Metaneos

Charles Foran: The Globe and Mail Instead, China’s rise to superpower status has proved a happy model for authoritarian governments hoping to pull their economies out of poverty without sacrificing control or conceding ground to notions of civil society. It has delinked prosperity from democracy. China hasn't done anything novel. Machiavelli sourly noted this in his satirical treatise, The Prince: “The answer is that one would like to be both the one and the other; but because it is difficult to combine them, it is far safer to be feared than loved if you cannot be both.”

CTV News I'm not even a Liberal, and I find this disgraceful. It stinks of betrayal. Justin Trudeau made a hell of an announcement, and deserves to be commended for it. John McKay deserves the force of the Liberal Part discipline, and should accept whatever punishment is visited upon him, right up to being drummed out of the party. He should damn well resign because of how badly he embarrassed his party leadership.

Brookings Institute : Clifford G. Gaddy and Barry W. Ickes A good primer for those of us who are a bit lacking in our knowledge of world events. The US' moves have produced a whole lot of conflict with little to no reward.

thestar.com Well, hopefully this is resolved before it gets to court. All it would take is an apology from the Prime Minister. $100,000? Sounds like chump change for Harper and his office. I guess that's to pay for the lawyer fees. If I remember correctly, the connection this charity has to Hamas is innocuous at worst. Sadly, for any charity to do work in Palestine, the need to go through Hamas is absolute.

CTV News I can't imagine how much that is, in all honesty. 220 square kilometres, and 300 metres deep? That size is.... I actually can imagine that, now. That's a whole lot of ice. The loss is probably being understated, too. It's probably compounding rather then just being a straight five metres every year. Things are changing, and we're unprepared. The importance of climate change cannot be understated. If the governments of the world do nothing, then as individuals, we all need to ready our hearts and minds for what's going to happen. Try to imagine a worst case scenario. Mass drought. Entire nations starving. Mass migrations of populations moving to countries that aren't in drought. There's going to be conflict, unless it is organized. Things fall apart when people are brung low.

Indigenous Nationhood I get frustrated reading this sort of thing. I really, really do. Because I agree with most everything the author says. However, within, I feel it's close to ineffective, this sort of report. It's slapping on a piece of paper to the Canadian government saying, "See, even these people think you're treating us awfully!" The Canadian government, in response, would probably yawn at us and then have security to take us away. For over a hundred years, the Canadian government has had one policy when it comes to First Nations that it seriously pursues. One. Not two. Not three. Only one. It is simply, " Enough to keep them alive ". Anything more than that for the First Nations of Canada is absolutely contrary to what it, the Canadian government, has done over a century. Stephen Harper and his government will never accept First Nations rights. Never. Not one person in his government will ever accept First Nations to have any valid histor

The Globe and Mail The NDP policy flip-flop on Kinder Morgan’s pipeline plans in the middle of the 2013 provincial election campaign has been written into the history books as a fatal miscalculation. This is wishful thinking. What killed the NDP was a weak election drive run by a poor campaigner. A lot of talent was washed out of the NDP by the scandal of Glen Clark and the weak leadership of  Ujjal Dosanjh. The election was the BC NDP's to lose, and they did. A bunch of losers. After an effort like that, they deserve to have lost.

rabble.ca , Pam Palmater Canada's relationship with First Nations has been pushed back by generations. I honestly don't know if Harper has any plan for First Nations, except for bleed them dry when it comes to funding, and ignore them whenever it's convenient, otherwise. Give them nothing, and take away what is left unguarded.

First Nations, cities say B.C. has known how to fix Highway of Tears for years The Canadian Press, James Keller Anton insists the highway is safe, pointing transportation options including a health shuttle for medical patients and Greyhound bus service, which was dramatically cut last year. I've been through the north of BC. It's remote. There are little towns throughout the north, but there's a great amount of space. Anything could happen. What Anton is insisting is beyond insufficient. It's also insulting. It's the words of a woman who lacks in empathy for the victims and the victims' families. May she be shamed for her callous disregard for the lost and murdered.

CBC There is much to discuss. What is needed is a culture change, to make these woman who've disappeared important to the government. First Nations are not important to the Canadian government, which is why there is silence from there. Please praise the RCMP for releasing this.

I'm returning to writing. I've been withdrawn and burned out for what seems like months or years. Anyway, I'll be blogging about whatever I read, and commenting on whatever moves me, whether to joy or anger. What I've read today: CBC: First Nations relations with Ottawa tested over 'economic shutdown' threat "I trust that the good, hard-working chiefs will speak up," Valcourt said. Nice way of avoiding the issue of why there is a bloc of First Nations chiefs opposed to Valcourt's Act. He, for one, slimes the chiefs who are opposed to the Act as being lazy. Are they? To me, it seems as though they're working hard to derail Valcourt's efforts, so perhaps they aren't. For another, Valcourt's suggesting the chiefs who are working with him are the only hard working chiefs in the AFN. Woof woof! We hear your dog whistling racial politics loud and clear, Mr Valcourt! It's a lazy, lazy way of deflecting attention away from the a