"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot
murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate.
. . . Returning violence for violence multiples violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can
do that."
-Martin Luther King, Jr

"Television is an instrument of mental cloning on a global scale. That its primary job: to get everyone in the world- whether they're in the Western industrial nations or the islsnds in the Pacific- to view things in exaclty the same way, to absorb an identical model of the way life should be lived. And also to change them internally so they are merged with the larger corporate technological system"
Jerry Mander, president of the International Forum on Globalization

"Our overriding purpose, from the beggining right through the present day, has been world dominaiton- that is, to build and maintain the capacity to coerce everybody else on the planet: nonviolently, if possible; and violently, if necessary. But the purpose of the [U.S.] foreign policy of domination is not just to make the rest of the world jump through hoops; the purpose is to facilitate our exploitaiotn of resources."
Ramsey Clark, former US attorney general

so i was reading this great article the other day about the north american fetish with automobiles. yes, why do we insist on structuring our entire society around inefficient, expensive, polluting and noisy vehicles?

There is a great statistic: ***The cost of a car is so high that in the time it takes to make the money to pay for your car and all the bills, you could easily walk everywhere!!***

crazy to think about it that way...all the notions we have about cars as the most convient trasport method change a little bit.

Imagine a city without cars for a second...wait! where is all the noise, its quiet and hey i can breathe better, there is space to walk, ride bikes..people take things a bit slower, appreciate others around them and actually relate to them as people rather than as faces in a metal box.

Its true that cars drive our economy and provide a lot of jobs, but we are innovative we can devise other modes of transportation that will save more lives, be environmentally friendly and create a better society to live in.

This is a Special Edition of the People- & Planet-Friendly,
>a free weekly e-newsletter of peace, sustainable living, environment & human rights.

Its long but worth the read!
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>(A) INTRODUCTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>DARE TO ASK
>
>This Special Edition summarizes some very serious questions being raised about the events of September 11, even including the possibility of CIA and top US government complicity in the attacks.
>
>A number of websites have been busily researching and documenting the inconsistencies in the official narrative of what happened on Sept 11, notably "The Emperor's New Clothes" ( www.tenc.net ), and Michael Ruppert's "From The Wilderness" ( www.copvcia.com ).
>
>"Conspiracy theory", you say? If you can take a minute
>or two to look over "Guilty For 9-11: Bush, Rumsfeld,
>Myers" ( http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/indict-1.htm )
>-- and still be convinced that there is nothing to this,
>I would be curious to hear your thoughts.
>
>On January 17, longtime CIA critic Michael Ruppert flew
>to Toronto to speak on the "Truth & Lies About Sept 11."
>"Were the attacks what the official story says they were,
>or were they staged? [...] And is the background really
>war profiteering, oil and drugs?" Some fascinating excerpts (and links to) Ruppert's writings are included below.
>
>Until late January, the media was silent on these questions.
>
>But on Jan. 21, Canada's VisionTV "Insight Mediafile"
>aired the first in a series of commentaries on the inconsistencies in the official story. An excerpt from the transcript of the first, controversial broadcast is included below, along with links to the subsequent transcripts.
>
>The fourth program -- "George Bush &The OILigarch"
>-- airs this week (Mon 10:30pm; Thurs 7am & 1:30pm;
>Fri 1:30am) on Vision TV, cable 60 in Toronto, and
>across Canada on various cable and satellite providers. Written transcripts will be available (see next section).
>
>A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY?
>
>These are obviously very troubling allegations. The
>hypotheses of a staged attack, or of "war profiteering,
>oil and drugs" may or may not ever be proven. But if
>there is any truth to them, the implications on democracy, peace, environment, human rights -- even on our daily life and well-being -- could be enormous.
>
>On the other hand, this could prove to be a golden opportunity. Some people are suggesting that citizens and activists of all stripes should come together around this issue ...that evidence of a staged attack would bring American citizens on board, in the battle against a
>fundamentally corrupt system.
>http://maritimes.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=825
>http://www.angelcities.com/members/mccurdy/inquiry.htm
>
>Dare to ask, and dare to spread the word -- thousands already are. Together, we can fight the media silence. We can spread the word to thousands. We can come together in our communities and discuss the questions, the theories, and the implications.
>
>What's wrong with asking questions? "The job of a citizen is to keep his mouth open", Gunther Grass once said. If we don't, we risk supporting, by our silence, potentially enormous crimes.
>
>~~~~~
>

Below: lists related broadcasts, events, and some suggestions of things you can do.
http://www.planetfriendly.net/deception.html

>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>(B) THE GREAT DECEPTION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>"On Monday, January 21st, VisionTV became the first North American television network to address the inconsistencies in the official version of the events of September 11th. In a daring eight minute commentary on Vision's Mediafile program, host Barry Zwicker asked many crucial questions that have been absent from the mainstream media's
>coverage since Sept. 11.
> -
>http://hamilton.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=972&group=webcast
>
>"'Why did it take the CIA, the Pentagon and the White House so long to respond to the horrendous events of Sept. 11, 2001?' asks media critic, analyst, author and host of VisionTV >Insight: Mediafile, Barrie Zwicker. In his controversial Jan. 21 commentary, the first in a series of commentaries on the terrorist attacks, Zwicker said that the official narrative for the events of that day is "frankly implausible." According to Zwicker, a more likely scenario suggests elements within the top military and political offices were anxious to justify a war on terrorism, increase the military's budget and make a grab for Middle East oil."
> - http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/insight.htm
> - http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/Deception.htm
>
>VisionTV is an independent, not-for-profit broadcaster.
>
>VisionTV has now aired three programs on this topic, with the fourth to be aired this week, including Thursday at 7am & 1:30pm.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>EXCERPT FROM PART I
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>"For four months I've been waiting in vain for the North American media to pursue questions about the startling events of September 11th.
>Here's what I want to know:
>
>"The multiple hijackings are unprecedented. The first occurs at 7:45 in the morning. It's a full hour before the first plane hits the World Trade Center. But it's an hour and 20 minutes -- and after the second plane hits - that the President allegedly becomes informed. Think about
>that.
>
>"Then, he gives no orders. Why? He continues to listen to a student talk about her pet goat. Why?
>
>"It's another 25 minutes until he makes a statement, even as flight 77 is making a bee-line for Washington, DC.
>
>"In the almost two hours of the total drama not a single U.S. Air Force interceptor turns a wheel until it's too late. Why? Was it total incompetence on the part of aircrews trained and equipped to scramble in minutes?"
>
>"Well, unlike the U.S. Air Force, I'll cut to the chase. Simply to ask these few questions is to find the official narrative frankly implausible. The more questions you pursue, it becomes more plausible that there's a different explanation: namely, that ELEMENTS WITHIN THE
>TOP U.S. MILITARY, INTELLIGENCE AND POLITICAL LEADERSHIP - which are closely intertwined - ARE COMPLICIT IN WHAT HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER THE 11TH..." [emphasis added]
>
> - Barrie Zwicker http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/insight.htm
> http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/mediafile_Jan21.htm
>
>Zwicker goes on to give more details and context in the rest of the January 21st, 28th, and February 4th broadcasts.
>
>The VisionTV Insight homepage:
> http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/insight.htm
>
>Summary of the three broadcasts plus a preview of this week:
> http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/mediafile_popup.htm
>
>Or go directly to the three broadcasts aired to date:
> http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/mediafile_Jan21.htm
> http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/mediafile_Jan28.htm
> http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/mediafile_Feb4.htm
>
>Some discussion and feedback regarding the broadcasts:
> http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/Deception.htm
>
>Real Video Download:
> http://clients.loudeye.com/imc/mayday/mediafile.ram
>
>NEXT BROADCAST is this Thursday (see section C, below)
>
>Summary of Zwicker's shows and some relevant links:
>http://hamilton.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=972&group=webcast
>

