Holy crap things are busy! Interesting that we're talking so much about drug policy.
The National Post says what we are all thinking about Steve and his stance on pot - What the fuck are these guys talking about? I paraphrased that a bit.
I don't usually like to link to videos, but I'm going to link to this one. First, I like Mulcair's response to Harper on Insite. Second, I really like the nice young lady hanging out on Mulcair's shoulder. She pays attention. Smirks at the right time. He should really have her there as a sort of "emotion surrogate" at all times.
The Cons kicked a reporter out of an event when she asked party supporters about their personal stance on marijuana.
Elizabeth May is blaming Thomas Mulcair for Stephen Harper not attending a debate? Why not. I guess she can't blame Trudeau as he's trying to get her invited.
Was it a secret? The Guardian says "Canadian government spent millions on secret tar sands advocacy". Shit...money to "advance energy literacy amongst BC First Nation Communities." That's terrible.
Stephen Harper relishes in stopping a Provincial Government from enacting a social program. Isn't he for more Provincial rights?
The BBC weighs in on Canada taking away an expats right to vote.
Jeebez H. Crikey. Now the F-35 might not be able to meet the performance of our CF-18's? Why are we still thinking of buying this airplane? Incidentally, I have no idea what the stance is on this for the Libs and the NDP.
That didn't take long. The Cons have decided that they're not going to ban people from tweeting, taking photos or discussing their campaign events. And of course, nothing was meant by it. Just legal boilerplate.
I'm actually surprised the number is that high. Canada responsible for only 3% of ISIL air strike missions. And of course Steve responds to the Libs and the NDP in the classiest way possible on their ISIL strategy. Liberal, NDP anti-terror strategy just ‘dropping aid on dead people’. Because when you're responsible for 3% of something, that gives you the right to talk big.
I never really thought about how the election timing could impact students. October could give them enough time to set up their new address, but many students will be away from home and probably not bother with the hassle. Elections Canada has a pilot project going at a few Universities to allow students to vote in their home riding. But doesn't this contravene the Fair Elections Act? Sounds like get-out-the-vote promotion to me.
The opposition parties outline how they would un-muzzle scientists.
Syncrude killed another pile of birds. 30 Great Blue Herons this time.
Okay. This is more "Regular ramblings" than "Election ramblings", but here is another example of why we shouldn't hand off power to multi-national corporations in the name of "Copyright Reform". Sony has started issuing copyright takedown notices over video containing the word "pixels", because their amazing movie just happens to be named that. I hate to be the one to point out that, if anything, this would be trademark infringement, not copyright. Duh. Besides, as David Byrne explains, music streaming services are the real pirates.
Showing posts with label Fighter Jets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fighter Jets. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Monday, July 6, 2015
Summer Boredom, early this year - Week 219 - June 29 - July 6
The timing of the revelation that the Cons offered Tom Mulcair a job is interesting. And weird. Seeing as this story has been raised several times over the years. And now, even the Cons are supporting what Mulcair has to say.
Christy Clark's team sent out a self-congratulatory e-mail after the referendum loss, celebrating their ability to keep a campaign promise. Avoiding the topic of their chicken shit downloading of tough decisions to the citizens. Who surprisingly don't vote for tax increases.
Almost every Manitoba Con MP broke the rules by sending out partisan mailouts to constituents not in their riding. Sad that it would have been okay if they were in their riding.
CSIS and Border Services cooked up an information sharing deal, all on their own. Should we admire the ambition and initiative, or be kind of scared?
The Cons claim front line services have not been affected by cuts in Veterans Services. Apparently, even the minister know that is bullshit.
The RCMP have added a show of force to certain performances of the musical ride. Horses, funny outfits and swat takedowns. They claim they've been doing it for years, but who knows.
The American lawsuit against Omar Khadr for wrongful death was successful. Uncontested. But successful.
More dismal news for the F-35. It sucks really, really badly in dogfights. Not its key role, for sure. But still...trounced by the plane it is replacing? Yikes. Note, I found a detailed blog about why this doesn't matter, but it was so fucking boring I couldn't link to it.
Christy Clark's team sent out a self-congratulatory e-mail after the referendum loss, celebrating their ability to keep a campaign promise. Avoiding the topic of their chicken shit downloading of tough decisions to the citizens. Who surprisingly don't vote for tax increases.
Almost every Manitoba Con MP broke the rules by sending out partisan mailouts to constituents not in their riding. Sad that it would have been okay if they were in their riding.
CSIS and Border Services cooked up an information sharing deal, all on their own. Should we admire the ambition and initiative, or be kind of scared?
The Cons claim front line services have not been affected by cuts in Veterans Services. Apparently, even the minister know that is bullshit.
The RCMP have added a show of force to certain performances of the musical ride. Horses, funny outfits and swat takedowns. They claim they've been doing it for years, but who knows.
The American lawsuit against Omar Khadr for wrongful death was successful. Uncontested. But successful.
More dismal news for the F-35. It sucks really, really badly in dogfights. Not its key role, for sure. But still...trounced by the plane it is replacing? Yikes. Note, I found a detailed blog about why this doesn't matter, but it was so fucking boring I couldn't link to it.
Monday, January 12, 2015
2015 might be the year of the political criminal - Week 192 & 193 - Dec 30 - Jan 12
Holy shit. The CBC lists all the political trials (and other legal court things) on the schedule for this year. Insane.
This seems to be a theme. Terror attack. News comes out that the authorities were aware of the perpetrators. Yet we still use the attack to justify more intrusive surveillance. So we can be doubly aware of future attacks?
Canada is preventing a NAFTA watchdog from investigating oil sands tailing ponds.
An interesting interview with Jason Kenney in Vice. When asked why no young people vote Conservative, he points out that young oil patch workers who make a lot of money actually do. Which is a ringing endorsement for his party. Probably reason enough not to vote for them, right there. As well, a nice breakdown of Stephen Harper's year end interview.
What the fuck is going on at the CBC? Rex Murphy has devolved into a crazy, lunatic, corporate sponsored mouthpiece. And Amanda Lang worked really hard to spike stories on behalf of her best buds at RBC.
Fantino out. Some other loser in. An article detailing the Cons terrible policies related to our military. And they've actually started directly accusing soldiers of faking injuries.
A detailed article on the Conservative obsession with memorials, and their attempts to construct giant ones all over Parliament Hill.
Why is Canada so far down the list when it comes to children's health? We've also dropped out of the top 10 for "most developed countries".
Kevin Vickers will be named ambassador to Ireland.
I find it odd when an article contains a statement such as "the energy-intensive oil sands sector accounts for less than half a per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions", suggesting that this is a trivial amount.
Not only do our refugee policies suck, when they finally make it here, we make all kinds of mistakes processing their paperwork.
I feel like the Tyee has given us a few articles with a similar vibe already, but it deserves repeating. Kinder Morgan and their Trans Mountain pipeline really don't provide much in the way of economic support to Canada. It's mostly drained off into the States.
HD Mining strikes again? I feel like the Globe is late to the party in detailing how this BC mine will be staffed by foreign workers.
Speaking of late to the party. The Globe asks where the $3.1 Billion went. Probably a fair question.
There are many riding changes in the upcoming Federal Election, and nobody really knows what to make of it.
The joint strike fighter won't be able to fire its guns before 2019. We need to run away from this project.
This seems to be a theme. Terror attack. News comes out that the authorities were aware of the perpetrators. Yet we still use the attack to justify more intrusive surveillance. So we can be doubly aware of future attacks?
Canada is preventing a NAFTA watchdog from investigating oil sands tailing ponds.
An interesting interview with Jason Kenney in Vice. When asked why no young people vote Conservative, he points out that young oil patch workers who make a lot of money actually do. Which is a ringing endorsement for his party. Probably reason enough not to vote for them, right there. As well, a nice breakdown of Stephen Harper's year end interview.
What the fuck is going on at the CBC? Rex Murphy has devolved into a crazy, lunatic, corporate sponsored mouthpiece. And Amanda Lang worked really hard to spike stories on behalf of her best buds at RBC.
Fantino out. Some other loser in. An article detailing the Cons terrible policies related to our military. And they've actually started directly accusing soldiers of faking injuries.
A detailed article on the Conservative obsession with memorials, and their attempts to construct giant ones all over Parliament Hill.
