Archive for June 2017

Trying to escape the spectre (specter) of Donald Trump in southern ontariariario on a [Sunday] afternoon

Jun 26th, 2017 | By | Category: In Brief

One thing I’ve done today (well … yesterday really) is finish reading Jeff Madrick’s review of two recent books on poverty in the USA,  in the June 22, 2017 issue of The New York Review of Books. (The two books are :  The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty, by […]



Democracy in British Columbia 2017 : suddenly it’s very interesting

Jun 19th, 2017 | By | Category: Canadian Provinces

[UPDATED JUNE 20, 22]. Without a doubt the most interesting thing in Canadian politics right now is the continuing fallout from the May 9, 2017 provincial election in beautiful British Columbia on Canada’s Pacific coast. To start with, make a strong mental note that 44 seats constitute the barest of majorities in BC’s 87-seat elected […]



Stop the war on streetcars .. why does Toronto’s Ford family hate them so much?

Jun 11th, 2017 | By | Category: Key Current Issues

A cogent column by Edward Keenan in this past Saturday’s Toronto Star has prompted me to get something down on paper that has been bothering me for a while now. (Just ask my wife.) The extended headline reads “Ford’s costly streetcar study will just reveal the obvious : Keenan … TTC CEO Andy Byford calls […]



London Bridge not falling down Ricky Gervais says .. meanwhile what about that UK election on June 8?

Jun 5th, 2017 | By | Category: In Brief

[UPDATED JUNE 9]. We were just watching TV on a Saturday night,  north of the North American Great Lakes. And then CNN, MSNBC, CBC News, CTV News Channel, and most immediately and crucially BBC News only had eyes for : “6 people dead plus 3 attackers killed in London ‘terrorist incidents’ … ‘Evil, evil people’: […]