Canadian Social Research Newsletter
February 22, 2009

Welcome to the weekly Canadian Social Research Newsletter,
a listing of the new links added to the Canadian Social Research Links website in the past week.

The e-mail version of this week's issue of the newsletter is going out to 1985 subscribers.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Canadian content

1. Barbarism Lite: The Political Attack on Social Rights (Ed Broadbent in the Toronto Star) - February 21
2. Giving credit where earnings are due (Vanier Institute of the Family) - February 2009
3. Recent columns by Carol Goar (Toronto Star):
--- Hard times call for Ontarians to pull together - February 20
--- Putting healthy food within reach - February 18
--- Size of your food bill depends on where you live - February 16
4. Daily conference blogs by Michael Shapcott (Growing Home: Housing and Homelessness in Canada, Calgary, February 18-20)
5. What's New in The Daily (Statistics Canada):
--- Consumer Price Index, January 2009 - February 20
--- Study: Obesity on the job, 2005 - February 20
--- The labour market in 2008 - February 20
--- Aboriginal Peoples Survey: Health of the Métis population, 2006 - February 19
6. British Columbia Budget 2009 - February 17
7. 2009-2010 Budget - Government of the Northwest Territories - February 5
8. Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories exempt Registered Disability Savings Plans from financial eligibility rules for income assistance - February 2009
9. What's new from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (Toronto) - February 18

International  content

10. Poverty Dispatch: U.S. media coverage of social issues and programs (Institute for Research on Poverty - University of Wisconsin-Madison)
11. Newly Poor Swell Lines at Food Banks (The New York Times) - February 19
12. Funding for states in economic recovery package will close less than half of state deficits (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) - February 20
13. Australian Policy Online Weekly Briefing - selected recent content:
--- South Australia's Social Inclusion Initiative Global education digest 2008: Comparing education statistics across the world - Posted 16-02-2009
--- Global education digest 2008: Comparing education statistics across the world - Posted 16-02-2009
14. CRINMAIL (February 2009) - (Child Rights Information Network - CRIN)

Gilles

************************
Gilles Séguin
Canadian Social Research Links
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net

Barbarism Lite: The Political Attack on Social Rights
February 21, 2009
Opinion
By Ed Broadbent*

Recommended reading!

In this 12-page transcript of his Avie Bennett Historica Lecture at York University (Toronto, February 19), Ed Broadbent reflects on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from both the international and Canadian perspectives. The transcript includes a comprehensive overview of the evolution of social rights in the post-war era on an international level, from the December 1948 birth of the Declaration to the explicit neoliberal domestic political agenda of the 1980s (think Reagan and Thatcher) and the domestic social "policies" of the Harper and Bush administrations.

Excerpts:

"The architects of the modern democratic state knew very well that a commitment to equal social rights is the philosophical source from which flows universal access to health services, education, pensions and housing."
--
"In Canada, the ideological attack on social rights arrived in Ottawa with the Reform Party in the 1990s but would be picked up and implemented by the Liberals. Reform's Preston Manning led the charge, promoting low taxes, market deregulation and an onslaught on social programs."
---
"Those many politicians, editorial writers and academics who continue to promote the "neoliberal, low tax, minimum state" should be compelled to acknowledge that in doing so they are also promoting inequality, more poverty, worse health, poorer education–and over time, an increase in social conflict. We should categorically reject this barbarism from the past."
---
"We need once more to see the necessity of strong, positive intervention by government in the distributional struggle of the marketplace. Only this can provide both economic growth and the social rights that are the foundation for the ideal of equal citizenship embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We need the confidence, passion, and intelligence to put an end to barbarism."
---

[ * Ed Broadbent is the former federal NDP leader who tabled a resolution in the House of Commons in 1989 to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000. The resolution was passed unanimously in the House.
We're still working towards that goal. For more on this, see Campaign 2000, a coalition of social groups created in 1991 to promote and support the goal of eliminating child poverty. ]

Source:
The Toronto Star

- Go to the Human Rights Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/rights.htm

Giving credit where earnings are due (PDF - 38K, 1 page)
PDF file dated February 12, 2009
In a recent study, Statistics Canada1 reported that the median earnings of individuals employed full-time full-year in 2005 was $41,401. In other words, one-half of fulltime earners made more than this amount, and one-half made less. When the agency compared the 2005 fi gure with the median earnings 15 years earlier, in 1990, they found (that after adjusting for increases in the cost of living) median earnings were only about $600 or 1.5% higher. Fifteen years, 1.5%.
Source:
Fascinating Families
Fascinating Families is a web feature that builds on VIF’s expertise in monitoring family trends and in making complex statistics accessible and understandable to a wide audience. Published on the 15th of each month, Fascinating Families highlights timely, family-related facts and uses a “family lens” to frame a brief discussion of the implications for families in Canada.

