tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-133940522012-01-18T10:34:44.887-05:00The name of this blog alludes to Liberal corruption. Former PM Paul Martin, desperate to stay in power, sent out Tim Murphy, his chief of staff, who strongly hinted that the Liberals would take care of Conservative MP Gurmant Grewal and his wife with this undertaking: "You know obviously for us continuing to expand our base in B.C. and in prominent communities in this country is a political priority for us so it's a welcome mat that has a lot of nice comfy fur on it."Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comBlogger2011100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-84724945939958440652010-05-07T09:46:00.006-04:002011-11-06T21:40:22.833-05:00

...is that it takes two levels of government to screw up to really tank the economy:Consider the often-made comparison between Greece and the state of California. Both are in deep fiscal trouble, both have a history of fiscal irresponsibility. And the political deadlock in California is, if anything, worse — after all, despite the demonstrations, Greece’s Parliament has, in fact, approved harsh

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-2443069597908084852009-10-02T11:32:00.001-04:002011-11-06T21:42:53.588-05:00

Where does Michael Ignatieff come up with this stuff?"If this [Conservative] ideology prevails in this country it will permanently weaken the tissues that bind our society together," Ignatieff said.Is it any wonder he is taking such a drubbing in the media lately.

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-80829125977163300572009-05-19T07:05:00.001-04:002011-11-06T21:43:06.926-05:00

After thirty some years of toiling in relative obscurity, Canadian heavy metal band Anvil appears to be finally on a roll following the release of the documentary Anvil! The Story Of Anvil.At the Sundance Film Festival last year the film received a rapturous welcome. Art-house cinemas picked it up for distribution in the UK and US earlier this year, which brought it to the attention of more rapt

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-72824251918125306022009-05-16T15:59:00.001-04:002011-11-06T21:43:23.663-05:00

It was really only a matter of time before Kyoto morphed into an excuse for protectionism.The closer the United States gets to adopting a cap-and-trade system to control greenhouse gas emissions, the more frightening it gets.Not because the plan now under debate in the U. S. Congress would complicate the lives of energy producers, or impose new costs on consumers. Those drawbacks might be

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-31101753805843403942009-04-18T01:50:00.003-04:002011-11-06T21:42:12.071-05:00

Johann Hari of the Huffington Post claims we are being lied to about pirates. Far from being despicable scallywags, they are to be admired for their democratic and egalitarian ways:Pirates were the first people to rebel against this world. They mutinied against their tyrannical captains - and created a different way of working on the seas. Once they had a ship, the pirates elected their captains,

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-86447208977664505492009-04-17T13:50:00.004-04:002009-05-19T14:53:56.118-04:00

Environmentalists are not going to stop until they get their way. The latest lever to impose their designs on an unwilling population is the threat of trade protectionism:The most immediate problem Canada faces from greenhouse gas emissions is economic rather than environmental. At least that was the message at a news conference on Thursday held to unveil a report from a government advisory body

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-52859082567166826752009-01-31T15:43:00.000-05:002009-01-31T15:44:01.876-05:00

The recent news that U.S. public works projects funded by the stimulus package will be required to use only U.S.-made iron and steel was not entirely unpredictable. On issues of trade, the Democrats are bad for Canada, and by extension global trade. If Barack Obama lets this stand he risks becoming known as the Depression President.Thus far, the temptation among nations to shield their economies

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-8943144975374364212008-12-24T22:21:00.001-05:002011-11-06T22:49:50.373-05:00

Banned by the BBC, but brought to you by Nice Comfy Fur.

Irenenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-32978944609753321742008-12-07T19:56:00.002-05:002011-11-06T22:50:05.474-05:00

Some pics from the Rally for Canada at Queen's Park, Toronto:

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-34156877472971142592008-10-27T08:00:00.002-04:002011-11-06T22:50:21.710-05:00

Today is the tenth anniversary of the National Post. Say what you will about the MSM, but can you imagine what Canada would be like if it had never existed?From the beginning, the Post provided intellectual support to a Canadian conservative viewpoint that was sadly lacking in other Canadian media. The headline on the October 27, 1998 first edition was "Klein backs unite-the-right movement". Well

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-30691428902736373252008-10-25T14:30:00.003-04:002011-11-06T22:50:35.104-05:00

And we wonder why young people don't vote.

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-45661283203014327742008-10-21T06:32:00.010-04:002011-11-06T22:50:49.898-05:00

In my days as a young lawyer, I began the drafting of a Canadian Bill of Rights. The 1938 election manifesto of the Conservative Party in Saskatchewan, authored by me and issued under my leadership, began with the following statement:"The Conservative party pledges itself to maintain the rights of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press, reaffirms its

Irenenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-52637956698526562392008-10-20T08:00:00.002-04:002011-11-06T22:51:07.924-05:00

Early on in his career, former Conservative Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker recognized the threat to freedom of speech and individual liberty:I was concerned in 1936 about the continuing extension of the powers of the Crown at the expense of the individual. My concern was greatly intensified by experiences during and after the Second World War. On 2 May 1946, I moved an amendment to the

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-81543689389111239382008-10-14T12:55:00.002-04:002011-11-06T22:51:24.424-05:00

