Oh Cannabis Summer 2019 News y Views!

Inhale! Hold! Exhale! Smile! ChEcK oUt My "Readers Guide 2 Oh Cannabis News Y View" @ Directory! UpDAtEs AddED iN LaRgE TyPe! LiVe TwEeTs @ davidchiarelli 

HEADLINES

Canadian Legalization Round 2: This fall, the federal government will legalize edibles, topicals and extracts. It's exactly one year into the legalization process. Sadly, more and more uptight, reefer madness restrictions are still the order of the day. Most of our heritage growers, producers and advocates are still legally shut out in the cold. Can Canada's pitiful licensed cannabis industry even begin to compete with the much superior and bustling, unregulated market? Especially in Ontario, our largest market?

More Pot Shop Lottery Madness: Ontario Premier Doug Ford does it again. 50 more licences are up for grabs. That includes 8 which are being set aside for our First Nation reserves; a quite contentious treaty land issue, considering the rules!

US Legalization: It could be a big election issue next year. You'll find a voters' guide, timelines, and the latest polling data below!

First Nation Rising: More news and views on weed sovereignty and indigenous pot!

Drink Up: Legal cannabis infused drinks take on the alcohol industry! Can they give them a good run for their money?

Please Stay Tuned: If my blogging seems sporadic, that's because it's summer and I am at the lake. Read all about it @ Here!

DIY: What's the consumer alternative to crummy, overpriced, government weed and edibles? Dig a garden! Start rattling those pots y pans!

Safety First Hi-Jinks: Gummy Bears verses the Tide Pod Challenge?

Spin Control: Green market reporting - the pet peeves?

Reefer Madness 2.0: On dealing with stigma and lies in the post legalization era!

The Blunt Truth: Yay or Nay: Smoking tobacco with weed?!?

A Child's Garden of Grass: Cannabis in the sixties and seventies revisited!

Cannabis for Newbies? Cannabis for seniors? Consideration this ....

Pot Tourism Canada: Come here to holiday this year! Lotsa links below ....

Much More 2 Come .....

OH CANNABIS

Legalized Kinda Sorta: Edibles, extracts and topicals become legal across Canada October 17. They should be available in government licensed, recreational, pot shops by mid December, hopefully in time for Christmas. But don't get excited! They're no match for similar products all ready widely available through the underground market. Edibles are limited to 10 mg of THC per pack. Gummy Bears and many other novelty items and shapes not considered child safe, are strictly forbidden. Extracts are capped at 10 mg per piece too, up to a 1000 max per pack. Non alcoholic, cannabis infused drinks, including near beer and wine are okay. However packaging and labelling requirements are super uptight and unappealing at best. The focus remains on THC rather than CBD's. Getting high remains more important than getting well, despite government assurances to the contrary ..... None of this is much fun, nor a commercially viable way to go for consumers or producers alike. But at least they'll be legal now. Overtime, the courts and marketplace can sort out the mess @ GCA @ Globe @ NP @ FiC @ 

Warning Labels: Health Canada gives packaging somewhat of a makeover. They tone down the alarm factor a bit, but guarantee they'll still look and sound dull, dangerous and quite unappealing @ Leaf See the complete, new list of warnings @ GCA

Stuck With A Pig In A Poke: Welcome To The New Roll Out! Just Like the Old Roll Out! Basically, the newly legalized cannabis products must be as ugly and boring as possible to make them child safe and so on. Blah. Blah. Blah. Too bad for the legal marketers and producers! With their hands all but tied, it'll be impossible to compete @ CBC

Regulatory Reforms: Canadian cannabiz insiders speak out on the need to reform our super uptight regulations asap, so that they can actually make a go of it @ PRN

Med Pot Bluez: Canadian medical cannabis users are increasingly being left behind in the government legalization shuffle. Recreational sales along with the limited number of legal pot shops have increased the supply problems and resulted in higher prices, for those still trying to go the legal route @ Leafly

Another DoFo Lottery: This October, Premier Doug Ford's Conservative government will licence 50 more, new Ontario pot shops across the province. Don't hold your breath though. Last time less than half of DoFo's 25 lucky but largely inexperienced, pot shop lottery winners were actually able to open their doors for business on time, earning hefty fines. Applications can be submitted Aug 7-9th. News story @ CTV Government info @ ON.CA  Applications @ AGCO Also note that for the first time, 8 of the 50 licenses will be allocated to applicants from Ontario's First Nation reserves @ AGCO

Blame Game: DoFo blames the ridiculously limited number of government licensed pot shops across Canada's most heavily populated province on the feds. Apparently the Trudeau Libs can't supply enough legal cannabis to keep the shops in business. However, the feds counter that hasn't been a problem elsewhere across the country. They accuse the notoriously corrupt and inept Ford Conservative government of just making excuses @ CBC

But Not So Quick: Still, across Canada, our provincial premiers are increasingly demanding that the federal government clean up it's cannabis act. Licensing? Supply? Enforcement? Their concerns are many @ GO

And The Winner Is: No surprise! Our Ontario om"buds"man this year received the most complaints about ... what else?!? DoFo's online Ontario Cannabis Store @ Global

DoFo Backgrounder: Our Dougie was a scummy, high school, drug pusher back in the day. Now he's Premier of Ontario! Helps explain the bummers, burns and ripoffs with the legalization process, or lack thereof, here in our province. More @ Globe @ Globe @ Rabble

Oh No! Busted By The Toronto Blockheads!

