Some targets are easier to make than others
Forget land costs, management and operating expenses; BC Place still needs $2.5 million a month to break even. That represents amortization of recent renovation costs over 20 years. Of course,…
Norman Farrell
If we do not act, we bear the guilt
"Its the name on the front of the jersey that matters most, not the one on the back." Joe Paterno (Penn State) Legendary coach Joe Paterno and Penn State are…
George Monbiot explains national bankruptcy
The 1% are the very best destroyers of wealth the world has ever seen, George Monbiot, The Guardian "If wealth was the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise, every…
Old news, aged quickly
Today, media conglomerates are not only influenced by Big Money interests, but they are often themselves Big Money interests. - Cameron Gaut I wrote earlier that the Toope Report helps…
When up is down and down is up
BC Agriculture Minister Don McRae, coordinating with federal agencies, claimed last week there are no confirmed cases of Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) in British Columbia salmon. Mcrae said, "It is…
Policies are pointless if routinely ignored
BC Liberals paid $6-million in public funds to Dave Basi and Bob Virk as part of enticements that ended the BC Rail political corruption trial. The criminal court action had…
An impassioned gale
In 1908's New Worlds for Old, H.G. Wells examined a nascent movement that he supported avidly. He wrote, "The early Socialist literature teems with rash, suggestive schemes. It has the…
Questions remain unanswered
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Old line parties share corrupt styles
Silence reigns over Port of Montreal hiring controversy, Politicians prefer to keep things quiet, BY STEPHEN MAHER, POSTMEDIA NEWS, October 29, 2011 "...In the Mafia, if you break that code…
Mainstream media no longer sole gatekeepers
In the government's sale disposition of BC Rail, there are compelling indicators that massive fraud was perpetrated. Even worse, senior provincial officials interfered with investigation and prosecution of the duplicity…
The myth of democracy
Oligarchy, American Style, Paul Krugman, New York Times Op-Ed "We have a society in which money is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few people, and in which that…
Mistrusted neighbour
“Salmon farming along the British Columbia coast has expanded with encouragement from both Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the B.C. provincial government. The Canadian federal fisheries department…
Has the game changed or merely the players?
Recently, I was amused by a certain radio news-talk host angrily sputtering in response to callers' claims that he was partial and passive in political coverage. He replied that, in…
So they arrested the reporter, not the bankers
Truthdig, November 3, 2011: "Goldman Sachs, which received more subsidies and bailout-related funds than any other investment bank because the Federal Reserve permitted it to become a bank holding company…
The end of news as we know it
The following article was first published May 24, 2010. Since then, Sean Holman suspended the Public Eye website, Postmedia has focused on serving business not public interests, the destruction of…
Good tax, bad tax
News item, The Guardian, November 3, 2011: "Bill Gates will tell the G20 group of developed and developing countries on Thursday that they could raise an extra $48bn (£30bn) a…
Autumn colours
Go, sit upon the lofty hill, And turn your eyes around, Where waving woods and waters wild Do hymn an autumn sound. The summer sun is faint on them --…
Modern charity
CHARITY: generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless. The Fraser Institute styles itself the most influential market research organization in Canada. It is certainly the best…
Just a pay-to-play way of life
Tomgram: Lawrence Weschler, The Great American Shakedown, November 1, 2011: "In the U.S., corruption is seldom “corruption.” ... 15 of top “bundlers,” who give their own money and solicit that…
A billionaire’s views on lost democracy
There is little wonder uber-wealthy invest in politicians because the yields can be high. Two decades ago, California developer Charles Keating gained infamy by looting Lincoln S&L of $1-billion, an…