2014
Rule against perpetuities
The rule against perpetuities says: Any valid interest must vest not later than twenty-one years after the death of some life in being at the creation of the interest. For…
Rule in Hodge’s Case
The Rule in Hodge’s Case (1838), 168 E.R. 1135 is generally taken to say: “In a case made up entirely of circumstantial evidence, before the accused could be found guilty,…
TIFF ’14: Benedict Cumberbatch’s ‘The Imitation Game’ wins People’s Choice Award
Due to vacations and work, I took it easy on TIFF this year, seeing only four movies. But I’m happy to say that one of those four films was Morten…
BC govt bowed to oil lobby on deregulation of gas plants: documents
Premier Christy Clark tours BC’s natural gas industry (photo: Justin Tang/CP) Read this Sept. 14 Canadian Press story by Dene Moore, revealing that the BC government’s controversial, failed elimination of…
Sound Familiar?
The current decline of the United States from global economic hegemon re-enacts the same path that brought low the previous dominant economies of Spain, the Netherlands and Great Britain. Here’s…
For What It’s Worth – Ignatieff on ISIS
Der Spiegel interviews Harvard professor, Michael Ignatieff, on ISIS, Obama, the Middle East generally, Israel and Palestine. Some interesting thoughts, some banal and predictable. You be the judge.
Ranking the Lesser of All Evils
So we finally know exactly who will be on the ballot for mayor of our quiet little town of Toronto. It’s not who we expected, which isn’t surprising in a…
A Treasure Trove
A recent trip to Toronto to see family and friends – and celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary – also netted me a treasure trove of books, thanks to the proximity…
Why Getting Our Arab Allies Off Their Fat, Pampered Asses Matters
Since Obama started this ‘get ISIS’ coalition-building business, the Sunni Arab world has been conspicuous by its absence. The Sydney Morning Herald’s chief foreign correspondent, Paul McGeough, weighs in on…
Daffy’s In Charge
http://www.poxteer.com/ Last week was a banner week for the Harper government. It announced the ratification of FIPPA. And it also announced a reduction in EI premiums —
Sunday Morning Links
Assorted content for your Sunday reading. – Naomi Klein discusses how entrenched corporate control through trade and investment agreements will prevent us from making any real progress against climate change.…
Oh Hell, There Goes the NATO Neighbourhood
The allegation: our longtime NATO partner, Turkey, has been supporting al-Qaeda in Syria. The accuser, Francis Ricciardone, until late June the American ambassador to Turkey. “Turkey has directly supported al-QAeda’s…
Speeding Up Renewable Energy Access Critical for Climate, Health and Economy: Report
Renewable energies are increasingly seen as the best solution to a growing global population demanding affordable access to electricity while reducing the need for toxic fossil fuels that are creating…
Review: The Winter We Danced
I’m not sure I have a lot to say about this important book beyond giving it an emphatic thumbs-up. It is a collection of dozens of short pieces by dozens…
Free-market era in Sweden swept away as feminists and greens plot new path | World news | The Observer
Free-market era in Sweden swept away as feminists and greens plot new path | World news | The Observer. For a man who is a near-certainty to become Sweden‘s prime…
World Shocked At ISIS Beheadings … while our ally Saudi Arabia continues to whack heads off routinely as part of their justice system!
“In the space of two weeks last month, according to the rights group Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia executed as many as 22 people. At least eight of those executed were…
Pope Warns We May Already Be In "Piecemeal WWIII"
Has the world already stumbled into a third world war? Pope Francis thinks that could well be the case. Denouncing war as “madness”, the Pope made his remarks while visiting…
LPoC on Abortion Rights: Thumbs Up Or Down?
I dunno. But at least I can see the reasoning behind this one (whereas the sense of holding open nominations continues to elude me. Because nobody cares about process issues…