tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54121092012-02-11T04:14:00.212-08:00ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.comBlogger6731100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-51303195326693744862009-08-07T06:04:00.000-07:002009-08-27T12:35:10.900-07:00

moar funny pictures

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-46711378045702679112009-01-30T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-30T11:47:59.118-08:00

After his parents divorce, Little Billy is at his custody hearing. The judge asks him which one his parents he wants to live with. Billy looks up at the judge sheepishly and says "Well, I don't want to live with my Dad because he beats me."The judge replies, "So I guess that means you'll be living with your Mom then?"Billy exclaims, "Oh no Your Honour! I don't want to live with my Mom! She beats

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-27971301194398512892009-01-29T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-29T07:59:54.393-08:00

After the Harper government's near-death experience of the past six weeks, the Ignatieff ascendancy among the Liberals and the steadfast refusal of the NDP and the Bloc to back down, Conservative supporters have been badly burnt by Harper's Pyrrhic victory. The cannibal economists of the Fraser Institute, their fifth columnists at Canwest Global and Bell GlobeMedia, the hate mongering anti-gay,

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-49300921530173810322009-01-28T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-28T10:38:44.000-08:00

The Harper Government plans to use the Federal Budget to attack the people who work for it.As someone who, in real life, is a union member works in the public sector, I expect a harder time at the bargaining table when the economy crashes and burns as it has been doing of late, but the key words here are at the bargaining table. Imposing any wage freeze is an attempt to negate a legally binding

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-47687694283903945522009-01-26T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-26T11:45:18.183-08:00

Back in the day on Parliament Hill, there used to be something called a Budget Lockup. The members of the Fifth Estate were led into a conference room and presented with copies of the new Federal Budget. While reporters pored over the details of the budget, they were locked in the room so that no details could be leaked until the Finance Minister finished presenting the budget in the House of

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-78277194707873871892009-01-23T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-23T13:31:11.338-08:00

The CRTC set up a National Do-Not-Call list to protect Canadians from unwanted phone calls from telemarketers. It now turns out that anyone who registered for the DNC list is more likely to get these kind of calls since the CRTC has been putting up the list for sale online. Of course, these are the same people who gave us the three-headed cellphone monopoly, officiated all those marriages of

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-59411247137774365062009-01-22T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-22T13:18:28.876-08:00

Last November, Spencer Herbert won the Provincial byelection in Vancouver Burrard for the New Democrats. The bulk of Herbert's support came from residents of Vancouver's West End, where the overwhelming majority of constituents rent, rather than own their homes. From this page's experience of living in the West End for three years, most of these people were seniors, students, and working people

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-67964433232179183662009-01-21T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-21T08:23:16.727-08:00

That anguished groan coming from the south that many of you have been hearing over the past few days? That would be the auto-addicted of Surrey and the Fraser Valley, trying to cope with life after the closure of the Pattullo Bridge. The bridge was closed by the Mounties and the Ministry of Transportation after a fire which is alleged to have been started by homeless people living under it.This

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-57775971927109558102009-01-20T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-20T06:12:31.269-08:00

In less than three hours, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. While this page is somewhat reluctant to relish in Obamamania for what should be some obvious reasons, it's hard not to ignore the incoming President's momentum when one could see the Stars and Stripes flying from from apartment and store windows on, of all places, Commercial Drive last weekend.

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-88525941256347049292009-01-16T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-16T07:45:13.257-08:00

Update from Wednesday - Gordon Campbell has recalled the Legislature for a brief sitting tomorrow to address the Olympic Village fiasco. Of course, being a Saturday, there will be no Question Period so that the Opposition New Democrats can't press the B.C. Liberals as to how much influence they exerted on their Non-Partisan Association henchmen on Vancouver City Council to approve the backroom

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-47673478858504274212009-01-14T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-14T14:53:01.093-08:00

City Council wants the Provincial Government to amend the Vancouver Charter so that the City can borrow $458 million to pay for cost overruns on the Olympic Village. While Gordon Campbell says that his government is open to the idea of dropping off the oversized credit card at 12th and Cambie, the last thing the Premier wants to do is recall the Legislature pass the necessary legislation, not

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-83911860318045550042009-01-13T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-12T14:10:41.953-08:00

In a week's time, the administration of George W. Bush will be over. This page has been in existence for much of the Bush years. Together we have witnessed the illegal wars, the fear-mongering, the flagrant violations of the Geneva Convention, wiretaps, outright electoral fraud in Ohio which cost John Kerry a chance to end the madness in 2004, institutionalized corporate welfare, the myopic

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-49882493442831123132009-01-12T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-12T07:45:01.298-08:00

Today's Globe and Mail features an article about the return of 'Lowbrow Chow' as a result of the impending economic recession. Don't you just love it when our cultural 'superiors' from The Centre of the Universe go 'slumming'? Don't forget, it's many of these same people who've never opened a box of Kraft Dinner in their lives who proclaimed the triumph of unrelenting and unregulated capitalism

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com74tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-75142025979048106312009-01-09T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-09T13:46:10.874-08:00

