Holy crap things are busy! Interesting that we're talking so much about drug policy.
The National Post says what we are all thinking about Steve and his stance on pot - What the fuck are these guys talking about? I paraphrased that a bit.
I don't usually like to link to videos, but I'm going to link to this one. First, I like Mulcair's response to Harper on Insite. Second, I really like the nice young lady hanging out on Mulcair's shoulder. She pays attention. Smirks at the right time. He should really have her there as a sort of "emotion surrogate" at all times.
The Cons kicked a reporter out of an event when she asked party supporters about their personal stance on marijuana.
Elizabeth May is blaming Thomas Mulcair for Stephen Harper not attending a debate? Why not. I guess she can't blame Trudeau as he's trying to get her invited.
Was it a secret? The Guardian says "Canadian government spent millions on secret tar sands advocacy". Shit...money to "advance energy literacy amongst BC First Nation Communities." That's terrible.
Stephen Harper relishes in stopping a Provincial Government from enacting a social program. Isn't he for more Provincial rights?
The BBC weighs in on Canada taking away an expats right to vote.
Jeebez H. Crikey. Now the F-35 might not be able to meet the performance of our CF-18's? Why are we still thinking of buying this airplane? Incidentally, I have no idea what the stance is on this for the Libs and the NDP.
That didn't take long. The Cons have decided that they're not going to ban people from tweeting, taking photos or discussing their campaign events. And of course, nothing was meant by it. Just legal boilerplate.
I'm actually surprised the number is that high. Canada responsible for only 3% of ISIL air strike missions. And of course Steve responds to the Libs and the NDP in the classiest way possible on their ISIL strategy. Liberal, NDP anti-terror strategy just ‘dropping aid on dead people’. Because when you're responsible for 3% of something, that gives you the right to talk big.
I never really thought about how the election timing could impact students. October could give them enough time to set up their new address, but many students will be away from home and probably not bother with the hassle. Elections Canada has a pilot project going at a few Universities to allow students to vote in their home riding. But doesn't this contravene the Fair Elections Act? Sounds like get-out-the-vote promotion to me.
The opposition parties outline how they would un-muzzle scientists.
Syncrude killed another pile of birds. 30 Great Blue Herons this time.
Okay. This is more "Regular ramblings" than "Election ramblings", but here is another example of why we shouldn't hand off power to multi-national corporations in the name of "Copyright Reform". Sony has started issuing copyright takedown notices over video containing the word "pixels", because their amazing movie just happens to be named that. I hate to be the one to point out that, if anything, this would be trademark infringement, not copyright. Duh. Besides, as David Byrne explains, music streaming services are the real pirates.
Showing posts with label The Environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Environment. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
Your religion is different than mine - Week 217 - June 15-22
I believe firmly in Tim Uppal's right to wear his turban wherever he pleases. I admire the hypocrisy of him asking Muslim women to remove their niqab's. I'm saddened by the Harper government trotting Tim Uppal out to sell this for them.
Stephen Harper is a master. He can cut bait with the best of them. But how long before one of his terrible appointments brings him down? Don Meredith shows that he's not just a spender of taxpayer money, he's also a horrible human being.
Steve is going hard on Russia. Vladimir doesn't seem to care all that much. It's sad when you get called out as an American puppet.
James Moore joins the growing list of Conservative MP's not running in the next election.
I bet these same assholes are all on board with the pope when he speaks out against abortion. Climate change though? Too political!
A pretty great Tom the Dancing Bug on the TPP.
More details on driverless trucks on the Oil Patch. Normally, I can understand automated technology. But this is different. This is a natural resource that belongs to the people. This is a company being allowed to do what it does based on the promise of jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs is all we are ever told as justification for this stuff. We are allowed to challenge this automation.
Stephen Harper is a master. He can cut bait with the best of them. But how long before one of his terrible appointments brings him down? Don Meredith shows that he's not just a spender of taxpayer money, he's also a horrible human being.
Steve is going hard on Russia. Vladimir doesn't seem to care all that much. It's sad when you get called out as an American puppet.
James Moore joins the growing list of Conservative MP's not running in the next election.
I bet these same assholes are all on board with the pope when he speaks out against abortion. Climate change though? Too political!
A pretty great Tom the Dancing Bug on the TPP.
All those Stephen Harper court case losses? They're adding up. Almost $7 million spent defending unconstitutional laws.
Our top military man shows again that they just don't get it. Sexual assaults are a result of biological wiring. There's not anything they can do about it. Even the Cons can't defend this.
A story of how Stephen Harper single handedly overrode a team of experts recommendations for Northern territory limits and the repercussions of that decision.
Rachel Notley is awesome. She gets the shipping unprocessed bitumen to Texas via the Keystone pipeline sells the province short. Which is logical and amazing. Some try to explain that the US won't buy our refined products. But if that's all that is available to them, I'm not so sure.
People seem really freaked out about the cost of the Senate audit. The Auditor General breaks it down, somewhat, here.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Laurie Hawn is an Asshole - Week 213 - May 18-25
Question C-51? Well we're going to question your loyalty to Canada. What a fucking asshole. Laurie Hawn gets added to my list. Of Conservative assholes.
Joe Oliver, who had to resort to financial shenanigans to "balance the budget" this year, is already musing about more tax cuts.
The Alberta Oil Industry is asking for a carbon tax. A retail carbon tax? The cynic in me - which is most of me - thinks that there must be a catch. The Federal Government solution? Buy international carbon credits.
This guy raises an interesting point. Fixed election dates turn our campaigns into US style, drawn out affairs. Which sucks.
Thank goodness for all the new spying powers. We caught 10 young people trying to fly to join ISIS! What? Their parents turned them in? Oh.
What is going on with the debate debates? This is a good roundup. And, of course, the traditional debate will happen, with or without Harper.
Pipelines - Safe for everybody. Now leaking into the sea in Santa Barbara.
Here, a question is raised, but not answered. Who were the major donors to Stephen Harper's leadership campaigns?
It is a bit hard to feel sympathy for parents who can't bring their foreign nannies into Canada. Still, why are all the applications just being quietly denied?
The West Coast gets Coast Guard base closures. The East Coast gets new ones.
Even Conservatives think the victims of communism memorial is stupid.
This is why the new copyright rules and legislation are so stupid. GM is suggesting you don't own your new GM vehicle due to their copyright over the computer code contained within. Which is a bit like telling you that you don't own your own home because the alarm system is proprietary.
Reason enough to not vote for Harper. Jeb Bush wants him re-elected.
Taking a page from the RCMP, the FBI has decided to investigate opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline as "threats to National Security".
Another withdrawal from the Kinder Morgan NEB hearings. It's the wife of the first guy...but still. She had some great points on the radio this morning.
$21 Million to audit the Senate and a shitstorm about to be unleashed.
We're not too worried about what Saudi Arabia is up to on the human rights front.
Joe Oliver, who had to resort to financial shenanigans to "balance the budget" this year, is already musing about more tax cuts.
The Alberta Oil Industry is asking for a carbon tax. A retail carbon tax? The cynic in me - which is most of me - thinks that there must be a catch. The Federal Government solution? Buy international carbon credits.
