jadero

The problem is that NDP isn't (or didn't used to be) just another way to vote for people adjacent to the centre, but for real change. "Strategic" voting for decades has done nothing but allow everything to move further right. There was a time when NDP were actually pretty radical and the Liberals weren't just yet another neoliberal clone but with fewer people stuck in the 1950s or earlier.

All the parties eventually pay attention to the most vocal voters. We need to outshout the conservatives, not just take the lesser of two evils approach. The conservatives didn't end up being such a dumpster fire by taking a lesser of two evils approach, but with a make no compromises approach. That's how they turned the ship and that's how we turn the ship. And voting our conscience is part of that.

And yes, FPTP is garbage.

I might still be apartment living in Saskatoon if there had been high density housing that met my needs.

Close enough to the river that going for a walk was more about walking along the river than getting there and back.

A reasonably safe place to keep a canoe or something close to the river.

Enough public toilets with hours of operation to support things like going fishing (or walking or running or canoeing or snowshoeing) at sunrise and sunset or even in the dark for stargazing.

On site or nearby shared shop space so I could maybe build a chair or a chest of drawers or a jewelry box. Or a canoe, even!

As long as the focus is on the lowest common denominator or, worse, basically warehousing people, high density housing will always be an uphill battle.

It doesn't matter what you teach or how you teach or even if you teach. It all helps set the directions taken. Personally, I'll take knowledge over ignorance and inclusion over exclusion, even when I find those things personally uncomfortable.

I don't get it. There are untold fields in which I haven't got the expertise to educate my kids. That includes all this gender stuff that is newer to me than the technology I struggle with. And that doesn't even consider actual methods of teaching! I've been an job-retraining instructor, but I can't help thinking that has little in common with getting school aged kids to make progress.

It's like finding a mechanical repair shop. You find the people who know what they're doing and how to do it, then pay them to do what you can't.

In the society we've built, we all have become dependent on expertise that we don't possess, so sometimes we just have to get out of the way. Not just when we know we don't have a clue or are feeling lazy or pressed for time, but even when it's hard to admit that someone might know more than us.

"Getting more votes" doesn't help in FPTP unless you actually get a plurality of the votes.

I disagree. When everyone votes for who they actually want, everyone, including the political strategists in charge of trying to figure out how their party can win, can see what the voters really want. Yes, they will still play nasty games, but at least it will be with an awareness that there are actually a lot of people who prefer different policies.

If everyone voted honestly, the biggest effect of the NDP would be to help the conservatives win more elections.

Possibly, at least initially. But maybe the conservative strategists would see that they are courting a smaller fringe than if they had courted the socially progressive. Maybe I'm wrong, but I've long thought that most policies and platforms in all parties were designed to lead to victory rather than to adhere to some principled ideology.

From the letter;

We call upon our community leaders to speak out against this protest and the potential harm it will bring to children both from the 2SLGBTQIA+ and Muslim communities, and the children who identify as being part of both communities.

[Emphasis mine]

Subtle, but it's there. To be clear, that phrasing leaves open the possibility that they don't actually accept their claims or identities as legitimate, but the modern use of "identify as" and similar constructs implies at least conditional acceptance of that claim.

Is there a way to stay on top of these kinds of things so that I can plan to show up at any counter protests? I'm working on a travel and accommodation budget for this kind of thing, but just because I'm retired doesn't mean traveling to something 150-300 km away can be done without some kind of planning.

Is there a way to follow what's going on so that I can plan to be at counter protests when this stuff happens? I need to travel anywhere from 150 to 300 km (one way), so I can't just show up on a whim.

I'm working on a travel and accommodation budget for this kind of thing, but just because I'm retired doesn't mean I can be 1.5-3 hours away from home without some kind of planning.

Sorry. If was a real writer instead of just an internet ranter, I would have either clarified the term or used different ones.

Open source software works something like Wikipedia. It's not perfect, but the fact that anyone can examine what's written and contribute means that eventually the errors get sorted out.

What I should probably have said is something more along the lines of "... one of the password manager apps that are frequently reviewed and audited for privacy, reliability, and correctness, like Bitwarden or KeePass. Both of those, and the vast majority of trustworthy password managers are available for virtually every platform."

For your phone and PC security, it's crucial to resist the temptation of using similar passwords across different accounts. Instead, opt for unique, strong passwords for each account to enhance your security. Additionally, strive to memorize your passwords and PINs so that you don't have to write them down, reducing the risk of unauthorized access to your accounts.

Who writes and fact checks this stuff? Password managers have been a thing for a long time now. It should be considered some kind of malpractice now to ever make a recommendation other than "use an open-source password manager to generate and store randomly generated passwords." That should be followed up with a list of highly regarded options, like Bitwarden and KeePass, both of which are available for virtually every platform.

That is why the work account should be separate from the personal account. While there might be certain kinds of work where that might not apply (actors?), a ministerial account should be mandatory for continuity through cabinet shuffles and changing governments. In fact, it should be prohibited to use an account created before becoming a minister and which might continue to be used after losing your portfolio.

I'm not sure how I would have decided this case, but I would tend to side with Levant's position in principle. If you're using it in an official capacity, then it's de facto official.

So you did. I sent my original comment regarding parental rights to the premier and the education minister. So, I guess you can blame me for this new tack.