With media pundits and political junkies confidently foretelling the results of the October federal election, it may be considered presumptuous for a mere blogger like me to even speculate on the outcome. I am not, however, a complete political neophyte. Perhaps a brief account of my career in politics may help bolster my credentials as … Continue reading Predicting federal election results may be dicey, but not discerning the best outcome
Bogus concerns about pharmacare’s affordability contrived by conservatives to block or delay it
Conservative politicians and pundits are questioning the feasibility of adding pharmaceutical coverage to Canada’s public health care system. “How can our governments possibly afford such a huge additional expense?” they ask. They are asking the wrong question. Here are some of the proper questions to ask: How have the other economically advanced countries in Europe, … Continue reading Bogus concerns about pharmacare’s affordability contrived by conservatives to block or delay it
Instead of squabbling over scarce good jobs and low incomes, we should jointly strive for a fair and equitable economic system
There’s an old African proverb that is becoming uncomfortably apt to apply to many workers and citizens in many countries, including Canada: “As the waterhole becomes smaller, the animals get meaner.” In other words, as the food, water, and other basic needs dwindle, so does the willingness to share what’s left. The merits of community … Continue reading Instead of squabbling over scarce good jobs and low incomes, we should jointly strive for a fair and equitable economic system
Growing old no longer a great feat, but staying old and healthy is
If I’d known I was gonna live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself. - Eubie Blake, on reaching the age of 100. As I approach my 93rd birthday while still remaining in good health, the requests increase that I divulge the “secret” of my longevity. My flippant response is usually that it … Continue reading Growing old no longer a great feat, but staying old and healthy is
As “fast” food displaces good food, more people gain weight, get sick, need costly medical care
The rate of obesity in Canada has risen to epidemic proportions, with one in eight of us now clinically obese and nearly half of us weighing more than we should. And it’s not because people are indifferent to weight gain. Far from it. The exercise and weight-loss business is booming, and diet books are consistently … Continue reading As “fast” food displaces good food, more people gain weight, get sick, need costly medical care
Governments that used to borrow interest-free from Bank of Canada before 1975 now incur massive debts borrowing from private banks
Most Canadians are not aware that, prior to 1975, the construction of major public facilities, as well as the provision and improvement of social programs, were funded by interest-free loans from the Bank of Canada. Such loans helped Canada recover from the Great Depression of the 1930s and to achieve a prompt and prosperous economic … Continue reading Governments that used to borrow interest-free from Bank of Canada before 1975 now incur massive debts borrowing from private banks
Cancers are preventable but won’t be if it requires curbing the profits corporations reap from sickness
It is now generally agreed upon by health specialists, such as Bob Wright of the American Anti-Cancer Institute, that most cancers are caused either by exposure to radiation or by carcinogens that have been spewed into the environment. Only a relative few cancers can be traced to defective genes inherited from our parents. Although cancers … Continue reading Cancers are preventable but won’t be if it requires curbing the profits corporations reap from sickness
Earth’s inhabitants now stranded in a leaking neoliberal “lifeboat”
For the past 50 years, the world’s most renowned ecologists, climatologists, and other scientists – including more than a hundred Nobel Prize winners – have been imploring corporate and political leaders to curb global warming before it rises to catastrophic levels. “Planet Earth is finite,” they warn. “Its ability to absorb wastes is finite. Its … Continue reading Earth’s inhabitants now stranded in a leaking neoliberal “lifeboat”
Today’s dissenters not burned at the stake, just ridiculed, disparaged, and blacklisted
The brooding statue of Giordano Bruno in the Campo dei Fiori in Rome attracts few tourists. Among those who do stop to look at it, fewer still know who Bruno was and why he has been so esteemed. But he is widely remembered in academic and literary circles, and is revered as a hero by … Continue reading Today’s dissenters not burned at the stake, just ridiculed, disparaged, and blacklisted
Letter to the editor: Averting layoffs at SNC-Lavalin?
This is a letter to the editor that I sent to the Ottawa Citizen: Bereft of any valid excuse for pressuring former Attorney-General Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the crime and corruption charges against SNC-Lavalin, Prime Minister Trudeau, with his aides and cabinet loyalists, have fallen back on the sanctimonious claim that they were only trying … Continue reading Letter to the editor: Averting layoffs at SNC-Lavalin?
The Nonagenarian's Notebook 