The Shore

The Shore

Monday, January 1, 2018

I'm back!

So apparently I let this blog lapse for two years. I keep suggesting I am going to blog daily and put all the things I want to share in one blog post and then I will share THAT on Facebook.

So, I guess first, the traditional Happy New Year!  2017 was not good for me personally, nor politically, nor for the planet.  Although on the good news side they did get some positive worker legislation in Ontario --  Increased minimum wage and improved benefits and days off for workers covered only by Labour Standards.

I intend to spend less time on FB. Between their new algorithms that make it hard for me to see or share what I want, with/from who I want. . . it seems like a lot of wasted time.  That combined with their removal of accounts on the request of Israel and other governments. .. ubiquitous capitalism on display and plying along with the "wrong side" too often.

So here's what interested me today. . .

Galen Weston won Scumbag of the year from Rank and File. Not a great guy - decried the raising of the minimum wage in Ontario complaining that it would cost Lob=laws stores too much money - this from a company that has huge profits, and from a man who is a Billionaire.   They also admitted to a bread price fixing scandal for TEN YEARS! From Rank and File: 
"Never mind that Loblaw Companies Limited profits continue to smash new records and that Weston’s personal wealth is in excess of $8 billion, Weston wanted you to feel bad for him and his company because they couldn’t pay the poverty wages to his workers.
Loblaws, which has been long in the spotlight for tax dodging, was named in this fall’s release of the Paradise Papers. The company registered offshore holding companies in Barbados and Bermuda in 2005. By some estimates its tax avoidance schemes have cost tax payers up to $350 million dollars.
And then on the day the Ontario government passed Bill 148 increasing the minimum wage to $15 and strengthening labour laws Loblaws announced it was closing twenty stories and firing 500 people from the company, despite making record profits."
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Another thing that I think about every day is the occupation of Palestine and the life that people have to tolerate.  Israel is always asking "what about . . ." other countries and their human rights records, and "what about. . ." - we're the only country in the middle east that has democracy and freedom for gays and lesbians. . . sigh . . . called pink washing.    But recently the worst was jailing a sixteen year old (do you know they have special children;s military courts?) for slapping a soldier who had just slapped her as she tried to defend her home from an invasion by soldiers.  Sigh again. Judy Haiven wrote about it here.

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I am soooooo     looking forward to Black Panther. 



And so I also enjoyed this review of and a little history of black super heroes. . . Some "food for thought. . .

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And lastly, on this morning of this first day of 2018.  I enjoyed this podcast from Laurie and Eleanor Penney, on New Statesman.  Click on pic for link.

 https://www.newstatesman.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumb_730/public/blogs_2017/12/machina-1.jpg?itok=df3RVMqZ

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