I felt the urge to write about my holiday experience so far being surrounded by technology. Working for TakingITGlobal and being Canadian, I am very aware of the role of new technologies in the lives of children and youth but I haven't really understood the extend to which "play" is so linked to electronic adventures for this generation. At this moment, my niece, nephew and cousin (6, 8, and 13) are all playing games: A gameboy, a Bratz "laptop" full of brain teezers and fun games for girls, and of course the best Christmas gift of all: Nintendo Wii...which I have to say is lots of fun! The rest of us are sitting around watching the kids play and marvelling at how the video games we grew up with would be considered so ancient and archaic only 10-15 years later. I'm fascinated by the level of complexity of these games each different and geared towards a different audience. And I'm also fascinated by the level of work gone into these games to make them personal, interactive, and as close to real human activities as possible - especially the Wii. Our family has bowled, played tennis and baseball, boxed, danced, and much more in a matter of a few hours. And I think most of us feel the satisfaction we would feel in really playing these sports and sharing an experience with our loved ones.

So I am catching a glipse of how family time will soon revolve around some sort of technology facilitating our fun. How do I feel about that? I'm not sure to be honest. I am the sort of person who relishes in spending time in the natural environment and doing things the traditional way. But on a cold, windy day like today, what could be more fun then playing every sport in the book and laughing with my beautiful niece and nephew? Is it time to stop resisting and accept the technological revolution that will inevitably transform the lives of future generations including my own?

Maybe I'll find the answer after a few more turns at Wii :)

DÉBAT EN LIGNE SUR LA SOUVERAINETÉ ALIMENTAIRE
Modéré par Ilyes El Ouarzadi

En date du Samedi 15 novembre 2008, CLC-Canada, TakingITGlobal en partenariat avec Carrefour Tiers-Monde et Action Contre la Faim ont organisé un débat en ligne qui a porté sur la question de la souveraineté alimentaire et qui a été un franc succès ! Plus d'une vingtaine de participants de différents coins de la planète (Afrique, Amérique, Europe et Asie) ont été parmi nous et ont contribué à enrichir le débat !

D'abord, je -ilyes El Ouarzadi (modérateur de ce live chat)- commencerai par présenter les experts qui ont accepté notre invitation:

Amélie Panneton, 22 ans, agente d'éducation à Carrefour Tiers-Monde. Après un stage de trois mois en théâtre d'intervention au Pérou, elle a été responsable des activités d'éducation pour Intermon Oxfam à Vitoria-Gasteiz en Espagne. Détentrice d'un baccalauréat en études internationales et langues modernes, elle travaille à Carrefour Tiers-Monde dans le domaine de la sensibilisation et de l'éducation au public, et s'intéresse particulièrement aux enjeux liés au commerce équitable, à la souveraineté alimentaire et à l'économie solidaire.

Âgée de 22 ans, Amélie CHARBONNEAU est étudiante au baccalauréat en Travail social. Elle travaille comme stagiaire au sein de Carrefour Tiers-Monde comme dans le cadre, des Journées Québécoises de la Solidarité Internationale, elle est en charge du volet jeunesse. Elle rencontre des jeunes du secondaire pour parler des enjeux relatifs à la souveraineté alimentaire.

Santiago Alba est directeur technique et de recherche d’Action Contre la Faim Canada. Titulaire d’une maitrise en agriculture et en développement rural de l’Université Cornell (Etats-Unis), d’une autre en audit environnemental et d’un Baccalauréat en ingénierie agricole de l’Université La rioja (Espagne), il a travaillé dans le développement rural et sur les enjeux environnementaux en Europe. Ensuite il est parti effectué un travail de terrain en Afrique et a travaillé avec la section espagnole de l’International AIDS Agency et des fondations privées sur des processus de réformes locales et de développement des capacités. Avant d’occuper son poste actuel à Action Contre la Faim (ACF), il a travaillé au sein de l’Institut de Développement Africain à l’Université Cornell. Au cours de ces 14 dernières années, le parcours académique et professionnel de Santiago l’a conduit à se concentrer sur l’évaluation et la gestion de programmes de développement rural durable. Il est actuellement membre du Groupe des Directeurs techniques et apporte son soutien au Conseil Scientifique de l’AFCIN. Il coordonne des projets et des recherches sur des sujets tels que la nutrition, l’eau et les systèmes sanitaires, la sécurité alimentaire et les changements climatiques.

