Politics

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Sunday Link-Off: Taking Control

Another week, another mass shooting in America. By some analysis, there have been as many mass shootings in the US so far this year as there have been days this year. Sure, America loves their guns but at a certain point, they have to admit that they may have a problem that can’t be solved by just throwing more guns at it.

Anyway, it’s time for us to do the links. Let’s kick off this post with Salma Hayek who I wasn’t able to see at TIFF. That reminds me that I still owe you guys some film festival reviews.

The last known photos of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo were taken by a French tourist who also found himself making eye contact with the shooter. (Ottawa Citizen)

There was another mass shooting in America this week. Mass shootings illustrate many problems, including what’s wrong with news reporters in America. (The Concourse)

And that mass shooting also gave us another chance to see what’s wrong with America’s gun culture. (Vox)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Follow the Money

adrianne-palicki-shield15-02There are a lot of stories that tie back to American politics in today’s linkdump. From John Boehner resigning as the GOP launch a battle to kill Planned Parenthood to the constitutionality of any cuts to Planned Parenthood, the politics of America are heating up. To think that we’re having the election here in Canada in three weeks but it’s the Yanks who have the interesting stories.

Anyway, I suppose we should get on with the links. Since we’re talking about US politics, how about we start with Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division agent Adrianne Palicki.

Stephen Harper’s campaign focus is his economic record. Is there really anything there for him to stand on? (MacLean’s)

John Boehner is resigning from the House of Representatives and as Speaker of the House. You may not agree with his politics but he was one of the increasingly fewer progressive Republicans and the only man who could keep Congressional Tea Partiers in line enough to keep the government functioning. (Mother Jones)

Good news, Matt Damon! Mars shows signs of having flowing water. This should quite quickly re-prove the relevance of NASA. (New York Times)

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Sunday Link-Off: Lies, Damned Lies and Politics

lea-michele-kimmel15-01Sometimes, I wonder how there are whole websites and reporters dedicated to fact checking politicians but the frequency with which fact checking turns up errors, I’m surprised that I don’t try to get one of those gigs. You’d think that politicians would learn that everything they say would be under such close scrutiny that they couldn’t lie but what do I know.

Anyway, it’s Sunday which means that it’s time for us to do the links. With the new TV season kicking off last week through what feels like October, let’s kick this post off with Lea Michele.

I’m on the record as not believing in the efficacy of supply-side economics. Elizabeth Warren doesn’t either. (Salon)

Carly Fiorina is the latest Republican flavour of the month. However, her inability to recount facts might be her downfall. (Mother Jones)

In 2010, Fiorina ran for Senate. After the campaign ended, Fiorina’s campaign repaid all of her personal loans and left many staff and vendors high and dry. (The Daily Beast)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Baloney

morena-baccarin-emmys15-01I love when a good linkdump theme comes together. Today, we’re talking about people that are full of baloney. Normally I would use a stronger word but “baloney” was handed to me in one of the links today and who am I to argue with such a perfect word.

Anyway, it’s Wednesday which means that it’s time for us to do the links. Let’s kick off with Morena Baccarin.

Carly Fiorina was the big star of the most recent Republican Presidential candidate debate. It’s too bad she doesn’t actually have that good business record to stand on that she claims to have. (New York Times)

One would normally associate the GOP with the religious right but they’re planning to boycott and denounce the Pope’s visit to Washington. What is going on? (Salon)

Elections Canada is warning people to watch out for voter suppression tactics. It would be nice if their mandate and funding wasn’t neutered so they could do something about this. (iPolitics)

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Sunday Link-Off: All About the Money

Now that I’ve had a chance to write-up the Sunday links, I’m not entirely certain that I didn’t burn all my good links on the entertainment links. All I really have left for today are politics links though everyone probably expects that for a set of the Sunday links.

Anyway, let’s actually get on with the links. Let’s kick things of with Victoria Justice.

A writer created a fake company to see if she could use various online services to make it look real. (Fusion)

While the rest of the EU is fighting over who has to take how many refugees, Turkey has spent $7.6 billion hosting over 2 million Syrian refugees. (New York Times)

Bernie Sanders might be instantly written off as a “tax-and-spend liberal” but his economic plan could save America trillions. (US Uncut)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Time Off

adriana-lima-gigi-hadid-nyfw15-01After a weekend off to get incredibly drunk and surprisingly less hungover than I was expecting, I’m back to do the links. The sad thing is that I’m not really sure how much I missed in the world of news. It feels like nothing happened and yet I somehow ended up for more links than usual. Whatever works, I guess.

