Remember who gave us freedom to be artists
In Flanders Fields The Poppies blow Between the Crosses, Row on Row In 1933, one of the first political moves Adolf Hitler took to solidify his control over the population of Germany was to control the media. He nationalized newspapers so that he could sow propaganda , then begin a pogrom against the Jewish community, […]
Open data use doubles, ‘Citizen Dashboard’ pickup slow
Use of the City of Edmonton’s “open data” website exploded in 2013, doubling to more than 1.6 million page views from the year prior. But the city’s attempt to simplify all of that data into meaningful performance targets the public can easily check hasn’t done so well: Edmonton’s ‘Citizen Dashboard’ isn’t getting much traffic. […]
Edmonton indie game developers find success par for the corpse
Pity poor Sir Reginald the Obtuse. He is brave, adroit, fleet of foot. But if you want to get across that spike pit, you’re going to have to bounce off poor Sir Reginald’s spike-riddled carcass to do it. The video game platformer Life Goes On is the most twisted little piece of black comedic […]
City hackathon touts open data, shuns footbags
Who says government can’t be responsive to its citizens? Cynics be damned and code monkeys take note: the Open-Data Day Hackathon is officially on. The venue for this clash of intelligent people, obsessive-compulsive code nitpicking and social responsibility is, appropriately, the Edmonton Public Library’s new “Makerspace”, which it describes as “a creative digital hub that […]
EIFF REVIEW: Spinning Plates feeds heart and soul
Towards the very end of Joseph Levy’s acclaimed documentary Spinning Plates, airing Oct. 3 as part of the Edmonton International Film Festival, there is a defining moment. World-renowned chef Grant Achatz compares his ultra-expensive, ultra-exclusive Chicago restaurant to those hometown spots run by his parents when he was a kid. He says, “It’s the same […]
COMMENT: Mayor’s race a gong show
Edmonton has become embroiled in cheap mayoral politics – which is ironic as hell. The idea that three incumbents from this council could do anything cheaply must’ve been a shock to all of us. The latest is a shot at Don Iveson for having written a joking “Workers of the World Unite”-style satire piece in […]
EIFF REVIEW: Muscle Shoals does its namesake proud
The great electric blues guitarist Otis Rush had some cracking albums in his day – and like his live gigs, they always started out with something smoking that really set the tone. In 1969 it was an album called “Mourning in the Morning.” Like most things musical, attempting to describe its incendiary, note-stabbing kickoff, all […]
COMMENT: Stephen Mandel’s big dreams had high price
The decision by Mayor Stephen Mandel not to run for a fourth term is probably sensible on a personal basis. For all his shortcomings, he’s one of the hardest working civic leaders Edmonton has ever had. And now he’s 67 years old. The timing still strikes me as cowardly. The two showpieces of his administration […]
COMMENT: Why Mayor Kerry Diotte would be good for Edmonton
That Kerry Diotte is running for mayor of Edmonton is exceedingly good news. He threw his hat into the ring for the Oct. 21 civic election at hastily assembled press conference Thursday. Full disclosure: I know the guy. I worked with him for more than 15 years at the Edmonton Sun, where he was one […]
In Alberta, a government-approved disaster monthly
If you just looked at the numbers, you might think Alberta is one of the most dangerous places on the planet: after all, the number of natural disasters declared here has increased seventeen-fold in the last 12 years. Floods, fires, hail storms, acts of God that crippled entire industries. We’ve got it all. But critics […]
POLL: Canadians want PM’s powers limited
Canadians believe the law should place greater restrictions on the powers of the Prime Minister and other legislative leaders, a new national survey suggests. The Harris/Decima Research poll was conducted on behalf of the pro-Democracy lobby group Your Canada, Your Constitution (YCYC). The survey asked 2,013 Canadians ages 18 or older whether they agreed or […]
GOV’T: Unregistered Alberta burial sites remain unprotected
It may shock you to know that if a farmer has an undiscovered native burial site on his land, he can legally plow it under, five years after Alberta promised to protect unincorporated cemeteries. But the issue isn’t going away. Critics note the upcoming renovation or replacement of the Walterdale Bridge in downtown Edmonton will […]
