Two Canada’s, too?…

    Mar 29, 2015

 Ted Talks – Anand Giridharadas:
A tale of two Americas. And the mini-mart where they collided

A Ted talk (almost 20 minute video) that is an inspiring story about one of the myriads of consequences to the 9/11 incidents.   It’s a parable about the two paths an American life can take, and a powerful call for reconciliation, following an armed robbery in a Texas mini-mart.  It is also about a different face of a faithful Muslim man and an interpretation of the meaning of inequality.    http://www.ted.com/talks/anand_giridharadas_a_tale_of_two_americas_and_the_mini_mart_where_they_collided?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2015-03-28&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_content=top_right_image   Related article: Jacksonville.com / Florida Times Union –  Letters to the Editor – Matt Shrink, Public Defender, 4th Judicial Circuit   Public Defender advocates smart justice for juveniles    http://jacksonville.com/opinion/letters-readers/2015-03-27/story/lead-letter-public-defender-advocates-smart-justice  Related article:  iPolitics.com – Janice Dickson    Tories are destroying society that ‘we created’: war veteran  http://www.ipolitics.ca/2015/03/28/tories-are-destroying-society-that-we-created-war-veteran/    Related article: iPolitics – Elizabeth Thompson  – Harper playing dangerous game that could divide Canadians: Taylor     http://www.ipolitics.ca/2015/03/28/harper-playing-dangerous-game-that-could-divide-canadians-taylor/   CBC News Rosemary Barton, Power Point,  Charles Taylor interview   (A 11 ½ minutes video with the Philosopher)  http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Politics/ID/2661086890/

 Canada.com – Emanuela Campanella
 Idle No More and friends gather to protest anti-terror bill 

This article spells out some of the concerns around the potential impact of C-51 on protest groups such as Idle No More, in spite of the suggested amendments that the Conservative government has suggested.  This gathering in Ottawa included, among others, the First Nations and the Canadian Council of Muslim Women who speak to the issues.  http://www.canada.com/News/ottawa/Idle+More+friends+gather+protest+anti+terror+bill/10928980/story.html    Related article: CBC News – Terry Milewski   Anti-terror bill changes – The government moves to limit some proposed powers, but is not stepping back on other controversial measures   http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Politics/ID/2661087716/   Related article: Toronto Star – Tonda MacCharles    Analysis: Does Bill C-51 reflect reality for Canadians?   http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/03/27/does-bill-c-51-reflect-reality-for-canadians.html    Related article: CBC News – Anti-terror Bill C-51 to be changed as Tories respond to criticism – Changes to be put forward during clause-by-clause review    http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/anti-terror-bill-c-51-to-be-changed-as-tories-respond-to-criticism-1.3012694   Related article: CBC News – Kady O’Malley   Bill C-51: NDP outlines plan to scrap ‘dangerous provisions’ – ‘This is a dangerous, ineffective bill that should not be adopted,’ says NDP public safety critic   http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bill-c-51-ndp-outlines-plan-to-scrap-dangerous-provisions-1.3011881    Globe and Mail:   Kent  Roach and Craig Forcese      The government has not made its case for C-51    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/the-government-has-not-made-its-case-for-c-51/article23678195/

 The White House Blog (US) – Tanya Somanader
WATCH: The President Interviews the Creator of “The Wire” About the War on Drugs

The link is a 12 minutes video conversation between US President Obama and David Simon, a former crime beat reporter in Baltimore and the creator of HBO’s The Wire.  The subject is the drug war, federal practices and sentences and the resulting mass incarceration.  “The President and David delved into what those challenges mean for Americans across the country – and their hopes for a future that delivers a smarter, fairer, and more just system for all.”  https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/03/26/watch-president-sits-down-creator-wire-talk-about-war-drugs?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=email448-text2&utm_campaign=simon  

 N.Y. Times (US)
The Radical Humaneness of Norway’s Halden Prison – The goal of the Norwegian penal system is to get inmates out of it.

What an innovative thought!!!  What if our criminal justice system were based on principles of prevention and rehabilitation?  What if we recorded success by keeping track of those successfully brought to reintegration in society and by our expertise in preparing people to get out of jail?  Enjoy the comparisons, explicit and implicit, between our approach and that of Halden Prison in Norway.  “The treatment of inmates at Halden is wholly focused on helping to prepare them for a life after they get out. Not only is there no death penalty in Norway, there are no life sentences.”   Fascinating and hopeful… http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/magazine/the-radical-humaneness-of-norways-halden-prison.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&_r=0

 Toronto Star
Dalhousie students kicked out of residence over lewd Instagram content

First it was Facebook.  Now it’s Instagram but social media and inappropriate sexual content are back as a campus buzz following the admission by the University that on Nov. 1, the administration received a complaint and subsequently has dismissed students from campus residences for offending.  The controversy over a RJ approach vs a punishment approach is also back since the Halifax police have conceded there is no basis for criminal charges.  http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/03/28/dalhousie-students-kicked-out-of-residence-over-lewd-instagram-content.html    Related article:  Halifax Chronicle Herald – Frances Willick   Dalhousie deals with fresh scandal    http://herald.ca/novascotia/1277271-dalhousie-deals-with-fresh-scandal   Globe and Mail: Canadian Press    Dalhousie evicts students from residence over Instagram content    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/dalhousie-evicts-students-from-residence-over-instagram-content/article23678004/