Monday, August 31, 2020
O'Toole's new MAGA style mantra - Take Canada Back - to where? the Harper era - HELL NO
I just learned that Erin O'Toole stated this Canadien Trump version of Make America Great Again. My first post of the day was to inform my friends in this group I would take some time to learn about the man. I know propaganda when I hear or read it and that's all I need to know. For me words are sacred, I do my best to express in words my thoughts sometimes seriously and sometimes with humor. This slogan used by a man and a party has one intention and one intention only. Is to be Trump like appealing to the the rich and powerful and the ignorant. In short I need not know anymore about the man. He lost me at take Canada Back. Looking forward to your comments.
Sunday, August 30, 2020
There isn't any comparison in history to Ms Freelands qualifications as Finance Minister
Freeland’s ‘Plutocrats’ book showcases her views on taxes, deficits, joblessness
OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau first met Chrystia Freeland at a 2012 Toronto signing for her award-winning book, Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else.
The tome chronicled how globalization and the technology revolution has created a new class of uber-wealthy people, "a nation unto themselves" who wield outsized political clout that has produced economic policies designed to make them ever richer while incomes for everyone else stagnate.
Trudeau was so impressed by it that he spent the next eight months trying to persuade the veteran financial journalist to abandon her job as a managing director at Thomson Reuters and join the Liberal team.
Even before she won a Toronto byelection in the fall of 2013, Trudeau named her to co-chair his economic advisory council, which would be instrumental in crafting the Liberals' winning 2015 election platform.
The book meshed with and helped inform Trudeau's thinking: the need for economic policies that would bolster the middle class and shrink the ever-widening gap between the wealthiest one per cent and everyone else.
And it was reflected in the 2015 platform, which promised a tax cut for middle-income earners and an enhanced child benefit, while hiking taxes on the wealthiest.
With Freeland now the federal finance minister, it's worth revisiting Plutocrats for glimpses into her thinking as she takes charge of plotting Canada's economic recovery in the face of a still-evolving pandemic, double-digit unemployment and a sea of red ink.
Here are some highlights from the book, which offer some insight into her views on deficits, taxes, joblessness and government regulation of the financial sector.
From one of Canada mosr respected economists and associate proffessor at the University of Calgary
Trevor Tombe@trevortombe
Because, why not, here's a summary of the professions of Canada's finance ministers since 1867. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Saturday, August 29, 2020
Tennessee Ernie Ford Sings 16 Tons
Cool E-ride
What you see is all there is! Taking the power pack theme to extremes, Ed Motorcycles in Australia have built a street legal e-tracker, the Concept Z, that’s designed for 100% pure acceleration. With a claimed 630ft/lbs of torque at the rear axle from 0rpm, this could be the quickest accelerating motorcycle in the world...if it’s even possible to control such power with a flat track tire! We’re scratching our heads over this one - big block V8s don’t make that much torque. Forget the tracker style, where’s the dragster? We’ll dig in for answers, beyond simply ‘what?’ Check it out: https://www.edmotorcycles.com
Friday, August 28, 2020
The Bay Street Bullies are sharpening their tongues
The male ego of the money merchants of Bay Street has been bruised by the appointment of Chrystia Freeland, a Rhoads scholar who not only speaks 5 languages but is a former editor of the Financial Post.
At this point in our history there could be no better replacement for Bill Morneau who tenior came to an end last week. Morneau did an admirable job in guiding Canada through the recovery after the last government failed us. Morneau put Canada in a position to weather this pandemic and now is the time for the next stage.
In his reboot of the economy Justin Trudeau has created a dream team in Chrystia Freeland and Mark Carney whose credentials speak volumes and should help shutdown the Bay Street Bullies.
When parliament restarts it should be interesting to see if the official opposition keeps the slimy whiner Poilievre as Finance critic with his penchant for abuse of others and his lack of experience and knowledge of finance.
The weasel will be spending his time off trying to fabricate tales to discredit a woman far superior to him in every way.
Probably the best choice in decades - only time will tell
Chrystia Freeland: A timeline of a life full of accomplishments
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has made history by becoming Canada’s first female finance minister, replacing Bill Morneau,who resigned abruptly Monday evening.
Here is a timeline of Freeland’s significant accomplishments in her international career.
