Rex Murphy
There was a time when Rex Murphy spoke difficult truths and challenged powerful institutions. There was a time when Rex Murphy was a journalist that I might listen to. But no more…
Stephen Harper is an evil astronaut
These guys are doing a frickin’ awesome job. Sharp videos. Clear soundbites. Attitude. Nice kitten. Good work. www.shitharperdid.com
Harper’s Conservatives on coalitions
Harper’s Conservatives, and the business media that share their interest, have been very negative about national coalitions. My understanding is that half of Canadians favour them. That’s many more Canadians than favour the Conservatives. And Harper has been somewhat duplicitous about his own interest in them…
More on strategic voting
It’s time for Liberals and NDP’ers to vote strategically on behalf of Elizabeth May. The Greens, the NDP and the Liberals have been splitting the progressive vote in the Sidney Saanich Gulf Islands riding for many elections. The result has been the continual re-election of Conservative Gary Lunn. :(
Election 41
We are always in the difficult position of balancing our principles and values with the constraints and parameters of the situation we find ourselves in; if you can’t tell, I’m a strategic voter.
Taxes are bad; I’m voting for Stephen Harper
That is sarcasm. Am I allowed to do that? Here’s a new video I made, trying to capture some of my frustration with modern politics.
I have finally tweeted
Twitter meets Sherwin meets the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Did you know that everyone has a declared right to form and join a trade union? It’s part of Article 23.
The Robert Dziekanski case
The officers failed to properly assess and respond to the situation effectively. Then they used too much force. Then they failed to administer CPR. Then the officers lied. Then their superiors and media relations officers lied…
Who Votes for Stephen Harper?
Here’s a short three minute comedy featuring a water cooler conversation about politics, Stephen Harper, and the state of Canadian democracy. Watch it now >>
Okay, seriously, I thought Chris Hedges might be a nut, but he’s definitely not
I was just reading the article that I said I would in my last post. Chomsky is my hero and Glen Beck is a lunatic. So Chris Hedges must be a nut. Who’s crazy?
Struggling to form an analysis: is liberalism dead?
I generally have ideas about things. I tend towards being opinionated. I have a view of the world that is robust enough that I can fit a surprisingly large amount of new stuff into it without much trouble. But lately I’ve been feeling confused and outmatched by a world of politics that is…
Discourse analysis of the National Post media surrounding Pickton
Soon I am embarking on a discourse analysis of the National Post’s coverage of the Robert Pickton murders. This is my second foray into a discourse analysis of a major media outlet. The first was on the Calgary Herald and I was interested in their analysis and value judgments of climate change issues. This time…
CO2 Now has widgets
CO2NOW.org is a neat resource specializing in helping humans simply know how much CO2 is currently in the Earth’s atmosphere. It kind of reminds me of a thermostat. We should all have a carbon-o-stat for our earth. And it should be set for 350 PPM or lower. :( Check out http://co2now.org/Current-CO2/CO2-Widget/ to find an assortment…
Overheard conversation about G20 and G8 police violence
Last week I attended a gathering of social activists at the BC legislature so that we could talk about what solidarity with activists in Toronto might look like. The protesters and the journalists and the civilian passerbyers that were arrested or otherwise beaten and intimidated in Toronto last week have had their lives altered by…
Violence perpetrated by police at the G20 in Canada
This is a good interview by a journalist and eye witness observer of police brutality at the recent G20 protests in Toronto. The right of peace abiding citizens to freely assemble is paramount. The right of journalists not to be beaten by cops is paramount.
More reflections on the G20 and Canada Day
It’s mid evening of July 1st, 2010, and I’m just reflecting on my many ambivalent feelings about Canada day. Today, when I reflect on what Canada means, I can’t help but think of police, patriarchy, Harper, poverty, white supremacy, Christian supremacy, gendered violence, oppression and colonization. I think there are good things too. I do….
Is Canada white supremacist? Reflections on Canada Day
Ask Canadians if they think our nation is a white supremacy, and most will simply say, “no.” Some folks might ask what is meant by the term “white supremacy.” Some will quietly and firmly say “yes.” Others will look at you and tell you to “fuck off.”
So how much oil is it?
Well, a standard barrel of oil is about 42 US gallons. And a gallon is about 4 litres. I say this because I, for one, don’t convert between these units often enough to always understand the reports I hear. The Exxon Valdez catastrophe dumped about 11 million gallons of oil (or roughly 262 thousand barrels,…
Ronald Reagan comes to Victoria (Esquimalt)
Ever walk into an elevator with someone you think might be packing a handgun under their coat? What if you know they have a pistol? It changes more than the vibe or the atmosphere. It takes a lot of trust. Just look around and see how people react when a police officer walks into a…
Coalition governments can play an important part in democracy
We don’t elect a prime minister here in Canada. We vote in our own constituencies for a representative. Government is usually formed by the party with the most representatives. But sometimes, government is formed by a coalition of parties. No big deal. We elect a parliament, not a particular party. Parliament sorts it out. 1…
Are we poisoning ourselves, or what?
I am amazed by the range of estimates. The Exxon Valdez was 10.8 million gallons. So based on the Wereley average1, we’re looking at about one of those every three or four days. Forever? For the record, it’s not a spill. Spill tracker Thanks to Hugh Stimson for this: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/01/us/20100501-oil-spill-tracker.html ↩
Raucous Ink is coming to Victoria Island
In local news, three awesome poets are doing a house concert this Wednesday and I plan on being there. You can download the poster here (pdf). You can check out lisa b. here, Tristan Silverman here, and Tara Hardy here.
Supporting Honeysuckle
Now this is a cool project. Or shall I say, it’s a tasty recipe. I feel like I get to brag a little because I’ve actually met this rising star. I know – cool huh. Her project has interesting politics. I think. Well, anyway how could I not support this exploration of sex, power and…
