Sunday, June 30, 2019
A Minister passing through his church
A Minister passing through his church
In the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
To see who come to pray.
Just then the back door opened,
And a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw the man
Hadn't shaved in a while.
His shirt was torn and shabby,
And his coat was worn and frayed,
The man knelt down and bowed his head,
Then rose and walked away.
.
In the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
To see who come to pray.
Just then the back door opened,
And a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw the man
Hadn't shaved in a while.
His shirt was torn and shabby,
And his coat was worn and frayed,
The man knelt down and bowed his head,
Then rose and walked away.
.
In the days that followed at precisely noon,
The preacher saw this chap,
Each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
With robbery a main fear,
.
The preacher saw this chap,
Each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
With robbery a main fear,
.
He decided to stop and ask the man,
'What are you doing here?'
The old man said he was a factory worker
And lunch was half an hour
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.
I stay only a moment
Because the factory's far away;
As I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is kinda what I say:
'What are you doing here?'
The old man said he was a factory worker
And lunch was half an hour
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.
I stay only a moment
Because the factory's far away;
As I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is kinda what I say:
.
'I JUST CAME BY TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS BEN,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY.'
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS BEN,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY.'
.
The minister feeling foolish,
Told Ben that it was fine.
He told the man that he was welcome
To pray there anytime.
'It's time to go, and thanks,' Ben said
As he hurried to the door.
Then the minister knelt there at the altar,
Which he'd never done before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
As he met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed down his cheeks,
He repeated old Ben's prayer:
The minister feeling foolish,
Told Ben that it was fine.
He told the man that he was welcome
To pray there anytime.
'It's time to go, and thanks,' Ben said
As he hurried to the door.
Then the minister knelt there at the altar,
Which he'd never done before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
As he met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed down his cheeks,
He repeated old Ben's prayer:
.
'I JUST CAME by TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY.'
.
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY.'
.
Past noon one day, the minister noticed
That old Ben hadn't come.
As more days passed and still no Ben,
He began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him,
Learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he'd given them a thrill.
.
That old Ben hadn't come.
As more days passed and still no Ben,
He began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him,
Learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he'd given them a thrill.
.
The week that Ben was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles and joy contagious.
Changed people were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand
Why Ben could be so glad,
When no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.
.
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles and joy contagious.
Changed people were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand
Why Ben could be so glad,
When no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.
.
The minister stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends had come to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Ben spoke up
And with a winsome smile;
'The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
He's been here all the while.'
Everyday at noon He comes here,
A dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down and takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:
.
He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends had come to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Ben spoke up
And with a winsome smile;
'The nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
He's been here all the while.'
Everyday at noon He comes here,
A dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down and takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:
.
'I JUST CAME BY TO TELL YOU, BEN,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN .
I THINK ABOUT YOU ALWAYS
AND I LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
AND SO BEN, THIS IS JESUS,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY .'
.
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN .
I THINK ABOUT YOU ALWAYS
AND I LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
AND SO BEN, THIS IS JESUS,
JUST CHECKING IN TODAY .'
.
If this blesses you, pass it on. Many people
will walk in and out of your life, but only
true friends will leave footprints in your
heart
.
will walk in and out of your life, but only
true friends will leave footprints in your
heart
.
May God hold you in the palm of His hand
And Angels watch over you..
Please pass this page on to your friends
& loved ones. If you aren't ashamed.
Jesus said, ' If you are ashamed of me,'
I will be ashamed Of you before my Father.'
.
And Angels watch over you..
Please pass this page on to your friends
& loved ones. If you aren't ashamed.
Jesus said, ' If you are ashamed of me,'
I will be ashamed Of you before my Father.'
.
If you are not ashamed, pass this on.
So, FRIEND, this is ME ...
"Just Checking In Today"
So, FRIEND, this is ME ...
"Just Checking In Today"
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Friday, June 28, 2019
Whether PC UPC or CPC their mandate is to stick it to the people and feed the wealthy
Business Lobbyists Are Trying to Change TDSB Rules To Get Rid of Unionized Jobs. Here’s Why That’s a Bad Idea.
