Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Lack of universal health care (like we have in Canada) caused the financial trouble in the USA.
The Rich Are Staging a Coup Right Now | PEEK | AlterNet
Health insurance? Mike, why are you bringing this up? What's this got to do with the Wall Street collapse?
It has everything to do with it. This so-called "collapse" was triggered by the massive defaulting and foreclosures going on with people's home mortgages. Do you know why so many Americans are losing their homes? To hear the Republicans describe it, it's because too many working class idiots were given mortgages that they really couldn't afford. Here's the truth: The number one cause of people declaring bankruptcy is because of medical bills. Let me state this simply: If we had had universal health coverage, this mortgage "crisis" may never have happened.
This bailout's mission is to protect the obscene amount of wealth that has been accumulated in the last eight years. It's to protect the top shareholders who own and control corporate America. It's to make sure their yachts and mansions and "way of life" go uninterrupted while the rest of America suffers and struggles to pay the bills. Let the rich suffer for once. Let them pay for the bailout. We are spending 400 million dollars a day on the war in Iraq. Let them end the war immediately and save us all another half-trillion dollars!
Don't let this happen in Canada. Stephen Harper wants to privatize our healthcare system. If he does, what happened in the USA can happen here. Vote against the Conservatives this election.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Mmmmm, pork brains
2899038973_effb27765b_o.jpg (JPEG Image, 878×500 pixels)
If it wasn't for the milk and sodium nitrite, I could eat this (but I don't think I'd want to).
Plan to steal the upcoming American election - surprise? conspiracy theory? a given?
News From Underground
Here, in this shattering new interview, Stephen Spoonamore goes into
harrowing detail about the Bush regime's election fraud, past, present
and--if we don't spread the word right now--to come. Since he's the
only whistle-blower out there who knows the perps themselves, and how
they operate, we have to send this new piece far and wide.
Here, in this shattering new interview, Stephen Spoonamore goes into
harrowing detail about the Bush regime's election fraud, past, present
and--if we don't spread the word right now--to come. Since he's the
only whistle-blower out there who knows the perps themselves, and how
they operate, we have to send this new piece far and wide.
Green Party would not withdraw troops from Afghanistan
rabble.ca Canadian federal election blog
Elizabeth May does NOT want to withdraw Canadian troops from Afghanistan
This news came as a complete shock to me and, I suspect, also to many Green Party candidates and activists. At the very least, this revelation will help to clarify the voting options of those Canadians who want our soldiers brought home immediately. There is now only one choice for them — to vote NDP.
Posted by Scott Piatkowski
In case the video is no longer up, here is the YouTube link
New Democratic Platform: First Impressions
New Democrat Platform: First impressions « Sean In Saskatchewan
The announced total cost of the policies included in the platform are
51.6 billion dollars. Promising a balanced budget, the New Democrats
announced that the needed money would come from a NDP government
repealing the 50 billion dollar Conservative business tax cuts
(supported by the Liberals) that were to take effect in 2009 and also
from the money saved by pulling out of Afghanistan immediately (a
so-termed “peace dividend”).
The announced total cost of the policies included in the platform are
51.6 billion dollars. Promising a balanced budget, the New Democrats
announced that the needed money would come from a NDP government
repealing the 50 billion dollar Conservative business tax cuts
(supported by the Liberals) that were to take effect in 2009 and also
from the money saved by pulling out of Afghanistan immediately (a
so-termed “peace dividend”).
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Reason to switch
Accidental Deliberations: Reason to switch
What's more, with more Lib voters willing to switch, there's also a
higher upside to their actually following through. If the NDP can carry
all of its current support plus the Libs and Greens who would be
willing to switch, then its support would reach 35.42%. In contrast,
the Libs' similar best-case scenario would be 33.95% of the vote.
With the Cons likely stuck with a relatively poorly distributed support
level in the mid to upper 30s, that point and a half could make the
difference in determining whether the Cons remain in power - or whether
a minority NDP government is able to start reversing the damage done by
Harper over the past two and a half years. Which means that for voters
who are inclined to vote based on stopping Harper, there's another
strong reason to make the NDP their choice.
What's more, with more Lib voters willing to switch, there's also a
higher upside to their actually following through. If the NDP can carry
all of its current support plus the Libs and Greens who would be
willing to switch, then its support would reach 35.42%. In contrast,
the Libs' similar best-case scenario would be 33.95% of the vote.
With the Cons likely stuck with a relatively poorly distributed support
level in the mid to upper 30s, that point and a half could make the
difference in determining whether the Cons remain in power - or whether
a minority NDP government is able to start reversing the damage done by
Harper over the past two and a half years. Which means that for voters
who are inclined to vote based on stopping Harper, there's another
strong reason to make the NDP their choice.
[REC] - A horror movie I highly recommend
[Rec] (2007)
Scroll down and read the review. A truly scary movie. I watched it with a friend and she jumped and let out a very loud scream at one point.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Save the planet: Stop Harper!