Summer Whack-a-Mole: Frustrated Toronto City officials are now placing concrete blocks out front of the cities unlicensed pot cafes and dispensaries. It's a failed attempt to stop them from re-opening, after they are busted. Meanwhile, folks are getting locked inside. And arrested on the sidewalk outside, where the street dealers now gather. One CAFE dispensary in particular is fast becoming a chic Toronto protest hotspot, while the cops go after them gangbuster style ..... But consider the high cost of government weed, coupled with DoFo's pathetic lack of licensed dispensaries ..... what do you expect?!? So much for a robust pot tourism season! This year at least! No. This ain't the summer of love! Far from it! More @ Global @ BlogTO @ Vice @ CBC

DoFo Vs Ontario's First Nations: Opening government licensed cannabis shops on treaty land, as per DoFo's plan, faces some huge legal challenges. Many of Canada's indigenous reserves have voted for "community sovereignty". That means growing and selling cannabis themselves, by their own band rules on treaty land. Tax free. The community profits. 

Oh-oh! A lot of that's not allowed, according to our new cannabis laws! But the OPP aren't allowed to police the reserves without band council approval either. Would Ford be stupid enough to send them in anyway?!? Expect some very bitter standoffs, including but not limited to the legal court challenges, if push comes to shove! Remember Oka @ Global

The Tide Verses Cannabis Edibles Challenge ....?!?

The Tide Pod Challenge: So. Gummy Bear won't be allowed for child safety reasons, once edibles are legalized in Canada this fall?!? Ironically, youngsters across Canada are indeed gulping down poison! Lots of it. But little is being done. 

Yup! They're swallowing highly toxic, chemical detergents. The one's widely being marketed and sold in tantalizing, candy like "Tide Pods". Unlike with Gummy Bear shaped cannabis edibles, no alarm bells ring! 

Child safety?!? Definitely, Tide's corporate sales agenda comes first! The colourful Tide Pods were even being brazenly advertised with much fanfare, down the full length of a packed subway car or two in downtown Toronto, last week. For shame @ Huff @ Huff

Drunken Rapture: The Toronto Raptors finally won the NBA Finals for the first time ever! There was rioting, and shootings afterwards. Pumped up sports enthusiasts even trashed 2 police cars. Some city buses. Meanwhile the Ford government is about to allow alcohol at sport tailgate parties for the first time. Allow beer to sold at the corner stores across the province. Without blinking an eye. Even bragging about it too! Yet when it comes to cannabis, a lot safer, unaggressive drug? Ford is so tight about weed, he squeaks. Enough double standards! Consider carefully; would this have happened if it were mostly tokers rather than drinkers partying? @ Global @ Globe

IN THE NEWS

State of The Union: As of this summer, cannabis is only illegal in 17 states. 22 have legalized medical cannabis. 11 have legalized recreational cannabis. Here's the latest breakdown, along with some insightful notes @ MF

US Voters Guide: Here's where the 23 Democratic presidential contenders for 2020 stand on federally legalizing cannabis @ Politico

No Way Joe: Biden's decriminalization platform might not be a bad idea. Especially considering our legalization folly in Canada! Still, he might also be secretly opening the door for a huge big biz weed grab. Just like what's happened here! Don't be fooled by all the fancy talk and kind words! There's plenty o' corporate weed rigging galore going on in the run-up to 2020 @ Vice

Timeline: Here's a handy reference for legalization and decriminalization in the US. Covers both medical and recreational cannabis. Also includes a summary of the most important bills to date, along with a prospectus for what comes next @ Fool

Galloping: Support for legalization in the US has surged to 66%. Here are the most popular arguments for and against it, among American today @ Forbes

Corporate Vs Grow Yer Own Weed: To protect Corporate America's profit margins, "big marijuana" lobbyists are putting pressure on the different state legislatures to prohibit or limit home gown weed. Here are the pro's and con's being put forward for growing yer own weed, in the debate that's ensued @ Leafly

California Cannabis War: West coast lawmakers have finally found a way to add injury to insult to the state's legacy growers. Thereby successfully putting them out of business, to make way for the big boys. How? Basically, by enforcing any and all permits, codes and by-laws they can think of. Then issuing huge fines, property liens, and forfeitures accordingly! Beware @ Leafly

Inside Europe's First Narco State: Fast cash comes first and foremost in Albania. Organized crime and rampant unemployment are the order of the day. Sound like a spy thriller? Get this -Albania is supposed to be one of the good guys; a NATO Allie.  About to join the Eurpean Union. Whew! Well that's okay then, eh! ... eh? ... eh? @ Vice

