California public land managed by BLM and other agencies will be opened to fracking and oil drilling proposals. The Trump administration ended a 5-year moratorium on the gas extraction method.
SACBEE.COM
Sunday, December 15, 2019
RESIST KENNEY'S CUTS
Change Alberta
IRELAND DEMONSTRATES WHY KENNEY'S PROPOSALS FOR PRIVATIZATION AND "CHOICE" IN HEALTH CARE WOULD BE DISASTROUS
On the surface, to many people, Jason Kenney is talking sense when he suggests that it is OK to let rich people buy private insurance and supposedly then take pressure off the public physician and hospital system.
But examples abound that the opposite happens when you create a two-tier system. Ireland is a good example as the report below notes. After half a century it is clear that what Kenney wants to sell us is a system that will enrich private physicians, force anyone who wants any health care at all to buy private insurance, even if they cannot really afford it, and provide quality care only to those who can buy platinum insurance policies.
Steve Thomas notes:
"It erodes solidarity, giving the well-off a way out of engaging with the public sector, and potentially aggravating under-funding by making the better-off less willing to be taxed more for health.
"It also means that dual-practice providers – those who work in both the public and private sectors — have an incentive to keep their public waiting lists long to boost their private practices.
"Private insurance also costs every taxpayer regardless of their insurance status, because the government subsidizes those who take out private insurance by offering tax breaks."
So, the poor end up subsidizing the rich through their taxes while often getting extremely poor service, or no service at all. In short, the very unfair, expensive, exclusionary system that universal public medicare was meant to replace sneaks back when you go the Kenney privatization, "choice" routeOPINION | Opinion: What Canada can learn about two-tier health care from Ireland | CBC News
While Canada seems on cusp of embracing two-tier health care, Ireland is struggling to limit it, writes Steve Thomas.
ADD BLOOMBERG TO THE ENEMIES LIST, JASON KENNEY: THEY SAY THE JIG IS UP ON THE OIL AGE AND IT'S TIME TO MAKE PROVISIONS FOR OIL WORKERS TO TRANSITION TO A NEW ECONOMYThe Oil Age Is Coming to a Close
Demand for crude is destined to decline, delivering a shock to cities and towns dependent on energy extraction.
Demand for crude is destined to decline, delivering a shock to cities and towns dependent on energy extraction.
Kenney’s ‘War Room’ Spending ‘About Equal’ To Funds Cut From Calgary Schools'
As I understand it that is an annual budget' its director said
Lynette Shultz says, "Fancy a little Alberta-style fascism?"
Alex Neve, Secretary General for Amnesty International told PressProgress “At every stage it has been clear that this initiative is determined to target and vilify environmentalists and Indigenous rights advocates who press for bolder climate action in Alberta.”
"Speaking at the launch, Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage said “To those who make such biased slanted and prejudicial statements about Alberta’s energy sector, you’ve been put on notice. This type of activity is going to stop now.”
PRESSPROGRESS.CA
Lynette Shultz says, "Fancy a little Alberta-style fascism?"
Alex Neve, Secretary General for Amnesty International told PressProgress “At every stage it has been clear that this initiative is determined to target and vilify environmentalists and Indigenous rights advocates who press for bolder climate action in Alberta.”
"Speaking at the launch, Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage said “To those who make such biased slanted and prejudicial statements about Alberta’s energy sector, you’ve been put on notice. This type of activity is going to stop now.”
PRESSPROGRESS.CA
ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS ---- HONG KONG FREE PRESS --- HKFP
Hong Kong's District polls landslide stuns China's official media into silence, but how will Beijing respond? | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
No one anticipated the massive election turnout on November 24. The 18 District Councils with their neighbourhood-level constituencies have rarely attracted much interest or attention. Since Hong Kong’s 1997 return to Chinese rule, they have generally been the preserve of well-funded and well-orga...
Opinion: "Consequently, the [District Council] election should be seen as a rebuke, not necessarily directed against Beijing's authority, but against the way Beijing is choosing to exercise it," writes Suzanne Pepper.
Video: Chinese children learn to code amid gov't tech drive | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
By Danni Zhu Wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a red T-shirt, an eight-year-old Chinese boy is logged in for an on coding lesson – as the teacher. Vita has set up a coding tutorial channel on the Chinese video streaming site Bilibili since August and has so far garnered nearly 60,000 foll...
A growing number of children in China who are learning to code even before they enter primary school, fuelled by parents' belief that the skill will be essential given the government's technological drive.
What Hong Kong can learn from Northern Ireland: three steps to avoid 30 years of tragedy | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
By Brian Dooley When Hong Kong’s unrest slides into 2020, we’ll start measuring the protests in years rather than months. Comparisons with the long conflict of the 1968 to 1998 Northern Ireland Troubles are inevitable. In both cases, problems arose when a big power worked out a deal granting sem...