Avaaz.org - The World in Action
For the last two years, the Harper government has done everything it could to wreck the world's efforts to fix climate change. At UN negotiations, Canada has been voted the WORST country in the world on climate change 3 times! Now,
it's election time, and we have to make sure that Harper pays the price
at the polls for his reckless and un-Canadian climate policy.
Avaaz is targeting 3 of Harper's top MPs (including Environment
Minister John Baird) where it will hurt them the most -- at the grass
roots.
For the last two years, the Harper government has done everything it could to wreck the world's efforts to fix climate change. At UN negotiations, Canada has been voted the WORST country in the world on climate change 3 times! Now,
it's election time, and we have to make sure that Harper pays the price
at the polls for his reckless and un-Canadian climate policy.
Avaaz is targeting 3 of Harper's top MPs (including Environment
Minister John Baird) where it will hurt them the most -- at the grass
roots.
Can the NDP realistically win?
Why Jack Layton Is About to Pass Stephane Dion in the Polls
Today's polling numbers re-confirm the trend that has been emerging
over the last two weeks: the NDP has the big mo' while the Liberal
campaign is falling on deaf ears.
Today's polling numbers re-confirm the trend that has been emerging
over the last two weeks: the NDP has the big mo' while the Liberal
campaign is falling on deaf ears.
Firm handshakes help land jobs
Handshake key to landing a job, scientists claim - Telegraph
A solid handshake was found to be more important than dress or physical
appearance as it set off the interviewer's impression of that person.
A solid handshake was found to be more important than dress or physical
appearance as it set off the interviewer's impression of that person.
Conservatives - soft on facts
The Conservative Mentality: Facts not required « Sean In Saskatchewan
In this instance Harper decided to ignore the strong and numerous FACT based studies conducted by those “ivory tower” experts that have continuously shown that stiffer sentences and punishments for crime do not reduce crime rates. One only has to look south of the border to see the effects that this approach has, over-crowded jail systems, billions of taxpayer dollars funneled to prisons, and no reduction in crime rates.
Facebook starting to ban people with odd names
Facebook bans those with funny names - The INQUIRER
The anti-social notworking site is suspending the owners of strange names without warning and holding personal information to ransom until you show them a government-issued ID.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Poison food crisis shows Harper's contempt for government
Poison food crisis shows Harper’s contempt for government
'How many more people must die before the Harper government realizes that public health and safety must always transcend the boundaries of ideology?'
Experts say decisive and prompt action is crucial to saving lives
during a public health emergency. Yet from the beginning of the
listeriosis outbreak a peculiar paralysis took over within the most
senior ranks of the Harper government.
The first deaths occurred in June and by mid-August the problem had
been traced to the source. By Aug. 17, positive lab tests confirmed that
several deaths were directly linked to contaminated meat products made
at the Maple Leaf plant.
Yet the Harper administration failed to adequately warn the public
about the magnitude of the problem until Aug. 20. Then, instead of
announcing new resources and regulations to ensure public safety, we
had the spectacle of a series of cabinet ministers issuing blithe
quips and limp assurances that everything was under control.
This was followed by Harper himself, fretting about political fallout
on the eve of an election, promising an internal 'independent'
investigation, a move that amounts to no more than a political gambit
to shield the government from allegations of negligence toward public
health.
Finally, we learn that at the height of the crisis, during a
conference call with scientists, bureaucrats and political staff, the
federal agriculture minister trivialized the crisis, and insulted
victims, by making insensitive jokes. Yet Gerry Ritz remains a member
of the Harper cabinet.
The entire handling of this emergency demonstrates callous
incompetence. Worse, it reveals a lethal contempt by Harper for the
most basic role of government - ensuring public health and safety. It
also reflects a hostility of government as a constructive force in our
society.
Sadly, this comes as no great surprise. Harper has, after all, spent
his entire career denigrating government and public services. Why
would anyone be shocked now that a government run by him should fail
to rise to such an occasion?
Since his first days in office in 2006, Harper has steadily cut
funding for food safety programs and inspectors, shifting ever greater
responsibility to the food companies themselves.
According to current Treasury Board of Canada forecasts, funding for
food safety programs will have declined by almost 30% from $359
million in 2006-07 to $254 million in 2010-11 under Harper's watch.
At the same time, a secret government document recently brought to
light by a government employee reveals that the government has been
planning to let the foxes further guard the henhouse by expanding
industry self-policing of food safety.
The listeriosis crisis is reminiscent of the poison water scandal that
rocked Walkerton, Ont., in 2000. That disaster was caused in large
part by government cutbacks and a deliberate weakening of provincial
inspection and safety procedures by the Ontario regime of Conservative
Premier Mike Harris.
Harper's cabinet now includes some of the same ministers who were part
of the Harris government, ministers who should have learned the
obvious lessons of the Walkerton tragedy.