GREEN MARKETING

The Trouble With Government Weed:  Canada's cannabis retail rollout is creating a huge consumer disconnect. First with the legal bud. Now with legal edibles, extracts and topicals. For now, they're a novelty, so the newbies will go buy it at the government monopoly stores. But unless the restrictions are soon lifted and the process refined, the highly regulated, legal producers and sellers will hardly be able to compete. Not within Canada's bustling, unlicensed, free market place @ Lift

Overpriced BS: To wit, in Canada, the cost of illegal cannabis continues to plummet. Meanwhile legal weed gets more and more expensive. Be it the Trudeau Libs or the DoFo Cons, neither seem to have much canna-business sense @ CBC

LP BS: It's getting harder and harder to find a Canadian licensed producer whom you can trust. The market continues to under perform, there are supply shortages, followed by one controversy and scandal after another. On and on and on it goes .... What to look for? Whom to trust? Here's but one prospectus @ Tech420 

Cannabis CEO's: Typically, they are white guys, just like on most corporate boards. Do they truly represent our diverse cannabis community? Of course not. The corporate world stays the sexist course @ Bloom

Take It Away Lisa: Legacy cannabis activist [think Toronto "Green Market"] and now Chief CEO of Lifford Cannabis Solutions, Lisa Campbell, is out to introduce more gender equality into the corporate boardroom @ Globe

LGBTQ Weed: From a marketing perspective, advertisers are eagerly embracing the LGBTQ community without any qualms. Of course, there's lots of money to be made. Like from a lot of gay DINK [Double Income No Kids] couples, or at a popular gay pride event and so on. But that doesn't mean the LGBTQ are welcome elsewhere in the cannabiz sector, especially on the corporate board. Quite frankly, big biz often doesn't give a shit about the LGBTQ community and it's contribution to the legalization movement. For lots, it's just about profits. Beware @ RS

Hollyweed North: Transgender founder and CEO Rene Gagnon, like many LGBTQ entrepreneurs, figure WTF -they can do it better, both for themselves and their community, anyway @ HT

More Tynedinaga Pot Please! Canada's indigenous people have declared weed sovereignty on Treaty Land. Their thriving pot shops are an excellent free market example of how to sell pot. Last issue, I reviewed some of my favourite's at the Mohawk Tyendinaga Reserve outside Belleville Ontario. Will provide more throughout the summer. Here are 5 more, from another kool site @ DGTA

Cannabis Boom: Ontario's Tyendinaga Mohawk Reserve, with it's top notch, innovative indigenous pot shops is now experiencing an economic boom! There are over 40 to 50 shops, lots of construction and renovation work, and a new pirate radio station to boot @ CBC

Other First Nation reserves are also experiencing a welcome economic boom. Some have chosen to sign MOU agreements with the corporate sector, including Biome Grow and Westleaf to develop a viable and prosperous cannabiz industry on treaty lands @ EquityG

Vape Guide: I've got my trusty Pax and mighty Storz-Bickel. In a pinch, a handy Aspire will do. We've all got our favourites. But how do they rate? Here's a handy guide @ VG

A Game Changer? Will cannabis infused drinks give alcohol a run for it's money?  

Yea! It seems that the beer companies for one are worried, because it won't make you fat! @ TS

Nay! On the other hand  it takes longer to get high! Plus there are all the ridiculous, marketing restrictions. The manufacturing conditions. Especially in Canada! The THC count? 10 mg max! And no alcohol is allowed in the mix! Won't help export sales. Can't even advertise that it tastes like non-alcoholic wine or beer here in Canada. Sad. Sad. Sad @ Leafly

Only In Canada, You Say ......

Size Matters: It's official! Canadian pre-rolls are much bigger than in the US. Yup! In the True North, we like 'em big! One or a half gram sized, minimum! But stateside heh ... heh ... heh ... they're smaller -a whole 36% smaller!!! Hmmm ... Guess which'll become the norm? Once they're standardized? Will the .... er ... Yanks think biiiiig, like us? Or cut 'em short? To match their puny size? Har! Har! Har! Sigh! Alas! No wonder we Canucks often have a national inferiority complex! More @ Lift

CBD Percentages? Milligrams? Milliliters? Here's how to determine how much CBD content is really in that edible product you are about to eat, vape or otherwise consume @ CD

Spin Control: Yeah, a lot of time it's plain BS. Just butt kissing time. Happily, I write for myself. Got nothing but ideas to sell. Or rather give away. For free. Ha. Ha. Er ....  On the other hand, if you're trying to get mainstream media coverage to sell a green market product, and earn a living, you'll need to exercise a lot more .... ummm .... very special spin control! Over how you present yourself! And your product. Aren't getting the coverage you need? Avoid these reporter pet peeves @ Forbes

HIGHER LEARNING

Yummy Gummy's: Ok. Ok. The Canadian government is only going to allow weak candy edibles and they can't look like bears. Oh noooooo? What to do?!? Harumph!  Simply make your own! The THC/ CBD dosage? As strong as you like! And in whatever friggin' shape or size you like. Here's to easily make your own gol darn gummy bears. So good luck Government of Canada! -Not! @ Leafly

