never been given a compelling reason why we invented agriculture if hunting gathering was so good

The Median population centre of Canada, IE where the there are equal numbers of people north, south, east and west of that point is in field north of Orillia 44°43'50.4"N 79°27'46.2"W

I like this representation so I made one for Canada

Here we go. The Gitxaala decision (2025 BCCA 430) sets a new minimum for serious consultation (and possibly consent) on about any conceivable activity that could affect Indigenous rights and title.

Is the goal that business in BC have precisely zero certainty over any part of the regulatory and tax structure?

To the extent we’re going to have a death penalty, I think it should be viscerally violent so as to avoid any wiggle room about what we’re doing. We should also stop corrupting the medical profession by involving them in lethal injection, which are not actually more humane than firing squads.

If we’re going to kill people we shouldn’t try to pretend we aren’t killing people, firing squad is historically much quicker and less painful than lethal injection, especially with the current drug issues. It makes the public more uncomfortable but I don’t think that is a bad thing.

Laurentian elites got us into these problems, we need to Laurentian elite even harder to get out of them.

Anyway, the way you can tell Eby's comments about 'litigation risk' around DRIPA are horseshit is that the government will absolutely, 100% get sued for including land with multiple title/rights claims in the treaty.

It's genuinely frustrating that the media pieces are characterizing this as Armstrong herself advancing Nazi rhetoric. She was accusing the premier and BCNDP of doing so. As I said yesterday: ugly, inflammatory and ludicrous. But don't print lies in the newspaper.

🫠 To be clear, the "congo line" cometh because others are willing to may more for American barrels, which is how the global deficit price pain spreads to North America.

genuinely really heartening news, whatever's driving it

More BCCon posting, Findlay hitting cost of living vs spendthrift government. Not exactly challenging new material, but probably resonates. I'm pretty in the weeds on BC politics, but this is the first I'm hearing about a vehicle lease expense scandal.

This is the mirror version of my exasperation with people calling for Canada et al to recognize a Palestinian state. In what specific area do the Palestinians have an organized body exercising a legitimate monopoly on the use of force?

Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)…avian architects … they use their beaks to sew plant leafs together with plant fibers, spider silk, or insect cocoons…tropical Asia. #birds #nature #wildlife #photo #ecology

It's freeing to accept there's no majority of the electorate that shares your views. Every vote becomes a harm-reduction exercise to try and avoid the worst, knowing you will not get your optimal preference.

It's obviously ugly and inflammatory, and Nazi comparisons are 100% of the time ludicrous hyperbole in Canadian politics. The full comments aren't exactly helpful either.

We're nowhere near sufficiently freaked out by converging crises of 1) aging boomer population that is 2) most suburban cohort in human history while 3) living in areas at highest risk of climate disaster and 4) fighting all efforts at infill housing/transit. It's worse than you think it is, folks.

I've wondered about this. Suppose most of the market is wrong about the world in a consistent way (for whatever reason, but 'widely used AI points to this conclusion' will do). Do we think the truth or the social psychology will prevail in setting prices?

I know everyone wants there to be a Giant Cretaceous Octopus but after looking at methods and tables, I really don't think this is a reality.

I'm informed it's snowing in Saskatoon and a beautiful 25 and sunny in Winnipeg simultaneously. Happy to report that spring has arrived on the prairies.

We really need a province-wide unified process here. I'm not exactly opposed to the current approach of unlimited work for lawyers forever. But I'm not sure 'lawyers should have more boats and summer houses' is a great use of taxpayer money and government effort.

I first had this thought in relation to Premier Kinew's moose closures last year. If blockades continue to be the tactic of choice and tacitly supported or ignored by premiers, it's a matter of time before some dumb yahoos organize a counter-blockade.

I continue to be disappointed that (Lukaszuk & Kenney aside), there's crickets among the federalist right. Lots of dry powder.

It is extremely related that from time to time there are news reports about Russia recruiting mercenaries from African countries under questionable to outright false pretences. A younger population and limited work opportunities at home is an unpleasant incentive structure.

I think what is interesting about Ukraine is that this is the first usage of military robotics that actually seems to flow from a reality that very few in military futurism community have discussed: population scarcity

Hell yeah. If elbows up means anything, it's being willing to call the US on its extremely tiresome shit. We keep trying to make deals with the Yankees, they are an unpredictable partner whose word is worth nothing and who do not honour their agreements.

he's right about this

Median 18th Century Exploration Diary be like: I, the most racist englishman alive, my indigenous wife, my somehow even more racist french astronomer, his african wife, ten scottish convicts who promise to kill me but never do, and a couple unnamed guides spend years in the wilderness, find nothing

Might mess around and do a recurring roundup of what the BCCon candidates are emailing. Elliott talking about youth unemployment & TFWs (in the grand Canadian tradition of provincial politicians running on federal heads of power).

For a man writing firmly in the gunpowder age, even accounting for the histories & tragedies being set earlier, the lack of shootings seems notable?

I forget the post that was like "Americans treat Trump like he's an inconvenience and the rest of the world treats him like the President of the United States"

Wow. You're telling me that environmentalism is just a handy tool NIMBYs pick up to oppose any local change, not a principled belief worthy of respect? I'm shocked and appalled. Well at least these cynical and self-serving motives surely don't apply to any other sort of project opposition.

This is an interesting piece. Very clear that it's working from imperfect and incomplete information, but the question at the heart of it: 'are successful Canadians leaving/setting up options to leave?' is extremely important.

And now: a thrown-out search warrant, a key witness not called..... are we seeing the end of this case? www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

1/5 Well over three years of work and I’m thrilled to see it out today in Science Advances: the cover feature no less! Using an innovative pipeline, we show that malaria shaped the spatial organization of human groups in sub-Saharan Africa over the last 74,000 years. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

👀 This sounds so cool

One advantage of renting from a large corporate landlord is that the people who do the properly management understand that it’s a business and don’t expect your gratitude.

New report! Canada needs gentle-density housing that works for families of all shapes and sizes. But regulatory barriers and other issues prevent it from reaching scale. Here is how we can change that. Read here: www.missingmiddleini...

I could be persuaded that Western Canada starts anywhere from T Bay's western outskirts to where the forest cedes to grass near Hadashville. But it's somewhere between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg.

For a man writing firmly in the gunpowder age, even accounting for the histories & tragedies being set earlier, the lack of shootings seems notable?

Competition reality show where a security company has to defend against attempts to steal a treasure.

While I'm thinking about it, I want to talk a little more on why Gitxaala (2025 BCCA 430) is something we're going to be dealing with for a very long time. You have to understand how low-barrier 'staking a claim' is. You don't need boots or stakes or a physical presence on the land.

Worth reading if you're following the cluster in Victoria. The sole opinion I'll offer is that it's worth observing when the argument is about sovereignty or a nation-to-nation relationship, and when Indigenous people are just British Columbians exercising our shared democratic rights.

Starting here, there's a (so far) civil and cogent thread that really offers the best arguments on each side of the Elgin Marbles question.