1968 Freeland is born in Peace River, Alta. Her father, Donald Freeland, was a farmer, lawyer and a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. Her mother, Halyna Chomiak, was also a lawyer and ran in the 1988 federal election for the Edmonton Strathcona riding, representing the New Democratic Party.
1989 As a Harvard University student on exchange at the University of Kyiv, Freeland works as a fixer and translator for New York Times reporter Bill Keller.
1992 Freeland graduates from Harvard with an bachelor’s degree in history and literature.
1993 Freeland graduates from Oxford in the U.K. with a master of arts in Slavic studies from St Antony’s College. She attended Oxford as a Rhodes scholar.
1994 — 1998 Freeland works for the Financial Times as the Moscow bureau chief.
Thursday, August 27, 2020
The facts speak for themselves all other comments are bullshit
Retail sales jumped 23% in June, enough to get back above where they were before COVID-19
You've been sold out America by the one man who should be protecting your interests
Russian company investing in Kentucky mill is a ‘proxy for the Kremlin’: Senate Intelligence report
Rusal, a Russian aluminum company, has invested heavily in a mill that the North American company Braidy Industries has planned for Eastern Kentucky — and according to a Senate Intelligence report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, Rusal is a “proxy for the Kremlin.”
In 2019, journalist Morgan Watkins reports in the Louisville Courier Journal, Rusal agreed to invest $200 million in Braidy’s mill. And the bipartisan Senate Intelligence report, released on August 18, describes Russian oligarch and Rusal co-owner Oleg Deripaska’s ties to the Kremlin.
Listen up America
“Why The Hell Would We Ever Rehire Donald Trump?”: Bloomberg's Scathing DNC Speech
"Would you rehire or work for someone who ran your business into the ground? … If the answer is no, why the hell would we ever rehire Donald Trump for another four years?"
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
There is a concerted effort from the right to undermine the Canadian government
Like America we have a right wing problem that is fueling discontent among the working class. Why? Fror two reasons, first because they are beholding to the wealthy, we see it everyday in third party ad's funded by corporations who are owed favours by the consevatives. Second, the conservatives trail in the polls, when you have no leader as they are in the throws of a campaign to elect one.
When you have nothing to offer you resort to negative attacks rather than standing there and say "Hey, look what we are doing for you, for Canada and how we will put more money in your pocket while improving the economy.
That is a pipe dream though, All they will talk about is the deficit and how the present government believes that the budget will balance itself.... well folks it was on its way to doing just that until the epidemic hit making the next few years difficult.
So ask yourself "do I want a government who will weather the storm with a positive view or do you want a party of doom and gloom, one that tells you tales like a Trump University grad"?
This is one treacherous pig
Everyone, this is Jeff Ballingall. You don’t know who he is more than likely, but he worked for Stephen Harper, then founded Ontario Proud and Canada Proud. You may know them as that meme factory you see racists and sexists and jingoists sharing and retweeting all the time. Ballingall has said that he supports the Conservatives because it’s the “least bad option” and is on record saying that Rob Ford hasn’t gone far ENOUGH with Conservative policies in Ontario. Why is this man dancing? Because he was on Erin O’Toole’s leadership team and Mr. O’Toole is the new Federal Conservative Leader. Let that sink in.
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
An excellent read from former Senator Hugh Segal
Julie Payette was an unconventional but correct choice as governor general
Recent reports from a CBC journalist citing anonymous and RCMP sources of difficult staff relations within Rideau Hall, inconvenient travel logistics and prospective renovations planned for Rideau Hall are reminiscent of some of the criticisms of other governors general.
Subsequently, CBC journalist Aaron Wherry (not the journalist who broke the staff relations story), provided a helpful and balanced review of criticisms levelled at other governors general over the years — claims relating to alleged spending excesses (usually trips GGs were asked to undertake by the government), decisions regarding Rideau Hall grounds, alleged political leanings of the vice-regal’s spouse, and so on.
Not surprisingly, his review revealed that the criticisms, such as they were and whatever their validity, were directed only toward female governors general. One might conclude that female vice-regals were flawed and their male counterparts were flawless. Highly unlikely.
Being more intensely critical and of women in positions of prominence or leadership is not a new phenomenon. Maggie Thatcher, Hillary Clinton, Kim Campbell, Judy LaMarsh and Kathleen Wynne were treated roughly in comparison to what their male counterparts faced. The blatant misogyny we criticize elsewhere does not mean that the discriminatory criticism of women in leadership is absent here.
