:: The Parkdale Forum ::

Federal Election 2008

2008-02-29T19:27:00.001-05:00

Homelessness Marathon

2007-02-20T22:26:00.000-05:00

Covering issues as the affordable housing disparity crisis, the crisis of disenfranchised youth not handled by teh system, the true invisibility of homelessness (they don't all look obvious for one!) , how issues such as health, welfare cuts, trauma and drug abuse, coping mechanisms, mental health, trust of services overlap and interrelate, issues, the beaurocracy of an 'address', shelter service or rather, the inadequacy therof...

Good stuff if you've got the type of open mind needed to peer into some truth.

For those who are unfamiliar with some of the dynamics that might visit those less fortunte living in Parkdale... or willfully ignorant of them.

Money-strapped in the new year...?

2007-01-14T19:02:00.000-05:00

Feeling sniffly?
Finances as compromised after yer Chistmas spend-a-thon as yer immune system?

Don't worry.
It's probably that bug that's going around...

BOXING WEEK SALE... refund bonanza!

2006-12-28T20:08:00.000-05:00

Wanting to get away from the Rat Race?

Feeling hip, techy, savvy 'cause you got an iPod?
Got that Nike running tracker thing, too?

Congratulations.
You've left the "Rat Race".

You're now a rat running in a cage.

Boxing week sale... Refund gift bonanza!

2006-12-27T13:16:00.000-05:00

"DataDot DNA" Microdots that can't be seen, size of a grain of sand.

Supposed to help with tracking down property.

... Why the hell does it have the word "DNA" on it...?

Oh.

You DO know RFID chips can fit in the dot over an "i" on a printed piece of paper, can be machine-washable and be embedded into clothing, right?

I mean, if you REALLY wanted to, you can take the technology to its , right?

Welcome to the politics of attrition..

Remember the Rupert Motel

2006-12-12T01:53:00.000-05:00

Thursday, December 14, 2006, at 11 AM
Northwest corner of Queen Street East and Parliament Street (at the site of the former 'Ruperet Hotel' rooming house)

Two days before Christmas, December 23, 1989, a spectacular fire roared through a rooming house called 'the Rupert Hotel'at the corner of Queen and Parliament in Toronto. Ten people died. Many others were left homeless.

Members of the 'Rupert Coalition', friends and housing advocates will gather at the site of the former 'Rupert Hotel' in downtown Toronto's east end on Thursday, December 14, at 11 AM. They will hold the yearly memorial for the ten people who died in this tragedy, and to demand government action on safe, affordable housing.

Music by Roger, Heinz and Paul, performing 'Remember the Rupert Hotel' and other songs. Guest Speakers. Memorial dedication.

------
Presented by: The Rupert Coalition (Community Residential Services of
Toronto) For more information: Bart Poesiat at (416)531-2411, ext.250
Email: poesiatb@lao.on.ca

Oh, look over there! Elvis!

2006-12-03T01:58:00.000-05:00

Hey, you can go on payintg attention to the pomp and ceremony.

Or you can realise what's going on while you're being treated to a royal distraction:-

From the flyer:-

5% Reduction inr eal wages
The Deloitte Touche Report
20% reduction in benefits
60% pay increase for Crown prosecutors

Clients turned away...

WHAT'S NEXT?

Mass Meeting: Legal Aid Under Attack

Come out as a united front of clinic and legal aid emloyees

Meet to discuss strategies to reverse the devastating cuts to the legal aid system and the assault on access to justice

Hear about the next planned round of cuts and how they will affect you.

Presented by OPSEU Local 525
Info: call 416-531-2411 ext.250
or email opseu525@gmail.com

Wednesday December 6, 6:00 PM
31 Wellesley St.E. (Wellesley Subway) Supper Will be Served

LEAVE ME BEHIND, DUDE!

2006-11-26T22:19:00.000-05:00

Uh-oh.

Anyone remember the tatters left behind when George Bush announced his "No Child Left Behind" endeavour, that did the exact opposite?

Apparently, recycling is popular: Mayor David Miller went one step further:-
"And I will remain committed to the idea that no individual, no community, no neighbourhood can be ignored, marginalized or left behind."

I'm just gonna curl up in this here dank corner, and suck my fingers, ok...?

A Picture's worth a thousand words

2006-11-12T06:57:00.000-05:00

No need to say anything when a pic encapsulates all the deal-making and how false the left-right political spectrums are, and what's the real significance of Rumsfeld resigning: simply the machine just changing outfits, or more to the point, their makeup (as in cosmetics).

Hyperbole? You decide:-
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

Mission accomplished, make the momentum go to the "left", make 'em hop from the frying pan into the fire...

As the last link almost gets right: "The Rumsfeld resignation is not a sign of desperation or surrender in response to Democratic Party heat. It was a long-planned tactical move that strengthens the Bush administration's inner circle... The Bush administration has done what it has always done: replace a political liability with something even more dangerous, a loyal insider to the very highest positions of authority."

The 'almost'? There's no slapping of the face going on to the Democrats, no openly provocative act of daring. Or any need to. It's to the rest of us out of reach of the annals of power.

Chavez isn't the only one saying Bush and the power elite are endangering the rest of the human race; the last words of the article say "If Robert Gates does with his new Pentagon power what he did at the CIA during his previous tenure, the world is in for tremendous suffering and death, and more covert and overt warfare -- all well-'managed,' packaged and sold to Congress," and states further that Gates "is a criminal who is capable of uniting the elite consensus."

"Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything." -Josef Stalin, Russian Dictator

"The real rulers in Washington are invisible and exercise power from behind the scenes."-Felix Frankfurter, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Maybe they're born with it; maybe it's Maybelline?

Um, ...Yeah... gags

2006-10-28T07:36:00.001-05:00

(as in, "um, yeah, that's definitely not ok")
... What else are you supposed to say when facts like this are revealed?

December 27 2005: The Chicago Tribune reported that Pentagon contractor trade groups are blocking a Pentagon proposal prohibiting defense contractor involvement in human trafficking for forced prostitution and labor. The contractors do not want to be responsible for trafficking undertaken by their subcontractors. Halliburton subsidiaries have been linked to trafficking-related controversies.

After the Tribune reported in October on the kidnapping of a dozen Nepali men and their transport to work for Halliburton subcontractors in Iraq, Halliburton said it was not responsible for the recruitment or hiring practices of its subcontractors.

The U.S. Army, for its part, said questions about alleged misconduct “by subcontractor firms should be addressed to those firms, as these are not Army issues.”

community solidarity

2006-10-13T22:42:00.000-05:00

Failure to fully support the community is a recipe for its extinction

- Fred Kayode, to members of the Yoruba community, Odua Gala & Awards Ceremony, Oct. 7th.

OPSEU Union just as culpable as Government, says lawyer

2006-10-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

A former correctional offcier-turned-lawyer is questioning the decision of the Ontario Public service Employees Union(OPSEU) to call a press conference to address the systematic racism that Vlack and other visible minority guards face in their workplace.

Selwyn Pieters, who worked at the Don Jail for about 15 months, and was subjected to racial harrassment, said he's not convinced the union is acting in the best interests of Black and other visible minority guards, adding that the union is just as culpable as the provincial government.

"I do not think that OPSEU is serious about dealing with or addressing the issues of systematic racism," said Pieters. "Leah Casselman(OPSEU President) was there when I and other guards came forward to voice our concerns and the union has done nothing even though they have a particular stake in the workplace, which is a unionized environment."

"Many guards have had an uphill fight with the union... It's particularly troubling that they are prepared to play political football with people's lives."

"I had to come forward to represent [Jason Williams] at great financial sacrifice to my law practice and to defend his human rights and right to work with dignity in a safe and respectful work environment due to the complex issues in the hearing and OPSEU's lack of support. Numerous requests for OPSEU, through its president and general counsel to assist Mr.Williams with his legal fees, including a request on the eve of the press conference, fell on deaf ears and were rejected."

Dave Mitchell, a Depty Superintendent with the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, one of two senior African-Canadian prison officers in Canada, appeared with another guard, Charlene Tardiel, at a press conference earlier in the year, to express their concerns and displeasure with which their employers have handled the systematic racism they and other Black employees have faced.

Mitchell tearfully recalled the racist mail he received and said at the time that no less than 11 racist letters threatening in excess of 20 Black and other visible minority officers were sent to the Metro East Detention Centre where he's assigned and the Don Jail, where an African-Canadian officer was allegedly poisoned after leaving his meal unattended for a few moments.

Mitchell has said no progress has been made in the investigationsand re-iterated the need for public inquiry.

OPSEU, representing approximately 4,800 correctional officers province-wide, called for a public inquiry into the death threats officers face and the poisoned work environment, claiming the Ontaio gov't is fueling the racism by ignoring the recent avalanche of death threats against at least eight officers.

Black and visible minorities have been complaining for a long time about the rampant and systematic racism in some of the province's prisons. In 2000, Anthony Weekes, Mark Garrick and Anthony Simon related their horrific workplace experiences; in 1998, correctional officer Mike McKinnon, who won a racial discrimination case against four supervisors, predicted that the problem of systematic racism in Ontario jails will not go away.

"If they (White guards) are treating their Black colleagues in this manner," said Dave Mitchell, "imagine what they are doing to the Black inmates."

Who's Running This Town?

2006-10-13T20:39:00.000-05:00

"If you vote for a capitalist candidate, you're voting to kill children."

- Douglas Campbell, "Who Wants To Be Mayor?" debate, organized by Who Runs This Town?, St. Lawrence Centre, October 4

(full quote:-"The answer is public ownership of land. Businessmen are going to nuclearize the planet. If you vote for a capitalist candidate, you're voting to kill children.")

Municipal election blues in Parkdale

2006-10-05T20:56:00.001-05:00

I cannot see ahead to a bright municipal future for this city. In truth, folks care more about the province and the nation than the city. You can see this through dismal voter turnout during the city elections.

In Parkdale if 12,000 people vote, that would be considered a breaktrhough. But given our candidates, I don't blame people for staying home on election day.

One day I would like to see one politician actually earn their stripes when representing poorer areas. There's alot to be done in Parkdale, but other than Waterfront mania among a small group of people, I haven't seen anything else by candidates since I last wrote on this blog.

I haven't seen candidates working on solving Parkdale problems or leading some kind of community wide program to transform this neighbourhood in a way that is inclusive.

For instance, people living in problem buildings continue to deal with their landlords without respite and absolutely no promise of respite from any candidate.

Why oh why can't even one candidate at the very least promise what one candidate is promising up in the Jane and Finch area. Anthony Peruzza promises to enforce landlord licenses. That is licenses for owners of buildings that are regularly inspected and rated. If regular maintenance isn't done, the building gets cited and the landlord can't raise rents until all repairs are completed.

The license regulates greedy landlords to comply with decent housing standards for tenants. And it is the city that enforces
these licenses.

This is an interesting platform. One that could get folks motivated to go out and canvass buildings in the area. This sort of thing could make a big difference for tenants currently living in fifedoms.

What does any candidate in Parkdale have that is remotely close to this kind of platform, one that actually makes a tangible difference in the lives of people and their families?

Status of the Artist

2006-09-22T01:09:00.000-05:00

I went to an interesting meeting about the Status of the Artist at the Ontario College of Art and Design organized by MPP for Trinity-Spadina, Rosario Marchese.

Our very own Cheri Di Novo attended, saying that she might just organize a similar meeting here in Parkdale-Highpark due to the number of artists who live in our riding.

Status of the Artist refers to Provincial legislation meant to protect artists as workers in this province. In terms of the rights of artists to collective bargaining on equal footing with any unionized worker in Ontario. And in terms of unemployment insurance and a guaranteed minimum wage.

These ideas were discussed at the meeting but do not exist in Ontario legislation. Also discussed by a handful of arts union reps and individual artists is why it is taking so long for Status of the Artist legilsation to be drafted.

And lastly which was not discussed is the definition of an artist. Who will be included as an artist in this legislation. Do writers count? How about journalists?

Marchese talked about how constituents can organize around this issue to pressure the government to act.

In the upcoming weeks I will be following the development, or not, of Status of the Artist legilsation. Particularly when it comes to Parkdale after Di Novo is sworn into Queens Park and settles into her new job.

Municipal election mayhem for NDP in Parkdale

2006-09-18T20:59:00.000-05:00

This City Hall election looks like trouble for NDP candidates in Parkdale.

Gord Perks and Mayor David Miller have both decided that it would be best if Perks represents Parkdale at City Hall. And here I thought the Liberals had the monopoly on arrogance.

Does Gord Perks even live or work in Parkdale? There are already at least 3 good NDP candidates running for City Hall that have lived in the area for a long time.

As much as I admire journalists, I wouldn't vote for one that doesn't live in my neighbourhood to make decisions for me.

But Miller truly surprises me. Why would he endorse a candidate that doesn't live in the neighbourhood? Times have changed in Parkdale and parachuters are no longer accepted. Hasn't he seen what happened to Sarmite Bulte (Forest Hill), and Sylvia Watson (Rosedale)?-She moved into Parkdale only after she was elected.

Sure Perks probably lives somewhere in the west end to his credit, but does he know our neighbourhood as well as Walt Jarsky, Rowena Santos or David White?

All three progressive Parkdale residents are running for councillor. They have been active in the neighbourhood and they know about our issues because they live here.

While I think it would have been better that these candidates get together and support one to go to City Hall, I think the real man out is Gord Perks. And unfortunately for the Mayor, he picked the wrong candidate and put himself out as well.

Walt Jarsky's lived here for twenty years in a big old rambling house with a large metal globe on his front yard.

The guy's lived here a long time and by now knows a lot about the neighbourhood.

Rowena Santos is a bright, young resident of the area who wants to bring Parkdale to City Hall. She is a strong woman of colour and the most personable candidate in the running. "Bringing you to City Hall" is her motto.

David White was a former councillor for High Park whose main push in Parkdale has been to stop the waterfront parking lot project.

White's platform is pretty straightforward:
A clean Green Waterfront
Reform the city tax system
Affordable housing
Stop the Front Street Extension
Fix roads and laneways in Parkdale
Improve the TTC lines along King and Queen
Power to the Community Councils

Together these candidates can represent Parkdale at City Hall. But with Miller's endorsement for an outsider, they have already been discounted by the mayor before the race even started. While this may seem disastrous for these candidates, it is in fact worse for Perks and the Mayor. They look like they have no respect for homegrown Parkdale residents who dare to believe they can represent their own area at City Hall.

Today's Liberals (2006)

2006-09-16T14:28:00.000-05:00

So the Liberal story isn't over. Losing the Parkdale-Highpark by-election despite their dirty campaign, both Sylvia Watson and Premier Dalton McGuinty said they'd do it again.

In a Sep. 15, Toronto Star article by ROB FERGUSON AND ROBERT BENZIE, Watson was quoted as saying she "wouldn't change a thing" about her campaign. In the same article McGuinty said he was "proud" of Watson and wouldn't have handled the campaign differently.

