[Image-1] There was scarcely a gathering of gay and lesbian activists in 1970s Halifax that Anne Fulton wasn’t involved in, or late for. An original member of the Gay Alliance for Equality, incorporated in 1973, Fulton was something of a founding mother of the city’s gay and lesbian activist community. “She was one of the […]
Activism
Posted inNews + Opinion
Celebrating the 100In1Day celebration
100 In 1 Day came to Halifax for the second time, last Saturday, June 6. An international phenomenon that creates community activism—by encouraging people to put on big, small, fun, earnest, artistic, political and/or goofy events that other people can participate in—Halifax’s #100In1Day was a success despite the rain. We can’t say the same for […]
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2010 resolution: quit and start over
That was no vacation, it was the holidays: a forced shopping mall feeding frenzy spread over end-of-year overtime and out-the-door queues, visits with family, friends, friends-of-family, family-of-friends, gift-wrap shredding, plastic chucking, meat and sugar binging, gift returns and more cut-rate shopping. No wonder come January we’re ready to swear off every earth plundering bad habit […]
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Wizened optimism
Tim Bousquet: Yes, I do actually give a shit! Just reading your “False reflection” editorial (December 31, 2009), I do agree with you to some extent, that people in general have some difficulty coming to grips with the implications of climate change and actually doing something about it. Individually, we feel we are doing “what […]
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Emily Rideout Post-Copenhagen Debrief
I asked Sierra Club Atlantic representative and Dal student Emily Rideout for her post-Copenhagen thoughts. What were her feelings about the conference and the outcome, and what’s next for the climate movement? Here is Emily’s response: There was some progress made in terms of process that may help us create a real climate deal within […]
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Thea Whitman Post Copenhagen Debrief
I asked Kings County activist and member of the Canadian Youth Delegation Thea Whitman for her post-Copenhagen thoughts. What were her feelings about the conference and the outcome, and what’s next for the climate movement? Here is Thea’s response: I am disappointed – you might even say devastated – to see this as the result […]
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They Failed Us
oops we failed again It ended with a whimper. Humanity should be so lucky. After 12 days of bitter arguments, leaked documents, sit-ins and arrests, negotiators agreed it would be the lowest common denominator all around. Poor countries didn’t want rich countries verifying their results. They got what they wanted. Rich countries didn’t want citizens […]
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The People Won’t Stop
A few old lessons I’ve re-learned from the Copenhagen climate conference so far: -The rich and the poor resent each other. They don’t trust each other. -Assembly and free speech are no long accepted human rights in the corridors of power. Our so-called democratic leaders would rather crack the whip than listen to millions of […]
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VIDEO: NGO Smackdown at COP15
“I couldn’t get in today even though I have all the right badges,” Emily Rideout tells me. “It’s total BS.” She confirms reports that NGO workers have been mostly shut out of today’s negotiations and plenaries in Copenhagen. UN climate chief Yvo de Boer is claiming responsibility for booking more than 46,000 people into the […]
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Real Negotiations Begin in Copenhagen
Everyone’s going gaga over the arrival in Copenhagen of the Prince of Wales, who is really the Prince of England, who really has no power except the influence media and celebrity worship afford him. Yep, things keep getting weirder in Copenhagen, or maybe we’re just better equipped to witness the weirdness and paying more attention […]
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Yes Men prank Canada
They had me going for a couple minutes. I got a press release this morning that was supposedly from Environment Canada, but it was a fake. It was convincing in its tone, but its content was too good to be true. The press release announced a new Canadian climate agenda with reductions targets of 40 […]
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Q&A with Kings County Activist in Copenhagen, Thea Whitman
Canadian Youth Delegation members Kimia Ghomeshi, Toronto; Caroline Lee of Fredericton; and Thea Whitman, Kings County Kings County’s Thea Whitman is one of 30 members of the Canadian Youth Delegation in Copenhagen. The group has garnered a lot of attention for its creative direct actions at the conference and drawing attention to Canada’s failure on climate change action. Whitman graciously provided detailed answers (with links!) to my questions. Q. What is the Canadian Youth Delegation’s role in Copenhagen, and how does direct action affect things there? The Canadian Youth Delegation is a group of around 30 young Canadians from across