Sunday, 23 March 2025
Canada's war(s) with the United States
If current tensions with Canada's southern neighbor seem unprecedented they are not. A set of memorial stones in a park on Portland Street in downtown Toronto mark the graves of Canadians killed in the War of 1812. The war was with the United States. Like most wars it was about economic supremacy between the U.S,A. and British North America, now Canada,and ts indigenous partners. Through the war Canada retained its alignment, as a European counterweight to American imperial expansion of the time. If Northern North America collaboration ensued in the 20th century European/world wars,cultural distance nonetheless remains deep and its flare-ups should serve to remind Canadians and the world of the core differences that separate these North American neighbours. They make Canada with our national public health care service and third party a more European and social economic culture. Though some may see Trumpian outbursts as a social media artifact a profound values differential is the root cause and American style social media are, like Trump himself, a symptom of deep and dangerously insecure isolationist instinct in our deeplyly interconnected socio-cultural times.
Wednesday, 12 March 2025
On Canadian integration etc.
Wednesday, 26 February 2025
Markets v. tariffs: confusions clarified
Thought there was a contradiction? One benefit of free floating thugs like the world’s current crop of autocrats is they can erase any confusion people might have about the proponents of extreme “free” trade. A stroke of autocratic pens clears governments of long standing economic “principles”. Like autocracy “free” trade is a tool to maximize power for the already Empowered. Free trade is only truly free in the service of liberty for all.
Saturday, 22 February 2025
World Cup 2026 - Toronto: opium for masses? FIFA scores, people lose?
------------ > Football, aka soccer, and more broadly professional sport, have joined, if not surpassed, religion as “the opium of the masses”. If so, then Toronto is in for a very “high” summer in 2026 when the word’s most popular debuts its major tournament in the city for the first time.
The question for Toronto is whether its world cup will do more than distract attention from everyday realities.
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* Feb.22 2026. Here begins our tracking of Toronto’s 2026 World Cup, our assessment of how much better the 2026 will be for Toronto, Canada and the world. World soccer/football Governing body FIFA wants 2026 to be the best ever World Cup. Let us see. Initial FIFA references to the Toroto World Cup laud our diversiy and livability but say nothing about the ecomomic assault on the country by its cup co-host, the U.S.A or the poverty and distress that co-exist with the 'enertainment, technology, and innovation' that capture FIFA's attention at www,FIFA.com..
Friday, 21 February 2025
X etc. and ANOMIE
With amoral social media based plutocrats as U.S. leaders new technology has “trumped” law as the new centre of societal power. We are in a moment of global Anomie ["a lack of social or political standards in an individual or group"]. Millions more can be reached by social technology than by traditional communications and each page view generates more wealth for negligible expense. There are currently no conditions and wealth enables reach. The message of social media. as currently operated by footloose entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, is ethical and political autonomy. Such techno-leaders openly scorn established powers for their weakness, only derivatively for their values. We are in an age of anomie in the centres of power. Resistance is necessary, the means are multiple and the time is now.
Thursday, 13 February 2025
Democracy v. Autocracy
There’s something about vast wealth that tends to make the rich think they deserve it, however empty their minds and sterile their thoughts. Elon Musk is the latest example of what author Anne Applebaum in a 2024 book calls Autocracy Inc. TorontotheBetter calls on all to work together to stop the autocracy forces and make the June 2025 World Cup advent in Toronto our best before date for autocracy derailment. Let’s get to work on 2025 campaigns right now. There are elections soon…
Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Court jester as President
There is nothing funny about Donald trump, the 45th president of the United States. He is a rude ignorant bully cipher with power over weapons that can harm millions. But so inept and unthinking is he that many voters including former U.S. army general H.R. Mcmaster treat him as entertainment, a relief from the “far too serious” business of everyday life, where people fight, and get maimed or die. In medieval times this was the role played by the court jester for their monarchs. The unique problem with Donald J. Trump is he is the monarch AND a court jester at the same time. It is this that allows many people to vote for hum while knowing he is a goof and a lightweight who, apart from the money is just like them.
