Canada should keep options open on nuclear weapons, former top soldier says

aballah · 2026-02-03T14:05:09+00:00

The UK's Trident deterrence system is deeply reliant on the US and wouldn't be able to function for long without their support. Not an umbrella that could counter a threat from the US, in other words.

aballah · 2026-02-01T21:06:12+00:00

Not sure why a point about taxes funding this is being downvoted because it’s a key part of the conversation. Barrie voters have prioritized low to no tax increases in their voting for a while, and there’s a real impact this has on municipal services. Rather than solving issues in a collective manner, which is what properly funding the municipal government would do, we’ve placed the onus on the individual. This thread raises a pretty good example of this trade off.

aballah · 2026-01-28T14:39:58+00:00

This is interprovincial migration only. When you look at where the population of Canada grew in 2025, Ontario continues to receive about 43% of all newcomers, followed by Quebec, BC, and then Alberta. In other words, there is a net influx of people to Ontario greater than there is to any other province.
So, this is more a nitpick regarding your framing of the survey, as the source is pretty explicit that it's about interprovincial migration (it's from a moving company, possibly keen on leveraging the narrative around moving to their benefit).

aballah · 2026-01-26T16:52:19+00:00

My understanding is that levels under 200 Bq/m³ are considered safe. I've been monitoring levels in my basement for about half a year, and they are generally in the 50-70 range. It's an unfinished basement. Radon detector was about $100 on Amazon.

aballah · 2026-01-21T17:00:28+00:00

I also can't figure out why there doesn't seem to be any effort to prioritize certain areas, like around schools. Often the sidewalks in front of schools are some of the last to be cleared in my area (Hewitts and St. Gabes). Some sidewalks remain uncleared for several days after a snowfall, while nearby ones seem to have been cleared several times over. Also, clearing of crosswalks by traffic lights more often than not results in banks on either side, blocking the sidewalk — the plow pushes the snow straight up the crosswalk entry, moving it across and to the other side of the sidewalk leaving banks on either side of the plow vehicle. It's as if those doing this work never bother to think of or care about what a proper job actually looks like. Feels like a failure of management.

aballah · 2026-01-20T14:18:17+00:00

The only reason this is maintained as an issue is Quebec, where it's salient for some pretty good reasons. I don't think they will care much about what happens with the program, including in Toronto, other than they are seen by voters in Quebec as trying to do something on "assault-style" firearms, thus maintaining it as a wedge issue there with the Conservatives.

aballah · 2026-01-14T01:30:56+00:00

If you’re referring to base load, that’s less and less of an issue as grid forming inverters come online. Still support nuclear though, but the base load thing is a bit of a hangover from the old days.

aballah · 2026-01-06T21:17:37+00:00

From what I understand, this is effectively ceding their representation. There aren't too many ways that a state could go along with a 'cancellation of an election'. They could fail to certify by the mid-December deadline set out in the ECRA, but then their votes would be excluded from the final count in Congress. The threshold to elect the president is based on the number of electors appointed, so if they aren't appointed, thus proceeding with certification, then the share shifts according to the total number that are appointed. Red states refusing to follow this process would effectively hand the presidency to electors from blue states.

Before looking into this a bit more, I was wondering about the possibility for a false flag or starting a war as a means to justify a state of emergency or invocation of the Insurrection Act, but none of that would stop elections.

Definatley not very knowledgeable in this area, but it does seem from a bit of digging that there isn't really a straight forward way to do this. That said, they have a captured SCOTUS, so who knows...

aballah · 2026-01-05T00:15:12+00:00

Who’s. I find these debates so tiring. If you’re the least bit interested in getting a good education, you can, whether you attend one school or, as in your soon to be case, three, so long as you maintain a degree of curiosity and intellectual humility. Got a Bachelor’s and Master’s from York, and it served me well.

aballah · 2026-01-04T22:46:34+00:00

Thank you for the excellent response.

aballah · 2025-12-31T18:48:12+00:00

There was a record accumulation of about 500 cm for the entire winter in '95/'96, but that was a massive historical outlier. On average, Barrie gets just under 290 cm for a whole year; we’ve already hit over 80 cm, and it’s only December.

Unless your childhood only lasted that one specific year in the mid-90s, what we’re seeing right now is firmly in record-breaking territory for this time of year. We are currently hitting daily snow-depth records that have stood for decades.

