By José Steinsleger - December 09, 2008

The process of popular and social emancipation has started to gather force in Ecuador. In April, after a joint Colombian-U.S. military operation against a FARC camp in Ecuadorian territory, President Rafael Correa entrusted the writer Javier Ponce Cevallos with steering the Ministry of Defence...If the appointment was nitric acid for the Creole oligarchy and the conservative sector of the armed forces, imagine the unease in the CIA and Southern Command of the imperial army.

by Philip Hammond - Friday 7 November 2008

...[T]he problem is not so much the activist’s perennial need for a clear message, as a broader contemporary tendency to treat complex and distant conflicts as a potential source of moral clarity for Western societies. Not just the campaigners, but also journalists, international lawyers and political leaders have sought to turn the war in Darfur into a simplistic moral parable.

CBC News

The City of Vancouver has agreed to lend up to $100 million to bail out the financially troubled company building the athletes village for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, CBC News has confirmed.

The developer, Millennium Development Corp., is facing an estimated $60 million in cost overruns on construction of the village.

By Katie Mercer - Friday, October 24, 2008

Canadian indie rockers Bedouin Soundclash weren't able to play a free concert at a barbecue outside Insite after city officials had the stage taken down, citing bylaw infractions..."Because there was no permit, the city came down with crews and hundreds of police officers to shut us down," said volunteer Chris Livingstone.

By ROBERT JENSEN - September 8, 2008

About a third of [Americans] are arrogant and proud of the United States’ aggressive posture in the world. Another third of us are ignorant and hide behind the excuse that we don’t, or can’t, know what’s really happening. And the final third...are cowardly, avoiding the moral consequences of what we aren’t willing to do...That may sound harsh, but these are irrefutable claims -- and I have the [music] to prove it...I will illustrate my points [by] the work of popular musicians, whose story-telling reflects the society from which it comes.

How is it possible that with so much discussion around climate change we continue to have carbon dioxide spewing celebrations endorsed by our local, provincial and federal governments? The time has come to reconsider having the Snowbirds fly at Canadian airshows and other community celebrations.

*Please repost widely*

NOII & neworldtheatre present

Storytelling Our Lives: Stories of Migration and Displacement

By ROBERT MATAS - Friday, August 22, 2008

Vancouver opening ceremony must help Harper government
"achieve its domestic and international branding goals," memo says.

Join us for a celebration of the arts, revolution and community. This event includes music, theatre, art, guest speakers and a social justice fair.

Date: September 6
Time: 11AM-7PM
Location: Camosun College (Lansdowne) By the Paul Bldg
Price: By Donation

Tuesday, August 5, 2008 - CBC News

Rita MacNeil was as surprised as anyone to learn she was the target of RCMP undercover agents investigating the women's movement nearly 40 years ago...She represented the Toronto Women's Caucus at a March 1972 meeting of women's groups in Winnipeg, and, as an RCMP memo states, was the "one who composes and sings women's lib songs."

By SAUL LANDAU - July 19/20, 2008

Carlin (71) and Helms (86) -- polar opposites of US culture -- died within weeks of each other. Carlin taught critical thinking through stand-up comedy. Helms represented unquestioned authority -- of the past. Lest anyone think Helms was always dour and serious about his love for all things reactionary, those who knew him told stories of his inventive sense of humor. This included the “good old boys” sense of humor.

George Carlin, comic, anarchist, 1937-2008: Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, Tits [otherwise known as "The Seven words you must never say on television"].

"Punk ain't no religious cult,
Punk means thinking for yourself
You ain't hardcore 'cause you spike your hair,
While a jock still lives inside your head"

- "Nazi Punks Fuck Off," Dead Kennedys, 1981

Special to Mostly Water

As internet technologies have developed, corporations have moved towards putting more restrictions on what you can freely download. Partially in reaction, a whole new movement has been created to give people access to high quality video and music. Legally.

Ah, they were the best and worst of gigs…One of the worst gigs I ever played was a catered party for the Port Authority on a ferry boat in Seattle in 1983. It was formal, the men in my band were in tuxes and I was in a formal gown. They rolled out lawns on the ferry decks for the guests to play croquet and the second my band finished playing, they stowed us away to a room and ordered us not to mingle with the guests!