Sometimes, I'm a bit slow... Yesterday, the Tand T ran an editorial saying that the railway line through New Brunswick needs work, that it's in bad shape. Okay...
I read in other sources that Irving is shipping 90,000 barrels of oil per week by rail, the very dirty tar sands oil, to its refineries in St. John. Gee! (And some sources put the figure much, much higher.)
Does that mean Irving is shipping oil, and very dirty oil at that, on unsafe rails? Doesn't NB have regulations on that - you know, sort of like the "toughest regulations in the world" that we have on shale gas?
And are our fearless newshounds of Brunwick News even now working on the big story of what refining dirty oil is doing to air quality in St. John?
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And another note on the careless use of words. North American newspapers commonly refer to North Korea as being "provocative" in the current crisis.
Now, provocative means acting in such a way as to provoke a response. But that's not what North Korea is doing. North Korea is reacting to a provocation. Those two aren't the same at all.
What has "provoked" this situation is the US and South Korea practicing attacks on North Korea. And that is one hell of a provocation because such war games on the border of North Korea could at any moment turn into a real attack.
Of course, North Korea is very worried. Of course, it's reacting. Who wouldn't?
And North Korea is "threatening"? Well, actually, it's saying that if it gets hit, it will hit back. And, usually, the word threatening is applied to the hitter, not the hittee.
Just two more examples of the journalistic misuse of words as a means of brainwashing. But don't blame the reporters. They, like all the rest of us, have been brainwashed all their lives.
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The biggest story in today's TandT is the front page headline, and a long, long report that follows it. It's all quite breathless. It covers a speech on the province's economy delivered to a big meeting of the Rotary Club AND the Chamber of Commerce - so we know this will be a really honest and scholarly speech with all the greatest minds from Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview assembled in one room.
The speaker was even more dazzling. Don Mills belongs to one of New Brunswick's many Halls of Fame. (There are so many, it's almost impossible to imagine that there is anybody left to induct.)
And he said - well -- nothing really. He said the NB economy is weak. But the sharp minds who belong to the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce probably already suspected that. He said the province is half rural. (And he had the figures to prove it.)
The headline "N.B. can shed 'have-not' title..." suggests he has the answer to the problem. But if he does, it was still a secret by the end of his speech. This talk appears to have been pure wind masquerading as keen insight.
And, of course, it has the usual, disparaging comments about all us low-class bums who think we are entitled to things like EI, and medical service.
There was no mention of high-class bums who feel they're entitled to get tax breaks, hide their money in tax havens, get government gifts of land, get millions of dollars from government so they can interfere with our schools, and even name themselves members of the government without bothering to get elected.
(Actually, we can afford the low-class bums. It's the high-class bums that cost us.)
In the end, Mr. Mills had nothing to offer. Nor does it seem to have occured to the reporter to ask him any questions. So here's a man who had nothing to say, but who rates the lead and biggest story in today's paper. Contrast that with the TandT's treatment of Dr. Leary who did have something to say and, though not a member of a hall of fame, actually knew what she was talking about. But the TandT savaged the report on her, a report that began making criticisms of what she said even before making it clear what she had said.
And all this is what's called brain-washing.
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C15 has a nothing story on Syria. The only notable point in it is the reference to information provided by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which it is now confirmed (and has been for some time) is a)a propaganda front for the "rebels" b) a one-man operation based in Britain with no special access to news from anywhere c)is run by a haberdasher and d)is funded by the European Union and some (unnamed) other state.
So here we have the Associated Press still referring to it as a reliable source - and we have news editors at Brunswick News who either know nothing about this organization, or are so unethical that they run stories about it, anyway.
The real story about Syria is completely absent. The dominant group among the "rebels" is made up of Islamic jihadists closely affiliated with Al Quaeda. And these are the people the US is supplying with weapons and money. Brilliant.
What all this slaughter and suffering is really about is destroying the state, any state, called Syria. What it's about is breaking Syria into a series of much smaller countries, too small to be of any influence, and all, almost certainly, to be run by dictators. There is no civil war. The is no support for a civil war. There never was. This is a series of invasions sponsored by the Arab League, Turkey, Britain, France, and the US and, in a smaller way, Israel. They want a middle east and an Africa completely dominated by themselves, with no other state large enough to defy them.
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Bill Beliveau's column is for those whose stomachs get all fluttery when they see pictures of Justin Trudeau, the almost-sure-to-be leader of the federal Liberal party. However, I am able to control my flutters. The Liberal party has long lost any sense of direction. And they're not likely to find it under Justin.
I have never met Justin. But I knew his father. Father and son have the same family name, of course; and that name is what Justin has been living off. But I see no sign that Justin shares anything but a name with his father.
Norbert has a column that seems a very sensible one - unless you think about it. He uses polls to show that the people of NB don't take the debt crisis seriously enough.
No, Norbert. The problem is you don't know how to read polls. What you are complaining about is that people don't agree with the debt solutions you support. And a good reason for that might be that the solutions you support are the ones that put the blame for the debt on the ordinary people of this province. You don't once mention the culpability of people like your bosses.
Norbert ends with a quotation about public officials being arrogant. Oh? Have our public officials been tough and arrogant in dealing with your bosses, Norbert? Or have they ever, for example, demanded the right to sit on Irving's boards of directors simply because they say so? You know, in the way that Irving made himself a member of the government?
And, to paraphrase your headline, how about a column on "Is the depth of our news crisis sinking in?"
On the op ed, Brent Mazerolle dredges up yet another story about a minor incident in his life. But I shall not criticize it. His recent confession that it hurts his feelings to have his column criticized stung my my wretched soul. So I'll just ask him to read papers outside New Brunswick. Notice how the op ed columns are usually used to comment on the news? To add insight and opinion to it?
Hugh J. "Ted" Flemming has a commentary on the doctors and his conflict with them. ("Ted" baby is our minister of health.) He writes with more restraint than he talks - though there are touches in the writing which suggest to me that a "communications specialist" helped "Ted" in writing this.
This is a commentary that really says nothing. I have seen no reason to believe he is willing to work with the doctors. I have seen no evidence that he has the faintest interest in efficiency nor that he even understands the meaning of that word.
Hint to "Ted" - if you want to be more convincing, tell us what you think efficiency means. And tell us how you propose to make health care more efficient. So far, all you have talked about is cuts. That's not the same thing. Efficiency can lead to cuts. But cuts do not necessarily lead to efficiency.
You have to start with what we have in health care, what the needs are for the people of this province, then you work out ways to do it that are economical. But you haven't don't that. And you aren't going to. Because you know damn well that all your real boss wants is to cut any spending that isn't spending that goes to him.
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Saturday, April 13, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
April 12: Words, words, words....
Oh, for the days of Winston Churchill, a politician who knew what words meant, and who used them with their correct meanings. For today's politicians, words are just fuzzy things designed to sound nice. And jouranlists write them down because they, alas, don't know any better than the politicians about the meaning of words. I think of this when I read of our minister of health in this province. He says he wants to make the health system more efficient.
Efficient. My car is pretty efficient. It gets the job done using very little gas. That's efficient. That also makes my car cheaper to operate. Now, they can raise or lower the price of gas - and I would then pay less or more. But that would make no difference at all to the efficiency of engine. The only difference would be to the profits of the fuel companies.
The Royal Bank has been outsourcing jobs to foreign countries. They say it's more efficient. Oh?
Are we getting better service as a result? Do we get better advice from the RBC now that those jobs are outsourced? Is the bank lowering its charges as a result? No. Not all all. In fact, they expect outsourcing will save it money and give it even higher profits. Outsourcing satisfies the RBC's greed.
But greed's not a nice word. So they call it efficiency. Mr. Flemming seems to be playing the same game. He's going to cut the health budget to save money. The order is already out. Lay people off.
But the primary purpose of health service, like a car engine, is to serve a need. Will that need be met by cutting the budgets? Of course not. Probably quite the reverse. So why does the minister call this "efficiency"? There are two reasons.
