Dow vs Canada

[2,4-D isn't just a cosmetic pesticide, it's a monoculture lifestyle. Such enormous volumes of 2,4-D have drenched the North American landscape that it has acted as a selection pressure in the Darwinian sense. For my M.Sc. I studied a plant whose populations in North America, Eastern Europe, etc., have largely developed resistance to 2,4-D. Resistance to 2,4-D has combined with resistances to some other groups of herbicides. Some characteristics of these plants change, when the plants are herbicide-resistant mutants, e.g., the soil temperature at which they emerge in the spring.]

http://www.panna.org/files/GlobeAndMailBanOnPesticidesMayFaceNAFTAtest20081022.pdf

The New Underground Railroad

IRANIAN QUEER RAILROAD FOUNDED
By Doug Ireland

A new organization, the Iranian Queer Railroad, has just been launched, modeled on the 19th century Underground Railroad that used various routes and safe houses to bring American slaves to freedom in Canada. Now, the courageous young Iranian queer organizer Arsham Parsi is doing the same thing to get persecuted LGBTers out of Iran, temporarily find them refuge in neighboring countries - especiallyTurkey - and help them find their way through the redoubtable maze of international asylum procedures until the UN High Commissioner for Refugees grants them official refugee status and so, at long last,they can only then be admitted to a gay friendly country and gain legal asylum status as refugees from sexual persecution. There are hundreds of these gay, lesbian, and transgendered Iranians languishing in stateless limbo in squalid conditions and homophobic cultural surroundings who need to be saved. To read more, click on: http://www.irqr.net/English/160.htm

To read:

http://afghanwarrior.blogspot.com/

Omar Khadr and Barriere Lake

Omar Khadr
[although I'm including other links in this post, I think Omar Khadr is the most important issue going on in Canada at this time. I am reminded of The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.]

http://www.bringomarhome.ca/
http://www.peoplescommission.org/

Barriere Lake
Demands, and a list of groups that have endorsed them: http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/mission.html
Photos of the current blockade:http://www.flickr.com/photos/31135244@N07/sets/72157607795831835/
A quick visual introduction to the community:http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/1947
More information on how to support the Barriere Lake Algonquins:http://barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/2008/03/donations.html

GAY! October schedule of events

The schedule of events, along with descriptions of the events, speakers, panelists, DJs, etc. is available here:

http://pgss.mcgill.ca/TEMP_IMGS/GOPamphletOnline.pdf

Check it out. See you there. Invite all your friends, because the events are open to EVERYBODY.