Can people stop saying " circle back " ? One idiot says it and the entire english speaking world repeats it without question . It's stupid and unnecessary .
Also " perfect storm " has been around way too long . Stop .
100% of the time I've heard people use " going forward " or " moving forward " it has been completely redundant . " We'll see what the next step is, moving forward " . Of course moving forward , you fucking dolt .
" At the end of the day " is/was overused . Kill it .
" Game changer ". Nope .
" Adulting " is not a word or verb . You have no choice and it's not cute or funny to say .
Handle your shit .
" Fur baby " . Gross. Knock it off .
" It is what it is " . Meaningless vapid stupidity that is supposed to make you sound profound . It does not .
" Hack " , as in " life hacks ". No . These are just tips on how to do things easier and/or better .
No one needs to call them fucking "hacks" .
" I'm not going to lie..." Why say this ? Do people normally assume you are going to lie?
Enough of this for now . I may circle back to this, going forward .
I don't look at certain public forums on certain sites anymore , as they are full of awful nasty negative shitmunchers trying to bring everyone down to their gutter level .
By the same token , I can't listen to the hateful conservative voices or the pathetic scared little snowflakes , as they all support the same shitty system no matter how much they pretend to disagree. From federal to municipal it's all trash . They're all trying to build something better on the same putrid foundation . Polishing a turd, if you will. And you will .
I don't agree with too much this party has to offer, but it finally seems like someone is seeing through carney's hollow rhetoric .
People Are Rejecting Carney's Vapid Patriotism and Stepping Out in a New Direction
The back and forth tariffs imposed by the Trump administration and Canada are yet another tax on working people with the leaders of the global oligarchy and their servants in the U.S. and Canada acting as patriots and pretending to defend what they define as the nation. With these manoeuvres on both sides of the border, they are hoping to improve their private interests and keep the people in thrall. All of it smacks of Kabuki theatre and reeks of a low level of political culture. Underneath the posturing are serious contradictions within the circles of the ruling class arising from their competing business interests, connections and divisions over how to block the resistance of the peoples.
President Trump parades around pretending to Make America Great Again when the entire world sees U.S. imperialism as puffed up robber barons who cannot be trusted. Canadian and Quebec Premiers and Prime Minister Carney posture as defending Canada and Quebec but what that means in practice is not to be discussed. It certainly does not mean changing the direction of the economy so that it is self-reliant, including building up a manufacturing base, from heavy machinery to consumer items. It does not mean having trading relations based on friendship, cooperation, mutual benefit and development.
Carney says his response is about diversifying globalization to include more trade with Asia and his favourite oligarchs in Europe. But it boils down to strengthening certain private interests in competition with others in opposition to the general interests of society and humanity.
Demonstration against the CANSEC weapons fair in Ottawa, May 28, 2026
Imperialist globalization means war and economic crises. One glance at Carney's list of global investors coming to the Toronto Summit September 14-15 gives an indication of the gang he is in bed with. Those invited are led by none other than Blackstone Inc. President Jon Gray, BlackRock Inc.'s Larry Fink and Barclays PLC chief executive C.S. Venkatakrishnan. These notorious global oligarchs are at the centre of the wars and destruction the world is suffering from. They are enemies of working people but regarded by Carney as rich and powerful saviours.
Through all this noise, they remain in lockstep with U.S. imperialism. To assuage the peoples' worries, they say we are in a waiting game as they consider Trump a bump in the road who will soon disappear from power. A replacement will come to power and restore "normalcy," they say. Not likely given the drive and revenge of U.S. imperialism to dominate and destroy whatever they cannot control.
One thing is for sure, Carney and the Premiers do not want to see the Canadian working class and allies thinking for themselves and uniting to take control of their lives and forging a new direction for the economy for the benefit of all and the general interests of society and humanity. No, they will be busy meeting with global investment robbers and thieves and plotting how to seize greater control of the pension funds belonging to workers and the peoples as a whole.
This Toronto Summit will be a nail in the coffin of Carney's grand Make Canada Strong plans. The fraud is up. Working people are standing up for themselves. They are rejecting with contempt this vapid patriotism for the self-serving agenda that it tries to cover up to no avail. Working people know from experience that the current system where oligarchs use their positions of power and privilege to put cartel party government in place is dysfunctional and unrepresentative. What is needed is a modern democratic process that keeps the oligarchs out while empowering the people to govern and decide.