The other film I saw during the break which will make a nice transition into discussing politics again: Milk. This page encourages readers to go see this film while you still can and talk about it with everybody you know, or if you like, total strangers. Obviously, parts of Milk's life and career have been glossed over as most biographies do, but there's too much to learn about and be inspired

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-46856261831939623542009-01-08T06:04:00.000-08:002009-01-08T09:35:03.930-08:00

This page spent much some of the holidays in the dark, surrounded by total strangers, revelling in moments of escapism and high drama. No, I was not stuck at the airport. Like many of you, there are two times during the year that I like to go to the movies: during the Holiday season and during the Summer. In the summer the cinema it's the one place that's open which has air conditioning, and

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-72225941631298538082008-12-31T06:04:00.000-08:002008-12-30T13:09:45.361-08:00

On January 1, 2009 this page will be prohibiting the use of a number of words, phrases, and expressions which I find either to be inappropriate, annoying, or banal in their overuse during 2008. As a public service, the list appears below.Maverick - Unless you're referring to the old TV Western starring James Garner, please refrain from using this term, as John McCain's subservience to the

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-30157236116161942802008-12-16T06:04:00.000-08:002008-12-16T15:27:45.884-08:00

The Best of 604 Online Awards were handed out last week to local bloggers. This page gets mentioned peripherally around these kind of events, probably due to the fact that I'm on The Tyee's blogroll and I've made a habit of getting in the face of editorial boards. As far as I know, I didn't win anything, I wasn't nominated for anything, and that's fine. The term 'nominated' is analogous to the

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-37340017195031392992008-12-11T06:04:00.000-08:002008-12-10T15:30:51.614-08:00

This page, despite having put in an order for 2010 Olympic tickets in early October, and is an actual, real live resident of the Olympic Host City, was denied tickets for the Games in yesterday's Priority Ticket Allocation. On a few occasions this page has asserted that VANOC is nothing more than a criminal cabal bent on soaking local taxpayers, criminalizing homelessness, trespassing on

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-50062318791044619882008-12-10T06:04:00.000-08:002008-12-12T10:56:41.344-08:00

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been charged with, among other things, trying to sell off the United States Senate seat formerly held by President-Elect Barack Obama. For those of you scoring at home, Senate positions which are vacated in cases like Obama's or Joe Biden's seat in Delaware are filled through appointment by the Governor of the State in which that Senate seat resides. No word

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-60593961976717812952008-12-09T06:04:00.000-08:002008-12-09T08:15:10.367-08:00

As a result of Stephane Dion's sudden resignation and the impending non-confidence vote on the January 26 budget, the next Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada will be chosen by about 800 of its members. On the one hand, this page wishes that Grits could get their act together so that their Coalition with New Democrat MPs would actually work, on the other, the confusion and blowback is pretty

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-88541651746092684222008-12-08T06:04:00.000-08:002008-12-08T08:58:41.637-08:00

On Saturday afternoon, approximately 2,000 people who didn't pay attention during their Grade 9 Social Studies class to understand how Parliamentary Democracy actually works rallied at Calgary's Olympic Plaza to denounce the proposed Liberal-New Democrat Coalition. Judging from the photos of the event, it appears that there were almost as many Alberta flags as there were Canadian flags. If

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-501068429084248502008-12-05T06:04:00.000-08:002008-12-05T09:06:07.312-08:00

This week my TV has been tuned to the 'crisis' in Parliament: the building of a coalition to defeat Stephen Harper, the Weapons of Mass Distraction unleashed by the Conservatives to discredit the Liberal/New Democrat alliance, and the subsequent prorogation so that the battle carries on in a new episode next year. Last week, this page treated himself to the Thanksgiving Star Wars movie marathon

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-46989024936813220012008-12-04T06:04:00.000-08:002008-12-03T18:40:31.289-08:00

Stephen Harper will meet Governor General Michaelle Jean in less than half an hour. Jean represents what's good about Canada, a woman who overcame the turmoil of growing up in Haiti and became a Vice-Regent of great intelligence and impeccable taste. Harper represents anything but.Hopefully, the Governor General, who is always impeccably dressed for every occasion, could give a little fashion

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-36593958437195416962008-12-02T06:04:00.000-08:002008-12-02T12:54:33.417-08:00

Even though America is looking forward to the all-new, all-different, all-inclusive Obama administration, the culture wars continue to drag on, particularly around the rhetorical minefield that is the Holiday Season. And for those of you scoring at home, I didn't say 'Holiday Season' when I meant 'Xmas' in some attempt to be politically correct. For this page, the season starts at Thanksgiving

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-67890185838650066692008-12-01T06:04:00.000-08:002008-12-01T08:38:54.319-08:00

Today this page conducts a Social Studies class for all the Conservative sock puppets screaming bloody murder about the prospect of a Liberal - New Democrat coalition government. The topic is Representative Democracy and the Parliamentary System.Many of you are claiming that the Dion Septuplets (x 10) have no right to strike a deal with the Jack Pack because they're not the government Canadians

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-33401715445046128032008-11-20T06:04:00.000-08:002008-11-20T13:25:03.355-08:00

