The 2010’s – A Decade in Review Part I
On the weekend I started the annual ritual of reviewing the year that was, as I posted my two-part view of the winners and losers of 2019. It’s become part…
December 2019
Leaked OPCW document sheds light on disinformation surrounding Syrian civil war
A Syrian government soldier holds up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad while another stands by a Kurdish YPG flag. The recent leak of a sensitive email, written by an…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Damian Carrington reports on the large amount of microplastics raining down on residents of the world’s cities. Geoffrey Morgan notes that Alberta’s farmers…
Gotcha
The best thing about people telling you to shut up is many more people then wanting to hear what you have to say. pic.twitter.com/jDhKwOGld4 — Warren Kinsella (@kinsellawarren) December 30,…
Indian Government Going to War Against Its Own People
Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. Photo from Flickr. On December 13, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights released a powerful statement that criticized India’s new citizenship law.…
Sleeping Through The Exercise
Doug Ford is trying to present a new face to his province. But, Mark Winfield writes, when it comes to the environment, Ford has not changed at all: This month’s…
World’s 500 Richest People Gained $1.2 Trillion in Wealth in 2019
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett at the 2018 Berkshire Hathaway shareholders weekend. Photo from Flickr. The 500 richest people in the world, all of whom are billionaires, gained a combined…
Unity in the eye of the beholder.
It was June 17, 2019 and I rarely watch any television during the day but curiosity had me turn it on—and the wife and I were caught up in the…
“Ed the Sock” promotes extreme violence against women
So says the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, here. These days, he promotes hatred against Jody Wilson-Raybould. His name is Joel Kerzner.
Why we should all quit Twitter
I did, for a few weeks in the Fall. Didn’t miss it. Didn’t look at it. Only came back because the account had been hacked and needed fixing. I’ve got…
The Book List
The year 2020 is almost upon us. We know there are tough times ahead. But we need to remember we’re not alone. Others much smarter than us have traveled this…
Makes Sense To Me
I had this exact conversation with my son this week as he and his wife visited from the west. Alberta, Ottawa set to clash over rent supplement cost, Dec. 27…
America, the Berserk
Has America ditched the Enlightenment values that inspired its founding fathers to slide into an age of darkness? Former NYT book editor, Michiku Kakutani, writes of the 2010s as the…
Sure, It May Look Bleak, But Just Imagine…
I suppose most science fiction writers are, or tend to be, futurists of a sort. One goes hand in hand with the other to some degree. One of these is…
Bolivia’s free territory of Chapare ousts coup regime, bracing for a bloody re-invasion
Known as Bolivia’s Chapare region, the Tropico of Cochabamba is a sanctuary for elected President Evo Morales’ most dedicated base of support. Since the November 10 coup, it has effectively…
News From the Front – Red Square
Moscow, the capital where winters have put paid to invaders from Napoleon to Hitler, is trucking in artificial snow this year. Moscow has been so warm this December that the…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Paul Thacker discusses the importance of addressing the climate crisis as a health issue. CBC takes a look at a few of…
Holiday greetings
You’d think the trolls would’ve figured out, by now, that their hatred and invective makes me stronger. Not the reverse. But, I must say, this one is in a category…
Assessing progress on St. John’s Plan to End Homelessness
I’ve written an assessment of the 2014-2019 St. John’s Community Plan to End Homelessness. The full assessment can be found here. Points raised in the assessment include the following: -Newfoundland…
A Con For The Ages
Paul Waldman writes that Donald Trump is the Whiner in Chief: Trump weaves a narrative of constant victimhood, telling his supporters not only that they are besieged and brutalized, but…