Everything You Need 2 Know About Edibles [But Were Afraid 2 Ask]: Safety? Doing? Etc? Etc? Etc? @ DGTA

Get Cooking: Here's a handy THC and CBD dosage calculator for making your own edibles, instead of having to buy them off somebody else. Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! Got love in my tummy @ WB

Macrodosing 101: These popular strains reportedly have the most potent THC counts for getting high AF @ HM @ IBT @ Leafly 

Microdosing 101: Experienced tokers often build up a very strong THC tolerance level over the years. Plus lots of weed nowadays has a very high THC count. We are getting high like never before! But is more better? Especially if you are a new user? No! Not necessarily! Consider this @ Youtube

2 Young 2 Toke?!?

Underage Tokers: The verdicts still out! Indeed, a recent study of the relationship between adolescent cannabis use and adult brain structure, suggests toking might not be the big problem our "experts" are making it out to be. At least, with legalization, the issue can finally be properly studied, sans the reefer madness BS @ NCBI

Trashed: Empty vape oil cartridges are now adding to the toxic pollution in our garbage dumps. Sadly, there's no environmental friendly plans in sight to deal with the growing problem @ Leafly

Grow Yer Own Time: Yipper! Government weed sux! I$ expen$ive. Often so so in quality. Too low in THC. CBD's. Hmmmmmm. Don't want to go underground? So what to do? Here's a handy shopping list so you can grow your own weed! Much of it available for under $300 on Amazon. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Justin Trudeau you corporate prick @ MG

White Wash: Truth be told, legalization means that the business opportunities and profits from legalization are overwhelmingly ending up in white folks pockets! Many people of colour also contributed to the struggle. Are some reparations due, for the injustices they continue to suffer? An opinion piece @ Red

Blunt Truth: A "blunt" is often incorrectly used to refer to a nice, big, fat joint. Specifically, it refers to one rolled using a cigar or tobacco leaf. Gives you quite a rush. But do you know how addictive it is?!? I've spent much of my life battling the demon nicotine. Have nooooooo desire to do so again! Now see some newbies trying it without even thinking. Please -beware! Smoke weed, no tobacco @ TC

Plastic People: Plastic Straws are finally being banned almost everywhere because they are just so bad for the environment. Sadly, if hemp hadn't been made illegal, they never would've been a problem in the first place. Seems the plastics' people had a diabolical hand in stretching the truth about our favourite weed @ FTP

Back 2 The Garden! The aging Woodstock baby boomer generation is getting back to the garden, the weed garden that is. Rediscovering many truths about our favourite sixties plant. Yes! It's an excellent DIY remedy for aches, pains and so much more @ TGO Plus, a complete seniors guide to cannabis is @ Aging

Reefer Madness 2.0: With time, legalization will help dispel a lot of the lies and misconceptions about our favourite weed. Especially now that it is being declassified. Can be properly studied. But let's be realistic. It won't all be good news. But a lot of the stigma and unnecessary BS can finally be put to rest. And we can enjoy it eyes wide open. As well educated critical thinkers, who can decide for ourselves, what we want/ don't want to put into our bodies @ SAB

HIGH TIMES

As If ....

President Donald Trump Tries Weed: Ho boy @ Youtube

Nugswap -August 10th: Dankmasta P next Nugswap will be held from 5-8pm at Vapor Central downtown Yonge St. More on Nugswapping @ Blog

Karma Cup -Sept 7-8th: It's official! The 6th annual Karma Cup, "Canada's Premier Cannabis Competition", will be held in downtown Toronto again this year. Better apply now, if you'd like to be a judge or submit an entry! More @ Facebook

Cannabis Tourism 101: What to know? Where to go? Some tips @ Leafly

The High Times Guide To Travelling With Pot: This interstate guide helps you navigate the different rules and regulations across the US @ HT An airport guide @ HT

The Lonely Planet Guide To Get Legally High in Canada: Here's a basic overview on what's allowed and what's not. Useful but kinda dumbass. Heavy on safety tips about the smoking devil's weed! Oh my my my ....... How Canadian @ Lonely Planet

Best of Canada: Where to go on your summer vacation, now that cannabis is legal across our country? Start here @ Leafly

Weekend Getaways: Here are some kool, pot friendly hotels, retreats and bed y bud deals from across Ontario too @ GO

Canadian Summer Festival Highs + Lows: Of course, concert goers are going to want to legally smoke cannabis outdoors this summer. Sadly, the new rules here in Canada are so fucking crazy and uptight, one might wish it were still illegal. Lotsa BS @ CBC

Fighting The Stigma! Nope! It just won't go away! To wit[less]: A "shocked" Vancouver man angrily objects to an ad showing somebody rolling a joint on the Cineplex movie screen! But he thinks the booze ads are okay. Faaaaaaak @ GO

