Step 1: Recognize that culture has been appropriated:

Step 2: Realize you need to change the culture:

Liberals expend tremendous effort changing the culture. Conservatives expend tremendous effort changing elected officials every other November -- and then are surprised that it doesn't make much difference. Culture trumps politics -- which is why, once the question's been settled culturally, conservatives are reduced to playing catch-up, twisting themselves into pretzels to explain why gay marriage is really conservative after all, or why 30-million unskilled immigrants with a majority of births out of wedlock are "natural allies" of the Republican Party.

Step 3: Change the culture:

The National Geographic Society of Washington will lay off about 180 of its 2,000 employees in a cost-cutting move that follows the sale of its famous magazine and other assets to a company controlled by Rupert Murdoch.

I have a friend in Alberta who has always been left-of-centre politically. He was not happy with Harper nor the PC party in his own province. So I wrote him recently, seeking confirmation that he must be overjoyed with the elections of both Rachel Notley's NDP provincially and Justin Trudeau's Liberals federally. The message I received back was quite unexpected:

Not entirely happy is a bit of an understatement. I'm livid.

I think we're pretty much on the same page here.

We are mortgaging our kids futures. And balancing the books by 2020. Please!!!!!!

It will indeed be a different Alberta and Canada 4 years from now.

Reading through this I now understand why he's so upset:

She will increase spending on necessary infrastructure by $4.5 billion over five years.

And to pay for it all, she will borrow.

The budget predicts that Alberta's provincial deficit will total $6 billion this year alone and $18 billion over the next four years.

For Alberta, all of this is unusually bold.

How the widening urban-rural divide threatens America

A comparison between how California used to confront environmental challenges and how the state deals with them now illustrates the dangers of having a clueless urban population call the shots.

Not just America.

An open thread, as we await announcement of the winners of the Trudeau Genitalia Lottery.

The [heart icons] are the final straw: it's time to nationalise Twitter.

Says "activist" and Guardian contributor, Osman Faruqi.

"REALLY, JEB? REALLY?"

The perversity of #Palestinian life on display: clothing mannequins in #Gaza carry knives. https://t.co/g6WP87Y616 pic.twitter.com/2AIkQZseCP

— Daniel Pipes (@DanielPipes) November 4, 2015

So, how was your day?

The comments are open for your Reader Tips.

And by finished, I mean finished. (h/t Tom)

A Venezuelan man is caught smuggling. Not cocaine. Not heroin. Powered milk. Because that's how Socialism rolls. pic.twitter.com/VRS5lu44mE

— Texbarb (@texbarb) September 15, 2015

More here.

Cracks Are Widening in the Fortress of Academic Publishing

"We have to publish in these journals, since our reputation is linked to prestigious publications. The problem is that... we are working for the publishers as reviewers (for free), we run the scientific parts of journals (often for free), we provide the content (for free) and they charge us enormous amounts for distributing the stuff."

Providing public goods is the only legitimate reason we have governments.

In reality, we have governments for lots of reasons, most of them illegitimate:

When it comes to government, if you aren't involved in the provision of actual public goods, you are involved in extortion. It may be legal. It may have the blessing of the mayor, the city council, and your union representative, but it's still extortion. And you should be ashamed of yourself. If your only purpose is getting in the way until somebody hands you money, then you are part of a protection racket. And you might want to think about going into a more honorable line of work.

Hear my prayer. (h/t Robert of Ottawa)

Maybe they're not drowing, after all.

Clean your glasses;

... a new Dartmouth-led study shows that degrading satellite sensors, not soot or dust, are responsible for the apparent decline in reflectivity of inland ice across northern Greenland. The study's results suggest the ice sheet hasn't lost as much reflectivity as previously thought, and that black carbon and dust concentrations haven't increased significantly and are thus not responsible for darkening on the upper ice sheet.

There've been reports that one of the people on the Chinese list of 100 economic fugitives... has been very supportive of Justin Trudeau's political campaign by organizing a fan club ... of young people... assisting Lberal party activists in British Columbia in massive fundraising... There are photographs showing Justin Trudeau and this individual together....

