Foreign influence in Canada’s oil patch
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver’s contention that the National Energy Board hearings on the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline are loaded down with foreign special interests is exactly right. But it…
2012
Chairman Mao rolls in his grave
150 computer factory workers had to be talked down from a “suicide jump” in protest of lousy working conditions at the infamous Foxconn. This would not have made the news…
Summing Up the Republicans
Good discussion about the current state of the GOP with respect to the primary race and hypothetical outcomes should a Republican become president, featuring David “Axis of Evil” Frum, New…
Civil Unions vs Full Marriage Equality
Civil unions, as opposed to gay marriage, are often advocated for by the moderate right, and sometimes as a pragmatic solution on the left. The main idea is that civil…
Guest Post: Niki Ashton is young, but formidable, a future force to be reckoned with in the NDP
Niki Ashton at the City Arts Centre last night. Below: Post author Olav Rokne. Business forced me to be in our nation’s capital when Niki Ashton, the latest candidate for…
A Laugh from Musicians, That Might Work for Writers Too
Deep in rewriting my novel about a pianist, I’m seeing music everywhere. The latest is this multiple choice chart that might give you some advice. I particularly like the sequence…
the joy of books, long may they dance
Found on G+, thanks to S.
Jan. 11: my own conspiracy theory….
(my pologies for nissing a day. I had computer problems. But I spoke sharply to it, so it is now working properly.) Since, once again, the Moncton Times and Tribune…
Meet Charles Ward
On Monday I voiced my support for Mike Crawley for LPC President, after profiling Crawley, Sheila Copps, Ron Hartling, and Alexandra Mendes over the past month. I mostly glossed over…
You’re In, You’re Out, You’re Out, Carry On
Did you hear Bob Rae’s rousing speech to caucus today? Was there any doubt that is sounded very much like a guy ready to go for the permanent Liberal leadership…
The Harper Regime is Playing Dangerous Game
By unleashing strident propagandistic messages aimed nominally at environmentalists but really anyone opposed to or even questioning of the Gateway pipeline, the Harper Regime is playing a dangerous game in…
Carbon-Absorbing Material can Clean the Air
A new material that is inexpensive to produce is also good at absorbing CO2 emissions in the air. Hopefully we’ll see this material being applied to the medians on highways…
Does PolitiFact Adequately Cover Scientific Misinformation? Well, Sort Of
pinocchio.jpg I’ve been harping a lot lately on the fact-checkers, like PolitiFact, and how they too often fall for a type of phony journalistic “balance” that those of us who…
Peacekeeping—"Canada can and should do more"
Sometimes a graph is worth a thousand words. A good example is a graph depicting Canada’s contribution to U.N. peacekeeping that appeared in the December 2011 edition of Mondial, the…
What is Preferential voting?
Preferential voting is a type of ballot structure used in several electoral systems in which voters rank candidates in order of relative preference. For example, the voter may select their…
Great Minds Think Alike: “Jinkies!” edition #nlpoli
Ruh roh! What do Danny Williams, Kathy Dunderdale and Sarah Palin have in common? They – and their bootlickers and wannabe bootlickers – all like to blame their own problems…
Contempt of country. Rant mode. ON.
Yanno. I know we have been down this garden path before. The Harpercons do something really stupid. (Daily occurrence) Then when people react (the employers of the Government, to be…
Oh, the hypocrisy… Oilsands, EthicalOil.org and Foreign Funding
Wow. Talk about the hypocrisy. So EthicalOil.org which has been leading the charge about how foreign money is influencing environmental groups and the regulatory process. But… apparently it refuses to…
Conservative solution to bad service: break the server’s finger
You Schmuck! Times are tough for the 1% these days. What with Occupiers, the press, even the government hounding them, the rich are getting edgy. The poor just don’t…