Mattbin

[prole-log]

[guerrillatech]

.

[steve-two-phones-mackabee]

[vbartilucci]

[wilwheaton]

Fuck Reagan. The damage that piece of shit caused will last for generations. Fuck him, and fuck everyone who worships him.

[jaubaius]

Darth Vader and AT AT

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Intervener groups in the case argue the government’s argument amounts to a radical re-interpretation of the FIPPA exemption — posing a threat to the public’s right to know that goes beyond access to mandate letters.

“Their interpretation of the exemption in the act is pretty farcical,” said Brent Jolly, president of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ). 

“The public really should care about this because it speaks to the accountability of government and the ability for the public to have access to information, which is critical in a democracy.”

[mattbin]

So... I made some comments about this a couple of years ago, and I don't want to copy them wholesale, but it's worth understanding what mandate letters are.

Every government sends mandate letters to its ministers. These letters describe what the government hopes the minister will achieve.

The whole ministry runs on these letters. They use these letters as a key justification for everything they propose to do.

By making these letters secret - an UNPRECEDENTED approach - the Ford government is signalling:

- they are giving their ministers instructions

- you, a citizen, are not allowed to know what those instructions are

The Ford government wants to do away with transparency at th most fundamental level.

I have over 15 years of experience with a multitude of ministries and govt agencies. This is u precedented, it's bad, and if its not stopped it will get worse.

[theleftycanadianradical]

CONSERVATIVES WIN ELECTIONS BECAUSE LIBERAL VOTERS VOTE CONSERVATIVE!

All you get from voting strategically Liberal, is a false solidarity with right-wing centrists who will enable the Liberal leader only to abandon you and vote Conservative when they get tired of doing so. If you want change, vote NDP. There’s nothing to gain with voting Liberal. They do not share your goals.

[wearewatcher]

Puppet History 4 Trailer, let’s learn!

[allthecanadianpolitics]

I'm thinking the mainstream Canadian media really needs to push Erin O'Toole more. Their coverage of the CPC's plan is incredibly irresponsible.

When Erin O'Toole says he's "pro-choice", what he really means he's that he wants physicians and other healthcare professionals to have to choice to refuse treatment or even referrals for their patients on religious/conscience grounds. That's what he is "pro-choice" about. Maybe in the few big Canadian cities, this will be less of an issue (but still, it IS a dangerous proposal), but in rural areas, allowing whatever few resources there are to refuse treating or referral for LGBTQ+ individuals, refusing access or referral for medical transition or surgeries to those that seek them, or refuse providing access to abortion for those who want and need it, on the grounds of conscience or religious belief? That's going to literally make it impossible for many living in remote areas or more conservative regions to access those services at all, as their healthcare providers will not only be able to refuse them care, but refuse to even refer them to other professionals who could. Some seeking access to abortion in provinces like Prince Edward's Island already need to drive to New Brunswick to receive care. Those are the ones who CAN. What the CPC is proposing could lead to that kind of situation becoming the norm, not the exception, in many non-urban areas of Canada.

