Arms Race Update – US Space Drone Returns
Drones in space? The US Air Force is preparing for the return of its automated space craft after 453-days and counting in orbit. Here it is, the X-37. The robotic…
May 2012
New Abortion Caravan Counter-Protest in photos
On May 29, 2012, anti-choicers led by the Calgary-based Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform launched their “New Abortion Caravan” in Vancouver. Their goal is to drive their graphic anti-abortion trucks…
More F-35 Troubles Loom
One of the ongoing controversies plaguing the F-35 has been what powers it. There was early backing for two engines to be developed but Congress angrily quashed that in favour…
Legislating Against Sea Level Rise – What Crazy People Do in Government
North Carolina is firmly Republican and its legislature is just as firmly crazy. Crazy as in detached from reality, liberated from reason, unhinged. From Scientific American: “…the meter or so…
Social Issues: Justice for Rwandan Genocide
Thursday, May 31st will be marked as a day justice was found, when former Rwandan minister, Callixte Nzabonimana, was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 1994…
Missed Opportunity for PEI Poverty Strategy
The government of Prince Edward Island has introduced a Social Action Plan to Reduce Poverty, found online at PEI CSS. This Action Plan follows community consultations, including face-to-face meetings and…
Right to terminate a consumer supply contract on amendment
Weller v. Reliance Home Comfort Limited Partnership, 2012 ONCA 360 deals with General, O. Reg. 17/05 to the Consumer Protection Act, 2002, S.O. 2002. The Regulation governs changes made by…
Mexico Subway Flu Ice
Just testing a theory. Yahoo! News, Don’t say ‘flu’ or ‘subway’ online if you want to avoid Homeland Security The list of words used by to monitor online activity for…
The Erosion Of Educational Integrity
I rarely write directly about education these days, now that I am several years into retirement and believe that dwelling upon the past can be unhealthy. Every so often, however,…
Don’t Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up
There has been a modicum of public outcry over the working of bill 37, the Animal Health Act, over whether people will be restricted from speaking publicly about threats to…
ALEC Slips Exxon Fracking Loopholes into New Ohio Law
Exxon-Mobil-XTO-Energy-e1338448150794.jpeg This is a guest post by Connor Gibson, cross-posted from Greenpeace. Wake up and smell the frack fluid! But don't ask what's in it, at least not in Ohio,…
Our First Look at Redistribution 2013
Newfoundland and Labrador’s federal boundary commission has released the first draft of what redistribution in the province will look like, and it’s something of a favourable map for the Conservatives.…
Scapgoating 101: Ticks and Students
The New York Times today has an innteresting story by Gail Collins about the multibillion dollar loss at JP Morgan: blame it on ticks. It seems that the person in…
Diversions, deflections and misdirections
While business advocacy groups such as the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and pablum peddlers like Corus Radio’s Bill Good criticize TransLink, these small distractions enable wealthy participants in the economy to…
Seven reasons why you should support the Quebec students’ call for low tuition fees
Despite the remarkably poor media coverage of the early days of the protests (especially in English Canada), it seems that the Quebec student protestors have finally succeeded in sparking a…
Women Writers and Historical Bias. . .
What follows is a brief list of a number of interesting English Women writers (mostly active during the first half of the 19th century). They are mostly writers I have…
Mismanagement and Media Math #nlpoli
CBC’s online story takes a weird tack on the tale of recent financial and management problems at Eastern Health, the province’s largest regional health authority. CBC headlines its story “Hospital…
The Ontario Liberal Party is losing me…
… and fast! I know that there is more to the OLP than just this single issue. But this issue is very important to me as a voter and as…
Hebron Development Approved #nlpoli #cdnpoli
From the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board: The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) announced today that the Hebron Development Application is approved. At its April 27, 2012…