I am a Canadian, a free Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship God in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, free to choose who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.The Right Honourable John G. Diefenbaker, Prime Minister of Canada, House of Commons Debates, July 1,

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-19074476024291822992008-10-13T10:44:00.002-04:002011-11-06T22:51:42.547-05:00

Stéphane Dion has reportedly been wooing Elizabeth May with a Senate seat in return for telling Green Party supporters to vote Liberal.Reforming or Abolishing the SenateThe Conservatives and Stephen Harper believe that the current Senate must be either reformed or abolished. An unelected Senate should not be able to block the will of the elected House in the 21st century.As a minimum, a

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-52143062721379053792008-10-11T16:11:00.002-04:002011-11-06T22:52:13.057-05:00

As the global economy heads into troubled waters, Canada is fortunate to have Stephen Harper, an economist, at the helm. Let's just hope the voters resist the sirens' call to put Stéphane "do something" Dion at the helm.Paradoxically, perhaps, the fact that orthodox economics has a good deal to say about how the Great Depression happened itself suggests that there is after all something puzzling

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-91442816133748554942008-10-09T06:32:00.002-04:002011-11-06T22:52:36.023-05:00

This is what we're up against.

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-56029540375597936082008-10-06T08:32:00.001-04:002011-11-06T22:52:56.588-05:00

I do not like small dead animals, especially when I find a stinking, decaying carcass on my front step. Oh, did I mention I have a Conservative sign in my front yard?

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-16094104237616390592008-10-06T06:28:00.003-04:002011-11-06T22:53:17.162-05:00

This is just too despicable to imagine an opponent being responsible for, particularly as it is more likely to help rather than hurt the Bennett campaign.Carolyn Bennett should have a stranglehold on the riding given her margin of victory last election. Nonetheless, I think she is running scared.Dr. Roy has already noted that Bennett broke the rules by distributing her House of Commons newsletter

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-19712468965987792892008-09-29T13:34:00.001-04:002011-11-06T22:53:35.192-05:00

Oddly enough, the CAW endorses NDP candidate Peggy Nash in Parkdale-High Park, yet it was the Conservatives who blocked the sale of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates, for which they give her credit.In the Greater Toronto Area, the CAW is endorsing an 'ABC' voting strategy (Anyone But Conservative) in all ridings with the exception of Toronto's Parkdale-High Park.In Parkdale-High Park, the CAW

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-45454121412190405102008-09-28T15:23:00.001-04:002011-11-06T22:53:48.490-05:00

It's hard enough running as a Conservative against a popular NDP MP and Gerard Kennedy, the failed Liberal leadership candidate.The battle for Parkdale-High Park is getting nasty.Go Jilian!

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-3403716094502096672008-09-24T08:47:00.001-04:002011-11-06T22:54:02.019-05:00

Christina Blizzard thinks Gerard Kennedy's prospects of winning Parkdale-High Park are not good. Which brings us to former McGuinty education minister Gerard Kennedy. He's in tough in Parkdale-High Park against NDP power chick Peggy Nash. Provincially the riding is held by another popular New Democrat woman, Cheri DiNovo. Between DiNovo and Nash, they have the riding all sewn up. If Kennedy

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-48215854371698744682008-09-17T18:16:00.002-04:002011-11-06T22:54:17.633-05:00

I see this sign on Harbord Street every morning on my bike ride to work.I actually had a coffee at the Linux Caffe once. But I guess you can afford to insult your potential customers when those voting Conservative accounted for only 9% of the vote in the last election.Wireless Nomad might also want to reconsider its affiliation with the business. They use the location as home base for their ISP

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-39039997842956470842008-09-17T13:10:00.004-04:002011-11-06T22:56:19.719-05:00

I'll be glad to see this one go, although the consequences could be dire. With the U.S. media fawning over Obama, the anti-Obama merchandise market will likely be unable to pick up the slack.Economists Warn Anti-Bush Merchandise Market Close To Collapse

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-79491758294331527552008-09-14T16:16:00.000-04:002008-09-14T16:16:25.948-04:00

Further to my previous post, here's a partial list of Conservative candidates and electoral districts as indicated by my readers. Members of the Blogging Tories live in several of the ridings. I'll update the list as I become aware of new entries. Please leave your info in the comments.ManitobaKildonan-St. Paul: Joy Smith is up for re-election.QuebecOutremont: Dr Roy is supporting Lulzim

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-90059680896851627492008-09-14T07:46:00.000-04:002008-09-14T10:10:31.730-04:00

Who are you supporting in the upcoming election?If you are a Blogging Tory, leave me a comment and I'll put together a list of all the candidates and ridings we have covered. Hopefully, Conservative candidates and campaign managers can draw upon this list to get their message out. We're here to help.This election, I'll be supporting Heather Jewell, the Conservative candidate in the riding of St.

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-32918870697263995622008-09-05T19:19:00.000-04:002008-09-05T19:19:17.699-04:00

Those of you who live in the rest of Canada, my advice is this: stay there. Stay where you are. You don't want to live in Toronto.

