The Weekender: I Have Concerns, And So Should You

As Seth Meyer observed, the past few years of the Trump administration have only been a month… In covering U.S. politics for the show, we’ve come to understand that a days can seem like weeks as the day begins with one story you think is going to be the top headline only to see it overruled after lunch time by a new top story of equal or greater importance. One might mistake this intensity of output for productivity in achieving the Trump agenda, but despite the sternest of denials from the President’s supporters, it’s usually the sign of another scandal or conflict breaking, and because of that we should all be concerned. Continue reading “The Weekender: I Have Concerns, And So Should You” →

Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday February 23, 2017

This week on Open Sources Guelph, we will ponder a week a week without Trump, or at least we’ll try to. It’s hard to separate the larger-than-life current POTUS from just about any discussion about the news, but we’ve heard your cries for relief and we’ll try and give it to you… In the second half of the show. First, we’ll talk about how White House policy is making people run for the border, and not in a delightful Taco Bell way, and then we’ll look at how alt-right darling Milo Yiannopoulos finally went too far. After the break, it’s all about electoral reform Guelph-style, and why the NDP can’t seem to shake the Mulcair-effect, even if they want to. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday February 23, 2017” →

The Weekender: Rebels Without Claws (Or How We Should Stop Silencing Milo, Ezra and the Rest)

How small and slight Milo Yiannopoulos seems not that I’ve seen him. Until his Friday night appearance on Real Time will Bill Maher I had assumed he had devil horns or was some kind of gargoyle looking guy, or something. Nope, he’s a skinny dope with a British accent that clearly enjoys being both the centre of attention and the object of revile, which is why all the reaction to him, be it Jeremy Scahill’s refusal to appear on the same Real Time episode as Yuannopoulos, or the riot that Berkley threw for his planned speaking engagement a few weeks back, is exactly what he wants. People hate Milo, and he loves it, which is why we should stop giving him and others like him what they want. Continue reading “The Weekender: Rebels Without Claws (Or How We Should Stop Silencing Milo, Ezra and the Rest)” →

Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday February 16, 2017

After weeks of waiting and handwringing, the time has finally come on Open Sources Guelph to deal with something you’ve been on the edge of your seat expecting: the arrival of first politician interview from outside Guelph. Kitchener-Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife will be our special guest this week, the first of what we hope will be many sitting MPs and MPPs from the immediate area to join us on the show. We’ll also talk about that other hotly anticipated meet-up, the one between the King of Selfies and the Reality TV president, and then things will get serious about the future of Guelph Hydro. Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday February 16, 2017” →

From Spannerbook: Parkamania

Spannerbook

Justin Trudeau is on another barn-stormy, petrol sucking national tour, popping up this past week in The North with a “Justin” branded parka that has just enough fur trim to appease the seal hunters yet not enough for the soft PETA types to scream murder outright. The ship of state sails on, straight down the centre in the ever consistent Liberal way – tacking starboard so that that Bay Street is not displeased yet occasionally veering to port to soothe the conscience of the glowing hearts of his amorphous middle class voters. He probably thought Iqaluit was far enough away from anyone who might want to keep harping on about the unceremonious ditching of electoral reform but even the Parka Plebs will not let it go.

justin-parka-2 The electoral reform promise may have been flushed but it’s still swirling around in the bowl. Justin is running out of rhetorical tricks and…

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Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday February 9, 2017

It’s a special occasion this week on Open Sources Guelph, and we’re inviting a lot of friends over to mark the day. What’s the occasion? Why we’re marking six and a half decades of Queen Elizabeth II’s rule, and we’re going to celebrate with our old friends in the Conservative leadership race, our good pals in the Trump administration, and all those both concerned and elated to making our little town by the two rivers an official “sanctuary.” Continue reading “Open Sources Show Notes for Thursday February 9, 2017” →

From Spannerbook: Get Back

Spannerbook

the-crumbling In the midst of the all consuming vortex that was The Inauguration, Tom Mulcair went to Hamilton to visit with some retired steelworkers in their union hall. People tend to always call it The Hammer now but those of us of a certain vintage know the place as Steeltown and remember the particulate haze of its glory days. The federal NDP seems to be trying to get back to where it once belonged but it might be a bit late for Tom himself. It’s uncertain as to whether this trip was his initiative or something the party brass decided would be a good mission to rediscover it’s raison d’etre. It would be a welcome homecoming for those holding out for a political hero or two.

The workers seem happy enough that someone is finally paying political attention to them. Thousands of pensioners at the once mighty Stelco are still left…

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