City Tweeting the Election

Recently, a hawk-eyed dog-blog reader pointed out that, contrary to my earlier claim, Ward 3 is not the only contested ward in the municipal election. I concede, I blogged too hastily, my information was grotesquely out of date.

Anyway, in the course of actually doing some research on the field of candidates as opposed to just typing from out my ass, I discovered that city hall is posting via "The Twitter" up-to-the-minute info on who has officially declared their intention to run for council or school board.

I'm signed up and checking it obsessively. Huzzah! First worthwhile thing I've seen "The Twitter" used for.

For my own edification more than anything, here's how things are breaking down at 8:42pm September 22 (asterisks on the incumbents)....

PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD
Subdivision 2: Barbara Young*
Subdivision 3: Dale West*, Dr. Shauneen Pete, Larry Davis
Subdivision 4: Cindy Anderson
Subdivision 5: Carla Beck
Subdivision 7: Angela Fraser

SEPARATE SCHOOL BOARD
Gerald Kleisinger*, Rick Turchenek*

CITY COUNCIL
Ward 1: Louis Browne*
Ward 2: Jocelyn Hutchinson*, Heather McIntyre
Ward 3: Fred Clipsham*, Don Young, Shirley Dixon, John Conway
Ward 4: Michael Fougere*
Ward 6: Wade Murray*, Brenda Mercer
Ward 7: Sharon Bryce*, Danny Berehula
Ward 8: Michael O'Donnell*
Ward 9: Terry Hincks*
Ward 10: Jerry Flegel*

MAYOR
Pat Fiacco*


For the record, this list includes everyone who has filed their nomination papers as well as those who have declared their intention to run to the media. It's (very) possible that I've missed some nugget of information out there so if you notice I've overlooked someone, please, let me know in the comments or via the e-mail.

Anyway, things worth noting on the city council front, seems there's no word from Ward 5 councillor Bill Gray on if he's planning to run again.

Over in the public school board race, no word (that I'm aware of) from subdivision 1 trustee Russ Marchuk, subdivision 4 trustee Rhonda Parisian, subdivision 6 trustee Barb Saylor, and subdivision 7 trustee Garry Schenher. In the separate school race, no word from trustees Paul Malone, Donna Ziegler, Jerry Adams, nor from board chair Robert Bresciani and deputy chair Vicky Bonnell.

UPDATE: Thanks to dogblog reader Laura who guided me to a post by dogblogger Stephen LaRose (I swear I read it when it went up I just... forgot, honest), I've added Heather McIntyre to Ward 2.

Yeee-Ikes Things Are Getting Weird Down There

According to a survey by Public Policy Polling, 18 per cent of New Jersey conservatives believe that Barrack Obama is the Antichrist. Even creepier is that 17 per cent are on the fence. In New Jersey.

Brrrr.

Pick of the Day: The Age of Stupid

I blogged about tonight's screening of this movie at the university (RIC 119, 7:30 p.m.) last week. I have a smidgen of understanding about how some people could be persuaded that global warming isn't as big a problem as its being made out to be. And there are a lot of skeptics out there. Oct. 7, in fact, some Lord Viscount guy who was once science advisor to British PM Margaret Thatcher (which Rosie equated in an e-mail to being the rehab counsellor for Amy Winehouse) is speaking in town on the subject Apocalypse Cancelled. His talk is being sponsored by the extreme right-wing Frontier Centre for Public Policy, and is intended to “broaden debate” on global warming.

Climate change is a complex subject. There are climate cycles that operate on the scale of months, decades and even millenia. You can't make definitive predictions based on trends over the past 20 years or so.

But two things I know for sure.

Never, in the 4.5 billion year history of Earth, has a species like humanity existed. Not only are we extremely numerous (6.6 billion and counting), we also possess massive technological resources and are easily capable of effecting change on a scale and at a rate that Earth's natural control mechanisms simply can't cope with.

Second, if we wait until we have incontrovertible proof of climate change, it will be too late. Like a snowball rolling down hill, once underway, the various processes fueling global warming will cascade, and quickly spiral out of control.

At present, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that climate change does pose a significant threat to Earth. If people in the West in particular made even a modest effort, it would be so easy to reduce our carbon footprint and other negative impacts that we are currently having on the environment. Sustainability is what it's all about.

Tuesday is production day for prairie dog, so I won't be at this screening. But I hope lots of others take the opportunity to go.