Mentionnons également que parmi nos participants, figuraient des représentants de diverses organisations. En voici quelques exemples:

Jean-Marc FEUSSOM est coordonnateur de AFRICA FAUNA et de Peace/Action Solidaire. Il vit à Dakar, au Sénégal et il a été l'un des participants les plus actifs lors de notre débat. La conciliation du militantisme associatif à la passion informatique et sa vocation de vétérinaire lui ont beaucoup apporté. JM a intervenu à plusieurs reprises pendant le débat. Une de ses questions était la suivante: Quel est la différence entre souveraineté alimentaire, Sécurité alimentaire, auto suffisance et productivité alimentaire? et Pourquoi les jeunes doivent jouer une place primordiale dans le cadre de l’autosuffisance alimentaire? En outre, il nous a parlé du problème du poulet congelé au Cameroun. Selon lui, le concept de sécurité alimentaire fait référence à la disponibilité ainsi qu'à l'accès à la nourriture en quantité et en qualité suffisantes. Il a aussi pris la parole pour nous donner un exemple de la contradiction entre les réglements de l'OMC et la souveraineté alimentaire. JM a beaucoup apprécié les interventions de notre expert M. Santiago Alba: l'approche droit que prône l'ACF montre l'étendue du problème de souveraineté alimentaire, elle le place dans une sphère macro (internationale) et locale (consommation, sensibilisation).... Enfin, JM a posé la question qui suit: Faut-il faire la différence entre le désir d'un état de nourrir sa population (produits importés) et le vœu d'une consommation locale ou d'une préservation de l'environnement? JM admet que le rôle des jeunes est crucial à cet égard. C'est pourquoi il suggère de prendre des mesures d’accompagnement pour la jeunesse rurale et urbaine (accès au crédit, a la terre) ainsi que l'implication des jeunes dans la mise en œuvre des programmes agricoles. Selon JM, il ya un autre problème, beaucoup d'actions sont menées sur le terrain. Que peut donc faire TIG ou d’autres organisations pour harmoniser et capitaliser les actions et les rendre plus visibles. Problème financier… ? C'est alors que Justine, Sessi, Yassir et moi-même avons pris la parole pour répondre à sa question en citant les diverses ressources que TIG met à la disposition des jeunes pour aller de l'avant. Enfin, JM a parlé de ce qu'il fait, entre autres avec ses organisations, pour contribuer en termes de souveraineté alimentaire. JM occupe un rôle de sensibilisation et d'information. Sa plateforme, PEACE / Action Solidaire est une plateforme pour un commerce équitable. Les membres de son organisation et JM ont organisé plusieurs foires universitaires et des universités d’été sur la promotion des productions locales. JM a aussi mentionné que TakingITGlobal l'a beaucoup aidé à avoir une visibilité internationale pour ses projets.

