Google is not stealing news publishers’ content. News Media Canada has accused us of stealing news content, but how Google Search connects people with news articles is no different than the way we connect you to any other website online. We don’t provide the content, just a link and sometimes a small extract of the article to give users a preview. And news organizations can opt-out of being included, keep the links but remove the previews, and more.
This is how other search engines and the Internet at large works. While publishers receive traffic from many different sources, we sent more than 5 billion visits to Canadian news publishers last year – at no charge – helping publishers make money by showing their own ads to those visitors or converting people into new paying subscribers. This traffic drove an estimated$500 million worth of value.
We built Google Ad Manager to help publishers monetize their content and grow revenue. Over the years, we’ve continued to invest in innovations that improve our technology, so news companies can earn more from digital advertising and create sustainable businesses. Alongside our product enhancements, our dedicated news team partners with publishers of all sizes to uncover new ways to adapt and grow their business with advertising. This helps keep the best of the internet open and free for all of us.
The bureaucrats need to get down from their lofty towers and do some reading. I do not mean textbook reading they did to possibly earn a degree. Google has posted information about revenue sharing for two decades. Canadian media have earned large sums of money from this gift from Google. More laws in Canada aimed at masterful and complicated rules will hurt the media far more than help.
The space travel veteran said in Berlin that the space research conducted over the past 60 years has shown that people face a larger task than the conquest of space: namely, preserving nature on earth.
His point of view was supported by German astronauts Sigmund Jähn and Thomas Reiter.
“If you look down from there on our beautiful planet, you are thrilled by its beauty, on the one hand. But on the other, you are frightened how vulnerable our planet is. And you become very thoughtful when you fly over these many regions where conflicts take place,” Reiter said.
“If we continue this way, we will destroy the ground for the future of the mankind,” Jähn said. “We must understand that any stupid things and crimes that we are doing with our small earth does not go unpunished. So, it is time to protect the earth!” the cosmonaut concluded.
President Putin with the elected representatives, turned the economy of Russia around, to give Russia back to the people of Russia. The middle class appeared by 2004 and continues to increase to this day. Over 30% of the Russian population is now middle class while the west sinks into poverty. Unemployment is very low so Russia is being careful on immigration. Very little of what he and the elected Duma and Senate have done is told to the western audience. While the west continues to spend trillions on war Russia built a rapid rail system between Moscow and St. Petersburg. A nine hour trip now takes under three environmentally friendly hours.
The age of Empire ended with the decline of the Roman Empire between 400 to 700 C.E. (Common Era)
The vast trade routes of Rome extended to China, India, Africa and Europe. An Empire expands into unknown territories and the Roman Empire did so over more than a 1500 years.
“There was but one Rome: no other city, either of ancient or modern times, has ever rivaled this astonishing metropolis in the grandeur of magnitude; and not many—if we except the cities of Greece, none at all—in the grandeur of architectural display.
Among empires: the Persians, the Spanish, French and British cannot but be admired as prodigious growths out of so small a stem. There was but one Rome: no other city, as we are satisfied by the collation of many facts, either of ancient or modern times, has ever rivaled Rome. The earth had its prerogative city and that city was Rome.
Power is measured by resistance. Upon such a scale, if it were applied with skill, the relations of greatness in Rome to the greatest of all that has gone before her, and has yet come after her, would first be adequately revealed. Since that era no land, no part and parcel of the Roman empire, has ever risen into strength and opulence, except where unusual artificial industry has availed to counteract the tendencies of nature.” Thomas de Quincey
How is Your World?
Do you wonder how long it will take for the populist media to mention unemployment or under-employment? Did you receive an increase in pay from your employer during the past two years? Have you noticed how the food industry has reduced the size of the package and increased the cost of food?
When the media writes a story about food or price increases they use the term average price. Average is taking all of the prices over a time frame and dividing it. Only the median price or cost lets you see how many dollars are removed from your budget to cover the increase. It is deceit on the part of the media to leave out the details.
