Blogging Change
It's not too late to build a better world
Sister Sage's Musings: New Contributor At Sister Sage’s Musings
Some of the Prog Bloggers are probably familiar with her. She comments on the prog bloggers regularly, Kim. She had expressed an interest in blogging, but wasn’t sure about committing to a site of her own. Since I have been looking for contributors, I invited her to try her hand here, at Sister Sage’s Musings. She has agreed to try this out for awhile. Honestly, it couldn’t have come at a better time because I will be having much going on soon and will have less time to devote to this blog, at least for September and October. I will still be posting, just not as frequently. …
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Peace, order and good government, eh?: Labels, even unfair and inaccurate ones, have a tendency to stick
Justice Dennis O'Connor wrote that in the report resulting from his inquiry into Maher Arar's dentention. Arar himself quotes it in a post he published at Prism last Saturday on the national security establishment's use of strategic leaks to the media.
If anything the security people in Canada have mastered the art of selectively leaking investigative information to the media. By doing so they have succeeded in charging and convicting the arrested individuals in the court of public opinion. Of course this wouldn't have been possible without the direct complicity of some journalists and reporters.
He …
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The Galloping Beaver: The horror show . . .
THE INDEPENDENT has a disturbing 2-part article by Robert Fisk, "The crimewave that shames the world". It's about how women have become murder victims around the world, just for being women. And it's not just a Muslim problem, even though the majority of "honour" murders are performed by them. When it comes to religion, apparently, everybody's doing it.It is a tragedy, a horror, a crime against humanity. The details of the murders – of the women beheaded, burned to death, stoned to death, stabbed, electrocuted, strangled and buried alive for the "honour" of their families – are as barbaric …
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The Vanity Press: This.
Susan Riley of the Ottawa Citizen gets the Harper Conservatives almost exactly right:It is possible (though unlikely) there is no agenda, secret or otherwise, only impulse, the venting of well-marinated resentments and an acid-tipped communications strategy run by a cadre of hyper-partisan boy-men. Only one theme (you can't really call it a vision) recurs: destroy the Liberal Party.Get rid of the "though unlikely" part, and that's it. …
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Creekside: International Spurn A Moran Day
.And not just this moran - all the morans.If a moran burns a Quran in the forest and no one is around to plug and play it ....Mike Thomas at the Orlando Sentinel (h/t Dammit Janet)What if media had ignored Terry Jones? :We created the Rev. Terry Jones from dust. And in two weeks, to dust he shall return. Then we'll move on to the guys who plan to run over the Quran at their monster-truck pull. Whatever it takes to keep your attention.. …
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Dawg's Blawg: Fire vs. stone [updated]
No one in their right mind could defend a deliberate, unprovoked insult intended solely to wound people's feelings. How brave and righteous the ragged little band of headcases from Gainesville must feel as they prepare to burn the Qur'an--like the Phelpsbrood picketing the funerals of American soldiers.I can appreciate that millions of Muslims worldwide will take grave offence to this gratuitous display of bigotry. No doubt a good many of them will fill the streets of their countries, protesting this stupid slur against the Recitation.I just find myself wishing that they would display equal fervour …
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CEP Union: Elk Falls Closed
Elk Falls closed by new CEOBy Justin Langille July 7, 2010 04:34 pm Paper producer Catalyst closed its Elk Falls mill in Campbell River yesterday after more than a year of juggling back taxes and worker wage negotiations. “The steep decline in commodity paper markets, coupled with uncompetitive labour and tax costs were contributing factors that could not be overcome,” Kevin J. Clarke, newly appointed president and CEO, was quoted in a Catalyst news release. “The uncertainty regarding the future of this mill was detrimental to all our operations and had to come to an end,” said Clarke. …
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Peace, order and good government, eh?: And this is where we juxtapose
In yesterday's Calgary Sun:
OTTAWA -- Another Canadian general denied knowing Afghan detainees faced torture at the hands of local authorities and suggested an officer who raised those concerns with him was out of line.
