kimmy

Speak for yourself, tubby. My body is a masterwork of nature. What am I going to do about it? I'm going to go admire myself in the mirror for a while and maybe build a shrine to myself. But good luck with your own weightloss endeavors. -k

I don't wish to complain about the ban. Especially if The Sweal received repeated warnings over this. I have sworn in this forum myself at least a few times, though I don't think I've ever directed it at another user. I do think that this forum is a cut above other internet forums I have participated in. One reason for that is that the administration does generally a good job, I think. But another reason is that the users here are generally very intelligent and well-spoken... and Sweal was one of the best. I just wanted to mention that I will miss The Sweal a lot. Even though he and I almost never agreed on anything, I did enjoy his contributions to the forum. Even if we had our disagreements, I felt that they were generally civil and I think worthwhile. Given the choice between an intelligent and prolific contributor prone to fits of temper, or a borderline-retarded asshat who doesn't swear but has nothing to offer anybody over the age of 6 years old, my personal preference would be the former. Yet, sadly, The Sweal is gone, but YOUKNOWWHO remains. -kimmy

Not really. First off, I think you'll find a similar trend in the US: I believe frontier states were the first to extend sufferage to women-- Wyoming was the first, I think. Something I read in an article by Preston Manning the other day might explain why. (emphasis mine. full article here) The argument seems to be that democracy is more likely to flourish in the absense of an elite, or established social heirarchy, as there's no extablished power-class to be threatened by change. Of course, Alberta is not frontier country anymore, and we now have as much of a heirarchy as you'll find anywhere. But this was not always the case, and Manning contends that this was the source of much of the political activism that originated in Alberta early in the 20th century... including, perhaps, women's suffrage. I also read an article not long ago about pirates. The article contended that contrary to the popular image of a despotic captain who ruled his crew through terror and violence, pirates of the early 18th century often practiced a standard of democracy unequalled anywhere in the western world at the time. Captains were elected, major decisions were made by equal vote, and captured goodies were divided equally. Compared to navy and merchant sailors of the time, who were often "recruited" by press-gangs, and almost universally poorly treated and badly paid, the pirates were a brotherhood of man. What have pirates got to do with anything? well, just that much like Preston Manning mentions, we again find that in the absence of a highly stratified social order, people seem to have been willing to consider ideas that traditional society scoffed at. -k

Well, I'm not convinced that the Klein gov't are particularly wise custodians of our wealth. I think, overall, that having the debt repaid was probably a good idea. Like having your student loans paid off before you buy a new car. I do think that more investment in the cities and infrastructure should be "the Alberta Advantage" now that the debt is paid off. The explosive growth of Calgary, Edmonton, and especially cities and towns in the north like Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, and High Level, makes it a necessity. I know that Fort McMisery, for sure, is utterly unable to cope with the spending demands its ridiculously rapid growth is placing on it. I can't vouch for Calgary, but here in Edmonton the city is spending a lot of money to catch up with growth (particularly after many years of bad planning under Mayors Smith and Reimer...) and has accelerated a number of major capital projects... and the city has decided to borrow a lot of money to do so. I am sure other cities in the province face the same choice. And there is no reason for the cities to be going back into debt while the province sits on huge surpluses generated by the very growth that is forcing cities to spend more and more to meet these demands. Growth is creating new demands, especially in the north of the province where so much of this new wealth is coming from and where the infrastructure is so poorly prepared for the demands it is now facing. Highway 63 is now completely inadequate for the volume of traffic it faces, especially around Fort McMisery. Klein floated the idea of a high-speed rail-link between Edmonton and Fort McMurray, and although most people reacted like he was back on the sauce, I think it could wind up being an investment that pays for itself down the road. The government has to understand that without investing in infrastructure, our growth is going to choke us. -k

Just wanted to add... when people are saying "kids should be out playing!" ... well, I'm not so sure. Kids are fatter and lazier than ever before. They get out less and spend more time in front of their TVs, video-games, and computers than ever before. Working a few hours a week will at least ensure that some of these kids get out of the house, interact with real humans outside their own family, and get a little physical exercise. -k

So, essentially, it's a tool that they can use to legitimize biased personnel decisions? -k

Levant is a partisan hack, of course. However, I found this bit interesting: He exaggerates, perhaps, but I don't think this line of thought is completely off base. Are we giving people the wrong message? -k

Alberta's cities might be suffering the effects of chronic underinvestment in infrastructure... but I'm skeptical whether that issue is unique to this province. In fact, I've heard it's something of a national issue... Issues like quality of education and access to healthcare can be quantified to a point using statistical means like standardized testing (ours are exceptional) and waiting-list times (ours are middle-of-the-pack, I believe). The accessability of post-secondary should be quantifyable by looking at tuition-fees (ours were about middle-of-the-pack, last time I checked) and the number of students our post-secondary institutions can accomodate. -k