Outgoing Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan says that if he had been the Mayoral candidate for the so-called 'Non-Partisan' Association, the NPA could have won last Saturday's civic election.For those of you scoring at home, when Sam Sullivan was a City Councillor, he studied the City's drug addiction problem by giving money to addicts to buy drugs and watching those addicts do drugs. Unless Sullivan

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-70965532167260997682008-11-19T06:04:00.000-08:002008-11-19T13:31:24.781-08:00

America's leading pack of psychotic fascist troglodyte mouth-breathing hatemongering fuckwads, The Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, Kansas, is coming to Commerical Drive next week. The Havana Theatre is staging a play entitled 'The Laramie Project', based on the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, who was killed just because he was gay. Westboro Baptist picketed Shepard's funeral, and the

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-3807770696027976022008-11-18T06:04:00.000-08:002008-11-18T20:08:10.085-08:00

Gordon Campbell and his B.C. Liberals fall further behind the BCNDP in an Angus Reid poll released last week. They also watched in dismay last Saturday as their municipal right-wing spear carriers were crushed in civic elections throughout the Province. Meanwhile, the Liberals' corporate cash cow may be drying up as financial markets drive down donations from the usual gang of neanderthal free

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-54021895559217703132008-11-17T06:04:00.000-08:002008-11-17T08:13:36.760-08:00

This page congratulates the People of Vancouver for reducing the so-called 'Non-Partisan' Association to a bloodied electoral stump in Saturday's municipal elections. Peter Ladner's arrogance has been punished, but by his own admission, he had nothing pressing to do if he had been elected Mayor anyway. With the exception of Suzanne Anton, Sam Sullivan's henchmen have been kicked to the curb and

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-28416653639497739012008-11-12T06:04:00.000-08:002008-11-11T16:13:22.750-08:00

As the masthead on this page indicates, Saturday is election day in Vancouver. I have been mulling over endorsements, and to be honest, haven't been all that motivated. This will be the third civic election for this page in Vancouver, having previously lived in Calgary. Many readers view the City of Calgary as a little more than a right-wing backwater laced with fossil fuels, testosterone and

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-1702930391737323072008-11-06T06:04:00.000-08:002008-11-17T07:22:44.506-08:00

This page is annoyed by the campaign signs of one Michael Geller, an NPA candidate for City Council. It's not what on the signs (it's his name photo, and party), nor the size of them (if it snowed, you could use one as a toboggan for an entire Grade 3 class). What ticks off this page is that Mr. Geller has been putting his signs in front of rental apartment buildings to give the impression that

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-42716648397774443532008-11-05T06:04:00.000-08:002008-11-05T08:34:20.315-08:00

Thoughts from America's election night:-Walnut Boat visited Grant Park in Chicago a couple of years ago, and described it as 'super huge', making the turnout for Barack Obama's victory celebration that much more impressive. -The repeated use of the term 'historic' to describe Obama's win: For this page, it ranks with the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Like the Wall coming down, Obama's

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-91133078482058884782008-11-03T06:04:00.000-08:002008-11-03T09:22:47.738-08:00

Tomorrow is election today in the United States, as voters line up at the polls in the hopes that their votes will actually count. In many parts of the country, many voters will be asking if their votes will actually even be counted, thanks to defective, if not rigged voting machines, and the legalized franchise suppression of the so-called Help America Vote Act. Given that these tactics

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-64628609990742977942008-10-31T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-31T11:37:55.004-07:00

With an election less than two weeks away, The NPA-controlled City Council has passed a 'revitalization' plan for Northeast False Creek, including a retractable roof for B.C. Place, a new home for the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the obligatory condo towers. Particularly galling to this page is that the plan lets the developer (ie. the Province of British Columbia) off the hook for affordable

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-60743772800465434522008-10-30T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-30T08:01:06.312-07:00

This page congratulates BCNDP candidates Spencer Herbert and Jenn McGinn for their victories in yesterday's byelections in Vancouver-Burrard and Vancouver-Fairview.Although byelections traditionally break against the party of government, this page was not convinced it would be the case in these two ridings, as a result of voter burnout from the federal election (both B.C. ridings are in the

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-8844489453983303632008-10-29T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-29T08:22:19.908-07:00

America's Presidential Election is less than a week away, and while a number of sources are predicting a commanding victory for Senator Barack Obama, this page is not going to make any kind of projection until all the votes are stolen. We've seen this movie before - CNN projected Al Gore winning Florida in 2000, and exit polls showed John Kerry winning most of the swing states four years ago. If

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-3963016422309981972008-10-24T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-24T08:41:07.966-07:00

This page was alone with his thoughts last night, the biggest one of which I'm discussing today is: Wow. where does the time go? Remember when 'crisis' meant that if Americans didn't support the troops and kept on shopping, the terrorists would win? Remember the Homeland Security 'Terror Alerts' with all those nifty colours? For some reason, Hawaii was always blue. Rudy Giuliani? Freedom fries?

