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Alberta Politics: Don’t look for dramatic change to Alberta labour laws in revisions NDP will likely introduce this week

May

22

2017

PHOTOS: Alberta Labour Minister Christina Gray (Photo: Chris Schwarz, Government of Alberta). Below: Labour Lawyer Andrew Sims and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley (Photo: Dave Cournoyer, Wikimedia Commons.) Alberta’s New Democratic Party Government is expected to introduce changes to the province’s main labour relations laws this week, quite possibly on Wednesday. Naturally enough, right-wing politicians and ...

Susan on the Soapbox: Meet the “United” Conservative Party

May

21

2017

Say what you will about the Wildrose, they were always grassroots party…that is until Jason Kenney blew them out of the water. Last week Jason Kenney and Brian Jean unveiled the terms under which the Wildrose and Progressive Conservatives will roll up into the United Conservative Party (UCP). The Agreement in Principle on the Establishment ...

In This Corner: The Return of Stuff Happens, week 18: Will the right united; the ‘I’ word is spoken.

May

21

2017

There was a seismic shift in Alberta politics this week. Only time will tell if it’s a real earthquake that brings down two (or maybe three) parties, or whether it just grunts and groans and nothing happens. On Wednesday, Wildrose party leader Brian Jean and new Progressive Conservative party leader Jason Kenny officially signed a ...

Warren Kinsella: Donald Trump is the Anti-Christ

May

21

2017

As my kids will tell you, I actually believe he is. I’m a Catholic, and I believe in God and the Devil and all that. I therefore also believe there is an anti-Christ and, based on the available evidence, his name is Donald Trump. He is the Beast. Want proof? Okay. Forget about his attacks ...

A Puff of Absurdity: Taking Comfort in Stoicism

May

21

2017

When thing take a turn for the worst, no philosophy helps me like re-reading the writings of Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius. I had a dream last night that I was at a bike show (about bicycles, not motorcycles), talking to a distance rider, when, after a long conversation, I noticed that his one arm ...

Accidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links

May

21

2017

This and that for your Sunday reading. – Josh Bivens notes that U.S. corporations are already paying a lower share of taxes than has historically been the case – meaning that there’s no air of reality to the claim that handing them more money will produce any positive economic results. And Noah Smith writes that ...

Montreal Simon: Why Justin Trudeau Has The Wind In His Sails

May

21

2017

It's getting pretty close to my favourite time of the year. Time to think about harnessing the wind out on the lake, and getting away from it all.Now that I have almost recovered from my motorcycle accident.Or just taking to my hammock, reading some real books, and making a list of the many reasons I ...

Northern Reflections: Bombs And Bucks

May

21

2017

Yesterday, Donald Trump signed an arms deal with the Saudis. The deal includes “tanks and helicopters for border security, ships for coastal security, intelligence-gathering aircraft, a missile-defense radar system, and cybersecurity tools,” reports ABC News. Alex Ward writes that “it forms part of a 10-year, $350 billion agreement in a “strategic vision” between the two ...

Dead Wild Roses: The DWR Sunday Religious Disservice – Republican Jebus

May

21

2017

Filed under: Religion Tagged: Republican Jesus, The DWR Sunday Religious Disservice

Babel-on-the-Bay: The anger is real Ms. Wynne.

May

21

2017

It is the time of year when Canadians come out of their winter refuges. We travel. We talk to each other. And if we are smart, we listen. What we are hearing here in Ontario is the strong desire for change. That is not necessarily bad if Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is also listening. What ...

Kersplebedeb | Kersplebedeb: Secret plans to ‘protect’ France in the event of Le Pen victory emerge (repost)

May

21

2017

Election win for far-right leader would have set off plans to ‘keep the peace’ official says as support for Macron’s party grows Election win for far-right leader would have set off plans to ‘keep the peace’ official says as support for Macron’s party grows It was never writ Read the rest of this post on ...

Anti-Racist Canada: The ARC Collective: Toronto Proud Boy Profile: Ron Stubbings

May

20

2017

Reprinted with permission from the original author. By now some people are familiar with the wannabe frat boy right wing cult called the Proud Boys. Their schtick is a constructed hyper -“masculinity” mixed in with racism, misogyny,homophobia and stale internet memes. They have started to show up at demos and have thrown fists when they ...