Business lobbyists are pressuring the Toronto District School Board to farm out work to non-union contractors
The Ford government’s Bill 66 allows school boards to adjust for deep cuts by declaring itself a “non-construction employer,” opening up maintenance and construction work potentially to non-union contractors.
Here’s why that’s a bad idea.
Sean Reid, VP and Ontario regional director for the Progressive Contractors Association told Toronto District School Board trustees last week the Ford government’s education cuts might present an opportunity.
“We are here today to urge you to embrace Bill 66, this legislation allows the board to save millions of dollars in construction work. These savings would go a long way to addressing your budget shortfall,” Reid told the board.
“Bill 66 opens up construction competition across Ontario” he said “so all qualified companies and all qualified workers get an equal opportunity to work.”
In his deputation, Reid insisted insist the answer to the board’s cut-induced budget woes is to pursue contracts with non-CLC-unionized construction companies.
Thursday, June 27, 2019
The nerve of Fedelli asking the Federal government to fork over money after they reduce taxes to corporations and cut benefits to the needy - SWINES
“According to Peter German’s report [one of the two recent reports on money laundering in B.C.], the State of Nevada collects less in taxes from casinos than the government of B.C. does,” said Franklin.
Franklin also charges that former Prime Minister Stephen Harper is responsible for the proliferation of dirty money in the country because he slashed the RCMP’s budget to fight organized crime by $500 million.
Stephen Harper is responsible for money laundering in Canada: lawyer
“The RCMP is the only entity that investigates money laundering and Stephen Harper shut it down when we had the financial crisis in 2007 to 2008,” continued Franklin. “The question is why did he eliminate the money from the budget? Because money laundering is foreign investment and every country in the world wants economic growth.”
We are in a climate emergency
Axios: New Solar Cycle Brings Rare But Major Threat to Earth
Almost everyone loves a warm, sunny summer’s day.
But our Sun — about 93 million miles away, on average — also poses an enormous potential threat to the Earth.
“Although rare, an extreme coronal mass ejection (CME) — a large burst of plasma sent out by the Sun — could cause a months-long blackout, harm satellites and cause billions in damage,” says Axios.
The Sun’s activity goes through an 11-year cycle; a new one begins in 2020. It’s forecast to be quieter than the one ending this year. But, says the website, “Even during relatively calm solar cycles, the Sun can assert itself in ways that could affect everything from GPS reliability to whether the lights stay on in your home.”
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
geez not more CPC untruths
"Scheer’s statement is misleading. The federal price won’t initially affect how much the majority of Canadians pay for gas. It won’t drive gas prices up 11 cents per litre in provinces with existing pricing systems because it simply won’t apply. Gas prices are projected to increase by a few cents in BC, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec to align with the federal standard between now and 2022, but that is short of 11 cents per litre."
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Canada's political fact-checker.
Independent. Transparent. Non-partisan.
Link http://factscan.ca/andrew-scheer-carbon-tax/?fbclid=IwAR2U4ff4DA6s823yPi2F74EBWxvloXZPP1o1cYnj9MqVRDsWqZg-MY-NDg4
Ford: Damaging municipalities
Efficiencies alone won’t cover Ford government’s municipal funding cuts: Moody’s
TORONTO—A leading credit agency says Doug Ford’s planned cuts are credit negative for Ontario’s municipalities and local governments will likely have to raise taxes, cut services and find efficiencies of their own in order to bridge the gap.
In a report released Tuesday, Moody’s found that the cuts made to public health agencies, paramedic services, and child care and early years programs, along with the cancellation of the increase in the share of the gas tax, will leave municipalities more than $2-billion “worse off” over the next 10 years.
“While the changes benefit Ontario’s credit profile, they are credit negative for the province’s municipal governments,” reads the report.
The analysis brings a third-party perspective to a heated debate that has largely pitted Toronto councillors and Mayor John Tory against Ford’s Progressive Conservative government.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
There is a cost to politicizing climate change
Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen: Tories 'Playing With The Lives Of Future Generations' By Opposing Carbon Pricing
Conservative environment critic Ed Fast wants the government to "repeal the carbon tax."
