Odds and Ends

Things I've noticed.

Apartment smells. I never know what my nose will be assaulted with when I walk in the building. Sometimes it's really good, sometimes it's really bad. Really bad. And, for those of you who know me, I have an incredibly strong sense of smell. It's uncanny. Last week was cinnamon. Today? Paint.

Woodstock is not an easy town to negotiate. And besides that, can someone tell me when it became a thriving metropolis with Boston Pizza and Staples?

When did Naomi Klein become a diva? Isn't this kind of counter productive from her work as an anti-globalization specialist?

Don't drive around Ottawa on Remembrance Day. Trust me, it's a pain.

Academics are big babies.

The Imodium Quick Dissolve pills are brilliant.

That's all for now.

Saving Darfur

A whole week of talking about children in the sex trade.

Follow that up by a weekend of discussions on Darfur.

Sounds depressing, but it was rather uplifting to see everyone come together to talk about the genocide.

Don't know what's going on in Darfur? Don't be confused.

There are some myths about the genocide, allow me to enlighten you.

1. This is not a genocide of Arabs killing Christians. Everyone, both perpetrators and victims are Muslim.

2. The number of people killed is not 200,000 as most journalists report. As of August of 2007 over 400,000 people have been killed by the Janjaweed.

3. "This is a tribal issue." Despite what Brian Mulroney wants you to believe. This is a government assisted and supported genocide. Khartoum is in on it, completely.

4. "The genocide is ending." Not the case, it's picking up steam like you couldn't believe. Some of the leading experts this weekend also predict that Southern Sudan is on the path to genocide there, as well.

5. "It was unpreventable." Bullshit. This, like Rwanda, was totally preventable.

Want to do something about this?

Two things you can do:

A. Call 1-800-GENOCIDE

How the system works:
When callers in Canada dial in to 1-800-436-6243 (GENOCID) they will be connected to our direct advocacy phone system. They will be given the choice of the 6 MPs and will be offered the option of listening to select talking points for each MP. Following the talking points they will be connected directly to the MP's office. They will leave a message with a staffer or a voicemail expressing their concerns about the crisis in Darfur and what they think the Canadian Government's response should be. After they leave a message they will have the choice to re-enter the system to leave another message for another MP is they choose.

B. Divestment

I've got an appointment next week with my bank to examine which companies my RSP is investing with. There are some pretty heinous companies profiting off of genocide in Darfur. This companies shouldn't be supported with our investment. Check it out at www.sudandivestment.org. Needless to say the majority of the offending companies (and you have to be really horrible to get onto this list) are oil corporations.

Satisfied?