streetfestival

Journalism in Canada is at its lowest ebb in decades, as evidenced by the cancellation or pausing of several post-secondary programs in the subject due to the dismal job market.

Postmedia Network, Canada’s largest newspaper chain by far, is 98 per cent owned by U.S. hedge funds and has had to sell assets and lay off workers to make payments on the hundreds of millions in company debt the vulture capitalists also hold. The corporation has steadily tightened its grip on Canadian newspapers since its creation in 2010, buying: Sun Media, Canada’s second-largest chain at the time, in 2015; Brunswick News, the chain that monopolizes New Brunswick, in 2022; and SaltWire, the chain that dominates the rest of the Maritimes, earlier this year.

Canada’s current second-largest chain, Torstar, was taken over in 2020 by private equity firm NordStar Capital, which has been stripping its assets and eviscerating its workforce. Last year, it converted 71 Ontario community newspapers published by its Metroland subsidiary to online-only publications, laying off more than 600 workers in the process. It then cheated them out of the severance pay they were owed by taking advantage of our bankruptcy laws.

Our broadcasting industry isn’t in much better shape,...

Gina Rinehart, an Australian worth $30 billion and an avid Donald Trump supporter, has changed Alberta’s politics in her relentless pursuit of mined coal.

The saga offers more evidence on how the wealthy exercise their raw financial power to engineer democracy for their own economic benefit. Political scientists call the oversized influence of billionaires “the wealthification” of politics. Witness how billionaires dominated the U.S. presidential election.

In the last three years she has repeatedly sued the Alberta and federal governments and challenged regulatory processes. And even though three separate courts have found her arguments baseless and without merit, she continues to sue.

Two outstanding lawsuits, for example, contend the Alberta government owes her billions because her mining plans were stymied. Overwhelming public opposition to coal mining forced the government to impose a coal moratorium in the Rockies to protect critical watersheds.

Outside of provincial and federal courts, Rinehart has hired two lobby firms with ties to the United Conservative Party government to actively promote her open-pit mining project.

When it became clear that citizens living in the municipal district of Ranchland, where Rinehart wants to build the mega-mine, were overwhelmingly opposed to its construction, Rinehart actively participated in a dubious referendum sanctioned by Smith in the neighbouring community of Crowsnest Pass. Rinehart’s company even drove voters to the polls.

Name an animal (or several) you like and mention why you like it. No wrong answers!

TIL. I knew there were many vegetarians in India. I just learned that that vegetarianism excludes chicken eggs, which as a North American caught me off-guard. I looked at a couple webpages, which means I'm an expert on the topic now /s

https://www.thejuggernaut.com/eggetarianism-india-eggs-vegetarianism

Many assume that India is a country of vegetarians, but that’s miles from the truth: 69% of Indians eat meat, and about 23% are egg eaters. Of this latter group, 9% identify as “eggetarians,” or vegetarians who eat eggs.

https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/2601/why-are-eggs-not-consumed-by-many-hindus

Moral Reason: I have been taught that one reason such eggs are not considered suitable for consumption is that by preventing fertilization you are preventing the birth of an animal, which is considered unjust by some. The reasoning here is that blockading the creation of life is similar if not equal to extinguishing it.

Vedic Reason: According to Wikipedia's article on Sattvic diet, an unfertilized egg is considered Rajasic, or overly stimulating. Such foods are not to be consumed as they lead to an unfit state of mind.

Editorial on (still) wearing a COVID mask By Senator Paula Simons. Good read

https://mstdn.social/@yurnidiot/113761499482661356

https://mastodon.social/@[email protected]/113742840508193424

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program also includes Pearson Airport, Air Canada and Metrolinx

It's a simple concept: transit riders in Mississauga with a hidden disability wear a sunflower lanyard — but the hope is that it makes a big difference for people living with a disability.

"You wear something that doesn't point out that you are different or that you have special needs, it isn't obvious," explains Doris Cooper, a member of Mississauga's transit advisory committee and a participant in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program.

The City of Mississauga recently joined the program, making it Canada's first municipal transit provider to become a member.

The lanyard is meant to discreetly inform transit staff that the rider may need more help or time. It also aims to support and improve the travel experience of riders with hidden disabilities, making their trips smooth, seamless and respectful.

Artist Marie LeBlanc Flanagan has designed an arcade-style video game that invites players to try their luck at cycling Toronto’s city streets without bike lanes.

The simple game, dubbed “Loser Lane,” allows users to make just two key strokes — left and right — as they maneuver their cyclist avatar through Toronto’s city streets.

Dangers that can end the game include cars, car doors and streetcar tracks.

As a cyclist, the artist said she was infuriated by Premier Doug Ford’s announcement that he would be removing bike lanes from Toronto streets so she poured her energy into creating the video game.

RECLAIM is an adaptive platform randomized trial comparing the effectiveness of various interventions for lingering symptoms of COVID-19. Many doctors have seen an increase in patients with "long COVID" or Post-COVID Condition.