Greenspiration News: grassroots movements growing

Thanks to Angela Bischoff for sharing…..

– What we have seen emerge in Copenhagen is a multi-generational coming together of the global justice movement with the environmental movement that is the most profound challenge to the status quo since the 60s. – Judy Rebick

– The WHO’s “false pandemic” H1N1 flu campaign is “one of the greatest medicine scandals of the century.” – Dr Wolfgang Wodarg, chairman the PACE Health Committee

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Grassroots movement to defend democracy against Harper building fast

Growing public opposition to Harper shutting down Parliament is being felt at every level of Canadian society.  Whatever you are doing, whatever your issue, however cynical you may be about electoral politics,  please join this profound grassroots rebellion against Stephen Harper’s assault on democracy.

The Facebook groups opposing the proroguing have well over 85,000 members now, and there are rallies being planned across the country for Jan 23.  If you are not on Facebook you can go to Citizens for Democracy and see all the events as well as several videos, and sign a petition too.  A la 350.org, if your town is not included on the growing list of rallies then add it and let the organizers know by posting it on one of their pages.  In the meantime, or if rallies are not your thing, write your MP or vote in one of the many online media polls about the questions, all of which so far are running at least 8 to 1 against proroguing.

http://www.rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/judes/2010/01/grassroots-movement-defend-democracy-against-harper-building-fast

http://citizensfordemocracy.ca/

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Bolivia: We Must Support a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth

In 1948, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed, it was a declaration of hope into a post-war world. It had no legal basis as a document. Sixty years on the declaration has been incorporated into the laws of many countries and been the basis for the International Criminal Court. Facing a crisis far worse than any world war, might it not be time for humanity to launch a new declaration, one that defends our planet and its biodiversity from ever-continuing extinction?

http://boliviarising.blogspot.com/2009/12/bolivia-we-must-support-universal.html

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Canadian Military Spending 2009

A new report shows that Canada’s rising National Defence spending is $21.185 billion in 2009-2010, making Canada’s rank 13th highest in the world, and 6th highest among NATO’s 28 members, dollar for dollar.

Defence analyst and author Bill Robinson says the rise in defence spending is an indication of the government’s priorities. “Government spending on National Defence is twenty times that of federal Environment Department spending,” said Robinson. “By comparison, the Department of the Environment was allocated only $1.064 billion.”

http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/canadian-military-spending-2009

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Was Swine Flu A False Pandemic?

That’s the contention by more than a dozen members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which reportedly plans to conduct an inquiry into the influence that drugmakers may have had on the World Health Organization, scientists and governments.

http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/01/was-swine-flu-a-false-pandemic/?utm_source=feedburne

EU to probe pharma over “false pandemic

“in order to promote their patented drugs and vaccines against flu, pharmaceutical companies influenced scientists and official agencies responsible for public health standards to alarm governments worldwide and make them squander tight health resources for inefficient vaccine strategies, and needlessly expose millions of healthy people to the risk of an unknown amount of side-effects of insufficiently tested vaccines.”

The WHO’s “false pandemic” flu campaign is “one of the greatest medicine scandals of the century.”

http://www.pharmatimes.com/WorldNews/article.aspx?id=17147

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Amazing Speech by War Veteran

5 minute you-tube video

Our real enemies are not those living in a distant land whose names or policies we don’t understand; The real enemy is a system that wages war when it’s profitable, the CEOs who lay us off our jobs when it’s profitable, the Insurance Companies who deny us Health care when it’s profitable, the Banks who take away our homes when it’s profitable. Our enemies are not several hundred thousands away. They are right here in front of us  – Mike Prysner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akm3nYN8aG8&feature=email

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Mexico‘s anti-NAFTA rebels haven’t gone away

the Zapatistas and their many supporters have managed to create more than 30 autonomous municipalities, establishing health clinics, more than 60 schools, and fair trade coffee co-operatives, along with participatory rather than representative government, which they distrust.

http://www.rabble.ca/news/2010/01/mexicos-anti-nafta-rebels-havent-gone-away

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Popular Drugs May Help Only Severe Depression

Some widely prescribed drugs for depression provide relief in extreme cases but are no more effective than placebo pills for most patients, according to a new analysis released Tuesday. For some people, too, the drugs’ side effects may cancel any benefit.

“The message for patients with mild to moderate depression,” Dr. DeRubeis said, “is, ‘Look, medications are always an option, but there’s little evidence that they add to other efforts to shake the depression — whether it’s exercise, seeing the doctor, reading about the disorder or going for
psychotherapy.’ ”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/health/views/06depress.html

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Seeking Motivated Bike Tour Members

Teams of a dozen or more motivated and energetic young people, aged 18 to 30, will set off on cycling and performing tours in 2010. You can be one of them!

Combine sustainable living, community building, theatre, leadership training and phenomenal bicycle touring on an Otesha Project<http://www.otesha.ca/the+project/index.en.html> bike tour.

Check out this video <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KANMTnhNQvQ> to see what going on tour is like.

As a tour member you will share an incredible experience as you live in a mobile sustainable community. You will cycle from performance to performance, connect with communities along the route, brave the elements, and explore all the ups and downs of directly addressing environmental and social justice issues through your every day actions. You will use theatre as a tool for education and world changing. No bike touring or other experience is necessary, just a willingness to give it your all.

This year we are offering three tours departing from three different cities across Canada: *Vancouver**, Ottawa and Fredericton*. Check out the tours that are offered HERE. <http://www.otesha.ca/bike+tours/index.en.html>

Apply now – first applied first considered. Applications due by *March 15, 2010*. Email applications@otesha.ca or check out

http://www.otesha.ca/bike+tours/index.en.html for more about the application process.

The Otesha Project is a national youth-run charitable organization created in 2002. We use theatre

to mobilize young people to create local and global change through their everyday consumer choices. To date, we have reached over 100,000 Canadians directly with our theatre presentations and workshops that inspire youth to re-evaluate their daily consumer choices to reflect the kind of world they want to live in.*

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Top CEOs still raking it in

The total average compensation for Canada’s 100 highest paid CEOs was $7,300,884 in 2008—a stark contrast from the total average Canadian income of $42,305. They pocketed what takes Canadians earning an average income an entire year to make by 1:06 pm January 4—the first working day of the year.

http://www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/updates/top-ceos-still-raking-it

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The Drug Mafia

5 minute video

Drug pushers… On TV and working with your doctor to keep you hooked. You’re the cash cow.

http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/771.html

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Yummy! Ammonia-Treated Pink Slime Now in Most U.S. Ground Beef

According to today’s New York Times, The "majority of hamburger" now sold in the U.S. now contains fatty slaughterhouse trimmings "the industry once relegated to pet food and cooking oil," "typically including most of the material from the outer surfaces of the carcass" that contains "larger microbiological populations."

This "nasty pink slime," as one FDA microbiologist called it, is now wrung in a centrifuge to remove the fat, and then treated withAMMONIA to "retard spoilage," and turned into "a mashlike substance frozen into blocks or chips".

Thus saving THREE CENTS a pound off production costs. And making the company, Beef Products Inc., a fortune. $440 million/year in revenue. Ain’t that something?

http://www.alternet.org/story/144904/

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