When you’ve got 60% of the world’s population but just 36% of global freshwater resources and a rapidly growing population and industrialization, you’ve got some serious problems. When you add wastage and massive contamination to the mix, you’re heading into nightmare territory. Such is the dilemma facing the South Asia/Asia
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The Disaffected Lib: Nature’s Version of Waterboarding
Think of it as the difference between a refreshing drink of water and undergoing waterboarding. We used to expect the former from nature but now, all too often, it’s the latter. Las Vegas is an object lesson. The desert city is now forced to drain its essential freshwater from a
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: A Generation Lost
Since Ronald Reagan ushered in government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich, American blue and white-collar wage earners have seen their incomes stagnate – at least the lucky ones that is. Despite massive increases in per worker productivity, the wealth associated with that has not been shared
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Well, Duh. Water Woes = War
The Interaction Council, a body comprising mainly former government leaders, warns that the world is facing a serious water crisis that threatens global peace, political stability and economic development. “The future political impact of water scarcity may be devastating,” says former Canadian Prime Minister and IAC co-chair Jean Chrétien. “Using
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Broken Arrow
Another safely retired Canadian general with too much time on his hands, Lewis MacKenzie, is fronting for a group urging the feds to scrap the F-35, first-strike, stealth light bomber in favour of resurrecting the CF-105 Avrow Arrow, itself scrapped by the earlier Conservative government of John Diefenbaker. Bollocks, Lew.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Another Crop Failure
Farmers in the United States and Russia are reeling. Now it’s Australia, the world’s second biggest wheat producer, where production is in peril. Lower production in Australia, the world’s second-largest wheat exporter, could boost momentum for world grain prices that have already surged to near-record levels this year, as searing
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Most Endangered
The Guardian has published a photo essay of the 100-most endangered species at risk today. If you look at these creatures most may appear insignificant, hardly worth bothering about. That is if you don’t understand biodiversity and the critical role it plays in making all our lives, well, liveable. Everything
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: About Those Collapsing Fish Stocks
It’s estimated that the global fishing fleet is more than twice what would be needed to completely fish out the world’s oceans. As fish stocks collapse in one place or another, larger, ocean-ranging vessels move on to the next unlucky target. Australia is dealing with one of these right now,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Gaza To Secede?
Think Pakistan and the independence of Bangladesh. Now think Palestinian Authority/West Bank and Hamas/Gaza splitting up. This little jaw dropper seems to be in the works with Hamas, a charter branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, looking to link up with big brother Egypt, itself now with Muslim Brotherhood leadership. In
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Enbridge Dummies Up About Chinese Pipeline
Just who is going to own the proposed Northern Gateway bitumen pipeline? Could the totalitarian People’s Republic of China be one of the owners? Enbridge tried to change the subject when the question was posed today at the sham federal review panel hearings underway in Edmonton. The pipeline operator dismissed
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The "Fuck You" Century
Societal comity may fall an early victim to the stresses of the 21st century. The cohesion that marked and underpinned a good many of the achievements of the past century seems have become eroded by deliberately devisive politics (the type favoured by miscreants like our own Harper), economic uncertainty and the emergence
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: You Need to Set the Bar High This Time
For the Liberal Party this is no time to settle for a pretty face or a familiar name. You’re already in the hole, neck deep to be honest, and one more mistake could be your last for a good long time. If you want to remain Stephen Harper’s water carrier,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Is America Still Capable of Legitimate Democracy?
With an electorate as deeply divided as America’s, it’s not unusual for elections to be decided by a point or two. So what happens if one side disenfranchises nine or ten percent of the electorate, people who just happen to vote overwhelmingly for the other side? Is that country still
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Who, Exactly, Do Americans Fear So Much?
It has become axiomatic in American federal politics that anyone seeking office must support increasing the country’s military spending. The United States already spends more than the rest of the industrialized nations combined and fields the indisputably dominant army, air force and navy in the world. First in subs, America.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: If We Ditch Karzai, They’ll Ditch al Qaeda?
The Talibs, at least part of them, seem to want a deal. They’ll stand down and sever ties with al Qaeda but only if we, namely the United States, ditches Afghanistan’s constitution and Hamid Karzai. This all comes via a report from the Royal United Services Institute. The report concludes:
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Gwynne Dyer Resets His Climate Wars Clock
Rossby. Remember the name – Rossby. Because Rossby is something that’s going to play an increasing role in your life for the rest of your days, all of’em. When you think of Rossby, think floods and droughts, think really severe winters and abnormally warm winters. Melting Arctic Ocean sea ice
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Praises Steve Harper, Sort Of
Steve’s biggest fan, Israel’s Benny Netanyahu, has sung praises of Canada’s p.m. for severing diplomatic ties with Iran. Canada said it acted because Iran was a terrorist state supporting Assad in Syria. Apparently Netanyahu didn’t get the right script. He says we ditched Iran because of nuclear weapons – that
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: About that Death Spiral Thingee
We had ten, maybe fifteen, years to find the sort of common resolve to mobilize our resources and focus them on the maladies that afflict us collectively. We did nothing. We had our “To Do” list from the outset – global warming and climate change; deforestation; desertification; air, soil and
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: A Canadian Nightmare? Maybe We Should Find Another Way.
Because We Can. Those three words may be apt to describe the Western mentality from the second half of the 20th century onward. In the past tense they may make a fitting epitaph for our civilization. Because We Can informs a sort of consciousness that is inherently self-destructive. It is
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Do We Really Need Des to Tell Us This?
Desmond Tutu wants Tony Blair and George w. Bush tossed into the prisoners’ dock before the International Criminal Court. The Archbishop wants the pair tried for the invasion of Iraq. Tutu, a Nobel peace prize winner and hero of the anti-apartheid movement, accuses the former British and US leaders of
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