1. It sounds nicer than saying he wants to cut our services.
2. He's using the word efficiency in the sloppy way that big business does.
To big business, like the RBC, efficiency doesn't mean a better product or faster service. To big business, efficiency simply means higher profits. And higher profits are made by - oh,cutting payrolls, that sort of thing. Applied to health and education, the civil service, that means chopping jobs and cutting services so that corporations can save on taxes - and make higher profits.
If Mr. Flemming had wanted to make health more efficient, he would have begun by examining the processes of health care to see how they could be improved. But that's not where he started. He started with what his new, Sigma Six bosses told him. "Cut costs."
Sigma Six was pushed on this government, almost certainly by Mr. Irving. And it's applying business methods to a process that is not a business. And, like the RBC, it's covering the motive of greed by calling it "efficiency", a word that really means something quite different.
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I wrote the above because most of section A in todays TandT isn't even worth reading.
In NewsToday, RBC says it will find jobs for the 45 employees whose jobs were outsourced. Big deal. We are still left with 45 jobs that no longer will exist in Canada. And that is only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of thousands that have been outsourced.
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In John Baird, we seem to have an amazingly thick Foreign Affairs minister. He met with Israel's Justice Minister. That's okay, of course. But he met with her in her office in East Jerusalem - East Jerusalem which, according to the UN, is land illegally occupied by Israel. Baird says he doesn't see how that matters. Duh.....
Such an official meeting constitutes Canadian recognition that East Jerusalem is Israeli territory. And you can bet that the Israeli Justice Minister knew that when she invited him to meet her there. Baird is either complicit in defying the UN - or he's ignorant of the basic principles that govern foreign affairs. Or both.
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Page C3, "Report points clearer pircture of shale opinion in province". Fascinating.
It looks as though this is a report on shale gas that is more honest than any we have ever seen in Brunswick News before. It says, quite correctly, that people in NB don't trust their government or the industry to deal safely with shale gas and oil pipelines. Quite true - but not the sort of language I have ever before seen in the TandT. and -
- it comes from "one of Canada's largest oil and gas industry groups".
Isn't that nice of the oil and gas industry? And isn't it honest (if unusual) for Brunswick news to publish such a report?
Well, no to both.
The is obviously the beginning of a soft sell to win over support for the industry. Get ready for a steady diet of reasonable sounding lies and wooing - like a con man trying to win the heart of a rich and elderly widow.
(And there is no story about the massive spill of tar sands oil in a pipeline through Arkansas. The oil has been pouring through a 22 foot break in the pipeline. Perfectly safe, though. It'll just run off into some nearby waterways.)
Also note the neighbouring story - that ferry service to Grand Manan is being cut to "make it more efficient". Oh? Really? Does that mean it will be more efficient for the people and the tourists of Grand Manan? Well, no. In fact, they will get less, not more, efficiency in their travel.
Here is a classic example of using "efficiency" to mean higher profits by cutting service.
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Big editorial that the feds just must spend money to improve the railway line through New Brunswick. How noble of the TandT to speak up for us and our rail service.
Well, actually, it's not for us. It's for Irving who is railing huge quantities of tar sands oil to St. John. But, hey, what's good for Irving is good for ---Irving.
Good column by Alec Bruce on the problems of excessive reliance on data and statistics to make decisions. And that excessive reliance is precisely what has been forced on our provincial government in the form of the Sigma Six gestapo.
Norbert says nothing in particular about diet.
Steve Malloy continues to impress. This time, he wanders what seems far beyond his usual fields to talk about foreign affairs. But he does a good job of it - especially in the last column of his article. It is the only item I have seen on this topic in the TandT that is not simply a propaganda piece.
David Suzuki has an excellent column on the control over information, especially science information, that Harper has imposed on this country that used to be a democracy. He is deliberately keeping us ignorant of scientific findings we need to know for our own survival. Harper is in a mad rush to sell off our resources as quickly as possibly, and with complete disregard for its effect on our land, our air, our water - and on us. And Harper, who has a profound dislike for democracy, intends to make sure we never find out what's happening - until it's too late.
Efficient. My car is pretty efficient. It gets the job done using very little gas. That's efficient. That also makes my car cheaper to operate. Now, they can raise or lower the price of gas - and I would then pay less or more. But that would make no difference at all to the efficiency of engine. The only difference would be to the profits of the fuel companies.
The Royal Bank has been outsourcing jobs to foreign countries. They say it's more efficient. Oh?
Are we getting better service as a result? Do we get better advice from the RBC now that those jobs are outsourced? Is the bank lowering its charges as a result? No. Not all all. In fact, they expect outsourcing will save it money and give it even higher profits. Outsourcing satisfies the RBC's greed.
But greed's not a nice word. So they call it efficiency. Mr. Flemming seems to be playing the same game. He's going to cut the health budget to save money. The order is already out. Lay people off.
But the primary purpose of health service, like a car engine, is to serve a need. Will that need be met by cutting the budgets? Of course not. Probably quite the reverse. So why does the minister call this "efficiency"? There are two reasons.
1. It sounds nicer than saying he wants to cut our services.
2. He's using the word efficiency in the sloppy way that big business does.
To big business, like the RBC, efficiency doesn't mean a better product or faster service. To big business, efficiency simply means higher profits. And higher profits are made by - oh,cutting payrolls, that sort of thing. Applied to health and education, the civil service, that means chopping jobs and cutting services so that corporations can save on taxes - and make higher profits.
If Mr. Flemming had wanted to make health more efficient, he would have begun by examining the processes of health care to see how they could be improved. But that's not where he started. He started with what his new, Sigma Six bosses told him. "Cut costs."
Sigma Six was pushed on this government, almost certainly by Mr. Irving. And it's applying business methods to a process that is not a business. And, like the RBC, it's covering the motive of greed by calling it "efficiency", a word that really means something quite different.
_______________________________________________________________________________
I wrote the above because most of section A in todays TandT isn't even worth reading.
In NewsToday, RBC says it will find jobs for the 45 employees whose jobs were outsourced. Big deal. We are still left with 45 jobs that no longer will exist in Canada. And that is only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of thousands that have been outsourced.
_____________________________________________________________________________
In John Baird, we seem to have an amazingly thick Foreign Affairs minister. He met with Israel's Justice Minister. That's okay, of course. But he met with her in her office in East Jerusalem - East Jerusalem which, according to the UN, is land illegally occupied by Israel. Baird says he doesn't see how that matters. Duh.....
Such an official meeting constitutes Canadian recognition that East Jerusalem is Israeli territory. And you can bet that the Israeli Justice Minister knew that when she invited him to meet her there. Baird is either complicit in defying the UN - or he's ignorant of the basic principles that govern foreign affairs. Or both.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Page C3, "Report points clearer pircture of shale opinion in province". Fascinating.
It looks as though this is a report on shale gas that is more honest than any we have ever seen in Brunswick News before. It says, quite correctly, that people in NB don't trust their government or the industry to deal safely with shale gas and oil pipelines. Quite true - but not the sort of language I have ever before seen in the TandT. and -
- it comes from "one of Canada's largest oil and gas industry groups".
Isn't that nice of the oil and gas industry? And isn't it honest (if unusual) for Brunswick news to publish such a report?
Well, no to both.
The is obviously the beginning of a soft sell to win over support for the industry. Get ready for a steady diet of reasonable sounding lies and wooing - like a con man trying to win the heart of a rich and elderly widow.
(And there is no story about the massive spill of tar sands oil in a pipeline through Arkansas. The oil has been pouring through a 22 foot break in the pipeline. Perfectly safe, though. It'll just run off into some nearby waterways.)
Also note the neighbouring story - that ferry service to Grand Manan is being cut to "make it more efficient". Oh? Really? Does that mean it will be more efficient for the people and the tourists of Grand Manan? Well, no. In fact, they will get less, not more, efficiency in their travel.
Here is a classic example of using "efficiency" to mean higher profits by cutting service.