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-14379937727546258942008-10-23T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-23T08:51:54.108-07:00

After last night's 3-2 win by the Philadelphia Phillies against the Tampa Bay Devil* Rays in Game 1 of the World Series, this page went to the video tape and reviewed last night's televised address by B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell. Campbell's 10-point plan is drawing rave reviews from the Vancouver Board of Trade, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and the horde of hate-mongering B.C

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-3136537474128326122008-10-22T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-22T07:58:26.775-07:00

In British Columbia, Legislature proceedings are broadcast live on a cable channel throughout the province. When the Legislature is not in session, the channel is handed back to the cable company, who usually run another service on it until the next session - where this page lives in Vancouver it's a scrolling news ticker. When the BC Liberals cancelled the fall session of the Legislature, that

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-20029269067511734212008-10-21T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-21T09:26:21.117-07:00

Daniel Gross has proposed the Starbucks Theory of International Economics. In his online Newsweek column, Gross postulates that "the higher the concentration of expensive, nautical-themed faux-Italian branded frappuccino joints in a country's financial capital, the more likely the country is to have suffered catastrophic financial losses. "This page is intrigued, and wonders if Gross' theory

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-46859105465769842292008-10-20T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-20T08:34:57.362-07:00

Vancouver's Pollapalooza rolls on. Sandwiched between last week's Federal election and the November 15 Civic election are two Provincial byelections in Vancouver-Burrard and Vancouver-Fairview. While this page was pleased with the 37 seats won by Jack Layton and the Federal NDP on Tuesday, and expects the Vision-COPE alliance to take back 12th and Cambie from the NPA next month, I am less than

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-12006509426688056662008-10-17T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-17T14:20:09.247-07:00

Backstabbing egomaniac and apparent Vancouver South MP Ujjal Dosanjh thinks he could be the next Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. This page says when 'U' threw the 2001 Provincial Election for B.C. New Democrats a week before the polls closed, he should have also given up on being taken seriously by anyone who actually has progressive values. Spiteful bastard this page is, here's hoping

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-60043119229251219202008-10-15T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-15T15:00:58.304-07:00

This page chimes in with my thoughts on last night's election of a Conservative Minority Government:Note to Stephen Harper & the Conservatives: Remember the 1995 Quebec referendum, when Confederation as we know it was on its deathbed? Remember the slogan that Canadians were sticking to their bumpers as a show of misguided solidarity with the 'No' side: MY CANADA INCLUDES QUEBEC? I know, Mr. Prime

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-51062203143529840302008-10-14T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-14T06:04:00.593-07:00

Today is Election Day. Polls in British Columbia open in 56 minutes, and close at 7:00 PM tonight. After a campaign which the Prime Minister claimed was absolutely necessary because his Minority Government was making Parliament 'dysfunctional', Stephen Harper has resigned himself to another Minority. Wow. That's all almost two years of attack ads buys the Tories? With respect to a projection,

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-63184675815760273902008-10-08T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-08T07:43:19.827-07:00

This page tuned in to the Second Presidential Debate last night, which, like everything else these days, focused on the economy to the relegation of other issues, including environmental issues. However, while John McCain and Barack Obama did make a few points about America's energy security, it became quite apparent how far back the environment has been relegated in this campaign.Senator Obama

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-63778847423337692532008-10-06T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-06T12:28:27.561-07:00

Thanks to cost overruns and the U.S. credit crunch, the Vancouver City Council is giving serious consideration to bailing out the Olympic Village.This page says that City Hall, Millennium Development, and VANOC are getting what they deserve. The original bid for the 2010 Olympics called for one third of the residences in the Village to be converted to below-market affordable housing once the

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-58540542893966310752008-10-03T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-03T09:40:35.855-07:00

This page is sure that there is all kind of analysis, paralysis, dialysis, and Sisyphus about what was said at last night's Leaders Debate. I'm going to chime in on something that was not said at the round table which would have involved NDP Leader Jack Layton, which for those of you who regard this page as an unrelenting partisan New Democrat shill, may find something of a surprise.It's a

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-54308731559707619462008-10-01T06:04:00.000-07:002008-10-01T07:22:28.199-07:00

This page is muddling through a sick day, and is want for any insightful polemic to post. Here are a few things for readers to entertain themselves with while I gather my recuperative energies:The AP 2008 Interactive Electoral College Map: It's like CNN's 'Magic Wall' without having to do much with CNN. Stake out Obamanation or McCainia across all 50 states, or being boring like this page and

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-59122910691092028342008-09-30T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-30T10:29:33.555-07:00

After seeing this morning's headlines, this page is left wondering if I should take Lou Dobbs' advice and has retreat to a dark corner while I suck my thumb:"...day of carnage" - The Globe & Mail"Global Contagion" - The Vancouver Sun"Market Crisis" - The Province"Crisis on Infinite Earths" - D.C. Comics"Crisis? What Crisis?" - SupertrampWow. All because 228 Members of Congress voted to adhere to

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-63498026056315045342008-09-26T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-26T08:22:22.562-07:00

VANOC has released a list of prohibited words for anyone interested in volunteering for the 2010 Winter Olympics/Parlaympics. Among the words and phrases are 'cripple', 'spastic', 'lunatic', 'crazy', 'nuts', 'retarded', 'idiot', 'mongoloid', 'physically challenged', 'differently abled', and 'patient'. Unacceptable use of the lyrics to the national anthem is also under review by VANOC.As a public

