by Tracy Giesz-Ramsay Like most other news junkies, every morning I put myself through the frustration of reading either the New York Times when in New York, or the National Post when in Vancouver, always shaking my head in pure dismay over how much fear-mongering is within the words of most of their writers,…
By Janelle Marie Baker The Canadian Government rejected the call for a National Inquiry into the estimated 582 missing Aboriginal women in Canada. How is this possible? I will begin with a story: I was working for a First Nation in Alberta and staying with a family on the reserve. My co-worker and I had…
by Ayan Bihi Recently, as I was perusing through the black hole that can often be the internet, I stumbled upon a new word which later led to me discovering a recent injustice that sounded like a joke but unfortunately was a reality. It all goes back to a term called Affluenza, a new mental state…
by Rachel Safeek The difference between human sex trafficking versus consensual and/or voluntary sex work among women is a topic that I’ve been meaning to address for a long time. Oftentimes, when I mention that I work with HIV prevention among Female Sex Workers (FSWs), many incorrectly assume that the women with whom I work are…
by John Hembling One of the things commonly said about drug policy in the United States is that the “war on drugs” is an abject failure. Certainly recreational drug use in the US is as prevalent as it’s ever been, and the legal prohibition, and enforcement efforts, appear to make very little impact on recreational…
by Tracy Giesz-Ramsay Regardless of how humble any group or organization starts out, and whether it has good intentions from the beginning or not, the longer it’s around and the larger it becomes, the more likely it is to be taken over by people who see the potential for money and power. After climbing the…
by Sarah Allan Happy International Women’s Day! I wish that this day could be spent celebrating the successes and achievements of women around the world, but sadly, though its 2013 and we have come a long way, locally and globally the focus is still on the very real and seemingly ever-present issue of violence against women.…
by Tracy Giesz-Ramsay I had the brief chance to meet Aaron Swartz two years ago while in New York, and was instantly drawn to his charismatic outspokenness and passion when talking about the freedom of the internet and it’s powerful capability to inspire revolution and organize youth activism around the world. The room was full…
by the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban Five A LEGAL UPDATE: THE CASE OF THE CUBAN FIVE In September 1998, five Cuban men were arrested in Miami by FBI agents. Gerardo Hernandez, Ramón Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and René Gonzalez were accused of the crime of conspiracy to commit espionage. The…
By Tracy Giesz-Ramsay The question of whether or not multinational corporations should enjoy the same rights as individual citizens has been much in the arena of public debate lately, the focus primarily being on if they should be granted the ability to directly fund political campaigns in the same way that individuals can. Predominant public…
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