Too Smart To Stick Around
Pundits of all political stripes were expecting Stephen Harper to shuffle his cabinet this summer. Bev Oda left the cabinet yesterday and Julian Fantino replaced her. The shuffle was a…
2012
What Republican Texas Said About Harper’s Crime Bill C-10
In this video, the CBC News reported from Texas where even tough-on-crime Republicans told Canada not to follow America’s failed path of mandatory sentences and massive prison expansion, which cost…
Summer TV watch list
The hottest season is usually when television fizzles. Summer's frequently a dumping ground for the big four networks, although some of the greatest series of all time had a summertime…
The Glacial Pace Of Change At The TDSB
Regarded by some as a master of platitudes, Toronto District School Board Director Chris Spence says that things are getting better. As outlined in The Star’s investigative series, the board,…
Harper’s Crime Bill C-10: Breaking Down The Cost
The Harper government’s flagship tough on crime omnibus legislation will cost Canadian taxpayers at least $15-billion to implement. Bill C-10 is a suite of crime legislation that will radically stir…
A quote of the day
It’s early but I’ll go with this one from Dean Del Mastro to his local paper yesterday: Del Mastro has repeatedly said he doesn’t understand why Elections Canada didn’t talk…
I’m not the only one…
… who thinks that the CPC talent pool must be pretty thin if Fantino is the best replacement for Oda that Harper can come up with. NDP MP Charlie Angus…
Hard At Work?
If your intention is to show Mayor Ford working hard for the tax payers, its not a good idea to take a shot of him with a bottle of McIlhenny’s…
Umm.. this is ministerial accountability, Globe and Mail?
There was an editorial in the Globe and Mail yesterday, saying basically while it was overdue, Bev Oda deciding to leave as a Minister was a sgin that Harper holds…
Chthonic Monsters — Theseus Becomes King
This is the final part of Chthonic Monsters. Part one, Theseus Goes to Crete, is here, and part two, Theseus Meets the Minotaur, is here. This is from a novel-in-progress,…
It’s "NOT" Right to Give Oda All the Blame.
Elisabeth May wrote a very interesting post on the Green Party website that I suggest you read. I do agree that 16$ for orange juice is a complete waste. As…
Bernie Farber On The History Of Pride
Mostly an historical overview of the history of the LGBTQ movement in T.O.. But this little bit:Even the politics seemed more subdued. While this year a Disputes Resolutions panel agreed…
Far Right Head Exploding Device
Richard Warman watching Warren Kinsella’s band play for the troops at Camp Pendleton. I have warned Warren about playing that kind of music in front of men with guns, but…
A latent political bomb #nlpoli
A few employers have noticed changes to the province’s Labour Relations Act that slipped quietly through the House at the end of the last session. A story in the Telegram…
Fingerprints or laziness?
I am enjoying Aaron Sorkin’s new series The Newsroom. He pretty much had me at “It’s not” however, I will be listening for Sorokinisms Tweet The Rev. Paperboy Feed
Open Government Update: Parliamentary Committees Spent 47% of Meeting Time in Secret in June
After an appallingly inaccurate CP report on Parliamentary secrecy a couple of montsh ago, Sixth Estate began tracking the amount of time that Parliamentary committees spend in camera, meaning in…
Higgs
The brainiacs at CERN have found the Higgs Boson!!! Or rather they have found a new particle that resembles what they think the Higgs should look like. Phil Plait has…
Big money speaks quietly to the recalcitrant Calgary Stampede on its 100th anniversary
Cowboys in the aftermath of a bad chuckwagon spill at the 1937 Calgary Stampede. Below: Chuckwagon races as they’re supposed to appear; Stampede Programming VP Paul Rosenberg; Bell Canada logo…
Julian Fantino and the Mediocrity of the Cons
I will never forget the look on Julian Fantino's face, the day he first took the loyalty oath to Stephen Harper, and became a Con cabinet minister. He looked stunned,…
Conservatives use the sex trade industry to legislate morality
In Calgary today, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced new rules that effectively bar the sex trade industry from hiring foreign workers. We’re told that the measures seek to stop the…