NOTE: this is the 15th issue in the Fascinating Families series; earlier issues covered such diverse topics as work-family balance, fertility intentions, adoptions, grandparent care, the importance of fathers, and more...
Click the Fascinating Families link above to access the whole list.

Source:
Vanier Institute of the Family

- Go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (NGO) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnngo.htm

Recent columns by Carol Goar
(Toronto Star):

Hard times call for Ontarians to pull together
Opinion
February 20, 2009
By Carol Goar
"One of Dalton McGuinty's favourite phrases is "shared responsibility." In his first term as premier, he applied it to everything from curbing gun violence to keeping seniors healthy and independent. But since his re-election 16 months ago, he has used it chiefly to explain, affirm and defend his pledge to reduce poverty. "There will be part of the (upcoming provincial) budget that speaks to our shared responsibility to help those Ontarians who have been most affected by this recession," he promised last week. This is a welcome departure from the blame-the-victim language that prevailed at Queen's Park for more than a decade. But anti-poverty groups are withholding their applause. The premier's rhetoric is encouraging, but Ontario's welfare system still operates on the assumption that recipients should be hounded and lectured about their responsibility to become self-supporting. The government's desire to tackle poverty seems genuine, but its actions have been modest and its plans are vague. It would be nice to believe that Ontario is returning to its tradition of protecting the vulnerable and supporting the disadvantaged."

Putting healthy food within reach
February 18, 2009
"(...) a coalition of 350 anti-poverty organizations, known as the 25 in 5 Network, is asking Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty to include a $100 monthly Healthy Food Supplement in monthly welfare cheques. The extra $25 a week wouldn't enable people who depend on social assistance to follow the Canada Food Guide, which calls for five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, three daily servings of milk or cheese and two daily servings of meat or high-protein substitutes.But it might mean an apple or a banana a day. It might mean a glass of milk at dinner. It might mean chicken instead of macaroni on Sundays."

Size of your food bill depends on where you live
February 16, 2009
"(...) The Heart and Stroke Foundation is calling on the government to monitor food prices and issue regular reports to Canadians. It also wants Ottawa to sit down with food producers, wholesalers, retailers and marketing boards to find out why there is so much inconsistency in the price of healthy foods. It is asking the agri-food industry to promote equitable food pricing within and between communities. And it is advising Canadians to shop carefully, choose frozen vegetables when fresh produce is unavailable or expensive, and learn more about healthy eating."

[ Earlier columns by Carol Goar ]

Source:
The Toronto Star

Also from The Star:

Food supplement 'can't wait'
Pressure mounts on province to introduce $100-a-month benefit for welfare recipients
February 20, 2009
By Megan Ogilvie
The call for the Ontario government to introduce a $100 healthy food supplement for all adults on social assistance is getting louder. Yesterday, Toronto's medical officer of health added his voice to the campaign for the introduction of the monthly food supplement in the upcoming provincial budget. A coalition of 350 anti-poverty organizations, called the 25in5 Network, along with the Association of Local Public Health Agencies, has mounted the drive for more nutrition dollars.

- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (A-C) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk2.htm

Growing Home: Housing and Homelessness in Canada
Second Canadian Conference on Homelessness
Calgary, February 18 to 20, 2009
Sponsored by:
Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary

Daily conference blogs by Michael Shapcott:

* Day one of Canada's national housing / homelessness conference: Federal minister speaks, but precious little is said
(Feb. 18)
* Day two of Canada's national housing and homelessness conference starts with powerful presentation
(Feb. 19)
* Day three of Canada's national housing and homelessness conference includes a call to action
(Feb. 20)

Related link:

First Canadian Conference on Homelessness (2005)

Source:
Wellesley Institute Blog
[ Wellesley Institute ]

What's New in The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

February 20, 2009
Consumer Price Index, January 2009
Consumer prices rose 1.1% in the 12 months to January 2009, slightly less than the 1.2% increase observed in December. On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, consumer prices fell 0.1% from December to January.
Related link:
The Consumer Price Index, January 2009
HTML
PDF (523K, 67 pages)

February 20, 2009
Study: Obesity on the job, 2005
The prevalence of obesity in the Canadian workforce, especially for men, has risen during the past decade. In 2005, 15.7% of employed Canadians age 18 to 64, or more than two million people, were obese, up from 12.5% in the mid-1990s.

