The Filibuster Comes To Canada
Last week's postal filibuster is the first real case study of the new political reality. If it's a preview of the next four years, I'd say Stephen Harper's 2015 re-elected…
Toronto theatre fest gets funding pulled – A conversation with Artistic Producer Michael Rubenfeld
Toronto’s indie theatre festival SummerWorks has recently reported that core funding from Heritage Canada has been pulled at the last minute. Given the ire the festival drew from the government…
Tahrir Square, June 28 Post-Script
Yesterday’s clashes in Tahrir square were covered here at WHR as breaking news. A more complete picture of the context and extent of the situation has emerged. As mentioned in…
Ottawa funds clinical trials of controversial MS treatment
The treatment is effective or is not effective. Clinical trials will answer the question. With so many Canadians suffering MS the Federal Government did the right thing -- even a…
Pelican Bay Prisoners Go On Hunger Strike to Protest Grave Conditions: Lawyers, Advocates, Organizations Hold Press Conference, Voice Prisoner Demands
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—June 29, 2011Press Contact: Isaac OntiverosCommunications Director, Critical ResistanceOffice: 510 444 0484Cell: 510 517 6612What: Press ConferenceWhen: Thursday, June 30, 2011, 11:00amWhere: Elihu M.&nb...
Fund-Raising Review By Province – NDP
Following up on my previous post, let's take a look at the NDP's partial fund-raising numbers from 2007 to 2010. (I've kept the 2010 data in the chart as an…
Poverty on the rise in Harper’s Canada
New data released by StatsCan shows the national rate for low income earners rose in 2009, for the second straight year, up from 9.2 to 9.6 %. To put that…
This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Teen charged with First Degree Murder in death of York Region Police Officer
Presumably this is because the death of the officer took place while the officer was acting in the course of duty, while the youth was committing an indictable crime and…
Sure, It’s A Great Time To Cut Government Spending
Just before the housing boom goes bust. Start hording food supplies, this is going to get ugly.
The Underground Economy and Business Tax Evasion
Statscan have produced interesting and important new estimates of the upper bound size of the “underground” or “non observed” economy, putting it at a seemingly modest 2.2% of GDP in…
Sixth Estate Returns as Conservatives Reward Ridings
I apologize for dropping off the face of the planet over the past week. I’ve been swamped with work on a research contract and, even for crazy left-wing loonies like…
Voters Strongly Oppose Michele Bachmann’s Proposal to Abolish the EPA
Building on an idea that seems to have originated with Newt Gingrich, Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has spent the past few weeks calling for the Environmental Protection Agency to be…
On trashing the long form census—Stats Can on my tail
Shortly before the Canada Post lockout, Statistics Canada mailed me a copy of the 2011 National Household Survey, formerly known as the long form census, to dutifully fill out. I…
Canada’s Venture Into America’s Corporate Militarism Cabal, the F-35
In an alternate universe, let's call it Planet Sane, eyes would roll, heads would shake and tongues would wag over how a bloated project, like Lockheed's F-35 joint strike fighter…
Tying your shoes — you’re doing it wrong
When I was a wee lad, I had trouble tying my shoes the wrong way. I had to make two big loops and overlap those. True story. (Embarrassing, but true.)…
The “royal” visit – and why I am glad I’ll be outta town!
I detest hero-worship in any form… and the fawning over the “royal” visit is the epitome of hero worship! Not that I am implying in any way that they’re heroes…
CIDA announces Open Data portal: What it means to Canadians
For those who missed it, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has announced it is launching an open data portal. This is exciting news. On Monday I was interviewed about…
New York passes equal marriage into law
Please excuse my silence over the last couple of days. I was on a road trip to drive a friend back home to Richmond, Virginia. We drove through New York…
thou shalt be thin: obesity hysteria and the eating disorder epidemic
This ad for Yoplait Light reduced-calorie yogurt, which I saw on TV last Sunday night, was supposedly pulled from circulation. The National Eating Disorder Association petitioned General Mills because the…