Messages

1

Cause we're all in this together / Re: Remembering our friend Croghan27

« on: July 27, 2011, 01:11:08 PM »

I am so shocked to see this news. I was very lucky to get to meet Croghan the last time I was in Ottawa, although I witnessed his humour and generosity from his posts long before that. I especially recall his recollection of Alberta politics from the Notley era. We visited that subject again after dinner when I met a group of you in Ottawa and I left with a renewed optimism.
 
I'm just floored.

2

Disability Issues / Re: (British) Tory MP says disabled people could work for less than minimum wage

« on: June 20, 2011, 09:28:38 AM »

I don't know any disabled individuals who would put up for an instant with the idea of working for less.

Nor should they. If the disability is something that actually factors into the safety or real quality of the job, then it's for the best if the disabled person isn't hired. (This won't often be a factor, but for some physically demanding jobs, such as firefighters or police officers it would be, or if the job requires a driver's license that the disability doesn't permit.) If the disability doesn't factor into the duties of the job, then it's just prejudice operating and no amount of underpayment will correct for that (if anything, it makes the prejudice worse by explicitly categorizing a disability as a liability regardless of whether it's at all relevant to the job duties).

3

Write On! / Re: Recent blogposts

« on: June 10, 2011, 09:57:01 PM »

I was around 21 or a couple more when Blair was in power and we had some very specific complaints. Stop war. No blood for oil. They both fit very concisely on a sign or poster. Why would we needed have gone to Stop Blair when we could say that instead?

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Write On! / Re: Recent blogposts

« on: June 10, 2011, 06:43:41 PM »

Any issue would have been better than an "Ew, Harper is a poopyhead." message.

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Write On! / Re: Recent blogposts

« on: June 10, 2011, 12:51:13 PM »

I have to agree with this. While I'm pretty agnostic on the method of her protest, I hated that she wasted it with a message like "Stop Harper." Couldn't she have chosen an issue - any issue - instead of just making it "We hate Harper"? It just comes off as personalized and mean, plus it actually assists in the whole "Harper Government" branding by reinforcing the centrality of the man rather than the direction the government is going.  If you can take anything away from the results of the last election it's that a very large part of the population does not hate Harper. (In fact, I don’t hate him either though I think he's wrong on many things and will have an overall negative affect on the country.) The Conservative strategy has been to avoid substance and market their brand instead. A message like "Stop Harper" does not introduce any substance and in fact reinforces the Conservative/Harper brand even as it opposes it.

The press release afterwards introduced some actual issues but the hyperbole of the Arab Spring comparison completely overshadowed them as well. As an action, this succeeded on the level of getting attention, but I don’t think it succeeded in getting the right kind of attention. It's not increasing scrutiny on the choices this government is making; the discussion is all about the action itself.

6

Chef's Corner / Re: What are you having for supper?

« on: June 09, 2011, 10:29:04 AM »

The combination of it (finally) getting a bit warmer and training for an endurance race (yay, carbs!) mean that I'm making a lot of pasta salads these days, in particular with orzo. Although I was enjoying the game steak and slow-cooker stew kick I'd been during the winter, it's nice to be able to enjoy some simple cold suppers again. Usually just red peppers, the orzo, and a homemade vinaigrette with red wine vinegar, maple syrup, truffle-infused oil and salt and pepper.
 
Although I'm not growing food in my garden this year (except nasturiums which are dual purpose, I guess), I was pleasantly shocked to see some volunteer oregano come back and thrive, so I've been throwing bits of that into the salads.

7

Men's Health / Re: Artificial foreskin

« on: May 28, 2011, 09:20:26 AM »

I don't know Schofield at all, but I'm kind of sympathetic to the idea that something like this shouldn't be imposed upon an infant. Public health rather than legal sanctions are probably a better way to go about discouraging circumcision (which is way more common in the US than anywhere else, and in Canada I think pretty stopped outside of religious communities in the 70s or 80s).

8

Gardens / Re: Outdoor gardens

« on: May 24, 2011, 12:34:28 AM »

I'm sort of OK with the dandelions - at least they are sort of manageable. One of the main things making me want to switch to a container-only garden is quack grass. Nothing eliminates it. It came up through my eco-friendly, lasagna garden boxes, and when I decided to bring out the big guns I discovered that even Round Up is powerless against it.