Binetou Diagne a été également une participante très active durant notre débat. Titulaire d’un diplôme en Commerce et Développement, elle a été formée aux questions du développement durable et du management des ONG. Elle a récemment complété son cursus par un Master en Marketing International à Paris et à New York. En école de commerce, elle était chargée de l’organisation du BDE et a mené à bien des projets tels que : la participation à la course internationale de voile EDHEC, l’organisation d’une soirée de gala pour l’association d’enfants handicapés mentaux de Keur Xaleyi et la participation à des journées téléthon…Actuellement, elle s'investit dans un projet sur le Changement Climatique au Sénégal. Elle est membre du Comité reporter jeune de Médiaterre, le système d'informations francophone sur le développement durable de l'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). Elle est également membre du Youth Caucus, comité pour la 17ème session de la Commission du Développement Durable des Nations Unies. Elle a une expérience professionnelle dans le domaine du commerce équitable, de l'écologie et de la filière bio. En effet, elle a été chargée d'un projet web pour le site FemininBio.com qui est un portail dédié au mode de vie bio, aux questions de l’écologie et du développement durable. Binetou reconnait que l'insécurité alimentaire est bien ce qui se passe dans beaucoup de pays sous-développés. Vu qu'elle réside au Sénégal, elle nous a parlé des faits qui y sont reliés: Au Sénégal, on consomme le riz tous les jours or il est importé à plus de 90%. Elle avoue que le Sénégal dépend entièrement du marché extérieur. Elle était d'accord avec les propos de JM quand il disait que l'éducation alimentaire est indispensable dans les pays de l'Afrique. Selon elle, "Les consommateurs se tournent souvent vers des produits occidentaux plus chers alors que nous avons des ressources locales qui malheureusement restes invendus...L'éducation alimentaire devrait s'adresser aux consommateurs des pays développés". Binetou, comme JM d'ailleurs, a partagé avec nous ses expériences. Elle vient de participer à une action de protection de l'environnement et de sécurité alimentaire en Casamance, au sud du Sénégal et elle travaille pour l'ONG Océanium qui a restauré 1300 hectares de mangrove. Par définition et dans les mots de Binetou, "la mangrove est un écosystème complexe qui permet aux populations locales de satisfaire à leurs besoins financiers et alimentaires. En effet, la mangrove fournit beaucoup de poisson, des crevettes, des huitres et elle constitue un abri pour les petits poisson en période de reproduction. Enfin, la mangrove est une barrière naturelle contre le sel qui menace les rizières et contribue ainsi à sauvegarder la sécurité alimentaire." Parmi ses questions: Pensez vous que les règles de l'OMC et la souveraineté alimentaire soient compatibles? Enfin, Binetou est convaincue que l'Afrique dispose d'assez de ressources pour avoir une souveraineté alimentaire mais les consommateurs africains affectionnent plus les produits étrangers! Binetou a dit: "c'est là tout le problème...Par exemple, au Sénégal : on ne consomme pas de bananes plaintins ; on préfère les pommes de terre françaises par exemple". Elle a donné un autre exemple: "le baobab donne un fruit qui s'appelle le pain de singe, ce fruit détient 6 fois plus de vitamine C que le lait alors pourquoi s'entêter à acheter du lait (qui contient probablement des OGM) qu'on peut très bien acheter le pain de singe qui coûte 20 fois moins cher!". Binetou a aussi cité le cas de l'industrie pharmaceutique "nous avons beaucoup de plantes naturelles qui remplacent les médicaments vendus en pharmacie, parfois ils sont même plus efficaces. Je pense que les états dépendent beaucoup de la politique des multinationales. C'est bien pour cela que le monde tourne ainsi..."

La plupart de nos participants étaient interessés par le concept de banques animales suscité par M. Santiago Alba d'ACF.

M. Alba a entamé la discussion en définissant la souveraineté alimentaire comme un concept développé et présenté pour la première fois par Via Campesina en 1996. Selon lui, la souveraineté alimentaire est présentée comme un droit international. ACF reconnait les droits à l'alimentation et à l'eau comme des droits humains. Selon M. Alba "quand on parle de développement durable, on parle de développement social, culturel et économique sans compromettre le futur". Selon lui, sécurité alimentaire est synonyme d'accès à la nourriture alors que quand on parle de souveraineté alimentaire, on parle de "la population locale qui est capable de produire la nourriture nécessaire". Santiago nous a précisé que "quand Via Campesina a développé le concept de souveraineté alimentaire, la souveraineté alimentaire favorisait le maintien d'une agriculture de proximité destinée en priorité à alimenter les marchés régionaux et nationaux." À son avis, si on parle d'une point de vue nutritionnel, la souveraineté alimentaire pourrait être très critique, mais à partir d'un point de vue environnemental et de justice social et des marchés est une grande opportunité. Ensuite, Santiago nous a dit que "La souveraineté alimentaire est donc une rupture par rapport à l'organisation actuelle des marchés agricoles mise en œuvre par l'OMC." Selon M. Alba, "le principal problème n'est pas là où la nourriture est produite, mais l'objectif de cette production et qui décident de produire et ce qu’on produit". Enfin, Santiago a défini le concept de banques animales développé à ACF comme étant le développement des capacités et la formation des agriculteurs et des autorités locales, l'irrigation à petite échelle, le rôle des femmes et les cash distribution programs. Fait important: 90% des fonds sont alloués aux programmes dans trois domaines: nutrition, sécurité alimentaire, eau et assainissement. Pour illustrer ses propos, Santiago a mentionné cet exemple "Je reçois deux boucs, et dans une couple d'années, je dois donner une chèvre à la "banque" comme les intérêts .. cette nouvelle chèvre est utilisé pour aider une autre famille et ainsi de suite." Enfin, Santiago nous a rappelé ce fameux slogan: "penser globalement agir localement"!