______________________________________________________________________________
Big editorial that the feds just must spend money to improve the railway line through New Brunswick. How noble of the TandT to speak up for us and our rail service.
Well, actually, it's not for us. It's for Irving who is railing huge quantities of tar sands oil to St. John. But, hey, what's good for Irving is good for ---Irving.
Good column by Alec Bruce on the problems of excessive reliance on data and statistics to make decisions. And that excessive reliance is precisely what has been forced on our provincial government in the form of the Sigma Six gestapo.
Norbert says nothing in particular about diet.
Steve Malloy continues to impress. This time, he wanders what seems far beyond his usual fields to talk about foreign affairs. But he does a good job of it - especially in the last column of his article. It is the only item I have seen on this topic in the TandT that is not simply a propaganda piece.
David Suzuki has an excellent column on the control over information, especially science information, that Harper has imposed on this country that used to be a democracy. He is deliberately keeping us ignorant of scientific findings we need to know for our own survival. Harper is in a mad rush to sell off our resources as quickly as possibly, and with complete disregard for its effect on our land, our air, our water - and on us. And Harper, who has a profound dislike for democracy, intends to make sure we never find out what's happening - until it's too late.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
April 11: I'm actually beginning this on April 10 because...
.....I'm quite sure that Brunswick News won't have the story even though it's now well over a week old.
Remember that racist flyer from MP Williamson of St. John about cracking down on First Nations? I posted it, and speculated the federal Conservatives were targeting First Nations to appeal to the bigot vote in Canada.
I may have been too kind to the Conservatives.
There's a publication for native peoples across North America. You can find it by googling Indian Country Today. Any of our journalists could have found the story long ago if they weren't all fully occupied with giving each other awards for journalistic excellence.
The First Nations side of the story is that Harper is holding back the money which is really their money under the treaties they and we signed. He's holding it back to force them to endorse legislation which would, in effect, give him control over their reserves and, in the long run, destroy the treaty status of First Nations.
It's a potent threat because by holding back the money that is rightfully theirs, Harper would make the reservations unliveable, cutting off basic necessities like water, sewage, electricity..... Harper is destroying the agreements which were made in exchange for First Nations' loss of all the land and resources they were forced to hand over to us. People already poor and horribly disadvantaged are now being bullied out of what is righfully theirs.
The implication in Williamson's flyer that chiefs are pocketing huge sums is, in a word that even Williamson would understand, bullshit. Their average pay as chiefs is well below the average income for all Canadians.
And the very idea that Harper is really advocating openess and transparency in government is absurd. If he were, he'd be setting an example.
Some reserves may well cave in because cutting the funds would leave them in desperate condition. According to the report, the Mik'mag of New Brunswick may be in that position. But if they do agree, they're doomed, anyway, because Harper will use his power to open up their reserves to mineral exploitation and deadly pollution.
Check out the story at Indian Country Today. Certainly, you'll never hear about it from that gaggle of propagandists, puppets and trivialists who call themselves print journalists in this province. (I wonder what schools of journalism take the blame for all this. Some, at least, should really be offering public apologies.)
You don't care if Harper plays the sleaze with First Nations? Okay. And what makes you think you aren't on his list?
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Also as expected, there was not a word on the 450 Canadians who have their money stashed overseas to avoid paying taxes on it. Harper is making noises about going to court to get the names. But I'll believe that when I see it. If Harper had the names, he'd have to act against his dearest friends and contributors.
In any case, he must know the names. I know some of them. Children on the street know some. It's not a secret, and it hasn't been for a good fifty years and more. And Harper (and the TandT) have no intention of making any fuss about it.
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The biggest story on p. 1 is that oral piercing (lips and tongue) is bad for you. I've always thought body piercing (and tattooing) was something I would rather not look at - and something that takes me close to gagging when I see rings stuck through a lip or a tongue. So I'm not surprised to hear that something so ugly is also unhealthy.
But the only news story worth reading in the whole of section A is the Spring pickup of the year's big trash is coming in May. Oh, and a hot, insider tip that maybe, just maybe, a Starbucks might open on Main St. Boy, you can't fool those hot, TandT reporters.
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The only story worth reading in NewsToday is the one about how Canadian ranked 17th out of 29 wealthy countries in the well-being of its children. Even lower, going from 25th down to 29th are Greece ( which is in economic collapse), the United States (which claims to lead the world in all things), Lithuania, Latvia, and Romania. ( When are people going to notice what a mess the US is - and how much of that mess is owing to the dominance of big business in that country's life?)
Top-ranked are The Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden - all of which have managed to keep their Irvings under control - and none of which would ever elect a gibbering puppet like Alward to anything.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The story on the Korean crisis on page B1 is worth reading only as an example of the use of loaded language in reporting. North Korea is being "provocative" for objecting that the US is openly practicing how it would drop nuclear bombs on it. But the US isn't being provocative. No. It's jes' funnin'.
And when North Korea calls Americans "imperialists", the word is put in quotation marks as I just did, implying, of course, that the US is no such thing. Well, over the last fifty years, the US has invaded every country it could, has killed at least five million people, maintained military dictatorships in Central America, has troops in every country in Africa, and has well over 500 military bases all over the world. I'm pretty sure that's what the word "imperialist" means.
And you know what? Young North Koreans play with toy guns. Well, my lands! I never heard of such a thing. And when they're teens, the often learn to shoot real guns. Merciful heavens. (I learned to shoot a rifle at the age of 12 as a Boy Scout.) Americans would never tolerate such use of guns.
The concluding parapgraph hints that what those scheming North Koreans are trying to do is to get the US to negotiate a peace to the Korean War of sixty years ago. They want to negotiate peace. Have you ever heard of anything so evil? or crazy?
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A strong spot on the editorial page today is the cartoon.
The editorial sounds almost sensible. But it bases itself on the assumption that the US economy is on the verge of recovery. Unfortunately, it is equally possible that it is on the verge of total collapse.
Norbert rants and relies heavily on loaded language. (Our health minister is "blunt-spoken". Sure. And bullies are just blunt-spoken.) He uses quotation marks to imply ridicule. For example, he says the doctors claim the spending cap on health was "imposed unilaterally". Do you know what words mean Norbert? It was imposed, and imposed by one group - the government. Do you know the meaning of "uni", Norbert?
Then he plays with words to claim the the doctors claimed a power they don't have to "categorically reject" the government ruling. In fact, we all have the power to reject anything we don't like. We may not have the power to disallow it. But we can reject.
Please learn to speak English, Norbert.
Then he implies the head of the medical association speaks without the support of the doctors. Of course, he supplies not the slightest evidence it is true. That's because there is no such evidence.
He says doctors have been known to protect their own turf and earnings. Wow! Protect their own turf and earnings? How evil can they get? Boy, the Irvings would never do that..(And if they did, you can bet Norbert wouldn't even whimper).
Norbert should also note that Jeffrey Simpson's book on health care is not universally praised - to say the least. This column is simply an ignorant rant, lacking any adequate understanding even of the English language, and heavily-biased. Irving will love it because it supports his imposition of Six Sigma business methods on government which Norbert never even mentions.
Norbert says, kiss, kiss, Mr. Irving.
Alec Bruce makes a good point in condemning government by referendum. We elect government to lead, not to ask us what to do. I don't think he points the way to any answer - but he does, at least, try to make us focus on what the questions are.
Rod Allen offers us his usual shallow piece of pretentious, high-school wit. I can't guess how others will react and, though I was never a fan of Annette Funicello, I thought it pretty distasteful to write a "humorous" piece about her death.
Beth Lyons' column on the rights of women is a good one. But she's going to have to write in a snappier style to reach the audience she wants. I don't mean her writing is bad. It's not bad at all. But it's written for a smaller audience than she surely wants to reach.
Remember that racist flyer from MP Williamson of St. John about cracking down on First Nations? I posted it, and speculated the federal Conservatives were targeting First Nations to appeal to the bigot vote in Canada.
I may have been too kind to the Conservatives.
