The Need to Grow
When I taught civics and we discussed Canada’s immigration policy, that we typically take in about 250,000 newcomers each year, but over 600,000 apply, many students would suggest we need…
politics
How Did We Get Here
Let me tell you a story about my early days working for the House of Commons in a non-partisan position serving all Members of Parliament and all Canadians. While we…
How Did We Get Here
Let me tell you a story about my early days working for the House of Commons in a non-partisan position serving all Members of Parliament and all Canadians. While we…
The Manufactured Taboo around Covid Protections
A twitter thread by spheniscus demersus (African penguin) explains the political/public health comms fiasco and our collective denialism so nicely that I want to save it here. (It’s tidied up…
On Late-Stage Capitalism’s Slide into Authoritarianism
A bit from former American journalist Nate Bear: The almost universal desire to return to normal in a pandemic, despite normal being bad for most people, is one of the…
On Grief and the WHO and Culpability
I wonder to what extent the desire, or even the ability, to kill one another has been affected by being surrounded by leaders who are looking the other way while…
Quiet Comprehending
A pretty song for our times form Bo Burnham: Female Colonel Sanders, easy answer, civil warThe whole world is at your fingertips, the ocean at your doorThe live-action Lion King,…
Plague Update: What Victims Look Forward To
If you’re not among the millions killed outright by a SARS-CoV2 infection, your arteries have been stiffened. From a video by Dr. Rae Duncan at Newcastle University: 18/ Dr Duncan…
Chris Hedges on Our Current State of Paralysis
Hedges writes on Substack now, if you haven’t been able to find him lately, and his piece today is excellent. He starts by pointing out the growing rich-poor divide that…
Earth Day #53: Simple Solutions
As a social science teacher talking about climate change, I’d often get students who raise the fact that there are just 100 companies, worldwide, producing over 70% of all GHGs.…
Alberta’s latest economic threat: Thanks to China, Saudi Arabia and Iran are beginning to normalise relations
It might seem odd for an Albertan to point to Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Middle East and say that it has an effect on us. However, it does. History…
Transphobia is the New Homophobia
Natalie Wynn, one of my favourite YouTubers, came out with a 2-hour long video, basically a feature-length film, her first in 10 months. This one is on J.K. Rowling, whom…
Plague Update: If We Don’t Report It, It Doesn’t Exist
There's a clear reason this happened, and satirists around the world are noting it.https://t.co/QKs3LPOsXR — Saskboy from Saskatchewan (@saskboy) April 17, 2023 On the eve of this Roughriders season, it's…
Debunking A MAGA Video Against EVs
I got a mass email two days ago with a video attached of the Republican McClintock spouting lies and misdirection about EVs, oil, climate change, and his place in history.…
Liquid Life and the Myth of Government Protection
Liquid life is a concept some Buddhist cultures had of the young and old, typically those under 6 and over 70, whose lives weren’t seen as quite solid due to…
Canada Readies Beneficial Ownership Registry
Canada’s reputation has a good place to launder money may soon come to an end. A good step to preventing organized crime from using the Canadian economy to “clean” their…
Translating the Negativity of Today’s Right Wing into the Reality of Their Beliefs
Today’s right wing loves to express itself in terms of what they hate, seeming to lack any positive messages. When you turn their negativity into positive statements it expresses what…
International Long Covid Awareness Day
Now we have a delegated day, today, to remind the world of the number of people who have lost their lives or livelihoods to this ever-mutating virus. Worldwide, about 1…
The Recall Petition Process and What Comes Next
By way of the agenda for the March 14 City Council meeting, we have our first glimpse at what The City of Calgary’s Recall Process will look like. If you…
IF NOT THIS; THEN WHAT?
Are you tired of the overheated right versus left, political rhetoric? Are you weary of the partisan blame game? Are you concerned about the rise of misinformation and disinformation spreading…