I know that many before me have felt that they live during times in which their fellow man’s limited intelligence rules the day, much to their chagrin. I can imagine how learned people felt in Europe during two thousand years of endless war and carnage, first in the name of
Continue readingTag: environment
Politics and its Discontents: Gwynne Dyer on Our Future
I have been writing lately about environmental degradation and the bleak future that seems to await us. On that theme, (and because I have a busy morning ahead of me) I am providing a link to an article by Gwynne Dyer, who argues that because of our huge global population
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: Conservative attacks on eco groups should give LPC an opportunity to reach out
A lot has been written about the attacks on environmental groups in the recent Conservative budget, most of it negative, such as this Globe and Mail editorial: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/budgets-new-rules-unfairly-target-environmental-groups/article2387590/ While the Conservatives are wasting your tax dollars to go after legitimate environmental groups (full disclosure: I am currently working part time
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Susan Delacourt notes that while the NDP’s leadership convention points out some of the risks of online voting, the real problem lies in the people working to block democracy through any available means: While those who use computers have become accustomed to the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your weekend. – Karl Nerenberg reported on Marc Mayrand’s Robocon testimony, featuring some much-needed discussion of what can be done to improve the Canada Elections Act to ensure fair elections rather than creating an incentive for electoral fraud: Mayrand fretted to the Committee that there are
Continue readingLeftist Jab: "If there was ever a Northern Alberta budget, this is it." Rona Ambrose
Symbolically, Parliament has already moved to Suncor’s plant in Fort McMurray. “The West wants in”! Substitute “West” by “Conservative Alberta” and this budget illustrates just how far “in” they are and how they’ve thrown everyone else out. As Rona Ambrose expresses quite clearly, there is very little relief for much
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Canada’s Scorched Earth Hour
8:30pm tonight is Earth hour, where towns and cities in more than 135 countries turn off their lights. For one hour. To save the planet from climate change. To be fair, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature conceived of Earth Hour as an awareness-raising tool, to get people engaged and
Continue readingArt Threat: Of Waves, Bears and Oil – Friday Film Pick: Tipping Barrels
Tipping Barrels (Ben Gulliver, 2012) is one part surfing movie, one part wildlife documentary, one part guy flick and one part political commentary. It’s for parts two and four that I include it as this week’s Friday Film Pick. The short doc, running at 18 minutes, gazes in on British
Continue readingHarper getting serious about squashing environmental groups. $8M worth of serious.
This is beyond bold. Harper setting aside $8 million to fight environmental groups is appalling of course and a sign that Harper’s totalitarian approach to governance is just beginning. A recent Maclean’s analysis suggests the initiative is aimed directly at Tides Canada, a registered charity which spends some of its
Continue readingNobody Sings it Like The Raging Grannies
Check out this video posted back in January of the Raging Grannies, doing what they do best; singing for social and environmental justice. With the release of the Conservative Government’s 2012 Budget today we now know where the environment stands. It doesn’t. Regulations will be further cut in the name
Continue readingPacific Free Press: First Nations Constitutional Challenge Industrial Cumulative Effects & Tar Sands on Treaty Rights
Special thanks to Oemissions for updating me on this case. The following is an article from the Pacific Free Press, the only news outlet that seemed at all interested in this story today, given that the Federal government released it’s budget for 2012. Keep in mind, in this new budget,
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Send message to protect environmental reviews
Today’s budget announcements make it clear that long-standing legal protections for the environment, including environmental reviews of major industrial projects like mines and oil pipelines will soon be rolled back or eliminated. For decades, Canadians have depended on the federal government to safeguard our families and nature from pollution, toxic
Continue readingCanadian Progressive World: Harper Conservatives Target Registered Charities
So far, the Conservative government’s fear-mongering has targeted anti-capitalism movements, environmentalists, Aboriginal groups, activists, foreign special interest groups, so-called “issue-based terrorists” and other imaginary “enemies of the state”. Now add registered Canadian charities to the hit list. Charities registered in … Continue reading →
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Stephen Maher and Glen McGregor report that the Council of Canadians is leading the charge in challenging election results which may have been influenced by Robocon. And perhaps the most noteworthy point as to how the move may shine a spotlight on
Continue readingThings Are Good: Denmark Increases Green Energy Transition
Denmark is getting looking to have 50% of it’s energy come from wind power and are looking to further their need to import any energy at all. Not only is Denmark looking to lower the need for foreign energy they are trying to decrease the amount of energy that the
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Enbridge Pipe Dreams and Nightmares
CCPA released today a report by yours truly on the economic costs and benefits of the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline. In particular, I take aim at the outrageous claims about jobs made by the feds and Enbridge as part of their sales pitch. The report takes a closer look at the input-output
Continue readingPaulitical Satire: Who’s Tired of Double Standards?
So, as I wrote this title, I realized that this post could have been referring to just about anything, so let me clarify: I’m talking about the double standard we’re witnessing in the debate regarding environmental organizations accepting some international funding.I was talking to my friend who runs a great blog over
Continue readingwmtc: david suzuki fights back: he needs our help
If you have not already done so, please take a moment and send a letter to the Canadian Senate, calling on them to tone down their offensive rhetoric, and stop trying to marginalize and demonize Canadians who stand up for the future of the country (and the planet) by opposing
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
Random readings to occupy your time. – Stephen Maher and Glen McGregor are still digging into Robocon – with a focus on figuring out exactly how “Pierre Poutine” assembled lists of anti-Con voters to target. And Sixth Estate both points out that the count of affected ridings is up to
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Why I’m Voting for Nathan Cullen
Nathan Cullen has my vote. Let me begin by saying that we are at an historical moment in Canadian history. We are being besieged by an increasingly draconian corporatist, neo-conservative and neoliberal Conservative Party government which is far worse than Mulroney’s free trade corporatist “Progressive” Conservatives from a generation ago. This government is an
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