Federal government balks at backing Arctic Internet project

OTTAWA — The head of a company trying to lay a broadband fibre optic cable along the Northwest Passage — a project that would connect Tokyo to London — says the project may not go ahead unless the Canadian government becomes a major customer.

After three years of lobbying — and an appeal directly to Prime Minister Stephen Harper — the federal government doesn’t appear ready to do what Arctic Fibre is asking it to: Switch over three-quarters of its Internet services in the North to broadband cable from satellite services.

B.C. today: Labour conflict or school reform?

Did the B.C. Liberal government just bluff on that $40 a day voucher plan or do they really want to have that battle over public education now?

It was telling that one of the earliest responses to the announcement came from a former top ranking B.C. Liberal. "Hmm. Did BC govt just take the first $40 per day step towards a voucher system for public education?" asked former Attorney General, Geoff Plant on Twitter.

What's Really Locking BC's Schools Shut

With the failure of mediation talks over the Labour Day weeks, B.C. schools face their greatest crisis since the shock of the Socreds' "restraint" budget in the fall of 1983.

The province then teetered on the edge of a general strike. We are nowhere near that point now, but the prospect is grim enough: a crippled start to the school year for hundreds of thousands of students, 40,000 teachers still on the picket lines, and the likelihood of a resolution that will leave our schools a permanently toxic workplace.

Jobless on Labor Day

On Labor Day we celebrate with barbecues, baseball and beer. But the original idea was to celebrate the contributions working people make to our country. And work is a crucial part of our identity as Americans. In fact, the United States is home to some of the most productive people on the planet, and apart from Korea, we put in more hours at work than every country in the world.

In America, Only The Poor's Eating Habits Aren't Improving

CHICAGO (AP) — Americans' eating habits have improved — except among the poor, evidence of a widening wealth gap when it comes to diet. Yet even among wealthier adults, food choices remain far from ideal, a 12-year study found.

On an index of healthy eating where a perfect score is 110, U.S. adults averaged just 40 points in 1999-2000, climbing steadily to 47 points in 2009-10, the study found.

Seeking Facts, Justices Settle for What Briefs Tell Them

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court received more than 80 friend-of-the-court briefs in the Hobby Lobby case. Most of these filings, also called amicus briefs, were dull and repetitive recitations of familiar legal arguments.

Others stood out. They presented fresh, factual information that put the case in a broader context.

The justices are hungry for such data. Their opinions are increasingly studded with citations of facts they learned from amicus briefs.

In last-minute reversal, Ford backs out of two mayoral debates

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford will be a no-show at two mayoral debates planned for this week, after dropping out at the 11th hour.

Jeff Silverstein, Mr. Ford’s director of communications, confirmed on Monday evening that the mayor will not attend debates held by Greenwood Community Association on Tuesday and FilmOntario on Wednesday.

Mr. Silverstein cited scheduling reasons. “Things have come up,” he said. “He’ll be participating in a number of debates.”

Canadian Centre For Policy Alternatives Targeted For CRA Political-Activities Audit

OTTAWA - A left-leaning think-tank was targeted by the Canada Revenue Agency for a political-activities audit last fall partly because the research and education material on its website appears to be "biased" and "one-sided."

That partial rationale for launching the controversial audit appears on a newly released document that the think-tank, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, obtained under the Access to Information Act.

Leadership candidate Thomas Lukaszuk flew daughter on government planes

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Source: CBC
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"A Slaughter of Innocents": Henry Siegman, a Venerable Jewish Voice for Peace, on Gaza

Today, a special with Henry Siegman, the former executive director of the American Jewish Congress, long described as one of the nation’s "big three" Jewish organizations along with the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League. Henry Siegman was born in 1930 in Frankfurt, Germany. Three years later, the Nazis came to power. After fleeing Nazi troops in Belgium, his family eventually moved to the United States. His father was a leader of the European Zionist movement, pushing for the creation of a Jewish state. In New York, Siegman studied and was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi by Yeshiva Torah Vodaas. He later became head of the Synagogue Council of America. After his time at the American Jewish Congress, Siegman became a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He now serves as president of the U.S./Middle East Project.

Over the years, Siegman has become a vocal critic of Israel’s policies in the Occupied Territories and has urged Israel to engage with Hamas. He has called the Palestinian struggle for a state "the mirror image of the Zionist movement" that led to the founding of Israel in 1948. In July, wrote an op-ed for Politico headlined, "Israel Provoked This War." Democracy Now! hosts Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh sat down with him on July 29 — in the midst of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

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Source: democracynow.org/
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