"Reefer Madness 2.0" or "The Cannabis Multi-Verse": To realize how truly ridiculous prohibition and the stigma of cannabis are, imagine this: What if, in an alternate universe, a chef cooking food in a restaurant was illegal? But smoking and selling weed was not?!? @ Leafly

Original Schlong Bong: Yup! It's 4 real! Suppose it was bound to happen eventually. Notice how it's considered a "sex toy"?!? And that nope -the ads don't feature any guys??? "Grip" y "Rip" @ ST

Newbies Guide: Here are 10 helpful tips for the new toker. Like about expectations, product safety, and on choosing your smoking circle or tribe carefully. Here's to the high times ahead @ Leafly

Groovy Man! The Sixties and Seventies were quite arguably the dopest time for weed, way before it went mainstream. We tokers were a counterculture, which protested injustice. That's how we got to where we are today @ TGO 

Far Out: Drugs on campus during the sixties. A first hand account from back in the day. Consider for yourself, what it was like, compared to drugs today @ SEP

Spot The Sixties Stoner: What to look for? Tunes? Slang? Dress? @ Groovy 

New! Canadian Weed Forum: Sign up online @ DGTA

COMMENTS

Teacher Free Speech Summer 2019 News y Views!

for many ofHEY hO! kEEP ChECKing BAcK! LaTeR AdDITIoNs WiLL bE AddED In LaRgE TYpe SeT! mY Acronym Guide IS @ hErE! MuCh, mUch morE to coMe ..... REadeRs gUiDe 2 TeaCHer fREE sPEech NeWs Y vIeWs @ HERE!  LiVe tWEEts @ davidchiarelli 

OH CANADA

The Year of Living Stupidly: Ontario Premier Doug Ford [DoFo] wraps up his first year in office with a whopping five month break. No wonder he's laying low. He's tanked in the polls. Angry, widespread protests continue to erupt across the province. The reviews are in, few of them very good. Little surprise, that in Ontario, our supposedly "populist" premier is popular no more @ TStar @ TStar @ Alj 

Cuts Hurt People: Ontario's Ford PC's have been firing up a huge trash can party across the province! In year one alone, to ostensibly "balance the budget", most everything thats made our province a great people place in which to live, has been put to the torch. Here's a list of the cuts to health, education, the environment, social services, research, justice, municipalities, the legislature, arts, culture and tourism. On and on it goes. Premier Doug Ford's pals must be laughing so hard they'll piss their pants @ NO

Ontario Influencers: DoFo hates special interest groups! Yep! Unless they happen to be right wing or big business lobbyists. Nowadaze, they've got steady access to the Premier's office, and form his inner circle. Seems that's bad only for lefties and social activists. Check out Dougie's new, improved, highly rigged system @ Globe

Meet Dean French: Many suspect he's the ... ahem ... "brains" behind the Ford Wrecking Ball. From behind the scenes in the premiers office, he's been directing the smash and grab for Ontario's Neo Conster government @  TL

Last Laugh: Ford's now tanked in the polls, making outgoing Premier Kathleen Wynne look like "Ms Popularity Plus"! He might also be trashing Andrew Scheer's Federal Conservatives odds for a fall election win in Canada's most vote rich province. @ TStar

DoFo Reboot: It's so bad that Conservative strategists are racing to reboot the floundering Ford government, less he take the right wing party, federally and provincially, down the toilet too! Do or die time @ TVO

"Oligarchical Rigging 101" or "Beware of Doug": Get this -Ford's PC's could still get easily re-elected in 2022! As for Andrea Horwath and the opposition NDP? Our wishy washy leftish alternative continues to flounder! The leaderless corporate Neo Liberals? They're in total disarray. Sigh! Alas! A provincial prospectus @ TStar and @ TStar

Hey! It's Andy + His Pal Doug! Rob 2!

"Engaging Ford" or "You Can Run But You Can't Hide": Ford cuts and runs! He suspends the Ontario legislature, until after the Federal election, perhaps to get out of Scheer's way. But Engage Canada, on behalf of the Canada's unionized workforce starts taking him to task during the Toronto Raptor's NBA playoff's @ CTV 

BFF: DoFo + Scheer: Radical Christian extremists from the Campaign Life Coalition got Premier Doug Ford to promise to defund and block access to abortion while scrapping sex ed, for their support in the Ontario 2018 provincial election. Now they are turning their guns on CPC leader Andrew Scheer in this fall's Canadian Federal election @ MacLeans

"Mini-Me" or "Connect The Dots": Think Ford's Ontario PC's are a complete horror show? Just imagine what the Scheer Conservatives could do to create havoc across Canada! Check out Engage Canada's ad and website @ ScheerWeakness

Canuck Right Wing Watch: Rebel Media, Canada's far right mouthpiece has long been long echoing their hate mongering, anti-muslim and pro Big Oil counterparts in the US. Think Trump North! They do so with the help of foreign dollars! And the tentacles run deep! They're very busy funding coverage of Ford crony and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. So to Neo Conster Andrew Scheer. Also his updated brownshirts; Canada's so called Yellow Vest "protesters". Sadly, while Engage Canada gets instantly labelled a big bad lobby group, with Rebel Media most Canadians ignore the obvious. Inside Rebel Media @ NP @ PP @ Walrus

