We survived the ice storm this week; now awaiting the next arctic blast... ugh. Meanwhile, staying mellow with Fred Astaire. Watching BLUE SKIES (1946) on Turner Classic Movies, and just beheld this gem:Puttin on the Ritz - Fred Astaire …
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I know it’s really en vogue to criticize the UN as a useless institution, but news today of the new special envoy appointed by Ban Ki-Moon to address sexual violence in conflict is a tremendous step in the right direction for international politics. In his words: “I have informed the UNSC of my intention to appoint Margot Wallstrom, vice-president of the European Commission, as my special representative to intensify efforts to end sexual violence against women and children in conflict situations,” he said. “We will continue efforts to end the conflicts in the east (of …
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CANADIAN LABOUR-TORONTO:FRASER PAPER PENSIONERS OCCUPY CORPORATE OFFICE:Many kudos to the penioners of Fraser Paper who have taken their future in their own hands and occupied the offices of Brookfield Asset Management in Toronto to demand what is rightly due to them. Here's the story from the website of the CEP Union in the lead up to the occupation last Wednesday. CLCLCLCLCLCLCLFraser Papers pensioners occupy Brookfield head office:WHEN: Wednesday, January 27, 10 amWHERE: Brookfield Asset Management, 181 Bay St., Suite 300 TORONTO– Forestry pensioners and their union leaders will occupy …
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Heheh. Funny.  I’ll tell you what else is funny — it’s funny that whenever there’s something on the news about an abortion clinic being blown up or a doctor getting shot, chances are it involves some bible-whomping right-wing nutbar. Come to think of it, whenever there’s news about attempts to cover up widespread, systemic child abuse, chances are it involves the Catholic church. And one other point of interest, if you please:  whenever we hear about a politician who’s been caught slithering around a public washroom looking for sex or engaging in some kind …
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CANADIAN LABOUR-SASKATCHEWAN:GOVERNMENT OFFER TO SASKATCHEWAN HEALTH CARE WORKERS INSULTING:Out in Molly's old stomping ground, the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, the new ultra-conservative Saskatchewan Party (a temporary parking space for right wingers to avoid the aura of corruption of the old Conservatives-until they get caught enough themselves of course) continues its campaign of attacking ordinary people to increase the income and power of the rich. The latest targets are government employees in the health care sector. Here, from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is the …
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When Daphne and I began our new blog, economicus ridiculous, we didn't expect much by way of response. We supposed that, given the blog's topic - tips, tricks and tales regarding life in the poverty well -, there'd not be much interest. While WE knew this kind of personal clearly is political, we expected that economicus ridiculous couldn't possibly match, let alone surpass the welcome …
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The DSM-5 revisions to what will now be officially known as the Autism Spectrum Disorders are not without merit.  The American Psychiatric Association's   DSM-V Neurodevelopmental Disorders Work Group April 2009 Report   emphasizes for the first time that there are different degrees of severity on the autism "spectrum" of disorders.  That is a good thing, one that many parents of severely autistic children will appreciate as the public consumes movie after movie about brilliant, talented persons with High Functioning Autism and Aspergers. Having handed out that …
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Contrary what the whining Blogging Tories might tell anyone who’ll listen, the Corporate media of today is very slanted to the right and they pretty much tell us who to vote for. They tell us what to believe, what our priorities should be and how to feel.  Sometimes, their stories, columns and various articles are soooo biased as to have inaccuracies at times. Lots of material for a neo-con blogger, who for the most part, seems to like inventing facts to skew things in their favor. Progressives, did, however, have one major media outfit (besides the Toronto Star) to get their news, …
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“Qalandia is only one of dozens of similar military checkpoints, set up in and around the West Bank in order for Israel to control the movement of Palestinians. It brutalises – but I wonder if it isn’t brutalising Israelis even more than Palestinians. While I was waiting in that holding pen, it struck me that when Palestinians are one day governing themselves in a fully autonomous State of Palestine, Israelis will still be living with the insidious, corrupting mental and social consequences of having maintained such an occupation for so long. I’m absolutely certain that the …