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-60970788450914427782008-09-03T00:26:00.006-04:002008-09-03T08:22:06.559-04:00

Politics is not like shopping for groceries where you can fill your cart with the policies you like and leave the ones you don’t like on the shelf. Like it or not, when you vote for a particular party, you get the whole bundle: the good policies with the bad.That said, I can understand where Alec Saunders is coming from. A recent post on his blog explains why he will be voting against Stephen

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-36418790480079690362008-08-16T01:21:00.001-04:002008-08-16T01:22:15.994-04:00

At least that's what I think he is saying:"What's really frustrating from our perspective is that the Conservative government is removing a program that enables institutions to do what the government wants them to do, which is become more responsible, more businesslike, more self-sufficient," said Shawn Van Sluys, executive director of the Canadian Art Museum Directors' Organization, in an

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-87501126753938042732008-07-04T10:00:00.001-04:002008-07-04T10:01:02.610-04:00

...but comparing Harper to Darth Vader is OK.The Toronto Star clarifies its editorial policy:The Hitler label is regularly attached to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, as well. A Google search using his name and Hitler's turned up 81,900 hits – many of them from the blogosphere but some in the mainstream media.Such comparisons – while now apparently legally defensible – insult the memories of the

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-72322636905381097472008-06-30T21:57:00.000-04:002008-06-30T21:57:41.503-04:00

This time they're invited.Paul McCartney sera sur les Plaines d'Abraham le 20 juilletLCNL'ex-Beatle Paul McCartney offrira un spectacle à Québec le 20 juillet prochain pour les fêtes du 400e.La nouvelle a été confirmée lundi après-midi par les organisateurs des fêtes du 400e, qui ont pris soin de préciser qu'il s'agira d'un concert gratuit pour lequel il n'y aura pas de distribution de billets,

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-89486235730849867362008-06-19T20:20:00.001-04:002008-06-19T20:20:48.856-04:00

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation asks which came first, the SHIFT or the SHAFT? If Stéphane Dion gets away with this little confidence game, we'll be calling it the GRIFT.A “carbon tax” in the style of Mr. Dion’s, which shields many people altogether from the price impact by various mechanisms, has nothing whatsoever to do with the Pigovian taxes economists favour as a response to negative

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-33426996707629292542008-06-13T19:55:00.004-04:002008-06-15T15:58:48.140-04:00

The ultimate conceit of the modern liberal is that he knows better than the market. Thus it is little surprise that a recent fundraising letter for Stéphane Dion would make a statement like this:Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion recently asked Canadians to take part in an open and honest debate about shifting taxes from things we want more of, to things we want less of.Really? And all this time

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-9064026096717897742008-06-11T21:33:00.005-04:002008-06-11T21:36:26.613-04:00

This is dumb. Really dumb.If the reports are true, I'll be tearing up my CPC membership card. I can't believe Harper could be so stupid.After months of delays and speculation, the federal government is set to unveil its controversial update to the Copyright Act of Canada Thursday.According to a press release, Industry Minister Jim Prentice and Heritage Minister Josée Verner are set to introduce

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-52311726762827797002008-06-01T11:58:00.002-04:002008-06-01T11:58:00.462-04:00

I've just about given up on reading any left-leaning blog. As Jay points out, orthodoxy is the rule on the left. There is very little real debate going on.What makes things interesting on the right is that there is a debate. And it is a respectful one. While a liberal tends to heap nothing but condescension on the socon perspective, for the most part, a libertarian conservative attempts to

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-80535915176170633302008-05-29T21:12:00.001-04:002008-05-29T21:13:30.078-04:00

At least that's the way I interpret this:...institutionalized religious discrimination cannot be condoned or tolerated in this day and age.Discriminatory practices, whether they are directed at Roman Catholics or anyone else, are simply incompatible with any nation that ascribes to itself the fundamental values of equality that we hold in such high regard.

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-33279467642802419522008-05-29T08:53:00.003-04:002008-05-29T09:06:02.903-04:00

It pains me to see the student council at my alma mater play these little games:In response to a series of controversies over abortion debates on Canadian campuses, the student government of York University in Toronto has tabled an outright ban on student clubs that are opposed to abortion.If York students value free speech and recognize the importance of open debate on the issues of the day,

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-19754640443036240142008-05-24T10:01:00.000-04:002008-05-24T10:01:40.063-04:00

Terence Corcoran makes the case for reversing the Quebec Court of Appeal's recent decision in the BCE case. Once again our august judiciary is making the law under the guise of interpreting it.It would be a spectacular long-term Canadian shareholder disaster, and possibly a corporate governance disaster, if the BCE takeover were to crash over the short-term interests of a relatively small group

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-34399947197187693312008-05-21T07:01:00.001-04:002008-05-21T07:01:00.741-04:00

Change? If you look around America today, you see the Olson logic playing out. Interest groups turn every judicial fight into an ideological war. They lobby for more spending on the elderly, even though the country is trillions of dollars short of being able to live up to its promises. They’ve turned environmental concern into subsidies for corn growers and energy concerns into subsidies for oil

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-54245845654197497172008-05-21T00:28:00.001-04:002008-05-21T00:33:37.861-04:00

