New Democratic party candidate Linda McQuaig caused a bit of a stir in the first week of the federal election campaign when she said that in order to meet the national carbon emission reduction targets, we’d likely have to leave most of the oil sands oil in the ground, undeveloped.
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The failure of the Information Age
It seems only a short while ago, as the Internet and the World Wide Web made their appearance, that prophets talked of a new enlightened age. All the world’s knowledge would henceforth be available to everyone everywhere. With every person and every world leader able to obtain all the facts
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: New studies show babies have basically decent impulses and are strongly driven by moral imperatives
More research shows once again that compassion, empathy and mutual aid, and an instinct toward cooperation, are innate in human beings, confirming what the great Russian biologist and anarchist philosopher Peter Kropotkin had already amply demonstrated over a hundred years ago, in his monumental work, Mutual Aid. My but our
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The Lion’s Roar: Cutting through illusion to the heart of the matter
“There is no difference between theism and non-theism, basically speaking. Declaring an involvement with any kind of ‘ism’ turns out to be a matter of self and other. In fact, the whole question of self and other can then become very important. But if you really pursue any spiritual path,
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: NAFTA, “Free Trade” and the TPP: Fast-Track To Full Corporate Rule
“Twenty years ago, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into law. At the time, advocates painted a rosy picture of booming U.S. exports creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and economic development in Mexico, which would bring the struggling country in line with its wealthier northern
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Mexico City: A study in impermanence, and a lesson to us all
pablo lopez luz photographs the concrete waves (or carpet, as he puts it) of Mexico City The unbelievably sprawling concrete carpet of Mexico City seen in these photos make me think… Gorgeous country, beautiful culture and people, horrible government, amazing capital city – but utterly unsustainable, as most cities
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: US government shutdown, and other fairy tales and political theatre
I’m not sure what to make of the hoopla going on in the US right now. I’m inclined to think it’s all just political theatre, as Gerald Celente calls it, designed to distract the people from the real issues – the central one being, who controls the government and the
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The deeper reasons for the “war on drugs”
There is a deeper reason for the war on drugs, which is the central reason for the policy, even outweighing profits from private prisons and seizure of property by law enforcement officers, both of which no doubt are also significant and strong motivations for keeping the “war on drugs” going.
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The Key of Keys
Egoless divine pride: the most glorious concept I have ever heard – from Tibetan Buddhism. The Uttara Tantra elaborates: There once was a prince, who lost his memory and forgot who he was. Lost in forgetfulness and confusion, he wandered aimlessly, and became a homeless beggar. Years later, a minister
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: You Aren’t Sufficiently Critical of the #Media
You need to trust the media less. Almost a year ago, and before the last US presidential election, Gallup determined that there has been a stunning decline in citizens’ mistrust of the media [see below]. It crossed over from mostly trust to not so much trust around 2004-2005. If you
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: DISGUSTING: Rehtaeh Parsons case: Posters ask community to “support the boys”
By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: Canada, we’ve a big problem! “Friends, family and supporters of the four boys allegedly involved in the Rehtaeh Parsons case have taken their voice to the streets of Halifax,” the CBC reports. They’re distributing bright, multi-coloured posters urging the community to “speak the truth” and “stay
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Cornel West Is Upset Obama Was Sworn In On Martin Luther King’s Bible
Dr. Cornel West, America’s most provocative public intellectual, progressive and champion for racial justice, explains why he’s upset that President Barack Obama was sworn in on Martin Luther King’s bible. He questions the first black president’s commitment to the values the slain anti-war civil rights leader stood for, including: peace, truth and
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: You know, it’s really important to tell the truth
Maybe this is why Billy Joel thinks honesty is such a lonely word… Alltop sits on a throne of lies. And jokes.
Continue readingcalgaryliberal.com: I’m with Raj. (Mergers, Kent Hehr, cont.)
Just pointing something out here. Raj Sherman says Kent Hehr can speak his mind on mergers and the very base frustration that the Liberal MLA from Buffalo has with politics as they stand in Alberta. Hehr giving voice to that fundamental frustration is fine and well. People who care deeply
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Go Back To Sleep America, At Your Own Peril
I never reprint other people’s writings, no matter how good – but I will make an exception for this. This article is a true must-read. Please, take the time to read it. Then act. Good morning America. It’s time for a new day. Kudos and warm thanks to Jill Dalton
Continue readingCanadian Progressive: Faking Syrian War Images To Manipulate The Western Public
The demonization of genocidal dictators like Syrian President Bashar Hafez al-Assad is standard practice in the western media’s coverage of developing-world crises. In the photo-shopped imaged below, The Krone (Die Kronen Zeitung), Austria’s biggest newspaper, shows how to manipulate the Syrian uprising for a gullible western public. In its July 28
Continue readingThe whole Truth
Belief: 1. The mental act, condition, or habit of placing trust or confidence in a person or thing; faith. 2. Mental acceptance or conviction in the truth or actuality of something. 3. Something believed or accepted as true; especially, a particular te…
Continue reading350 or bust: It’s Time For the Silent Majority To Speak Up, The Eyes Of The Future Are On Us
As part of the 24 Hours of Climate Reality, this video was put together to remind us – parents, children, young adults, grandparents concerned about the environmental crisis our world is facing – that the voice of the people is the stronges…
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: The schizoid nature of the Western world: Overcoming the root paradox of Western civilization – and our own minds
The Western world is still trapped in a paradox and a self-contradiction of our own making: we are schizoid with regards to the body, the material world and to our physicality. On the one hand, we have, as people of the modern world, embraced our physi…
Continue reading350 or bust: Why We Resist The Truth About Climate Change
While I’m away on a canoe trip this week, I will be posting articles from the 350orbust archives. This was first published in June, 2010. Via “Nothing New Under The Sun“: “Sometimes facing up to the truth is just too hard. When the …
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