This guy raises an interesting point. Fixed election dates turn our campaigns into US style, drawn out affairs. Which sucks.
Thank goodness for all the new spying powers. We caught 10 young people trying to fly to join ISIS! What? Their parents turned them in? Oh.
What is going on with the debate debates? This is a good roundup. And, of course, the traditional debate will happen, with or without Harper.
Pipelines - Safe for everybody. Now leaking into the sea in Santa Barbara.
Here, a question is raised, but not answered. Who were the major donors to Stephen Harper's leadership campaigns?
It is a bit hard to feel sympathy for parents who can't bring their foreign nannies into Canada. Still, why are all the applications just being quietly denied?
The West Coast gets Coast Guard base closures. The East Coast gets new ones.
Even Conservatives think the victims of communism memorial is stupid.
This is why the new copyright rules and legislation are so stupid. GM is suggesting you don't own your new GM vehicle due to their copyright over the computer code contained within. Which is a bit like telling you that you don't own your own home because the alarm system is proprietary.
Reason enough to not vote for Harper. Jeb Bush wants him re-elected.
Taking a page from the RCMP, the FBI has decided to investigate opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline as "threats to National Security".
Another withdrawal from the Kinder Morgan NEB hearings. It's the wife of the first guy...but still. She had some great points on the radio this morning.
$21 Million to audit the Senate and a shitstorm about to be unleashed.
We're not too worried about what Saudi Arabia is up to on the human rights front.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Doing nothing on an International scale - Week 212 - May 11-19
The Guardian has an opinion about our recently announced greenhouse gas emissions targets. "Canada reneges on emissions targets as tar sands production takes its toll".
Oh oh. "Extremists" are opposed to the Oil Sands. You know they're "extremists" because they're opposed to the Oil Sands.
There is a new push from Government scientists to curb government meddling and muzzling of their affairs. You can get a real sense of what is going on from talking to retired scientists, no longer afraid of speaking out.
Shockingly, Pierre Poilievre doesn't think he's done anything wrong by using government funds to shoot propaganda videos in the run up to the election. The CBC digs into the overall Conservative ad scheme a bit more.
The Israel hate speech story is blowing up. The Intercept here. Claims that the original story was false. And support for the original story.
Another Stephen Harper loss in the Supreme Court. Omar Khadr should have served his sentence as a youth, not an adult offender.
The Senate is making news again. First, former Liberal Senators won't vote for C-51. Can they force meaningful change upon it? We will see. Next, Conservative Senators don't seem like they will allow the Reform Act through. This could get interesting. Lots of chances for people to jump up and down and complain about non elected politicians dictating policy. Even a chance for both sides to use it against the other, if we're lucky.
A report suggests we have no real plan for what we are doing with our fight against ISIS.
And you thought Alberta oil royalties were bad...Ontario collected a little over $200 in diamond royalties last year. The industry was probably outraged to pay even that much. Jobs!
The RCMP may have broken the law when they destroyed gun registry records. No worries though. The Cons just retroactively changed the law so it was legal.
Interesting. The Cons have decided to blow up the existing debate format and not accept the status quo. This seems to go together with the suggestion a few months ago that they were going to pursue more debates in an effort to beat up on Trudeau.
In public, the Military claims they will act on sexual misconduct. In practice, they are issuing orders to ignore key report recommendations they promised to follow.
The new Veterans Affairs minister thinks that medical marijuana has no place in PTSD treatment for soldiers. "No proof" he says. Of course, we haven't studied it, so there is "no proof" either way.
Tony Clement has gotten involved in the sick day fracas. Says they will negotiate...but claims they won't be able to touch the $900 Million in savings. Which seems like a difficult position for the unions.
The Cons are blocking an investigation into several NDP MP's being denied access to Parliament.
Oh oh. "Extremists" are opposed to the Oil Sands. You know they're "extremists" because they're opposed to the Oil Sands.
There is a new push from Government scientists to curb government meddling and muzzling of their affairs. You can get a real sense of what is going on from talking to retired scientists, no longer afraid of speaking out.
Shockingly, Pierre Poilievre doesn't think he's done anything wrong by using government funds to shoot propaganda videos in the run up to the election. The CBC digs into the overall Conservative ad scheme a bit more.
The Israel hate speech story is blowing up. The Intercept here. Claims that the original story was false. And support for the original story.
Another Stephen Harper loss in the Supreme Court. Omar Khadr should have served his sentence as a youth, not an adult offender.
The Senate is making news again. First, former Liberal Senators won't vote for C-51. Can they force meaningful change upon it? We will see. Next, Conservative Senators don't seem like they will allow the Reform Act through. This could get interesting. Lots of chances for people to jump up and down and complain about non elected politicians dictating policy. Even a chance for both sides to use it against the other, if we're lucky.
A report suggests we have no real plan for what we are doing with our fight against ISIS.
And you thought Alberta oil royalties were bad...Ontario collected a little over $200 in diamond royalties last year. The industry was probably outraged to pay even that much. Jobs!
The RCMP may have broken the law when they destroyed gun registry records. No worries though. The Cons just retroactively changed the law so it was legal.
Interesting. The Cons have decided to blow up the existing debate format and not accept the status quo. This seems to go together with the suggestion a few months ago that they were going to pursue more debates in an effort to beat up on Trudeau.
In public, the Military claims they will act on sexual misconduct. In practice, they are issuing orders to ignore key report recommendations they promised to follow.
The new Veterans Affairs minister thinks that medical marijuana has no place in PTSD treatment for soldiers. "No proof" he says. Of course, we haven't studied it, so there is "no proof" either way.
Tony Clement has gotten involved in the sick day fracas. Says they will negotiate...but claims they won't be able to touch the $900 Million in savings. Which seems like a difficult position for the unions.
The Cons are blocking an investigation into several NDP MP's being denied access to Parliament.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Vacation. Again - Week 207-208, April 6-21
I've been away. I've been lazy. I've been sad. I've been disgruntled. Where did we even leave off?
Stephen Harper met Castro. Wouldn't provide a photo. So here it is.
Of course we have the budget. Where apparently Joe Oliver buying a pair of NB runners is a story.
I recognize that the auto bailout wasn't an "investment". But still...somehow we lost $3.5 Billion? We certainly didn't negotiate very good terms with the companies about to go bankrupt, and then sell it all off to balance the budget.
An article on Stephen Harper's less than great economic leadership.
And Mike Duffy. A good breakdown here. And details! Of how he was an incredibly popular fellow among Conservative MP's. 74 of them asked him to show up at campaign events or otherwise help them get elected. Canadaland suggests he paid journalists to help him out. He started claiming expenses before he was even a Senator.
The Speaker isn't letting people ask questions about Duffy in the House of Commons.
Contained in this story - A former senior member of the Kits Coast Guard base says the Coast Guard Commissioner is full of shit when he says the Kits base would have had no effect. "Toxopeus said the base had thousands of feet of oil-containing booms and a pollution boat. Reopening that base, and reversing cuts to Coast Guard staffing would mean federal responders ready to hit the water 24/7 from full-time, dedicated stations, not needing to be called in from afar."
