22 posts tagged “politics”
Quite at random, both Brian and Ben Mulroney made the front page of the Globe and Mail. It's not often that the worlds of politics and entertainment clash with such vigor.
Brian must be so proud of his son (though I always thought Brian was Canada's Ryan Seacrest...though I have very little idea of who Ryan Seacrest is.)
When information about Vancouver's Olympic village loan leaked, there was quite a bit of debate over how it happened. The documents were apparently identified by a unique number and rumour at the time said that it was Peter Ladner's copy that had been leaked.
Then mayor Sam Sullivan called for an investigation. The results are in and the crack investigators at the Vancouver Police Department have come up...empty. Excellent job.
Vancouver police quit probe into leaked Olympic documents
BY JEFF LEE, VANCOUVER SUN, MAY 12, 2009
Vancouver police have halted an investigation into who leaked confidential information from city hall regarding a $100-million Olympic village financing deal.Saying they were unable to convince everyone who had access to a confidential document to take polygraph tests, police said they have no choice but to recommend not proceeding with charges.
"After a thorough and detailed investigation involving interviews with numerous city councillors and staff, and a review of any existing evidence, we have decided there is insufficient evidence to recommend charges in this incident," said Insp. Les Yeo.
The city of Vancouver today voted in favour of a trial to improve cycling on the Burrard Bridge. The bridge currently requires cyclists and pedestrians to share a narrow sidewalk, with only a curb to separate fast moving traffic. The speed limit is 50km/h, but traffic is moving much faster than that.
This is is a good move, and a forward thinking move. It's a recognition that bicycles play a vital role in transportation strategy, especially in the densely populated downtown areas.
I still want a pedestrian and bicycle only crossing of False Creek. This is a baby step in that direction.
Meanwhile the now Seattle Post Intelligencer, now an online only publication, highlights a study that should be so obvious as to be unnecessary, although the quantification of the amounts involved is welcome. For what it's worth, I spent CDN$18,035.98 on my car for the three calendar years 2006, 2007 and 2008, an average of $6012 a year That doesn't include a monthly payment, and I don't drive that much.
Ditching the car saves thousands, study says
SEATTLEPI.COM STAFFA typical Seattle resident could save more than $10,000 a year by cutting out a car, according to a new study.
The American Public Transportation Association's Transit Savings Report looked at the savings on gas, parking, maintenance, tires, insurance, registration, depreciation and finance charges if a household gave up a car and used transit.
I finally managed to get a copy of Ashes of American Flags. The only store in Bellingham to have copies had sold out before I got down there, and for some strange reason Zulu Records didn't get any in on the April 28, 2009 release date. Red Cat Records came to my rescue, though I paid a pretty penny for it.
It was, of course, worth every penny, and I prefer to shop at those two stores whenever I can.
The film is excellent, documenting three separate concerts and the journey through an America that, at the time, struck the band as disappearing. Filmed two summers ago, it's not hard to imagine how the same America would look today.
Wilco released a free song on May 1st on their web site. It's a cover of Woody Guthrie's The Jolly Banker. May 1st is May Day, a day associated with protest, with working people around the world, with the common person. Ashes of American Flags shows a band that hasn't lost touch with itself yet, and one that believes that music is still a force for change in sugar coated pop flavoured world. Watch it.
I'm down on my hands and knees
Every time the doorbell rings
I shake like a toothache
When I hear myself singAll my lies are only wishes
I know I would die if I could come back new
There's not much doubt that the B.C. Liberals will win the next election, but John van Dongen's essentially forced resignation shows a lapse in judgement on the part of Gordon Campbell and his team.
B.C. solicitor general resigns over speeding tickets
Delayed resignation reflects poorly on premier, says NDP leader
Last Updated: Monday, April 27, 2009 | 1:00 PM PTBritish Columbia's top law enforcement official has resigned from the provincial cabinet following revelations that his driver's licence has been suspended for excessive speeding, adding a new twist to the provincial election campaign.
Solicitor General and Minister of Public Safety John van Dongen announced his cabinet resignation in a statement released Monday morning, but said he will continue to run as the B.C. Liberal Party candidate for Abbotsford South in the May 12 election.
The problem here is that van Dongen's infractions related to his responsibilities. As the minister responsible for ICBC and driving safety, he should have resigned by choice the moment a court of law took away his driver's licence. If he'd been (for example) the Environment minister...well, that would show terrible judgement but not create a conflict with his responsibilities and a resignation might be an option.
