Why we should NOT pass Bill C-10 in Canada

For those Canucks who haven't heard about Bill C-10.... it essentially gives the government the power to not fund Canadian movies with "controversial" subject matter.

Yeah. Ok. Censorship much?

GREAT interview by George Stroumboulopoulos here: Charles McVety on The Hour

From the Facebook group: Keep your censoring hands off of Canadian film and TV! No to Bill C-10!

Please concentrate your letter writing/lobbying on
the Senate Commerce, Banking and Trade Committee.

General email:
banking_banques@sen.parl.g

c.ca

General mail:
Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
The Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1A 0A4


Here is a list of email addresses of the Standing Committee members:

anguswd@sen.parl.gc.ca, goldsy@sen.parl.gc.ca, bironmi@sen.parl.gc.ca, rokosg@sen.parl.gc.ca, harbm@sen.parl.gc.ca, jaffem@sen.parl.gc.ca, massip@sen.parl.gc.ca, meighen@sen.parl.gc.ca, moorew@sen.parl.gc.ca, ringup@sen.parl.gc.ca, tkachd@sen.parl.gc.ca

Angus, W. David Chair - C - (Alma - Quebec)
Goldstein, Yoine Deputy Chair - Lib. - (Rigaud - Quebec)
Biron, Michel - Lib. - (Mille Isles - Quebec)
Eyton, John Trevor - C - (Ontario)
Harb, Mac - Lib. - (Ontario)
Jaffer, Mobina S.B. - Lib. - (British Columbia)
Massicotte, Paul J. - Lib. - (De Lanaudière - Quebec)
Meighen, Michael A. - C - (St. Marys - Ontario)
Moore, Wilfred P. - Lib. - (Stanhope St. / South Shore - Nova Scotia)
Ringuette, Pierrette - Lib. - (New Brunswick)
Tkachuk, David - C - (Saskatchewan)

Grain Farmer Claims Moral Victory in Seed Battle Against Monsanto

Grain Farmer Claims Moral Victory in Seed Battle Against Monsanto

On The Fire

My lovely and very talented pal Teresa is completing her Masters at Carleton -- working on education and the environment. Her very cool blog is tracking some of the things she's coming across in her research/interest and she's looking for feedback on some of her thesis thoughts...

Check out On The Fire.

Entries of interest:

Vampire Energy/Phantom Load
List of Foods that Contain GMOs (2003)

Terminator Seeds

I've written before about Terminator, or Suicide, Seed technology, but I wanted to include a few more links and facts from a forum I attended here in Ottawa. There were three speakers - Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher of ExoNexus, U.K.; Susan Walsh, Executive Director of USC Canada; and Colleen Ross, Women's President of the National Farmers Union. Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network hosted the evening.

First some notes from Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher's portion:

Genetic Use Restriction Technology (GURTs) is used in Terminator seeds to render them sterile in the second generation (ie. the seeds this plant will produce will be sterile). Terminator seeds DO NOT prevent cross-pollination - or contamination - of other fields/plants. Other problems with transgenes/GURTs:

• By definition, any biological system is not static, but dynamic, it changes.
• Evolution, genetic adaptation, metabolic adaptation
• Mutations (alteration of DNA sequence)
• Gene silencing (epigenetic changes - as a defense mechanism within the seed)

Therefore - no biological system is 100% reliable.

There is insufficient data for assessment of environmental, socio-economic and cultural impacts, as well as economic, legal, societal and food security impacts.

Have we even considered if we NEED this technology?


From Susan Walsh, who presented on Terminator technology and Farmers from the Global South:

• 1.4 billion people are dependent on seeds farmers save (seed banks - both formal and informal)
• Biodiversity is even more important with climate change already showing its head
• To buy new seeds every year the Canadian Wheat industry (85%) would cost US$85 million according to the ETC Group.
• The companies behind Terminator technology say that this is too expensive for farmers in developing countries and therefore wouldn't affect them -- this is not so. Farmers around the world receive seeds via farm aid, food programs, and cross-pollination.

From Colleen Ross' portion on Farming in Canada:

• Not all technologies are good
• We embrace it -- doesn't mean it will embrace us!
• Canola, cotton, corn, and soybeans are often genetically modified
• 85% of farmers have off-however -- this isn't profitable for the farmer, and isn't healthy either
• We're losing 2% of our diversity every year

So -- what can you do to stop this?

• You can take action to Ban Terminator here
• Educate yourself - tell your friends and family. Get a great discussion started with this Seed Map
• Article on Doomsday Seed Vault
  

Article: GM Crop Trial Locations May be Hidden from Public

I will not go into a full entry here on my opinions on Genetically Modified (GM) Foods because I fear I will never stop writing.

The Guardian in the UK reports that there are plans for GM crop trials out of the public eye. The companies behind GM organisms and food are well aware of the public backlash against this attack on their foods, their privacy and their freedom of choice.