Of course, there are a lot of people hurling a lot of blame over the spill response. Most of it at Harper and the Coast Guard. Feds deny anything went wrong.
Jeffrey Simpson isn't a fan of the Conservative Government advertising program.
The NDP fights back against ridiculous "balanced budget" legislation. Suggests the Harperites pay back a bunch of salary for all the deficit budgets they've passed.
A story about Thomas Mulcair and his Dutch Disease comments.
We're selling off Diplomatic properties around the world...but building a new embassy in Israel.
Tax evasion convictions have gone way down. Speculation is that this is due to a lack of resources.
Mohamed Fahmy may finally be getting his passport.
Quite a few stories about councils and government type people who will continue to pray in an official capacity despite the Supreme Court ruling. Edmonton City Council. Saskatchewan Legislature.
The National Post lays out all of the Supreme Court victories and losses for Harper in the last few years. 8 Losses. 2 Victories.
Harper refuses to disclose the work that went into making "Strong. Proud. Free." the new Government slogan. It's been classified as a "cabinet confidence". They're also using legislation designed to fight terrorism to suppress news about the Harper family.
We're selling the Canadian Wheat Board to a Saudi Arabian firm.
Judges refusing to charge the victim surcharge are being reigned in.
Pierre Poilievre. An idiot who can't use numbers.
Toyota moves some production from Canada to Mexico.
A Steelworkers charity is being targeted by Revenue Canada.
The government spend $750,000 recruiting TFW's overseas.
Stephen Harper met Castro. Wouldn't provide a photo. So here it is.
I recognize that the auto bailout wasn't an "investment". But still...somehow we lost $3.5 Billion? We certainly didn't negotiate very good terms with the companies about to go bankrupt, and then sell it all off to balance the budget.
An article on Stephen Harper's less than great economic leadership.
And Mike Duffy. A good breakdown here. And details! Of how he was an incredibly popular fellow among Conservative MP's. 74 of them asked him to show up at campaign events or otherwise help them get elected. Canadaland suggests he paid journalists to help him out. He started claiming expenses before he was even a Senator.
The Speaker isn't letting people ask questions about Duffy in the House of Commons.
Contained in this story - A former senior member of the Kits Coast Guard base says the Coast Guard Commissioner is full of shit when he says the Kits base would have had no effect. "Toxopeus said the base had thousands of feet of oil-containing booms and a pollution boat. Reopening that base, and reversing cuts to Coast Guard staffing would mean federal responders ready to hit the water 24/7 from full-time, dedicated stations, not needing to be called in from afar."
Of course, there are a lot of people hurling a lot of blame over the spill response. Most of it at Harper and the Coast Guard. Feds deny anything went wrong.
Jeffrey Simpson isn't a fan of the Conservative Government advertising program.
The NDP fights back against ridiculous "balanced budget" legislation. Suggests the Harperites pay back a bunch of salary for all the deficit budgets they've passed.
A story about Thomas Mulcair and his Dutch Disease comments.
We're selling off Diplomatic properties around the world...but building a new embassy in Israel.
Tax evasion convictions have gone way down. Speculation is that this is due to a lack of resources.
Mohamed Fahmy may finally be getting his passport.
Quite a few stories about councils and government type people who will continue to pray in an official capacity despite the Supreme Court ruling. Edmonton City Council. Saskatchewan Legislature.
The National Post lays out all of the Supreme Court victories and losses for Harper in the last few years. 8 Losses. 2 Victories.
Harper refuses to disclose the work that went into making "Strong. Proud. Free." the new Government slogan. It's been classified as a "cabinet confidence". They're also using legislation designed to fight terrorism to suppress news about the Harper family.
We're selling the Canadian Wheat Board to a Saudi Arabian firm.
Judges refusing to charge the victim surcharge are being reigned in.
Pierre Poilievre. An idiot who can't use numbers.
Toyota moves some production from Canada to Mexico.
A Steelworkers charity is being targeted by Revenue Canada.
The government spend $750,000 recruiting TFW's overseas.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Kenney is an Idiot - Week 204 - March 23-30
Jason Kenney. Kind of an idiot. As chief chicken hawk responsible for taking Canada to war, he's really stepping in it this week. First, he actually brags about how we're going to cut and run in Iraq and Syria once we're done blowing shit up. This is why we are over there in the first place: The USA had no plans in place to deal with a post invasion Iraq. If we really wanted to help, we would do exactly the opposite: Let the US blow shit up and then step in to help rebuild. Leaving a vacuum allowed ISIS to flourish.
After that, he made up some stuff about precision guided munitions. And I think I forgot to link about his tweeting of misleading photos a few weeks ago.
ISIS...probably not the only people we should be worrying about in Syria.
Unfortunately, this seems to be what the Cons are about these days. Poor jokes and a lack of answers to questions on the ISIS mission.
Bill C-51 will see a fresh coat of paint. Well...maybe some pin-striping. This is a huge failure for Trudeau. Huge. Harper can say "We are trying to keep our country safe. Look at how great we are listening to criticism and changing things." Mulcair can say "Our opposition resulted in important changes to this terrible legislation." Trudeau can say "We blindly went along and contributed nothing to the discussion."
The Cons are still trying to shut down safe injection sites.
Here's my study on microbeads: They're fucking terrible and should be banned and we should probably take the manufacturers to court for the clean-up costs. I guess Environment Canada studying them is a step in the right direction. But come on Conservatives, you're known for your over-the-top knee jerk reactions without scientific facts to back you up. Why start now?
A good point. Everybody else seems to have their shit in order...why is Joe Oliver still unable to provide a budget?
The Cons have spent a lot of money so far battling to take away expats voting rights. Kind of sad that they're so afraid of people that have seen the world.
Holy shit! They won a court decision! Quebec can't keep their gun registry info.
It's amazing how the Snowden files keep giving and giving. Canada apparently has a number of offensive hacking tactics and tools. All this information is how old now though?
John Baird is going to advise Barrick Gold. And this details his involvement in the "Victims of Communism" memorial and its renaming.
I was wrong about the Toronto Terror Tunnel...good to know somebody who isn't a suburban white kid can catch a break with police. Very cool story about the guy/kid who built the tunnel. I'm glad it all worked out for him.
After that, he made up some stuff about precision guided munitions. And I think I forgot to link about his tweeting of misleading photos a few weeks ago.
ISIS...probably not the only people we should be worrying about in Syria.
Unfortunately, this seems to be what the Cons are about these days. Poor jokes and a lack of answers to questions on the ISIS mission.
Bill C-51 will see a fresh coat of paint. Well...maybe some pin-striping. This is a huge failure for Trudeau. Huge. Harper can say "We are trying to keep our country safe. Look at how great we are listening to criticism and changing things." Mulcair can say "Our opposition resulted in important changes to this terrible legislation." Trudeau can say "We blindly went along and contributed nothing to the discussion."
The Cons are still trying to shut down safe injection sites.
Here's my study on microbeads: They're fucking terrible and should be banned and we should probably take the manufacturers to court for the clean-up costs. I guess Environment Canada studying them is a step in the right direction. But come on Conservatives, you're known for your over-the-top knee jerk reactions without scientific facts to back you up. Why start now?