Probably. But if our police and courts have reason to believe that someone is in real danger, they have to protect that person. Even if it's Karla. You can't do nothing if you believe that somebody's going to be hurt or killed. I believe that for a while following her release, it's reasonable to think that she will be in danger... so I believe that for a time, she should be provided with protection. It's not that I like her or think highly of her. I would be tempted to smash her skull open with a brick myself, if I saw her on the street. However, as a society we believe in the rule of law and we expect our law enforcement agencies to act accordingly. -k

hmm... CP article: trouble in paradise First off, who actually constitutes a "minority group" within the civil service? People from outside Ontario and Quebec? People without pur-lain surnames? People who put in an 8-hour work-day? I digress. The government set out to find out if the bilingualism policy was an impediment to swarthy-people from outside Canada who try to pursue careers in the public service. And discovered that it's an impediment to many who aren't swarthy or from outside Canada, as well as a frustration and in many cases a ridiculous waste of resources. Awesome. Let's hear more. Pretty much a confirmation of what critics and skeptics have been saying all along. -k

She is different from other criminals in the amount of publicity and public outrage surrounding her case. -k

While the official line is that Norquay left to pursue other opportunities, I have to wonder. The guy has not been good at his job, and I have to wonder if he had "help" deciding to leave. -k

Personally, I can't imagine a more fitting punishment for her than to spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder and wondering if that day is the day that somebody finally goes vigilante-style on her. I hope she lives many, many years, and spends each day in pants-wetting terror. I think she the police should secretly maintain a watch on her safety for a while after she's released. I do think it's reasonable to expect she'll be in danger during the initial period, and if the court believes it's reasonable too then they ought to (grudgingly) order protection. I would expect that after the circus of her release wears off, she won't be in need of protection. Later, I think she should only be provided with protection if specific incidents or threats become apparent. -k

After reading your message, I'm certainly convinced that Canada's educational system needs reform. -k

I simply want to talk about facts and issues, eureka. If anything I've said about PMPM has been inaccurate, then you're certainly welcome to point out my mistakes. I offer the hypothesis that Paul Martin has been a disappointment as Prime Minister, has achieved very little of what he promised, and has shown very little in the way of courage or leadership. I invite people to discuss Paul Martin's record, and whether his actions as Prime Minister mesh with his stated goals. Surely if there's one person in our country who should be subject to such scrutiny, it would be the Prime Minister. -k

"Brilliant tactician"? Paul Martin? I keep trying to encourage PMPM boosters to give me some examples of this brilliance in action, and have seen precious little in the way of evidence presented. Let's keep in mind that Stronach's shadow cabinet area was international trade critic, not human resources development. Let's also keep in mind that Lucienne Robillard has more years of experience in public service than Belinda Stronach has years on Planet Earth. Do you really feel that Stronach's qualifications, cabinet shadow or not, were comparable to Robillard's? And if not, do you think that there might have been some other motive for Martin to boot one of his veteran MPs from such a prominent position to make way for an inexperienced newcomer? -k

Alberta has the most active construction industry in North America right now. Alberta has the drilling, plus all the machinists and welders and manufacturers and heavy labourers required to support the drilling. Alberta has a major forestry industry, and the sawmills to go with it. And we still have the farming and farming-equipment injuries. I have no trouble believing that many Albertans are indeed hurt on the job, and I wouldn't be surprised if we lead North America in that department right now. Just look at the types of industry that are booming here, and then factor in the explosive growth in these industries, which is creating a situation where there are a huge number of opportunities for inexperienced workers. I am quite certain that if one compiled statistics of where work-related injuries occur, you'll find that the huge majority of them happen in the industries I listed above... exactly the industries you'd expect for people to be hurt. (Clerical staff needing treatment for repeated stress injuries, ie carpal tunnel syndrome, are the other major job-related injury you'll probably find...) But we're not talking about recruiting 12 year olds to work on construction sites or drilling rigs. We're talking about cleaning tables and working the counter at restaurants. I just can't bring myself to believe that a McDonald's in Alberta is much different (or more dangerous) than a McDonald's in BC or Ontario. I don't believe they're a notable source of jobsite injuries. -k

The question is whether or not they are sufficiently different. With regards to deference to authority, I would answer in the negative. I disagree. There are many 12 year olds with responsible and cooperative attitudes and healthy work ethics, just as there are many 16, 18, or 30 year olds with pathetic attitudes toward authority, responsibility, and effort. These are individual traits which, I suggest, are well on their way toward development in 12 year olds; it would be ridiculous to suggest the same is true of 4 year olds. Are all 12 year olds responsible and mature enough to work at a job? Of course not... but that's something that managers will have to decide for themselves when they're interviewing prospective employees... just as they do when they hire 16 year olds or adults. Oh, sorry. I missed that. I think the threat of dire legal consequences will be sufficient. If the law says 12 year olds shall not work the deep fat fryer or the grill, and some kid gets burned at work, there is going to be big trouble. There's going to be an investigation, there's going to be loads of bad publicity, there's going to be fines from the government, and most dangerously, there's going to be a lawsuit from the kid's parents. An owner would have to be an idiot to expose his business to that sort of hazard. Why would an employer follow these rules? Because they could quite easily lose everything if they break the rules. -k

