Valentine’s Day’s Dirty Chocolate Secret
While you’re stocking up on chocolate, as the stores fill with it for Easter and Valentine’s Day, consider only treating yourself and others if the candy is labeled Fair-Trade. Fair-Trade…
Economics
CFIB members please post: ‘Money from public sector wages & pensions NOT wanted here!’
CFIB AstroTurf technicians roll out part of their campaign against improved pensions for Canadians, a plan certain to harm the group’s naïve supporters. Below: A suggested sign for the windows…
Fossil Fuels, Neil Young and Plastics
To start things off, let me quickly make mention of Neil Young and his current efforts to bring more attention to the oil sands and first nation rights. Good on…
More Clever Climate Change Awareness Actions!
…Burning oil caused the melting in the first place… A week ago two climate change activists pulled a Yes Men on our greatest employee, Mr. Stephen Harper. But last summer,…
Conservation is good business, new trophy hunting study reminds us
Photo courtesy of Trish Boyum / Ocean Adventures A new study on trophy hunting in BC’s Great Bear Rainforest found that bear-related ecotourism generates “12 times more in visitor spending…
Economic Growth? I Prefer Steady State
Economic growth suggests that infinite growth is possible. Even with a growing earth population and increasing climate breakdown, people still think we can continue growing. I like using the seasons…
The Ultimate New Year’s Resolution
It’s mostly us. Many of us have heard of the idea of planning policy to consider effects seven generations downline. We’re pretty smart. It shouldn’t be that hard. But we…
It’s all about the economy; No evidence required
This is the key takeaway from the National Energy Board’s conditional approval of the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project: The economy trumps all. Serious environmental risks, engineering concerns, the…
Enbridge: What Now? We Escalate Our Fight
Some breaking news occurred yesterday, the Joint Review Panel of the National Energy Board approved the Enbridge pipeline, but with 209 conditions. To quote a teenager from 1994: “Big whoop.”…
$10 Billion Site C Dam: You pay, no say
If you live in BC, it will cost you, conservatively, $10 Billion – paid through skyrocketing power bills and taxes. It will flood tens of thousands of acres of excellent…
Conservatives Are Not Responsible
Conservatives are not responsible for your neighbour’s children. Your neighbour’s children will be paying off debts incurred by Conservative Ministers, however. Conservatives only feel responsible for your neighbour’s children when…
Redford’s Performance Appraisal: The Building Alberta Plan
Alison Redford’s performance appraisal document landed on my doorstep a week ago. It’s called “The Building Alberta Plan 2013 Edition”. In the real world a CEO undergoes an annual performance…
The rise of Bitcoin: and the challenge to the global domination of big money
The following article was written on October 25. I wanted to read it over once more before publishing it, then got busy with other things and forgot about it. In…
"Sack the Economists"
Reblogged from Real-World Economics Review Blog: from Geoff Davies Non-mainstream economists are all-too aware of the failure of mainstream economists to anticipate, let alone avoid, the Global Financial Crisis and…
BC Hydro rate shock powered by lies
BC Energy Minister Bill Bennett How do you know when a politician’s lying? When you see his/her lips move. Bill Bennett, the BC Hydro point man in the government, tells…
Investment in society and in human beings?
A paper published in the journal International Political Science Review considered if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was “Democracy’s Friend or Foe.” It noted that reforms required by the American…
Competition and the Commercial Spirit
I came across this gem while reading Hayek’s discussion of private monopoly and competition in Law, Legislation and Liberty. Hayek is discussing the relationship between competition and economic rationality, disputing…
CAN CHINA INNOVATE ?
CAN CHINA INNOVATE ? The immense weight of China dominates much economic prognostication these days. Will it overtake the USA and become the dominant power of this century ? What…