Today's News: Roundup time

A roundup of this week's news: 

First, this happened on Tuesday -- weird, wasn't it:

The handshake. pic.twitter.com/9KBgNH1mcP

— Andrew Brown (@browncbc) February 7, 2023

I can’t believe this needs to be said but- if you’re meeting the bloody Prime Minister you suck it up and shake his hand like an adult. Don’t even have to like the guy…lord knows I haven’t always liked every PM I have met but I was still respectful.

— Thomas Watson Jr. (@ThomasWatsonCD) February 8, 2023

Then on Thursday, Smith did this -- Twitter can't decide whether it was stupid or smart:

After many jokes about her handshake with the Prime Minister, this is how Premier Danielle Smith entered today’s press conference with reporters in Calgary. pic.twitter.com/gP03lT49rh

— Adam MacVicar (@AdamMacVicar) February 9, 2023

Of course, none of this has anything to do with increasing federal money for health care -- we'll find out on Friday how much more the Premiers they they can get:

Gee, I wonder which they will choose?
"The premiers were non-committal about [Trudeau's $46.2 Billion health] plan ....They said they'd take time to review Trudeau's pitch before either accepting the terms or demanding more."https://t.co/djXMhs1bTR

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) February 9, 2023

Today's Scene: We don't get to choose the battle. We only get to choose our side.

I said this years ago and I say it again today: 

 We don't get to choose the battle. We only get to choose our side. 

Right now, Canada finds itself dealing with Islamophobia and the anti-Muslim Bill 21 law in Quebec. This isn't an issue that anybody really wanted to deal with right now, at this time of wars and pandemics. 

But it's here, it's happening - we don't have a choice about that. 

We only get to decide whether we agree with what Quebec is doing, or whether we support Trudeau's appointment of Special Representative Amira Elghawaby to combat Islamophobia. 

Chantal Hebert thinks Trudeau has shot himself in the foot by appointing someone who is apparently controversial in Quebec. 

I, on the other hand, do not. :

Don't think we have a problem with Islamophobia in Canada? Check the comments under any critical post about Amira Elghawaby, the federal government's new appointee.

She deserves better. https://t.co/yw6vZ9rhY0

— Max Fawcett 🇨🇦 (@maxfawcett) February 1, 2023

Quebec continues its bizarre campaign to convince everyone that the real problem with Islamophobia is that it's terribly, terribly offensive to have suggested that it exists in Quebec and in Quebecers. #cdnpoli https://t.co/OY54mmdvDJ

— Jeff Rybak🍁 (@JeffRybak) February 3, 2023

That @AmiraElghawaby is not supported by Quebec is actually to her credit. It means that she, unlike so many Canadian politicians, has the chutzpah to state the obvious about Quebec's regressive, hateful, anti-Muslim laws. Good for her! #CDNpoli #GoodTrouble

— Matt Hopkins (@RealMattHopkins) February 5, 2023

I mean, can you imagine how crazy it’ll be if @JustinTrudeau, under pressure from a bad-faith right, fires the Muslim woman he himself appointed to address Islamophobia because she previously called out…Islamophobia? https://t.co/VNPwFRyTtN

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) February 4, 2023

Today's Great Stuff: Thoughtful, interesting, funny

I noticed some of the kids from down the block coming home from school yesterday and one of them was wearing shorts ....

Here's some thoughtful, interesting, and funny stuff I have collected over the last week or so.

First, the thoughtful:

#Maddow
20 years from now when all is said and told people we'll be writing books on how GOP elected officials of Our Generation cooked up a Witch Hunt against Hillary Clinton and elected a Russian spy who would later be responsible for countless covid deaths
Cartoon Of The Day pic.twitter.com/N4PmYcdL1i

— Michael Franklin🦂 (@HuronBlueChief) January 31, 2023

We fund what we value.
We police what we don't.

— Ahmed Ali (@MrAhmednurAli) January 28, 2023

Two Americas. https://t.co/jGhjnxHZdf https://t.co/t4zqDXtIoZ pic.twitter.com/GPvl0g5Rys

— Michael de Adder (@deAdder) January 28, 2023

🧵 A word of advice for all those "realists" among Western elites who oppose support for #Ukraine: Finally, once and for all bury the Yalta mindset. Understand the Russia is no more entitled to a sphere of influence than a gangster is entitled to keep the spoils of a robbery. 1/

— Andrew A. Michta (@andrewmichta) January 27, 2023

when a leftist brings out the phrase “deeply unserious” to describe someone that is the closest we can come to admitting we want a person dead

— pudding person (@JUNlPER) February 3, 2023

"Abandoned to violence" - Ottawa People's Commission first report

The Public Order Emergency Commission report is due this month, but already we have an initial report from the Ottawa People's Commission -- a community initiative set up last June when it looked like official Ottawa just wanted to deep-six the whole miserable FreeDumb Convoy occupation and blockade experience.

