Copenhagen 2009 – We Have Ourselves to Blame 2
Photos courtesy of Corriere Della Sera.it Only one week remains at the Copenhagen Climate Summit (COP15). Delegates from around the world are hoping to hammer out an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Environment ministers started arriving in Copenhagen yesterday and world leaders will be arriving this coming week. With the Kyoto protocol expiring ...
Charlie Sheen’s Conspiracy Theory 8
Photo “September 11th” by hankplank / Flickr Charlie Sheen has been on the offensive lately, demanding answers to questions surrounding the events of September 11th, 2001. Careful to distance himself from being just another “deluded Hollywood liberal”, Sheen simply wants answers from the government and is demanding a “truly independent congressional investigation into 9/11 and ...
Keeping my God, Guns and Healthcare 5
Today’s rally at Capitol Hill in Washington DC brought together a passionate group of “patriots” who are fed up with their leader. Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to America’s capital for the last stop in the Tea Party Express – an anti-tax, conservative movement that toured across the country over the last 16 days. ...
In the Shadows of Taller Men
Photo courtesy of the US Government The 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing came and went with token remembrance to mark the occasion. Sure, I saw the references to the event in the news that invariably included the oft-quoted phrase “one small step for man,” but considering the achievement of that time and ...
Medical Marijuana: Rights over Reason? 4
In May 2005, legal pot smoker Steve Gibson was asked to leave the premises of Gator Ted’s restaurant in Burlington Ontario. Since then, Gator Ted’s owner Ted Kindos has been battling Gibson; mounting tens of thousands of dollars in court legal bills with his business on the line. Gibson received a medical certificate to smoke ...
Can’t Be Indifferent about Dead Ducks
(Photo Courtesy of ViaMoi on Flickr) Last spring, a large flock of ducks landed on a toxic basin of bitumen residue and other byproducts of oil sands extraction before drowning. Early estimates placed the size of the flock at 500, and the story made headlines around the globe, severely undercutting the Alberta government’s frantic efforts ...
What’s this about PETA? 2
(“Puppy Love” is courtesy of pietroizzo’s photostream on Flickr) I haven’t made up my mind on PETA yet (People for the ethical treatment of animals). I’ve heard a lot of things about them; I’ve heard a lot of badgering that they do to prove their point (which reminds me of the Greenpeace folks as well), ...
At the Precipice of Credibility 5
On the inquiry investigating the death of Robert Dziekanski, an unsettling trend is apparent: as testimony grows, the RCMP’s credibility contracts. In a pattern that has become unsettlingly routine, each officer involved in Dziekanski’s death has seen his credibility diminish as his statements, provided to investigators shortly after the event, are read against the video ...
Why I Love Taxes 8
This is my first post on The Urban Country. Jim has his way with words and ladies and I will do my best to be as fluent and exciting as him in my first guest contribution. I recently read an article on TNR (The New Republic) which linked me to this news article on ABC ...
Where is the Love? 5
I listen to songs primarily for the music and if the song also has good lyrics it makes the song that much better. It’s been quite some time since I’ve heard a song that was extremely powerful in the lyrics and also sounded great musically. The most profound song for me personally is still John ...