There's a publication for native peoples across North America. You can find it by googling Indian Country Today. Any of our journalists could have found the story long ago if they weren't all fully occupied with giving each other awards for journalistic excellence.
The First Nations side of the story is that Harper is holding back the money which is really their money under the treaties they and we signed. He's holding it back to force them to endorse legislation which would, in effect, give him control over their reserves and, in the long run, destroy the treaty status of First Nations.
It's a potent threat because by holding back the money that is rightfully theirs, Harper would make the reservations unliveable, cutting off basic necessities like water, sewage, electricity..... Harper is destroying the agreements which were made in exchange for First Nations' loss of all the land and resources they were forced to hand over to us. People already poor and horribly disadvantaged are now being bullied out of what is righfully theirs.
The implication in Williamson's flyer that chiefs are pocketing huge sums is, in a word that even Williamson would understand, bullshit. Their average pay as chiefs is well below the average income for all Canadians.
And the very idea that Harper is really advocating openess and transparency in government is absurd. If he were, he'd be setting an example.
Some reserves may well cave in because cutting the funds would leave them in desperate condition. According to the report, the Mik'mag of New Brunswick may be in that position. But if they do agree, they're doomed, anyway, because Harper will use his power to open up their reserves to mineral exploitation and deadly pollution.
Check out the story at Indian Country Today. Certainly, you'll never hear about it from that gaggle of propagandists, puppets and trivialists who call themselves print journalists in this province. (I wonder what schools of journalism take the blame for all this. Some, at least, should really be offering public apologies.)
You don't care if Harper plays the sleaze with First Nations? Okay. And what makes you think you aren't on his list?
_________________________________________________________________________________
Also as expected, there was not a word on the 450 Canadians who have their money stashed overseas to avoid paying taxes on it. Harper is making noises about going to court to get the names. But I'll believe that when I see it. If Harper had the names, he'd have to act against his dearest friends and contributors.
In any case, he must know the names. I know some of them. Children on the street know some. It's not a secret, and it hasn't been for a good fifty years and more. And Harper (and the TandT) have no intention of making any fuss about it.
______________________________________________________________________________
The biggest story on p. 1 is that oral piercing (lips and tongue) is bad for you. I've always thought body piercing (and tattooing) was something I would rather not look at - and something that takes me close to gagging when I see rings stuck through a lip or a tongue. So I'm not surprised to hear that something so ugly is also unhealthy.
But the only news story worth reading in the whole of section A is the Spring pickup of the year's big trash is coming in May. Oh, and a hot, insider tip that maybe, just maybe, a Starbucks might open on Main St. Boy, you can't fool those hot, TandT reporters.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The only story worth reading in NewsToday is the one about how Canadian ranked 17th out of 29 wealthy countries in the well-being of its children. Even lower, going from 25th down to 29th are Greece ( which is in economic collapse), the United States (which claims to lead the world in all things), Lithuania, Latvia, and Romania. ( When are people going to notice what a mess the US is - and how much of that mess is owing to the dominance of big business in that country's life?)
Top-ranked are The Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden - all of which have managed to keep their Irvings under control - and none of which would ever elect a gibbering puppet like Alward to anything.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The story on the Korean crisis on page B1 is worth reading only as an example of the use of loaded language in reporting. North Korea is being "provocative" for objecting that the US is openly practicing how it would drop nuclear bombs on it. But the US isn't being provocative. No. It's jes' funnin'.
And when North Korea calls Americans "imperialists", the word is put in quotation marks as I just did, implying, of course, that the US is no such thing. Well, over the last fifty years, the US has invaded every country it could, has killed at least five million people, maintained military dictatorships in Central America, has troops in every country in Africa, and has well over 500 military bases all over the world. I'm pretty sure that's what the word "imperialist" means.
And you know what? Young North Koreans play with toy guns. Well, my lands! I never heard of such a thing. And when they're teens, the often learn to shoot real guns. Merciful heavens. (I learned to shoot a rifle at the age of 12 as a Boy Scout.) Americans would never tolerate such use of guns.
The concluding parapgraph hints that what those scheming North Koreans are trying to do is to get the US to negotiate a peace to the Korean War of sixty years ago. They want to negotiate peace. Have you ever heard of anything so evil? or crazy?
________________________________________________________________________________
A strong spot on the editorial page today is the cartoon.
The editorial sounds almost sensible. But it bases itself on the assumption that the US economy is on the verge of recovery. Unfortunately, it is equally possible that it is on the verge of total collapse.
Norbert rants and relies heavily on loaded language. (Our health minister is "blunt-spoken". Sure. And bullies are just blunt-spoken.) He uses quotation marks to imply ridicule. For example, he says the doctors claim the spending cap on health was "imposed unilaterally". Do you know what words mean Norbert? It was imposed, and imposed by one group - the government. Do you know the meaning of "uni", Norbert?
Then he plays with words to claim the the doctors claimed a power they don't have to "categorically reject" the government ruling. In fact, we all have the power to reject anything we don't like. We may not have the power to disallow it. But we can reject.
Please learn to speak English, Norbert.
Then he implies the head of the medical association speaks without the support of the doctors. Of course, he supplies not the slightest evidence it is true. That's because there is no such evidence.
He says doctors have been known to protect their own turf and earnings. Wow! Protect their own turf and earnings? How evil can they get? Boy, the Irvings would never do that..(And if they did, you can bet Norbert wouldn't even whimper).
Norbert should also note that Jeffrey Simpson's book on health care is not universally praised - to say the least. This column is simply an ignorant rant, lacking any adequate understanding even of the English language, and heavily-biased. Irving will love it because it supports his imposition of Six Sigma business methods on government which Norbert never even mentions.
Norbert says, kiss, kiss, Mr. Irving.
Alec Bruce makes a good point in condemning government by referendum. We elect government to lead, not to ask us what to do. I don't think he points the way to any answer - but he does, at least, try to make us focus on what the questions are.
Rod Allen offers us his usual shallow piece of pretentious, high-school wit. I can't guess how others will react and, though I was never a fan of Annette Funicello, I thought it pretty distasteful to write a "humorous" piece about her death.
Beth Lyons' column on the rights of women is a good one. But she's going to have to write in a snappier style to reach the audience she wants. I don't mean her writing is bad. It's not bad at all. But it's written for a smaller audience than she surely wants to reach.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
April 10:
If you look at the comments below yesterday's post, you will find that a reader warned me that Colchester County in Nova Scotia plans to dump over a million litres of fracking wastewater, complete with its chemicals, into the sea. So I checked.
It's even worse than I thought. Windsor, Nova Scotia, has already dumped over four million litres into Minas Basin. And there's lots more to go.
The Nova Scotia government assures people - without evidence - that the dangerous parts have been removed. (Oh? And where are they?)
But if it's so easy to remove the dangerous parts, why is New Brunswick going to all the trouble and expense of building holding tanks that will never, ever, ever leak?
What we're seeing is just the beginning. Harper's destruction of environmental protection has set Canada up for destruction - all so that people who keep their money in tax havens can make some quick profits for a short time - maybe.
Meantime, it might be as well to resist the urge to go wading at Hopewell Park this summer.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, the only thing worth reading in section A is on page 3. It's an ad for a sale on tombstones. But it ends on April 30, so rush down and die now to save money.
_______________________________________________________________________________
NewsToday is almost as bad. Stephen Harper, who couldn't spare time to attend a meeting on the imminent dangers of world drought, will have plenty of time for the funeral of Margaret Thatcher, the woman who economic ideas made Britain the disaster area it is.
Health Minister Flemming reached out to us common folk who attended a Rotary Club dinner to watch him foam at the mouth over doctors. Tickets were a hundred dollars each to reach out to even the humblest in our comunity. And - people were allowed to ask questions. Democracy in action.
Keith Ashfield, federal minister of something, wants a national debate on the cost of health care. Of course. We're going to see a big push for privatization.
