Filed Under: Journal

Filed Under: Journal

For what it's worth I will be joining the strike on the 18th.

I tend to think there's a value in solidarity even for low traffic sites, so I'd encourage anyone with the ability to consider joining the blackout. My understanding is that there are Wordpress plugins available to simplify the process for most blogs.

That's all I've got.

After the fact...

Filed Under: Journal

Product of the intentionally stealthy preparations for the blockade run of the Tahrir and Saoirse very few people have heard about their departure from Turkey, or more importantly their run in with Israeli authorities. I'm not going to bother trying to summarize using my no doubt flawed understanding and will leave that to Democracy Now's reporting from Nov 3, Nov 4 and this blurb from the Democracy Now site:

Democracy Now! has just learned Israel has detained our correspondent Jihan Hafiz while on assignment. She was on board the Canadian ship, the Tahrir, covering the "Freedom Waves to Gaza" flotilla. Hafiz has been filing daily video reports this week from aboard the Tahrir. The reports have aired on Democracy Now! and distributed internationally by the Reuters news agency.

We lost contact with Jihan Hafiz earlier today shortly before the Israeli Navy intercepted the Tahrir and the Irish ship Saoirse. Both ships had left Turkey on Wednesday bound for Gaza.

Hafiz is a U.S. citizen born in California. Her family lives in Arlington, Virginia.

We urge Democracy Now! viewers and listeners to call your Senators and Representatives to encourage them to help secure the immediate release of journalist Jihan Hafiz along with her equipment and footage.

Numbers for U.S. Senators can be found here

Numbers for U.S. Representatives can be found here

I'd point out there are lots of other people without the blessed status of US citizenship as well. The Canadian Boat to Gaza site has a very short post: "I write to you from cell 9 of the Apartheid State of Israel" that at least on the surface suggests that the entire group has been detained.

Screencap from: therealnews.com: Jihan Hafiz on Reporting From Libya

After the fact...

Filed Under: Journal

Child's Play is a great charity with a low, low (approx 5%) administrative fee that gives video games to sick children. You need to read more you stingy jerk? Fine. You sick, selfish bastards can read more below, and the rest of us will: donate online, Text 'GAMERS' to 50555, friend on facebook and follow on twitter.

From the Child's Play about page:

Since 2003, we’ve set up and organized Child’s Play, a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in our network of over 70 hospitals worldwide. Over the years, you as a community have answered the call and come together to raise millions of dollars.

Child’s Play works in two ways. With the help of hospital staff, we set up gift wish lists full of video games, toys, books, and other fun stuff for kids. By clicking on a hospital location on our map, you can view that hospital’s wish list and send a gift.

Child’s Play also receives cash donations throughout the year. With those cash donations, we purchase new consoles, peripherals, games, and more for hospitals and therapy facilities. These donations allow for children to enjoy age-appropriate entertainment, interact with their peers, friends, and family, and can provide vital distraction from an otherwise generally unpleasant experience.

Now stop reading and give them money because either you have too much or you're not a sick kid in a hospital. If you're a sick kid in a hospital please disregard this message.

Filed Under: Journal

Montreal was, yesterday the 15th October, and is continuing to be Occupied to some as yet undetermined level of effect.

I stopped by the Occupation yesterday for a little while to grab a picture or two, see what was the what and most importantly to make the crowd of people one person larger. Just one of the "Students, unions, homeless people, artists, drummers and people of all sorts gathered..." mentioned by CTV, I suppose. I guess I'll choose to be an 'all sorts' of person, though the list suggests more drummers and homeless were present than employed professionals. Who am I to say, right? Well, I'm the sort who was there and doesn't recall seeing swarms of homeless or drummers. I guess we don't want to let reality stand in the way of a comfortable narrative.

I have no idea if a protest of a thousand people has any value, but I'd still encourage anyone who hasn't yet to go down and be counted. If nothing else there are at least drummers to enjoy.

Also, should you wish for some real information about the occupation, there is at least one Facebook page, and of course there are twits on the twitterfeedburner.net.

Filed Under: Charity

Just a short update, a very long time in coming. The Animal Housing project is not dead in the slightest. I've been trying to contact the author of the Gazette story to organize some kind of unified movement towards replacing the shelter which was destroyed, but my correspondence has fallen into some kind of black hole. The nature of that black hole in uncertain. It may be purposeful, or it may be bureaucratic.

Regardless of the reason, I think it's time to give up on unifying with any kind of established structure for the purpose of rallying. That leaves us to find a path on our own. This effort isn't over, it just stalled. It is stalled in a way I don't intend to become stalled in again.

What we need now is an intelligent way forward, and a solid goal. I'll be looking into individual organizations to find out where an infusion of money would be best allocated to do the most good, but what I'd really like is to find out what the community thinks would be a good way to proceed.

Please comment on this thread with any ideas you may have about the best way to progress with respect to fund raising, or fund dispersal. If anyone has any general comments, now would be a great time to raise them.

This isn't over.

Filed Under: Charity

Humans like to kill humans, steal from each-other, rape, lie and pillage, but cats and dogs are just cats and dogs. They just love us.

Marlboro, the cat.
Buzz, the cat.
Grizzly, also, the cat.

Notre Dame de Stanbridge - Amidst the collapsing tin roof, the few blackened walls that remained and the water bowls covered in ash, it was the cat's charred skeleton that stood out.

What was once a refuge for this cat, and as many as 150 others, burned down yesterday morning, killing most of the feline population.

-- Cats perish as fire ravages Townships animal shelter -- Montreal Gazette

I intend to reach out to local Veterinary clinics and businesses and to the Gazette to try to secure donations, ideally matching donations, but I'd like to have a semi-meaningful private commitment to show a seriousness to the cause. That means you. I'm willing to commit $200.00 CAD up front, and additionally I will match the largest private commitment up to another $100.00, or more depending on response. Every cent of every dollar will be applied directly towards reestablishing a shelter to replace this one lost. I will be investigating whom exactly that will be because as the story says, `Perret isn't planning to rebuild the shelter', but I think we can convince her otherwise. If not, I'm sure there is an appropriate end point personality we can find to pick up the torch.

This uncertainty means that I'm only asking for a commitment, not actual monies at this point. It is my intention to be entirely transparent about what money goes where when transactions actually take place. No, you don't get any kind of tax rebate, just the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing you're a decent human being.

You can make a commitment by commenting on this story, or emailing me Jimmy/Aaron Cameron. Your donation will be highlighted and its virtue extolled to the best of my meager abilities.

Please take a moment to look at your own loved dog or cat, and think of their being stuck on the street because no suitable shelter exists to take care of them. The shelters opened and run by people like Claudine Perret give refuge and medical attention to thousands of orphaned, abandoned or otherwise homeless animals every year and they deserve our support. This shelter's damage has been estimated at approximately $75 000, but the damage its loss will do to the resident animal population is much greater than can be expressed by a number.

For those who own fewer pets than is considered socially uncomfortable (oh, something like 3), can inquire about adopting an animal by calling 450-296-4219.

We all talk about doing something for our community, let's actually do something this time. Comment here or email me, Jimmy/Aaron Cameron.

After the fact...