Mentionnons également que parmi nos participants, figuraient Irénée Domkam de Jeunesse Horizon ainsi que Shiba ANDRE de Haiti, Adrien BRUNETTI de Bogota (Colombia), Christophe TOUGRI originaire du Burkina Faso résidant en Égypte, Nicolas B. Nadeau du Canada ainsi que d'autres membres de TIG même anglophones comme Toshio Rahman de Vancouver (Canada) et Nikki Allison d'Ottawa (Canada) qui font partie de l'équipe CLC-Canada.

En terminant, je suis convaincu que tous les participants à notre débat en ligne étaient satisfaits et heureux d'avoir pu interagir avec nos experts et j'espère que de plus en plus de membres francophones de TIG nous rejoindront dans nos prochains webinaires, live chats, concours et autres.

Au plaisir,

Ilyes El Ouarzadi,
Modérateur du Débat en ligne
Coordinateur de l'Engagement Virtuel
CLC-Canada
TakingITGlobal

Help me support the International Youth Climate Movement with a contest that is happening on Facebook.



The Facebook For Good contest is offering 3,000 euros to the grand prize winner who is using the Facebook platform for the best submitted story for creating good.



The title of my story is "Engaging Youth To Take Action To Address Climate Change" and here is the story;

I have spent the last year volunteering on an United Nations Development Programme youth climate change project. The job wasn’t easy to create a youth summary of the United Nations Human Development Report 2007/2008 but with the use of social networking which allowed me to contact people from all over the world to share their views on climate change a publication was created. I also have been using Facebook to distribute the publication online in English, French, and Spanish.

With my passion for new media I also created 7 videos which have been distributed online through sharing of those who also want to educate their peers.

I also had the chance to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia in December of 2007. Through the Facebook platform you can keep in touch with all of the other youth who are working on climate change in their own regions of the world.

I will be attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference again this year in Poznan, Poland and have been using the Causes feature to help fundraise to attend since I do not have an income from volunteering on the United Nations Development Programme youth climate change project.

I share my interests in a better world with everyone of my contacts hoping that they will pass along the information to others.

Facebook has allowed a large network to create the social change I want to see in the world.

Take a look at my story and please vote for me.

If I was to actually win the Grand Prize I would be donating it back to support other youth delegates to attend future United Nations Climate Change negotiations and to further strengthen the international youth climate movement. The contest ends on December 15, 2008 at 11:59 pm (EST) so please help me support youth in keeping our governments accountable on reducing carbon emissions.

Facebook For Good Contest Deatails

Grand Prize

Each Grand Prize Winner can elect to either: i) accept 1,000 Euros or equivalent in local currency as of date of award, or ii) designate to award 3,000 Euros or equivalent in local currency to one recognized charity or non-profit organization operating in the winner’s country on his / her behalf.
1st Prize

Up to five (5) Finalists per country will each receive a Flip Ultra Camcorder from Flip Video, a pocket-sized camcorder with one-touch recording and 2x digital zoom.
Prize Eligibility

Barack Hussein Obama, el nuevo presidente electo de Estados Unidos, ha hecho historia este 4 de noviembre.

Obama es el primer afroamericano en llegar a la Casa Blanca. He ganado gracias a su mensaje de unidad y esperanza, y a su promesa de cambio.

Los Africanos y los Latinos jugaron un papel fundamental en el triunfo de Obama.

Según el presidente de Gabón, Obama abriera para Estados Unidos y el mundo una nueva era de cooperación y paz.

En mi opinion, la elección de Obama significa que el pueblo estadounidense ha votado por la esperanza y contra de la política guerrerista de Bush.

Me gusta mucho el lema de campaña de OBAMA: "Yes we can" = "sí podemos".

Ojalá se hagan realidad sus esperanzas. Por el bien de Estados Unidos de Norteamérica y por el bien del mundo.

Hey all TIG members !

I would like to thank all those of you who participated in our national CLC live chat which was organized by TIG in partnership with CBC. It was entitled Youth Speak Democracy and there were hopefully 51 TakingITGlobal members who took part in this online event.

I was pleased to speak on air about "How Internet has changed my life?". I said that I take advantage of social networks for social change such as TakingITGlobal.org on a daily basis to connect with like-minded youth and to get informed, inolved and inspired !

I appreciated also the discussion that was going on on the CLC Project chat. I was in charge of transcribing from french to french and from english to french. It was a good task for me because I was able to follow what was discussed. There were also three guest speakers: Ilona Daughtry, ApathyisBoring + Denis Howlett, Make Poverty History + Lynne Lessard, CLC Canada/Liberal Party of Canada and Nick, Canadian Youth Climate Coalition who spoke about different issues such as poverty, youth involvement in politics, how technology fosters youth skills...

