Dr. Derek Dunfield on TEDx Queen’s
April 30, 2013
Derek Dunfield grew up in Portland. He and our son became acquainted when Charlie (an English major) was offered a room on the astrophysicists floor in Morris Hall residence at Queen’s.
After Derek completed his Phd. he announced to Charlie that he was going to take some time to make maple syrup at the farm, and so he did. He represented the physics team. Martin Mallet led the biology team. Martin and Derek had radically different approaches to the theory and practice of boiling sap: Derek insisted that it didn’t matter if the pan stopped boiling when cold sap was added. Martin fancied the art of adding sap so gradually that the boil continued uninterrupted.
And so on it went up to and including theories on the formation of sugar sand. They never did solve that one, though Derek sent me an article published in the 1950’s which suggested that copper and zinc operate as catalysts to inhibit sand formation. From that I inferred that the recent rash of sugar sand in maple syrup likely stems from current regulations requiring the use of stainless steel boilers.
Both teams made fine maple syrup.
That summer Derek also came along to help pour the floor of the workshop we built on the property in 2010. He proved a game, if lightly-skilled, practitioner of the masonry arts. We appreciated his input, though.
This evening Charlie sent along a link to the TEDx Queen’s lecture. It was good to see and hear Derek again.
Stardust, cyber-bullying, and newly-found efficiency
April 26, 2013
Jennifer Ditchburn’s CP story this morning delineating the homophobic subtext in the posters set to be sent out by Conservative MPs to their constituents made it clear that it was time for me to get the charge card out again. So $50 went off to Justin. Interestingly, the once-creaky Liberal Party machinery worked very smoothly this time. Boom. Correct data on the splash screen already there. Pump in the amount and the card number. Thanks. Bye.
According to pundits Trudeau’s most daunting task over the next two years will be the update of the LPC’s archaic organization. This latest online encounter was the first time I have ever dealt with the Liberal Party of Canada that I was impressed by their efficiency.
I doubled the amount of the contribution out of resentment of the hypocrisy of the publicly-funded mail-out campaign to begin June 1: how can Harper meet with the parents of a girl who was harassed to death and take a public stand against cyber-bullying, yet praise the content of these deeply personal attacks upon an opponent? And if it isn’t bullying to get all of the other MPs to gang up on the intended victim in this attack, what is it?
I said a month ago in a post that Justin and Sophie will slay Stephen Harper on the campaign trail just because of their teamwork and sex appeal. Face it: manly men look up to someone who is getting more sex than they are. That’s just the way it is, Steve. Justin has a lock on this with Sophie and his kids. Sprinkling fairy dust around a picture is just going to make people mad at you and grease the Liberal fundraising machine.
And now the ten percenter’s
April 24, 2013
Reporter Glen McGregor just broke a story that the Conservative Resource Group is circulating a pair of mock-ups for 10 percenter ads to Conservative MPs for distribution in their ridings. The circulars take their cue from the Conservative attack ads directed against Justin Trudeau.
According to the leaked copy McGregor posted, all the MPs have to do to ensure the delivery of these attacks on the new Liberal leader to households in their federal ridings is to initial the space and identify the name of the riding’s signing officer.
For $174 for 40,000 households, Conservative MPs will no doubt see this as a bargain in comparison to conventional TV ad buys.
Of course the MPs’ budgets come from taxes, not from political contributions, so they would be funding attacks upon a political rival with public funds. This is nothing new for this government, of course.
Another sort of attack ad
April 21, 2013
This one is directed at the Conservative government for its stripping of environmental legislation. It seems violent and unfair, as attack ads tend to do.
http://globalnews.ca/news/498701/psac-ads-attacking-conservatives-serve-as-wake-up-call/
According to The Canadian Press, I’m far from the only grouchy old white guy who is put off by attack ads.
Rod
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Unintended consequences: Tory attack ads fuel donations to Liberal party
By: The Canadian Press
Posted: 3:22 PM | Comments: 2 | Last Modified: 3:56 PM
OTTAWA – Conservative attack ads against Justin Trudeau have turned into a financial boon for the Liberal party.