A good point. Everybody else seems to have their shit in order...why is Joe Oliver still unable to provide a budget?
The Cons have spent a lot of money so far battling to take away expats voting rights. Kind of sad that they're so afraid of people that have seen the world.
Holy shit! They won a court decision! Quebec can't keep their gun registry info.
It's amazing how the Snowden files keep giving and giving. Canada apparently has a number of offensive hacking tactics and tools. All this information is how old now though?
John Baird is going to advise Barrick Gold. And this details his involvement in the "Victims of Communism" memorial and its renaming.
I was wrong about the Toronto Terror Tunnel...good to know somebody who isn't a suburban white kid can catch a break with police. Very cool story about the guy/kid who built the tunnel. I'm glad it all worked out for him.
Monday, March 2, 2015
It's a Milestone! - Week 200 - Feb 23 - Mar 2
200 weeks! Holy shit! I mean, I've probably gotten my math wrong somewhere along the way, but it all sounds impressive. I can't wait for the next election. So I can stop having to do this shit.
An MP admits that omnibus bills are so large, they seldom have any clue what is in them.
Law professors. What do they know about such things? 100 academics speak out against Bill C-51.
The Cons aren't really interested in hearing from experts before voting on C-51. I see their point. I mean, if you have your mind made up already, why bother with more than a couple of days of listening to experts?
Some documents have been released showing that our Security apparatuses were on "high alert" prior to the October attacks. But weren't able to do anything. And wouldn't have been able to do anything with their new powers.
Steven Blaney insists that families know all about their radicalized children and their beliefs before they head oversees. Except for all those times when they have no idea.
FactsCan is checking up on some of the statements Conservatives are saying to get C-51 passed:
An MP admits that omnibus bills are so large, they seldom have any clue what is in them.
Law professors. What do they know about such things? 100 academics speak out against Bill C-51.
The Cons aren't really interested in hearing from experts before voting on C-51. I see their point. I mean, if you have your mind made up already, why bother with more than a couple of days of listening to experts?
Some documents have been released showing that our Security apparatuses were on "high alert" prior to the October attacks. But weren't able to do anything. And wouldn't have been able to do anything with their new powers.
Steven Blaney insists that families know all about their radicalized children and their beliefs before they head oversees. Except for all those times when they have no idea.
FactsCan is checking up on some of the statements Conservatives are saying to get C-51 passed:
Daryl Kramp: “You have to commit a criminal offence” to fall within the scope of C-51 powers - False
Jason Kenney: “Bill C-51 does not add new powers to CSIS, it adds new powers to our independent judiciary, to the courts, to judges.” - False
This sounds ominous and terrible but it's sort of one of those "What did you think they were doing?" kinds of things. CSE monitors visits to government websites and e-mails to government.
We're really taking this terror think a little too far. Somebody built a giant hole! Kind of near a stadium! It's just a hole...but it could be more than a hole! It could be a terror hole. Or just a hole that some 20 year olds built because they were bored and wanted somewhere to hang out. Can you imagine if they hadn't of been white guys?
This is a few years old, but gained traction on boingboing. Anyhow, a man exhaustively details Conservative cuts and attacks on science.
These fucking children. Our Natural Resources Minister sticks his tongue out at Liberals in the House.
Oh boy. The reasoning the Cons are giving for no National inquiry into missing aboriginal women? They're just all victims of domestic violence. Yikes.
The Cons, those pillars of public communication, are thinking that maybe they should have a whole pile of debates for this upcoming election so that they can try to embarrass Trudeau.
Finally. Inside the mind of Stephen Harper, thanks to an exclusive interview in the Costco Connection, conducted by the hard hitting editor of that well respected rag.
Chicken Hawk Steve is working hard to deport American deserters back to the US.
SNC Lavelin is turning into a smear on our entire country. The World Bank highlights all it's corrupt subsidiaries, and it's a huge chunk of their "corrupt companies" list.
Student loans are a hot topic in BC. First, the Advanced Education Minister conducted an interview where he made up some numbers about student loan rates. Nobody cared. Next, the BC Government is proposing to not issue you a drivers license if you have unpaid student loans.
The transit referendum in BC is making me very nervous. It shows just how easy it is to torpedo an idea with a bit of fear mongering. That's not to say that criticism of Translink is not valid...but to torpedo public transit in Vancouver over CEO salaries? It reminds me of how election reform was torpedoed...and the HST was torpedoed...basically, if you want a policy to not be enacted, put it to a public vote.
I think I might start highlighting one story every week that contains the most clueless comments. This week "Calgary students disciplined for wearing KKK robes" - shit...let's take this further. Let's highlight one particularly ignorant comment. Oreillia Hoover of Calgary Alberta:
Most White teenagers don't tend to have guns... Most White teenagers as a rule don't go out and shoot people just to see how it feels like or for bragging rites or to pass initiation in a gang...! I don't believe I've ever heard any comments regarding black youths in Calgary/Canada...! These teenagers ARE in Calgary...!
You want me to keep going cause I could...! And please spare me your terms of endearment...!
You want me to keep going cause I could...! And please spare me your terms of endearment...!
Monday, February 9, 2015
Big News! - Week 197 - Feb 2-9
This was a week when all of the stories are so big, there's almost no point in posting. Yet...here we are.
Steve re-shuffles the deck in the wake of John Baird's departure. An interesting article on how John Baird was a master of blowing smoke up peoples asses.
Eve Adams is now a Liberal. Man. This seems like bad news for everybody.
The Cons lose another court case. The ban on wearing a niqab during a citizenship ceremony is struck down. Fuck. Can you believe that any of that was necessary.
This wasn't a law created by the Cons...but they certainly aren't happy about losing this case. Supreme Court to allow limited physician assisted suicide.
The Liberal MP loses his bid to re-instate the long form census. Here's some details, not that it matters.
A disproportionate amount of infrastructure funding for disabled access has gone to Conservative ridings.
A former soldier is asking why the government is giving details about the mission in Iraq. Because details are what could jeopardize soldiers. Not telling people the cost of the mission.
Who is in charge of Parliament Hill security seems to be a big political deal, somehow.
The Libs confirm that they will follow the Cons on anti-terror legislation. And we've totally misunderstood. We shouldn't worry about people getting swept up in terror accusations if they're just "teens messing around in the basement". In Steve's world, those fuckers belong in jail!:
asked how to distinguish between teens messing around in their basements and someone who is radicalized, Harper said it would be a serious offence "no matter who you are." "It doesn't matter what the age of the person is, or whether they're in a basement, or whether they're in a mosque or somewhere else," Harper said Friday in Richmond Hill, Ont.
Because he thinks all this terror shit will get him elected. Worked for George Bush, I guess.
A BC businessman received a huge settlement after having his business destroyed by a misguided "terror investigation". Over two boxes worth of electronics.
Andrew Weaver wins a defamation suit against the clowns at the National Post.
And Trudeau announces some sort of plan on carbon reduction. It might not be a great plan, or much of a plan yet. But it's more than the Cons have given us.