Why is Canada so far down the list when it comes to children's health? We've also dropped out of the top 10 for "most developed countries".
Kevin Vickers will be named ambassador to Ireland.
I find it odd when an article contains a statement such as "the energy-intensive oil sands sector accounts for less than half a per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions", suggesting that this is a trivial amount.
Not only do our refugee policies suck, when they finally make it here, we make all kinds of mistakes processing their paperwork.
I feel like the Tyee has given us a few articles with a similar vibe already, but it deserves repeating. Kinder Morgan and their Trans Mountain pipeline really don't provide much in the way of economic support to Canada. It's mostly drained off into the States.
HD Mining strikes again? I feel like the Globe is late to the party in detailing how this BC mine will be staffed by foreign workers.
Speaking of late to the party. The Globe asks where the $3.1 Billion went. Probably a fair question.
There are many riding changes in the upcoming Federal Election, and nobody really knows what to make of it.
The joint strike fighter won't be able to fire its guns before 2019. We need to run away from this project.
Monday, December 15, 2014
This is definitely torture - Week 189 - Dec 8-15
Steve insists US torture isn't our problem. We need to remind ourselves of our diplomat trying to tell us that we directly handed Afghan detainees over to be tortured.
We've already totally fucked up our Syrian refugee program. We're about to throw another curveball into it...We're going to prioritize Christian minorities.
Canada has decided to not do it's part in protecting endangered species. 76 endangered species!
Steve knows better. Cons reject recommendations on solitary confinement from Ashley Smith inquiry.
"BC needs LNG for jobs!" sez Christy. "Most of those jobs will go to non Canadians" sez Petronas.
Steve has another reason to do nothing about oil patch emissions. Falling oil prices. At one point they actually claimed they couldn't do anything due to high oil prices. Through quotes, McLean's shows how Steve and his band of assholes are a bunch of fucking liars.
Cops can now search your phone on arrest without a warrant. This might not sound like a big deal. But are they maybe not more likely now to arrest you so that they can search your phone, if that is their desire?
Steve doubles down on denial that they treat Veteran's poorly. Writes off BC lawsuit as being against a Liberal policy. Even thought the Veteran's Charter was passed by the Conservatives with all party support.
An analysis on how the Cons are starving spending with new process and requirements. Smaller Government evidently means more bureaucracy, somehow.
Remember that ever ratcheting up F-35 price tag? Add another billion. As well, if you leave the fuel truck in the sun, they won't run.
More partisan ads. This is getting tiresome.
"Fair Elections" strikes again. Scrutineers will now be allowed to use smartphones and keep in touch with the mothership. Nice that the Conservatives had a head start to develop an app to take advantage of the legislation that they changed. And a lesson - WHEN RIVAL POLITICAL PARTIES COME TO YOUR DOOR DON'T TELL THEM HOW YOU ARE PLANNING ON VOTING. As well, the Cons are trying to make it harder for ex-pats to vote in elections.
I know our food safety system isn't terrible. People aren't keeling over all over the place, after all. But this is disturbing. An E.Coli outbreak was caught not by the first line of defense, but by a secondary test outside of the regular system. As well, the recall wasn't initiated until the meat was past it's best by date.
Israel is proposing a very controversial bill that I won't pretend that I understand. Thing is, pretty much everybody is speaking out against it. Except Canada. Which is what unconditional support means, I guess.
This tears apart the idea to raise fees for access to information.
Somebody other than Trudeau thinks we should try to understand just why we have all these terrorists all of a sudden.
A Jury member who selected the winning entry for Steve's Communists are Bad memorial wonders why it's been given such a prominent site. And thinks the cost estimate is insanely low. Amongst other things.
Rules were bent to allow an anti abortion protest to take place on Parliament Hill.
The Liberals suggest their membership numbers are rising handsomely.
The Feds continue their Omar Khadr crusade.
Harsh repercussions for medical marijuana advertisements, lack of enforcement for prescription drug advertising.
House prices are fine! Don't worry about it!
Oh man. Gross. Cruise ships produce insane amounts of pollution, and just dump that shit right into the ocean. Every one of your old relatives is guilty of killing baby dolphins.
There is a report detailing the costs of "Corporate Sovereignty" clauses in European free trade agreements. It's not cheap.
We've already totally fucked up our Syrian refugee program. We're about to throw another curveball into it...We're going to prioritize Christian minorities.
Canada has decided to not do it's part in protecting endangered species. 76 endangered species!
Steve knows better. Cons reject recommendations on solitary confinement from Ashley Smith inquiry.
"BC needs LNG for jobs!" sez Christy. "Most of those jobs will go to non Canadians" sez Petronas.
Steve has another reason to do nothing about oil patch emissions. Falling oil prices. At one point they actually claimed they couldn't do anything due to high oil prices. Through quotes, McLean's shows how Steve and his band of assholes are a bunch of fucking liars.
Cops can now search your phone on arrest without a warrant. This might not sound like a big deal. But are they maybe not more likely now to arrest you so that they can search your phone, if that is their desire?
Steve doubles down on denial that they treat Veteran's poorly. Writes off BC lawsuit as being against a Liberal policy. Even thought the Veteran's Charter was passed by the Conservatives with all party support.
An analysis on how the Cons are starving spending with new process and requirements. Smaller Government evidently means more bureaucracy, somehow.
Remember that ever ratcheting up F-35 price tag? Add another billion. As well, if you leave the fuel truck in the sun, they won't run.
More partisan ads. This is getting tiresome.
"Fair Elections" strikes again. Scrutineers will now be allowed to use smartphones and keep in touch with the mothership. Nice that the Conservatives had a head start to develop an app to take advantage of the legislation that they changed. And a lesson - WHEN RIVAL POLITICAL PARTIES COME TO YOUR DOOR DON'T TELL THEM HOW YOU ARE PLANNING ON VOTING. As well, the Cons are trying to make it harder for ex-pats to vote in elections.
I know our food safety system isn't terrible. People aren't keeling over all over the place, after all. But this is disturbing. An E.Coli outbreak was caught not by the first line of defense, but by a secondary test outside of the regular system. As well, the recall wasn't initiated until the meat was past it's best by date.
Israel is proposing a very controversial bill that I won't pretend that I understand. Thing is, pretty much everybody is speaking out against it. Except Canada. Which is what unconditional support means, I guess.
This tears apart the idea to raise fees for access to information.
Somebody other than Trudeau thinks we should try to understand just why we have all these terrorists all of a sudden.
A Jury member who selected the winning entry for Steve's Communists are Bad memorial wonders why it's been given such a prominent site. And thinks the cost estimate is insanely low. Amongst other things.
Rules were bent to allow an anti abortion protest to take place on Parliament Hill.
The Liberals suggest their membership numbers are rising handsomely.
The Feds continue their Omar Khadr crusade.
Harsh repercussions for medical marijuana advertisements, lack of enforcement for prescription drug advertising.
House prices are fine! Don't worry about it!
Oh man. Gross. Cruise ships produce insane amounts of pollution, and just dump that shit right into the ocean. Every one of your old relatives is guilty of killing baby dolphins.
There is a report detailing the costs of "Corporate Sovereignty" clauses in European free trade agreements. It's not cheap.
Monday, November 17, 2014
The Internet will break you - Nov 12-17 - Week 185
I did a stupid thing the other day. But I was honestly confused. Momentarily. So I typed into the Google machine "Why do Republicans want Keystone XL". I had momentarily forgotten that oil money bankrolls half their campaigns and was honestly curious as to why they were killing themselves to allow Canadian oil production to expand. And it took me here. This is a terrible place that makes me fear for the United States. Pretty much every comment contains a reference to "American Exceptionalism, suggestion that Obama is a secret muslim or born in Kenya, and support for the idea that Obama hates America and is trying to destroy it. There is no hope for these people.
Steve continues to be a hard man against Russia. With tough talk in the handshake line of a summit.
Somebody better than me has taken a plunge into the ridiculous Conservative bill names. Great stuff. Man. So pumped on this!
Canada's reputation is terrible in countries where our mining companies are destroying things.
The US and China seem to have agreed to some real emissions targets. Will Canada follow suit?
CSEC gets a $385 Million budget increase. The watchdog gets a budget cut.
