Politics

La récente agitation entourant le rapatriement de la Constitution canadienne a fait surgir un flot de souvenirs, et m'a inspiré quelques réflexions.Pierre Trudeau, Frank Scott et Bora Laskin étaient des amis dans les années 1950 et 1960,...
La récente agitation entourant le rapatriement de la Constitution canadienne a fait surgir un flot de souvenirs, et m'a inspiré quelques réflexions.Pierre Trudeau, Frank Scott et Bora Laskin étaient des amis dans les années 1950 et 1960, tous trois professeurs de droit et fervents défenseurs de la nécessité pour le Canada d'adopter une déclaration des droits, et d'avoir sa propre constitution. Ils voyaient tous d'un mauvais œil la piètre protection accordée aux droits civils dans la législation canadienne, et les conséquences du fait de permettre que la Constitution demeure une loi du Parlement britannique. Ils voyaient d'un plus mauvais œil encore la façon dont les lords britanniques avaient interprété la Constitution canadienne, et la mesure dans laquelle les pouvoirs du gouvernement fédéral avaient été érodés par ce qu'ils considéraient être une lecture fautive de l'expérience canadienne. Dans un de ses poèmes, Frank Scott a accusé le Conseil privé d'ériger en dogme le partage de la compétence.More...
33 minutes ago
Sans doute comme moi, vous n'avez guère qu'un critère au moment d'acheter un réfrigérateur ou une paire de chaussettes: le prix. Quand on parle d'alimentation, d'autres critères apparaissent déjà: la fraicheur, la qualité, la pureté et s...
Sans doute comme moi, vous n'avez guère qu'un critère au moment d'acheter un réfrigérateur ou une paire de chaussettes: le prix. Quand on parle d'alimentation, d'autres critères apparaissent déjà: la fraicheur, la qualité, la pureté et surtout la renommée d'une marque à qui on a appris à faire confiance. Aucun produit cependant ne surclasse la bière en terme de fidélité, ni même d'identification à une marque. On ne fait pas qu'adopter une étiquette de bière, on en tire même de la fierté.Comme bien des choses, ce lien affectif à sa bière trouve sa source dans l'histoire. Contrairement au vin ou à l'alcool distillé, la bière est un produit effervescent qui voyage mal et qui perd vite ses qualités s'il doit être transporté ou subir des changements de température par exemple. En revanche, la bière est un produit relativement simple et économique à produire. Pour toutes ces raisons, dès le Moyen-Âge, les plus modestes communautés ont pris l'habitude de produire leur propre bière. Quiconque a déjà voyagé dans le nord de l'Europe a pu voir le nombre infini de brasseries qu'on y retrouve, parfois dans de très petites villes. Les traditions brassicoles sont donc innombrables et, très tôt, on s'identifie à sa bière locale, à sa bière nationale.More...
35 minutes ago
Ah, les anarchistes... Ce qui a pu en être dit des conneries à leur sujet. Une splendide campagne de dénigrement qui perdure. Agents du chaos, terroristes, rebelles, criminels, vandales, tous les sobriquets les plus comiques y sont passé...
Ah, les anarchistes... Ce qui a pu en être dit des conneries à leur sujet. Une splendide campagne de dénigrement qui perdure. Agents du chaos, terroristes, rebelles, criminels, vandales, tous les sobriquets les plus comiques y sont passés. Ici aussi, à l'occasion, on leur prête des intentions meurtrières, des idéologies ironiquement totalitaires; toujours à deux doigts de fomenter la révolution armée, d'ériger une version nord-américaine du feu Bloc de l'Est, jurerait-on, à entendre ses détracteurs souvent les moins informés. Depuis un an, on les brandit comme épouvantails, question d'apeurer les ouailles craintives, toujours inquiètes au premier signe de trouble.Mais ces fous dangereux, qui sont-ils? Des sociopathes comme le suggèrent certains animateurs-psychologues-patentés? Des utopistes vivant dans l'illusion que la triste nature humaine se réhabilite soudainement? Ont-ils des propositions, des idées de société, ou ne sont-ils que de pauvres humanistes désenchantés?More...
35 minutes ago
Practically omnipresent and infinitely versatile, Malcolm McDowell has played, among others, a rebellious private school student, a futuristic sociopath, a degenerate emperor, Michael Myer's nemesis, and the killer of Captain Kirk. He ha...
Practically omnipresent and infinitely versatile, Malcolm McDowell has played, among others, a rebellious private school student, a futuristic sociopath, a degenerate emperor, Michael Myer's nemesis, and the killer of Captain Kirk. He has worked with directors that have included Stanley Kubrick, Paul Schrader and Rob Zombie. He's pretty much done it all, including a brief appearance as a mastermind in corporate espionage in this weekend's environmental biography, A Green Story. And, oh, has he stories.We were able to spend some time with Malcolm, delving into the full range of his career, including his work with the iconoclastic director Lindsay Anderson and how he faced the challenge of filming a high-speed orgy for A Clockwork Orange. Click on the player button to hear the interview, or right-click the title to download.More...
38 minutes ago
Réunis en Conseil général à La Malbaie, les déléguées et délégués de la CSQ ont eu le privilège d'accueillir jeudi matin Georges Bouchard, président du Syndicat démocratique des employés de garages du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, affilié à l...
