Lemdro.id

The motivations that have contributed to the separatist movement and Alberta’s sense of grievance in recent years are not especially discrete; it’s more like a nebulous Venn diagram. Simple politics have pushed some people toward separatism. Indeed, the paucity of separatist talk during the time when Stephen Harper was prime minister suggests there’s a significant political component to the idea; when Liberals are in power, people feel more inclined to talk about leaving. Culture also plays a role. When Angus Reid pollsters talked to separatists in February 2026, 86.5 percent said they thought Canada forced Alberta to take in too many immigrants, and 96 percent believed that an independent Alberta would better protect personal freedoms.

But ... separatists tend to find the economic arguments particularly seductive. Angus Reid polling shows 96 percent of respondents who want an independent Alberta believe they would be free from economically damaging federal government policies. Separatist leaders promise the elimination of the personal income tax while creating a new provincial sales tax of 5 percent. They also claim Alberta would save $75 billion from no longer paying federal taxes.

Not all separatists promise immediate prosperity, but the argument remains persuasive. Cameron Davies is the leader of the Republican Party of Alberta. “I don’t paint an immediate rosy, utopian picture of what independence looks like,” he says. “Will it be difficult? Yes. Will it be immediate sunshine and rainbows? Probably not. But will it be worth it? Five, ten, fifteen years down the road for your kids and your grandkids? One hundred percent yes.”

cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/shit/p/1070086/that-one-coworker-asking-yo-what-happened-man-knowing-damn-well-he-is-the-snitch

Mr. Information gonna be real upset when he finds out

That's crazy that even See BS News can't save him.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/46167872

Source

Its funny how the market adjusts instantly when prices go up

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates said Tuesday it will leave OPEC effective May 1, stripping the oil cartel of its third-largest producer and further weakening its leverage over global oil supplies and prices.

The UAE’s decision had been rumored as a possibility for some time, as it pushed back in recent years against OPEC production quotas it felt had been too low — meaning it wasn’t able to sell as much oil to the world as it had wanted.

“Having invested heavily in expanding energy production capacity in recent years, the bigger picture is that the UAE has been itching to pump more oil,” Capital Economics wrote in an analysis. “The ties binding OPEC members together have loosened,” it said, particularly after Qatar withdrew from the cartel in 2019.

Regional politics are also likely at play. The UAE has had increasingly frosty relations with Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s largest producer, over political and economic matters in the Mideast, even after both came under attack by fellow OPEC member Iran during the war.

(article continues, clicky linky)

Yep, Iran War's goin' great, all according to keikaku.

(keikaku means plan)

cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/popculturechat/p/1070082/billie-eilish-on-why-she-speaks-out-on-global-issues-why-is-it-controversial-to-step-in

Context

Eilish has a fierce rebel spirit. Upon accepting her latest Grammy Award in February, she riled up conservative politicians and commentators when she spoke out against the escalating ICE raids, stating, “No one is illegal on stolen land.” And when she appeared at the WSJ. Magazine Innovator Awards in October, she openly challenged billionaires in the room, including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Star Wars creator George Lucas, to part with some of their wealth. “If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire?” she asked the crowd. “People need empathy and help more than ever. Especially in our country.…If you have money, it would be great to use it for good things, maybe give it to some people that need it.” Her speech wasn’t just lip service. That same night, it was announced that she had pledged $11.5 million of the revenue from her last tour, which reportedly amounts to a little less than a quarter of her net worth, to multiple charities and organizations. (She raised the money by selling special “Changemaker” tickets to fans who wished to pay a little extra to help combat food inequality and the climate crisis.)

“I was raised like this,” explains Eilish of her comfort with speaking out. “When you have this insane platform that you can use to advocate for people, but you’re not advocating for people because you don’t want to be controversial?” she says, petting Shark as he snoozes peacefully in the seat between us. “Why is it controversial to step in when someone’s getting bullied and try to stop it? Yeah, you’re probably gonna have to deal with some problems, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.”

Interview by ELLE, April 28, 2026.