July 2011
Nurturing a democratic revolution
Public life in Newfoundland and Labrador remains as fundamentally undemocratic as it ever was. Paternalism remains the order of the day. As three sitting members of the House revealed, they…
Too hot for news
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s sweltering in the Nation’s Capital, which is probably what’s smothering the news cycle. At least, here in Canada, anyway.What’s that? The federal government is…
A Thoroughly Uncivilized Highway: Paving Ancient Burial Sites Just one of SFPR’s Many Insults
An aboriginal-led lawsuit is the latest potential roadblock for the highly controversial South Fraser Perimeter Road - an 80 km four-lane truck highway from Deltaport to Surrey in the early…
Boneheads Are SO Cute When They Think They’re Clever: Bob Whitaker’s Mantra
One of the most common types of fan mail we receive here on the blog from boneheads takes the form of challenging us to debates. Invariably, these challenges are poorly…
liberal leadership candidates woo edmonton supporters.
More than 200 dedicated Liberal Party supporters piled into Edmonton’s Santa Maria Centre yesterday evening to hear candidates for their party’s leadership speak and answer questions. I attended and…
When government MLAs start blowing whistles, who rats them out? Their legislative assistants, of course!
Jonathan Huckabay and Raj Sherman at a Liberal leadership all-candidates’ meeting in Edmonton Wednesday night. Below: Government Whip Robin Campbell.“When in doubt, tell the truth,” Mark Twain famously advised. “It…
Carl Wilson Lake trip report
Narrative plus photos, maps, and what not now posted here. A lovely trip although I clearly didn't travel far enough and had too much time to write.
A Crash in slow motion: Brought to you by corporate Canada.
We are now right in the middle of the class war. Feeling the potshots yet? The wage disparity, loss of job security and benefits, the shredding of the social safety…
How to Stay Alive in Harperland
One of the things you notice right away when you return from almost any modern country in the world, is the crumbling state of our infrastructure.In Toronto, giant pieces of…
Insurance Corporations Believe In Climate Change
Never let it be said that all of the banks and corporations on the planet have their head in the sand when it comes to climate change. Why, just recently,…
Over 400 “Friends for Life” to thank as they cycle along the shores of my gene pond, river, and canals!
There is some hope that this near-historic hot weather will return to “normal hot” by Sunday. I have no doubt that this will be a great relief to all involved…
Should sex offenders wear GPS tracking devices?
JOE FANTAUZZI| YorkRegion.comPoint/counterpointConvicted sex offenders will be wearing GPS tracking devices if a Progressive Conservative government is elected in October, party leader Tim Hudak said.The idea has drawn a mixed…
But, Will He Buy Her A Piano Now ….
MonaLisaMustaHadTheHighwayBluesGhostOfElectricityVilleLife's like that.Sure is..
A Thought On A Hot Evening
Confined as I have been to the house today and tonight thanks to the heat and humidity, I thought I would make a brief posting. I've been writing recently about…
What is a middle class income these days?
Whenever we consider the pros and cons of a new policy, we want to know if it benefits or hurts the poor, the middle class and those who are better…
Poll-by-Poll Maps of #Elxn 2011
Thanks to the sometimes fine folks at Rabble.ca, we've got links to poll-by-poll maps of certain regions of Canada. I'd suggest looking at the entire list.But here are the important…
Home energy retrofits: part one
I was in the budget lock-up in Ottawa back in 2009, when the feds announced a home renovation tax credit as part of the stimulus package, and one of my…
Stupid Sex Tricks: Taking it all off…for Pooty-Poot?
If you thought this song was silly, wait’ll you get a load of this story: “What are you ready to do for your president?” says the video calling on the…