I just realized it was March 15; no wonder I’m in the mood to shiv someone #idesofmarch
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: On Replacing The F-35
Today Bourque writes that: Now, word that top military minds at DND HQ have been unleashed to determine potential alternatives with a view to bringing one on-stream in time to replace an aging fleet of CF-18s. Bourque has learned that two options have popped to the top of DND’s wish
Continue readingTrashy's World: Of COURSE the CPC won’t…
… tear up PS Collective Agreements! Not a chance! “tearing up” is so gauche. So unimaginative, so 19th century! Famous for being a very detail-oriented little party, the ReformCons have assembled a handbook for party operatives outlining what exactly should happen to those pesky Agreements while avoiding that whole tearing-up
Continue readingCNN contributer Dana Loesch’s husband accuses CNN host Soledad O’Brien of anti-Semitism
In another bit of news on the anit-Semitism front, the husband of CNN’s Dana Loesch has publicly accused CNN host Soledad O’Brien of being an anti-Semite. It’s not quite clear why O’Brien is an ‘anti-Semite’ but it must’ve sounded good to Mr. Loesch when he wrote it. Dana Loesch is also
Continue readingRecreating Eden: When Religion Permeates Life, It’s the Devil to Pay, or Why Thinking about Destiny Can Get You in Trouble
Sadly, we seem to be seeing more and more religion in public life these days. I don’t mean references to a moral code such as “do under to others as you would have them do unto you” which underlies the teachings of most religous systems, but the intrusion and imposition
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Kinder Morgan Plan to Twin Pipeline Triggers Community Concern in Wake of Sumas Mountain Oil Spill
Less than two months after a major oil spill at Kinder Morgan’s Sumas Mountain tank farm, the company announced plans to twin their existing trans mountain infrastructure. The most recent rupture of January 24th leaked approximately 110,000 liters of crude oil, raising major concern from local residents with regards to
Continue readingUS right’s new fight against Sandra Fluke: her boyfriend is a Jew!
Jew and Jew lover The right has been very upset at Sandra Fluke. What has most pissed off the right about Fluke is that Americans have not approved of the sexist comments about Fluke from the right’s leader, Rush Limbaugh. The lack of support for both Limbaugh and the right’s
Continue readingDo Oil Tankers and Listeria Mix Well
De-RegulateEverything ‘CauseWeSaidSoVille So. The MacDonald-Laurier Institute for no rules is saying, based on the answers of ‘three experts to three questions’ that banning oil tankers on the West Coast would wreak economic havoc and would, and I quote: “…almost no discernible environmental benefits….” Sure thing. And letting self-regulating meat-cutters allow
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Twisty Poll
An anti-gay lobby group called Scotland for Marriage is publishing the results of an in-house poll which claims that a majority of Scotspersons opposes equal marriage rights, a deviation from what reputable polling companies suggest. Perhaps this difference can be explained by the wording of the question, which asks if
Continue readingThings Are Good: What’s in a Lot?
Here’s a challenge from Eran Ben-Joseph: name a great parking lot. Couldn’t do it, could you? Neither could I, and neither could Ben-Joseph. In a new book ReThinking a Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking he explores the horribleness of all that space that car drivers demand. If you
Continue readingeaves.ca: Sharing ideas about data.gc.ca
As some of you may remember, the other week I suggested that on its one year anniversary we hack data.gc.ca – specifically, that people share what data sets they find most interesting on the website, especially as it is hard to search it. Initially I’d uploaded a list of all
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on how the Wall government’s spin on an essential services appeal seems to be largely ignoring some of the most important conclusions reached by Justice Ball in his decision. For those interested in seeing exactly what Justice Ball concluded about Wall’s overreach, see generally paragraphs 174-222 of the decision.
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Government hiring process revealed #nlpoli
From your humble e-scribbler’s e-mail this week came a copy of what is purported by an anonymous e-mail to be a sooper sekrit document. It appears to be the rules set down for hiring people in temporary jobs with the provincial government. – srbp –
Continue readingFar and Wide: Harper Will Galvanize Opposition
The “anything can happen” camp in both opposition parties will resist any talk of co-operation, but if you live in the world of probability rather than possibility, sober conclusions must be entertained if we are to truly rid Canada of a government I personally consider a scourge. A divided opposition
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Price Of Loyalty
The Conservatives have thrown Michael Sona under the bus, despite his protests that he had nothing to do with the voter calling scandal. He was an easy scapegoat. His behaviour at a University of Guelph polling station made him what Claude Rains called a “usual suspect.” But Sona has refused
Continue readingThe Progressive Right: NDP Leadership Convention 2012 (#ndpldr)
I will be attending the NDP leadership convention as an accredited blogger in my capacity as a moderator for Progressive Bloggers. You can follow my coverage here, on Twitter (@progright), and on Google+. I’d like to thank the NDP for accrediting bloggers to their convention. It’s a sign that they
Continue readingWise Law Blog: 140Law – Legal Headlines for Thursday, March 15, 2012
Here are the leading legal headlines from Wise Law on Twitter for Thursday, March 15, 2012: Racial profiling finding against Toronto police upheld on appeal Judge deals death blow to copyright troll Righthaven Legal Aid in Canada: Resource and Caseload Statistics Federal jury rules against Portland police in Tasing of
Continue readingROAR!: War on Women comes to Canada
If you’ve been watching TV you’ll know that there is a war on women happening in the United States, and it’s scarey. Well, to be sure, it seems as if there is a war on anything that isn’t fundamentalist Christian, but for the purposes of this post, we’ll stick to the war
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Wind Mobile to boycott wireless spectrum auction
Columnist says Wind Mobile will likely boycott an upcoming auction of wireless spectrum because the rules do not give smaller players enough bandwidth to build the most advanced network.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Now Here’s A Budget That Makes Sense
Although largely shut out of the public discussion on government budgets, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has released its alternative to the upcoming federal budget. While the Harper government is fixated on massive cuts that will only produce more unemployment, this budget contains some eminently practical ways to help
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