The party raised $336,000 in the 48 hours following Trudeau’s landslide victory in the Liberal leadership race Sunday.
Officials say that’s more than double the party’s previous top haul for an e-mail fundraising campaign.
They say the donations poured in after two back-to-back mass email solicitations that urged Liberals to fight back against Conservative attacks.
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Allison Cross
17 April, 2013
The National Post
Donations to liver foundation surge after Tories’ ‘striptease’ attack ad against Trudeau
Attack ads, again.
April 15, 2013
It’s no secret that I hate attack ads. From this page I have raged at Harper’s minions and at the culture which rewards such rot with political success. I even turned on Michael Ignatieff when he went negative in response to the ad blitz designed to destroy his reputation and standing among Canadians.
And now Harper has started again. This time it may be defensive: it’s beat Trudeau down or resign, if one is to believe the polls.
But this time I won’t bother to rant.
In response to the first Conservative attack ad I have just sent the Liberal Party of Canada a donation of $20. I’ll do the same for every new ad brought to my attention, up to my legal maximum donation.
I invite others who hate attack ads to join me in this attempt to clean up this rot in our culture.
Update:
Just saw a second attack ad. Away goes another $20 to the Trudeau War Chest.
Update April 16, 2013:
The response of the Trudeau team was an interesting one. Justin strolled out and held an informal scrum with reporters in the corridor of the House of Commons. He answered questions about the attack ads with good humour and wit, taking his time to turn the tables on his attackers (You don’t support The Liver Foundation?), and made the news on You-Tube, if not nationwide, with his 8 1/2 minute, cost-free rebuttal.
All eyes had been on Question Period this day, but it turned into a non-event. The major fail of the day was when the Conservatives gave Justin an excuse to go face-to-face with Canadians at supper hour. The overnight poll shot the Liberals to 43%.
Not bad for someone who is in over his head, eh?
UNICEF rates Canadian teens #1 at smoking weed.
April 15, 2013
This headline on MSN this morning reminded me of what an old fogey I am.
As a retired educator I have seen what marijuana use does to the minds of highly intelligent boys with ADHD. It wrecks them. A brilliant kid in September of grade nine was an empty shell by the time he turned up again in my class in the spring of his grade ten year.
Activists may claim cannabis is harmless, but I’ve also seen quite a few senior boys of average intelligence bounce around for several years before quitting dope and getting their lives together. At the very least marijuana costs the secondary school system a great deal of wasted time.
As I reflect back, my loneliest hour as a vice-principal had to be the time I spent trying to keep a cannabis-addicted, paranoid 15 year-old girl out of the school on a lunch hour during which she showed every intention of pulling the fire alarms. Parents eventually showed up, but it was a long hour.
So I believe the statistic, but we should take no pride in it.
Excavator called in to clear ice jam at Isthmus
By: Mandy Tourigny, Reporter
Gananoque Recorder and News
Dateline Chaffey’s Locks, 04/01/2013
Dangerously rising water levels on Clear and Newboro Lakes today prompted Parks Canada manager Allan Denaigault to contract a local excavation company to break up the ice jam blocking the Isthmus between the mainland and Scott Island at the ferry.
The dropping water level on Indian Lake at Chaffey’s Locks exposed shoals and a sunken boat “I’ve never seen before, even in fifty years living on this lake,” said local resident Dave Nugent.
Terry Peters, whose excavator untangled the ice floes blown in by last night’s stiff wind, commented: “Yeah, the ice was actually up against the ferry, so I undid the chain and pulled it up on shore with my Hy-Hoe. Then it wasn’t all that hard to uncork the ice. I could only reach out thirty feet, but the stuff wasn’t all that hard to break. The real worry was that the rushing water would take out the causeway, cause it’s mainly just gravel they trucked in there in 1949 when they put the ferry in.”
By press time the water levels had returned to normal, with minimal damage to the ferry landing at the Isthmus.
Ranger 500 VS rock
March 30, 2013
A sizable boulder has obstructed access to my friend’s dock since we put the thing in 3 years ago. Today the boulder met the old Polaris Ranger 500 at the end of a tow rope.
No contest.
the Walnut Diary 