Category Archives: Current Events

Brace yourself for May 5 election: Here’s a little campaign primer

Brace yourself for May 5 election: Here’s a little campaign primer

RYAN JACKSON/ EDMONTON JOURNAL FILES

Barring an alien invasion or a zombie apocalypse, Premier Jim Prentice will kick off the provincial election campaign at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Of course, given how most Albertans feel about an early provincial election, you’d probably prefer to find Martians or the undead on your front step rather than a politician.

But the election is coming, and so are the door-knocking candidates, whether you like it or not. Here, to help get you warmed up, is a little primer on what to expect from the campaign trail as the parties get ready for Alberta’s 29th election on May 5.

 

PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVES

Goal: To win another majority government. Strengths: The PCs aren’t just incumbents, they’re pretty much fixtures in Alberta politics, having won 12 consecutive majority governments since 1971 (a Canadian record). After a disastrous time under Alison Redford, the PCs managed to turn things around under new leader Jim Prentice. He also helped eviscerate the official Opposition by encouraging 11 Wildrose MLAs, including leader Danielle Smith, to cross to the government late last year.

The PCs have a candidate ready to go in all 87 ridings and they have a huge war chest at the ready, having raised $5.6 million in 2014. Weaknesses: Prentice’s provincial budget raised taxes and cut spending — and has consequently opened the government up to attacks from both sides of the political spectrum either for not cutting enough or for not raising taxes on corporations.

The Wildrose mass floor crossing, though a political coup for Prentice, left a bad odour. Many saw it as a cynical move on the part of Smith and Prentice. Smith paid the price, dumped by PC members in a nomination meeting. Voters might be tempted to lob a rotten egg the premier’s way, figuratively speaking, in the election.

Even though the PCs are doing relatively well, according to public opinion polls, Prentice has personally suffered a drop in popularity. Even though an early election is not illegal, it’s certainly not in the spirit of the province’s election law, which said the election was supposed to be held a year from now.

And a series of bitter PC nomination meetings where candidates were disqualified with little or no reason given has created controversy.

 

WI LDROS E

Goal: To hang on to official Opposition status. Strengths: The Wildrose party’s new leader, former Fort McMurray-Athabasca Conservative MP Brian Jean, has brought a much-needed boost of optimism and media coverage to the party.

Even though the Wildrose has seen a big drop in donations, it still managed to raise $3 million in 2014. Weaknesses: The most obvious, of course, was having 11 of their 17 MLAs defect to the government last year (and one left to sit as an independent), leaving a shellshocked caucus of five.

Jean, a complete newcomer to provincial politics, has been leader for a little more than a week and has such a steep learning curve ahead of him he should be campaigning with crampons.

The party is also having to rush the nominations of its candidates with the hope of having 87 in place soon.

 

NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Goal: To finish second and form the official Opposition. Strengths: A dynamic new leader, Rachel Notley, has injected enthusiasm into the NDP while introducing a measure of uncertainty, and thus excitement, into provincial politics.

The NDP is doing well in opinion polls, particularly in Edmonton, which could see it depose the Wildrose as the second-largest party in the legislature. The NDP was official Opposition from 1986 to 1993 and Notley is hoping to recapture that crown.

The NDP has candidates in all 87 ridings and raised a record $1 million last year. Weaknesses: The NDP’s strength is centred in the capital city, with pockets of support in Calgary and Lethbridge. Though the party has 87 candidates, it is seen by much of the province as too left-y and too Edmonton-y.

The NDP is hoping for votesplitting between the PCs and Wildrose, allowing a few extra NDP candidates to slip up the middle. That might not happen if the Wildrose fails to field a full team.

 

LIBERALS

Goal: To survive as a functioning party. Strengths: It is hard to think of any, seriously. The party has two well-respected and longtime incumbents: Laurie Blakeman in EdmontonCentre and David Swann in Calgary-Mountain View. Weaknesses: Where to begin? The Liberal party has no money, little popularity and not enough candidates to call itself a truly provincial party. The Liberal brand, once good for at least 25 per cent of the vote, dropped to nine per cent in the 2012 election — and doesn’t seem to be improving. Given the possibility they could be wiped out as a party, Liberals are probably hoping for an alien invasion or zombie apocalypse — anything but a provincial election. gthomson@ edmontonjournal.com

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DEPUTIES – MARCH 12

The following people are today’s Deputies  and should be a first peer point of contact for questions about assignments and advising (even if the advice is to email me qs).

All Deputies: email me a very brief report at the end of the block to recap events.

HUM 7  – ALEXANDER & TEEGAN

HUM 8 – DANELLE

MATH 8 – KEVIN & CALE

AMATH 8 – PALAK

DIDE – EVAN VIK

Humanities Open Tournament Rules – Submissions

New Horizons Humanities Open –

Tournament Rules

To be voted on Tues., Feb. 17

Adapted from the game of GOLF.  Tournament Rules in effect Feb. 14th, 2015.

Points will be applied on the date of corrected submissions.

Dates are applied M-F unless otherwise specified by special circumstances, such as holidays or triathlon.

Original deadlines will be honoured for points. Class extensions of deadlines will void additional points being applied, unless otherwise agreed upon.