It helps if the editor has an axe to grind:Let’s play a game of You Be the Editor. Here’s the deal: the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration forces a local airline to shut down one of its seven return flights each weekday between Toronto and Newark, N.J. News? Yes. Front-page news? Of course not—unless you’re the Globe and Mail. No one has it in for Porter Airlines like the Globe. Ditto for

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-40251281774516065512008-05-17T20:06:00.001-04:002008-05-17T20:08:56.999-04:00

There are better ways of beating the pirates than suing your customers:Media piracy will always be with us. But the pirates, Mr. Bylund writes, “can be beaten — it happens all the time — but not primarily by means of legal threats and lawsuits.” Rather, he says: “You subjugate these rebels with the tools of free enterprise. Piracy is just another business model, and the pirates will lose and go

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-47199444251776357392008-04-30T10:18:00.001-04:002008-04-30T10:18:48.479-04:00

While the developed countries propose and implement costly measures to reduce carbon emissions, China's seemingly insatiable appetite for carbon gets subsidized:Soaring oil prices have not slowed China's consumption of oil as statistics show that China's apparent consumption of crude oil and refined oil products both hit record highs in the first quarter of the year. According to statistics

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-54010857885754304562008-03-11T08:30:00.002-04:002008-03-11T08:26:34.108-04:00

There's probably a lesson in this for Jack Layton, Stéphane Dion and other critics of the Canadian mission in Afghanistan:Are insurgents affected by information on US casualty sensitivity? Using data on attacks and variation in access to international news across Iraqi provinces, we identify an "emboldenment" effect by comparing the rate of insurgent attacks in areas with higher and lower access

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-37875808770801783922008-03-10T20:06:00.001-04:002008-03-10T20:25:57.813-04:00

The standard criticism of Conservative climate change policy is that Harper would never do anything that would hurt the Alberta oil industry. Hope this shuts them up:Oil sands face tough environmental rulesMar 10, 2008 04:41 PMTHE CANADIAN PRESSOTTAWA–The federal government is laying out new rules that would force new oil-sands plants to capture and store carbon and would ban the building of

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-68021836432445636642008-02-21T00:40:00.004-05:002008-03-10T20:27:08.610-04:00

Mr. Flaherty believes Ontario is failing to adapt to a changing world because its business taxes are the highest in Canada. In a speech in Toronto yesterday, he offered as evidence Ontario's declining share of national GDP; its weaker than average economic growth; and, an unemployment rate higher than the national average. He said the federal government has cut corporate income tax rates from to

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-71732043042408996932008-02-19T01:05:00.003-05:002008-03-10T20:27:08.611-04:00

Ontario's economy has been lagging the rest of the country for some time. The "economic engine" of Canada is clearly sputtering.The easy explanation is that the Ontario economy is weak because of the province's greater dependence on the manufacturing sector. This weakness reflects the struggle by Ontario manufacturers to adapt to the sharp run up in the Canadian dollar, higher energy prices and

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-62014809400834942622008-02-18T12:10:00.001-05:002008-02-18T12:08:06.519-05:00

It's rather sad to see another independent bookstore close. I once worked in one (which is also no longer in business) and have spent a lot of money in them.Alas, I rarely buy books from bookstores anymore. I still buy books, just not from bookstores. Amazon.ca (notice my banner link) now gets most of my business. Apparently, I'm not the only one:Staff at The Book Room, a 169-year-old shop

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-48877173792229282242008-02-17T15:40:00.001-05:002008-02-17T15:39:25.904-05:00

Is this what Dalton McGuinty warned us about in the last election?The hands of students in Fareena Masood's Grade 3 class fly into the air when the teacher asks for the number of syllables in "communication." The question stumps a few of the young students at the Islamic Foundation School -- "Is it four?" one asks -- before another student correctly answers five. As Masood -- called Sister

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-54774549068079259772008-02-17T09:40:00.003-05:002008-02-17T15:41:51.276-05:00

They should have closed it after they discovered the first one. If you've got one, there's always more.Public health authorities shut down one of Chinatown's most prominent restaurants yesterday after a passerby took a photo of rats on a countertop.The rats were visible through a window of the Dumpling House Restaurant yesterday afternoon, passerby Vivian Hui said.[...]Dumpling House, at 328

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-89088059712766747882008-02-16T09:55:00.001-05:002008-02-16T09:50:19.316-05:00

The Canadian fascination with the U.S. Democratic party has always puzzled me. With three quarters of Canadian exports going south of the border, we have a vested interest in keeping the border open. Yet, both candidates in the Democratic primary have been bashing NAFTA.First, here is Barack Obama speaking of his opponent Hillary Clinton:"Her supporting NAFTA didn't give jobs to the American

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-47292593292183786572008-02-13T08:38:00.000-05:002008-02-13T08:36:59.427-05:00

With Warren gone, let's hope Kathy Shaidle gets his columnist gig at the National Post:When bloggers first heard of the accusations against Steyn and Levant, and began mounting campaigns to "stop the CHRCs" from further stifling freedom of speech, many were encouraged by a rediscovered, then widely circulated, quotation from future Prime Minister Stephen Harper, circa 1999:"Human Rights

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-11407311961052522152008-02-12T07:41:00.000-05:002008-02-12T07:40:04.682-05:00

My daughter was recently accepted into the Grade 9 arts program at two of Toronto's top high schools of the arts. While I have never doubted her talent, it is certainly gratifying that others see it too.Congratulations kid!