Who Controls the Canadian Media? The Liberals blame the Conservatives, whom blame the Liberals. Of course, with oligarchical rigging, neither party really are in control, but back and forth the argument goes. Social media is harder to control. Still, best to always read between the lines! @ WP

Twitter Bots are responsible for the trending #TrudeauMustGo hashtag, a blunt, embarrassing, and quite obvious,Tory battering ram. Watch! Now that the SNC Lavalin Scandal seems to be losing steam, Andrew Scheer's Conservatives will just keep tossing shit, until something else sticks. Let's face it, all our main Canadian political parties are little more than corporate tools, screwing around with your head. Don't be fooled about their intent @ WP

SNC Lavalin Again: Canada's ethics commissioner Mario Dion rules that Prime Minister Trudeau did, in fact, violate the Conflict of Interest Act, when he tried to pressure former Attorney General Jodie Wilson-Raybould to bend the law, on behalf of his corrupt SNC Lavalin corporate buddies @ CBC 

Of course, CPC Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer acts outraged! But Scheer and SNC Lavalin's conservative party stooges would readily do exactly the same thing themselves, for their corporate masters, given the electoral chance this fall. Meanwhile, the distant, untried third party NDP also jockey for position. 

What's missing here?!? So far nobody is focusing on the urgent need to separate the roles of Justice Minister and Attorney General on cabinet! Above all, we need to stop any such outrageous corporate rigging and political interference in our judicial system, on a go forward basis! @ CBC

Well, at least Jodie has been finally vindicated. And so she gets the last word @  CTV

More Robocalls: iMarketing Solutions, founded by the Responsive Marketing Group, is picking up where they left off in the devious department! The parent company was responsible for misleading robocalls directing Ontario voters to the wrong polling station in 2011. Now iMarketing is fielding anonymous and quite negative polling calls about environmental issues prior to the fall federal election. They are very busy collecting names and mobilizing their target voters. Plus god knows what else. Be wary! Very wary! Both companies are closely linked to suspicious, alt right groups BC Strong and Ontario Strong @ VSun 

Big Oil Lies: Little surprise! Canada's Conservatives are enthral to the oil industry, spreading their lies about pipelines and climate change, in the run up to this fall's federal election. Lotsa conspiracy theories too, about their critics or anyone standing in the way of bigger profits. Just like Canada's so called right wing "Yellow Jackets". It's so bad, even the Washington Post takes note @ WP

Oil Election: Oil sand CEO's are paying for full page newspaper ads to promote the fossil fuel industry ahead of this fall's Canadian election. Talk about big, bad "special interest" groups eh? Seems it's okay for the NeoConsters to give it a go, but everybody has a shit fit if it's some lefty environmentalist. Sigh. Alas. @ CBC

Labour Initiative: As climate protests erupt around the world, Canadian labour steps up. They'll collectively advocate for a "Green New Deal" by "bargaining for the common good". Read @ ESV

Post Media Shit Storm: This is especially frightful! One of our largest chains is now dictating that all their newspapers uniformly toe the Neo Conservative hardline across Canada, as the fall federal election approaches. Big oil issues abound. Plus the names of PCP Party Leader Andrew Scheer, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and their buddies keep suspiciously coming up too. Seig Heil @ CanadaLand

Trumpish Dumpish: Canada's BNI and it's newspaper subsidiaries, based in St. John NB, will censor any editorial cartoons unfavourable to Ford and Scheer's BFF, Donald Trump. Especially when they go viral across the US and around the world. Heads will roll! Hmmm. Hate interference  Remember Russiagate? Connect the dots! Let's hope the US foreign interests don't prevail during this fall's federal election, eh! For shame @ CBC

Tweedle Dee + Tweedle Dum: Trudeau declares a national climate emergency. Says he supports First Nation Treaty Rights. Then approves a ghastly pipeline across indigenous lands. Sure, he talks the talk, but don't be fooled. He's just a lot slicker, less divisive. But the BS is the same. They all work for the same corporate thugs @ Tyee

The Problem With Andrew Scheer: He's a huge magnet for hate groups on the far right. And like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he's a corporate tool. But worse yet, all of this is being largely ignored by the Canadian media @ Macs Nor has NDP Federal leader Jagmeet Singh, coming late to the election game, been able to gain much traction @ Macs

Remember Oka: It's the 29th anniversary of the fierce Mohawk standoff with a Canadian government hellhound on building a golf course on top of their ancient burial grounds. Our DoFo has been pretty brazen cutting back on anything and everything First Nation, from TRC to trying to dictate pot shop policy on treaty lands. Bring him on! One doubts there are going to be many tears across Ontario, if our Mohawk friends stick it to the fat fuck big time, in the daze ahead. Look back. Think forward @ ICT

Hamilton's Pride parade turned nasty and violent this year. The LGBTQ community is feeling threatened. The city doesn't seem to be doing much. The homophobic Yellow Vests laugh it up. While police go about arresting the more vocal gay activists and anarchists. The story isn't getting reported much. Surprised? More @ CBC For an alt perspective, check out The Tower @ Facebook

IN THE NEWS

Twilight Zone Time: Duh. Duh. Duh. Duh ......

