This week, independent news outlet ProPublica exposed the snake oil salespeople on Wall Street who have targeted struggling municipalities as a new source of profit. It turns out that desperate city councilors trying to meet negotiated pension obligations and fund crumbling infrastructure are easy prey.
Governments aren't pleased that internet security has improved in recent months. In a bizarre suspension of all reason, security agencies and conservative leadership in the United States and in the United Kingdom have called for an end to encrypted communications.
The Greek people sent a strong message to the powers of Europe along with a stinging defeat to capital, finance and liberals pushing for more cuts and suffering. A total of 61.5% voted against economic blackmail and creditor imposed austerity. This was driven by a massive turnout of youth, nearly 70% of whom voted Oxi ('No'). This resounding vote – in the country that invented Western democracy – will bring interesting weeks and months ahead. In many ways, the vote was the easy part.
The Greek people sent a strong message to the powers of Europe along with a stinging defeat to capital, finance and liberals pushing for more cuts and suffering. A total of 61.5% voted against economic blackmail and creditor imposed austerity. This was driven by a massive turnout of youth, nearly 70% of whom voted Oxi ('No'). This resounding vote – in the country that invented Western democracy – will bring interesting weeks and months ahead. In many ways, the vote was the easy part.
In the deal (approved by Co-op delegates and the central board with no communication to members), Sobeys (a subsidiary of Empire Company Ltd.) acquired Co-op's wholesale business and several Co-op grocery stores. The day following the acquisition, workers at the newly purchased stores were told to prepare for inventory liquidation and search for new jobs.
Access to the internet should, arguably, be a right for everyone. That includes people living in rural areas, in low-income neighbourhoods and in other regions where giant telecommunications companies are not interested in providing high-speed access.
The Director of the FBI has stated that the Charleston shooting is not terrorism because it was not trying 'to influence a public body or citizenry', quoting from the agency's definition of terrorism. It should be obvious that this is, at best, public relations nonsense. It was a racist, violent, hateful, and political expression of hate aimed at denying rights and freedoms from black Americans. The inhumanity of these murders is only exacerbated by the acquiescence to racism by authorities, the media, and much of society.
A new study by the Parkland Institute details the devastation to Alberta's social services sector following decades of experimentation by the provincial Tories. The main goal of many of these initiatives was to cut government spending on social welfare and offload provision to anyone willing to take them on – for-profit and not-for-profit organizations alike.
This past week, the G7 reached an agreement to eliminate their collective dependence on carbon-intensive fuel sources by 2100. Originally set for 2050, this new deadline was agreed to at the insistence of Canada and Japan, both countries that have become infamous for refusing to face up to the realities of climate change. Obviously, this deadline is ridiculous public relations pablum and ignores all scientific evidence. As CBC details, countries like Canada have accomplished some pretty amazing things in short amounts of time when prioritized.
This past week, the G7 reached an agreement to eliminate their collective dependence on carbon-intensive fuel sources by 2100. Originally set for 2050, this new deadline was agreed to at the insistence of Canada and Japan, both countries that have become infamous for refusing to face up to the realities of climate change. Obviously, this deadline is ridiculous public relations pablum and ignores all scientific evidence. As CBC details, countries like Canada have accomplished some pretty amazing things in short amounts of time when prioritized.
