EU's Shelved Plans To Label Oilsands Dirty Are Back In Play

The Harper government and oilsands producers hailed the European Commission's decision in October that would have meant Canadian oil would not be penalized for being more emissions-intensive than conventional oil.

But now the EU’s seemingly abandoned plan to label oilsands product as dirty oil has come back to life — or, at the very least, it has failed to die the death that Canada's oil industry and the Harper government had hoped for.

Seeing Ferguson Clearly: 12 Double Standards That Expose White Supremacy

The word “Ferguson” has become synonymous with racism and police brutality in the U.S. today, in the same way that the name “Rodney King” did in 1992. And yet there remains a persistent and reactionary response from some white Americans who vehemently view themselves as the victims and black Americans as “violent thugs” who deserve the treatment they receive from police and the criminal justice system. The doublethink of domination and victimhood is central to the pathology of white supremacy in the U.S. It is used to dupe and confuse us into believing that there is nuance in brutality and justice in murder.

But what we really need is to see things in black and white. Literally.

I Told a Grand Jury I Saw a Cop Shoot and Kill an Unarmed Man. It Didn't Indict.

Many years ago, during the 1980s, I witnessed a killing: a New York City cop shooting an unarmed homeless man near the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was later called as a grand jury witness in the case. The grand jury did not indict the officer.

It was a summer evening. I was heading to play softball in Central Park. At the corner of Fifth Avenue and 79th Street, I got off my bicycle to walk toward the Great Lawn. The west side of Fifth was crowded with New Yorkers enjoying the beautiful night. People were streaming in and out of the park. Sidewalk vendors were doing brisk business. The vibe was good. And in the midst of the hubbub, I spotted a fellow wearing dirty and tattered clothing. His hair was filthy, his face worn. It was hard to determine his age. He reminded me of Aqualung. (See this Jethro Tull album cover.) He was carrying a large and heavy rock with both of his hands, pushing his way through the throng, and muttering unintelligible words. I wondered, what's his story? But I didn't give it much more thought.

Bill C-22 Would Rewrite The Rules For Oil Spill Cleanups

Concern is growing around Bill C-22, which would change the rules around oil spill cleanups. The technology for cleaning up oil spills, such as using chemical dispersants, is not widely understood, and its impact on Arctic waters has yet to be fully debated.

Bill C-22 was introduced by the Federal Minister of Natural Resources earlier this year.

It would pre-approve emergency plans for oil and gas companies to deal with oil spills, such as the speedy use of dispersants, or chemicals used to break oil into smaller particles in the event of an oil spill at sea.

MEET THE NEW BOSS...

1. TORY PROMISED A MAJOR SHAKEUP BUT APPOINTED MOST OF THE SAME OLD FACES TO KEY POSITIONS ON COUNCIL. 

Yes, Tory needs to cover the bases - and his own ass. Not least among those bases are former Ford loyalists who might still be inclined to sidle up to their old boss and make life difficult for the new one. The former mayor will no doubt be sucking up a lot of oxygen in the press as he battles cancer while, more importantly, eyeing re-election in 2018. That in part explains why so many Fordists were reappointed to Tory's executive, and staunch Ford allies like Frances Nunziata were handed plums despite undistinguished tenures under Ford. Tory could have opted to bring more lefties into the fold, but the transition team charged with ensuring a smooth entry into his new role judged that too dangerous. In the process he's made a major tactical blunder by isolating a huge voting block - many of the same folks who voted for council's progressives voted for him. More importantly, he's failed to deliver on his campaign promise to conduct business differently. As a consequence, we're already seeing signs that Tory's honeymoon may end up being the shortest in mayoral history. 

President Vladimir Putin Defends Russia's Aggressive Foreign Policy

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia will defend its geopolitical interests, President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday as he promised economic reforms to pull his country back from the brink of recession. But Putin's patriotic bluster and vague promises did little to assuage real fears that Western sanctions, plummeting oil prices and a collapsing ruble are crippling Russia's economy.

In his annual state-of-the-nation address at the Grand Kremlin Palace, Putin announced measures to spur the country's flagging economy, which is set to enter recession in 2015 for the first time in six years.

From Daniel Pantaleo To Darren Wilson, Police Are Almost Never Indicted

A police officer who choked an unarmed man to death on a public sidewalk will not face trial. This is the second recent high-profile case in which a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer who had killed an unarmed black civilian -- first Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and now Eric Garner on Staten Island, New York.

Harper government's changes to Live-in Caregiver Program harm workers

On November 22, 2014,caregivers and their allies gathered in front of Citizenship and Immigration Canada's offices in downtown Toronto to protest the provision of caps to the numbers of caregiver entries to Canada and new language and licensing requirements for caregivers.

Brandishing placards stating "Conservatives' New Laws Hurt Caregivers" and "Stop Stealing Permanent Residency from Caregivers," those present were unanimous in their belief that the new changes hurt caregivers and that caregivers deserved landed status upon arrival.

During the rally, Caregiver Action Centre's Johnna Anipuesto argued that "caregivers should not back down in the fight for permanent residency." Long-time caregiver activist Coco Diaz concurred, adding that she has been fighting for landed status upon arrival for caregivers for 30 years. She drew attention to how improvements to Canada's migrant domestic worker programs, which include getting the opportunity to apply for permanent residency in 1981, occurred only because domestic workers fought for this right. 

What Voters Don’t Know (Yet) About Jeb Bush

Whenever the deep thinkers of the Republican establishment glance at their bulging clown car of presidential hopefuls—with out-there Dr. Ben Carson, exorcist Bobby Jindal, loudmouth Chris Christie and bankruptcy expert Donald Trump jammed against Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, to name a few—they inevitably start chattering about “Jeb Bush.”

Never mind that his father was a one-term wonder of no great distinction or that his brother is already a serious contender, in the eyes of historians, for worst president of the past 100 years. And never mind that on the issues most controversial among party activists—immigration and Common Core educational standards—he is an accursed “moderate.”

How Did A Police Officer Kill A Man On Tape And Get Away With It?

The case of New York Police Department officer Daniel Pantaleo wasn’t supposed to be like Ferguson. There was a video showing how a simple stop for selling untaxed cigarettes turned into a chokehold — a move prohibited by the NYPD. The medical examiner ruled the incident a homicide. Eric Garner repeatedly shouted “I can’t breathe” just before he died.