Let's now see what you think about all these issues. If you hadn't the chance to participate in this live chat, we would like to hear from you !

I'm looking forward to your thoughts and reactions to the following questions:
- What social networks are you using ? Are all those networks for social change ?
- What do you think of YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter and Facebook in comparison with TakingITGlobal ?
- How Internet and technology have changed your life ?

Cheers,

Ilyes

Hello all Quebec TIG members !

We want to thank you for your contribution in the TakingITGlobal website and also for being members of this online community of young leaders !

We would like to encourage you to stay active on TIG and to share with the other members your opinions, your artwork, your blogs and your reactions to the debates available to you through the discussion forums.

It is our pleasure to read your thoughts. That's why we are here to help you out if you need more information about anything related to TIG !

We are looking forward to reading your contributions in the TIG applications, whether it be in the Panorama, in the TIG blogs, in the discussion forums or in the project and group pages ! So, feel free to participate and to leave your mark on the TIG platform.

Sincerely,

The TakingITGlobal Québec team
Ilyes El Ouarzadi | ilyes@clc.takingitglobal.org
Yassir El Ouarzadi | montreal@clc.takingitglobal.org
Justine Castonguay-Payant | justine@takingitglobal.org
Sessi Hounkanrin | sessi@takingitglobal.org

Bonjour à tous les membres québécois de TakingITGlobal !

Nous prenons quelques minutes de votre temps pour vous remercier de votre contribution sur TakingITGlobal.org et d'être membres de cette communauté de jeunes leaders !

Nous aimerons vous encourager à demeurer actifs sur TIG et à partager avec les autres membres vos opinions, vos œuvres d'art, vos blogues et vos réactions aux débats et aux sujets mis à votre disposition sur les forums de discussion.

Il nous fait énormément plaisir de vous lire, c'est pourquoi nous sommes là pour vous aider si vous avez besoin de plus amples informations sir nos activités !

Nous avons hâte de lire vos contributions aux rubriques de TIG que ce soit le Panorama, les blogues, les forums de discussion ou encore les pages de projets et de groupes! Donc, n'hésitez surtout pas à participer et à laisser votre empreinte sur la plate-forme francophone et québécoise de TIG.

Cordialement,

L'équipe de TakingITGlobal du Québec
Ilyes El Ouarzadi | ilyes@clc.takingitglobal.org
Yassir El Ouarzadi | montreal@clc.takingitglobal.org
Justine Castonguay-Payant | justine@takingitglobal.org
Sessi Hounkanrin | sessi@takingitglobal.org

By Bruce Sterling EmailMarch 03, 2008 | 6:45:45 AM
"Some of the references might require a bit of explaining if you weren't in Iraq about then (2005) or part of the transportation reconstruction sector. But you shoud get the gist."
http://blog.wired.com/sterling/2008/03/why-did-the-ira.html

Why Did the Iraqi Chicken Cross the Road?

Coalition Provisional Authority: The fact that the Iraqi chicken crossed the road affirmatively demonstrates that decision-making authority has been transferred to the chicken well in advance of the scheduled June 30th transition of power. From now on the chicken is responsible for its own decisions. 



Halliburton: We were asked to help the chicken cross the road. Given the inherent risk of road crossing and the rarity of chickens, this operation will only cost the US government $326,004. 



Muqtada al-Sadr: The chicken was a tool of the evil Coalition and will be killed. 



US Army Military Police: We were directed to prepare the chicken to cross the road. As part of these preparations, individual soldiers ran over the chicken repeatedly and then plucked the chicken. We deeply regret the occurrence of any chicken rights violations.

Lyndie Edwards: The chicken was lead across the road on a leash by me, after we made it and all the other chickens form a naked pyramid. I only did this because all the other soldiers wanted me to and I'm a moron. It's really not my fault. Besides, I'm pregnant.



Peshmerga: The chicken crossed the road, and will continue to cross the road, to show its independence and to transport the weapons it needs to defend itself. However, in future, to avoid problems, the chicken will be called a duck, and will wear a plastic bill. 



1st Cav: The chicken was not authorized to cross the road without displaying two forms of picture identification. Thus, the chicken was appropriately detained and searched in accordance with current SOP's. We apologize for any embarrassment to the chicken. As a result of this unfortunate incident, the command has instituted a gender sensitivity training program and all future chicken searches will be conducted by female soldiers. 



