Episodi
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Life has been anything but routine for the BC interior residents of Hazeltine Creek, Polley Lake, and Quesnel Lake. On August 4th, 2014 the Imperial Metals mine tailings dam burst, sending an estimated 25 million cubic metres of extractive process contaminated sludge and heavy metals-laden toxins into the local watershed.
In what was deemed at the time the biggest spill of its kind into the environment of all time, the chemical impacts of the Mt. Polley Mine spill disaster made Imperial Metals, according to the National Pollutant Release Inventory, "the largest emitter of copper, arsenic and manganese in Canadian waters in 2014."
But, nearly two and half years after the fact, the governments charged with crafting and enforcing laws to protect the people and places of this Canada are yet to lay charges in enforcement of those laws regarding Imperial Metals.
It's fallen instead to MiningWatch Canada, the "[P]an-Canadian initiative supported by environmental, social justice, Indigenous and labour organisations from across the country" to launch a private prosecution. This past week, the federal government tried to torpedo that launch before it left the dock, moving to stay the case and prevent MiningWatch entering evidence.
Douglas Gook is a Quesnel-based ecology activist who's focused on Eco forestry alternatives in the woods there and beyond for more than forty years. He leads Forest Protection Allies, one of the many environmental organizations pressuring government to get effective cleanup processes going, and appropriate compensation for those effected by the Mt. Polley Mine disaster put in place. He attended the gallery in the MiningWatch case Friday, and was there when the federal government's stunning motion to the court was read.
Douglas Gook in the first half.
And; with mere days left before the inauguration of Donald Trump as America's 45th president, governments around the World are frantically arranging and rearranging ministries and departments in preparation of a new era in their US relations. Canada is no exception, but where most other countries are moving to align themselves more harmoniously with perceived Trump values, Ottawa appears to be taking the novel approach of charting a 180 degree course in the opposite direction. At least, this is how the elevation of the famously Russophobic Chrystia Freeland is being interpreted in some quarters.
John Helmer is a long-time, Moscow-based journalist, author, and essayist; the only one, his site, Dances with Bears informs “to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties.” He’s a former political science professor who's served as an advisor to the governments of Greece, the U.S., and in Asia where he regularly lectures on Russian topics. His book titles include: ‘Uncovering Russia,’ ‘Urbanman: The Psychology of Urban Survival,’ ‘Bringing the War Home: The American Soldier in Vietnam and After,’ and ‘Drugs and Minority Oppression’ among others.
John's latest article, 'Chrystia Freeland is the Body Double - Canada Plays Hillary Clinton Card at Russia; Kremlin Suspects Putsch Against Justin Trudeau' examines the meteoric rise to power of Canada's newest Minister of Foreign Affairs.
John Helmer and Anatomy of a Canadian Coup in the second half.
And; Victoria Street Newz publisher Janine Bandcroft will join us at the bottom of the hour to bring us news of some of the good things scheduled for the coming week on and beyond the streets of our city. But first, Douglas Gook and the federal government's attempt to stay the toxic flow of information on the Mt. Polley mining spill disaster. -
It's often said there are two sides to every story, but two sides doesn't cover the many facets of the near six years-long war in Syria. Whether at the front lines or on the virtual battlefield everyone, from the Assad government and its Russian and Iranian allies, to America and its friends in the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the myriad extra-state actors arrayed on either side, has a point of interest to defend and an enemy's position to attack.
One certain thing though is, the people of Syria have been terrorized by all sides and it's their best interests being sacrificed every time a bomb is dropped, a sniper shoots, or a media propagandist pulls the camera trigger.
Anthony DiMaggio is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Lehigh University, holds a PhD in political communication, and is the author of the newly released, 'Selling War, Selling Hope: Presidential Rhetoric, the News Media, and U.S. Foreign Policy After 9/11.'
His recent article, 'The Pathologies of War: Dual Propaganda Campaigns in Reporting on Syria,' appearing at the news website, CounterPunch.org, takes a hard look at the righteous claims on all sides of the Syria conflict.