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-25620417436749428962008-02-10T23:10:00.000-05:002008-02-10T23:08:28.057-05:00

Prius owners, still think you're saving the planet now?In a recent journal article, French researchers suggest that:the misinformed craze for hybrid vehicles especially in the USA, and increasingly in Japan and Europe, and potentially in China, could represent a red light for more innovative technologies, such as viable fuel-cell cars that can use sustainably sourced fuels, such as hydrogen.[...]

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-49033259320001818302008-02-10T20:50:00.000-05:002008-02-10T23:05:31.172-05:00

Andrew Potter points to this little gem in the Globe and Mail:Constitutional expert Errol Mendes of the University of Ottawa said he researched the issue yesterday and could find no similar examples of a confidence motion such as the one the Tories unveiled - one involving the unelected Senate. "This is insane," he said.In quoting such an expert, it evidently did not occur to the Globe

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-3273434912990898862008-02-02T19:00:00.000-05:002008-02-02T18:59:04.704-05:00

Hell, the Conservative Party might learn something too.Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute explains the relationship between tax rates, government revenues and economic growth:via Café Hayek

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-81171775616022754122008-02-02T17:55:00.000-05:002008-02-02T17:50:29.272-05:00

I guess I should have paid more attention when I took a film studies course in university. Toronto Star book columnist (and former film critic) Geoff Pevere writes:John F. Kennedy's "New Frontier" – so named by the dashing young candidate at the Democratic leadership convention of 1960 – was barely two years old when veteran filmmaker John Ford suggested the whole thing might be a lie. The

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-5460998296058235262008-02-02T01:00:00.000-05:002008-02-02T00:59:23.872-05:00

I saw Patrick Moore speak a number of years ago. At the time, I was very impressed with his practical perspective on key environmental issues. However, his conversion from a hardcore, old-style environmentalist to someone willing to work with business to achieve real environmental progress has been hard for many of his former colleagues to accept, which is probably as good a recommendation he can

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-33863475642034903162008-01-22T07:45:00.000-05:002008-01-22T07:42:09.030-05:00

It started with Spinal Tap.Over the past decade and a half, a revolution in recording technology has changed the way albums are produced, mixed and mastered — almost always for the worse. "They make it loud to get [listeners'] attention," Bendeth says. Engineers do that by applying dynamic range compression, which reduces the difference between the loudest and softest sounds in a song. Like many

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-69417857870441811242008-01-06T12:30:00.000-05:002008-01-06T12:18:15.196-05:00

Anyone who has ever driven in the snow knows that winter tires are a good idea. All-season radials just don't cut it in the snowy regions of the country, particularly if they have some mileage on them.When I lived in Montreal, I had snow tires. Montreal gets a lot of snow. It was stupid not to put winter tires on your car. Hence, Quebec's recent move to make winter tires mandatory is largely

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-78781962584150342002007-11-29T14:15:00.000-05:002008-03-10T20:27:50.198-04:00

Sorry Warren, but Robin Sears got it right.For months in advance of the campaign they fed reporters with anonymous quotes about "unhappy Conservatives" and supplied YouTube with nasty videos and their canvassers with slippery doorstep lines. As the damage to Tory began to show up in public polls, they raised the pressure with egregious performances by Dalton McGuinty fretting about creating a "

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-1865428826365415012007-11-09T09:02:00.000-05:002007-11-28T23:15:58.597-05:00

I always thought Eric Lindros was a jerk. I never gave him a second chance after he dissed my hometown when he refused to play for the Soo Greyhounds because he thought he couldn't get a good education in Sault Ste. Marie.Funny, the schools seemed good enough for Wayne Gretzky, who actually went to my high school. For the most part, the quality of the schools would have been the least of Lindros'

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-55267843417047290552007-10-05T08:35:00.000-04:002007-10-05T08:25:46.528-04:00

Some might call it luck. I'd call it privilege.It was pure luck that former prime minister Jean Chrétien was part of a Monday golf foursome that included Montreal cardiologist Dr. Guy Pelletier. Chrétien, 73, told Pelletier about chest pain he had been experiencing. Pelletier advised him to see a doctor, since the pain could be related to his heart.[...]But the next day, with his chest pain

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-6903230634743293712007-09-22T09:25:00.000-04:002007-09-22T09:24:54.685-04:00

These conclusions don't seem all that surprising:Does Canada's publicly funded, single payer health care system deliver better health outcomes and distribute health resources more equitably than the multi-payer heavily private U.S. system?[...]We find a somewhat higher incidence of chronic health conditions in the U.S. than in Canada but somewhat greater U.S. access to treatment for these

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-29321311003971311852007-09-16T11:44:00.000-04:002007-09-16T11:34:22.006-04:00