Walmart workers in kkkanada actually got a union contract ? And how long will it take the company to peel those workers' gains back ? This is a great step forward for the workers there .
Walmart workers win their first contract in North America!
Workers at Walmart in Mississauga, Ontario, begin union drive in September 2024 that succeeded this summer. / Unifor via twitter.
The two-year contract that some 800 warehouse workers in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada — organized by Unifor Local 252 — just won from Walmart is a first in North America. Mississauga is part of metropolitan Toronto, located on Lake Ontario.
The workers in the warehouse had contacted Unifor, because they were looking for a union to fight the Walmart bosses. Unifor is Canada’s largest private sector union with about 300,000 members.
Walmart has built its reputation on low prices, sophisticated logistics and an aggressive, strenuous and vicious opposition to worker organizing.
But the 800 warehouse workers got a two-year contract giving them a $5-an-hour raise (Canadian dollars) plus a grievance procedure. They also got a “me too” provision that gives them any raise that Walmart might dole out to unorganized warehouse workers in Canada as a tactic to avoid unionization.
The workers will get a one-time payment ranging from $4,250 to $8,750 to settle an unfair labor practice dispute over Walmart giving raises to other warehouse workers while bargaining with Local 252. The agreement will increase full-time jobs and overtime for regular staff by imposing a cap on the employer’s use of short-term workers.
Some 93% of members approved the contract. An organizing campaign succeeded with workers’ union certification in 2024.
With changes to the connections between the consumption of goods and their production brought about by the internet, Unifor organizers believe that a high-volume distribution center or warehouse is much more difficult to replace or relocate than a single store. This means they become choke points, strategically more vulnerable to workers’ actions.
Unifor’s victory at Walmart has obvious implications for Amazon, a company that generates over $1 trillion (Canadian) — or $717 billion (U.S.) — in annual sales that has a similar logistics strategy. The fact that this contract was achieved through bargaining, not imposed under Ontario’s labor law, which is more favorable to unions than U.S. state laws, makes this victory even stronger.
(Current exchange rate as of Sept. 20, 2026: $1 Canadian = $0.71 U.S.)
For a more detailed article see First-ever-contract. (readthemaple.com, June 15, 2026)
Macklemore has started a shitstorm that needed to be started . Most celebrities are douchebags and idiots , as you know , and it's gratifying to see sheeran scrambling like the scared rat that he is. It's all about PR, baby , and that shitstain is losing the battle . Go and be sexy somewhere, loser .
Macklemore’s Million-Dollar Challenge: Palestine Solidarity Forces Public Reckoning
Macklemore’s $1 million Palestine pledge transformed his removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour into a public test of solidarity. (Photos: Wikimedia. Illustration: Palestine Chronicle)
Macklemore’s $1 million Palestine pledge transformed his removal from Ed Sheeran’s tour into a public test of solidarity and accountability.
Key Takeaways
Macklemore pledged his entire net earnings from Ed Sheeran’s tour to six organizations supporting Palestinians.
His announcement placed immediate pressure on Sheeran and billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft to demonstrate their own commitment publicly.
While Macklemore spoke explicitly about Palestinian freedom and dignity, Kraft characterized Israel’s genocide in Gaza as a “humanitarian crisis.”
A Donation Changes the Story
What began as a controversy over the removal of Macklemore from Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour took an unexpected turn on Wednesday when the US rapper pledged $1 million to organizations supporting Palestinians.
Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, said the donation represented the entirety of his net earnings from the tour. He also publicly invited Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium, to match it.
“I want to bring the conversation back where it belongs,” Macklemore wrote on Instagram.
“Whatever we disagree about, perhaps we can agree on this: Palestinian lives are worth protection,” he continued. “A Palestinian life is no less valuable than any life on this earth.”
The money will be distributed among six organizations: the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, HEAL Palestine, Gaza Soup Kitchen, Medical Aid for Palestinians, American Near East Refugee Aid and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The pledge redirected public attention away from the decision to remove Macklemore and toward the Palestinian people on whose behalf he had spoken.
It also transformed a debate about whether political speech belonged in a stadium into a more difficult question for those who had sought to remove him: what, concretely, were they prepared to do for Palestinians?
A Challenge That Demanded an Answer
Kraft responded shortly after Macklemore’s announcement, saying that Sheeran had contacted him earlier that day and asked him to commit $2 million to address the crisis.