Anthony DiMaggio in the first half.
And; are you suffering for your paycheque, or is someone you know being brutalized by workplace tyranny? The BC Employment Standard Coalition, a group "bring[ing] together organizations, advocates and workers to campaign for decent wages, working conditions, respect and dignity in the workplace" is in Victoria and they want to hear your story.
David Fairey is Co-Chair of the BC Employment Standards Coalition and Research Associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He's past Director of the Trade Union Research Bureau, and has worked over the course of a long career on "a wide variety of labour and employment law issues such as labour standards, labour relations, pay equity, construction safety, and migrant labour." David and the BC Employment Standards folks are down at the Victoria Events Centre at 1415 Broad Street all day today and this evening lending an ear, and offering workers help with employer challenges.
David Fairey and slaying the workplace ogre in the second half.
And; Victoria Street Newz publisher emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will join us at the bottom of the hour to bring us up to speed with some of the good things scheduled for the streets of our town and beyond in the coming week. But first, Anthony DiMaggio and the pathologies of the Syria war. -
Episodi mancanti?
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Does anyone remember the "peace dividend," that wondrous final payoff after the winding down of the long and harrowing Cold War? The theory was, back when the Soviet's "Evil Empire" expired, America and her allies could tone down some of the tremendous military expenditures the arms race extracted, turning resources instead towards domestic programs of social uplift.
Of course things didn't work out, and today's new narrative sees the moribund Soviets resurrected in the person of Vladimir Putin, the neo-Bolshevik bogie man that must be stopped at all costs!
But this time around the lure is not being taken, even by some of the hoariest of old, cold warriors.
Kathy Kelly is a long-time peace and justice activist, essayist, and author. She's the recipient of numerous awards for her peace service, including multiple nominations for the Nobel Peace prize and many more. She’s co-founder of Voices in the Wilderness and Voices for Creative Nonviolence, co-authored the book, ‘Prisoners on Purpose: a Peacemakers Guide to Jails and Prison,’ and wrote, ‘Other Lands Have Dreams: from Baghdad to Pekin Prison.’ In her latest article, 'A Good Beginning: Toward the End of US Empire' Kelly profiles Zbigniew Brzezinski and Thomas Graham, two primary architects of U.S. global imperialism who now believe the Sun may be setting on America's belligerent ways.
Kathy Kelly in the first half.
And; one place news of an Imperial sunset is welcome is the Philippines, where the island nation's president, Rodrigo Duterte has proven a loose end and tangling nuisance for the Obama administration's efforts to "pivot" America's foreign policy focus back to the Pacific after years of being mired in Central Asia and the Middle East. Duterte's dissing of Obama made headlines recently, and his insistence America's military presence in the country be ended entirely within two years, combined with an increasingly cozy relationship with China reveals some Philippine pivot point weaknesses.
Peter Lee is a freelance journalist writing on East and South Asian affairs as they intersect with US global policy. He's the driving force behind the Asian affairs website China Matters, providing critical updates on China and Asia-Pacific, and his articles also appear at Asia Times, and at CounterPunch.org, among other internet news sites. His latest articles warn, "It's On Between Duterte and America!"
Peter Lee and are reports of the death of the US-Philippine alliance exaggerated? in the second half.
And; Victoria Street Newz publisher emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour to bring us news of some of the good things planned for the coming week in, on, and around our town's streets. But first, Kathy Kelly and good beginnings toward an end to US empire.
Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Wednesday, 1-2pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/ -
If watching, listening, or reading media, especially in the era of forever electioneering, feels like being caught in the middle of a Three Stooges slap fest, then I have good news for you: There is at least one alternative to getting your ears boxed, eyes poked, and gut punched every time you attempt to become informed.