February 20, 2009
The labour market in 2008
Following six years of strong employment growth, 2008 started well as Canada’s employment rate hit a new high and the unemployment rate sank to a 33-year low. In the last quarter of the year, however, job losses in cyclically sensitive industries such as manufacturing, natural resources and construction led to a drop in overall employment.
* Highlights
* Full article:
--- HTML
--- PDF (156K, 6 pages)

February 19, 2009
Aboriginal Peoples Survey: Health of the Métis population, 2006
In 2006, just over half (54%) of all Métis aged 15 and over reported that they had been diagnosed with a chronic condition, about the same as in 2001. In most cases, Métis had higher rates of chronic conditions than people in the total population.
Related link:
Aboriginal Peoples Survey, 2006: An overview of the health of the Métis population
February 2009
HTML version
PDF version (673K, 29 pages)

---

The Daily Archives - select a year and month from the drop-down menu to view releases in chronological order

- Go to the Federal Government Department Links (Fisheries and Oceans to Veterans Affairs) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fedbkmrk2.htm
- Go to the First Nations Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/1stbkmrk.htm

[B.C.] BUDGET 2009 BUILDS STABILITY, CONFIDENCE FOR THE FUTURE
February 17, 2009
News Release
VICTORIA – Budget 2009 supports infrastructure projects to create thousands of jobs and build opportunities in every region of the province while providing stability and confidence for British Columbians by investing in health, education and social services, announced Finance Minister Colin Hansen today. (...) Budget 2009 invests almost $14 billion in infrastructure projects in every region of British Columbia. The Province will move forward on its capital plan and partner with the federal government and municipalities to build and upgrade housing, hospitals, schools and roads. These new and accelerated investments will generate as many as 88,000 jobs across B.C.
Source:
Government of British Columbia

---

From the B.C.Ministry of Finance:

Budget 2009 - Province of British Columbia - Main Budget page
- incl. links to Budget Speech, highlights, backgrounders and all budget papers and related links (some of these appear below)

Budget and Fiscal Plan (PDF - 1.5MB, 162 pages)
- the main budget document; it lays out the Province’s three-year fiscal plan, including economic outlook, revenues, spending, tax measures, and forecasting risks and assumptions. PDF

Budget Highlights (PDF - 616K, 8 pages)
"(...) Fully 90 per cent of all new spending in British Columbia’s three-year fiscal plan is devoted to improving healthcare. The remaining 10 per cent is allocated to other key priorities including education and social programs. Budget 2009 continues to support families and communities. It provides new funding over three years to care for and protect vulnerable children and youth supporting healthy child and family development.
This includes:
» $110 million in funding for programs for B.C. families with children.
» $110 million in new funding for income assistance.
» $73 million for programs and services for adults with developmental disabilities."

Fiscal Plan 2009/10-2011/12 (PDF - 87K, 2 pages)
- backgrounder

Estimates, Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2010 (PDF - 2MB, 218 pages)
- the detailed breakdown of proposed spending by ministry and government agency that must be debated and approved by the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

Supplement to the Estimates: (PDF - 1MB, 108 pages)
- provides additional information on proposed spending organized into major categories such as salaries, grants, capital, travel, and operations.

Ministry Service Plans
- provides an overview of every ministry, including how they intend to achieve their service goals and how they support the direction laid out in the Government Strategic Plan.

Government Strategic Plan (PDF - 5.6MB, 48 pages)
- sets out an overarching vision, goals and priority actions for the Province of British Columbia for the next 10 years.

[ B.C. budgets - previous years ]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related links:
__________

From the CBC:

* B.C. plunges into red to battle economic downturn
* Highlights of B.C.'s 2009 budget
* Critics lash out at deficit budget
(all three articles above are dated February 17, 2009)

---

From The Tyee:

BC Deficit Budget Cuts Spending, Offers Little Stimulus
Health and education safe but other ministries trimmed, including environment, housing, aboriginal affairs.
By Andrew MacLeod
Published: February 18, 2009

This Budget Is Toxic Fudge:
BC's government is in denial about the economic realities we face.
By Will McMartin
February 18, 2009
In a province where phoney-baloney budgets and fiscal manipulation are as common as rain, BC Liberal Finance Minister Colin Hansen's 2009/10 plan is as misleading and deceptive as any we've ever seen. The global economy, as every British Columbian over the age of three knows by now, has collapsed. Job losses are rising at an ever-increasing rate; retail sales and housing starts have plunged and commodity prices tanked; and many of the world's largest financial institutions have imploded. Federal governments of every ideological stripe, as well as U.S. states and Canadian provinces, have or are wracking up gigantic fiscal shortfalls.

