I don’t know what the right amount for a government to spend on childcare is, and I don’t know how much of that spending should go to the middle class rather than to lower-income families. What I do know is that the argument being used to support the Canadian government’s new childcare-oriented budget, namely thatContinue reading “Canadian Childcare and Labour Force Participation Growth”
His Dark Adaptations
Like any YA-novel heroine worth the name, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series has repeatedly been tasked with filling the shoes of bigger heroes in order to save the world – scratch that: worlds – from peril. First came the world of bookselling, as Pullman’s novels were used to fill the lulls between releases ofContinue reading “His Dark Adaptations”
Canadian Baseball Rules
Baseball is the most North American, and North Pacific, sport. It’s little played in Europe, mainland Asia, or south of the equator, but is loved by Americans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, Venezuelans, Central Americans, Japanese, Koreans, Taiwanese, and Canadians alike. Well, not quite alike. Just as Canada has fiddled around with American football –Continue reading “Canadian Baseball Rules”
Stadium-Shaped Hockey, Stadium-Sized Hockey
Stadium-Shaped Hockey: Here’s a thought experiment. Imagine a hockey rink that is roughly the same size as an NHL rink, except that it is stadium-shaped: the boards behind the goal lines are uniformly curved, rather than only curved in the ‘corners’ as in a conventional rink. Here’s my very rough, amateurish rendering: How would thisContinue reading “Stadium-Shaped Hockey, Stadium-Sized Hockey”
Gunslinger
In the previous post we discussed the rules of Canadian baseball, which are still not well known beyond Canada’s borders. But, while most people may not have heard of Canadian baseball, they have at least heard of baseball. In contrast, when it comes to that other great sport played in Canadian summers, gunslinger, I’m alwaysContinue reading “Gunslinger”
Wizard’s Futsal, Wizard’s Shinny
Wizard’s Futsal is a type of soccer (football, as they call it in the wizarding world) that can be played on a field as small as a basketball court or as large as a hockey rink. No broomsticks are allowed, but goals are scored though a raised hoop, quiddich-style, rather than into a traditional footballContinue reading “Wizard’s Futsal, Wizard’s Shinny”
NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden, 2022: Worth Weighting For
All-Star Game, 2022: 1st Quarter: Lightweight West: Curry, Lillard, McCollum, Morant, Mitchell, Chris Paul, Jamal Murray, Shai GA East: Kyrie Irving , Bradley Beal, Jrue Holiday, Trae Young, Van Vleet, Lowry, Sexton, Brogdon 2nd Quarter: Middleweight West: Doncic, Kawhi, Paul George, Klay, Booker, Derozan, Draymond, Lonzo East: Harden, Butler, Brown, Tatum, Middleton, Lavine, Hayward, LameloContinue reading “NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden, 2022: Worth Weighting For”
The Shootout Problem’s Simple Solution:
The NHL is back, thank god. But so is the shootout. There is a problem with the shootout: it’s anticlimactic, especially after the exciting 3-on-3 OT that precedes it. And it does not resemble the sport of hockey enough to warrant the significant impact over the league standings that it often has. Most hockey fansContinue reading “The Shootout Problem’s Simple Solution:”
T3: Trailer Trolleybus-Trolleytruck?
Trailer buses used to be fairly common. They were mostly abandoned by the early 1960s, having had a number of disadvantages when compared to conventional vehicles. They often needed to employ both a driver (in the tractor) and conductor (in the trailer), for example, which greatly increased their operating costs. A few cities, such asContinue reading “T3: Trailer Trolleybus-Trolleytruck?”
Countries’ True Heights
If for some reason you are trying to look up the average heights of people in various countries, you’ll quickly find that the tallest countries are in northern Europe or the Balkans, where men are just over 6 feet on average and women are around 5″7. The shortest are certain poor countries, such as Bolivia,Continue reading “Countries’ True Heights”
Future Economics 