Let's not forget Parkdale-Highpark, we have more municpal and provincial elections coming up. While Watson assured the public that she would not run during the municipal elections, McGuinty has signalled that he is prepared to continue campaigns aimed the personal lives of his opponents.

How far these Liberals of the 20th Century have sunk. The good thing is that they are making their arrogance and elitist attitudes known to the public.

Most older folk who vote Liberal do so out of habit. They are Liberals by culture started during the Trudeau era. I would say a good portion of older Canadians still believe that today's Liberals are the continuation of Trudeau's legacy.

The public is just starting to know the true Liberals of today. What comes to mind is the Campbell regime in BC, billions
of dollars stolen from the E.I fund, the sponsorship scandal, the infighting between the Martin camp and the Chretien camp and closer to home, the dirty Sylvia Watson campaign here in Parkdale led by McGuinty's lot.

The Liberals today are without leadership, looking to Bob Rae who ruined the NDP before coming out of the closet to show his Liberal stripes.

Or they look to Michael Ignatieff who hasn't even lived in Canada for the last 30 years and parachuted into an Etobicoke riding despite the vocal protests of Liberal constituents.

I don't think today's Liberals are considering Gerard Kennedy for leader simply because he doesn't know enough of the "right people".

And let's not forget that the federal Liberals sent Canadian troops to Iraq while they were the government, and used our troops as logistical support for the U.S invasion of Iraq.

This is not the Trudeau or Pearson Liberals that defied U.S. arm twisting to put Canada on the map as a leader in international peacemaking.

Closer to home, they are not even the type of Liberals like past councillor K.K, or ex MPP, Tony Ruprecht, that while doing nothing for the neighbourhood, kept lines of communication open with their constituents.

Not so with today's Liberals. Sylvia Watson was the type that was open about her contempt for any constituent that questioned what was going on in the neighbourhood. An elitist through and through, she ran for MPP thinking that favouring the "right people" would see her through the election.

Most constituents vote Liberal because the Liberals are supposed to give everyone a fair chance at being part of this society, regardless of their income, race or religion.

Today's Liberals won't give you a chance, period.

So why vote Liberal?

Sylvia Watson gets the boot in Parkdale-Highpark

2006-09-14T23:07:00.000-05:00

Justice has been served. Sylvia Watson and the Ontario Liberals have been kicked out of Parkdale.

Cheri DiNovo won the September 14 Parkdale-Highpark by-election by more than 2,000 votes last night, showing the Ontario Liberals that you can't win an election in Parkdale-Highpark with sleaze tactics.

The desperate measures taken by the Liberals included a smear campaign that used DiNovo's troubled past to try to soil
her reputation. DiNovo has always been open about her time as a street kid.

The Liberals threw money and power at Watson's campaign, parachuting in 11 Ontario Liberal cabinet ministers and the premier himself.

Even Bob Rae was leaving recorded telephone messages to try to prevent our riding from going NDP.

All this backfired because of the integrity of the people of Parkdale-Highpark.

DiNovo is the second major NDP victory in our riding. The first was Peggy Nash's federal win.

The unofficial results of Elections Ontario put the NDP with Cheri DiNovo at 41 per cent of the vote or 11,675 votes. Sylvia Watson trailed behind with 33 per cent of the vote or 9,387 votes.

With all 220 polls reporting, 28,457 people voted during this by-election. A much smaller turnout than the federal election when 51,000 folks voted.

The results for the NDP and the Liberals during this by-election are close to the federal election when Peggy Nash got 40 per cent of the vote, and Sarmite Bulte, 36 per cent.

The last bastion held by the liberals here is the position of councillor. Already there are several candidates for the position who are NDPers.

Here I think those candidates would do good if they came up with an agreement to back one strong candidate instead
of splitting the vote 10 different ways.

Parkdale needs a councillor who lives in Parkdale and someone who can either push or support Mayor David Miller to get more resources for neighbourhoods like ours that need them.

And Miller would do best not to endorse any one candidate especially if that candidate does not live in Parkdale. Parachuters tend to get their just desserts here in Parkdale.

Walking the campaign trail in Parkdale

2006-09-10T22:04:00.000-05:00

To learn more about my corner of Parkdale, I accompanied a friend of mine who's helping out the Cheri Di Novo campaign.

We covered one corner in the King and Jameson area.

In one building with great big Liberal signs outside, a short skinny man, unshaven and scruffy growled at us that he's a Liberal and not interested in Cheri Di Novo.

Just before he shut the door on us, I asked him if he had ever talked to Sylvia Watson. He paused for a second and then stormed off with the tired line, "I'm not interested."

In that same old building, an eastern European man said he's thinking about voting for Di Novo. He explained that the other parties had deceived him into believing that they actually cared about regular folk like him.

And as we continued along this rooming house street in Parkdale, we found that most people weren't at home, but if they were, they were supportive of Di Novo.

But its the few incidents where the poorest folks fanatically supported the elitist Liberals that threw me into familiar confusion. The poor vs. poor phenomena.

A superintendant in one low-income building with Liberal signs was hostile toward us. "We're Liberals" she growled. To that I asked, "everone in the buidling?" When we finally went in, ignoring the super, we found folks who were supportive of Di Novo and a large number of folks who were not on the voters list.

In this building with the large Liberal signs, and the hostile super, one third of the folks in the building were not registered to vote.

This means that in order to vote in 20th century Toronto, these folks have to deal with a landlord that covers their living space with his own political views, a hostile superintendant who defends the interests of the landlord, and an elections authority that has excluded them from the democratic process.

From what I saw on Maynard street, what we have in Toronto is a landlord and homeowner democracy. Tenants are on
the whole left out of the process.

And transience is perhaps the largest barrier to organized change for these tenants. If they keep moving, they cannot stand up for change in their area. Settling down means settling down to struggle for low-income tenants. It can be no other way since landlords and their lackeys are constantly trying to take as much as they can.

Then there were the eastern european ladies of course who insisted that the NDP is communist and that all candidates and parties are the same and that the whole system is corrupt.

They are absolutely convinced by arguments that have little to do with Canada and more to do with traumas from their homelands.

The eastern european ladies, who said they're not voting were a lesson to those Canadians who believe the same thing. That the whole system is corrupt and there's no point in dealing with government or democracy for that matter.

It's okay to believe the truth which is that the system is corrupt and exploitative. Even that the national parties are going in the wrong direction. But it is irresponsible, convenient, and ultimately coopting to not be part of an active alternative to change injustices identified by these same critics.

Walking along the campaign trail isn't a cake walk but you do come out a little more knowledgeable about what's happening to folks in the area.

Next Parkdale Tenants' Association Meeeting

2006-09-08T20:38:00.000-05:00

Next meeting for Parkdale Tenants' Association is Monday September 11th.

Sylvia Watson signs of the time

2006-09-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

If signs are a sign of what's happening in the Parkdale-Highpark by-election, then Sylvia Watson may be in for some trouble.

Her signs just west of King and Jameson, planted in some of the poorest houses in the area, have been sliced and diced.

Only one of Cheri DiNovo's signs along King Street west of Jameson was vandalized. Her eyes were encircled with hammers and sickles with the words "commie, commie" printed in black magic marker.

I have a hunch as to who done it. Usually I wouldn't tell but this character is one that needs some light to shine on what he does each and every day.

An old man who lives at the corner of Maynard and King dedicates his lonely life to tearing down the posters of activists.

I once questioned him just after he took a box cutter to a poster stapled to a light post at the corner of Lansdowne and Queen. He quickly walked away calling me and my friend, "fucking communists."

This time it seems the old man have taken a disliking to Watson too. Two large Sylvia Watson signs on the corner property where the old man lives were both cut clean in half.

But it wasn't just those Watson signs that were destroyed. In at least three different locations in the Maynard and King area, Sylvia Watson signs were cut clean in half.

I'm not sure the old man did all this work on his own. If he didn't, then that means there are more people out there who are fight'n mad at Watson.

I didn't see the destruction of signs happen during the federal election in the same corner. Peggy Nash and Sarmite Bulte signs were left intact.

This time it seems, Watson has cooked up some strong animosity, at least in one corner of Parkdale.

Provincial by-election in Parkdale: Watson Vs. Di Novo

2006-08-29T10:44:00.000-05:00

We have a by-election in our area due to the departure of that old smoothie, Gerrard Kennedy, who's off hunting for the Liberal leadership spot.

His provincial seat is open and the main condenders are former councillor, Sylvia Watson and that rebellious reverend Sherri Di Novo.

It's going to be a close race but I believe that Di Novo may have the edge on this one. That's because up to now, I haven't met one person in the neighbourhood yet who has anything positive to say about Watson. All bring up the same thing; she doesn't listen to anyone. She's done Ditto for community consultations. This doesn't go over very well in Parkdale.

What folks are saying is that Watson acts alone when making decisions for the neighbourhood. The Waterfront folks didn't like this. And the Dowling housing project people didn't like this.

Now I know that Watson is a lawyer, a solicitor general at City Hall at one time. I read she was in charge of a team of lawyers. So I'm not slagging her record as a lawyer, but as a community politician, she seems to have created an opposition out of folks who really weren't interested in focussing their attention on her.

In her defense, Watson is saying that she cleaned up Parkdale of the problematic bars that plagued Queen street for years. And that she expropriated a property on Queen and Dowling to have converted into a social housing project. Also that she got the Palais Royale opened up by the lake and was instrumental is getting development to the watefront.

The problem is that those things may not have been handled the way the community wanted. They were handled the way Sylvia Watson wanted.

So Watson will now have to answer to the people of Parkdale as to why she seems to have ignored them during her term as councillor and why she seems to have refused to consult with them. I just read that she didn't attend an all-candidates walk to the waterfront. So why should Parkdalians promote her to MPP if she doesn't seem very keen on listenting to them?

Di Novo has a good chance of winning despite her lack of experience as a politician because of Watson's perceived animosity towards the community. Listening to an interview with Di Novo on the CBC, she says her ministry is comprised mostly of the poor. Di Novo's philosophy seems to be based on inclusion and this may go over well in Parkdale where folks have been traditionally excluded.

If Di Novo uses the same electoral resources that put Peggy Nash in Ottawa, she stands a good chance of representing Parkdale at Queens Park.

ouch...

2006-08-27T17:17:00.000-05:00

Even the Parkdale Liberty's joining in with giving Sylvia Watson flak.

"Sylvia Watson may be entering the only election of her life where her opponents are cheering for her."
"...Now Watson – who has recently been taking a lashing from residents’ groups over her handling of waterfront issues –"

And I can't defend her or even rebutt. If anything I can add fuel to the fire.

Last year Chris Wykes, who was on the Board of Directors for a halfway house, where people of Sri Lankan descent are being helped to re-integrate into society after being through the mental health system, invited me to a community meeting regarding the issue of them being in Parkdale, with Sylvia Watson moderating.

Anyone aware of or involved with gentrification issues only has to hear the word "Homeowner" from here on, but for those who are confused, I'll say this much:- 1) They don't like their property values going down and 2)NIMBYing. If #2 confuses you, I invite you to read on and all will become clear.

Owen Leach showed up as well, and I got a kick out of watching the homeowners snap their necks doing double-takes when the black man with grey hair started talking on the same side of the room where they'd set up shop, rousing in his denouncement of their NIMBYing and how they (the other homeowners) don't speak for him, and that he supports the halfway house. Before that, they were ignoring him. I noticed it. Owen knew it. He himself mentioned it afterwards.

There's that other aspect of the property owners; the undercurrent of racism. And I'll leave it at that. At the same time, I'm not saying they're all white; there was one Asian woman among them at the meeting that I can recall. You're also confronted face-on with classism, and just how much of a behemoth the disenfranchised have to combat, in regards to what they face from the rest of society. They all live in Parkdale.

When Owen starts speaking, you always start feeling like you should be bringing him a pulpit, or wondering who took away the beam of sunlight that's supposed to spotlight on him from the clouds. And I am not exaggerating. The last time I saw him speak, he stole the show from some panelists at the Marxism conference in Ryerson University. He brought the house down; the entire auditorium went mad, on their feet, cheering, chanting his name if they knew him. At one point the entire place started chanting "Sol-sol-sol! Solidarite!". The one thing the auditorium definitely wasn't, was quiet or still. And the man had arrived LATE.

Back to the community meeting.

Sylvia Watson displayed no bias during the meeting, but the same can't be said for the homeowners. There was one who was going on about when you look into their (psychiatric patients') eyes, you don't know what's going on in there, and they walk around with their pants around their ankles, yes she saw one doing that... I spoke up and said she had no idea what she was talking about. She got mad and would have continued shouting at me if it were not for the fact that I had prime examples of people who were active, contributing members to the community, who had mental health issues. She literally went "Hrmph!" and waved a hand dissmissively at me, but she couldn't really say anything; by then staff members who were present had started to clap. One middle-aged white female was actually wiggling her head slightly at one point during the meeting. Another Board member, of Sri Lankan descent, had noticed her do that as well, so it wasn't my imagination. This middle-aged woman was quite adamant about people entertaining tricks, and having to avert kids from a random discardecd condom or some needle. Them's be hookers you're talking 'bout, miss. These here are psychiatric survivors. Try and at least stay on topic, will you?

It was pointed out that they not only have a right to be there, they *belong* there, and they themselves are members of the community; there ARE Sri Lankans living in Parkdale, you know. If the concern truly was eradicating problems like those in the community, you had to address the underlying CAUSE for people being disenfranchised; if you didn't care and simply wanted no nuisances or eyesores, then you just sweep them up off the streets like the cops did in downtown Toronto. But you know the answer to that already; Not In My Back Yard. They want a cosmetic cover-up of the symptom. They don't want to see them.

Never mind the halfway house's residents were not raving lunatics; Bart himself had talked at some PTA meetings about the time he went to take a look at the place, and what he saw of those living there. When you looked in their eyes, they were so drugged up, they were "like zombies".

( cue mental image of someone stumbling around stiff legged, arms outstretched before them, saying "Weeeee willll walllk arrrooound with oooouuur pantssss around our annn-klessss..." )

So now you should have an idea of what we have to put up with, at meetings at least.

Then there was the issue of the zoning snafus the halfway house was entangled in. By this point in time it's general knowledge, but suffice it to say that at one point they had gone to Sylvia Watson. Not only was she in a position to advise and point them in the right direction, in some instances she was the head of committees (or involved with) who oversaw things they'd have to negotiate. The general consensus was that they were deliberately misled.

So whatever else people in Parkdale are saying about her, whether she did this thing or that, at the very least I know about this one thing.