Réunis en Conseil général à La Malbaie, les déléguées et délégués de la CSQ ont eu le privilège d'accueillir jeudi matin Georges Bouchard, président du Syndicat démocratique des employés de garages du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, affilié à la Centrale des syndicats démocratiques (CSD). Un syndicat dont les 450 membres et leur famille subissent un dur lock-out depuis le mois de février dernier, imposé par leurs employeurs, 25 concessionnaires automobiles de la région.Des conflits de travail provoqués par des patronsMore...
41 minutes ago
Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?Chaser, a 9-year-old border collie that gained fame for understanding more than 1,000 English words, now has shown that she can understand sentences. And not just two-word sentences, such as...
Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?Chaser, a 9-year-old border collie that gained fame for understanding more than 1,000 English words, now has shown that she can understand sentences. And not just two-word sentences, such as "fetch stick" or "paw ball" -- but sentences containing a prepositional object, verb, and direct object.More...
about 1 hour ago
A bridge classified as structurally deficient in 2011 on Interstate 5 crossing the Skagit River has collapsed, throwing drivers and cars into the water below. Reuters: Part of a four-lane freeway bridge over the Skagit River in Washing...
A bridge classified as structurally deficient in 2011 on Interstate 5 crossing the Skagit River has collapsed, throwing drivers and cars into the water below. Reuters: Part of a four-lane freeway bridge over the Skagit River in Washington state collapsed on Thursday, sending vehicles and people into the water below, authorities said. The collapse on Interstate 5 took out the northbound and southbound sides of the span and occurred at about 7 p.m. local time in Mount Vernon, 55 miles north of Seattle, Washington State Patrol spokesman Trooper Mark Francis said. "I've got reports of vehicles and people in the water," Francis said. He added that he did not know if anyone was injured. Every single news report says the cause is unknown. I don't really think one needs to be a brain surgeon to check the definition of "structurally unsound." According to Washington's own list of structurally unsound bridges, it means the "bridge requires repair or replacement of a certain component, such as cracked or spalled concrete or the entire bridge itself." Of course, that same definition contains a disclaimer that there is no imminent danger of collapse. Sure there's not. Just look at that picture and tell me what you think. Does anyone here remember the American Jobs Act proposed by President Obama in 2011? The one he introduced while standing in front of a bridge in Ohio that was also structurally deficient? The American Jobs Act that Senate Republicans killed with glee and great pride? That one? You think maybe if they had taken it seriously instead of playing gotcha politics those people wouldn't be in the water right now? Is it too soon to ask which Republicans will not only be fired, but go to jail for injuries and or deaths caused by their inattention to our infrastructure? Not for me, it's not. Update 1: I tried to add video of the Washington DOT spokesman reacting, but the embed seems not to work. Here is the link. Update 2: Let's also not forget what Republicans wanted in exchange for a transportation bill. Oil company incentives for infrastructure! Update 3: According to the AP there are 759 bridges in Washington State that are more severely deficient than this one. Also, this somewhat bizarre report of a guy praying on the bank in front of the bridge and then taking photos of the collapse:
about 1 hour ago
Bill O'Reilly described himself as "the fairest guy on the planet" in a heated exchange Thursday with HuffPost Live host and Columbia University professor Marc Lamont-Hill over the IRS scandal.Lamont-Hill said that it's totally plausible...
Bill O'Reilly described himself as "the fairest guy on the planet" in a heated exchange Thursday with HuffPost Live host and Columbia University professor Marc Lamont-Hill over the IRS scandal.Lamont-Hill said that it's totally plausible Obama may not have known in advance that the IRS was targeting Tea Party groups. O'Reilly countered that Lamont-Hill is only giving Obama the benefit of the doubt because he supports the president.More...
about 1 hour ago
Is it "Lean In" or "Lean On"? What is it that women really want in life, and how can they achieve real empowerment?Women everywhere care about their families, their health and their financial security. Whether a woman is a venture capita...
Is it "Lean In" or "Lean On"? What is it that women really want in life, and how can they achieve real empowerment?Women everywhere care about their families, their health and their financial security. Whether a woman is a venture capital partner in Silicon Valley or a farmer in the Niger River Valley, she wants the same thing. All women are fighting for what will make them achieve greater success in their life. True empowerment can now be transmitted through the use of mobile technology. Since 40% of the global workforce is female, educating women offers great potential to enhance the economy of developing nations. The 2012 World Bank Report estimates that improving women's education in developing countries can increase labor productivity by up to 25% in some areas.More...
about 1 hour ago
Amanda Bynes may finally get the help many believe she needs, after she was reportedly arrested in her Manhattan apartment and taken for a psychiatric evaluation on Thursday night.According to NBC News, police officers were responding to...
Amanda Bynes may finally get the help many believe she needs, after she was reportedly arrested in her Manhattan apartment and taken for a psychiatric evaluation on Thursday night.According to NBC News, police officers were responding to reports of a disorderly person, and when they arrived at the 27-year-old's West 47th Street apartment, the former Nickelodeon star allegedly threw a bong out the window.More...
about 1 hour ago