UrbanWorkbench

Posts tagged as:

politics

Corky Evans

by Mike Thomas on May 6, 2009

in Blogging, Canada, Kootenays, Sustainability, Urban Farming

Corky Evans is well known around BC for his honesty in politics, “Don’t ever think that wealth ever comes from any place except labour and dirt.” Here are some excerpts from a recent interview…

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Mainstream Transition

by Mike Thomas on April 20, 2009

in Energy, Sustainability, Transitions

I featured the NYTimes piece on Sandpoint Idaho and its Transition Initiative a couple of days ago, how about an article in Elle Magazine about a journalist’s journey into the transition…
A new movement’s advice on being psychologically and economically resilient – Learn how to be resilient in today’s economy
Everywhere I looked I began to see [...]

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Taxes, the Bailouts and Politics

by Mike Thomas on February 7, 2009

in Business

George Monbiot is always a good read to cheer you up…

For the first time in my life I resent paying my taxes. Until now I have seen this annual amputation as a civic duty – like giving blood – necessary to sustain the life of a fair society. Suddenly I see it as an imposition. [...]

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US Recovery Plans

by Mike Thomas on December 21, 2008

in Business, Construction, Urban Planning

Image via Wikipedia

The New York Times has an excellent rundown of Obama’s Financial Recovery plans…
Several hundred billion dollars could go to states and cities to finance public works and subsidize their health and education programs so that local governments do not have to raise taxes and cut essential programs, steps that would be counterproductive economically.
The [...]

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Community Planning and Local Jobs

by Mike Thomas on December 2, 2008

in Business, Community

Image by jef safi via Flickr

It’s not hard to make this point stick with local councils and urban planners – that local jobs, those that are inherently local form the backbone of a community’s economic future.
How Your Community Can Thrive-Even in Tough Times | Project for Public Spaces (PPS)
According to Soji Adelaja, Director of the [...]

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Leftovers for Mr Obama

by Mike Thomas on November 12, 2008

in Energy, Health, Sustainability

Few people realize the magnitude of change that is being heralded with the new presidency – but most of the change has nothing to do with Barack Obama’s ability to lead, it’s outside of even his sphere of control. The world as we know it is changing – will the leadership of our nations choose [...]

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Boil Water Fiasco

by Mike Thomas on October 15, 2008

in Water

A Boil Water Advisory is viewed by most people in Canada as an unacceptable condition to be avoided at all costs by their water authority. But for many communities, this condition is a daily reality…
More than 1760 provincial boilwater advisories are currently in effect in communities and neighbourhoods across Canada, prompting calls from national and [...]

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