A New Class Politics (repost)
Class is back on the agenda of the European left. That is good news. The reasons, however, are unfortunate. It is primarily the growing working-class support for right-wing parties and…
July 2017
Ami McKay’s The Witches of New York leads Audreys Books Edmonton Bestseller List this week
Here is the list of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold in Edmonton for the week ended July 9, 2017, compiled by Audreys Books and provided by the…
Pacific NorthWest LNG Hits Road Block as Gas Pipeline Sent Back to National Energy Board by Federal Court
The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that the National Energy Board (NEB) made a legal mistake by not considering whether TransCanada’s Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline is under federal…
Why hasn’t a new CAO been hired?
The town was supposed to be hiring a new CAO, to replace John Brown, the unpopular interim CAO currently in the corner office. But although he’s supposed to be gone…
Road cycling shoes for wide feet: what to do when you’re descended from ducks
I have been looking for cycling shoes to fit my wide feet for years. And I’ve finally found some. I’ve always wanted to wear the cool shoes. Topsiders, Cebos, Stan…
Why We Need to Clean Up Mining if We Want a Renewable Energy Economy
A massive open-pit copper mine might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about solar power. But the construction of photovoltaic panels actually require a wide…
America’s Victim in Chief
Donald Trump knows a thing or two. He knows that he’s America’s greatest ever reality TV star. He knows he’s America’s victim in chief. The victimization of the martyr president…
The Perspective is Jarring.
Let’s see, 9 billion tonnes of plastic divided by 7.5 billion human beings. That’s 1.2 tonnes of plastic per person or 2,640 pounds. More than 9 billion tonnes of plastic…
Highly-scientific poll™: on the GG touching the Queen
…to prevent her from bouncing down the stairs, that is. The present GG, not the one presently in the crosshairs of Kevin Donovan. You're on some steps with the Queen.…
Caring for Non-Speaking Loved Ones in Pain
What does pain look like in a person who cannot speak? Most often with our son Nicholas, it looks like this: When his smile suddenly turns to a ‘stricken’ look,…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Noah Smith writes that far too many Americans (like people around the globe) face needless barriers to thinking, and suggests that the…
New column day
Here, on the noteworthy successes of the first year of Regina’s Housing First program – along with the appalling failure of our provincial and municipal governments to fund a full…
Canadians Are Outraged
The outrage is once again stoked by Omar Khadr, but, as I wrote the other day, it is Peter Kent’s shameful performance that is earning their scorn. These two letter-writers…
From Enligthenment To Chaos
Jonathan Manthorpe writes that The Age of Enlightenment is coming to an end. It was ushered in by the Peace of Westphalia: The primary task of this bundle of treaties…
Bike Lanes are Good for Everybody
Bike lanes are amazing! They give users of the roads an area which protects emission-free bicycle riding. They bring local business lots of profits and they improve towns. Bike lanes…
Our Prime Minister grunts.
Despite teaching public speaking, I occasionally took someone else’s course on public speaking just to make sure I was not slipping into bad speaking habits. We are all guilty of…
When the call screener makes life difficult – Replay
A bit out of date but this item first published in January 2015 is worth repeating. It shows something about the quality of political reporting in BC. January 2, an…
On Jason Kenney’s Progressive Conservative leadership victory: big money guys finish first (nice guys, not so much)
PHOTOS: Tory volunteers and armed guards move cash into Jason Kenney’s campaign vault. Actual Progressive Conservative bag people and security measures may not appear exactly as illustrated. (Photo … dimly…
NDP tops political fundraising in Alberta for second quarter in a row
Elections Alberta released the financial disclosures showing the results of political party fundraising in the second quarter of 2017. Combined party and constituency fundraising results show the governing New Democratic…