We, like most people, have been following the Luka Rocco Magnotta case with a degree of horrified fascination. Magnotta is the prime suspect in the murder of another man who’s torso was found in Montreal. What makes this case especially bizarre is that a foot was mailed to Conservative Party
Continue readingMonth: May 2012
It’s time to end of public funding for religious schools
In light of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association opposition to gay-straight alliances, and Ontario's large budget deficit, the Green Party of Ontario is the only party showing courage and leadership by calling for the end the wasteful and unjustifiable public funding of only certain religious schools. Our current system,
Continue readingThe World Famous Dan Shields: 4699…Chad Ochocinco Is Vexed
The Globe and Mail reports that the New England Patriot’s wide out is upset coz his SUV got jacked a week or two ago. The bad guys took his car, his wallet and, most importantly, his Starbuck’s Gold Card. The great man was quoted as asking “You know how many
Continue readingMorton's Musings: Body-parts murder video not obscene; and that’s ridiculous!
One of the most surprising (to me) aspects of this case is the gore.com website. Apparently the murder went online (I gather users can post their own videos) and the murder/dismemberment went unnoticed as 'just another' brutality. That's pretty appalling. What's more, as of earlier today the murder video was
Continue readingTerahertz: Prayers in Peterborough go to court
Canadian Atheist blogger Veronica Abbass has taken her opposition with the Peterborough city council’s practice of reciting Christian prayers to court. Her lawyer, Dan Mayo, is a Humanist Officiant and is active in the Humanist Association of Ottawa. A woman is taking the City of Peterborough to court over the
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Budget Bill and the Federal Contractors Program
So many big changes are happening in Bill C-38 that some significant issues like the changes to the Federal Contractors Program (FCP) have escaped attention. Part 4 Division 42 of C-38 is very short. It merely says that subsection 42(2) of the Employment Equity Act is replaced by the following:
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: “Filter Bubbles”: Public discourse in an age of citizen journalism by Regan Burles
Winner of the 2012 Dalton Camp Award discusses Kai Nagata and the link between media and democracy.
Continue readingCanadian Trends: This presentation is essential reading in understanding what is to come
(If some of the slides are blank either zoom in one level or fullscreen the presentation) The End Game
Continue readingImpolitical: A winning essay on national media coverage of the 2011 federal election
This is a brilliant piece of writing by Mark Brister: “National media coverage of the 2011 federal election was a failure.” Not sure if it’s getting much coverage but there’s a lot of good stuff there. If this is the runner-up for the 2012 Dalton Camp Award on links between
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Ezra Levant campaign to run for Parliament? I hope so.
We have Conservatives apparently urging the shrill Ezra Levant to run for the Conservative nomination in Calgary Centre. This being Calgary, I doubt there would be any doubt of him winning the riding if he were to win the nomination – the question would be if there are more Alison
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Capital punishment, without process
A video was released this week showing the ugly homicide of Vancouver citizen Paul Boyd. If you consider the video offered any new information, reconsider. This was written almost 18 months ago by David Eby, Executive Director of the BC Civil Liberties Association: “Shot seven times and crawling, disarmed and
Continue readingThe Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad: May 30: (extra blog for the day) evening thoughts
Today, Norbert Cunningham wrote an introductory column on the baby boomers. He’ll continue it on June 1. I have no idea what he’ll write – so this is no attempt to disagree with him. It’s just that he got me thinking about that generation. And I feel like writing about
Continue reading350 or bust: In The Forecast: More Extreme – and Expensive – Weather Events
Montreal Quebec was hit by a short but fierce rainstorm on Tuesday, doing millions of dollars worth of damage to homes and businesses. The Montreal Gazette reported: Montreal firefighters answered more than 900 calls during Tuesday afternoon’s cloudburst that dumped as much as 70 mms. of rain on this city
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM - A Blog by Donna Thomson: Medicare in the 21st Century – Change is Afoot!
On May 23, I was lucky enough to hear Andre Picard speak. He’s the health and social policy writer for the Globe and Mail newspaper, but he’s much more than just a good journalist. Picard is the 2012 CIBC Scholar-in-Residence Chair at the Conference Board of Canada. Picard chose to
Continue readingEnvironmental Law Alert Blog: Two reports on pesticide risks
Thursday, May 31, 2012 When a politician says that his report is about the science, and not about the politics, it’s probably wise to take that claim with a grain of salt. That’s made crystal clear by two studies released in the last month about the risks of pesticides –
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Examining the status quo
If unlike me, you are not ancient, listen to Simi Sara at CKNW’s audio vault, May 31, 1 pm, to remember how excellent talk radio can be. This is broadcasting that explores why things are the way they are instead of simply excusing the status quo. Simi talked to Paul
Continue readingSudbury Steve May: Greater Sudbury at a Crossroads, Part 1: Looking Backwards and Moving Forwards
The City of Greater Sudbury finds itself at a crossroads. The time is now ripe to tackle difficult, but important and interesting questions about the nature of our City, and what we want it to become in the future. With a number of trends underway locally and globally which will
Continue readingCanadian Trends: Dear journalists (Part 2)
I had never intended to make the first part an ongoing “series” and was really just the result of my angry ranting, yet again I feel a need to ask journalists why they are not doing their job. Today’s article of interest: Alison Redford ‘advancing Alberta’s interests’ at elite gathering.
Continue readingAltavistagoogle: Breastfeeding in Uniform
Apparently there is some sort of controversy surrounding these pictures. That is good, because I can therefor post them here under the fair dealing exception of the Canada’s copyright Act. First of all, Terran Echegoyen-McCabe, left, is absolutely stunning. Second of all, young women in uniform are hot (prison, nurse, army,
Continue readingsomecanuckchick dot com: Mainstream Media + [UN]Ethical Oil = Minimal Oil Spill(s) Coverage
Déjà vu! Around this time, last year, Mainstream Media was providing minimal coverage of the Rainbow Pipeline leak. Fast-forward 1 year and yet another oil spill — an oil spill that apparently went undetected for days. And once again Mainstream Media is providing minimal coverage — in fact, there are more
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