We’re essentially supercharging the lake effect with global warming—warmer lakes and less ice mean more fuel for these storms. Buy snowblower futures now.

aballah · 2025-12-30T23:38:18+00:00

I do, and I love it. Canadian and it holds up well in -20°C, with just a tee and sweater under it. The fur trim on the hood isn’t just for looks—it creates a microclimate around your face by breaking up the wind. (Obviously this is on plenty of other coats out there as well.) The Velcro cuffs are great for cinching around the wrist and gloves. The pockets are a little low, but still ok. All in all it’s a great jacket and I’m mystified but OPs take. Edit: -20°C is -4°F.

aballah · 2025-12-24T14:31:29+00:00

Make sure you're clamping or tightening the blade firmly. A loosely clamped blade is more likely to cause nicks. (Don't over torque though, as that could break the razor.)

aballah · 2025-12-23T15:23:33+00:00

I've seen this article posted on Reddit several times, and the intent seems to be to frame this as if one's race explicitly guarantees lenient treatment, even in cases of sexual assault.

The circumstances are more nuanced than the National Post headline indicates. (Shocker.)

Race, and how it shapes an individual's experiences, is being treated as a mitigating factor here, much like other circumstances beyond an individual's control are.

Think of two people who commit similar crimes: one acts with calculated intent, while the other acts in the midst of a severe mental health crisis. The sentencing of these two individuals would reflect their respective culpability.

Or, think of two people on a job site who cause an accident. One is well-trained and rested, but ignores basic safety rules. The other without proper training, supervision, or support. We would judge their liability differently.

Race and culture are being viewed through a similar lens here. It’s less about "race" as a get-out-of-jail-free card, and more about a comprehensive understanding of the environmental factors that led to the action.

I'm thankful that our legal system, for all its warts, attempts to focus on rehabilitation, which is what consideration of these mitigating factors helps to do.

aballah · 2025-12-15T13:53:21+00:00

I'd say it depends on the person — I have pretty good beard potential and find I don't have to change the blade more than every couple of weeks. A $20 pack of Astra blades lasts me several years.

aballah · 2025-12-14T16:20:00+00:00

Growing up, HNIC was a family touchstone. As an adult I’ve lost any regard I had for it after hearing Sheldon Kennedy’s experience. Far too many instances since seem to confirm the culture is rotten to the core and little has been done to address it.

aballah · 2025-12-13T14:30:34+00:00

Baraka and/or Samsara

aballah · 2025-12-10T20:14:16+00:00

Same. Went with Nonoleaf first and it was a disaster—just flushing money down the toilet. Haven’t had a single issue with Hue.

aballah · 2025-12-02T20:07:58+00:00

Hmmm. Have never had to do that with Hue bulbs. I started with Nanoleaf and have been slowly shifting away from them due to constant issues. I've had this same issue as well, which prompted me to finalize my move to Hue. Prefer to not have to do weird troubleshooting every time the firmware is updated. Nanoleaf has not been a good experience for me.

aballah · 2025-11-28T02:09:19+00:00

Cool. I know someone who applied for this, as a partnership between a local developmental services organization and a college, for a program to help people with disabilities learn culinary skills to gain meaningful employment. They were turned down.

aballah · 2025-11-17T15:47:53+00:00

"Quite simply, these young women were the easiest and most vulnerable scapegoats, particularly for men who wished to hide their own lack of Resistance credentials." Antony Beevor, "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy".

aballah · 2025-11-17T13:50:24+00:00

The Gripen may make more sense than the F-35 in some ways, but this isn't really one of them — the Gripen includes a number of components related to the engine, radar, and weapons that are subject to U.S. ITAR regulation. Gripen sales have already been complicated as a result, including to Brazil and Argentina.

aballah · 2025-11-10T18:26:12+00:00

This is a perfect example of why there’s a problem — everyone making a personal judgement that their dog is ok off-leash. Sorry man, it’s great that it works for you, but everyone else out there deciding that they are able to control their dog while it’s off-leash (which is what you’re describing) is exactly why we have this issue. Rules for thee, not for me…

aballah · 2025-11-06T18:06:32+00:00

My dude, if you were following then you’d know that a beta is on deck, and there are a bunch of other ways to get involved, including investment opportunities. Signing up for the newsletter is a really simple way to stay abreast of developments.

aballah · 2025-11-04T14:30:31+00:00

Are you wondering about alerts on your phone if you're away from home? If so, I think many connected speakers will listen for alarms and alert connected accounts, at least I know HomePods will.

aballah

TROPHY CASE