By Mikhail Saavedra

When we were told that the stars of the new upcoming comedy “Hot Tub Time Machine” Clark Duke ( SEX DRIVE, “Greek”) and Collette Wolfe ( OBSERVE AND REPORT) were coming into town to promote their new movie, and that on top of that they would be placing a giant hot tub literally in the middle of the Air Canada Centre. Naturally we had to see this with our own eyes.

An interesting night followed, not just because of the overabundance of bubbles or the “cameo” by Maple Leafs hero Wendel Clark, but because it allowed for a chance to speak to these two stars in a very informal way, so much so that Clark Duke still was getting foam out of his hair as we spoke to both stars.

By Mikhail Saavedra

Sadly it is not uncommon to hear about things like this happening in countries in the 3rd world. I get news in my inbox or via my Facebook quite often that activists for the environment or economic justice not only are intimidated, or warned but outright murdered by very powerful interests that are almost always tied to money and resources. I was particularly moved by this disturbing notice and I wanted to share with our readers. Take some action if you can:

Solidaridad con Guatemala de Austria, Collectif Guatemala-Francia, Rompiendo el Silencio-Canada, NISGUA-United States, GSN-Great Britain, PAQG-Canada (Quebec), CAREA - Germany

On January 13, at approximately 8:30pm, Evelinda Ramírez Reyes, community leader and member of organizations FRENA and CUC, was attacked and killed while on her way home from the Guatemalan capital. Evelinda had just attended a series of meetings on electricity with government officials in the capital. More specifically, Evelinda and other FRENA members filed complaints about the excessive rates charged by service provider DEOCSA-Unión Fenosa and also advocated for the public management of electrical energy distribution.

This assassination follows that of FRENA leader Victor Gálvez on October 23, 2009.

Background

The Spanish-owned transnational company Union Fenosa has worked in Guatemala since 1998, the year in which Álvaro Arzú’s government privatized the distribution of electrical energy.[1] Thousands of users have since filed complaints about the poor quality ofelectri cal service and high electricity bills. According to the records of the National Electrical Energy Commission (CNEE for its Spanish acronym), more than90 thousand complaints were filed between the months of January and May 2009against the two subsidiaries of Union Fenosa in Guatemala: the Distribuidora de Electricidad de Occidente (Western ElectricityDistributor - DEOCSA) and the Distribuidora de Electricidad deOriente (Eastern Electricity Distributor - DEORSA).In the same period the Human Rights Ombudsman’s office (PDH) also received 37complaints against DEORSA and 41 against DEOCSA. [2]

Faced with high electricity bills and few concrete results regarding complaints, community members throughout San Marcos started to organize within the Frente de Resistencia en Defensa de los Recursos Naturales y Derechos de los Pueblos (Resistance Front in Defense of Natural Resources and the Rights of People and Communities - FRENA). The movement has denounced the high electricity bills and has campaigned for the establishment of a municipal institution that would make electricity a public service accessible to all.

Prior to the recent murders, FRENA leaders hadreceived threats related to their work. The case of Victor Gálvez, a FRENA leader in Malacatán, is emblematic.He was physically assaulted for the first time in July 2009 and was shot todeath in broad daylight in the center of Malacatán on October 23, 2009. His death awakened resentment and social unrest, as demonstrated by the road blocks organized in December of 2009.

In response to the high levels of social unrest in the department, on December 22, 2009, the current administration declared martial law inSan Marcos. Declaring martial law severely restricts civil liberties, such as the right to freedom of expression, to freedom of association and to demonstrate. [3]

Brian Merchant/ TreeHugger

As you’re likely aware, the COP15 meeting in Copenhagen ended with a whimper–in lieu of any binding agreement, nations signed onto the Copenhagen Accord. Which basically meant signing a statement of intent–and nations were to pledge voluntary greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and submit them by the end of January. Well, it’s February now. Let’s take a look at the nations around the world who’ve pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and what their targets are.

So far, 57 countries, including the 23-nation European Union have “associated” with the Accord, or list themselves as likely to do so. This means they’ve set a voluntary target for reducing emissions, and agreed to be monitored by an independent body.

Playlist:
1. Voz Veis - Te Quiero de Colores
2. Voz Veis - Te enseño a aterrizar
3. Julieta Venegas - Primer Dia
4. Mana & Julieta Venegas - Vivir Sin Aire
5. Bajofondo - Los Simuladores
6. Gustavo Cerati - Adios

By Daniel Saavedra

1. F.A (Fuerte Apache) - Queridos Amigos
2. Loly Molina - Algo Quizás
3. Marcela Morelo - Te Esta Pasando Lo Mismo Que A Mi
4. Erika Ender y Comando Tiburon - Luna nueva
5. Torbellino - El Comandante (en vivo)
6. Los Bacanos - Me Enamorao

by Martin Giroux-Cook via Basics

Patrick LeSage, former Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Ontario, has been conducting public forums investigating Toronto Community Housing Corporation’s (TCHC) eviction policies after the death of a former TCHC tenant. We, at BASICS, want to provide tenants with another space to share their experiences and to organize to make changes. This article is intended to provide a brief overview of social housing and we hope to continue a series on social housing based on tenants’ experiences.

Canada has never had a national housing strategy. After WWII, the Canadian government began to construct public housing as a response to the struggles waged by strong labour unions and community organizers. Regent Park was one of the first public housing projects, built in the 1950s. The ruling establishment liked it because it was seen as a way to control a potentially radical collective force, the working class. The project resulted in the destruction of a previously working-class neighborhood (Cabbagetown) and the displacement of its residents.

By Pablo Vivanco

Prorogue:
1 : defer, postpone
2 : to terminate a session of (as a British parliament) by royal prerogative
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

They say history has a habit of repeating itself. As with the previous year, Canada closed off 2009 with a request from the elected Head of State – the Prime Minister – to the unelected Head of State – the Governor General to prorogue parliament. As with the previous year, the Governor General granted the request and Canadians started the year with a parliament on extended vacation.

Of course, there are differences. In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked for time to prevent the short-lived Liberal-NDP-Bloc Quebecois from forming a coalition government. One year later, Harper was looking to avoid another threat to his government. In the fall, Canada’s second-ranked diplomat in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007 Richard Colvin went public with information that the Canadian government had knowledge that Afghan detainee’s being handed over to Afghan authorities were being tortured. Colvin’s shocking allegations prompted the formation of a special parliamentary committee that posed a significant threat the Harper’s embattled government.