Two oil economies: Norway and Alberta
NORGES BANK Using the Bank of Canada’s average rate of exchange for 2014, a Norwegian krone has been worth $0.1757 CAN. That results in a fund value of $1,165,769,500,000 Canadian,…
2015
When All the King’s Horses and All the King’s Men Can’t.
The Atlantic’s James Fallows was interviewed on Bill Maher’s show last night. The discussion focused on Fallows’ article in the latest edition, “The Tragedy of the American Military.” One point…
On common messaging
It shouldn’t come as much surprise that the new election year is bringing out the usual, tiresome round of calls for strategic voting and candidate withdrawals. In the past, I’ve…
Death
It wasn’t Roger Ebert’s elegy that got me thinking about it: I’m Irish Catholic and, like my Jewish friends, I think about death all the time. Goes with the territory.…
The Greek canary in the European coalmine: An interview with Yanis Varoufakis
Over at Ricochet, I’ve transcribed my podcast interview with Yanis Varoufakis, economist and Syriza candidate in tomorrow’s Greek elections. With Syriza looking to get the most votes and possibly an…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Lana Payne writes that by finally recognizing the unfairness and ineffectiveness of Alberta’s regressive tax system, Jim Prentice may be starting a needed…
Is Canada racist? No. Is there racism in Canada? Yes.
The announcements of the concern about racism the other day in Winnipeg came as no surprise. That part of this country has been trying to stuff the racism genie back…
That Grievance Mentality
http://mckennasmagic.weebly.com/ Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address this week. Here are a few highlights: We still need laws that strengthen rather than weaken unions.” “We still need…
Stephen Harper’s Image Problem and the Con’s Secret Weapon
Well as you can imagine, Stephen Harper is having a little trouble with his image these days.He can't pose as a Great Economist Leader anymore, not with the disastrous state…
Stephen Harper and the Neoliberal Conspiracy
If you ever wonder how we could end up living in a world where the richest 80 people on Earth are now as wealthy as the 3.5 billion poorest people.Or…
Musical interlude
I Mother Earth – Used to be Alright
Goodbye 4H Club – Horne, Horner, Hughes and Hancock now gone
The announcements this week by former Finance Minister Doug Horner and former Health Minister Fred Horne that they are leaving politics did not come as a surprise to anyone watching…
Israeli Election update; and update on Greece and Newfoundland.
Starting from the smallest updates to the biggest. GREECE All signs point to a victory by the left-wing and anti-austerity SYRIZA party. My current prediction is as follows: 146 SYRIZA83…
The Globe: Spectrum auction may bring some surprises
Could we finally see more choice in Canada’s wireless market this year? Article by Christine Dobby for the Globe and Mail Mobilicity says it has not yet secured the financial…
CBC: Cancel your TV, Internet, and phone whenever you want
Goodbye, 30-day cancellation notices! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out! Article by the CBC Canadians no longer have to give a 30-day notice to cancel or…
Time: The John Oliver effect: it’s officially real
After drumming up a huge amount of support to stop the Internet slow lane, find out how else the John Oliver effect is creating change. Article by Victor Luckerson for…
Right to silence
R. v. W.L., 2015 ONCA 37: Certain principles that govern the right of an accused to remain silent post-arrest are in play in this appeal. Deeply embedded in our law…