Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s election on Sunday in a squeaker, defeating incumbent Jair Bolsonaro by a mere two points. It was a victory for more than Lula. In an election perhaps more important for all of us than the U.S. midterms, Lula’s victory improves the chances for survival of
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Accidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Sam Cowie writes about the devastating effect of COVID-19 in Brazil, where a particularly dangerous viral variant is combining with the anti-social Bolsonaro government to cause widespread illness and hunger. And Jenna Moon highlights the worst-case scenario facing Ontario’s health care system,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Kendall Latimer reports that epidemiologists are calling for far stronger public health measures as COVID variants have become the dominant strain – and spread to an alarmingly high number of people already – in Regina. German Lopez discusses the value of a
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Lula—Brazil’s Biden?
Brazil and the United States have at least one thing in common in their recent political histories. Both had popular progressive presidents replaced by fascists: Donald Trump replacing Barack Obama in the U.S. and Jair Bolsonaro replacing Luiz Inácio da Silva (Lula) in Brazil. Both successors proved as incompetent as
Continue readingEvangelicals and Their Populist Prophets
Christian evangelicals are having good innings in the political sphere these days. First, their man Donald Trump becomes president of the U.S.; then another of their populist heroes, Jair Bolsonaro, becomes president of Brazil; and now Bible-toting evangelical Jeanine Anez has assumed the presidency of Bolivia. Hallelujahs all around. Curiously,
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Scapegoating the oil industry
I always admired that great philosopher Pogo. I still remember the picture of he and a friend looking out over their polluted swamp as he uttered those immortal words, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” No scapegoating. It was their swamp and they had messed it up.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Tom Rand and Mike Andrade point out that the Alberta tar sands wouldn’t be sustainable economically even if people ignored their environmental effects. Bruce Livesey offers a reminder that Andrew Scheer’s plans are built entirely around favouring dirty oil at the expense
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – David Lazarus writes about the fundamental dishonesty needed to keep purveying trickle-down spin in the face of all evidence. And Richard Rubin discusses how U.S. Democrats are having a serious discussion about the merits of progressive income and wealth taxes – even
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Greg Wilpert interviews Julia Wolfe about the contract between soaring incomes for CEOs, and stagnant ones for workers. And David Cooper observes that everybody benefits from a fair minimum wage. – Christopher Cheung points out that the presence – or absence – of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – John Nichols interviews Bernie Sanders about the importance of resurrecting the principle of economic rights. Gallup examines how the American public is again recognizing the value of unions. And Simon Goodley writes about the positive effects of shortening the work week to 4
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Evening Links
Assorted content for your Sunday reading. – Binyamin Appelbaum discusses the folly of having turned economic decision-making over to people who somehow saw income inequality and the concentration of wealth as desirable ends. And Geoff Zochodne points out that Canada has been suffering from the “American disease” of having corporate
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
This and that for your weekend reading. – Ryan Nunn, Jimmy O’Donnell and Jay Shambaugh study how the U.S.’ labour movement has been ground down by corporate-controlled governments – and how workers in all kinds of workplaces are worse off as a result. And Robin Tress cautions against allowing businesses
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Evil Men Destroying Our World Have Names
“What is happening here is a crime” – Brazillian fascist President accusing environmentalists of what he’s done. “I am not looking for who is responsible.” https://t.co/SoBmT90cDf — John Klein (@JohnKleinRegina) August 23, 2019 Remember to think well of the dead, even if they wished you and yours death with every
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Mia Rabson reports on a new Climate Action Network report card showing that Canada’s plans for greenhouse gas emissions are as bad as any in the G8, projecting to lead to the same 4 degree temperature increase which would result from from Donald
Continue readingThe Maple Monarchists - Blog: Emperor Pedro II’s 1876 Visit to Canada
Emperor Pedro II Brazil was once an empire. And interms of economic, military, and socialdevelopment it ranks as a golden age ofthat country. Embodying this period ofprogress was Emperor Pedro II (who Iwill need to write a full profile of atsome point). Between suppressing theslave trade, and eventually abolishingit, he
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Unpersonhood of Women to be Confirmed in Brazil – Full Abortion Ban Incoming
I hate the rank smell of religious zealotry, so self-righteous, so sure, so confident that the grand ooga-booga has ordained that the status of women in Brazil needs to be taken down a score of notches. As reported by the CBC: “A congressional committee led by evangelical Christians has
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Today in Extinction News
What a week it’s been on the mass extinction front. It began with an official US delegation to the Bonn climate summit that tried to turn it into a fossil fuels trade show. Sort of like pushing cigarettes at a lung cancer symposium. All class, America. All class. Then there
Continue readingThings Are Good: 70,000 Acres of Rainforest Being Replanted
This week it was announced that carbon in our atmosphere has reached levels not seen for 800,000 years. Clearly we need to do better to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels and the releasing of carbon (and other waste) into the atmosphere. While reduction efforts continue, we need to do
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Tim Bousquet writes that the push toward “social entrepreneurship” ultimately serves to undermine the importance of the public good: My real worry here is that the phrase “social enterprise” is the softer, feel-good end of the push for increased entrepreneurship, which is
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Brazil Having it Own ‘The Jungle’ Moment – Capitalist Meatpacking Woes
“They use everything about the hog except the squeal.” ― Upton Sinclair, The Jungle Driving into work today I listened to a story about how many large countries of the world had recently banned imports of Brazilian beef and chicken into their countries. Reports from a whistle-blower about cardboard being
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