>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>(D) EVENTS (war, peace, civil liberties & related topics)
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>* Events in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa, Montreal.
>In order by date.
>
>* ST. VALENTINES WALK FOR CANADA'S DISAPPEARED,
>Wed Feb 13, noon, Toronto. Who was St. Valentine? - a war resister who
>was no stranger to prison for his acts of resistance. On Valentine's
>Eve, love your neighbours, don't imprison them! A walk in support of
>those wrongfully detained; to end Canadian racism; to get Canada out of
>the wars against Afghanistan, Iraq, and the poor of the world. Meet at
>the Don Jail (Broadview &
>Gerrard) at noon; walk to the U.S. Consulate (360 University Ave.)
>Info: Toronto Action for Social Change 416-651-5800 tasc@web.ca
>
>* CIVIL LIBERTIES & LEGAL STRATEGIES for Protest:
>What are the Real Impacts of the New "Anti-Terrorist"
>Regime on Organising? Activists? Minorities? Fri Feb 15,
>7pm, Ottawa. To work out how to continue to mount effective public
>protest, occupying and expanding the public space and finding ways of
>confronting, exposing, and undermining corporate and state control,
>while continuing to build viable alternatives. Solidarity & support
>strategies with communities and individuals under immediate risk; but
>also to make the best use of the freedoms and privileges we still
>enjoy. Concrete discussion of the real dangers as well as the real
>opportunities & strategies. With Matthew Behrens (Toronto Homes Not
>Bombs & Toronto Action for Social Change); Laurel Smith (Toronto Homes
>Not Bombs); Beth Greenhorn & Vallie Stearns (Ottawa Women's March
>Committee); Brian Edgecombe (Ottawa Homes not Bombs);
>David Morris (Ottawa immigration & refugee lawyer). Room 104,
>St. Paul University, 223 Main St. Info: 613-236-9188
>[ http://www.gdo.ca/events.html http://www.carleton.ca/opirg/ ]
>
>* KITCHENER-WATERLOO PEACE WORKSHOP, Sat Feb 16, Kitchener-Waterloo. A
>series of workshops on peace, non-violence and social justice, within a
>Christian/peace theology framework. Lunch provided. Info: Sarah Cardey
>sarah_cardey@yahoo.ca or Brian Burch burch@tao.ca
>
>* TORONTO WEST DETENTION CENTRE RALLY,
>Sat Feb 16, 1-4pm, Toronto. Immigrants and refugee claimants are being
>held in solitary confinement in Toronto jails and are being denied
>their rights. There have been cases of people being denied access to
>basic sanitation and medical care. Hearings are being held in jail
>cells using video cameras instead of detainees' live presence in
>courtrooms. At the Celebrity Inn, families are split up as the men are
>kept in a separate wing from the women and children. What else is going
>on at the Toronto West Detention Centre and the Celebrity Inn? Why
>aren't the authorities telling the public who is being held, and why?
>Rally at the Celebrity Budget Inn (Airport Rd. just north of American
>Dr.) and Toronto West Detention Centre (111 Disco Rd.). Buses leave at
>1pm from downtown Toronto, returning at 4pm. Info/reserve:
>416-631-8835. http://www.web.net/~ara/ http://www.ocap.ca
>
>* STATE, SECURITY & TERROR: Activism & Action In The Anti-Terror
>Environment, Mon Feb 18, 12:30-2:15pm, Toronto. Informal seminar &
>discussion of the research of PhD students Pablo Bose & Michael
>Posluns, and relevant issues. Room 354, Lumbers Bldg., York Univ., 4700
>Keele. Info: Catherine Phillips cphil@yorku.ca [
>http://www.yorku.ca/fes ]
>
>* FAITH ACTION NETWORK, Thu Feb 21, 6pm, Toronto.
>Meeting & potluck. At Friends' (Quaker) House, 60 Lowther. (near St.
>George subway). Also: noon hour vigils & passing out peace pamphlets,
>Fridays at various locations.
>Info: http://www.geocities.com/actionfaith
>
>* COALITION TO OPPOSE THE ARMS TRADE,
>4th Tuesday monthly (e.g Feb 26), Ottawa. - A national
>network of individuals and organizations exposing and
>opposing Canada's role in the international arms trade, particularly
>where there is trade to governments which are engaged in war or which
>violate human rights. Please join us at our monthly COAT meetings in
>Ottawa. We meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 91A
>Fourth Ave (just east of Bank St., in the Glebe)
>http://www.ncf.ca/coat/ 613-231-3076 ad207@freenet.carleton.ca
>
>* NATIONAL ANTI-WAR CONFERENCE, Fri-Sun Mar 1-3,
>Montreal. Anti-war activists and organizations from around the country
>will gather, share information, describe their experiences and take
>active steps to organize against the war. Themes include:
>(1) the war against "terrorism"; (2) imperialism and the military
>industrial complex; (3) the war at home: anti-terrorism legislation,
>the loss of civil liberties, and the crack down on immigration;
>(4) organizing against the war. Friday and portions of Saturday will be
>dedicated to educational presentations and discussions for the general
>public. Seeking delegates, fundraisers, speakers, organizers. Sliding
>scale. Contact: Concordia Student Union 514-848-7474 (leave message)
>csu@csu.tao.ca or Samer 514-262-4564. [
>http://www.flora.org/nowar/forum/197 ]
>
>* CRIMINALIZING DISSENT, Sat Mar 2, 1pm, Toronto.
>Free workshop on the criminalization of dissent in Canada, with Amina
>Sherazzi & Maliha Chisti. Metro Hall, 55 John (at King; near St. Andrew
>subway). Info/register if possible: mob4glob@tao.ca 416-208-0785
>http://www.mob4glob.ca (Toronto Mobilization for Global Justice)
>[topical links: http://www.planetfriendly.net/rights.html ]
>
>* MANUFACTURING CONSENT: Noam Chomsky &
>The Media (film), Wed Mar 6, 7pm, Toronto. As an outspoken critic of
>the press, Noam Chomsky has unrelentingly dissected how our
>much-acclaimed democratic freedoms often mask an irresponsible use of
>power. Explore the political life & times of the controversial author,
>linguist and radical philosopher. Free. OPIRG-Toronto monthly film
>series. Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex (at St George St., 1 block S of
>Bloor). Info/volunteer: 416-978-7770 opirg@campuslife.utoronto.ca [
>http://opirg.org ] [topical links: http://www.zmag.org/chomsky/
>http://www.zmag.org/GlobalWatch/chomskymit.htm
>http://members.aol.com/democracyu/ ]
>
>* ALTERNATIVES TO WAR & INJUSTICE, Fri-Sat Mar 29-30,
>Toronto. More details to follow. St. Lawrence Forum - a public space
>for residents to speak out on issues of civic & social importance.
>Free. Metro Hall, 55 John at King (St. Andrew subway). Info:
>416-366-1656 x274 http://www.stlc.com/forums.htm
>http://www.interlog.com/~vow/
>
>* MORE PEACE EVENTS Across Canada: http://www.acp-cpa.ca/febevents.htm
>See also: http://www.flora.org/nowar/forum/ http://www.flora.org/coat/forum/
>* MORE EVENTS in southern Ontario: http://www.planetfriendly.net
>
>"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that." - Dr.
>Martin Luther King, Jr. "An eye for an eye makes the whole world
>blind." - Mahatma Gandhi
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>(E) WHAT CAN YOU DO? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>Here are a variety of suggestions of things people can
>do to act around this rather complex issue. The following
>is also available online at:
>http://www.planetfriendly.net/deception.html
>
>* SPEAK UP WHILE YOU CAN - "Don't be on the defensive.
>If they say it's a 'conspiracy theory', ask them 'what's _your_
>theory?' If they question your credibility, say 'I think the media is
>in danger of losing _their_ credibility'. Speak only about what you
>feel confident speaking about. The questions you pose are just as
>important. This is no time to be meek and mute. Be positively and
>lovingly combative." - Barrie Zwicker (paraphrased)
>
>* SPREAD THE WORD - forward or print & distribute this
>message to your friends & associates. Talk to your friends, your