The Truth or Not is in the Wording
Some believe we are in an age of information made simple with electronic devices. I would agree we have improved on a rapidly moving technology. How many people look at their mobile device and think of it as a hand-held computer? Here is the result of a search for the most favored apps being used from the Google Play store.
It doesn’t appear as though many people are using a dictionary in that group. We certainly have no desire to ruin their day by teaching them to understand the meaning of words. Let’s look at another group from Google Play rated as the most used apps.
This group definitely sees no need to learn how to spell or understand composition. Say what you want to say in a myriad of characters and gain fans, friends and followers. Whatever you do keep it short and use one syllable words since very few people read or know how to read an article. The trick to raising your totals on most of these most used website apps is by posting a nude or semi-nude photo.
When you get into an argument with a know-it-all you can get rid of the person with a quick photo such as the one below. The person in this case retorted with “that’s not Moscow..!!” For over 15 years and counting Russia bolted forward while the populist media kept silent. Moscow became a financial hub bringing with it good paying employment, massive reconstruction, a space program second to no one and a rising middle class.
The sanctions placed on Russia go far beyond the Ukraine or Crimea. They were meant to slow down the billions of dollars flowing into Russia as a sound investment. There was a slight pause by investors for almost three or so months.
The Facts Please
Let’s be reasonable with the knowledge the cold war ended when the Berlin Wall came tumbling down in 1989. Followed closely by the wall in Berlin the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) began to unravel. Each of the former states within the USSR, including Russia, began to feel freedom for the first time since 1917. (some countries were pulled into the Soviet sphere after WW II)
A marvelous writer wrote an article from an American perspective about the cold war. I re-blogged it a few weeks ago. As the communist Soviet Union came undone I was happy there were no longer Russian boggy men waiting to take my life. Now as the years pass I realize it was all a fabrication of lies to instill fear rather than peace in my life. For whatever reason, the US and its’ NATO allies, need an enemy to create a society for the very wealthy. As for the rest of us there are food banks, poverty, drugs and some food stamps.
We are not Equal in the Eyes of the Wealthiest
This article began by saying a few words about the Roman Empire. Seldom seen in the movies or documentaries are the lives of the slaves. We see the brave Senators while hearing the words of the largest land owners. They are in fact the same people. Rome was built on the backs of the slaves in the same way many western nations were built. A woman had no rights being considered unequal in the eyes of the men who wrote the rules. Simply read the biblical words men wrote on how a proper slave may be worthy of salvation. Why do you allow anyone to fill you with fear by placing themselves in the lofty position over you?
The media moguls should know when the cold war ended the so-called leader of the free world vanished too. Isn’t it odd the media repeats the free world lie while articles about our environment disappear? Follow the money trail whenever you read, listen to, or watch their trail of fear, lies and lack of imagination.
Enjoy Life
“The international community should have learned from the past lessons. The historical parallels in this case are undeniable. Unwillingness to join forces against Nazism in the 20th century cost us millions of lives in the bloodiest world war in human history. If they expected a nervous or hysterical reaction from us, if they wanted to see us become a danger to ourselves as much as to the world, they won’t get it. They won’t get any response meant for show or even for immediate political gain. They won’t get it..” Vladimir Putin Dec. 2, 2016
They didn’t get it nor do they understand.
Thank you for the Music – Freddie was our Friend too
Image from my library – camping in a wilderness area with friends
Lesson One
We will begin with a few simple facts hidden from you by our governments. You are currently being misled into a campaign of hate by the media meant to derail honest discussions. The western media in particular have side-tracked important issues concerning our future.
Let’s get into lesson one about Propaganda
How many vehicles do you own? How many kilometers do you drive per year and what is the cost of your fuel consumption?
Developers are building what I call mini-castles as a family home. Do you need 7 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms? You might find room to plant a flower beside the 2 or 3 car garage.
