Facing an unprecedented environmental crisis a world summit like no other was called. “We have to do something, we can’t let our environment just die.” A member of the Dirt delegation said with the driest of throats. Other representatives of the world’s nature lined the large circular table. Tree’s foreign
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Politics, Re-Spun: GroupThink ReSpun: On US Police Forces Operating in Canada
We have decided that “GroupThink ReSpun” will be the name of the process whereby various of the Politics, Re-Spun crew collaborate on editorializing about a current event. Enjoy the poetry of the term! So apparently, the RCMP wants to ease into allowing US agents to operate freely in Canada: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/rcmp-ease-canadians-idea-u-agents-canada-201905380.html
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Salute democracy while suppressing it
In British online news magazine The Week, Alexander Cockburn gives his take on America. Had he turned eyes north, the American based writer would have noticed similar trends in Canada. “…if there’s any nation in the world that is well on the way to meriting the admittedly vague label of
Continue readingThings Are Good: Vermont Says Frack No
Vermont has decided to ban freaking in the state! This follows Quebec’s ban on the ridiculously dangerous way to get oil. This is a big deal,” Gov. Peter Shumlin said Wednesday. “This bill will ensure that we do not inject chemicals into groundwater in a desperate pursuit for energy.” Shumlin
Continue readingNorthern Insight: American dichotomy
Mitt Romney is preparing for next week’s commencement speech at Liberty University. Appearance at an anti-evolution, anti-gay school rated America’s 535th best college by Forbes seems fitting for the GOP candidate since Washington Post is reporting that as a high school senior, Romney led a group that swarmed and assaulted
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Fraud, fear and greed
If Romney Hates Government And Its Workers So Much Why Is He Running For President?, Dave Johnson, Campaign for America’s Future Mitt Romney says government workers are paid too well and in general government is a bad thing. But he wants to run it. Romney made his fortune by buying
Continue readingNorthern Insight: USA’s upside-down justice
From Tom Engelhardt‘s Tomgram: Peter Van Buren, Joining The Whistleblowers’ Club “… the strange, embattled world of Obama-era governmental whistleblowers. As a group, they are, after all, just about the only people inside the National Security Complex who ever get in trouble for their acts.
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Premier Photo Op: Your rich friends mislead
Raise Taxes on Rich to Reward True Job Creators, Nick Hanauer, Bloomberg Businessweek “I’m a very rich person. As an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, I’ve started or helped get off the ground dozens of companies in industries including manufacturing, retail, medical services, the Internet and software. I founded the Internet
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Cash for kids
Former Judge on Trial in ‘Cash for Kids’ Scheme, JON HURDLE and SABRINA TAVERNISE, New York Times, February 8, 2011 “SCRANTON, Pa. — A former Pennsylvania judge went on trial in federal court on Tuesday, charged with racketeering, bribery and extortion in what prosecutors say was a $2.8 million scheme
Continue readingThings Are Good: Bus 52: Travelling Good News
Bus 52 is a bout telling people the good news that’s out there across the USA. They are trying to give hope to the youth of today by celebrating how people can make a large difference in their community by focusing on doing good work. Bus 52 is made up
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Colonel Sanders Crosses the Delaware
Little-known to most historians, “Colonel” Harland Sanders crossed the Delaware on December 25, 1776, just after George Washington’s boat. For his help in feeding the troops and giving free soda refills during the brutal winter of 1776 he was made … Continue reading →
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Obama now leader of the not-free world
Chris Hedges writes: “The NDAA implodes our most cherished constitutional protections. It permits the military to function on U.S. soil as a civilian law enforcement agency. It authorizes the executive branch to order the military to selectively suspend due process and habeas corpus for citizens. The law can be used
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Winners win, losers lose
The Age of Double Standards, Robert Kuttner, The American Prospect, March 19, 2012 “…Petty felons and 200,000 small-time drug users do prison time, while corporate criminals whose frauds cost the rest of the economy trillions of dollars are permitted to settle civil suits for small fines, with shareholders bearing the
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: Lewis Black & Co. – funny stuff !
The BBC News Quiz gets a US makeover with an all-American panel. With the US election this year, turmoil in the Middle East, financial insecurity all around – not to mention a recent visit from the British Prime Minister – a team of US comedians dissect the headlines as the
Continue readingNorthern Insights / Perceptivity: White racism alive and well in USA
Overt racism that disgusted so many of us in the fifties and sixties is not tolerated in most circles today. An exception though involves the American world of right wing wacko politics. The John Locke Foundation, like the Canadian based Fraser Institute, calls itself a free-market think tank. It is
Continue readingThings Are Good: Green Spaces Can Reduce Gun Violence
Countries and regions with a lot of gun violence may want to note that the simple act of providing more green space in urban areas can reduce gun-related crime. In the USA (ranked ninth globally for gun deaths per capita) researchers have found that converting unused lots into parks has
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: WikiLeaks: Stratfor’s Suggested Strategy to Indict Assange
There has been no information to this point that has confirmed any US Government sources were physically harmed due to their participation in ratting to US Diplomats, and in turn having their words revealed by WikiLeaks through the Afghan leak, or subsequent The Guardian leak when they published the password
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: WikiLeaks: Assange Indicted, but for What?
The Stratfor intelligence company emails, leaked this week by WikiLeaks, have revealed that a private security agency has obtained classified information from the US Government (by the admission of Stratfor employees in emails they expected to remain confidential). It’s also revealed that Assange has a “secret” indictment against him, which
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: WikiLeaks: Amp Up The Hype – Stratfor Spy Emails Exposed #gifiles
Now I can hardly wait until Monday (now in the UK), with a series of promotional tweets going up today. And I don’t have to wait any longer! Stratfor emails are being exposed, for public review. @wikileaks: Over 25 media organizations working in silence for months ahead of tomorrow. How´s
Continue readingTerahertz: Teach safe sex
I was sent this neat info-graphic that discusses the need for comprehensive sex ed in the USA. We can be a bit more smug here in Canada, but we must remain eternally vigilant that our education system relies on the best available information. Created by: PublicHealthDegree.com
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