That they did not makes an even more chilling point: the ineptitude
now apparent in Ottawa is not merely a failure to learn the lessons of
Walkerton. It bespeaks an ideological contempt for anything and
everything that government can do to better society.
How many more deaths?
The listeriosis outbreak is an especially deadly lesson in why
effective and rigorous government oversight and action offers the best
guarantee of public health and safety. But how many more people will
die before the Harper government realizes that public health and
safety must always transcend political ideology? NUPGE
'How many more people must die before the Harper government realizes that public health and safety must always transcend the boundaries of ideology?'
Experts say decisive and prompt action is crucial to saving lives
during a public health emergency. Yet from the beginning of the
listeriosis outbreak a peculiar paralysis took over within the most
senior ranks of the Harper government.
The first deaths occurred in June and by mid-August the problem had
been traced to the source. By Aug. 17, positive lab tests confirmed that
several deaths were directly linked to contaminated meat products made
at the Maple Leaf plant.
Yet the Harper administration failed to adequately warn the public
about the magnitude of the problem until Aug. 20. Then, instead of
announcing new resources and regulations to ensure public safety, we
had the spectacle of a series of cabinet ministers issuing blithe
quips and limp assurances that everything was under control.
This was followed by Harper himself, fretting about political fallout
on the eve of an election, promising an internal 'independent'
investigation, a move that amounts to no more than a political gambit
to shield the government from allegations of negligence toward public
health.
Finally, we learn that at the height of the crisis, during a
conference call with scientists, bureaucrats and political staff, the
federal agriculture minister trivialized the crisis, and insulted
victims, by making insensitive jokes. Yet Gerry Ritz remains a member
of the Harper cabinet.
The entire handling of this emergency demonstrates callous
incompetence. Worse, it reveals a lethal contempt by Harper for the
most basic role of government - ensuring public health and safety. It
also reflects a hostility of government as a constructive force in our
society.
Sadly, this comes as no great surprise. Harper has, after all, spent
his entire career denigrating government and public services. Why
would anyone be shocked now that a government run by him should fail
to rise to such an occasion?
Since his first days in office in 2006, Harper has steadily cut
funding for food safety programs and inspectors, shifting ever greater
responsibility to the food companies themselves.
According to current Treasury Board of Canada forecasts, funding for
food safety programs will have declined by almost 30% from $359
million in 2006-07 to $254 million in 2010-11 under Harper's watch.
At the same time, a secret government document recently brought to
light by a government employee reveals that the government has been
planning to let the foxes further guard the henhouse by expanding
industry self-policing of food safety.
The listeriosis crisis is reminiscent of the poison water scandal that
rocked Walkerton, Ont., in 2000. That disaster was caused in large
part by government cutbacks and a deliberate weakening of provincial
inspection and safety procedures by the Ontario regime of Conservative
Premier Mike Harris.
Harper's cabinet now includes some of the same ministers who were part
of the Harris government, ministers who should have learned the
obvious lessons of the Walkerton tragedy.
That they did not makes an even more chilling point: the ineptitude
now apparent in Ottawa is not merely a failure to learn the lessons of
Walkerton. It bespeaks an ideological contempt for anything and
everything that government can do to better society.
How many more deaths?
The listeriosis outbreak is an especially deadly lesson in why
effective and rigorous government oversight and action offers the best
guarantee of public health and safety. But how many more people will
die before the Harper government realizes that public health and
safety must always transcend political ideology? NUPGE
Fresh meat in prison
Rusty Idols: "Fresh meat"
WINNIPEG - A Winnipeg judge warned two violent young offenders Monday that they face bleak futures - which could include being raped in federal prison - if they don't turn their troubled lives around.
"Next stop is Stony Mountain," provincial court Judge Ronald Meyers told a 17-year-old boy, who along with a 15-year-old pleaded guilty to three armed robberies of Winnipeg businesses.
"I don't know whether you're prepared to consider yourself the girlfriend of some guy in there. But that's what awaits you. An 18-year-old fresh face comes in and it's fair game. Think about that."
The Canadian Press OTTAWA --
The Supreme Court of Canada has awarded $140,000 to a B.C. man who
suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a jail guard -- reducing the
amount awarded by a lower court by almost half. ...Zastowny is one of dozens of prisoners MacDougall allegedly preyed on.
"He
targeted younger inmates, inmates who had been sexually abused in the
past and/or inmates who had little experience in jail,'' according to
one statement of claim.
Bad Math
unrepentant old hippie: Bad math
So 14 is old enough to get gang-raped in prison, but not old enough to have consensual sex with a 21-year-old girl or boyfriend -- that sound about right? Because to me, something about this doesn't quite compute.
So 14 is old enough to get gang-raped in prison, but not old enough to have consensual sex with a 21-year-old girl or boyfriend -- that sound about right? Because to me, something about this doesn't quite compute.
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