Greenspiration News: bike calendars, nukes, climate action

[angela bischoff]

Greenspiration News

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All wealth belongs to the Divine and those who hold it are trustees, not
possessors. It is with them today, tomorrow it will be elsewhere. All
depends on the way they discharge their trust while it is with them, in
what spirit, and what consciousness is their of it, to what purpose.
- Sri Aurobindo, "The Mother"

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Friends of Greenspiration,

Do you appreciate Greenspiration News as much as these people do?

---
I thank you on behalf of my grandchildren and great grandchildren who will
not be born for some time yet.
- Abby
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I eagerly read all of your mail, even tho I'm not able to participate in
all of it.  But it's provocative and gets me movin' sometimes. Keep up the
good work.
- John
---
I love you postings, been enjoying them for years!
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---
Thanks for your amazing, tireless work. I love getting your emails. You
really inspire me ever time.
- Richard
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I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your updates on local
and world community action on such great issues. Education is the first
step towards action. Thank you!
- Emi
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Thank you for the great links. Your networking is really making a
difference. Keep it up.
- Nigel
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I love reading your digests. It's such a great help for someone like me to
be able to learn about things going on that I don't have time to look into
myself.
- Jennifer
---

If you too love the Greenspiration posts, would you consider making a
donation to Greenspiration, to contribute to my expenses associated with
this newsletter?

Every donation will receive from me a 2009 Solidarity Bicycle Calendar
(full color, wall calendar, bilingual, Canadian, images of cyclists in
lesser developed countries, http://www.cyclonordsud.org/voir.php?id=507
retail value $12 plus $2 postage, ask me about bulk purchases for
Christmas gifts)

Thanks for your support!

-angela
Greenspiration
214 Macdonell Ave.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6R 2A8

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The Disappearing Male 

Premiering On: Thurs. November 6, 2008 at 9 pm on CBC-TV
Repeating On: Sat. Nov. 8, 2008 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld

Find out more or view the trailer (2:33 min):
<http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2008/disappearingmale/index.html>http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2008/disappearingmale/index.html

"We are conducting a vast toxicological experiment in which our children
and our children's children are the experimental subjects." Dr. Herbert
Needleman

The Disappearing Male is about one of the most important, and least
publicized, issues facing the human species: the toxic threat to the male
reproductive system.

The last few decades have seen steady and dramatic increases in the
incidence of boys and young men suffering from genital deformities, low
sperm count, sperm abnormalities and testicular cancer.

Some researchers say that declining male fertility rates could be the
first sign of extinction.

At the same time, boys are now far more at risk of suffering from ADHD,
autism, Tourette's syndrome, cerebral palsy, and dyslexia.

The Disappearing Male takes a close and disturbing look at what many
doctors and researchers now suspect are responsible for many of these
problems: a class of common chemicals that are ubiquitous in our world.

Found in everything from shampoo, sunglasses, meat and dairy products,
carpet, cosmetics and baby bottles, they are called "hormone mimicking" or
"endocrine disrupting" chemicals and they may be starting to damage the
most basic building blocks of human development.

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Canada An Environmental Slouch, Study Says

November 4, 2008

Canada's environmental record is among the worst in the industrialized
world, due in part to its poor performance fighting global warming,
according to a report from the Conference Board of Canada on Monday.

Canada placed 15th among 17 peers, beating only Australia and the United
States. Greenhouse gas emissions, high garbage production, and rampant
overuse of fresh water were its biggest environmental problems.

Full article:
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/50905/story.htm

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The Flawed Economics of Nuclear Power
Lester R. Brown, October 28, 2008

Over the last few years the nuclear industry has used concerns about
climate change to argue for a nuclear revival.  <snip>

If all the costs of generating nuclear electricity are included in the
price to consumers, nuclear power is dead in the water. <snip>

Despite all the industry hype about a nuclear future, private investors
are openly skeptical. In fact, while little private capital is going into
nuclear power, investors are pouring tens of billions of dollars into wind
farms each year. And while the world’s nuclear generating capacity is
estimated to expand by only 1,000 megawatts this year, wind generating
capacity will likely grow by 30,000 megawatts. In addition, solar cell
installations and the construction of solar thermal and geothermal power
plants are all growing by leaps and bounds.

The reason for this extraordinary gap between the construction of nuclear
power plants and wind farms is simple: wind is much more attractive
economically. Wind yields more energy, more jobs, and more carbon
reduction per dollar invested than nuclear. Though nuclear power plants
are still being built in some countries and governments are talking them
up in others, the reality is that we are entering the age of wind, solar,
and geothermal energy.

Full article: http://www.earthpolicy.org/Updates/2008/Update78.htm

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Shut down Pickering B Nuclear Station!

I'm writing on behalf of Greenpeace to ask your help in calling for
the permanent shut down of the Pickering B nuclear station.

On December 10th the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is holding
a hearing in Ajax, just east of Toronto, on the environmental impacts of
the proposed life-extension of the Pickering B nuclear station until 2060.
The deadline for making comments is November 10th.

