[Feedback] The Referendum

The following is from a feedback card I submitted to CBC News on-line detailing my disappointment with their latest coverage on Venezuela. Included here is a picture of the opposition rally, which, to be fair, was quite large.

As the referendum on proposed democratic reforms approaches, it is more important than ever to get accurate information on the situation in Venezuela. Yet recently the CBC’s portrayals of the "yes" and "no" campaigns seem to be slightly biased in favor of the latter.

I am surprised that Connie Watson's correspondence in the last few days...[click link below to expand to full post] has not mentioned the recently leaked CIA memo detailing plans to destabilize Venezuela and to propagate an image of an overwhelming majority for the "NO" campaign. Instead, the CBC’s information seems to be in line with the large corporate media networks there - which are being funded by the United States.

As established Latin American analyst James Petras has explained, the CIA has spent millions of dollars in the last month trying to coerce Venezuelans into voting against the Chavez government, and on projecting an image of a massive, unstoppable, freedom-loving "NO" campaign. On the CBC news this morning, yesterday’s "No" demonstration was portrayed as a heroic nascent student movement that is going to save Venezuela's last vestiges of democracy.

But why did we hear relatively little from the other side of the coin which argues that the proposed reforms are a means to further democratize the country by redistributing wealth? There is so much emphasis on Chavez’s so-called “power grab”, and yet he is merely trying to legislate the exact same type of powers that our Canadian government enacted here decades ago(unlimited election terms based on the popular vote and extended executive powers in the case of a national emergency)! We’re not being told the whole story.

Ms Watson's report on Venezuela today, for example, implies that current food shortages in Venezuela are indicative of the government’s unsound economic planning, but there are other reporters who have shown that FEDECAMARAS, the elite big business food and wholesale producers consortium, is trying to intimate the public into voting “no” by “creating artificial shortages of basic food items” (see http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/2911)

All this to say I can appreciate the difficulty faced by the CBC in portraying both sides of an extremely divisive issue, but that is all the more reason to try harder to tell it as fairly as possible – which means not forgetting to mention the masses upon masses of Venezuelans who support Chavez and see his vision as offering real hope for positive change in their country.

[Note of Solidarity] Venezuela!

This is a quick one:

In Europe, over 150 politicians recently declared their support for the Venezuelan government's efforts to build an entrenched socioeconomic style of democracy - one that sees the democratization and fair redistribution of wealth. They also called for everyone to respect the outcome of this weekend's referendum. The statement was initiated at a Europe-wide conference in support of the Venezuelan people's right to self-determination.

Read the story here: http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/2930

But here's my beef: A EUROPE-WIDE CONFERENCE IN SUPPORT OF VENEZUELA! If the Europeans can do it, I say so can the North Americans! The AFL-CIO and the CLC and the NDP and American Green Party and interest groups such as NACLA need to get one of these solidarity conferences going before it's too late! It has surfaced that the CIA has spent $8 million in the last month deliberately trying to sabotage the Venezuelan governments planned constitutional reforms. We need to offer our support to such noble efforts before the American spy agency manages to destroy yet another Latin American progressive regime.

[Prototype] The Nature Fridge

When I was a child growing up within the tropic of cancer, it was hard to comprehend how the common fridge kept food cool when it was so hot outside. Now that I'm older and living north of the 50th parallel, what really boggles my mind is how every single household uses energy to cool their food - in the winter - when the temperatures plummet to far below zero degrees Celsius! Is there any logic in this? In other words, we are using fossil fuels to heat up our houses, only to use more energy to keep our perishable food cold, thereby forcing us to store food in a tightly contained insulated cabinet which we run through electric current.

It doesn't take a cave man to realize that this... [click on link below to expand to full post] is insane.

So here's my prototype for a solution. And while I admit that I don't have the technical knowhow to physically build or power one of these things, I'm sure with our 21st century technology, it would be a cinch to create - provided there was a will amongst the people to harness natural power...

It's called "The Nature Fridge": New houses should be built with a special window-like section in the kitchen - behind where the fridge would be placed. But instead of window, this part of the wall would have a series of retractable vents/screens connecting the inside of the fridge and the great outdoors. There would be a thermometer on both sides - one in the fridge, and one outside. The real energy savings would come during the winter: A simple machine would retract some of the screens to use the cold winter air to cool the fridge naturally. Just think, on days when it dips to below zero (Celsius), you would not need to use any additional energy to cool your food, only the slight energy required to slide a few retractable screens up and down to maintain the right level of insulation.

Already, many houses have "cold rooms" which they use to store food in during the summer. These are basically dark rooms in a basement which harness the insulation of the Earth's surface to shield food from the summer heat.

Along with this, imagine the impact if every household also came with a small solar panel and a small wind generator on the roof - both hooked-up to the grid and - on the other end - energy storying batteries. Sure they would only generate a portion of each household's energy uses, especially at our current rates of consumption (which is something we desperately need to work on) - but imagine how much energy usage from the grid would diminish if every single household had some reserve energy produced from the natural furnaces that are the sun and the wind.

It just seems so easy, and yet, as a society we seem so stupid in our failure to adopt these kinds of simple steps in our homes. Meanwhile our CO2 emissions continue to destroy our planet while we idle (pun intended).

[Denunciation] Neoliberalism & Infrastructure

The following is from a letter I wrote to CBC's The Current, after a show about failing water infrastructure throughout Canada and the rising cost of utilities as a result. I've also added a photo of the Montreal overpass collapse of last year.