Actually, as the US case shows, privatization costs far more than state medicare, while leaving most people without care at all. But that's private money so it's like, you know, it's different. It's spending more money but also saving on taxes - and tax money is different from private money....like.
In the US, the leading cause of bankruptcy among seniors is health care. But that's good. I guess.
Mr. Ashfield did not mention whether the national debate on the cost of health care would look into the issue of the cost to us of tax havens for the super rich.
In fact, there's not a word about the tax havens scandal in the whole paper. There's a story about a circus elephant in Mississippi which was shot. There's a big story on MP Ashfield touring port facilities and boosting the pipeline. But not a word on the 27 trillion hidden away to avoid taxes.
And no mention, of course, of who the 450 Canadians involved are. Any guesses, folks?
The only real news item in NewsToday that is honest and worth reading is "Resident rallying support over mine concerns". It's about a proposed mine in New Brunswick which will cost tax payers a bundle (perhaps money saved from being wasted on keeping people alive), and might well destroy a river and much of the land around it.
____________________________________________________________________________
There is an amazing story on D1. "Beyonce's trip to Cuba approved by US government". God Bless America, the land of the free.... These are free people who can go anywhere they like - just so long as they get permission from the US government.
And why was this one approved? Well, it's cultural.Like - well - they'll be eating at fine restaurants, and listening to music in clubs - you know, cultural - and they won't be doing anything communist like going to a beach or talking to anybody official.
______________________________________________________________________________
The editorial is pimping again - and this time pimping again for an events centre and a pipeline.
Norbert opens with a rant against critics of cuts to EI. He says it's crazy to talk about the death of democracy in Canada. Oh? A key to democracy is information. Norbert - you work for a company who major role is to make sure we don't get information - just propaganda from your boss. We live in a country which seems to have had electoral fraud committed by government party workers over the last ten years of federal elections - and the federal government has shown no interest in it at all and, in fact, has offered no cooperation.
Then he shows his ignorance of the last centurty and more of history by saying governments don't create jobs, that jobs are created only by private industry. Norbert, do you know nothing about the great depression? About the recovery from it? about how private industry creates jobs usually with massive grants, loans, tax rebates, etc. from government?
In fact, he contradicts his own point in the final section of his column when he tells of how a call centre "created" jobs in Moncton only with massive help.
And, oh, yes, Norbert, at the bottom of your first column, you write "...none of which are...". Now, think hard, Norbert. "Are" is plural. Is "none" plural"?
You see - you could have said "...all of which are..." That would have been okay because "all" is plural. But it's "...none of which is..." because none is not plural. I look forward to more of your deep thoughts.
Eric Lewis and Brian Cormier are both a waste of space that is badly needed for informed opinion. Instead, we get these two staring at their own navels. And while Brian Cormier argues for politeness in the social media, he might take time to look at the vicious tone and bias that characertizes the paper he works for - and that he seems to find congenial.
In the whole paper, there is one news story worth reading. And just one column - Alec Bruce's on Margaret Thatcher.
____________________________________________________________________________
Now, here's a story that isn't in the TandT. Australia and China have agreed they will not use American currency in their trade with each other. They will use their own currencies.
No big deal?
Well, the US dollar has no real backing - not in gold, not in resources, not in nothing. It's really useless paper. All that saves it is that the US has been able to force other countries to use it as their standard for international trade.
Iran broke away from that. that's one reason - just one -why the US wants to nail Iran. Venezuela broke away from it. And that's one reason - just one - why we can expect massive American interference in the Venezuela election.
Then China broke away (though it's still happy to pay with its hoard of American dollars to get rid of them).
Then New Zealand broke away. And now Australia - though both depend heavily on American support. So what will the US do?
Maybe that's what we're watching in the Korean peninsula.
It's even worse than I thought. Windsor, Nova Scotia, has already dumped over four million litres into Minas Basin. And there's lots more to go.
The Nova Scotia government assures people - without evidence - that the dangerous parts have been removed. (Oh? And where are they?)
But if it's so easy to remove the dangerous parts, why is New Brunswick going to all the trouble and expense of building holding tanks that will never, ever, ever leak?
What we're seeing is just the beginning. Harper's destruction of environmental protection has set Canada up for destruction - all so that people who keep their money in tax havens can make some quick profits for a short time - maybe.
Meantime, it might be as well to resist the urge to go wading at Hopewell Park this summer.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, the only thing worth reading in section A is on page 3. It's an ad for a sale on tombstones. But it ends on April 30, so rush down and die now to save money.
_______________________________________________________________________________
NewsToday is almost as bad. Stephen Harper, who couldn't spare time to attend a meeting on the imminent dangers of world drought, will have plenty of time for the funeral of Margaret Thatcher, the woman who economic ideas made Britain the disaster area it is.
Health Minister Flemming reached out to us common folk who attended a Rotary Club dinner to watch him foam at the mouth over doctors. Tickets were a hundred dollars each to reach out to even the humblest in our comunity. And - people were allowed to ask questions. Democracy in action.
Keith Ashfield, federal minister of something, wants a national debate on the cost of health care. Of course. We're going to see a big push for privatization.
Actually, as the US case shows, privatization costs far more than state medicare, while leaving most people without care at all. But that's private money so it's like, you know, it's different. It's spending more money but also saving on taxes - and tax money is different from private money....like.
In the US, the leading cause of bankruptcy among seniors is health care. But that's good. I guess.
Mr. Ashfield did not mention whether the national debate on the cost of health care would look into the issue of the cost to us of tax havens for the super rich.
In fact, there's not a word about the tax havens scandal in the whole paper. There's a story about a circus elephant in Mississippi which was shot. There's a big story on MP Ashfield touring port facilities and boosting the pipeline. But not a word on the 27 trillion hidden away to avoid taxes.
And no mention, of course, of who the 450 Canadians involved are. Any guesses, folks?
The only real news item in NewsToday that is honest and worth reading is "Resident rallying support over mine concerns". It's about a proposed mine in New Brunswick which will cost tax payers a bundle (perhaps money saved from being wasted on keeping people alive), and might well destroy a river and much of the land around it.
____________________________________________________________________________
There is an amazing story on D1. "Beyonce's trip to Cuba approved by US government". God Bless America, the land of the free.... These are free people who can go anywhere they like - just so long as they get permission from the US government.
And why was this one approved? Well, it's cultural.Like - well - they'll be eating at fine restaurants, and listening to music in clubs - you know, cultural - and they won't be doing anything communist like going to a beach or talking to anybody official.
______________________________________________________________________________
The editorial is pimping again - and this time pimping again for an events centre and a pipeline.
Norbert opens with a rant against critics of cuts to EI. He says it's crazy to talk about the death of democracy in Canada. Oh? A key to democracy is information. Norbert - you work for a company who major role is to make sure we don't get information - just propaganda from your boss. We live in a country which seems to have had electoral fraud committed by government party workers over the last ten years of federal elections - and the federal government has shown no interest in it at all and, in fact, has offered no cooperation.
Then he shows his ignorance of the last centurty and more of history by saying governments don't create jobs, that jobs are created only by private industry. Norbert, do you know nothing about the great depression? About the recovery from it? about how private industry creates jobs usually with massive grants, loans, tax rebates, etc. from government?
In fact, he contradicts his own point in the final section of his column when he tells of how a call centre "created" jobs in Moncton only with massive help.
And, oh, yes, Norbert, at the bottom of your first column, you write "...none of which are...". Now, think hard, Norbert. "Are" is plural. Is "none" plural"?
You see - you could have said "...all of which are..." That would have been okay because "all" is plural. But it's "...none of which is..." because none is not plural. I look forward to more of your deep thoughts.
Eric Lewis and Brian Cormier are both a waste of space that is badly needed for informed opinion. Instead, we get these two staring at their own navels. And while Brian Cormier argues for politeness in the social media, he might take time to look at the vicious tone and bias that characertizes the paper he works for - and that he seems to find congenial.
In the whole paper, there is one news story worth reading. And just one column - Alec Bruce's on Margaret Thatcher.
