2010

Articles

• 2 October 2010, by Michael Ryan Wiseman

  The F Word

  Now that I have your attention, a quick rant on fascism and its growing popularity in the realm of name-calling and political point-scoring. We seem to be throwing the term around a lot these (…)
• 1 October 2010, by Refaat SABBAH

  The World Education Forum

  Whenever Palestinians have the chance to meet people from outside, and they realize there are still people in the world who fight for justice and fight for the rights of the other, it gives them (…)
• 1 October 2010, by Sana Saaed

  Restricted Free Agency

  I never thought that my body could serve as potentially the next front of the ever-erroneous but still somehow existent ‘clash of civilizations.’ Yet with the way things seem to be going these (…)
• 1 October 2010, by Ezra Winton

  ART THREAT !!!

  A NYC poster campaign that invites people to voice their opinions on Park51 aka Ground Zero Mosque aka Cordoba Center in writing; Hamdulillah, a stunning new music video from hip hop artist The (…)
• 1 October 2010, by Steve Sharra

  Reflections on the International Day of Peace

  As I was beginning a seven-month period in 2004 studying prospects for peace education in Malawian classrooms, a friend of mine seemed very surprised at the topic of my study. Why peace education? (…)
• 1 October 2010, by Salima Punjani

  Teach a Man to Fish

  At first I was skeptical about why we had a 3-week training program, I was nervous about the reintroduction of development buzzwords into my life, I was dreading being a part of conversations that (…)
• 1 October 2010, by David Heap and Dylan Penner

  On Course

  The Canadian Boat to Gaza has been the target of slurs and misinformation— some facts (as opposed to rhetoric) about our campaign may interest open-minded readers. The Palestinians of Gaza are (…)
• 1 October 2010, by Michael Bramadat-Willcock

  The Second Line

  "We went through the same routine at the El Salvador border, and since there were a few other buses travelling the same route I met a tourist from Iceland who was on a volunteer mission. He ran (…)
• 1 October 2010, by Ronald Cameron

  Now the People

  In the midst of the crisis, everything seemed possible for the workers of the world: from the bonfire of established orthodoxies a new consensus was forming... Two years later, we observe the (…)
• 2 September 2010, by Michael Ryan Wiseman

  Realitopia

  "... It speaks to the very heart of the dilemma amongst us utopians— how do you move a pile of excrement without getting any on you? At the very least, you are bound to smell of it..." (…)
• 2 September 2010, by Cy Gonick

  Ecosocialism as Holistic Earth Care

  Legendary lefty Cy Gonick speaks to ecosocialism founder Joel Kovel about creating global resistance movements; ecosocialist activism that moves beyond pressing for direct caps on polluters; and (…)
• 2 September 2010, by Mireille Fanon-Mendès France

  The Sunrise of the Damned

  Franz Fanon only got to see the first fires that were the false dawn of African independence. Sickness took him before the hope forged through liberation struggles dissolved into the neocolonial (…)
• 2 September 2010, by Tapan Bose

  Kashmir Burning

  From the ramparts of the Red Fort, celebrating the 64th anniversary of India’s Independence, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, offered to hold dialogue with the agitating youth of Kashmir if they (…)
• 2 September 2010, by Michael Bramadat-Willcock

  In the Shadow of Sandino

  “The election looms in the coming days; it is an amazing scene of lies and manipulations. If Ortega wins there may be a civil war here. It is quite tense,” my father warned me before my last visit (…)
• 2 September 2010, by Phyllis Bennis

  Mosque Hysteria

  At its core, the controversy surrounding the proposed Islamic community center in downtown Manhattan is not about religion. It’s about war. For some years now the fear factor that followed the (…)
• 2 September 2010, by Marine Begault

  Alternatives Days

  Sitting on one of the packed yellow school buses on the way to the Journées Des Alternatives, my expectations were dim. After all, I was spending my first weekend in Canada at a no-frills summer (…)
• 2 September 2010, by Ezra Winton

  ART THREAT !!!

  A Conversation with Return to El Salvador director Jamie Moffett; Video installation infiltrates 6000 NYC taxis; Artist Profile: Nicholas Hlobo A Conversation with Return to El Salvador (…)
• 2 September 2010, by Yasser Shoukry

  The Essence of Islam

  Islam, like other religions, is a religion that began as a message to ensure better material and spiritual conditions for human beings. Movements of political Islam however, refer to the (…)
• 2 September 2010, by Claire Hurtig, Freda Guttman

  Towards a free Palestine!

