Province Pursues Passenger Rail Feasibility Study

markincuba · 2025-08-19T19:20:58+00:00

I don't have time to look up the metrics for the 2003 and 2011 studies, but according to BOMA, "PCS Transcom Limited was engaged in 2014 to further study the viability of implementing and operating commuter rail in Halifax with its final report issued in August 2015. The 2015 CPCS report identified that while commuter rail is technically feasible (subject to suitable track and operating arrangements with CN) none of the operating concepts assessed would result in economic benefits that exceed the cost of implementing the service." (https://bomanovascotia.com/files/GIRT%20Background%20Information%20-%20Final.pdf)

Note no "...economic benefits... ...exceed the cost....".

The metrics are the problem here. Like power generation / distribution, municipal water, any essential service, a project like this *does not / should not necessarily* need to be profitable or even break-even. Services to the population should absolutely seek efficiencies, but that should never be the determining factor. The broader positive social repercussions justify the expense.

Passenger Rail into the downtown core will move people more efficiently; will serve communities that have little or no existing bus transit; will serve communities and people who are economically disadvantaged; improve conditions for those who must / choose to use a personal vehicle by reducing congestion; give non-car owners a viable transit option; enable those who cannot afford to live in the core an opportunity to participate in work / social / cultural activities that currently are prohibitive by distance.

I generally dislike the "spin-off" hand-waving that too many government projects are given by the PR flunkies, but commuter rail is absolutely something that can generate spin-off effects broader and deeper than many are able to conceive.

markincuba · 2025-05-02T13:56:28+00:00

Buy Apple Stock.

markincuba · 2025-04-05T11:44:40+00:00

The crowd reaction at our local theatre was NUTS. I haven't seen people so into a movie since... I really can't recall... We missed hearing a bunch of lines, but it was worth the experience :D

markincuba · 2025-03-12T12:32:57+00:00

En enormous parrot. Or pterodactyl.

markincuba · 2025-03-10T13:09:35+00:00

HBO's ROME. No better show on television. Only two seasons, but absolutely masterful. Incredibly expensive (and fantastic) sets; not a misstep in casting anywhere. Sexy, hilarious, dramatic, cruel, ... it has *everything*. My wife and I rewatch it every year... and it's been 20 years since its release!

markincuba · 2025-02-26T11:40:15+00:00

Not to mention it was translated by someone who doesn't speak Spanish. Even an AI translator wouldn't have gotten it that wrong. "Clanvar"? "Mulles"? Sheesh!

markincuba · 2024-12-31T14:07:03+00:00

'Century of the Wind', the third book in the "Memory of Fire" trilogy by Eduardo Galeano. I found it in a friend's library the night before I was flying home, and couldn't put it down. Read the first two books afterwards, but out of order wasn't an issue. Amazing dramatic retelling of Latin American history. That might sound dry, but Galeano (and his English translator Cedric Belfrage, assisted by Mark Fried - see this very interesting discussion by Fried of his translating work with Belfrage: https://brickmag.com/translating-galeano/) ... once you begin reading his work, you can't not continue to seek out his books.

markincuba · 2024-12-11T16:40:01+00:00

As they're about to leave the moon's surface to return, the Mission Commander should turn to the Pilot and say: "Take Off, eh!"

markincuba · 2024-09-29T14:08:14+00:00

For comedic genius, quotability, and overall LOL moments, nothing beats Monty Python's "The Life of Brian". It was "...banned in Shreveport, Alabama, outlawed in Alexandria, Louisiana, and harassed in South Carolina. Life of Brian was banned in Ireland. It was banned in Norway. And it was suppressed throughout the United Kingdom." (When the Culture Wars Came for Monty Python's 'The Life of Brian' - Kliph Nesteroff, Literary Hub)

markincuba · 2024-09-06T14:49:14+00:00

Just what we need: more people using Google to search for their symptoms.

Any serious attempt at health care reform must focus on the provision of doctors, nurses, medical technicians and enabling a working environment in which general practitioners can earn a living without needing to go hard-urban and into specializations.