Anyway, it’s time for the links. Let’s kick off with personal favourite Adriana Lima and up and coming model Gigi Hadid.

Looking for strategic voting info. There’s a site for that. (Anyone But Harper)

Former Prime Minister Jean Cretien spit hot fire about Stephen Harper. (CBC News)

Paul Watson’s report on the search for the Franklin Expedition by the Canadian government was published. It has a lot of info about the inner workings of the search and the Canadian government. (BuzzFeed)

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Wednesday Link-Off: Follow Your Polls

rachel-mortenson-fredericks15-03It’s funny how much your perspective on an election can be affected by the polls. In #elxn42, what started as a battle between the NDP and CPC with the governing blues on top has seen Harper’s boys drop to an uncomfortable third. Does this mean they’re done? No. We’re some six or seven weeks out from the election. Anything can happen. Putting too much stock in early polls doesn’t do anyone any good.

Anyway, if it’s Wednesday, it must be time for us to do the links. Let’s change things up and kick things off with Rachel Mortenson.

Sun Media ace David Akin went to town on the ethical track record of Prime Minister Harper and the governing Conservative Party. (National Observer)

I think it’s too early to call it a two-way race but the Liberals have vaulted the Conservatives for 2nd in the polls. (CTV News)

How do you ruin a Conservative election campaign? By catching the candidate peeing in someone’s coffee cup. I’m serious. It happened. (CBC News)

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Sunday Link-Off: Trumping the Unexpected

emma-roberts-aerie15-01I know that today’s post was a little bit later than usual but that might be a little bit too common over the next couple of weeks. I’m going to have a busy couple of weeks upcoming so I’m hoping to get posts done every day but we’ll see how long they actually end up being.

Anyway, it’s Sunday so it’s time for us to do the links. Let’s kick is off with some unexpected Emma Roberts.

One of the quiet stories in both the Canadian and American elections is student debt. The crippling student debt many post-secondary graduates have might come back to haunt the economy. (LA Times)

One thing that American voters have that Canadians don’t is electronic voting machines. Part of the reason for that may be because these voting machines aren’t that reliable. (Huffington Post)

Political spin isn’t just for those in or seeking office. We’re many, many years removed from the flawed campaign to launch the US’ war in Iraq but Dick Cheney is still trying to change how people remember it. (Salon)

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Wednesday Link-Off: The World is Yours

chrissy-teigen-vma15-02You know, I’m really struggling to write something for an intro today. Part of the problem is that I’m quickly coming to the realization that maybe life without a purpose isn’t really life. That’s the problem with Facebook, everyone is quick to say/show how great their life is on there and it just reminds you that yours is comparatively shit. You just want to tell them where to stick it.

Anyway, it’s Wednesday which means that it’s time for us to do the links. Let’s kick off with Chrissy Teigen.

“An entire generation of young workers is missing crucial skills.” (Quartz)

Canada is officially in recession and it’s not just a little oil-related blip like the incumbent government would have you think. (The Globe and Mail)

The newly crowned Mrs. Universe is using her fame to advocate against Prime Minister Stephen Harper for ignoring Canada’s First Nations. (APTN)

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Sunday Link-Off: Spoilers

jessica-lowndes-bretterickson15-01Despite the fact that I wrote way too much about the current state of women’s wrestling in the WWE, I actually have quite a few links for today’s linkdump. As usual, it’s a lot about politics but there isn’t much about gun control this time. I’m hoping to pull together those links for the next post.

Anyway, it’s Sunday so it’s time for links. Since we have a lot of Canadian themed links, I think that it’s only appropriate to kick-off with Canadian actress Jessica Lowndes.

George Bush doesn’t care about black people: The Definitive History (Huffington Post)

The Canadian military is part of operations against IS in the Middle East. Don’t ask the Kurds what Canada has been up to because Canadian involvement is a surprise to them. (MacLean’s)

What’s the most underplayed story in this year’s Canadian election? The destruction of Canadian election laws and Elections Canada by the current government. (The Guardian)

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