According to Variety, both Sheeran and Kraft agreed to donate $2 million, although the intended recipients and precise distribution of the funds were not immediately specified.
“I have dedicated much of my life to building bridges between all people. I believe deeply that all lives are worth protecting,” Kraft said.
“Earlier today, before Macklemore challenged me to match his donation, Ed called me and asked me to commit $2 million to match his donation to aid in the region to fight this humanitarian crisis,” he added.
Kraft said Sheeran would also approach other venue owners, with the stated goal of working together to “build bridges.”
His account claimed that Sheeran’s approach preceded Macklemore’s public challenge. Nevertheless, Macklemore’s announcement placed a concrete figure, named beneficiaries and an unmistakably Palestinian political context at the center of the controversy.
Furthermore, Macklemore spoke about Palestinian lives, liberation, freedom, dignity and safety. Kraft, by contrast, described the situation as a “humanitarian crisis” and placed his response within the familiar language of dialogue, business opportunities and bridge-building between Palestinians and Israelis.
Absent from Kraft’s statement were the words genocide, occupation, blockade or Israeli responsibility.
Equally important are the receipts of Kraft’s supposed donation: will they include UNRWA, for example, the main source of international support to Palestine, which is blacklisted by Israel’s extremist government?
The public response soon widened beyond the figures directly involved in the tour controversy. Children’s educator Ms. Rachel announced on Thursday that she would also donate $1 million, matching Macklemore’s pledge, while urging other prominent figures to speak out.
“I will match Macklemore’s donation, and I invite every wealthy white celebrity to match it and speak out against the genocide in Gaza,” she wrote on her Instagram account. “Over 20,000 precious Palestinian children have been killed, and children continue to be killed every day. We have a moral obligation to use our privilege and platforms to protect children and human rights.”
Unlike Kraft, who referred only to a “humanitarian crisis,” Ms. Rachel explicitly described what is happening in Gaza as genocide, further demonstrating how Macklemore’s gesture had expanded both the financial response and the political conversation.
‘Don’t Move with the News Cycle’
On Monday, Macklemore announced that he had been removed from the remaining dates of Sheeran’s tour after stadium owners objected to his pro-Palestinian performance.
The controversy began after Macklemore performed ‘Hind’s Hall’, his 2024 protest anthem, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Before performing the song, he told the audience that part of the reason he had joined the tour was to enter major US stadiums and say, “Free Palestine.”
He also stressed that his condemnation of the Israeli government and its actions was not directed at Jewish people.
Kraft subsequently rallied other stadium owners around an ultimatum demanding his removal, according to Macklemore. Sheeran himself had confirmed that Kraft was among the venue representatives who had raised objections to the performance.
Kraft did not deny Macklemore’s account but maintained that the decision was not intended to silence Palestinian advocacy. Instead, he attributed it to remarks and imagery that he claimed had been “deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community.”
By donating his tour earnings, Macklemore shifted the pressure back onto those who had excluded him. Yet Macklemore cautioned against treating donations as a substitute for sustained solidarity.
He described financial contributions as among the least costly forms of support and said his focus would remain on the Palestinian people and their right to freedom, dignity and safety.
“When the news cycle moves on, which it will, don’t move with it,” he wrote. “Free Palestine.”
I don't normally give a fuck about ed sheeran and neither do you , but it's relevant that everyone on his tour took a stand except for him , the spineless dink . I need to get out and buy a Macklemore album .
“The most successful tour I've ever been on.”
Macklemore’s Defiant Statement In Support of Palestine and the Retaliation By Stadium Owners
“I said, Free Palestine. I want those words to be loud and clear, so the people from Gaza, all the way to the occupied West Bank, know that we have not forgotten them.”
Macklemore’s declaration in support of the people of Palestine has re-focused the world’s attention to the ongoing Israeli genocide in Palestine. Since 2023, Israel has murdered more than 70,000 people in Gaza. Israel has targeted journalists, schools, and most especially hospitals. The entire civilian infrastructure has been decimated and the two-month total Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid has resulted in famine-like conditions. Global Conflict Tracker reports that “[i]n August 2025, 1.9 million Gazans—about 90 percent of Gaza’s population—were displaced and facing acute or catastrophic food shortages.” Israel is continuing its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and its catastrophic war on Lebanon.
