I have been asked to write the final report for my portion of the research project that I’ve been working on this summer. There’s a strict deadline – the grant ends on July 23 – and many, many loose threads to tie up. It’s a great challenge.In keeping …
Continue readingAuthor: laura k
wmtc: this week on tvo: "war of the mind", canadian documentary on ptsd
This Wednesday, July 6 TVO, Ontario’s public television station, will broadcast “War in the Mind,” a Canadian documentary about post-traumatic stress, depression and the rising suicide rate among soldiers and veterans. “War in the Mind,” by British Col…
Continue readingwmtc: report on war resisters fundraising dinner from u.s. peace activist bruce beyer
This past week, the Toronto chapter of the War Resisters Support Campaign hosted a fundraising dinner at the United Steelworkers Hall. These dinners, which we hold four times a year, are informal gatherings of friends and supporters, with music, campai…
Continue readingwmtc: canada causes cancer: sign a petition to ban canada’s asbestos industry
From Canada Causes Cancer:Asbestos causes cancer and other deadly lung diseases.That’s why asbestos has been banned in 52 nations, including the European Union. Not to mention, the Canadian government removed it from Parliament and the Prime Minister’s…
Continue readingwmtc: red sox "it gets better" video
“Once you make it through the hard parts, the rest of life is so much more fantastic than anything you can imagine.” I agree. The hard parts don’t go away, but they’re the same hard parts everyone goes through, not a punishment inflicted especially on …
Continue readingwmtc: pupdate: good news for squirrels
My poor little Bo! Earlier this week, Tala wasn’t able to put any weight on her right hind leg. I suspected a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament, i.e., main knee ligament). It’s a not-uncommon injury in larger dogs, something we went through with our…
Continue readingwmtc: thou shalt be thin: obesity hysteria and the eating disorder epidemic
This ad for Yoplait Light reduced-calorie yogurt, which I saw on TV last Sunday night, was supposedly pulled from circulation. The National Eating Disorder Association petitioned General Mills because the ad promotes a mindset associated with eating di…
Continue readingwmtc: another stranded canadian needs our help: naser bader al-raas
Naser Bader Al-Raas, a 28-year-old Canadian, is in prison in Bahrain. He has been tortured. His passport has been confiscated, so he cannot leave that country. He has a heart condition, and may be in desperate need of medical attention. He needs our he…
Continue readingwmtc: handmade soaps, equal marriage, and stop the tar sands: i discover lush
As part of my work for the video surveillance project, I was wandering around the Square One mall, when I saw this sign in the window of Lush.I went inside to ask for more information: there was a petition, a postcard drive, and an excellent pamphlet f…
Continue readingwmtc: lessons from canada post lock-out and back-to-work legislation
The members of Canadian Union of Postal Workers engage in labour actions. In response, their employer, Canada Post, locks them out. The Harper Government tables back-to-work legislation. The Opposition launches the longest filibuster in Canadian histor…
Continue readingwmtc: alice walker: why i’m sailing to gaza
Alice Walker has written a long, thoughtful essay about her experiences in the Palestinian territories, and her decision to participate in Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human, the international convoy of ships bringing hope and humanitarian aid to the bes…
Continue readingwmtc: pulitzer-prize winning u.s. journalist comes out as undocumented immigrant
There’s an excellent and eye-opening story in today’s New York Times Magazine. Jose Antonio Vargas was born in the Philippines, and came to the United States at age 12. He has lived the American dream, fighting for a quality education, pulling himself …
Continue readingwmtc: thank you, new york!!! marriage equality comes to my home state
New York State, thank you for doing the right thing! Forty-two years after Stonewall, same-sex couples have the legal right to marry in New York State. Whoo-hoo!New York is the state of birth, of my parents’ birth and even one grandparent’s, my home fo…
Continue readingwmtc: if the world sucks, why hasn’t anyone told me? i respond to joe denial
“If that’s really happening, why don’t I see it in the news?”I bet many of you may have encountered a question like this one. You’re speaking to a co-worker or a classmate, or discussing an issue on a blog, or you’ve wandered into the comments section …
Continue readingwmtc: harper government brings (more) international shame on canada, and kills untold numbers in the process
The Globe and Mail, emphasis mine:Standing Alone, Canada blocks push to label asbestos a hazardous chemical Canada has single-handedly blocked listing chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous chemical, the United Nations confirmed Wednesday, even as the Cons…
Continue readingwmtc: petition: negotiate, don’t legislate
Please sign a petition opposing the Harper Government’s back-to-work legistlation.Minister Lisa Raitt,I am urging your Government not to introduce or support back-to-work legislation aimed at ending Canada Post’s lockout of members of the Canadian Un…
Continue readingwmtc: why the canadian boat to gaza? david heap on cbc radio
My friend (and wmtc reader/commenter) David Heap was on CBC Ontario Morning radio yesterday, speaking from his hotel room in Athens, Greece, about why he’ll be on the Canadian Boat to Gaza, as part of Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human.Listen here.
Continue readingwmtc: rally for postal workers, rally for all workers, rally for public services
This morning in Toronto, locked-out postal workers and their supporters will rally at the legal offices of Canada Post, to protest the collusion of Canada Post and the Conservative Government to strip workers of their legal right to collective bargaini…
Continue readingwmtc: watching the watchers: ipsi research day today
The project I’ve been working on – my summer position as a research assistant – is in the spotlight today, as two of the IPSI research teams give a public progress report.IPSI Research Day – Proportionate Digital ID + Video SurveillanceSponsor: Identit…
Continue reading