The Conservatives have had a (deservedly) rough week, and it’s about to get more rough next week. The Council of Canadians’ court challenge is Monday. The Prime Minister closed out the final news cycle hour this week by actually taking questions from the press, (which has hardly ever happened before).
Continue readingTag: Money
Another Step to Take: safety, efficiency, cost of human lives and work
My children watched part of Back to the Future III a few days ago and afterwards expressed surprise at the amount of walking on train tracks that happens in the show. “Isn’t that dangerous?” they asked and I fumbled to explain how the absolute risk wasn’t that high but that
Continue readingAnother Step to Take: A Handful of Ways to Reduce Poverty
As I was becoming involved with my local Coalition Against Poverty, I found myself surfing the webpages of other poverty reduction groups. The Peterborough Poverty Network has a wonderful poster listing 101 Ways to Reduce Poverty. Many of their suggestions are local to Peterborough, but some of them are relevant anywhere. Some
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada Is Missing The Poverty Line
Canada is holding out its hands asking for change, our country is in poverty and it needs our help. Where other countries are working to reduce their poverty like responsible world citizens, Canada is doing nothing. And worse yet it can’t even hope to lift itself out of poverty because
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Commodity In the Real World
Now @JephMaystruck is reppin' the book Brandwashed by Martin Lindstrom – solid read #SYPElunch— Jackson Middleton (@KiltedBroker) September 19, 2012 Everything in our world is a commodity – everything is either bought or sold and will be recommended or not. #SYPElunch— Jackson Middleton (@KiltedBroker) September 19, 2012 I read Jackson’s
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Fuel Economy Standards To Save U.S. Consumers Billions, Create Jobs, Yet Republicans Say Too Expensive
fuel economy standards.jpg A proposed rule by the Obama Administration to raise fuel economy standards for cars and “light-trucks” is facing mounting attacks by Republican lawmakers. The proposed rule would require all newly manufactured automobiles that fall under the car or light truck category to achieve a minimum gas mileage
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: The Problem With Racists
Focus groups are good at focusing. If there is a strong racist voice in the group, they might start to focus on race. When I heard the news this morning mention the Bank of Canada changed the image of a woman on the $100 because she wasn’t white-bread enough, I
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Fracking Industry Paying Off Scientists For "Unbiased" Safety Studies
science-and-money.jpg As a whole, Americans have an unfortunate tendency to distrust scientists. The number of those who distrust science and scientists is skewed heavily by ideology, with self-identified “conservatives” overwhelmingly saying that they don’t trust science. DeSmogBlog’s own Chris Mooney has spent an enormous amount of time and energy devoted
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: What To Expect When You’re Electing: Representative Paul Ryan
Ryan Romney.jpg With the selection of Wisconsin Republican Representative Paul Ryan has his running mate, Mitt Romney has effectively pushed his campaign into the climate change denying fringe. While Romney hasn’t been considered a friend of the environment since he began running for national office, his tendency towards flip-flopping made
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: How Do You Spend $375 Million A Day? Ask The Oil Industry
oil-money.n.jpg The average U.S. household has seen both their net worth and their average income steadily decline over the last seven years. Unemployment in the United States still remains at uncomfortably high levels, and the poverty rate is about to reach highs that haven’t been seen since the 1960’s. But
Continue readingLeDaro: Money Cannot Buy Happiness
Here is a good example. Tetra Pak heir arrested after wife found dead in London. Eva Rausing and husband Hans Kristian Rausing Couple abused drugs while giving millions to anti-addiction charities. “Eva Rausing was born into a wealthy American family headed by former Pepsi executive Tom Kemeny, and her husband
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Dirty Energy Industry Sues EPA Over Clean Air Initiatives
smoke-stack1.jpg In a blatant insult to the millions of Americans who would breathe easier under the EPA’s air pollution controls, the dirty energy industry, along with other groups, has sued the EPA to stop regulating toxic industrial air pollution. The Center for American Progress has the story: Two essential Environmental
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Free Post-Secondary Education Makes Money
Free post-secondary education would increase incomes, and income taxes would not just recover the initial cost to government but would actually generate additional public revenue. This paper from the Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives compares incomes from higher education and the subsequent increased government revenue from income taxes, and finds
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Fracking Industry Trying To Keep Doctors Silent About Chemical Dangers
doctor silence.jpg Polls conducted in recent years show that close to 80% of Americans trust their doctors. They believe, rightly so, that their personal doctors are looking out for their patients’ best interests, and that doctors will do what is necessary to get patients healthy. But what happens when a
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: House Republicans Attempt To Nix Military’s Clean Energy Initiatives
20090217-army-solar-panel.jpg Republicans on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee have decided that the military’s push for clean, renewable energy has gone far enough, and have proposed for next year’s budget that the Pentagon not spend a dime on renewable energy sources that cost more than traditional dirty energy. This news
Continue readingknitnut.net: Weird encounter at the bank
GC and I want to travel a little, maybe go to Newfoundland or New Orleans or San Francisco…anywhere, really. But when we have money we don’t have time, and when we have time we don’t have money, and sometimes we have neither. So we decided to start tucking a little
Continue readingsomecanuckchick dot com: New coins costing Canadians a lot of cash…
Last month, the Royal Canadian Mint put into circulation a new generation of loonies and toonies. The Royal Canadian Mint, however, did not give Canadian cities official notice of when the new coins would be distributed. Canada’s new loonies and toonies are costing Canadian cities, as well as retailers and
Continue readingFive of Five: Friday Night
Liza Minelli and Joel Grey explain the surprising results in the 2012 Alberta Election. Also, the Toronto Star won five National Newspaper Awards.
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS Doubles Down On Gas Price Talking Points
Karl-Rove.jpg The Karl Rove-helmed lobbying group Crossroads GPS (in conjunction with their parent group American Crossroads) has decided to double down on the debunked talking point that President Obama is to blame for the spike in gas prices. Their latest ad, titled “Too Much,” specifically takes aim at the President’s
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Surrogacy & Prostitution, or Neither
Paying to use a woman’s body for sex is legal in Canada, while paying to use a woman’s body to give birth isn’t. There is no law in this northern nation that makes prostitution illegal but strangely enough there is one that bans paying surrogate mothers to help those who
Continue reading