Mueller Time: Seems everybody and their mother has a very strong point of view on the Mueller Report! The alleged Russian election meddling? The Donald Trump cover-up? The obstruction of justice? Even US AG William Barr's summary seems dubious at best. We can't all be right. Or wrong.

Perhaps it's time to actually read it ourselves? At least take a serious gander? So we can speak knowledgeably! About the most important issue in US politics today! And perhaps for a very long time to come!

What the heck did Bob really say? And what is to be done? I prefer the cheap, hard copy version of the Mueller Report. It's now available in bookstores. And even at Costco for crying out loud! Or read the online version for free! @ WP

Ignorance Not Bliss: Astonishingly, a lot of congressional lawmakers haven't even bothered to read the Mueller Report for themselves, as they finally sit to meet with him @ Politico

White Faced: Whatever else, Mueller certainly highlights a dysfunctional, chaotic White House on show for all to see. Both at home and abroad, a Great Power unhinged can be horrifying. Very dangerous. One's enemies take succour. Who knows what they'll do next. Or even if they need to, when the controls are set for self destruct. Consider carefully @  Pol

Welcome 2 The Amerikan Reich: Quite arguably, the US is now involved in a complete fascist meltdown. Few seem to even recognize it's slide into fascism, let alone admit the truth @ Eand

Politics of Distraction: Trump's been doubling down in his mad flurry of racist attacks against 4 female members of the US House of Reps. He's hell bent on using lots of all too familiar dog whistles and coded language. His goal? To distract the electorate from his failed, misguided presidency @ PBS

Getting Out The Racist Vote: Trump's sickening racist attacks could actually increase his re-election chances for next year. Sadly, his racism appeals to a lot of Americans, even though he's tearing the country apart. Whoa. How low can he go? Just watch! More @ WP @ NYT

Boomers Vs Millennials: "The Squad" Trump is so vehemently attacking are all progressive, young millennials from the Democratic controlled House of Reps. They're forward looking, diverse and representative of generational change. Certainly a lot more so than the GOP. Long term, that augers well for the party, if the Democrats can hold it together! But Der Donald is also trying to divide and conquer the party split between it's millennial and old guard "baby boomer" factions. They're all ready at odds over policy and strategy. Can the Democrats unite in time to defeat Trump in 2020? More @ Yahoo @ Atlantic

Impeach or Prosecute? The focus right now seems to be on whether President Donald Trump should be impeached or not. However, to prosecute him on criminal charges after he finishes office could be the best option. Or maybe not? More @ Politico

Dem Dems? The new, urbanized Democratic Party coalition is more diverse and representative of the US population at large than ever before. Thats reflected in the many house votes. Sadly they're often slipping by unnoticed among all Trump's jackass, diversionary grandstanding and antics. Still, are they up to the big job of toppling him in 2020? Time will tell. The clock is ticking. More @ CNN

Democratic Socialism: Presidential contender Bernie Sanders makes a strong case for Democratic Socialism in the US. Attacks Corporate Socialism. Meanwhile, moderate Democrats wring their hands. Are they up to the fight? Will it sell? By US standards, he's definitely pushing the envelope firmly into the new century! More @ Vox @ CNN 

Living Through Another Cuba? Seems not! Despite all his huffing and puffing over Venezuela, the Trumpster is no JFK. Yup. There was a failed, US sponsored, right wing coup attempt. But the dirty tricks seem as far as he's willing to go. It's being widely reported elsewhere, if not here. Both Russia and China have told him to fuck off. Not send in troops. Go the UN route instead. Work to stabilize the troubled nation. Which he won't. And so for now, armed Manifest Destiny at least, in the America's, during the Era of Trump, is kaput! More @ Pol @ TeleSur

Coup D'Etat 101: The crisis in Venezuela is very much an issue of people verses oil rights. The US just can't let that go unchallenged. Corporate profits must always come first, everyday folks be damned @ PR

Trump-o-meter Cuba: Despite the democratic elections and move to a mixed economy, Trump continues to stick it to Cuba. Even though they're not Communist China, or North Korea, or Vietnam or ... or ... Here's what he's done to roll back Obama's Cuba policies that helped bring about positive change @ PF

EDUCATION BEAT

Fake News 101: It's absolutely essential to be able to spot misinformation and disinformation online. Here are some handy tips @ CBC

Bill 115 Redux: Ontario teacher contracts expire August 31st. So many job and course cuts have already been announced. Bets are the Ford Neo Cons will unilaterally impose an austerity contract on the teachers, with lots of slashes and burns a la the Wynne Liberal's Bill 115. Yes! That was ruled illegal years later. But are AEFO, ETFO, OECTA and OSSTF up to the fight? Or will they roll over and play dead again? The unions do so at their own peril. This time, they could very well end up down for the count! Do or die time, it's shaping up as a fight to the finish @ BI

No 2 Ford: Let's Rally 4 Education!

