Calgarians 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…
Bill Longstaff
Harper 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…
The 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,…
The 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…
Sun 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…
I’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,…
Good 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,…
Neo-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…
Remember 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…
We 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…
No 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…
Conservative 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…
TSN 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…
The 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…
A 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…
Calgary—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…
Forget 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…
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.…
The 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…