Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Zak Vescera reports on the CCPA’s new research showing how an increasing number of jobs in British Columbia are precarious – with already-disadvantaged workers especially likely to be affected. Don Pittis points out the Bank of Canada’s continued attempts to hold wages below
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The Cracked Crystal Ball II: Joe Oliver and the Wand Of Economic Bamboozlement
In the Financial Post we find Harper era cabinet creature Joe Oliver expounding on the future of the economy – and the evils of "progressivism". I'll give you a minute or two to read it … Before we examine it more closely: Read more »
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Sometimes, All You Can Do Is Feed The Birds
For many years, there was a popular saying that everyone seemed to know: “Think globally, act locally.” Basically, it was call to consider the global environmental implications in every decision we make. Not a bad sentiment, but I find myself living by something quite different in these latter days of
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: What they mean – A translation guide
One interpretation of what the Social Justice types are all about.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On shared obligations
There’s been plenty of attention paid to the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s list of the sites of known community spread of COVID-19, including questions as to both the categories used and the action resulting from the information. But regardless of any argument about how exactly to define the boundaries of a
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Pandemic: The Lessons On Offer
To say that our current Covid-19 global crisis is causing us to rethink many things is to state the obvious. Far and wide, people are coming to new understanding about their priorities, their values, and their attitudes toward others. Suddenly, that spa treatment isn’t so urgent; the coveted new outfit
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: The bad faith “debate” about trans human rights
Recently, the National Post published a discussion that I engaged in with Jonathan Kay. I participated in that because it was an opportunity to provide a counterpoint for readers who don’t often see one. It was a chance to challenge some of the distortions and misinformation that have been circulating
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: On “Unalienable” Human Rights
Screen capture, launch of the Commission on Unalienable Rights On Monday, July 8th, the U.S. State Department announced the launch of a Commission on Unalienable Rights, which is intended to rethink and reshape how human rights laws are applied around the world. This Commission was deemed necessary to ensure that
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Angela Rayner writes about the distinction between limited social mobility and genuine social justice, while highlighting UK Labour’s commitment to the latter: (T)he role of our education system is not just about helping a lucky, talented few rise to the top, but
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: “Unthinkable”
American religious conservatives have a problem. Riding high on their partnerships with the Trump administration and the perception of being political kingmakers, they need to be sure that they will be able to sustain their momentum for years to come. And with the newly-stacked U.S. Supreme Court making the overturn
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Monbiot Sees Mankind in a Fight for Life with Capitalism
You might not like his ideas but they’re well worth airing. Guardian enviro-scribe, George Monbiot, writes that it’s time to ditch capitalism before it puts us in the grave. Capitalism’s failures arise from two of its defining elements. The first is perpetual growth. Economic growth is the aggregate effect of the
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Free Speech, When The “Debate” is You (and You’re Not Invited)
Shout: “Help, I’m being silenced!” There’s a duplicitous game of sleight-of-hand that is taking place in discussions about freedom of speech in academia and the public square. Here’s how it works: at first, a person fishes for controversy by saying several things that they know will offend people. If this
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Gospel By Gaslight
If gaslighting is “a form of manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or members of a group, hoping to make targets question their own memory, perception, and sanity,” then religious fundamentalism (of several sorts, although my experience is specifically with Christian fundamentalism, and other
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: The role of NGOs in Africa: are they a force for good?
Some critics argue that the neo-liberal policies advanced by powerful non-governmental organizations, NGOs, limit states’ influence and sovereignty while benefiting NGOs. In Africa, NGOs also place Africans at the mercy of donors. The post The role of NGOs in Africa: are they a force for good? appeared first on The
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: What the “Walk on the Wild Side” controversy says about trans* awareness and a changing social movement
A little over a week ago, a University of Guelph student union drew international ire for condemning Lou Reed’s 1972 song “Walk on the Wild Side” as transphobic. This occurred after the Central Student Association apologized on social media for playing the song at a campus event. Although this might
Continue readingMy journey with AIDS…and more!: Susan Mabey to receive 2017 Chaplin Memorial Award
“A Christian who happens to be a lesbian”, Susan Mabey’s is a name which has been more than incidental in the long struggle for LGBT inclusion in the United Church of Canada. Cited by the Chaplin Award committee for her recent bridge-building, even as a self-described ‘lightning rod’, as the
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Pitting “identity politics” against class struggle is backwards, and the path to self-defeat
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that one of the first things America’s political left would do during the 2016 election post-mortem is to attack minority groups like trans* people, and “identity politics.” That narrative says Americans decided a potential fascist (when you consider his policy proposals, unilateral rhetoric, media
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Free speech, and the cruel shackles of empathy and mutual respect
In Canada, we tend to value freedom of speech very highly, and it’s often said that the best way to counter objectionable speech is with more speech. That’s the first thought that crosses my mind in the case of U of T professor Jordan Peterson, who declares in a series
Continue readingLeft Over: Poor Little Rich Boys..
San Francisco tech worker: ‘I don’t want to see homeless riff-raff’ ‘ Julia Carrie Wong in San Francisco @juliacarriew Wednesday 17 February 2016 22.27 GMT Last modified on Thursday 18 February 2016 15.13 GMT – Guardian online I will never understand … Continue reading →
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