Happy birthday, US of A
Today our good neighbours to the south are celebrating their country’s birthday—its 247th. Two hundred and forty seven days of democracy, the longest ever. The second most famous democracy—ancient Athens—lasted…
happy birthday to me: aging and mortality edition
I have been alive on this planet for 62 years. Somehow, inexplicably, it was June 13, 2023, and I passed birthday number 62. I find this fact stunning. I feel…
Up in the air: Flying Harbour Air from Comox Harbour to Vancouver Harbour
Usually I take the ferry between the Comox Valley and Vancouver when I’m not flying directly back East, but on this trip I wanted to maximize my time in Vancouver…
If Only The Truth Could Set Them Free
But judging by Donald Trump’s approval ratings, it does no such thing: This is how you beat Donald Trump: 1. Destroy his brand. 2. Expose his lifetime of lies and…
My latest: farewell to my friend Ian Davey
Iggy Pop. Not the other Iggy. Ian Davey and I didn’t become friends, you see, because of politics. We became friends because of music. His sister, Catherine, had told me…
Undarkened Generations and Pizza Dip
A bit from Alvin Foo, a “Venture Partner,” whatever that is. But it’s good summary of our times. It’s been said before, but maybe needs to be heard again: “Imagine…
Money And Journalism
Some nasty stuff has been going on at CTV News. Michael Harris writes: Bob Fife blew the whistle on the sad state of affairs inside CTV, when he reported in…
They lied about Afghanistan. They lied about Iraq. And they are lying about Ukraine
“Preying for Peace.” Illustration by Mr. Fish. The playbook the pimps of war use to lure us into one military fiasco after another, including Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and…
Fiddling With Figures.
There seems to be some confusion around what kind of voting prime minister Justin Trudeau might be promoting these days. All I have ever heard him promote was ranked ballots.…
Ian Davey
My great friend Ian Davey has died. I am bereft. I can't believe he is gone. #cdnpoli #lpc — Warren Kinsella (@kinsellawarren) July 3, 2023
Stores, stores, stores…
Looks like I have three stores going. Two Society6 and one here at WordPress with Woo. There’s Instagram and Facebook integration for a few items. Square seems to be the…
Major police reforms needed but near impossible
“It’s no coincidence that the cities we most associate with violence also have long and documented histories of police abuse. When people don’t trust law enforcement, they stop cooperating and…
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Seth Borenstein writes that we shouldn’t treat constant wildfires as an exceptional event since we can expect them to be the norm…
Canada and the new Cold War
Why is Canada confronting China? The Canadian government is directing a huge amount of resources toward confronting China. This confrontation goes way beyond the judicial kidnapping of Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou—it…
Canada Day
The Soapbox family had a wonderful Canada Day and we hope you did too. We had a celebratory dinner with family and friends. We started with drinks and snacks on…
Precautions Still Make Sense
The National Post, a mainstream paper even, has a great article about why people are still wearing masks. Has the tide of media silence around Covid precautions turned?? “With three…
A Marriage Made in Hell.
There must be more serious financial problems than we thought at the Toronto Star. We could have switched to electronic distribution several years ago, but instead maintained a very expensive…
The new abnormal
Areas burned by wildfires in British Columbia have been steadily increasing, and with months remaining in fire season, this year’s destruction by fire is already more than double the average…
Book review: Not On My Watch, by Alexandra Morton
This book (available here) was written by a remarkable and courageous woman, Alexandra Morton of Echo Bay, British Columbia. It has 335 pages (not including notes), but it took me…