Aleks, thanks for reminding me about the NDP's policy of practicing sexual and racial discrimination (please don't call it affirmative action. There is nothing affirmative about it).

I was outraged by their announcement of this policy a year or two ago, and had assumed they had given up on the idea after I stopped hearing about it. I don't know why it isn't in the news more. It is indeed offensive, and something that many people would be interested in knowing about.

@31

I agree we need a viable third party again the last time there was one was with Gordon Wilson reviving the Liberals in BC during the 91 election. Unfortunately it seems the socreds took control of the party.

On a tangent….

Thanks for the new term VanBanker "reductive" – I've been looking for a term to describe the information lost when describing politics as "left" or "right" etc…

Is it me, or do the american's/govt/media do this very often? For example: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – names born of acronyms. A few levels away from describing what they actually are. A convenience for those who know, but an over simplification for many? It's like using big words you don't understand. I suppose it is the responsibility of the reader to find out the meaning of the words.

Echoing VanBanker – seems to lead to the dumbing down of things that shouldn't be dumbed down.

should be by not buy above sorry for bad spelling

"patriotz Says: April 28th, 2009 at 10:49 am Please. Economically left means trying to promote economic equality. Promoting economic inequality has been the Republicans’ central goal since 1980. The only people who call the Republicans “economically left” are ideological right wingers who simply use the terms “left” or “socialist” to insult anyone they don’t like and are trying to distance themselves from the Bush administration, which of course most of them enthusiastically supported not long ago. Americans who call themselves left or socialist don’t even use the terms to describe Obama, and justly so. “Economically left” is not the same thing as “big government”. You can have big government that promotes economic inequality, i.e. is economically right wing. Combine that with social conservatism and you have a package that is historically known as fascism." This is the problem with left/right,… Read more »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheating

Cheating is an act of lying, deception, fraud, trickery, imposture, or imposition. Cheating characteristically is employed to create an unfair advantage, usually in one's own interest, and often at the expense of others.[1] Cheating implies the breaking of rules. The term "cheating" is less applicable to the breaking of laws, as illegal activities are referred to by specific legal terminology such as fraud or corruption. Cheating is a primordial economic act: getting more for less, often used when referring to marital infidelity. A person who is guilty of cheating is generally referred to as a cheat (Br. English),

or a cheater (Am. English).

Following up on what I just said above: my ideal politician would be economically "right" (I still hate that term) as in small govt, reduce debt, reduce credit, encourage saving, but socially progressive (get religion out of politics, legalize + tax things instead of wasteful policing, etc).

The new graph of the unemployment spike looks like it's gone hyperbolic, just like the real estate bubble. I swear the economy of the last 10 years is starting to resemble the economies of the pre 1930's. Is life going to be a constant boom bust bubble and crash cycle after this? I thought our great leaders had introduced the central bank policy to get some control of this. I guess not. Is the EI spike just another bubble? Rememeber that the EI stats are only the 'official' unemployment it does not represent the real unemployment numbers. There are all the contract workers, self employed , returning mommies from maternity leave who don't qualify etc etc etc. The numbers put out today were from February, and as usual the government is playing fast and loose with the public information. They… Read more »

other ted, right and left by themselves are too limiting as labels. Better to describe someone on two different axis: social and economic. In relative terms (note relative here): the Republicans are socially right and economically left; and the Democrats are left on both accounts.

There are not really any old-school economically "right" politicians in the world anymore that I know of: keep govt small, limited or no debt, keep inflation near zero if possible, etc.

Renting the staging furniture can actually be quite expensive. It seems like a good idea at the outset, but can add up very quickly. You price it out roughly for a sofa and some tables, but the little things like silk plants, throw rugs, and art can double your costs. It's a great investment if you can sell the place quickly, but the reality in this market is you're going to rent it for enough months that you could have just bought the stuff outright at the beginning.

And keep in mind two things:

– The photos on their web sites/brochures are their best makeovers to date… your mileage may vary.

– The stuff they bring in looks terrific in photographs, but up close looks cheap, flimsy, tacky.

Jobless claims jump 7.8%

The number of Canadians receiving regular employment insurance benefits increased by 44,300, with the sharpest increases in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, Statistics Canada said. That marks the biggest monthly gain since July 1997.

In B.C. it jumped 11.6 percent in the month and has risen 39.8 percent since October.

Now, look around the city and what do you notice? Cranes, and construction hasn't stopped. This WILL get ugly. Picture Vancouver & BC in 9 months or so once these construction projects are complete, no more cranes in the sky, no more jobs… the end is nigh.