Some considerable scepticism around this, fuelled by the private nature of the meeting, the limiting of numbers of chiefs to 11, and most recently, the leaking by the Harper govt of the audit on Chief Spence’s reserve – an audit carried out by a firm which is paid 90K a day, thats 90K a day, by the Harper govt for its cost-cutting.
Author: Makere
A transplanted New Zealand Scots/Maori academic/grandmother/random singer and sometime activist, my life is shaped by a deep conviction of the necessity for active critical engagement in the multi-faceted global and local crises of being and survival of species that confront us in the 21st century, the urgency of re-visioning the meaning of thriving together, and the contribution of Indigenous knowledge systems to a truly sustainable and just global society.
Brett Hodnett: The economic core of a failing system
Jacob Devaney: Idle No More: Hints of a Global Super-Movement
Anthony Leiserowitz: The Greatest Single Threat Facing Humanity
An interesting discussion and one worth paying attention to. Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, identifies six different types of audiences each of which needs different kinds of information..
“About 16% of America are concerned, want to do something about it, but don’t know what, about 29% see it as a serious threat but not right now…”about 13% are doubtful, about 8% are dismissive…”.. how might this approach inform Canadians, educators, social activists, academics etc?
What the frack? Combustible water and other late capitalist novelties
Imre Szeman, a Canada Research Chair in Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta, has a new commentary out in the latest issue of Radical Philosophy on hydraulic fracturing. It is entitled, “What the frack? Combustible water and other late capitalist novelties.”
Here is the introduction, the rest is available here:
What the frack?
Combustible water and other late capitalist novelties
“There is a reason why oil gets the lion’s share of attention when it comes to the global game of petrocarbon extraction. Through the multiple products into which oil is refined, most important of which are gasoline and diesel, oil is the blood that animates the body of capitalism. It is a substance necessary for economies to keep operating and profits accruing, which is why access to it fuels so many geopolitical struggles around the globe. The atrocities committed by major oil companies almost everywhere…
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Iroquois Confederacy says Harper government seeking to ‘destroy our collective sovereignty’ | APTN National News
The Iroquois Confederacy says the federal Conservative government is planning to end Canada’s obligations to Indigenous peoples and terminate their distinct status in the country.
Haudenosaunee Grand Council, which represents the still existing Iroquois political structure that predates contact with Europeans, said in a statement that the Stephen Harper government aims to destroy “any semblance of nation-to-nation relationships.”
The confederacy said it would also not recognize Bill C-45, the omnibus budget bill the included changes to the Indian Act and withdrew federal oversight over the majority of waterways across the country.
“As the inherent custodians of Haudenosaunee sovereignty within all Haudenosaunee communities and territories, the Haudenosaunee Grand Council is responsible for being ever vigilant and protective against any challenge or threat to our collective sovereignty,” said the statement, dated Dec. 31, 2012. “It is clear that Bill C-45 and subsequent bills seek to destroy our collective sovereignty.”
Pedagogy of the Connected « P U L S E
Dennis Kucinich Gives his Final Floor Speech of the 112th Congress: We Must Unite For The People
by Dennis Kucinich
Washington, D.C.
Jan. 2, 2013
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today called for a new politics in his final speech on the House floor of the 112th Congress. The video can be seen here. The text follows:
“I want to begin by thanking my wife Elizabeth, who is here in the gallery, for her constant support during my service in the United States Congress, and to thank the people of Ohio’s 10th Congressional District for their constant support, as well as a great Congressional staff, both at the district and the DC level.
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The Spiral Turns 