The CNSC claims spending billions to rebuild Pickering and run it until 2060
will have no "significant" environmental effects. We'd like to ask that you
make a submission or presentation to the CNSC, calling for the shutdown of
Pickering.

Why is this important?

Early next year the McGuinty government will decide whether to rebuild or
close the Pickering nuclear station.

Just 30 km from downtown Toronto, the Pickering nuclear station is closer
than any other nuclear reactor to a major population centre in the world.  A
nuclear station would not be permitted to be built at Pickering today.

The hearing in December is an opportunity to tell the McGuinty government
and the federal regulator that Pickering should be shut down.

What can I do?

§  Plan to make a submission or presentation at the hearing for the
December 10th hearing.  Email submissions to
<interventions at cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca> by November 10th.  Let us know if you'll
be making a submission by emailing me at <paulich at greenpeace.org>.

How can I get more information?

§  You can get a copy of the CNSC's environmental assessment report here:

<http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/canada/en/campaigns/end-the-nuclear-threat/resources/pickering-ea-screening-report.pdf>

You can get more background on Pickering here:
<http://greenpeace.ca/shut-down-pickering>

§  We will be happy to share Greenpeace's submission. Let us know if you
need help by emailing me at <paulich at greenpeace.org>.

How else can I help?

*	Greenpeace, the Pembina Institute, WWF and the David Suzuki
Foundation are calling for Pickering B to be shut down and replaced by
green energy.  Find out more at http://renewableisdoable.ca

Thank you for your attention.  Please let us know if you plan to make a
submission or presentation.  If you have any questions or require any
further information, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Peter Aulich
Nuclear Campaign Assistant
(416) 597-8408 x3072
paulich at greenpeace.org

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How the Rich are Destroying the Earth, by Hervé Kempf (Chelsea Green
Publishing, 2008; $12.95)

So why the hell shouldn't the rich destroy the planet? After all, it's
theirs. They own it. We all live on it, true, but we're just renting space
from the Landlords of our piece of earth, our air, our water.

The Landlords do what they want with their property. To get at their gold,
they dump arsenic in our drinking water; to get at their oil, they melt
our polar caps and barf soot into our lungs.

Hervé Kempf, being French, is really upset about this. But many Americans
applaud it. We call these resource rapists "entrepreneurs" — it's the only
French word most journalists know — and drool over their rewards on
re-runs of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

Full article: http://www.rabble.ca/reviews/review.shtml?x=77001

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THE TIME IS NOW!  DEMAND ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE! 

Urgent and resolute action is needed to prevent the catastrophic
destabilization of global climate. This December, the world is coming to
Poland for a crucial meeting en route to a new global climate treaty.
Canada must be a visionary country this time around, instead of blocking
the negotiations like we did in 2007. This December, speak out for the
Earth: be a caretaker of our natural world, a proud participant in the
international community, and a fierce defender of the world’s most
vulnerable peoples.

On December 7, take to the streets to demand that our government plays a
leading role in developing a strong “Kyoto II” international treaty that
is both equitable and effective in minimizing dangerous climate change.

Canada must take responsibility by immediately reducing its own greenhouse
gas emissions as well as investing in a clean energy revolution in the
developing world. Climate change will hit the poorest first and hardest,
in Canada and around the world. Canada has the means to cut its own
emissions and to help the global south do the same; we also have a legal
obligation to act. We must therefore urgently and decisively do so.
Canadians must do our fair share to stop climate chaos now.

NOW IS THE TIME: DEMAND A REAL DEAL IN POLAND!

Start planning for December 7 in your community now! It can be as simple
as a potluck, or as large as a march. Show our leaders that Canadians care
about climate change!

Need a hand getting started?
Register your action with:

- Barbara Hayes, Director, Canadian Youth Climate Coalition
<mailto:director at ourclimate.ca>director at ourclimate.ca
- Mike Buckthought, National Climate Change Campaigner, Sierra Club Canada
<mailto:mikeb at sierraclub.ca>mikeb at sierraclub.ca

 For a list of events across the country, visit:
- <http://www.climatechaos.net/>www.climatechaos.net
- <http://www.sierraclub.ca/climatecrisis>www.sierraclub.ca/climatecrisis

The December 7 day of action is an initiative of the growing nationwide
climate movement. Join the community in demanding an urgent solution to
the climate crisis.

Useful links:

- KYOTOplus Petition: <http://www.kyotoplus.ca/>http://www.kyotoplus.ca
- Climate Action Network Canada:
<http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/>http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/
- Sierra Club Canada:
<http://www.sierraclub.ca/climatecrisis/>http://www.sierraclub.ca/climatecrisis/
- Canadian Youth Climate Coalition:
<http://www.ourclimate.ca/>http://www.ourclimate.ca/
- Greenpeace Canada:
<http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/climate-and-energy>http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/campaigns/climate-and-energy
- Pembina Institute: <http://www.pembina.org/>http://www.pembina.org/
- Council of Canadians: <http://www.canadians.org/>http://www.canadians.org/
- Conservation Council of New Brunswick:
<http://www.conservationcouncil.ca/Climate-Action/>http://www.conservationcouncil.ca/Climate-Action/
- QuébecKyoto: <http://quebeckyoto.org/>http://quebeckyoto.org/
- KAIROS: <http://www.kairoscanada.org/>http://www.kairoscanada.org/

