B.C. Liberal government has cut funding for arts and cultural organizations by 50 percent this fiscal year, and by 92 percent for 2010–11.

Imagine a 92 percent reduction in your company’s income. How would your industry fare if that was implemented across the board?

The numbers are like this: 47.8 million (2008) down to 3.75 million (2010-2011)

Reasons This Makes No Sense Economically:
• B.C.’s arts and culture sector employs more than 78,000 people and contributes over $5 billion each year to the provincial economy
• Yes, billion.
• The B.C. government’s own research has demonstrated that for every dollar invested in the arts, $1.38 comes back in taxes
• Contrast this move with the response to financial downturn in Ontario: Ontario increased their core arts spending by approximately 130 million in this year’s budget

How Does This Affect You?
• Arts foundations, non-profits and galleries will close or reduce their programming or services. Example: Between the announcement Friday, August 28 and Wednesday, September 3, 2009, 2 Vancouver galleries have announced that they are being forced to close their doors.
• Creative people will leave B.C. in droves
• Drastically reduced opportunities for cultural exposure in the province for yourselves and your children
• Huge damage to the reputation of B.C. – do you want to live in and bring up your children in a cultural wasteland? Was there a reason you chose to live in a city and not in a closet?
• Everything you attend, view, take your children to, or see in a cultural framework is partly subsidized by provincial infrastructure. Arts Umbrella? Children’s Festival? Vancouver Art Gallery? Gallery openings? Ballet BC? BYE!

Common Misconceptions
• Artists are not spending their time at champagne soirees at the taxpayer’s expense. Artists are among the most underpaid professions in our society.
• Culture is an industry, not something that just “happens”. You’re thinking of people who make pictures of owls using bottle caps.
• Not a hobby. Don’t argue that running the Children’s Festival or arranging an international visual art exhibition is something we’re supposed to do in our spare time.
• Artists are not “fancy”. Art is a hugely important part of our shared culture. Were the cave paintings fancy? Do you like written language? Have you ever seen a movie or worn a nice shirt or walked through a public space?
• You cannot argue that the cultural sector must be commercially viable or die. A huge amount of heavy lifting in terms of ideas, social good and cultural visioning is performed by the creative industries and this does not neatly align with commercial engagement.
• These grants we’re talking about do not entirely pay for the operations of these cultural associations so forget the word “parasite” when you make your economic argument. They represent a small but crucially important portion of total support and income.
• Art is not about artists, it is about communities and culture.
• This discussion is not only art, it is dance, film, heritage, publishing, media, sound, music, design, theatre, social outreach, community festivals.
• People in these industries work hard, have jobs and have families too, and are already underpaid.
• A healthy arts sector is essential for healthy communities.

The idea that this is about supporting art vs feeding needy children is a shell game. We need to do both.

Ecomonday has evolved not only to recommend people to follow, but also recommending specific web-pages and blogs, as well as recommending eco-businesses.

I suggest you check Max Gladwell’s site to check for the Tweets containing the #ecomonday hashtag.  If you use Tweetdeck or a similar application, you may want to open a search column for the hashtag.

SEATTLE — I am here attending the geekfest of geekfests called Gnomedex. Its name is a play on the old tech conference Comdex, which ironically doesn’t exist anymore. Coming here is a throwback to my time as a pure tech journalist going to conferences such as Macworld and the Consumer Electronics Show. But what’s interesting is that even in the geekiest settings, and perhaps especially in the geekiest settings, social media has come to the fore.

he Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, with Senior Sponsorship from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, present FOCAS 2009 August 16-19 on the theme Of the Press: Models for Preserving American Journalism.  The City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Journalism is collaborating in this Forum, and will present working models for sustainability of journalism in two contexts which will provide an opportunity to delve into specific ways that enterprise journalism can move forward in the digital age. Check out the agenda then join the conversation live at aspeninstitute.tv, courtesy of GroundReport.com, a global news platform with a hyperlocal perspective.

Interactive Screen 0.9: The Makers is the 14th installment of the Banff New Media Institute’s acclaimed new media summit, where media makers from Canada and the world gather to reflect on the current state of new media and the shape of things to come. At the end of each summer, producers, investors, and policymakers convene with artists, technologists, and cultural researchers of diverse horizons in the majestic mountain setting of Banff.

