Alberta is generally considered to be Canada’s pollution champion. And it deserves the honour. With 11 per cent of the country’s population it contributes 34 per cent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. Nonetheless, Saskatchewan can also make the claim. It only produces 7 per cent of the country’s emissions,
Continue readingAuthor: Bill Longstaff
The real radicals revealed
The word “radical” is being thrown out a lot lately, particularly from the mouths of certain federal ministers. Minister of Natural Resources Joe Oliver garnered a great deal of attention when he published a rant about opposition to the Northern Gateway pipeline in The Globe and Mail. He has backed
Continue readingAnti-American or anti-American empire?
Americans are a militaristic people. That, I suspect, is why President Obama made praise of the military a major theme in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. He began his speech by praising the military and he ended by praising the military. And in between he practically boasted
Continue readingRivers drying up in England?
When trout waved lazy in the clear chalk streams, Glory was in me … So wrote poet John Betjeman about his beloved River Kennet. Sadly, the trout have had trouble waving lazy in the Kennet lately. The river, like many in southern England, ran dry this past winter, a victim
Continue readingBully for you, Minister Baird
John Baird has never been one of my favourite politicians. There is too much of the bully about him. Nonetheless, I applaud him for his speech Monday in the UK in which he criticized other Commonwealth nations for denying fundamental freedoms to homosexuals and others. “Dozens of Commonwealth countries currently
Continue readingOne pipeline down, one to go
So Obama has sunk the Keystone XL pipeline—at least temporarily. He has said Trans Canada can apply again, so perhaps he’s just being an election-year tease. Nonetheless, it’s a victory against the tar sands monolith. And that’s what it’s all about, not just shutting down a pipeline, but shutting down
Continue readingGingrich drives Christ out of the room
During the latest debate by the candidates for the Republican nomination for president, Newt Gingrich declared, “Andrew Jackson had a pretty clear-cut idea about America’s enemies: Kill them.” He got a standing ovation. Andrew Jackson was, of course, the president esponsible for the Trail of Tears, the forced relocation of
Continue readingA premiers’ meeting with a significant feminine presence … finally
The premiers’ meeting this week in Victoria had a new look. Normally an assemblage of men in suits, this one had a definite feminine presence with four of the 13 premiers being women. These include host Christy Clark of B.C., Alison Redford of Alberta, Kathy Dunderdale of Newfoundland and Labrador,
Continue readingHarper—the prime minister of oil
In the paranoid corridors of Harperworld, opponents of tar sands development are radicals. And the most dangerous among the radicals are those who receive funding from foreigners. This is a rather curious accusation coming from Stephen Harper. After all, he faithfully serves the oil industry, much of which is foreign-owned.
Continue readingCorporate chiefs beginning to see the dark side
The world’s capitalists are worried. The World Economic Forum, an organization composed of 1,000 of the world’s most powerful corporations, is concerned that the financial crisis gripping the global economy may be leading us to a “dystopian future.” In its report Global Risks 2012, the Forum warns, “a society that
Continue readingPeacekeeping—"Canada can and should do more"
Sometimes a graph is worth a thousand words. A good example is a graph depicting Canada’s contribution to U.N. peacekeeping that appeared in the December 2011 edition of Mondial, the newsletter of The World Federalist Movement. The graph, attached, shows Canada hovering around number one in the early 90s and
Continue readingSlowing Harper’s rush to environmental ruin
The federal government, it appears, is in a hurry. We cannot exploit the tar sands fast enough and bad guys are getting in the way. In an open letter to Canadians, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver declared, “Unfortunately, there are environmental and other radical groups that would seek to block
Continue readingA good day for democracy in Montana
One of the biggest blows against democracy in American history occurred in 2010 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Citizens United case that government could not place limits on independent spending for political purposes by corporations and unions. The ruling, by essentially giving corporations the same First Amendment
Continue readingHarper’s paranoia reaches a new level … a dangerous level?
Stephen Harper was in full psychic mode on a Calgary call-in show Thursday. He telepathically declared that Iran is “a regime that wants to acquire nuclear weapons … and has indicated some desire to actually use nuclear weapons.” An impressive feat—reading the minds of the mullahs. The man is starting
Continue readingObama disses due process
Another disappointment from U.S. President Barrack Obama. On New Year’s Eve, perhaps a time when he thought his nation was sufficiently distracted, he signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 which includes a clause granting the executive branch the power to indefinitely detain any person, including American
Continue readingCongrats to Sista P
Not a bad way for the year to end, with the election of another woman as leader of her country. So congratulations to new Jamaican prime minister Portia Simpson Miller, or Sista P as she is affectionately referred to for her folksy, plain-spoken style. Simpson Miller’s People’s National Party won
Continue readingAmericans OK with taxes but not with the system
I admit to some surprise. Listening to the Republican contenders for the presidential nomination, you might think Americans wanted nothing more than to pay less taxes. In fact, according to a recent Pew Research Centre survey, most Americans (52 per cent) believe they pay about the right amount of tax.
Continue readingNo-religion most successful "faith" in UK
“Give me the child and I will give you the man,” the Jesuits boast. Indoctrinate a child in a faith and he, or she, will carry that faith for life. Or at least, most will. According to the latest British Social Attitudes survey, not indoctrinating a child in a faith
Continue readingChiquita si, tar sands no
Chiquita Brands has caused a bit of a flutter on the Canadian scene by announcing it will avoid using fuel from Alberta’s tar sands. The company says it has joined 13 other companies in trying to reduce its carbon footprint. The announcement is timely. According to an industry report, the
Continue readingThe invisible dead Iraqis
U.S. President Barack Obama has declared the Iraq war over. While he proclaimed what he once termed a “dumb war” a success, he lamented the heavy cost. “Over 30,000 Americans have been wounded and those are only the wounds that show. Nearly 4,500 Americans made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.
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