PostArctica: The Giants in Montreal

May

20

2017

Went downtown today to check out the giant marionettes that are dominating the scene in the city this weekend. It is pretty cool because the crew that accompanies each giant are energized and organized much like a Cirque du Soleil act. The down side of this is that it really is like watching a one ...

Accidental Deliberations: Leadership 2017 Links

May

20

2017

The latest from the federal NDP’s leadership campaign… – I’ll start by specifically pointing out NDPLeaderVote as an excellent resource for news as it develops. Because it’s largely tracking what’s happening in the media and on candidates’ announcements, I won’t be using these links posts to do the same to the same extent for the ...

A Puff of Absurdity: On Mistakes

May

20

2017

Okay, so maybe just one more post about doctors… I know it’s awfully boring. The last one was in play format to make it more palatable. But it’s tedious because I feel so middle class to just now awaken to the fact that the health care system is in crisis. My ignorance is embarrassing. (So ...

Warren Kinsella: “Our history as it’s portrayed, it’s just a recipe for hate.”

May

20

2017

Recipe For Hate is @kinsellawarren's upcoming YA novel about how a group of punks from Maine defeated a gang of neo-Nazis. pic.twitter.com/Ibl24QZlHX — Dundurn (@dundurnpress) May 20, 2017

The Political Road Map: A Fairy Tale Wedding

May

20

2017

Today, on this chilly Saturday, a wedding has become official that sounds more like a fairy tale scenario to those involved. No, this fairy tale wedding does not involve Pippa Middleton and her investor husband, but rather a match that might be even more compatible. Today, Donald Trump has taken the necessary measures to strengthen ...

Dead Wild Roses: Space – Where No One Can Hear You Whinge…

May

20

2017

But unfortunately, back here on earth the most oppressed class in Western society – white males – is trumpeting their dismay… nay! anguish! over the lack of white dudery on the upcoming CBS Star Trek Discovery series. Looks star trekkie enough for me. But of for others… One opines that, for fans of a relentlessly ...

The Decarie Report: May 20: Fomat?

May

20

2017

Many years ago when the world and I were young, I was an elementary school teacher. I was with my school principal, who had devoted his life to looking dignified and holding his hands behind his back. (He was the son of a clergyman.) We were listening to the daily news of bank-hold-ups, rapes, human ...

Recreating Eden: Saturday Photo: Forget-me-nots in the Grass

May

20

2017

I don’t believe in lawns, so the little one we have in our small backyard is strewn with many plants other than grass. Among them is mitosis or forget-me-nots which are in bloom extravagantly right now. Never forget how lovely they are…

Warren Kinsella: Present view, 9:23 am Saturday

May

20

2017

Is way better WHEN HYDRO GETS UP HERE TO RESTORE POWER AFTER TWO FULL DAYS.

Accidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links

May

20

2017

Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Dalia Marin argues that in order to avoid corporate dominance over citizens and workers around the globe, we should be developing international competition policies and systems to combat the concentration of wealth: Two forces in today’s digital economy are driving the global decline in labor’s share of total ...

Politics and its Discontents: An Insurmountable Divide

May

20

2017

These days I find myself writing less on this blog and curating interesting material more. In that spirit, I offer the following letters from Star readers. The first one suggests the necessity of engaging the other side of the Trump polarity, while the ones that follow show why that is never likely to happen: Re: ...

Northern Reflections: What Would His Father Say?

May

20

2017

Donald Trump is dismantling his presidency. That doesn’t surprise Tony Schwartz, who ghosted The Art Of The Deal. Schwartz writes: Three decades ago, I spent nearly a year hanging around Trump to write his first book, The Art of the Deal, and got to know him very well. I spent hundreds of hours listening to ...

Babel-on-the-Bay: The darkening clouds of the Trump presidency.

May

20

2017

President Donald Trump took his case to the graduating cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy the other day. They did not rise up in support. They were surprisingly polite. And probably dumbfounded. Trump’s problems are not their concern. When you are commissioned as a junior officer of the United States Coast Guard, your interests ...