Dependence

Over at Tilting at Windmills, Ian talks about the recent Canadian cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's desire to have outspoken marijuana activist Marc Emery arrested and (eventually they hope) extradited to the U.S., and puts it in the context of Canada's place in the world, and how the time has come to wean ourselves off being dependent on the U.S. for our well-being. Definitely worth reading.

I see that he cross-posted it to the e-group so it might get more comments there. Pogge has also linked to it as well (so it's not just me who thinks it's worth a read).

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Update: As an aside, James Burns' post at the e-group has some more commentary on the Marc Emery case.

When 'Globalization' Goes Bad

If you've ever wondered why people protest against the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund (IMF), I recommend reading, 'Globalization and it's Discontents, by Joseph Stiglitz who was chief economist at the World Bank from 1997 to 2000.

In the meantime, I recommend reading this post 'How Economists Kill People' over at Crooked Timber. The quoted passage (from Peter Griffiths) is self-serving but harrowing nonetheless.

Over at Tilting at Windmills, Ian adds his comments on the post at Crooked Timber.

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Want another example of globalization gone awry, this time with a Canadian angle? Check out Pogge's posts on reports that Canada is spearheading efforts to lift the moratorium on 'terminator seeds' (that is, ones which have been 'genetically engineered to produce only infertile seeds which farmers cannot replant.' Doesn't that sound like a great idea?

Update: As POGGE reports, the ban will live on, no thanks to us (the Canadian delegation).