All Candidates waterfront walk Monday, August 28th

2006-08-27T15:23:00.000-05:00

This from Bart:-

All Candidates waterfront walk
Monday, August 28th
Start: Parkdale United Church at 171 Dunn Avenue at King street

Schedule:
1:30 walk south to Marilyn Bell Park
1:45 walk along waterfront boardwalk
2:00 ten minutes for discussion of impressions
2:10 Finished

Purpose of walk
The waterfront parks are the only parks within walking distance of Parkdale residents. The only other parks in the area are tiny parkettes that were fashioned out of left over land. Thousands of people live in close proximity to the waterfront but face many barriers in accessing it. Our walk will allow us to use both routes that take residents from Parkdale to the waterfront.
1: The trip will allow residents to communicate challenges to politicians and media
2: The trip will ensure that our next provincial representative will be familiar with current access problems for residents.
3: To get everyone; residents, media and politicians thinking about future improvements

There will soon be five Provincial candidates in the race. Candidates David Hutcheon (PC) and Cheri Dinovo (NDP) have already offered to accompany us on the walk. The Freedom party candidate cannot attend and the Green party has not yet nominated a candidate. At the present time Sylvia Watson’s campaign manager says that Sylvia Watson will be too busy walking around the riding to attend our walk.

Walk starting point (1:30pm at 171 Dunn at King)

Thanks, Roger Brook

Parkdale-High Park Residents Waterfront Group
Green22(at)sympatico(dot)ca

There's Something in the Water

2006-08-05T16:43:00.000-05:00

I've seen some people's written reactions to "Lady In The Water", and just flicked channels to see Reel to Reel's movie critics totally missing the point (either deliberately or unintentionally, being "White Males" and having the attendant cultural blinders... I'm referring to the academic standpoint)

I remember talking to another black chick of West Indian extraction on the subway, coming home from watching said film, commenting on Pirates of the Caribbean and its depiction of Caribs as cannibals (even though, according to their own oral history, they were never that). I mentioned that I'd read in a major magazine that a point of contention for Disney, when severing ties with M.Night Shyamalan, was that he put himself in the role of the writer. I know I was actively ignoring the persons around us eavesdropping, including the white guy sitting next to her; can't speak for her however. This isn't the time for me to be dealing with people who had that White Guilt expression (or its close cousin, White Realisation) on their faces.

(There's this whole academic thing about White Guilt, if you're wondering what I'm going on about.)

But we did agree on this: He plays a person who writes an important document that, according to his own character's words, says thing about politicians, things "people don't want to hear" and aren't ready to hear. His character is a person of colour, and ends up getting killed. Now, why, oh why, would a big-budget company like Disney have a problem of M.Night Shyamalan depicing that...?

Maybe it takes a person outside the dominant culture to see it, or not allow others to ignore/downplay it.

(snarky) "Oh yeah, there's ego there, allright...."

Holy Shit?

2006-08-01T13:56:00.000-05:00

I was THINKING it.

And like the procrastinating sunofa... that I am, I didn't post the snarky entry:-

"Considering the racist scandal Disney got itself into with the West Indian community for Pirates Of the Caribbean..

are you positively WINCING in anticipation for Mel Gibson's latest?"

Then..

The dam broke.

Here's the kicker..

IT'S BEING RELEASED by DISNEY.

I'll be posting a couple things now...

In the meantime check out...

BWAHAHAAAHAAAA!

2006-07-03T15:31:00.000-05:00

Apparently, the namesake that inspired us to do the Lord of the Slums campaign here in Toronto, that garnered so much press attention earlier in the year, locally and internationally (even a Wikipedia entry and debate!)...

...has closed down.

Reason?
Bad sales, for one.
It also was, oh, about THREE HOURS LONG.

Oh, yeah. Its world premiere here in Toronto received damning reviews. In a press conference, they tried saying if critics had seen it before they wrote about it it would have fared better.

Long-standing, widely read book out for decades, followed by widely-seen, blockbuster series of movies, combined with a modern audience attention span that made 4-hour, 3-hour movies virtually extinct... and you get...

Oh, whatever.

The irony, man.... our Lord of the Slums namesake, dead in the water!

BWAHAHAAAAAA!

Road To Guantanamo

2006-06-20T22:16:00.000-05:00

The terrifying first-hand account of three British citizens who were held for two years without charges in the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Known as the “Tipton Three,” in reference to their home town in Britain, the three were eventually returned to Britain and released, still having had no formal charges ever made against them at any time during their ordeal.

In Theatres: June 23rd, 2006

Parkdale changes

2006-06-12T20:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, so we all know change is constant, but the change in Parkdale is so drastic that you can't talk about Parkdale today like it was just two years ago.

Take a look at Parkdale's most popular corners. Brock and Queen for instance. Once surrounded by a gutted building, empty stores and an assortment of folks asking for spare change, the corner is now a fabric centre with specialty shops and even a cafe.

The bars across the street from each other at Parkdale's most populous corner, Lansdowne and Queen, are gone.

For those of us who have lived at this corner for more than 5 years, this is monumental. Imagine a corner where drug dealers and their dependents haunt the streets from sun up to sun down, day in and day out, year after year.

Living just 4 houses up from Queen on Lansdowne, these folks were technically my neighbours.

Jimmy's and the Green Dolphin, both Lansdowne and Queen bars, were places where these folks hung around. They would linger outside these places all day and night.

With the closure of Jimmy's this past winter, my neighbours were left without a hang-out or fixed location to do business.

I know that Jimmy's like the Green Dolphin have been pushed out by the same forces that are exstatic to see the transformation of Queen West just east of Dufferin.

We've all see the new Gladstone Hotel and the Drake's multimillion dollar face lift. The Dufferin and Queen area is now a yuppie hipster haven.

Could the same happen to Lansdowne and Queen? Given the tremendous growth of Toronto, Parkdale, once a Toronto suburb, is now considered a downtown neighbourhood. And prices for real-estate in the downtown core and red hot. This means that any property in Parkdale, even near LQ, is increasing in price and desirability.

While the past was nothing to be nostalgic about, the present isn't a bedof roses either.

You know what drug dealers, junkies, yuppies and dinks all have in common? They're all socially exclusive. They are tight-knit groups with little interest in anything else but their own exclusive world. All incur costs on folks like me that I really can't afford.

I moved out of Lansdowne and Queen last winter, just before Jimmy's closed down. I'd been there since 1999. I didn't move very far though, I'm now living near Jameson and King, just two blocks south of my previous home.

My neighbours have changed, their incomes have gone up somewhat and many seem like they're just trying to pay down the mortgage.

Harry's bar and grill just up the street is the last not-so-fond memory of the way Parkdale used to be.

Water Fight: update

2006-05-29T07:23:00.000-05:00

The battle for public space between the haves taking away from the have-nots continues:-

Public waterfront meeting:
Monday May 29th

Reminder:
Mayor David Miller’s office has assured residents that he is opposed to a
parking lot under the ancient willows east of the Palais Royale. Without the
mayor’s support the idea is all but dead.

But…
There will be an upcoming meeting on May 29th where Councillor Watson and
city staff will be asking residents to agree to establish a new parking lot
across the road from the Palais Royale in the treed median parklands. After
staff presents this option there will be an opportunity for residents to
articulate alternatives during the question & answer period.

At the meeting we will be asking Ms. Watson to look at alternatives which do
not involve paving over city park lands such as..
1. Options which do not add new parking (use existing parking lots, improve
transit/pedestrian access
2. Compromise option: Create new parking spaces in the curb lane of
Lakeshore Blvd. so that the existing parking lot can be reserved for Palais
Royale users.

Let’s send a message (once again) that our treed public parklands should not
be viewed as future parking lots or places to be fenced off for private use!

Main event:

The 5 Parkdale-High Park Residents Associations present a…

Meeting on the Palais Royale parking situation
With Councillor Watson
Monday May 29th, begins at 7:00pm
Fern School, 126 Fern Avenue (just east of Roncesvalles)

Have your say-- here are the available alternatives…

* No new parking/ use existing parking/ improve transit & pedestrian access
* Allow curbside parking along the south side of Lakeshore Blvd during the
off-peak
* Construct a parking lot on city-owned Parklands in the Median between the
east and westbound lanes of Lakeshore Boulevard.

Parkdale Tenants' Association meeting

2006-04-19T06:04:00.000-05:00

Meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m., Parkdale Legal. Planning for the A.G.M. as well as organising local meetings to tackle local issues.

Filmology:- Uprising Documentary Festival

2006-03-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

Robin, my co-blogger, is busy organising this year's festival.
Here's the poster:-

Uprising Documentary Festival

2006-02-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

Robin's busy organising this year's Uprising Documentary festival.

It begins this year on March 3 and goes through until May 5.

That's every Friday at 7:30 pm at the Ashanti Room, 836 Bloor St.W., here in Toronto.

Thanks to my pal Ranger for heping in the final icon!

Coretta Scott King's funeral/roast

2006-02-27T10:29:00.000-05:00

Probably a little late for it, but,...

Let The Roasting Begin!...

As much as I have my doubts regarding whether Presidents could merit Nobel prizes, there was no doubt that former President Jimmy Carter went into Coretta Scott King's funeral aiming to hit the bullseye dead-on. He swung at Bush, twice. The timing of his commentary was impeccable. He talked of the Kings, saying, "It was difficult for them then personally with the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated as they became the target of secret government wiretaps."

The funeral crowd cheered. Bush, as we all know, is under fire for a secret wiretapping program he ordered after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Apparently he smiled weakly, captured on the screens of closed-circuit monitors.

Carter also spoke of Hurricane Katrina saying it showed that all are not yet equal in America. "This commerative cermony this morning, this afternoon, is not only to acknowledge the great contributions of Coretta and Martin, but to remind us that the struggle for equal rights is not over. We only have to recall the color of the faces of those in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi," Carter said, the rest of his sentence drowned out by loud applause. "Those who were most devastated by [Hurricane] Katrina know that there are not yet equal opportunities for all Americans. It is our responsibility to continue their crusade."

John Stewart was so elegant as to say he then tagged the Reverend Joseph Lowery, co-founder of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, on his way out the ring,:

The good Reverend Joseph Lowery made good with his short speech, roasting Bush on the spit:

"She (Coreatta Scott King) extended Martin's message against poverty, racism and war. She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar. We know now that there were no weapons of mass destruction over there," Lowery said. The crowd applauded, rising to its feet and cheered in a two-minute-long standing ovation.

"But Coretta knew, and we know," Lowery continued, "That there are weapons of misdirection right down here," he said, nodding his head toward the row of presidents past and present. "For war, billions more, but no more for the poor!"

...And the crowd goes wild...!

Meanwhile, Senator Patrick Leahy roasted D.A. Alberto Gonzales, who was "uncomfortable" (to use his oft-repeated refrain), answering questions in regards to the gov't wiretapping...

In the "YEAH, RIGHT!" department

2006-02-15T10:12:00.000-05:00

Just to remind us of the sort of legacy Harris left behind:-

Before Sam George, Dudley George's brother, at the Ipperwash inquiry in Forest, Ontario - an inquiry he staunchly opposed while in office - former Premier Mike Harris took the stand, and denied using an expletive in referring to the First Nations peoples, and said he never imposed his will on police during the deadly standoff 10 years ago at Ipperwash Provincial Park.

He's accused by many of pushing for the hardline tactics that led to the 1995 shooting death of native protester Dudley George.

He also rejected former attorney general Charles Harnick's claim that he heard Harris say "I want those f***ing Indians out of the park" during an emergency meeting at the Ontario Legislature on the day of the shooting. "I absolutely did not say that, or words to that effect. The language is not foreign to me, but not the kind of language I would use at any kind of meeting like the meeting we were at."

Dudley George was fatally shot by police just hours after the meeting, when officers in riot gear began to advance on the park- a show of force long said to be the work of Harris and his government. The Chiefs on Ontario, a coalition of First Nations leaders, issued a statement expresing disappointment that Harris "is not willing to accept any responsibility" for Dudley George's death.

So Mike Harris is saying the truth, eh...?

Next PTA meeting, Lord Of Slums bus tour followup

2006-02-14T04:51:00.000-05:00

The flu bug's starting to loosen it's 2-week hold on me, so I'm sort-of-back, although I had a mild day-long bout of nausea Sunday.

I'll try and post my followup on the Lord Of The Slums tour the PTA spearheaded, but for now check your major news outlets, including the Toronto Star, Sun, OMNI, who interviewed Neelam and Diane, and NOW's Feb.9-15 issue, pg. 26.

(Not to mention the tons of web hits internationally which picked up on the issue.)

Next meeting for PTA Wednesday, 6:30 at Parkdale Legal.

Coretta Scott King 1927-1996

2006-02-06T08:52:00.000-05:00

Coretta Scott King, the widow of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights figure and civil rights icon, has passed away, after failing health since suffering a stroke and heart attack last August. She was 78.

I think this is the perfect picture:- a face full of knowledge of things that must change for the better; of struggle, that because of the gravity of the issues, they must be pursued. The heart might be heavy, the road ahead WILL, not might, be bumpy, but there is not an ounce of regret in promoting, raising, and maintaining an unfliching awareness in others that already exists in one's heart.

Here's the same face on a younger Coretta Scott King, a forehadowing of struggles to come.

I encourage you to look at the whole of the first picture in context.

If you're looking for definitive words, quotes and LINKS to coretta scott King, go back under the rock you were living under. Besides, the internet's there for a reason.

Did you know...?

2006-02-06T08:37:00.000-05:00

That Superbowl time is when the spike in abuse of women by the men in their lives, be them spouses, boyfriends, etc., occurs?

Famous Last words: Sarmite Bulte

2006-01-25T20:35:00.000-05:00

On her defeat in Parkdale-Highpark
Elections 2006

"What do you expect me to say?

I have no thoughts.

You run on your record and the people
decide for change," she said.

When asked about her thoughts on a
minority government, she said,

"To be frank, I don't care.
I dedicated my life to the people
and to the riding and they decided.
It's great; it's a democracy."

Bulte, a lawyer, said she will
return to her practice.

"According to everybody, I did nothing.
You work so hard and devote your heart
and soul and the people have chosen.
So good luck to the NDP. Good luck to
Peggy Nash and good luck to the country."

from:
The Toronto Star
Jan. 24, 2006. 01:00 AM
LESLIE SCRIVENER

Nash wins, Parkdale-Highpark goes NDP

2006-01-24T02:19:00.000-05:00

Parkdale-Highpark started January 24
with a new social democratic
representative. The majority of
voters in our riding chose Peggy Nash
and the NDP to represent
us in Ottawa in the 2006 Canadian
federal elections.

Nash took the riding from Liberal
Sarmite Bulte who has held her
job as M.P. here for the past 9
years.

And here are the official results.