David Warren offers his observations on the benefits of global warming:As I’ve written before, the solar cycle appears to be reaching the end of its manic phase, and we should not be surprised by the onset of rather crisp global cooling over the coming decades. But even supposing the warming trend were to continue geometrically, in obedience to doomsday rhetoric, why on earth would a Canadian

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-51797643526554462832007-09-14T08:53:00.000-04:002007-09-14T08:35:41.799-04:00

What if a political party proposed to raise taxes for Jews and Muslims? The public reaction would surely be one of outrage. And I am pretty sure that outrage would not be limited to Jews and Muslims. Even those of us who might pay less taxes as a result of Jews and Muslims paying more would find the idea unacceptable, if not morally repugnant.So tell me, what is the difference between a policy

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-84229135230949386682007-09-08T19:15:00.000-04:002007-09-08T19:03:21.126-04:00

The CBC invites us to submit our questions for the Ontario leaders to be asked in the leaders debate on September 20th. Here's what I submitted:Mr. McGuinty, you appear to have taken a very principled stand against public funding of faith-based education in Ontario. Does that mean you are advocating a single, secular public education system? And if so, will you be proposing a constitutional

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-53610085805934456202007-08-27T23:45:00.000-04:002007-08-27T23:31:47.863-04:00

One hundred and fifty years ago, even America's closest trade partners were despairing about our cheating ways. Charles Dickens, who visited in 1842, was, like many Britons, stunned by the economic ambition of our nation's inhabitants, and appalled by what they would do for the sake of profit. When he first stepped off the boat in Boston, he found the city's bookstores rife with pirated copies of

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-12074727672744796312007-08-23T20:00:00.001-04:002007-08-23T19:53:45.401-04:00

There is no other way to interpret this:"If you want the kind of Ontario where we invite children of different faiths to leave the publicly funded system and become sequestered and segregated in their own private schools, then they should vote for Mr. Tory.""If they think it's important that we continue to bring our kids together so that they grow together and learn from one another, then you

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-9248865701647673772007-08-22T07:49:00.000-04:002007-09-22T14:52:32.224-04:00

I'm not a conspiracy theorist and neither is Stephen Colbert. Which makes me think the protesters at the Montebello summit could be on to something.Still, I don't quite get what they are going on about. Wudrick is puzzled too and has a great post on the incoherence of their rage. Not to belittle their cause, for many it was a good opportunity to get some fresh air, show off one's piercings and,

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-7894782472672851222007-08-22T00:15:00.000-04:002007-08-21T23:58:12.728-04:00

Hugo Chavez pictures himself as the champion of the poor. Yet, the Venezuelan poor are getting relatively poorer.Hugo's friends must be doing very well indeed. How come I'm not surprised?h/t: Marginal Revolution

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-6871587038949935842007-08-12T13:01:00.000-04:002007-08-12T18:14:44.824-04:00

Dalton McGuinty is now arguing for more social program spending by the federal government.Canadian premiers foreshadowed a coming clash with Prime Minister Stephen Harper Friday over his pledge to diminish Ottawa's role in creating national social programs, warning that poorer Canadians could suffer. "I'm a bit concerned about it. Are we talking about preventing the federal government from at

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-23124612128287528752007-08-10T00:45:00.000-04:002007-08-10T00:47:43.981-04:00

We do have something in common after all. We like to go to the mall.We might not want to admit it but the best place to see Toronto is at the mall. Where else does a nearly complete cross-section of the city exist in one spot? On those rainy, overcast Sundays, when melancholy blankets the city, I like to ride the Spadina line out to Yorkdale Mall and walk in circles with some of the up to 70,000

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-31325803854480702092007-08-06T21:15:00.000-04:002007-08-06T22:28:47.941-04:00

Kathy has a point:Blogging Tories are pathetic, cowardly weenie-heads Thank God not every corner of the Canadian conservative blogosphere is inhabited by sucky baby lawyers and other grasping, careerist wimps. But there are enough of them out there to be an embarrassment to any principled person[.]I know Stephen Taylor is just covering his ass. No one wants to pay legal fees. But the

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-74943760661688351232007-08-06T14:51:00.000-04:002007-08-06T14:24:00.073-04:00

Despite wishful thinking on the part of the Toronto Star, general contempt for George Bush has likely had little effect on increasing immigration flows from the United States to Canada.An analysis of immigration statistics done by the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies showed the number of Americans who moved to Canada in 2006 hit a 30-year high, almost double the number who moved

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-26638240248110289922007-07-01T23:25:00.000-04:002007-07-01T23:16:20.529-04:00

I put my Canadian flag up earlier today. It looks good, so I might just leave it there.We didn't really do much to celebrate. Anything we could have done would have paled in comparison to last Wednesday's Dominion Institute's 10th anniversary party. It was quite the bash. My daughter brought her camera along. A few of her pictures can be seen below.Mark Warner (CPC candidate in Toronto Centre)

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-33356122568701549762007-06-11T01:01:00.000-04:002007-06-11T00:52:34.408-04:00

I should know better than to try to engage Liberals in an honest debate about climate change, particularly young Liberals. The ultimate futility of debating with Stéphane Dion's young kool-aid drinkers is amply demonstrated in the exchange below on YouTube.BalancedApproach (1 week ago) marked as spam Ha ha ha! A tax credit on life preservers! Typical idiotic conservative thinking. Genius! The