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-46256148973728938012008-09-25T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-25T08:27:43.779-07:00

With the Federal Election about three weeks away, and Stephane Dion's Liberals in freefall, Stephen Harper is pulling out all the stops to secure a Conservative majority, including a stop in Vancouver yesterday to attack the hard-charging NDP. The Prime Minister's weapon of choice was a claim so disconnected from the political reality of this province: Federal New Democrats are not like the

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-19444733793441737132008-09-24T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-24T08:14:29.237-07:00

Today is the Vancouver Sun's Raise-A-Reader Day. For those of you scoring at home, the Vancouver Sun is British Columbia's alleged paper of record, and a division of the Asper family's Canwest Global media empire. The Sun says that the Raise-A-Reader promotion, where local celebrities appear at high traffic locations and hand out free newspapers, is intended to promote literacy. This page says

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-5030341899155228472008-09-23T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-24T08:15:15.679-07:00

Today is the release date for Michael Moore's new film Slacker Uprising, which chronicles his Great Slacker Uprising Tour, and the author/filmmaker/activist's attempts to rally America's youth to fight back against George W. Bush during the election of 2004. While Moore has drawn criticism from so-called 'pure' doumentarians and utopian liberal elitists who are less than fond of the Michigan

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-12002861415179490202008-09-22T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-22T08:01:36.244-07:00

This page received a phone call yesterday from Ekos Research Associates. Had the Seattle Seahawks not already put away the St. Louis Rams, I may not have not decided to get off the couch and pick up the phone, having received a barrage of calls over the past week regarding Vision Vancouver's nomination meeting on September 20. That's the problem with tracking polls during a campaign, and that's

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-9054825471189029562008-09-19T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-19T08:45:13.932-07:00

This page normally refrains from personally addressing complete strangers in a post, but today I would like to address the arrogant bully who I saw while passing through Guelph Park near Kingsgate Mall in the early hours of this morning. For those of you scoring at home, this woman felt she had the right to not only berate two homeless people, but to also gather their meagre belongings and throw

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-85037998715952631272008-09-18T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-18T08:09:08.954-07:00

This page's mailbox and phone lines have been jammed over the past week as Vision Vancouver's City Council candidates have been urging me to vote for them at this Saturday's nomination meeting, plus the other candidates they support as running mates. The problem with 15 contenders running for 8 positions while sharing mailing lists is that one eventually tells campaign callers that their

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-43018932965902452502008-09-17T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-17T11:49:09.845-07:00

After a celebrity turn at the Beijing Paralympics, Mayor Sam Sullivan returns to Vancouver with some unexpected, but welcome news: he will not be seeking a seat in the B.C. Legislature.This page is relieved to find out that Sullivan's thug mentality and idiotic pet projects such as 'Eco-Density' and 'Project Civil City' will not be wheeled to Victoria and inflicted on the rest of the province.

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-56907171272429651132008-09-16T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-16T10:30:37.814-07:00

To hear some people tell it, the current adjustment taking place in the stock market is the hearkening of some kind of apocalypse. Until I see four repo men on horseback, I'm not convinced. This page is always bewildered when the alarm bells are ringing from Bay Street or Wall Street. As someone who works for a living, lives modestly (i.e. doesn't own a vehicle), and puts his money in the bank

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-92207236837235580962008-09-12T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-12T08:13:51.525-07:00

Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals have cancelled the Fall Session of the Legislature.Over the past week, this page has heard much shrieking from people with a hate-on for New Democrats about how much Elizabeth May should be heard in the Federal Leaders TV Debate, and how denying her the right to express her views is an affront to democracy. For those of you scoring at home, I haven't heard

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-23183185413223167172008-09-11T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-10T13:53:51.032-07:00

Republicans are screaming 'sexism' over Barack Obama's assertation that John McCain recasting himself as an agent of change is 'like putting lipstick on a pig'.Although I think it's sacrilege that Major League Baseball started using it, this page is really starting to like instant replay....Wow. Does America really need another Septugenarian President who doesn't remember anything he said?

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-91827029603095141382008-09-10T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-10T06:04:00.497-07:00

And some of you didn't think two left-leaning parties couldn't get along...This page and other supporters of the left in Vancouver are breathing a sigh of relief with the news that Vision Vancouver has struck a deal with the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) for a joint slate in the November 15 civic elections. The deal, which requires approval from COPE's membership, sees COPE endorsing

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-68803001056301327162008-09-09T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-09T08:01:13.700-07:00

Whenever the Federal Party Leaders TV Debate takes place, Elizabeth May won't be representing the Green Party at it. This page doesn't believe that a cabal of broadcasters should be deciding which political views see the televised light of day and which don't, but in this case excluding May is the right choice. The Greens don't have official party status in the House of Commons (which is why

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-63676439759805985962008-09-08T06:04:00.000-07:002008-09-07T09:41:34.249-07:00

Defying his own fixed election date legislation, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called a General Election for Tuesday, October 14. In yesterday's opening salvos, Green Party leader Elizabeth May called the upcoming vote the 'most important in history', and that voters should tune out other 'distractions'. Ms. May and this page have a few differences, but rest assured, distraction makes up a

