Alheli Picazo

#OccupyCanada -- Calgary

a_picazo — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:59:17 +0000

So much has been written about the Occupy movement, it's difficult to discuss it further without a sense of redundancy. At the same time, it's difficult for the apolitical to fully appreciate the scope of the protests without understanding the motivation behind it.

It's also difficult to examine the #OccupyCalgary movement without first studying the original cause.

Below are snippets of some of the best analysis / commentary:

Nobel prize winning economist Paul Krugman:

9/11-worthy media

Media Watch — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 10:01:03 +0000

Take this opportunity to educate yourself of the facts surrounding the rise of radical Islam, neo-conservatism, and the politics of fear. It may change the way you view the attacks of September 11, the subsequent "war on terror," and the never-ending wars in the Middle East.

Video:

BBC Documentary Series - The Power Of Nightmares

Rest in peace, Mr. Layton

a_picazo — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 11:11:39 +0000

Jack Layton will be laid to rest today. Though I didn't always agree with his politics, I will always be thankful for his dedication to the issues that mattered most: social justice, equal rights, poverty elimination, clean/renewable energy, universal health care, global co-operation and the advancement of peace.

Perhaps the following quote from Embassy Mag best sums it up:

Sun TV: Let the astroturfing begin!

Media Watch — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:54:04 +0000

It has been fascinating to watch the Conservative campaign strategy evolve over the past two weeks, working in tandem with Sun TV in a quest to secure a Harper majority, and to destroy the opposition leaders.

Aside from the standard issued talking points submitted by the Conservative war room and subsequently written into Sun TV scripts, the Tories are running a co-ordinated effort with their Sun Media counterparts as they try desperately to reach that magical number of 155 seats.

Take for instance, week number one (April 18-22) where the focus was entirely on Michael Ignatieff, the Liberal Party, and the 'threat' of a coalition:

Brian Lilley, on Ignatieff and the Liberals:

Sun TV: Because facts have a well-known liberal bias

Media Watch — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:18:56 +0000

"Folks, this is gonna be a thing." ~ Sun TV host Theo Caldwell

Sun News Network, a channel brought to by its own sense of self importance, is the epitome of pseudo-journalism, comprised of (self professed) semi-literate on-air personalities with the collective intellectual curiosity of Sarah Palin.

Irresponsible at best, the inherent lack of journalistic integrity is an insult not only to the many well-established, credible, hard working news organizations across the country, but to Canadians who've come to expect both accuracy, and honesty, in reporting.

Ten ridings to watch: Apathy and the mysterious incumbent of Calgary East

rabble staff — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 08:25:59 +0000

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

It will take a massive, well orchestrated 'get out the vote' campaign, combined with a plan for strategic voting, in order to challenge Deepak Obhrai's firm hold on the riding.

Election 2011: rabble.ca has chosen 10 key ridings across Canada for progressives to watch in the run-up to the May 2 vote, and asked local writers to assess them. The profiles highlight why the riding profiled is important and issues local campaigns are focused upon.

Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai once declared to a room full of journalism students at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) that no election is ever foretold. Participating in a town hall forum focused on combating voter apathy, Obhrai was one of 16 local candidates from across the political spectrum urging young voters to help shape the future of their country by casting a ballot in the upcoming federal election.

Election 2011: Debate absenteeism

a_picazo — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:57:06 +0000

The current election campaign has seen an unprecedented number of candidates -- primarily Conservatives -- opting out of all-candidate forums, town hall events, and scheduled debates.

If a candidate cannot be bothered to address constituents during the campaign, they do not deserve your vote, period.

I've compiled a list of those who have, thus far, refused to partake in such unscripted events. If your local candidate should be on this list, please leave their name, party and riding in the comments section.

Alberta

- Deepak Obhrai (CPC) - Calgary East

- Rob Anders (CPC) -Calgary West

- Michelle Rempel (CPC) - Calgary Centre-North

Don't be blinded by SunTV, read rabble's (Sun) Media Watch blog

Media Watch — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:55:58 +0000

Don't be blinded by SunTV: follow rabble.ca's (Sun) Media Watch rabble.ca introduces a new media watch blog, and media consumer driven Twitter feed: #sunwatch

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts ~ Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Back in September of 2010, I wrote an exposé entitled Ezra Levant vs Reality - A Prelude To Fox News North in which I thoroughly challenged Levant's characterization of George Soros.

Secondary suites and the right to affordable housing

a_picazo — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:01:23 +0000

In December 2007, at the height of Calgary’s housing crunch, a report emerged from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation that confirmed what many had long suspected -- the cost of renting a two bedroom apartment in Calgary eclipsed that of all major Canadian cities, marking the first time since the CMHC started tracking the data that Calgary tenants paid more than their counterparts in Toronto and Vancouver.

What’s more, the cost of that two bedroom apartment had grown by 83 per cent over the span of a decade, from the $595 paid on average in 1996, to the $1, 089 required to rent an equivalent unit in 2007.

Facts matter in the debate over water fluoridation

a_picazo — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:07:21 +0000

It's known as one of the top ten public health achievements of the 20th century; a "classic example of clinical observation leading to epidemiological investigation and community-based public health intervention;" Remaining "the most equitable and cost-effective method of delivering [health benefits] to all members of most communities, regardless of age, educational attainment, or income level."

It's a service that has benefitted Calgarians for two decades, backed by peer reviewed research and conclusive scientific data demonstrating the undeniable role it plays in the field of preventive medicine.

Child soldiers: The other Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants

a_picazo — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 09:35:42 +0000

"A poignant reality of contemporary conflicts is that increasingly children are being used as cheap and readily available weapons of war. From Colombia to Sri Lanka, from Sierra Leone to Uganda, thousands of children have been used in armed conflict situations. In Afghanistan, our forces are seeing the increasing use of children in combat operations, including as suicide bombers." ~ Senator Roméo A. Dallaire - Retired Lieutenant General and former commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) & Ishmael Beah - Former child soldier, author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier and a UNICEF representative from Sierra Leone.

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Ezra Levant vs. reality -- a prelude to Fox News North

a_picazo — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:07:28 +0000

The battle between supporters and opponents of Sun TV News -- the Fox News style channel headed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's former communications director Kory Teneycke -- reached new heights when members of the ‘Fox News North' team took issue with a growing online petition urging the CRTC to reject Quebecor's (QMI) request to "make it mandatory for cable an

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Canadian immigration, Conservative xenophobia

a_picazo — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 03:50:39 +0000

In the United States, debate surrounding Arizona's new harsh immigration policy -- the ‘papers please' law -- moved from arguing the merits, necessity and constitutionality of SB1070, to a nonsensical discussion about the 14th amendment; the part of the constitution which guarantees American citizenship to all persons born in the United States.

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Lies, damned lies, and the census

a_picazo — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:20:44 +0000

"[The Unites States], and particularly your conservative movement, is a light and an inspiration to people in this country and across the world." - Stephen Harper, 1997

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Chevron - because BP wasn't drilling deep enough

a_picazo — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 06:32:21 +0000

Fifty miles off the coast of Louisiana, upwards of 100,000 barrels per day of oil are gushing from BP's Deepwater Horizon well into the Gulf of Mexico. With the equivalent of one Exxon-Valdez seeping into the Gulf every three days, mass devastation of the wetlands, wildlife, and marshes surrounding the area is a forgone conclusion. Those who make a living in fishing industry, often through family businesses inherited from generations past, can only watch as their entire way of life is slowly consumed by the crude.

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