SpankyMcFarland

Two quotes from the interview I referenced above:

So you see him laughing somewhere on a regular basis? Where would that be? The guy has a permascowl.

Something I did wonder about Trump: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/09/does-trump-know-how-to-laugh/501875/ Perhaps laughter would break the spell.

One important step is for native people to acknowledge the problem: http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-september-27-2016-1.3780316/indigenous-people-need-to-tell-their-stories-of-sobriety-says-lawyer-1.3780373 http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/cree-author-takes-on-filthy-stinking-subject-of-aboriginals-and-alcohol Regarding the case in question, even if this were not an accident, inebriation would have made it more likely. A high percentage of homicide and suicide victims have alcohol in their blood at autopsy.

Oh dear Mr. Johnson, Repeat after me, A leader out foreign: Aung san suu kyi

Trump started strong and ran out of soundbites. He sounded like a confused old duffer by the end of it. Hillary, by contrast, got sharper as the night wore on. Her recovery from pneumonia is highly impressive. I noticed only one cough this am when she talked to the press.

Multi-seat STV offers more choice between parties and within parties. In many FPTP constituencies the result is a foregone inclusion for the dominant party candidate chosen by the party. This tendency is even worse in the US. Such a set-up may add to voter apathy. I can't see how STV benefits the big parties. They rarely have outright majorities in parliament. All in all, though, I think many young people have little interest in voting systems or even the political process. Faith in its power to deliver useful results seems to be on the wane.

The French system is better in one way than the American, in my opinion. After the first vote the two poll-toppers have a run-off, forcing voters to make painful choices. The US needs to make it easier for other parties to run national campaigns. The current line-up is stale.

Dysphoria.

The newspapers used to fulfill this role but they are dying now. There are good individuals all over the place in TV, print and blogland trying to do their best. Terry Milewksi was a good guy - ruffled lots of feathers over the years on the interview side and did some good digging too on Air India etc. The British style is more abrasive.

It's a small story, bad optics but the previous govt did it as well.

I would prefer to see former PMs staying out of doing business abroad in any way, shape or form for a considerable period of time. All this talk of Harper using his 'foreign policy expertise' to make lots of bucks does not sound right, to me anyway.

It's disturbing. I don't see the need for it. We have a fair few dodgy types from China here spending their money but I'd like to see serious legal reform over there (which may never happen) before we consider signing anything. With luck, the proposal will run into so many problems it will just be dropped.

Maybe we could extradite some of those fentanyl manufacturers? Unlikely. I'd say they are too well connected over there.

It would appear that this lucrative export trade is being tolerated by Chinese government.

I see Narcan has become a verb in Vancouver: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fentanyl-ride-along-vancouver-firefighters-1.3753765 The report summarizes what he actually says on the video: 'I had to narcan the same girl twice.'

All drugs are dangerous. With recreational drugs there is a spectrum of risk, something like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_harmfulness#/media/File:Drug_danger_and_dependence.png https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_harmfulness#/media/File:Development_of_a_rational_scale_to_assess_the_harm_of_drugs_of_potential_misuse_(physical_harm_and_dependence,_NA_free_means).svg

Indeed. If we are going to be drastic with the minor distributors here, why turn a blind eye to the factory owners who are churning it out?

What about 1,000 worth or 100 worth?

How low down the food chain would you go? Prosecuting minor dealers binds them more closely to the gang. They can't get normal work. The big fish rarely see prison.

So what would you suggest?

I can't think of Donald Rumsfeld in quite the same way after watching this (at 2.30 and after): http://www.12step.com/videos/drug-addiction-videos/rumsfeld-talks-about-sons-drug-addiction On another interview he did, he actually had to stop and gather himself.

The end of newspapers is good news for politicians. Amateurs lack the skills and resources to pursue stories over years. They will also be easier to intimidate.

It's hard to imagine a more awful circumstance than having a child addicted to opioids or meth. The disruption, uncertainty, anger and guilt must be close to unbearable.

Here's a physician who became addicted to fentanyl: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/programs/metromorning/physician-barrie-addiction-fentanyl-recovery-1.3765601 Opioid addiction has always been an occupational hazard for physicians, esp. those with easy access like anesthesiologists.