Going to Mars isn't easy, although the mission success rate has improved since the 1960s. In chronological order (counter-clockwise from top-left), missions to the red planet are color-coded by country, with the longest lines representing the most sophisticated missions. (Even old-fashioned bar graphs can be compelling in the hands of a sharp designer.) Hat tip: FlowingData.com via FastCompany.com via WeLoveDatavis. Original source unknown....

26 October, 2009

The June 9 general election saw a new party take power in Nova Scotia. It bears comment that, to the best of Contrarian's knowledge, not a single highway worker lost his job as a result, and this non-massacre occurred without notice. On September 20, 1978, the day after John Buchanan defeated Gerald Regan, many highway workers didn't bother to show up for work. It went without saying that Tory sympathizers would take over their jobs. The next time government changed hands, in 1993, Liberal hacks were so infuriated at John Savage's refusal to cleanse highway garages of Tory hires, they eventually hounded...

25 October, 2009

Despite two disappointing byelections, last week may be remembered as a good one for Liberal leader Stephen McNeil: He turned a potential crisis to his advantage by supporting the government bill blocking access to tainted Grit trust funds. He put Premier Darrell Dexter on his back foot by challenging New Democrats to go further and ban third-party contributions, as recommended by Chief Electoral Officer Christine McCulloch. Caught by surprise, Dexter dithered. It was a show of leadership under pressure. To consolidate, McNeil should: Keep after Dexter on third-party contributions. Ms. McCulloch's imprimatur put this issue beyond partisan reproach. Dexter can choose between following McNeil's...

25 October, 2009

A stalwart Tory friend who fully expected Ian McNeil to beat Allan MacMaster in the Inverness byelection voiced surprise at MacMaster's decision to go door-to-door with former Premier Rodney MacDonald, who held the seat before quitting last month: I would have expected voters in Inverness to have an earful for Rodney after he quit so soon. There was certainly some of that. MacMaster received 2,247 fewer votes than MacDonald had just four months earlier. But I suspect Rodney was still a plus for MacMaster at the doorstep—probably a crucial factor in his sliver of victory. In the eyes of most Nova Scotia voters,...

25 October, 2009

[caption id="attachment_2694" align="alignwrap" width="550" caption="L to R: Bassist Fred Lavery, guitarist Dave McKeough, and old time rocker Matt Mainglewood, testing the limits of the iPhone's flashless camera. "][/caption] A decidedly graying crowd of hardcore Matt Minglewood fans packed the Royal Cape Breton Yacht Club over the weekend for the latest in Colleen MacDonald's Load of Wood music nights. Minglewood was joined by some of Cape Breton's best loved session musicians, including Fred Lavery on bass, Dave McKeough on guitar,  Ian Aker on sax, Kenny Boone on mouth harp, and James Munroe on trombone. To receive e-mail notification of these occasional (and mercifully early...

25 October, 2009

The New York Times has corrected its obituary of Donald Marshall, Jr., following remonstrations from Contrarian and from one of the lawyers who represented Marshall before the celebrated inquiry that bears his name. The original Times obit, published in its August 7 edition, two days after Marshall's death, contained the following paragraph: Late on the night of May 28, 1971, Mr. Marshall and a friend, Sandy Seale, went walking in a Sydney park and tried to rob an older man, Roy Ebsary, who drew a knife and killed Mr. Seale. As Contrarian wrote to the obituary's author, William Grimes: The Royal Commission on the...

23 October, 2009

We can't say whether Liberal leader Stephen McNeil read this particular Contrarian entry, but he did both the right thing and the smart thing in helping astonished New Democrats speed passage of political financing reform through the house in a single day. It's the smart thing, because McNeil couldn't prevent passage of the new law, so why encourage days of debate focusing on past Liberal wrongdoing? It's the right thing, because no party should enjoy a permanent finger on the political scale based on a 40-year-old shakedown racket. McNeil explained it this way:It was my direction—and I take full responsibility—that...

23 October, 2009

No surprise to those who know him that defeated Inverness Liberal Ian McNeil matched victorious Tory Allan MacMaster in post-election graciousness. McNeil wisely made short work of any recount speculation: I expect that everybody did their job effectively and the result will stand...

23 October, 2009

Inverness MLA Allan MacMaster was exceptionally gracious in victory Tuesday. Speaking to elated partisans after his slender win, he took care to mention his high regard for the three losing candidates: Liberal Ian McNeil, New Democrat Bert Lewis, and Green Nathalie Arsenault. I believe voters notice this, and remember it. Showing a generous spirit in victory is a mark of political professionalism, a mark of character, and surprisingly rare....

22 October, 2009

So much for Contrarian's election prognostication prowess. Tory Allan MacMaster hung on to the Inverness seat by 50 votes over Liberal Ian McNeil. N-dip Bert Lewis was 800 votes back. I guess a 3,431-vote margin four months ago counts for something after all. Full results here. [Update:]  A certain Danny Graham, a man familiar to Contrarian readers Liberal and otherwise,  writes: You should have given me a call on the byelection. I predicted the triacta of Mac Master, Mac Neil, and Lewis within a margin of very few votes....

20 October, 2009
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