Monday, August 24, 2020
A must read from Montreal Simon
Pierre Poilievre and the Skeleton in the ClosetIt's an intriguing Canadian political mystery. Why did Pierre Poilievre suddenly drop out of the Conservative leadership race?
He was a front runner, and the darling of the Con base. He had been campaigning hard for the job, he had the organization and the money.
But just a few days before he was about to announce his candidacy he suddenly quit, citing family reasons.
I never believed that, and now I have become aware of another possible reason, and it's truly shocking.
Sunday, August 23, 2020
Saturday, August 22, 2020
WOW! The misogynistic slime in CPC and on Bay street have their penises in a knot
Christia Freeland has shattered their territory of finance really you dickless cowards fear this little lady, who has already shown you and GOP that she is highly capable to walk the walk and talk the talk.
I suggest you sit down and shut the fuck up, you are looking like idiots and if you are not careful you will implode.
The slimy peice of shit on the right stand outside the house and speaks lies, slander and misleading accusation where he is protected by parliamentary privelge.
The Candian media drools as he speaks, they love fake news, not one asks him for facts, where is his evidence, they run with his lies because, they told me, it's all about the competition for numbers and not about the truth... who can find cooperating lies to bolster Pierre Poilievre's false and libelous statements.
Yes Canada, we are under attack in the same fashion as America.... the right wing lie factory has moved in to Ottawa.
Points to Ponder
Only
in America......do drugstores
make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their
prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
Only
in America.....do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
Only
in America.....do banks leave
vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
Only
in America .....do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
Only
in America.....do they have
drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.
EVER WONDER ....
Why
the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?
Why
don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?
Why
is 'abbreviated' such a long word?
Why
is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?
Why
is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?
Why
is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
Why
is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why
isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Why
didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
Why
do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?
You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!
Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?
Why
are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?
I like this one!!!
If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of
progress?
If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?
Now
that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle)..in other words, send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while.
Friday, August 21, 2020
A little history lesson
In honor of American History , I'm about to blow your mind by telling you about a historical figure you never learned about in school. If you have heard of him, then you probably already know who I'm about to say. If you haven't, you're not going to believe that nobody ever told you about this guy. I'm talking about Robert Smalls.
Robert Smalls was born into slavery on a South Carolina plantation. As a youth, he was permitted to go to Charleston and work, though he was forced to send most of his wages back to his master. He began taking jobs at the docks in Charleston Harbor, and later on some of the ships that came and went from the port. By the time the Civil War came around, Smalls had become an experienced seaman, so he was assigned to steer a Confederate Navy vessel called the Planter, based out of Charleston. The crew consisted of a few white officers and a number of slaves.
Smalls went to great lengths to show the Confederates that he was trustworthy and content; they never knew that he was hatching an elaborate plan to escape from slavery and deal a blow to the Confederacy, and that he had secretly recruited most of the enslaved crew in his plot. Then one night, when the Planter had docked in Charleston with a shipment of heavy guns aboard, Smalls put his plan into action. When the officers went ashore for the evening and left the ship in the care of the enslaved crew, Smalls led them in hijacking the vessel. They made one stop at another set of docks to pick up the families of Smalls and other crew members, who waited in hiding after having been notified of the scheme in advance.
They weren't in the clear yet, though, because they still had to sail past a number of Confederate checkpoints on their way to freedom. But Smalls had a plan for that, too: he had been watching the captain and learning the hand signals he used at the checkpoints. Donning the captain's uniform and trademark straw hat, he guided the Planter past five Confederate harbor forts by impersonating the captain and displaying the correct signals. By the time anyone realized the Planter had gone missing, it was too far gone to catch. He had his crew replace the Confederate flags aboard the ship with white ones, and they were intercepted by a Union vessel who saw the white flags just before they were about to fire. The Union sailors were perplexed by the sight of an all-black crew, until Robert Smalls came forward and shouted, "Good morning, sir! I've brought you some of the old United States guns, sir!" He then asked the Union sailors to give him a United States flag to raise on the Planter.
Robert Smalls' story would be amazing if it ended there, but it doesn't. After receiving a large sum of prize money for his delivery, he entered service in the Union Navy as a pilot on several vessels, including the repurposed Planter. In this role, he removed mines that he had helped lay as a slave, and participated in a number of sea battles. During one battle, the fighting grew so intense that the captain of the Planter hid in the interior of the ship and ordered the crew to surrender. Fearing that the black crewmen would be enslaved or killed if captured, Smalls refused to surrender; instead, he took command of the ship and navigated the Planter through the Confederate onslaught to safety. Because of his bravery, Smalls was promoted to captain himself, becoming one of the highest ranking and highest paid black officers in the Civil War.