This is interesting. A detailed evaluation with a simple money shot. $1 Billion in public spending cuts eliminates 18,000 direct and indirect jobs and sucks $2 Billion out of the economy. $1 Billion in corporate tax cuts generates 6,000 jobs and adds $1.3 Billion to the economy. Which is a net loss, if you need to do the math. I would imagine that this analysis breaks down at some point, but it is telling. Right now, every time we cut corporate taxes to starve the public sector we're harming the economy. i.e. Stimulus spending works. Throw declining oil revenues into the mix, and we might be fucked.
The Americans insist that we've made a secret deal to purchase 4 F-35's in a fighter jet trojan horse deal. The Cons insist that we haven't.
Interesting take. According to Conservatives, the science is crystal clear that marijuana is harmful. But there isn't enough science to support medical marijuana. I guess you could have different science. Nobody seems to be fans of the new anti-pot ads.
An American story on Rehtaeh Parsons and how Canadian journalists can no longer speak her name. This is so fucked up, all the way around.
The Cons are going to erect monuments of Light Armoured Vehicles across the country as tribute to Afghan war veterans. This is the funniest thing. How can you ignore a group of people while erecting a monument to celebrate them? Angry Veterans against Harper is gaining some momentum.
The Cons seem to be trumpeting their "surplus" loud and hard. Even though it hasn't happened yet. And has been seriously eroded.
The Parliament Hill shooter did reconn the week before his attack. Which seems like some pretty great information to rile people up about shutting down Parliament Hill to the public.
Access to Information is out of reach of the average Canadian. Thousands of dollars. Weeks of effort.
The Cons promised to follow the court ruling to offer health care to all refugees. But they might not actually be doing so?
Steve continues to be a hard man against Russia. With tough talk in the handshake line of a summit.
Somebody better than me has taken a plunge into the ridiculous Conservative bill names. Great stuff. Man. So pumped on this!
Canada's reputation is terrible in countries where our mining companies are destroying things.
The US and China seem to have agreed to some real emissions targets. Will Canada follow suit?
CSEC gets a $385 Million budget increase. The watchdog gets a budget cut.
This is interesting. A detailed evaluation with a simple money shot. $1 Billion in public spending cuts eliminates 18,000 direct and indirect jobs and sucks $2 Billion out of the economy. $1 Billion in corporate tax cuts generates 6,000 jobs and adds $1.3 Billion to the economy. Which is a net loss, if you need to do the math. I would imagine that this analysis breaks down at some point, but it is telling. Right now, every time we cut corporate taxes to starve the public sector we're harming the economy. i.e. Stimulus spending works. Throw declining oil revenues into the mix, and we might be fucked.
The Americans insist that we've made a secret deal to purchase 4 F-35's in a fighter jet trojan horse deal. The Cons insist that we haven't.
Interesting take. According to Conservatives, the science is crystal clear that marijuana is harmful. But there isn't enough science to support medical marijuana. I guess you could have different science. Nobody seems to be fans of the new anti-pot ads.
An American story on Rehtaeh Parsons and how Canadian journalists can no longer speak her name. This is so fucked up, all the way around.
The Cons are going to erect monuments of Light Armoured Vehicles across the country as tribute to Afghan war veterans. This is the funniest thing. How can you ignore a group of people while erecting a monument to celebrate them? Angry Veterans against Harper is gaining some momentum.
The Cons seem to be trumpeting their "surplus" loud and hard. Even though it hasn't happened yet. And has been seriously eroded.
The Parliament Hill shooter did reconn the week before his attack. Which seems like some pretty great information to rile people up about shutting down Parliament Hill to the public.
Access to Information is out of reach of the average Canadian. Thousands of dollars. Weeks of effort.
The Cons promised to follow the court ruling to offer health care to all refugees. But they might not actually be doing so?
Monday, November 3, 2014
Trapped in the Closet - Week 183 - Oct 27 - Nov 3
Stephen Harper feels bad that he hid in the closet. I actually don't blame him for that.
We're officially arguing over the semantics of the word "terrorism". Mulcair thinks that because the man was mentally ill, it might not be terrorism. Russell Brand points out that when a white guy shoots 3 cops, that's not terrorism. Which makes me a bit sad. This isn't even his country. How does he come up with these amazingly relevant things to say?
The Information and Privacy Commissioners are encouraging us to not over-react with draconian laws in the wake of last weeks incidents.
I love that we're using domestic attacks by Canadian citizens who never left the country to justify a global spying enterprise. Among other things.
I always root for the underdog. I have no idea why. I can't remember the last time that a team that I cheered for won a major championship. Hell, half the time I'll switch allegiances if my underdog team starts winning. So,today we'll talk about Dean Del Mastro. Don't get me wrong, this man deserves no sympathy. But I can't help but feel a bit sorry for him as all his buddies skitter away and leave him holding the bag. How does Steve not get tarnished by all the buffoons that he has surrounded himself with?
How badly does the RCMP suck? In Stephen Harper's Canada, the RCMP thinks that environmentalists are a greater threat than "religiously inspired terrorists". That must have been some argument, trying to sort out which Boogieman is scarier. As well, the RCMP have kept no records of their warrantless requests to snoop on Canadians, so have no idea how often it happened or if it breached privacy. Lastly, it looks like up to 4 RCMP officers slept with witnesses over the course of the Surrey Six investigation and trial, throwing the verdict into question. Four!
Canada won't be granting visas to people from "Ebola ridden countries". Many people point out that this won't stop the disease from spreading.
Because it's nearly impossible to achieve one legally, women in New Brunswick are inducing their own abortions.
We don't have the budget to build all the arctic ships we are expecting to.
Income Tax Splitting could be really, really messy. A dream for accountants. We know that income splitting favours people that have high incomes. So limiting the tax credit to $2000 is a step in the right direction. But why is it limited to people with kids?
This is really embarrassing. We've started photoshopping logos onto the Canadarm.
The overall best selling car. In all of Norway. Is the Tesla Model S. Some people point out that it is hypocritical of Norway to make buying a Tesla cheap through funding provided by their Oil industry. But I think that's awesome. If Canada decided to jack oil and gas royalties and use it to fund clean energy programs, that would be a good thing, no?
An opposition Commander in Syria points out that 6 fighter jets isn't going to accomplish much against ISIS. Biased opinion? Sure. Mysterious source? Of course.
You know who doesn't have confusion about whether or not to buy in to an overly expensive, unproven fighter jet program? Russia. That's who.
Buried way, way in the back of an already long bill are some provisions to control working conditions within the CBC.
Hooray for Canada? A student staged a fake act of racism and filmed it as a social experiment. Somebody sucker punched the fake racist. Somebody else pointed out that Islam isn't a race.
It's official. Communication from Revenue Canada makes no sense.
This is a really great cartoon that explains Obamacare and what is wrong with US Healthcare.
Every once in a while, an issue comes along that is so confusing, you're not even sure which side you are on. #Gamergate is just such a thing. If you use that hashtag are you a sexist? Against sexism? What if you're criticizing #Gamergate? Are you allowed to use the hashtag then? Who the fuck knows. Anyhow, this post is beautiful. Not just for #Gamergate, for life. Read it.
We're officially arguing over the semantics of the word "terrorism". Mulcair thinks that because the man was mentally ill, it might not be terrorism. Russell Brand points out that when a white guy shoots 3 cops, that's not terrorism. Which makes me a bit sad. This isn't even his country. How does he come up with these amazingly relevant things to say?
The Information and Privacy Commissioners are encouraging us to not over-react with draconian laws in the wake of last weeks incidents.
I love that we're using domestic attacks by Canadian citizens who never left the country to justify a global spying enterprise. Among other things.
I always root for the underdog. I have no idea why. I can't remember the last time that a team that I cheered for won a major championship. Hell, half the time I'll switch allegiances if my underdog team starts winning. So,today we'll talk about Dean Del Mastro. Don't get me wrong, this man deserves no sympathy. But I can't help but feel a bit sorry for him as all his buddies skitter away and leave him holding the bag. How does Steve not get tarnished by all the buffoons that he has surrounded himself with?
