May 2012
Impartiality of expert witnesses
Alfano v. Piersanti, 2012 ONCA 297 is a helpful case dealing with expert witnesses and impartiality. The Court holds: Expert evidence is an exception to the general rule barring opinion…
Do You Really Need to Ask?
The question is why a CIA officer, Jose Rodriguez, mechanically shredded 92-hours worth of video of captives being waterboarded. “It’s not a pretty sight when you are waterboarding anybody or…
The Harpo Hate Monster and the Liberals
Oh. Mein.Cabaret. It's showtime in Harperland. The Cons are screening their latest attack ad. And this time the Harpo hate monster is going after the NDP !!! But wait what's…
About That Balmy Winter Weather – Part Deux
Most of Canada had a delightfully warm winter and enjoyed an early spring. Now the bill has come due. In Ontario, farms face the loss of millions of dollars worth…
4615…Iran: You Cannot Teach Stupid
My buddy tic’s fave website is BoingBoing. This is what they have. Iranian newspaper cartoonist Mahmoud Shokraiyeh drew an Iranian Parliament Member wearing a soccer jersey. For that reason, he…
Federal prisoners will be charged more for room and board
I assume everyone realizes First Nations, Metis and Inuit will be affected most. Regardless it's hard to see how keeping poor prisoners from making phone calls helps rehabilitation. This is…
Solidarity with Quebec Student Protesters
Quebec students, outraged over a 75% tuition increase, have sparked the largest protests in Quebec’s history and have already managed the rare achievement of achieving genuine, if minor, concessions that…
Vic Toews Strikes Again
Apparently dissatisfied with the way society currently holds criminals to account, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has decided that its high time to make them literally pay for their crimes.…
4614…NDP Sells Out The West
Sad really considering that the NDP traces its roots back to the Regina Manifesto. Sad that their leader, Thomas Mulcair, would sell out the oil rich west in a futile…
Shark Fins, check. Bear Gall Bladders, check. Dead Baby Tissue, check.
Asians have long had a bad reputation for some of their eating habits. Their love of shark fin soup is contributing to the decline of global shark populations. Their fondness…
The Poster Child for Useless #nlpoli
One of the rationales the provincial government has used to justify Muskrat Falls is the idea that the island will have electricity shortages starting in 2015 and by 2020 there’ll…
Parliament in Review – April 3, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 saw the final day of debate at second reading of the Cons’ budget – and once again featured plenty of work by Peter Julian to introduce…
Who Do Conservatives Hate Alternative, Clean Energy?
More evidence of how far today’s radical right is prepared to go to subvert the adoption of alternative, clean energy. “A network of ultra-conservative groups is ramping up an offensive…
Simply Reading: Web of Angels | Bookstack
“That must be a heckuva book,” the elderly man said. He stood before me, hand in hand with his lady friend, as they walked the boardwalk on an afternoon constitutional.…
Saving The Children | Tales from the Reading Room
Inside our minds great forces rage and collide and strange convoluted processes are developed in order to avoid internal obstacles and keep the status quo. Former versions of ourselves wander…
May is Bike to Work month in Ottawa!
In case you’re looking for additional reasons to jettison your car and haul out the bike, the video below from EnviroCentre Ottawa makes a convincing case. Save money, improve your…
Quebec Students and a Maple Spring
What do you think about the student strike in Quebec? What do you think of the Manifesto for a Maple Spring? Some of the Politics, Re-Spun crew explore it from…
North Carolina Re-Bans Same-Sex Marriage
North Carolina conducted a statewide study yesterday to resolve the question once and for all: Are most North Carolinians narrow-minded bigots? The answer, of course, was yes.
World Bank, Countries Must Value Their Natural Capital
Hey, Steve Harper, are you listening? The World Bank is calling. They want Canada, and every other country, to start putting values, okay price tags, on all their natural capital.…