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Last to the Trough
 Posted
1/22/2012 5:59:00 AM
City councilors in Edmonton don’t make a ton of money. I think they get paid well enough but I do believe they work very hard, long hours. Ever sit through a two hour meeting? Well, city councilors sometimes have to – well, lets face it – most of the job is a meeting.
That being said, I was very disappointed to hear that both of Mill Woods' councilors accepted the full pay raise allotted to them last week. I'm upset about a few things.
1. Neither councilor made themselves available to talk to me about before the decision was made, despite Facebook messages and phone calls. Amarjeet Sohi did talk to the media but he did not say what his decision or his take would be.
2. The amount of the raise is way too high. Who gets a 5.35% pay increase automatically regardless of their performance in ...
The Majority of Time
Posted
1/9/2012 5:25:00 AM
It looks as if Stephen Harper is finally getting to stretch his majority muscles. The Wheat Board's monopoly has ended. Elected senators (formerly in waiting) sit in the senate. The long gun registry is on death's door. And... what else? Has your world changed that much?
Has the big right wing menace came and kicked in your bedroom door?
Has the country folded to international economic pressures? Has religious intolerance been forced down your throat?
I’m on record as saying the conservatives are not Conservative enough. I don’t think they have any business racking up further debt when the world is in such financial ruin. I don’t think the government should be wasteful with its military spending; spreading Shariah law throughout the Middle East. I don't agree with a lot of what Stephen Harper’s tories get away with, but can I say it has really changed my life? ...
Needling Pain
Posted
12/22/2011 5:55:00 AM
For the last ten years, I have been suffering from chronic tendonitis. I used to have a dumb job using a very unergonomic keyboard. As a result, I developed tennis elbow, carpal tunnel and general arm disrepair. This ultimately led to me trading my white collar for a blue one and although I'm not particularly suited for it, it is easier on sore arms.
After years of surgery, tendonitis bars, stretching and strengthening exercises, I had given up. I had talked to several people, including those in the medical community, that said that once this becomes chronic, there is little that can be done.
Then one day at rehearsal, I met a young woman who had developed a similar problem. She spends most of her time driving and she had almost identical injuries. Had. Past tense. She was cured. Of course, I was all over this!! How could she heal ...
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Terry McKinnon
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Drinking and Driving – Now 0.03% Less Stupid...
Posted
12/13/2011 12:48:00 PM
I was very upset recently to hear Dave Rutherford complaining that instead of a 24-hour suspension for drinking and driving at .05 or higher, you now may have your license suspended and your vehicle impounded. This is part of the rushed Bill 26 that the new Redford Tories threw together in a compressed, no nonsense, fall sitting of the Legislature.
It wasn’t that he had a different opinion than mine – I get that – I’m fine with that. It’s actually often the case. I dislike the way he delivers his show, but I like hearing from callers and I love his guests, so I tune in.
What I am upset about in this debate is the implication that people who have 0.05 % blood alcohol level are not dangerous drivers and the now familiar refrain from opponents of the bill that “You can't even have a glass of ...
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Terry McKinnon
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What's Right With:
Posted
11/24/2011 8:50:00 AM
City Spending
WHAT?? Did the fiscal conservative just say its all right for the city to spend money on stuff? Have I become unglued? Am I quitting caffeine again? No. I'm in my right mind and for a change, so is the city. Here are three things that I am happy the city has or is, spending money on:
1. The Mill Woods LRT line. Loonnnnnggg overdue. I know a lot of people may say that LRT expansion is not a priority, but they haven’t seen the throng of folks commuting to and fro every day. All along the path from Mill Woods and back are packed buses, crowds of travelers and students. Instead of building an LRT to an area we hope to one day get passengers on, serving the people who need the service now makes a lot of sense.
2. 17th Street Overpass. Anyone who has taken ...
Coffee Wars
Posted
11/13/2011 1:47:00 PM
So where do you get your morning, mid-morning, lunch, afternoon, after work, evening and/or before bed coffee every day?
Tim Horton's has become a cultural icon in Canada. Its seems like everyone seems to own the 'Timmies' closest to them. See an empty drive thru? Well, you're likely to drive in just for the experience of getting your Timmies without waiting.
Tim Horton's was THE place to get your morning java and maybe a blueberry fritter (or 4) if no one was looking. But then - they got greedy.
A few years back, Tim Horton's went into the breakfast sandwich biz. Last year they threw the McGauntlet and started selling what is essentially an Egg McMuffin.
McDonald's started fighting back by getting better coffee, jazzing up their service and expanding their coffee offerings. Gone are the days of a cup of nuclear pitch that is best served dumped on your ...
Arenas and Museums
Posted
10/29/2011 1:14:00 PM
Throwing My Rock in the Pyramid
I was one of the 88 panelists that came out to jabber at city council about the arena deal on the 25th. I was pro-arena/anti-deal, which unfortunately made me a pro-arena panelist. I would rather have no arena than an arena under the terms we agreed to.
I learned so much while I was there, both from the panelists and the councilors themselves.
You never really appreciate a politician until you see them under those circumstances. They were tired, some impatient, some of them getting grouchy and some of them were fervently interested in what was being said – or at least appeared to. Kerry Diotte and Linda Sloan looked the most engaged, Stephen Mandel and Dave Loken looked like they really didn’t want to be there. We'll work harder on that for you two in '13.
I won't get too much into ...
I Call Bravo Sierra
Posted
10/12/2011 7:34:00 AM
Okay, I'm blatantly ripping off Bob Layton, but I couldn't resist.
From time to time, some news stories come up and I just can't stand the official story. It is so blatantly false that I have to call Bravo Sierra!
I Didn't MEAN to Shoot Him
Perhaps you've heard if this fellow, Brian Russell Knight. He was recently sentenced to 90 days of prison -- to be served on weekends -- for causing bodily harm by criminal neglect, a charge that he pleaded guilty to.
It seems in the middle of the night, Mr. Knight shot his shotgun in the general direction of some scumballs who had stolen his ATV. Except he said he was defending his property and he didn't shoot AT the guy, he shot in the air to scare him. Shouldn't he have gotten a conditional discharge for his crimes that weren't at all in vigilance but ...
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