How badly does the RCMP suck? In Stephen Harper's Canada, the RCMP thinks that environmentalists are a greater threat than "religiously inspired terrorists". That must have been some argument, trying to sort out which Boogieman is scarier. As well, the RCMP have kept no records of their warrantless requests to snoop on Canadians, so have no idea how often it happened or if it breached privacy. Lastly, it looks like up to 4 RCMP officers slept with witnesses over the course of the Surrey Six investigation and trial, throwing the verdict into question. Four!
Canada won't be granting visas to people from "Ebola ridden countries". Many people point out that this won't stop the disease from spreading.
Because it's nearly impossible to achieve one legally, women in New Brunswick are inducing their own abortions.
We don't have the budget to build all the arctic ships we are expecting to.
Income Tax Splitting could be really, really messy. A dream for accountants. We know that income splitting favours people that have high incomes. So limiting the tax credit to $2000 is a step in the right direction. But why is it limited to people with kids?
This is really embarrassing. We've started photoshopping logos onto the Canadarm.
The overall best selling car. In all of Norway. Is the Tesla Model S. Some people point out that it is hypocritical of Norway to make buying a Tesla cheap through funding provided by their Oil industry. But I think that's awesome. If Canada decided to jack oil and gas royalties and use it to fund clean energy programs, that would be a good thing, no?
An opposition Commander in Syria points out that 6 fighter jets isn't going to accomplish much against ISIS. Biased opinion? Sure. Mysterious source? Of course.
You know who doesn't have confusion about whether or not to buy in to an overly expensive, unproven fighter jet program? Russia. That's who.
Buried way, way in the back of an already long bill are some provisions to control working conditions within the CBC.
Hooray for Canada? A student staged a fake act of racism and filmed it as a social experiment. Somebody sucker punched the fake racist. Somebody else pointed out that Islam isn't a race.
It's official. Communication from Revenue Canada makes no sense.
This is a really great cartoon that explains Obamacare and what is wrong with US Healthcare.
Every once in a while, an issue comes along that is so confusing, you're not even sure which side you are on. #Gamergate is just such a thing. If you use that hashtag are you a sexist? Against sexism? What if you're criticizing #Gamergate? Are you allowed to use the hashtag then? Who the fuck knows. Anyhow, this post is beautiful. Not just for #Gamergate, for life. Read it.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Chinese Overlords - Week 176-177 - Sept 8-22
Sorry. Missed a week. Looks like there was a lot going on.
Steve got his free trade agreement signed with China. Opinions vary from "China will take over our country" to "Doesn't really matter...everybody else can already sue us over trade issues anyhow."
Our performance in several key metrics for child health is terrible. Out of 29 countries assessed, we're 27th in child obesity, 22nd in infant mortality and 21st in child poverty rates. 967,000 children live in low income houses/poverty. I think what those families really need is another tax cut. Put a couple hundred dollars in their pockets and I'm sure the problem will fix itself.
Steve loses another court battle. The Ontario Court of Appeal rules a tough-on-crime law unconstitutional.
Steve likes his secrets. A growing number of topics are considered "Cabinet Secrets" and won't be released for 20 years.
The Department of Justice suggest that Peter MacKay and Steve were wrong to criticize the Chief Justice and that she had every right to comment on Supreme Court appointments. Man. Somebody is not getting a mother's/father's day e-mail this year.
Great week for Canada. Bad week for Rod Anders. Sleepy Time loses another nomination battle. Could this be the end for him in Canadian politics? I bet he shows up as a Wild Rose candidate soon.
Steve's precious Museum for Human Rights has opened up. And the Cons seemed concerned about the contents of the exhibits. I'm surprised Steve hasn't been spending weekends there, working on his diorama on how the Charter of Rights ruined oil development. Interesting that as they trumpet human rights, there's been a lot of the work in the background to deny them for trans-gendered people.
Canada appears to no longer be granting North Korean refugee claims. Because we all know how safe and effectively governed that country is.
The MP who proposed a law to empower MP's has been pressured into amending the bill. What we really need to stop things like this from happening is some sort of something...a bill perhaps?...to empower MP's. And you know that a bill that when the PM blesses a bill that is supposed to reel back a little bit of power from said PM....well...maybe it's a bit of lip service.
There's some proof that the government has been tracking hundreds of peaceful protests, panel discussions, etc.
No money to investigate the effects of global warming. Lots of money for an expedition to support Steve's pet project/fascination with the lost Franklin expedition.
This article speculates that the Conservatives have something to fear over mandatory voting laws. Which would explain why they've made such an effort to suppress vote participation.
Apparently our fighter jet choice is down to the F-35 and the Super Hornet.
Steve got his free trade agreement signed with China. Opinions vary from "China will take over our country" to "Doesn't really matter...everybody else can already sue us over trade issues anyhow."
Our performance in several key metrics for child health is terrible. Out of 29 countries assessed, we're 27th in child obesity, 22nd in infant mortality and 21st in child poverty rates. 967,000 children live in low income houses/poverty. I think what those families really need is another tax cut. Put a couple hundred dollars in their pockets and I'm sure the problem will fix itself.
Steve loses another court battle. The Ontario Court of Appeal rules a tough-on-crime law unconstitutional.
Steve likes his secrets. A growing number of topics are considered "Cabinet Secrets" and won't be released for 20 years.
The Department of Justice suggest that Peter MacKay and Steve were wrong to criticize the Chief Justice and that she had every right to comment on Supreme Court appointments. Man. Somebody is not getting a mother's/father's day e-mail this year.
Great week for Canada. Bad week for Rod Anders. Sleepy Time loses another nomination battle. Could this be the end for him in Canadian politics? I bet he shows up as a Wild Rose candidate soon.
Steve's precious Museum for Human Rights has opened up. And the Cons seemed concerned about the contents of the exhibits. I'm surprised Steve hasn't been spending weekends there, working on his diorama on how the Charter of Rights ruined oil development. Interesting that as they trumpet human rights, there's been a lot of the work in the background to deny them for trans-gendered people.
Canada appears to no longer be granting North Korean refugee claims. Because we all know how safe and effectively governed that country is.
The MP who proposed a law to empower MP's has been pressured into amending the bill. What we really need to stop things like this from happening is some sort of something...a bill perhaps?...to empower MP's. And you know that a bill that when the PM blesses a bill that is supposed to reel back a little bit of power from said PM....well...maybe it's a bit of lip service.
There's some proof that the government has been tracking hundreds of peaceful protests, panel discussions, etc.
No money to investigate the effects of global warming. Lots of money for an expedition to support Steve's pet project/fascination with the lost Franklin expedition.
This article speculates that the Conservatives have something to fear over mandatory voting laws. Which would explain why they've made such an effort to suppress vote participation.
Apparently our fighter jet choice is down to the F-35 and the Super Hornet.
Monday, July 7, 2014
A relatively short one - Week 166 - July 2-7
Is it "hoisted on your own petard" or "foisted on your own petard"? Something else? Anyhow, the US has justified killing the shit out of people with drones and insists that they have the legal right to do so. And in doing so have made a legal argument for Omar Khadr not being a war criminal.
Peter MacKay and his band of merry yes men are probably facing a(nother) court challenge over their prostitution legislation. After losing a court case over refugee healthcare. And will probably be added to the giant pile of laws the Conservatives have passed that have been overturned by the courts - thanks to the CBC for saving us all the time of tracking them down. I'm sure the argument will be something like "When yer busy doin' stuff you step on a few toes."
It's not looking very good for Dean Del Mastro. Testimony has been made that it was his request to backdate all of those invoices. It really makes you wonder where the hubris came from to get up on his soapbox for so long?
This sounds a bit like nothing more than fancy bookkeeping. But it's more than that. Kinder Morgan is allowed to charge a surcharge on its pipeline traffic in order to lobby the government for a larger pipeline. Said charges are somehow tax deductible. So Canadian taxpayers are essentially paying for Kinder Morgan to lobby and develop a bigger pipeline.
Conservatives: Man...we sure are awesome! Look at how many women we've appointed to senior positions! (they actually use the phrase "outstandingly well")
Reality: Actually...you're doing worse than the Liberals before you. 16% worse. (Liberals - 36%, Conservatives - 30%, that's a 16% drop)
Another anti-science decision by the Conservatives. The DFO is going to allow up to triple the amount of Coho to be caught unintentionally to allow for a larger Sockeye catch. There's no scientific evidence to back up their decisions. Just "Coho stocks are getting better". Scientists disagree.