>family, your neighbours. Write or speak to the media. Approach unions,
>environmental and social justice organizations, and suggest that they
>hold a public event.
>
>* INFORM & EDUCATE YOURSELF - read some of the
>pages linked above & below (for easier surfing, this document is
>available on-line at http://www.planetfriendly.net/deception.html ).
>For a broader exposure to related issues, groups and websites, see also
>http://www.planetfriendly.net/sheep.html#links and
>http://www.planetfriendly.net/voices.html
>
>* APPLY CRITICAL THOUGHT & healthy skepticism
>-- to both mainstream and alternative points of view
>http://www.howtoknow.com
>http://dmoz.org/Science/Science_in_Society/Skeptical_Inquiry/Critical_T
>hinking/
>
>* BE AN ACTIVIST - http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/activist.html
>http://dmoz.org/Society/Activism/Resources/
>http://www.netaction.org/training/
>
>* FIND EACH OTHER - find other people with similar
>concerns; go to peace meetings & events; approach local
>peace groups, OPIRG's or other groups you trust (see
>www.planetfriendly.net/voices.html#resourcecentres
>for some ideas); put up posters in local bookstores or
>natural food stores; etc.
>
>* COME TOGETHER - "This is the issue of our time -
>all our various issues are only noise. Why? Most activists
>are aware the CIA has been manipulating governments, elections, and
>supporting human rights abuses in other countries. However, they
>stepped across the line if they had a part in 9-11. Americans (I'm sad
>to say) were very acquiesent about the CIA doing their dirty deeds in
>other countries, but they will have a different attitude when they
>begin to learn they may have been involved in the NY
>WTC terror on innocent Americans..."
>http://maritimes.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=825&group=webcast
>
>* HOLD A PUBLIC DISCUSSION or open mic. --
>a safe, respectful space for people to share thoughts
>and feelings, and to discuss potential plans of action.
>Once you're a little organized, approach local
>progressive organizations and ask them for support.
>
>* PRACTICE FREE SPEECH & use your civil liberties
>-- use them or lose them http://www.planetfriendly.net/rights.html
>http://www.openwords.com
>http://dmoz.org/Society/Issues/Human_Rights_and_Liberties/Free_Speech/
>
>* BECOME THE MEDIA - journalism, writing, video,
>internet activism, critical thinking
>http://www.planetfriendly.net/voices.html#become
>
>* STAY INFORMED... JOIN THE DISCUSSION
> Here is a very brief summary of some potentially
> relevent e-mail lists & discussions...
>* Toronto based:
> People- & Planet-Friendly (weekly) http://www.planetfriendly.net
> E-left http://www.mnsj.org/members/index.htm
> Mobilization for Global justice: http://www.mob4glob.ca
> mob4glob@tao.ca
> TAO http://news.tao.ca http://toronto.tao.ca
> OPIRG Toronto http://www.campuslife.utoronto.ca/groups/opirg/
>* Ottawa based:
> Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade http://www.flora.org/coat/forum/
> No War Forum http://www.flora.org/nowar/forum/
> Opirg-Carleton www.carleton.ca/opirg/mailing.html
> www.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca/lists/html/opirg-events/
>* Worldwide:
> Indymedia http://www.indymedia.org http://lists.indymedia.org
> http://ontario.indymedia.org
> http://ontario.indymedia.org/newstatic.php3?page=peace
> http://hamilton.indymedia.org http://windsor.indymedia.org
>
>* BARRIE ZWICKER, producer and host of VisionTV's
>Insight Mediafile is available for public appearances and media
>interviews. You can contact him in Toronto at 416-651-5588, e-mail
>bzwicker@sympatico.ca, fax 416-651-1208. He will be speaking in Ottawa
>in late April, hosted by the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade (COAT)
>http://www.ncf.ca/coat/ Watch our regular weekly editions
>for announcements of other appearances - and please let us
>know if you hear of any. For other war & peace-related events,
>please see the events section, below. Barrie is also available
>for media interviews: contact VisionTV at 416-368-3194 or
>bzwicker@sympatico.ca [ http://www.visiontv.ca ]
>
>* SEPT 11 PUBLIC INQUIRY PROPOSAL - "I call for
>this inquiry because I (and many, many others) are
>convinced that the official story of Sept 11th (pre-event, event, and
>post-event) is at best a half-truth, or worse, an orchestrated lie
>designed to cover up what may ostensibly be U.S. complicity in Sept
>11th. [...] I also call for this inquiry because the governments both
>of our liberal democracies and other regimes around the
>world simply cannot be trusted to investigate themselves.
>[...] I welcome inquiries, responses, forwarded information
>related to Sept 11th, suggestions -- and offers from anyone
>& everyone to assist in setting up a Hamilton Public
>Inquiry Into Sept 11th".
> http://www.angelcities.com/members/mccurdy/inquiry.htm
>John McCurdy JadMcCurdy@aol.com (no attachments please)
>
>"Democracy is not something you believe in or a place
>to hang your hat, but it's something you do. You participate. If you
>stop doing it, democracy crumbles."
> - Abbie Hoffman, U.S. activist (1936-89)
>
>"Freedom is participation in power" - Cicero
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>VOICES OF DISSENT
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>* WORLD IN FAVOUR OF A PEACEFUL RESPONSE TO SEPT. 11
>"An international Gallup Poll showed that a majority in 32
>out of 35 countries (the US, Israel and India in opposition) favored a
>criminal justice response, rather than military action response to the
>11 September acts of violence." (Nov 14, 2001)
>http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewNote.cfm?REF=1195
>
>* WE ARE ALL IRAQIS AND AFGHANIS NOW -
>"A few days after September 11, Margaret Wente's headline
>in the Globe and Mail said "We are all Americans now!"
>I wrote to her saying "if we are all Americans now then
>we are also Iraqis, Chechnyans, Rwandans, Columbians,
>Ogonis and Beothuk. Most of us have no quarrel with
>Americans but we dislike U.S. foreign policy, their war economy, their
>nuclear arsenal and the fact that they export more weapons around the
>world than any other country. We are critical of the politics of other
>countries, as well, including our own." - Carolyn Langdon,
>Co-Chair, Canadian Voice of Women for Peace
>http://www.ncf.ca/coat/our_magazine/links/issue46/articles/coat_oct6_langdon.htm
>
>* EUROPE ENTERS THE DEBATE - "Chris Patten,
>the EU commissioner in charge of Europe's international relations, has
>launched a scathing attack on American foreign policy - accusing the
>Bush administration of a dangerously "absolutist and simplistic" stance
>towards the rest of the world." - Jonathan Freedland, Feb 9, 2002.
>http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,647555,00.html
>
>* TOP 5 LIES ABOUT THE WAR. - "Learn to identify
>and refute official misinformation when you see it."
>http://mai.flora.org/forum/31384
>or: http://www.spectrezine.org/war/Top5lies.htm
>[related links: http://www.planetfriendly.net/sheep.html
>http://www.planetfriendly.net/rights.html ]
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>CIVIL LIBERTIES
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>* MOVING TOWARD A POLICE STATE (or have we arrived?)
>"Secret military tribunals, mass arrests and disappearances,
>wiretapping & torture [...] We have no choice but to make our voices
>be heard; it is time to stand and be counted on the side of justice and
>against the antediluvian forces that have much of our country in a
>stranglehold." http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/RAT111A.html
>
>
>* GLOBAL LOCK-DOWN ON CIVIL LIBERTIES -
>"The danger of the rapidly emerging global anti-terrorism regime lies
>in the naïve view that civilian police and other national security