And on the subject of the same officer's testimony at the same hearing, published yesterday at the CBC:
A senior Canadian military officer who helped manage the early days of Canada's combat mission in Kandahar has admitted torture likely occurred in Afghanistan prisons, but says reports of abuse were overblown.
I see a difference. Do you see a difference?
And incidentally the CBC …
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Porcupine blog: The View From Anarchist Mountain
It has been a busy year for me, publishing wise. First The Impossibilists, with my own Red Lion Press, then Nature of Human Brainwork was brought out by PM Press. Now I have two more to offer. The View From Anarchist Mountain, 199 pages, $16.00 is a collection of my writings over the past 20 years on anarchism, society and history. It is available from AK Press. (For Canadians, order from me at redlionpress@hotmail.com ) Bill Pritchard – Revolutionary Socialist is a 36 page pamphlet that goes for $4.00. Pritchard is best known for being jailed under a bogus conspiracy charge in the aftermath …
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Keeping it Real...: Gordon Campbell: the New Rocky Balboa?
I love BC politics. It’s often more dramatic than some of the prime time offerings offered up for our entertainment on the big screen or the tube.
And, whether you see him as the hero or the villain, Premier Gordon Campbell deserves an Oscar and an Emmy.
He was on the canvas, bruised and beaten down …. his [...] …
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Molly'sBlog: Molly’sBlog 2010-09-10 01:06:00
CANADIAN LABOUR BRANTFORD ONTARIO:SOLIDARITY PICKET WITH ECP WORKERS:The following call for a solidarity anti-scab picket in Brantford Ontario comes from the Ontario Federation of Labour and its President Sid Ryan. Workers at Engineering Coated Products (ECP) in Brantford have been on strike for over two years, but the company continues to operate due to scab labour. You can read more about this strike in this article from the Brantford Expositor. For further information about how you can help the strikers see the website of the Brantford Labour Council.ECPECPECPECPANTI-SCAB RALLY SEPTEMBER 15, …
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Dawg's Blawg: These People Are Evil, Psychotic Pigs.
And each of those words is carefully considered.They are evil. They are mourning because an act of deliberate and considered hatred, intended to enrage and inflame and described as such by its source, has been aborted in the face of shocked horror by decent people of every political stripe and religion. They're disappointed.Shame on you all who are opposing and criticising the burning of korans by the Florida pastor. Am I the only person who is rooting for this mad hatter of a pastor in Florida to continue with his good work? I don't care if he is off his rocker and as hateful as the islamists.... …
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Dawg's Blawg: The chronicles of Fox News North
Heather Mallick, in her new incarnation at the Toronto Star, has hit her stride. …
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Dawg's Blawg: Afghanistan: winning hearts, minds
--and fingers. [H/t Sudbury Against War and Occupation] …
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NEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: Criminal Behaviour
I get tired of outrages committed in the name of the war on drugs -- specifically the war on cannabis. This is a substance that has been in common usage by people around me or people I have known my entire life. It speaks to our collective complacency that we allow people to be given criminal records that can affect them for their entire lives for possessing this same substance. Today I find a story that comes from British Colombia about an elderly couple who were investigated for two weeks by the RCMP, and that included aerial surveillance, prior to a nighttime …
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Peace, order and good government, eh?: Way to grab the moral high ground, Ralph
Federal government should contribute over $100M towards Regina stadium: Liberal MP Ralph Goodale
REGINA -- The federal Conservative government should be contributing "well in excess of $100 million" to a new domed stadium in Regina, says Liberal Wascana MP Ralph Goodale.
Goodale -- a former federal finance minister who was recently named deputy leader of the federal Opposition Liberals -- said in an interview Wednesday that the other partners in the stadium project should expect at least that much from Ottawa.
Read on to learn that Goodale is demanding even more from the feds than the other partners …
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unrepentant old hippie: Slap Into Action
Well well well!
Mark at the Slap decided to turn over some rocks and see what kind of tax-exempt slime lurked beneath, and look what he found.
This is a great opportunity, not only to correct the kind of bogus charity scam that most of us don’t want to see supported by our hard-earned tax dollars, but to vent some well-deserved hostility towards all things bigoted, stupid and wrong, starting with the vicious dingbats at “Exodus Global Alliance“.