This is just a nonsense article that is tough to follow. Don't begrudge the 1% attaining half of all the wealth...people making $40,000 saw an increase of 3.9% over 4 years. That's nearly a percent a year! Fuck, hope Wal-Mart party supplies are on sale because we're going to celebrate the shit out of this. With quotes from the Fraser Institute!Just a reminder. The Fraser Institute receives huge amounts of funds from pro-oil billionaires from the US. Foreign Radicals indeed.
Wow. Rich. Harper suggests that Trudeau has it in for the military. I guess if you think that committing the country to wars where soldiers can go off and get killed and then cutting support for veterans is "pro military", than yes, he may be right.
What a fucking mess. The Feds allow some TFW's to stay in Alberta, because they might be on track to stay anyhow, but the rules are so convoluted it probably won't help anybody anyhow.
The NDP is going to have to pay back $2.75 Million in salaries due to the satellite offices controversy. Yikes.
BC raw log exports have increased dramatically under the Liberals. From 200,000 cubic meters in 1997 to 6.5 Million in 2013. Much of that jump coming from 2009-2013. There's really no justification for this.
Copyright has been for life of author, plus 50 years. That's been wholly and totally adequate. Except all the pouting entertainment companies are demanding an extension to cover a handful of their franchises. So now it's life + 70. Fuck these people. Why do we need to keep changing laws to support their business model?
Fuck. Alberta. You don't want a sales tax. And corporate taxes are off the table. What are you going to do? I love it though. "If we charge taxes to all of these oil companies, they'll take their business elsewhere." Because oil is an incredibly mobile resource. I drink your milkshake?
These are the stories that get me up in the morning. "MacKay once backed intelligence oversight now rejected by Tories"
I didn't read the full story, but I'm extremely troubled by this. A lady in her mid 30's attacked a pipeline worker in Alberta. But how was she radicalized? I mean, she's a terrorist, right?
The Port Metro truck driver dispute is a total shitshow. Drivers strike because they're paid shit and have to wait for hours and hours (unpaid). Well fuck you then. We'll just create a new licensing system that puts a whole bunch of you out of business. In the name of "fairness".
Steve re-shuffles the deck in the wake of John Baird's departure. An interesting article on how John Baird was a master of blowing smoke up peoples asses.
Eve Adams is now a Liberal. Man. This seems like bad news for everybody.
The Cons lose another court case. The ban on wearing a niqab during a citizenship ceremony is struck down. Fuck. Can you believe that any of that was necessary.
This wasn't a law created by the Cons...but they certainly aren't happy about losing this case. Supreme Court to allow limited physician assisted suicide.
The Liberal MP loses his bid to re-instate the long form census. Here's some details, not that it matters.
A disproportionate amount of infrastructure funding for disabled access has gone to Conservative ridings.
A former soldier is asking why the government is giving details about the mission in Iraq. Because details are what could jeopardize soldiers. Not telling people the cost of the mission.
Who is in charge of Parliament Hill security seems to be a big political deal, somehow.
The Libs confirm that they will follow the Cons on anti-terror legislation. And we've totally misunderstood. We shouldn't worry about people getting swept up in terror accusations if they're just "teens messing around in the basement". In Steve's world, those fuckers belong in jail!:
asked how to distinguish between teens messing around in their basements and someone who is radicalized, Harper said it would be a serious offence "no matter who you are." "It doesn't matter what the age of the person is, or whether they're in a basement, or whether they're in a mosque or somewhere else," Harper said Friday in Richmond Hill, Ont.
Because he thinks all this terror shit will get him elected. Worked for George Bush, I guess.
A BC businessman received a huge settlement after having his business destroyed by a misguided "terror investigation". Over two boxes worth of electronics.
Andrew Weaver wins a defamation suit against the clowns at the National Post.
And Trudeau announces some sort of plan on carbon reduction. It might not be a great plan, or much of a plan yet. But it's more than the Cons have given us.
This is just a nonsense article that is tough to follow. Don't begrudge the 1% attaining half of all the wealth...people making $40,000 saw an increase of 3.9% over 4 years. That's nearly a percent a year! Fuck, hope Wal-Mart party supplies are on sale because we're going to celebrate the shit out of this. With quotes from the Fraser Institute!Just a reminder. The Fraser Institute receives huge amounts of funds from pro-oil billionaires from the US. Foreign Radicals indeed.
Wow. Rich. Harper suggests that Trudeau has it in for the military. I guess if you think that committing the country to wars where soldiers can go off and get killed and then cutting support for veterans is "pro military", than yes, he may be right.
What a fucking mess. The Feds allow some TFW's to stay in Alberta, because they might be on track to stay anyhow, but the rules are so convoluted it probably won't help anybody anyhow.
The NDP is going to have to pay back $2.75 Million in salaries due to the satellite offices controversy. Yikes.
BC raw log exports have increased dramatically under the Liberals. From 200,000 cubic meters in 1997 to 6.5 Million in 2013. Much of that jump coming from 2009-2013. There's really no justification for this.
Copyright has been for life of author, plus 50 years. That's been wholly and totally adequate. Except all the pouting entertainment companies are demanding an extension to cover a handful of their franchises. So now it's life + 70. Fuck these people. Why do we need to keep changing laws to support their business model?
Fuck. Alberta. You don't want a sales tax. And corporate taxes are off the table. What are you going to do? I love it though. "If we charge taxes to all of these oil companies, they'll take their business elsewhere." Because oil is an incredibly mobile resource. I drink your milkshake?
These are the stories that get me up in the morning. "MacKay once backed intelligence oversight now rejected by Tories"
I didn't read the full story, but I'm extremely troubled by this. A lady in her mid 30's attacked a pipeline worker in Alberta. But how was she radicalized? I mean, she's a terrorist, right?
The Port Metro truck driver dispute is a total shitshow. Drivers strike because they're paid shit and have to wait for hours and hours (unpaid). Well fuck you then. We'll just create a new licensing system that puts a whole bunch of you out of business. In the name of "fairness".
Monday, January 19, 2015
On to something - Week 194 - Jan 12-19
I'm diggin' these Palestinians! Throwing shoes and eggs at John Baird sounds like a lot of fun! At least he accomplished something there, unlike in Eqypt.
I hope that Thomas Mulcair is sitting somewhere...in a cave maybe...polishing up his "I told you so!" speech. While Stephen Harper works to convince us that he's the only man that can get us out of this mess that he created. The Germans also point out that we're kind of fucked. I don't even know what the fuck Joe Oliver is talking about any longer. He's "on track to achieve a balanced budget". Yet the budget is delayed because they don't have enough information.
I love this. The MP with the worst voting record admits that there isn't really much point in her being in the House of Commons.
This would have been an awesome hoax if the news organizations hadn't beat us to it. Jihadists are making oil money up north before shipping off to the middle east. Well. Before they get laid off, that is.
The driving terrorist, who ran over a Canadian soldier in the fall, was known to police. They even tried to lock him up. More intrusive surveillance will not help. More resources might have. I'm not certain the ability to lock people up for thought crime is the answer.
The new copyright laws have resulted in companies lying to Canadians, threatening to sue them for vast sums of money.
All the scientists are trying to get rich again. Here they are, making things up about it being the warmest year on earth. Again. I distinctly remember a couple of cold days last year...