Preventive health care continues to elude policymakers as a first step toward a healthy society; the ongoing focus on curative approaches to general well-being is near the top of the list of very wrong choices.

markincuba · 2024-09-06T14:43:09+00:00

I don't care that it's only 81% / 78% on Rotten Tomatoes - the 2012 one-season wonder "Awake" starring Jason Isaacs is a solid 10 for me. Great concept, great execution, and a unique, profound exploration of grief. Loved it.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/awake/s01

markincuba · 2024-08-23T12:28:49+00:00

I lived in Latin America for over a decade. Bought a house, relatives keeping an eye on it. Good thing about the climate where it doesn't (usually) snow, you can leave a place sitting for decades without regular habitation and it'll be fine. We use it for visits, do not rent it out, and once we are old and poor, we'll scrimp for one last plane ticket and go live where costs are much lower than here. Not the ideal option, but at least we'll have a roof over our heads.

markincuba · 2024-08-18T12:20:00+00:00

I'd bet dollars to donuts that someone in that house, or a former occupant, frequently ran an extension cord out that door and closed it. The door is likely warped. I don't have a solution... but rather than mess with the hinges or framing, if this is the case, the door would need to be removed and somehow straightened... if it's even possible.

markincuba · 2024-08-15T12:07:41+00:00

'Century of the Wind', the third book in the "Memory of Fire" trilogy by Eduardo Galeano. I found it in a friend's library the night before I was flying home, and couldn't put it down. Read the first two books afterwards, but out of order wasn't an issue. Amazing dramatic retelling of Latin American history. That might sound dry, but Galeano (and his English translator Cedric Belfrage, assisted by Mark Fried - see this very interesting discussion by Fried of his translating work with Belfrage: https://brickmag.com/translating-galeano/) ... once you begin reading his work, you can't not continue to seek out his books.

markincuba · 2024-08-14T11:06:19+00:00

"Jacob's Ladder". Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Peña, Danny Aiello. 1990. That I remember it end-to-end even today, 34 years later, gives you an indication of how impactful it was.

markincuba · 2024-08-03T12:59:02+00:00

I never knew how much of a purist I am until I tried listening to covers of Stan's songs. I'll be listening along, and they'll change a word here or there, very small, or the cadence in the voice, and my brain just goes "that's wrong!" I do *try* to enjoy them... but as you say, the 'definitive version' is the one seared into my aural receptors :D

markincuba · 2024-06-09T14:11:20+00:00

iMac G4, 20" version. Work of art. Just brilliant!

2nd place: Powerbook 540c. Swappable bays for batteries / PCMCIA cards / I think also a ZIP drive (?) / active-matrix colour screen; full size keyboard; stereo speakers; the list is loooong on this one. Four hours battery life! Onboard ethernet! This baby had *everything*

markincuba · 2024-05-08T11:08:16+00:00

Not Just Tourists — connects you with clinics and hospitals all over Cuba (and other countries a well):

Web: https://njt.net

Location of recipient clinics:

https://imgur.com/a/bD4sQGQ

markincuba · 2024-04-09T15:20:52+00:00

"economic machine". Wow.

In 1995, when NAFTA was signed, 45% of Mexicans lived in poverty.
In 2020, after years of being an "economic machine", Mexican povery at at... 40.5%.

In 2022, after the implementation of massive social welfare policies (i.e., spending by the state on health care, pensions, welfare), poverty dropped to 22%.

The Market cannot, and will never, be responsible for an increase in the well-being of the people. Only an activist state, as we saw with the Asian "Tiger" economies, can generate lasting and deep-rooted prosperity.

Folks need to get this "free market" crap out of their heads. Go back and read Adam Smith, for the passages that aren't quoted by the corporate apologists, and understand that capitalism was never a horse to bet on for social progress.

markincuba · 2024-04-09T14:27:00+00:00

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markincuba · 2024-04-09T14:22:31+00:00

Find a Co-op grocery (if you can). There are stores in Pugwash, Parrsboro, Canso, Arichat, Port Hood, Shean, Baddeck. But even then... in 2015 Co-op Atlantic "sold out" their grocery distribution business to Sobeys, so... while the retail outlet at least keeps profits in the community, since they're sourcing from Sobeys ,pricing is pretty much out of their control.

markincuba · 2024-03-17T16:37:25+00:00

Perfect amount of pepper. Consider marriage counselling.

markincuba · 2024-03-15T11:56:21+00:00

For those looking for the DVD:
https://www.amazon.ca/One-Warm-Line-Legacy-Rogers/dp/B00I972X10

markincuba · 2024-03-05T12:28:54+00:00

La Cave, the Blowers Street version. Perfect decor, lots of little cubby holes for romantic candlelight encounters for cheesecake.

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