On Feminism
I am proud to call myself a feminist. I take it as a first principle needing no further derivation that all people deserve equality of freedom and opportunity, and that…
bazie
Wildrose defeat shows the limits of social conservatism in Canada
Alberta is Canada’s most right leaning province. The Wildrose party is a further right splitting of the long dominant right leaning party in Alberta. If there is anywhere that the…
Bev Oda’s luxurious, tax payer funded life
Bev Oda, the Minister of International Development, has done it again. In 2006 she was forced to return $2200 to taxpayers for a $5500 dollar limo bill. In 2008 she…
Lessons from Iran for North Korea
North Korea became the biggest international story of last week when it decided to launch a satellite into space (ostensibly a weather satellite) that ultimately broke down shortly after being…
On unnecessarily codifying specific freedoms such as the freedom of religion
Should there be explicit protection for the freedom of religion in the founding documents of society? This question may at first seem to be an obvious ‘yes’ since almost everyone…
The importance of fundamentals for a stable nomination race
For any analyst, covering this GOP Presidential Nominee race is a humbling experience. Almost everybody – myself included – has made bad predictions. It has been so wildly unpredictable and…
What coverage of wanton killings says about our biases
Smiling Mass Murderer Robert Bales It is hard to get people to care about Afghanistan and, despite fighting a massive war there, hard to get it in the news. Most…
A few words on Mulcair’s victory as NDP leader
As one of those who opted to vote for a range of “not-Mulcairs”, I can certainly empathize with those who might be disappointed that Tom Mulcair is now the official…
The New Hampshire model for pushing marriage equality
For most progressives, the issue of accepting gay marriage is an easy one. It is also widely recognized that at some point in the future, gay marriage probably will be…
My NDP leadership ballot rankings
Let’s just get it over with: Nathan Cullen Brian Topp Peggy Nash Paul Dewar Niki Ashton Thomas Mulcair Martin Singh These rankings are not necessarily who I think is best…
Homophobic language from an Ontario Catholic School Board
A Toronto area Catholic school board has recently released a blueprint to combat a wide range of discrimination. Laudably it includes a robust defense of the need to combat homophobia.…
Vancouver NDP leadership debate candidate rankings
The NDP’s final leadership debate wrapped up today in Vancouver in advance of the March 24th leadership convention. It has been a long road since the first debate back in…
The achingly slow pace of iOS software development
The big news in the tech world yesterday was the launch of Apple’s latest iteration of the iPad. For those of us suffering the quintessential first world problem of being…
How the GOP should criticize Obama on Iran
Leaders of Brazil, Turkey & Iran As the Republicans continue to escalate their misguided criticism of Obama and his handling of the issue of a nuclear Iran, they desperately need…
On the Rush Limbaugh hullabaloo
Radio Host Rush Limbaugh Rush Limbaugh has bought himself one heck of a news cycle. The host of the US’s most listened to conservative talk radio show made a series…
Analyzing Nathan Cullen’s Joint Nomination Plan
NDP leadership candidate Nathan Cullen has staked his bid to be the next Prime Minister of Canada on an unconventional electoral strategy. He would allow so called joint nominations where,…
The chances of an Israeli strike on Iran
As a large caveat, let me first say that I think it is very hard to come up with a reasonable estimate of the chances that Israel, or the US,…
Canada’s Submarine Motivations
Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, Canada’s top navy guy, has remarked that Canada will begin the process of vetting new submarine purchases in three or four years. This raises anew questions about…
How the GOP candidates choose who to attack
Ron Paul: There has been a lot of buzz recently about the fact that Ron Paul, while viscously attacking his other opponents, seems to give Ron Paul a free pass.…
Impressions and Analysis from the Winnipeg NDP Leadership Debate
The following is my impressions of the candidates and discussion of various issues raised in the Winnipeg NDP Leadership Debate. Past debate coverage: Ottawa | Toronto | Halifax Brian Topp:…