A year ago last March, I took Vic Toews to task for granting CSIS the authority to trade in information derived from torture. In that post, I described a scenario in which the torture of one, possibily innocent, person of interest could easily lead to the torture of additional, possibly
Continue readingCowboys for Social Responsibility: Memo to a career backbencher
Memo To: Conservative Party backbench MPs From: Someone from a media shop wearing short pants Subject: Cabinet Shuffle Q&As _____________________________________________________ Many of your constituents will be contacting your office to discuss Prime Minister Harper’s New Faces and Experienced Hands cabinet shuffle. Use these approved talking points to respond to all
Continue readingCowboys for Social Responsibility: Memo to a career backbencher
Memo
To: Conservative Party backbench MPs
From: Someone from a media shop wearing short pants
Subject: Cabinet Shuffle Q&As
_____________________________________________________
Many of your constituents will be contacting your office to discuss Prime Minister Harper’s New Faces and Experienced Hands cabinet shuffle. Use these approved talking points to respond to all questions.
Q1) Why
Continue readingCowboys for Social Responsibility: Memo to a career backbencher
Memo To: Conservative Party backbench MPs From: Someone from a media shop wearing short pants Subject: Cabinet Shuffle Q&As _____________________________________________________ Many of your constituents will be contacting your office to discuss Prime Minister Harper’s New Faces and Experienced Hands cabinet shuffle. Use these approved talking points to respond to all
Continue readingTrashy's World: Citizen article on OCDSB playstructures
Great piece on the state of playstructures in Ottawa Carleton District School Board schools. I’m hoping the Board steps up in the fall and ups its funding commitment to playstructure renewal projects. I, as a parent and member of school council, would like our school’s volunteer efforts to focus on
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: God’s Tweets with a Shoutout for Trayvon
I just finished hacking into God’s twitter account. Here’s a sampling of what’s on his mind and, if you’re some guy named Zimmerman, you might want to skip this: I don’t recall Native Americans being urged to ‘stand their ground.’ To believe in the Bible it helps not to read
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: About those jobs without people, Minister Kenney
Upon being appointed Minister of the newly renamed “Employment and Social Development” (formerly HRSDC), Mr. Kenney tweeted his view on the Canadian labour market: “I will work hard to end the paradox of too many people without jobs in an economy that has too many jobs without people. #shuffle13“ Coincidentally,
Continue readingBuckdog: By Appointing Pierre Poilievre To ‘Democratic Reform’ Portfolio, Stephen Harper Is Preparing To Do Battle With Elections Canada And The Press
The nasty little piece of work known as Pierre Poilievre has three big ‘issues’ on the list with his newly assigned ‘Democratic Reform’ responsibilities:-Corruption in the Senate-The upcoming RoboCalls Trial of Michael Sona-Requests for legislative changes to The Elections Act by the Chief Electoral Officer.-Mr. Harper has no intention of
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Zimmerman and Alexander: Racism and Sexism in America
Can you handle the contradictions? I’ve been seen things in twitter for the last few days that puts some grotesque perspective on the American culture. I’m actually quite speechless: Two Florida towns, 125 miles apart. Two people firing weapons at unarmed aggressors, purportedly in self-defense. George Zimmerman, the 29-year-old neighborhood-watch
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Conor’s Fredericton Adventures 2013 Part I
Conor & Dad, couple of hosers enjoying the snow, eh? Conor’s Saint John River view clear day, above, not so clear below Conor helps Dad with a visit at the Chalmers Hospital Acute Care Unit Conor and Mom head out for a stroll on the North Riverfront Trail Conor changes
Continue readingCanadian Dimension | Articles: Why are Canada’s Trains Vulnerable? Good Old Capitalist Cost-Cutting
The fireball in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, flashed around the world last week as a very hot news item. Thirty-five people are now confirmed to have been killed, with 15 more still missing and presumed dead, as a result of the explosions of crude oil carried by the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic
Continue readingCanadian Dimension Feed: Why are Canada’s Trains Vulnerable? Good Old Capitalist Cost-Cutting
The fireball in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, flashed around the world last week as a very hot news item. Thirty-five people are now confirmed to have been killed, with 15 more still missing and presumed dead, as a result of the explosions of crude oil carried by the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Pat Robertson Offers His ‘Expert’ Opinion On Trayvon Martin
There seem to be no limits to Pat Robertson’s prodigious intellect. One wonders when God will ‘call him home‘ for the rest he so richly deserves. Recommend this Post
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Sun Media urged to reverse “self-destructive” plan to nuke 360 jobs
CWA Canada is urging Sun Media to reverse its “self-destructive plan” to nuke 360 jobs and 11 publications, and to instead focus on quality local jobs and journalism to boost profits. The post Sun Media urged to reverse “self-destructive” plan to nuke 360 jobs appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Huffington Post Canada: Telus Exec: Canada Should Have Highest Wireless Rates, But Doesn’t
The OECD has recently released the 2013 Communications Outlook, a major international report issued once every two years with detailed comparative data on telecommunications throughout 34 countries that make up the OECD. That report confirmed what most of us already know – that Canadians do indeed pay some of the
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: The sum of all knowledge
In his 2004 book, The Know-It-All, A. J. Jacobs tells of his quest to become “the smartest person in the world” by reading the Encyclopedia Britannica from cover to cover. Right away, you can see the fly in this intellectual ointment: knowledge doesn’t equal intelligence. Jared Diamond, in his introduction
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Why does BC have the highest poverty rate in Canada?
Statistics Canada recently released new data on the incomes of Canadians and it shows two worrisome trends continuing through the economic recovery: BC has the highest poverty rate in Canada and the highest child poverty rate (tied with Manitoba); and Ordinary families haven’t had a raise since 2008 – family
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Don’t Let Your Life Insurance Premiums Lapse
This is no time to be cavalier about your life insurance premiums. In case you hadn’t noticed, Rona Ambrose, the talking hairdo, has been rewarded for years of incompetence by being named Canada’s minister of health. When Ambrose was first appointed EnviroMin, Hill Times revealed that after eight months in
Continue readingLisaKirbie.com: NDP says new minister knows what it takes to get head. Wait, what?
Third paragraph.* *I get that it’s a typo but it’s the BEST TYPO EVER! H/T David Akin
Continue reading