>forces are competent to implement extremely complex anti-terrorist
>legislation with very little supervision from the judiciary" ... "It is
>important to note that anti-terrorism criminal laws apply only to
>individuals and groups, and not to States, even though ideologically
>motivated State violence is pervasive." - Canadian Dimension Magazine,
>Dec 2001 http://www.canadiandimension.mb.ca
>[related links: http://www.planetfriendly.net/rights.html ]
>
>"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent
>revolution inevitable." - John F. Kennedy
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>WHO ARE THE TERRORISTS?
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>* RUNNING FROM OUR FEAR - "There's another kind of war
>is going on in the world right now. The weapons are words.
>And the word "terrorism" is the heaviest artillery of all. The emotions
>of fear and anger that the word terrorism evokes crowd out higher
>reasoning. As a result the public is trading in hard-won freedoms,
>opening its arms to more police power, spies and surveillance. There
>are more security measures of all kinds. We're opening our wallets to
>pay for these and for more military as today's federal budget shows. It
>means more bombing, expanded war, even war without end." - Barrie
>Zwicker http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewMediaFile.cfm?REF=124
>
>* STATE TERRORISM - "One reason the word 'terrorism'
>has so much power is because of an historic imbalance in knowledge. For
>decades the general public has been denied a coherent picture of
>ongoing terrorism carried out by the USA and its repressive client
>states. In William Blum's Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA
>Interventions Since World War II, it takes almost a page to simply list
>U.S. government assassination plots, many successful, since 1949. And
>two and a half pages to list countries in the same period where the
>U.S. has intervened with force - usually terrorizing civilians." -
>Barrie Zwicker http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewMediaFile.cfm?REF=124
>
>* AMERICAN TERRORISTS? "George Bush appears on
>CNN to say that any country funding terrorism will face the
>consequences. While, on U.S. soil, at Fort Benning, Georgia, there's a
>fully functioning terrorist training camp funded by the U.S.
>government. Formerly known as the School of the Americas, it's been
>renamed the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Co-operation, as
>an evasive measure. Authorities recently arrested 117 people peacefully
>demonstrating there for its closure." - Barrie Zwicker
>http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewMediaFile.cfm?REF=124
>
>* WHO ARE THE REAL TERRORISTS? - "We are
>living in a very dangerous time, but for reasons almost exactly the
>opposite of those conventionally accepted. The consensus view in the
>United States right now is that the danger lies in the terror threat
>from Bin Laden and his network, and perhaps other terrorists hostile to
>the West. But Bin Laden and his network, though evidently
>formidable terrorists, cannot compete in terrorizing with
>states, and especially with a highly militarized superpower.
>[...] Really large-scale killing and torture to terrorize--
>"wholesale" terrorism--has been implemented by states,
>not by non- state terrorists. The reason people aren't aware
>of this is that states define terrorism and identify the terrorists,
>and they naturally exempt themselves as always "retaliating"
>and engaging in "counter-terror" even when their own actions
>are an exact fit to their own definitions. And their mainstream
>media always follow the official lead." Edward S. Herman
>& David Peterson, Z Magazine
>http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/HER202A.html
>http://www.zmag.org
>
>* REMOVING THE VEIL - US Intelligence & The Origins of
>Sept 11 (print magazine). "A reminder to those who cling to the notion
>that the US has mainly benign, democratic and neighborly intentions in
>its international relations: behold the monumental catastrophe of
>Cambodia. In this issue, Gregory Elich reviews US policy in Indonesia,
>Iran, Cambodia & Yugoslavia as a corrective to the usual historical
>distortion." Covert Action Quarterly, Winter 2001 (#71)
>http://www.covertaction.org [available at progressive bookstores and
>magazine stands]
>
>* THE SOLE SUPERPOWER "This war did not begin on Sept
>11, 2001. It arose from the Cold War and escalated further once the
>U.S. became the world's only superpower after the collapse of the
>U.S.S.R. From that time the U.S. has been able to impose, subvert,
>poison and kill peoples with impunity. Globalization has only extended
>its reach " - The War Against Terrorism, Canadian Dimension Magazine,
>Dec 2001 http://www.canadiandimension.mb.ca
>
>* GLOBALIZATION & THE SEDUCTION OF GOVERNMENT
>"My worldview, condensed, is: (a) That the corporation has become the
>dominant institution of our time; (b) That governments at all levels
>are increasingly seduced and coerced into serving the corporate agenda;
>(c) That the corporate agenda is a well-thought-out long-term strategy
>to achieve world dominance for capitalists, hence the
>extreme coercion in the case of peoples who show an
>inclination to choose or accept governments inclined toward
>socialism, witness Cuba, Nicaragua, Chile, Libya, Iraq
>and currently Yugoslavia, to name just a few; (d) That
>the international institutions known as the IMF, World
>Bank and the World Trade Organization are instruments
>of capitalism and suffused with corporate values, meaning
>they are undemocratic and anti-environmental as they go
>about coercing structural inequities within and between
>societies." - Barrie Zwicker (June 1999)
>http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/kosovo1/corporat.htm
>
>"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
> - George Orwell
>
>"A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves."
>- Bertrand de Jouvenel, French political economist (1903-1987)
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>MONEY AND OIL
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>* THREE GENERATIONS OF BUSHES have armed
>America's enemies: from Hitler, to Hussein, to bin Laden.
>- "Since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center
>and the Pentagon, major media powerhouses and the
>increasingly influential alternative media alike have begun
>to focus attention on Bush family connections and a long history of
>arming and financing America's attackers in the months and years prior
>to the outbreak of war. Recent stories in the Wall Street Journal
>(Sept. 27 & 28, 2001), ABC News (Oct. 1, 2001), as well as a host of
>reports from so-called alternative news sources have begun to
>focus attention on the Bush family's profit-making role
>in creating and arming our enemies."
>http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/10_09_01_carlyle.html
>http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/index.html
>
>* REPUBLICANS & BIN LADENS "Money connections
>between Bush Republicans and Osama bin Laden go way
>back and the political and economic connections have
>remained unbroken for 20 years."
>http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/09_18_01_bushbin.html
>http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/index.html
>
>* OIL vs. THE PLANET - Articles in the Spring 2002
>edition of Earth Island Journal: Petrotyranny - Under
>the Thumb of Big Oil; Fight Terrorism: abandon Big
>Oil for renewable energy; Silent Seasons: recording
>nature's vanishing voices; Water, Inc. http://www.earthisland.org
>http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/journal.cfm
>http://scienceforpeace.sa.utoronto.ca/PubPage/PetrotyrannyPage.html