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-27696153428606453552007-06-08T09:01:00.000-04:002007-06-08T08:49:12.294-04:00

Apparently not.He's a tall white guy and I'm a short brown girl, but our experience of diversity at Woburn Collegiate and Toronto as a whole is similar: in his words, “There's an idea of a multicultural paradise, but it's unenforced.” Or, as I'd put it, this city is home to a lot of people who look different and speak different languages, but don't intermingle in a meaningful way.[...]Geographic

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-81563361038045852172007-05-31T09:17:00.000-04:002007-05-31T09:56:16.782-04:00

Hollywood is on a mission to change Canadian copyright law to its benefit. It continually misrepresents statistics, calling Canada a haven for piracy, and has engaged the U.S. government at the highest levels to do its bidding. Regrettably, Stephen Harper has fallen in line.After Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with Mr. Schwarzenegger in Ottawa Wednesday, the Conservative government gave

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-50623677068450921462007-05-24T08:01:00.000-04:002007-05-24T07:35:44.792-04:00

In recent years, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide—one of the most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—have been increasing at a rate of about 0.5 percent annually. Because anthropogenic (human-caused) emissions of carbon dioxide result primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels for energy, energy use has emerged at the center of the climate change debate. World carbon

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-67543812572638742012007-05-24T07:51:00.000-04:002007-05-24T07:28:57.189-04:00

Yeah right.This is what's known as talking your book:Canada is experiencing a serious gap in management talent that is a major contributing factor in its lagging prosperity compared with the United States, says a new study co-written by one of the country's leading business school deans.The study, produced by Ontario's Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity and co-written by University of

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-86806615225071234992007-05-23T08:16:00.000-04:002007-05-23T07:51:29.358-04:00

With those greedy oil companies gouging us at the pumps again, what are poor consumers to do?While there is always the temptation to let the politicians "solve" the problem (after all, they did such a good job with the gun registry), perhaps we could fix things ourselves.I don't know, maybe we could try:driving less;switching to smaller, fuel-efficient cars;riding a bicycle;taking public

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-64327602113054727372007-05-22T21:45:00.000-04:002007-05-22T21:19:00.700-04:00

Lots left to visit.create your own visited countries mapThat goes for the states too.create your own visited states maph/t: the darkerside to rants

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-8011292157070003002007-05-18T23:34:00.000-04:002007-05-19T00:22:14.023-04:00

I bought a new car last fall. Although I've owned a Honda before, this time I went with a Toyota Camry. I just thought the styling was fresher. Still, there is little doubt that Honda builds high-quality cars.My choice might have been different had I known this:[Honda] is also one of the few auto makers that does not accept government financial assistance to finance plant construction.No

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-22134893565326622902007-05-16T01:00:00.000-04:002007-05-19T12:24:27.208-04:00

Cardinal47 is not alone in worrying about a possible foreign takeover of Canada. There has been a lot of hand wringing about it of late. But really, is "Where is Pierre Trudeau when we need him?" the best we can come up with?If you look at sheer numbers, you could probably make the case that Canadian firms are taking over more foreign firms than the number of foreign takeovers of Canadian firms.

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-47532836273866065532007-05-15T19:53:00.000-04:002007-05-15T19:29:58.725-04:00

Feeling guilty about your carbon-profligate lifestyle?Thought not.But if you do, there is no need to buy carbon offsets from yourself like Al Gore. Now you can get your carbon offsets for free at Free Carbon Offsets.From their FAQ:We at FreeCarbonOffsets.com feel strongly that carbon offsets should be available to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. We will take the steps to see that the

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-31506279215331154202007-05-10T08:00:00.000-04:002007-05-10T11:25:35.971-04:00

The National Post takes Justin Trudeau to task for his recent criticism of segregated schools, suggesting he read the charter of rights....Justin Trudeau's Friday outburst at a meeting of New Brunswick academics raises a more bizarre possibility: that even a child of the Charter's chief architect may not know what is actually in the document. How else can one explain the incredible timing of Mr.

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-84520658818361100912007-04-18T08:01:00.000-04:002007-04-18T07:44:26.333-04:00

It was raining that day on Parliament Hill when I and countless other proud Canadians stood in the rain to witness Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Queen Elizabeth II sign the Constitution. Canada had at long last broken free of its colonial status.Thrown into the bargain was a controversial Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Although one of Trudeau's few real achievements, the charter has,

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-28681537538763040612007-04-13T19:41:00.000-04:002007-04-13T19:22:39.017-04:00

Kurt Vonnegut has left the planet. I hope the Tralfamadorians treat him well.I grew up with Kurt. While my friends were reading Lord of the Rings, I was devouring Cat's Cradle, Sirens of Titan, Player Piano and Slaughterhouse-Five. Kurt's fantasy world just seemed so much more real.Given my conservative political leanings, it may surprise you that Vonnegut is my favourite novelist. In my view,

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-63621150626379618222007-03-21T09:52:00.000-04:002007-03-21T10:57:25.217-04:00

