To paraphrase that old E.F. Hutton commercial, when Barack Obama talks, people listen. Last week Obama spoke at the University of Illinois. He broke with the tradition of ex-presidents stepping away from the podium to give the new guy a chance to get on with his agenda because these are
Continue readingTag: Barack Obama
Alberta Politics: Artificial unintelligence: Tiny computers in tiny hands are the real threat to civilization as we know it
It’s not big computer brains empowered by artificial intelligence that are going to destroy civilization as we know it. It’s little tiny computers, even if they’re pretty dumb, that are small enough to put in the tiny hands of unsupervised children, hopped-up frat boys and shallow narcissists like the 45th
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The Day We Burned Ole D.C. Down … I blame Stephen Harper for Canada’s latest trade troubles!
I blame Stephen Harper. Face it, Canada’s latest trade troubles wouldn’t have happened without him! If Mr. Harper hadn’t spent $30 million or so of our tax money “commemorating” the War of 1812, who would’ve known our side burned down the White House and sundry other buildings in Washington, D.C.,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Geopolitical Sunday: Don’t hold your breath waiting for the state of war to officially end on the Korean Peninsula
If the Korean War formally ends any time soon, North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il should be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. Why not? Just because he presides over a very large military and leads a country that’s not very nice to it’s own citizens when they step a centimetre
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Rachel Notley and Jason Kenney sing from the same hymnbook, sort of, on plan to prop up Keystone XL Pipeline
PHOTOS: Phase 1 of the Keystone XL Pipeline project, near Swanton, Nebraska, in 2009 (Photo: Shannon Patrick, Wikimedia Commons). Below: Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, Opposition Leader Jason Kenney, and former Progressive Conservative Party Energy Minister Ken Hughes. It’s unusual to see Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and Opposition Leader Jason Kenney
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Thanks to Donald Trump, the post-war American imperium that’s run like a Swiss watch is coming unsprung!
PHOTOS: U.S. President Donald Trump’s inaugural parade makes its way through Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2017, just before the stuff hit the fan and everything went to hell in a handbasket. (Photo: United States Navy.) Below: President Trump, former president Barack Obama, the late Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau,
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Canada needs more Jeremy Corbyn, less Justin Trudeau, 21st annual Parkland Institute conference is advised
PHOTOS: Guardian journalist Martin Lukacs, moments before his remarks to the 21st annual Parkland Institute Conference in Edmonton yesterday morning. Below: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; British Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn and Prime Minister Theresa May (U.K. Photos: Wikimedia Commons); and bestselling Canadian author Linda McQuaig before her keynote
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Peter Whoriskey examines how inequality is becoming increasingly pronounced among U.S. seniors. And Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson discuss how inequality contributes to entrenching social divisions: The toll which inequality exacts from the vast majority of society is one of the most important limitations on
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Municipal politics: If you choose to run with a slate, don’t complain when you’re asked about other members’ views
PHOTOS: St. Albert’s iconic city hall, site of the growing community’s only public library. Image grabbed from Councillor Wes Brodhead’s website. Below: Mayoral candidates Cathy Heron and Cam MacKay (photos grabbed from their campaign materials), and one side of the anti-branch-library leaflet published by a group of six candidates for
Continue readingAlberta Politics: What does climate change mean for Alberta’s growing dependence on a pipeline to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries?
PHOTOS: U.S. Climate Change Denier in Chief Donald J. Trump. (Photo: White House.) A woman is rescued from her Houston area home (Photo: U.S. Department of Defense.) “Wow – Now experts are calling #Harvey a once in 500 year flood!” So said an apparently astonished Donald J. Trump, First Tweeter
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Has Donald Trump Finally Gone Over the Deep End?
It's now been four days since Donald Trump woke up early in the morning and fired off some deranged tweets, in the general direction of Barack Obama. And according to reports from the warring factions in the Trump White House, for a few hours after that Trump was in a
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Has Donald Trump Finally Gone Over the Deep End?
It's now been four days since Donald Trump woke up early in the morning and fired off some deranged tweets, in the general direction of Barack Obama. And according to reports from the warring factions in the Trump White House, for a few hours after that Trump was in a
Continue readingAlberta Politics: The Trump-like hallmark of Jason Kenney’s campaign: Its singular lack of ideas
PHOTOS: Jason Kenney crashing the Throne Speech party at the Legislature last week. Below: U.S. President Donald Trump; the late Ralph Klein, premier of Alberta; Rachel Notley, the present premier of Alberta; and political commentator Ricardo Acuna. Jason Kenny, the social conservative social media enthusiast who will almost certainly become
Continue readingAlberta Politics: A Tale of Two Traitors: Or, does President Donald Trump even get this betrayal thing?
PHOTOS: Donald J. Trump – American Caligula, or just an American idiot? President Trump may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: H.A.R. Philby, as portrayed in a Soviet stamp, and Igor Sergeievich Gouzenko, Cold War side switchers. Sally Q. Yates, fired by Mr. Trump for “betraying” the Justice Department. Harold
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Notley NDP’s latter-day conversion to Keystone XL boosterism
It has been fascinating to watch the Alberta New Democratic Party transition from being skeptical of oil pipelines as opposition to fairly effective advocates for pipelines as government. While the approval of the Trans-Canada Keystone XL Pipeline from Hardisty to… Continue Reading →
Continue readingTrashy's World: Show up. Dive in. Persevere.
Last night, President Obama eloquently expressed one of the wonderful things about being in a democracy (or at least as close to a democracy as we will achieve). We are free to engage. We are free to participate. Yes, by all means, if something rankles you or angers you, or you think that you can
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Obama, The Liberal Redneck, And The Trumpanzees
In one of my last posts I thanked Barack Obama for being the best U.S. president I have ever known.And listed some of his remarkable achievements.But somehow I forgot to mention one of his most outstanding qualities.His unique ability to drive Donald Trump and his Trumpanzees absolutely wild.Read more »
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Why Trump Will Not Be Able to Erase Obama’s Legacy
From the moment Barack Obama became president Donald Trump tried to delegitimize and humiliate him.Claiming he wasn't an American citizen, and had faked his birth certificate, and doing all he could to degrade his country's first black president.And in thirteen days, on his first day in office, Trump is vowing to repeal every
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Podcast recommendations to start off 2017
Back in October 2015, I shared a list of podcasts that were on my regular listening feed. Each year I purposely look for new podcasts to listen to. This means removing some of my older regular listens and keeping some… Continue Reading →
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Deep irony in the deep state: Some thoughts about those post-Christmas American ‘spy’ expulsions
PHOTOS: A couple of Russian “intelligence operatives” pensively contemplate the news they’re about to be kicked out of the United States for acting like journalists. Actual GRU deep cover agents may not appear exactly as illustrated. Below: Russian President Vladimir Putin disguised as well-known journalist Clark Kent; U.S. President-elect Donald
Continue reading