>
>* PETROTYRANNY - "In experiencing movies, commercial broadcasting and
>the mass circulation press, what is astonishing is how they fail to
>capture the biggest problem of our time - the blight of petrotryanny.
>This is the continuing ability of dictatorships to keep themselves in
>power through the manipulation of vast pools of oil wealth. The secrecy
>of this problem hides the reality of a path toward a democratic and
>environmentally sustainable peaceful world, free of the blight
>of terrorism." by John Bacher, Dundern Press / Science For Peace,
>2000. Available in most bookstores and univ. libraries.
>http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature.cfm?REF=148
>http://web.idirect.com/~dundurn/Petrotyranny.htm
>http://scienceforpeace.sa.utoronto.ca/PubPage/PetrotyrannyPage.html
>
>* OIL PRODUCTION PEAKING - "It is imperative,"
>Ruppert said, "that people know that world oil production
>will peak within the next five years, never to be exceeded again," said
>Ruppert. "This, at a time when world population is rapidly increasing
>and demand, especially in China, the Far East and the developing world,
>is soaring. This is the reason for the wars that will not end in our
>lifetimes." - Michael Ruppert
>http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/01_25_02_toronto_lecture.html
>
>"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the
>merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini (cited by
>Lewis Lapham in Harper's, January 2002)
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>CREATING PUBLIC SUPPORT
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>* AN OLD TRICK? "Why of course the people don't want
>war ... But after all it is the leaders of the country who determine
>the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along,
>whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament,
>or a communist dictatorship ...Voice or no voice, the people can always
>be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All
>you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and
>denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing
>the country to danger." - Hermann Goering, Nazi leader,
>at the Nuremberg Trials after World War II
>http://www.zmag.org/quotes/search.htm
>
>* THE REICHSTAG FIRE - "The Reichstag fire was a
>disaster so symbolic and unnerving to German people
>that they handed over extra constitutional powers to a
>little man who was to bring down 40 million of his
>fellow human beings with him, by the time he was done."
>- Rev. Wendy Jerome-Stern
>http://www.unitarian.org/minnetonka/sermons/sermon010916.html
>"America's Reichstag Fire" http://www.skolnicksreport.com/pkem.html
>
>* U.S. MILITARY DRAFTED PLANS TO TERRORIZE U.S. CITIES
>to Provoke War With Cuba - "In the early 1960s, America's top military
>leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit
>acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war
>against Cuba. 'The scary thing is none of this stuff comes out until 40
>years after,' says [James] Bamford [author of 'Body of Secrets']" - ABC
>News, May 1, 2001
>http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/jointchiefs_010501.html
>http://www.randomhouse.com/features/bamford/home.html
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>PUZZLES & INCONSISTENCIES
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>* TIMELINE BEFORE & AFTER SEPT 11 (1991 to Jan 2002)
>"A more complete timeline listing crucial events both before and after
>the September 11th suicide attacks, which have been blamed on bin
>Laden, establishes CIA foreknowledge of them and strongly suggests that
>there was criminal complicity on the part of the U.S. government in
>their execution. It also makes clear that the events which have taken
>place since September 11th are based upon an agenda that has little
>to do with the attacks."
>http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/01_28_02_lucy.html
>http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/index.html
>[see also: http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/indict-1.htm ]
>
>* FOUR YEARS IN THE MAKING - "There is now evidence
>that what the world is witnessing is a cold and calculated
>war plan - at least four years in the making." - Michael Ruppert
>http://www.copvcia.com/stories/nov_2001/zbig.html
>http://www.canadiandimension.mb.ca/extra/d0113mr.htm
>
>* SPY CASE IN CANADIAN COURTS suggests
>US naval officer had foreknowledge of 9-11
>http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/01_25_02_revised_012802_vreeland.html
>http://www.copvcia.com/free/ww3/index.html
>
>* INSIDER TRADING COVER-UP? "Why did mainstream
>media "vow to get to the bottom of the insider trading that profited
>off the 9-11 horror," and then suddenly . . . dropped the story?"
>http://maritimes.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=825&group=webcast
>http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=99402 (Oct 14 2001)
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>MEDIA FAILURE OR COMPLICITY?
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>Why aren't the mainstream media raising these questions?
>
>* AN UNHOLY TRINITY - "Mass media performance -
>its omissions, biases, distortions, deceptions - reflects the fact that
>the mass media is itself part of the same power structure that plunders
>the planet and inflicts human rights abuses on a massive scale." - from
>"An Unholy Trinity: Truth, Market Forces and the Media", by David
>Cromwell http://www.medialens.org/articles/unholy_trinity.html
>
>* CROWDING OUT THOUGHT - Why are the media
>complicit in propaganda-laden use of the word terrorism?
>"The emotions of fear and anger that the word terrorism
>evokes crowd out higher reasoning. [...] One reason the
>word "terrorism" has so much power is because of an
>historic imbalance in knowledge. For decades the general public has
>been denied a coherent picture of ongoing terrorism carried out by the
>USA and its repressive client states." - Barrie Zwicker
>http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewMediaFile.cfm?REF=124
>http://www.straightgoods.ca/MediaFiles.cfm
>
>* MEDIA CHILL: What the Mainstream is Missing -
>"Beyond a certain point, the round-the-clock rescue
>coverage became an alibi for not exploring other topics"
>... "here is my list of the "top ten" questions undercovered by the
>dominant U.S. media"
>http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewMediaFile.cfm?REF=109
>
>* WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE MEDIA? The problem;
>lots of great, on-the-ground alternatives; become the media!
>http://www.planetfriendly.net/voices.html
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>LINKS & ALTERNATIVE MEDIA
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>* LINKS to a variety of organizations, websites & alternative media:
>http://www.planetfriendly.net/sheep.html#links
>http://www.planetfriendly.net/voices.html
>
>"In Germany, the Nazis first came for the communists, and I did not
>speak up, because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Jews,
>and I did not speak up, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the
>trade unionists, and I did not speak up, because I was not a trade
>unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak up,
>because I was not a Catholic. Then they came for me... and by that
>time, there was no one to speak up for anyone." - Martin Niemoeller,
>Pastor, German Evangelical (Lutheran) Church (1892-1984)
> http://www.hrweb.org/intro.html (Human Rights Web)
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>(G) ABOUT THE PEOPLE- & PLANET-FRIENDLY
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
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doo doo doo
hmmm progress:

so lets see YMCA/Trillium has hopefully *finally* been finished, the YMCA agreed to support us in the grant to Trillium, so heopfully after all of this work, we will get some money for workshops!! did up some letters and other documents.

I worked on purpose statments for TIG programs and a sumamry of what the committee workign on each project will be responsible for. this will need more brainstorming form the group but its a start

I finished a report for the YMCA on our partership progress over the last few months

Nominated a TIG member for the Ashoka award

had a chat with Charles from Uganda, who is working on some initiatives and thinking baout being a youth rep:
• There are currently 8 people on the team in Uganda, a few students and engineers all working to provide technology training to youth on pc’s. The limitation is that they only have 2 pc’s.
• They are waiting for the Global Catalyst proposal to move forward
• Charles and I discussed the possibility of doing training for large groups using screen shots and then scheduling separate times for individuals to have hands on training
• We discussed the possibility of looking for funding or donations of pc’s from groups like UNESCO and other international organizations with ties to the rural area
• The TakingITGlobal database is a good place to start for researching this information
• There is also the possibility of partnering with local internet cafes, in exchange for time on the computer; you are training new users who will then bring in business for them
• There is the challenge of working in a rural area, so partnerships are even more important
• We spoke about registering as an organization, but agreed it was best to wait a while before proceeding with this
• Charles is now considering becoming a youth rep of TIG, I sent him the documentation and he will read it over and decide

wrote up a draft for mike about why being a member is so great, as a pop up thingy for users on the site

wrote up a little thing for the newsletter

had a meeting with the YMCA to discuss youth employment and how we cna work together, i will now write up a larger proposal for the Y on collboarting with TIG and YES on this initiative

worked on my huge inbox, mainly speaking with partners and youth reps!

had a meeting with Cheryl, a volunteer, who is going to input info on grants, scholorships, organizaitons and events as she has a lot of info about things in Toronto. She is also going to research international opprotunites. Cheryl has a great idea of creating an on and offline resource guide for youth, which we cna have on our site and work with her to devleop!

thats all for the last 2 days i think.

