If you don’t work in one of the building trades then you might not know about engineered stone, but you have definitely seen it and probably touched it. It’s a type of stone made of crushed silica that is pressed together to make a new, and equally durable, stone (it’s
Continue readingTag: australia
The Progressive Economics Forum: Homelessness among Indigenous peoples
I’m writing an open access textbook on homelessness and have just released Chapter 6, which focuses on homelessness experienced by Indigenous peoples—especially in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. A ‘top 10’ overview of the chapter can be found here: https://nickfalvo.ca/homelessness-among-indigenous-peoples/
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: New Zealand & Australia – The Violence Against Women in the name Transactivism
People need to rethink their positions on those claiming to be on the ‘right side of history’. The “Be Kind” transgender activists have proven repeatedly they are nothing of the sort.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Benjamin Mazer writes that of all the other public health analogies, COVID-19 may prove most similar to smoking in the systematic failure of governments to take readily-available steps to prevent widespread harm. Beth Mole reports on research showing that COVID was the leading
Continue readingThings Are Good: Australia Taking Action on Climate Change
Australia (like Canada) has a well-deserved reputation of being a laggard on climate issues and being one of the worst polluters on the planet. The recent Australian election results will likely change that. Australians have been suffering the effects of climate change in the form of increased flooding and devastating
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Nicola Davis reports on new research showing that the effects of long COVID include sustained damage to organs including the heart, lungs and kidneys. – Neal Wilcott and Sean Cleary discuss why businesses would be smart to plan for a net-zero emission
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Will Aussie go green?
Australia shares with Canada and the United States the dubious distinction of being one of the top three per-capita greenhouse gas producers among the industrial countries. The dirty three. Like its brothers it has learned little from experiencing the results of its behaviour. Australia’s 2019-20 bushfire season was the worst
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Female Erasure by Government Bodies – Australian Office of Women
How do you have programs for a certain segment of the population that you cannot define? This is an endpoint of transgender ideology, namely, the erasure of women as a sex class in society.
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Climate shirkers gear up for COP26
The 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) is scheduled for 31 October to 12 November in Glasgow. This is the 26th of the annual conferences and is special in that parties will be expected to ratchet up their climate goals over their pledges made when the Paris Agreement was signed
Continue readingThings Are Good: Tasmania is the First Part of Australia Powered 100% by Renewables
When it comes to energy in Australia your first thoughts are likely to be about coal and exporting coal. Despite the amble sun hitting the country, Australia has been slow on adopting renewable energy. Except for the island of Tasmania. The rather large island has completed the push for energy
Continue readingAlberta Politics: New Zealand eyes reopening borders a crack while Calgary crowd protests ‘draconian’ COVID-19 restrictions
After being declared COVID-19 free last June, New Zealand is ever-so-cautiously moving toward reopening its watery borders to some international travel. With Australia, that is. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (Photo: NewZild, Creative Commons). Australia hasn’t done quite as well countering the coronavirus as New Zealand has, but it’s
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Australian state’s four-point plan to eliminate COVID-19 worked; Alberta did the opposite on every count
A few Albertans may still remember Stephen Duckett, the remarkably undiplomatic Australian health economist hired by Premier Ed Stelmach’s Progressive Conservative government to run the then-just-created Alberta Health Services in 2009. Dr. Duckett had a stellar resume and was obviously great in an interview. However, it turned out, he didn’t
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Murdoch challenged
The most powerful man in the Anglosphere is, I submit, Rupert Murdoch, the world’s most influential media mogul. Yes, even more powerful than the president of the United States. Presidents come and go but News Corp, Murdoch’s media empire, goes on and on. Indeed, Murdoch can make and break presidents
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Right Wing Media in Australia Gets Slapped
Former PM lays out more truth than Newscorp toadies can handle: Watch this remarkable confrontation between a former Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and Paul Kelly, editor-at-large for one of Murdoch's key properties, The Australian. The subject is climate change and the Murdoch empire's disastrous legacy. pic.twitter.com/30OU2uo9XG — Jay Rosen
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: David Hulchanski class discussion
I recently participated in a panel discussion in David Hulchanski’s graduate-level social housing and homelessness course at the University of Toronto. Points raised in the blog post include the fact that all English-speaking countries of the OECD have relatively low levels of public social spending, relatively low levels of taxation,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Heesu Lee reports on Greenpeace’s estimate that air pollution costs the world nearly $3 trillion every year. And Damien Cave writes that this year’s wildfires have permanently changed Australia as people knew it. – Meanwhile, Alice Bell warns against trusting oil barons
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Joseph Stiglitz, Todd Tucker and Gabriel Zucman write about the need for governments to bring in sufficient revenue to act in the public interest. And Sophie Alexander points out some of the millionaires who want their class to contribute their fair share. –
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Dion Rabouin offers a reminder that corporate tax giveaways don’t do anything to help the economy beyond the interests of wealthy shareholders. And Nicole Aschoff discusses the importance of building a model for progressive globalism to counter the reach of international capital. –
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – James Bradley writes about the range of responses to an increasingly threatening climate. And Emma Morris offers some suggestions as to how to become part of the solution to the climate crisis. – Adrienne Buller discusses why the popular and necessary prospect of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Ben Jenkins rightly calls out Australia’s right-wing government and media for caring not a whit for the people seeing their country go up in flames: If you were holding out hope that the cynical and partisan way we currently talk about climate change
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