My encounter with British Columbia’s brilliant medical practitioners, people who operate with urgent demand for services from young and old, helped by countless support workers who make lives better for us all.
Note to readers
“The opposite of poverty is enough”
Conventional wisdom says that economic disparities lead to political violence, or mildly violent collective actions. Yet few politicians anywhere are willing to address root causes of social difficulties. It is so much easier to accuse disaffected people of being indolent, abusive, drug-ridden lawbreakers. Those positions gain political success in many places. The Australian Institute of International Affairs noted confusion about the level of American support for Trump and the political party he captured and dominates:
Tough on crime!
Pierre Poilievre and other conservatives promise to be tough on crime. “Jail, not bail,” says the man who aspires to be Canada’s next Prime Minister. The John Howard Society is a non-profit that offers a more balanced and less political view of crime than Poilievre. In 2023, the agency wrote about major media claims that violent crimes had increased to a level not seen since the days Stephen Harper’s Conservatives held power.
A BC industry in decline
I have been reading about the history of British Columbia’s forest industry. I lack thorough expertise, but I think it is fair to say that short-term thinking by self-interested industrialists and politicians has caused serious damage to public assets that were vital building blocks of this province…
Frozen Logger
Wife and I stopped for food after attending a grandson’s Little League baseball game. She ordered a coffee with cream, but the only stirring utensil presented was a large soup spoon. A phrase from a 1928 song by James Stevens came to mind. I suggested Gwen could stir the coffee with her thumb. Alas, she had not been a logger. It’s not a great song, but the lyrics might bring a smile…
Helping hands
New research shows that the brain is more like a muscle – it changes and gets stronger when you use it. Scientists have been able to show how the brain grows and gets stronger when you learn. Most people don’t know that when they practice and learn new things, parts of their brain change and get larger just like muscles. This is true even for adults. So, it’s not true that some people “just can’t learn”. You can improve your abilities as long as you practice and use good strategies.
Is the war against climate change already lost?
World Marks Full Year of Average Temperatures Above 1.5C Target
Collapse of Social Cohesion and Crisis of Trust and Truth
Frank Graves says we live in an era which sees a crisis of both trust and truth… Disinformation is polarizing our society in ways that we have never seen… But Graves is optimistic about the future. find it difficult to share his hopefulness and confidence in the future.
Evil corporate culture, tip of the iceberg?
Large enterprises often fail to respond effectively when facing challenges. Professional people find it difficult to say that they may have been wrong. Passing the buck is a primary defence for responsible persons. Protecting the enterprise and its managers is more important than dealing fairly and truthfully with the public. Any innocent party damaged by wrongful acts is acceptable collateral damage.
It took a very long time and extraordinary public outrage before the UK government decided to allow a competent examination of the post office scandal. If transparency were an absolute principle, fewer scandals would arise.
Watch what the BC NDP does, not what they say
So BC taxpayers currently paying close to $3 billion a year in carbon tax must result in lower production of natural gas, right? Maybe not.
Not worried about climate change?
Environmental Defence Canada says climate change is one of the main reasons why food prices are increasing. There are other factors too, but some of the prices in 2024 are shocking. Today I paid $16 for a small basket of BC raspberries and $1.50 each for local corn. Earlier I noted red onions at $3.50 a pound…
Megaproject, 10 years late and 8x original budget
The real need is for the province to appoint a royal commission with broad ability to investigate financial and engineering problems with all megaprojects. The inquiry should be able to compel public officials to explain processes that result in massive cost increases and troublesome delays.
“After all, we only did what we had said we would do…”
All senior public servant involved in the approval or management of megaprojects that consume vast sums should demonstrate detailed knowledge of Professor Flyvbjerg’s work. Many works would not be approved and billions of dollars would be saved. Of course, our approaches to management of megaprojects will not change. Political leaders have half-heartedly addressed widespread concerns about fiscal irresponsibility and the influence of lobbyists. That is, if they have addressed the concerns at all.
Oil and gas industry is a rogue entity making its own rules
If the public interest is ever to be served, the power and influence of lobbyists must be reduced to near-zero and the ability to slip easily between the regulators and the regulated must end. Don’t expect that to happen though. The people who make the rules are also the people who benefit by having lax rules.
Climate dangers: larger and more imminent economic destruction
Some believe that wealth creation should be the paramount goal of a nation. In Canada, many of those people are political operatives opposing effective actions to mitigate climate change. A 2024 publication by The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) may give pause to climate science revisionists…
Over budget, over time, over and over again. Quelle surprise!
The United Kingdom’s National Audit Office said about a nuclear energy megaproject that was to cost C$35 billion and now looks to be costing more than C$80 billion, years after initial completion: “[Government] has committed electricity consumers and taxpayers to a high cost and risky deal in a changing energy marketplace.” The NAO message is almost exactly the arguments raised about British Columbia’s Site C hydropower project her at IN-SIGHTS and by others demanding that public projects deliver value for money.
Shaping the news
The reality is that media filters reality instead of reflecting it. In authoritarian regimes, control of communication has always been a primary consideration and news is shaped to further the interests of the powerful. The same can be said in corporatocracies. Shaping the news will be more problematic as use of artificial intelligence expands. That is not good for social democracy.
The man in the hot air balloon
Much is wrong with Facebook, but occasionally, it circulates nuggets of gold…
Corus Entertainment update
Days ago, I commented on the share price of the company that owns Canada’s Global Television Network and numerous broadcasting outlets in Vancouver and elsewhere. Stock in Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSE: CJR.B) that was once priced above $25 traded last week for 24 cents. The last few days have not been good for people invested in holding Corus. The stock closed at 15 cents on June 18, 2024…
If you fail, fail big
The law is equal before all of us; but we are not all equal before the law. Virtually there is one law for the rich and another for the poor, one law for the cunning and another for the simple, one law for the forceful and another for the feeble, one law for the ignorant and another for the learned…
in-sights.ca 
I believe Canadians made the right choice in the last general election. Mark Carney has represented us well on the…