The United States recently took a step towards civilizing war, if war can be in any way termed civilized. Last Friday the US Defence Department made history by destroying the last chemical weapon in its military arsenal. The US Senate ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997 and it began
Continue readingTag: Ukraine
The Cracked Crystal Ball II: He’s Living In The Past
For quite some time, I have suspected that Putin was living in the past – quite specifically, the Cold War. His "State of the Nation" speech today confirmed that. Most news outlets are pointing out two major features of the speech: 1. Putin blaming "The West" for the
Continue readingCathie from Canada: 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
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Negotiate Peace in Ukraine
Winnipeg, January 21, 2023: Members of Peace Alliance Winnipeg distributed literature in Winnipeg’s Osborne Village calling for an immediate ceasefire and negotiated peace agreement to end the Ukraine War. Following is the statement they distributed. Please share widely. More war and weapons are not the way to peace! Statement of
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The noble Nobels
The collapse of the Soviet Union, the “Evil Empire,” was perhaps the most welcome event of the latter part of the 20th century. Almost three hundred million people freed from totalitarian rule in a historical moment, and peacefully at that. Tragically not all have remained free. Half of them are
Continue readingCathie from Canada: Today’s News: The Beginning of the End?
Three stories tonight seem to have the same theme — that it may be the beginning of the end for Pierre Poilievre, for Elon Musk and for Donald Trump. First, for Pierre Poilievre: Evan Scrimshaw analyzes the Angus Reid poll tonight, comparing Poilievre at 3 months to the other Conservative
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Peace Through Pieces – Functionalism in International Relations
Once and awhile Counterpunch surprises me with a bit of unvarnished factual reporting. I didn’t know that Functionalism was a think in International Relations – but what a great concept to make the world a more peaceable place. “Peace through pieces” was an important contribution to understanding mediating differences by
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: November
There are things going on. From absurd numbers of kids home sick from school, to the Grey Cup going on today in Regina. The most vocal civilian critic of the SaskParty’s support of abusive religious schools (who were teaching dinosaurs were around with Creationist people), had their home vandalized with
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: And after Putin?
Russian President Vladimir Putin is not happy in the modern world. A child of Soviet Communism and of that particular enthusiasm bred by service in the KGB, he prefers government with a firm hand, preferably his. And his nostalgia for the old days carries him back even further. He has,
Continue readingCathie from Canada: From the bookmarks
Of course dinosaurs and humans never co-existed – dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years before humans developed, and the CBC knows it, as do all paleontologists. But no scientist wants to put their job on the line with our nutty right-wing government over such a stupid issue, just because the
Continue readingCathie from Canada: Today’s News: The story behind Russia-gate and the Ukraine War
The New York Times has published a major article The Untold Story of “Russia-gate” and the Road to War in Ukraine (gift article link), and the story actually turns out to be remarkably simple — Putin wanted to get Trump elected so Trump could support a plan that would give Putin
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: No to NATO! Peace in Ukraine!
Winnipeg, Oct. 28, 2022: Members of Peace Alliance Winnipeg picketed outside Winnipeg’s Delta Inn, site of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress conference, attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Anita Anand.
Continue readingCathie from Canada: Today’s News: Updates
Just a short one tonight. First, about the POEC hearings: A lot of people are looking really really bad in this inquiry and none of them are named Trudeau. — Christopher Byrne 🇨🇦 (@CBinVAN) October 18, 2022 And some of what we are hearing is just BS: You mean the
Continue readingCathie from Canada: Today’s News: Playing nuclear chicken?
Well, this is terrifying, isn’t it? It sounds like Russia is getting set to try to play a game of Nuclear Chicken with Ukraine and the west: It comes as sources told The Times that Nato had sent an intelligence report to its members and allies alerting them to the
Continue readingCathie from Canada: Today’s News: Winter is Coming
First tonight, what the heck is going on in Britain? The new Truss government seems determined to destroy the British economy in the name of some looney libertarian conservative craziness, while the British people are facing horrific heating bills and mortgage bills this winter. Liz Truss is in Birmingham for
Continue readingCathie from Canada: Today’s News: #ISingWithTrudeau
So today the Queen was laid to rest in a beautiful ceremony — here are a few of the tweets I flagged about the most-watched funeral in world history: The BBC’s montage at the end of today’s coverage of the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Moving, powerful,
Continue readingCathie from Canada: Today’s News: True Colours
Day Four of Poilievre’s leadership and his true colours are already showing: The nasty politics of the “real Pierre Poilivrer”. This is what he did to one of his own high profile MPs who dared support his opponent @JeanCharest_What would this nasty bare knuckes guy do to you?@HazelEros @gtlem @MerlinofCanada
Continue readingCathie from Canada: Notable from the Emmys
We sorta hate-watched the Emmys this year – we hadn’t seen very many of the shows nominated, so the awards didn’t mean very much to us really. I was disappointed that much of the time, the celebrities presenting the awards seemed to think the show was about them – while
Continue readingCathie from Canada: Today’s News: Slava Ukraini
Such wonderful news today from Ukraine – coming so fast now its hard to keep up: Pretty impossible to sleep tonight. The mood. The lyrics: “Russian ship, go f*** yourself!” #UkraineWillWin pic.twitter.com/qa9NEO0nV8 — Zarina Zabrisky 🇺🇦 (@ZarinaZabrisky) September 10, 2022 Ukrainian women in Balakliya thanking Ukrainian soldiers for liberating them.
Continue readingCathie from Canada: Today’s News: Ukraine, and CNN
Just a couple of highlights tonight — Ukraine’s success, and CNN’s failure. First, Ukraine is kicking Russia out, town by town! Ukraine has broken its silence since the start of its counteroffensive on 29 August🔹700 sq km regained 🔹Russians pushed back 50 km in Kharkiv direction 🔹>20 settlements retaken in
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