Points to ponder
There has not been much new material here at IN-SIGHTS because I've been working with a group of people to launch CANADA WEST FORUM. Busy days are further complicated by…
Norman Farrell
AI roasts Norm
With three school teachers in the immediate family, I usually stay away from artificial intelligence platforms. However, I learned that Chat GPT can use AI to describe individuals who have…
Defending democracy
Ordinary people must choose between authoritarianism and democracy. Our ancestors struggled to gain the vote; we must protect these rights. Are we willing to do that? Do we even understand…
Now is not the moment to remain silent
Facebook has plenty of flaws, but as a stopped clock does twice a day, it can provide useful information. It was on Facebook that I saw a quote by American…
An exciting new organization
I am proud to be associated with a newly incorporated non-profit with ambitious goals. All readers of IN-SIGHTS are invited to participate. The following is from the Canada West Forum…
Record growth in European solar photovoltaic, but not in B.C.
The cost of electricity produced with solar and wind technologies has been declining for 15 years. Because of corporate inertia, BC Hydro has been paying little attention. The company has…
Forest gardens deliberately planted by Indigenous people
Andrew Currey wrote in SCIENCE about forest gardens that were not recognized as human-created because they did not fit the modern image of agriculture. The journal described work by Simon…
Is Canada broken? It depends…
Mark Bourrie is a Canadian journalist with an impressive resume. After he earned a BA in history, Ontario universities awarded Bourrie a diploma in public policy and administration, a master's…
A war machine’s existence is threatened by peace
President Trump and several members of his administration denied that classified material was shared with The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief. Clearly, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg has more regard for truth and national security…
Rule by a dangerous narcissist
A fundraising group led by Republican Kevin Grantham commissioned a portrait of Donald Trump by Sarah Boardman. The painting was unveiled in August 2019 and hung in Arizona's rotunda gallery…
Norway’s oil and gas fund
Our governments believe that resources belong to those who exploit them today and that future generations have no right to a share of the province's asset values.
Rule of chaos, not the rule of law
Conservative J. Michael Luttig, a former U.S. Appeals Court Judge appointed by Republican George H.W. Bush Luttig, wrote in the NY Times about Trump's "stunning frontal assault" on the rule…
Kakistocracy again
I complain about rich people owning important media properties when they use those to benefit holders of extreme wealth. Billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs controls The Atlantic magazine and she allows…
America’s kakistocracy
I mentioned kakistocracy in the article Impoverishment of thought. The Cambridge Dictionary defines this as "a government run by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens." Peter Navarro is…
Impoverishment of thought
In an age of extreme media coverage and immediacy, the associated defeat of intelligence is worrying. Genuine intellectual debate all too often disappears in favour of ersatz ideas dominated by…
US entry is risky business for anyone not in the right-wing ecosystem
I can no longer travel to the USA, the homeland of my father and paternal ancestors. The reason? I made public and private criticisms of the Trump administration. That is…
Bias
Almost everything that Musk communicates or amplifies on X—and he posts and reposts a staggering quantity of content to a vast audience—is an outright lie, half-truth, or flagrant propaganda. And,…
“Predation has contaminated BC Hydro”
I was first introduced to now-retired economist Erik Andersen by lawyer/commentator/broadcaster Rafe Mair. Using his professional experience, Erik analyzes several economic subjects. His recent comment about BC Hydro caught my…
Humanism
Stephen Fry excels in many forms of entertainment and education. While there seems to be nothing he cannot master, Fry has struggled with bipolar disorder throughout his life. Three years…
Be woke!
Ten symptoms of Woke Mind Virus: 1. You read book, and don't burn them. 2. You embrace science. 5. You believe in true equality FOR ALL PEOPLE! 8. You resepct…