Thanksgiving Sadness
My Mum passed away in the early morning of Thanksgiving this year. She’s being missed by all who cared for her, and nearly everyone who met her cared for her…
Uncategorized
The problem of Councillor Chu
Sean Chu is the councillor for Calgary’s Ward 4. He was re-elected for his third term in the recent civic election. It now appears that Councillor Chu has a skeleton…
Introducing ‘Who Does That?’, a compendium of complaints large and small
The other day I was walking my son’s dog (actually, it was closer to being dragged by my son’s dog; he’s young and strong, and I am not) when I…
Right now, Alberta needs courageous leaders; or why Antigonish is going to present some problems for Jason Kenney and Alberta Politicians.
Antigonish, Nova Scotia is a small rural community in Nova Scotia. If you are driving from Halifax, you will spend more than two hours in the car. You will drive…
Natural gas revenues in BC
The 2017 BC NDP platform promised, “The people of BC must get a fair return for our resources.” The pledge was immediately dropped when the NDP took power…
Why can’t conservatives win the mayoralties of Alberta’s major cities?
Alberta’s reputation as a bastion of conservatism has been belied once again by the recent municipal elections. Both Calgary and Edmonton, which together make up over half the province’s population,…
Calgary remains in good hands
If there was a natural successor to retiring mayor Naheed Nenshi it would be Jyoti Gondek. Like Nenshi she is well educated (Ph.D. in urban sociology) with a thorough grasp…
Refunding the police
How quickly the tide turns. Hardly a year has passed since the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer triggered protests that pressured cities across the U.S. to…
Statement on the case against Councillor Chu
Today I was made aware of the CBC story about the incumbent Ward 4 councillor, Sean Chu. This is deeply upsetting. Let us focus on the victim – a teenage…
A look at Alberta’s referen-dumbs
Election day in Alberta is Monday, Oct. 18. Wait, you may be saying, didn’t we just have an election? Very observant of you. Yes, we did have an election, but…
Kudos to David Card and the minimum wage
Good news from the world of the dismal science. A Canadian boy, David Card, has won a share of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Economics. Nice to see one of…
Dealing With Lemmings, and The Delusional
“Never underestimate the power of denial.” – American Beauty” Cowards can never be moral.” – Gandhi “The world is a dangerous place, not because evil people do terrible things, but…
What side are you on? And are you sure?
I have always been, and always will be, on the side of the anti-fascists and anti-authoritarians. At present, in 2021, that represents about 30% of the people. That may sound…
Covid Journal, October 10, 2021
Arbitrary and unequal application of rules related to Covid will only result in the general public ignoring them. The post Covid Journal, October 10, 2021 first appeared on Excited Delirium.
Things to be sort of thankful for this weekend
Happy Thanksgiving weekend, everyone. Or, as Americans call it, Canadian Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a day Canadians set aside to be thankful, as opposed to the just completed Truth and Reconciliation…
Plague Update: Moe’s Killing People
“Minister Merriman, like Premier Moe, seems incapable of either hindsight or foresight. Our government must understand that a combination of strategies is required, rather than relying on vaccination alone.” Sask.'s…
A few words about words and phrases we should drop
One of the pleasures of writing a blog is that I can vent about trivial things that previously only my wife and sons had the privilege to hear. So this…
The death graph
A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. It’s true for me anyway. Maybe it’s my engineering background, but charts, graphs, etc. often make a point much more effectively…
Lotus Land turned to La La land
John Horgan is involved in a political game that could be called, “Look at This, Not at That!” No one can argue with the need for energy users to use…
On The Use & Abuse Of History
A typical account of history is presented in the video linked below, and here are some reflections on it, and on the general practice, or malpractice, of professional historians, and…