Game changer
The global battery market is now valued at around C$220 billion. That number is expected to be near half a trillion dollars in five years. Even that estimate may be…
Norman Farrell
Ever-Trumper time
I recently referred to Pierre Poilievre saying that he told Alberta Conservative Danielle Smith to, "Be ready, when I win, we need your help." Canadians had better be ready for…
Gray Lady up
I cancelled my subscription to the New York Times when the newspaper seemed to easily accept the horrors inflicted on two million residents of Gaza. Of course, that was not…
Canada as “totalitarian hell hole”
A familiar axiom that says, "People can be judged by the company they keep." Crime family movies use the phrase, "Any friend of yours is a friend of mine." I…
Priorities
A couple of election promises caught my attention. Perhaps these define different priorities established by politicians who aim to lead Canada's federal government for the years ahead. Maybe some of…
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…
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…