Mike DeWolfe : The Daily Edition

With the Federal election looming, I count myself amongst the ranks of the undecided. I don't like the Conservatives but I hate Ignatieff. I like Layton, but the NDP will never form the government, especially after Ontario and BC voters remember the disaster of provincial NDP governments. The Greens could make in-roads, but Elizabeth May is dedicated to whining and not winning. I have promised to vote for the biggest whack-job to encourage him/her. Unfortunately, our riding has only four candidates-- no independent voices, no lone gunman disarmed by the Long Gun Registry forced to participate. I have to not vote, spoil my ballot or vote for one of four people who I don't want to vote for. A lot of people feel the same way. We're tired of the bickering. We're tired of the opportunists in Ottawa who are spending our money. We're tired of them taking credit for our hard work. Elections are not a meritocracy-- they're popularity contests. The most worthy people are ...

I don't know why people are protesting the "Harper Government" phrasing in press releases. I take the opposite tack: I am Stephen Harper's problem if this is how he wants to play. I want lots of Harper Government money; I want lots of elective surgery; I want safe streets; I want all my friends to get this too. I used to expect that Canadians were responsible for providing this for themselves. Instead, it's the Harper Government. We don't have to provide anything. We don't have to answer for anything. Harper does. If my needs and wants spiral out of control, that's not my problem. Now it's the Harper Government problem. Stephen Harper, as the embodiment of the Harper Government: you owe me. When you are voted out of office, I hope that the Government formerly known as the Government of Canada goes with you. Governments are full people who want more money than welfare would provide and have the free time to clock in and collect that excess. Governm...

The Writers' Union of Canada, under the leadership of its Chair Alan Cumyn, has put together a video (link not provided) featuring five writers about the perils of Bill C-32, Canada's controversial new copyright bill. Access Copyright encourages all of our creators, publishers and member organizations to spread the word about this video.I figure that Access Copyright gets most of the issues surrounding intellectual property wrong, so there's no need to spread their pap. The video features two-time Governor General's Award winner Nino Ricci, and builds awareness on how Bill C-32 and the education exceptions will hurt Canadian writers' ability to make a living. "Without strong copyright protections, professional writing in this country will be irreparably harmed," says novelist Alan Cumyn and author of the video. "Thousands of authors and artists across the country have been writing their MPs, protesting parts of this bill. This video ...

When I was at Drupalcon in April, the keynote was echoed by a crowd of twitterers and live bloggers. They were all grabbing the elephant just as it was being simucast to the web. People wanted bragging rights in their 3000 circles that they emparted some cool info and did so first. World shaping events are watched by all and used to the commentated by three networks in America plus the newspapers. Then came CNN. The quantity of voices in professional media grew. But they were slow. A story had to be assigned by an editor; or a story had to be approved before it saw the light of day. Internet publishing started in the 1980s. The Informati fringe could log in, post to newsgroups. There were a lot of steps, a small audience and the whole experience was not for the faint of heart. The Web made it easier, but you needed to know HTML and how to FTP your opinions and do it from the safety of your dial-up and your desktop. The advent of blogging then Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) mad...

Here's my take on the Coalition : Canada has 30 million-plus people. Nine million votes were cast (30% of the people cast a vote-- some didn't care, some were ineligible; some were prevented from participating) 40% of the voters voted for Conservatives. Of the 30 million people in Canada, 3.6 million asked for Stephen Harper and his crowd to form a government. They don't have the legitimate position to rule. This from the Progessive Coalition call: We need to reach our friends, neighbours, and colleagues with a simple message over the coming days: we have confidence in a coalition, and 60% is a majority . The events of the last few days are cause for jubilation for Canadians who support a progressive coalition government. However, from our conversations with our fellow citizens we know that there is some confusion about the legitimacy of the coalition and concern about the stability of government. To be succesful, we must listen to those Canadians, speak to their confusion,...