On implausible impersonators
Other commentators have taken note of Erin O’Toole’s attempt to co-opt the language of labour unions in an effort to portray himself as less hostile than his predecessors. There’s certainly…
2020
Saturday Photo: A Little Change-up, a Change in the Kitchen and Bathroom Chez Nous
After a couple of years of chat, and 11 months of planning etc. our renovations are complete. New floors, countertops, more cabinets and paint in the kitchen. New walk in…
Dark Winter: Preparedness Is Basic Sanity
Chilling it is to think about the possibilities for a dark winter ahead, or for any major troubles. But dealing with reality is an important thing for adults to do.…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Resource Movement offers a handy primer on wealth taxes (and the value of applying them). – Jean-Benoit Legault reports on new research showing…
The Future of Online Learning 2020
This is an edited text transcript from my presentation from April 27, 2020. Presentation page (audio, video, slides): https://www.downes.ca/presentation/520 This talk is about change. It’s about the change we see…
It’s A Sequence
COVID numbers are spiking around the world. They offer a grim lesson: Opening up too soon is a fool’s errand. Yesterday, Doug Ford told his daily news conference: “I want…
Watch this
Vote for America.https://t.co/eoxT07uII9 pic.twitter.com/sBd51fgmln — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 14, 2020
Republican and Democrat: The choice between two right-wing parties
Signs for former Vice President Joe Biden at a meet and greet with Kerry Washington and Nnamdi Asomugha at Eastlake Park in Phoenix, Arizona. Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr. The storm…
The ground game has gone south?
In my years in politics, I have taught thousands of people how the political ground game is played. It is basic to politics throughout North America. It takes lots of…
It’s the UCP Government that’s been blocking Albertans’ access to Ottawa’s COVID Alert app, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says
We now know with reasonable certainty it’s the United Conservative Party Government that’s been responsible for blocking Albertans from having access to the federal COVID Alert smartphone app. Prime Minister…
Musical interlude
Wide Mouth Mason – Some Kind of Requiem
Electric shock
In a few words, over a 15 year span, total annual revenues (what we have paid as customers) have increased by 100% , over the same period and with inclusion…
Sparky says: vote, America!
Sparky says: Vote, America! pic.twitter.com/wTku6Agdrq — Warren Kinsella (@kinsellawarren) October 30, 2020
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Andrea Doucet, Sophie Mathieu and Lindsey McKay make the case for a parental leave system which improves accessibility and wage replacement rates to…
On The Edge
Everyone knows that Donald Trump lies. But lately, Paul Krugman writes, Trump’s lies are qualitatively different: On Tuesday the White House science office went beyond Trump’s now-standard claims that we’re…
The words that count the most
Yesterday was a really really good day. I won’t bore you with the details, but I went to bed feeling pretty good. As I usually do, I took a peek…
The Good Government.
While Americans remain mired in arguing the seriousness of the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus, Canadians are basking in the benevolence of government largess to help fight it. Seeing finance minister…
Earth scientist David Hughes, latter-day Cassandra, predicts completed TMX will see extra losses for every barrel shipped to Asia
Earth scientist David Hughes has become well known in certain circles as the Cassandra of the oilpatch. Cassandra, as the classically educated will recall, was the priestess of Apollo cursed…
Palate cleanser
I’m so nervous about the US election, I can hardly think about anything else, and yet thinking about the US election does absolutely no good at all for anyone including…