Also from Will McMartin in The Tyee:

Balanced Budget Bozos:
BC politicians keep passing, then changing, laws against deficit spending. Are we nuts?
February 4, 2009

---

From the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives:

BC Budget 2009: Vanilla, No Sprinkles
February 17, 2009
By Marc Lee
Faced with a nasty recession at its doorstep, the BC budget is uninspiring and underwhelming in its ambition. Overall there is little that actively plans for a recession, preferring instead a steady-as-she-goes budget, perhaps aimed at cultivating the image of responsible economic managers in a time of crisis. There are no tax cuts or drastic spending cuts, thankfully, but nor is there any short-term assistance to the most vulnerable, nor any meaningful investments towards a long-term strategic vision.
Source:
The Lead-Up
BC Election Commentary from the CCPA

---

- Go to the BC Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk.htm
- Go to the 2009 Canadian Government Budgets Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets.htm

From the Department of Finance (Government of the Northwest Territories):

2009-10 NWT Budget Lays Out Challenges and Opportunities
Press Release
February 5, 2009
YELLOWKNIFE — The Government of the Northwest Territories' (GNWT) 2009-10 Budget was presented in the Legislative Assembly today by Finance Minister J. Michael Miltenberger.

* Budget Address (PDF - 124K, 15 pages)
[ français:
Discours du budget (PDF - 129Ko., 20 pages) ]

Budget Highlights (PDF - 162K, 2 pages)

NWT Budgets - earlier years

GNWT Main Estimates - 2009-2010 and previous years

- Go to the Northwest Territories Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ntbkmrk.htm
- Go to the 2009 Canadian Government Budgets Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets.htm

Registered Disability Savings Plan
The Registered Disability Savings Plan is a savings plan designed specifically for people with disabilities in Canada. The first of its kind in the world, this new tax-deferred savings vehicle will assist families in planning for the long - term financial security of their relatives with disabilities.
- incl. links to * What is it? * How do I qualify * Where do I get it?
[ See also : Registered Disability Savings Plan Blog]
Source:
Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network
Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN) is a non-profit organization, established in 1989 by and for families committed to future planning and securing a good life for their relative with a disability.

Recently updated:

Provincial/Territorial Updates
Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) - PDF (211K, 5 pages)
January 2009
(PDF file dated Feb. 13/09)
- overview of the treatment of RDSPs under provincial/territorial Disability Benefits, i.e., full or partial exemption from any asset and income tests for determining eligibility for Disability Benefits (the disability component of the provincial/territorial income assistance program).
NOTE: although the "official" date on the paper is January 2009, it contains both of the new NS and NT policies announced above concerning the treatment of RDSPs for income assistance purposes.
(According to this update, only Nunavut has yet to announce its decision with respect to RDSPs and income assistance / Disability Benefits)

Nova Scotia:
Province Helps Families Save More For Relatives With Disabilities
Department of Community Services
February 11, 2009
The province is making it easier for families of people with disabilities to save for their loved one's future by allowing them to use Registered Disability Savings Plans while continuing to receive income assistance. Similar to a Registered Education Savings Plan, the Registered Disability Savings Plan allows families and their children with disabilities to save money, tax-free, until it's needed.
Source:
Government of Nova Scotia

Northwest Territories:
Registered Disability Savings Plan Exemption
February 6, 2009
[Statement to the Legislative Assembly]
Mr. Speaker, this winter, the Federal Government implemented a savings plan to assist persons with disabilities and their families. The Registered Disability Savings Plan or RDSP is a tax-free investment to financially support persons with disabilities. (...) Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to confirm today that the Department of Education, Culture and Employment will fully exempt both the RDSP asset and RDSP withdrawals from consideration in the assessment process for all ECE Income Security Programs.
Source:
Government of the
Northwest Territories - News

NOTE: The federal government recently announced that the 2008 contribution year has been extended to March 2, 2009 for all provinces and territories.