I have been following their hearings over the summer and fall, and now they have released their first report - Press Progess summarizes it in this article- "It Was Violent: People's Commission report shines a light on violence, harassment and hate crimes during the 'Freedom Convoy'

Convoy supporters falsely claim the Freedom Convoy was a “peaceful protest.”

The @ottpeoplescomm’s final report, based on testimony from over 200 people, shines a light widespread violence, harassment and hate crimes in the streets of Ottawa.https://t.co/D6djURkk6D #cdnpoli

— PressProgress (@pressprogress) February 1, 2023

The Ottawa commission held 14 hearings and 8 community meetings, and wrote a 72-page report, released in a pdf format on Tuesday. Part One is titled "What We Heard". The second part will be released in March.

The most significant finding is this - as the Ottawa Occupation continued for three weeks last winter, the people of Ottawa were abandoned to violence, harassment and danger by police and by governments. 

Today's News: "In the Covid era, the vulnerable die earlier, the remaining become vulnerable earlier"

I've been noticing and collecting a variety of recent posts and tweets about Covid and our situation these days, and the challenges we will be facing in 2023.

This pretty well sums it up, really:

In the COVID era, the vulnerable people die earlier, the remained ones become vulnerable earlier.

— Hiroshi Yasuda (保田浩志) (@Yash25571056) January 14, 2023

And as for the continuing political implications:

Many people expected a huge explosion in babies after everybody stayed home for COVID but I didn’t realize they would be 20-50 year old men flying “F*ck Trudeau” flags screaming about imaginary rights they don’t understand.

— Dean from Winnipeg (@Dean_Winnipeg) January 30, 2023

Yes indeed:

... the same people who were wrong to say that we all had to catch it are the same people who were wrong to say that there is no way to stop it are the same people who were wrong to say that it's just a cold are the same people who were wrong to say that kids don't get sick ...

— tern (@1goodtern) January 30, 2023

... are the same people who were wrong to say that there is no airborne transmission are the same people who were wrong to say that the pandemic would only affect people in China because western healthcare is better are the same people who are all complete and utter idiots.

— tern (@1goodtern) January 30, 2023

Why do we even hear from any single one of these people ever any more?

— tern (@1goodtern) January 30, 2023

But wait, there's more....

Today's Great Stuff

Here are some of the funny tweets and stories I have seen over the last couple of weeks:

I am so tired of living like it's the 1600s. Can I afford eggs at the market? Are my friends gonna die in the plague? Puritans coming for my sinful lifestyle. I want some modern problems. Modern Problems

— Sigurd the Mighty (@MightySigurd) January 21, 2023

Yeah, and here's a Modern Problem:

Of all the shifts I’ve made in the past few years, I think the biggest one was becoming a one space after a period person instead of a two space after a period person. 👀😂 /s

— Meghan | The Pursuing Life (@thepursuinglife) January 28, 2023

Today's Scene: Enshittification

I used to title these posts "From the Substacks" but good commentary is not just Substacks these days, its Medium and Patreon and blogs and opinion pieces from all over. 

So I will call these posts Today's Scene - a collection of observations and opinions by various authors from various places. 

As Twitter continues to implode, and as Facebook allows Trump back on, Today's Scene is a discussion of what is happening to various websites and social media platforms. 

Setting the scene is a fascinating graphic from Visual Capitalist, The Top 50 Most Visited Websites In The World: 

And whoosh! The McGonigal spy story is gone!

Was there ever a conspiracy theory more bizarre, more crazy, than believing that Russia was behind Trump's unexpected 2016 election victory? 

But just because something sounds crazy doesn't mean it isn't true. 

For years now, I have believed somebody close to Trump was working for Putin - Trump himself is too stupid to play a spying role himself, and too ill-informed, but he is also so credulous it is easy to get him to believe just about anything. Far too often Trump and the people working for him did or said something for Putin's benefit, too many times to be explained by mere coincidence. 

So now a guy high-up in the New York office of the FBI has been arrested and charged with working for Russia. Quel suprise!

So to be clear, McGonigal was running the FBI's Trump-Russia probe at the moment this story -- at the most critical moment of the 2016 -- was leaked to the New York Times https://t.co/K4FfJW5pz6

— Will Bunch (@Will_Bunch) January 23, 2023

ICYMI: FBI official who led the 2016 investigation finding *no link* between Trump & Russia Charles McGonigal arrested for taking💰from Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska— who Manafort owed MILLIONS While working for Trump *for free*

Russia was never a hoaxhttps://t.co/tcYf5eESMJ

— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) January 24, 2023

Funny stuff

First, a few recent cartoons:

Today's News: Another one gone

One of our growth industries these days is baby boomer deaths -- today, it was David 

Crosby:

 

“If you're sad today, just remember the world is over 4 billion years old and you somehow managed to exist at the same time as David Crosby.”