____________________________________________________________________________
Now, here's a story that isn't in the TandT. Australia and China have agreed they will not use American currency in their trade with each other. They will use their own currencies.
No big deal?
Well, the US dollar has no real backing - not in gold, not in resources, not in nothing. It's really useless paper. All that saves it is that the US has been able to force other countries to use it as their standard for international trade.
Iran broke away from that. that's one reason - just one -why the US wants to nail Iran. Venezuela broke away from it. And that's one reason - just one - why we can expect massive American interference in the Venezuela election.
Then China broke away (though it's still happy to pay with its hoard of American dollars to get rid of them).
Then New Zealand broke away. And now Australia - though both depend heavily on American support. So what will the US do?
Maybe that's what we're watching in the Korean peninsula.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
April 9: Part 2
I can't believe I did anything so stupid as to erase a whole blog just as I was finishing it. And this is the third time it's happened.
April 9: Part 1 is the flyer distributed by MP John Williamson of St. John. It is a bigoted attack on native peoples - strongly insinuating they are stealing our money and squandering it. In fact:
1. It is not our money. It is theirs - under treaty rights that our governments signed but have never fully honoured.
2. For a Conservative MP to say that native peoples lack democracy and openess in their work is particularly appalling coming from a member of this federal Conservative government.
3. Despite Williamson's insinuations, the average chief is not living high at Monte Carlo on his salary. The average salary for a chief is barely over $35,000 a year --a lot less than than we pay clowns like Williamson for spreading malice and bigotry.
4. If you look at the small print in a box on that flyer, you will notice it admits that most First Nations do operate with honesty and openess. (Which is more than I can say for most of our governments). But who reads find print on a flyer like this? The fine print is just Williamson covering his unattractive rear end.
This flyer is disgusting. So why is it out there?
Well, there's a big bigot vote in Canada. As well, Harper can use this as an excuse to cut funds so severely as to make some reserves unlivable for lack of sanitation, power, housing, even food. Then Harper can take them over, and open them up to his mineral and oil development friends who can do as they please. After all, Harper has already wiped out most of our environmental protection laws.
___________________________________________________________________________
Who can explain it? readership for this blog is strong and growing. But this is about a small, Moncton newspaper? It has a big Moncton readership. But it has a slightly bigger American readership. Why on earth is that? I must be being monitored by all domestic espionage posts in the US.
______________________________________________________________________________
There's nothing of significance in secton A. There is, though, an amusing story on A2. It seems the polls rate our Mr. Alward as the premier with the second highest approval rating in Canada. His approval rating is 42%, about the same as his Liberal opponent, and only slightly ahead of the NDP. At 42%, he's a loser. But we can be proud he's the best loser in a field of real stinkers. (The only premier in Canada with majority approval is Wall of Saskatchewan.)
There's also the mandatory story that shale gas is good for you. That comes from Mr. Ashfield, our federal minister of several things. He closes with this gem of insight,
"That's what sustainable development means----it's development, but done in a sustainable way."
He also says those who oppose shale gas are too emotional. Damn right. Tell you what, Mr. Ashfield, you get up there on a stage in front of us screaming radicals, down a few cocktails of the harmless chemicals used in fracking, and that'll just show us how silly we are.
There's really zip in section A. This is a newspaper designed to keep us ignorant of whatever is going on.
______________________________________________________________________________
Newstoday has huge coverage of Margaret Thatcher's death. Huge. It's overdone. and much of it is wrong.
1. She is credited with making Britain prosperous by cutting taxes for the rich, breaking unions, cutting social services, and cutting business regulations.
There is no mention that oil prices skyrocketed during her term - which created a boom for British wells in the North Sea. That's what created the prosperity.
Her heritage is what we're seeing now - a country in which the gap between rich and poor is one of the biggest in the world, the rate of poverty has hit record levels, and the banks, in particular, are up to their ears in scandal.
It has all been made even worse because the PMs who followed her, including the "socialist" Tony Blair, followed her policies. In fairness, though, it did make Tony Blair a multi-millionaire and successful war criminal.
2. She also gets the usual ignorant praise for the miltary victory over Argentina in the case of the Falklands war. That was brilliance. But the brilliance was in the British military, not in Thatcher. The military had barely enough resources for the job because Thatcher had cut its budget so far - and was still cutting it to please her rich friends. If the Argentines had waited just a few months, it's quite likely that it would not have been possible for Britain to defend the Falklands.
_________________________________________________________________________
The Business Page has a decent story on the Royal Bank and its use of "temporary" foreign workers to replace Canadians. Actually, it's clear now that Harper has been encouraging this illegal procedure on a grand scale. Some sources suggest there are 300,000 such workers now in Canada, with 190,000 coming every year.
They are often trained here (by Canadians doing the job - and who will now be laid off). Then the temps go back to their native countries, and the jobs are oursourced to them at a much lower wage. We lose jobs. We lose tax revenue. And our growing unemployment makes it easy for employers to lower wages here, as well.
Thank you Mr. Harper. And God bless the CEO of the Royal Bank of Canada.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The lead editorial is a disgusting attack on people who oppose a Moncton "events centre". This comes from a paper which has consistently been a propaganda agent for the centre, and has largely discouraged any serious discussion of it.
Alec Bruce has an intriguing column on how to deal with the problems of rural New Brunswick. This is well worth a read.
Norbert is back to delivering one of his "what if the moon were made of green cheese?" columns.
Gwynne Dyer rather shook me. I have always trendily been opposed to genetically-engineered crops. But Dyer makes a strong case for them. Worth thinking about.
_______________________________________________________________________________
I did it. It's finished. And it's still here.
April 9: Part 1 is the flyer distributed by MP John Williamson of St. John. It is a bigoted attack on native peoples - strongly insinuating they are stealing our money and squandering it. In fact:
1. It is not our money. It is theirs - under treaty rights that our governments signed but have never fully honoured.
2. For a Conservative MP to say that native peoples lack democracy and openess in their work is particularly appalling coming from a member of this federal Conservative government.
3. Despite Williamson's insinuations, the average chief is not living high at Monte Carlo on his salary. The average salary for a chief is barely over $35,000 a year --a lot less than than we pay clowns like Williamson for spreading malice and bigotry.
4. If you look at the small print in a box on that flyer, you will notice it admits that most First Nations do operate with honesty and openess. (Which is more than I can say for most of our governments). But who reads find print on a flyer like this? The fine print is just Williamson covering his unattractive rear end.
This flyer is disgusting. So why is it out there?
Well, there's a big bigot vote in Canada. As well, Harper can use this as an excuse to cut funds so severely as to make some reserves unlivable for lack of sanitation, power, housing, even food. Then Harper can take them over, and open them up to his mineral and oil development friends who can do as they please. After all, Harper has already wiped out most of our environmental protection laws.
___________________________________________________________________________
Who can explain it? readership for this blog is strong and growing. But this is about a small, Moncton newspaper? It has a big Moncton readership. But it has a slightly bigger American readership. Why on earth is that? I must be being monitored by all domestic espionage posts in the US.
______________________________________________________________________________
There's nothing of significance in secton A. There is, though, an amusing story on A2. It seems the polls rate our Mr. Alward as the premier with the second highest approval rating in Canada. His approval rating is 42%, about the same as his Liberal opponent, and only slightly ahead of the NDP. At 42%, he's a loser. But we can be proud he's the best loser in a field of real stinkers. (The only premier in Canada with majority approval is Wall of Saskatchewan.)
There's also the mandatory story that shale gas is good for you. That comes from Mr. Ashfield, our federal minister of several things. He closes with this gem of insight,
"That's what sustainable development means----it's development, but done in a sustainable way."
He also says those who oppose shale gas are too emotional. Damn right. Tell you what, Mr. Ashfield, you get up there on a stage in front of us screaming radicals, down a few cocktails of the harmless chemicals used in fracking, and that'll just show us how silly we are.
There's really zip in section A. This is a newspaper designed to keep us ignorant of whatever is going on.