Nerts. The sad thing is this guy is part of the Republican leadership. People actually look up to this guy. I'm especially fond of his warming being part of the cooling process logic. That's just brilliant.
Michael Steele: 'We Are Not Warming'
March 20, 2009, 11:39 am, By Kate GalbraithThe Republican National Committee Chairman, Michael Steele, has weighed in on climate change.
In a March 6 radio appearance that is only now percolating through the blogosphere, Mr. Steele apparently fielded a skeptic's question about global warming. As transcribed by the liberal blog, the Huffington Post, Mr. Steele thanked the questioner and replied this way:
We are cooling. We are not warming. The warming you see out there, the supposed warming, and I am using my finger quotation marks here, is part of the cooling process. Greenland, which is now covered in ice, it was once called Greenland for a reason, right? Iceland, which is now green. Oh I love this. Like we know what this planet is all about. How long have we been here? How long? No very long.
This move makes sense. It's always better when politicians represent the ridings they live in, or as close as possible. It's a loss for Vancouver though. Wally was a good MLA.
Oppal to run in new riding in May
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 | 7:03 AM PT, CBC News
Attorney General Wally Oppal made it official Tuesday night that he would be running as a Liberal candidate in the Delta South riding during the May 12 provincial election.
Oppal's move from his current riding had been anticipated, since Delta South's current MLA Val Roddick said she would not seek re-election.
The March 2009 cover of the Atlantic Monthly featured a series of "regional" covers highlighting an article by Richard Florida called How the Crash Will Reshape America. Apparently, the Atlantic considers Canada one region as the Vancouver area edition featured not Vancouver (mentioned in the article) and not even Seattle (the economic hub of our region) but Toronto. Yes...Toronto. 4000km away.
Although my feelings on Florida are mixed, the article isn't bad. He addresses some good points and every time a hole in his logical circle poked up he managed to plug it like a good little dutch boy. Some excerpts.
How the Crash Will Reshape America
Richard Florida, The Atlantic Monthly, March 2009"The world's 40 largest mega-regions, which are home to some 18 percent of the world's population, produce two-thirds of global economic output and nearly 9 in 10 new patented inventions...Cities like Seattle, San Francisco, Austin, Raleigh, and Boston now have two or three times the concentration of college graduates of Akron or Buffalo...as globalization has increased the financial return on innovation by widening the consumer market, the pull of innovative places, already dense with highly talented workers, has only grown stronger, created a snowball effect...successful cities, unlike biological organisms, actually get faster as they grow older."
"Perhaps no major city in the U.S. today looks more beleaguered than Detroit, where in October the average home price was $18,513, and some 45,000 properties were in some form of foreclosure."
John Tory is a man who hasn't found an office he wasn't willing to run for yet, has hopefully for for his last office. I'm kind of surprised he's waiting "...until Friday..." to discuss his future, although it's only a day. After losing the general election and failing to win his seat in that election, it's pretty clear what has to happen here.
Tory defeated in by-election
KAREN HOWLETT
From Friday's Globe and Mail, March 6, 2009 at 12:13 AM ESTLINDSAY, ONT. -- Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory was defeated in a by-election race Thursday night, leaving his political career in tatters.
"Obviously, I am very disappointed by the results today, but the voters can never be wrong in what they decide and I respect their decision," Mr. Tory said in conceding defeat.
The sense of disappointment was palpable among his supporters, who had gathered in a Lindsay restaurant for what was to be a victory party. Mr. Tory, 54, was counting on a victory in the Lindsay-area riding of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock to pave the way for what was to be his triumphant return to the Ontario Legislature. With those hopes now dashed, he will have little choice but to bow out, marking a bitter end to his 41/2-year reign as leader of the party.
After delivering his speech, Mr. Tory abruptly left the podium without answering questions from the media. He plans to discuss his future at a news conference Friday.
One would think this would have been self evident by now. I'm just glad they didn't create a Royal Commission to study this. The emphasis is mine.
Tasers potentially lethal, RCMP head tells MPs
Commissioner says stun guns 'far, far less lethal' than conventional firearms
Last Updated: Thursday, February 12, 2009
CBC NewsA revised RCMP policy that restricts how officers can use Tasers recognizes the stun guns can cause death, especially when fired on "acutely agitated" individuals, the head of the Mounties said Thursday.
"The RCMP's revised CEW policy underscores that there are risks associated with the deployment of the device and emphasizes that those risks include the risk of death, particularly for acutely agitated individuals," Elliott told the committee.
