We need urban green space! And yes, we have to preserve agricultural land and wilderness areas. The biggest road blocks to achieving these objectives: suburbanites demanding development freezes to halt densification. Densification results in more urban green space – not less. Also, it helps prevent urban sprawl to more distant municipalities that grow by re-zoning […]
Definition of the word “Woke”: I find the adjective “woke” to be very clumsy. It really doesn’t roll off the tongue. I avoid its use, but I am intrigued with how it became an insult. Surely, most of us aspire to be alert to social injustice and discrimination. History of the term “stay woke” The […]
I enjoy exploring towns and cities and this year we spent a month in Paris and Strasbourg. Sadly, I always expect to see some level of homelessness. However, I wasn’t ready for the number of little encampments that I saw in France this year. Tents and cardboard shelters near the Louvre, in shopping arcades, just […]
We spent four weeks in France. We were in airports and train stations; on the Metro, buses, trains, airports, and airplanes! Restaurants and museums! No Covid-19! We get back to Canada and my wife, unknowingly, visits an infected family member! A few days later she has Covid, and two days later I test positive too. […]
Have you missed me? I have just finished a four-week trip to Paris and Strasbourg. I started to write this newsletter three or four days ago in Strasbourg. At the outset, I meant to discuss the disgusting invasion of Ukraine by the gangster, Vladimir Putin. But, for such a difficult topic I need to be […]
Good Bye LinkedIn! Good bye social media!
I am fed up with the COVID-19 debates over mandates and sanitary measures. To find a path forward, agreement on data and clarity are important. Clarity: Different levels of government have different responsibilities. So, in Canada and the US mask mandates, school and office closures, restaurant and bar openings, and most of the things that […]
Shadow Lines – a Finnish Spy Story! Helsinki of the 1950s was the focal point of the Cold War. The US and the USSR had different ambitions for Finland. The US wanted a clearly pro-western government and the Soviets ultimate goal was annexation or installation of a puppet government. Shadow Lines tells the story of […]
I keep poking away at the issue of polarizing political views. I published a newsletter on February 25, 2021 about Fact, Fiction, and Opinion. Then on June 12, I wrote about Prejudice, Discrimination, and Hate. Today – the unfortunate politicization of LinkedIn. Was the unfortunate politicization of LinkedIn inevitable? Over the past two years, I […]
Time to buy haggis, neeps, and tatties! Make the Cullen Skink and Clootie pudding! And don’t forget a good bottle of Scotch! On January 25th, the world celebrates all things Robbie Burns with a traditional Burns’ Night Dinner. The menu explained Cullen Skink is a rich and creamy soup made with smoked haddock, potatoes, butter […]