I didn’t know Tim Thomas’ politics before now but I should have. The Bruins, favourite of HNIC, the eastern media and Conservatives like fugitive Patrick Ross, have in their midst an Obama hater. His name is Tim Thomas. I knew the guy was a douche. I just didn’t know how
Continue readingReproductive McCarthyism and a new nadir of authoritarian dumbness
Frankly, it didn’t surprise me a bit that SUZANNE would be All In with the idea of publishing a database of personal information and photos of gynecologists and other reproductive health professionals whose services include — but are not limited to — abortion. How awesome she must imagine it would
Continue readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: Colbert in South Carolina
Stephen Colbert’s speech at the College of Charleston last week, just days before the South Carolina Republican primary. For the record, “Herman Cain” received 6,324 votes or 1.1% of the total number cast, a figure well ahead of all the other non-candidates still on the ballot; in fact, almost double
Continue readingThe Sixth Estate: Billionaire Conservatives Dominate Federal Lobbying
In response to Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver’s recent temper tantrum about “foreign billionaire socialists hijacking” the pipeline hearings, I reactivated my Lobbyist Watch project, which tracks the burgeoning lobbying sector in Ottawa. Ottawa has a love-hate relationship with this sector. Harper claims to hate it, but they still manage
Continue readingStaffroom Confidential: What is fair and reasonable?
Sadly, BC politics took a turn south this week, with Education Minister George Abbott fueling a backlash against teachers during bargaining. It is frustrating to see so many misconceptions in some of the reporting. But then again, they aren’t ignoring us, and that means something. The usual myths began just
Continue readingNo means NO, no matter what
Marital rape: It’s not just “rough sex” or “role-playing”. A young academic has been sentenced to four months in jail for sexually assaulting his wife during rough sex despite his claim that, in their dominant-submissive sexual role playing, “no” frequently meant “yes.” The 33-year-old man, who cannot be identified to
Continue readingTrashy's World: Rink of dreams?
Really? From the Mayor on Twitter: @JimWatsonOttawa: Rink of Dreams looks amazing with sens and #ottcity logo – grand opening at 530 pm Wednesday night! Come by for a skate and hot chocolate! I’m sorry, but I cannot be the only Ottawan who his scratching their head over the wisdom
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Should BC Have a Referendum on Enbridge?
If there’s one thing above all politicians hate it’s democracy. For God’s sake, we can’t have the rabble have a say in decisions! Let them do this once and we’ll never get to run the province again! They believe that we live in a parliamentary, representative “democracy” which means that
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Is Tony Clement Planning to Resign?
Oh no. It seems that Tony Clement’s view of reality may once again be somewhat limited. A senior federal bureaucrat has contradicted Tony Clement’s insistence that he was not involved in dividing a $50-million fund to spruce up his riding before the 2010 G8 summit. Once Minister Clement’s office provided
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Arguing Against Sustainability
On the weekend I had an argument with @unambig (Adrian), a former blogger turned journalist in BC, and @BSnowsell (Brandon) a Saskatoonian Conservative. They’ve said they are against government involvement in making infrastructure for sustainable transportation. Adrian is upset by the carbon tax, and Brandon wants no money put into
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Huffington Post: Interview with CRTC Chair shows shift in priorities from Big Telecom’s to Canadians’ interests
From Huffington Post: The time has come, von Finckenstein says, to face facts: the old separation of telecom and broadcasting is obsolete. He advocates a single act to cover both sectors and a single regulator for broadcasting, telecom and even wireless spectrum — an area currently managed by Industry Canada.
Continue readingThe Moncton Times@Transcript - Good and Bad: Jan.23: Do they do it on purpose – or are they really that incompetent?
exhibit 1. headline p. A3 “Highfield Square Tenant ready to move on” Duh – well, yeah. The place is closing. We all know that. So it was kind of expected that the few tenants would move on.. Also that the doors will be closed, the lights turned off, and the
Continue readingThe Progressive Right: NDP to Accredit Bloggers at Convention?
It could be me, but I could find no information on whether bloggers (or the media for the matter) will be accredited at the NDP leadership convention in March. Since the convention is being held in Toronto, I could partake in the event with little cost to me. However, I cannot
Continue readingTerahertz: Jason Kenney shores up Islamophobia
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney spoke with Canadian Muslims to demonstrate the supposed widespread support for his recent decision to ban burkas at citizenship ceremonies. Speaking at a Muslim Canadian Congress event honouring his “courageous decision,” Mr. Kenney said polling shows that eight out of 10 Canadians agreed with
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Muskrat Falls and debt: some quick points #nlpoli #cdnpoli
There are some big misconceptions out there as a result of the way people in government talk about debt. That has implications for any discussion of Muskrat Falls. Here are some quick comments, coming in part as a result of Tory MHA Paul Lane’s call to Open Line Monday morning.
Continue readingTrashy's World: Newt Harper…
Trashy, Ottawa, Ontario
Continue readingRandom Ranting Raving and Ratings: The One-For-One Rule an Over-Simplified Approach to Regulations
President of the Treasury Board Minister Tony Clement Minister Tony Clement’s released their new One-For-One rule on Jan 18th. Put simply the press release is announcing that the federal government plans to treat regulations like trading cards. This means that regulators… ..
Continue readingRecreating Eden: The Downside of Hydroelectricity: Methane from All Those Rotting Trees
Le Devoir has an interesting story this morning about the way that the methane escaping from those big dams behind hydroelectric plants in Quebec have not been figured into the greenhouse gases produced in the province. On paper, Quebec is doing not badly at all, largely because nearly all electricity
Continue reading97 out of 100 climate experts think humans are causing global warming
From John Cook’s Skeptical Science blog comes this intriguing bit of factoid goodness. The 97% figure comes from two independent studies, each employing different methodologies. One study surveyed all climate scientists who have publicly signed declarations supporting or rejecting the consensus (Anderegg 2010). Another study directly asked earth scientists the
Continue reading350 or bust: Meatless Monday Musings
It’s Meatless Monday, and here in Northwestern Ontario we’ve just come through a January cold snap (which some people complained about, but which was reassuring for a climate activist!). It’s the time of the year that it’s great to curl up in front of our pellet stove with a good
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