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-90745884077434443382008-08-29T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-29T08:29:15.867-07:00

As many readers may have noticed, this page has been restrained in discussing the Democratic National Convention this week, largely because one, everbody else is on it and two, I couldn't be bothered picking out the actual news from the reality TV as the Obama-Clinton feud drew to an apparent close.I will however, state that if any piece of mediocy (when I wasn't watching the unfiltered C-SPAN

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-657827920480841372008-08-28T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-28T09:25:51.856-07:00

Rally TimeIf anyone is looking for something to do on Labour Day, the BC Fed is staging a rally at 11:00 AM at the Vancouver Art Gallery.Why should one give up an hour of one's Labour Day to go a Union-sponsored rally? Gee, I dunno...how do you think we got Labour Day?

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-7007647332037464432008-08-27T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-27T07:53:38.432-07:00

This page is bowled over by the torrent of speculation about an impending election. It's about time - we can overlook the government breaking its own law concerning fixed election dates if it means we have the opportunity to kick their arrogant asses to the curb once and for all. It's not like The Powers That Be haven't acted as if they were above the law too many times already.Stephen Harper and

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-20086245253258772332008-08-26T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-25T13:35:03.310-07:00

In order to save fuel costs, Air Canada's 'Jazz' carrier is removing life vests from its aircraft. Apparently, Transport Canada regulations stipulate only one means of flotation is required for flights within 50 nautical miles (about 90 km) from shore, so this page is advising my readers to hang on tight to those seat cushions, because you never know when the Great Lakes, Hudson, Bay, or the

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-88271456605184075652008-08-25T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-25T13:53:34.541-07:00

The Beijing Olympics are over. (pause for emphasis)Before this page returns to our regularly scheduled deprogramming, I would be remiss to not address some of the awestruck jawdropping among the media with respect to the spectacle of the past two weeks. I don't believe anyone thinks any differently about China as a result of these Games, the only difference is that viciously myopic Chinese

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-45298969085169214652008-08-21T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-21T13:19:23.412-07:00

In what is easily the most disturbing mash-up of Alzheimer's and Affluenza during the 2008 Presidential election campaign, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) can't remember how many homes he and his wife Cindy own. This page doesn't think McCain is being callous, or that he's pulled some kind of a gaffe. I think he's trying to corral some kind of sympathy vote: why would any 72 year old who can't

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-53535272461956203592008-08-20T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-20T10:45:01.914-07:00

Anyone else tired of Tony Clement's histrionics concerning Insite? Is there anyone annoyed by his Conservative Party's use of taxpayers' money to leaflet East Vancouver neighbourhoods to lie to voters? The 'Safe?' flyer, which was sent to this page by an M.P. in Quebec (My MP, Libby Davies wouldn't distribute this cynical opportunistic garbage), has a close-up of a syringe lying by a playground

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-17965910174944196712008-08-19T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-19T14:41:50.198-07:00

This page has been watching some of the Olympics TV coverage on Seattle's NBC affiliate, which has allowed me to keep an eye on that other major competition, the upcoming U.S. elections:In a TV spot airing during the Games, Senator John McCain (R - Arizona) is claiming that he's "The Original Maverick". Anyone who's spent enough time in front a TV knows that James Garner is the original Maverick,

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-91671112952075550902008-08-15T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-15T14:47:18.901-07:00

Canada has yet to win a medal at the Beijing Olympics. This development is mashing couch potatoes across the country into some kind of bitter, frustrated vodka, but for those of you scoring at home, this page finds himself somewhat indifferent to the futility. However, lurking though the CBC and Globe & Mail discussion threads, one would be left with the impression that sending over 300 athletes

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-14322611419901727462008-08-14T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-14T10:58:48.984-07:00

If anyone thought that Market Stalinism was exclusive to the People's Republic of China and the Olympics going on in Beijing, check out the free-market bullying the Bush Administration is inflicting on football fans in Seattle this weekend. The Federal Transportation Administration has ordered King County Metro (one of Seattle's public transit providers) to cancel its popular park and ride

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-13610236724732287312008-08-13T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-13T08:54:52.455-07:00

Gordon Campbell received a grilling from the international media at a Beijing press conference yesterday as the Premier was trying to update/bullsh*t the gathering about preparations for Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics. When confronted by Chinese reporters about the staggering amount of homeless, addicted, and mentally ill people in the city's Downtown Eastside, who will meet the world in just

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-12510139373267223982008-08-12T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-12T11:26:23.107-07:00

This page has received information over the past 24 hours (mostly by looking at the corner of Scotia Street and Broadway as I went by) that, in fact, Starbucks Coffee is opening a location in my neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant.For those of you scoring at home, the arrival of Starbucks may jeopardize our reputation for being what many Vancouverites generously refer to as a 'bad part of town.' We

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-14859134485306050602008-08-11T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-11T08:18:27.299-07:00

February 24, 1994: While all of Norway was glued to their TV's watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Lillehamer, a band of thieves broke into the National Gallery in Oslo and stole Edvard Munch's masterpiece, The Scream.August 8, 2008: Another Olympic robbery, and this time the ones left screaming are B.C. taxpayers. While we were tuned to the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-14522527734512409022008-08-08T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-08T08:34:31.268-07:00