And I find the mainstream media's "reporting" of this incredibly irresponsible. Erin says he's "pro-choice", and they just go ahead and print that out. They're not really pushing him on WHOSE CHOICE he's really "PRO".

~~~~

[theleftycanadianradical]

This is Tim Barber, one of the founders behind Canada 2000, a Liberal Thinktank that helped Prime Minister Justin Trudeau get elected.

This is how Liberals really think about NDP's policies. Just like Conservatives. There's nothing outlandish in the things NDP proposes, and in fact these are real world social welfare policies that exist in Scandinavian countries.

[probablyasocialecologist]

“As overwhelming and omnipresent as the climate crisis is, it is not the core issue. The core issue is capitalism. Capitalism’s unfettered pursuit of economic growth is what caused climate change, and capitalism’s inability to reckon with externalities – the economic term for a cost that falls onto third parties – is what is preventing us from solving climate change. Indeed, climate change itself is the ultimate negative externality: fossil-fuel companies and assorted polluting corporations and their investors get all the benefits, and the rest of the world pays the price. Now the entire globe finds itself trapped in the gruesome logic of capitalism, where it is perfectly rational for the rich to continue doing something that is destroying the earth, as long as the profits they reap will allow them to insulate themselves from the consequences.”

— Hamilton Nolan, Our leaders look climate change in the eyes, and shrug

[dangerzoneabbey]

[arresteddownton]

[cheesethesecond]

Here’s something I wanna say real quick, while I’m feeling salty: Amazon has totally contributed to the devaluation of literature. Those prices you see, the $13 they’re asking you to pay for a hardcover book? Those are deep, DEEP discounts that they’re able to implement because they don’t collect sales tax if they can get away with it, they don’t contribute money to the communities where they have a physical presence, they have shitty labor practices, Jeff Bezos has more money than god, etc. 

(Read this report from the Institute for Self-Reliance if you really want to get into how they’re hurting the economy.)

They’re so omnipotent at this point that they’ve normalized the discounted prices for books as the standard. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had someone come up to me and tell me what the price on Amazon is, expecting me to match it. The number of times I’ve been told, “Oh, it’s cheaper on Amazon, I’ll just get it there.” Even at author events, where book sales DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTE to whether or not that bookstore will be able to get more authors in.

So when you go into a bookstore, and you’re asked to pay $27 for a hardcover, remember: THAT IS THE COVER PRICE. Set by the publishers. The bookstore is not upcharging you. They are asking you to pay the value of the book. Amazon’s low prices come with a cost. Please, just keep that in mind. 

(I made a post with options for buying books online that aren’t Amazon. Check it out!)

[allofthefeelings]

This is a great post, and I just want to point out: publishers aren’t upcharging you either.

The cost of the book is the advance for the author, it’s the salaries for all the people who work on it (including editors, yes, but also designers and marketers and publicists and lawyers and accountants and everyone else who makes sure publishing works). It’s the cost of printing the books and the materials to print those books on and the warehouses to store those books in. It’s keeping the literal lights on.

No one in the book business, from the author to the publisher to the bookseller, is making themselves rich off your money. This is the cost to survive. Amazon is running at a deficit because they can make up the cost with other things they do, and because once they run everyone else out of business, they’ll be the only game in town and can charge whatever they damn well please.

[sanspatronymic]

And please, please do not ask a bookstore (especially an indie bookstore) if they “price match.” It’s so insulting.

Amazon routinely sells books at or *below* wholesale cost. Meaning that when you ask a bookstore to ‘price match’ Amazon, you’re literally asking them to give you the book for free, or even take a financial loss on it. 

‘So how can Amazon do it?’ you ask? The answer is Amazon does not care about losing money. It sells goods at a loss continuously. (Don’t believe me? Just search “Amazon quarterly losses” and you can find article after article about this) Why? Because its goal isn’t to sell the most things, it’s goal is to be the only place where you CAN buy things. They gouge prices on goods to a point where brick and mortar retailers absolutely cannot compete and they do it with the singular goal of eliminating competition.

Things have value. They represent many people’s time and labor. For books, specifically, they represent tremendous cultural worth that extends far beyond the value of the paper they’re printed on. We have to appreciate the value of goods and be willing to pay a fair price that will support and nurture industries. 

It’s ok to be upset that you can’t afford $26 for a new hardcover, but make sure that that anger is directed, not at the people whose labor makes books possible, but at the people on top (like Jeff Bezos) who have devalued your own labor such that you can’t afford it.

[the-tin-dog]

^^^ if anyone is wondering this is LITERALLY the exact same strategy that Walmart used to destroy any small business and fuck over local economies.

[feralkwe-deactivated20210912]

Might I suggest Indie Bound for those who still need the option of home delivery?

[starlightomatic]

I’ve been using Bookshop also :)

[bunnythemonsterlayer]

Favorite aesthetic:

Aliens doing air quotes <3

[dangoblr]

Space hand gesture

[amorphousturtle]

THEY ALL ONLY HAVE THREE FINGERS. THEY CAN’T DO THE FULL QUOTATION MARK. JUST LIKE TUMBLR TAGS.

I don’t know where I’m going with this, it just felt important to point out.

[invidiosa]

[aserlay]

Wooden Quotation Coasters - X-Files

The Truth is out there but it could also be under your drink! Its a set of 4 wooden coasters with iconic quotations from The X-Files! Each coaster has been laser engraved on 3mm thick birch plywood and measures about 4 square. The coasters have a real cork base to protect your surfaces and are

Another set of X-Files Quotation coasters! The Truth is out there but it could also be under your drink! Get a set of 4 wooden coasters with iconic quotations from Mulder and Scully.

[aserlay]

My Family Wooden Sign

Some people have a family that is ready made, and for some people, assembly is required. But however your family got put together, they just work. And you can express that with this unique and attractive sign with a steampunk flair! This wooden sign is precision-engraved with a laser and has a

Some people have a family that is ready made, and for some people, assembly is required. But however your family got put together, they just work. And you can express that with this unique and attractive sign with a steampunk flair!