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Articles by Tom Mueller
Opinion: Only higher profits can fix NB Power
That means greater investment in nuclear power and domestic natural gas development, writes columnist Tom Mueller Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • If the province is serious about NB Power paying down its debt without bankrupting local ratepayers, then it needs higher profits, not an endless succession of rate increases, writes columnist Tom Mueller. BRUNSWICK NEWS ARCHIVE NB Power has generated more than its share of negative headlines lately.
Opinion: New Brunswick's deeply alarming debt situation
Skip to Content New Brunswickers' fiscal obligations may be spread over different levels of governments and agencies. But that doesn't change the fact they're still on the hook, writes Tom Mueller Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. A heavily indebted household may take solace from a substantial RRSP because, in extremis, those assets can be converted into cash. Governments enjoy no such escape hatch.
Opinion: Critics proving NB Power right on gas plant
Skip to Content Given New Brunswick's capacity crunch, the case for Tantramar nearly makes itself, writes columnist Tom Mueller Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. The proposed Tantramar natural gas generating station is part of NB Power's plan to address growing electricity demand and improve grid reliability.
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Tom Mueller: Mira’s precision maneuvering capabilities, Helios’ cost-effective satellite transport, and the shift towards government contracts in space tech | TWIST
Key takeaways Mira is designed for precision maneuvering in space, capable of hosting and deploying payloads. Moving a spacecraft from low Earth orbit (LEO) to geosynchronous orbit (GEO) requires significantly more speed than current capabilities allow. Space Force has shown significant interest in the spacecraft, leading to multiple units being produced for government use.
Opinion: Is 'health care for deficits' a fair trade-off?
Skip to Content Today’s red ink is not a rupture but a reckoning, a bill coming due after years of underpaying the true cost of public services Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. The burden of public debt extends beyond the province's annual budget. It works its way through the economy in quieter but more corrosive forms.
Opinion: NB Power math doesn't match economics
Is plan grounded in sound economics, or in accounting artifice placing New Brunswick at significant risk? Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. The NB Power emblem is seen on a pole inside the utility's nuclear power plant in Lepreau.
火星殖民前夜：马斯克、叙事杠杆与一条万亿美元产业链-虎嗅网
人类文明的每一次出逃，都是这个样子开始的。 1620年9月，102人挤进一艘名为「五月花号」的木船，自英国普利茅斯港起锚，驶入凶险的北大西洋。逼仄的船舱里装载的不止是行李，更是一整套政治蓝图，他们要在新大陆筑起一座「山巅之城」，一个挣脱英国国教管束、远离腐败贵族盘剥的崭新世界。 他们不为探险而来，也不为经商而至，他们只是一群试图逃脱命运的人。 168年后的1788年，首批英国囚犯被流放至澳大利亚。彼时的欧洲人将那片大陆视作世界的边缘，一个天然的流放地，专门用来把不需要的人打包扔掉，任由他们自生自灭。结果，那些被抛弃的囚犯偏偏在那里扎了根，盖起了城市，建成了国家。 再往后数，1848年的加利福尼亚淘金热，1880年代的西伯利亚大开发，1900年代初的巴西橡胶热潮……人类文明每一次企图「重置」，拿到的总是同一个剧本：寻找一片无主之地，宣告新秩序的降临，随后资本、人流与技术疯狂涌入，在极其恶劣的绝境中，生生蹚出一套全新的生存逻辑。 现在轮到火星了。...
Tutankamón, el tesoro que deslumbró al mundo
Ayuda Buscar en la ayuda Buscar en la ayuda Tutankamón, el tesoro que deslumbró al mundo Autores: Tom Mueller, Harry Burton (fot.), Sandro Vannini (fot.), Paolo Verzone (fot.) Localización: National geographic, ISSN 1138-1434, Vol. 51, Nº. 5 (NOV), 2022, págs. 2-57 Idioma: español Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...) Resumen Este año se cumple el primer centenario del descubrimiento de la tumba del joven faraón, una efeméride que coincidirá con la apertura de l Gran Museo Egipcio (GEM).
Opinion: Don’t repeat others’ mistakes on gender clinics
As Britain and others rethink youth gender medicine, New Brunswick risks building a system the rest of the world is abandoning, writes Tom Mueller Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. "Once touted as a harmless "pause button," puberty blockers have undergone a remarkable reputational collapse," writes columnist Tom Mueller.