Smalls leveraged his resulting fame into social activism, throwing his support into an initiative to educate former slaves, and becoming literate himself (in most Confederate states, it was illegal to teach a black person to read). While riding a streetcar in Philadelphia, he was ordered to give up his seat to a white passenger; Smalls left the car, rather than suffer the indignity of being forced to ride on the overflow platform. When word got out that a decorated hero of the Civil War had been humiliated thusly, it prompted a backlash that led to the integration of public transportation in Pennsylvania.
But Robert Smalls STILL wasn't finished. He entered politics, serving in the South Carolina legislature before becoming one of the first black people elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1874. And he remained active in public life into the 20th century; in 1913, he prevented the lynching of two black men accused of murder in his town by warning the mayor that the local black population would burn the city to the ground if the mob was not stopped.
And the plantation where Smalls had grown up a slave? He purchased it after the war, and lived there until his death in 1915. The monument at his grave is inscribed with this quote: "My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life."
And that is the story of the great American hero Robert Smalls, known by too few people today. I hope this post inspires some folks to learn more about his impressive life.
Thursday, August 20, 2020
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
This is all on Stephen Harper and his vile approach to governance
$16.5M settlement in class-action lawsuit over mass arrests at 2010 G20 summit
TORONTO — A $16.5 million settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit over mass arrests at the 2010 G20 summit.
The agreement comes after 10 years of court proceedings and negotiations between the Toronto Police Services Board and representatives for about 1,100 people who were arrested during the summit.
Under the settlement, those arrested will each be entitled to compensation between $5,000 and $24,700, depending on their experiences.
The deal also includes a public acknowledgment by police regarding the mass arrests and the conditions in which protestors where detained, as well as commitment to changing how protests are policed in the future.
Those who were wrongfully arrested will also have their police records expunged.
Toronto hosted the G20 summit of world leaders in June 2010.
Many public demonstrations were organized to address issues like climate change, globalization, and poverty.
Thousands of protestors demonstrated peacefully, but some protests were accompanied by deliberate vandalism.
Police reacted by encircling large groups of hundreds of protestors in several locations in downtown Toronto with cordons of riot police, holding them for hours, and then transferring many of them to a temporary detention centre.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2020.
The Canadian Press
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Skipper: Our black and white collie dog when I was a young boy
It was the summer of 1950 and we lived on Osbourne in Verdun, a working class suburb of Montreal Quebec, it was a hot summer night and Skipper was out for his constitutional when suddenly we heard yelling and a blood curdling howl. Dad looked out the window and said "It's Skipper" and headed for the stairs Roz and I in close persuit.
When we reached the second floor balcony Dad said :"stay here" and as he ran down the next flight he was yelling at someone "Don't shoot him, for gawd sake don't shoot him my kids are watching".
Roz and I lay on the second floor balcony, our young faces pressed against the rot iron railing, crying.
In the glow of the streetlight we could see a man pointing a pistol at Skipper who was on his hind legs and had a firm grip around it's waist with his front paws. The other dog was howling in pain.
Dad continued to plead with the man and after, what seemed like an eternity, he slowly lowered the gun and after a while Skipper released his grip on the other dog and dad brought him home to our welcoming arms.
The man in the street was our neighbor, an Irishman and Sargeant on the Verdun police force.
It wasn't until years later that I realized Skipper wasn't hurting the other dog he was simply pushing her home.
And, like Roz and I. that Irish cop wasn't aware that female dogs howled like an Irish lass when making love.
P.S. From that night on we were instructed to walk Skipper on a leash and not let him run loose. About three weeks later we were walking him together and I begged Roz to let me hold the leash, I no sooner took the loop when Skipper bolted and ran knocking me to the ground and dragging me several feet before I let go.
He ran south toward Wellington Street and as we were running after him we heard the squeel of car tires and a thud when we reached Wellington Skipper lay motioless in the road.
Not all stories in life end happily but life goes on and we remember them fondly
And so it goes in the world of right wing MoFu's
"The CFIB news release made for a quick and easy story turnaround.