- Go to the Asset-Based Social Policies Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/assets.htm

Subscribe to the CRRU email announcements list
Sign up to receive email notices of updates and new postings on the CRRU website which will inform you of policy developments in early childhood care and education, new research and resources for policy, newly released CRRU publications, and upcoming events of interest to the child care and broader community.

Links to child care sites in Canada and elsewhere

CRRU Publications - briefing notes, factsheets, occasional papers and other publications
ISSUE files - theme pages, each filled with contextual information and links to further info

Source:
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU)

- Go to the Non-Governmental Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd2.htm

Poverty Dispatch (U.S). ===> the content of this link changes twice a week
IRP compiles and distributes Poverty Dispatches twice a week. Each issue of the dispatch provides links to U.S. web-based news items dealing with topics such as poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, etc.
Each Dispatch lists links to current news in popular print media.

February 19, 2009
* Health Insurance Coverage and Programs
* Homelessness and Housing
* Food Assistance Programs
* Joblessness and Unemployment
* Economic Stimulus Spending
* State Budgets and Recession
* Report: Recession and Child Poverty - Virginia
* No Child Left Behind and Measuring Achievement
* Cash Incentives as Antipoverty Programs
* Adult Literacy - Pennsylvania
* Earned Income Tax Credit
* Green Building and Low-income Housing

February 16, 2009
* Economic Stimulus Spending
* Schools and Homeless Students
* Homeless Families - Washington, D.C.
* Food Assistance Programs
* Medicaid Reform - Florida, Louisiana
* Infant Mortality - Wisconsin
* Health Insurance Coverage
* No Child Left Behind and the Achievement Gap
* Child Care Subsidies - Arizona
* State Minimum Wages - Kansas, Wisconsin
* Unemployment Benefits
* Worldwide Joblessness and Unemployment
* Opinion: Trends in Women's Pay and Household Income
* Day Laborers - New Orleans, Philadelphia
* Prison Overcrowding and Prisoner Re-entry

Past Poverty Dispatches
- links to two dispatches a week back to June 2006

Search Poverty Dispatches

If you wish to receive Poverty Dispatches by e-mail,
please send a request to rsnell@ssc.wisc.edu

Source:
Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP)
[ University of Wisconsin-Madison ]

- Go to the Links to American Government Social Research page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us.htm
- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (A-J) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us2.htm
- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (M-Z) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us3.htm
- Go to the Poverty Measures - International Resources page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/poverty2.htm

Newly Poor Swell Lines at Food Banks
By Julie Bosman
February 19, 2009
"(...) Demand at food banks across the country increased by 30 percent in 2008 from the previous year, according to a survey by Feeding America [formerly America's Second Harvest], which distributes more than two billion pounds of food every year. And instead of their usual drop in customers after the holidays, many pantries in upscale suburbs this year are seeing the opposite.
Source:
The New York Times

Related link:

Feeding America
This new name best conveys our mission—providing food to Americans living with hunger—and will be supported through expansive public outreach campaigns that will raise awareness of domestic hunger and our work.

- Go to the Food Banks and Hunger Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/foodbkmrk.htm

Funding for states in economic recovery package will close less than half of state deficits
February 20, 2009
By Nicholas Johnson, Elizabeth C. McNichol, and Iris J. Lav
[ PDF version (2pp.) ]
The final economic recovery bill provides to states approximately $135 billion to $140 billion — or about 40 percent of projected state deficits — to reduce the depth of state budget cuts and moderate state tax and fee increases, which hurt the economy.

Should progressives shun the economic recovery package?
by Robert Greenstein (Executive Director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
Special Op-Ed in The Huffington Post
Some of my fellow progressives have expressed disappointment with the economic recovery package that President Obama just signed into law. Forgive me, but I don't share it. I view the package as an outstanding piece of legislation - all the more remarkable when you consider that it came less than 30 days after the new administration took office....

View the Center's Economic Recovery Watch Series:
http://www.cbpp.org/pubs/stimulus.htm

Source:
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP)
CBPP is one of the nation’s premier policy organizations working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals.

- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (A-J) Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us2.htm

APO Weekly Briefing
The content of this page changes each week, and it includes links to a few book/report reviews, about two dozen new reports, a few job ads and 60 events (mostly conferences) of interest to social researchers...
Source:
Australian Policy Online (APO) - home page
With nearly 120 member centres and institutes, Australian Policy Online offers easy access to much of the best Australian social, economic, cultural and political research available online.
NOTE: the APO home page includes links to the five most popular reports on the APO website, and this list is updated each week.

