Accountability Now

Yin and Yang, Right wing and left wing, environmentalist and economist. If one of these dominate then all goes sideways. As long as both sides are in play then you get the balance you need. As such I think both need to be in the equation even the fuzzy headed ones from both sides.

I would love to see that train too. The Americans do love sulphur as you are the largest producer in the world with Canada being in second position. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/sulphurhttp://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/sulphurhttp://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/sulphur You produce the most but still have the kindess to buy ours. Look at all that sulphur you get from Canada.....80% of our exports to the US. What great neighbors. http://www.indexmundi.com/en/commodities/minerals/sulfur/sulfur_t9.html

Its just being stored until we sell it to the Chinese. They love the stuff.

In Alberta, teachers start off between $60-65k. After 10 years of experience they get between $90-100K. Keep in mind this is for 10 months of work. Add in the benefits and pension they get and they are doing better than most. Not to mention the job security they get after 3 years. They are extremely well paid considering this is a fall back career for most of them!

I should have just googled it. http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/survey-teachers-work-53-hours-per-week-on-average/2012/03/16/gIQAqGxYGS_blog.html 53 hours per week during the year. And it doesn't count summers! http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2011/10/05/teachers-work-fewer-hours-than-other-professionals-and-were-not-counting-summer-vacations/

I don't believe you for a second. Maybe in their first year but most teachers after a year or two have it nailed it down. The standard school day is 845 to 330pm which is 7 hours. Add two hours IF they coach or do extra curricular. Add another two hours for grading IF they have it. That's 11 hours max in a day 5 days per week. 50-60 hours for a maxed out teacher at the most!!! Further to that I would bet dollars to donuts that most teachers put in 40-50 hours which is normal of most jobs. And what program are you looking at that has teachers working 30-40 hours per week in the summers or other breaks. I know dozens of teachers who either work a second job OR spend the whole time at the lake. Im currently on spring break with two teachers who laughed when i asked. I call complete BS on that part. $100k for this? Good luck!!

Maybe I'm wrong but was it an annual payment? This was like cutting the subscription?

Its the NDP's job as the officical opposition to be against whatever the Conservatives say. The Conservatives would do the same thing if they were the oppostion. Sometimes looking to our goverment to see what is 'right' is very challenging. Having said that, I would agee with not going along with the UN hype.

How many hours a week would you say the average teacher works during the school year? And how many during all the breaks?

I trust many of you have been around the block with talks on racism so I trust what I am offering is not new. However, consideirng the topic of White Privilege I thought the following video on the subject by Tim Wise is interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5OkHysPNog I have only watched it once as its is nearly an hour long but the on concept that stuck with me is his comment at the end that we can't just discard our past history and ask everyone to move on. There are reasons for us being in the position we are in and we have to acknowledge that. I do agree with that statement but I don't fully engage it. The white man has lead the charge in modern civilization. Call it what you will but it is a white man's game and the only way to win is to play it the same as the white man. You look at the rich black people or Japanese, Chinese or any other minority who is willing to cast the history aside and just say fuck it...I'm willing to play. These people will succeed. The people that don't are the ones who choose not to play the game simply becasue its the white mans game. My example on this would be natives in Canada. There are many who simply will not move past the injustices done to them and therefore will always be stuck where they are because of their hate for the white man. However, there are many natives who have succeeded in the so called white game simply becasue they have chosen to not let history dicatate their decisions. I am fully aware there are numerous indiviudal examples that people can cite which may what I'm saying. However (IMO), history can be acknowledged but it can not be changed. The 'White man' will not stop and let people catch up however he will let everyone play as long as they are playing his game. The reality is the white man's game is capitalism and the truth is that certain races (blacks and natives come to mind) were given an unfair shake. They were pushed into a capitalist system with no tools to compete. More so, any tools they did have were taken away by scared white people who didn't want to compete. Again....this is in the past. Today, natives in Canada get advantages to enter the work force and many other advantages that allow them to succeed IF they chose to play the game. The same goes for blacks or other minorities in the US as many opportiunites are given to minority owned businesses. There are also Equal Employment opportunities that ensure minorities get an extra step up and allow them to play the game IF THEY CHOSE TO. As much as we want to acknowledge history, we need to look to the future to get through this. Its no longer a white man's game....its a game that everyone can play if they choose it.

