The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is as follows: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. It…
Kids need a break too.
Canadians are all work and no play: Sit-down family dinners are rare in the Grunling home. Myles, 16, and Colin, 14, play soccer on teams coached by their father. Crystal Grunling and her husband, Manfred, work full-time jobs, and the boys, in Grades 11 and 8, attend different schools. “We’re running every night of the week,”…
When technology stops being technology.
Via Seth Godin: I saw a two-year old kid (in diapers, in a stroller), using an iPod Touch today. Not just looking at it, but browsing menus and interacting. This is a revolution, guys. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The iPad is often written off, but when I saw it announced I…
Competition is a fact of life. Deal with it.
It’s unfortunate that everyone can’t be the winner in any particular sporting event, but you can’t make things better by punishing those that do win: In yet another nod to the protection of fledging self-esteem, an Ottawa children’s soccer league has introduced a rule that says any team that wins a game by more than five…
Why do property assessments always go up?
Apparently Canadian homes are overvalued, according to today’s Financial Post: A new report from one of the country’s major banks says house prices in Canada are sitting 14% over their “fair” value. Strangely, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) has nothing about this on their website. That might suggest that their assessments are incorrect, and municipalities would certainly…
Rogers just can’t leave well enough alone.
The other day I pushed the “Guide” button on my Rogers digital box remote. It didn’t bring up the program guide; it brought up the “Rogers Quick Menu”, an apparent new feature, complete with advertising. I assumed that I had merely hit the wrong button by mistake. But no, it seems that Rogers has reassigned…
The grass used to be greener…
… before pesticide bans. And shockingly, rather than basing those bans on science, it seems that environmentalists may have intentionally misled the public: A group representing dozens of lawn care companies trying to bring charges against Ontario’s environment minister and senior bureaucrats over the province’s controversial pesticide ban is now calling for charges against 23 activists.…
Planned incompetence.
Yesterday there was an article in my local paper, The Record, regarding plans to narrow Bearinger Road in Waterloo from four lanes to two. Curiously, this article appears only in the print edition of the paper, and does not appear on the website, keeping the notice of public meetings hidden from anyone who does not…
Massachusetts goes Republican.
Though I’m currently in Canada, I can’t help but wish I was back home in Boston, especially on nights like tonight when there’s an election on. Especially on a night when a Massachusetts senate seat, held for almost my entire life by Senator Ted Kennedy, goes Republican: In a victory few thought possible just a month…
Everyone wants money.
I started reading my morning paper today, only to find that everyone wants money. It started with the headline about Detroit auto companies demanding to be bailed out. Then the Grand Philharmonic Choir wanted more money because they were having problems. Then literacy groups wanted more funding. Then the Region of Waterloo Swim Club wanted…