On stage on September 4, while opening for Ed Sheeran at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Macklemore introduced his song “Hind’s Hall” by declaring “A big part of the reason why I wanted to do this tour in the first place is so that I could stand up in stadiums like this and say two words that are very, very dear to my heart: Free Palestine." He then launched into “Hind’s Hall” while showing the horrors of the Israeli attack on Gaza and pro-Palestinian protests on a big screen behind him. The song “Hind’s Hall” is a condemnation of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and specifically the Israeli Defense Forces’ killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab in 2024. Hind was shot dead in a car by Israeli soldiers after the IDF had already murdered her aunt, uncle and four cousins. In protest, pro-Palestinian students occupied Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall and changed its name to “Hind’s Hall.”
The following night, Macklemore took the mic speaking to Jewish people in the audience, “Criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, is in no way a criticism of you,” and that “he wanted people in Gaza and the West Bank to know they had not been forgotten.”
In swift reaction, pro-Israel groups condemned Macklemore’s performance and called for his removal as an opening act on Sheeran’s tour. Immediately, Robert Kraft, a major contributor to the state of Israel and the owner of Gillette Stadium where Macklemore was to again open for Sheeran, announced that if Macklemore was in the line-up, he would cancel the Sheeran tour. Other stadium owners joined in the threat to cancel the remaining tour dates in their venues as well. The artist Pink condemned Macklemore’s performance as “antisemitic.” Ed Sheeran, himself, declared that he was “not complicit” in the Israeli genocide in Gaza but insisted that his shows remain “apolitical.”
Referring to Sheeran’s desire to remain “apolitical,” Macklemore wrote, “Taking a side can cost you. Money, brand deals, sponsorships, festivals, private shows, relationships and access. I've lost all of those things. But there is no neutral position between the oppressor and the oppressed.” He also expressed that having done only two shows on the tour, he hoped that if he had “[turned] the conversation back to Palestine, then it was the most successful tour I've ever been on.”
But within hours, overwhelming support of Macklemore poured out in his defense with others of Sheeran’s opening acts—Irish singer Aaron Rowe and Sheeran’s house band Beoga, the Danish band Lukas Graham, and Finneas—pulling out of the tour. Beoga’s statement said “We are Irish people who understand colonialism. As founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement, we are committed activists for justice and will continue to be. This whole episode is once again serving to distract from the real issue, over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since the most recent so‑called ceasefire.”
Finneas wrote on Instagram, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed. I have decided to withdraw from my upcoming tour dates with Ed Sheeran. I stand with Palestine and its people.” Aaron Rowe proclaimed, “[As] Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,” and that I can’t “stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up...”
Macklemore’s firm and principled stance inspired many as the debate raged on social media. He gained over 2.24 million new Instagram followers in the days following his removal from the tour. And in Gaza, children sent him “thank you” messages, and artists sent him paintings showing their respect.
It’s outrageous that Macklemore is being censored over his support of the Palestinian people. His example should move those who have been silent about the genocide to follow his lead. And if you care about the people of Gaza, and of the world, it should move you to ask how we can end this horror.
...I know some people say: “Why should I care about things like Palestine, we’ve got enough problems right here that need to be dealt with.”
First of all, you should care because you are a human being. And, the fact is that things will never be made right—and masses of people will never get out of the hell they are in—as long as this system of capitalism-imperialism continues to rule over people here and to dominate the world.
The problem for people everywhere is THIS SYSTEM. This system of capitalism-imperialism that is the force behind the slaughter of people in Palestine is the same system that is causing so much misery for masses of people in this country. Ripping away basic rights, treating whole groups of people as “second class” and less than human. Maintaining many in desperate conditions and driving many to desperate acts. Poisoning people’s minds with this system’s putrid culture and depraved “values”: “do for self and to hell with everybody else”...“get what you want, any way you can”...“pursue your dreams,” while sleepwalking through the real nightmare. Distracting and demoralizing people with dead-end and deadening pursuits. Terrorizing people with brutality and murder by the police, and mass incarcerating people already denied a decent life. All this while this same system robs people here and everywhere of a future worth living in, or any future at all, with the accelerating destruction of the environment and the wars which threaten to go over to all-out conflict between nuclear-armed powers which could wipe out humanity.
All this is why you, why every decent person, should care—and should act to do something about this—to do the most meaningful thing that could be done: to be part of the revolution to put an end to this system, and all the misery it imposes on people everywhere.
