NSA ... everything is legal, right?
If what the NSA is doing, as revealed in the latest Der Spiegel piece out today is legal ... then bloody everything is now legal - as long as it is in the name of national security, however loosely...
View Article"Isn't there anything wrong with the French health care system?" she asked
With all the continuing back and forth over Obamacare one could be forgiven for forgetting that what it offers is still miles away from what a better health care system should look like.Interestingly...
View Article“We do a very good job, and put a lot of energy, into being average,” It works!
If you are into education, into reducing inequality, and into trying to create equality of opportunity, this is a particularly interesting finding.In a nutshell here is what is going on ... In Canada...
View ArticleFascinating alternative view from Germany - West on wrong track
If you have not read this article you have missed one of the best pieces ofthe last month. This comes from the leading business paper in Germany and is a scathing denouncement of the rush towards...
View ArticleUsing our limited economic power subversively
In the capitalist world it should be no surprise that those with capital have the most power, and usually win. How else, for example, could the richest family in America make its fortune from selling...
View ArticleBrand destroys WalMart on the minimum wage
Now I know Russel Brand can trigger quite diverse reactions in people. He definitely is not for everyone ... however of late on his Trews YouTube channel he has been putting out a steady stream of some...
View ArticleUber ... uber repulsive
Rarely these days do we see someone stand up and fight back against the corporate narrative, and even more rarely do we see someone do it with flair and competence.Well sit back and spend a few minutes...
View ArticleWe need more non-politician politicians like this (fascinating guy)
This week coming up in Taiwan there will be an election for Mayor of Taipei. Even though Taipei is far away the mayoral contest is a fascinating one that we can only hope heralds a change in how...
View ArticleIs there ever a line? Not for Obama and Cameron
In yet another expose that shows that certain supposedly democratic governments really have almost zero tolerance for real dissent we have the latest from the Snowden files. More proof that governments...
View ArticleRand Paul does not subscribe to evolution
Not surprising really, but Paul's statements on abortion reveal an unwillingness to accept evolution as fact. (Note: I refuse to use the word "believe" in conjunction with "evolution", as it implies...
View Article“I felt like I needed it. It’s crazy. People will shoot you for anything,...
That one line sums up better than anything else I have seen both why gun control is necessary and why it will not happen.The line comes from a Guardian piece, the Guardian being the one news outlet...
View Article"Because it is 2015" - Justin Trudeau on gender parity
Today a new Canadian federal cabinet was sworn in - put together by the new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It was for the first time gender balanced with 15 men and 15 women. Trudeau had a great line...
View ArticleSaudi Oil Minister "“Oil has a future, but solar is the answer” .
Sometimes the powerful let slip what they are really thinking and often times it is missed in the day to day inundation of information that passes in front of our eyes. Here is one such “paradigm...
View ArticleStop helping Trump.
So far just about every approach possible to try and stop Trump’s rise has been tried, and all have failed.There is a reason for that.Start with the overall American political environment. The fact...
View ArticleTrump starts trade war ... with Canada.
www.wsj.com/…The Trump administration is taking retaliatory action against Canada over a decades-old trade dispute, moving to impose a 20% tariff on softwood lumber that is typically used to build...
View ArticleWhy Trump voters are stupid like Trump
OK, I know “stupid” is a bit harsh, and yes I know that a lot of economic and social issues played into support for Trump, BUT I think there really is something more here, something that goes right to...
View ArticleThe upside of Trump ... for Canada.
Watching the daily news from up here is a bit like watching a train wreck in slow motion. You can not help but watch, but at the same time you also realize that it will not end well.From up here the...
View ArticleTrudeau on "rights" and the duty of a politician.
Every once in a while Canada shows up on the US political radar. Not frequently, thankfully, given the insanity of the level of US media discourse these days. The latest episode was the Canadian...
View ArticleIt's a shame - Taiwan and the GOP
“Politics make strange bedfellows” is certainly true in the Taiwan - USA relationship. As a quick primer for those who may not have been paying attention — Taiwan WAS a pretty right wing country run by...
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