Ontario Teacher Negotiation Update: Trustee contract negotiations get snagged from the get-go over issues of local verses provincial bargaining. Nobody is publicly saying what the province has actually put on the table, so we still don't know the real story yet. Still, the procedural time lines mean a strike won't happen this September, when school starts. But watch it get real ugly fast @ TSun @ CBC

Autism Lies: It's official! Turns out Ontario Premier Ford blatantly lied, or rather "deliberately spread misinformation" about the devastating effect his ruthless autism program cuts would have, to quickly push them through. Surprised? Don't be @ Globe

In Bed With Ford: The TCDSB Toronto Catholic school board turns on it's own teachers to balance Ford's $32.8 million funding shortfall. The teachers will now need to pay $10 a day to park at work, a defacto salary cutback. No word yet on whether parents visiting the school must pay too. Nor the trustees or admin at the board office. For shame! @ TStar

How To Talk To Young People About Trump's racist Language: We have a social responsibility we can't ignore. If we do, his trash talk, as disgusting and highly politically charged as it may be, becomes normalized. Seems okay. Here's a helpful guide for both parents and teachers alike @ Med

School Gun Violence101: American students are caught in the crossfire over gun rights. They aren't safe at school anymore, but their cries for help are being  ignored. Remember: These are their formative years. You can bet that's going to leave a deep, lasting impression, as they come of political age. Learn what it's like from a student perspective @ PBS

How To Talk To Young People About The Mass Shootings: Good to know for parents and educators alike. Education is the most most powerful weapon we can use to change the world @ ADL

White Replacement Theory 101: There's a striking similarity to the reasons given by many alt right killers to excuse their shooting sprees. In their "manifestos" they claim that it was necessary to restore a loss of white privilege. Scary stuff! Here's how the "thinking" goes @ Guardian

Dangerous Ideas: At it's most basic, white replacement theory is even more insidious and quite widespread. It's based upon the belief that at home and abroad, only white people are fit to govern themselves. Otherwise chaos will prevail. Sadly, it's been a common, underlying if not unspoken "idea" in American politics throughout the years. With Trump, it still holds sway today @ Atlantic

"Who 2 Trust Anymore Come Hell Or High Water?!?" Not organized religion! It's all but abandoned the moral high ground. Did so long ago. We've been lied to for far too long. The sexual abuse is very well documented now, and it's legion. So Pope Francis finally sets some new rules for investigating all the Catholic cover-ups, but it's in house, not something that has to be reported to police. And the penalties remain unclear. Meanwhile, the Southern Baptists also continue to grapple with widespread and rampant history of sexual abuse like so many of the other churches. Too little! Too late! Quick! Hide the kiddies! The virgin girls and boys! Faaaaaaa! Jesus must be rolling in his grave! @ WSJ @ TGC

KULTURE KULT INK

Toronto Raptors Win! Naw! Most of the team are Yanks, not Canucks! But they've won the NBA! Defeating the Warriors 114-110, in a 6th game nail biter! A first time for the Raptors. Also the first time an ... ahem ... non US team has won! But Canada parties like crazy anyway. Cracking open the Brewski's! Firing up the joints! Of course, a lot of the NHL players are from here, and ... and ... and so @ Global

Cultural Apocalypse Now: News? Information? Sports? Business? Entertainment? Any semblance of a free, and robust Canadian media is now basically dead in the water, devoured by the huge conglomerates, who all but control the flow of information. So how to protect Canadian Content. Our "Made In Canada" cultural sovereignty? Or is it all ready too late? @ Friends

Abbey Rd Lives: On the 50th anniversary of the iconic Abbey Rd album, a baby boomer explains how the Beatles message of love never fails to inspire, especially today! The Pepper Effect @ PBS Read about my visit to Abbey Road @ Blog

50th Anniversary + Counting: Each Beatles album has been treated to a deluxe remix complete with unreleased tracks, starting with Sergeant Peppers [2017], and the White Album [2018]. Abbey Rd follows this fall! @ BB What's missing from it? @ UCR How about remixing the early albums too? Or Let It Be? Or the rooftop concert? @ Youtube

White Handmaid Tale: This dystopian TV series is basically about white women dealing with sexual slavery and reproductive rights. Very popular, poignant, and great as far as it goes! However, like most popular TV shows, it largely omits the struggle of women of colour against sexism too. If you're not a part of the solution, then it's a problem. More @ AfroP

Sexist Air-Conditioning?!? Summer is upon us! So. Do you need to wear a heavy sweater at work? Totally freeze your tootsies off every time you enter an air-conditioned building? That's because the temperature is automatically preset to the comfort levels for an average 155 lb, 5 foot 10 man wearing a suit and tie in the 1960's! Even nowadaze? Too bad! The times they are a changing, but maybe not for you! Grrrrrr. Brrrrrr @ WN

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