A Liberal MP says the Conservative environment critic is playing with “the lives of future generations” by opposing carbon pricing to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Mark Gerretsen, the MP for Ontaro’s Kingston and the Islands, made the charge in the House of Commons Tuesday while debating an Opposition motion from veteran Tory MP Ed Fast.
The motion urges the House to “call on the government to repeal the carbon tax and replace it with a real environmental plan.”
“He’s playing with the lives of future generations when he’s making these claims in this House, in particular about putting a price on pollution and how ineffective it will be,” Gerretsen said.
And still corporations whine and lobby conservatives fot more and more
Toby Sanger @toby_sanger
Who is most guilty of dodging and avoiding their tax responsibilities? @CanRevAgency report on tax gap by corporations makes this very evident: large corporations attempt to dodge 1/3 of their taxes, far more than small businesses and individuals!
Toby Sanger @toby_sanger
And these estimates of the corporate tax gap are low, don't even include tax dodging by offshore corporations!
And these estimates of the corporate tax gap are low, don't even include tax dodging by offshore corporations!
Monday, June 24, 2019
Facts are facts: Andrew Scheer and the CPC are not for the people
Who Would Prime Minister Andrew Scheer Have On Speed Dial?
The Prime Minister of Canada has to deal with some really big issues...
Middle class families struggling with the cost of living. Extreme weather caused by climate change. Threats to our universally accessible healthcare system. And so many more. That’s why it’s important for Canadians to ask their candidates “who you gonna call?” when a crisis hits.
Let’s take a look who Andrew Scheer has on speed dial, and who would be telling him what to do as Prime Minister:
Big business special interests. Do we really want our Prime Minister taking cues from the big polluters on the climate crisis or wealthy developers on the housing affordability crisis? Or how about getting on the horn with insurance companies about health care wait lists instead of talking to doctors, nurses, and patients? That’s a real risk: In just the last few months, Andrew Scheer has been caught cozying up and selling access to big oil CEOs, real estate executives, and supporters of health care privatization.
Conservative premiers—like Doug Ford. In his first year in office, Doug Ford has hatched a secret plan to privatize health services, fired over 3,000 teachers, and cut funding for children with autism. Shockingly, Scheer thinks Ford’s policies “put people first” and has openly admitted he has the same goals as Ford. Imagine what more damage Ford could do with a lapdog in Ottawa cheering him on?
Stephen Harper. Andrew’s old boss and political mentor is likely on his “call in case of emergency” list. That’s the same Stephen Harper we gave the boot to less than four years ago. The same guy who cut taxes for the wealthiest corporations while cutting services we rely on could once again be behind the scenes calling the shots in Ottawa — if we elected Andrew Scheer as the next Prime Minister.
The gun lobby. During leadership race, Andrew Scheer declared it would be open season on gun control laws and regulations – including stripping away the RCMPs ability to reclassify dangerous weapons and allowing larger sized ammunition magazines. He has been welcomed with open arms by leading gun rights groups, including giving a keynote address to the annual “Stick To Your Guns” fundraising dinner in Saskatoon.
Anti-abortion activists. Andrew Scheer’s leadership victory was celebrated by socially conservative anti-abortion groups who helped put him over the top. Scheer admits he’s “always voted in favour of pro-life legislation” and despite promising not to re-open the abortion debate, he has told his anti-abortion MPs he’ll let them do just that. In an interview with RightNow, Scheer said he’d let his caucus introduce legislation on abortion and give his MPs — including cabinet members — a free vote.
If we don’t stop Andrew Scheer, these powerful special interests will be calling the shots in Ottawa. Scheer’s weakness could cost us our public health care services, our retirement security, and even a woman’s right to reproductive choice.
Find your LPC candidate
Find the 2019 Liberal Candidate in Your Riding (194 nominated to date).
Nominations are still in progress so check back if your riding isn't listed yet
(144 Candidates to be nominated)!