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...critical of the BC government?What's next--Google?[H/t A Creative Revolution]UPDATE: Hmm. Connected? A non-political Facebook glitch?[H/t SUZANNE in the comments]UPPERDATE: And "No BC HST" is back--without explanation. …
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Quick question: Is it possible for a senator to cross the floor? According to one report, Jacque Demers would have preferred being on the Liberal side of the Senate. But the Liberals never asked him; Stephen Harper did. So are there any Senate rules preventing him from moving to a friendlier, more humanitarian clime? …
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My van got broken into a couple weeks back.. they kindly broke the small window... and stole my stereo and a bag of pens. The stereo was a 40$ deal I bought at a junkyard, and now it looks like there's even less to steal.The message to me... time for some silence and contemplation. The universe is so kind ;-)peace,d …
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Readers are aware that I have little patience with blasé dismissals of the "MSM" by certain members of the blogosphere--the commercial media are, after all, our life's blood. But that fact alone hardly exempts them from criticism. Indeed we spend a good deal of our time mocking the obvious political biases and factual inaccuracies to be found all too frequently in their reportage.But there is also a question of style and formula to which we should pay more attention. If we were to do so, however, we would have some difficulty topping this: [H/t CC] …
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A graphic anti-abortion ad will be running on TV in Kelowna featuring the supposed severed hand of a an aborted foetus. The ad comes from a U.S. group, Priest for Life and the ‘hand’ is said to originate from a Texas clinic. How they would come into possession of it or WHY they would is not explained. [..]it is the first time ever that Canadian TV is featuring an ad with actually photos of a part of an aborted baby. Bartram expects controversy. “I am sure there will be people claiming that the ads should not be allowed to be run on TV.” [emphasis mine] Man these people are …
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To: James DobsonFocus on the FamilyDear Jim: I'm thinking that your upcoming Super Bowl ad lauding the courage of Pam Tebow in refusing to have an abortion and eventually giving birth to one Tim Tebow would have more impact if he didn't currently suck so much.I'm just sayin'.LuLu here: My stars, it looks like Mama Tebow's story has some rather large holes in it. Who would have ever thought that a bible-thumping member of FoTF's anti-choice, forced-pregnancy crowd would lie? …
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“[T]hey are bringing what can only be described, it seems to me, as Middle East politics, directly into the heart of Canadian politics. Never was there such interference before.” Too depressing indeed! The whole oped is here – [via Norman Finkelstein's website] …
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Because it looks like it needs repeating. AGAIN. -- I've said this in tweets more than once and I'll say it again here: I really, REALLY dislike one-line blog posts that say nothing, such as "You should read this" - without telling me why; or provide only a link, e.g., "Go." - again without saying why; or are composed entirely of the writing of others, except to introduce it with something …
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“It’s true that the internet has reactivated the grass-roots of an egalitarian public sphere of writers and readers. It also counterbalances the deficits from the impersonal and asymmetrical character of broadcasting insofar as it reintroduces deliberative elements in communication. Besides that, it can undermine the censorship of authoritarian regimes. But the rise of millions of fragmented discussions across the world tend instead to lead to fragmentation of audiences into isolated publics.” – [my emphasis] Jürgen Habermas on Twitter (!) Still a gem for reflection. …
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Warning! This is a thought experiment and not a serious political program. Imagine returning to the conditions and living standard we had in the 1970's. What would have to be re-established? Or, looking at the question another way, what have we lost and what needs restoring? Back then young workers could look forward to a life-long, well-paying, union job in manufacturing or resource industries. Thanks to corporate mercantilism, oops, I mean Free Trade and NAFTA, hundreds of thousands of these jobs disappeared never to return. Most consumer items were produced in Canada and were of …
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INTERNATIONAL LABOUR: THE OLYMPICS AND SWEATSHOPS: A broad coalition of labour and human rights groups, including Play Fair, the Maquila Solidarity Network and the Clean Clothes Campaign have been organizing around each Olympics in past years to try and raise public awareness about the atrocious conditions for many workers involved in producing Olympic clothing and other items. The upcoming Vancouver/Whistler Winter Olympics are no exception. Here's an item from the Maquila Solidarity Network about a series of videos detailing the issue, and a campaign to pressure manufacturers to "play fair". …