Interactive Screen aims to stimulate the creation of emotionally powerful, creatively inspired, and economically viable new media in Canada and abroad. Part conference, part festival, part peer exchange, part creative workshop, Interactive Screen is always intensive. Over six days of work and play, workshop participants engage in constant dialogue and collaboration through various panels, workshops, and performances. Together, they delve into the creative, social, and business impacts of content, technologies, and networks. Participants invariably come away from the event with new projects and alliances, a refined set of skills, and a renewed faith in the cultural power of new media.

The theme of The Makers will explore the idea of a “society of makers”. This ties in to the “cultural object” — with a focus on those who “make culture”, not those who “own” it.

British Columbia has positioned itself as a leader in tackling global warming. Yet the province’s natural environment and climate leadership are being threatened from beyond its borders by the federal government’s desire for unrestrained growth in Alberta’s Tar Sands.

INDUSTRIES ACROSS CANADA WILL BE FORCED TO CUT UP TO 96 MILLION TONNES OF EMISSIONS IF TAR SANDS PROTECTED IN FEDERAL CLIMATE POLICY

Premier Campbell called on to defend B.C.’s interests at upcoming Council of the Federation

Vancouver – B.C. industries, such as pulp, paper and oil and gas, would be forced to reduce their carbon emissions beyond their fair share if the federal government protects tar sands expansion in its impending federal climate policy, according to a new report released today by environmental group ForestEthics, “TARnishing our Climate Effort: Dirty Oil and the Future of B.C.”  The group is calling on Premier Campbell to defend British Columbia’s climate leadership at the upcoming Council of the Federation meeting in Regina (August 5-7) and not accept a free pass for the Tar Sands.

B.C. has a legally-binding target to reduce emissions by 33% below the 2007 level by 2020 and many businesses are already doing their part to reach the national goal. Tar sands emissions are projected to grow from 35 million tonnes in 2007 to 108 million tonnes by 2020 – nearly a tripling in emissions even while other industries are reducing their output.
 
“Premier Campbell needs to ensure Ottawa doesn’t make a special deal for the tar sands because that will hurt B.C.’s economy and environment,” said Merran Smith, Climate Director, ForestEthics.  “We’re asking Premier Campbell to defend B.C.’s businesses through his continued climate leadership and a strong voice for fairness next week in Regina,”

Even with the existing weak federal emissions targets, more than 80 million tonnes would have to be cut from elsewhere in the Canadian economy to protect the tar sands right to pollute. If Canada adopts a target that is consistent with what scientists say is required, 96 million tonnes would have to be cut elsewhere, according to ForestEthics’ new report.

Ontario’s Premier McGuinty has already voiced a desire for a fair national cap and trade system. As Canada’s fourth largest provincial economy, British Columbia has yet to weigh in.

The report also shows B.C. is actually helping tar sands expand by sending tar sands oil to Asia from Vancouver via Kinder Morgan’s TMX pipeline. The federal government is also deciding whether or not to approve a new pipeline, called Northern Gateway, from Alberta to Kitimat that would send enough tar sands oil to Asia and the U.S. to fill more than 26,000 Olympic swimming pools annually.

ForestEthics will be raising awareness of tar sands’ threats to BC in Vancouver and the north, urging members and the public to send a message to the Premier.

British Columbia has positioned itself as a leader in tackling global warming. Yet the province’s natural environment and climate leadership are being threatened from beyond its borders by the federal government’s desire for unrestrained growth in Alberta’s Tar Sands.

INDUSTRIES ACROSS CANADA WILL BE FORCED TO CUT UP TO 96 MILLION TONNES OF EMISSIONS IF TAR SANDS PROTECTED IN FEDERAL CLIMATE POLICY

Premier Campbell called on to defend B.C.’s interests at upcoming Council of the Federation

Vancouver – B.C. industries, such as pulp, paper and oil and gas, would be forced to reduce their carbon emissions beyond their fair share if the federal government protects tar sands expansion in its impending federal climate policy, according to a new report released today by environmental group ForestEthics, “TARnishing our Climate Effort: Dirty Oil and the Future of B.C.”  The group is calling on Premier Campbell to defend British Columbia’s climate leadership at the upcoming Council of the Federation meeting in Regina (August 5-7) and not accept a free pass for the Tar Sands.