Aiya.
ok progress:
planning planning and more planning for the fundriasing workshop. i did up a 12 page booklet for the participants that should be a helpful resource

had a meeting with Andy and Nicole about the workshop and the buisness plan and have been chatting with Jeni who will be helping with the workshop and who is interested in applying for HRDC funding to work at TIG

finished up with the youth reps chats, set out the summaries and am scheduling individual chats with people

signed up about a dozen reps for the new notify feature that mike set up

wrote the TIG and YMCA pregress report 12 pages

organized stuff with Trillium, answered a few pages of questions, wrote up some info for YMCA to collaborate with us

lots of coorespondence with reps and adding this to the admin site

meeitng with a volunteer who will work with the tech team

meeting with another volunteer (twice) from St. Stephens who still hasn't shown up

working on the new youth rep section of the webpage, design and materials on the backdrop

preparing for meeitng with YMCA about YES

I feel like I am missing a whole lot from last week... hmm

oh ya went to Guelph to speak on Internaitonal Development

yikes thats all I can think of :P

Here is my update:

Youth Employment Summit: Dumi, Fred and everyone from YES organized an amazing 3 day meeting. Youth representing 30 countries attended the event, so there was great diversity of opinion and experience. We went through the planning stages of developing a country network to promote youth employment. The goal is to create a global movement of youth that will create 500 million jobs!! This is a lofty goal, but when you think about the fact that there are literally over a billion youth who will be facing unemployment and poverty in the next few years, you realize the importance of the movement. I will be posting more information about the summit in the next few days, but if anyone has any questions or would like to get involved, please let me know!

TIG members: I got the chance to meet Shalala and Dumi, 2 TIG members who I speak with all the time, but have never met. It was so amazing to meet them and reconnect with other members and people that I have met in the past.

Youth Employment Summit: New York
Launching a YES2002 Country Network

Why?
• Make use of technological framework that will assist youth in reaching their goals
• Grow opportunities for TIG youth members
• De-fragment the current employment services system in Canada

Objectives:
• An on-going information pole on the TIG site about employment and unemployment issues; research the situation
• Post all articles, resources and services related to youth employment on the TIG site
• Give workshops on employment related issues eg. Resume writing, interview skills and self-marketing etc. Connect these youth to YES
• Hold collaboration workshop with youth employment organizations to build a network
• Work with partners such as YMCA, Information Warehouse to solidify employment services and engage TIG in their youth services
• Encourage internships with TIG members with our corporate and non-profit partners
• Further develop the mentorship program to assist youth in getting the guidance they need to find employment; create a lessons learnt section for mentors to complete
• Working with local schools to raise awareness about youth employment issues
• Work with Ministry to focus education on the issue of job creation and embracing youth’s natural adapt to innovation
• Get youth reps interested in conducting pilot projects that relate to youth employment in their locality and give youth ownership of their own projects
• Promote the Opportunity and Resource Centre as a training centre for youth employment
• Utilize our technological infrastructure to provide support to the YES campaign
• Update “Best practices” of our members on all issues on the website (youth reps)
• Create a committee of youth to organize the developments of the youth employment initiative

Possibilities:
• Look at a potential small loans program to tie into the Ideafund
• Work with local partners to find employment for TIG youth reps
• Work with youth to create their own employment; ie can we get youth reps to devise their own employment
• Provide incentives for involvement in this initiative
• Youth: job, $, community value, independence
• Government: stable society, engaged youth, productivity
• Industry: educated workforce with practical skills leads to higher productivity
• Trade Unions: an engaged, well trained and paid workforce
• Educators: skilled and educated youth
• Organizations: an engaged population
• Community: an active community with positive work experience
Steps to Take in the Future:
• Identify the employment services needs within Canada
• Look at potential partnership with YMCA Employment Services
• Look at partnership with Employment Warehouse; are they willing to expand into a country wide network or share their model?
• Take articles written for web and send them to local press to raise awareness
• Get volunteers to help with expanding the press, write up a general press release to give to local teams where they can change small sections to localize it
• Engage government, educators and trade unions
• Create a model whereas TIG volunteers help other local teams to develop action projects for example designing and hosting a website, that will generate funds for the team, the funds going to local social projects as well as paying the youth

Lessons Learnt:
• Have to create an environment where young people want to work ie in Jamaica where crime is replacing employment; change of mindset needed
• Need to create sustainable models that will grow together with youth
• Subcontracting as a business model: spreading contracts out to small groups of individuals and small companies. Benefit: flexible, individually specialized, no need for large infrastructure
• Look at the strengths within a community when trying to create jobs
• It is a priority to keep educated youth within the country, not creating a “dying country” where youth move to the US
• Youth employment strategies value within culture, need to be mindful
• Need a “Sandwich approach” to develop youth employment; both top down and bottom up
• Create clear reasons why all stakeholders benefit (ie government, employers, educators, organizations, youth and larger community) in youth employment
• In Lebanon the Lebanese Youth Cabinet had a national youth cabinet and compiled 25 recommendations for the government, of which 16 were made into law including mandatory school for girls up to age 15 (from age 12).
• Some countries can not engage the government because of a volatile system, but it is important to inform and involve them if possible
• Create jobs that build human capital and are thus sustainable and do not exploit natural resources ie Service jobs such as knowledge building, health care, cultural, safety, nutrition etc (the more you use human capital the more it grows; sustainable)
• How to engage youth in these issues: ask provocative questions rather than stating facts, get people to think beyond today
• YES is funding 5 renewable energy projects
• The question is often equally as important as the solution and ownership is crucial in partnerships…co-creation and co-implementation
• Focus on creating “Green” jobs



YOUTH REP CHAT:

Facilitation Team:
• Vanessa Currie / Vanessa@takingitglobal.org
• Jennifer Corriero / jenergy@takingitglobal.org
• Michael Furdyk / mfurdyk@takingitglobal.org

Attendees:
Australia
MichelleB // Michelle Blanchard, 19
http://www.takingitglobal.org/community/profile.html?memberid=861

United Kingdom (England)
Camilla // Camilla Noble-Warren, 20
http://www.takingitglobal.org/community/profile.html?memberid=373

Finland
Onyango // John Onyango
http://www.takingitglobal.org/community/profile.html?memberid=2411

Ghana
Edudzie // Edudzie Emmanuel, 22
http://www.takingitglobal.org/community/profile.html?memberid=1430

Kenya
Tyungenge / Thierry Yungenge
http://www.takingitglobal.org/community/profile.html?memberid=612

Liberia
Hkulee / Henry K. Kulee
http://www.takingitglobal.org/community/profile.html?memberid=1279

Zimbabwe
Msatande // Mavis, 32
http://www.takingitglobal.org/community/profile.html?memberid=2479

India
Maitreyi / Maitreyi Doshi
http://www.takingitglobal.org/community/profile.html?memberid=636

Philippines (currently in the US)
Ana S. Pascual
http://www.takingitglobal.org/community/profile.html?memberid=711

Japan
N1 member - yuko fujiwara


Summary of Discussion:

• Everyone seemed to agree that it is a great idea to put information about TIG in local papers and radio stations to spread the word about the opportunities available for youth in another form other than the internet, thus reaching a larger audience. Go public!

