What Happens When Science Goes Private
One of the most troubling aspects of the neoliberal era is the privatization of scientific research out of the public eye. Taking science in-house, behind the corporate curtain, under the…
2021
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Duncan Cameron discusses how right-wing nationalism is contributing to the destruction of our planet and the exploitation of people. Don Braid highlights how…
A Conspiracy So Immense
It’s a common theme in today’s political analysis to argue that Donald Trump broke America. Looking at the ongoing dumpster fire that is the Repugnican Party, the rise of white…
When You Negotiate the Non-Negotiable
Have you ever had something that you’ve had to get done but not wanted to face it? You know, something that’s extremely difficult to deal with, with no straightforward solution…
Bravo!
H/t Greg Perry Having absolutely no patience with those who reflexively and shrilly denounce public health measures as attacks on their freedom (as if freedom were an absolute), I took…
A Global Leadership Fail
The headline in Scientific American was jarring. What we must do to prepare for the next pandemic. If this pandemic taught us one thing, it’s that we weren’t ready for…
When Truth Is No Longer Self Evident
Former senator Jeff Flake opens an op-ed in The Washington Post with a quotation from George Orwell: “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate…
Simran Bakshi on Employment Law: What are my rights if I’m being discriminated against in my work place?
Employees are protected from workplace discrimination base on: Age Disability Race Ethnicity Religion Sex Gender Identity Sexual Orientation Employers must maintain safe workplaces that are free from discrimination. Compensation for…
Following the money.
You can’t track the money trail to Canadian politicians as easily as you can to American politicians. I finally have a theory on what is driving Jason Kenney in Alberta.…
A Revolutionary Journey: The 1971 PAL Hijacking to Mao’s China
These days, it would be hard to believe that Fructuoso Chua, Jr. ever led an exciting life. A first glance shows nothing more than an old man living a quiet…
Bukharin on State Capitalism and Imperialism
The latest in our series of translations from the journal Kommunist of 1918 goes under the unpromisingly dry title of “Some Fundamental Concepts of Modern Economics”. This though belies its…
Jason Kenney tells a whopper, Kaycee Madu recants and apologizes: situation normal in Alberta
The Internet let out a collective gasp yesterday afternoon when Alberta Premier Jason Kenney was caught telling an obvious whopper. Well, perhaps not the whole Internet, but that portion fascinated…
Alberta justice minister goes full paranoid
Alberta Justice Minister Kaycee Madu’s comment that a Covid disaster is “what the NDP, the media and the federal Liberals were looking for and want” is contemptible. Politics can be…
Tuesday Night Cat Blogging
Slumbering cats.
Minimum wage suppression — right-wing dogma
Suppression of minimum wages is a right-wing policy position that is not irrational or ill-conceived; instead, this and other acts are intelligently designed to manage and discipline low-income populations, while…
Musings on Art and Taste
Many years ago, I had a lengthy correspondence with a friend in another part of Canada about what constitutes art. His basic argument was that art was not neutral or…
Seven tweets in May
Enjoying his life to the fullest#dogs #dogsoftwitter #DogsofTwittter pic.twitter.com/HOq8cWKGyl — dog lover (@10_Ilovedogs) April 21, 2021 There are 2 types of dogs.. ? pic.twitter.com/RtyNme0rHe — Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_) May 10, 2021…
Deception and duplicity
While John Horgan’s government was almost doubling the Site C budget to C$16 billion, the Biden administration was getting ready to approve a C$3.4 billion wind project off the coast…
How It Could Work
I’m just going to offer a short post today as I develop some aspects of gRSShopper. In particular, I now have the gRSShopper MOOC environment up and running in a…
Refocusing Londontlife
So many petty things got in the way of simply creating, posting, and sharing that the LondOntLife.ca site is shut down. It was a huge frustrating headache to fight my…