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By Scott Tribe, on January 12, 2015, at 10:04 pm I wanted to post this to our frontpage. Alheli Picazo has been a blogging affiliate of ours for a fair # of years, though she has gone in fits and spurts.. and this is partially due to her health issues she has suffered. Those have come to a head, as you’ll see here in her own words, explaining what is going on with her health.
To be brief, she needs help financially to help pay for the operation to fix the issues she has faced, so if you can spare even a few dollars, it will go a long way. Please consider donating to help her.
-Scott
By cenobyte, on March 3, 2015, at 4:19 pm I leave the doctor’s office, where I have just been shirtless in front of two men I have never met. I’m feeling a little scared, because in meeting with this doctor, I have basically consented to surgery. Elective surgery, but elective surgery that may change my life and make it possible for me to run, wear seatbelts, do yoga poses … Continue reading →
By Scott Tribe, on March 3, 2015, at 4:16 pm I’ve not done one of these in awhile, but today, we have an interview with Colin Smith, an LPC nomination contestant in the riding of Carleton, a riding that was abolished in 1966 but re-created by the boundary re-distribution in 2012. It will be where Pierre Poilievre, a Conservative on the top of most Liberals most loathed Conservative list, will be running. As usual, interviews do not imply endorsements (Colin currently has 2 other contestants running against him, and the nomination date as of today hasn’t been set yet). I thank Colin for taking the time to do the interview.
(Read more…)
By Ian, on March 3, 2015, at 3:55 pm Last month, an undercover CBC investigation exposed that a number of spas and health clinicas around Metro Vancouver were offering botox injections illegally. Botox in Canada can only be administered by a physician and these clinics didn’t have any doctors on staff.
Today, Health Canada announced that it has seized unlabeled botox jars from Art Nails, a Vancouver spa.
The store owner claimed the product was Botox that had been administered to consumers. Potential risks associated with injecting an unauthorized version of a health product such as Botox, can range from mild local paralysis to death.
While the shop (Read more…)
By Graeme Decarie, on March 3, 2015, at 3:41 pm …and Spain and Portugal have something in common. All were subject to wild speculation by banks and investors. As well, the banks and investors were using questionable and perhaps illegal practices to increase their profits. Then the recession hit, and the bottom dropped out.
No problem. The rich just used their control of governments to get bailed out. Result- the taxpayers had to take the hit. One way to do that was to cut social spending in order to be able to give more money to the people who had caused the recession. The blame on social spending and government (Read more…)
By Norman Farrell, on March 3, 2015, at 3:38 pm [View the story "Circles of Spin" on Storify]
By Bill Longstaff, on March 3, 2015, at 3:01 pm Fabricating a threat to the nation in order to instill fear in the population may be demagoguery, but it is also a highly effective way for leaders to rally the people behind them. Frightened citizens turn conservative and cling to what they know, i.e. the incumbent government, rather than risk change. Politicians understand this very well and, in dictatorships and democracies alike, have been
By Lorne, on March 3, 2015, at 2:12 pm …not to mention rabid partisanship, watch another Harper MP disgrace herself:
I wonder how well any of this sits with Cheryl Gallant’s riding of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke. Don’t those constituents, like the ones living in James Lunney’s riding, deserve better? Recommend this Post
By Carol Linnitt, on March 3, 2015, at 1:05 pm When I asked the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) whether it has files on me or DeSmog Canada, I got a response that’s been used as a non-answer by government spokespeople and celebrity publicists for 40-plus years: We can “neither confirm nor deny” the records exist.
The intelligence body doesn’t have to disclose such information because it’s exempt from Canada’s Access to Information legislation since it relates to “the detecting, preventing or suppressing subversive or hostile activities.”
Hmph. Some part of me was expecting them to simply say “no.” While non-denial denial responses like this are pretty par (Read more…)
By The Mound of Sound, on March 3, 2015, at 1:03 pm After 15 very idle years, and mere months before his retirement, my MP, the Conservative member for Nanaimo-Alberni, Doctor (no less) James Lunney has caught the interest of the CBC.
So what great achievement has brought the former chiropractor to the notice of CBC? You could put it down to his Christian fundmentalism. Lunney doesn’t believe in climate change. Only God can change the climate. He doesn’t believe in evolution either, although he says he’s prepared to acknowledge it as a “theory.” Oh yeah, he also doesn’t believe in vaccination.