HKFP_Voices: "Hong Kong can avoid the tragedy of Northern Ireland, but if months and years of upheaval aren’t to turn into decades its government needs to act fast to stop the escalation and find a political solution," writes Brian Dooley.
Hongkonger 'missing' after crossing Chinese checkpoint on mega bridge to Macau | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
Hong Kong’s immigration department said Sunday they have received reports a man went missing on a cross-border mega bridge to the gambling hub of Macau that currently hosts a Chinese mainland police checkpoint. The disappearance first emerged on Saturday when the man’s son told local media his f...
Governing without legitimacy: How Beijing can begin to rebuild trust in the Hong Kong authorities | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
Opinion: "We in Hong Kong are witnessing a rare experiment in which our government is attempting to govern without legitimacy. This is the sort of thing we see in war zones or the power vacuums associated with imminent regime change. Yet neither of these conditions apply to Hong Kong," writes John Burns.
Opinion: Christopher Lord writes that "minzhu" (民主) is an incredible mistranslation of what we understand to be "democracy." How did this come about? And is there a more accurate rendering?
Hong Kong's District polls landslide stuns China's official media into silence, but how will Beijing respond? | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
No one anticipated the massive election turnout on November 24. The 18 District Councils with their neighbourhood-level constituencies have rarely attracted much interest or attention. Since Hong Kong’s 1997 return to Chinese rule, they have generally been the preserve of well-funded and well-orga...
Opinion: "Consequently, the [District Council] election should be seen as a rebuke, not necessarily directed against Beijing's authority, but against the way Beijing is choosing to exercise it," writes Suzanne Pepper.
Video: Chinese children learn to code amid gov't tech drive | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
By Danni Zhu Wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a red T-shirt, an eight-year-old Chinese boy is logged in for an on coding lesson – as the teacher. Vita has set up a coding tutorial channel on the Chinese video streaming site Bilibili since August and has so far garnered nearly 60,000 foll...
A growing number of children in China who are learning to code even before they enter primary school, fuelled by parents' belief that the skill will be essential given the government's technological drive.
What Hong Kong can learn from Northern Ireland: three steps to avoid 30 years of tragedy | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
By Brian Dooley When Hong Kong’s unrest slides into 2020, we’ll start measuring the protests in years rather than months. Comparisons with the long conflict of the 1968 to 1998 Northern Ireland Troubles are inevitable. In both cases, problems arose when a big power worked out a deal granting sem...
HKFP_Voices: "Hong Kong can avoid the tragedy of Northern Ireland, but if months and years of upheaval aren’t to turn into decades its government needs to act fast to stop the escalation and find a political solution," writes Brian Dooley.
Hongkonger 'missing' after crossing Chinese checkpoint on mega bridge to Macau | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
Hong Kong’s immigration department said Sunday they have received reports a man went missing on a cross-border mega bridge to the gambling hub of Macau that currently hosts a Chinese mainland police checkpoint. The disappearance first emerged on Saturday when the man’s son told local media his f...
Governing without legitimacy: How Beijing can begin to rebuild trust in the Hong Kong authorities | Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
Opinion: "We in Hong Kong are witnessing a rare experiment in which our government is attempting to govern without legitimacy. This is the sort of thing we see in war zones or the power vacuums associated with imminent regime change. Yet neither of these conditions apply to Hong Kong," writes John Burns.
Opinion: "As old and tired as the saying is, for Hong Kong to move forward, the government is going to have to give way on the five demands. It is possible to make the first step, but in order to do that, we have to create room and solutions for everyone to manoeuvre. One way - like it or not - would be to grant amnesty for all," writes Yan Sham-Shackleton.
Opinion: "In a better world, the Chinese leadership would recognise that its blueprint for Hong Kong has been a consummate fiasco and send their obedient apparatchik back home to implement a fresh new approach. This move would begin the healing process for a city that has been tearing itself apart for the past six months as anti-government protesters raged in the streets while also seizing and trashing university campuses," writes Kent Ewing.
HKFP_Voices: " It has taken a long time but democracies are finally realising the danger they are running by giving Beijing free rein to gradually take control of their media and thereby extend its influence over public opinion," Cédric Alviani, Reporters Without Borders East Asia and Taipei Bureau Director tells Global Voices.
By Filip Noubel Since Xi Jinping established himself as the undisputed leader of China in 2013, the role of global media in reshaping the image of China has become one of the top priorities for the Chinese government. Today, Beijing’s efforts have managed to attract a number of journalists and med...
China has endured embarrassing food scandals in recent years, but its sturgeon eggs have gained the respect of caviar connoisseurs around the world.
By Ludovic Ehret The caviar on the menu of Michelin-starred restaurants may come from an unexpected place: China. The country has endured embarrassing food scandals in recent years, but its sturgeon eggs have gained the respect of caviar connoisseurs around the world. It has also become pricier for....
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