Started at the Billiards Club on Whyte at about 10pm-ish and ended at
Also, a big “hej” to the Swedish women’s rowing team that I was dancing with at O’Byrne’s (I’m assuming they’re in e-town for the Masters Games).
Sweet.
D 🙂
PS. The Amazing Wonderdog has a pretty interesting post on the UK’s controversial shoot-to-kill policy. Check it out.
*Pronounced goou-de dimes (the “t” is silent).
Jurgen Gothe has the best name in radio.
I wish I had a name as cool as his.
UPDATE: Holger Petersen also has a cool name. HOLGER.
…ly old buffalo hair.
Along with my chums Colin Robertson and Jason Tobias, I went to the Sasquatch Hair press conference at the University of Alberta today (partly because we’re nerds, and partly because we all work on campus).
And yes, Dr. David Coltman announced to the world that the hair sample from the Yukon was not that of Big Foot, but was in fact old buffalo hair, at least a year old.
It was a big deal I guess, because over 20 reporters and 5 news cameras came out for the show. I guess this was big news.
At least it was entertaining.
More Sasquatch related news can be found here.
Rick Bell rocks today.
Daveberta would like to salute the newly minted City of Brooks and Town of Onoway!
Today, both municipalities had their municipal status upgraded respectivly from Town to City, and from Village to Town. Congrats!
For those of you interested, in Alberta, there are now:
16 Cities
4 Specialized Municipalities
113 Towns
99 Villages
and 50 Summer Villages.
Only one year after declaring Alberta a “debt-free” province, the Alberta Tories are talking about getting back in the business of borrowing money.
According to the Edmonton Journal, yesterday, “[Alberta Premier Ralph] Klein signaled he will back a proposal by Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Lyle Oberg to borrow money to help clear a $7.2-billion backlog of schools, highways and health centers that need to be replaced or repaired.“
According to the Calgary Herald, “Premier Klein says there’s merit to the idea of Alberta going back into debt to catch up with seven billion dollars in building projects.“
Now, I think it about damn time they start working on this massive infrastructure debt and began investing in Alberta’s lacking infrastructure (which is a result of Klein’s cuts in the first place).
But, it left me thinking, will the Alberta Government be breaking the law if they borrow money?
According to Alberta’s Fiscal Responsibility Act, which forbids the government from running a deficit and limits government spending:
“The Fiscal Responsibility Act sets requirements of the annual fiscal plan:
– It requires balanced budgets. Deficits are not allowed, as expense and capital must not be more than revenue.”
Now, I honestly think this is probably the dumbest law ever thought up. How the heck is it supposed to be enforced? It was a cheap PR stunt from a government that was desperate to look fiscally responsible way back in 1993. Would the police arrest the Finance Minister for running a deficit?
Will Alberta be running a deficit if they borrow $7.2 Billion?
I’m no lawyer, but will they be breaking the law? Should I call the police?
This week’s blog of the week is none other than GoPolitical.
I’ve always enjoyed nic’s insightful and entertaining blogging over at GoPolitical. In fact, her’s was one of the very first blogs I ever read, and is part of the reason I started up this seudo-blog known as daveberta.
Check it out and enjoy! 🙂
Cheers.
D 🙂
PS. BTW, I made it to Warren’s blog today. Thanks again for the link, WK.
Last week, Aaron over at Grandinite tagged me with some sort of Joint Taskforce Twelve list game (Aaron also challenged Doucheblog, MKBraaten, and Bound By Gravity).
Here are the groundrules:
“If there were twelve blogs, as of right now, I think anyone should be visiting on a daily or hourly basis, it would be the Grandinite Joint Task Force Twelve, which is one more than Kip Esquire’s Elite Eleven. Joint Task Force Twelve requires twelve specialists, none of whom replicate the same area: in short, there must be very little overlap between the subject matter of the blogs in order to give the reader the maximum input potential.
The Joint Task Force Twelve also requires that the blogs in question be updated more than once a day (but if the content is great, this is totally unnecessary). The fact that there are twelve blogs on the list will mean that readers of the Joint Task Force Twelve are already in the elite of blog readers themselves – that select 5% of internet users who read blogs. On average, a blog reader will read 5-7 blogs per day. By reading through the Grandinite Joint Task Force Twelve, blog readers will already be in the elite of the elite.”
