Nelson Mandela For decades after the intrusive CIA fingered Nelson Mandela, the terrorist was imprisoned in South Africa. In spite of his incarceration he never gave up hope. Mandela gained international recognition and upon his eventual release led the South Africans to democracy as their president. Now in his final
Continue readingLet Freedom Rain II: It’s not just Erica Meekes. The PMO is rife with young vermin – Maddy Stieva, Carl-Olivier Rouleau, Stav Nitka, Nick Young, James Mitchell and Grant Dingwall
While many a blogger and journalist blame the PMO for the army of unethical rats for whom integrity and ethics take a backseat to winning (Apathy is Boring!), it is the young Conservative mind that is already sick with dirty tricks and a paucity of morality for the consequences of
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: Vancouver Sun Letter
A letter of mine found its way into the Vancouver Sun today. This one comes in response to a piece last week by Senator Mobina Jaffer about the role of Canada’s Senate in protecting minority rights. In my letter, I argue in favour of abolishing the Senate and ensuring fair
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Harper’s Building All Those Prisons. Why Aren’t We Filling Them With Conservatives?
It’s not like the Conservative ranks, federal and provincial, are short of miscreants who deserve a long stretch behind bars. Yesterday the fellow who was in command on the bridge of the BC Ferry, Queen of the North, was sentenced to four years in prison for criminal negligence causing death
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Alberta Has Been Climate Changed – And It’s Forever
“This is Pacific Northwest U.S. weather we’re getting and we’re not built for it. We didn’t design our cities, our floodways, our flood maps, anything for this. ” – John Pomeroy The deluge that caused such massive flooding throughout southern Alberta has brought other impacts that will remain long after
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Thomas Walkom discusses how a continued economic slump is combining with the Cons’ economic policies to destroy secure jobs in favour of precarious, low-paying work: Those making economic policy from afar may admire creative destruction. Those being destroyed rarely do. Here in
Continue readingThings Are Good: Do You Make the World Better? There’s an App for That
By now most people have heard what a carbon footprint is, but have you heard about your gloabl ‘handprint‘? The notion is that it’s the opposite of a negative counter of your impacts on the planet. Handprints are recorded online or on your phone as you make little (or big)
Continue readingFacing Autism in New Brunswick: Canada Loses an Autism Champion: Andy Scott Passed This Morning
Andy Scott With A Megaphone Supporting Autism Cause with Andrew Kavchak Canada has lost an autism champion with the passing this morning of former Fredericton MP Andy Scott. In a telephone conversation with a friend and fellow autism advocate elsewhere in Canada I once suggested the person contact their federal
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Nothing (All That) New Under the Sun: Solar-Powered Shipi Visits North America
The New York Times has a fascinating video this morning about a solar-powered ship visiting New York. The Turanor Planetsolar circumnavigated the globe last year, and is now following the sun in the Gulf Stream, studying pollution and ocean life. The $17 million catamaran wasn’t built for research but has
Continue readingWise Law Blog: 140 Law – Legal Headlines for Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Tuesday, June 25, 2013: Big Law’s Troubling Trajectory 2013 Pacific Legal Technology Conference goes National Former Gawker interns sue for not being paid ‘a single cent’ Bell accused of breaking labour law with unpaid interns – CBC.ca Federal judge sequesters
Continue readingLisaKirbie.com: Dave from Etobicoke
This made me laugh. Even more because of this. And this.
Continue readingLisaKirbie.com: The PMO needs some adult supervision
The Tories have a lot of problems these days. From Harper’s Chief of Staff writing an ill-advised (and now subject to an ongoing RCMP investigation) $90K cheque to a senator who was caught double-dipping to Elections Canada disasters to plummeting political support. So, what does the Conservative Party brain trust
Continue readingApril Reign: Ashes to Ashes
April Reign Gizmodo has an article on designs that differ from the usual burial experience. Some are wonderful, the wind chime I’m not as sure about. April Reign – In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: St. Thomas forensic mental health centre opens with fanfare and problems
The bright and shiny new Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health has opened in St. Thomas with much fanfare and more than a few problems. The new building may “fight stigma,” as its proponents say, but a bowl of the cafeteria’s soup … Continue reading →
Continue readingeaves.ca: The Uncertain Future of Open Data in the Government of Canada
It is possible to state that presently, open data is at its high water mark in the Government of Canada. Data.gc.ca has been refreshed, more importantly, the government has signed the Open Data Charter committing it to making data “open” by default, and a rash of new data sets have
Continue readingLeDaro: Former Fredericton MP Andy Scott Passes Away
At the age of 58, former MP Andy Scott has passed away after a battle with cancer. Very sad news. He was a very hardworking MP, dedicated to helping the poor and vulnerable. In his post-political career, he played a leading role in establishing the New Brunswick Social Policy Research
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: It’s Never Enough, Is It?
Forget for the moment that Macdonald’s is one of the world’s biggest corporations; forget for the moment that a steady diet of its food will likely shorten your life; forget for the moment that it is a minimum-wage employer whose workers make it possible for them to accrue their billions
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Blatant Hypocrisy
Martin Regg Cohn calls Rob Ford’s bluster, after his meeting with Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa, exactly what it is — blatant hypocrisy. And Cohn provides a little historical context: Once upon a government, when the Mike Harris Tories downloaded social services upon Toronto (with Rob Ford’s father, Douglas, serving
Continue reading350 or bust: Global Warming: Right Here, Right Now
* I’m in Washington DC, attending the fourth annual Citizens Climate Lobby gathering. Monday morning, climate scientist and hero Dr. James Hansen addressed the crowd of 350. And today – big news! – President Obama is making an announcement at Georgetown University, just down the street from where we are meeting.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Does that mean he “Coyned” it?
It was National Post political columnist Andrew Coyne who used the term. He wrote that “Toryism, in its current incarnation, resembles less an ideology than a pathology.” If too many Conservatives look up those big words, Post Media Publisher Paul Godfrey will be getting demands to fire Coyne. Obviously this
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