An estimated 500 million people contracted the Spanish flu, and the death toll was between 17 million and 50 million
As our world deals with the coronavirus pandemic, a couple of interesting personal stories came out of Europe on March 29. The Guardian reported that Hilda Churchill, a 108-year-old woman in Salford, England, became (quite likely) the oldest British person to die from COVID-19 symptoms. And Turkey’s Anadolu Agency and Fox News reported that a…
Ignorant, selfish actions by some Canadians put fellow citizens in harm’s way. It must stop now, even if the measures are drastic
“We’ve all seen the pictures online of the people who seem to think they’re invincible. Well, you’re not. Enough is enough. Go home and stay home. This is what we all need to be doing. And we’re going to make sure this happens, whether by educating people more on the risks or by enforcing the…
The coronavirus won’t be here forever but we need to take preventive measures now to minimize it’s impact in Canada
It seems like only yesterday we were discussing the Wet’suwet’en solidarity blockades, Teck Resources’ withdrawal from a $20-billion oil sands project and the Ontario teachers’ strike. These issues (and others) have mostly been placed on the back burner due to the coronavirus, or COVID-19. This global pandemic started back in late December 2019. Chinese health…
How one endorsement could change the federal Conservative leadership race, pushing MacKay into the background
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney endorsed former Veterans Affairs minister Erin O’Toole in the federal Conservative leadership election on March 5. Quite a few political observers were surprised by his decision. Some wondered why Kenney did it so early, since a new leader won’t be chosen until June 27. Others were puzzled why he backed O’Toole,…
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has had a terrible few weeks, from the Wet’suwet’en solidarity blockades to the collapse of Teck Resources’ $20 billion Frontier mine project. Most world leaders would immediately focus their energies on their domestic economies if faced with such dire financial circumstances. Not Trudeau. The PM remains obsessed with the single-minded goal…
This is one of those moments when a leader needs to show their mettle in bringing a difficult crisis to a natural conclusion. Justin Trudeau failed
Canada has been involved in a political crisis for nearly three weeks. Nationwide protests by radical activists siding with the Wet’suwet’en tribe’s hereditary chiefs against the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C. are ongoing. Some politicians were blocked from entering provincial legislatures or, in the case of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland,…
It’s hard to believe that Christie Blatchford is no longer with us. Christie – or Blatch, as many were fond of calling her – was an omnipresent figure in Canadian journalism for 47 years. She often defied convention and marched to the beat of her own drum. She was a beacon of light who wrote…
If you truly respect tradition and decorum in politics, Pelosi’s staged performance in front of the cameras was about as low as you can get
U.S. President Donald Trump’s state of the union address on Feb. 4 was memorable. He told members of Congress about his various political and economic achievements. He awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. He honoured a wide assortment of figures, from Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to 100-year-old…
Let’s hope this impeachment trial, as ridiculous as it has been, is the last we witness for some time. Political strategy shouldn't be part of this process
In a few days, Donald Trump will become the third U.S. president to be impeached in the House of Representatives and acquitted by the Senate. The first was Andrew Johnson, a Democrat. He served as vice-president under Republican Abraham Lincoln in a National Union ticket and became president after Lincoln was assassinated in 1865. Johnson…
The daily news cycle often contains items of interest. In 2020, this would include the Senate impeachment trial involving U.S. President Donald Trump, the signing of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, the tragic death of National Basketball Association legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash, and the passing of inspirational London,…
Mike Sloan accepted his fate with an eloquence and bravery that many would hope to achieve – but few will ever attain
Mike Sloan passed peacefully at 1:25 pm EST via MAID. He asked me (@bobsmith55) to let you know. I was with him at the end, holding his hand. He thanks you all for your support on this journey. His last words were, “Tell Chub I love him.” – 1:29 PM · Jan 20, 2020 Mike…
Chinese President Xi Jinping has concocted a devious plan to revise the Bible to make it more in line with his country’s totalitarian ideology
Imagine this hypothetical scenario: A world leader decides they’re going to arbitrarily change the text of an historically important religious document to suit their needs. Some people might complain about this decision in private, but the world leader is far too powerful to either publicly criticize or condemn. So these changes are made in short order…
My wife has always watched two awards shows every year: the Golden Globes and Oscars. Which means, in effect, I watch two awards shows every year. (If you listen closely, you’ll hear the sound of many married men nodding their heads in agreement.) However, there are infrequent moments that make these experiences enjoyable. In particular,…
From Donald Trump to Boris Johnson to Angela Merkel to Justin Trudeau – what to look forward to in the next year
It’s New Year’s Eve and the last day of the 2010s. The champagne is chilling, the food, party hats and noisemakers are ready, and friends and loved ones are nearby. What’s in store for 2020 when it comes to politics? We can certainly speculate. The U.S. presidential election will be held in November. The Democrats…
If you're looking for some binge-worthy fictional subjects, nothing could be better than Agatha Christie’s signature characters
Ah, Christmas! There are many things I enjoy doing on Christmas, a wonderful holiday. This includes spending time with family, watching Alastair Sim’s version of Scrooge (1951) and animated specials like A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), listening to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and reading Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. With respect to the latter,…
As our world deals with the coronavirus pandemic, a couple of interesting personal stories came out of Europe on March 29. The Guardian reported that Hilda Churchill, a 108-year-old woman in Salford, England, became (quite likely) the oldest British person to die from COVID-19 symptoms. And Turkey’s Anadolu Agency and Fox News reported that a…