Recent APO Weekly Briefing selections:

People and community at the heart of systems and bureaucracy:
South Australia's social inclusion initiative
Posted 16-02-2009
David Cappo / South Australia's Social Inclusion Initiative
This report considers the Social Inclusion Initiative which has become the bedrock of South Australia's approach to delivering public value to the most marginalised people through joined-up government.

Global education digest 2008: Comparing education statistics across the world
Posted 16-02-2009
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
This report presents the latest available data for more than 200 countries and explains how UNESCO Institute for Statistics data are collected, processed and reported.

APO Archive
The APO archive is grouped into 23 subject areas, with entries appearing in reverse chronological order.
* Ageing *Asia and the pacific * Citizenship and the law * Disability * Economics and trade * Education * Employment and workplace relations * The environment * Foreign policy and defence * Gender and sexuality * Health * Housing * Families and households * Immigration and refugees * Income, poverty and wealth * Indigenous * Media, communications and cultural policy * Politics and government * Population, multiculturalism and ethnicity * Religion and faith * Rural and regional * Science and technology * Social policy * Urban and regional planning * Youth

- Go to the Social Research Links in Other Countries (Non-Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internatngo.htm

From the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN):

19 February 2009 - CRINMAIL 1060
* KENYA: Push to ban corporal punishment in the home [news]
* EGYPT: US couples face trial over baby buying [news]
* GLOBAL: The human rights role of national parliaments [publication]
* IRAN: Execution of minors set to be limited [news]
* SRI LANKA: Child conscription stepped up [news]
* SPAIN: The Protection of Children in European Justice Systems [event]
* EMPLOYMENT: CRC Complaints Mechanism - KIDS
**NEWS IN BRIEF**

17 February 2009 - CRINMAIL 1059

* YEMEN: New marriage law "needs awareness campaigns" [news]
* UN: Global report on trafficking in persons [publication]
* COLOMBIA: Financial woes may drive children into battle [news]
* CESCR: Draft General Comment on Discrimination and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights [publication]
* USA: Corrupt judges paid to detain youths in private jails [news]
* EMPLOYMENT: Children's Investment Fund Foundation
**NEWS IN BRIEF**

Earlier issues of CRINMAIL
- links to 300+ earlier weekly issues, many of which are special editions focusing on special themes, such as the 45th Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Source:
CRINMAIL(incl. subscription info)
[ Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) ]

- Go to the Children's Rights Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnrights.htm

Disclaimer/Privacy Statement

Both Canadian Social Research Links (the site) and this Canadian Social Research Newsletter belong solely to me, Gilles Séguin.

I am solely accountable for the choice of links presented therein and for the occasional editorial comment - it's my time, my home computer, my experience, my biases, my Rogers Internet account and my web hosting service.

I administer the mailing list and distribute the weekly newsletter using software on the web server of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Thanks, CUPE!

If you wish to subscribe to the e-mail version of newsletter, go to the Canadian Social Research Newsletter Online Subscription page:
http://lists.cupe.ca/mailman/listinfo/csrl-news

You can unsubscribe by going to the same page or by sending me an e-mail message [ gilseg@rogers.com ]

------------------------

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Privacy Policy:
The Canadian Social Research Newsletter mailing list is not used for any purpose except to distribute each weekly issue.
I promise not share any information on this list, nor to send you any junk mail.

Links presented in the Canadian Social Research Newsletter point to different views about social policy and social programs.
There are some that I don't agree with, so don't get on my case, eh...

To access earlier online HTML issues of the Canadian Social Research Newsletter, go to the Newsletter page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/news.htm

Please feel free to distribute this newsletter as widely as you wish, but please remember to mention Canadian Social Research Links when you do.

Cheers!
Gilles

E-MAIL:
gilseg@rogers.com

The Funniest Joke in the World

***********************************

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And, in closing...

Canada Matters
By Canbyte, a Progressive Blogger
http://www.canbyte.ca
- blog entries and links to online resources on a number of themes, from Bad Canada and Childcare to Poverty and Well Being

Source:
Canada Matters Globally

[ see also: Canbyte's Cosmos ]

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Logical fallacies
Example of one type of logical fallacy:
Ad hominem attack
Comment: "Your views on pay equity appear misogynistic."
Reply: "Well, you have a big nose and you're fat."
- from Everything@Everything2.com
NOTE: this list of logical fallacies is quite interesting, and several types of logical fallacies are even reminiscent of the spirit of recent federal elections, e.g., false analogies, causal fallacies, missing the point...