A ship without an anchor risks drifting into stormy waters. The same is true of governments that borrow and spend. More than six months into the global pandemic, it’s time for the Trudeau government to figure out what safeguards to put in place to ensure our temporary plunge into record deficits doesn’t become a permanent…
Until his death in 1970, Maj. Gen. Leslie R. Groves never had a single regret about the lives that were lost as a result of the Manhattan Project
Right up until practically the last minute, only an elite few knew about the building, testing and ultimate plans to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. When the "gadget" was about to be tested, Maj. Gen. Leslie R. Groves – who ran the project from its inception – tried to explain it as the…
The majority of people who worked on the Manhattan Project were only told what they needed to know to do their jobs
While Oak Ridge, Tenn., would make U-235, the fuel for the Hiroshima atomic bomb, Maj. Gen. Leslie R. Groves looked for a site in the West that was far from population centres. It also needed a generous supply of electricity to run the bomb factories and water to cool the reactors. Hanford, Wash., downriver from…
The beginnings of the Manhattan Project can be traced to research into uranium-238 conducted at the University of California, Berkeley
The beginnings of the Manhattan Project can be traced to early science and technology research into uranium-238 conducted at the University of California, Berkeley. U-238 is the most common radioactive element, making up about 99 per cent of the Earth's supply of uranium. Uranium-238 does not sustain a fission chain reaction, however, and must be…
Maj. Gen. Leslie R. Groves and the Manhattan Project
On July 16, 1945, the world's first nuclear device was tested at a remote location in New Mexico, the Alamogordo Test Range, the Jornada del Muerto (Journey of Death). The word "bomb" was never used. Instead, it was referred to as the "gadget" or the "thing." The Manhattan Project was named after the Manhattan Engineer…
Managers often must have difficult conservations on staff work performance. Professional facilitator Robin Parsons discusses how leaders can prepare
One of the greatest challenges managers face is how to have a difficult conversation with a staff person. Managers often must have difficult conservations on work performance, matters of discipline or in cases of conflict. Professional facilitator Robin Parsons discusses how leaders can prepare for such conversations and handle at times unexpected discoveries. About Robin…Oil sands extraction declined largely because of shutdowns and maintenance of some production facilities. Crude oil extraction also falls
The natural resources sector in Canada continues to be challenged. A new report released Friday by Statistics Canada said real gross domestic product (GDP) of the natural resources sector fell 2.2 per cent in the third quarter, following a 2.8 per cent rise in the second quarter. The federal agency said the decline was largely…
Limited cash flow also a concern for business owners when it comes to investing in their companies these days, according to BDC survey
Many Canadian entrepreneurs will continue investing in their companies in 2020 despite growing uncertainty about world economies. But business owners in the Prairies are the most pessimistic, mostly because of low commodity prices and limited cash flow, says the latest annual survey by BDC. The study on investment intentions found that entrepreneurs in the manufacturing…
Albertans agree there is room to reduce red tape headaches considering the government has received over 4,000 suggestions to the cut red tape website
If you’re a small business owner one of the biggest challenges you face is dealing with red tape. It’s a frustration that entrepreneurs across the country have lamented about for years. And each year the Canadian Federation of Independent Business rolls out its Golden Scissors Awards to honour the governments and public servants who have…
Alberta’s provincial per-person debt grew by 184 per cent, also the largest increase among the provinces by a wide margin
Alberta government debt more than doubled since the year before the recession in 2007/2008, says public policy think tank the Fraser Institute. It's the largest increase among all provinces in that time period. “The Alberta government’s chronic deficits over more than a decade have built a mountain of debt,” Jake Fuss, economist at the Fraser…