Candidate Party VoteCount Vote Share

Peggy Nash NDP 20690 40.31%
Sam Bulte LIB 18489 36.02%
Jurij Klufas CON 8767 17.08%
R. Rishchynski GRN 2820 5.49%
Terry Parker MP 311 0.61%
Lorne Gershuny ML 133 0.26%
Beverly BernardoNA 119 0.23%

Over 51,000 folks in our riding voted,
going along with a trend in Parkdale-Highpark
of increasing voter participation.
In 2000, 42,000 people voted.
In 2004, 47,000 cast their ballot.

With 4,000 extra voters, Nash gained
a little more than 4,000 from the last
election when she got 16,201 votes.

Amazingly, the Liberals stayed
relatively stable in Parkdale-Highpark,
losing only 1,000 votes. The damage
could have been alot worse.

So, the unexpected phenomenon in
Parkdale-Highpark was the number of
new voters.

Way to go Parkdale-Highpark.

On the Day Of Elections

2006-01-23T21:05:00.000-05:00

Dictatorships seldom appear full-fledged but emerge piecemeal.

Paul Craig Roberts, "Bush Has Crossed the Rubicon"

Mike Harris, Walkerton, microscosm. George Bush, siphoning funds off the Dam, New Orleans disatser, Macrocosm.

To paraphrase a commone saying:-

Be Careful what you Vote For.

Electing a new government -Mon. Jan.23, 2006

2006-01-22T19:26:00.000-05:00

Parkdale- Tomorrow, Canadians will
vote in a new government. They will
head to their local polling stations,
and cast their ballot for what in their
minds is the candidate that will best
govern this great country.

I wouldn't go so far as saying that they
will vote in someone who best serves
their interests, but you get the point.

In Parkdale-Highpark, the tide is
swinging towards the NDPs Peggy Nash.
This afternoon, I saw and greeted
Peggy's campaigners at Joe's No Frills
on King near Jameson.

I had to salute them on this mild
and sunny day because I honestly
didn't expect to see them here.
"Nice to see you down here in
South Parkdale," I said.

And there was even one more fellow
at the corner of Jameson and King
who I also saluted. He smiled when
I said "go peggy go." Support is always
good for street campaigners who often
have a tough time.

But nonetheless they were here
and that's an important first step.
Hats off to the Peggy Nash campaign
for that.

In the rest of the riding, Nash won the
sign war, hands down. I'm guessing
Liberal supporters are a little embarassed
to show their neighbours that despite
Liberal corruption and arrogance, they
intend to continue voting for them.

The big question for the NDP
tomorrow is: will our supporters
actually go out and vote?

Election Day is a whole different
ball game. It's a day of dodging
for lots of potential voters who
made promises of support that
they didn't intend on keeping.
Particularly NDP supporters.

Pulling the vote is possibly most
important for the NDP, but given
what is most likely to the closest
race ever for the Liberal incumbent
Sarmite Bulte, the Libs also
have their work cut out for them.

As for Jurij Klufas, the Conservative
candidate, I think he's pulled in a
little more than 10,000 supporters
in this riding. He's laughing 'cause
although conservative, he's got a
sense of humour. It didn't cost him
much to get his name out there for what
will be the winning party. But for Bulte,
his campaign may cost her her job,
but not to old Klufas.

Bulte will see her support diminsh
from over 19,000 votes to about
16,000, around the same amount
for Nash. My prediction is that Nash
will win by a slim margin, but that's
ony if the Nash campaign can
successfully pull the vote tomorrow
on E-Day.

Who knows though, the upset would be
if Klufas actually goes beyond 10,000
and thrashes Bulte, making him the front
running opposition for the next election
which will most likely be called sooner
than later.

RN

On the 2nd Day before elections...

2006-01-21T09:54:00.000-05:00

Istanbul, Turkey

This is the culminating session of the World Tribunal on Iraq. It is of particular significance that it is being held here in Turkey where the United States used Turkish air bases to launch numerous bombing missions to degrade Iraqs defenses before the March 2003 invasion and has sought and continues to seek political support from the Turkish government, which it regards as an ally. All this was done in the face of enormous popular opposition by the Turkish people.

-Arundhati Roy, Opening Statement of Arundhati Roy on behalf of the jury of conscience of the world tribunal of Iraq.

On the 3rd Day before Elections...

2006-01-20T08:53:00.000-05:00

Just so you don't think I'm going gaga over The Daily Show:-

If you're going to be a rebel,
Then do do intelligently.
It adds all the more potency
To what you're doing.

Inviting the former head of the CIA onto your show so he can portray a kinder, gentler image of the organization?

Grenada anyone?

On the 4th Day Before Elections...

2006-01-19T07:40:00.000-05:00

Just to reiterate- The United States is now less progressive than South Africa

-'The Daily Show's John Stewart on S.Africa's Supreme Court ordering the government to allow gay marriage rights

Parkdale, Nash, the NDP and the 2006 Federal Elections

2006-01-18T18:51:00.000-05:00

A VIEW FROM THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

In Parkdale-Highpark, NDPer Peggy Nash
is making another go for Liberal Sarmite
Bulte's MP job. Bulte has done nothing
substantial for Parkdale-Highpark.
But at the very least, she has shown up
to community events in the area since
the last election. Talking to folks in
southern Parkdale, they have told me
that they have not seen Nash since the
last election.

Much of southern Parkdale's population
is the working poor and recipients of the
very social services the NDP says its out to
protect. Southern Parkdale is truly NDP
territory although it seems to have been
given up to the Libs for lack of NDP
organization in the area.

HOW THE NDP CAN WIN IN PARKDALE-HIGHPARK
(THE EASY WAY, short-term)

The easiest way for Nash to win this riding
is if Jurij Klufas, the Conservative
candidate strips a few thousand votes
from Bulte.

In the 2004 election, Nash (16,201)
lost to Bulte (19,727) by over 3,500
votes. Although a loss to Nash, it
was a 50 per cent increase in popularity
for the NDP, considering that in
the federal election of 2000, the NDP
got less than 8,000 votes.

In 2004 Bulte lost 1,000 votes, and the
Green Party gained slightly more than
2,000 votes. This is quite the achievement
for the greens since this equates to a 200%
increase in votes for the politcal newcomers.

According to the 2000 election results,
the merger of the Canadian Alliance
with the PC's should have given the
new Conservatives in Parkdale-Highpark
under Klufas about 10,500 votes in the
2004 election. But Klufas got just
over 7,000 votes. Not bad for someone
who didn't even bother showing up to
all-candidates neighbourhood meetings.

Another interesting statistical tid-bit
was the voter turn-out. In the 2000
election, 42,000 people cast their vote.
In 2004, 47,000 people in
Parkdale-Highpark voted.

Here are the statical questions:
Where did Bulte's 1000 lost votes go?
Where did the conservative's 3,500
lost votes go? And for which parties
did 5,000 new voters, vote?

Here is a hint. The only two parties
to gain substantially in the 2004
elections were the NDP with an
additional 8,000 votes and the greens
with an increase of more than 2,000 votes.

This year though, we should not
underestimate the performance of the
Conservatives and Klufas.
The Conservatives are enjoying a wave
of popularity across the country.
And right here in Parkdale, Klufas is
actually showing up to all-candidates
meetings.

At the all-candidates meeting at Parkdale
High School on Jan.16, Klufas charmed
the audience with his sense of humour
and simple, regular guy charm.
He is the guy to watch this year
for vote gains. It's doubtful he will get
the new vote. What he may do,
to Nash's benefit, is strip the
Libs of what could be thousands
of votes, pitting Nash and Bulte in a
neck and neck race.

HOW THE NDP CAN WIN IN PARKDALE-HIGHPARK
(THE HARD WAY and for the long run)

If the NDP wants to win this riding,
it has got to work way before an election
is called. Southern Parkdale is not an
easy neighbourhood to organize.
But if the NDP says it represents the poor,
the working poor and the working class,
then this is NDP territory.

Given the population density of southern
Parkdale, if good work is done here, you
know that this poor and downtrodden part
of Toronto can send an NDPer to Ottawa.

To organize effectively, the NDP needs
workers in each block of Southern Parkdale,
if possible in each building in Parkdale.
You get this through talking to old-time
neighbourhood organizers. Remember,
they may not be party organizers but they
know the neighbourhood and the people
here better than anyone in the NDP. If they
have trouble organizing for the party, the
party can help them get organized.

The Liberals already instituted their own
cell in Parkdale and other low-income
neighbourhoods to take over community
space and organizations through their
economic development corporations.
Through government funded, ostensibly
independent "community" organizations,
the Liberals are able to rule over poor
neighbourhoods, taking over every nook
and cranny of civic space, and giving
regular folks and the neighbourhood
nothing in return.

Now if the Libs can organize in poor
neighbourhoods, albeit with lots of
cash at their disposal, why can't the
NDP? I know that higher level NDPers
suffer from racism, classism, sexism
and a sense of intellectual superiority,
but so do the Libs and that didn't stop
them from organizing in Parkdale and
making alliances with other Libs in
the area.

The people of Parkdale have been
organizing in their own small way without
support for years. All these people need
is a little moral support from the party
and some resources to organize
south Parkdale and then the NDP may
stand a chance of wining here with the
efforts of the people of Parkdale.

However the challenge for the NDP
will be to support southern Parkdale
in its bid to organize, accepting
Parkdalians as allies rather than
followers. Fierce independence is
part and parcel of being poor and
fighting for your rights.

If the NDP is willing to support
locals in their independent bid
to support the party and its social
platform, then the federal NDP might
just win another seat in Ontario.

RN

On the 5th day before elections...

2006-01-18T09:11:00.000-05:00

... you get to learn a new term.

"Harris Kids":-

The end result of the destabalising and social effects of those who've been at the receiving end of his cutbacks.

See: gun shooting incidents.

On the 6th day before Elections...

2006-01-17T22:37:00.000-05:00

One week, less a day before the electoins start... you get a quote with the unlucky number of words: 13.

Kind of fitting, considering who it is about, and what's been wrought.

Heard at the PTA meeting:-

"My knees are still aching from the marching I did under Mike Harris."

THE CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION

2006-01-16T14:42:00.000-05:00

Monday, January 16, 2006

THE CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION

Plagued by political scandal, the Liberals
under CEO, Paul Martin, are finally
responding to the Canadian public after
years of sitting on their laurels, or should
I say, pots of gold. Well, they're responding
now to documented cases of corruption at least.

The Libs are not just Canada's strongest
political party, they make up Canada's
political culture, that is our public institutions,
our media, immigration and our international
image. The Libs stretched beyond politics
and weaved their way into Canadian culture.
Now that's power and that's why they don't
really need to be accountable to the public.
They know they will continue winning,
corruption or not.

The Conservative contenders are upstart
westerners led ironically by Toronto city
slicker, Stephen Harper. The Conservatives
are a testament to the Reform party and their
evolution into the Canadian Alliance which
took over one of Canada's oldest poltical
parties in a stunning internal coup.

But not without a fight.

Old time Progressive Conservatives (PC)
like former Prime Minister Joe Clark
rejected the takeover of the PC party
by western regionals. For those who
know western Canadian history, the
Canadian Alliance represents a U.S.
annexationist political current that is
older than the nation of Canada itself.

U.S. annexationism was never successful
which made the Canadian confederation
possible. With the take-over of the
PC party, the annexationists are closer
to power in Canada than ever before.

Both the Liberals and the new Conservatives
have one thing in common, they are both
competing to represent big business,
corporate interests, U.S. policies, and
privatization.

With politicians in Ottawa standing
to enrich themselves personally through
selling off Canada through privatization,
the NDP is supposed to be our alternative.

However, the NDP has been so thoroughly
used and abused by Liberals in disguise
(Bob Rae, Ujjal Dosanjh, and others
still haunting the party) that it has lost much
of its credibility. Labour union executives
like Buzz Hargrove also work towards the
defeat of the struggling party in the interests
of the Liberals.

Add to this sorrowful motley crew of
internal opposition, the media, that is CTV,
the Toronto Star, and the the Sun, are
dedicated to showing the NDP as a
redundancy at best, making NDP leader
Jack Layton look like a man without a
message.

When you have so much against you,
you would hope the NDP would see this
an election as a political war on all fronts
and lead a no-holds-barred political
campaign to fight for the people of this
country who face the same enormous
pressures the party faces.

Up to now however, the NDP has run
what can be kindly called a meek
campaign.

On the 7th Day Before Elections...

2006-01-16T11:21:00.000-05:00

... you get a seven word quote.

the tagline for your news stations:
(the word "corporate" is implied, as well as "mainstream", since these are the types of news outlets people know, recognise, and refer to)

"Tailoring needs to suit an advertising demographic"

On the 8th Day Before Elections...

2006-01-15T09:39:00.000-05:00

The more they (the public) comsume your media, the less they know about the subject matter and the more they'll support government policy, that should be the worst thing any journalist would want to hear."

-Bob Mc Chesney, Founder of Free Press/ author of "The problem of the Media" on "Outfoxed"

On the 9th Day Before Elections...

2006-01-14T09:12:00.000-05:00

Instead of your Four Calling Birds, you could probably do Four Minutes of Silence.

From the Rupert Hotel Memorial held Thursday, December 15th.

See them now at http://johnb.smugmug.com/gallery/1050650

Background Information:

Two days before Christmas, on December 23, 1989, a terrible fire roared
through the 'Rupert Hotel' rooming house at the corner of Queen &
Parliament in Toronto. 10 people died in the blaze.

On the 10th day before elections...

2006-01-14T05:13:00.000-05:00

On 5.13, the ten(millionth) reason Bush should be kicked out of office:-

Oh, neat-o. It's finally official?...

Bush defends gov't spying on citizens:
"No wonder Bush was so desperate that The New York Times not publish its story on the National Security Agency eavesdropping on American citizens without a warrant...""...any Americans with ties to Muslim extremists—in fact, all American Muslims, period—have long since suspected that the U.S. government might be listening in to their conversations."

NSA's just one of many federal agencies spying on Americans. Apparently sources close to the administration say spying on Americans by the National Security Agency is not only more widespread than President George W. Bush admits but is part of a concentrated, government-wide effort to gather and catalog information on U.S. citizens.

And ain't this nice: NSA spying is just the tip of the iceberg.Although supposedly killed by Congress more than 18 months ago, the Defense Advance Project Research Agency’s Terrorist Information Awareness (TIA) system, formerly called the “Total Information Awareness” program, is alive and well and collecting data in real time on Americans at a computer center located at 3801 Fairfax Drive in Arlington, Virginia.

On the 11th day before elections...

2006-01-12T16:57:00.000-05:00

...Your Two Turtle Doves. So to speak.

On the 12th day before Elections...

2006-01-11T17:10:00.000-05:00

Your Partridge in a Pear Tree

For those who refuse to believe economic control = political control and that what you don't know (about the the MIA giving the us the red-carpet access to Canada) won't hurt you, read:

"On the stand (for the defence), Barrick Gold Corp's founder and chairman Peter Munk was often unable to recall the company memos and letters put inf ront of him by lawyer Joe Groia, but that didn't stop the defence from painting a picture of corporate intrigue and backroom dealing involving Barrick and wealthy businessmen whose influence extended to the top ranks of Indonesia's government."