Counterpunch.org is a venerable first comer in online news aggregating that has not only weathered the myriad alt. news imitators that followed its last-century D.C. newsletter beginnings, but is too still standing amid the overwhelming corporatization of internet news on both sides of the political spectrum. But, as with all bearers of bad news, its survival is precarious. Right now, Counterpunch is appealing to its millions of readers and listeners to pony up and keep this vital service viable.
Eric Draitser is a New York City-based independent geopolitical analyst whose articles and interviews can be found at his site, StopImperialism.org and at Counterpunch.org. He's also the host of CounterPunch Radio.
Eric Draitser in the first half.
And; last week Denny Island-based ecology observer, Ingmar Lee reported on the sinking of the Kirby Corporation oil tanker tug, Nathan E Stewart about 20 kilometers north of Bella Bella. Almost two weeks later, the Nathan E Stewart sits yet at the bottom of the Seaforth Channel, its fuel tanks emptying into the environment.
Ingmar Lee and updating the predictable environmental disaster after the fact in the second half.
And, Victoria Street Newz publiser emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour to bring us news of good goings on planned for our streets and beyond in the coming week. But first, Eric Draitser and keeping up the fight at CounterPunch.org. -
A year into Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party mandate, Canadians who cheered the departure of Stephen Harper's Conservatives thinking the country had turned a corner on aggressive foreign policy abroad, regressive social policies at home, and an obstructionist environmental philosophy drawn straight from the American Bible belt, have little to be happy about on any of those fronts.
War and rumour of it is the Canadian Forces mantra, while little has been done to address the skyrocketing real estate costs fueling homelessness and economic diaspora in all the country's major cities.
But on the environment, and especially where First Nations concerns dove-tail with ecologically threatening mega-projects, like the proposed Site-C dam, the Liberal failure to perform is doubly disappointing.
Ken Boon is a Peace Valley farmer standing to lose his livelihood should Site C be built. He’s also the president of the Peace Valley Landowners Association, and one of six protesters slapped with a BC Hydro lawsuit for, “intentional interference with economic relations by unlawful means.”
Ken Boon in the first half.
And; last week the Nathan E Stewart foundered on rocks in Seaforth Channel and sank. The pusher-tug, well known to locals of British Columbia's mid-coast for its bi-weekly transits through the province's Inside Passage, was headed south with its 10,000 ton oil tanker barge when it ran aground, and though the tanker was "empty" the tug itself began disgorging its 200,000 litres of diesel into the waters of the Great Bear Rainforest.
Ingmar Lee is a long-time ecology defender and resident of the mid-coast. He is the author of the Facebook action site, 10,000 Ton Tanker, from where he has campaigned to have the Nathan E Stewart refused passage.
Ingmar Lee and a perfectly predictable disaster in the second half.
And; Victoria Street Newz publisher emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will join us at the bottom of the hour to bring us newz of some of the good things going on on our city's streets, and beyond, planned for the coming week. But first, Ken Boon and Justin Trudeau's Site-C dam nation. -
If the pundits are to be believed, Hillary Clinton is on the threshold of successfully fulfilling her marathon presidential campaign. Decades in the waging, Clinton's dogged pursuit of the Oval Office has possessed both a near-maniacal intensity, and ruthless determination, the depraved depths of which is perhaps best illustrated by her gleeful performance while Secretary of State to the news of Libyan president Muammar Qaddafy's gruesome undoing. And, just as Libya's fall was a step in Hillary's upward progress towards power, the successful destruction of Bashar al-Assad and Syria is the essential prerogative to maintain it.
For those in Hillary's America hoping for a change in foreign policy it means sore disappointment, but for those in Syria and the other far-flung fronts of the forever war her election is much more dire.
Patrick Henningsen is a freelance journalist, co-founder of the online news site, 21st Century wire and host of its consciousness expanding radio program Sunday Wire. Launched during the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, 21 Century Wire's geopolitical analyses and commentaries are an essential counterweight to a skewed media monolith. Patrick's reports are too featured online and on-screen at RT and Al Jazeera.