  Join us at the historic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Conference in Montreal this October! From 22 to 24 October 2010, Montreal-based Palestine-solidarity organizations will host an (…)
• 2 August 2010, by Michael Ryan Wiseman

  A Strategic Victory

  Hats off to the hat that’s finally on that dastardly oil pipe. We can all rest assured that the Gulf of Mexico will be as good as new in no time. Indeed, word is coming out that clean up efforts (…)
• 2 August 2010, by Michael Bramadat-Willcock

  Free Gaza Movement and Mavi Marmara

  Canadian activists talk about their experiences onboard the Mavi Marmara and announce North American ships to depart for Gaza. Addressing a mixed crowd including Palestinian and Ultra-Orthodox (…)
• 2 August 2010, by Stefan Christoff

  G20 a month later

  A month ago, thousands of chanting voices echoed between downtown towers in the core of Canada’s largest city, with people reclaiming the streets, facing down thousands of armed police — a (…)
• 2 August 2010, by Joel Balsam

  Moving Forward

  “The idea is definitely to bring people together.” Socially conscious rapper Lou Piensa chats with the AIJ. Lou Piensa is co-founder of the multi-cultural, multi-lingual, eclectic hip-hop (…)
• 2 August 2010, by Daniel Moss

  So That All May Drink

  After years of grassroots pressure, the UN General Assembly will debate a resolution on the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation. Maude Barlow, former senior advisor on water (…)
• 2 August 2010, by Ezra Winton

  ART THREAT !!!

  It’s summertime and therefore I’ve been in programming mode. After watching dozens and dozens of docs (and a few fiction), I thought I’d pass along some great summer flicks to cool off with, while (…)
• 2 August 2010, by Alternatives Information Center

  Paying for the Privilege

  The Israeli Knesset voted on July 13th to strip of MK Haneen Zoubi of key parliamentary privileges as punishment for her involvement in the Freedom Flotilla aid convoy, in which Israeli naval (…)
• 2 August 2010, by Jodie Beck

  Feminists of the World, Unite!

  I recently had the honour of joining Montreal’s Women of Diverse Origins as a volunteer for the upcoming Montreal International Women’s Conference (MIWC). Hosts and organizers of the conference, (…)
• 1 July 2010, by Michael Ryan Wiseman

  Where’s the beef?

  Happy birthday, Canada! And what better way to celebrate than throwing a $1 billion dollar birthday party. Curious, though, that most of it was spent on keeping people away from the festivities (…)
• 1 July 2010, by Richard Poplak

  A Tale of Two Cities

  The FIFA World Cup Finals and the G20 summit may at first glance seem entirely disparate, but both events have had a profound effect on the narratives of their respective cities. Those narratives, (…)
• 1 July 2010, by Bahati Ntama Jacques and Beth Tuckey

  Congo’s Quest for Liberation Continues

  Today, at the 50th anniversary of Congo’s independence, the country continues to be a source of wealth for the world, yet the Congolese people live in poverty. Like many African nations, the (…)
• 1 July 2010, by Daya Varma

  ANGER AT BHOPAL JUDGEMENT

  On December 3, 1984, Bhopal became the site of the world’s worst industrial Disaster. The question is: should India entertain hazardous industries at all? If the answer is yes, then what should be (…)
• 1 July 2010, by Ezra Winton

  ART THREAT !!!

  Here are this month’s top stories from Art Threat... The G20 summer blockbuster by Ezra Winton That the hundreds (at last count 900+) of G20 protesters (and random civilians) held in pens (…)
• 1 July 2010, by Dimitrios Roussopoulos

  Greek Dialectics

  ‘We are all Greeks’ - Percy Bysshe Shelly, from the preface of his lyrical drama Hellas Having recently spent five wonderful weeks in several parts of Greece, I return to Montreal refreshed. I (…)
• 1 July 2010, by Claude Vaillancourt

  The G20 faces a crisis with no end in sight

  The previous meeting of the G20, last fall in Pittsburgh, ended on a positive note. The closing statement affirmed that G20 countries had done “everything necessary to ensure recovery” and that it (…)
• 1 July 2010, by Roger Rashi

  From Cochabamba to Cancun

  The recent Cochabamba Conference on Climate Change has issued a call to build “a global peoples movement for climate justice.” A novel feature of this call is that it is supported by (…)
• 1 July 2010, by Omar Assaf

  World Education Forum in Palestine

  We are pleased to inform you that the registration for organizations and self-organized activities for the World Education Forum in Palestine (October 28 - 31) opened on June 25. This event is (…)
• 2 June 2010, by Feroz MEHDI