-excerpt from Toronto Star's business section front page story, "Never a hint of fraud", December 8, 2005

In the 12 Days before Elections, things to seriously consider

2006-01-11T04:31:00.000-05:00

I was going to do this in the same vein as "The 12 days before Christmas, but with something more subatantial than tha gifts. Then i thought of doing the 12 days AFTER Xmas, starting in New Year's Day.

Then it hit me. 12 days before Election day.

So here's a little something, to refresh your memory all sorts of things that hang in the balance, not just "oh they're corrupt" and "politicians are corrupt" that not only affect us locally, but on the international stage, which is just as well, since we're almost joined at the dysfunctional hip to our neighbour South of the border, and they stretch their... hm, claws out in their efforts at affecting the world stage.

Try remembering something telling that happened here on this contenent, however:- we elected Mike Harris, and we got the Walkerton scandal. In the United states, where they're 10 times as populous, they elected George Bush Jr; then they get the New Orleans flooding disaster, the net result of funds being siphoned off from the dam for years now.

Yes, yes, politicians are corrupt, blah blah blah, it's a moot point. it's smoke and mirrors, a way to distract you from the REAL damage being done.

My case in point:- by now you've heard the term being bandied about, "Harris Kids", those who reaped the benefits of his cutbacks, the gun shooting incidents in recent weeks the most visible. Check the timeline between the two-tiering Frankenstein job being done on our health care, erosion of sovereignity, with the NAFTA and Mulroney's being in office (check out the MIA agreements, too).

As "bad" as the Liberals are being portrayed, you can't fool yourself that the Conservatives AREN'T going to be worse. Who knows, maybe in the grans scheme of things we might find out that the cause for the sponsorship scandal getting the public spotlight was so that we might have cause for retaliating, 1995-against-Bob-Rae style.

Only this time, instead of me predicting to Sheila, one of the 8 chicks in a house I was living in at the time, that you'll instantly regret it and are sending things from the frying pan into the fire, it'll be on a national scale.

You like the idea of Harper Kids in a population range nation wide?

Politicians will be corrupt; we have jokes about lawyers being a low form of life. But that don't mean we reject all lawyers outright.

Keep things in perspective.

2006 is here...and what's next?

2005-12-31T00:34:00.000-05:00

Hi folks,

a big, huge, enormous hello to my people in West Toronto!

I will be posting articles of my stay in revolutionary Venezuela soon but for now, I have Canadian politics on my mind.

How is it that we have reached a point in Canadian history where the people of this great land have simply abandoned their claim to government? We have simply given up our government to a party that has been proven to be corrupt by the Gomery investigation.

And given the apathy of the Canadian public to its own government, the neo-cons are getting more and more bold and seemed poised to actually take control of this country.

At some point, we have to wake up. It's one thing to complain about our politicians and their corruption, and another to abandon our government altogether. It's not like the government will be left alone if we leave it alone. It will be taken over by folks like the Liberals and the neo-cons.

Every person that I have spoken to since I arrived 6 months ago has said the same thing about their political situation. "There's nothing we can do."

I cannot prescribe the solution to this political crisis, but I do believe that regular folks have to start talking with each other about politics, if we consider politics as making decisions for our own interests and that the government is ours. Right now folks talk about the government as if it belongs to aliens.

So, neighbourhood folks, we have a lot to talk about. We need to discuss our alternatives. And we need to argue, get mad, and come back for more until we start coming up with our solutions to our problems, and finally... take back our government.

Peace with dignity.
RN

Words To Live Within

2005-11-28T09:06:00.000-05:00

"The ultimate role of culture is to be transformative."

-Eintou Pearl Springer, "Tribute, or Theft?" (Using the voice & artistic styles of a culture not your own) panel, Sunday, November 27, Burke's Books, part of the International Dub Poetry Festival

...

2005-11-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

Dismembered torso found in parkdale.

leg found in the trash tranfer station where they believe the leg they found was originally picked up.

More CIA-torture news

2005-11-14T09:53:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah.

NICE.

DRUMROLL, PLEASE....

2005-11-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, fatcats and slumlords of all ages... I present to you our Reality Check(tm) for those of you who either fill the void left from non-participation in the world we live in with Fantasy, or shove your heads up your a**es so you can tell yourself everything's ok and better up here in this here North American continent.

An antidote to the sickly-sweet smell of corporate *ss-kissing.

This just in from 'The Man'

2005-11-01T05:42:00.000-05:00

Think The Man's keeping you down?

Surprise, surprise.

You're absolutely right.

Visible minority recipients of social assistance face the brunt of recent attempts by Canadian governments to enforce welfare reforms, concludes a Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) report unveiled in Toronto last week.

Prepared by Dr. Kiran Mirchandani of the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE) and Dr. Wendy Chan of the School of Criminology at Simon Frasier University in B.C., the report examines the impact of reforms in the welfare systems in Ontario and British Columbia; they used a snowball sampling method and were able to document the impact of neo-liberal ploicies on people of colour.

Current enforcement policies rly heavily on racial stereotypes and myths about recipients. The rules not only penalize and criminalize the poor for being poor, but harsh on racialized people, many new Canadians. They tell stories of being given the run- around ins earch of records which may not be necessary, and threatened with cut-offs to benefits until they do.

depression on being on social welfare, structural barriers to employment due to racism and the utter inadequacy of the payments they receive combine to forrce them to resort to food banks and community service agencies.

CRRF Acting Chair Andree MEnard said the research points out the fundamental need for govenrmemts at all levels to take the issue of racism seriously.

Rosa Parks 1913-2005

2005-10-27T00:56:00.000-05:00

Born Rosa Louise McCauley on February 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama, Parks worked together with her husband, Raymond Parks, whom she married in 1932, in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) programs. Rosa became a secretary and later a youth leader of the local branch of the NAACP; Rosa Parks was heading home after a long day at work as a black seamstress. She boarded a bus and found a vacant seat. Trouble was, at that time in history, if there weren’t enough seats on the bus for Caucasians, Black Americans were supposed to give up their seats, the law in Montgomery, Alabama. As it happened, the bus soon filled up and Rosa was expected to give up her seat.

Fat chance. The lady had had enough. Rosa Parks refused to budge. In short order, Mrs. Parks was arrested, fingerprinted and fined for violating a city ordinance. She was preparing for a major youth conference at the time of her arrest.

Even to many people who were around in those days, the era of racial segregation seems as remote as the Civil War. You might say that back in the Fifties, American society lived at a different point in evolutionary time.
Rosa Louise Parks

Social historians point to her individual act of defiance on December 1, 1955, as the beginning of the end of that time. The incident turned out to be a catalyst for change. Her arrest resulted in a black boycott of the city’s bus line—a boycott that ended 381 days later when the bus line caved in, on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation in transportation was unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, the bus boycott triggered a wave of protest and freedom marches that captured national attention. The civil rights movement gathered momentum, and profound changes followed, and the civil right movement that continued until at least 1964.

Ten years later, I was born.

Doesn't seem so long ago when you put it in that sort of timeline, in relation to your own existence, now, does it?

Apple computers has their whole home page, as well as a feature, on her, for civil history in a nutshell, a part of their "Think Different" campaign. If you're curious, you can take a peek at what they say.

Did you know...?

2005-10-04T12:30:00.000-05:00

... That hunger is a weapon of mass destruction...?

(something to think about.)

More cold from the South... Blizzard warning

2005-07-29T05:45:00.000-05:00

The American Congress managed to get a majority vote and passed CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, of which they managed to snag the Dominican Republic as a member.

They're hailing it as a major step in countering leftist forces on the rise, naming Venezuela's Hugo Chavez as a major problem; he's supposed to be using Venezuela's oil money to undermine democracy, (only a clueless ignorant North American would buy THAT), free markets, and American interests throught the hemisphere. And to make him seem like the second coming of the Devil, they're pitting him in as bedfellows with Ortega.

To think. One head-of-state in a teeny country hanging off a massive continent 2000 miles south of them is giving them the shits. Either that or they want control of the country, and/or their oil.

I'm starting to see a region of influence surrounding the Caribbean region, and it looks like a closing fist. Guess who's next.

I'll do something I abhor doing, and therefore avoid it. I'll add a personal note.
The intuitive gut part of me's feeling upset today, as if it were a stomach, and something bad to the system was ingested. Only it's not physical, and I can't barf.

I also seemed to engage in sporadic fits of frantic pacing. This is a busy weekend for me, for sure, but this new development certainly contributed to my general sense of unease. My system's been difficult to me whenever I eat.

And yet another cold wind from the South...

2005-07-25T10:15:00.000-05:00

U.S. Senate Democrats call for documents related to Supreme Court Nominee John Roberts -- but the White House says "No".

Newly released documents indicate that Supreme Court nominee John Roberts was an influential member of the Reagan administration in arguing that the Supreme Court be stripped of its jurisdiction over cases involving abortion, busing and school prayer, among his other activities.

He met with Moderate Republican Olympia Snow of Maine, who is Pro-Choice, who said she did discuss Roe vs. Wade with him. She SAYS he respects the precedent, and how the "rule of law weighs decisively in his decisions". She spoke well of him, hasn't made a decision on him yet, etc.

'Course he'll meet with her, and expects HER to speak to the public on his behalf i.e. presenting him by way of second-hand account.

Among his (dubious) feats:

He argued as Deputy Solicitor-General that Roe v Wade should be overturned.
He did things in a similar vein back then during his stint with the Justice Department during the Reagan Administration, promoting bills in Congress to eliminate the Supreme Court's jurisdiction on abortion, school busing and school prayer; considering he's still a Republican now, this guy seems dyed-in-the-wool;
He also argued to limit the interpretation of the Anti Gender Discrimination Law in College Sports, known as Title 9;
In memos to the Justice Department, he argued for restrictions on a suspect's right to have an attorney present while being questioned by authorities;
('K. Take a sec. Just in case Mr.John Roberts' swiping at Roe vs. Wade with an axe didn't (at the very least START to) scare the living shit out of you... see what you just saw there? That's Mr.Roberts swiping away at your habeas corpus.)
He also called a lower court's ruling that a hearing-impaired student should be given a Sign-Language interpreter "judicial activism".
('K. So now basic human decency's being flamebroiled, exacerbated, distorted and thrown in with something that's obviouly a pet peeve of his, Activism. And, activism's BAD...??)

Assuming these feats are as they are when read in context... quite a heap o' feats to have when you're still in your twenties, eh?

Tiny little gems like this are the sort of things you find when people like The National Archives releases like oh, say, 15,000 pages detailing his stint with the Justice Department under the Reagan Administration.

'K. On getting technical, and the details of Roe v Wade: no matter what your opinions on the effiacy of (the present state of?) Roe vs Wade, the legal system may be a mechanism, or a living, breathing thing; but its lifeblood is still the human being. And I do not have so steadfast a faith in human nature that something that took centuries, and blood and tears, to get in, would be replaced, with something better even, when taken out.

I mean. Are YOU?

Senate Democrats are demanding that documents detailing his stint as Deputy Solicitor-General,including Robert's tax returns, be released as well (...Ya THINK...?!?!)

And this is the track record of a "Moderate" Republican.(quotes for those like me who find that an oxymoron). The person Miss Snow spoke so highly of. For me her Moderate Republican status seems to be a matter of perspective, even if right now she's pro-choice.

Oh yeah, by the way. Seems the White House said no to the seeing of documents detailing his stint as Solicitor-General. They claimed client-attorney priveleges. Which, considering that the client was the American people, is sort of a bit thin.

Okay. Try to con the American public into thinking you're not trying to fast-track someone into a key position of power who will strong-arm your agenda into law, dismantling basic human rights...

Someone in a position like this, I would consider his personal, judicial and legal background. You can't go say "Yo, ta da-da da-da. And no, the fact he put a flaming cross on someone's backyard when he was 18 has no bearing on the fact he's a judge in Mississipi." This guy can exercise his personal discretion, and manifest it into concrete law. You're gonna hire a dodgy contractor who'll make a contorted shambles of your placee, only to have to go out and hire yet ANOTHER contractor to fix up yer delapidated house? While you're living IN it? I'd take the time to find a good contractor, who won't screw you, in the first place.

This ain't the local lottery or Las Vegas gambling. This is serious shit. Stuff this guy can do to the foundation of the functioning of society, not to mention the rule of law, is exponentially way worse than anything George Bush can represent.

Unless you thought ahead and realised that this sort of guy getting into office IS what having someone like George Bush represents. But that's like crying over spilt milk at this point. The milk's done on the ground, and done spoiled.

Sop it up and make sure you don't spill the life-giving mother's milk you got left.

Considering how people seemed to have bought the reason for the "Iraq occupation", perhaps they're right into thinking they'll succeed...

Here's a possibly even worse thought, presented by my pal, Cameron..."I'm scared that he is a tactical move. Where by Bush can say, "Look I gave you a moderate. Now give me Gonzalas." He's not happy with the fact the "abortion people backed off" because they "felt that Gonzalas was not right enough".

I almost agreed with him... almost.

Then I got over the frothing-at-the-mouth Pavlov's response triggered by the name. The abortion people were right, Gonzalas *is* smoke & mirrors, a distraction. Don't think in mouse-height terms, think in human-height terms. In the heirarchy of things, Gonzalas is the thug. Someone like Roberts, however, could be the sort of right-hand man the second in command might have lurking behind him, and when he needs something done, only has to turn around slightly and utter one word, so in tune the lurker is. Don't think of Roberts in terms of a person; in my opinion, his role is way beyond that. Think of him as a cog, a key piece of machinery, a means to an end. Roberts is the quiet, under-reported, but far and away, exponentially more damaging, white-collar crook, to Gonzalas' over-exposed, two-timing thug's ass in COPS. He's the sound and the fury. Roberts is the lightning.

(Assuming Gonzalas'own record doesn't rival, or dwarf, his.)

Or in even simpler terms. If Gonzalas is The Thing, Roberts is a being in the same vein as Dr. Doom. Or worse yet, that second-in-command, standing right outside the crate of his master, knowing, when the unsuspecting boatman's panel flickers, his master, and his master's bidding, lies alive and waiting within.

'K. Shutting up.

Next Parkdale Tenants Association Meeting

2005-07-02T12:34:00.000-05:00

Tuesday June 5th, 6:30 pm.

your Canada Day Reality Check(tm)

2005-07-01T13:31:00.000-05:00

"How can G8 commitments to end poverty be taken seriously when the very same governments are undermining stability by approving arms transfers to repressive regimes?"

