Magic Statistics

Antonin Scalia is that rare creature—a judge who thinks that judges should not allow their "enlightened" moral views to usurp decisions of our democratically elected representatives.  How radical is that.

“I don't think that judges should do anything but interpret the meaning of texts that have been democratically adopted and give them the meaning they bore when the people adopted them," he told me. "But what I have noticed increasingly in recent years is that judges - not just in my country, but internationally - have taken on this function of being moral arbiters for the world."

Judges have arrogated that function to the detriment of both politics and the judicial system.

"If judges are routinely providing the society's definitive answers to moral questions on which there is ample room for debate - rather than merely determining the meaning, when enacted, of democratically adopted texts - then judges will be made politically accountable."

As he explained: "I am not happy about the intrusion of politics into the judicial appointment process in my country. But frankly, I prefer it to the alternative, which is government by judicial aristocracy."

“Government by judicial aristocracy”.  We’re heading that way in Canada.

Previous related posts:

• Law professors admit agenda to frustrate will of Parliament
• Judges’ pay hike may be made ever so slightly smaller
• Why bother having a written Constitution?
• Harriet Miers kerfuffle couldn’t happen here

Statistics Canada today reported that the nation's consumption of energy fell last year, while production of crude oil and natural gas increased.

Canada's demand for energy fell by 2.0% in 2006, thanks to declining consumption in the nation's industrial, transportation, residential and commercial sectors.

Declines in those sectors offset an increase in consumption in the mining sector, particularly in fuel used by the oil sands industry.
. . .
Energy use derived from the three main fossil fuels–—natural gas, refined petroleum products and coal—declined 2.1%, due to reductions in demand from the pulp and paper, chemical, residential and commercial sectors.

The industrial sector, the biggest user of energy, consumed 1.0% less in 2006 than the year before.

Production of conventional crude oil dropped 1.1% but that was more than offset by a big 31.1% increase in synthetic crude.

Alberta's oil sands remain an important source of crude oil production. In 2006, they accounted for over 43% of total crude oil and equivalent production, up slightly from 39% in 2005 and well above the proportion of 28% in 2000.

Oil sands output has increased still further in 2007—to 184,000 cubic metres per day, about 44% of Canada’s total crude oil produced.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers is forecasting oil sands production to surpass 693,000 cubic metres of oil a day, or 82% of total Canadian crude oil production, by 2020.

Only two provinces consumed more energy last year compared to 2005.  Saskatchewan was up 1.1% and Alberta 2.9%.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2007. “Energy supply and demand, 2006”. The Daily, 20 December. Statistics Canada catalogue no. 11-001-XIE. http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/071220/d071220a.htm (accessed 20 December 2007).

Previous related posts:

• Canadians are hewers of wood and drawers of water no longer
• Alberta dominated Canadian economic growth in 2006

Hey, Binky: Geezers rock!

The most popular rock instrumental group of all time will finally be inducted into the Rock Hall.  It’s about time.

The Ventures, who claim Seattle and Tacoma as hometowns, have been acknowledged as the most influential instrumental-rock band in history. The band's hits include "Telstar/ The Lonely Bull," "Ram-Bunk-Shush," "Perfidia" and the theme to TV's "Hawaii Five-O." The group has released dozens of albums, many in Japan.

The Ventures will be only the second Northwest act to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Jimi Hendrix was the first.

The band's first hit was "Walk, Don't Run" in 1960.

And here they are:

Now if only the Rock Hall would induct Johnny Rivers and Alice Cooper.

The Ventures home page is here and their AllMusic biography is here.