Internet surveillance in Canada

February 14, 2012

in Bombs and rockets, Canada, Geek stuff, Internet matters, Law, Politics, Rants, Security, Writing

The Conservative government is proposing a new law that would require internet service providers to monitor and record what Canadians do online, and to provide that information to the authorities without a warrant. As well as being an obvious violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (§8 “Everyone has the right to be secure [...]

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Canada’s coinage

February 11, 2012

in Canada, Economics, Geek stuff

The way you treat different denominations of currency probably says something about both your temperament and about the relative values of different currency units. When I get pennies, for example, I discard them at the first opportunity. Pennies just aren’t worth carrying around. Dimes and nickels, I put in a big glass jar. In times [...]

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What’s good for us, and what’s morally permissible

February 3, 2012

in Canada, Politics, The environment

BuryCoal post: Canada does not have the right to develop the oil sands

350.org oil sands petition

January 26, 2012

in Canada, Economics, Law, Politics, The environment

As usual, Bill McKibben is saying sensible things and calling for appropriate actions. He is a non-Canadian who is concerned about the ethics of digging up and burning the oil sands, in a world where the climate is changing at a frightening pace. He is asking Canadians to sign a petition: “As a Canadian, I [...]

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Demonstrating British Columbia’s beauty

January 25, 2012

in Canada, Internet matters, Photography, Politics, The environment, The outdoors, Travel

One of the big reasons for opposing the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline is because of how 200 oil tankers a year would threaten the coast of British Columbia. I think everyone who has seen that coastline understands its beauty and ecological importance. At the same time, I suspect the idea can be made more salient [...]

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SOPA blackout

January 18, 2012

in Canada, Geek stuff, Internet matters, Law, Politics, Writing

Many websites in the United States, Canada, and around the world are joining together to protest SOPA – the Stop Online Piracy Act. The bill, which could become law in the United States, would have unfortunate consequences for the internet as a whole. I agree with Michael Geist that Canadians should be concerned. I remember [...]

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Ironic liberal / big government libertarian

January 16, 2012

in Canada, Economics, Law, Politics, Psychology

When I think about how to characterize my political views, it seems as though there are philosophical positions that I find appealing, but which need to be tempered in response to the strong counterarguments against them. Ironic liberalism I can see the sense in what Richard Rorty calls ‘ironic liberalism’. All that old-fashioned stuff about [...]

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Gabor Maté on addiction and drug policy

January 13, 2012

in Canada, Law, Politics, Psychology, Science

Please listen to this podcast: Gabor Maté on The Human Face of Addictive Behavior Maté makes some excellent points about the psychological basis for addiction, as well as the serious problems with our current approach of treating addiction as a crime. Maté makes a powerful case that criminalization of drug use is ineffective and unethical, [...]

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Much delayed and snowed upon

January 12, 2012

in Canada, Daily updates, Rants, The outdoors, Toronto

The combination of grossly insufficient sleep and mild snowfall has produced a morning of havoc. My normally-hour-and-a-half commute became two and a half hours, with people crammed cheek-by-jowl in a streetcar with totally fogged windows, lurching among confused drivers. Then, I forgot my (quite durable and expensive) umbrella somewhere on the subway or in a [...]

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The Northern Gateway pipeline

January 10, 2012

in Canada, Economics, Law, Politics, Science, The environment, The outdoors

With the commencement of hearings, the political fight over the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline is now beginning in earnest. The proposed pipeline would carry bitumen from the oil sands to the Pacific coast for export. It would encourage the development of the oil sands and contribute to the fastest-growing category of emissions of greenhouse gas [...]

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