Back 9 penalties in effect Feb 17th: -0.5 FORMATTING SPLICE –  NO NAME, CLASS, TITLE, DATE on assignment & file name

 ACE

Hole-in-One [TBA]

OSTRICH

5 days early / under par + 5 pts

CONDOR

days early / under par +4 pts

ALBATROSS

days early / under par +3 pts

EAGLE

days early / under par +2 pts

BIRDIE

days early / under par +1 pt

“ON THE CHARGE”

String of Birdies +1 per consecutive charge

TURKEY

Three consecutive birdies during one round of golf.

PAR

on time

BOGEY

late 1 day /over par -1 pt  (w/o notification & extension )

DOUBLE BOGEY

late 2 days / over par  -2 pts  (w/o notification & extension )

TRIPLE BOGEY

A hole played three strokes over par.

SNOWMAN

To score an eight on a hole is to score a snowman. So-named because an eight (8) looks similar to the body of a snowman. (TBA)

 

PLAYER TERMS

Air shot

A shot where the player addresses the balls, swings, and completely misses the golf-ball. An air shot is counted as a stroke. See also whiff.

Approach shot

A shot intended to land the ball on the green.

Away

Describing the golfer whose ball is farthest from the hole. The player who is away should always play first.

Back nine

The last nine holes of an 18 hole golf course. (or, the last 5 months of the school year, Feb – June)

Blind

A shot that does not allow the golfer to see where the ball will land, such as onto an elevated green from below.

Bunker

A depression in bare ground that is usually covered with sand.  Also called a “sand trap”. It is considered a hazard under the Rules of Golf.

Caddy or Caddie

A person who carries a player’s clubs and offers advice.

Calcutta

A wager, typically in support of one team to win a tournament.

Course

A designated area of land on which golf is played through a normal succession from hole #1 to the last hole.

Drive

The first shot of each hole, made from an area called the tee box.

Follow Through

The final part of a golf swing, after the ball has been hit.

Fore

A warning shout given when there is a chance that the ball may hit other players or spectators.

Front nine

Holes 1 through 9 on a golf course. (Sept-Jan in the school year)

Gimme

Refers to a putt that the other players agree can count automatically without actually being played (under the tacit assumption that the putt would not have been missed). “Gimmes” are not allowed by the rules in stroke play, but they are often practiced in casual matches.

Hacker

People who demonstrate very little or no golf-etiquette.

Handsy

A player with too much wrist movement in their golf swing or putting stroke, causing inconsistent shots or putts.

Handicap

A number assigned to each player based on his ability and used to adjust each player’s score to provide equality among the players. In simplified terms, a handicap number, based on the slope of a course, is subtracted from the player’s gross score and gives him a net score of par or better half the time.

Grand slam

Winning all the golf’s major championships in the same calendar year (ex: top student in all courses)

Mulligan

A do-over, or replay of the shot, without counting the shot as a stroke and without assessing any penalties that might apply. It is not allowed by the rules and not practiced in tournaments, but is common in casual rounds

Nine Iron

A club of the highest loft, in the “iron” family. Used for short distance shots.

Out-of-bounds

The area designated as being outside the boundaries of the course. When a shot lands “O.B.”, the player “loses stroke and distance”, meaning that he/she must hit another shot from the original spot and is assessed a one-stroke penalty. Out-of-bounds areas are usually indicated by white posts.

Scramble

Each player strikes a shot, the best shot is selected, then all players play from that selected position.

Shank

An erratic shot in which the golf ball is struck by the hosel of the club. On a shank, a player has struck the ball with a part of the club other than the club-face. A shanked shot will scoot a short distance, often out to the right, or might be severely sliced or hooked.

Shanks

A condition in which a golfer suddenly cannot stop shanking the ball; novice and experienced golfers can be affected.

Sweet-spot

The location on the club-face where the optimal ball-striking results are achieved. The closer the ball is struck to the sweet-spot, the higher the Power transfer ratio will be.

Tap-in

Often called a “gimme”, a tap-in is a ball that has come to rest very close to the hole, leaving only a very short putt to be played. Often, recreational golfers will “concede” tap-ins to each other to save time.

Waggle

A pre-shot routine where a player adjusts his body, the club, and/or practice swings at the ball.

Yips

A tendency to twitch during the putting stroke. Some top golfers have had their careers greatly affected or even destroyed by the yips.

Zinger

A ball hit high and hard.

 

Source: Wikipedia – Glossary of Golf

INDIGENOUS EXISTENTIAL RESISTANCE: THE SUNDANCE PRACTICE

INDIGENOUS EXISTENTIAL RESISTANCE: THE SUNDANCE PRACTICE
June 29 to July 13 | Musqueam Territory, UBC Vancouver & Kainai Reserve, Alberta

Designed in partnership with elders from the Kainai Aboriginal community, the original idea for this course stems from a vision, request, and invitation from these elders.

This course includes classes at UBC Vancouver, and a ten-day trip to the Kanai Reserve in Alberta, including a four-day observation of a sundance ceremony.

ATA Teacher’s Conference – My Schedule

My Schedule

Thursday, February 5

08:30

12:15

12:30

13:00

14:30

 
Friday, February 6

08:30

10:00

10:45

11:00

12:15

12:30

13:00

13:30

14:30