Lunney dwells in the darkest recesses of the faith (Read more…)
By John Chuckman, on March 3, 2015, at 12:36 pm
Flag of the Islamic State
ISIS certainly is not what a great many people think that it is, if you judge what they think by what our corporate press proclaims incessantly.
Judging by what ISIS actually does and whom its acts benefit, its clandestine associates, and the testimony of some witnesses, ISIS is a complex intelligence operation. Its complexity reflects at least in part the fact that it serves the interests of several countries and that it has more than one objective. Its complexity reflects also the large effort to reinforce a false image with disinformation and staged events such (Read more…)
By Justin Raimondo, on March 3, 2015, at 12:16 pm
Photo by Dhārmikatva
Practically no one in the West doubts the murder of once-rising reform politician Boris Nemtsov was the work of Vladimir Putin, and/or his allies in government. If Putin didn’t give the direct order, the pundits say, the Russian leader created the “atmosphere of hatred” directed at the Russian opposition, of which Nemtsov was a half-forgotten yet still active leader. This obviates the need for evidence, while giving the accusers ample room to back off if and when facts to the contrary are uncovered – evidence which can then be easily discounted, because, after all, everyone knows (Read more…)
By James C Morton, on March 3, 2015, at 12:13 pm
There is virtually no legislation governing the use of internet obtained materials in Court. The Canadian Sedona principles deal mainly with production obligations and, broadly speaking, limit the burdens for preservation and production but do not prescribe admissibility of electronic information.
Broadly put, e-mails are admissible in exactly the same way as any other written communication. There must be proof of who the author is, that the e-mail has not been tampered with, that the email is otherwise relevant and is not excluded by some other evidentiary rule, for example privilege. Instant messaging chats can also be admissible and form (Read more…)
. . . → Read More: Morton’s Musings: Internet, Admissibility of Evidence
By The Mound of Sound, on March 3, 2015, at 11:48 am Oh Mother Corp can be cold, especially when it comes to the cold. The tag line on the CBC web page read, “Warm Weather for Everyone! (Offer only available in BC.)“
The report links to a Weather Network outlook that sees an early spring for British Columbia (it’s already here) but “freeze your butt off” conditions for the rest of Canada through the month of March and perhaps beyond.
Normal temperatures will start returning around mid-April. Here’s what Spring 2015 looks like to the Weather Network:
By Andrew Currie, on March 3, 2015, at 11:34 am
Your news links for today:
C-51 Shades of May: How one word made all Canadians guilty of terrorism – ThinkPol Bill C-51 Will Make It Easier To Throw Canadians In Jail Without a Charge – Huffington Post Bill C-51: Is Questioning Militarism “Terrorist Propaganda”? – Coop média de Montréal House Judiciary Committee Tells FCC It’s Going To Block Net Neutrality Rules – Techdirt Net Neutrality loophole could make telecom and cable companies billions of dollars – Business Insider The mobile revolution hidden in net neutrality – The Verge Big, small players in race for new wireless spectrum – Globe and (Read more…)
By John Klein, on March 3, 2015, at 10:43 am I have a Snapchat account. I’ve not used it in years because it was making my cell phone too full. Imagine if Hillary Clinton had a Snapchat account too, for government business? Her’s would be used for an illegal purpose, like her personal email was. You may recall Sarah Palin got into trouble (without apparent consequence) for this sort of thing too.
“Just message me on SnapChat, I’m hilldog16” – http://t.co/SiSKK4WvOu
— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) March 3, 2015
Hillary Clinton exclusively used private email while secretary of state http://t.co/TMMZ2fpqIk pic.twitter.com/Mb3os4dB1b
— Cory Doctorow (@doctorow) March 3, 2015
By Lorne, on March 3, 2015, at 9:37 am
Stupidity, it has been said, is contagious, and one has to wonder whether a particularly virulent virus is running through the Conservative tent these days. First there was Ontario Progressive Conservative MPP Rick Nicholls suggesting that evolution shouldn’t be taught in schools, as he doesn’t believe in it. Now comes word of similar sentiments on the part of one of his federal cousins, B.C. Conservative MP James Lunney.