Opinion: Climate ambition must confront grid reality
Skip to Content Results, not intentions, should guide the decision on the Tantramar gas plant, argues columnist Tom Mueller. Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. In New Brunswick, as in Germany, electricity demand crests on frigid February nights, when solar production is negligible and multi-day wind lulls are common, writes columnist Tom Mueller.
Opinion: Top N.B. court spared us Aboriginal title, and economic disaster
Skip to Content British Columbia example shows the impact of recognizing title claims to privately held land Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. It was a welcome stroke of judicial common sense when the New Brunswick Court of Appeal overturned Justice Kathryn Gregory's previous decision in Wolastoqey Nation v.
Opinion: We need a competitive energy market, not a winter-shutoff ban
PCs are right to question policy, but our public sector monopoly is the bigger problem, writes columnist Tom Mueller Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Factoring in the looming cost of rebuilding or refurbishing the aging Mactaquac Dam, NB Power confronts a $12-billion total debt. Spread over 30 years, this amounts to $190.79 per household, every month, for three decades.
Opinion: AI data centre, gas plant are linked by good policy
Amendments to New Brunswick's electricity legislation empower industry to self-generate, which will come with a host of benefits, writes Tom Mueller Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content New Brunswick’s energy landscape is shifting beneath our feet, though one suspects the tremors have yet to rattle the usual sentries of public concern. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account?
Opinion: Too early to give up on N.B. small reactors
Federal announcement means province should invest in Ontario-based technology first, as modular addition to Lepreau Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content There was, this week, a sudden hum of activity about the nuclear file.
Opinion: N.B. needs a stable power mix, not a fantasy
Skip to Content Advertisement 1 Scaling up renewables is fine, when they work. Until then, we need a balance in generation Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content On Sept. 11 in Fredericton, a three-member panel reviewing NB Power’s operations heard a stream of impassioned presentations praising renewable energy while disparaging nuclear power. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account?
Opinion: Don't follow Spain's mistakes on renewables
In pitching new gas plant, NB Power is understating the crisis that will befall its current energy plan Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content NB Power CEO Lori Clark has penned an urgent appeal for a new gas-powered generation plant in the Sackville area (“Generating facility vital to keep lights, heat on in N.B.,” Aug 28).
Opinion: What 'public capture' means for our economy
Skip to Content Advertisement 1 Despite our resource wealth, we live more like sharecroppers than oil sheikhs Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content By any geological measure, Canada is obscenely rich. Oil, gas, timber, potash, uranium, gold, hydroelectric capacity, critical minerals — we have them all, and in world-class volumes.
Opinion: Washington’s long game: trade, tariffs, and takeover
Canada’s “closest ally” has always known how to twist the arm of an extended handshake Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content President Trump’s 35 per cent tariff on Canadian imports, cloaked in the threadbare excuse of “national security,” was no mere trade measure. It was another salvo in an undeclared war, and the stakes for Canada have never been higher.
Opinion: Education needs deep reform, not tinkering
Only a proper commission into school results can chart a path forward Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content Education Minister Claire Johnson was trying to reassure readers last week of her plan to add 10 professional development (“PD”) days to school calendar. But her apologia is more likely to turn parents against the idea. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account?
Tom Mueller: PD days aren't the problem
Holt government should look first to reform struggling middle schools Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content Education Minister Claire Johnson says she wants to boost student achievement by cancelling classes two Fridays a month to allow for teacher professional development, or “PD” days.
Tom Mueller: Schools must return to truth in grading
We've lost standard of universal, externally marked exams, rendering diplomas as worthy as participation medals Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
Tom Mueller: Property tax system diminishes democracy
Advertisement 1 Taxing authority should align with spending responsibility and core service obligations Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content The Holt government’s first foray into municipal reform – a mouthful: “An Act to Amend the Community Funding Act,” or Bill 33 – may invite polite applause from those who read only the press release.
Tom Mueller: Birth cap could serve to fight intergenerational welfare dependence
Policy should aim for independence, not indefinite dependence Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content In 2009, New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham did something almost unheard of in Canadian politics: he launched a genuine anti-poverty initiative. Overcoming Poverty Together wasn’t PR fluff or a pre-election cash dump for headlines.
