Americans opt to mind their own business
For the first time since it began measuring the statistic 50 years ago, the Pew Research Centre reports that a majority of Americans believe the U.S. should mind its own…
United States
U.S. feeds Japanese militarism
China, with its paltry aid to the Philippines and its announcement of a new air-defense zone over the East China sea, has not been making friends in its region these…
Oil and Tobacco
It’s worth remembering that marketers should not drive scientific research. Cigarettes are dangerous? We’d better make them appear less dangerous so they will still sell. I know, let’s filter the…
JFK After 50 Years: Berlin to Dallas, Cold War to Camelot
Those of us, of a certain age, or so the story goes, can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing on 23rd of November, 1963, when we…
The U.S. and Sweden—a tale of two incarceration rates
Having just watched the documentary The House I Live In about the U.S. drug war, or more precisely about the abject failure of the U.S. drug war, I was intrigued…
Good news and bad news about climate change from Stanford U
First the bad news, even if it’s old news. Stanford University scientists report that not only is the Earth undergoing one of the largest climate changes since the dinosaurs disappeared,…
The military-industrial complex comes to Canada
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. Over half a century has passed since U.S.…
Where Canada Is Going
It’s very important to Canada’s economy that we send a resource (we can’t use without killing the planet) to Communist China so their economy can continue to pollute at record…
The Saudi tail and the American dog
That Israel is the tail that wags the dog of American Middle Eastern policy is a given. Often, however, we overlook the fact this particular dog has two tails. The…
169 credit cards + $12.50 in change = Indebted States of America
Indebted States of America by Maine artist Eric Leppanen is created with 169 of his own credit cards, collected over the past 23 years, adorned with the 50 U.S. state…
We Have The Technology to Stop Air Pollution
Listen to a scientist say very clearly that we have the science and technology to create 100% renewable power in the United States within my lifetime (2050). We’re only held…
Why has Canada failed Omar Khadr?
The first responsibility of the state is to protect its citizens, particularly its children. The Canadian state has utterly failed that responsibility in the case of Omar Khadr. Omar was…
"Lock and load" has a new meaning in Montana
The United States saw an increase of 30 per cent in suicides among middle-aged Americans from 1999 to 2010. More Americans now die from suicide than from automobile accidents with…
Sanctions—deadlier than war?
Most Canadians, I suspect, don’t pay much attention to the use of sanctions in international politics. War, yes—people being shot, bombed, and apparently even gassed is hard to ignore—but sanctions…
A Q&A on Syria and the “Responsibility to Protect”
What is “Responsibility to Protect”? “Responsibility to Protect,” or R2P, is a doctrine that grew out of a 2001 report by the Canadian-established International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty…
How will the West react when the Sauds turn on their people?
Various Western nations, including Great Britain, the U.S. and France, are exhibiting great outrage against Syria’s assaults on its own people. And outrage is indeed called for. Yet there is…
Development and Recession: Looking Back To See The Future
Tonight is Friday and while I sit here occupying my time with readings, movies and Youtube, many of you are probably outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather with the company of…