A story on they myth of defensive gun use statistics degenerates into an argument in the comments about what the term "regulated" means...There's just no satisfying these gun toting yahoos...who all have multiple instances of saving the day with their guns.
I find it really, really weird that we let people with jobs jump the immigration queue.
A Stephen Harper insider...and creator of the "Ethical Oil" campaign...is spearheading the "no to public transit" referendum in BC.
I hope that Thomas Mulcair is sitting somewhere...in a cave maybe...polishing up his "I told you so!" speech. While Stephen Harper works to convince us that he's the only man that can get us out of this mess that he created. The Germans also point out that we're kind of fucked. I don't even know what the fuck Joe Oliver is talking about any longer. He's "on track to achieve a balanced budget". Yet the budget is delayed because they don't have enough information.
I love this. The MP with the worst voting record admits that there isn't really much point in her being in the House of Commons.
This would have been an awesome hoax if the news organizations hadn't beat us to it. Jihadists are making oil money up north before shipping off to the middle east. Well. Before they get laid off, that is.
The driving terrorist, who ran over a Canadian soldier in the fall, was known to police. They even tried to lock him up. More intrusive surveillance will not help. More resources might have. I'm not certain the ability to lock people up for thought crime is the answer.
The new copyright laws have resulted in companies lying to Canadians, threatening to sue them for vast sums of money.
All the scientists are trying to get rich again. Here they are, making things up about it being the warmest year on earth. Again. I distinctly remember a couple of cold days last year...
A story on they myth of defensive gun use statistics degenerates into an argument in the comments about what the term "regulated" means...There's just no satisfying these gun toting yahoos...who all have multiple instances of saving the day with their guns.
I find it really, really weird that we let people with jobs jump the immigration queue.
A Stephen Harper insider...and creator of the "Ethical Oil" campaign...is spearheading the "no to public transit" referendum in BC.
Monday, January 12, 2015
2015 might be the year of the political criminal - Week 192 & 193 - Dec 30 - Jan 12
Holy shit. The CBC lists all the political trials (and other legal court things) on the schedule for this year. Insane.
This seems to be a theme. Terror attack. News comes out that the authorities were aware of the perpetrators. Yet we still use the attack to justify more intrusive surveillance. So we can be doubly aware of future attacks?
Canada is preventing a NAFTA watchdog from investigating oil sands tailing ponds.
An interesting interview with Jason Kenney in Vice. When asked why no young people vote Conservative, he points out that young oil patch workers who make a lot of money actually do. Which is a ringing endorsement for his party. Probably reason enough not to vote for them, right there. As well, a nice breakdown of Stephen Harper's year end interview.
What the fuck is going on at the CBC? Rex Murphy has devolved into a crazy, lunatic, corporate sponsored mouthpiece. And Amanda Lang worked really hard to spike stories on behalf of her best buds at RBC.
Fantino out. Some other loser in. An article detailing the Cons terrible policies related to our military. And they've actually started directly accusing soldiers of faking injuries.
A detailed article on the Conservative obsession with memorials, and their attempts to construct giant ones all over Parliament Hill.
Why is Canada so far down the list when it comes to children's health? We've also dropped out of the top 10 for "most developed countries".
Kevin Vickers will be named ambassador to Ireland.
I find it odd when an article contains a statement such as "the energy-intensive oil sands sector accounts for less than half a per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions", suggesting that this is a trivial amount.
Not only do our refugee policies suck, when they finally make it here, we make all kinds of mistakes processing their paperwork.
I feel like the Tyee has given us a few articles with a similar vibe already, but it deserves repeating. Kinder Morgan and their Trans Mountain pipeline really don't provide much in the way of economic support to Canada. It's mostly drained off into the States.
HD Mining strikes again? I feel like the Globe is late to the party in detailing how this BC mine will be staffed by foreign workers.
Speaking of late to the party. The Globe asks where the $3.1 Billion went. Probably a fair question.
There are many riding changes in the upcoming Federal Election, and nobody really knows what to make of it.
The joint strike fighter won't be able to fire its guns before 2019. We need to run away from this project.
This seems to be a theme. Terror attack. News comes out that the authorities were aware of the perpetrators. Yet we still use the attack to justify more intrusive surveillance. So we can be doubly aware of future attacks?
Canada is preventing a NAFTA watchdog from investigating oil sands tailing ponds.
An interesting interview with Jason Kenney in Vice. When asked why no young people vote Conservative, he points out that young oil patch workers who make a lot of money actually do. Which is a ringing endorsement for his party. Probably reason enough not to vote for them, right there. As well, a nice breakdown of Stephen Harper's year end interview.
What the fuck is going on at the CBC? Rex Murphy has devolved into a crazy, lunatic, corporate sponsored mouthpiece. And Amanda Lang worked really hard to spike stories on behalf of her best buds at RBC.
Fantino out. Some other loser in. An article detailing the Cons terrible policies related to our military. And they've actually started directly accusing soldiers of faking injuries.
A detailed article on the Conservative obsession with memorials, and their attempts to construct giant ones all over Parliament Hill.
Why is Canada so far down the list when it comes to children's health? We've also dropped out of the top 10 for "most developed countries".
Kevin Vickers will be named ambassador to Ireland.
I find it odd when an article contains a statement such as "the energy-intensive oil sands sector accounts for less than half a per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions", suggesting that this is a trivial amount.
Not only do our refugee policies suck, when they finally make it here, we make all kinds of mistakes processing their paperwork.
I feel like the Tyee has given us a few articles with a similar vibe already, but it deserves repeating. Kinder Morgan and their Trans Mountain pipeline really don't provide much in the way of economic support to Canada. It's mostly drained off into the States.
HD Mining strikes again? I feel like the Globe is late to the party in detailing how this BC mine will be staffed by foreign workers.
Speaking of late to the party. The Globe asks where the $3.1 Billion went. Probably a fair question.
There are many riding changes in the upcoming Federal Election, and nobody really knows what to make of it.
The joint strike fighter won't be able to fire its guns before 2019. We need to run away from this project.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
It's almost over - Week 190 & 191 - Dec 15-30
The end of the year. Time for the annual "The average CEO makes your yearly salary by wiping his ass" stories.
This is why income tax is progressive. The bottom 50% of wage earners have only 5% of the wealth in Canada.
Two MP's who developed the Conservative voting app may have committed a conflict of interest in voting to allow scrutineers to use their app.
Here is a telling sentence - "Public Safety Minister Peter MacKay’s Bill C-13 lumped together measures designed to combat cyberbullying with a series of new warrants to enhance police investigative powers"
Sweet headline - Feds leave $321-million unspent for green programs, overspend on oil and gas research, ads
Man. This might be a monkey wrench in Trans Mountains expansion plans. 10% chance of a major spill? Yikes.
A lawyer is trying to force Steve to appoint people to the Senate.
Steve might slowly be changing his mind on carbon pricing?
These NFA kooks are a hoot!
We're seeking rich immigrants again.
Parents are listening to the scientifically dubious IQ claims of the latest Reefer Madness ads.
Not much info on the changes to the Indian Act.
We're not doing much to protect Caribou.
Canada Revenue just did a blanket destruction of all employees text messages, and won't save them in the future.