-Amnesty International secretary general Irene Khan asks the awkward question on the eve of the G8 meet in Edinburgh.

your Canada Day Reality Check(tm)

2005-07-01T08:11:00.000-05:00

"How can G8 commitments to end poverty be taken seriously when the very same governments are undermining stability by approving arms transfers to repressive regimes?"

-Amnesty International secretary general Irene Khan asks the awkward question on the eve of the G8 meet in Edinburgh.

Canada Day Primer

2005-07-01T05:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Canada Day.

Asad Ismi was talking on CKLN's radio about the G8 summit and the Colossal African Debt Thing.

And offered up some interesting factoids.

Like how the collosal debt started.

The debts started getting obscene around the 1980's. Western countries got a lot of money from the flowing petroleum and forced countries to borrow money at what seemed to be ok rates, then skyrocketed the interest rates to... 20%.

Hence the debt.

They've already paid the original debt multiple times over.

Back to the G8 Live 8 thing (Or as it's also called, "Jive-Aid, Part Deux").

African musicians have come right out and said it's a collossal waste of time. (There's that "Collosal" thing popping up again.)

And, uh... it seems some people are trying to tie the elimination of the debt with the reparations that should be done for current descendants of black slaves in North America, as in:- The Debt Elimination = Reparations paid + done (issue over).

Sorry, what...?!?!

Reparations is not a one-stop, financial issue, solved with throwing money at it. If that's the reasoning behind the absolute resolution of the issue, then you might as well throw about $50,000 at an incest survivor victim, who's had the abuse start at the tender age of two, and is currently on the street, 18 years of age; put a feather in your hat and call it macaroni, declare it done, and simply walk away. Sounds insane? Well, what makes anyone think an endemic issue, hundreds of years in the making, and then in the addressing, as easily resolved?

O.K. Think about it this way. How in the living f*ck did Live8 not manage to snag YOUSS OU N'DOUR? An old high school pal would hoot and cheer whenever she saw him appear on TV, saying he's a friend of the family (or uncle...)

(He and other major African musicians were at a lesser-known event for the same cause, at a place called High Park in London)

And not one of the African radio hosts at CKLN had anything positive nor encouraging to say about the current or past "Live Aid" events/efforts/image upgrade-slash-publicity-stunts for musicians.

I mean, it's nice that Madonna can grin for the public and hold with a death-like grip onto the healthy, adult version of some chick who was caught on television during the original Live-Aid stint, when she was barely conscious from the effects of malnutiriton, trying to cop-off on some of the publicity so it could revive her own career...

But as someone posed to one of the African hosts on CKLN, did the original Live-Aid do anything to get rid of the famine, etc., it was supposed to, back then?

"Uh ..., no, not really," was the reply. "I mean there still is famine and poverty now, isn't there?"

Not to mention the tons of comments on where the bulk of that money actually ended up.

So, now. Go watch the fireworks.

And know that you've kept reality in balance.

And check out this Asad Ismi guy, will you?

As someone who grew up in Trinidad, I found his East Indian accent extremely comforting; it reminds you that there are people out there with their HEADS, not to mention hearts, in the right place who are keen and passionate in the issue... (and you'd better take what I just said the right way, or else...!)

Parkdale Action Coalition founder and Parkdale Forum co-blogger organiser at Uprising Documentary Festival

2005-03-31T22:34:00.000-05:00

Robin would probably tell you this himself, but he's been busier than a bee...

He's been to South America and back, doing reporting in Venezuela during the Chavez election, and now he's back in Toronto, an organiser at the Uprising Documentary Festival.

This Friday the first of April they're showing "Port-au-Prince is Mine", documenting the social conditions people are live with in Haiti's capital city.

From Robin:-

"Rather than talk about the big political issues, the film is unique in that it takes you into the homes of every day people who live in Port-au-Prince.

I hope you can make it out, I think you could appreciate a film like this...

The filming takes place at the Ashanti Room - 836 Bloor St. West, 1 block east of Ossington, near Shaw, at 730 p.m."

Come support a Parkdale community member working hard to make a difference here and abroad.

Independent public hearings into Psychiatric Practices

2005-03-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

Inquiry Into Psychiatry 2005
Historic Public Hearings

On or been on psychiatric drugs?
Undergone electroshock?
Do you have concerns?
Come give personal testimony.
Make an appointment to testify or just turn up.

Where:
Council Chambers at City Hall. 100 Queen Street West

Psychiatric Drugs Public Hearings
***April 2 and 3 ~ 1:00 - 5:00 pm***
Presiding Panel: Dr. Bonnie Burstow, Leah Cohen, Dr. Ernie Lightman, Dr. Shahrzad Mojab, and Michael Valpy.

Electroshock Public Hearings
***April 9 and 10 ~ 1:00 - 5:00 pm***
Presiding Panel: Don Weitz, Cathy Crowe (omg wow; WOOF!), Catherine Dunphy, Dr. Roy Moodley, Chris Rahim.

Organizers: CAPA - Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault

Contact person Don Weitz (416) 545-0796

Don Weitz is the editor of at least one book, "Shrink Resistant:the struggle against psychiatry in Canada", in which survivors detail experiences with the Canadian government/CIA-funded Allan Memorial experiments under the direction of of Dr. ewen Cameron.

email:- capa@oise.utoronto.ca

PSST! Know why Somalia's wreckage didn't get covered, although THEY also got hit by the dec 26th, 2004, tsunami?

2005-03-31T05:43:00.000-05:00

Because Atlas shrugged and unearthed a Nasty Little Secret!

Read on.

While many are still focused on the latest earthquake in Indonesia, the effects of the Dec 26th tsunami are still being felt in Somalia. Here's how.

When the tsunami crossed the Indian ocean from Indonesia to hit Africa, it may also have dragged toxic wate containers, illegally dumped off the coast of Somalia, onto the shore (there's only one reason why I say "may" - you'll see as u read further).

Somalia's ongoing civil war has forced its government into exile in Kenya, where the Minister of the Environment, Ohama Osmanhai(sp?), says that according to reports, at least 300 people are affected by new diseases. He says ever since the tsunami, "all over the ocean", there has been complaints of new diseases they have never seen, stuff like blood coming from their mouths, skin changing, a lot of things they never knew before as a Somali population.

Ever heard of the Toxic Waste Trade? No, what's that, you say? Read on.

It's been happening between European-rich countries to developing nations. The Toxic Waste Trade was often possible because of the lack of regulations in the rich countries and weaker, non-existent governments in poor ones. It was very profitable and fake businesses, or mafias, used the opportunity to enrich themselves. It reached its peak in the 1990's, still operating in the early 21st century. Somalia's always been expected to be a dumping ground because it fit into all the criteria for use by those referred to as the 'Waste Trade Mafia': countries afflicted by war, nearby to Europe, have been dumping grounds.

The international trade's decreased since the Basil(sp?) convention on the control of trans-boundary movements of Hazardous Waste, which has been ratified by many countries.

The worst thing? They have no idea what exactly's been dumped there...
or what was washed up by the tsunami...

The United Nations enviromental program is very concerned by the situation. The Regional Director for Africa reported that there's indications that people have been discovering empty drums, toxic waste was dumped, that the tsunami was responsible for resurfacing some of the drums... the UN decided to just organize a series of missions to go to Somalia. Unfortunately the current security situation is, unless there's security clearance to go to Somalia, it would very difficult to send a total assessment team, to really see whether these claims are correct or not (so, basically, no "offical" verification).

Obviously Somalia's exiled Minister supports the U.N's move. He also expects, if its origins can be discovered, whichever countries that produced the mess (erm, waste) to, you know, um, pay to clean it up...? And to prosecute whichever Somalians accepted said waste. He's so far dissappointed by the response of the international community. He calls them blind to what's going on, says they're already rebuilding places affected by the tsunami, except Somalia.

I mean, if YOU were the international community, would YOU? "Naw, man, I didn't do it... (checks watch) Look, I have an important meeting to go to. I gotta bail..."

With international disagreements on the size and composition of a possible peace keeping mission deployal to Somalia, there's gonna be more delays before the the whole extent of the toxic waste pollution is completely known.

Never ever (again, if in your case you've said so) say there isnt a reason for GreenPeace's existence. They're not just some bunch of annoying, bleeding-heart liberals. They've been investigating this since the 1980's.

These guys know and care about shit you mightn't even know or care about unless there was literally some sort of an earth-shattering situation to shake you to attention.

Or not.

I was online chatting and, the tsunami came up; I said I figured I should just mention that African nations also got hit by the tsunami, but got coverage on a level of a media blackout, and how there's speculation on why that was. Almost instantly people started saying, "'cause no one gives a shit about Africa."

Okee dokee. Heard enough?

Castro The Billionaire

2005-03-26T13:56:00.000-05:00

I find out from www.tobiasbuckell.com's "Castro the Billionaire" post that Forbes calls Castro a billionaire.

O...k...

And they used new "criteria" to be able to get this current assessment, when I click some links provided along with the post.

Ok then...

I carry around my sceptcism like other carry around socks. And not without reason. Just got off the phone with Otis (Norman "Otis" Richmonnd) to ask him if he recalled who did the show where the professor from Jamica was talking about the Cuban doctors. Turns out it was him. Cool. Asked some questions because I heard about this "Castro Billionaire" thing; and turns out he's airing a repeat because of the Castro "news"

So, tried posting something to Tobias' blog. Seems his comments thing's not behanvin'.

Again, the info's relevant to stuff I cover here, so I'll just repeat what I sent off in an email.

When it comes to Cuba and Communism, I've found the average person's got a set of preconceived notions locked behind a safe you can't access. Yeah, everyone's dying to get away and risk their lives on a boat...

Never mind I know people who've been to Cuba within the last six months... and not because Canadians tend to go there for vacation.

(Right. Anything else I say will just be personal ranting, and I'd like to think this isn't a personal ranting sort of blog.)

So here's what I sent off.

TB: Well, this person has. I'm not impressed with Castro's government or his experiment.

I didn't reply until now because I was getting a hold of folks who I know; namely 1) pals who are still, or were, members of the Communist Party; 2) people I know, like Normal "Otis" Richmond, who host radio shows and is considered a black community leader here in Toronto. He runs a show here on CLKN radio called "Saturday Morning Live" which has so many acdemics walking though it they've worn grooves; and a lot of good stuff, including "Amanla" (sp?) which is a segment done by people from Africa on the latest on news happening from the continent.

CLKN has a long and proven history of not only pissing off those who'd rather not have the info out- (case in point:- CKLN's rather busy at the moment, with Wendy/Queen Nzinga's deportation a week or so back; she's a widely, widely loved and respected community leader who did CKLN's entire "International Women's Day" programming for the week. A week or so after former police chief Fantino ranted about the station "Promoting hate" because Ron does a "Bad Cop, No Doughnut" segment on his show, culled from headlines all over North America, cops picked her up selling cookies at the International Women's Day events and she got deported to Costa Rica after having her case languishing in thesystem for years)- presenting news the mainstream media either barely covers or not cover at all. It's how I knew that Abu Ghraib scandal was happening before it became mainstream fodder, for instance.

In any event. He is going to be doing a repeat of the show he did with the profefessor from Jamaica who had gotten an honouray doctorship(?) from Cuba. (What specifically evades, me because it's been a bit since I heard this particular show and that's not why I remembered the show anyway ). The gentleman in question went on at length to talk about why Cuban doctors were respected in Jamaica, and elsewhere; they had flown 20,000 people from Venezuela so they can have cataract removal, since resources in Venezuela for these people were limited. One of the reasons the professor stated the doctors doing this at no cost to Venezuelans (or their govenrment) was because of their Communist leanings; that they are doctors "and they are there to serve the people". IF I recall correctly, they've also been to Haiti when the coup happened...

So, long story short, that's why I'm sceptical about the "Castro being a Billionaire" thing. Norman's doing the show repeat because of the Castro Billionaire thing. You can listen to the show tomorrow Sunday on the web at www.ckln.fm (you can probably also get a copy of the show if you miss it) or email Norman yourself at norman@ckln.fm.

Did You Know...?

2005-02-22T14:13:00.000-05:00

A Black History Month primer:-
That Malcom X's mother was from Grenada? And his parents met in Montreal? At a Marcus Garvey-related convention? And his mother's family settled in Canada?

Suspicious minds remembering the US invasion of Grenada in 1983 and theorizing about a "Grenada connection", start your engines...

Followup: The Little Parkdale organisation that could Goes to city hall...!

2005-02-06T01:49:00.000-05:00

It's been a while, but a lot of stuff has happened In Real Life(tm).

Here's the proceedings of what went on with our meeting the brass in City Hall to address housing conditions in Parkdale...

At the head of the table was Pamela Coburn, a blonde short-haired woman who seemed very friendly. She's at the helm of things. At her right hand (literally) at the head of the table was a Mayor's office woman, also blonde, with a ponytail; as the meeting went on, she woud be the type of person I was expecting to meet with. Some others there: Joe, who was one of the executives present, working in the invetsigations unit; Frank; and Shaun Goetz-Gadon.

As the meeting began, Pamela started by stating it's been a year since the proposal for the bad landlord website. The tech budget's been approved, "council has coughed up the money", and the web site should be live by spring '05. "When it goes live it won't necessarily be everything, but it will be a start," according to Frank. Apparently it will be using a "point forward system."

Different municipalities have different regulations about what they disclose, according to Pamela.

Our delegation started to chime in, starting wth Bart, who said there was "Overwhelming evidence that if the system isn't changed, the protocols (don't work)/"not worth anything"

At Pamela's urging, Bart said that the protocols indeed do not capture the breadth of the situation, and that they do not work.

Apparently one problem is the licensing of buildings (McGuinty's approval is needed...)

Bart asked what else was the holdback, and added that there needs to be a more pro-active system.

Pamela said that they're not changing the legislation, but the regulation. She also let us know that Ralph Walton is their contact at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and started listing off challenges that they came across, citing "resources to maintain standards", audit creation/recreation/maintenance, ("what a building audit looks like"), how they're "starting to prepare literature", and "you can only do what you can do with the people that you have".

Some lamentation on the way current things work, as if it were beyond their control, went on (I believe it was Pamela who said, "They (landlords) get taken to court and the tickets are $300-$400, and they get a $50 fine"). Morag York's husband spoke up. Speaking simply and humbly, he nevertheless presented pertinently incisive questions: "Well landlords know it's cheaper to pay the fine instead of repairing buildings, so what are you going to do to rectify that?" Pamela said that the adding to the cost of their licensing fee depending on their track record was being proposed.

Charging licensing fees so the landlord passes the cost to the tenant? "Yeah," Bart tells me, "but it won't be a large amount anyway."

We also talked of the lack of capital improvement to start repairs.

Mary spoke up. One thing I like about Mary is her systematic, thorough approach to things. Starting off with a 'we've listened to what you have to say, here's now our input', she started off with a comprehensive response, inlcuding a suggestion to giving us more involvement in the process to push things, and keeping us informed, so we're not just coming back next year and asking you, "What have you done?" A question that also came up was, how to help speed up the process in City Council? Tenancy issues are not a priority in City Council, always on the back-burner...