______________________________________________________________________________
Newstoday has huge coverage of Margaret Thatcher's death. Huge. It's overdone. and much of it is wrong.
1. She is credited with making Britain prosperous by cutting taxes for the rich, breaking unions, cutting social services, and cutting business regulations.
There is no mention that oil prices skyrocketed during her term - which created a boom for British wells in the North Sea. That's what created the prosperity.
Her heritage is what we're seeing now - a country in which the gap between rich and poor is one of the biggest in the world, the rate of poverty has hit record levels, and the banks, in particular, are up to their ears in scandal.
It has all been made even worse because the PMs who followed her, including the "socialist" Tony Blair, followed her policies. In fairness, though, it did make Tony Blair a multi-millionaire and successful war criminal.
2. She also gets the usual ignorant praise for the miltary victory over Argentina in the case of the Falklands war. That was brilliance. But the brilliance was in the British military, not in Thatcher. The military had barely enough resources for the job because Thatcher had cut its budget so far - and was still cutting it to please her rich friends. If the Argentines had waited just a few months, it's quite likely that it would not have been possible for Britain to defend the Falklands.
_________________________________________________________________________
The Business Page has a decent story on the Royal Bank and its use of "temporary" foreign workers to replace Canadians. Actually, it's clear now that Harper has been encouraging this illegal procedure on a grand scale. Some sources suggest there are 300,000 such workers now in Canada, with 190,000 coming every year.
They are often trained here (by Canadians doing the job - and who will now be laid off). Then the temps go back to their native countries, and the jobs are oursourced to them at a much lower wage. We lose jobs. We lose tax revenue. And our growing unemployment makes it easy for employers to lower wages here, as well.
Thank you Mr. Harper. And God bless the CEO of the Royal Bank of Canada.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The lead editorial is a disgusting attack on people who oppose a Moncton "events centre". This comes from a paper which has consistently been a propaganda agent for the centre, and has largely discouraged any serious discussion of it.
Alec Bruce has an intriguing column on how to deal with the problems of rural New Brunswick. This is well worth a read.
Norbert is back to delivering one of his "what if the moon were made of green cheese?" columns.
Gwynne Dyer rather shook me. I have always trendily been opposed to genetically-engineered crops. But Dyer makes a strong case for them. Worth thinking about.
_______________________________________________________________________________
I did it. It's finished. And it's still here.
part two will follow. I just messed up by erasing part 2 on the last sentence.
Monday, April 8, 2013
April 8: (Yawn)
The big, front page headline in today's Moncton Tiresome and Tacky is "Oulton College makes history". Wow, just like Julius Caesar and Napoleon and George Washington and John A Macdonald and premier Alward.
The story is that Oulton is the first private college in New Brunswick to offer a programme in practical nursing that is recognized by a professional association. New Brunswick Community College also offers one that is recognized. But NBCC is public. So, I mean, you can see the how Oulton's is breaking new ground.
Look, kiddies. By no definition is this a front page, break out the champagne story that will ring down through the ages of history. At best, it's a brief note for the back page.
The big story, which the TandT has studiously avoided, is that the records of "tax haven banks" have been revealed. Around the world they have trillions of dollars hidden away so that billionaire patriots don't have to pay taxes on them.
We have been robbed, and robbed on a massive scale. Education is suffering. Health is suffering. Employment is suffering. Basic necessities are being withheld. And all so the Scrooge McDucks of this world can sit on heaps of money - and give each other hall of fame awards for the tiny bits they throw back as philanthropy. Oh, yes, and then demand more tax breaks and grants at our cost.
Is it possible that some New Brunswickers have such havens? Of course it is. It's no secret. It hasn't been a secret for a long time. There are reasons why New Brunswick is poor. There are reasons we have a crushing debt. There are reasons health care is being cut back. There are reasons why this city has soup kitchens.
So why hasn't this story appeared in the TandT? Brunswick News must be the only news medium in Canada - and one of the few in the world - that has not made this a major story. (Well, we needed the space for "Oulton College makes history".)
The other big story on the front page is how some rich people are having one of their big and expensive parties to raise money for a charity. It occurs to few that if they really wanted to help they could give the money to the charity, and skip the big spending on dresses, fine foods, and wine. And the very rich ones could pay their taxes.
Mila Mulroney was very keen on playing princess with these "charity" affairs on which she and her ditzy friends would spend big money to have a good time - while her hubby was accepting bribes.
There's nothing in section A. And it hits rock bottom with its last page pictures of a reptile display and photos of a cat show, the latter cleverly headlined "Cat show goes purr-fectly".
_____________________________________________________________________________
To my surprise, the TandT does have the story of how RBC is firing Canadian employees to replace them with much cheaper foreign and temporary people - though the TandT story is a very incomplete one.
1. The employees being fired are those close to retirement, ones whose pensions will be greatly reduced by this, and ones who will find it difficult to get another job at their ages.
2. The bank's claim that it is working to find places for these unfortunate employees is more than a little thin. So far, only two or three out of the fifty have found new employers.
3. Fifty is only the beginning. RBC plans (or had planned) to continue this on a much larger scale.
4. Technically, the new employees are working for a contracting firm called iGate which specializes in finding cheap labour. But to bring foreign, temporary workers into Canada to displace employed Canadians is illegal. So how did the government allow this to happen? It does not seem to have occured to The Canadian Press agency to ask that question.
The bank's excuse is that this will offer a "more efficient" service which will benefit depositors. Sure. More efficient. That's businessspeak for "larger profits" for the bank which is already awash in profits.
New Brunswickers should pay very, very close attention to this story.
Such "more efficient" service is precisely what Six Sigma and the reorganization of the civil service and the cutbacks in health are all about. In the business world "more efficient" doesn't mean it does the job better. It means it cuts costs and boosts profits. That's why it won't work for services like health and education. To business, efficiency means making more profit. To health and education, efficiency means offering better service.
We're going to see more, not less, of cheap, imported labour from iGate. It has wonderful results for business.
1. As an immediate benefit, it lowers labour costs and boosts profits.
2. And, also in the near term, it creates higher unemployment for Canadians. And that makes it possible for employers to hire Canadians, increasingly desperate for jobs, at ever cheapening wages. In the US, as an example, most of those who are now finding jobs are finding them only at much lower wages.
It's a destructive policy. And, if you look at it long term, it's self-destructive. But looking at the long term is something big business isn't very good at.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Take a look at the wording of the North Korea story on p. C8. Notice that the tone of the language, and the statements themselves, place all the blame on North Korea. Obviously, this is another case of a tiny nation of very limited power trying to bully the most powerful nation on earth. And all the US is doing is playing games on the North Korean border to practice for a war with North Korea. Just funnin'.
'Course, whut can yu 'spect from foreigners. They ain't Christians like most of us.
_________________________________________________________________________
The cartooon is a wonderful example of what constant brainwashing can co. I mean, the US isn't crazy like Kim. It would never dream of attacking another country, or actually using any of its couple of thousand nuclear missiles.
___________________________________________________________________________
Then there's Alec Bruce. I don't entirely disagree with his criticisms of the NDP. But-----and here I have to declare my politics. I don't believe in any political religion. I am not a socialist or a capitalist (or a communist or a libertarian or a liberal or a conservative).
All systems are created by people. And, like people, they all have weaknesses. All. (Funny how Christians so often fail to understand that message from the story of Adam and Eve.)
All systems work sometimes. All are vulnerable to political dishonesy, greed, ambition, and all the other, normal human failings.
As for the NDP, I am disappointed in Mulcair. That sets the stage for my reaction to this column by Alec Bruce.
It ridicules and disparages the NDP. It accuses the party of both having and eating its cake. (have you ever heard of a political party that did not want that?) He claims Robert Stanfield, former Conservative leader, had social goals similar to those of the NDP - and that is simply nonsense.The last Conservative leader who developed any social goals at all was R.B.Bennett.
