The Struggle To Raise The Minimum Wage
I have written several recent posts on the campaign gaining traction across the United States to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour from the current average of just…
2013
Tokyo: The site of 2020 Olympics
It is a concrete jungle. That is why I never liked to live in a big city. I like to visit big cities only – including New York, Vancouver, Montreal,…
Alberta politics last week
TweetAfter spending some much needed time relaxing in beautiful British Columbia, I returned to Alberta this week and noticed some of the political stories that occurred during my absence. Here…
An OpenMedia supporter sent us something awesome in the mail!
This was so awesome, we just had to share. We received this note and ad in the mail. It reads: “This ad makes me so angry. All I could think…
A Blogger, Allegedly
So, it’s been awhile, eh? It was Chuck Norris who found me. To everyone who emailed and texted and Tweeted, thanks. Everything is hunky and dory. I’m not dead, ok?…
Bill Blair your tumbrel is waiting.
The two-wheel cart known as a tumbrel was developed originally for agriculture work as it could be pulled by a single draft animal and the simple, two-wheel design made it…
Bitumen in Los Angeles: Photos of the La Brea Tar Pits
The La Brea Tar Pits, situated in the middle of Hancock Park in Los Angeles, are a petroleum reservoir on the southern edge of the Salt Lake Oil Field. Working…
Germans and their fascination with nudity
The shy Angela Merkel Angela Merkel may not like to tell you but even she enjoys it. NBC News gets to the bottom of Germany’s love affair with nudity. “Lately,…
An Irrational Mixup at SaskPower
Ten years ago, SaskPower was spending money to promote education about Climate Change. The poster contest is an important component of our efforts to educate the public about the climate…
A Teacher’s Truth Costs Her Her Job
It seems to me that any school should feel very lucky to have a teacher of Kristen Ostendorf’s character and courage. Totino-Grace Catholic High School in Minnesota is not one…
Dysfunctional Legislatures
Is there any such thing as a fully “functional” legislature in Canada? I am starting to wonder. I do not follow all the various provincial maneuverings but it seems to…
A Dystopian Future
George Orwell and Aldous Huxley envisioned nightmarish worlds, which were the result of 20th century trends. Now American economist Tyler Cowan has produced a vision of the dystopian world of…
An Essay On Syria, Morality And The International Community
Do you know why chemical weapons are often referred to as the “poor man’s nuke”? The term comes as a snide label detailing the devastating effects these weapons have compared…
Voyager One and Our Message to the Aliens
It's amazing to think that this little toy that we earthlings made is now sailing out of our solar system. The tireless Voyager I spacecraft, launched in the disco era…
In Sunday’s Sun: ten reasons why Quebec’s racist “Charter” could fail
It’s a mutually-reinforcing conceit, former Bill Clinton advisor Dick Morris once observed. Politicians and their staff pride themselves on their ability to manipulate the media and – through them –…
BC-MLA’s Tour Shawnigan Watershed While The CVRD Dusts Off The Bylaw To Stop Contaminated Dumps
Richard ‘Hub’ Hughes-Political Blogger With things heating up around the contaminated site threatened Shawnigan Watershed, Cowichan MLA Bill Routley along with BC NDP Environment critic Chandra Herbert were led by…
brief open letter to richard dawkins: you have no right to speak for anyone but yourself
Dear Richard Dawkins, If the sexual abuse you experienced as a child did not leave you with lasting scars, that’s very fortunate for you. However, you have no right to…
war resister rodney watson: four years in sanctuary
Today marks four years since Iraq War resister Rodney Watson requested sanctuary from the First United Church in Vancouver. Watson has been in sanctuary ever since. We can honour Watson’s…