Mary said "Basic quality of life, that's a standard, UN, whatever, so it's a priority, so you can take a little off everythig until you get what you need..."

The aformentioned woman to Pamela's right spoke up, with the closed, "Everything's fine, we don't need your opinions" attitude I was expecting from practically everyone who'd be present... "Council's concerned with what's happening in their wards" - they're "very active in addressing local issues."

Things are not being done on a case-by-case basis.

Sarah Huffman and Ralph are involved in Licensing in the province. There's also talks of putting a plan in place- a feasability plan. An AMCTO meeting was held a couple of days ago; the discussion is they want a consultation for the proposal municipality reviews when it will be "aggressive"

A sentiment was aired: the more you bundle with this issue, the more it takes. Extricate it, and have it move on its own track.

They were asked, if the province gives the green light, how long will it be running?

There was talk as well of what will be done pre and post regulation changes.

Morag asked, "What are you gong to do in the meantime? While you wait (for it to pass)? To help people?"
(So we get results now... so we don't get mumbo-jumbo as excuses, like, "It's being considered... wait...")

Pamela also talked of a comprehensive plan of progressive landlord compliance when they get fines to failure to comply. The way the Provinical Offences Act is now, a Legislative ticket for anything is a maximum of $500 - and if the landlord gets multiple ones, the judge can roll them into one fine. The worst buildings get an order, there's a time period for them to comply, and the landlord gets a time to appeal ("I don't think that people should be denied the right to appeal...")

What about a time limit for appeal to comply time? I wondered.

The one question I asked, that caused a bit of a stir, in regards that it's a common sense one, was, "Why is the fine for maintaining a hovel the same thing/lumped in the same legislation as... smoking..?" (!?!)

"We'd like a meeting with some of the politicians..." Bart told them.

According to Pamela, we'll be provided with a list of buildings in Parkdale in audit, their progress; and something about us being able to go to Property Standards Committee.

We also talked with them about making sure landlords who have outstanding work orders (and bad buildings) are not eligible for the Rent Supplement Program.

Frank talked of problems faced:
Financing;
Legislative hurdles;
Political will;
And judges who don't appreciate the problem.
(phbbbt. I think there's probably some unspoken understanding/greased palms...)

Bart: "Instead of wasting money trying to change judges' minds, the City can go in and do the repairs and charge it to the landlord. That's a faster way to do it."

Thus endeth my notes.

On the way down, we noted that they were friendlier than we'd expected, with one person in particular: Goetz-Gadon. Apparently he'd taken on duties in regards to these issues in his job capacity in the past: my first skeptical reaction, however, was that he was going to play the "good cop" thing. One other person in our group sort of echoed my sentiment, commenting that he was smooth. And probably too much so.

As is with everything facilitating positive change, we'll see.

Anything's here's vague/unclear, give me a yell, and I'll clarify it up...

On the 9th day before Elections...

2005-01-14T05:38:00.000-05:00

Your Three French Hens.

Or probably I should say your Three Minutes of Silence.

From the Rupert Hotel Memorial held Thursday, December 15th.

See them now at http://johnb.smugmug.com/gallery/1050650

Background Information:

Two days before Christmas, on December 23, 1989, a terrible fire roared
through the 'Rupert Hotel' rooming house at the corner of Queen &
Parliament in Toronto. 10 people died in the blaze.

On the 10th day before Elections...

2005-01-13T09:37:00.000-05:00

The ten(millionth) reason Bush should be kicked out of office:-

Oh, neat-o. It's finally official?...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10536559/site/newsweek/
"No wonder Bush was so desperate that The New York Times not publish its story on the National Security Agency eavesdropping on American citizens without a warrant...""...any Americans with ties to Muslim extremists—in fact, all American Muslims, period—have long since suspected that the U.S. government might be listening in to their conversations."

NSA's just one of many federal agencies spying on Americans. Apparently sources close to the administration say spying on Americans by the National Security Agency is not only more widespread than President George W. Bush admits but is part of a concentrated, government-wide effort to gather and catalog information on U.S. citizens.

And ain't this nice: NSA spying is just the tip of the iceberg.Although supposedly killed by Congress more than 18 months ago, the Defense Advance Project Research Agency’s Terrorist Information Awareness (TIA) system, formerly called the “Total Information Awareness” program, is alive and well and collecting data in real time on Americans at a computer center located at 3801 Fairfax Drive in Arlington, Virginia.

On 12th day before elections...

2005-01-11T06:28:00.000-05:00

...Your Partrige In a Pear Tree...

Money making has been the sacred excuse for all kinds of cultural
devastation.

Christmas will not be privatised

2004-12-20T18:14:00.000-05:00

Owen, Cathy, Frqncis, and anyone has strong socialist tendencies and who's ever regularly been to protests should go read china Mieville's hilarious Xmas tale over at The Socialist Review.

Ho Ho Ho™!

The Little Parkdale organisation that could Goes to city hall...!

2004-12-20T11:13:00.000-05:00

In the next couple of days I'll finish writing up the proceedings of what went on with our meeting the brass in City Hall to address housing conditions in Parkdale...

Same-Sex marriage

2004-12-18T21:24:00.000-05:00

Following the Supreme Court decision, opponents of equal marriage for gays and lesbians have been inundating MPs with phone calls and e-mails. Please take action so that theirs are not the only voices that are heard.

Please visit equal-marriage.ca and see how easy it is to make a difference in this crucial human rights battle.

ARREST ME!

2004-11-30T21:44:00.000-05:00

So...
G W Bush is in Canada now.

and 10,000 people converged at the doors of Parliament Hill- 5,000 more than who just completed the snake march- and voiced their objection to His (insert insult here)s' presence where he should be indisted as a war criminal.

And then there's the two demonstrations today a the US Consulate, at 2 and 6 pm.

WOO!!

Anybody go to Ottawa? Who was at the demos today?

(know anyone who did...?)

Hello from South America

2004-11-01T15:37:00.000-05:00

Parkdale,

how are you all doing? What`s up in the neighbourhood?
I hope everyone is doing well.

Down here in elections yesterday in Venezuela and Uruguay there was a resounding victory for social politics in this continent.

Progressive politics swept through Venezuela where pro-Chavez governors won 20 of 22 seats, giving the Bolivarian Revolution full sway in the National Assembly. In Uruguay the progressive coalition party "Frente Amplio" won the national election after 30 years of losses.

Uruguay joins Brazil, Argentina, and Venezuela in a new economic and political path for South America even as North America struggles between keeping George W. Bush or the neo-con democrat, John Kerry.

"Another world is possible" the favourite slogan of South American progressives, is actually proving true for many countries on the continent that are struggling towards fundamental structural changes to change the course of their future.

Things are happening here slowly but surely, one step at a time, door-to-door, neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

And how are things in Canada? How are things in Toronto?

Take Care,
Robin

Buyer Beware...

2004-10-31T16:18:00.000-05:00

Writing buddy seemed to be enthusiastic about some new website called "Global Ideas Bank" that has ideas for changing the world etc.

As soon as I saw the first line "The Global Ideas Bank is an online system of posting 'ideas' for the world (they seem to be social) that are rated. They're looking for some submissions from blogs some day soon.", my hackles went up.

Then it was sort of confirmed when further down, he said this:-

This idea is interesting because it's a proposed solution for 'at risk' families to try and help them get back on their feet:

'With the help of private organizations who serve the public's at risk population, a marriage of families, two or three at each privately owned home, can be a wonderful pathway of support.'

My rating... eh, sounds a bit pie in the sky, but it stuck out at me enough to open it.

I know what the reaction would be if I show this to the old hands I know in Toronto, and I tried posting some thoughts to his blog. His blogging system's comments is getting spammed something fierce, and it's not behaving... the subject's something that felt I can bring up here, so this is what I basically sent off to him in an email:-

While there may be some 'cool' ideas floating about on that website, showing this to people who have been active in the community for years (would)generally elicit a response of 'pop' activism, the idea behind that where people go, "We need to do something about the world! Yeah!" and go off trying to do things based on their assumptions, rather than going and doing research, getting in it up to their elbows even (because there are organisations that espouse belief systems and do nothing more than what is referred to as 'armchair activism'... more on that later), and- this is important- be willing to have their original presumptions either totally deconstructed or sent in a different direction altogether.

(Case in point:- While I was at the Evergreen Centre for Youth, there was a woman who was being interviewed. She wanted to help because she wanted to teach the at-risk and street youth about God and teach them about family, and a couple of other misguided notions. The centre's nurse interviewing her- a straight-talking woman who rides a motorcycle and regularly sports her leather jacket, and a old vet- told her that you do not volunteer here to teach the children about God (Evergreen's overseen by at least one church), or anything: these kids have been through things that you cannot imagine unless you've been through the same thing, and, as she said, "they teach you." The woman did not end up getting accepted; never saw the woman again.)

Just as you've heard horror stories where people, in the search for the cheapest, shiniest thing they can find, sign up with some domain registry and/or hosting service, only to find that they cannot move or switch later on because the companies hold their domain names, and end up losing them, one should exercise caution with things like this on the internet.

" 'With the help of private organizations who serve the public's at risk population, a marriage of families, two or three at each privately owned home, , can be a wonderful pathway of support.'

My rating... eh, sounds a bit pie in the sky, but it stuck out at me enough to open it. "

My response to that is, "Why rely on private organisations? Why not address systematic problems? Why not go out and push for affordable, public housing?" I'm involved in a few organisations, some action-based, some not, that are working for this here in Toronto.

A lack of exercising wisdom in this sort of thing would run you the risk of getting tangled up in organisations like the local International Socialists here in Toronto, that preach against 'top-down' hierarchies and elitism, but their own internal infrastructure and culture is precisely this. They're universally reviled. Any association with them, and you're kept at a ten-foot-pole distance, and would not be able to interact with other true, local activist organisations; and the one thing that you learn is that you cannot affect change on your own. There must be solidarity, and you *must* interact.

Otherwise you run the risk of becoming nothing more than the modern incarnation of Missionaries going out to the rest of the world to enlighten them, and save them from their pagan religions... where people go, "Oh, they documented cultures while systematically destroying them!"

So, yeah. Word to the wise.

Thoughts?

Golden Cockroach Awards Ceremony today

2004-10-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

Come one, come all, to the Golden Cockroach Awards!

Today at 40 Tyndall Ave., at 4p.m. near the Canadian National Exhibition, major intersection closest is King and Dufferin.

The Parkdale Liberty's all over the event, and they've don an editorial on it, and MOJO radio 680 AM's had a live interview. There's been a call from City TV as well.

Woo!

Also happening: Golden Weasel (Parkdale Liberty's had a cartoon making fun of Miller)

Refreshments, etc.

I won't be able to attend since I'm in NY.

Hope all goes well!

What is happening in Parkdale?

2004-10-17T14:45:00.000-05:00

Folks,

down here in Venezuela, I am starving for news from Parkdale.
What`s happening in the neighbourhood these days?

What`s the news?

I was wondering if someone from PAC could start posting regular news articles
to keep us folks in the rest of the world up to date with local issues.

The news doesn`t have to be long and indepth. I just want to know what has
been happening in the neighbourhood and how things are doing for people in
West Lodge for example and other buildings who have solicited help from the local councillor.

Has any progress been made?

Robin

Building Social Infrastructure in Venezuela

2004-10-06T19:54:00.000-05:00

Hi Parkdale People,

it`s been awhile since I`ve written and I just wanted to let you
know that I am still in Venezuela documenting the social programs
this government has begun. That is, the government of President
Hugo Chavez.

I have looked into the housing program, and I am now investigating the Guaicaipuro mission, a social program for indigenous Venezuelans. It is amazing to learn that native people here on the whole support Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution. Our native breathren here not only support their president but identify with him as well. Chavez often refers to his own African and indigenous ancestry.

Travelling through the oil state of Zulia, it is appalling to see how much poverty accumulated throughout this oil rich country. To witness the vast scale of poverty is to look at the reality of Venezuela created by decades of monopolization of the country`s resources in the hands of a few.

It is this poverty that led to the Bolivarian revolution. And these conditions were
created by those who ruled Venezuela without concern for the vast majority of people
in this country. Is it any surprise that Chavez and his Bolivarian revolution swept in?
Conditions were ripe for revolution as Marxists would say. It isn`t Chavez who created these conditions of poverty.

So now Chavez is creating a social infrastructure for Venezuela. This is includes healthcare, education, housing, employment programs, food security, rights for indigenous people and the building of massive infrastructure like subways in the major cities and a train system across the country as well as a state telecommunications systems that includes low cost cell phones and internet communication centres free of charge for the general population.

Chavez is setting up everything we have in Canada in terms of social programs and more.
And remember he is doing this by using the oil income of this country that was once in the hands of a tiny oil elite.

If Venezuela can begin a "housing revolution" and invest in subway lines, why can`t Canada?

Your friendly neighbourhood Robin

Make Space for Peace! Keep Canada out of Missile Defence

2004-09-29T21:49:00.000-05:00

From alix:-

Canada is under pressure from George W Bush to join his $1.3 TRILLION scheme called Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD). Canada has already signalled its openness to the plan by announcing changes to the NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence) treaty.

BMD is about the weaponisation of space and will lead to a new arms race. Most Canadians already oppose it. Let's make sure that the federal government hears us!

Rally & march
Saturday, October 2
1:00pm
U.S. Consulate
360 University Avenue

Called by the Canadian Peace Alliance.

Endorsed by: Canadian Arab Federation (Toronto chapter), Canadian Labour Congress, People AGainst Weapons in Space, Toronto Coalition to Stop the War, Toronto and York Region Labour Council.

For more information:
www.acp-cpa.ca
cpa@web.ca
416-588-5555

IIIII'm Baaaaaack...

2004-09-29T21:36:00.000-05:00

Ok. So I'm officially back, I guess.

Went to a building survey this evening, and boy, the horror, the horror. Hopefully details will be for public consumption soon.

-T

Parkdale Tenants Assn. news

2004-09-08T06:59:00.000-05:00

From Bart Poesiat:-

"We managed to talk to a number of tenants, including a number of the tenants we talked to last time. It is clear that the building maintenance has greatly improved and most tenants are quite happy. Almost everyone we talked to said that a building condemnation of 1475 King was not a good idea and would be counter-productive at this time. It is important to stress that the tenants said that it is because of the PTA's work that things have improved dramatically in the building, especially after it became known that Roland (the landlord) had been nominated for the Golden cockroach.