9

Chef's Corner / Re: Fiddleheads: Who knew?

« on: May 10, 2011, 01:49:14 AM »

Unfortunately, I don't think they're so common out here, so they're kind of a luxury item.

Although, k'in, I recall from my time in TO that produce was much cheaper there than it is out here. Longer growing season, more competition from local grocers, etc.

10

Chef's Corner / Re: Fiddleheads: Who knew?

« on: May 09, 2011, 05:40:14 PM »

Jealous. I should order some shortly. I know of only one place I can get them locally and at $13/lb, it's no small deal to get them. But they are so tasty that I consider it a once/year treat..

11

Politics / Re: Proportional Representation

« on: May 05, 2011, 03:45:54 PM »

If I were there, I would vote NO, albeit reluctantly. The problem is that if it goes ahead, it's could kill the motivation (and the electoral math) to put in place a really proportional system like STV or MMP. But, at the same time, defeating it will probably also kill any momentum towards reform at all.
 
I believe AV was a compromise on the part of the Liberal Democrats (who wanted electoral reform put before the public in return for their support of the Conservatives in a coaltion) and the Tories, who are opposed to any reform.

12

Politics / Re: Proportional Representation

« on: May 05, 2011, 02:00:01 PM »

AV is not a form of proportional representation. A lot of people seem to think it's the same as STV, but it's very, very different. AV is more like the "Instant run-off" system that the Liberal used to love (though I doubt they'd be as enthusiastic about it now ). It kills off parties and reduces choice rather than encourage it as most proportional systems do.

13

Politics / Re: Proportional Representation

« on: May 04, 2011, 10:16:54 PM »

Waiting for PR is probably a good thing. I think the biggest take-away lessons from the BC and ON referundums (not the result so much as the media coverage and tone of the yes and no campaigns) is that very few people really understand how other systems work. (Hell, Harper's "coalition" strategy and it's success is a pretty good indication that most Canadians don't really understand our *current* electoral and parliamentary system!) Pushing for a referendum or other legitimation process without getting this sort of understanding across is doomed to failure. Having four (five?) years to work on that is blessing really, because figuring out how to explain it is a tremendously difficult challenge.

14

Federal Election / Re: Election 2011?

« on: May 04, 2011, 08:32:05 PM »

The thing I keep coming back with regard to the whole so-called "experience" or "accomplishment" issue as well is: is being an MP really all the bloody hard in a technical sense? Does it require some huge wealth of personal experience to do well? Almost all of the things people cite when you ask them what a "good MP" consists of boils down to constituency work and speaking.

Constituency work seems to hinge mostly on promptly and meaningfully responding to constituents, which really doesn't take too much more than half decent diplomacy (where I'd fail due to general crankiness, frankly, but that's a character trait not really dependent upon age or experience) and good service standards. That's many a result of simple office organization combined with a willingness to seek out and meet with the community organizations in the riding. This is something that comes from simply devoting enough time and perspiration, not really from any great managerial or legal insights.

And speaking well and articulately in the House and in the press? That's a willingness to learn your files combined with some natural ability at public speaking. Very few critics and ministers know very much about their file before they have them: that's why they have researchers and assistants to brief them. Even for those in government: Ministers often know nothing about the departments they oversee when they first start - that's why every public servant in the country has been drawn into the process of producing transition books over the past month, to brief a new Minister, so they can know what sort of decisions will be asked of them. And I'm willing to bet that the majority of newly elected MPs from all parties in their 50s or 60s know just as little about House procedure as their younger colleagues. They will learn.

15

Federal Election / Re: Election 2011?

« on: May 04, 2011, 08:19:00 PM »

Alberta will never, ever vote Liberal, even if Preston Manning himself were the leader.

Seconding this. I've met a fair number of soft-left and centrist folk over the past year who'd be Liberals in times past, but they know the name is poison. I think this is why they're forming the Alberta Party to compete in provincial politics. (Whether that will work is still an open question, but it goes to show the enduring poison that is the Liberal brand.)