I don't know what this means. More people seem to think Steve is doing a good job on the environment, but it's still a minority. And the change is most likely within the margin of error.
Once again, we screw up a military purchase and pay twice the going rate for some cargo planes.
This is why income tax is progressive. The bottom 50% of wage earners have only 5% of the wealth in Canada.
Two MP's who developed the Conservative voting app may have committed a conflict of interest in voting to allow scrutineers to use their app.
Here is a telling sentence - "Public Safety Minister Peter MacKay’s Bill C-13 lumped together measures designed to combat cyberbullying with a series of new warrants to enhance police investigative powers"
Sweet headline - Feds leave $321-million unspent for green programs, overspend on oil and gas research, ads
Man. This might be a monkey wrench in Trans Mountains expansion plans. 10% chance of a major spill? Yikes.
A lawyer is trying to force Steve to appoint people to the Senate.
Steve might slowly be changing his mind on carbon pricing?
These NFA kooks are a hoot!
Parents are listening to the scientifically dubious IQ claims of the latest Reefer Madness ads.
Not much info on the changes to the Indian Act.
We're not doing much to protect Caribou.
Canada Revenue just did a blanket destruction of all employees text messages, and won't save them in the future.
I don't know what this means. More people seem to think Steve is doing a good job on the environment, but it's still a minority. And the change is most likely within the margin of error.
Once again, we screw up a military purchase and pay twice the going rate for some cargo planes.
Monday, December 15, 2014
This is definitely torture - Week 189 - Dec 8-15
Steve insists US torture isn't our problem. We need to remind ourselves of our diplomat trying to tell us that we directly handed Afghan detainees over to be tortured.
We've already totally fucked up our Syrian refugee program. We're about to throw another curveball into it...We're going to prioritize Christian minorities.
Canada has decided to not do it's part in protecting endangered species. 76 endangered species!
Steve knows better. Cons reject recommendations on solitary confinement from Ashley Smith inquiry.
"BC needs LNG for jobs!" sez Christy. "Most of those jobs will go to non Canadians" sez Petronas.
Steve has another reason to do nothing about oil patch emissions. Falling oil prices. At one point they actually claimed they couldn't do anything due to high oil prices. Through quotes, McLean's shows how Steve and his band of assholes are a bunch of fucking liars.
Cops can now search your phone on arrest without a warrant. This might not sound like a big deal. But are they maybe not more likely now to arrest you so that they can search your phone, if that is their desire?
Steve doubles down on denial that they treat Veteran's poorly. Writes off BC lawsuit as being against a Liberal policy. Even thought the Veteran's Charter was passed by the Conservatives with all party support.
An analysis on how the Cons are starving spending with new process and requirements. Smaller Government evidently means more bureaucracy, somehow.
Remember that ever ratcheting up F-35 price tag? Add another billion. As well, if you leave the fuel truck in the sun, they won't run.
More partisan ads. This is getting tiresome.
"Fair Elections" strikes again. Scrutineers will now be allowed to use smartphones and keep in touch with the mothership. Nice that the Conservatives had a head start to develop an app to take advantage of the legislation that they changed. And a lesson - WHEN RIVAL POLITICAL PARTIES COME TO YOUR DOOR DON'T TELL THEM HOW YOU ARE PLANNING ON VOTING. As well, the Cons are trying to make it harder for ex-pats to vote in elections.
I know our food safety system isn't terrible. People aren't keeling over all over the place, after all. But this is disturbing. An E.Coli outbreak was caught not by the first line of defense, but by a secondary test outside of the regular system. As well, the recall wasn't initiated until the meat was past it's best by date.
Israel is proposing a very controversial bill that I won't pretend that I understand. Thing is, pretty much everybody is speaking out against it. Except Canada. Which is what unconditional support means, I guess.
This tears apart the idea to raise fees for access to information.
Somebody other than Trudeau thinks we should try to understand just why we have all these terrorists all of a sudden.
A Jury member who selected the winning entry for Steve's Communists are Bad memorial wonders why it's been given such a prominent site. And thinks the cost estimate is insanely low. Amongst other things.
Rules were bent to allow an anti abortion protest to take place on Parliament Hill.
The Liberals suggest their membership numbers are rising handsomely.
The Feds continue their Omar Khadr crusade.
Harsh repercussions for medical marijuana advertisements, lack of enforcement for prescription drug advertising.
House prices are fine! Don't worry about it!
Oh man. Gross. Cruise ships produce insane amounts of pollution, and just dump that shit right into the ocean. Every one of your old relatives is guilty of killing baby dolphins.
There is a report detailing the costs of "Corporate Sovereignty" clauses in European free trade agreements. It's not cheap.
We've already totally fucked up our Syrian refugee program. We're about to throw another curveball into it...We're going to prioritize Christian minorities.
Canada has decided to not do it's part in protecting endangered species. 76 endangered species!
Steve knows better. Cons reject recommendations on solitary confinement from Ashley Smith inquiry.
"BC needs LNG for jobs!" sez Christy. "Most of those jobs will go to non Canadians" sez Petronas.
Steve has another reason to do nothing about oil patch emissions. Falling oil prices. At one point they actually claimed they couldn't do anything due to high oil prices. Through quotes, McLean's shows how Steve and his band of assholes are a bunch of fucking liars.
Cops can now search your phone on arrest without a warrant. This might not sound like a big deal. But are they maybe not more likely now to arrest you so that they can search your phone, if that is their desire?
Steve doubles down on denial that they treat Veteran's poorly. Writes off BC lawsuit as being against a Liberal policy. Even thought the Veteran's Charter was passed by the Conservatives with all party support.
An analysis on how the Cons are starving spending with new process and requirements. Smaller Government evidently means more bureaucracy, somehow.
Remember that ever ratcheting up F-35 price tag? Add another billion. As well, if you leave the fuel truck in the sun, they won't run.
More partisan ads. This is getting tiresome.
"Fair Elections" strikes again. Scrutineers will now be allowed to use smartphones and keep in touch with the mothership. Nice that the Conservatives had a head start to develop an app to take advantage of the legislation that they changed. And a lesson - WHEN RIVAL POLITICAL PARTIES COME TO YOUR DOOR DON'T TELL THEM HOW YOU ARE PLANNING ON VOTING. As well, the Cons are trying to make it harder for ex-pats to vote in elections.
I know our food safety system isn't terrible. People aren't keeling over all over the place, after all. But this is disturbing. An E.Coli outbreak was caught not by the first line of defense, but by a secondary test outside of the regular system. As well, the recall wasn't initiated until the meat was past it's best by date.
Israel is proposing a very controversial bill that I won't pretend that I understand. Thing is, pretty much everybody is speaking out against it. Except Canada. Which is what unconditional support means, I guess.
This tears apart the idea to raise fees for access to information.
Somebody other than Trudeau thinks we should try to understand just why we have all these terrorists all of a sudden.
A Jury member who selected the winning entry for Steve's Communists are Bad memorial wonders why it's been given such a prominent site. And thinks the cost estimate is insanely low. Amongst other things.
Rules were bent to allow an anti abortion protest to take place on Parliament Hill.