This morning as I listened to tales of severely underfunded and malfunctioning infrastructure in this country, I began to wonder .... does anyone not see the correlation between decreased government spending and the demise of public necessities such as functional roads and clean drinking water? The Canadian people need to WAKE UP!

The Harper government recently announced a GST and corporate tax cut that will reduce the government's income by $60 Billion over the next 5 years! Meanwhile, the health care system now requires service fees for nearly every procedure; the cost of education has sky-rocketed; sewage systems are contaminating our drinking water depots; highway bypasses are collapsing; public transportation plans in large cities are constrained by lack of funds; and non-profit organizations that help the social and environmental spheres are pleading for their funding not to be withdrawn! Where is the logic here?

While federal and provincial governments go to great lengths to "attract investment" by keeping corporate taxes, resource royalty rates, and interest rates unbelievably low, municipalities get stuck with giant bills for public projects that they can not afford to pay and everyday Canadians find themselves subsidizing the government's withdrawn funding by having to spend more for individual services that are increasingly becoming privatized.

Are we so blind that we can't see what's happening here? This is neoliberalism: it is in full force right now and we're allowing it to happen. While the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, our sense of community welfare dwindles, our environment continues to face degradation, and our public infrastructure suffers.

It's time to get rid of the string of irresponsible cronyist governments we've had and force our representatives to enact some politico-economic legislation that is in the interest of our community, for once!

[Rhyme] I hate Coca-Cola

The following is a cheesy rhyming song I wrote about multinationals:

If you hear a shot ring out in the night,
may it remind you of a different type of villain hard to sight:
Based in America – but now all over the world -
they’ve caused a shitload of trouble now that they’ve got unfurled.
These fucking multinationals are completely irrational,
spreading like a virus to every fucking capital,
and other cities and towns, villages too -
money’s what they want (what they will pillage from you)!

A different kind of ebola- corporate like cocacola -
is pinpointing consumers from hong kong to north dakota.
Is this really what we want Gaia reduced to?
What’s it going to look like when nike and coke both own you?
You see the corporate world won’t let humanity grow,
so this rhyme is saying "let’s go"- let’s reclaim like in seattle.
Neoliberal capitalism provides a sorry picture.
Peoples health and culture and rights are no longer on the scripture!

Sometimes what’s right doesn’t always seem to be in sight,
but if we all put up a fight, maybe things will be alright.

Since when is it your right to post your logo in my face?
A child who loves golden arches – isn’t that a Disgrace?
Spending millions on ads while the world faces hunger -
it should be a crime- let’s not allow it any longer.

How can it be legal to profit through the roof
while inequality continues to grow – ain’t that the truth!?
It doesn’t take much to see how bad things have gotten...
take a stroll down the streets, and see the homeless people we’ve forgotten.

Downsizing!? Just so the stockbrokers stop criticizing!?
Can’t you see the anger of your former workers rising!

We need popular education, in communities and grade schools.
We need to bring back Gramsci’s notion of the organic intellectuals!

So what now? Let’s take a look at the corporate record:
Treating people like they’re pawns in a game of checkers;
Environmental degradation; community annihilations;
and just-in time labour made easy by globalization!

Let's say "stay away -
we don’t support your corporation" all it wants is our money doesn’t care about us.
Yet it will try to stay,
and withdraw all our resources, and then one day we’ll find our water’s all grey.
So let’s say stop… who’s calling the shots?
Is it the people and the workers or the riot cops?
It’s time to rise up, reclaim our streets -
to protect our environment... we can't be beat.

[Notes from a Pedaler] Bicycle Revolution

In the spirit of RTS (Reclaim The Streets) parades, most cities host weekly or monthly critical mass bike rallies. These rallies are a conglomeration of environmentalists, health conscious folk and community-oriented activists who see the great potential that bicycles have in confronting some of our biggest societal problems: Global warming, obesity, pandemic cardiovascular disease, smog and pollution-related respiratory diseases, daily urban traffic, oil-related resource wars, and even the growing close-minded coldness of car-reliant suburban neighbourhoods. Indeed, it is time for a bicycle revolution. Let us take a loose handle bar to our cars and... [click on link below to expand to full post] convert them into stationary flower pots, and ride our bikes a little more often.

Bicycles have so much to offer: They are easy to build (and rebuild) and relatively cheap compared to other forms of transportation; They don’t contribute to global warming in any significant way and don’t add to city smog; They’re quick and easy to commandeer; They make you feel good about yourself and contribute to your cardio health. Really, the bicycle is an incredible invention: Two wheels, a seat, a few gears, and voilà, you can get from point “a” to point “b” quickly and easily. As an added plus, there is the sense of accomplishment of having used your own humanpower to hurdle your body through time and space. No emissions, no smelly car odors, no nagging children in the back seat. Bikes are more compact and can get you through tight spaces and around tight corners, across grass and other places that cars and public transport are confined too – and you can get away with cruising through stop signs without having to come to a complete stop . Bicycles lead to healthier lifestyles as they promote physical activity and get people outside breathing fresh flowing air. With so much to offer, why wouldn’t you want to ride your bike?

Ever since I decided that I would try use my bike as much as possible I’ve felt better and better about my life in so many ways. I encourage you to challenge yourself to ride your bike all year long, even through the winter, and see if you feel the benefits of quick and easy, low cost, healthy and environmentally-friendly transportation.

Also, join in on a bike rally, or start a bike gang (with real bikes). Here are critical mass websites from Toronto and Vancouver:

(Toronto) http://www.cmtoronto.ca/
(vancouver) http://www.bikesexual.org/cm/home.htm