C Poulsen

I asked a friend how she was going to vote. Her response astutely stated what many voters in this three-way tie are thinking. Here it is: “How am I going to vote? Oh, that is so difficult to say. “The trouble is that I just am not an ideologue. I cannot, on principle alone, support...

Justin brought Jean Chretien out of a gratifying obscurity last week to tell Canadians they are both better human beings than Stephen Harper. Chretien said Harper is an “embarrassment" to Canadians because of the way Harper is handling the refugee crisis. Justin had already sermonized on his moral pre-eminence. “You don’t get to suddenly discover...

Have you ever wondered why people need only one round of core vaccinations as kids but your dog or cat seems to need boosters until the day they depart? They probably don't and there's a way to prove it. There's now a relatively inexpensive test being offered by progressive vets that will determine if your...

A new study shows that tequila causes pregnancy. No, there isn’t such a study. It’s an in-joke among science researchers to suggest how cause and effect - and profit motive - can be manipulated to produce new health headlines. This has been a big year for new health studies that ostensibly debunk long established wisdom...

You may have heard the ads from the Canadian mint to sell $20 silver coins honouring Bugs Bunny. Sounds Goofy. But what better way to make money . . . than to make money? That’s what sets the Canadian Mint apart from other federal institutions. By law, the mint conducts its business “in anticipation of...

* Mike Duffy smiling for the cameras is not a sight most people want to see, while they are eating or otherwise. His lawyer has been making trouble for Nigel Wright and – by extension, of course, Stephen Harper – and Duffy had the grin of a man exonerated. Not so fast, smiley face. Duffy...

The actor in the Conservative's TV ad is beside himself. Hearing that Justin wants to legalize marijuana, he sneers: “Is that really the biggest problem we have?” Seeing how he asked, I sneered back: “Close to it!” Canada needs the revenue and doesn’t need the gangs to keep getting Lamborghini-rich off the proceeds. Yes, they...

It’s said that all politics are local, although with Harper’s decision to break the bank (our bank) with a long campaign and a lot of national advertising, maybe that’s just a quaint thought.

Crazy headline: U.S. given right to access tax, bank information of four million Canadians It’s true. The agreement between the U.S. and Canada - approved in Ottawa by the man in the blue suit (Harper) - is the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, FATCA for short. It’s 1,700 pages but the gist is that the Internal...

The province is checking boats at provincial borders to check for the highly invasive zebra and quagga mussels. This is a commendable proactive approach but I get the feeling it will be like trying to stop computer viruses at the border: Some are going to get in. With these mussels, it doesn’t take much for...

The Legislature is sitting through the formality of “debating” the Liberals’ multi-billion dollar plans for LNG extraction. Hope they’ll make a better deal than their current attempt to give away a natural resource. Conservatives, such as our misnamed B.C. Liberals, like to warn that the NDP couldn’t run a popcorn stand. The Liberals may know....

For light summer reading, I learned about solar power (har, har). The book is the biography of Elon Musk. Musk is Bill Gates II or Steve Jobs II, take your pick. He’s the guy behind the Tesla electric car and the private space company SpaceX. One of the SpaceX rockets crashed recently but Musk is...

These early worries about a bad forest fire season are well founded. The Okanagan is drier now than it was previous to the Okanagan Park fire in 2003. Here are the Kelowna airport precipitation figures in centimetres for April, May, and through June 23, 2003, compared with the same period for this year. 2003: 80.6...

* Our senators have to move out of their offices for renovations. Quick, lock all the doors behind them! * The Ottawa media has overloaded us with the saga of Omar Khadr. This happens when Ottawa journalists drink their own bath water, which is always. No one cares to have a daily bombardment of Khadr...

People care about their airport, probably more than most other public buildings. The airport is the first impression for many visitors, including our family and friends. We want it to make a statement on our behalf, in the way more attention is paid to the front door than the one in the back with the...

Have you ever answered a scam email? Of course not. You’re not stupid. I, on the other hand . . . Here is my conversation with Najibah Khazal. I warn you that it’s kind of long, but justice needs to be done to Najibah’s imaginative prose and heartfelt sincerity. Najibah to me: Greetings my beloved...

LANGUAGE ADVISORY Politicians in Vernon have ended fireworks on Canada Day this year. It’s because of “liability” concerns, say local leaders. Mayor and council: My little pansies, don’t you understand what your timidity and fearfulness is teaching our kids? What can be said about a society where “risk assessment” is treated as a legitimate profession,...

Go ahead, break the law and join the club. Like most other societal change, the Internet is involved. This time it’s an online partner in crime with heretofore law-abiding citizens who have gone bad, by the many millions. For instances: — People are going online to pirate almost everything that can be moved electronically: movies,...

I’ve never written a restaurant review so it’s an honour to start with a five-star eatery. McDonald’s has a new item on its menu. Canada has been chosen as the world-wide test market for McDonald’s kale salads. They arrived at the McDriv-Thru last Friday. Don’t think we’re being used as Guinea pigs. Maybe like canaries...

The politically correct are relentless goblins, demanding rules of taste and semantics even amid death and riots in the race-torn U.S. In their latest crusade, the PCs are deeply offended by use of the word “thug” during the Baltimore riots. "These are not thugs, these are upset and frustrated children," said Rev. Jamal Bryant. "'Thugs'...