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Maple Leaf Problems with Defence
No, this is not an article about hockey. That was just a teaser to suck in readers who thought they were going to see a life-long Leafs fan losing his mind about the fact that they can’t ever seem to protect a lead and close a game out. Sorry gang, not happening. Instead, this article…
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Ukraine, We’re Behind You – Waaaay Behind You.
(Great cartoon by Graeme MacKay harpoons both Trudeau and Polievre) Hamilton Spectator When Russia invaded Ukraine, there was great concern that this was the opening phase of World War 3 and that it had potential to become a nuclear war. Vladimir Putin played on those fears immediately after the invasion with his assurance that that…
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Elon Musk – Locomotive, or Train Wreck?
What do you think of Elon Musk? I see him as a compelling figure in today’s world, but, like many of his billionaire caste, he appears to be both brilliant and deeply flawed. His fortune goes up and down depending on the latest quoted value of various stocks that he owns. In November of 2021, he was…
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The Absurdity of Rules for War
Foreward: I have hesitated to publish this piece, because I’m not sure I have anything profound to say on the subject. (Of course, the more cynical and unkind amongst you might think that’s pretty much the norm). So this offers no solution to anything – just poses a “What the Hell are we thinking?” kind…
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Adventure Tourism – Who Pays?
A friend of mine opened a conversation the other day about the investigation into the catastrophic failure of the Titan submersible. Why, he questioned, is there a big need to know about the failure mechanisms, and why should the taxpayer foot the bill for any extensive investigation? I think those are both decent questions. The…
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Right Criminal, Wrong Crime
(Image by Dave Wharmond, political cartoons.com) Well, New York has gone and done it. They’ve indicted Donald Trump. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? On the one hand it’s great that someone had the guts to go after him. I have this nasty feeling, however, that this prosecution might be a mistake.…
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Ukraine, 1 Year After
It has been a year now since Russia invaded Ukraine. The news lately has been full of reviews of the Ukraine situation, including a UN resolution condemning Russia for its aggression. So, let’s start with the UN. There are five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, China, France, USA, and the UK,…
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Monarchy, Justice, and Dictators
I find that it’s challenging to continue to have major new topics to talk about, and that there is a temptation to simply re-write what I’ve have written before. Today’s offering for your news and entertainment is a combination of smaller scale new items and updates on old ones. The Monarchy: Some of my friends…
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Keeping Ukraine in Mind
I’ve not been writing as much lately, probably due to the starting of the Blue Jays 2022 season coupled with the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And there is much to write about. I should explore gun violence in America and consider how we prevent the American mental disease on guns from infecting Canada. Or is it…
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Reversing the Global Economy
At the end of December, I wrote an article (Preparing for the Apocalypse) in which I mused about the state of the world and the implications for Canada looking into 2022 and beyond. I characterized the world as a dangerously turbulent place, given the pandemic, the gloomy outlook for climate change, and the increasingly aggressive…
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The Future of Economic War
How the heck did we get to this place, where we’re standing by, wringing our hands, as we watch decent people get slaughtered? When Ukraine became an independent state in 1991, it had the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world. They bought into disarmament. In 1994, according to Arms Control Association (armscontrol.org) they “committed…
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Would You Send Your Kid to Fight?
Today is March 4th, and the conflict in Ukraine has been raging for a week. My website has been down for a week owing to some problems that appear to have been generated when a new version of the site software was issued. I’ve finally gotten it re-booted in a pretty plain looking format. It’s…