CALLS TO ACTION
Dec 16, 2013 - Toronto Needs A Designated Shelter for LGBTQ Youth
Toronto is famous for being a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) friendly city. Many people, especially youth (age 16-24) who have been forced to leave home because of their sexual and/or gender orientation, have migrated to Toronto for safe refuge. However, this is not the case anymore.
About 200,000 Canadians experience homelessness in a year. Youth make up about 20% of this population. Among this population, 40% of the homeless youth population identify themselves as LGBTQ, about 10% of general population identify themselves as LGBTQ.
Sign petition:
www.change.org
Dec 16, 2013 - Transit Petition – a Fair Deal for Riders
The TTC Commission approved a five-cent increase on fares, and a five-dollar increase on the price of an adult Metropass (from $128 to $133.75). Cash fares will stay at $3, and service levels will stay the same. Thankfully, this isn’t the final word on TTC fares and service levels. Fares are already too high. We invest less in Toronto’s public transit system than any other city in North America on a per rider basis and the average commute time is one of the worst. We need great transit service, not more overcrowding and delays.
Take Action: The 2014 TTC budget now goes to City Council where it can be changed before Council approves a final City Budget early in the new year.
Please sign the petition:
togethertoronto.ca/campaigns/ttc-riders
Dec 16, 2013 - Help Fund The Fightback
Help Sustain OCAP!
Although OCAP operates on a very modest budget, with three organizers, the operation of a downtown Toronto office, and a multitude of related expenses, we only just manage to scrape by. We need a stable source of regular support that can keep us afloat.
You can become a sustainer who makes a donation each and every month and helps us keep doing the casework and organizing that we do. Every dollar you donate helps us put more money the pockets of poor people.
To become a monthly sustainer, send a void cheque with amount and which date of the month you'd prefer it to be processed to:
157 Carlton Street, Unit 206
Toronto, Ontario M5A 2K3
For more information call us at 416-925-6939 or email ocap@tao.ca |
ocap.ca/sustain
Dec 16, 2013 - Send your MPP a message of support for Personal Support Workers
You can show your support for PSWs by sending a message to your MPP at Queen’s Park. To send an automatic message, enter your postal code below with your name. The following message will be sent on your behalf:
"I support Personal Support Workers in their fight for justice and for a fair collective agreement. They deserve to be paid a decent, living wage and to be recognized for their essential role in providing care to the most vulnerable members of society.
I also call on the Government of Ontario to ensure that funding for homecare is spent on front-line care for clients, rather than being diverted to company profits, executive bonuses and wasteful bureaucracy."
Or, you can write and send your own message of support and copy us at info@justice4psws.ca.
Thank you for your solidarity!
www.justice4psws.ca
EVENTS
Dec 20, 2013 - I'd Rather Be Teaching
When: Friday December 20 -- 11:30am
Where: Min. of Education, 900 Bay St., Toronto
Why: To let the public know that full-time teachers will not be in school during this forced unpaid day off despite the P.A. designation.
www.twitter.com
Dec 20, 2013 - Hearts and Minds
When: Friday Dec 20 -- 7pm
Where: OISE, Room 8-201
Hearts and Minds is a 1974 documentary film about the US anti-communist crusade in Vietnam during the 1960s and 70s. It was chosen as Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 47th Academy Awards presented in 1975.
It is extraordinarily important that the crimes of the invasion of Vietnam not be forgotten. The truth is that this monumental crime against humanity stands alongside the other great travesties committed by capitalism and imperialism during the 20th century, such as those of the Third Reich. Yet while the record of Nazi Germany is well known and taught in schools across the world, the mind-boggling depth of what took place during this long war are barely recognised in comparison.
Facebook event
ARTICLES
Dec 16, 2013 - Climate Change and Socialism
By Mike Treen
By embracing the fight against climate change, we need to explain that this is a fight for a new world that restores the balance between Mother Earth and our needs as a species.
The continuing pretense that the world governments will do anything about climate change was exposed once more at the latest round of climate negotiations held in Poland November 11-22. This was the 19th round of annual negotiations.
Source:
The Bullet No. 907
Dec 16, 2013 - Palestine in Canadian Politics
By Dan Freeman-Maloy
Early this month, the Canadian section of Israel's quasi-governmental Jewish National Fund (JNF) made a big show of honouring Stephen Harper at its annual "Negev Dinner." It was the first time a sitting Canadian prime minister served as the gala's honouree -- and a grating reminder of how bad Canadian politics on Palestine have gotten. "Prime Minister Harper awkwardly sang classic rock tunes for an agonizing 20 minutes," notes Dru Oja Jay, writing for The Media Co-op. Those recoiling at the thought may not be shocked by a further detail provided by the Canadian Jewish News: "Many in the crowd left as Harper was still singing." Harper's anti-Palestinian record may be impeccable, but even JNF donors have their limits.
Source:
The Bullet No. 908
Dec 16, 2013 - Armine Yalnizyan on the Canada Post cuts
CCPA Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan spoke to CBC Toronto's Metro Morning about the recent cuts to postal services. Armine argues against the notion that Canada Post is becoming a financial drain on the taxpayer and necessitates service cuts. Instead, she says, Canada Post needs to address the deficit in its pension fund, and focus on expanding its services.
Source:
www.policyalternatives.ca/newsroom/updates/armine-yalnizyan-canada-post-cuts
Dec 18, 2013 - A Flawed Freedom
By John S. Saul
Has the time come when it might be possible to move past the well-deserved praise-song phase of the marking of Nelson Mandela's death in order to strike a more careful balance-sheet on the meaning for present-day South Africa of his storied career?
Of course, it remains extremely difficult to speak dispassionately on such matters this close to his impressive funeral. Nor can there be any real debate about the quality of the man or as to the crucial importance of the role he played, especially in his early years of defiance and in his long, unbending period in prison.
Source:
The Bullet No. 909
EMPLOYMENT
Dec 18, 2013 - Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy
The Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy is open to Canadian journalists working in print, broadcast and online media. It provides a one-year research stipend of $75,000 and up to $25,000 for expenses beginning September 1, 2014, and culminates in a series of published articles in the Toronto Star in the Fall of 2015.
The Fellowship Selection Committee is looking for journalists whose investigative goals align with the Foundation’s mission. Eligible journalists are invited to submit a three-page letter of intent and curriculum vitae to fellowship@atkinsonfoundation.ca. The successful candidate will have demonstrated the greatest potential to shed light on an important issue and to propose policy alternatives.
The deadline for submissions is February 14, 2014.
atkinsonfoundation.ca/grants/atkinson-fellowship-in-public-policy
TECH TIPS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
Dec 19, 2013 - CSS tricks
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a style sheet language used for describing the look and formatting of a web page. It is very powerful and can do more than just formating fonts and margins. Here's a nice page with lots of CSS tricks
css-tricks.com.
There's also a very nice set of examples how to make
shapes.