B.C. has a legally-binding target to reduce emissions by 33% below the 2007 level by 2020 and many businesses are already doing their part to reach the national goal. Tar sands emissions are projected to grow from 35 million tonnes in 2007 to 108 million tonnes by 2020 – nearly a tripling in emissions even while other industries are reducing their output.
 
“Premier Campbell needs to ensure Ottawa doesn’t make a special deal for the tar sands because that will hurt B.C.’s economy and environment,” said Merran Smith, Climate Director, ForestEthics.  “We’re asking Premier Campbell to defend B.C.’s businesses through his continued climate leadership and a strong voice for fairness next week in Regina,”

Even with the existing weak federal emissions targets, more than 80 million tonnes would have to be cut from elsewhere in the Canadian economy to protect the tar sands right to pollute. If Canada adopts a target that is consistent with what scientists say is required, 96 million tonnes would have to be cut elsewhere, according to ForestEthics’ new report.

Ontario’s Premier McGuinty has already voiced a desire for a fair national cap and trade system. As Canada’s fourth largest provincial economy, British Columbia has yet to weigh in.

The report also shows B.C. is actually helping tar sands expand by sending tar sands oil to Asia from Vancouver via Kinder Morgan’s TMX pipeline. The federal government is also deciding whether or not to approve a new pipeline, called Northern Gateway, from Alberta to Kitimat that would send enough tar sands oil to Asia and the U.S. to fill more than 26,000 Olympic swimming pools annually.

ForestEthics will be raising awareness of tar sands’ threats to BC in Vancouver and the north, urging members and the public to send a message to the Premier.

British Columbia has positioned itself as a leader in tackling global warming. Yet the province’s natural environment and climate leadership are being threatened from beyond its borders by the federal government’s desire for unrestrained growth in Alberta’s Tar Sands.

INDUSTRIES ACROSS CANADA WILL BE FORCED TO CUT UP TO 96 MILLION TONNES OF EMISSIONS IF TAR SANDS PROTECTED IN FEDERAL CLIMATE POLICY

Premier Campbell called on to defend B.C.’s interests at upcoming Council of the Federation

Vancouver – B.C. industries, such as pulp, paper and oil and gas, would be forced to reduce their carbon emissions beyond their fair share if the federal government protects tar sands expansion in its impending federal climate policy, according to a new report released today by environmental group ForestEthics, “TARnishing our Climate Effort: Dirty Oil and the Future of B.C.”  The group is calling on Premier Campbell to defend British Columbia’s climate leadership at the upcoming Council of the Federation meeting in Regina (August 5-7) and not accept a free pass for the Tar Sands.

B.C. has a legally-binding target to reduce emissions by 33% below the 2007 level by 2020 and many businesses are already doing their part to reach the national goal. Tar sands emissions are projected to grow from 35 million tonnes in 2007 to 108 million tonnes by 2020 – nearly a tripling in emissions even while other industries are reducing their output.
 
“Premier Campbell needs to ensure Ottawa doesn’t make a special deal for the tar sands because that will hurt B.C.’s economy and environment,” said Merran Smith, Climate Director, ForestEthics.  “We’re asking Premier Campbell to defend B.C.’s businesses through his continued climate leadership and a strong voice for fairness next week in Regina,”

Even with the existing weak federal emissions targets, more than 80 million tonnes would have to be cut from elsewhere in the Canadian economy to protect the tar sands right to pollute. If Canada adopts a target that is consistent with what scientists say is required, 96 million tonnes would have to be cut elsewhere, according to ForestEthics’ new report.

Ontario’s Premier McGuinty has already voiced a desire for a fair national cap and trade system. As Canada’s fourth largest provincial economy, British Columbia has yet to weigh in.

The report also shows B.C. is actually helping tar sands expand by sending tar sands oil to Asia from Vancouver via Kinder Morgan’s TMX pipeline. The federal government is also deciding whether or not to approve a new pipeline, called Northern Gateway, from Alberta to Kitimat that would send enough tar sands oil to Asia and the U.S. to fill more than 26,000 Olympic swimming pools annually.

ForestEthics will be raising awareness of tar sands’ threats to BC in Vancouver and the north, urging members and the public to send a message to the Premier.

The person who may be responsible for more food-related illness and death than anyone in history has just been made the US food safety czar. This is no joke.

Washington Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth today canceled plans for a series of policy dinners at her home after learning that marketing fliers offered lobbyists access to Obama administration officials, members of Congress and Post journalists in exchange for payments as high as $250,000.