emissions, the need to reallocate military expenses and the call  
for renouncing of war. This Declaration will be taken to the upcoming  
Conference, in April, on Climate Change in Bolivia.

Please sign the petition!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/post-cop15-time-to-be-bold

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Prescribed medicines: Killers from the chemist
They are behind a string of celebrity deaths. But these legal drugs  
also blight thousands of more ordinary lives, says Phil Boucher

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/prescribed-medicines-killers-from-the-chemist-1921786.html

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Billionaires and Mega-Corporations Behind Immense Land Grab in Africa

20+ African countries are selling or leasing land for intensive  
agriculture on a shocking scale in what may be the greatest change of  
ownership since the colonial era.

http://www.alternet.org/water/145970

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Youth for Real Climate Action
CYCC – Canadian Youth for Climate Change

Join the Canadian youth climate movement!

http://www.ourclimate.ca/wordpress/

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Canadian women launch lawsuit against Bayer birth control pills Yaz  
and Yasmin

A group of Canadian women have launched two separate class-action  
lawsuits against Bayer Inc. and the company's birth control pills Yaz  
and Yasmin.
Both suits suggest the contraceptives have caused serious medical  
emergencies, such as blood clots, pulmonary embolisms (a blockage of  
the main artery of the lung, which can cause death), and the need for  
gallbladder removals.

http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/posted/archive/2010/03/12/canadian-women-launch-lawsuit-against-bayer-birth-controll-pills.aspx

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Medicating the military
Use of psychiatric drugs has spiked; concerns surface about suicide,  
other dangers
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/03/military_psychiatric_drugs_031710w/
-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Fossil Fools Day

Pull a Prank that Packs a Punch!
15 Actions to Topple the Fossil Fuel Empire
WHAT: Actions, Jokes and Pranks Galore to Stop the Fossil Fools

WHERE: Your Town Planet Earth

WHEN: April 1st, 2010

CONTACT: fossilfoolsday at risingtidenorthamerica.org

http://www.fossilfoolsdayofaction.org/2010/

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Humberto DaSilva won the Not Rex Murphy contest on rabble. If you  
missed the contest, you can read about it at: http://rabble.ca/rabbletv/notrex 
  .

Here is Humberto's first Not Rex commentary, on the Greek economic  
crisis. Although the Greek Debt Crisis is being blamed on deficits,  
Wall Street firms have been profiting on Greek debt for years.
Check out the 4-minute video.

http://www.rabble.ca/babble/rabble-news-features/not-rex-murphy-humberto-dasilva

Angela’s note: Freakin’ AWEsome!

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Runaway
Cordell Barker’s latest animated short is now online at NFB.ca
Runaway, 9 minutes, features a driverless train filled with people  
having a great time, completely oblivious to the fate that awaits them  
around the bend.

Watch it here: http://www.nfb.ca/film/runaway/?ec=en20100310

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

Earth Hour

Saturday, March 27th 2010, 8:30 p.m.

Join hundreds of millions of people around the world who will turn off  
their lights for an hour to demand action on climate change.

Organize an Earth Hour candlelight vigil in your community or hold a  
candlelight dinner party for your friends! Engage those in your  
community to encourage everyone to turn off their lights!

http://wwf.ca/earthhour/

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
Copenhagen activist trial

Two environmental activists appeared in court today accused of  
terrorism-related offences during the Copenhagen climate summit in  
December.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/16/copenhagen-activist-trial

-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------

------

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Eulogies and Condolences for Tooker
and Stories of ecology and activism
http://www.greenspiration.org
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Join my email list by emailing Angela at:
greenspiration at web.ca
Write "subscribe" in the subject line
and tell me what city/country you live in
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://list.web.net/archives/greenspiration/attachments/20100324/a01abd2b/attachment-0001.htm>