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Ralph Nader on the US corporate bail out:

"We need widespread criminal prosecution of these corporate crooks and
swindlers. There were lots of deceptive practices, cover-ups and conflicts
of interest involved in selling this phony paper around the country and
the world.
<snip>

But above all, we need to make the speculators pay for their own bailout.
And that can be done by a one-tenth of one percent tax on derivatives
transactions, which this year will be $500 trillion worth. So, one-tenth
of one percent will produce $500 billion; two-tenths of one percent will
produce a trillion dollars. And that is only fair. So, what’s important
here is there’s nothing spectacularly new about a derivatives tax. The
stock tax transaction helped to fund the Civil War. Franklin Delano
Roosevelt used it. Some European countries have it now. People in New York
and elsewhere go into a store and pay six, seven percent sales tax for
necessities of life. But someone today on Wall Street will buy $100
million of Exxon derivatives and pay nothing."

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/16/breaking_the_sound_barrier_third_party

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Adverse drug events up sharply

from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Oct. 27

A record number of deaths and serious injuries associated with drug
therapy were reported to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the
first quarter of 2008. Serious injuries associated with drug therapy
reached a total of 20,745 new cases; reported deaths totaled 4,824 cases,
a 2.6 fold increase from the previous quarter.

In addition, varenicline (Chantix, Champix), an aid to stopping smoking,
accounted for more reported serious injuries than any other prescription
drug for a second quarter, a total of 1,001 new cases, including 50
additional deaths. Varenicline was the subject of a previous Quarter Watch
special report and a separate FDA Public Health Alert about psychiatric
side effects.

Full article: http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewConsForum8.cfm?REF=38

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Memorial Design Contest for the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital Cemetery,
Etobicoke

About the Contest:

Purpose: A design campaign is underway to create a permanent memorial for
the 1511 people buried in the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital Cemetery at
the northeast corner of Horner Avenue and Evans Avenue in Etobicoke. Most
of the people were buried in unmarked graves between 1890-1974. The
purpose of this campaign is to create a permanent public marker to
remember the people buried here in a dignified  and respectful way and to
acknowledge their contributions to our community. It is intended to right
a grievous historical wrong in which we as a community say to the people
buried here: “You are forgotten no longer!”

Background: Between 1890-1974 one thousand, five hundred and eleven people
were buried in a cemetery at what is now the northeast corner of Evans and
Horner Avenues in Etobicoke. These men, women and in some cases, infants,
were almost all deceased inmates of the Mimico Insane Asylum, later known
as the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital at the time it was closed in 1979.
Of these 1511 people, 1357 are buried in unmarked graves and 154 are in
marked graves with gravestones in varying states of repose. Since 2004,
efforts have been underway to preserve and restore this site which,
heretofore, had been allowed to deteriorate. Activists, led by Ed
Janiszewski of CAMH Archives, have worked together with the Psychiatric
Survivor Archives, Toronto (PSAT), Among Friends Community Mental Health
Program in Etobicoke, and local heritage groups, as well as concerned
citizens who are not connected to a particular group, to maintain this
site and memorialize the people buried in the cemetery. Since January
2006, these efforts have been organized under the umbrella of the
Lakeshore Asylum Cemetery Project (LACP) which meets at Among Friends.

Instructions: In memory of the people buried at the Lakeshore Psychiatric
Hospital Cemetery in Etobicoke, consider a monument that we could build on
the cemetery grounds. Use words to describe it, or draw it (showing the
front and side views), or make a sculpture or model of it (using clay,
popsicle sticks, or any medium). Tell us how large the monument should be,
what it should be made of, and any other information that would help us
build it (colour, direction, ornaments, lettering, etc). Send it to us
with your phone and/or address so that we can contact you. No previous
design experience necessary!

Who Can Apply: Any psychiatric survivor, consumer, client or current or
former patient of the mental health system and anyone who has a relative
who is buried in this cemetery.

1st PRIZE - $ 650
2nd PRIZE - $ 250
3rd PRIZE - $ 100

Contest winners will be announced in early 2009.
Send or deliver your submission by December 1, 2008, to:

Among Friends (Design Contest)
185 Fifth Street, 4th Floor
Toronto, Ontario, M8V 2Z5

For more information, including an information package, call “Among
Friends” and ask about the “Memorial Design Contest”:
416-251-8666

or email Deb Quiggin:
deb.quiggin at gmail.com

See the cemetery website at:
http://www.psychiatricsurvivorarchives.com/cemetery/index.html

Who Will Judge the Contest: The design Selection Committee will be made up
of representatives of the Lakeshore Asylum Cemetery Project and the
Psychiatric Survivor Archives Toronto. The Psychiatric Survivor Archives,
Toronto has provided funding for this memorial design campaign. Members of
the selection committee and their relatives/partners/spouses are
ineligible to submit a design.

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