The Liberals suggest their membership numbers are rising handsomely.
The Feds continue their Omar Khadr crusade.
Harsh repercussions for medical marijuana advertisements, lack of enforcement for prescription drug advertising.
House prices are fine! Don't worry about it!
Oh man. Gross. Cruise ships produce insane amounts of pollution, and just dump that shit right into the ocean. Every one of your old relatives is guilty of killing baby dolphins.
There is a report detailing the costs of "Corporate Sovereignty" clauses in European free trade agreements. It's not cheap.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Science can be your friend - Week 186 - Nov 17-24
Leonna Aglukkaq describes why we don't need to do as much as China and the US on climate change. "Canada accounts for less than 2 per cent" of global GHG emissions.
Oh Fuck. This isn't going to end well. Two men wore Burkas to rob a Toronto jewelry store. How haven't the Cons banned that shit already? Crime furthering otherworldly religious garb? Please.
The Cons have devised a neat new trick. They haven't actually cut the budget for Veteran's services...they're just not spending all of the money in that budget.
The Cons are telling civil servants to use partisan hashtags in their tweets in support of income tax proposals.
Michael Sona has been sentenced. Everybody seems to think others were involved, yet nothing else seems to be happening. The Cons have decided to cross their fingers and hope that it just goes away. Nobody is commenting.
Joe Oliver's economic update speech last week was a fundraising dinner. Which is odd. You have to pay the candidate $800 per table to get an update on the Canadian economy? No wonder they take in so much money in donations.
A long screed from MacLean's on the ridiculous "anti honour killing" law. And how it could change the definition of "provocation" for everyone.
A document from the Immigration and Citizenship department suggests that media inquiries be handled with large, international organizations receiving top priority, then major Canadian organizations, then, maybe, smaller independents. The ministry shoots back that this is just a "draft". Having worked in government, I know that every single document is called a draft. There must only be a handful of documents every year that aren't considered as such.
Stupid Privacy Commissioner. Asking for checks and balances to go with all the new police powers the Cons are dishing up?
Interesting insight into who the lobbyists are and who they represent.
Do you know what the average windfall was for Canada/BC/Alberta last 5 years due to Trans Mountain Pipeline income tax payments? $1.5 Million. Less than peanuts. I bet that doesn't pay for the costs to regulate them.
The National Post thinks that Stephen Harper being an asshole to Putin at a diplomatic function ranks up there with other famous asshole Canadian politician moments. In Russia, Canada is the confused guy down the street shouting about things nobody understands.
They've already decided to destroy the homes of the two synagogue attackers in Israel. Same day service. Can you imagine if we dispatched police to knock over people's homes the same day they've accused of committing a terror attack? What if they get the address wrong?
I guess the heat is on Trudeau. And furthers the shitstorm. An NDP MP who is a lawyer may have suggested that the offences reached the level of "assault". And that may have prompted Trudeau's response. And this extra helping of leak is for sure pissing the NDP off further.
The Conservatives are burying changes to refugee social assistance in an Omnibus bill.
Well that's just fucking great. The Cons are going to start studying privatization of certain police tasks.
A Conservative candidate in a by-election has had her expenses in her previous job as mayor questioned. Well that's a smear!
This seems weird to me. Go and fight for the Taliban and you're an "enemy combatant" who should be thrown into Guantanamo without trial. Go fight for the Kurds and... Don't get me wrong, I need to know a whole lot more about the Kurds to effectively comment on this. It just seems like we have a double standard depending on which irregular army you join up with. (seems like the government might be a bit confused about this as well)
A journalist testifies on the police response to the G20 protests. He didn't like what he saw.
Hey. There's a 1% for musicians now. The top 1% of recording artists make 77% of the revenue. For their labels.
Everbody agrees that NHL players are 1 percenters, right? Making way too much money for too little work? Well, looks like 1 percenters have it pretty sweet in good old Communist British Columbia. New Canucks are paying far less in taxes than they used to in such Capitalist tax havens as New York.
Oh Fuck. This isn't going to end well. Two men wore Burkas to rob a Toronto jewelry store. How haven't the Cons banned that shit already? Crime furthering otherworldly religious garb? Please.
The Cons have devised a neat new trick. They haven't actually cut the budget for Veteran's services...they're just not spending all of the money in that budget.
The Cons are telling civil servants to use partisan hashtags in their tweets in support of income tax proposals.
Michael Sona has been sentenced. Everybody seems to think others were involved, yet nothing else seems to be happening. The Cons have decided to cross their fingers and hope that it just goes away. Nobody is commenting.
Joe Oliver's economic update speech last week was a fundraising dinner. Which is odd. You have to pay the candidate $800 per table to get an update on the Canadian economy? No wonder they take in so much money in donations.
A long screed from MacLean's on the ridiculous "anti honour killing" law. And how it could change the definition of "provocation" for everyone.
A document from the Immigration and Citizenship department suggests that media inquiries be handled with large, international organizations receiving top priority, then major Canadian organizations, then, maybe, smaller independents. The ministry shoots back that this is just a "draft". Having worked in government, I know that every single document is called a draft. There must only be a handful of documents every year that aren't considered as such.
Stupid Privacy Commissioner. Asking for checks and balances to go with all the new police powers the Cons are dishing up?
Interesting insight into who the lobbyists are and who they represent.
Do you know what the average windfall was for Canada/BC/Alberta last 5 years due to Trans Mountain Pipeline income tax payments? $1.5 Million. Less than peanuts. I bet that doesn't pay for the costs to regulate them.
The National Post thinks that Stephen Harper being an asshole to Putin at a diplomatic function ranks up there with other famous asshole Canadian politician moments. In Russia, Canada is the confused guy down the street shouting about things nobody understands.
They've already decided to destroy the homes of the two synagogue attackers in Israel. Same day service. Can you imagine if we dispatched police to knock over people's homes the same day they've accused of committing a terror attack? What if they get the address wrong?
I guess the heat is on Trudeau. And furthers the shitstorm. An NDP MP who is a lawyer may have suggested that the offences reached the level of "assault". And that may have prompted Trudeau's response. And this extra helping of leak is for sure pissing the NDP off further.
The Conservatives are burying changes to refugee social assistance in an Omnibus bill.
Well that's just fucking great. The Cons are going to start studying privatization of certain police tasks.
A Conservative candidate in a by-election has had her expenses in her previous job as mayor questioned. Well that's a smear!
This seems weird to me. Go and fight for the Taliban and you're an "enemy combatant" who should be thrown into Guantanamo without trial. Go fight for the Kurds and... Don't get me wrong, I need to know a whole lot more about the Kurds to effectively comment on this. It just seems like we have a double standard depending on which irregular army you join up with. (seems like the government might be a bit confused about this as well)
A journalist testifies on the police response to the G20 protests. He didn't like what he saw.
Hey. There's a 1% for musicians now. The top 1% of recording artists make 77% of the revenue. For their labels.
Everbody agrees that NHL players are 1 percenters, right? Making way too much money for too little work? Well, looks like 1 percenters have it pretty sweet in good old Communist British Columbia. New Canucks are paying far less in taxes than they used to in such Capitalist tax havens as New York.
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