Being an inveterate reader, I frequently encounter something that is such a nice piece of writing it demands a second or third reading and occasionally even creates a pang of envy that I didn’t write it myself— a “wish I’d said that” moment. Such was the case when I read
Continue readingAuthor: Bill Longstaff
Era of sense of entitlement reaches U of C
CEOs loading up on compensation and perks, even if their companies are floundering, has become a commonplace of our era. This sense of entitlement has similarly been observed among various politicians, including recently the Senate. Now it seems to have crept into the University of Calgary. In a year when
Continue readingCalgarians are happy campers
If you were looking for a living definition of the expression “happy campers,” you might cast an eye on Calgary. According to an Ipsos Reid poll, almost ninety per cent of Calgarians believe their city has a good quality of life and is on the right track to become a
Continue readingHarper outshames Ford
Embarrassing our country more than Toronto Mayor Rob Ford would seem to be an impossible task. Yet our prime minister has done just that. On November 12th, the federal government issued a formal statement that included the following remark: “Canada applauds the decision by Prime Minister Abbott to introduce legislation
Continue readingThe elites display their conscience
The World Economic Forum (an elite organization in itself) recently released a study, The Outlook on the Global Agenda 2014, based on a survey of 1,592 leaders from academia, business, government, and the non-profit world. The elite group offered their opinion of the top 10 trends for 2014. Number two
Continue readingThe U.S. and Sweden—a tale of two incarceration rates
Having just watched the documentary The House I Live In about the U.S. drug war, or more precisely about the abject failure of the U.S. drug war, I was intrigued with an article I came across in The Guardian about Sweden’s dwindling incarceration rate. The number of prison admissions has
Continue readingSun News and sewer journalism
When Sun News hires the infamous Ford brothers to do a TV show, decent people cringe, but they shouldn’t be surprised. Aping Fox News, as Sun Media are inclined to do, it is simply pandering to the lowest common denominator, and the Fords are masters at pleasing that crowd. An
Continue readingI’m waiting for an apology, Toronto
I admit to chuckling when Toronto first elected Rob Ford. While we here in Calgary, a city often accused by the uninformed of being a tad rednecked, chose the bright, well-educated, articulate Naheed Nenshi as mayor, Toronto chose the reddest of rednecks. I wouldn’t say we were feeling superior, but
Continue readingGood news and bad news about climate change from Stanford U
First the bad news, even if it’s old news. Stanford University scientists report that not only is the Earth undergoing one of the largest climate changes since the dinosaurs disappeared, it is occurring 10 times faster than any other change in that period. Many species will have great difficulty making
Continue readingNeo-militarism shows up on Alberta license plates
The neo-militarism seeping out of Ottawa seems to be infecting Alberta. The province has announced it is unveiling a new license plate which will bear the “Support our Troops” slogan along with the symbolic yellow ribbon. The plates will complement the current veterans’ plates which bear a red poppy. Offering
Continue readingRemember who? And for what?
Canada first observed Remembrance Day on November 11th, 1919, to commemorate the armistice that had ended WWI one year earlier and to remember those in the military who had given their lives in the war. The narrow focus on the military has become less legitimate—the majority of those who died
Continue readingWe really should pay attention to these guys
I know precious little about the World Wide Web other than that it serves me royally. Tim Berners-Lee, on the other hand, knows a lot about it. And he should—he invented it. He is a leading authority on the power and the vulnerabilities of the Internet, uniquely qualified to comment
Continue readingWe were hell on other species before we were even us
Homo sapiens has been driving other species into extinction for a very long time. We are familiar with more recent events on our own continent with the annihilation of species such as the passenger pigeon and, very nearly, the American bison. But it started much earlier than that. Paleontologists suspect
Continue readingNo need for the Nisga’a to sell their land
The Nisga’a Nation in northwestern B.C. has announced it will be the first First Nation in Canada to allow reserve land to be owned privately. Three properties have already been transferred to individuals. They are now able to mortgage their property and lease or sell it to aboriginal or non-aboriginal
Continue readingConservative MPs defend Edward Snowden, attack security establishment
No, not Canadian Conservative MPs—British Conservative MPs. Former shadow home secretary and Conservative Party leadership candidate David Davis has come out strongly in support of American whistleblower Edward Snowden. “The only protection for us all in this sort of area is actually whistleblowers,” said Davis, “It’s the only thing that
Continue readingTSN dumps FRIENDS’ ad
The FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting, staunch defenders of the CBC, have been running a campaign against the federal government’s Bill C-60. The Bill gives the government control over the wages and working conditions of all CBC employees, including those who produce news and current affairs programs. The campaign included FRIEND’S’
Continue readingThe West Coast steps up on global warming
Earlier this week, the governors of California, Oregon and Washington and B.C. Premier Christy Clark announced their Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy, “committing their governments, and a region that represents the world’s fifth largest economy, to a comprehensive and far-reaching strategic alignment to combat climate change and
Continue readingA politician of rare humility and wisdom
Uruguay is not a very important country in the grand scheme of international affairs, so we don’t hear much about it. Nor about its president, José Mujica. We should hear more. President Mujica is a politician who serves as a model for others of his profession. To begin with, he
Continue readingCalgary—sprawl or planning?
During the recent Calgary election campaign, two visions of the city’s future development vied for attention. One, presented by Calgary’s mayor, Naheed Nenshi, was about planning growth to ensure a sustainable city. The other, presented by a group of home builders and their hired gun, Preston Manning of the Manning
Continue readingForget the polar bears, what about the moose?
As the Earth inexorably warms up due to human folly, one species after another pays the price. The most iconic example is of course the polar bear. And why not—what is cuter and cuddlier than the bear with the thick white coat and the black nose? But less cuddly creatures
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