No one should have to live in fear. Death by airstrike, death by rocket. Same result. I cannot even imagine having to deal with every day life in Gaza, especially if I had children. “I am used to the bombings, but my children are worried. So I have to keep
Continue readingTag: International Affairs
Dead Wild Roses: Turkish Canaries – Capitalism Doing What it Does Best
The general capitalist framework sets up people and resources for exploitation. Without a strong social democratic counterweight to capitalist exploitation we necessarily get the tragic results as exemplified by the mine disaster in Soma, Turkey. “Turkish police are investigating 18 people, including mining company executives and personnel, as part of
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: John Pilger – A World War is Beckoning
I’m frightened for the wrong reasons. If I listened and believed what I was supposed to believe I would be afraid that the Russians are provoking the West into military conflict in Ukraine. The problem is that I’m more of afraid of what We are doing to destabilize the
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Tabacco Farming – Child Labour in the USA
The news: If you’re a 7-year-old in the U.S., you are by law too young to buy a cigarette at the counter — but you are old enough to work in the tobacco fields as a day laborer. Human Rights Watched released a disturbing report Wednesday on child labor in
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: When Insanity Becomes Normal – Venezuela
We are not hearing much about Venezuela at the moment, here is a brief snippet of what life is currently like in parts of that country. Many thanks to Minute Physics for posting this news. Filed under: International Affairs Tagged: Minute Physics, News, Update, Venezuela
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: When Insanity Becomes Normal – Venezuela
We are not hearing much about Venezuela at the moment, here is a brief snippet of what life is currently like in parts of that country. Many thanks to Minute Physics for posting this news. Filed under: International Affairs Tagged: Minute Physics, News, Update, Venezuela
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Ukraine – What the hell is going on?
The situation in the Ukraine has me puzzled. The violence and protests leading up to the deposing of the Ukrainian president were not given much coverage in the media that I follow/ or I just plain missed it. Whatever the case may be, I’m getting a couple of nearly diametrically
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Our Mendacious Media – The Conflict in Venezuela
This article from counterpunch nails whats is wrong with how news is reported here in North America and also give a much different picture of what is going on in Venezuela. A big thanks to Mark Weisbrot for getting the down and dirty on events happening in South America. The
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Ukraine – The Renters’ Curse
What is so not-awesome about our news media is its propensity to relay to us news and events without the background context necessary have said news event make sense. Go take a look at the CBC’s reporting on what is happening in the Ukraine. I’ll reproduce the headlines here for
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Tuesday Craft Corner
In honour(?) of the Olympic Spirit(TM), my current crochet project is a pair of Salute to Putin gloves. I’ll be able to finish them when the rainbow yarn I ordered arrives. And, below the fold, a Fiona photobomb because I know you want more Fiona. Filed under: Cute, International Affairs
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: CATSA – On the Cutting Edge of Airport Stupidity (errr..Security)
***TW – Extreme Incompetence *** The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority are on eternally vigilant for dread items such as this: or this: Obviously items depicted above are a clear and present danger to yourself, your fellow passengers, the airplane, and Western Civilization(!). Trying to get either types of
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Arbourist Casts Skeptical Eye Toward EU/Canada FTA.
Harper turns kitten eating grin to 11. The European Union/Canadian Free Trade agreement was unexpectedly foisted onto the Canadian public – like driving over a deep pothole at night, the consequences of this agreement require the public to pull over and carefully examine the damage done to our society and
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Why Bother with the Stupid Nobel Prize?
This from the Raw Story: “Yet in the peace-giving west, the award remains significantly venerated – a testament, surely, to being a dynamite idea in principle (if you’ll forgive the cliched reference to Alfred Nobel’s other gift to the world) but a mostly damp squib in practice. Understandably, it is
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Russia: The Westboro Baptist of Nations
Ms.Betty Bowers thoughts on the 2014 Olympics. Filed under: Ethics, Gender Issues, International Affairs Tagged: bigotry, discrimination, Olympics, Russia
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Chris Hedges’ 2003 Rockford College Commencement Address – Speaking Truth to Power
Let us take a good look at how free speech and competing idea’s are treated at a American College. You wonder why so many people just roll their eyes when the words American and enlightened are mentioned in the same sentence. What gets me is that these are the supposed
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Beautiful Bridge of Life
A couple nights ago I was wading about the web, waiting for sleepiness to find me when I came across this video. It exhibits the most beautiful project I’ve seen to in a very long time. On the surface, it is a colossal exercise of empathy and caring for those
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Spot the Problem?
Of course, it could just be me… Filed under: International Affairs, Social Science Tagged: Helpful Infographics, Public Sector, USA
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Avez-Vous Des Bigots? Je Pense, ‘Oui’
The last week or so my view of humanity world over has been severely soured. I’ve often expressed an attitude that Alberta is the ‘Texas of Canada’ when it comes to issues of equality and progressive society. Hidden in that stance is the inference that other places aren’t as backward,
Continue readingTaylorOwen.com: The OpenGlobal Show #1
This week, in partnership with Google, we launched a new feature on OpenCanada.org called the OpenGlobal Show. Each episode, I will connect with a panel of friends/colleagues/experts on international affairs through Google Hangout. For the first episode, the panelists were: Ivan Sigal, Executive Director, Global Voices Joshua Foust, International affairs writer, analyst,
Continue readingeaves.ca: How Hackers Will Blow Up The World: China, Cyber-Warfare and the Cuban Missile Crisis
I have a piece on TechPresident I really enjoyed writing about how certain technologies – as they become weaponized – can in turn become highly destabilizing to global stability. The current rash of Cyber-Warfare, or Cyber-Spying or Cyber-crime (depending on the seriousness and intent with which you rate it) could
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