Two Big Shoes
Ever since we saw the big flurry of events at the end of March/early April that led to the expulsions from the Liberal caucus of two well-regarded and like cabinet…
May 2019
My latest, on the so-called “digital charter”
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development blinked. Then he blinked again. He has just been asked if his government’s “Digital Charter” would apply to his own political party.…
Utter Incompetence
If you take a close look at Doug Ford’s first budget, Martin Regg Cohn argues, you begin to understand how incompetent he and his government are: By rejecting the bureaucracy’s…
Fighting the facts of the future.
In a discussion of what is currently happening in politics, the realization emerged that provincial politicians such as Alberta’s Kenney, Saskatchewan’s Moe and Ontario’s Ford are denying our progeny a…
What should we make of the post-election Edmonton Journal editorial urging the UCP to keep the carbon tax?
I suppose we should never attribute to mischief what can be explained by incompetence, but what else are we to make of the Edmonton Journal’s earnest editorial yesterday urging Alberta…
Rescue in the Rockies by Edmonton’s Rita Feutl tops Audreys Books’ fiction bestseller list
Here are the lists of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction titles sold in Edmonton during the week ended May 19, 2019. The lists are compiled by Audreys Books and…
Musical interlude
The Postal Service – The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
Sustainable Moe
The only thing Moe can sustain is a non-stop stream of BS. Hot dog guy at ballpark; “I’ve been here all season, done a lot of hard work, talked to…
Travels with Epicurus
I’m sure it’s not just me who feels this way, but these days I find increasing wisdom and solace in the words of the classical authors: Seneca, Cicero, Epicurus, Marcus…
The State of Democracy
There is, it seems, a war against democracy. I hesitate to use the word “war” as it tends to suffer from overuse these days—war on drugs, war on terrorism, etc—but…
Ready for Prime Minister Boris?
I’ve been listening to LBC Radio London to get the latest after Theresa May’s announcement that she’ll step down as prime minister in just two weeks. It’s believed her successor…
Reflections on Illness / Réflections sur la maladie
available from leftwingbooks.net A new zine, as big as a book, that we are very pleased to now carry at Kersplebedeb leftwingbooks.net — “Reflections on Illness / Réflections sur la…
WikiLeaks: US Shows Hand
As many journalists and others have been saying for a decade, the US was seeking Assange to charge him with an anti-Constitutional law that threatens investigative journalists around the world.…
Texas Can Power SK with Wind
With the Saskatchewan Government touting nuclear ambitions again, only 10 years after it was soundly rejected by the population, I’ve been reviewing what I wrote at the time then. One…
David Gilbert Interviewed by TREYF
For those of you who don’t know, Treyf is one of the best podcasts out there — “A debatably Jewish podcast. Recorded at CKUT in Montreal (on occupied Kanien’kehá:ka territory),…
Never mind the yuppies: Vancouver’s wealthy elites driving away workers who keep the city safe
Photo by Heydrienne (Flickr) Vancouver’s business community often bemoans affordability challenges faced by middle-class professionals in the upper echelons of the tech and corporate sectors. However, a more alarming consequence…
The Yellow Vests of France: Six Months of Struggle
Photo by kriss-toff I am writing you from Montpellier, France, where I am a participant-observer in the Yellow Vest (Gilets jaunes) movement, which is still going strong after six months,…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Sarah O’Connor examines how the future of work may echo past practices – including a misleading picture of wages for gig work which…
Historical Factors that Led to The Current Opioid Crisis – A Guest Post By Patrick Bailey*
The opioid crisis has captured the attention of policymakers and the public. It is becoming increasingly apparent that this is a multidimensional societal challenge that requires a new approach. Such…