If our leaders don’t learn any lessons and create better safeguards during a lockdown period, people will keep lashing out
Many governments imposed short-lived lockdowns during the first wave of COVID-19 to help stop the spread of the virus in their countries. As we head deeper into the second wave, that dreaded battle cry has been ringing across the lands once more. Several European nations, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and the United…
Politicians are avoiding talking about what to do if some people turn a thumbs down to being forced to vaccinate
Will there be a vaccine for COVID-19? Pharmaceutical companies have been working around the clock to find either a cure or a preventive measure. The medical community has been hopeful in some instances and cautious in others when discussing this possibility. Many people around the world have waited with anticipation for even the smallest glimmer…
Joe Biden may have won the U.S. presidential election but he’s not the president-elect. Too many ballots must still be counted
The results of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3 were much closer than most opinion polls, media reports and political pundits predicted. Several states were (and are) still counting ballots and it appeared early on that either Republican President Donald Trump or Democratic candidate Joe Biden would win by a razor-thin margin. Millions of…
Five U.S. presidents – including Trump in 2016 – have lost the popular vote but won the all-important electoral college
Who’s going to win the United States presidential election today? It’s a mug’s game to make a definitive prediction. Major party presidential candidates often experience short-lived highs and lows. Shifts in the electoral narrative, political controversies and (more rarely) debate performances can move the needle in different directions. Third-party candidates, independents/fence sitters, disgruntled ex-party supporters…
Ottawa’s political scene has been relatively tame as of late. It unexpectedly became a bit rambunctious last week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals attempted to engineer their own defeat in Parliament. This occurred after the Conservatives proposed a motion to create a parliamentary committee to investigate pandemic spending and, one assumes, multiple…
Trudeau needs to explain why a possible 9-11 skeptic is his chosen candidate in Toronto Centre
Two federal by-elections, in Toronto Centre and York Centre, will be held on Oct. 26. These are both safe, urban Toronto seats for the Liberal Party and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It would be surprising if the Liberals lost either one or both of them. Even if they did, their minority government wouldn’t come crashing…
Bringing back wonderful memories of laughing, learning and engaging with TV shows that people have gradually forgotten
Most of us have been busy during COVID-19 with work and family. Fortunately, I recently found some spare time to revisit a few TV shows of my youth. The inspiration came from three social media posts crafted by Ed Conroy. He’s a cultural historian who founded Retrontario in 2006 to “celebrate the neglected corners of…
His short battle with COVID-19 could lead to either added sympathy or further frustration
On Oct. 1, the news broke that U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, had tested positive for COVID-19. This was only three days after the first presidential debate between Trump and Joe Biden had been conducted. (If that’s what you want to call what happened in front of a televised audience of reportedly…
Presidential debates rarely sway voters, but Biden-Trump will make for an entertaining, if vicious, spectacle
The first U.S. presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump will be held this evening. Two more debates are scheduled on Oct. 15 and 22. Here are some thoughts on what can we expect to happen tonight: Presidential debates, like any leaders’ debates, lack spontaneity and leave almost nothing to chance. Scripts are created…
Politicians like the late prime minister are sources of inspiration for public service, intelligent discourse and common decency
John Turner, Canada’s 17th prime minister, passed away on Sept. 19 at the age of 91. A lawyer by trade, he had a serious relationship with Princess Margaret and was an Olympic-calibre athlete in track and field. He served as a Liberal MP from 1962 to 1976 in two ridings, St. Lawrence-St. George and Ottawa-Carleton,…
Many governments imposed short-lived lockdowns during the first wave of COVID-19 to help stop the spread of the virus in their countries. As we head deeper into the second wave, that dreaded battle cry has been ringing across the lands once more. Several European nations, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and the United…