Last summer this page visited a friend who a few months earlier, had given birth to an adorable baby boy. During that visit, the little guy started to get hungry, and Mom asked me if I was O.K. with her breastfeeding her newborn. This page said no problem because one, it's a baby, two, I had visited another friend who breastfed her son earlier that day, and three, I was in her house.She shouldn't

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-12648911011022455072008-08-07T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-07T08:13:35.324-07:00

The Games of the XXIX Olympiad begin later today, or tomorrow...or yesterday with preliminary matches in Women's Soccer. The torch has yet to be lit at the Beijing National Stadium, and this page is already tired of these Olympics. Maybe it's the result of constantly being shilled to by the local media about the impending glory of the Five Ring Circus in our own backyard. Maybe it's because the

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-28181092615999705932008-08-06T06:04:00.000-07:002008-08-06T06:19:20.883-07:00

This page has returned from a summer vacation, which included a visit with Alberta relatives, RevMod Don, and that cute baby elephant at the Calgary Zoo.However, being familiar with Star Trek's Mirror Universe, this page does have to question whether I have actually returned to my own rightful coordinates, unless someone has a better explanation for how Rafe Mair could be endorsing the NDP.At

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-90389551043165155682008-07-11T06:04:00.000-07:002008-07-11T13:52:02.623-07:00

This page is on hiatus. For those of you scoring at home, hiatus is a Latin word, meaning can't be bothered to post while on vacation. Regular episodes resume in August.

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-37810732774767261512008-07-09T06:04:00.000-07:002008-07-09T07:52:32.741-07:00

Former New Brunswick Lieutenant-Governor Gilbert Finn is the latest member of the Order of Canada to return his honours after Dr. Henry Morgentaler was named to the Order last week. For those of you scoring at home, should this page ever be admitted to The Order of Canada, be assured that I would enthusiastically decline the plaque, polyester sash and discount coupon book. Like our elected

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-45805367926051857412008-07-08T06:04:00.000-07:002008-07-08T13:20:47.994-07:00

The price of oil dropped $4.77 per barrel on the New York Stock Exchange earlier today.With the price of the crude oil contracts trading at about $137 per barrell, that works out to about a possible 3% reduction in the price of oil over the long term, barring any circumstances that would lead to speculation, like, I don't know, an election, competing demands from other countries like China or

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-20823762263648911032008-07-04T06:04:00.000-07:002008-07-04T09:48:04.998-07:00

Today is the Fourth of July, Independence Day: Americans across the United States will be celebrating today. Parades, picnics, baseball games and fireworks are the order of the day. This page wishes his stateside counterparts an enjoyable long weekend, particularly in that many of them will actually be celebrating the death of Jesse Helms.Conversely, this must be a tragic day for the friends and

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-49107009366801146972008-07-03T06:04:00.000-07:002008-07-02T13:18:44.682-07:00

Starbucks' is closing 600 U.S. locations, blaming the sub-prime mortgage crisis, the fuel crisis, and every other crisis short of the 'people no longer willing to pay $5 for a cup of cofee' crisis or the 'way too many Starbucks' locations to begin with' crisis'. Surely, the fact that the number of Starbucks' locations is going down, rather than up, is a sign of the Ameripocalypse.Assume the

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-48349570280581246692008-06-26T06:04:00.000-07:002008-06-26T11:04:10.093-07:00

The Town Council in the Vancouver Island community of Ladysmith wants residents to pool their carbon tax rebate cheques together to purchase a trolley bus system. This page commends Mayor Rob Hutchins for good intentions, but the B.C. Liberals' belief that Climate Change can be successfully addressed through the whims of individuals and the markets is paving a Hell of a road for future

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-164935276642395712008-06-25T06:04:00.000-07:002008-06-25T12:05:06.063-07:00

Lorne Mayencourt is worried about rapidly disappearing rental housing in Vancouver's West End. He just realized this week that this was happening?For those of you just joining us, Mayencourt is the B.C. Liberal MLA for Vancouver-Burrard, the constituency which includes the West End. Mayencourt has been their representative in Victoria since the 2001 election. Mayencourt did nothing when his

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-16526607998313890362008-06-24T06:04:00.000-07:002008-06-24T07:49:44.517-07:00

George Carlin 1937-2008

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-4999574782925914542008-06-20T06:04:00.000-07:002008-06-20T06:20:19.643-07:00

American Muslims are upset with the Obama campaign for barring two hijab-wearing supporters from appearing in photos with the Democratic Presidential nominee.For a candidate reputed to reach across racial, ideological, and religious boundaries, Barrack Obama's path is clear: apologize and say 'cheese' with Hebba Aref and Shimaa Abdelfadeel. Any other response from the campaign panders to lowest

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-10505083878493330832008-06-19T06:04:00.000-07:002008-06-18T14:23:53.692-07:00

