We need another word for it. The digital divide — the gap between those with access to modern information and communication technologies and those without — has been recognized since at least the 1990s. Attempts to narrow this gap are usually publicly funded, always operating from scarcity, or small concessions
Continue readingTag: privatization doesn’t work
wmtc: what i’m reading: empire of pain, the secret history of the sackler family
Buried on page 364 of the hardcover edition of Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty — almost two-thirds into the book — is one sentence that, for me, defines the most important piece of this urgent story. The opioid crisis is, among other things, a parable about
Continue readingwmtc: so many left behind: the ever-widening digital divide
Last year, while attempting to get a parking pass during our vacation — without a phone, my phone having been fried by an update — I got caught in a circuitous and frustrating encounter with information and technology gaps. About a year later, navigating the brave new world of do-it-yourself airport screening,
Continue readingwmtc: electoral reform is way overdue (but ranked ballots won’t help)
Canada’s 2021 federal election made the case for proportional representation very plain. While Canada’s electoral system isn’t as insanely nondemocratic as the US’s winner-take-all (or “first-past-the-post”) by state, with the antiquated and antidemocratic electoral college intervening, it is still FPTP by riding. For US readers, ridings are roughly the equivalent
Continue readingwmtc: this year, day of mourning carries great urgency and great sadness
Each year on April 28, we recognize and remember workers who have died, been injured, and become ill through their work. In 2020, the year of the coronavirus pandemic, this day carries profound and urgent meaning. Health care workers, emergency workers, supermarket workers, and others put their health at risk
Continue readingwmtc: coronavirus exposes the darkest sides of unchecked capitalism and the gaping holes in our society
We’re all struggling to take in the magnitude of coping with a global pandemic. Personally I’ve had to cancel a long-awaited vacation to vist family, and with libraries closed, I may soon be applying for EI. The shelves at our local supermarket are empty; we’re hoping folks who did the
Continue readingwmtc: help nominate tommy douglas as the face of the next $5 bill
There’s a movement to put the face of Tommy Douglas on the next Canadian $5 bill. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? And wouldn’t it be a kick in the pants to those who seek to privatize our health care system? Go here to nominate Tommy Douglas.
Continue readingwmtc: help nominate tommy douglas as the face of the next $5 bill
There’s a movement to put the face of Tommy Douglas on the next Canadian $5 bill. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? And wouldn’t it be a kick in the pants to those who seek to privatize our health care system? Go here to nominate Tommy Douglas.
Continue readingwmtc: help nominate tommy douglas as the face of the next $5 bill
There’s a movement to put the face of Tommy Douglas on the next Canadian $5 bill. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? And wouldn’t it be a kick in the pants to those who seek to privatize our health care system? Go here to nominate Tommy Douglas.
Continue readingwmtc: laundromats, underground libraries, and criminal charges: a library link round-up
I have so many cool stories about libraries and librarians, scattered through multiple email and social media accounts. Lucky for you, I wanted to gather them all in one place. Thanks to everyone who ever sent me one of these. * * * * * Librarians in laundromats! Community librarians
Continue readingwmtc: laundromats, underground libraries, and criminal charges: a library link round-up
I have so many cool stories about libraries and librarians, scattered through multiple email and social media accounts. Lucky for you, I wanted to gather them all in one place. Thanks to everyone who ever sent me one of these. * * * * * Librarians in laundromats! Community librarians
Continue readingwmtc: my experience with bc (and small town) health care so far
So far, my experience with health care in our small BC town has been excellent. Limited sample size, anecdotal, non-scientific, yes. I’m just reporting on what I’ve experienced and observed in the past nine months, plus a few facts about funding. Port Hardy Our town of about 4,200 people has
Continue readingwmtc: three thoughts arising from a focus on the housing crisis
Today I attended a working meeting that included almost all the service providers in the region. These service providers were brought together by the Mount Waddington Health Network to build a coalition that will deal with the housing crisis. I was there mainly to stay informed and to network, and
Continue readingwmtc: jason kenney and doug ford. how depressing.
The chickens have voted for Colonel Sanders again. It’s an old, old story, and we seem farther away than ever from changing the ending. Doug Ford is destroying Ontario in a way Mike Harris only dreamed of. Healthcare, schools, libraries, parks, public transit — all programs, all supports, and countless
Continue readingwmtc: harry leslie smith — rest in power, and thank you
Harry Leslie Smith, who sometimes called himself “the world’s oldest rebel,” died in late November 2018. I was unable to acknowledge his passing on wmtc at the time. Smith, a writer and an activist, was a steadfast critic of neoliberal policies, especially the austerity agenda. He spoke out constantly and
Continue readingwmtc: kevin baker in harpers: "the death of a once great city — the fall of new york and the urban crisis of affluence"
Everyone who cares about cities, about privatization, and frankly, about humans and our ability to live on our planet, should make time to read the July cover story in Harper’s magazine. New York writer Kevin Baker unpacks “The Death of a Once Great City — The fall of New York and the
Continue readingwmtc: in ontario election, the choice is clear. put down the polls and pick up your vote.
I am very frustrated by progressive reaction to the appointment of Doug Ford as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. People are acting as if Ford has already won an election that is three months away. I understand there is great — and well deserved — anger against Kathleen
Continue readingwmtc: beyond #iwd: fight for women by opposing privatization
Visit We Own It for all the facts on privatization. When public services are privatized, everyone loses — except, of course, shareholders of a private company, who increase their wealth with our money. But did you know the pain of privatization hits women disproportionately harder? As this excellent article by Jane
Continue readingwmtc: a brief history of privatization
Privatization 101. Another take, also correct. Chomsky courtesy of Sugaring Off, a post about Harper privatizing Canadian health care. I disagree with the blogger’s assessment of Harper’s intentions, but I certainly agree with her/his conclusion.
Continue readingwmtc: rtod
Revolutionary thought of the day: Scargill’s got the megaphone and he launces intae one ay his trademark rousin speeches that tingles the back ay ma neck. He talks about the rights ay working people, won through years of struggle, and how if we’re denied the right to strike and organise,
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