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From The Real News Network : an excellent summary of the issues behind Steve's latest prorogation of democracy and how Canadians are pushing back.Meanwhile, south of the 'longest undefended border in the world', Chris Hedges discusses 'inverted totalitarianism' in Democracy in America Is a Useful Fiction .How successful the Harpercons are at quietly shifting the state of democracy in Canada from the tenuous grasp described in the first link to the 'useful fiction' of the second is entirely up to us. …
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This evening, a treat for the baby boomers and perhaps some gen-xers raised on the best of the psychedelic ’60s. Those who are Gen-Y; it may take getting used to, given what is available to you these days, but I hope you like it. Yes, it’s The Jefferson Airplane, and not their big commercial successes neither. Enjoy! This first one is particularly trippy. I apologize for the poor sound quality. As one may understand, the fact that I found a video with this song is in itself a stroke of luck Happy Saturday Evening! …
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Gloria Allred a well known women’s rights attorney is questioning the veracity of the “choose life” story being spun by Pam Tebow; “Allred says she believes it an impossible scenario to believe that Philippino doctors would of ever suggested abortion as a viable option for Tebow in the first place. And when you learn that physicians and midwives who perform abortions in the Philippines face six years in prison, and may have their licenses suspended or revoked, and that women who receive abortions – no matter the reason – may be punished with imprisonment for two to six …
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Conor loves the songs on the O Brother,  Where Art Thou? soundtrack.  He used to ask for it every time, and I mean every time, we got in the family car.  After a while we had to wean him off it so that we could listen to other music.  Conor does love all types of music and will listen to classical (especially Mozart), easy listening jazz, country, rock, blues, and ... bluegrass. But in the car for a long time he always wanted "Big Rock Candy Mountain" which is what he called the movie's soundtrack CD.   Tonight I was relaxing alone at home with Conor; his brother …
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One of the reasons Sarah Palin is so beloved by the religious right is the compelling anti-abortion story of her baby with Down’s Syndrome.   (Never mind that it’s really a story of choice, since Palin considered abortion but *chose* to carry the pregnancy to term.)  Conservatives are enthralled, and Palin’s done well by it.  She’s probably the most in-demand keynote speaker on the social conservative/anti-abortion circuit — at upwards of $100,000 a speech, she’s her own  industry.  Who wouldn’t be encouraged to try getting some of that action …
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Once more, we find that the IPCC WG2 made an error.  Only the error is not what is being trumpeted by deniers. There was a dire warning in chapter 13 of the report of IPCC Working Group II: "Up to 40% of Amazonian forests could react drastically to even a slight reduction in precipitation; this means that the tropical vegetation, hydrology and climate system in South America could change very rapidly to another steady state, not necessarily producing gradual changes between the current and the future situation," it observed. "It is more probable that forests will be …
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Deniers are not making scientific arguments. Scientific arguments require consistency, something which deniers make no pretence of striving for. Plimer’s argument was that climate has changed in the past. Eg – climate has a high sensitivity. Monckton’s argument was that climate has a low sensitivity. I think the irony that the two [deniers] were arguing contradictory positions was lost on most of the audience. In a sense, their combined approach perfectly encapsulates the way skeptic arguments are used to mislead. Layering argument upon argument, regardless of a lack of …
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Good summation of the Cons' latest attacks on 'democracy' over the last few months.That they are getting away with it is, as a protester in the vid states, pretty much our own fault. Notable how little media attention was paid to Harper's interview with Business News Network two weeks ago in which he characterized Parliament as an impediment to business. South of the "longest undefended border in the world", Chris Hedges uses political philosopher Sheldon Wolin's term “inverted totalitarianism” to describe how Democracy in America Is a Useful Fiction :"The fiction of democracy remains …
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‘Ground Zero’. See also here. …
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A …