Al Jazeera: The chicken was forced to cross the road multiple times at gunpoint by a large group of occupation soldiers, according to eye-witnesses. The chicken was then fired upon intentionally, in yet another example of the abuse of innocent Iraqi chickens. 



Blackwater: We cannot confirm any involvement in the chicken-road-crossing incident. 



Translators: Chicken he cross street because bad she tangle regulation. Future chicken table against my request. 



U.S. Marine Corps: The chicken is dead.

CAOA Joint Venture (a reconstruction contractor): We would be willing to allow the chicken to cross the road, as long as we are allowed to evaluate the relevant transportation infrastructure and get 3 competent and graded bids. Given the overhead rate of 23% and forward depreciation…

Donald Rumsfeld: There are known chickens and unknown chickens. Did the chicken intend to cross the road? Heavens, yes! Was it her intention to cross it in the manner that she did cross it? Perhaps not. 



Scott McLellan: As I said before, what the president said earlier about the chicken incident is still operative. If I receive further information I will of course be glad to share it with you. 



John Ashcroft: The chicken was possessed by Satan and deserved everything that happened to him. National security prohibits me from saying more. 



Condoleezza Rice: No one could have possibly foreseen that chicken would try to cross that road to get to that side. 



John Kerry: While I cannot say that I do not fully support the president's actions in the chicken-road incident, it is certainly not my intention to state that, in conjunction with our long-time friends and allies, I would not have done it better. Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it!

Dick Cheney: The press is using the chicken incident to divert attention from the fact that Saddam had nuclear weapons and was going to use them on us. AAAAGH, my heart!!! Lay off or I'll shoot you in the face.



Colin Powell: These satellite photos conclusively show that there was, indeed, a road there. That the chicken had the intention of crossing this road is made clear from this recording made the night before in the chicken coop... Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

PRESIDENT BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.



HANS BLIX: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.



RALPH NADER: The chicken's habitat on the other side of the road had been polluted by unchecked industrial greed. The chicken did not reach the unspoiled habitat on the other side of the road because it was crushed by the wheels of a gas-guzzling SUV.



BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your definition of chicken? Does the chicken have any distinguishing characteristics?



PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.



ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain. Alone.

RUSH LIMBAUGH: I don't know why the chicken crossed the road, but I'll bet it was getting a government grant to cross the road, and I'll bet that somebody out there is already forming a support group to help chickens with crossing-the-road syndrome. Can you believe this?!? How much more of this can real Americans take? Chickens crossing the road paid for by their tax dollars. And when I say tax dollars, I'm talking about your money, money the government took from you to build a road for chickens to cross. Where is my OxyContin? I'll bet Michael J. Fox is swaying and exaggerating the entire thing just to get some sympathy.



GRANDPA: In my day, we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.



OPRAH WINFREY & Sally Jesse Raphael: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heartwarming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.



JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together-in peace.



ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.



KARL MARX: It was an historic inevitability.



CAPTAIN KIRK: To boldly go where no chicken has ever gone before.



SIGMUND FREUD: The fact that you are at all concerned that the chicken
crossed the road reveals your underlying sexual insecurity.



BILL GATES: I have just rolled out eChicken2003, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet explorer is an integral part of eChicken.



ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?



THE BIBLE: And God came down from heaven, and he said unto the chicken THOU SHALT CROSS THE ROAD. And the chicken didst cross the road, and there was much rejoicing.



SANDERS: Did I miss one?

Navy: The chicken upon crossing the road was painted and lashed to the curb.
 


Baghdad Bob (the Iraqi Information Minister under Saddam): The chicken never crossed the road! He is safe in Baghdad, miles from the marauding vehicles of the infidel! THERE IS NO ROAD!


USAF: "As you can see here in the target video, the bomb was locked onto the chicken...and there it goes...the chicken is still moving...still moving...and unfortunately passed out of the parameters of the guidance system so that the bomb completely missed it and hit the weasel instead. Gotta admit though, it's impressive footage..."

MOHAMMED ALDOURI (Iraqi ambassador) 
The chicken did not cross the road. This is a complete fabrication. We don't even have a chicken.

SADDAM HUSSEIN
This was an unprovoked act of rebellion and we were quite justified in dropping 50 tons of nerve gas on it.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
I envision a world where all chickens will be free to cross roads without having their motives called into question.

