Then There Were Two
Elizabeth Warren has dropped her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Yesterday the rumour mill circulated the story that Warren had decided to endorse Bernie Sanders. If so, she hasn’t…
The Mound of Sound
"Hamsterkauf" – Trust the Germans to Have a Word For It.
The common hamster is known for its ability to stuff extra food into its cheek pouches. In Germany this has inspired a word for panic buying when there’s some sort…
Monbiot Declares "Open Lawfare" on the British State
Guardian eco-scribe, George Monbiot, is in a mood to litigate an end to fossil energy power generation in the UK. Far from building new fossil power plants, the survival of…
Bloomberg is Out
They’re falling like flies. What’s left – Biden, Sanders and Warren? Mayor Mike has withdrawn. Bloomberg just kissed goodbye the half-billion dollars he wasted on his presidential bid but not…
Covid 19 an "Act of God"?
It’s not just the health care system fretting about the Covid-19 virus. Commerce is also affected especially in the modern-era of global supply chains. A lot of western concerns are…
Well, This Is Not Auspicious
When I checked the news this morning there were six reported deaths due to Covid-19 in Washington State. At 11:11 I received an email bulletin from the Seattle Times of…
How an Irishman Views the Coronavirus
From the Irish Times: A wise teacher once told me that humans have two basic responses to threat: panic and complacency. Neither response is helpful and both are in evidence…
The Ghosts of Auschwitz
In January a group of politicians and dignitaries gathered to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Auschwitz death camp. They joined 200 of the last survivors of the Nazi hellhole.…
Gallows Humour
I saw this on the weekend: In the United States, conservatives use the word “socialist” to describe everything to the left of hunting the homeless for sport. Yikes!
Somebody’s Hurting
I’ve never taken a cruise. Never wanted to go on one. Not my thing. For almost 20 years when I did want to travel it was astride my motorcycle. Flying…
What "American Dream"?
In Canada, Conservatives extol the United States as a land of virtually limitless opportunity and prosperity. Not so much. Business Insider shows how deeply America’s middle class is being hollowed…
Covid-19. It’s the Economy, Stupid.
There’s more to this virus than health problems. As the New York Times explains, Covid-19 could easily become a global economy wrecker. The globalism spawned by the neoliberal order has…
Covid-19, Best and Worst Case
I have no medical education. I’ll bet you don’t either. That leaves both of us ill-equipped to reach informed opinions about this corona virus, Covid-19. Is it just a passing…
"Canada is Broken"
69 per cent of Canadians polled say that Canada is broken. In a time of widespread disagreement and ever-increasing polarization, there remains a bitter solidarity among Canadians in the belief…
Once Upon a Time, Chapters 9 (Viet Nam) to 14 (Afghanistan)
I was listening to the BBC World Service podcast this morning. They had a brief interview with some anodyne retired US Army general who had done a stint commanding American…
Oregon Jury Refuses to Convict Climate Protesters
A group of Extinction Rebellion activists were put on trial for trespass. It was pretty open and shut, they did it. Except that they pleaded “justification” in their defence. It…
And Now, Just a Few Words, "In God We Trust"
In 1776, America’s founding fathers proclaimed that the official motto of their freshly minted United States would be “E Pluribus Unum” or ‘out of many, one.’ Let’s not clutter this…
Full Dither Ahead
There are rarely political solutions to scientific perils. That point is lost on our federal government that insists that action on climate change must be tailored to economic priorities. The…
A Court Rules Against a Government Over Climate Change
The UK government has committed itself to some impressive climate change targets and, to the country’s High Court, that means there’ll be no third runway for Heathrow Airport.
The National Dilemma or Trudeau’s (Sophie’s) Choice
An Angus Reid poll finds that Canadians are split, almost half and half, on the Wet’suet’en/Coastal Gaslink demonstrations and blockades. 47 per cent support ‘patience and dialogue’ while 53 per…