According to a democracy research project based at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg, 27 countries have transitioned from democracies to autocracies since 2005. Nations controlled by strongmen now outnumber those where citizens exercise control through elected representatives. Democracy is disappearing in the USA and is threatened in Canada…
Stewart Hicks is Assistant Professor of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He described how a simple connecting device for roof trusses helped revolutionize the home-building industry. It led to changes that worked well for the construction trades but had broad, less obvious effects. Not all have been positive.
I wonder. Do politicians lie because they think Canadians are collectively stupid, or do they lie because we are?
The global battery market is now valued at around C$220 billion. That number is expected to be near half a trillion dollars in five years. Even that estimate may be conservative. Very conservative. China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Company (CATL), the world’s largest battery maker, recently made an astonishing announcement. One was that its new Shenxing sodium-ion battery could add 520 kilometres of driving range in just five minutes of charging time. The total range is said to be 800 km…
I recently referred to Pierre Poilievre saying that he told Alberta Conservative Danielle Smith to, “Be ready, when I win, we need your help.” Canadians had better be ready for what that may mean…
I cancelled my subscription to the New York Times when the newspaper seemed to easily accept the horrors inflicted on two million residents of Gaza. Of course, that was not the only fault I perceived in what should be America’s finest newspaper. However, the Gray Lady does produce some compelling material. There is a fine Times piece by Larry David, the brilliant creator of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and the co-creator of “Seinfeld.” It was directed at Bill Maher after the arrogant former comedian dined with Donald Trump, whom Maher called “gracious.”
A familiar axiom that says, “People can be judged by the company they keep.” Crime family movies use the phrase, “Any friend of yours is a friend of mine.” I was reminded of those words while watching a video of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in a long and friendly conversation with controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson…
A couple of election promises caught my attention. Perhaps these define different priorities established by politicians who aim to lead Canada’s federal government. Maybe some of it is just useless theatre…
I’ve been working with a group of people to launch CANADA WEST FORUM. Busy days are further complicated by the recent onset of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). It is easing with treatment. For me, the discomforts of advancing age are more than balanced by observing young family members reach or near the age of majority. It is gratifying when they show themselves to be people of high character. Nevertheless, deafness has not stopped me from reading widely. Anyone not anxious about our future is not paying attention.
With three school teachers in the immediate family, I usually stay away from artificial intelligence platforms. However, I learned that Chat GPT can use AI to describe individuals who have an online presence. I was described as shown here…
Ordinary people must choose between authoritarianism and democracy. Our ancestors struggled to gain the vote; we must protect these rights. Are we willing to do that? Do we even understand the fragility of our political system?
Facebook has plenty of flaws, but as a stopped clock does twice a day, it can provide useful information. It was on Facebook that I saw a quote by American writer and editor Naomi Shulman. That led me to a piece she published ten days after Trump was elected President in 2016. Emboldened by Congressional cowardice and a corrupt Supreme Court, America’s Oligarch-in-Chief is even more dangerous than when Shulman warned her nation eight years ago…
I am proud to be associated with a newly incorporated non-profit with ambitious goals. All readers of IN-SIGHTS are invited to participate. The following is from the Canada West Forum website: This […]
The cost of electricity produced with solar and wind technologies has been declining for 15 years. Because of corporate inertia, BC Hydro has been paying little attention. The company has focused on reliable delivery of energy but has been reluctant to alter its sources of electricity. The company even celebrates the fact, advertising, “We’re powered by water.” That line is still used even though water shortages have required the utility to import electricity from gas-fired generators in Alberta and the USA.
Andrew Currey wrote in SCIENCE about forest gardens that were not recognized as human-created because they did not fit the modern image of agriculture. The journal described work by Simon Fraser University’s ethnoecologist and archaeologist Chelsea Armstrong. Professor Armstrong, with other scientists from SFU, UBC, Stanford, and the New York Botanical Garden concluded that ancient Indigenous management practices were tied to ecosystem health and resilience.
Mark Bourrie is a Canadian journalist with an impressive resume. After he earned a BA in history, Ontario universities awarded Bourrie a diploma in public policy and administration, a master’s degree in journalism, a doctorate in Canadian media history, and a law degree. This week, The Walrus published a commentary by Mark Bourrie. He says Pierre Poilievre, the “Canada Is Broken” candidate, faces a changed national mood.
President Trump and several members of his administration denied that classified material was shared with The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief. Clearly, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg has more regard for truth and national security than Trump and his cohort…
A fundraising group led by Republican Kevin Grantham commissioned a portrait of Donald Trump by Sarah Boardman. The painting was unveiled in August 2019 and hung in Arizona’s rotunda gallery until the President complained about it in 2025. Republican politicians immediately demanded it be removed from the state’s capitol building. A painting that hung on the wall for 68 months was suddenly said to be “purposefully distorted” and part of a plot against the dear leader “never seen before.”
Our governments believe that resources belong to those who exploit them today and that future generations have no right to a share of the province’s asset values.
Conservative J. Michael Luttig, a former U.S. Appeals Court Judge appointed by Republican George H.W. Bush Luttig, wrote in the NY Times about Trump’s “stunning frontal assault” on the rule of law. Luttig says the casualty “could well be the constitutional democracy Americans established 250 years ago.
Milestones usually provoke self reflection, and the closer we get to the ultimate milestone, the more there is to reflect…
Regular reader of insights here. I seldom comment but will try to do that more in the future. I'm glad…
Thanks, I appreciate this follow-up.
Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't show a link to the study initially because it was on a site that…
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I very much appreciate your writing with IN SIGHTS Norm. I get too much to read on my computer and…