RONALD REAGAN
What chicken?

FOX MULDER 
You saw it cross the road with your own eyes! How many more chickens have to cross before you believe it?

AL GORE 
I invented the chicken. I invented the road. Therefore, the chicken crossing the road represented the application of these two different functions of government in a new, reinvented way designed to bring greater services to the American people.

MARTHA STEWART 
No one called to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the farmer's market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

JERRY FALWELL 
Because the chicken was gay! Isn't it obvious? Can't you people see the plain truth in front of your face? The chicken was going to the "other side." That's what they call it -- the other side. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And, if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like "the other side."

DR. SEUSS 
Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road; but why it crossed, I've not been told!

JACQUES CHIRAC 
We will veto any resolution regarding non-compliance of the chicken whether is has or has not crossed the road!

AEGIS PSD (a security contractor): The chicken attempted to cross the road we were using. And after the chicken ignored numerous warning shots, we shot the chicken's car up and set the video record of the incident to an Elvis tune. That's what is now on the internet…

NSA: Of course we monitored the Chicken's conversations on the XXXXXX with XXXX, XXXXX and XXXXXX, using our national technical assets XXXXXXX and XXXXXX in XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX, XXXXX, and XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX despite the laws forbidding such spying without a warrant. President Bush said XXXXXXX and that's good enough for us! (redacted, for reasons of National Security)

Colonel Stevens (BAF commander): Denied, denied, denied. The chicken may not cross the road. Because I said so and that is that.

Diligence Middle East (another security contractor) You fooking C#nt! Get your feathered arse across the road or I'll choke the life out of you.

Controlled Risks (yet another security contractor) Chicken? Is this another way to refer to our esteemed Filipina housemaids?

Average Iraqi security guy. Chicken on the road? Let me get my flip flops…

FOX NEWS (Fair and Balanced): And Fox News' exclusive reporting has determined that the Islamofascist liberal terrorist chickens in Iraq have crossed the road. Loyal and patriotic Americans (Republicans All) have been "staying the course" to allow the president (God bless him) to announce MISSION ACCOMPLISHED at will. In other news, cut and run "pro death" antichristian Democrats have introduced a new death tax bill to steal money from hard working deceased Americans.

Average Afghan: They have chickens? Truly they have all the blessings of Allah…

Today, I had a great meeting with my fellow TIG francophone coordinators, Yassir the Montreal YEC and Justine the Quebec YEC.

We had the opportunity to discuss about some important points regarding our workplan and our objectives for CLC Year 3 as a francophone team.

One of the points that got my attention was the Montreal Matters online event and our next francophone livechat.

Regarding Montreal Matters, the event is entitled "Youth Speak Democracy: post federal elections" and is part of the seventh annual CBC Montreal Matters series, a month-long exploration of issues relevant to the community. Youth is the theme this year, and Montreal Matters is reaching out to youth in particular.

As facilitators of this livechat, we want to give young people a chance to have their say behind the mic !

This online event will be part of RadioNoon and will be held on October 27th from noon to 2pm. To join the livechat, visit this link http://tigurl.org/livechat on October 27th.

I am confident this online event is of interest to you, so please RSVP at ilyes@clc.takingitglobal.org as soon as you can, we are looking forward to your participation !

Besides, we discussed about our next francophone livechat that will most likely be held on November 15th or 16th, I'll post an other entry with the details. So, TIG francophone members, stay tuned !

ilyes
Quebec Virtual Engagement Coordinator

!Holà todos!

Hoy en día, la mundialización/globalización ha cambiado el mundo profesional. Mejor dicho, hay muchas personas de diferentes culturas, costumbres y estilos de vida que trabajan en las empresas contemporanéas donde los empleados hablan idiomas distintos.

De hecho, hay una diversidad cultural muy importante en el mundo de trabajo porque hay un crecimiento de la inmigración. En efecto, los contextos multiculturales implican una dimension de gestión de trabajo y de cooperación entre los individuos, pero también pueden implicar una dimension en la que se tienen en cuenta las diferencias y los acomodamientos al interior de la empresa.

¿Qué piensan ustedes de eso?

Tengo otra pregunta para ustedes,

¿Cuáles son las ventajas, según ustedes, de la administración intercultural? por ejemplos en sus países o en las empresas donde trabajan.