Another story, perhaps more shocking/disturbing, on the consequences of GM crop contamination, something we're all too familiar with here in Canada.

I strongly suggest you learn more about the terminator seeds, the campaigns to ban them around the world, and what you can do to help stop this. The future of our food is at stake.

Brain Purge

(inspired by pamused who was inspired by audra)



thankful for:my family and friends

proud of: finally getting my ass to the gym consecutively
missing: what can never be again
looking forward to: a warm bed to crawl into

preoccupied by: politics, capitalism, the state of the world. What style will i get my hair cut next?thrilled by:everything

disappointed by: politicians, fellow humans, that my Christmas tree won't grow

thinking of:being more creative

wondering:if anyone can ever know for sure

hoping:that i'm over exaggerating everything negative

wanting: une maison to call home

reading: The Story of French

recommending: lying on the floor at 3 am in the dark and listening to konstantine by something corporate

making:cupcakes

listening to: patrice

would kill for: 311 day concert in New Orleans

forgetting to:breathe

most recently snuggled by:toby cat

most recently slept on: not so comfy bed

Recommendation: Empire Builders - Third Wall/GCTC

We have season tickets to the Great Canadian Theatre Company, here in Ottawa. They put on fabulous and energetic plays and performances by Canadian and local playwrights, with Canadian and local actors. The new Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre, newly opened this season, provides a lovely space and location for bigger productions.

Interestingly, the new theatre also has a smaller studio theatre so two productions can be rehearsing and performing at the same time. Enter Third Wall Theatre Company. At the last GCTC production we saw an advertisment for the upcoming Third Wall production to be held there.

Third Wall has made the studio theatre it's new home, and we were delighted to catch their adaptation of Boris Vian's 1958 play Empire Builders. It's funny, because neither of us fully understood everything about the play, but we both loved it. It's one of those plays that encourages discussion afterwards. This family who is continually fleeing an unknown enemy/fear and who refuse to talk of it raises questions that are eerily relevant today. How do we deal with fear? The Enemy? The Unknown? What/how much are we willing to risk for freedom/safety? Do we collectively repress the past so as to pretend it's not how we arrived to the present?

The actors were all phenomenal. Katie Bunting, Julian Doucet, Matt Miwa, Alix Sidaris, Maureen Smith and Riley Stewart all played their parts (some of them non-speaking!) extremely well and it really added to the performance. We've been lucky enough to see some of these same actors in other productions at the GCTC and love when we get to see them return!

One of the things I love about theatre is the use of the stage and props. The studio theatre is quite small, but the whole team did a lovely job with the space. The actors were in between the audience and the story moved from side to side. Voice projection wasn't a problem in the small area, even if the actor had their back to you. The costumes were eerie and great - though I haven't figured out if the all-white clothing and pale faces/white hair was supposed to sybolize something? Death? Limbo...? Regarless...it was striking.

I don't want to give away too much, except to say it's a stellar performance and a great play to follow up with a coffee or drinks or a nice drive home to discuss the issues raised.

The show runs until February 16 at the GCTC and I strongly recommend you check it out.

Up next: For the GCTC it's The Optimists, by Morwyn Brebner, running until February 17. For Third Wall, it's Moliere's Tartuffe, running May 27th to June 7th.

Ten Myths about the Canadian Healthcare System

Great article here debunking common myths about our healthcare system.

Election Fun

While I am born and bred Canadian, I can't help but be interested in US politics. They're such a global player, and so close to home, that practically everything they do, say, and make policy has some bearing on us folks to the North.

Some interesting quizzes you can do to see which candidates your views align with most:

Glassbooth

Electoral Compass

Happy quizzing!

Green Giant

Some very interesting green initiatives by my fave love to hate big box behemoth - Wal-Mart. As any of you who know me probably know, I grew up in a Canadian retail family and therefore have a big hate-on for Wally World as we fondly call it. I have many issues with their employee policies around triple-split shifts, inadequate pay and their shady PR practices. I also think they are largely responsible for pushing this "lower price" mentality on people to the point where everyone would gladly drive farther to save nine cents on whatever cheap product it is they want...only to be hugely disapointed when they discover how poorly the product is made to get it to them at that 'great' price or what it's driving those suppliers to do to stay afloat. I also have issues with Wal-Mart coming into small towns and putting all the other small mom and pop shops out of business only to close up and leave town. I have issues with them also bullying employees/stores where unions are trying to be formed to protect worker's rights. I do not shop at Wal-Mart, and haven't for years, because of this and much more.


However, I have to admit that they carry a lot of weight. Wal-Mart is the largest retailer in the world and have a lot of buying power and influence. Take a moment to read this article on Wal-Mart's greening efforts. They've realized that there are financial benefits to going green. I'm not sure I'm ready to drop my boycott and start shopping there yet, but at least they're heading in the right direction, and hopefully setting a green path for other retailers to follow.