Tom Mueller: Food security vulnerability a true issue for Canada
Advertisement 1 Holt’s greenhouse farming proposal a decent start, but hardly enough Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content Premier Holt recently suggested expanding greenhouse farming could reduce our reliance on U.S. food imports. She’s on to something.
Tom Mueller: Title claim on course for Supreme Court
Fall ruling may undercut negotiated settlement, and that's a good thing Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content Canadian history is being forged in New Brunswick’s Court of Appeal in the latest iteration of the Aboriginal title fight (“Judge should have shut door to expropriation in title claim: firms,” Feb. 1). New Brunswick’s unresolved title claims may yet face higher court scrutiny.
EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK: Warren Smith’s Quarterly List of Books Worth Noting
Editor’s Note: Most Saturdays we will feature this “Editor’s Notebook” column. MinistryWatch President Warren Smith will offer his opinion on stories in the week’s news or, sometimes, offer a behind-the-scenes look at how and why we do what we do. However, once a quarter (or so), we use the ‘Notebook” for Warren Smith’s list of books either released in the past quarter, or those he just got around to reading this quarter. To read last quarter’s list, click here.
Tom Mueller: How to hit back on tariffs
Sensible policies could shore up Canada’s economy and send a clear message to Trump Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content U.S. President Donald Trump claims the United States “subsidizes Canada” to the tune of $100 billion annually. It’s an outrageous assertion, the kind of sound bite designed to light up cable news and rally his base. But is there even a grain of truth to it?
A message from your local primary care physicians
Medicare Advantage may offer some additional bells and whistles for you, but these plans also come with some challenges. If you still are not sure which way you should go, make plans to attend the Nov. 6 ABC’s of Medicare and Medicare Advantage Plans. The event will be held at the Columbus Wellness Center Community Room at 10:00 a.m. The program is designed to gain detailed insights to make informed healthcare decisions for the annual enrollment period this fall.
Tom Mueller: Gender policies must catch up with new science
Growing number of jurisdictions now recognize the dangers of "immediate gender affirmation" Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content Liberal Leader Susan Holt’s proposal that children as young as 12 be allowed to change their names and pronouns at school, without parental consultation, is troubling to say the least.
Here’s Who Really Invents the Amazing Things Elon Musk Gets All the Credit For – Science Sensei
There is one thing that often bothers most of us in the scientific field about Elon Musk. While many of us love that he has invested in aerospace ventures and electric vehicles, the issue is that people assume he’s behind everything. Musk is scientifically literate, which is not a bad thing at all. However, it makes him come across as an inventor or developer. In reality, he is neither of those things and is mostly a rich man who invested in the right things at the right time.
Opinion: Follow medical best practice, not ideology, on Policy 713
New Brunswick's policy needs to revisit its current WPATH guidelines and, as elsewhere, redefine medical practice according to solid scientific evidence and rational thinking. Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content A battle royale over proposed changes to Policy 713 has pitted two sides of the “parental rights” argument against each other in these pages.
Tom Mueller: Actually, what we need is a flat tax
Income taxes, hefty in their contribution to the tax pot, have a more pronounced effect on the fiscal landscape when pruned, columnist Tom Mueller writes. Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content The Higgs government’s promise to cut HST if re-elected will ignite the age-old quarrel: Do taxpayers garner more from sales tax or income tax reductions?
Tom Mueller: It's time to rethink middle schools
If not for French Immersion’s de-facto streaming, New Brunswick could boast of success in the elementary classroom. High school, however, is a different story. The damage inflicted during middle school has proven, more often than not, irreversible. Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
Tom Mueller: My travels to Egypt - a country crushed by inflation
Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content I have just returned from Egypt after proudly attending the wedding of my daughter to a handsome young local lad. I experienced Egypt not as a tourist but as a resident, while exploring the new satellite cities for the wealthy elite now surrounding Egypt’s capital. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account?
Tom Mueller: Mandatory study in grievances
Advertisement 1 Subscriber only Subscriber only Subscriber only Subscriber only Subscriber only Truthful historical account would reveal 17th-century Europeans and First Nations had heroes and villains both Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when I saw the headline: I’d be ‘worried’ if I had to send my kids to an N.B. public school: Higgs.
Tom Mueller: Cass report a game changer in gender care
Advertisement 1 Subscriber only Subscriber only Subscriber only Subscriber only Subscriber only Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content Hilary Cass has submitted her final report reviewing the UK’s gender identity services for Britain’s youth.