A round of meetings on the TPP are taking place in Canada next week (well...this week, I guess). And everything has been moved from Vancouver to Ottawa at the last minute. And there's basically no information on what will be happening or where. It's all a giant secret. That will totally impact us for eternity.
This is kind of funny. The 2010 Olympics are officially "in the black". Meaning "we took enough money from the government to pay for everything. and forget about all those security costs. Those don't count."
Seems like a good program for Canada to get involved with...All of the F-35's have been grounded again. Engine fires.
Oh fuck the hell off. A doctor in Calgary is refusing to prescribe the pill. Personal beliefs. Doesn't your professional obligation as a doctor trump your personal beliefs?
Peter MacKay and his band of merry yes men are probably facing a(nother) court challenge over their prostitution legislation. After losing a court case over refugee healthcare. And will probably be added to the giant pile of laws the Conservatives have passed that have been overturned by the courts - thanks to the CBC for saving us all the time of tracking them down. I'm sure the argument will be something like "When yer busy doin' stuff you step on a few toes."
It's not looking very good for Dean Del Mastro. Testimony has been made that it was his request to backdate all of those invoices. It really makes you wonder where the hubris came from to get up on his soapbox for so long?
This sounds a bit like nothing more than fancy bookkeeping. But it's more than that. Kinder Morgan is allowed to charge a surcharge on its pipeline traffic in order to lobby the government for a larger pipeline. Said charges are somehow tax deductible. So Canadian taxpayers are essentially paying for Kinder Morgan to lobby and develop a bigger pipeline.
Conservatives: Man...we sure are awesome! Look at how many women we've appointed to senior positions! (they actually use the phrase "outstandingly well")
Reality: Actually...you're doing worse than the Liberals before you. 16% worse. (Liberals - 36%, Conservatives - 30%, that's a 16% drop)
Another anti-science decision by the Conservatives. The DFO is going to allow up to triple the amount of Coho to be caught unintentionally to allow for a larger Sockeye catch. There's no scientific evidence to back up their decisions. Just "Coho stocks are getting better". Scientists disagree.
A round of meetings on the TPP are taking place in Canada next week (well...this week, I guess). And everything has been moved from Vancouver to Ottawa at the last minute. And there's basically no information on what will be happening or where. It's all a giant secret. That will totally impact us for eternity.
This is kind of funny. The 2010 Olympics are officially "in the black". Meaning "we took enough money from the government to pay for everything. and forget about all those security costs. Those don't count."
Seems like a good program for Canada to get involved with...All of the F-35's have been grounded again. Engine fires.
Oh fuck the hell off. A doctor in Calgary is refusing to prescribe the pill. Personal beliefs. Doesn't your professional obligation as a doctor trump your personal beliefs?
Monday, June 9, 2014
Australia - Week 162 - June 2-9
Man. I haven't been this excited about something in a while. A comment was left here last week that I just loved. I'll share it with you, so that I don't have to write anything myself this week:
Orstralia calling here. Just wanted to give you the hands up that our recently elected PM is winging his way towards your bonza country on what can only be fact finding mission on the wonders of conservative government in Canada. Now Tony Abbott is the leader of the Liberal party of Australia but don't be confused because that's our version of the conservative party in Oz ( might be because we live in the opposite hemisphere).
Unfortunately for Tonnes his recent budget hasn't gone down to well with the general public. Those lower class types are getting upperty about inequality between the rich and the other ninety percent of the population. Even the septic tanks south of your boarder have made fun of him.
Now if Mr Harper could just show him some of the nuances on how to rule within a conservative framework, just some pointers well....it would be much appreciated. Having said that he does have a handy guide put together by the Institute of public affairs of Australia, a prestigious group of Bankers, Miners, Captains of industry all thought to be under the guiding hand of our very own Rupert Murdoch.
Even though Rupe has gone on to bigger and better things ( now an American citizen by crickey ) I like to think he still reminisces of his early days at the Adelaide Advertiser. Just wondering if your fair country is lucky enough to have any News corp publications or is it just us with wall to wall Murdoch media. Anyhow I better get out of your way now. Oh! If you do run into Tonnes he's the kind laconic bloke who will fell right at home with a cheeky greeting of ' Cheers big ears '.
The second link is a work of magic, and perhaps the work of a sociopath. Who else could spend the first few paragraphs talking about all the wonderful left wing changes of the past and how they've become thoroughly appreciated (Universal Healthcare, free tuition, etc.)...and then prescribe these changes as the way to move Australia forward? Banish the carbon tax, pull out of Kyoto, abolish the Department of Climate Change and the Clean Energy Fund, abandon parental leave, privatise, privatise, privatise. I mean, it's some kind of Koch Brothers wet dream. Anyhow. Thanks TaxiLurker...I really needed that.
On with the real news.
Perhaps this was the plan all along, but it seems like the Robocalls trial is coming to the conclusion that Michael Sona is guilty as hell, but not capable of executing without help. And probably some help on a National level from the party.
Ha ha. I almost just pasted this link in. And I'm going to share it anyhow. Because who doesn't want to read about the trainwreck of the Kimye wedding? A lesson in the excesses of the 1%.
Damned scientists. Getting in the way of progress again. Here pointing out that the science used to justify the Northern Gateway project is "flawed". The logic too. And again with the Scientists....Great news on Fracking in Canada. A University of Waterloo report finds that wells are poorly capped, barely monitored, and leaking all over the place. Thank god our decisions aren't peer reviewed, says Steve.
Jesus. This is a bit troubling. The "Government" is imploring its departments to track every protest across Canada. The Optimist would assume they want to keep their fingers on the pulse of Canadian opinion...
So the Cons have unveiled their prostitution bill. The "Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act". Man. What's their budget for thinking up over-the-top bill names? Anyhow. I'm not sure people are going to buy into this one. It seems to make everybody angry. I guess I have some Libertarian in me. It seems like making things that people really want illegal is kind of stupid. Doesn't it make sense, as New Zealand has done with prostitution, to accept that things will happen and bring it out in the open? This Nordic model sounds like a step in the right direction, but seems to add an unnecessary shroud over things. How can you ensure things are safe when people are still forced to do it in secrecy?
More veterans more angry with the Conservatives.
Don't worry. Nigel Wright is going to be okay. Mike Duffy probably won't be.
Harper found an actual Quebec judge to appoint to the Supreme Court.
Elections Canada hasn't made up their mind about NDP guilt with respect to mailouts.
People give Garth a tonne of shit. But this post is really beautiful. He lays out quite clearly how our Real Estate costs can have an impact on where businesses set up. And that we shouldn't be excited when a factory closes down and we build over-priced condos on the land. "In Canada, this is progress. Who needs useless, noisy, downscale factories full of people with rough cuticles and bad tats when all we need is to sell real estate to each other at ever-higher prices with ever-larger mortgages? Then everyone benefits. Obviously we’ve found a new economic reality. It’s so good to be different. And smart."
I really don't understand what Steve is going to accomplish with his Russian saber rattling. Send more troops to Europe? To do what? With what? It's a bit of a symbolic sham of a gesture. Especially when we still seem happy to take the money of Russians when we really need it.
A study has shown that states that primarily vote Republican have a far higher dependency on Federal funding than do states that vote primarily Democrat. Damned Liberal freeloaders, keep wanting to give money to real 'Merican 'publicans.
Orstralia calling here. Just wanted to give you the hands up that our recently elected PM is winging his way towards your bonza country on what can only be fact finding mission on the wonders of conservative government in Canada. Now Tony Abbott is the leader of the Liberal party of Australia but don't be confused because that's our version of the conservative party in Oz ( might be because we live in the opposite hemisphere).
Unfortunately for Tonnes his recent budget hasn't gone down to well with the general public. Those lower class types are getting upperty about inequality between the rich and the other ninety percent of the population. Even the septic tanks south of your boarder have made fun of him.
Now if Mr Harper could just show him some of the nuances on how to rule within a conservative framework, just some pointers well....it would be much appreciated. Having said that he does have a handy guide put together by the Institute of public affairs of Australia, a prestigious group of Bankers, Miners, Captains of industry all thought to be under the guiding hand of our very own Rupert Murdoch.