Okay, here’s my list…
1. Section 15 – This is at the top of my daily blog read list. Mark is a great blogger who always has fun posts (his comment sections are just as great).
2. Born with a Tail – Always a prolific writer, Mr. Raymaker has recently shifted his blog focus towards entertainment and music posts. Very cool.
3. Child of Regan – Okay, it’s been a couple of weeks since anyone over at this site has posted, but it’s an interesting read for those looking for a right-wing American response to world events.
4. Toronto Tory – Fun political posts from a
5. Little Man in a Toque – A fun blog, especially for Edmontonians. 🙂
6. Ask the Pope – I’m not going to comment any further than saying that this is one of the funniest blogs I have ever read (POPE MY RIDE!!!). Anyway, check it out and make your own decision…
7. ~we will always be a light~ – A fellow blogger with whom I share many mutual acquaintances, but have never met.
8. Kevin G. Powell – Always an interesting and insightful read.
9. Four Bad Men – One of the funnest and bestest group blogs out there.
10. A Newspaper called Gateway – Another fine group blog written by a bunch of kids who write a “newspaper” called Gateway.
11. Ahab’s Whale – Another group blog, but this time… by Canadians in the
12. Grandinite – Not just because he challenged me, but because I am fascinated daily with the stuff he digs up and posts about.
There we go. Daveberta’s Joint Task Force Twelve (aka The Fantastic 12).
So, at this point, I am supposed to challenge other bloggers to join the elite group and create their own Joint Task Force 12. So, if the’re up to it, I challenge…
Any of the guys over at freethought.ca
PS. To the guy in the apartment above me: Thanks for BBQing that nice juicy steak at 10:30pm last night. I hoped it was even better after I opened my balcony door and blasted Michael Jackson and MC Hammer on my stereo just for you. Jerk.
There seems to be a decent amount of talk as of late about who will replace current Governor General Adrienne Clarkson when her term as GG is up later this year. Some of the names being dropped by other bloggers and the MSM include Bob Rae, Ed Broadbent, Joe Clark, Marc Garneau, James Bartleman, etc.
Here are some of my suggestions…
John Ralston Saul: Intellectual, author, and husband of Ms. Clarkson. I saw him speak at the University of Alberta a couple of years ago. This guy is amazing. I think he would be an interesting choice for GG (plus, think of how much taxpayers would save on moving costs!).
Preston Manning: Former Reform Party MP and Leader, bested by Stockwell Day, son of Ernest Manning. Though I think that the GG position shouldn’t be a dumping ground for old politicians, I think Mr. Manning would serve Canadians well in this position. I don’t tend to agree with his politics, but I have a large amount of respect for this man and think he would be a good choice.
Warren Kinsella: Author, Chrétien Advisor, Punk Aficionado etc. Born in Calgary, lives in Toronto (Pan-Canadian). I would love to see Monte Solberg’s reaction to this one. Just think of the cool GG blog!
Gordon Lightfoot: Canadian Music Legend. He scores pretty high on the “old white guy” scale, but I think he would do a decent job.
Knowlton Nash: Former CBC National News Anchor, correspondent, etc. Being an unabashed Knowlton Nash fan, so would love to see him become our Governor General (read his book: History on the Run: The Trenchcoat Memoirs of a Foreign Correspondent – It’s awesome!).
Naomi Klein: Author, Anti-Globalization activist, etc. She *might* be a little too controversial for the GG position, but I would LOVE to see the reaction from right-wingers on this one.
And finally…
William Shatner: Actor, Music Artist, Fiber Advocate. Come on, how cool would that be?!?!
Well, it’s Friday and I’m going out of town until Sunday. So here is some reading…
1. Jason Morris over at Gauntlet has thrown down the gauntlet at Jason Cherniak over the latter Jason’s recent post defending the outdated and unrepresenative First-Past-the-Post electoral system. Check it out, this is fun.
2. My Calgary Stampede Weekend Chapter 2 is near completion. But, since it’s really really sunny outside and I’m leaving for the weekend, you’ll all just have to wait another couple of days for it…
3. If you are in Edmonton this weekend, there is tones of stuff to check out! Klondike Days! World Masters Games!
4. And, another reason why Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel rocks.
5. I am still up to the Fantastic 12 challenge which Grandinite threw down and will show my hand very very soon.
Wander on over to the Catalytic Coral to check out the latest Wild Rose Roundup by my good blogging buddy Senator Catalyst. These things take quite a bit of effort, so tones of props are sent the Senator’s way.