  Alternatives’ Days 2010

  Alternatives welcomes you to the 16th edition of Alternatives’ Days to participate with hundreds of other activists in debates, discussions and activities grouped this year under the title: (…)
• 2 June 2010, by Alternatives Information Center

  Flotilla Raid

  On the morning of 31 May 2010, the Israeli navy perpetrated a crime against humanity when it attacked the Freedom Flotilla, bound for Gaza, sailing in international waters. On the boats were 750 (…)
• 2 June 2010, by Joel Balsam

  NGO MONITOR-ing

  An investigation into NGO Monitor’s participation in the de-funding of Canadian human rights organizations Kairos and Alternatives. At the end of August 2009, an Israeli-based non-governmental (…)
• 2 June 2010, by Ezra Winton

  ART THREAT!!

  Here are this month’s top stories from Art Threat... Elvis Costello cancels shows in Israel “It is a matter of instinct and conscience,” writes internationally celebrated singer-songwriter (…)
• 2 June 2010, by GRAIN

  Raspberries for Monsanto Eggplants

  Monsanto’s plans to push genetically modified (GM) food crops in Asia ran into a wall on February 9, 2010 when India’s Environment Minister put a moratorium on the introduction of a variety of GM (…)
• 2 June 2010, by Chris Kromm

  Another disaster waiting?

  Shell running "sister rig" in Gulf nearly identical to ill-fated Deepwater Horizon. Despite an army of reporters and officials investigating the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster, one item (…)
• 2 June 2010, by Juan Cole

  Karzai Defeats Obama 2-1

  Afghanistan is already beginning to defeat Barack Obama. He came into office last year clearly hoping to find a way to move Hamid Karzai, the mercurial and ineffectual president of Afghanistan who (…)
• 2 June 2010, by Hassan Diab Support Committee

  Bad Times for the Good Doctor

  Dr. Hassan Diab is a sociology professor and a law-abiding Canadian citizen of Lebanese descent who lives in Ottawa. Until shortly before October, 2007, Hassan enjoyed an engaged and productive (…)
• 2 June 2010, by Frédéric Dubois

  Shooting Film, Not Guns

  The main take-home lesson in the film is that “instead of carrying guns, children can learn to carry cameras,” says Mohammed Chaloob. On a windy afternoon, two weeks ago, the GDP web (…)
• 1 April 2010, by Michael Ryan Wiseman

  ’Tis not too late

  Greetings Dear Reader, Welcome back to the Alternatives International Journal, as it rubs its eyes gingerly, throws its arms in the air and arches its back to get some kinks and an exaggerated (…)
• 1 April 2010, by Ezra Winton

  An Art-Changing World: Stories from Art Threat

  Myself and the other editors at Art Threat, a media outlet devoted solely to political art and cultural policy, are very excited to be collaborating with Alternatives. Each month I will, with the (…)
• 1 April 2010, by Fraser Reilly-King and Abdallah Khazaal

  The Robin Hood Tax

  T-A-X. Such a simple three letter word, and yet it elicits responses from people out of all proportion to its size. Perhaps it isn’t surprising. Taxes are scary. But let’s not forget, as much (…)
• 1 April 2010, by Vanessa Gordon

  The Reality of Canadian Official Development Assistance

  On 8 September 2000, following a three day Millennium Summit of world leaders at the headquarters of the United Nations, the General Assembly adopted the Millennium Declaration. The Declaration of (…)
• 1 April 2010, by IRIN

  GLOBAL: Recession boosts donor transparency

  The global financial crisis has catalysed increasing transparency and accountability regarding public finances, say aid experts, which has helped open up disclosures on aid-giving. 

 Karin (…)
• 1 April 2010, by GRAIN

  Land grabbing in Latin America

  Right now communities in Latin America, as around the world, are suffering a new kind of invasion of their territories. These invaders are not the descendants of the European conquistadores, (…)
• 1 April 2010, by Sue Sturgis

  Southern Rice

  As in so many countries throughout the world, an important staple of the Haitian diet is rice, first brought by slaves from West Africa and cultivated on the Caribbean island nation for hundreds (…)
• 1 April 2010, by David Widgington

  Election Ballots Printed by Sudan’s Currency Printer Controversial

  Sudan’s first elections in 24 years are set to begin in less than 22 days. And not without major controversy. The logistical challenges faced by Sudan’s National Election Commission (NEC) and (…)
• 1 April 2010, by Jaggi Singh

  Counterpoint: In support of Israeli Apartheid week

  This week, for the sixth year in a row, Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) events are taking place on campuses and communities across Canada and worldwide. It’s also during this week that Conservative (…)