Roach vs. the Queen
“I affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe…
Bill Longstaff
Australia’s Dutch disease
Canada is not alone in suffering from the insidious Dutch disease. Australia, too, is feeling the pain. Whereas Canada’s version is caused by booming tar sands production, Australia’s is caused…
No more pecker snipping in Germany
With a ruling that circumcising boys constitutes grievous bodily harm, a German court has effectively outlawed the practice in that country. The case was brought against a doctor in Cologne…
The windmill next door
As a citizen of Alberta, Canada’s oil province and the birthplace of wind energy in Canada, I have perhaps less innate concern about windmills than citizens from other provinces. Indeed,…
Drunk driving a capital offense?
If you think that Alberta’s new drunk driving laws are tough, consider Iran. Two Iranians, their names not released by authorities, have been sentenced to death for persistent consumption of…
Scientists warn, politicians ignore
The Global Network of Science Academies, representing 105 science academies around the world, issued a press release last week highlighting what they referred to as “two of the most profound…
Bully for the nuns
I’m no fan of the Roman Catholic Church, or organized religion generally, but when the folks in black do a good deed, I’m prepared to recognize it. And the good…
City charters—progress for Calgary and Edmonton?
The municipal level of government is the orphan of our political system. Cities are, under the Constitution, creatures of the provinces. In 1867, making municipalities wards of the provinces may…
The War of 1812—a non-Canadian event
That Mr. Harper and his colleagues are all gung-ho about the War of 1812, and spending millions on commemorating it, is hardly surprising. Reactionaries seem to have a thing about…
If it ain’t one damn thing …
That China’s waterways are badly polluted, is common knowledge. Less well recognized is the increasing pollution of its land. Zhou Jianmin, director of the China Soil Association, reports that, “More…
Even the OECD supports Mulcair
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has issued a report saying that increasing commodity prices is creating an uneven economy in Canada. This, of course, is what Thomas…
"Masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action"
Such is the considered opinion of the Vatican on this harmless and pleasant pastime. The indignant definition was part of the Vatican’s critique of a book by Sister Margaret Farley,…
Northern Gateway and ghosts of the Exxon Valdez
I have been reading Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power by Steve Coll, and was captivated by the prologue, which reviewed the Exxon Valdez tragedy. As I read the story,…
Why losing "my" MP leaves me indifferent
The MP for Calgary Centre, Lee Richardson, has announced he is resigning his seat to take a job as Alberta Premier Alison Redford’s principal secretary. Considering that Calgary Centre is…
Putin’s popularity prevails
It may be beyond rational explanation, but almost three-quarters of the Russian people approve of Vladimir Putin. The man is a corrupt thug with KGB written all over him, but…
May 29—International Day of UN Peacekeeping
At a time when our government seems to prefer militarism to peacekeeping, it is especially important to salute United Nations peacekeepers. Today, May 29th, is the day the UN has…
Rising oil prices will end urban sprawl … or not?
A popular assumption about rising oil prices is that people will have to drive a lot less and use public transit a lot more. This, in turn, will lead to…
Calgary’s RiverWalk gains international recognition
Two main ideas contend for how rivers should be treated as they flow through cities. One says they should be left as natural as possible, bordered by grass and trees…