Link https://twitter.com/CanuckTraveler/status/1135645362490945538?fbclid=IwAR2WYv3Cv-TpJP78u7b6snKCBJlMroOy0lNSKsthUj9YfLYAcb2ZociN-yo
Link https://twitter.com/CanuckTraveler/status/1135645362490945538?fbclid=IwAR2WYv3Cv-TpJP78u7b6snKCBJlMroOy0lNSKsthUj9YfLYAcb2ZociN-yo
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Saturday, June 22, 2019
Friday, June 21, 2019
Conservatives in denial
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, who seems to call the shots for Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, says investors don’t really care about climate change – it’s nothing more than a “flavour of the month’’. Tell that to Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, who recently observed that the damages from climate change “decrease productivity and destroy wealth,” and stated that the financial sector has an essential role to play in addressing climate change, for “we cannot ignore the obvious physical risks before our eyes," writes Minister Catherine McKenna.
It’s clear where Andrew Scheer’s climate plan is headed: nowhere good
Next week, the Conservative Party’s climate platform will finally be revealed.
But we already know plenty about the Conservative approach to climate change.
'We can hope for the best from the upcoming Conservative climate policy reveal. But we should all prepare for the worst. This is a political party that has lost its way – and it’s Canadians who stand to lose the most,' @CathMcKenna writes.
While the rest of the world is taking more action to battle this climate crisis, Canada’s Conservatives want to go in exactly the opposite direction.
The finest business minds in the world believe cutting carbon pollution is both necessary and possible to prevent profound harm to our economy and to our wellbeing. Major companies – from Coca Cola, to Ford, Apple, Maersk, and Shell – are re-imagining their business models. And the creativity and ambition we see from small businesses working to improve their environmental performance and adopt more sustainable solutions is beyond inspiring. Governments at all levels should encourage these entrepreneurial instincts – and watch the good things that will happen.
Yet Canada’s Conservatives seem dead-set in the belief that fighting climate change is bad for business. Does Andrew Scheer really know better than these leading global companies?
Beware Canada we are being targeted and conservatives are complicit
Why Hondurans set fire to the US embassy
Ten years after a US-backed coup handed Honduras over to big business, the country is rising up. A leader of deposed President Manuel Zelaya’s party explains to The Grayzone what’s behind the protest wave.
By Alex Rubinstein
The streets of Honduras were filled with protesters and clouds of tear gas as the month of June began. The national police fanned out through the country to crush the protests with heavy-handed tactics at the direction of President Juan Orlando Hernández, the US-supported neoliberal leader who won power in elections marred by documented fraud.
As the protests peaked, fire was set to the doors of the American embassy in the capital, Tegucigalpa, in an apparent act of retribution against the United States for its role in propping up the widely unpopular president. It was a striking act of symbolic resistance that recalled events in 1988 when Hondurans burned the vehicles of US embassy personnel to protest Washington’s dirty war against Nicaragua. The fortifications installed around the US embassy after that incident may have prevented the latest burning from consuming the rest of the building.
Ten years ago, the democratically elected center-left Honduran President, Manuel Zelaya, was whisked away from his residence in a brazen military raid supported by the United States. Zelaya’s removal cleared the path for the interests of big business across the country. As the ten year anniversary of the U.S.-supported coup approaches, Hondurans are rising up against neoliberal austerity measures imposed by Washington and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that have triggered mass public sector layoffs and raised prices on basic goods.
Following mass demonstrations on Friday, May 31 which were especially sizable in the capital of Tegucigalpa, The Grayzone spoke by phone with Gerardo Torres, Secretary of International Affairs for the Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE), the new party to which Zelaya now belongs.
“Yesterday and today we declared a national strike, which was successful. The estimate is that there were over a hundred demonstrations in Honduras in the last two days,” he said.
Throughout the month of May, healthcare workers and educators organized widespread demonstrations against decrees by Hernández that put their livelihoods in immediate jeopardy. Honduran citizens have followed these public sector workers into the streets, infuriated by IMF loans that required the government increase electricity costs while slashing healthcare and education. Anger about the abuses of foreign mining companies was also a major factor in the protest grievances.
“Honduran people went out in the streets. And not only the health workers and teachers, but all of the workers and political organizations and people that are fighting against mining companies; the people that are fighting for land and for the defense of their territories; for their natural resources – we all got together with the teachers and the health workers,” LIBRE’s Torres explained. “We have been in a struggle for more than a month. In recent days, the demonstrations have increased.”
