This morning when I got up, feeling exhausted again from the on-going 30-year stint of sleeplessness and insomnia, I thought, I should take a day off – considering I pretty much never take a day off. (Some people imagine that writers and philosophers sit around all day staring at their
Continue readingTag: Corporations
Writings of J. Todd Ring: The Real Resistance: Lessons From History
It does not require a majority to defeat tyranny and defend liberty, but only a small and dedicated minority – as we saw in the American and French Revolutions, and in the defeat of the first wave of fascism, which arose in the 1930’s (and was greatly loved and
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Glenn Gould On Orwell
Yo, listen up, blokes! (He says, in order to mash and mangle and generally have fun with various voices, inflections, accents and colloquilisms, as Gould was fond of doing himself, rather playfully, but with very serious thought and musings injected into his playfulness – very much like the dark humour
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Kindred Spirits: Tuscany, Navarre, and Captain Picard
I was curious about Navarre, after watching Star Trek TNG “Family”, and seeing that Captain Picard is from (outside) a small village in Navarre. What a fascinating place, rich in landscape and cultural history, with a long tradition of independence as well as diversity. Navarre has been independent for longer
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Coronavirus & Common Sense
“We were once distressed by crimes: now, by laws”, wrote Tacitus. How relevant is that today? Extremely so; but the sheep are trained not to think; and see, therefore, only what they are told to see – which, they obediently do. Orwell would shudder in horror. Still no one can
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Angkor Wat: Reflections On Our Modern World
~*~ Angkor Wat is the crown jewel of a 400 square kilometer set of temples and holy sites, set in the jungles of Cambodia. Built as a Hindu temple in the 12th century, later transformed into a Buddhist temple, Angkor Wat alone is the largest religious monument on Earth. That
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Political-Economy 101
Governments and corporations, and the state-corporate media they control, systematically distort or conceal the truth, peddle illusions and starkly deceitful false narratives, and lie. (Does anyone remember Iraq’s WMDs?) This is political-economy and media studies 101. Unsurprisingly, vested interests tend to serve their own narrow interests – and routinely
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Coronavirus: Facts & Fall-Out
Four explanations of coronavirus outbreak: 1. Standard narrative of Western governments and media: natural virus, extreme danger, draconian measures needed, justified 2. Weaponized biowarfare virus accidentally leaked from Wuhan BSL4 bioweapons lab 3. US elites (military industrial complex, or deep state) launched biowarfare in hybrid war with China, without informing
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The Central Challenge Of Our Time
What is the central challenge of our time? It is not what most people think it is. It is not race or gender, or climate change, or the environment broadly, or issues of war and peace, or poverty, or justice, or equality, or fighting terrorism, crime or violence, WMDs and
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The Dangers Of Denial
When someone fails to realize that China is a deeply authoritarian state, or actively denies it, or likewise does not realize that the US, Canada, the UK and Europe have been taken over by an equally authoritarian corporate oligarchy, I think, have you been living under a rock? Wow. Almost
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: US 2020 Election: One Choice Only – The Oligarchy
Chris Hedges states there is no choice in the 2020 US election if it is a choice between Trump and Biden: both are a vote for the consolidation of the oligarchy. Now that sums it up perfectly well. Mind you, it was the same in 2016. People in Germany felt
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Importing From China: A Virus? Or A Totalitarian Model Of Elite Control?
Someone prescient once said, “Those who would sacrifice a little freedom for a little security, deserve neither, and will lose both.” We would do well to remember those words now. And we are most definitely in the process of losing both, as we speak. But maybe we aspire to be
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Are U.S. capitalists going soft?
The aristocracy of American capitalism can be found on the membership list of the Business Roundtable. The Roundtable, one of Washington’s top lobbyists, includes among its 193 members the chief executives of the cream of the country’s corporations, including Amazon, Apple, Fox, Coca-Cola, General Motors, Goldman Sachs and dozens of
Continue readingToo Big to Fail—A Sound Idea?
So the Ethics Commissioner has slapped the Prime Minister’s wrist, stating in his report I found that Mr. Trudeau used his position of authority over Ms. Wilson‑Raybould to seek to influence, both directly and indirectly, her decision on whether she should overrule the Director of Public Prosecutions’ decision not to
Continue readingThings Are Good: Canada to Monitor Behaviour of Corporations Aboard
Canada announced yesterday that, like other nations, the country will be monitoring how Canadian corporations behave beyond its borders. Over the years there have been too many accounts of corporations based in Canada getting into conflicts and abusing communities of people internationally. Obviously this sort of behaviour is bad for
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: El Salvador – Bans Mining!
“Oxfam hailed today’s passing of a law banning metallic mining by the Salvadoran government. The law comes after years of violence and social tensions around mining in the country and strong opposition to mining from local communities, civil society organizations, the Catholic Church and more than 77% of the country’s
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: We Need to Prepare for Those Worse Than Trump
We can't just worry about Trump, but all those for whom he is paving the way. #Trump #TrumpTapes #SoftFascism #cdnpoli #bcpoli — Politics, Re-Spun (@PoliticsReSpun) October 8, 2016 It’s one thing to lower the bar, but with Trump, someone pulled out the jackhammer and has dug through the floor. But
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: The DNC Superdelegates Can Fix Party Corruption This Week
In case you missed it, Clinton and the DNC are corrupt, and have been for a long time. They and their media partners have worked hard to keep Bernie Sanders from becoming the Democratic nominee for president. And still, he almost won in the primaries and caucuses. What could he have accomplished if the DNC … Continue reading The DNC Superdelegates Can Fix Party Corruption This Week →
Politics, Re-Spun: On Tuesday, Corporate Media Played You. Did You Catch It?
Which was the most important news story on Tuesday this week? And which news story was overshadowed by corporate media coverage of the other 3? Donald Trump was officially nominated and elected as the Republican candidate for president, despite attempts to derail that surreal event. Donald Trump’s wife plagiarized Michelle Obama in her speech. There … Continue reading On Tuesday, Corporate Media Played You. Did You Catch It? →
The Canadian Progressive: Trade Agreements Should Prioritize People, Not Corporations
David Korten argues that the current wave of opposition to profit-oriented trade agreements will force future deals to prioritize people, not transnational corporations.
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