Patrick Henningsen in the first half.
And; Tom Waites was right when he sang, “It’s a sad and beautiful World”, but he might have included the descriptors “big and baffling” too. As little people, we Lilliputians have small chance of grasping how the great tapestry is woven together. Certainly, the meagre threads offered us by corporate-interested media aren’t sufficient to patch together a coherent picture, so how then can we hope to come to understanding our lives in these modern times?
James Corbett is the author of The Corbett Report, a web-based newsite the Japan-based Canadian expat describes as “an outlet for independent critical analysis of politics, society, history, and economics.” Since its inception in 2007, he’s produced thousands of hours of audio and video, uploading regular podcasts, and recording several, regular online video series for his site, and collaborating with GRTV, and BoilingFrogsPost.com. His editorials also appear at the weekly e-newsletter, The International Forecaster. Corbett’s Youtube videos have garnered millions of views, none more notably than his satirical deconstruction of the official World Trade Center/Pentagon attacks in 2001, ‘9/11: A Conspiracy Theory.’ He recently looked back on 9/11, producing a series of video featuring some of the players behind the World Trade Center/Pentagon attacks,‘9/11 Suspects.’
James Corbett and dealing with the "day that changed everything," fifteen years later in the second half.
And; Victoria Street Newz publisher emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour to bring us newz of some of the good things going on in and around our town in the coming week. But first, Patrick Henningsen and riding the 21st Century media maelstrom.
Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Wednesday, 1-2pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/
G-Radio is dedicated to social justice, the environment, community, and providing a forum for people and issues not covered in the corporate media. -
Last week, the Joint Investigation Team, an internationally composed body looking into the downing over Ukraine of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 more than two years ago released some of their findings, enough to implicate, they say, Russia in the crime. The western press immediately repeated the findings, and its accusations fully, while doing little digging of its own into either the rigor of the JIT's methods, or resilience of its facts.
The media's curious incuriousness surrounding the Dutch-led panel's probity, considering the scope of the story and its possible ramifications for international relations between Russia and the west at this most sensitive historical moment, may be the most telling part of the tragic mystery behind flight MH17.
John Helmer is a long-time, Moscow-based journalist, author, and essayist; the only one, his site, Dances with Bears informs “to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties” since 1989. He’s a former political science professor who's served as an advisor to the governments of Greece, the United States, and in Asia who regularly lectures on Russian topics in China, Europe, and the US. His book titles include: ‘Uncovering Russia,’ ‘Urbanman: The Psychology of Urban Survival,’ ‘Bringing the War Home: The American Soldier in Vietnam and After,’ and ‘Drugs and Minority Oppression’ among others.
John Helmer in the first half.
And; there was dancing in the streets last week when a long-sought peace deal between the Colombian government and the FARC, (the leftists guerrilla organization engaged in a multi-generational insurgency) was announced, but Sunday the music stopped as it became apparent the national referendum called to ratify the deal failed to pass. Why the vote failed, and what happens next are the questions burning the wires across Colombia now.
Daniel Kovalik teaches international human rights law at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and is Senior Associate General Counsel for the United Steel Workers union. Kovalik is just back from Colombia where he witnessed the peace plebiscite. Dan's also a long-time peace and justice activist, specializing in that in Colombia and Central America, where he serves as an attorney for Colombian plaintiffs in cases alleging corporate human rights violations. Kovalik is also co-recipient of a Project Censored Award for chronicling the murder of trade unionists in Colombia.
Dan Kovalik and failing peace in Colombia in the second half.
And; Victoria Street Newz publisher emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will join us at the bottom of the hour to bring us news of some of the good things going on in and around our town in the coming week. But first, John Helmer and MH17, a prejudiced verdict verified and delivered two years after the fact. -
While the election spectacle south sucks most of the political air from the media universe, British Columbia too is poised to begin its own democracy circus, and it's with an eye to the Spring vote here issues from across the province are being aired at the Union of BC Municipalities meetings currently going on at the Victoria Conference Centre.
