Big state takes on big oil—a lesson for Alberta?
Someone reading this blog might get the impression I take pleasure in hearing about environmental lawsuits against oil companies and their friends. They would be right. I do. And so…
California
Has the Alberta Legislature noticed what the 5th largest economy is doing?
If Albertans want to understand how economically viable our Natural Gas and Oil sector is, all we need to do is look towards California. California has the largest economy in…
Unions Bring Big Benefits to California
If you work in a unionized environment you’re likely doing better than a person in a non-union environment according to a study done in California. You’re also less likely to…
It Costs A Little To Have Foresight
…It costs everything to have no foresight. Humans who are good at foresight get undermined by those who aren’t.
The World’s Most Dangerous Man
There are a lot of unpleasant people running countries these days. North Korea’s Kim Jong-un for example, surrounding himself with nuclear weapons while his people starve. Or China’s Xi Jinping,…
Will Canada Miss the (Electric) Bus?
Electric buses are making a real—and rapidly growing—dent in emissions: as Bloomberg reported, electric buses will displace 270,000 barrels of diesel a day by the end of this year. But…
Will Canada Miss the (Electric) Bus?
Electric buses are making a real—and rapidly growing—dent in emissions: as Bloomberg reported, electric buses will displace 270,000 barrels of diesel a day by the end of this year. But…
Will Canada Miss the (Electric) Bus?
Electric buses are making a real—and rapidly growing—dent in emissions: as Bloomberg reported, electric buses will displace 270,000 barrels of diesel a day by the end of this year. But…
California Launches Improved Reverse Income Tax Scheme
California’s welfare system (EITC) includes subsidies sent annually for people living without income and that’s about to change. Under new rules the money given to people who earn less than…
Rent Strikes Gaining Popularity
Last year a community in Toronto launched a rent strike and won! This initiative to ensure affordable housing (and not being verbally abused by landowners) worked for the involved residents;…
WTF? Winter Storm Warnings in Texas, Mexico. California on Fire. High Arctic Melting.
Think of it this way. You may not feel it but you are firmly in the grip of climate change. There’s nothing you can do to make it go away.…
Notes from a taster trip to Northern California
Mallory Irene and I went to The Bay and drove up the coast this August. We flew into San Francisco and took the BART up to Berkeley Hills where Irene…
How the far-right co-opted “free speech”
This column was published at Maclean’s on May 1, 2017 It was the third time in as many months that supporters of President Donald Trump gathered in Berkeley, Calif., the…
Bravo, Jerry Brown
While Donald Trump is content to call climate change a hoax, his withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Accord does not mean that others are just throwing up their hands…
Coastal Concerns
As I wrote earlier this year, I have pledged not to visit the United States until, at the very least, the Donald Trump presidency is history. That does not mean,…
Tuesday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – David Brin examines the crucial role the public sector plays in driving economic development – as well as the disturbingly large movement…
Hyperloop vs. High Speed Train
The California high speed train won’t arrive until 2029 at present estimates from the designers. So, Musk has a better idea for less money, that can be built faster.
Baked Alaska and the Fraser Institute: what changes, and what doesn’t, when oil prices fall and the money melts
PHOTOS: Alaska Governor Bill Walker illustrates about how much is left in the northern state’s budget now that oil prices have gone south. (Alaska Dispatch News photo.) Below: The wild…
Early Outbreaks of the Bozo Virus
Following the cataclysm of the Clown Apocalypse, researchers discovered there had been similar plagues throughout the ages. One of the worst outbreaks in history was the Great Buffoon Drive of…
Solar All Over California
On our Amtrak trip through southern and central California, I watched the dry and irrigated fields fly by me at 133km/h. We stopped for the night in Bakersfield (the most…