The details begin at around the 24 minute mark.

h/t

Meet her supporters.

In tonight's amusement en route to the tips Bernard Cribbins, OBE sings Gossip Calypso.

The comments are open, as always, for your Reader Tips.

And the budget will balance itself: Investment flooding out of Canada at fastest pace in developed world

The $20 trillion man.

Restore CSA;

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) is about to announce their new CEO. This new hire replaces Ash Sahi, the former CEO that RestoreCSA managed to chase out the door late last year. Since Sahi's firing, the CSA has been run by a committee of executives and, as everyone knows, the best way to efficiently and decisively run any organization is through an unwieldy, bureaucratic committee.

MEDIA RELEASE: Baby squirrel gets surgery and a chance to return to the wild

Thelma is a squirrel, about 11 weeks old. Her rescuers want to return her to the wild, but she suffered from glaucoma in her right eye. The eye was blind, inflamed and obviously painful. For Thelma's health, the eye needed to be removed.

**Members of the media interested in interviewing Dr. Susette Aquino about this topic are encouraged to contact Curtis Krueger at (ofc.) 813.327.6937, (cell) 727.580.1813 or curtis.krueger@bluepearlvet.com**

It's come to this: the last, best hope for freedom in the world rests with ... Putin. https://t.co/b9RhGyVnVk

— Katewerk (@katewerk) November 2, 2015

Related: U.N. planning court to judge U.S. for 'climate justice'

EAT THE RICH.

Tonight, singing evangelist Edward W. Clayborn advises that Your Enemy Cannot Harm You, But Watch Your Close Friend.

The comments are open, as always, for your Reader Tips.

< panhandle >

It's fundraising week over at my place. If anyone here would like to help out, you're more than welcome to.

< /panhandle >

Though Charles Adler left his radio gig in Winnipeg to move to Vancouver, he has a new show on satellite radio, from which a podcast is published as well. In the most recent episode he interviews Warren & Lisa Kinsella. Much of the talk was about the Canadian Senate. Mrs. Kinsella has a "unique" perspective starting around 19:00 into the podcast:

"Because Stephen Harper first, of course, stacked the Senate. So we have an imbalance in the Senate. We have Conservatives dominating it."

Her comment necessitated a quick check of Senate appointments:

Stephen Harper: 59 Tories

Jean Chretien: 72 Liberals + 3 Independents

"If you like your boots-free Syria, you can keep your boots-free Syria."

Reader Adrian, via email;

I know Mark Steyn has been variously covered about the same thing, Douglas Murray in another piece from Gatestone, pointing out much some of the same.

And it is just the same few brave souls, how it has changed, in our short lives, going from the noble tent dweller, via some obscure threat that must surely be a laugh at about Salmon Rushdie, to death on the streets of Europe. It is now the most pervasive part of everyone on the planets life. From Cassius Clay and Cat Stevens to world domination in a generation, and by domination isn't that where we now are, it shapes every aspect of life, from freedom of speech and segregated bathing to sharia compliant laws,never mind as a child the spectacle of meeting an Indian or African, is there a street in any town in the world today without a muslim. There are conversely now huge swathes of the earth where there is but one ideology, the exponential curve on this must near equate to the fall of any previous civilisation.

Let them bake cake.

Tar and feathers, people. You remember how to do that? German Village of 102 Braces for 750 Asylum Seekers

Politicizing the blood supply:

The ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood is set to be lifted if one of the promises by the incoming Liberal Party of Canada majority federal government comes to fruition.

"The current situation discriminates automatically against men who have sex with men," said Dr. Hedy Fry, Liberal MP for Vancouver Centre.

[...] "There could definitely be queer blood drives," said Rose.

What could go wrong?

h/t andycanuck

Seattle Voted to Hike the Minimum Wage to $15 an Hour. Here's What Happened to Seattle's Job Market.

Harper's climate change betrayal.

Tonight, Oklahoman John Moreland sings Hang Me in the Tulsa County Stars at Austin's South By Southwest festival.

The comments are open for your tips.

FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE HIGHLIGHTS: 2015 -- A Bad Lip Reading (h/t EBD)