Octopus Books - Events Feed

Cinema Politica & Fair Trade Carleton: Black Gold

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:50:08 -0400

Start: 15/03/2010 - 19:00

End: 15/03/2010 - 21:00

Fair Trade Carleton and Carleton Cinema Politica present... BLACK GOLD

When: Monday, March 15 at 7:00 PM
Where: Unicentre (UC) 378
Cost: Admission by Donation
Info/Trailer: www.cinemapolitica.org/carleton

Synopsis:

Multinational coffee companies now rule our shopping malls and supermarkets and dominate the industry worth over $80 billion, making coffee the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil.

But while we continue to pay for our lattes and cappuccinos, the price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields.

Nowhere is this paradox more evident than in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Tadesse Meskela is one man on a mission to save his 74,000 struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. As his farmers strive to harvest some of the highest quality coffee beans on the international market, Tadesse travels the world in an attempt to find buyers willing to pay a fair price.

Against the backdrop of Tadesse's journey to London and Seattle, the enormous power of the multinational players that dominate the world's coffee trade becomes apparent. New York commodity traders, the international coffee exchanges, and the double dealings of trade ministers at the World Trade Organisation reveal the many challenges Tadesse faces in his quest for a long term solution for his farmers.

REVOLUTION 1: Revolutionary Traveller by John S. Saul

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:09:59 -0500

Start: 18/03/2010 - 19:00

End: 18/03/2010 - 19:00

We are excited to host the launch of Revolutionary Traveller, by John S. Saul at the store on Thursday, March 18 at 7 pm.

No admission fee, wheelchair accessible.

In Revolutionary Traveller, John S. Saul draws on a series of his own occasional articles written over a span of forty years which, together with a linking narrative, serve to trace not only his own career as an anti-apartheid and liberation support movement activist in both Canada and southern Africa but also help recount the history of the various struggles in both venues in which he has been directly involved. He thus shapes a unique memoir, capped by some longer summary pieces on the global processes of empire and decolonization that he has witnessed and on the reading, listening, playing and family pleasures that have enlivened his life’s passage.

REVOLUTION 2: You Don't Play With Revolution edited by David Austin

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:56:07 -0500

Start: 20/03/2010 - 14:00

End: 20/03/2010 - 16:00

We are excited to organize the launch of You Don't Play With Revolution: The Montreal Lectures of C.L.R. James edited by David Austin.

The event will take place in the auditorium, Main Library (120 Metcalfe) on Saturday, March 20 at 2:00 p.m.

No admission, wheelchair accessible.

Revolution is a serious business, and C.L.R. James knew more than most. Our brand-new collection presents eight never-before-published lectures by the celebrated Marxist cultural critic, delivered during his stay in Montreal in 1967 and 1968. Ranging in topic from Marx and Lenin to Shakespeare and Rousseau to Caribbean history and the Haitian Revolution, these lectures demonstrate the staggering breadth and clarity of James' knowledge and interest.

Strikingly little information exists today about the period of time James spent working with West Indian intellectuals and students in Canada in the late 1960s, but the research of editor David Austin demonstrates the critical role these encounters played in the development of James' more mature critical theory. Readers just beginning to delve into James work will find this collection accessible and engaging, an ideal introduction to a complex and multi-faceted body of scholarship. Also included are two seminal interviews produced with James during his stay in Canada, selected correspondence from the time period, and an appendix of essays on James' work, which includes the seminal Marty Glaberman essay, "C.L.R. James: The Man and His Work.".

Cinema Politica: H2OIL

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:51:40 -0400

Start: 22/03/2010 - 19:00

End: 22/03/2010 - 21:00

Carleton Cinema Politica presents... H2OIL

When: Monday, March 22 at 7:00 PM
Where: Azrieli Theatre (AT) 301
Cost: Admission by Donation
Info/Trailer: www.cinemapolitica.org/carleton

Synopsis:

Ever wonder where American gets most of its oil? If you thought it was Saudi Arabia or Iraq you are wrong. America’s biggest oil supplier has quickly become Canada’s oil sands. Located under Alberta’s pristine boreal forests, the process of oil sands extraction uses up to 4 barrels of fresh water to produce only one barrel of crude oil.

It goes without saying that water — its depletion, exploitation, privatization and contamination — has become the most important issue to face humanity in this century. At the same time, the war for oil is well underway across the globe. A struggle is increasingly being fought between water and oil, not only over them.

