Fidel Castro and social media /  by Grey Gallinger

Nelson P. Valdes, has a piece on CounterPunch about Fidel Castro's new briefer communiqués. He's scaled back his 5 hour speeches to haiku-like snippets of knowledge. Valdes points out that many American journalists are questioning Castro's sanity based on his recent musing, but as Valdes points out, Castro may be tipping us off to the rapidly changing world around us with comments like this:

Simply reading these news items shows the possibility and the necessity we have of enriching our knowledge which today is fragmented and scattered. Perhaps it takes us to more critical positions on the superficiality with which we deal with cultural and material problems. I have not the slightest doubt that our world is changing much more quickly than we are capable of imagining.

Our world is changing indeed. Imagine traveling back in time to 1962 and telling your grandparents/parents that one day Fidel Castro will be tweeting about yoga.

When it comes to oil, we need to stop being so shortsighted /  by Grey Gallinger

David Suzuki, via Uptown:

The goal of our government and industry leaders appears to be to dig up as much oil as possible, as quickly as possible, and sell it overseas, and damn the economic and environmental consequences. If that means selling entire tar-sands operations and the bitumen to companies owned by a government known for human-rights abuses and environmental destruction; if it means polluting water and putting people’s health at risk; if it means killing birds, caribou and wolves; if it means putting our manufacturing industry at risk and not joining the green-energy economy, all for the sake of a few short-term and even fewer long-term jobs, who cares? There’s a quick buck to be made. And the economy will appear to chug along until the next election and maybe the one after that. And that’s surely enough time to dismantle many of the laws, policies and institutions that have made Canada the great country it is!

David Suzuki is quite possibly the brightest and most beloved scientific mind in this country, yet his voice is perpetually ignored by those in power, particularly the current government.

The Province pulls satirical video under pressure from Enbridge /  by Grey Gallinger

CBC News:

An Enbridge spokesman did say a conversation took place with Postmedia, but he wouldn't divulge any details about who contacted the newspaper company or what was said other than post media had apologized for the spoof.

The parody video in question can be found on YouTube*.

If this is how Enbridge deals criticism in the media how do you suppose it operates when it comes to environmental restraints and political hurdles. It's easy to see who really runs this country.

Doctors and med students interrupt Minister of Resources announcement at Toronto General Hospital /  by Grey Gallinger

The health care cuts to refugee services that Dr. Chris Keefer mentions are part of the omnibus budget legislation being slated to be passed by the Senate.

CBC News has more on the event.

The comment section is littered with comments like "why should they get **MORE** than me?" and all kinds of privileged whiners, one person even writes
Why not, they're already used to hardship.
The Harper Government and its supporters are taking Canada in a terrible self-destructive direction. Their xenophobia, anti-science attitude, and disregard for the well being of fellow humans and the environment is setting us back. History will show their policies not only led us astray in a moral sense, but their management of healthcare and science will be detrimental to the country's economy.