Oh my, even the universities are doing it. According to the CBC, a number of Alberta’s post-secondary institutions, including Athabasca University and the University of Lethbridge, have been donating to the provincial Conservatives. They have joined those municipalities and counties that have been donating to the Tories for years. All
Continue readingwmtc: canadian profile: justin hines
In the March issue of New Mobility, I have a cover story about Canadian musician Justin Hines. You can see it here. I wrote this over my winter break – just as the library job came through! Not exactly the restful vacation I was hoping for. Fortunately I had a
Continue readingOttawa most "cheater-friendly’ city in Canada.
No surprise there. It’s full of Conservatives. I guess it comes with being Canada’s “best place to live”. Right. UPDATE: Irony or ironies, Peter MacKay fined for being naughty again.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Discouragements to Democratic Participation
The litany of abuses, even crimes, against democracy committed by the Harper regime is indeed long. Probably the gravest damage done by this regime, and I believe the damage is intentional, is to alienate increasing numbers of citizens from the electoral process. In his column today, Bob Hepburn, in writing
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Water, Water Everywhere, but for How Long? Privatizing Water in BC
World Water Day (March 22nd) is a good time to consider this: Canada has nearly 10% of the world’s supply of fresh water. How lucky are we? But what is all this water doing to earn its keep? Nothing. Or so think our politicians – and thirsty corporations like General
Continue readingCuriosityCat: Bob Rae asks Liberals to do something stupid: Fight fire with fire
Stephen Harper, his coffers brimming with cash donated through skillful use of the expensive and effective CIMS voter contact database, tossed a few dollars into the hopper and came out with some nice black and white ads which talked about how big a failure Bob Rae had been as premier
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: Israel & Iran: A Love Story
Amidst the war-mongering rhetoric of politicans, a quiet message is being passed back and forth on Facebook between ordinary people. Here’s the story: Filed under: Uplifting Tagged: antidote to politics
Continue readingDriving The Porcelain Bus: Thomas Mulcair for NDP Leader
Years ago, when I joined the NDP to vote for Jack Layton, I did so because I saw a chance to elect an exceptional leader. I saw the chance to vote for someone who I knew had the ability to reach out to people who didn’t vote NDP and convince
Continue readingImpolitical: Sure looks like a shadow MP from here
My, it was just a few short weeks ago that Heritage Minister James Moore was making a windy case in defence of his department’s hiring of Saulie Zajdel, the Conservative candidate who lost in the riding of Mount Royal in the May election. Here was Moore: But Moore bristled at
Continue readingThe World Famous Dan Shields: 4374…A Ho Is A Ho Unless She Is An Alleged Ho
CBS2 New York reports that “Police on Long Island arrested a Queens woman on Monday for alleged prostitution at a Ronkonkoma massage parlor.” The arrested woman’s name is Hulian Ho. A rose is a rose is a rose. WFDS
Continue readingThe World Famous Dan Shields: 4373…Russell Barth On Graham James
Russell Barth is a strident pot activist [that is how he describes himself], funnyman and frequent guest on Ottawa’s 93.1CKCU. He is a thoughtful man who had this to say about the pitiful two year sentence career child molester Graham James received earlier this week in Winnipeg. well, the fact
Continue readingMorton's Musings: Proper use of prior consistent statements at trial
R. v. J.A.T., 2012 ONCA 177 is almost a course in evidence. In allowing an appeal Justice Watt reviews many areas of evidence law — one is the proper (but limited) use of prior consistent statements. He writes: [3] The appellant says that his trial was unfair, his convictions a miscarriage of justice,
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: For my art nerd, nerd-nerd friends
You know who you are! Alltop is a comedy nerd.
Continue readingCalgaryGrit: Redford in Dire Straits Over Money for Nothing Controversy
In 1993, the Alberta PCs were on the ropes, and many felt Lawrence Decore would end their 22 year reign in power. When the issue of MLA pensions bubbled to the surface, their newly elected leader Ralph Klein walked into caucus, laid down the law, and retroactively scrapped the gold-plated
Continue readingFar and Wide: Pre-Mature Verdicts
I’ve been utterly amazed at how many supposed political “experts”, pundits, observers, have been so quick to pass judgement on the robo-call affair. There is a dismissive tone, intertwined with some sort of misplaced arrogance, that thinks the electorate fits into some neat theorem. There is a reason all study
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Pro-Northern Gateway Pipeline Astroturf Group Struggles To Find Warm Bodies
The Northern Gateway Alliance, a community coalition established to support the project, was in Grande Prairie for a reception to meet its local members and try to increase membership Wednesday night. […] The alliance bills itself as being independent, however Enbridge does pay Kinsley for his work. Note that this
Continue readingThe World Famous Dan Shields: 4372…The Exodus Has Begun
Ah if you were at Uplands, the Ottawa Airport, sorry, Ottawa International Airport, this morning you would have seen all the smart boys and girls from Team Orange making their way to the big convention in Toronto. This is a big weekend for the New Democratic Party. It is the
Continue readingThose Emergency Blues: Nursing Makes Nurses Less Empathetic
Irony alert! The best way to decrease empathy in nurses, apparently, is to actually practice nursing. A new study of nursing students found that as students gained more clinical exposure, they demonstrated a much greater decline in empathy scores over the year than did those with limited clinical experience during
Continue readingFOI For BeeCee…A New World Record!
AllTheFreedomOfInformationThatDoesn’tFit RedactEverythingVille And The Record Is 1,751. Number of FOI requests by one person? ….Nope. Number for FOI requests aimed at one government department? ….Nope. Number of FOI requests involving other FOI requests that were never answered? …Who knows, that’s top secret? Number of pages completely redacted from Ian Reid’s
Continue readingThe Dominion blogs: Thank You Maude Barlow As We Remember Site 41
283_22484445714_714085714_1295357_3440_a.jpg Taken from response to For The Water, http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/2858 Kichesipirini Assert Alliston Aquifer An International Concern Submitted by Paula LaPierre on Thu, 2012-03-22 10:33. The Alliston Aquifer is part of a 12,000 year old water history of the area tracing back to the melting of glaciers and the creation of
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