The Latest in School Fashion – Body Armour
What’s next, Kevlar helmets? The latest sign of America’s worsening dysfunction is ballistic armour for school kids. Send your child to school with a bulletproof backpack so when the rounds…
The Mound of Sound
Is America’s Military Edge Slipping?
Imagine a world in which the U.S. and the rest of us could not count on America having the dominant military technology. Put another way, imagine China, not the U.S.,…
You Can’t Begin to Imagine What Your Life Would Be Like If This Happens
A strong warning from the 6th European Conference on Space Debris. The conference, hosted by the European Space Agency, offers scientists an opportunity to gather to assess the state of…
Decisions, Decisions
The Tyee has me tied up in knots. According to the paper, the BC NDP are poised to mop the floor with Christy Clark and her decidedly-conservative Liberals, ending their…
Now They’re Coming for the Krill
People of the Pacific northwest know full well that krill are the foundation of our marine food chain. Krill process plankton. Krill feed the fish that feed the fish that…
The Liberals’ Renaissance in Quebec.
Quebec’s federal and provincial Liberals appear to be enjoying something of a renaissance. The Toronto Star’s Chantal Hebert figures the Trudeau Libs now give Mulcair’s New Dems’ Quebec-centric power base…
Society of Ob-Gyns Wants Boys Vaccinated for HPV
Canada’s Society of Obstetricians & Gynecologists has set the cat among the fundamentalist pigeons this time. They want all Canadian provinces to follow Prince Edward Island’s lead and make HPV…
Why Does the F-35 Have Just One Engine? Blame It On Those Damned JarHeads.
A huge limiting factor of the F-35 is that it has just one engine. In a vast, sparsely populated country with extreme weather (yes, that would be Canada), twin-engine reliability…
Crunching the F-35 Numbers. It’s Anything You Want.
There’s one thing F-35 pilots won’t be seeing as much as they’d like – the inside of an F-35. Instead they’ll be spending a good deal more time pretending to…
Give Me a Boilin’ Hot Cup of Joe
Ol’ Joe is in the hotseat in the House of Commons today. The New Democrats plan to grill NatResMin Oliver over his remarks smearing leading climate scientist James Hansen. Oliver…
English as the Official Language of the European Union?
There’s a move afoot to have English declared the common language of the European Union and it’s a German who is pushing the idea. Here The Guardian gives a pretty…
Americans Settling In to Reality of Terrorism
The American people might just be getting terrorism fatigue after more than a decade of efforts by their politicians and media to keep them in a heightened state of anxiety.…
It’s a "No Lose World" Once You Have Captured the Political Process
The Great Recession of 2008 devastated broad swathes of the population of the developed world. Foreclosures, unemployment, insolvency, homelessness, the gamut of economic misery. For most but not for all,…
How Do You Like Your Odds?
A decade ago, Britain’s Astronomer Royal, cosmologist Martin Rees, wrote “Our Final Hour, A Scientist’s Warning: How Terror, Error, and Environmental Disaster Threaten Humankind’s Future In This Century – On…
Trudeau Wastes No Time in Showing His Hand
If the polls are right and Justin Trudeau’s Liberals manage to reclaim power from the Harper Cons in 2015 all signs are that Canada will continue to be governed on…
Don’t Mess With Texas, It Doesn’t Need Any Help From You
In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings last week, word got out of a horrific explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West in Texas. By some…
A Sensible Response to Terrorism
We North Americans are unduly susceptible to acts of terrorism if only because terrorist acts on our doorstep, while dramatic, are infrequent. In the reign of Bush the Junior, an…
Sinn Fein’s Sordid Moment
Gerry Adams’ brother, Liam stands in the dock, but it’s Gerry Adams and Sinn Fein that are on trial. Liam is accused of molesting and raping his daughter, Aine. She…
Japan Threatens Force In Confrontation With China
Eight Chinese government ships have entered disputed waters apparently headed for the Senkaku-Diaoyu islands. Japan has warned that it will “expel by force” any Chinese landing on the islands. The…
The Need for Speed, Why Go Anywhere Without It?
When you’re going “state of the art” you always run the risk that the adversaries you have in mind will quickly find the Achilles’ Heel(s) in your latest & greatest…