The best calculator I was able to find is from The National Geographic website. It gives you a glance at your foot print on our planet.
Give it a try since it is one of the few things really free on the Internet. Everything else is cluttered with ways to save money by spending it called advertising.
This ends lesson one on how propaganda is used every day.
The planet could pass the critical 1.5°C global temperature threshold in a decade—and is already two-thirds of the way to hit that warming limit, climate scientists warned on Thursday.Speaking at a University of Oxford conference this week, led by leading U.K. climate researcher Richard Betts, scientists said global greenhouse gas emissions are not likely to slow down quickly enough to avoid passing the 1.5°C target.
What began as a small wildfire on May 2, 2016 became nature’s rage of fury. Premier Notely showed every Albertan how to handle an emergency. The probability of getting every person out of Fort McMurray to safety was a daunting task. One four lane highway southbound could have easily turned into a big tragedy. Up to 90,000 people needed to evacuate Fort McMurray as orderly as possible. They drove south with the wildfire roaring along the highway.
Premier Notely worked with her administration in conjunction with individuals, police, fire fighters and industry to ensure the safety of evacuating residents. 1000s of videos along with photos made their way to broadcasters and social networks. It appeared as though the Premier was giving updates every hour.
Her request was simple; “everyone needs to work together” and together cities large and small did it. People volunteered their time to set up temporary facilities and coordinate the incoming donations of food, clothing and places to sleep. The province of Alberta became a beehive of activity with everyone working together.
“The wildfires ravaging Canada’s oil hub in northern Alberta have rapidly spread to an area bigger than New York city, prompting the air lift of more than 8,000 evacuees as firefighters seek to salvage critical infrastructure.”
Global Edmonton reporter Fletcher Kent, was reporting on the Fort McMurray wildfire, at times having to run from his assignment. Fletcher shares his experience covering the story and the incredible generosity of those in Fort McMurray.
As the wildfire continued to grow Premier Notely put in place funds to assist the people of Fort McMurray in every way possible. With the economy of Alberta already facing a downturn due to low oil and gas prices the “Tory old boys club” were busy making snarky comments. For most I commented back with “you had 40 years now get out of the way”.
Premier Notely continued with the updates giving information of value to everyone dealing with the wildfire. She was doing exactly what a leader should do.
Fire fighters continue to do a street by street sweep ensuing all fires are extinguished. Today some equipment is heading north to do repair work in Fort McMurray. The RCMP are ensuring only registered company vehicles are allowed into the area. They are protecting the property belonging to the residents.
The line ups were long as the emergency funding was released to the Fort McMurray residents.
Rachel Notely we can safely say Albertans made a wise choice by voting to have you as our Premier.
Get lost hedge funds and oily advertisers, The Tyee is reader-funded.
It’s that vision that motivated me, 12 years ago, to found The Tyee. People said real journalism was too expensive to be reader-supported. And that no readers would provide money to a website they could read for free. People said I was naive and, yes, deluded. Some days I was tempted to agree.
But I don’t feel that way today.
I believe that The Tyee can continue to pay for hard-hitting reporting and employ a top notch staff, because there is no point in creating independent media if it deprives skilled, committed journalists of paid work.
During a short discussion with a Conservative she stated: “What does it matter how the world sees Canada” My response was simple. “Do you see any Canadian connectivity with the world?” End of discussion.
Canada is Connected to every Person on the Planet
Where was the debate about Canada’s contribution to world-wide pollution?
A major environmental shift is underway and will likely cause a much shorter lifespan for humans on planet. Some call it climate change or global warming. Others, much wiser, look at it as a shift in the environment between a livable and non-livable habitat.