The Ontario government will bump the minimum wage to $10.25 an hour by 2010 in the provincial budget tomorrow, the Toronto Star has learned. It comes after weeks of pressure on the government from poverty activists and the New Democrats for an immediate hike to $10 an hour from the present $8 an hour.Instead, the increase will be phased in over three years, sources say. Next year it will jump to

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-85569274580762282007-03-01T07:50:00.000-05:002007-03-01T08:06:07.274-05:00

Al Gore is sticking it to the man. At least that is what they teach our kids in school. With An Inconvenient Truth on the grade 7 science curriculum, I suppose a question on my daughter's science test like this is to be expected:Dans « An Inconvenient Truth » quelle est la vérité qui dérange les gouvernements de la Terre ? / What is the truth which upsets the planet's governments in "An

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-54944161031345869692007-02-23T01:00:00.000-05:002007-02-23T00:34:17.514-05:00

I was a little concerned when I learned my 13-year old daughter recently viewed Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth in her grade 7 science class. It seems the film was presented as fact, without a hint of doubt about its content. Somehow I'm not surprised.Fortunately, my daughter had been vaccinated against the Goracle plague that is sweeping the country, having previously watched the Manbearpig

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-2241662118727031302007-02-16T07:58:00.000-05:002007-02-16T07:43:46.386-05:00

As the S.S. Stéphane Dion heads into the reef, Gerard Kennedy has pushed ahead of the Liberal ladies of Parkdale-High Park -- Sarmite Bulte and Elaine Flis -- to hop into the sturdiest lifeboat available to take him to dry land. Despite his purported progressive credentials and entreaties from his leader to increase the number of women Liberal candidates in the next election, it seems Kennedy is

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-85556252212052288792007-02-07T08:50:00.000-05:002007-02-07T10:14:48.333-05:00

Steve Jobs may have made Bev Oda's job easier. Balancing the different views on digital rights management (DRM) has been a key factor holding up Oda's legislation on copyright. DRM is used to protect music, movies and other digital content. In a recent essay, Jobs envisages a world without DRM. He makes a convincing case:The third alternative is to abolish DRMs entirely. Imagine a world where

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-37079507436033553462007-01-31T01:00:00.000-05:002007-01-31T00:37:41.807-05:00

It seems that the people of the town of Herouxville, Quebec have been reading Mark Steyn's new book. Not only are they showing confidence in their culture, they are being downright culturally assertive.A code of standards sent to the federal and provincial governments last week by Herouxville's municipal council has put the town of 1,300 inhabitants, about 150 kilometres northeast of Montreal, at

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-16767871471800675172007-01-23T01:00:00.000-05:002007-01-23T00:56:04.179-05:00

Nobody's home. Or so it would seem.RightGirl has been knocking. I should probably answer, but I've been a little distracted as of late. No need to get into it here. But point taken. I need to get blogging again.So let's ease into it by starting with this:This one's easy, since it's all about you and since it requires you to write the very first answer that comes to mind. Simply copy and paste the

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-1162742788524374032006-11-05T11:40:00.000-05:002006-11-05T11:33:26.340-05:00

Kitchener Conservative asks: Is it Time For Garth To Leave Blogging Tories? The short answer is no.Garth is a publicity hound. If he doesn't make it in politics, he will seek some other venue to stroke his enormous ego. Kicking him out of the Blogging Tories would only give him more attention.Turner's tactics are questionable at best, and given time will likely backfire. His actions suggest that

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-1162653358892492022006-11-04T10:25:00.000-05:002006-11-04T13:35:24.933-05:00

I got my copy of Mark Steyn's new book America Alone yesterday. It was not easy to get. I had been trying to get it for the past two weeks to no avail. Copies at Chapters/Indigo were nowhere to be found.Apparently, Paul Well's book Right Side Up is also in short supply. However, none of this is an issue for Amazon.ca. They have both in stock so I ordered them together to qualify for free

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-1162602680138352822006-11-04T09:10:00.000-05:002007-02-01T07:58:43.000-05:00

Claims that technology may provide the solution to climate change is subject to considerable ridicule. Yet without technology, the prospects of significantly reducing greenhouse gases and not killing the economy at the same time are remote. Fortunately, scientists and entrepreneurs are ignoring the naysayers and working to develop new and existing technologies to reduce the carbon imprint of our

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-1162481599374309082006-11-02T10:38:00.000-05:002006-11-02T10:33:19.393-05:00

Investors are understandably upset with the Conservative government's proposed tax on income trust distributions. Share prices for income trusts declined about 12% yesterday. A change in government policy, however, is one of the many risks of investing in the stock market.That is why financial advisers routinely recommend a well-diversified portfolio with holdings across asset classes. Holding

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394052.post-1161966260256287292006-10-27T12:30:00.000-04:002008-10-27T08:01:36.569-04:00

I posted earlier on today's most important birthday, but overlooked another important anniversary. The National Post is eight years old today (h/t: Paul Wells).Congratulations to the editors and writers of the Post for providing the most interesting daily read in Canada. Without doubt, it is the best newspaper in Canada. The wide range of commentary and its balanced coverage, combined with its

Steve Stinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15601871956914278126noreply@blogger.com