• As a follow up to this I will put together a press release that you can send out and translate into your native language

• There was a suggestion that TIG recognizes youth reps, so we will get to work on profiling all the youth reps in a separate section on the website dedicated to youth reps and the projects they are working on

• We chatted about holding events and sharing stories as a great way to raise awareness in your community

• There was some discussion about TIG providing start-up costs for local teams. Some of the beliefs behind TIG is that we are innovative in all aspects of our work, this includes funding. It is a good idea to start looking within your local networks and at potential partnerships that will provide the resources you need to get going.

• As for legally registering your team, we are trying to hold back on this until we have the structure to sustain this growth. We don’t want to move to fats and not be able to handle the growth. We want to plan and be proactive.

• There was an issue raised about the number of youth reps in a team, the documentation that is being developed will help to answer some of these questions, but basically it is advisable to have one youth rep for every team.

• We will send out the manual to all youth reps when it is finalized which will hopefully be in a few weeks

• Workshops and information sessions held by many youth reps seemed to be an effective way to inspire, inform and involve youth in what we are doing locally.

• Mike is going to create a feature that will notify all youth reps when new members join from your country

• I am putting together an online application form for youth reps that will be up in a few weeks, at that time we will ask youth reps to re-register to be youth reps, thus getting a concrete list and solid info from all reps and also giving them the information they need to work!

I have also been planning my fundraising workshop which is actually a lot of work, working with volunteers and speaking at Guelph.

"Customers at Adult Cinemas in Ivory Coast Getting Lessons on AIDS Prevention"- Todd Pitman, Associated Press (01.20.02)
**************************************************

The Super Mini Cinema was playing its usual fare, pornographic French videos, in the Ivory Coast town of Daloa one evening when word started to spread to a packed open-air bar across the street. The reason?
Someone was giving the cinema clientele a message they weren't used to getting: sex might cost you your life.
> >
"I want to tell them that if they're going to try to do what they do in the films, then they have to protect themselves," said Brou Barthelemi Saoure, a local Red Cross Official. He gave a half-hour presentation on the
dangers of AIDS, passed out condoms, played an AIDS education video, and briefly turned an adult theater into a rowdy classroom full of eager listeners.
> >
Red Cross workers have conducted AIDS education campaigns in Ivory Coast for years, from garages to hair salons; any place frequented by the public is usually targeted. Bringing that campaign to adult theaters is new,
> reaching young people who are likely to leave the theater and hire a prostitute.
In Daloa, a crossroads for truck drivers from neighboring Guinea and Liberia, finding a prostitute isn't difficult. Some clients even offer more for condom-free sex.
> >
"People come here to watch pornography and want to go right out and take a prostitute," 20-year-old Kamate Wassi said after watching the presentation.
> > "But it's bad, because in the films, they don't use condoms. People see that and think they can go out and do the same thing."
> >
Getting theater owners' permission to do AIDS education wasn't easy. "At first they refused. They thought it would be bad for business," Saoure said.
> > Some wanted money, but Saoure befriended them instead, sometimes buying them a beer or two. To others, he was blunt. "I told them, if everyone becomes sick, they won't be coming to your video club."

Source: [AEGiS] CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update 01/28/02

Date: February 13th
Time: from 5:30-7:30 pm
Location: 42 Charles St East, 5th Floor

The goal of the workshop is to give young people a clear idea of what fundraising is and how to do it.
It will go through the fundraising basics; from lemonade stands, high school dances, door to door soliciting, to grant writing and donor relations.
We hope the workshop will enable people to become effective fundraisers either for a local organization they support or for their own personal development initiatives.

Goals of the Workshop:
• To dispel any fundraising myths
• To learn how to think like a fundraiser
• To learn how to utilize your networks and onnections to achieve your goals
• To develop a solid fundraising plan for your-self or your organization

For more information Contact: Vanessa@takingitglobal.org
Tel: 416. 928.3362 x4225

Just got back from an amazing trip to New York!

Youth Employment Summit: Dumi, Fred and everyone from YES organized an amazing 3 day meeting. Youth representing 30 countries attended the event, so there was great diversity of opinion and experience. We went through the planning stages of developing a country network to promote youth employment. The goal is to create a global movement of youth that will create 500 million jobs!! This is a lofty goal, but when you think about the fact that there are literally over a billion youth who will be facing unemployment and poverty in the next few years, you realize the importance of the movement. I will be posting more information about the summit in the next few days, but if anyone has any questions or would like to get involved, please let me know!

TIG members: I got the chance to meet Shalala and Dumi, 2 TIG members who I speak with all the time, but have never met. It was so amazing to meet them and reconnect with other members and people that I have met in the past.

NYC: I was in New York last year for the State of the World Forum, but didn't really get a chance to see the sites, but this time was different. My mom and my sister were also in NY so we had a great time. The whole YES group went out dancing a few nights and we had a blast. NY is a contagious environment, it is so exciting and dynamic. I went to a lot of differnt restaurants, lounges and clubs and really got a feel for the different areas, although I didn't get much sleep :) We also took a boat cruise around Manhattan, and got to see the statue of liberty and "ground zero".

Protest: I attended the WEF protest in NY, it was an extremely well organized and very peaceful protest. There were about 5000 people with great music, costumes, signs and beautiful puppets. The police presence in NY was unbelievable, there were literlly a dozen cops every block and 2 at every Strabucks and McD's. The protesters were completely surrounded, but no violoence broke out which was very encouraging.

The trip was a lot better than I ever expected and I so glad I got the chance to go. Stay tuned for more info on YES :)