With conservatives there is no uplifting news only destruction
Doug Ford Quietly Planning Half a Billion Dollars in Cuts For Low-Income Workers and People With Disabilities
Ford government's expenditure estimates foreshadow cuts for low-income workers and people with disabilities
May 15, 2019 SHARE TWEET
Post-budget spending plans suggest Doug Ford’s government is quietly planning to cut half a billion from the province’s two main income support programs.
The budget tabled by the Ford government last month already announced plans to carve a billion dollars out of the budget of the ministry that provides funds to income support programs.
Although the budget makes no mention of cutting programs linked to “poverty” or “disabilities,” the Ford government’s more-recent itemized expenditure estimates for 2019-2020 show both Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program are slated for deep cuts.
Thursday, June 20, 2019
It is what Andrew Scheer doesn't say that will hurt Canadians the most
Andrew Scheer Will Cut Your Health Care. Here’s How We Know.
He won’t come out and say it. And you probably won’t find it in his platform (if he has one).
But make no mistake, Andrew Scheer follows other Conservative leaders—like Doug Ford—and will cut billions from health care if he’s given the chance.
How do we know? It’s clear that to achieve his balanced budget promise “Scheer would have to dramatically cut spending.” And when it comes to health care, cutting is just what Conservatives do. Sure, they’ll probably call it “finding efficiencies” during the campaign. But after the votes are cast, it is always cuts and more cuts to the things you rely on—like health care.
On health care, the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour
Let’s take Andrew Scheer’s old boss and political mentor, Stephen Harper, as just one example.
In the 2011 election, Harper promised to continue increasing federal health care transfers at six percent per year. “We have been very consistent on this,” Harper said of the funding provinces were counting on to improve hospitals and hire nurses to care for an aging population.
But after the election, without consulting the provinces, Harper broke that promise. He cut $36-billion in planned health care funding by slashing the increases in half—cuts the Premiers warned “will mean less money available for nurses and doctors and health care."
Worse yet, he tried to hide this from Canadians by burying the details deep in the 2014 Budgetdocuments.
While Harper was fine with breaking his health care promise to Canadians, he certainly kept his wealthy and well-connected friends happy—ultimately cutting corporate taxes by $60-billion over his years in power.
This is all particularly worrying when we consider that “Stephen Harper continues to play a big role behind the scenes” in the Scheer’s Conservative Party, according to Ottawa insiders.
Are Scheer and Doug Ford “working towards the same goals” on health care?
Just like Stephen Harper, Ontario Premier Doug Ford also promised one thing on health care during his campaign and then did quite another once elected.
Ford’s “Plan for the People” makes no mention of cutting health care. In fact, Ford promised to invest billions of new dollars in mental health care and reduce hospital wait times by investing in 30,000 new long-term care beds. That was on top of his now infamous pledge that no one in the public sector would lose their job.
After the Ontario election, it was another story entirely. Ford cut a billion dollars from Toronto Public Health, despite warnings that people could die as a result. He slashed resources to ambulance services and life-saving harm reduction programs. He’s even hatched a secret plan to privatize health services and move Ontario towards a US-style, two-tiered system.
Despite protesting that he is his “own man,” Andrew Scheer hasn’t been shy about supporting Doug Ford through all of these cuts. When asked by reporters, Scheer even admitted he and Ford are “working towards the same goals.”
Does this mean he’ll follow Ford on health care cuts, or just on breaking election promises?
Conservative “business of healthcare” fundraiser raises serious questions
The fact that Andrew Scheer’s inner-circle of Conservative MPs—including “the next Finance Minister” Pierre Poilievre—were caught hosting a cash-for-access fundraiser dubbed “The Business of Healthcare” is also raising serious alarm bells.
If Scheer were elected Prime Minister, there are concerns he would not only be taking his cues from Doug Ford, but also from big corporations looking to turn a profit from health care services.
After all, it is the job of the federal government to defend the principals of the Canada Health Act—including guaranteeing Canadians have free, universal access to health care.
So the question is: Can a weak leader with close ties to Doug Ford, Stephen Harper, and wealthy special interests really be trusted to protect Canada’s cherished universal public health care system?
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