Alberta’s oil sands are at the centre of this tension. As the province rushes towards a large-scale extraction, the social, ecological and human impacts are hitting a crisis point. In only a few short years the continent will be a crisscross of pipelines, reaching from the arctic all the way to the southern US, leaving toxic water basins the size of Lake Ontario, and surface-mines as large as Florida.

H2Oil follows a voyage of discovery, heartbreak and politicization in the stories of those attempting to defend water in Alberta against tar sands expansion.

Polaris Institute Launches "TarNation"

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:23:21 -0400

Start: 23/03/2010 - 17:30

End: 23/03/2010 - 19:00

Join the Polaris Institute as they launch Canada's first Tar Sands video game - TarNation!

@ D'arcy McGee's (44 Spark St)

March 23rd 2010

5:30 - 7 pm

Launch of The Global Fight for Climate Justice by Ian Angus

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:01:04 -0500

Start: 23/03/2010 - 19:00

End: 23/03/2010 - 21:00

We are thrilled to host the launch of The Global Fight for Climate Justice Anticapitalist Responses to Global Warming and Environmental Destruction edited by Ian Angus.

The event takes place at the store, on Tuesday March 23 at 7 pm.

No admission fee, wheelchair accessible.

As capitalism continues with business as usual, climate change is fast expanding the gap between rich and poor, and between and within nations, as well imposing unparalleled suffering on those least able to protect themselves. In The Global Fight for Climate Justice, anti-capitalist activists from five continents offer radical answers to the most important questions of our time: Why is capitalism destroying the conditions that make life on Earth possible? How can we stop the destruction before it is too late? In essays on topics ranging from the food crisis and carbon trading to perspectives from Indigenous peoples, the authors make a compelling case that saving the world from climate catastrophe will require much more than tinkering with technology or taxes. Only radical social change can prevent irreversible damage to the earth and civilization.

Ian Angus is one of the world’s best-known ecosocialist activists. He edits the online journal Climate and Capitalism (http://climateandcapitalism.com/?page_id=264), which has been described as “the most reliable single source of information and strategic insights for climate justice.” Ian is also an editor of Socialist Voice, director of ReadingfromtheLeft.com and a founding member of the Ecosocialist International Network.

Paul Dewar and John Mckay to Address Mining in Africa

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:57:46 -0400

Start: 25/03/2010 - 09:00

End: 25/03/2010 - 11:00

MPs Paul Dewar (NDP) and John Mckay (Liberal) to address Mining in Africa

Join a distinguished panel of politicians and prminent voices from civil society to disucss the matter of Corporate Social Responsibility in the cotnext of the extactive industry in sub-Saharan Africa.

Addtional Panelists Include:

Eric Shiller, a retired UofO prof and water engineer that has been to Africa forty times with various projects and now is heavily engqaged in humaan rights inititatives in eastern Demovcratic Repuiblic of Congo.

Jamie Keen of Mining Watch Canada

@ Carleton University

Thursday, March 25

9:00 - 11:00 am

Southam Hall 624

Save the Sylvia Olden Park

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:33:15 -0400

Start: 25/03/2010 - 19:30

End: 25/03/2010 - 21:30

Public Meeting about the park.

Meet with City staff.

@ Glebe Community Center (175 Third Avenue)

Email: save.sylvia.holden.park@gmail.com

Blog: savesylviaholdenpark.blogspot.com

PUBLIC RALLY AGAINST SECRET TRIALS IN CANADA

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:41:51 -0400

Start: 27/03/2010 - 13:00

End: 27/03/2010 - 15:00

PUBLIC RALLY AGAINST SECRET TRIALS IN CANADA

ABOLISH SECURITY CERTIFICATES

The weekend before the closing arguments, and with months expected to pass before a crucial decision on the reasonableness of Mohamed Harkat’s Security Certificate is forthcoming, the Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee will hold an important last public rally Saturday as follows:

Date:     Saturday, March 27th, 2010
Time:    1:00 PM
Place:   Human Rights Monument (Elgin at Lisgar)

Line-up of speakers:

Sophie Harkat, wife of Mohamed Harkat
Paul Dewar, MP, Ottawa Centre
Imam Khan
Denis Lemelin, President, CUPW (Canadian Union of Postal Workers)
Ihsaan Gardee, Executive Director, CAIR-CAN

(Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations)

Exploring the Right Birthing Option for You and Your Baby

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:05:42 -0400

Start: 30/03/2010 - 19:00

End: 30/03/2010 - 19:00

Learn about the different prenatal care options abailable to you, inlcuding midwives, doulas, family physicians and obstetricians.
Learn about the range of support services available to Ottawa families, from prenatal services to school age.
Be empowered to stay informed, and in charge of your birth experience.
Learn how to access breastfeedeing support BEFORE you deliever.