Carole James and the BCNDP are taking a swing at the Campbell Carbon Tax, demanding that the Liberal government 'Axe the Gas Tax'. This page says be careful with that thing. Is it just me, or do any other New Democrats get nervous when the party takes positions nearly identical to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and the Vancouver Province? It's nice that James is drawing on a populist tradition

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-30920730149174556512008-06-18T06:04:00.000-07:002008-06-17T15:31:41.615-07:00

Is Air Canada's firing of 2000 employees a) A response to rising fuel prices, b) A message to remaining employees whose contract expires next year, c) A passive-aggressive attempt to collect a government bailout, or d) An attempt to soothe its panicky corporate and institutional shareholders? This page picks d): Who's driving up fuel prices because of speculation in oil & gas futures, shifting

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-15806660448181279472008-06-17T06:04:00.000-07:002008-06-17T07:28:10.214-07:00

After a rousing nominating meeting enjoyed by all not connected with Allan DeGenova, Vision Vancouver has elected Gregor Robertson as their nominee. As this page posted on Friday, most of this page's lack of an endorsement for Robertson came from a desire to see him remain as an MLA. However, if we see more positions coming from him like a tax on owners of vacant condominiums, who is this page to

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-74460368202930366842008-06-13T06:04:00.000-07:002008-06-13T09:07:42.776-07:00

Vision Vancouver will stage their Mayoral nomination meeting this Sunday at the Croatian Cultural Centre. As COPE has opted to sit on the sidelines (for now) with respect to going after the big chair, this page actually took out a Vision membership, and will be marking my preferential ballot in the following order:1. Raymond Louie - This is not a case, as the Samantha Orwell's of the world have

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-68552289562800286262008-06-12T06:04:00.000-07:002008-06-12T08:03:23.704-07:00

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has issued an apology on behalf of all Canadians to First Nations for the physical, emotional, and psychological abuse suffered by those who attended Residential Schools.This page says that's nice, but it's too easy to score political points by extending apologies for past transgressions, and it's not always the afflicted party one is trying to reach out to. This is

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-85294313003701244502008-06-11T06:04:00.000-07:002008-06-11T06:04:01.565-07:00

Stan Hagen, the Minister for Tourism, Sport, and Arts doesn't want Victoria's Showcase Theatre Society to get a BC 150 grant to produce a play chronicling the life of Labour firebrand Ginger Goodwin. Is this page surprised? Not really. The overwhelming majority of British Columbians are indifferent to our history because successive right wing governments ignore our true history, and expect

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-2989057209624541212008-06-10T06:04:00.000-07:002008-06-10T06:19:55.785-07:00

Mayor Sam Sullivan was upended by Councillor Peter Ladner at Sunday's Mayoral nomination meeting for the so-called 'Non-Partisan Association' (NPA).A couple of things - a coalition of anti-labour, anti-progressive poor bashing thugs shouldn't be considered 'Non Partisan'. Vancouver is the one major city in Canada where there exists a substantial number of people who realize that Liberals and

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-9061220552424496912008-05-22T06:04:00.000-07:002008-05-22T10:40:33.875-07:00

The Premier is apparently concerned about money laundering at B.C. casinos.This page says that Gordon Campbell is probably as concerned about money laundering at casinos as he was about drunk driving, leveraging the sale of crown corporations with dirty money, evidence tampering, ripping up legally binding contracts, conflicts of interest, and rigging the next election. Why should one worry

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-59766622638941305062008-05-21T06:04:00.000-07:002008-05-21T08:50:26.229-07:00

While standing in the line at the drugstore checkout yesterday afternoon, this page scanned the magazine rack and noticed a publication with this title: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to NASCAR" No, I am not making this up - "The Complete Idiot's Guide" is a line of how-to books similar to the 'Dummies' series (at least 'Dummies' is little more pejorative than referring to one's audience as Complete

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-66527475484189167322008-05-20T06:04:00.000-07:002008-05-20T09:33:36.641-07:00

Courtesy of our friends at Valley Haven Rest Home in Chilliwack, The Fraser Health Authority, and our B.C. Lieberal Government, here's another shining example of your tax dollars at work...or more to the point, your tax dollars diddling around on the sofa with the PlayStation blazing a few Js with their tax-cut addicted friends while their grandparents are forcibly shacked up with complete

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-64646312873338647922008-05-16T06:04:00.000-07:002008-05-15T13:30:06.080-07:00

Mark Latham at VoterMedia.org has informed this page that I have been entered in the Vancouver Voters' Guide Blogging Contest. Mr. Latham says that the purpose of the contest is to stimulate 2008 Vancouver election coverage among bloggers by offering financial incentives. Believe it or not, but this page was granted a late entry, apparently as the result of popular demand, and currently sits 12th

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5412109.post-42061811861297386792008-05-15T06:04:00.000-07:002008-05-15T07:51:03.120-07:00

Last night this page was flipping channels between Star Trek and CNN's coverage of John Edwards' endorsement of Barack Obama. During Anderson Cooper's turn at feeding Time Warner's stable of pundits, Obama was criticized for a dearth of new ideas, while John McCain was lauded for such 'new' ideas like the President submitting to a question-and-answer session with Congress, "just like the Prime

ursa minorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10850767843368402376noreply@blogger.com0