I have often judged the human achievement by our life expectancy. Obviously we are living much longer than our ancestors and for the most part we have a better quality of life. However just when we thought the battle was won, we start to find new battles. Look at the massive increase in allergies, asthma and other autoimmune diseases. These things have been increasing drastically in an age where we are supposed to be the healthiest ever. I don't know why they are increasing but it sure seems like pollutants have something to do with it. Much like other achievements we made...PCBs, CFCs, lead paint, etc....we can never feel like we have achieved anything! Always question what we have because we truly don't know all that it brings. Our society is based on two steps forward one step back. So we should be proud of what we have done but never pay ourselves on the back too much as the job is never done.

The number of jobs Keystone will create depends on who you ask with 2500 being the low end estimate. http://uspolitics.about.com/od/energy/a/Are-Keystone-Pipeline-Jobs-Estimates-Just-Pipe-Dreams.htm

Wrong again waldo. I had contributed before that. I trust you just went back and saw this one because it was the most recent which clearly shows you didn't see it in the first place. Here is my original contribution on it http://www.mapleleafweb.com/forums/topic/22453-the-only-thing-going-green-is-the-arctic/?p=887886 Hmmm....two contributions both of which support your argument. So either you admit that I did contribute or you have to state that my data on AGW is flawed which adds to the arguement of the AGW non-believers. Oooooh...what a pickle!! Bettered once again waldo. See ya around! Don't be surprised if I don't respond anymore because you clearly have shown that all you want is to argue even when I'm contributing to your side.

Yup moving on.... PS...I did add to this with the discussion about the Antarctic...go back and look. You were too busy being condescending to others to notice. Lucky me!

My beef is that you don't actually converse with people. You talk down to them and try to outpost them with links and stats that most times you haven't even read. At first I thought it was just me but I see you do it with everyone and it drastically takes away from the conversation that people are having. Even when someone does better you, you choose not to acknowledge it. Rather you go on condescending tirades with sarcastic remarks and ultimately flip the conversation. Obviously you won't listen to reason and logic so I throw out 'juvenille comments" becasue that is how you approach people however like most people, I will just choose to ignore you from now on. Sorry Michael. I am done with him on this.

I have yet to be bettered by you.

Not the case at all but you go back to your hole and tell yourself whatever you want to beleive. Its very clear that the people in this forum are quite wise to your antics so I don't need to prove anything to them.

It is not just impossible for climate change, its impossible to discuss anything with this guy without entering a war. He used the exact same line on me after I wouldn't back down. The truth is that he has no intention of welcoming new ideas or good conversation. When he does get "bettered" he will quickly change the discussion point so that he doesn't have to admit it. As TimG said....classic waldo. He feels its his job in life to make everyone think the same thing as him. I'm all for listening to an opinion but not when it gets shoved down your throat.

They were Maple Leaf fans in a desperate search for a winning hockey team! Lol

I figured there was a financial reason to it. You have to think there is some political posturuing too. Like it or not, we have to play nicely with our largest importing partner. And California is next up. http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/14/news/economy/california-oil-boom/index.html

I think that's the thing though....what is in Canada/Alberta's best interests? On one side we don't want to be tied to the US hip but eventually you are tied to someone if you aren't shipping the final refined product. Speaking only for myself....I would rather lose a few points and sell to a stable market than sell to a relatively unknown market. Having said this, what is stopping Canada from refining and selling themselves? Is it political posturing? Or does it just not make economic sense?

I get it when you say the US people don't care either way about the pipeline but your Germany example makes it seem like Canada and US majority are against it. I know there are always going to be people on both sides but would you say that most Americans (that know of Keystone) approve of it? Agreed.

I have to agree with you on this part. Why would the Alberta government spend any money on convincing the uneducated public when these decisions are made by those outside of public infulence. Even the article in the New York times suggested that Keystone will be approved. Not sure what was to be gained by making the ad. It is clear the article was written not in hopes of stopping the pipeline but rather to incite anger after this goes through. As much as I apprecitate your humor with the US/Canadian relations, I think its fair to say both sides will prosper from Keystone. More imporatntly, its our own economic stimulus that drives us. If Keystone doesn't go then Gateway becomes the priority. Or the West to East pipeline. We'd love to take your money but really any buyer will do.

Does Gretzky still have owenership in Phoenix? I wonder if that's why he was touring the Seattle area looking at possibilities?

Something in our genetic code has changed too I think. Its like they say, genetics loads the gun and environmental toxins pull the trigger.