$10 Donation Fee
All proceeds going to Mothercraft Birthing Companion Program

@ Arbour Environmental Shoppe
800 Bank St @ Third Ave.
613-567-3168

March 30th, 2010
7 - 9 pm

Batik Social in the Spring Sunshine

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:27:22 -0400

Start: 01/04/2010 - 10:00

End: 01/04/2010 - 12:00

Please join us, you will be astonished at the gorgeous, meticulously hand-crafted batiks created by the Skycloud women's batik co-operative on the island of Java!

Virgil Grandfield is on hand to explain the process of hand-making these batiks. See in person how these Javanese women are using beautiful fabric artworks to help end human suffering in their region.
Chat with Virgil about their work to expose human trafficking practices in Red Cross operations, as featured in the recent Radio Canada and CBC documentaries "Les Ouvriers Oubliees: The Forgotten Workers."

Come visit, have a snack, see these gorgeous fabric art pieces, and chat with Virgil!

Location:
Octopus Books
116 Third Avenue, Ottawa

octopusbooks.ca

Date and Time:
Thursday, April 1, 10 AM to noon.

Related links:
Links to "The Forgotten Workers.", on The National
Part 1 http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/The_National/ID=1448093102
Part 2 http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/The_National/ID=1448093118

Radio Canada/Enquete Report:

http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/enquete/2009-2010/

Whistleblower calls for probe of Red Cross slave-labour allegations

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/canada/Whistleblower+calls+probe+Cross+slave+labour+allegations/2740832/story.html#ixzz0jo4jRiLO
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/cana

da/Whistleblower+calls+probe+Cross+slave

+labour+allegations/2740832/story.html

Batik Social in the Spring Sunshine

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:30:37 -0400

Start: 01/04/2010 - 10:00

End: 01/04/2010 - 12:00

Joan Baxter: Dust from our Eyes

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:20:52 -0400

Start: 08/04/2010 - 19:00

End: 08/04/2010 - 21:00

We are excited to have Joan Baxter, award-winning author, journalist and anthropologist, to visit Ottawa and talk about her book Dust from Our Eye: An Unblinkered look at Africa.

The event takes place on Thursday, April 8, in the auditorium of the Main Library (120 Metcalfe) at 7 pm.

Joan Baxter is a Canadian anthropologist, journalist and award-winning author who lived and worked for 21 years in Africa. For many years and from many countries she reported for the BBC World Service, Associated Press, and also Reuters. She has contributed to many radio programs of the CBC and to WGBH’s The World in Boston. Her writing — articles, features and columns — have also appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The Sunday Telegraph, Washington Post, the EU Courier, BBC Focus on Africa Magazine, and the Chronicle Herald in her native Nova Scotia.

Dust from Our Eye: An Unblinkered look at Africa is part memoir, part adventure tale, part political thriller - a compelling read that dissolves stereotypes and exposes paradoxes about Africa. Joan Baxter draws on more than two decades of living in and reporting from Africa to reveal that there is more to the continent than poverty and suffering, and far more to Western involvement than benevolent charity. Alternately funny, chilling, moving and disturbing, Dust from our Eyes is a fast-paced, passionate narrative told with journalistic accuracy and anthropological acumen.

The seventh annual Elliot Extravaganza

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:59:18 -0400

Start: 10/04/2010 - 00:00

End: 10/04/2010 - 23:59

Elliot is turning seven!! Like we do every year, we celebrate for a whole week!! The big cake day is April 10. The store opens at 10. The fun starts at 10:30 when we have a story hour. Join us for balloons, cake, a FREE BOOK for every kid, and 30 % off all the kids books. It wouldn't be the same without you, so please mark your calendar and plan to join us!

Kids books will be on sale from April 10 - April 17.
On Elliot's actual birthday, all books (except special orders) will be on sale 30% off!!