Bob Vylan - like early Rage Against the Machine. Found out about them when they got banned from entry to the US - which is how I'm discovering most of my music these days.
My EV is better than my gas car in every conceivable way except for the lack of rural charging infrastructure - which ain't my car's fault.
Yes, the purchase price was higher than my last car, but my first service that's more than inspections or replacing the cabin air filter is at 96,000km and that's to replace the brake fluid. There is basically zero maintenance cost.
I also charge it almost exclusively using my solar panels. Actual cost of ownership is cheaper than my old gas car, it's more comfortable, absurdly fast, and I never have to stand in the cold pumping gas. Now if only someone would start selling an EV station wagon in Canada...
Yea, exactly - that was my point. The moment the union demonstrated that they were not going to give up their innate right to withold their labour, suddenly Air Canada found a little more negotiating room.
It's funny how fast a tentative agreement was reached after the union refused to return to work...
Never ascribe malice to that which can be explained by incompetence. I truly think they believe the bullshit they spew. They are the heros of their internal monologues.
Absolutely - their recent 'Parental Rights' Bill eliminated the ability of parents of Trans or questioning kids to get puberty blockers (which have long been given for numerous other conditions such as precocious puberty without issue) or any other form of gender affirming care.
If I had a kid struggling with their gender identity, I'd be forced to leave the province if I wanted to get evidence based care for my kid - even evidence based care with limited ramifications regardless of how they end up identifying.
As a Calgarian - please let this actually happen...
Edmonton bought some EV buses but has struggled with range and reliability - with the company that made them eventually going bust.
But that is not a reason to give up on the concept. It takes time to mature technology. EVs used to suck, now they are amazing. Just like with passenger cars, infrastructure is clutch. Range limitations are predominantly only an issue on the coldest days. Bus drivers in Calgary get at least two 15 minute breaks and a half hour lunch break. Install chargers strategically on routes where range is an issue and you could get a full hour of charging during times the bus would be out of service anyway. Heck - you could just install some InductEV wireless bus chargers at key stops and you could be charging at 400kW without even needing to plug it in.
These are solvable problems - it just takes some trial and error to figure out the optimal solution. If you wait for perfect, you will wait forever.
People regularly try to convince me that EVs don't work in the cold, or for going to remote areas. I backcountry ski in the Rockies and routinely drive and park my EV (Ioniq 5) in -20C weather. Hell, I sleep in the back when I'm getting an early start on things and use utility mode and insulated window covers to keep things nice and comfy overnight. EVs used to suck - now they're awesome. Minor adaptation of how I manage 'fuel' has given me a BETTER solution.
This video was phenomenal. I had no idea just how stupid this thing was. And I knew it was stupid.
It's more expensive than SPF, but I spring for cedar - I built my planter boxes, garden beds, and patio furniture out of it. No staining required, zilch upkeep. I built a 3m x 1M raised bed planter several years ago and it's required zero upkeep so far. Ditto my patio set built five years ago.
I way prefer the wood for what it's worth. I love weathered wood - it ages beautifully, lasts for years and years, and the environmental impact of cedar (assuming that's what it is) is far lower than concrete too.
Concrete is the plastic of things that aren't plastic. Produced mostly with fossil fuels, huge GHG associated with production, and will sit as a lump of trash forever-ish once the next person decides they prefer a different look.
Make your own decisions obviously - I'm aware that I'm particularly carbon footprint averse.
I live down the street from a school in Calgary. I'm building a 'little free banned library' that I'm going to be filling with every book the government bans
Hey everyone — let me know if this feels too promotional and I’ll happily take it down.
My partner and I are currently raising and training a future guide dog puppy named Stetson for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). These dogs are provided at no cost to people who need them — but demand far outpaces supply.
It takes 18–24 months to train a guide dog, and even then, only about half make it through the full program. Once placed, a guide dog works for only 6–8 years before retiring. That means one person might rely on up to ten guide dogs throughout their life.
These dogs are brilliant and unbelievably disciplined. Stetson will only go to the bathroom on command (so his future human knows it's safe and appropriate). When he's wearing his vest, he’s all business — you can drop kibble right in front of him and he won’t flinch. And when we say “head in”, he puts on his vest himself (we just do the buckle).
A really crazy concept is 'intelligent disobedience' - these super well trained dogs need to be able to identify an unsafe command and refuse it. Maybe their human wants to cross at a crosswalk but the dog sees traffic that isn't slowing down. They need to refuse the command to cross and wait until it's safe. That sort of cognition in a dog blows my mind.
Now, I grew up with dogs but was always hopeless at training — Stetson's skills are all thanks to the incredible CNIB trainers (who train us humans on how to train these epic pups). They coach us through everything and cover all of Stetson’s costs. It’s a huge commitment from CNIB, and it adds up fast.
That’s why Stetson (and my partner Christine) are taking part in the 2025 CNIB Pup Crawl. It’s a fundraiser to support this program — and anyone can join in. You can sign up, donate, or even just come cheer on a herd of goofball puppies during two 2.5 km walks happening here in Calgary.
If you are interested in what training a pup is like, ask me anything. If you have a few bucks to spare, please consider supporting CNIB, and if you are interested getting involved - do it - this is an incredible organization and the amount I've learned is wild.
Just got a crate bed from Vagabond Pet Supply - made right here in Alberta.
Stetson, our CNIB guide pup in training hugely approves of the his thick new bed and they even sent along a knotted chew toy made from scraps of material.
I haven't tried it yet, but they also sell enzymatic cleaner in large containers. We have three cats, and a rotating cast of foster cats in addition to our training pup, so we go through the stuff like crazy. I ordered a gallon.
Went through a nasty breakup, hit the dating apps, had a few terrible dates and then started spending more time pursuing hobbies. Made friends through hobby groups (skiing and mountaineering in my case) and one of those friends has now been my partner for over a decade.
Shared interest groups are the way to go IMO.