fellowtraveller

The only series left worth watching involves, as usual, the Oilers. There is no issue over anthems because the din is so enormous you cannot hear a word of either one.

I don't know, maybe they don't want to disturb the natural condition. It didn't have much trees to begin with, we are high plains area. The west end of the park has tons of trees, just as you go towards Saskatchewan... Either way, its Edmonton's fault (being the capital) for not planting more tree's in its provincial parks inside Calgary!! It really probably isn't up to Calgary to plant trees in there, its another jurisdiction. Sounds like a bunch of excuses intended to avoid my declaration of factss: Calgary is brown and burned much of the time, Edmonton is green and lush.

You simply cannot compare the 'green factors' in Edmonton and Calgary, anybody who has even driven through both cities knows the truth. The Calagry river valleys are brown and poorly treed, in Edmonton the valley is lovely, luscious, green. And thems the facts.

If Manning enters, he will win. The catch of course is that he won't enter unless he is fairly sure he'll win. Age won't be an issue for Manning, raising it may well be a weak response from his opponents. Lack of history? He is of course far far better known in Alberta than Dinning. Dinning left frontroom politics many years ago, and never ever had the name recogntion that Manning had and has now. Provincial party history won't make any difference. Manning is very well respected. I'll grant you that Dinning has a head start on organization, but Manning will have no trouble creating a juggernaut of volunteers. I didn't say that Dinning was Tafts dream leader, I said that Manning is Dinnings worst nightmare. He had the premiership locked up until Preston appeared on the scene. Either one will crush poor Taft. A 'race about ideology'. Of course it will be, that is what Manning is all about. He is a policy geek to the core, and his schtick will start and end with " I have a dream". His is a powerful message, Dinning better be thinking hard on how to counter the populist mantra.

Back to the OP, if that is allowed..... It is unusual, but not unique. Klein won a couple of elections easily by doing exactly what he promised, and that is a reality completely overlooked by his many critics. Overlooked at their peril really, since he remains very popular despite having lost the fiscal plot the last few years...

No, 'they' don't call 'them' that in Alberta.

Manning is 63. the same age as Klein. He has not officially entered the race, and won't until it is obvious he'd be a first ballot winner. He won't enter if it looks close - but that should not be an issue. Manning somehow manages to be the worst nightmare for both Jim Dinning - heir apparent to Klein until recently- and Kevin Taft, the Liberal leader whose dreams were just crushed.

Liberal heartland is now Toronto. Not Ontario, Metro Toronto. Do you think Rae would be wildly popular there? A dark horse is Anne McLellan, though I don't know how good her French is.... she doesn't have many enemies.

Manning will win fairly easily IMO. Personality is always the deciding factor......and Preston is perceived as an honest broker and a man of some vision. His age is a bit of a handicap, at 63 he is the same as klein. Dinnings very best and very worst day happened recently at the same time - when he helped engineer Kleins ouster, followed soon after by Mannings musings about leadership....

And they do, plus they have an unbeatable benefit package! But employees in the private sector do not have carte blanche to leverage their employment into personal gain. There is no way that anybody working for , say, Ford Canada would be allowed to use their position as a Ford employee to spout off publicly about the automotive world withut specific employer permission. On or off the job.

I've posted there occasionally, and can confirm that the regular do not like anything that varies from the NDP/hardcore union line. On the other hand, the mods never warned me for any of the more provocative things I said. Their board suffers from a lack of disparity, not much interesting about everybody agreeing about everything. Does anybody know where their new site can be found?

The only mandatory role of government is to ensure the security of citizens, both internally and from external forces. Without rule of law, none of the rest matters.

Dunno, maybe because they are far away? They are using the usual GOC format for the site. Aren't all sites propaganda, inclduing GOC sites, promoting something or other? Every government department has a large communications staff for that very purpose, which I'm sure you knew.

Here is your answer, from the site: "CanadianAlly.com is an electronic newsletter maintained by the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, designed specifically for an American audience. The goal of this e-publication is to bring together pertinent defence and security information from a variety of government departments, agencies, military commands and bi-national organizations. The intent is to give American citizens a better sense of the scope of Canada's role in North American and Global Security and the War on Terror. CanadianAlly.com is managed by: Lt.Col Jamie Robertson Counsellor (Military-Media Affairs) Canadian Embassy Washington DC, 20001 (202) 448 6324"

From a Chinese paper of all places "Meanwhile, Bush indicated on Tuesday that he wants to show Canada that the U.S. "genuinely cares" by working to resolve issues such as softwood lumber. " I doubt that there wil be anything announced about an actual resolution at the summit. Another source indicated that the outcome from the summit would likely be the appointment of a high level rep from each side with the specific task of banging out something, and soon - and reporting directly to Bush and Harper.. It seems to me that this will work, but Canadians cannot reasonably expect to see a 100%, take-no-prisoners win for Canada.

Every party leader - Harper, Layton and Duceppe -would love to campaign against Brison. It would be cheap and easy to yank a few seats away from the Liberals, all you'd have to do would be run some clips of Brison hysterically defending the indefensible every day in Parliament under Martin.

Sounds like Garth got bypassed for a Cabinet post and is determined to be as miserable and cranky as possible........ As I recall, he was in Mulroneys Cabinet at one point.

I'm surprised you'd pay that much in Saskatchewan. I have a newer and more valuable vehicle in Alberta and pay $82 per month for similar deductibles and complete coverage. I did eliminate the glass coverage ($90/year for the windshiled, other glass covered) because it wasn't worth it.The $70 per month for a Cavalier in Calgary is sensational. A 24 year old male in Edmonton pays $100 per month for a '93 Camry with the absolute bare minimum insurance. After plenty of shopping too, and a spotless 8 year driving record.

Did anybody else see the footage of McCartney and his wife out lying on the floes, looking all misty eyed at a little seal pup, all being filmed of course. Heather reached out to pet the cute little feller and it whipped around and nearly took her hand off with some very nasty looking teeth. Lovely moment.

I watch about 60 movies per eyar at theaters, but haven't watched the Oscars for a long time. Too long, too boring. I thought this year was an unusually dull batch of movies. I actually could not award a 'Best Picture', there wasn't one.

I wonder how many billion times that 'Africas potential' has been mentioned in the last 50 years? There is little future in African markets for Canadian business. Their future, and it is unfortunately far from certain that there will be one, will be as a new source of cheap labour. Hard to see how we exploit that. Our economic/export future lies in the Pacific Rim, Europe will be increasingly closed to our goods and services, Africa has no money to buy anything...... And every one either operating en Englais, or perishing.

No problem with anybody wearing expressions of their religion to a public school. But definitely there is a problem with anybody bringing a weapon to school. Next up: Rastafarian kids smoking weed in the gym as a form of religious expression.

Not in Alberta. I don't think many grads are working crap jobs unless they choose to. The days of PhDs driving cabs are over for now, unless of course there are personal issues.

Alberta has one of the lowest graduation rates from high school in Canada. I was puzzled as to why , until a teacher explained this is normal in an overheated economy. Srudents see no point in waiting to finish when they can get the same job for the same money immediately. It makes short term sense if you're 16 years old and restless.

True! Oddly enough, despite the high or rather rapidly rising labour costs, Alberta still has a relatively low cost of living , cheapish real estate. It makes me wonder if we are not due for some very sharp increases in inflation......