The Green Party has a narrow view. They pick on one industry while skipping over their own backyard. It is a common thread now to blame someone else while tossing your trash in the Oceans. The Green Party get excited about electric cars and using a bicycle in Vancouver. It is a common delusion, without a minute of thought, as to where and how the electricity is generated.Here are two charts for the Green Party supporters
What the map conveniently does not include is shown in the next chart. British Columbia imports of electricity in a deficit. Under the Columbia Basin Treaty the US supplies free nuclear powered electricity to British Columbia.
Canadians consume massive amounts of oil and gas. Your electricity for the most part comes from coal and diesel generating power plants. Ontario is using Nuclear Power while Quebec uses Hydro. Our Maritime Provinces use imported oil. Ontario wants to bury its Nuclear Waste 1 km. from the Great Lakes.
Our larger cities seek billions to expand public transit systems used by a small part of the population. Roads and highways are constantly under construction. The newest insane plan involves spending 100s of millions on bicycle lanes in our ever so warm winter climate.
Big oil companies, most of them US owned, were allowed to create the oil sands project in Alberta. The former Conservative government of Alberta placed little or no restrictions on the clean up process. Newly elected Premiere Rachel Notley has 40 years of Conservative neglect on her governments hands.
Let’s get to the point on how Canada is connected to the world
Canada gives the air a toxic aroma,
Canada daily dumps trillions of liters raw sewage into the rivers and oceans,
Canada pollutes the land and aquifers with hydraulic fracturing chemicals,
Canada uses vehicles that consume ever-increasing amounts of fuel tossing the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,
Canada for the last 10 years, under Harper’s Conservatives, used 30% of our food grain to create bio-fuel.
Canada, under the Conservatives, sold the Wheat Board to Saudi Arabia, putting independent Canadian farmers at risk of collapse.
All life on the planet is connected
Five years ago Russia invited Canada to a meeting to open discussions about the Arctic Ocean. Harper and the Conservatives refused the invitation. Our two countries border on 80% of the Arctic Ocean. Of course, not to be outdone, Justin Trudeau recently said he would slap the President of the Russian Federation’s face. That would be a wise move at the beginning of talks for an Arctic Treaty. The United States has overblown their importance about the Arctic since their tiny sliver barely hits 2% of the Arctic boundaries.
Everything we do in Canada does affect the world and Canadians. As an environment caretaker we are rated near the bottom. The education system in Canada fell from the top 5 to 69th since Harper’s Conservatives took office. Scientists were silenced by Harper about the same time he burned Canada’s scientific libraries.
When will Canada step up as a World Leader to Clean up the Environment?
What I am about to suggest is done with the greatest amount of sincerity. To those willing to vote for the Green Party please reconsider your vote. In many ridings your vote will let the Conservatives slip up the middle and win the seat. Look up the stats on the Elections Canada website. It happened in over 20 ridings. Consider what Canadians did to Brian Mulroney by leaving the Conservatives with 2 seats in Parliament.
Your turn will come after we have ensured a total defeat of Harper and his Conservatives on October 19, 2015. Where you know there is a high possibility of a Green Party win make it happen. You already have official party status in the House of Commons.
Please watch this 8 minutes video prepared for all Canadians.
Many people are asking questions about voting during the upcoming Federal Election in Canada. I took notes from questions being asked on various social networks and media outlets. Most, not all, of the information written here is from Elections Canada and the Government of Canada websites. It is meant to take the confusion out of making your vote count.
Changes were made by the Harper Government to the Elections Act. We can work around the changes meant to derail several million Canadians from voting by being informed. Contrary to media hype there are millions of Canadians who do not have Internet access. It is therefore necessary for those who do have access to pass on the facts on how to vote. Charities, non-profits and other organizations should mobilize volunteers to assist in the voting during the election. Political parties, by law, are also allowed to take people to the correct Polling Station. Technically they are not to use the drive as a way of influencing your vote. One of the major concerns is finding out if you are registered to vote. Anyone over the age of 18 is eligible to vote in Canada. The Elections Canada website is available in English and French.
