Ignorance and the Political System. . . .
I don't think one has to be profoundly knowledgable about history and political theory to be a political representative. I think, as a general rule, the more you know the…
More on the AECL farce
From the smart folks at Enviralment:Montreal-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin has begrudgingly stepped up to buy the commercial arm of the crown corporation. The firm is no stranger to CANDU technology,…
Canada Causes Cancer: Government & Industry Collude to Keep Asbestos Off UN Hazardous Chemical List
asbestos-bangladesh.jpg Last week, the Canadian government successfully and unilaterally stonewalled efforts to list chrysotile asbestos as a hazardous chemical at a United Nations conference in ...
"A Plan For Putting the GOP on TV News"
Whenever I hear a Fox News (or one of its northern version) defender rail on about how the network is 'fair and balanced' and in no way related to the…
Being Oppositional, ‘Socialist’ Filibuster Drinking Games, Pandering to the Misinformed, Attempting To Debunk Some Myths
Finally, I post my thoughts about the NDP filibuster of Stevie Spiteful’s draconian Back to work legislation of locked out Canada Post workers and the press coverage it has received,…
On foreseeable futures
In posting about the DND's "First Look" at where Canada is headed, Mike DeSouza focuses on a seemingly throwaway sentence mentioning the Green Party. But the more striking part of…
I’ll Just Leave This Here …
For me, "vision" is perhaps the emptiest and most ill-used word in politics. It's easy for someone to wake up in the middle of the night and say he or…
Thespian as Politician ≥ the Political Theatre Press Conference
It is amazing the lengths that politicians will go to in order to give a rather mundane message a twist, a hook, a pull, some pizzazz, or often, a point.…
Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading.- Andrew Jackson points out and sums up a Statistics Canada study showing how much possible revenue is lost to the underground economy:Statscan have…
Ontario Liberals in Free Fall: Desperate to make political hay resort to outsourcing derangement syndrome
In response to the outrage expressed by the handful of Ontario Liberals still hanging on to that sinking ship over the American photo gaffe by the NDP, I redirect you…
The world is hurtling toward destruction, but giving up some male power is not an option
I wonder how many women are feeling like I do, especially older women. I look around and see that men are running the world, and no matter how screwed up…
Denial-a-Palooza: Where Are All the Scientists That Deniers Love To Talk About?
all-alone-conference-funny.jpg Wake up and smell the fossil fuel funding. That's right, it's that time of year again: the Heartland Institute is hosting its Sixth (annual?*) International Confere...
Vilify Me
Eventually the only source of humour that will be socially and politically correct will be bodily functions, spoonerisms and puns, and the sort of humour where people inadvertently slip on…
Sentencing for sexual abuse of children
R. v. Cloutier, 2011 ONCA 484 is a sad case of sexual abuse of children by a priest. The case deals mainly with appearance of fairness at trial but concludes with a useful…
Emergency Oil Reserves Tapped: Conservation Plan Gathers Dust
Last week a global oil emergency was declared and the response rolled out, but almost nobody noticed. The International Energy Agency (IEA) started tapping into member state’s emergency oil reserves,…
MSNBC suspends Mark Halperin over ‘dick’ comment
MSNBC proved that it is still amateur hour when it comes to cable news. The network is suspension city. In he past, it has suspended both Joe Scarborough (also involved…
Petraeus’s imaginary Taliban
In Nikolai Gogol's novel Dead Souls, his protagonist Chichikov seeks to purchase serfs who have died but are still registered against their owners as taxable assets. By relieving the owners…
The Sensitivity Problem and the Social Sciences: Warn your students
This is a problem I am sure almost anyone who works with data runs into form time to time. It is also something we need to teach our students. Which…
Canada Day Long Weekend …
Hope you all get a chance to kick back and enjoy the first nice long weekend of the summer! Happy Canada Day canuks!