Respect for Canadian lands runs deep.

On May 14, 2008, (click here) the Beaver Lake Cree released their Kétuskéno Declaration asserting their role as caretakers of their traditional territories and started a legal action to: a) enforce recognition of their Constitutionally protected rights to hunt, trap and fish, and b) protect the ecological integrity of their territories....

March 24, 2017
By David P. Ball

A First Nation (click here) about 200 kilometres northeast of Edmonton is shining a bright light on solar energy.

Beaver Lake Cree Nation, near Fort McMurray, has for years raised concerns about what they argue is the harmful effect of Alberta’s oil sands industry on residents’ health and lands.

And while some environmentalists get criticized for their fossil-intensive lifestyles, the small 1,000-member band wants to “walk the walk,” so to speak, and has installed 24,650 Watts of photovoltaic solar panels on its local school.

It’s just the first step on the “path to Indigenous energy sovereignty,” members of the Treaty 6 band said in a statement about the partnership launched with the environmental group Keepers of the Athabasca....

March 17, 2017

By Todd Spangler

Washington — Flint (click here) will soon start receiving $31.5 million of a total $100 million in federal funding to be used toward replacing old lead water lines, and it will be making other infrastructure repairs with the other tens of millions to follow.

U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters and U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, all D-Mich., said this morning that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had approved $100 million in funding for Flint authorized under legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by former President Barack Obama late last year.

"Today, we have good news for families in Flint who have already waited far too long for their water system to be fixed,” they said in a joint statement. “After a hard-fought victory to secure $100 million in assistance last year, the City of Flint will finally begin receiving funding."...

All are old, white men.

Hello, America.

March 23, 2017
By Z. Byron Wolf

...Their gripe? (click here) The photo featured no women, even though lawmakers were discussing Republicans' health reform proposal -- and members of the House Freedom Caucus want to strip a requirement that health insurance plans cover essential benefits, including coverage for maternity services.

"Appreciated joining @POTUS for meeting with the Freedom Caucus again today. This is it. #PassTheBill"

This is ridiculous. No. It is hideous.

24 March 2017

...The photo shows Mr Pence (click here) sitting with members of the all-male House Freedom Caucus, meeting to negotiate with the president over changes to the bill.

This includes adjustments such as no longer requiring insurance companies to offer maternity care in all health plans.

Many conservatives also want to repeal benefits that all insurance policies must cover under the Affordable Care Act, including emergency room visits, substance abuse treatment, and preventive care such as screenings and vaccines....

Customized health care targets women and families for more expense than men. Health insurance is always decided based on "pool of subscriber statistics." Isolating people with children and expecting women is discrimination. In most health care policies today there is already a choice of individual, parent and child(ren) and family. Additionally, if states opened their markets to national companies there would be intense competition for the first few years while wealthier companies forced others out of business. Eventually, there would be no competition with only a very few health insurance companies remaining only to provide 'cartel pricing.'

Americans are now "Online Chattel" of powerful Wall Street Internet Companies.

Online companies now own your identity!

Every website you visit, every app that sends or receives data, everyone you email and many that you message.

Make online identities generic. Decide on what is necessary to online activity and tailor it to a single GENERIC identity. Repeat behaviors that are only online activities. Take the 'personality' out of online activity. Rely on local economies.

There is basically no security to your life or activities as they are recorded on data streams. DON'T LIVE ON THE NET! I have a hard wired home phone. Always have. Force companies and the government to use the FISA Court. This is outrageous.

Osama bin Laden is dead and no one is allowed to know my shoe size!

March 23, 2017
By Tall Arbel and Richard Lardner

New York — The Senate voted to kill Obama-era online privacy regulations (click here) , a first step toward allowing internet providers such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon to sell your browsing habits and other personal information as they expand their own online ad businesses.

Those rules, not yet in effect, would have required internet providers to ask your permission before sharing your personal information. That’s a much stronger privacy-protection weapon than letting them use your data until you tell them to stop. As anyone who has ever tried to stop getting targeted ads on the internet knows, opting out is hard.

Without those protections, consumer advocates fear that broadband providers will be able to do what they like with people’s data.

“Advertisers and marketers are lining up to get access to all the information that’s now available about us,” said Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, which advocates for tougher internet privacy measures....