Other Voices: The Connexions Newsletter |
This newsletter, as always, is about what is happening in the world, and that – that can wear down even the most resilient spirit. Sorry. But where there is life, there is hope, and this newsletter is about hope too.
Meanwhile, near where I live, life is bursting forth. The sounds of spring are all around. Redwings are proclaiming their territories, Grebes are courting loudly, Canada Geese are honking, Cardinals and Chickadees are advertising their desires.
For those who can’t make it outside, there are videos of Canada Geese defending their nests and territory. ‘Elbows up,’ Canada! www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6716873
www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6718364
And Tree Swallows are returning to my part of the world. I don’t like to play favourites, and in any case my opinion changes from day to day, but today, at least, I think that Tree Swallows are the most beautiful birds in existence! Ulli Diemer |
We are looking for photos for Connexions’ Getting the Word Out project, an online exhibit funded by Digital Museums Canada (an arm of the Canadian Museum of History). The project focuses on the question of ‘how did activists organize before the Internet?’ We’d love to feature photos, many photos, and for that we need your help. If you have photos that have been digitized, you could email them to mailroom@connexions.org. (Give us a heads-up if there are a large number; we may have to organize a means of uploading them rather than emailing.) If you have printed photos or negatives, get in touch and we can try to figure out how to get them digitized.
Questions: email mailroom@connexions.org or phone 416-988-9586. |
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A refurbished oven restores a place to cook and, just as importantly, a gathering spot for the women of a tent camp in Gaza. “We shared what we could, though it never seemed to be enough to meet the great needs. But I reminded myself that despite the hardships we may face in life, hope remained the light that guided us through the darkest moments. In the process of rebuilding the oven, I felt as if I were creating hope with my own hands and bringing life back to the camp’s inhabitants.”
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This Passover, We Must Reckon With Israel’s Massacre of Children in Gaza |
Brant Rosen writes: “As the Jewish community prepares to observe Passover this year, I’m thinking a great deal about the centrality of children to the Exodus story we tell around the seder table. In particular, I’m struck that this narrative from the Torah begins with a terrifying description of atrocities committed against children... Among other things, the Exodus story drives home the tragically familiar truth that children are not mere casualties of wartime atrocities, but are actually targeted by state violence.
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Is This The World We Created? |
What is happening in the ‘Western’ world, says Craig Murray, can only be compared to the wave of fascism that swept much of Europe in the 1930s. “We come back to Gaza, as all serious discussion must at present, “ says Murray. “It is not that the people do not want to stop it. It is that there is no mechanism connecting the popular will to the instruments of government. The major parties all support Israel’s genocide in almost all the Western ‘democracies’.” |
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The complete idiot's guide to world affairs |
According to Jonathan Cook, “the left and right take the same reality-based view of the world but respond to it in different moral terms. Liberals, on the other hand, live in an alternate universe – of pure make-believe.” He adds, “If it feels like too many of your friends and neighbours are indifferent to a genocide that has been live-streamed for a year a half, that is probably because, at heart, they are.” |
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To save the environment, we must end the profit system |
An interview with Ian Angus, the editor of the Climate and Capitalism website.
Says Angus: “Only by eliminating the profit motive as the driver of the economy is it going to be possible to stop large-scale destruction of the environment, because ultimately, the way you get richer is by destroying the environment, taking the natural world and converting it into money. That is what socialism aims to change, eliminating the profit motive as the central driver of the economy.
Many other things, obviously, go along with socialism, but that is fundamental: shift the drivers of economic and social decisions to, in Burkett’s term, “sustainable human development.” Our aim is a better world for humans to live in that is sustainable in the long term.
Marx says that we do not own the earth, we are just its temporary possessors, and we must leave it in good condition for future generations. We only have to look at our world now to recognize that we are in a social and economic system for which future generations just do not count. It is today that counts |
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Israel kills, lies, and the Western media believe it |
On March 23 in Rafah in southern Gaza, Israeli forces targeted a convoy of ambulances and emergency vehicles. Eight Red Crescent staff, six from the Palestinian Civil Defence and one United Nations staff member were slaughtered. The Israeli military claimed the vehicles were unmarked and suspected of carrying militants. But that was a lie.
Footage retrieved from the phone of Rifat Radwan, one of the murdered medics, shows flashing red lights, clearly marked vehicles and no weapons in sight. Then, heavy Israeli gunfire. Rifat’s body was later found in a mass grave along with 13 others, some of which bore the signs of execution: bullets in the head or chest and hands bound. And still, much of the Western media reported Israel’s version first – “Israel says …”, “the IDF states …”, “a military source tells …”. These carefully worded lines carry more weight than the blood-stained uniforms of the Red Crescent. More than the evidence. More than the truth. This is not new. This is not an isolated mistake. This is a system. |
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Commentary on finance, economics, politics and power |
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Pan-African Revolutionaries |
From Andrée Blouin to Flora Nwapa there is a rich tradition of female writers on the African continent who have played key roles in publishing and national liberation movements alike.
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The Seeds of Vandana Shiva |
The Seeds of Vandana Shiva is a documentary film that tells the remarkable life story of Dr. Vandana Shiva, a Gandhian eco-activist and agro-ecologist. The film chronicles Shiva’s journey from her childhood in the Himalayas to her rise to prominence as one of the world’s leading advocates for sustainable agriculture and environmental protection. It highlights her work in fighting against genetically modified organisms (GMOs), corporate control of the food supply, and the destruction of biodiversity. The film also explores Shiva’s philosophy of “Navdanya,” or “nine seeds,” which emphasizes the importance of local seed diversity and food sovereignty.
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Find the trailer, and information about how to watch the film here |
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Your support is needed to keep Connexions going |
All of the work of the Connexions project is done by volunteers, but our expenses include rent, phone and computer costs and technical support, as well as expenses related to our ongoing project of converting printed archival materials into digital formats. You can make a one time or regular monthly contribution through the Donate page on the Connexions website.
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Many of us have made working for social justice a lifetime commitment. If you are thinking about leaving a legacy for social justice that will live on, you might want to consider leaving a bequest to Connexions in your will. If you'd like to discuss this option, please contact us: Connexions Archive and Library, 200 Wolverleigh Blvd, Toronto M4C 1S2. Phone: 416-988-9586 or see the Bequest page.
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Copyright Connexions 2025. Contents are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License. This means you are welcome to share and republish the contents of this newsletter as long as you credit Connexions, and as long as you don’t charge for the content. Issues edited by Ulli Diemer |
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