One step forward…

…

Metro Transit is cutting evening ferry service. The last boat leaving Halifax in the evenings will now depart at 10:30 p.m. instead of 11:45 p.m.

This is insane. Dartmouthians who want to go out for an evening in downtown Halifax (for instance to Neptune, to a comedy club, to any bar not named Celtic Corner) and Haligonians who want an evening in downtown Dartmouth (to visit the famous KevvyD, for a concert/show at Alderney Landing, or to go to a bar named Celtic Corner) are shit out of luck. Or will need to designate a driver and waste a bunch of gas.

The Sunday ferry service will also start later in the morning. I guess downtown Dartmouth is getting a bit too vibrant? People moving to condos there is a problem, so council wants to discourage that? I’m baffled by this short-sighted decision.

Paving the path on Barrington! Yay city!

My morning commute (cycling) takes me along a gravel path that runs parallel to Barrington Street, starting at the MacDonald Bridge and ending at the end of the navy dockyard. I talked to a friendly contractor working on what I thought was a simple grading and extension project, and it turns out that they are paving that path. Yay!

The Urban Transit Blues

I was made aware a few days ago that HRM is enduring a transit strike – a few people I know don’t own vehicles and have some level of dependence on mass transit to get to work, which makes it particularly painful. Even with its limitations, it was, in my opinion, better than nothing. In fact, one of the things I miss most about le Homestead is the commute by ferry every day. I have read with appreciation the adaptations undertaken by my fellow ‘Koggers, who are by far the most resourceful folk I’ve ever shared a series of electronic impulses with.

Compare and contrast that with the efforts of our Mayor here in T’ranna, Rob Ford, who, like many politicians, is eager to bury his mistakes; unfortunately, he seems to be confused as to what that means – the battle is on between the supporters of Ford’s vision of GTA transit, which is more subways, and the majority of council, which supports light rail (LRT). The issue in Ford’s mind seems to concentrate on the feelings of burning hatred the residents of the ‘burbs, like Scarborough, feel for the downtown ‘Path’-dwelling Morlocks of the inner city. Notwithstanding the problem of opposing communities is actually a result of Ford clumsily playing one faction off against the other, which, to the eyes of an outsider (like myself, for instance) appears to be the only way he could get elected in the first place.

Now, this is just my opinion, mind you, but I travel to Scarborough quite frequently (most weekends), and it is a combination of subway and LRT travel. Of the two, I vastly prefer subways – fast and unaffected by weather. If, however, the choice is between more LRT to service outlying areas and fewer new subway lines, the economy tends to tilt the balance toward the ‘bang for the buck’ option. As the author of the linked article points out, the city centre isn’t exactly thriving from a mass transit perspective; I’ve taken the St. Clair streetcar several times, and I quite like it, but it is unaffected by the frequent delays experienced by the downtown routes. It is the peril of sharing the roads with thousands of cranky drivers during the interminable rush hours. The battles between neighbourhoods is illusory and purely political in nature.

The System is All. Long Live the System.

Love it or hate it, a robust transit system is a necessity for a thriving urban area. Even those who grumbled at the increase in transit rates in January just gritted their teeth and paid more because they know there is no viable alternative. Surely if we remove the artificially-created volatility we can make some progress in creating a system that works for everyone. If leadership is the problem, I have a feeling that this situation is temporary. VERY temporary.

Ok, is it weird that I have a favorite subway stop? This is "Museum", under the ROM.

In the meantime, good luck to my commuting friends in the HRM!!

A Friday Tune – The Front Bottoms

I’m really starting to like these guys…

Greetings from the Centre of the Universe

Since my last post a dog’s age ago, I have moved to the City that Never Shuts the Hell Up – Toronto, Ontario. I’m not exactly on the coast, or even near the coast anymore (Lake? Pffft.), but I thought I’d poke my head up, gopher-like, to say hello to my fellow ‘Koggers. I’ve been thinking I’d like to get back into actively blogging again, and if my fellow authors have no objection, I’d like to jump back in. The site, for what it’s worth, will then have about a third of the country covered, at least if you are measuring distance from one coast to the other.

Deal?

My new secret Flash lair

Dear Canadian Taxpayer Federation:

I have an idea for your next target research focus.

Attawapiskat must pay Ottawa appointee $1,300 a day

While the known costs for the auditor are $1,300 daily, that sum could rise significantly once travel and other expenses are factored in, said Grand Chief David Harper, of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak. In fact, Harper suggested that the final tab could be about $300,000.

PS – Don’t read the comments below that CTV story if you still love this country. They may change your mind.

Derek Boogaard article in the New York Times

This is a very well-written, well-researched article that describes the life and death of Derek Boogaard. For those that don’t recognize the name, Boogaard was a feared and respected enforcer in the NHL. He died of a drug and alcohol overdose last May at age 28. It’s a long, three-part look into his life by John Branch. A fascinating and disturbing read.

Part 1: Derek Boogaard: A Boy Learns to Brawl

Part 2: Derek Boogaard: Blood on the Ice

Part 3: Derek Boogaard: A Brain ‘Going Bad’

The Habitable Exoplanets Catalog

The Habitable Exoplanets Catalog is an online database for scientists, educators, and the general public focused on habitable exoplanets discoveries. The catalog uses various habitability indices and classifications to identify, rank, and compare exoplanets, including their potential satellites, or exomoons. (this text is taken directly from the site’s introduction.)

The HEC ranked the exoplanets (and exomoons) discovered thus far by the Kepler telescope according to surface habitability and similarity to Earth.

A taste:

This planet is ranked #1 by habitability according to the metrics used on the HEC site:

This planet is the most earth-like:

Fun! Science! Science fun!

Deconstructing dog-whistles feeding off Attawatapiskat

âpihtawikosisân

A great deconstruction of the racist shit spewing all over the blogosphere and the House of Commons regarding Attawatapiskat. With numbers!

For a link to Attawatapiskat’s budget, go here (pdf).

I heard a rumour

A friend of a friend of a friend of a friend told me that the entire Federal Conservative caucus was going to step down before the next election in order to sail the good ship Ragnarok into the face of the Rapture. If this actually happens, it will trigger a number of byelections. If these byelections are triggered, who do you plan to vote for?

a) NDP
b) Liberal
c) Bloc
d) Green
e) Ragnarok
f) Other

(In case you think I’m crazy, which is possible, I am mocking this bit of douchebaggery: Conservative douchebaggery)