After three intense days spent in Toronto to participate in the CLC Year 3 training, I'm back in Montreal with more motivation to get really involved in my community and to start working actively as a CLC coodinator in Montreal in order to inform, inspire and involve youth from the province of Quebec.

The orientation that took place in Toronto last week was a blast ! I enjoyed every moment of it. It was a great experience for me since it was my first trip to Toronto. I'll remember the scavenger hunt we did in the second day of the training as well as the camping at PJ. I'll also remember the speeches of the cofounder of TakingITGlobal, Jen and Mike, which were very motivating and inspirational as well as the video you can see on YouTube called TakingITGlobal CBC's Make Some Noise http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGDy_isZ9aQ !

Cheers,
ilyes

With great excitement I will be joining the Canadian delegation on the Ship for World Youth 21 program, which will include traveling to Japan and sailing to Vanuatu, Tonga, and New Zealand from January - March 2009. The Ship for World Youth program started almot fifty years ago in 1959 when the international youth exchange program of the Cabinet Office launched the "Japanese Youth Gooodwill Mission Program" with the purpose of broadening the global view of Japanese youth and to promote mutual understanding between Japanese and foreign youth as well as to cultivate the spirit of international cooperation and the competence to pratice it and to allow the participating youth with capability of showing leadership in various areas of international society.



The itinerary of the 21st Ship for World Youth program 2009 is as follows:

January 14th, 2009 - Arrival of the participants from overseas

January 15th − 22nd - Program for overseas participants in Japan

January 23rd - Departure from Yokohama Port (Japan)

February 2nd - Refuel, food and water supply in Vanuatu

February 5th − 7th - Port of call activities in Tonga (Nuku'alofa)

February 11th − 14th - Port of call activities in New Zealand (Auckland)

February 19th - 20th - Refuel, food and water supply in Vanuatu

March 5 - Return back to Tokyo (Japan)



Participating countries for SWY21 are:

Canada
Arab Republic of Egypt
Republic of the Fiji Islands
Japan
Republic of Mauritius
New Zealand
Kingdom of Norway
Republic of Peru
Kingdom of Tonga
United Arab Emirates
Republic of Vanuatu
Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Republic of Yemen

In Decemeber I will be joining along with 30 other highly involved Canadian youth to form the Canadian Youth Delegation and attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which this year is the 14th Conference of Parties (COP-14). So far there have been some conference calls where those who are joining the delegation got to connect with delegate new and old and start the ball rolling on what we as young Canadians want to focus on during COP-14. This is a very important step in the process of having post-Kyoto reductions of carbon emissions which will be decided in Copenhagen during the December 2009 COP-15, and also that the current Canadian stance is to invest into tar sands development without looking at the effects that this is having on the environment. While I myself have yet to see any major turn in Canadian citizen views, there is hope with the upcoming federal election that voters will show just like recently in Australia that political parties who are not serious on taking action to reduce the impacts of climate change have no place to be the leaders of out societies.

We all know I'm a big fan of technologies and gadgets... so when I read last week in the New York Times that one of the more innovative genetic mapping companies (23andme) had reduced the price of its Genetic Mapping service (which many companies sell for up to $2-3,000) from $999 to only a few hundred dollars, I decided it was an amazing amount of information and education to be able to get access to for that amount, so I took the plunge and signed up.

A day later, FedEx delivered a Spit Kit to my house, which requires about 10 minutes of spitting into and mixing together with a solution, and your DNA sample is ready to send back! And off it went to Los Angeles, California to a laboratory today. Funny enough, the FedEx Pak they provide specifically says "do not send liquids" on it :)

So in 6-8 weeks, I'll know where my ancestors are from, whether I'm genetically lactose intolerant, whether or not I love broccoli because I can't taste the bitterness in it, and whether or not I'm a bit more likely than average to get certain diseases or be susceptible to certain conditions in my lifetime, along with dozens of other interesting facts. For less than the price of a university course in genetics, I can view and learn much of the world's most up-to-date knowledge on the relationships between genes and personal/medical conditions personalized to my specific genetic data. How cool is that?

You can make a case against "messing with your life" this way (I had an interesting discussion about this with someone just the other night), but I think that given the great power we have as humans to be intelligent and understand life in a way that no other species can, we then have a responsibility to use it to maximize the potential of our lives. Right? I guess it's also just a bit of an extra motivation knowing that you're slightly more at risk than average to do something about it! (from 1-2 times more or less likely than the generally population, in most cases)

I'll check back in with the results in a few months!