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Fusion or Fission – Pick a Horse
In 1920, physicist Arthur Eddington proposed the basis for nuclear fusion power. Referring to the energy contained in nuclear reactions, he said “we sometimes dream that man will one day learn how to release it and use it for his service. The store is well nigh inexhaustible, if only it could be tapped.” In 1955…
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Resist That Click Bait
Every now and then my friends like to wind me up by sending me a provocative bit of right-wing propaganda. It’s like chumming the waters for fish – they just chuck it out there and then watch the fish rising to the bait. One of my golfing buddies sent me a document recently. And in…
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To Infinity and Beyond! …Well Maybe Not
A couple of weeks ago I saw a tv news report on a launch of a space probe of some sort – I forget which one it was. At the end of the news item, the anchor closed with the cheerful statement that it was one more step in gaining the expertise “we are going…
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The Future for Hydrogen Powered EVs
The vehicle pictured above is the $2M+, 2000 hp, 1000 mile range Hyperion XP1 sports car. It has absolutely no relevance to this article or to average Canadians except to offer visual proof that exciting things are starting to happen in the world of hydrogen powered electric vehicles. Ok, so back to reality for average…
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The UN – Missing In Action
The United Nations – It Kinda Works (cartoon movement.com) I told you back in October that the mess in Gaza was going to be ugly. I told you so! It is brutal stuff to watch. And it could be stopped if only the UN had the impact on world affairs that we always thought it…
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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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Why Christian Heritage Month is a Bad Idea
Image from Brampton Christian Heritage Facebook page On December 5th, CBC news reported that Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu had introduced Bill C-369 which simply proposes that, since the country is approximately 50% Christian and since December is an important month in the Christian calendar of feasts, we should designate December as Christian Heritage Month across…
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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 Wrong Place for God
Way back in March of 2022, I wrote an article advocating for secularism in government. Quoting from my own works might be rather egotistic, but here’s a little of what I said then: “I think if people only did things for which they could articulate a rational and morally defensible reason, we’d all be better…
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Will Israel Survive?
(Photo from Associated Press – bombardment in Gaza) October 7, 2023 is a date that will live in infamy. Killers from Hamas crossed borders from Gaza into Israel and attacked defenceless civilians, murdering over 1400 people, and taking some 225 people hostage. The attack wasn’t anticipated by Israeli intelligence or police services, and carnage ensued.…
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The Changing Shape of Conservatism
What is a conservative in Canada? There was a time when I would have answered that question in economic, financial terms, and I think many others might have agreed with that. Conservatives are wary of increasing the Federal debt, and insistent on prudently balancing the budget. My father used to inveigh against “spending our children’s…
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Fair Competition – How and Why?
My article on the need for a good balance between fair competition and inclusivity for the LGBTQ community has raised a question about the need for fair competition. Why, I was asked? Why is fair competition important? Is it good for us? Is it good for our kids? The questions were posed by a parent…
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Competition in a Non-Binary World
I want to venture into the complicated issue of transgender athletes competing against cis-gender women and possibly some other related topics. But before I do that, I want to carve out a position so that the reader will not misunderstand where I’m coming from. First of all, I believe that we should all be tolerant…
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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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The US Court System – Torpedoing Democracy
This article draws freely and without permission from the writings of Heather Cox Richardson, a noted author and professor of History at Boston College. She is a passionate defender of democracy in the States and a vigorous opponent of the Extreme right-wing policies that are taking over America. I trust she’d be happy with my…
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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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Organic Foods and Other Nonsense
My brother Terry, who evidently likes to wind me up from time to time, sent me an email recently in which he said “At my weekly Monday golf game, 2 of the guys were talking about how all of our food is contaminated by agricultural chemicals, and none of it is safe to eat! One…
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The Bar Stool Economics Parable
Recently the following little parable came to me in email that was distributed to our golf group. It was described as “humorous and worth the read.” Another member of the golf group suggested that I take a crack at looking at the meaning and accuracy of the parable entitled Bar Stool Economics. So I did.…
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Taxing What You Have Saved
This article was published in the fall of 2021. Eventually I had to take it down because it had begun to attract a half-dozen spam responses per day. I’m re-posting it here with a new title just restore the blog record. This articles belongs in the early tax series. The third form of taxation is…
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The Anti-Woke Pierre
cartoon borrowed shamelessly from the Toronto Star What does it mean to be woke? Well, it’s anybody’s guess, really. The term seemed originally to be applied as a celebration of social awareness. If you were concerned about racial equality, if you were concerned about women’s issues, you were woke. Then it grew. If you were…