We then decided at the meeting after to drop the idea of doing another building condemnation and concentrate on the Golden Weasel and the City. Obviously not everyone was present when this decision was made (Morag, Naomi and Tricia were absent), so this decision could be revisited before our next meeting (on the email, I guess). We then went to another PTA success story: 115 Dowling (Neelam's building). As you remember we did a press conf. there last fall and got much publicity about the mess there (including the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and Goldhawk Live).The building has been painted on the outside, much work has been going on the inside and what looks a million dollar rebar job on the garage is going on (where we took all the pictures!).

PTA SUCCESS STORY. Clearly we should capitalize on this and make a big fuss about our success. Maybe do a 'Then and Now' story with pictures on the website."

Site news

2004-09-04T07:46:00.001-05:00

I'll be in the States for a few weeks, so there'll be a hiatus of news info until then.

-T

http://www.ceasefire.ca

2004-08-25T23:11:00.000-05:00

From Alexandra Link:-

Hi guys,

Did you know that many Liberal Members of Parliament
are speaking out against Canada joining George W.
Bush's Star Wars scheme?

I think they deserve our support. I sent a message to
them, and you can too by visiting www.ceasefire.ca.

The outcome of this decision is extremely important
and sending them a quick email will only take a few
seconds of your time.

Take care,
Alix

OCAP FUNDING APPEAL AND SOLIDARITY SALE

2004-08-21T06:44:00.000-05:00

From OCAP's website:-

"OCAP continues to face a pressing financial crunch. We are days away from the next Raise the Rates action at a Liberal Party Fundraising BBQ, the fight goes on against City Hall, yet we are still unable to pay our organizers or cover everyday organizing costs. If you can send a donation please do as soon as possible. If not perhaps you could contribute books, CD.s, videos or other small items to sale taking place next weekend. If you have nothing to donate come and pick-up some items at the.
OCAP Solidarity Sale
Sunday August 22
12 Noon onwards
at Uprising Books-
6A Kensington Ave. (just north of Dundas)
all books, CD.s, Videos, DVD.s and other small items welcome and available

To drop off donations in advance please contact Marque at the OCAP office- 416 925 6939 or leave small items only at Uprising."

"Nimby"ing with vulnerable neighbours

2004-08-21T05:59:00.000-05:00

Things like this people in opposition to 20 Triller should read:-

From the Torobnt Star:-
"Safe and affordable housing cuts stress: People with mental illness need stability. Neighbours often don't want `crazy people' next door"

It reads like a blueprint of my experience at the public meeting held at the Masaryc-Cowan Rec Centre.

Excerpts:-

"When the neighbours are invited to community meetings to hear about plans for supportive housing, they are supposed to talk about the building — the height, the shadow, the parking. "Without exception, people who come don't want to hear about it — they come to say we don't want those crazy people here," says Witkowski. "Even though we've tried to do some education, it became apparent people have no interest in having misconceptions corrected."

Witkowski and Birnberg and others in the supportive housing community say people with mental illness and other disabilities have the right to live where they choose and do not need the approval of the neighbours.

It goes on to say, "Yet,once tenants move into their buildings, the protesters are silent."

Something they should remember.

Did you know?

2004-08-17T02:25:00.000-05:00

City Bylaws actually make video boards - which I'm sure you've seen around town - illegal.

Prisoner Justice Day

2004-08-10T05:54:00.000-05:00

Today's Prisoner Justice Day.

Here's a revolutionary thought:-

The U.S. has political prisoners.

No, really.

Try rethinking what you've assumed about who goes to prison, who gets executed, and... *why*.

Don't know where to start?

Here's a primer for you:- Try finding out about Mumia Abu Jamal. Perhaps hes not the cop killer after all. and perhaps, maybe, the implications for the US justice and prison systems is only part of the whole picture.

May I humbly suggest that one take a look at The Anti-Terrorism Bill (The Effective Death Penalty Act) of 1996. Why should you take a look at The Anti-Terrorism Bill (The Effective Death Penalty Act)? Because it ties in to what is happening today. It also ties into the encroachment of your human rights. I'll just put up a few things on the death penalty for you to consider.

The United States has the highest population of any country on earth living on death row. Over 1.5 million Americans are in prison, the highest prison population in the industrialized world. Over 80 countries in the world have abandoned capital punishment, including all those of Europe, Russia, and the former countries of the Soviet Union. The United Nations will not permit any of its tribunals, even the ones considering the genocide in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, to impose the death penalty.

A higher percentage of the general population are in prison in the United States than were in prison in South Africa under apartheid, and a higher percentage than were in prison in the Soviet Union under their old system.

The only other country in the industrialized world with a death row is Japan, which in 1997, had 31 members on deateh row- 1/100th the size the the death row population in the United States at 3100, that time. The only reason there was that number instead of 6000 people on death row at that time was because, since 1977, 40 % were reversed by federal juddges because the federal constitutional law was violated in those trials.

The United States also has the distinction of having executed the greatest number of inmates who were children or teenagers at the time of their crimes of any country in the world. Five other countries in the world allow for the execution of juveniles: Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Bangladesh, and Saudi Arabia. In the last 10 years the United States has executed more juvenile offenders than the other five combined.

The International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, Switzerland, studied the death row population in the United States and its history, and reached the conclusion that the death penalty, as it exists in the United states today, violates international norms of human rights.

Lawyer's associations, including the American Bar Association(voted 2-1 in 1997), the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Philadelphia Bar Association, have voted to stop the executions, and called for a moratorium. The Philadelphia City Council also voted 12-4 in favor a moratorium on these killings.

What is it about the death penalty is so troubling? The question is not how MANY people get the death penalty; it is WHO. None are millionaires, none are members of the upper middle-class, practically none are middle-class, and surprisingly none are members of organized crime... they are the poor, the uneducated, those who have themselves- as studies prove- been victims of sexual, emotional and physical violence in their childhood, those addicted to alcohol and drugs, and those of colour.

There have been about 18,000 people put to death in the 200 years of U.S.history, and of those 18,000 only 37 have been charged with taking the life of a person of colour; 85 percent of the people on death row are there for killing a Caucasian.

Since the death penalty was restored in 1977, 650 people have been executed. But 86 have also been released after their innocence was established, or it was ascertained that their trial process was so flawed there was serious question about their guilt. That's practically about 1 in 5. (From 1977-1997, of the 350 executed, only 5 have been charged with the killing of a person of colour. Of the death row convictions handed down, 40% were reversed by federal judges because constitutional law was violated in those trials. Had they not been reversed, there would have been 6000, not 3100 on death row at the time.)

When Bill Clinton was running for President he wanted an Anti-Terrorism Bill. Congress gave him the bill, but only on the condition that he accept a bill they tried to get in 1976, 1980, and in 1984. And had never been able to get in because it's so violative of the basic notions of the consitutional establishment. It "reforms" almost out existence the habeas corpus concept that has always been the bedrock of the American justice system. The Anti-Terrorism Bill and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 established almost insurmountable obstacles against filing federal appeals in death penalty cases, thereby setting the stage for a virtual wave of executions. It expedites the number of executions.

It also effectively stripped the federal judges of their right to review the state convictions. Federal judges must stand by and allow what state judges do to stand, and allow people to be executed even if their constitutional rights were violated.

That same year the highest constitutional court of Italy refused to extradite an Italian national to the U.S. because he faced the death penalty saying, as it exists today, it violates international law- the first time the highest court of another country passed judgement on the U.S.'s system of justice. Presently, 74 foreign nationals sit on death row in violation of the Vienna Convention. The violation is that they were not informed of their right to counsel from their homeland.

The original U.S. Constitution document had no human rights protections in it at all before the 10 amendments. What it DID have was habeas corpus. That bill effectively rubbed it out in 1996. with barely a ripple of protest.

In Canada no matter how heinous the crime, they must first produce evidence. The United Stated demands that of other nations, and someone saying sight unseen they have evidence and they're not going to show you, is unacceptable. The European Union, for example refuses to extradite anyone to the United States because they oppose the death penalty. Would the United States then bomb Sweden, Paris... ?

Tip of the iceberg for ya.

War on Drugs...?

2004-08-06T21:48:00.000-05:00

Television footage shows planes flying and spraying coca crops (base ingredient for cocaine smuggled into the US), but what it doesn't show is when they fly over food crops like corn, and spray them, in addition to residential areas- and residents. Columbia central North central region, like the Southern, Northern and coastal Columbia, has been sprayed with the Monsanto-produced herbicide Glyphosate on three separate occasions. According to locals, the fumigations have caused miscarriages and severe skin ailments. The US-sponsored spraying has killed food crops, poisoned fresh water sources and left many without work.

Duster crop planes flew over communities an hour away as people converged for a meeting to discuss the situation on July 30th, indisriminately dousing another dose of Glyphosate the over their land. Thousands of subsistence farmers in the countryside were forced to abandon their lands after the damage caused by the fumigations. Many then struggle to survive below the poverty line within Columbian towns and cities. During the year 2003, the International Organization of Migration did a study and found that some 7,000 people were forced to abandon their lands because of their fumigations. Ecuadorians who live near the borders also have suffered damage to their health and lands also, even there is no coca there.

Six thousand complaints have been lodged by Columbia's Human Rights Ombudsman; over 8,000 requests have been registered with the US embassy in Columbia for indemnization for damage to food crops, animals and human lives; but neither the US nor Columbia recognise that aerial spraying damages life. On paper Plan Columbia'set up to repay victims who's suffered losses due to fumigation; of the 8,000 plus six alone have been indemized in the past 4 years.

On August 3^rd at the hotel press conference, John Walters said "in most of the investigations" which he said were followed aggressively, the causes were people using herbicides, insecticides or fertilizers wrongly or too much, or due to diseases peculiar to "poor people working in jungle areas".

Oh, nice. So, basically it's not us, they're too stupid or too backward or to...?

Interesting. The American Medical Association released a statement that said fumigations have caused widespread illnesses, destroying pastures, food crops, poisoning livestock and displacing thousands of small farmers. They request the immediate cessation of aerial herbicide spraying in Columbia and the neighbouring countries until the health effects, and the local populations, have been properly studied.

Despite the fact neither the US or Columbian governments have ever conducted a proper scientific study to the effect of the herbicide Glyphosate, they continue to insist on using the aerial spraying to eradicate the coca.

And the effect to people growing coca?

Many continue cultivating, or they move to new regions to plant. In the past 4 years since Plan Columbia's been in effect, US analysts found no effect in the US drug trade has been the result. There's been no change, despite $3 billion given to police and military aid to spray in Columbia.

The peasant farming crisis is increasing.

Parkdale Tenants ASSociation Update

2004-08-03T21:50:00.000-05:00

Frazer and Beverly live at 6 Elm Grove. Nothing's earth-shattering about their list of disrepair issues- no screen & window, squirrels in the chimney, front door lock problems, wires in the ceiling, their landlord came and ripped the wires out so there's now no light-
except for the sheer amount of horse paddy Frazer's gone through to implement resolving these issues. He has written to the city, Sylvia Watson, inspectors, trying to get info on his landlord. Frazer wanted copies of his work orders, he was told he couldn't get them; "Freedom of Information Act" (...wtf?)
Some speculate on "inspector schmoozing"; for those not familiar with this, it's when the City inspector goes "Hi, how are ya?" to the landlord, officially no money's being passed, and apparently the landlord voluntarily complies to fix things, so there's no work order done. People suspect there's also some cash being exchanged; There are persistent rumours that this is what happens all the time with the Wynns.

Back to your regularly-scheduled scaremongering

2004-08-03T21:17:00.000-05:00

The US administration admits that new warnings of attacks on American cities were based on information gathered by al-Qaeda up to four years ago.

On Sunday, Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge said the US had received "new and unusually specific information about where al-Qaeda would like to attack".

Yeah, RIGHT. Like the detailed reports of "Weapons of mass destruction"?!

"Some have suggested that the timing of the latest US government warning is designed to knock presidential challenger John Kerry off the front pages after his nomination as the Democratic Party's candidate last week."

(raises hand) I second that...

One news website asks as a poll question "How much information should the public be given when a terror alert is issued?"

My sentiment? *Everything*, including how recent the info is.

:: The Parkdale Forum ::

Federal Election 2008

Homelessness Marathon

Money-strapped in the new year...?

BOXING WEEK SALE... refund bonanza!

Boxing week sale... Refund gift bonanza!

Remember the Rupert Motel

Oh, look over there! Elvis!

LEAVE ME BEHIND, DUDE!

A Picture's worth a thousand words

Um, ...Yeah... *gags*

community solidarity

OPSEU Union just as culpable as Government, says lawyer

Who's Running This Town?

Municipal election blues in Parkdale

Status of the Artist

Municipal election mayhem for NDP in Parkdale

Today's Liberals (2006)

Sylvia Watson gets the boot in Parkdale-Highpark

Walking the campaign trail in Parkdale

Next Parkdale Tenants' Association Meeeting

Sylvia Watson signs of the time

Provincial by-election in Parkdale: Watson Vs. Di Novo

ouch...

All Candidates waterfront walk Monday, August 28th

There's Something in the Water

Holy Shit?

BWAHAHAAAHAAAA!

Road To Guantanamo

Parkdale changes

Water Fight: update

Parkdale Tenants' Association meeting

Filmology:- Uprising Documentary Festival

Uprising Documentary Festival

Coretta Scott King's funeral/roast

In the "YEAH, RIGHT!" department

Next PTA meeting, Lord Of Slums bus tour followup

Coretta Scott King 1927-1996

Did you know...?

Famous Last words: Sarmite Bulte

Nash wins, Parkdale-Highpark goes NDP

On the Day Of Elections

Electing a new government -Mon. Jan.23, 2006

On the 2nd Day before elections...

On the 3rd Day before Elections...

On the 4th Day Before Elections...

Parkdale, Nash, the NDP and the 2006 Federal Elections

On the 5th day before elections...

On the 6th day before Elections...

THE CANADIAN FEDERAL ELECTION

On the 7th Day Before Elections...

On the 8th Day Before Elections...

On the 9th Day Before Elections...

On the 10th day before elections...

On the 11th day before elections...

On the 12th day before Elections...

In the 12 Days before Elections, things to seriously consider

2006 is here...and what's next?

Words To Live Within

...

More CIA-torture news

DRUMROLL, PLEASE....

This just in from 'The Man'

Rosa Parks 1913-2005

Did you know...?

More cold from the South... Blizzard warning

And yet another cold wind from the South...

Next Parkdale Tenants Association Meeting

your Canada Day Reality Check(tm)

your Canada Day Reality Check(tm)

Canada Day Primer

Parkdale Action Coalition founder and Parkdale Forum co-blogger organiser at Uprising Documentary Festival

Independent public hearings into Psychiatric Practices

PSST! Know why Somalia's wreckage didn't get covered, although THEY also got hit by the dec 26th, 2004, tsunami?

Castro The Billionaire

Did You Know...?

Followup: The Little Parkdale organisation that could Goes to city hall...!

On the 9th day before Elections...

On the 10th day before Elections...

On 12th day before elections...

Um, ...Yeah... gags