Well, Harper's handling of her defection was certainly poor. And it seems as though Harper's management during the time between Brault's testimony and the key vote was a major factor in her leaving. Even discounting Belinda's claim that she left because she didn't believe they should force an election, the Liberals would probably not have offered such a hefty incentive for her to cross the floor had Harper not been trying to bring down the government. And supposedly a big factor in her decision to quit the CPC was Harper calling her into his office to berate her just days earlier. Not a good management move at such a crucial time... Here are some major blunders Harper made during that key time: -as soon as polls started looking favorable, Harper started feeding speculation that he'd force an election ASAP. So instead of talking about the Gomery testimony, the media was talking about Harper forcing an election. Dumb move. The right move would have been to keep the press focused on the Gomery stuff and indicate that they were going to vote on the budget, not on Brault (truth or not, that would have been the right thing to tell the press.) -the procedural non-confidence motion. I know you believe that precident indicated the government should have immediately held a formal confidence vote after losing that vote. Maybe Harper had precident on his side or maybe not... but either way, it was also a dumb move. It made him look like a sneaky opportunist. The right move would simply have been to focus public attention on the government's move to reschedule opposition days, point out how desperate it looked, and remind everyone that the Liberals can't hide forever. -the handling of the Stronach affair. Whether or not he personally shoved her out the door, the party's handling of the aftermath was rather poor. -his dogged determination in standing behind Grewal. Enough said. I don't think any of this shows him to be a smart tactician. It strikes me as ... well, a lot of people seem to think he's passionless and emotionless... C3P0 or whatever... but I think under the icy facade he's got a lot of anger for the Liberals... and I think it got the best of him. I'm too young to remember the Toronto media's treatment of Joe Who. He'd become Joe Nobody by the time I was old enough to be aware of such things. And of course in the last years of his career, opponents of Reform were trying to recast Clark as a Cagey Veteran... the Elder Statesman of the Right... the Real Alternative to the Liberals... all of which was quite laughable, considering this was Joe Nobody and his regional protest party from the Maritimes. I agree about Manning, Day, and Harper, of course, though I'd like to think the treatment was based on their politics, not their homeland. I expect (perhaps optimistically) that right-wing leaders from Ontario or Nova Scotia might receive an equally rough treatment in the Toronto media. Has Harper done reasonably well? Compared to his predecessors, I think so. And prior to April, I'd have said he was doing reasonably well, period. But the mistakes I mentioned earlier have given me pause. -k

It was a Liberal campaign issue in the past election. But as I mentioned, it's been a pet issue for Atlantic Canadians for years. And for somebody who's claimed to be non-partisan, you always strike me as quite eager to make excuses for the Liberals. But for the record, I do think I am able to look at things objectively. If I seem too negative when I'm discussing Martin's record, it's because I take issue with people who I don't think are being objective themselves. I've been accused of being a paid apologist for the Conservatives... in most cases, I believe, simply for applying some objective analysis to claims made by Harper's detractors. It seems to me that most attempts to discuss the Liberals are met with responses decrying the Conservatives' shortcomings. And it seems to me that most attempts to discuss Paul Martin turn into discussions of how badly Stephen Harper sucks. I try to keep pushing for something better from you guys, because the level of discussion of political discussion in this country frankly makes me quite sad. -k

I kind of get the impression you ride to school in the short bus yourself. -k

I'm not a Conservative, and I've never voted for them in any election. Anyway, so I'm biased... but I'm still correct: Paul Martin's a total pussy. I believe the Atlantic Accord was an idea that originated with the Atlantic Premiers, not with Paul Martin. I believe people from the Atlantic have been talking for years about getting a bigger chunk of off-shore resources, and that the Liberals put it in their election campaign to try and win support. Say, didn't Nfld Premier Danny Williams have to embarrass Paul Martin publicly to hold him to that campaign promise? I seem to recall something about that... some business about Maple Leaf flags being yanked down, and so-on. So yeah, I kind of don't think it's a very good example of Paul Martin taking the initiative. -k

Vancouver is a neat place to visit, but I would never live there again. Winter there might not be cold, but it is bleak, wet, and thoroughly crappy. The traffic congestion causes the local populus to become aggressive and stupid, like too many rats crammed into a small cage. I also got tired of being propositioned by Honduran drug-dealers every time I went for a walk, and being handed those "You Have Been Scouted For Porn!" business cards when I went to the mall. Neat tourist attractions, though. Gastown and Granville Island are super cool. And Kimmy, of course. But that practically goes without saying! -k

Would you offer the same argument if it were 4 year olds working at sickdonalds? Why would he? Four year olds and 12 year olds are kind of different, don't you think? Like, for instance, some 12 year olds work as baby-sitters. If a kid is responsible enough to be entrusted to look after kids, mopping up tables at McD's ought to be a piece of cake, right? -k

I don't think you can boil Harper's problem down to something as simple as people not liking his position on SSM. Harper's position on SSM is more popular with Canadians than Harper himself is. Personally, I've become increasingly skeptical of Harper's judgment. If you backtrack to April when the Conservatives were briefly ahead in the polls, Harper has made a series of poor decisions since then, and in the process made me doubt that he would be a good prime minister. -k