On another note, it appears daveberta has graced the pages of Edmonton’s Free Weekly Magazine, SEE Magazine care of the Dew Line. Thanks for the mention! (It may not be as fancy as the CalgaryGrit getting mentioned in the MSM and Robert over at My Blahg on Antonia Zerbisias’ website, but hey!) Anyway, you can check it out here.
Also, it seems like I’ve been tagged by Grandinite in some sort of Fantastic Twelve game. I accept the challenge and my response will come soon.
And for all of you wondering where my second chapter of my Calgary Stampede Weekend is, I am finishing it up tonight for a GRAND PREMIERE tomorrow (rumour has it that Paul Wells is on tenterhooks waiting for it!).
And: Soon to come, “The Best of Emil: Quotes and Salutations from an angry right-winger.”
Cheers.
D 🙂
According to both the Edmonton Sun and Edmonton Journal, Premier Ralph Klein has reiterated that he’s sticking around for a few more years despite the fact that many of his cabinet ministers have already begun jockeying for his job.
Klein told reporters yesterday that he plans to step down in late 2007 in order to allow time for a leadership race and to give his successor ample time to prepare for the next provincial election. More here.
Norris is in.
Former Economic Development Minister Mark Norris (who looks suspiciously like this character) reacted to Klein’s announcement by gushing “I think it’s great news, I am running, there is no doubt about it.” Norris was soundly defeated in Edmonton McClung during last November’s provincial election by Liberal Mo Elsalhy. So, that makes Oberg, Dinning, Stelmach, Hancock, Morton, and Norris…
And, by the way, Bill C-38 has been approved by the Senate.
UPDATE: More Ralph retirment quotes:
AUPE President Dan McLellan: “I would be surprised if you can put the toothpaste back in the tube, the websites are up, the hospitality suites are going and supporters of the candidates will want a race.”
ND MLA Ray Martin: “It is baffling to me. He shows absolutely no interest in the job. The government is running on auto-pilot. Nobody is in charge.”
U of C Political Science Professor David Taras “I think Ralph Klein has put everybody on ice…”
This week’s ‘blog of the week’ goes to a very cool blog – Canadian Expatriates: The Expat Blog.
As mentioned in the previous sentence, this is a very cool blog which describes itself as “A collection of articles and observations written by Canadian Expatriates from around the globe.”
Not only do I really like the concept, but the three bloggers (Bethanie, Expat, and Nicole) are entertaining as well. It also links to blogs of other Canadian expatriates and a message board for Canadian expats.
Definately check it out. I recommend it.
1. Well, it appears that my right-wing blogging buddy has decided to call it quits for a bit. Peter, over at Rempelia Prime is taking a break from blogging. As much as I disagreed with him on close to 90% of the issues, I found his right-wing rants totally entertaining. Come back soon, Peter!
2. I saw War of the Worlds on Saturday. My thoughts: The aliens were cool. The little girl was annoying.
3. Sheamus has written another great post reviewing Dr. Leon Craig’s pro-Alberta independence article. I read Dr. Craig’s article this morning and all I can say without wasting too much space on this page is that it was nothing more than a rant against the Federal Liberals.
4. Jason Cherniak has promised us a blog post on electoral reform in the next couple of days. Make sure to check it out.
5. I can’t remember where I found this, but this article titled “Congressman Threatens Islamic Holy Sites” is worth a read. I think he has qualified himself for the Stockwell Day “Foot-in-Mouth” award.
6. Dick Cheney is coming to Alberta to bathe in our oil and drink the blood of a sacraficial virgin in Fort McMurray. More to come.
7. Alberta’s Solicitor General Harvey Cenaiko and Calgary Hays Tory MLA Art Johnston, are going to the UK to “learn about special constables,” which sounds suspiciously like “sit on the beach and drink Guiness” to me…
8. I had tonnes of fun at last week’s Edmonton’s International Street Performers Festival in Chuchill Square! It was fun. The Art Walk down Whyte Ave was cool too.
9. I’m very near completion of my the second chapter of my Calgary Stampede 2005 adventure…
10. According to the Detroit Free Press, Eminem is planning to hang up the mike this fall after ending his European current tour.