If these rabid born-again geeks claim they have the power to “cure”, shouldn’t they pay their taxes like any other …
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Peace, order and good government, eh?: News I didn’t get from that special parliamentary committee
This Postmedia News article was published yesterday and reports that the Military Police Complaints Commission hearings into the transfer of Afghan detainees were to resume today and should wind up by Christmas "despite two legal challenges in which the Federal Court has been asked to review the proceedings." It also includes details on the subjects of the inquiry that I'm not sure I've seen reported before. The two organizations referred to in the following are Amnesty International and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association.
The two human rights organizations that brought the complaint …
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Facing Autism in New Brunswick: Best Autism Tweet of the New Brunswick Election From Liberal Kelly Lamrock
" klamrock: Still more to do on #autism file. We'll work w/parents to address adult care incl community-based residential care #nbvotes
4 days ago via Mobile Web · Reply · View Tweet "
Over the last 4 years the Liberal government honored a commitment by Premier Graham to provide 4 years of UNB-CEL Autism Intervention Training to classes of approximately 100 teacher assistants and resource teachers a year over the objections of some senior Education officials, who actually knew little about autism. They also faced opposition …
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Dawg's Blawg: How the organized Right fights
A case study:A petition opposes special treatment for a far-right TV network in Canada. What to do, what to do?1) Dismiss the petition because it originates in the US. In fact, score a twofer: refer to the sponsoring organization as "an American special interest group."2) Sabotage it with false signatures, all from one IP address. Then give those signatures suspiciously quick national publicity. (More to come on that, I suspect.)3) Call the owner/funder of the petition site a Nazi. Add other character assassinations.4) If all else fails, launch a SLAPP* to shut the petition down.And then, by all …
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My Blahg: LEST WE OFFEND THOSE WE ARE ABOUT TO KILL
Wouldn’t it have been cool if everyone over the past couple of days had said we shouldn’t burn the Koran continue killing Muslims because it will piss them off, put our troops and aid workers in greater danger and help Al Qaeda recruit more members. …
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Raw Dawg Buffalo: Still Discriminated Against in Jury Selection in South
The history of the South is replete with documented practices of prejudice and racial discrimination. From slavery to the Black Codes, Jim Crow to segregation, the general tenor was to implement practices that placed white people as being pure and close to God and African Americans as being less than human and akin to livestock. Those days have changed, or have they?A new report published and released by the Equal Justice Initiave called “Illegal Racial Discrimination in Jury Selection: A Continuing Legacy,"paints a different picture. The two-year study was conducted in eight southern states …
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The Galloping Beaver: Dog Nutz . . .
ACCORDING TO MACLEAN'S, things are not well in the Timmy's empire. The article, "Tim Hortons’ extra-large trouble trouble" highlights how, in the chase for the maximum profit squeeze, quality is perceived to be in decline. It all started when the honchos decided to get rid of in-store baking, in favour of "par-baked" 'nuts delivered from a giant mega-factory. Now, the honchos have sold their interest in the mega-factory, and after 2016, where the product will come from, is anybody's guess. Were I a franchise holder, I would be nervous . . . and some of 'em are starting to freak — and lawyer-up. …
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Divinately Me!: Afghanistan – A Petition to Take Action Against the War (original title)
Online petition at GoPetition; http://www.gopetition.com/petition/30533/sign.html#se
Published by tom hayden on Sep 03, 2009
Category: International Affairs
Region: United States of America
Target: Peace; anti-war; religious; Obama; women; social justice; Human Rights
Filed under: Justice, Our World, Petitions, Social/Economic Issues, Speak out!, War and Peace …
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Divinately Me!: Rally for a Clean Energy Future (original title)
Greenpeace Canada’s headlines today are all about sustainable energy and saying no to fossil fuels. To take a look, visit;
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/
One of these is the following, titled above;
Feature story – September 3, 2010
Greenpeace and more than a dozen other groups are organizing a rally in Montreal to send a message to the world’s energy leaders during the World Energy Congress; September 12 to 16. The world’s big energy companies will be there: Shell, Suncor, Total, Areva, Gaz Metro.
