Drones in space? The US Air Force is preparing for the return of its automated space craft after 453-days and counting in orbit. Here it is, the X-37. The robotic X-37B, which resembles a miniature space shuttle, is due to land at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California sometime
Continue readingMonth: May 2012
Terahertz: New Abortion Caravan Counter-Protest in photos
On May 29, 2012, anti-choicers led by the Calgary-based Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform launched their “New Abortion Caravan” in Vancouver. Their goal is to drive their graphic anti-abortion trucks across the country, descending on Ottawa for Canada Day. After word of this was picked up by the pro-choice community,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: More F-35 Troubles Loom
One of the ongoing controversies plaguing the F-35 has been what powers it. There was early backing for two engines to be developed but Congress angrily quashed that in favour of but one, Pratt & Whitney’s F-135 power plant. Now the P&W backers, including Senator Joe Lieberman, are up in
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Legislating Against Sea Level Rise – What Crazy People Do in Government
North Carolina is firmly Republican and its legislature is just as firmly crazy. Crazy as in detached from reality, liberated from reason, unhinged. From Scientific American: “…the meter or so of sea level rise predicted for the NC Coastal Resources Commission by a state-appointed board of scientists is extremely inconvenient
Continue readingSocial Issues: Justice for Rwandan Genocide
Thursday, May 31st will be marked as a day justice was found, when former Rwandan minister, Callixte Nzabonimana, was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 1994 genocide of his country. The massacre that spanned 100 days, between April and June, saw 800,000 minority Tutsis and political moderate Hutus killed in the tiny
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Missed Opportunity for PEI Poverty Strategy
The government of Prince Edward Island has introduced a Social Action Plan to Reduce Poverty, found online at PEI CSS. This Action Plan follows community consultations, including face-to-face meetings and written submissions by community groups. The government of PEI seems to take very seriously a Social Determinants of Health approach
Continue readingMorton's Musings: Right to terminate a consumer supply contract on amendment
Weller v. Reliance Home Comfort Limited Partnership, 2012 ONCA 360 deals with General, O. Reg. 17/05 to the Consumer Protection Act, 2002, S.O. 2002. The Regulation governs changes made by a supplier to a consumer agreement. Such changes can be made but only if the consumer has a right of
Continue readingThe Progressive Right: Mexico Subway Flu Ice
Just testing a theory. Yahoo! News, Don’t say ‘flu’ or ‘subway’ online if you want to avoid Homeland Security The list of words used by [Homeland Security] to monitor online activity for signs of terrorism or threats against the U.S. has been made publicly available. There are plenty of words on the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Erosion Of Educational Integrity
I rarely write directly about education these days, now that I am several years into retirement and believe that dwelling upon the past can be unhealthy. Every so often, however, a story comes along that causes me to relive some of the sleazy politicization that continues to erode educational integrity
Continue readingToo Much Geography: Don’t Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up
There has been a modicum of public outcry over the working of bill 37, the Animal Health Act, over whether people will be restricted from speaking publicly about threats to the food supply. To hear some folks, this is merely the first step on the road to a totalitarian thought police state.
Continue readingDeSmogBlog: ALEC Slips Exxon Fracking Loopholes into New Ohio Law
Exxon-Mobil-XTO-Energy-e1338448150794.jpeg This is a guest post by Connor Gibson, cross-posted from Greenpeace. Wake up and smell the frack fluid! But don't ask what's in it, at least not in Ohio, cause it's still not your right to know. Ohio is in the final stages of making an Exxon trojan horse
Continue readingBlunt Objects: Our First Look at Redistribution 2013
Newfoundland and Labrador’s federal boundary commission has released the first draft of what redistribution in the province will look like, and it’s something of a favourable map for the Conservatives. Earl Washburn of the Canadian Election Atlas deserves credit for getting to it first, and he’s got a great overview
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Scapgoating 101: Ticks and Students
The New York Times today has an innteresting story by Gail Collins about the multibillion dollar loss at JP Morgan: blame it on ticks. It seems that the person in charge was laid low by Lyme disease during a crucial period, and so nefarious actions took place that would have
Continue readingNorthern Insight: Diversions, deflections and misdirections
While business advocacy groups such as the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and pablum peddlers like Corus Radio’s Bill Good criticize TransLink, these small distractions enable wealthy participants in the economy to divert real money from all of us, rich and poor. British Columbia’s energy policies provide the best illustration. The following
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Seven reasons why you should support the Quebec students’ call for low tuition fees
Despite the remarkably poor media coverage of the early days of the protests (especially in English Canada), it seems that the Quebec student protestors have finally succeeded in sparking a broader public discussion about civil liberties and the right to protest (even in the Globe here, here and in the
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Mismanagement and Media Math #nlpoli
CBC’s online story takes a weird tack on the tale of recent financial and management problems at Eastern Health, the province’s largest regional health authority. CBC headlines its story “Hospital Tim’s never came close to predict profit”. That’s true but the full story is so much more interesting. While the
Continue readingkirbycairo: Women Writers and Historical Bias. . .
What follows is a brief list of a number of interesting English Women writers (mostly active during the first half of the 19th century). They are mostly writers I have run across during my research for my biography of Mary Russell Mitford. I have finished the first draft of that
Continue readingTrashy's World: The Ontario Liberal Party is losing me…
… and fast! I know that there is more to the OLP than just this single issue. But this issue is very important to me as a voter and as someone who can be an ardent and vocal supporter (with cheque in hand), if I feel that my voice would
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Hebron Development Approved #nlpoli #cdnpoli
From the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board: The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) announced today that the Hebron Development Application is approved. At its April 27, 2012 meeting, the Board approved the Hebron Benefits Plan and Development Plan subject to the conditions outlined in Decision Report 2012.01.
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