Even though Rupe has gone on to bigger and better things ( now an American citizen by crickey ) I like to think he still reminisces of his early days at the Adelaide Advertiser. Just wondering if your fair country is lucky enough to have any News corp publications or is it just us with wall to wall Murdoch media. Anyhow I better get out of your way now. Oh! If you do run into Tonnes he's the kind laconic bloke who will fell right at home with a cheeky greeting of ' Cheers big ears '.
The second link is a work of magic, and perhaps the work of a sociopath. Who else could spend the first few paragraphs talking about all the wonderful left wing changes of the past and how they've become thoroughly appreciated (Universal Healthcare, free tuition, etc.)...and then prescribe these changes as the way to move Australia forward? Banish the carbon tax, pull out of Kyoto, abolish the Department of Climate Change and the Clean Energy Fund, abandon parental leave, privatise, privatise, privatise. I mean, it's some kind of Koch Brothers wet dream. Anyhow. Thanks TaxiLurker...I really needed that.
On with the real news.
Perhaps this was the plan all along, but it seems like the Robocalls trial is coming to the conclusion that Michael Sona is guilty as hell, but not capable of executing without help. And probably some help on a National level from the party.
Ha ha. I almost just pasted this link in. And I'm going to share it anyhow. Because who doesn't want to read about the trainwreck of the Kimye wedding? A lesson in the excesses of the 1%.
Damned scientists. Getting in the way of progress again. Here pointing out that the science used to justify the Northern Gateway project is "flawed". The logic too. And again with the Scientists....Great news on Fracking in Canada. A University of Waterloo report finds that wells are poorly capped, barely monitored, and leaking all over the place. Thank god our decisions aren't peer reviewed, says Steve.
Jesus. This is a bit troubling. The "Government" is imploring its departments to track every protest across Canada. The Optimist would assume they want to keep their fingers on the pulse of Canadian opinion...
So the Cons have unveiled their prostitution bill. The "Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act". Man. What's their budget for thinking up over-the-top bill names? Anyhow. I'm not sure people are going to buy into this one. It seems to make everybody angry. I guess I have some Libertarian in me. It seems like making things that people really want illegal is kind of stupid. Doesn't it make sense, as New Zealand has done with prostitution, to accept that things will happen and bring it out in the open? This Nordic model sounds like a step in the right direction, but seems to add an unnecessary shroud over things. How can you ensure things are safe when people are still forced to do it in secrecy?
More veterans more angry with the Conservatives.
Don't worry. Nigel Wright is going to be okay. Mike Duffy probably won't be.
Vice chimes in on our "You're not a citizen any more" legislation. Pointing out that it sucks.
There's just so many links about why we shouldn't buy the F-35, I don't even know where to start. But apparently, we're going to. Okay. One link. Basically, this airplane is so complicated and compromised because of the vertical takeoff/landing requirements. Which Canada doesn't need. So in summary. We're spending insane amounts of money on an airplane because some variants require something that we don't, and the whole design is kind of compromised because of it. Well done.
Somebody from Peter McKay's office is most likely behind the "bozo eruption" recording. More Peter McKay (christ, what an asshole). The Conservatives still seem intent on making the Marc Nadon fiasco about anything but them. Peter McKay suggests documents were leaked? How does that in any way impact what happened?
Harper found an actual Quebec judge to appoint to the Supreme Court.
Elections Canada hasn't made up their mind about NDP guilt with respect to mailouts.
People give Garth a tonne of shit. But this post is really beautiful. He lays out quite clearly how our Real Estate costs can have an impact on where businesses set up. And that we shouldn't be excited when a factory closes down and we build over-priced condos on the land. "In Canada, this is progress. Who needs useless, noisy, downscale factories full of people with rough cuticles and bad tats when all we need is to sell real estate to each other at ever-higher prices with ever-larger mortgages? Then everyone benefits. Obviously we’ve found a new economic reality. It’s so good to be different. And smart."
I really don't understand what Steve is going to accomplish with his Russian saber rattling. Send more troops to Europe? To do what? With what? It's a bit of a symbolic sham of a gesture. Especially when we still seem happy to take the money of Russians when we really need it.
A study has shown that states that primarily vote Republican have a far higher dependency on Federal funding than do states that vote primarily Democrat. Damned Liberal freeloaders, keep wanting to give money to real 'Merican 'publicans.
Monday, March 31, 2014
If the Conservatives love mailing things so much, why the hate for Canada Post? - Week 152 - Mar 24-31
We'll start with a joke. What is a Conservative? Somebody that cares a lot about taxpayers money until they get elected. Eve Adams uses taxpayer funded mailouts to ease her transition into a new riding.
Oh my goodness. "Sleepy Time" Rod Anders...If he's not making misleading phone calls, he's banking on a non-endorsement from the PM and threatening to sue his opponent. And seems to be unaware that more than one person can have the same name. His own party has told him to cut it out.
Of course we have Russia. Now that Russia has responded with travel bans for our politicians, it's all a giant joke. So let me ask this question: If we think Russia's travel bans are a joke, than why do we expect people to take ours seriously? That, and Irwin Cotler claims Russia poisoned him.
10,853 of 10,855 scientific papers published last year (that dealt with global warming type topics) concluded that global warming is very real. So...it sounds like science has made up its mind, no? Or are they just making things up to get at those fat stacks of research grants worth thousands?
Somebody else isn't buying into the governments labour shortage argument. The Parliamentary Budget Officer calls bunk. Which leads to my favourite headline of the week. "Tories defend use of Kijiji data in face of opposition ridicule". Because of course they cherrypick data to suit their policies.
There's a plebiscite in Kitimat on the Northern Gateway Pipeline? How is that not bigger news? Enbridge certainly thinks this is big news. They've sent all kinds of people in to make sure the vote goes their way. Gizmodo reminds us how terrible oil spills are and how we're not really ready for the next one.
The Conservatives are once again moving to cut off debate on a piece of legislation. This one contains elements of added Internet surveillance.
Joe Oliver is promising "tax relief". Great. Took us years to get back to a "balanced budget", better start cuttin'. I wonder when his "You're either for these tax cuts or you're a radical tax terrorist" speech is scheduled?
Stephen Harper has a crew of roughly 4 employees working on 24-7 videos highlighting his amazing accomplishments. For the Jan 23-39 episode, 100 people watched it in English and 19 watched it in French. Man...I don't feel so badly about nobody reading this blog.
We have a second MP who all of a sudden realized that there was all kinds of election fraud going on a few years ago. Elections Canada doesn't think much of Laurie Hawn's voter registration fraud story.
Another Conservative spending scandal. How thick do you have to be to break spending rules the way things are going right now? Don Meredith expensed a trip to Washington for some kind of prayer meeting. After it was specifically not approved. Business Class. With his wife. Yeezus H. Chris. Three MP's went along as well. Elizabeth May did the whole trip for $980 though...less than what Don Meredith claimed for hotel and food.
The F-35 is delayed again. This time due to software. I'd imagine this means costs will go up as well. Time to jump aboard the gravy train!
It's odd how far out of their way the Conservatives go to block harm reduction strategies, scientific drug use, etc. Not only here, but on the world stage. They can't stop harm reduction here, so why not stop it elsewhere? Insane.
The modus operandi of the Conservatives seems to be push as hard as you can until people freak out enough. I guess the freak out was enough...they've backed away from their gag order requirements for House of Commons staff.
Seems to be some appetite for a crackdown on temporary foreign worker abuse, in the way of fines. How did this take so long?
Peter McKay seems to be ready to double down on stupidity, defending the Marc Nadon appointment and thinking about trying it again.
Be interesting to see what happens with the Conservative private members bill on assisted suicide.
This New Yorker/Malcolm Gladwell essay will change the way you think of the FBI and the Branch Davidians. Crazy, sad stuff.
Oh my goodness. "Sleepy Time" Rod Anders...If he's not making misleading phone calls, he's banking on a non-endorsement from the PM and threatening to sue his opponent. And seems to be unaware that more than one person can have the same name. His own party has told him to cut it out.
Of course we have Russia. Now that Russia has responded with travel bans for our politicians, it's all a giant joke. So let me ask this question: If we think Russia's travel bans are a joke, than why do we expect people to take ours seriously? That, and Irwin Cotler claims Russia poisoned him.