For the energy companies it is an opportunity to do business; sign new contracts; …
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Peace, order and good government, eh?: How to make $55 billion disappear
Taken together, a pair of stories in this morning's news demonstrate a pretty nifty piece of bookkeeping.
A story in the Toronto Star reminds us that the enhancements to the Employment Insurance program that were implemented last year will expire this Saturday. People who lose their jobs next week will no longer qualify for the extra five weeks of EI benefits that were designed to mitigate the effects of the recession. That's if they qualify for EI at all which is a controversy of long standing. The story reports that only thirty per cent of the unemployed in Ontario are even entitled to benefits.
But …
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Raw Dawg Buffalo: Planned Parenthood’s Goal is African American Genocide
The black community is plagued by many problems from drug abuse to violence and high incarceration and dropout rates. But shockingly, abortion is the No. 1 cause of death in our community. Yes, abortion. In a recent feature by Rev. John J. Raphael written for the Black Catholic Monthly, a publication run by the National Black Catholic Congress, it was noted that abortions in the black community occur 1,452 times a day, accounting for more than 13 million lives lost within the last 30 years. This figure is equivalent to approximately 1/3 of our present population.Since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court …
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CEP Union: Sad Day For BC Papers
Prince Rupert, Nelson papers to closeBlack Press is closing two B.C. dailies, the company announced days after buying the papers from Glacier Media.The Nelson Daily News and the Prince Rupert Daily News, both of which have been published for over 100 years, are closing within 60 days. The union office and Local 2000 members were informed of the decision this morning, a few days after Black Press purchased the newspapers from Glacier Media.“This is a very sad day for journalism in B.C., as well as for the people who will be losing their jobs,” said Mike Bocking, Local 2000 president. “We will …
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Divinately Me!: Hamas must prevent further attacks on Israeli civilians (original title)
3 September 2010 on Amnesty International’s website;
Amnesty International strongly condemned two recent attacks, one of them fatal, against Israeli civilians in the occupied West Bank.
Public Statement
Filed under: Democracy for All!, Human Rights Violations, Justice, Our World, Social/Economic Issues, Speak out!, War and Peace …
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My Blahg: THE HARPER GOVERNMENT COMMEMORATES GOVERNMENT SPENDING
Now I’ve seen everything.
City of North Bay Mayor Victor Fedeli and the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry and Member of Parliament for Parry Sound-Muskoka, unveiled a new plaque commemorating projects that benefited from the Gas Tax Fund in North Bay.
(HT Impolitical) …
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The Galloping Beaver: Tally Ho! Gadget sweet.Hotdog red.
Yes, I know that title is something akin to Greek to most readers. Some will actually understand it. Doesn't matter though, it makes about as much sense as the one that appeared in the National Post on Wednesday.Mark Collins: Canada buys an attack plane for defence Which then goes on to cherry-pick bits and pieces of information from the US Navy and Royal Navy about how the future employment of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter involves First Day Strike operations etc, etc.Wonderful.Here's a bit of news for the National Post and the editor who allowed that bit of spoiled milk to seep through.1. The …
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The Galloping Beaver: University (of Alberta) absurdity
Perusing an interesting post on possible effects of the Harper War on Knowledge(tm), I discover my skool'z dropped 19 spots in one international ranking...despite our preznit's mission-statementised postivistastic CEO marketing slogan about putting us in the top 20 by 2020.I wonder if it would help the ranking to stop giving the prez dumptrucks of university tax-payer money, and you know, let some departments keep their phones to make it easier to do the research that kicks those shiny rankings up a notch or 80 (yes, I have it on solid word they are taking phones away from profs in at least one …
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Molly'sBlog: Molly’sBlog 2010-09-09 02:13:00
