This and that for your Sunday reading. – Margaret Somers and Fred Block write about Karl Polanyi’s critique of the free-market myth and its increased relevance today: (F)ree-market rhetoric is a giant smokescreen designed to hide the dependence of business profits on conditions secured by government. So, for example, our
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Politics, Re-Spun: Most BCers Want to Get Off Fossil Fuels. Not Joking.
#PostCarbonEnergyInfrastructure. I know, I know, it’s a really clunky Twitter hashtag, so let’s just think of it as a concept for a second! Infrastructure: the systems in place for things like water systems, roads, the interwebz, electrical cabling, train tracks; and social infrastructure are things like the health, education, welfare,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Lana Payne discusses the need to address inequality through our political system. But that will require significant pressure from exactly the citizens who have decided they’re not well served by today’s political options – and Trish Hennessy’s look at Canadian voter turnout reminds
Continue readingThings Are Good: Bank: Toronto’s Trees Worth $7 Billion
One of Canada’s largest banks has announced that their economic research has concluded that in Toronto alone the tree canopy is worth $7 Billion (CAD). The non-monetary value of trees is obvious to most people and usually that’s enough to justify keeping trees around. However, there are people who only
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: What Does Soft Fascism Look Like These Days?
We don’t see brown shirts and jackboots, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t seeing the de-democratization of our society. In Vancouver this month, armed police with guns drawn, raided a house because they suspected people inside not of being terrorists, but of spray painting “No Pipelines” all over the place.
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Control Freak PM Steve Harper Is Monitoring Anti Fracking Protesters
Richard Hughes With our paranoid PM Steve Harper it is all about control and with this reality in mind we head into what promises to be a hot summer of discontent. He has empowered his ‘Government Operations Centre’ to monitor all anti fracking protests. Monitoring is really just a
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: President Obama Is Setting The Stage For Climate Recovery. Our PM ‘Smokestack Steve’ Has Refused To Act
Did you ever think that we would see the day when Canada would fall behind other nations including the Unites States when it comes to reducing carbon pollution? Check out this report from Eco Watch and then commit yourself to being a part of a great Canadian pushback to rid
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan And Kinder Morgan On A Collision Course
‘GreenUp or Brown Out’ Skirmishes over access for Kinder Morgan and Spectra to Lower Mainland properties show the debate over Canada’s energy future is washing up on local streets. Common Sense Canadian’s Damien Gillis covers the latest developments that has Kinder Morgan spinners altering the proposed route and now want
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: It is not ‘Miller Time’ Dan, Green Up or Brown Out!
Richard ‘Hub’ Hughes- Here is disappointing post from former NDP Premier Dan Miller. It reads like the flashback that it is. Time will tell whether Miller’s missive will be embraced, rejected or ignored by the new BC NDP opposition leader, John Horgan. Dan Miller: How will we pay
Continue readingThings Are Good: Obama Takes On Coal Power Plants
Coal is one of the worst sources for energy given that its contribution to destruction of our planet is unmatched. There have been attempts to make coal branded as “clean coal” but even then, the radiation emitted from coal power plants is too high and the pollutants released into the
Continue readingwmtc: this year’s garden and diego’s new favourite food
Three years ago, we planted our first-ever garden, really a tiny garden-ette, growing two tomato plants and some daisies. (I had forgotten about the flowers til I saw that older post.) I really enjoyed growing the vegetables, and was surprised and pleased to learn that it wasn’t very time-consuming, at
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Lying Leona Gets Out The Muzzle
I wonder when this medieval government in Ottawa will get out the real muzzles? Lying Leona will throw away the keys.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – David Graeber writes that unfettered capitalism will never tame itself, but will instead need to be countered by a sufficiently strong counter-movement to seriously question its underpinnings. And Thomas Frank follows up with Graeber about the warped incentives facing workers as matters stand
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Don’t let any ‘celebrities’ tell you different, we’ve got friends of science here in Alberta
Don’t worry: you have absolutely nothing to do with the apocalypse. You might as well mine more bitumen while you wait for it. Below: Barry Cooper; another version of the Friends of Science billboard; yet another great billboard supporting democracy and the people. Billboard photos found on the Internet. Alberta’s
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: CVRD Finally Approves Increased Compostables For The Fisher Road Recycling Facility
Richard ‘Hub’ Hughes- Recycled, Reliable, Rejuvinated Cowichan Citizen Editor Andrea Rondeau’s front page story in Friday’s Citizen regarding Fisher Road Recycling (FRR) being allowed increased capacity to accept feedstock may or may not mark the end of a long drawn out struggle between Owner Dave Laing and CVRD’s Cobble Hill
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that to end your weekend. – Lana Payne challenges the Big Lie that right-wing politics are anything but antithetical to broad economic growth. Dennis Howlett weighs in on the Cons’ choice to make the rich even richer through their tax policy. And Daniel Tencer juxtaposes the boom in
Continue readingAlberta Diary: Right-wing Rage Machine readies the Full Neil Young Treatment for Archbishop Desmond Tutu
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu will now be subjected to the full Neil Young Treatment for speaking out against overdevelopment of Alberta’s Bitumen Sands. (CBC Photo.) Below: Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Ric McIver; Mr. Young, back in the days when Albertans were still allowed to love him. Retired South African
Continue readingreeves report: MNR lacks real-time data on controversial spring bear hunt
Black bear. (Flickr photo by Casey Brown) JUST OVER HALFWAY through the reintroduced six-week spring bear hunt, which runs from May 1 to June 15, the province of Ontario has issued close to 2,300 licenses for black bears. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Natural Resources has no idea how many of those
Continue readingreeves report: Environmental Legislation Killed by the Ontario Election
Environment Minister Jim Bradley and Natural Resources Minister David Orazietti speak with reporters at Queen’s Park. June, 2013. (Photo by Andrew Reeves) SO WE KEEP WAITING. Ontario’s environmental community had reason for optimism when Kathleen Wynne assumed leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party in January 2013, knowing the new premier
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – PressProgress digs into the PBO’s report on tax giveaways to look at what Canada has lost from the Cons’ cuts to federal fiscal capacity – and how little has been gained as a trade-off: (T)he Harper government, by starving the public coffers, is
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