… and believe me, I am not one easily moved. It is must-viewing for anyone who has ever bullied or been bullied, but it is very, very hard to watch: Bullied boy’s heartbreaking video sparks support – and suspicion Hearts have been breaking across the internet over a viral Facebook
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Is This What Trump Was Hoping For? Iranian Hard-Liners Score Decisive Election Win.
On January 3, a US drone was flying above Baghdad international airport when it launched a precision-guided missile at a vehicle carrying Iranian general, Qasem Suilemani, killing him and everyone else in the vehicle. The U.S. gave shifting and contradictory rationales for killing Soleimani, initially claiming the attack was necessary
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Notch One Up for Artificial Intelligence
There are plenty of bright lights who warn that artificial intelligence, AI, could be the end of us. Elon Musk is one. More recently, Yuval Noah Harari, has written of a world in which AI becomes the ruling force that may or may not keep us around for muscle. It
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Benjamin Israel, Jan Gorski, Nina Lothian, Chris Severson-Baker and Nikki Way highlight the reality that increased extraction from the tar sands is fundamentally incompatible with any attempt to meet reasonable greenhouse gas emission targets. And Jonathan Watts reports on new research from the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Colby Takes the P*ss Out of the Buffalo Declaration
Even NatPo columnist, Colby Cosh, can’t take the Buffalo Declaration seriously. Alberta or Buffalo? Choose your own adventure? I suppose the revolution is still incomplete in the minds of the authors, too: they have begat a manifesto, but have not quite figured out on whose behalf, precisely, they are speaking.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Great News for Females in the UK – Gender Recognition Act Not to be Changed!
The UK is not going to change the Gender Recognition Act! The tide of gender ideology may just have broken. Finally some good news for women. Now in Canada we have to get after Bill C-16 and get it changed stat, because both gender and sex cannot be protected
Continue readingExcited Delirium: Canada Humiliated by International Scientific Community
Forty Nobel winners are asking the Canadian government to put an end to the proposed Teck mine. You should too by filling out the petition.
Continue readingMagpie Brûlé: “Nothing to See Here”
Looking around Canada this week at the Federal and Provincial levels, you’d be hard pressed to find any leader having a good week. It’s just been a lot of bad, all over the place. But despite that standard being set across the country, one provincial government some how has managed
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Crisis Of Legitimacy
The United States is a mess. And, Frank Bruni writes, it’s getting worse: Something unsettling is going on in American politics — in America, period — and the chaotic Democratic race exemplifies it. The rules are all blurry. The processes are all suspect. Or at least they’re seen that way,
Continue readingExcited Delirium: Hate speech ≠ free speech.
Hate speech ≠ free speech
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Saturday Photo: Concrete Getting Nearer
Next week I should get suggested revisions to my next book Concrete: From Ancient Origins to a Problematic Future. The University of Regina Press has set the publication date for October 10, 2020, and now it seems that the book will actually soon be concrete (a sort of a bad
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Planes, Trains and Ski-Doos.
There is no more of an icon of business to Canadians than Bombardier. The company had its beginnings in 1935, with the snow coach designed by mechanic Joseph-Armand Bombardier. Since then, the company has experienced all the thrills and frights of a seemingly endless roller coaster ride of acquisitions, spin-offs
Continue readingCathie from Canada: Wet’suwet’en update
He waited as long as he could, too long in the opinion of many. He was obviously hoping that peaceful negotiation could bring down the rail barricades, in the best Canadian tradition. But at last Justin Trudeau’s patience was exhausted.The negotiations were going nowhere, because there were none. “We can’t
Continue readingIn-Sights: Ruled by climate change deniers
Both the Horgan and Trudeau governments made symbolic commitments to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Neither was sincere. Horgan passed UNDRIP into BC law but now ignores the declaration. Trudeau said they would table a bill on UNDRIP but this week decided to put
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The Great Gatsby — yes, that Great Gatsby — was the best-selling work of fiction in Alberta’s independent bookstores last week
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold by independent booksellers in Alberta during the week ended Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. The lists are compiled by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta, and include sales at Audreys Books in Edmonton and Glass Bookshop in Edmonton.
Continue readingwmtc: why this blog looks strange right now
A post was accidentally deleted — an essay that took a while to write. Happily, I had recently backed up the whole blog. And thank goodness, as it had been a long while since the last backup. In order to restore the missing post, Allan imported the backup copy… and
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Justin Trudeau and the Day of Decision
He waited as long as he could, too long in the opinion of many.He was obviously hoping that peaceful negotiation could bring down the rail barricades, in the best Canadian tradition.But at last Justin Trudeau's patience was exhausted.And it was the day of decision.Read more »
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: A Bit about Cancel Culture and Academic Freedom
I’ve written before about how I support free speech but don’t support giving platforms to “White Nationalists” or neo-Nazis or any other racist group who could use the venue to garner more followers. My concern is with audience members who might be easily led or looking for a place to
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Musical interlude
Tame Impala – Is It True
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The Price Ain’t Right
Back in August of 2018 our federal government bought us a pipeline. Not exactly a bargain, it set us back $4.5-billion. The pipeline, the Trans Mountain, carries oil from Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C. The government’s reason, apparently, was to reassure Albertans that it really did want to help them get
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