ANARCHIST MUSIC:JOEY ONLY NEWS:Here's the latest news from anarchist musician Joey Only out Vancouver way, including an appeal for radical folk singer Anne Feeney.♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫Joey Only LIVE in Vancouver September 11thDearest friends, comrades, co-workers, family members and spies.JOEY ONLY LIVE IN VANCOUVER SEPTEMBER 11th..and other news... ------------------LIVE AT THE PRINCETON PUB - Powell and Victoria Saturday September 11th, 9:00PM, $5-10...with special guests and friends... Joey Only returns to Vancouver with a tonne of stories about summer tour, working in the …
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Molly'sBlog: Molly’sBlog 2010-09-09 01:51:00
LOCAL EVENTS WINNIPEG:WECC CONCERT THIS FRIDAY:Two days to go, and the SubCity Dwellers will be playing at the West End Cultural Centre here in Winnipeg. Here's the promo.♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♫SubCity @ The WECC with Magnum KI & The AfterpartyTime Friday · 7:00pm - 9:30pm----------------Location The West End Cultural Centre---------------Created By SubCity Dwellers --------------More Info Get back into the September swing with some groovy bands.Friday, September 10th 2010West End Cultural CentreSubCityMagnum KIThe Afterpartytickets are $12 advance from Music Trader and the WECC …
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NEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: Canadian Stuff
I do a progressive radio show at CJLO in Montreal, for those who aren't aware, and part of what I do is post the links to all the stories I cover on my show at my radio show blog. It's a constant battle to keep up and blog here at NMPCanada as well but I do enjoy the challenge and if I can provide a one-stop fits all for news links I'm happy to do it. Of late I've gotten away from that and I thought today would be a good day to include that once again as part of the overall format here.
What's being called the Quebec euthanasia hearings began on Tuesday. Needless to say, this is a controversial …
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Sister Sage's Musings: Can a Tax-Payer Funded Arena Buy Jean Charest & Stevie Spiteful Love?
I can’t say this is surprising. I knew that Jean Charest would jump at the chance to attempt to buy himself some love again from the Quebec voters. Yesterday, he committed 180 million dollars for this project in addition to what Quebec City mayor, Regis Lebeaume has already committed. In all, 400 million dollars is necessary. Since this is Quebec, where our infrastructure projects are known to be finished way over deadline and way over budget, count on it going above and beyond 400 million smackers.
That’s just great! I mean, Charest got himself in trouble with his last budget , implementing …
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NEW MEDIA AND POLITICS CANADA: Intolerance Nightly
The planned burning of the Qurans to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack has sparked outrage around the world -- here in Canada, Peter MacKay has stood up and denounced it rightly noting that this may put Canadian troops in Afghanistan in further danger. Terry Jones of the laughably named Dove World Outreach Center has said he doesn't care who's against it and that includes General David Petreus the Commander of the Nato Afghanistan forces who has said it could endanger the troops. Right-wing blogger and CNN (fox-lite) contributor Erick Erickson has said that General …
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Sister Sage's Musings: Montreal Gazette Now Telling Folks How To Vote–Cartoonist Seeming To Promote Violence–Real Responsible Journalism!
While I have noticed more and more corporate media outlets becoming more Harpercon friendly; hell, let’s make it cheerleading “Steve is oh so dreamy!” Hell, in 2008, about 90% of newspapers endorsed Steve, although, in the wonderful world according to Fagstein, every newspaper should endorse Steve; not endorsing any candidate, is apparently, “cowardly” (yeah, I know, he crossed it out, but it’s what he meant; otherwise, we wouldn’t have seen the crossed out word in the first place). Maybe I’m old fashioned and believe that no newspapers should …
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Daisy's Dead Air: Swamp Rabbit Trail
This section of Greenville County's Swamp Rabbit Trail runs along the Reedy River, right into the heart of downtown Greenville, South Carolina. The full 13-mile trail is actually a collection of smaller trails, only recently formally connected. I have been hiking the McDaniel section of the trail into (what is now) Reedy River Falls Park, since I first came to Greenville decades ago. I thought I would share the trail with you, which ends up at the bridge behind the West End Market (next-to-last photo, below). You can also take another section of this trail up to Liberty Bridge and the Reedy …
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