How Do You Know if You are Registered to Vote
Every citizen of Canada with Internet access can find out if you are registered by going to the Elections Canada website. It is open and available for every computer and device. For those without their own computer you can use the local Libraries or any support group with a computer. The website addresses privacy concerns and shows you how to clear the browser history. You as a citizen, with Internet, have every right to help friends and family make certain they are registered.
It is simple to register at the Elections Canada website. Please share your knowledge by helping another Canadian citizen to vote.
For those registered a Voter Information Card will arrive at the address Elections Canada has on file. A good reason for everyone to check their status and update your address if required. The Voter Information Card is no longer a valid piece of identification.
Changes Directed at Specific Citizens
Aboriginal Peoples
A few new, rather convoluted steps are required, for Aboriginal Peoples from coast to coast to coast. Information can be found here for you to read. My take on the changes is simple. It is about as close to requiring a lawyer to witness your vote as possible. You can thank the Harper Government, by voting, and be assured you are not alone. Elections Canada offers several Aboriginal languages for the documentation.
Friendship Centers
Another initiative by Elections Canada was implemented to let voters use Friendship and Youth Centers to offer additional service points where people can get information, register and vote. You can search locations with your postal code.
Post Secondary Students
Elections Canada is opening offices at several College and University campuses across the country as a pilot project. I am asking students in Universities and Colleges to post the information everywhere possible. Student Unions along with other College and University organizations can make the voter turnout the highest in Canadian history.
People with Disabilities
Elections Canada launched an Advisory Group for Disability Issues to provide advice on initiatives for the 2015 Federal Election. The group helped identify the best ways to inform people with disabilities of when, where and the ways to register and vote. Elections Canada continues to draw on this network of organizations for consultation purposes. These organizations also assist Elections Canada in spreading the word about elections to their networks of people with disabilities across Canada.
People in Hospital or Long-term care Facility
Voters have an additional option by using a mobile Polling Station in some residences and hospital wards. Elections Canada personnel, if required, will carry the ballot box from room to room for voting. Ask your facility administrator or call Elections Canada at 1-800-463-6868.
Danger Alert
Voter Identification Required
Do you find the article useful and easy to understand so far? Great! Post it everywhere because the next section is where the fun begins. The Harper Conservatives must have gathered a large group of corporate lawyers together in order to trick Canadians out of a vote. It is an obvious attempt to defraud Canadians at the Polling Stations and destroy the right to vote. The result of fake phone calls made during the last election by the Conservatives sending Canadians to the wrong Polling Stations. Harper and the Conservatives want to get even by further damaging the right to vote.
Listen, I understand many of you, have a busy life tending to your own difficulties and successes. Could you find a few minutes to vote and ensure another Canadian the same?
1. Identification
The first one is mandatory and could be difficult for millions of Canadians. Canadians of 60+ years make up 7+ million of our population with an estimated 4 million no longer having a valid drivers license. Students and people without a fixed address will so find it difficult to vote. Of all the voters during the 2011 election 400,000 of 900,000 people used their voter information cards for identification. Elections Canada information cards are no longer valid nor is a passport.
2. Identification
Once you have hurdled part one of the test a second part is required. Two pieces of identification as show in the diagram are required. I am writing about the Canadian election this October 19, 2015 in case you are feeling I am making this up. Harper and his Conservatives put more roadblocks on your way to vote in a society that is supposedly an open Parliamentary democracy.
3. Identification
For the homeless Harper put more bricks in the wall. Charities and non-profit agencies can play a big role by vouching for homeless Canadians. You already do offer so much dedication and now you are being asked to go one step further.
Canadians traveling, living abroad and our Armed Forces will find information at the Elections Canada website.
Sign up for notices on the Election Canada website as additional resources will be added. Help put Canada’s reputation where it belongs near the top of all nations.
“Open debate allows for the public to become part of the choices societies have to make, and informs them about their options for the future, which in turn gives citizens the opportunity to improve measures…”Joe Clark
Journalism as Art 