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“The fiction of democracy remains useful, not only for corporations, but for our bankrupt liberal class. If the fiction is seriously challenged, liberals will be forced to consider actual resistance, which will be neither pleasant nor easy. As long as a democratic facade exists, liberals can engage in an empty moral posturing that requires little sacrifice or commitment. They can be the self-appointed scolds of the Democratic Party, acting as if they are part of the debate and feel vindicated by their cries of protest.” [via Israeli Occupation Archive*] * A personal plea: The …
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Anti-abortion terrorist Randall Terry holds forth about the Scott Roeder trial at his usual fire-and-brimstone venue, the “Christian” Newswire: “When the rule of law and the law of blood clash, such as in George Tiller’s death, we must not pretend that there is no connection between Mr. Tiller’s shedding of innocent blood and Scott Roeder’s act of violence against him. There is sowing; there is reaping.” Now is the time at UOH when we juxtapose!: “Obama has followed the footsteps of his predecessor in increasing animosity toward Muslims and …
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From Toronto Sun BlogTuesday, January 26, 2010SONG & Brad +2Brad Honywill has been acclaimed for another two-year term as president of CEP Local 87-M (SONG), extending his leave from the Toronto Sun newsroom.Brad says there will be an election in March for the Local's third vice-president, with Denise Cyr of the House of Commons Broadcast Unit and Stuart Laidlaw of the Toronto Star in the running.The new executive will have a full slate of Southern Ontario Newspaper Guild negotiations later this year, including five Sun Media newspapers and the Toronto Star. …
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My previous post decrying the Supreme Court of Canada's scandalous refusal to enforce the Charter of Rights in the Khadr affair occasioned a considerable amount of discussion in the comments.The preponderance of the views expressed departed sharply from my own. Regular commenters Marky Mark (a practising lawyer), Jimmy Durante, Mike Brock and Jay Currie believe that the decision was well-reasoned and established the proper distance between judicial and executive powers. But I remain convinced that, if the Charter can't bind governments when its very purpose is to bind governments, then a knife …
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Friday, January 29, 2010So where have I been. Well after Liz left back to Colorado I headed back out to Yelapa where I stayed for a few days meditating and thinking about my film. I met some great people there who gave me some perspective and took me on a great little trip up river to the waterfall. I brought my camera’s along to shoot some footage but mostly I just sat uninspired. On the second to last day I took a hike back into the jungle and captured some nice footage of old guys carting firewood on donkeys.There are so many images down here. So much to capture and share, but I’m …
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I feel like I’ve returned to an old hermitage up on a mountain that I left a while back. If it were to be a real place I’d say it’s a small humble quiet shack built with a frame of sturdy beams and a solid rock foundation. But now as I return, I see that while I’ve been out on pilgrimage gathering new tools and firewood, some things have fallen into disrepair, there’s a few nails to hammer back into place, and although the interior beams are still solid, the rest of the structure needs some tender love and care. And there’s only one person who is able to do the work… me.When I …
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010Not a word… Not this time around. They say silence is golden, so let there be silence… not only around us but also emanating from deep inside our being, outwards into the world.I was watching today, laying in a hammock, watching people chatter on the beach, me being disconnected, removed, and alone. I’ve been working to reconnect to my own personal silence, away from it all, back outside the circle for the first time in a long time.Quite a few people have remarked that the past month has already seemed like an entire year. It almost seems as though we’re …
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THE GLOBE HAS AN INTERESTING TAKE on the Supreme Court's decision, and Stevie isn't gonna like it . . . according to Kirk Makin,In an 9-0 ruling this morning, the Court said that Canada violated Mr. Khadr's Charter rights by participating in illegal interrogation methods which included sleep deprivation.It stressed that the constitutional breach is ongoing and “continues to this day.”However, the court said that before stepping in to dictate a Canadian response on a sensitive question of foreign policy, the federal government must be given a chance to rectify Mr. Khadr's plight.But should …
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A little Saturday morning diversion--with bite. Grab a coffee. Grab two.[H/t Michael DiCola] …
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