Did Putin really write that?
I’ve always thought of Vladimir V. Putin as an amoral ex-KGB thug. And I still do. But I have to admit he wrote a rather progressive op-ed piece in the…
Bill Longstaff
Quebec Charter of Values not all bad
Every cloud has a silver lining, according to John Milton. That may be a bit too optimistic for most of us but it is, believe it or not, true of…
September 15th—International Day of Democracy
Attention, all you democrats, mark it on your calendars: the International Day of Democracy, Sunday, September 15th—as declared by the UN General Assembly in 2007 with resolution 62/7. Following the…
Climate change is ruining my tea
This is really too much. Hurricanes, floods, droughts, all aggravated by climate change, and now the cruelest blow of all—it’s ruining our tea. India produces one-third of the world’s tea…
Apple and the exploitation of Chinese labour
I have been an Apple fan since I got my first computer—Mac all the way. I cringe, therefore, when I encounter articles about the company and its exploitation of Chinese…
Will the tax man catch up to the corporate slackers?
Globalization as we have come to know and love it is misnamed. As it advantages corporations while disadvantaging workers and governments, it might more appropriately be called corporatization or some…
Australia—a win for Tony Abbott (and Richard Murdoch)
By all accounts Tony Abbott waged a highly effective campaign in leading his Liberal (conservative) Party to victory in the Australian election on Saturday. And it didn’t hurt that he…
Sanctions—deadlier than war?
Most Canadians, I suspect, don’t pay much attention to the use of sanctions in international politics. War, yes—people being shot, bombed, and apparently even gassed is hard to ignore—but sanctions…
At least the provinces (well, two of them) care about climate change
In a good news item, the governments of Ontario and Manitoba announced they will maintain the internationally renowned Experiment Lakes Area project. Ontario has committed $2-million a year and Manitoba…
How will the West react when the Sauds turn on their people?
Various Western nations, including Great Britain, the U.S. and France, are exhibiting great outrage against Syria’s assaults on its own people. And outrage is indeed called for. Yet there is…
Tory MPs defy government
No, the above headline most certainly does not refer to Canadian Tory MPs. In the recent vote in the British House of Commons on Prime Minister David Cameron’s motion to…
Tar sands ain’t funny, says Travel Alberta
Travel Alberta was begging for it. Its latest ads, featuring the many attractions of the province, are really quite nice. But then they end with the extraordinary phrase, “Remember to…
Raising taxes on credit unions is a retrograde step
Prior to 1972, Canadian credit unions were exempt from all income and capital taxes. In many countries, including the United States, they remain tax exempt at both the state and…
Will India defeat malnutrition?
India has a lot of a lot of things, including hungry people. It has the world’s second largest population and the world’s second highest percentage of malnourished children. It also…
I’d rather have Justin Trudeau stoned than Stephen Harper sober
Justin Trudeau’s admission that he had smoked the occasional joint had the Conservatives at their huffing and puffing best this week. His “actions speak for themselves” offered the Prime Minister…
The U.S. war against democracy in the Middle East
The CIA’s recent public admission that it masterminded the 1953 military coup against Iran’s democratically elected government reminded me once again of the fickle U.S. support for democracy in the…
Is flood amnesia setting in?
Immediately after the big water in June, two truisms were out and about in Calgary. One stated the flood had been so catastrophic that finally Albertans would take significant measures…