The tone deaf Christmas tree tax
The US Department of Agriculture has announced it is imposing a fifteen cent tax on all live Christmas trees. The 2 million raised from this tax will be spent to…
Canadian Politics
Mark Ruffalo On Opposing Keystone XL Pipeline: I Look At My Kids and I Say I Can’t Betray Them
I’m looking out the window of my home office today, rejoicing at the sprinkling of snow on the ground. Yesterday rain fell outside, while a confused fly that should have…
Rae the reformer?
Bob Rae said a couple of very interesting things regarding the reform and rebuilding of the Liberal Party over the weekend that caught my eye – the main one being…
In The Face Of Winter, A Movement Blossoms
Despite the police harassment, the arrests, the confiscation of tents and supplies, as well as the imminent arrival of winter, the Occupy movement continues to grow. Although the mainstream media…
The Dean of Peterborough
My reaction to Dean Del Maestro’s criticism of Justin Trudeau as being a “bad Catholic” isn’t going to be as ticked off as some – maybe because I’m not a…
US, Israel and Canada’s response to Palestine’s UNESCO membership
When Palestine overwhelmingly got approved to be a member state in UNESCO, a long standing congressional trigger was activated which entirely defunds the US contribution to UNESCO (about a fifth…
F-35 Irony
There are rumblings in some circles that the Conservatives are very close to ditching their commitment to buying the F-35 “Stealth” Fighter jet for the armed forces – due to…
Now For The Real Scary Stuff
All Hallow’s Eve is over for this year and tomorrow, in many countries, is the Day of the Dead or All Souls’ Day. So today might be a good day…
All wanna-be owners of 50 caliber sniper rifles, rejoice
.. for soon, the yoke of government oppression will be lifted from you: The powerful Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle (were) used in the 1989 Montreal massacre and this summer’s Norway…
A without prejudice rejoinder to the Minister of Finance
On Wednesday of last week the Minister of Finance for Newfoundland and Labrador Thomas Marshall was interviewed by CBC Central Morning about a report I did for the Newfoundland and…
The Occupy Calgary story you’re not seeing elsewhere.
“Nothing to see here. Nothing to see here.” Until the last couple days, that had been the mood in Calgary, as the Occupy Wall Street (#ows) movement seemed far from…
Occupy Movement Continues To Grow, Highlight Corporate Corruption of Democracy
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders Explains How Corporate Greed Is Ruining America: ****************
Peggy Nash announces candidacy for NDP leadership
Peggy Nash, the NDP incumbent for my riding of Parkdale-Highpark and the candidate I voted for, has just announced that she is running to be the next NDP leader. I…
Save Our Climate Act Introduced in U.S. Congress
It’s been an interesting few weeks on the climate front in North America. With the backdrop of the “Occupy” movement, there were some small changes introduced that hopefully signal the…
Stephen Harper’s questionable respect for democracy
When Stephen Harper won a majority government this last May, I wrote that one litmus test for the next four years would be regarding his respect for transparency, parliamentary procedures,…
Bravo, Quebec – will other provinces follow?
In a Conservative majority Parliament, it will be the provinces that will at times have to oppose the Conservative right-wing agenda, and Quebec is doing so with the long-gun registry:…
Dissecting Spin 101 and Parsing Ezra Levant on Occupy Toronto
Here’s a quick lesson on the human microphone. Because voice amplification in public spaces is banned in New York, where Occupy Wall Street (#ows) began, the large crowds attending have…
Deconstructiing the Binary Opposition of Politics and Policy in the Harper Regime
Where good politics meets good policy :Dan Gardner's column in the citizen today. I can count on one finger "good policies" from the Harper Regime, and that finger shakes when…
The Trouble with Tri….al and Error
Let me just say that I am having a *great* deal of difficulty giving a damn about the election. “What election?” You might ask. That’s about how I feel about…
Weaving Foreign Ministries into the Digital Era: Three ideas
Last week I was in Ottawa giving a talk at the Department of Foreign Affairs talking about how technology, new media and open innovation will impact the department's it work…