HT: @simonpegg 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/9VKXwIhA3M

— Stuart James Lord (@stuartjameslord) January 20, 2023

Start banking your sick days for when we lose Neil Young

— I would prefer not to (lolennui@mstdn.social) (@lolennui) January 20, 2023

On a lighter note:

I have to say, out of all the ways I pictured technology might advance… dystopian, utopian, increased convenience… I did not anticipate the degree to which it would change in stupid ways to intentionally piss me off just so some dudes could make a buck. https://t.co/tdGFOrdqMk

— WheatNOil (@WheatNOil) January 20, 2023

HAL: The door will open after the following ads.

DAVE: I’m running out of oxygen HAL! Skip the ads!

HAL: The algorithm suggests people who are dying like these ads.

DAVE: I wouldn’t be dying if you’d open the door.

HAL: Updating algorithm interests to include more “dying”.

— WheatNOil (@WheatNOil) January 20, 2023

Ukraine update - Bob Rae: "To base decisions on fear would be devastating for democracy"

I'm doing a Ukraine update every two or three weeks now - my last one was Dec 28, when I talked about the resilience and courage of the Ukraine people.

Tonight's update covers the recent events in Dnipro, as well as analyst expectations for the future -- it isn't victory, not yet, but the shape of victory is becoming clearer, and maybe that riderless horse isn't galloping quite so madly across history.

First, these Russian attacks on civilians are horrific:

Russia’s attack on #Dnipro with a megabomb directed at civilians, combined with massive armoured assaults represent #escalation which must be met with the strongest possible response. To hesitate or base decisions on fear would be devastating for #Ukraine and #democracy

— Bob Rae (@BobRae48) January 17, 2023

"Russia is just continuing to act in ways that are almost unbelievable," Biden says in Oval Office during bilat with Netherlands' Mark Rutte. Rutte says they have seen the “terrible footage” from Dnipro and it has strengthened resolve to help Ukraine. https://t.co/Avz42Bnvu7

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) January 17, 2023

I'm so tired of Teh Stupid!

 

The question asked by nations around the world in 2016 was "Why is US politics so stupid?" because America's idiotic Electoral College system allowed Trump to become president even though he did not win the popular vote. 

Now nations will again be asking "Why is US politics so stupid" if America's idiotic Republican politicians allow the world economy to crash because they can't make a simple fix to their debt ceiling procedures. 

In both cases, America knew what the problems were but wouldn't or couldn't summon the political will to fix them. 

The United States already lost political prestige and influence around the world because of Trump -- it took Biden some time and lots of meetings to get the world community to forgive America for Trump.

Now America is risking its economic credibility and clout with the debt ceiling debacle -- and the easiest solution seems to be to print a trillion-dollar coin!

it is genuinely hilarious the entire financial system might be saved by a random poster with the username "beowulf" in the blog comments of a B list hedge fund manager who was like "why dont we just mint a trillion dollar coin" which was passed by word of mouth to Krugman

— Lucas 🧡🧦 (@PunishedLink) January 7, 2023

What a week!

 

Sad news from all over today:

Jeff Beck, Robbie Bachman, Lisa Marie Presley … gone. ☹️

Life is fragile folks. pic.twitter.com/XJ7FVj7pJu

— Larry Updike (@LarryUpdike) January 13, 2023

In other news, one has to wonder how incredibly stupid will this get?

For those playing along at home, Merrick Garland knew Trump stole classified documents as early as January 2021 and... took almost 2 years to appoint a special counsel.

With Biden, it took Garland 2 months.

I keep trying to tell you guys that Merrick is a pathetically weak man.

— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) January 12, 2023

Increasingly, I am convinced that Garland will never have the courage to indict Trump for anything - I doubted he would do it even before the Biden documents were announced, but now it would likely be impossible. Oh well.... 

Some things to think about, when you have a minute...

Here are some predictions for 2023 from Visual Capitalist

Here's something else to ponder:

Andrew Wyeth, Fence Line ,1967,watercolor on paper
21.9 x 30"

"I prefer winter & fall,when you feel the bone structure of the landscape-the loneliness of it,the dead feeling of winter.Something waits beneath it,the whole story doesn’t show."
—Andrew Wyeth pic.twitter.com/pxSqBZyrvN

— Edward Elderman (@edwereddie) December 20, 2022

And here's another:

When you’re Godzilla every city is a walkable city

— stoned cold fox (@roastmalone_) January 9, 2023

Some neat stuff

And here's some more neat stuff.  First, some great articles -- 

- From the New York Times, a 2023 Astronomy and Space Calendar that you can add to your Google calendar, plus an article about how the Calendar was developed. 

Here is the tweet about it:

How 552 episodes of "The Simpsons" led to me building a space and astronomy calendar for @NYTScience that is now in its sixth year. Gift link so you can read it: https://t.co/OkCOTtvfbx pic.twitter.com/6jinKiLdGW

— Michael Roston (@michaelroston) January 9, 2023