Coming to the defense of his fellow fundamentalist, Lunney tweeted: “[Just] stop calling #evolution fact!” tweeted Lunney, who said he had no problem calling it a “theory.”
A man (Read more…)
By Adam Clare, on March 3, 2015, at 9:19 am Mental health is important for everybody and painting it can be challenging for many people. As with most preventive practises it’s wise to invest in it. The benefits of keeping society in good mental health is a benefit for everybody.
Where relevant statistics have been available, a huge trove of data has been collected over the past 15 years on how these mental health issues translate into healthcare costs and disability claims expenses. While nations that don’t really recognize or provide for mental health issues don’t have to deal with the aforementioned costs, the data also consistently shows that mental (Read more…)
By Owen Gray, on March 3, 2015, at 9:15 am
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
The Harperites are always hell bent on going to war — as long as someone else is willing to fight it. They are hoping to win the next election on the meme that they protect Canadians. But they don’t do the protecting. Canada’s veterans are tasked with that job. And Harper’s treatment of veterans is appalling. Tasha Kheiriddin writes:
While terrorism is good business for the Tories, they continue to fail the people who fought it on the frontlines — Canada’s veterans.
Just last week, the case of former master corporal Paul Franklin, (Read more…)
By trashee, on March 3, 2015, at 8:53 am 1. Publicly state that evolution should not be taught in schools… Check 2. Tweet to the world that evolution should not be considered a “fact”. Check 3. Make slanderdous and way-over-top statements about Ontario’s school cirriculum Check Yup. And add in the: – mandatory climate-change denying blathering; – Jenny McCarthy anti-vax fan club membership, […]
By Warren, on March 3, 2015, at 8:45 am I thought it was outrageous then, and I think it’s even more outrageous now.
By Peter Lowry, on March 3, 2015, at 8:32 am It is sad to report that we only read the Barrie Sun Media newspaper when it is free. Mind you reading it only takes a few minutes. It strikes us that the two pages or so of actual news of this part of Simcoe County are not worth the price of a subscription. What is even worse is the editorial page that seems to forget that there are many Liberals in this town and runs material mainly by Libertarians, Greens and Conservatives—though mostly Conservatives.
The most amusing opinion pieces are by our local Libertarian. Having first met him some five (Read more…)
By Warren, on March 3, 2015, at 8:12 am There I am down at the bottom, below the dead caribou (aren’t we always?). Photo by Lala, column name by Kate Malloy.
“The War Room,” by the by, isn’t just the name of this here bestselling book. It will also be the name of a soon-to-be revealed podcast and TV show kind of thing. Stay tuned, as they say, and stay warm.
By James C Morton, on March 3, 2015, at 8:04 am Franz Kafka has a short story called “Before the Law.”
A man seeks access to the law, but when he arrives at the gates of the law, a gatekeeper refuses him entry.
The man spends his entire life asking permission from the gatekeeper, but he does not oblige. When the man is facing death he asks the gatekeeper, “Why in all these years am I the only person to seek answers from the law.”
The gatekeeper says, “Here no one else can gain entry, since this entrance was assigned only to you. I’m going now to close (Read more…)
By Warren, on March 3, 2015, at 7:59 am [This is an update of a previous entry. It's needed.]
Dear Liberals:
In the past couple years, whenever Justin Trudeau has made a bad joke or an ill-considered remark – about Ukrainian protestors, about Chinese dictatorships, about the Boston bombings and root causes, about “whipping out” CF-18s, and so on – folks will weigh in on this web site. The majority of commenters will pop by and say: enough with the bad jokes, Justin. Or think twice before you speak. That sort of thing.
But not all commenters are like that. Some will fanatically defend what Trudeau has said, (Read more…)
By Greg Fingas, on March 3, 2015, at 7:33 am This and that for your Tuesday reading.
- Carol Graham discusses the high financial and personal costs of poverty: Reported stress levels are higher on average in the U.S. than in Latin America. Importantly, the gap between the levels of the rich and poor is also much greater, with the U.S. poor reporting the highest levels of stress of all cohorts. Of course ‘stress’ is a complex phenomenon, however: “Good” stress is associated with the pursuit of goals, while “bad” stress is associated with struggling to cope. Bad stress, which is associated with an inability to plan ahead, (Read more…)
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