Inequality is on the rise throughout the developed world and there’s no better example of this increase than in the USA. The concept of the “American Dream” has led to an pervasive idea that anybody can become wealthy if they work hard, this concept is damaging because it ignores the
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The Political Road Map: Oh Canada, Our Canada!
Canada has just turned 150 years old and while this is a milestone worthy of great celebration, it is important to remember that our country is actually much older. As we look at the past 150 years, many Canadians have different interpretations on what exactly it has meant. The truth
Continue readingThings Are Good: Using a Blockchain to Rebuild Trust in Governments
Cryptocurrencies have popularized the use of a digital concept called a blockchain. These blockchains can be used to track transactions and increase accountability of shared networks. If this sounds familiar, a few months ago we looked at how blockchain technology can be used to track physical items. Citizens around the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Danny Dorling sets out how a more equal society leads to benefits for everybody. And Annie Lowrey discusses Richard Reeves’ take on the separation between the top 20% of the income spectrum and the rest of the U.S. – particularly in preventing social
Continue readingThings Are Good: It’s Not the 99%, Class is About the Top 80%
Since the Occupy movement in 2011 there has been conversations about the 99% versus the 1% of wealth holders. The idea then was to show the massive inequality between those in the top 1% of society and everybody else – sadly that inequality has only grown. The rich get richer
Continue readingMind Bending Politics: Human Rights Appears To Be An Issue In New Ontario Autism Program
Minister of Children and Youth Services Micheal Coteau has been a champion of human rights especially in the black community and around racism, but when it comes to autistic kids it may be a different story. Coteau made an announcement yesterday that was very short on detail regarding the
Continue readingWe Pivot: Dignity, Ontario and the Minimum Wage
Any second now, the Ontario government will announce what it will do for workers. It’s called the Changing Workplaces Review. And if you haven’t noticed, the value of work has been in decline for a couple generations and the 1% … [Read more]
Continue readingThings Are Good: First Nations Reserves Across Canada to get Toronto Library Cards
A fantastic way to share stories and knowledge is through books and public library systems. Unfortunately too many indigenous reserves and communities in Canada don’t have access to a library, which is having a negative impact on knowledge sharing. The Toronto Public Library system will be extending their library services
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: About The WomanMeansSomething Violence Database
So, a man by the name of Paul Dirks has created a “Sexual Violence Database” which he claims shows a strong correlation between jurisdictions where trans rights have been provided in law and an increase in sexual predation in female designated spaces. I downloaded the raw data and took a
Continue readingcentre of the universe: Acting Your Age
Here’s the thing. We live in a society that values youth over experience, wisdom, ability and knowledge. I’m not sure why we do that, but children are more valuable to us than non-children, which also translates into vilifying people who opt not to breed. There’s a whole bunch going on
Continue readingWe Pivot: Feminism and Intersectionality, LIVE!
Feminism, intersectionality, activism in a world spinning out of rationality? Need to some grounding, inspiration and joy? Want to see the woman who invented the word “intersectionality”? Here’s what should be on your plate tomorrow night at 730pm PST! Tony … [Read more]
Continue readingThings Are Good: Respecting Human Rights When Negotiating Trade Deals
money Donald Trump ran a campaign that championed the need to renegotiate the North American Free trade Agreement (NAFTA) to better help Americans. Trump’s erratic behaviour means we won’t know if NAFTA will ever be renegotiated, however the need to talk about trade in a new lens is needed (of
Continue readingThings Are Good: The Future of Economics is a Doughnut
Economists have focussed on just one thing for the last hundred years or so: making money. That might sound fine, but classically these economists have ignored the societal and environmental costs of their proposed money making schemes. Their willful ignorance has unleashed climate change on us all, and that’s precisely
Continue readingThings Are Good: Basic Income Being Tested in Ontario
Basic income is a concept that is being tried in Finland and now in Canada. The idea is to give people just enough money to live off of regardless of their situation. People can live a barebones life using basic income, but in order to afford things like travel or
Continue readingcentre of the universe: The Inadvertent Feminist
I have the most bizarre memory. I mean, I can remember things that happened when I was 2. I remember locker combinations from high school. I remember school seating plans from elementary school. Yet I can’t remember my kids’ names on a regular basis, or whether I’ve seen a particular
Continue readingThings Are Good: Millennials Don’t Want to Work for Jerks
Generational distinctions are mostly meaningless, although sometime there is a glimpse into cultural trends based on age. One generational difference that is a good one to see (among many) is that “millennials” don’t want to work for jerks. Workplaces used to worship the leaders who pushed people around and were
Continue readingThings Are Good: A Living Wage Makes for a Good Business Plan
Helmi Ansari started a successful business and understands what’s it like to worry about paying the bills – and knows that when you’re stressed about paying bills you’re not focussed at the job at hand. This is why he pays all of his employees a living wage. A living wage
Continue readingThings Are Good: Get Rewarded for Supporting Civil Disobedience
If your idea to change the world is creative enough then you could get $250,000 from LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman. Technically, it’ll be from MIT Media Lab with money from Hoffman. The Lab and Hoffman teamed up to ensure that creative civil resistance in the USA doesn’t die under the
Continue readingWe Pivot: Community First, Deportations Second?
Residents were upset that the president who promised to deport undocumented immigrants was rounding up undocumented immigrants in order to deport them. “I knew he was Mexican, but he’s been here so long, he’s just one of us,” Debra Johnson, … [Read more]
Continue readingWe Pivot: Why Most Young People Can’t Buy a Home in Vancouver
Did you know that if you sell a house in Vancouver, if it’s your primary residence, you pay no tax on the profit? The lack of any capital gains tax on selling one’s primary residence contributes to the manic increase … [Read more]
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