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
Continue readingAuthor: Bill Longstaff
The military-industrial complex comes to Canada
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. Over half a century has passed since U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, in his farewell address, warned his fellow Americans against the threat posed by the “meshing of the
Continue readingThe Saudi tail and the American dog
That Israel is the tail that wags the dog of American Middle Eastern policy is a given. Often, however, we overlook the fact this particular dog has two tails. The other is Saudi Arabia. A complexity of factors explains the close ties between the U.S. and Israel: the sharing of
Continue readingB.C. ‘s "textbook example" of good climate policy
High praise indeed from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In a recent speech, OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría praised B.C.’s carbon tax as being “as close to a textbook example as we have.” The praise is well deserved. A paper published in the journal Canadian Public Policy by
Continue readingProgressive Alberta
Seemingly in defiance of Alberta’s reputation as a very conservative province, voters in Calgary and Edmonton both elected young, progressive mayors yesterday. Calgary elected the 41-year old Naheed Nenshi for a second term and Edmonton chose the 34-year old former city councillor Don Iveson. Nenshi supports a more compact city
Continue readingLynching Obama
Allow me to offer a theory about the recent bizarre behaviour of the Republican Party in the U.S. Congress. All countries have a substantial ultraconservative component of their political spectrum. But not often in a democracy does that component take over the agenda of a major political party and threaten
Continue readingWhere will all the scientists go?
In a new book about the Northern Gateway pipeline proposal, The Oil Man and the Sea, author Arno Kopecky relates his attempt to interview Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) scientist Kenneth Lee. Dr. Lee was the executive director of the DFO-sponsored Centre for Offshore Oil, Gas and Energy Research,
Continue readingWhat would Lesus do?
Sorry folks, I couldn’t resist it. A set of gold, silver and bronze medals commemorating the first year of the pontificate of Pope Francis, produced by the Italian State Mint, went on sale in Vatican stores last week. But not for long. They were quickly withdrawn when a slight flaw
Continue readingSave the songbirds—curb your cats
I have always been a dog man myself. Cats … well, they can be cute and cuddly, but whereas dogs seem to belong with us, I have always found cats to be alien if not a little unnerving. Those cold, deadpan eyes seem to send the message that if I
Continue readingJudge likens Alberta government to Duplessis regime
The tar sands gang does more than muzzle scientists. It also muzzles environmentalists. This came out loud and clear in a recent case before Alberta’s Court of Queen’s Bench. Last year, the Oil Sands Environmental Coalition (OSEC), a group consisting of the Pembina Institute, the Alberta Wilderness Association and the
Continue readingHelp Saudi women get behind the wheel—sign the petition
In an apparent attempt to demonstrate that there is no limit to the idiocy of Saudi Arabian misogyny, a Saudi cleric has explained why women should not be allowed to drive. According to Sheikh Saleh bin Saad al-Lohaidan, “If a woman drives a car … that could have negative physiological
Continue readingGlobal warming will be long with us
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calls it the “greatest collective challenge we face as a human family.” He is, of course, referring to climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change presented the first installment of its Fifth Assessment Report Friday and it has much of interest to say
Continue readingAmericans support Keystone
Prime Minister Harper was talking tough about the Keystone XL pipeline this week. On a visit to New York, he told the Canadian American Business Council that he wouldn’t take no for an answer. His bravado may have been bolstered by a recent Pew Research Center survey that showed two-thirds
Continue readingWhy has Canada failed Omar Khadr?
The first responsibility of the state is to protect its citizens, particularly its children. The Canadian state has utterly failed that responsibility in the case of Omar Khadr. Omar was the classic child soldier, formally identified as such by the head of the United Nations child soldier program. Indoctrinated in
Continue readingBuying Calgay’s civic election with a little help from Preston Manning
Alberta’s election funding rules are notoriously weak. Those applying to municipal elections are no exception. The essentials can easily be summarized: no spending limits, contributions limited to $5,000 a year (the candidate may contribute up to $10,000 of his own funds), and the candidate must file a disclosure statement of
Continue readingThe New York Times bashes Canada’s science-bashing
Is it just my imagination or is Canada’s international reputation slipping into the sewer? The question seemed particularly pertinent this morning as I read an editorial in the New York Times Sunday Review entitled “Silencing Scientists.” I don’t have to tell you whose scientists they are referring to. It’s a
Continue readingBe happy, be an atheist
I couldn’t resist a chuckle over a study reported in the October issue of the journal Psychological Medicine. The study, entitled “Spiritual and religious beliefs as risk factors for the onset of major depression: an international cohort study,” examined the incidence of major depression in 8,318 people from seven countries
Continue readingYou’re making progress, Francis
After two doctrinaire popes, it’s a pleasure to have one who puts mercy ahead of dogma as Pope Francis did this week. In an interview with La Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit magazine, he criticized an emphasis on abortion, gay marriage and contraceptives at the expense of more important matters.
Continue readingMcCain answers Putin—great stuff!
I love it—war with words rather than guns. Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times laying out his views on international law and gently chiding Barack Obama for his “American exceptionalism.” Now John McCain, Senator from Arizona, has answered Putin in kind—and
Continue readingWow! This NSA stuff is getting serious—Rouseff snubs Obama
There seems to be no limit to the cats whistleblower Edward Snowden has put among the pigeons. Among the gems about the U.S. National Security Agency’s spying mischief Mr. Snowden has revealed is that it monitored Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s telephone calls and emails, spied on communications by her aides
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