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The Constitution of the Fifth Republic at 65

In Opinion by Michael Rae

Nearly 20 people were killed in Paris during and immediately following the Islamist attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January 2015. Then, in November of that same year, terrorists killed 130 and injured hundreds more in a series of coordinated attacks across Paris that included suicide bombers detonating explosives outside the Stade de France, indiscriminate shootings at crowded restaurants, and the storming of the Bataclan concert hall, where an American rock band played for a sold-out crowd of 1,500. Continue Reading…

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Why the Casual Attitude Toward Inflation?

In Analysis by Michael Rae

The Federal Reserve and the Biden administration seem to have a very casual attitude toward inflation. When inflation started to draw some attention, the Federal Reserve’s official line was that it was transitory.
In June, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said it was temporary, and John Williams, President of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, predicted inflation for 2021 to be around 3%. In response to this month’s inflation numbers, President Biden said this is the peak, and inflation should decline rapidly after this peak. He blames inflation on supply chain issues.
There is some truth to the claim that the current inflation is in part

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Sr. Mary Kenneth Keller: Computer Programming Innovator

In Opinion by Michael Rae

Emerging from the vibrant and innovative postwar years, the nascent discipline of computer science in America was attracting top talent in mathematics, engineering, and computational linguistics. Several schools were creating “computer science” programs by the 1950s and early ’60s. Continue Reading…

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Urgent Ukraine lessons, defence spending cuts, tougher lobbying rules & Doug Roche’s new book

In Opinion by Michael Rae

UKRAINE UPDATE: KEY LESSONS WE MUST LEARN
The Russia-Ukraine War Report Card, Sept. 26, 2023  Belfer Russia-Ukraine War Task Force
September 26 update: No significant territorial change….Net territorial change in the past month: Russia +15 square miles.
Russia in Review, Sept. 15-22, 2023
Excerpts from 7 Things to Know
Ukraine intends to continue its counteroffensive

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Preliminary evidence on the safety of automated vehicles is overwhelmingly positive

In Politics by Michael Rae

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted Aug. 10 to approve an expansion of the robotaxi services offered by automated vehicle developers Cruise and Waymo in San Francisco. The companies have not only acted on CPUC’s approval; they’ve announced new robotaxi markets throughout the United States, and it appears increasingly likely that large metro areas in the Sun Belt will enjoy automated vehicle ride-hailing services in the next few years. 

Some skeptics have raised questions about automated vehicle (AV) safety, and recent incidents involving Cruise in San Francisco—including a collision involving a firetruck that resulted in minor injuries to a Cruise

Read more at Reason.org

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Taxes consume more than 45% of household income for average Canadian family

In Research by Michael Rae

Authors:

Grady MunroJake Fuss

Expenditures on housing comprise less than half of what the average family pays in taxes.Read more about Taxes consume more than 45% of household income for average Canadian family Tags: household incomeincome taxeshousehold expensespersonal income taxescost of living

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The Right’s Racial Suicide

In Opinion by Michael Rae

“To be conservative,” wrote Michael Oakeshott, “is to prefer the familiar to the unknown, to prefer the tried to the untried, fact to mystery.” His definition of conservatism, not as a set of policy aspirations but as a deeper sensibility, explains the conservative respect for tradition and view of history as a source of norms—that’s the positive side. Continue Reading…

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Making Multi-Unit Buildings EV-Ready

In Energy by Michael Rae

With the recent and rapid increase in the number of electric cars on the road in Alberta, charging infrastructure will need to keep pace, including in multi-unit residential buildings. Our Guide to Installing EV Infrastructure in Alberta’s Multi-Unit Residential Buildings provides resources and advice on how building owners, managers and

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Major conclusion by Alberta Electric System Operator on Clean Electricity Regulations lacks evidence and transparency (media release)

In Energy by Michael Rae

Over the last few months, the Government of Alberta has continued to argue that decarbonizing the grid by 2035 is not possible for the province, yet it has released no analysis, modelling results or data supporting these claims. The Ministry of Affordability and Utilities did commission modelling, completed in January

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The energy transition is well underway and Canadian workers want to be in the driver’s seat (blog)

In Energy by Michael Rae

As the world aligns with a net-zero trajectory, Canada’s traditionally fossil fuel-heavy economy is at a crossroads. Canada could see hundreds of thousands of good new jobs generated through investments in clean energy options like wind and solar power, a robust electric-vehicle supply chain and technologies to drive emissions reductions.

Read More at The Pembina Institute