10,853 of 10,855 scientific papers published last year (that dealt with global warming type topics) concluded that global warming is very real. So...it sounds like science has made up its mind, no? Or are they just making things up to get at those fat stacks of research grants worth thousands?
Somebody else isn't buying into the governments labour shortage argument. The Parliamentary Budget Officer calls bunk. Which leads to my favourite headline of the week. "Tories defend use of Kijiji data in face of opposition ridicule". Because of course they cherrypick data to suit their policies.
There's a plebiscite in Kitimat on the Northern Gateway Pipeline? How is that not bigger news? Enbridge certainly thinks this is big news. They've sent all kinds of people in to make sure the vote goes their way. Gizmodo reminds us how terrible oil spills are and how we're not really ready for the next one.
The Conservatives are once again moving to cut off debate on a piece of legislation. This one contains elements of added Internet surveillance.
Joe Oliver is promising "tax relief". Great. Took us years to get back to a "balanced budget", better start cuttin'. I wonder when his "You're either for these tax cuts or you're a radical tax terrorist" speech is scheduled?
Stephen Harper has a crew of roughly 4 employees working on 24-7 videos highlighting his amazing accomplishments. For the Jan 23-39 episode, 100 people watched it in English and 19 watched it in French. Man...I don't feel so badly about nobody reading this blog.
We have a second MP who all of a sudden realized that there was all kinds of election fraud going on a few years ago. Elections Canada doesn't think much of Laurie Hawn's voter registration fraud story.
Another Conservative spending scandal. How thick do you have to be to break spending rules the way things are going right now? Don Meredith expensed a trip to Washington for some kind of prayer meeting. After it was specifically not approved. Business Class. With his wife. Yeezus H. Chris. Three MP's went along as well. Elizabeth May did the whole trip for $980 though...less than what Don Meredith claimed for hotel and food.
The F-35 is delayed again. This time due to software. I'd imagine this means costs will go up as well. Time to jump aboard the gravy train!
It's odd how far out of their way the Conservatives go to block harm reduction strategies, scientific drug use, etc. Not only here, but on the world stage. They can't stop harm reduction here, so why not stop it elsewhere? Insane.
The modus operandi of the Conservatives seems to be push as hard as you can until people freak out enough. I guess the freak out was enough...they've backed away from their gag order requirements for House of Commons staff.
Seems to be some appetite for a crackdown on temporary foreign worker abuse, in the way of fines. How did this take so long?
Peter McKay seems to be ready to double down on stupidity, defending the Marc Nadon appointment and thinking about trying it again.
Be interesting to see what happens with the Conservative private members bill on assisted suicide.
This New Yorker/Malcolm Gladwell essay will change the way you think of the FBI and the Branch Davidians. Crazy, sad stuff.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Legally Challenged - Week 151 - March 17-24
How many court challenges did the Conservatives lose this week?
#1 - Marc Nadon's appointment to the Supreme Court is overturned. By the Supreme Court.
#2 - A BC judge grants a reprieve for previously legal, home grown, medical marijuana.
#3 - They aren't allowed to retroactively eliminate early parole.
The Conservatives refuse to release the information that Pierre Poilievre used to come up with his election reform laws.
Remember all those ads over the last few months about cheaper cell phone rates? That we spent millions of dollars on? Ya...cellphones are getting more expensive.
Russia laughs at our sanctions. "Sleepy Time" Rob Anders thinks we should go to war.
Flaherty is out and Joe Oliver gets a promotion. Every time I think of Joe Oliver I can't help but think of drunk Joe Namath. This article points out that Joe Oliver's riding is linked to the robocalls scandal. This article points out that he's a bit of a dinosaur.
It's funny when the Conservatives launch an attack ad, and it makes you think "Hey, that's actually a pretty good idea!" Somehow, I think the Conservatives spending a lot of money to convince us that Justin Trudeau will legalize marijuana might backfire.
Yet another reason to legalize pot. Illegal outdoor grows are destroying forests in California.
An article about Stephen Harper's obsession with the original Trudeau. Clouding his judgement perhaps?
I don't know why this never came to me before. It took wolf killings to do it. Christy Clark is the Canadian Sarah Palin (this is good news! I actually tried to put the "h" in the last name, not the first. Things are good when you can't remember how to spell "Sarah Palin"). Now, I know this is a pretty unfair comparison to make to any human being. But hear me out. The simplistic folksy sayings. The love of natural resources. The unexpected rise to power. Quitting politics to become a political pundit. A distrust of science. Killing wolves. It all fits.
I know StatsCan can get things wrong. But I like that they're so directly contradicting the Conservatives "lack of skilled workers" claims. I wonder how temporary foreign workers fall into this though?
Military supply companies are sensing blood in the water. A French conglomerate is pitching fighter jets, and jobs, for Canadians.
A Conservative Senate Staffer has been accused of fraud and breach of trust, after promising influence over contracts.
This article highlights how much funding has been cut for Cities from the Feds and Provinces.
I haven't read an article on Quebec in quite some time that makes me feel good about that place. They seem to be making it difficult for students to vote in the upcoming election. Perhaps I'm a closet Conservative? But then again...now they're talking about banning burkas. This must really be a tough one for the Conservatives to figure out which side they are on.
This is what happens when you ignore science. Wait. No. This is what happens when you use some science to create a frankenstein monster and then ignore warnings that science presents with you. Big Agriculture made a rootworm "proof" corn and it turned out badly. There was another way, though. There's always another way.
I like articles that cut through the noise about corporate taxes and how corporations game the system. This Salon article highlights how tech companies transfer patents to offshore holding companies and use that to siphon profits in to low tax countries. It's not a fair system. It doesn't create jobs when a company skirts tax law.
#1 - Marc Nadon's appointment to the Supreme Court is overturned. By the Supreme Court.
#2 - A BC judge grants a reprieve for previously legal, home grown, medical marijuana.
#3 - They aren't allowed to retroactively eliminate early parole.
The Conservatives refuse to release the information that Pierre Poilievre used to come up with his election reform laws.
Remember all those ads over the last few months about cheaper cell phone rates? That we spent millions of dollars on? Ya...cellphones are getting more expensive.
Russia laughs at our sanctions. "Sleepy Time" Rob Anders thinks we should go to war.
Flaherty is out and Joe Oliver gets a promotion. Every time I think of Joe Oliver I can't help but think of drunk Joe Namath. This article points out that Joe Oliver's riding is linked to the robocalls scandal. This article points out that he's a bit of a dinosaur.
It's funny when the Conservatives launch an attack ad, and it makes you think "Hey, that's actually a pretty good idea!" Somehow, I think the Conservatives spending a lot of money to convince us that Justin Trudeau will legalize marijuana might backfire.
Yet another reason to legalize pot. Illegal outdoor grows are destroying forests in California.
An article about Stephen Harper's obsession with the original Trudeau. Clouding his judgement perhaps?
I don't know why this never came to me before. It took wolf killings to do it. Christy Clark is the Canadian Sarah Palin (this is good news! I actually tried to put the "h" in the last name, not the first. Things are good when you can't remember how to spell "Sarah Palin"). Now, I know this is a pretty unfair comparison to make to any human being. But hear me out. The simplistic folksy sayings. The love of natural resources. The unexpected rise to power. Quitting politics to become a political pundit. A distrust of science. Killing wolves. It all fits.
I know StatsCan can get things wrong. But I like that they're so directly contradicting the Conservatives "lack of skilled workers" claims. I wonder how temporary foreign workers fall into this though?
Military supply companies are sensing blood in the water. A French conglomerate is pitching fighter jets, and jobs, for Canadians.
A Conservative Senate Staffer has been accused of fraud and breach of trust, after promising influence over contracts.
This article highlights how much funding has been cut for Cities from the Feds and Provinces.
I haven't read an article on Quebec in quite some time that makes me feel good about that place. They seem to be making it difficult for students to vote in the upcoming election. Perhaps I'm a closet Conservative? But then again...now they're talking about banning burkas. This must really be a tough one for the Conservatives to figure out which side they are on.
This is what happens when you ignore science. Wait. No. This is what happens when you use some science to create a frankenstein monster and then ignore warnings that science presents with you. Big Agriculture made a rootworm "proof" corn and it turned out badly. There was another way, though. There's always another way.