He nitpicks the NDP's choice of words in its statement of goals while ignoring the fact that the only other party that has a coherent and believable statement of goals is the Green Party. Almost nobody in this whole country has the faintest idea what the words liberal and conservative mean. And almost all who call themselves liberals or conservatives - aren't liberal or conservative.
Capitalism, meanwhile, has long ago been distorted to mean greed and anti-democratic power.
I do not believe that Alec Bruce would write of either the Liberals or the Conservatives as he just did of the NDP. It is true that the NDP has somewhat drifted from its principles and, I think, has done it for political expediency. But the Liberals and Conservatives have had no principles for over a century, at least.
And, for all its faults, the NDP has never sold out to people like, say, the Irvings.
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It may be important to read one of the letters to the editor "Important to stick to facts on fracking", because we appear to have one of the world's greatest minds right here in this city; and he says the chemicals used in fracking are quite safe. The writer evidently knows more about the chemicals used in fracking than all the medical people in the whole world.
He also says not to worry about the disposal of chemical-polluted waste water because the NB government will require it to be stored underground in waterproof tanks - which is quite safe.
Duh, yeh.
How big will tanks have to be to hold billions of litres of waste? And what material will they be built of to last forever and ever without any leakage? It must be something brand new, because no such material has ever existed.
But, anyway, why bother putting it in leak-proof tanks if those chemicals are perfectly harmless in the first place?
Great minds don't necessarily think alike.
But they should think.
The story is that Oulton is the first private college in New Brunswick to offer a programme in practical nursing that is recognized by a professional association. New Brunswick Community College also offers one that is recognized. But NBCC is public. So, I mean, you can see the how Oulton's is breaking new ground.
Look, kiddies. By no definition is this a front page, break out the champagne story that will ring down through the ages of history. At best, it's a brief note for the back page.
The big story, which the TandT has studiously avoided, is that the records of "tax haven banks" have been revealed. Around the world they have trillions of dollars hidden away so that billionaire patriots don't have to pay taxes on them.
We have been robbed, and robbed on a massive scale. Education is suffering. Health is suffering. Employment is suffering. Basic necessities are being withheld. And all so the Scrooge McDucks of this world can sit on heaps of money - and give each other hall of fame awards for the tiny bits they throw back as philanthropy. Oh, yes, and then demand more tax breaks and grants at our cost.
Is it possible that some New Brunswickers have such havens? Of course it is. It's no secret. It hasn't been a secret for a long time. There are reasons why New Brunswick is poor. There are reasons we have a crushing debt. There are reasons health care is being cut back. There are reasons why this city has soup kitchens.
So why hasn't this story appeared in the TandT? Brunswick News must be the only news medium in Canada - and one of the few in the world - that has not made this a major story. (Well, we needed the space for "Oulton College makes history".)
The other big story on the front page is how some rich people are having one of their big and expensive parties to raise money for a charity. It occurs to few that if they really wanted to help they could give the money to the charity, and skip the big spending on dresses, fine foods, and wine. And the very rich ones could pay their taxes.
Mila Mulroney was very keen on playing princess with these "charity" affairs on which she and her ditzy friends would spend big money to have a good time - while her hubby was accepting bribes.
There's nothing in section A. And it hits rock bottom with its last page pictures of a reptile display and photos of a cat show, the latter cleverly headlined "Cat show goes purr-fectly".
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To my surprise, the TandT does have the story of how RBC is firing Canadian employees to replace them with much cheaper foreign and temporary people - though the TandT story is a very incomplete one.
1. The employees being fired are those close to retirement, ones whose pensions will be greatly reduced by this, and ones who will find it difficult to get another job at their ages.
2. The bank's claim that it is working to find places for these unfortunate employees is more than a little thin. So far, only two or three out of the fifty have found new employers.
3. Fifty is only the beginning. RBC plans (or had planned) to continue this on a much larger scale.
4. Technically, the new employees are working for a contracting firm called iGate which specializes in finding cheap labour. But to bring foreign, temporary workers into Canada to displace employed Canadians is illegal. So how did the government allow this to happen? It does not seem to have occured to The Canadian Press agency to ask that question.
The bank's excuse is that this will offer a "more efficient" service which will benefit depositors. Sure. More efficient. That's businessspeak for "larger profits" for the bank which is already awash in profits.
New Brunswickers should pay very, very close attention to this story.
Such "more efficient" service is precisely what Six Sigma and the reorganization of the civil service and the cutbacks in health are all about. In the business world "more efficient" doesn't mean it does the job better. It means it cuts costs and boosts profits. That's why it won't work for services like health and education. To business, efficiency means making more profit. To health and education, efficiency means offering better service.
We're going to see more, not less, of cheap, imported labour from iGate. It has wonderful results for business.
1. As an immediate benefit, it lowers labour costs and boosts profits.
2. And, also in the near term, it creates higher unemployment for Canadians. And that makes it possible for employers to hire Canadians, increasingly desperate for jobs, at ever cheapening wages. In the US, as an example, most of those who are now finding jobs are finding them only at much lower wages.
It's a destructive policy. And, if you look at it long term, it's self-destructive. But looking at the long term is something big business isn't very good at.
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Take a look at the wording of the North Korea story on p. C8. Notice that the tone of the language, and the statements themselves, place all the blame on North Korea. Obviously, this is another case of a tiny nation of very limited power trying to bully the most powerful nation on earth. And all the US is doing is playing games on the North Korean border to practice for a war with North Korea. Just funnin'.
'Course, whut can yu 'spect from foreigners. They ain't Christians like most of us.
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The cartooon is a wonderful example of what constant brainwashing can co. I mean, the US isn't crazy like Kim. It would never dream of attacking another country, or actually using any of its couple of thousand nuclear missiles.
___________________________________________________________________________
Then there's Alec Bruce. I don't entirely disagree with his criticisms of the NDP. But-----and here I have to declare my politics. I don't believe in any political religion. I am not a socialist or a capitalist (or a communist or a libertarian or a liberal or a conservative).
All systems are created by people. And, like people, they all have weaknesses. All. (Funny how Christians so often fail to understand that message from the story of Adam and Eve.)
All systems work sometimes. All are vulnerable to political dishonesy, greed, ambition, and all the other, normal human failings.
As for the NDP, I am disappointed in Mulcair. That sets the stage for my reaction to this column by Alec Bruce.
It ridicules and disparages the NDP. It accuses the party of both having and eating its cake. (have you ever heard of a political party that did not want that?) He claims Robert Stanfield, former Conservative leader, had social goals similar to those of the NDP - and that is simply nonsense.The last Conservative leader who developed any social goals at all was R.B.Bennett.
He nitpicks the NDP's choice of words in its statement of goals while ignoring the fact that the only other party that has a coherent and believable statement of goals is the Green Party. Almost nobody in this whole country has the faintest idea what the words liberal and conservative mean. And almost all who call themselves liberals or conservatives - aren't liberal or conservative.
Capitalism, meanwhile, has long ago been distorted to mean greed and anti-democratic power.
I do not believe that Alec Bruce would write of either the Liberals or the Conservatives as he just did of the NDP. It is true that the NDP has somewhat drifted from its principles and, I think, has done it for political expediency. But the Liberals and Conservatives have had no principles for over a century, at least.
And, for all its faults, the NDP has never sold out to people like, say, the Irvings.
________________________________________________________________________
It may be important to read one of the letters to the editor "Important to stick to facts on fracking", because we appear to have one of the world's greatest minds right here in this city; and he says the chemicals used in fracking are quite safe. The writer evidently knows more about the chemicals used in fracking than all the medical people in the whole world.
He also says not to worry about the disposal of chemical-polluted waste water because the NB government will require it to be stored underground in waterproof tanks - which is quite safe.
Duh, yeh.
How big will tanks have to be to hold billions of litres of waste? And what material will they be built of to last forever and ever without any leakage? It must be something brand new, because no such material has ever existed.
But, anyway, why bother putting it in leak-proof tanks if those chemicals are perfectly harmless in the first place?
Great minds don't necessarily think alike.
But they should think.
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