Yesterday, Victoria Councillor, Ben Isitt joined Metchosin Councillor Andy MacKinnon, Cowichan Valley Regional District Director, Sonia Furstenau, and Torrance Coste of the Wilderness Committee on the steps of the VCC demonstrating to have MacKinnon's Vancouver Island old-growth logging moratorium proposal included on the UBCM’s resolutions committee agenda.
It's a busy time for Isitt, who presented Monday night with Andy MacKinnon 'The Future of Forests and Communities on Vancouver Island' a draft policy statement at the Public Presentation and Discussion on the Future of Forests and Communities on Vancouver Island at the Victoria Event Centre, presenting the findings of the group he's been working with, Island Forest Futures.
Ben Isitt in the first half.
And; hopes for the tremulous peace agreement in Syria were blown to smithereens last week by a sustained American air attack against Syrian army units protecting the town of Deir ez-Zor from ISIS/Daech. The blitz, which US officials later said was all a case of mistaken identity, killed more than sixty soldiers outright, and was followed by what seemed a coordinated ISIS incursion. The result is an end to the peace deal and ratcheting up of the propaganda battle for the hearts and minds on the home front. To that end, prepare to hear lots more about Syria's famed 'White Helmets' organization. Already recipients of a prestigious Right Livelihood Award, the shadowy group are also being promoted for a Nobel Peace prize.
Rick Sterling is an independent researcher, writer, and member of Syria Solidarity Movement, an organization who has mounted an online campaign to pressure the Right Livelihood Foundation to reverse its award decision. Sterling's articles can be found online at CounterPunch, ConsortiumNews, Dissident Voice, and at Pacific Free Press. Rick's also an active member of the Task Force on the Americas at the Mount Diablo Peace and Justice Center.
Rick Sterling and helmets of another colour in the second half.
And, Victoria Street Newz publiser emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour to bring us news of good goings on planned for our streets and beyond in the coming week. But first, Ben Isitt and what future the forests of Vancouver Island? -
This week: Jon Elmer is a Canadian journalist and photojournalist who has lived in and reported independently from Palestine for more than a decade. He reports now for Al Jazeera and the InterPress News Service and joins us tonight live from Bethlehem. Jon Elmer in the first half.
And; Victoria Street Newz publisher, CFUV broadcaster, and reporter at large, Janine Bandcroft spent the weekend in Vancouver at the 20th (and final) Under the Volcano Festival. This year's event boasted author, journalist, and filmmaker Naomi Klein and Secwepemc Nation activist Arthur Manuel in a panel discussion on 'Paying our Debts at Home and Abroad' featuring journalist, filmmaker and former CBC broadcaster, Avi Lewis acting as moderator.
Janine Bandcroft reporting from Under the Volcano in the second half. But first, Jon Elmer and the global temperature rise against Israel's policies in Occupied Palestine.
Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Monday, 5-6pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, 104.3 cable, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, www.pacificfreepress.com.
Check out the GR blog at: http://GorillaRadioBlog.blogspot.com -
This week: Jason Hribal is an author, whose book, 'The Cry of Nature: An Appeal for Mercy on Behalf of Persecuted Animals' deals with the nature of human/animal relations. His latest book, 'Fear of the Animal Planet' due out in the Fall follows the theme. Jason Hribal in the first half. And; David Williams is president and executive director of the Friends of the Nemaiah Valley, an organization working to protect the jewel of B.C.'s interior. David is also president of R.A.V.E.N., an organization dedicated to providing financial resources to assist Aboriginal Nations' legal battles against industry and other "developers" that would threaten their traditional way of life. David Williams and saving Fish Lake in the second half. And; Victoria Street Newz publisher and CFUV broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will join us at the bottom of the hour to keep us current with Victoria'z street scene. Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Monday, 5-6pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, 104.3 cable, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://GorillaRadioBlog.blogspot.com