Tom Mueller: Grocers a convenient scapegoat for Liberals
Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content Several months ago, federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne met with leaders from Canada’s five largest grocery chains, as well as domestic and international food processors.
Tom Mueller: Regional seat map makes good sense
Advertisement 1 In the arena of politics solutions are always compromises Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content Every 10 years, the number of seats allotted to each province and territory in the House of Common is redistributed according to a complicated formula detailed in Canada’s Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act.
Tom Mueller: Do more to address our metabolic crisis
Advertisement 1 Long-COVID cases could significantly impact public health Author of the article: • Contrary minded • You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account. Article content A lot of newsprint has been dedicated to New Brunswick’s long-term care crisis. It’s about to get a lot worse! We just went through a doozy of a flu season, not to mention a worrying spike in COVID-19 deaths.
Tom Mueller: Education reform brings wider, positive impacts
Advertisement 1 Squandered educational resources must be redirected into meaningful vocational opportunity Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • Article content The educational policy of ‘inclusion’ in New Brunswick, which aims to educate every student alongside their peers in a regular classroom until graduation, may have unintended consequences. This approach could, in part, contribute to the region’s soaring teen pregnancy rates.
Tom Mueller: Limited pharmacare could save us money, make us healthier
Advertisement 1 Like all true insurance policies, low-risk users should enjoy lower or even no premiums. Author of the article: • Contrary minded • Article content The majority of Canadians – by some estimates, between 60 and 70 per cent – enjoy supplementary health-care coverage as a tax-free benefit. The prospect of eventually losing that benefit would effectively reduce their standard of living, especially when compounded by a higher tax bill. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account?
Tom Mueller: Freeland's mortgage bond scheme will end in disaster
Advertisement 1 Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • Article content With apologies to Buffalo Springfield, there’s something happening in Chrystia Freeland’s Finance Department, “but what it is ain’t exactly clear”! Advertisement 2 Don't have an account?
Tom Mueller: Time to bite the bullet on power rates
A 50 per cent increase would align N.B.'s utility rates with those in Alberta Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • Article content New Brunswick’s elections often devolve into tawdry single-issue spectacles, sidetracked by the shiniest electoral promise, while politicians play catch-up. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account? Create Account Article content Or perhaps it’s a catch-22. Recall Bernard Lord’s 1999 highway toll debacle? Or the Liberals’ 2003 insurance premium saga?
Tom Mueller: Trans kids need qualified, expert care
Advertisement 1 Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • Article content The lamentable shouting match between clinical psychologist James Cantor and epidemiologist Greta Bauer is no less divisive than the previous brouhaha surrounding Dr. Erica Anderson’s testimony on transgender policy. We could do better. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account?
Tom Mueller: Three cheers for Estonia's education model
Advertisement 1 Author of the article: • Contrary minded • • Article content Before achieving independence from the Soviet Union, the Baltic country Estonia languished under a communist education system. Redundant layers of centralized bureaucracy enforced stultifying uniformity in the classroom. Advertisement 2 Don't have an account? Create Account Article content Bitten once, twice wise: Later, Estonia jettisoned central planning and the serfdom of conformity.
MUELLER: We need to rediscover our heritage | TJ.news
Canada needs to reset its moral compass and re-embrace its erstwhile Euro-centric heritage. Somehow Canada went astray – we need to find our way again, argues columnist Tom Mueller. Photo: Christopher Katsarov Luna/Bloomberg
MUELLER: Real solution to currency debasement will be painful
Columnist Tom Mueller writes: 'Prices are not rising because goods and services are worth more. Prices are rising because our currency is worth less.' Photo: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg
MUELLER: Targeting uric acid levels for one's health
Ice Ages presented a survival challenge to our evolutionary ancestors, who needed to be mean and lean fighting machines for most of the year, but then needed to fatten up just before winter. Failure meant death during severe winters or famines. Photo: Unsplash
MUELLER: Science alone must guide policy, curriculum
Brain imaging may eventually identify “false positives” (which are known to exist) and prevent unnecessary suffering (also known to exist). Those dysphoric children, who are not really “trans,” won’t mistakenly transition, writes columnist Tom Mueller. Photo: Unsplash
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