This and that for your Thursday reading. – Molly Ball writes about the false assumptions underlying far too much political discussion – with one looming as particularly significant for Canadian purposes: 5. Campaign ads really, really, really don’t make much difference. In this part of the paper, Fiorina’s exasperation becomes
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Dead Wild Roses: At the End of Capitalism’s Rope – BENJAMIN J. GEORGE
I suggest you go to Counterpunch and read the whole article, but here we see the benefit of Marx’s analysis of capitalism. “In Stack’s “manifesto”, he quotes Karl Marx. Ironically, Marx is useful here. Explaining how human labor-power is objectified in commodities, which then become realized as social relations once
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Growing Gap Of Truck Drivers Will Be Costly To Canadian Economy
By The Conference Board of Canada (Press Release) | Feb. 21, 2013: OTTAWA – Tens of thousands of truck drivers are approaching retirement age, but very few young people and immigrants are entering the industry. A new Conference Board of Canada report concludes that the gap between the supply of drivers and
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
That and that for your Sunday reading. – Alex Himelfarb weighs in against gratuitous austerity by pointing out the dishonest cycle of excuses used to push destructive policy: (T)he consequences of cuts are increasingly visible, first for the most vulnerable: aboriginal communities struggling to meet basic needs, higher tuitions and
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content for your Friday reading. – Zoe Williams questions when being poor became grounds for deliberate discrimination and ritual public humiliation (h/t to Mound of Sound): What I cannot help noticing is a failure of normal human respect for the people at the bottom of the heap – Tuesday’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Marc Lee and Iglika Ivanova offer up a framework for a more progressive and fairer tax system. – Andrew Hanon looks behind the Fraser Institute’s labour-bashing and finds that what it’s really criticizing is fair pay for women in the public sector.
Continue readingwmtc: marxism 2012 program notes: from each according to their ability: the role of socialists in disability movement
This is the final post of my notes from the 2012 Marxism Conference. This was the first Marxism conference to include a talk on disability, an exciting development full of potential. I wanted to blog about it in great detail. A friend was recording the talk, so I stopped taking
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Yves Engler discusses the importance of a “social wage” – and how the minimum standard of living we’re prepared to tolerate affects the well-being of all kinds of workers: These attacks against the poor and unemployed should be opposed by anyone who
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: CUPE: “We cannot and will not let Stephen Harper silence our voice”
“We cannot and will not let Stephen Harper silence our voice and we will not accept any form of right to work legislation.” by Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) | Feb. 6, 2013: At its first national bargaining conference the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) promised to fight against attacks on
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – The CP reports on the Canadian applicants rejected by HD Mining as it chose instead to staff its Murray River coal project solely with low-rights temporary immigrant workers: The unions, which are more broadly seeking a judicial review of Ottawa’s decision to
Continue readingwmtc: three library issues, part 2: rfid self-checkout
Increasing numbers of public libraries are moving towards a self-checkout system, based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. This is not the slow and often painful process you encounter in Ikea or Home Depot, where customers are forced to supply free labour by doing the work of cashiers, while corporations pocket
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Tension, merger pains to intensify at Ontario child welfare agency: CUPE
By Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) | Jan. 30, 2013: Tension and merger pains tied to amalgamating two area child welfare agencies will intensify next week unless labour turmoil is avoided this weekend, warn front line workers at Family and Children’s Services of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville in Ontario. Determined
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: In B.C., more than 200 community living workers go on strike today
More than 200 community living workers in the Kootenays and Salmon Arm to go on strike starting on Thursday, January 31. by CUPE British Columbia | Jan. 30, 2013: VANCOUVER, B.C. – Community Living workers who support people with developmental disabilities at agencies in Trail, Castlegar, Creston, and Salmon Arm will be on
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: MiningWatch Canada: Rape Victims Must Sign Away Rights to Get Remedy From Barrick Gold
by Mining Watch Canada | Jan. 30, 2013 Ottawa – Washington, D.C. – Oxford – Following years of denial, Barrick Gold is implementing a remedy program for victims of rape by employees of its Porgera Joint Venture (PJV) mine in Papua New Guinea (PNG). In order to receive a remedy
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Alison highlights the attempts of Sun TV to rally the most extreme reactionary movements in the country behind its bid for mandatory carriage. And the question of whether we want to publicly sanction a network beholden to such interest groups would seem to
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canadian Labour Congress says corporations hoarding cash, paying fat compensation to CEOs
CLC report: Corporate Tax Freedom Day is January 30 – Big businesses hoard cash from tax giveaways, not investing in jobs by Canadian Labour Congress | Jan. 29, 2013 OTTAWA – A research study by the Canadian Labour Congress shows that CEOs in Canada could be dancing in their suites to celebrate
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: CUPE Alberta to support ‘Common Causes’
by CUPE | Jan. 29, 2013: EDMONTON – The President of the Alberta Division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees has pledged her support for ‘Common Causes’ a network of progressive activists looking for a change in direction on Aboriginal, environmental and democratic issues in Canada. “We can’t fight
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: OPSEU congratulates Wynne, calls for commitment to “the 99 per cent”
by Ontario Public Service Employees Union | Jan. 27, 2013: TORONTO – The president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union has congratulated Kathleen Wynne on her victory in the Ontario Liberal Party leadership race and is calling on her to make fairness the guiding principle of her government when she becomes the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Susan Delacourt comments on the role of robocalls in turning citizens away from politics – though it’s worth pointing out that the Cons may well see that as a desirable result to capitalize on a modest base of support: What may need more
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