I like articles that cut through the noise about corporate taxes and how corporations game the system. This Salon article highlights how tech companies transfer patents to offshore holding companies and use that to siphon profits in to low tax countries. It's not a fair system. It doesn't create jobs when a company skirts tax law.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Get the Pitchforks - Week 115 - July 8-15
It's amazing what sort of shit Canadians get upset about. Billions wasted on bungled military procurement? Meh. Using the government as your own PR firm/propaganda arm? No biggie. Selling Canada's soul for oil and gas? Jobs, jobs, jobs! A few hundred thousand dollars in improper expenses? Lynch the bastards! Canadians are really pissed about the Senate and are letting Stephen Harper know about it. The irony is delicious. It's like Ralph Nader getting killed driving a Corvair. Or David Suzuki getting a speeding ticket in a Ferrari. Or something. Some detail on the RCMP case against Mike Duffy.
Update - Cabinet shuffle! Lot of familiar names in there. End Update...
Oh man...Even Israel thought that Canada's cut to Palestinian aid was over the top. And it was supposedly for Israel's benefit? Not that we were doing much in Palestine in the first place.
Do these bozoes not read the news? Are they totally unaware of what a conflict-of-interest is? Another Tory MP (a parliamentary secretary to boot) is accused of improper lobbying on behalf of a constituent. Since then she's been promoted.
The F-35 is turning out to be a bit of a piece of shit. So much so that the American military keeps dumbing down its flight requirements. In a few years we'll end up with a Cessna with a machine gone mounted to the wings.
In a story I am unable to read, the Montreal Gazette outlines a new Harper budget cutting technique...don't spend the money budgeted to various departments. Kind of ingenious, really. You could announce billions in new, budgeted spending while slashing budgets.
More specifically...Transport Canada is accused of doing just that. Not spending their rail safety budget...etc. Tough to say you're doing all you can for rail safety when you leave a chunk of your budget on the table. Nearly half, in fact.
Oil shipments by rail have increased 28,000% since 2009.
Details on the de-regulation of Canada's railroads.
The Conservative obsession with past military accomplishments and royal ass-kissing have reached new heights. We're changing our ranks back to the British style, as well as uniform designations.
Stephen Harper's deport-the-criminal-immigrants trap has caught a Canadian born man. They might deport him to India even though he's never been there in his life. Technicalities abound as he is the son of Indian diplomats.
I'm still trying to sort this one out. David Suzuki suggested that we (Canada) are doing the world a disservice by only allowing the cream of their crop to immigrate into Canada. And that we should do more to bring refugees into the country. Jason Kenney freaked out.
I really don't know much about what is going on in Egypt. But the response from the west does seem kind of odd. I guess we don't like democracy in other countries if it gives us governments we don't like. See Chavez. See Egypt.
Update - Cabinet shuffle! Lot of familiar names in there. End Update...
Oh man...Even Israel thought that Canada's cut to Palestinian aid was over the top. And it was supposedly for Israel's benefit? Not that we were doing much in Palestine in the first place.
Do these bozoes not read the news? Are they totally unaware of what a conflict-of-interest is? Another Tory MP (a parliamentary secretary to boot) is accused of improper lobbying on behalf of a constituent. Since then she's been promoted.
The F-35 is turning out to be a bit of a piece of shit. So much so that the American military keeps dumbing down its flight requirements. In a few years we'll end up with a Cessna with a machine gone mounted to the wings.
In a story I am unable to read, the Montreal Gazette outlines a new Harper budget cutting technique...don't spend the money budgeted to various departments. Kind of ingenious, really. You could announce billions in new, budgeted spending while slashing budgets.
More specifically...Transport Canada is accused of doing just that. Not spending their rail safety budget...etc. Tough to say you're doing all you can for rail safety when you leave a chunk of your budget on the table. Nearly half, in fact.
Oil shipments by rail have increased 28,000% since 2009.
Details on the de-regulation of Canada's railroads.
The Conservative obsession with past military accomplishments and royal ass-kissing have reached new heights. We're changing our ranks back to the British style, as well as uniform designations.
Stephen Harper's deport-the-criminal-immigrants trap has caught a Canadian born man. They might deport him to India even though he's never been there in his life. Technicalities abound as he is the son of Indian diplomats.
I'm still trying to sort this one out. David Suzuki suggested that we (Canada) are doing the world a disservice by only allowing the cream of their crop to immigrate into Canada. And that we should do more to bring refugees into the country. Jason Kenney freaked out.
I really don't know much about what is going on in Egypt. But the response from the west does seem kind of odd. I guess we don't like democracy in other countries if it gives us governments we don't like. See Chavez. See Egypt.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Flying High - Week 97 - March 4-11
The F-35? Great plane. It won't fly at night though. And you
might suffer an "increased risk of being shot down". It won't fly
through clouds either.
Nanos suggests the Conservatives support is dwindling.
In other poll news, the National Post conducted a doozie about immigration. It's hard to know what it all means, as what exactly does "limits" to immigration mean? Sure brought the racists out of the woodwork in the comments section though.
Compared to the official remarks from the US, it actually sounds like our statement on Hugo Chavez wasn't too bad.
In the last 10 years, there has been a huge spike in the aboriginal prison population. Jesus. Aboriginals account for:
- 25% of all males in prison
- 1/3 of all females in prison
- Up to 65% of the total prison population in some Western Canadian prisons
Sooooo....the richest Province in Canada has no money? They keep pulling oil out of the ground but there is no revenue in it? So why keep pulling it out of the ground? I know, I know. Jobs. So, we essentially have a subsidized oil industy in Alberta now then, right (charging them next to nothing to profit off of pulling our oil out of the ground)? I mean...the government isn't making the money that they should off of the extraction of the oil. Sounds like a subsidy to me. But the government (and government employees) in Alberta are lazy bloodsuckers. And the oil patch workers are hard working "wealth creators".
Stephen Harper likes to bring along his own personal gun lobbyist to international arms control discussions.
The Feds are going to pay a shipbuilder $288 million to design out next batch of Northern Patrol Boats. Two things. First, no actual boats are included for the 288 million. Second, the shipyard doesn't actually have the design capability, so they are subcontracting to a European design firm. Seems a bit fishy.
A former journalist and Harper PR flunky has been appointed as a "Citizenship Judge". I don't know what that is. He doesn't sound qualified though. I love it when people retire from jobs to "take it easy" and then take government appointments. "Don't worry. This job is eeeeeeeaaaaaaasssssssyyyyyyyy."
Nanos suggests the Conservatives support is dwindling.
In other poll news, the National Post conducted a doozie about immigration. It's hard to know what it all means, as what exactly does "limits" to immigration mean? Sure brought the racists out of the woodwork in the comments section though.
Compared to the official remarks from the US, it actually sounds like our statement on Hugo Chavez wasn't too bad.
In the last 10 years, there has been a huge spike in the aboriginal prison population. Jesus. Aboriginals account for:
- 25% of all males in prison
- 1/3 of all females in prison
- Up to 65% of the total prison population in some Western Canadian prisons
Sooooo....the richest Province in Canada has no money? They keep pulling oil out of the ground but there is no revenue in it? So why keep pulling it out of the ground? I know, I know. Jobs. So, we essentially have a subsidized oil industy in Alberta now then, right (charging them next to nothing to profit off of pulling our oil out of the ground)? I mean...the government isn't making the money that they should off of the extraction of the oil. Sounds like a subsidy to me. But the government (and government employees) in Alberta are lazy bloodsuckers. And the oil patch workers are hard working "wealth creators".
Stephen Harper likes to bring along his own personal gun lobbyist to international arms control discussions.
The Feds are going to pay a shipbuilder $288 million to design out next batch of Northern Patrol Boats. Two things. First, no actual boats are included for the 288 million. Second, the shipyard doesn't actually have the design capability, so they are subcontracting to a European design firm. Seems a bit fishy.
A former journalist and Harper PR flunky has been appointed as a "Citizenship Judge". I don't know what that is. He doesn't sound qualified though. I love it when people retire from jobs to "take it easy" and then take government appointments. "Don't worry. This job is eeeeeeeaaaaaaasssssssyyyyyyyy."
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