These are some of the stories from the “inside pages” that caught my eye during the week ending May 13:
Corporate welfare has its place. For instance, if Canada wants an aerospace industry it should make it a clear objective and support Canadian companies in the sector. If we want a stronger agriculture and food supply chain, governments should invest in Canadian initiatives. But should it invest in foreign car manufacturers that routinely threaten plant closures to secure more subsidies?
Greig Mordue, the chair, manufacturing policy and associate professor of engineering at McMaster University, asserts that :
Troubles in the Ukrainian surrogacy industry makes for an interesting counterpoint to the US Supreme Court’s impending decision to upend Roe v. Wade. International surrogacy is legal in the Ukraine. Conditions apply:
What happens to surrogate mothers in wartime. They have signed a contract to comply with the surrogacy agency to protect the foetus. But also, they have families. When the agency moves them to safe havens, families can be left behind. If Poland, say, provides that safe haven, then the new child is subject to Polish laws and a long adoption process will ensue.
I wrote recently that the Finns consider good shelter a human right – compassionate. Toughness – the National Post recently printed an article from The Daily Telegraph. In it we discover that:
I have to shill the Shadow Lines TV series one more time. If you live next to a bear, be ready to swat it on the nose. Finland is.
Now imagine that on that March date someone in a shawarma shop tells you:
Would you ever take investment advice from that shawarma shop customer again? Probably not – but that person aspires to be Prime Minister. He continues as frontrunner for the leadership of one of Canada’s main political parties – the Conservatives. In line with the rules for the last Conservative party debate, I have not named him. I can only hope that all of his campaign funds had been converted to Bitcoin on March 29.
Regardless, many will vote for him because there is a perception that he will be a better financial manager. In this regard, the current government is not a hard act to follow. They will pass off his crypto currency passion as a passing fancy to appeal to a certain voting block. He has, however, had a long history with crypto currency. He featured on a crypto currency podcast with so-called crypto expert / conspiracy theorist Robert Breedlove. The un-named candidate tells Breedlove he is “extremely informative.” In the Toronto Sun, Warren Kinsella wraps up a column on Breedlove and the Candidate with the more appropriate line: “It is extremely nuts”.
The hyperlinked title will take you to the Economist article on the downturn of crypto currencies.
“Bitcoin is ingenious but it has no unique value at all. It doesn’t produce anything. You can stare at it all day and no little bitcoins come out. It’s a delusion, basically,”
Warren Buffett in a 2019 interview with CNBC. He added “its like rat poison for investors.”
That’s it for the week ending May 13.
Lisbon’s seven hills and waterfront make it visually spectacular. The second oldest capital in Europe, the city has energy. Busy streets and squares, full restaurants, and vibrant night life – the city pulsates. And, the population seems young. All signs of a city on the rise? Earthquake A 1755 earthquake destroyed 85% of the city […]
People living on the street have come to symbolize the global housing crisis but they are only the tip of the iceberg. While the examples of Finland and Houston demonstrate a focussed plan pursued diligently can resolve the housing situation for the chronically homeless, addressing the affordable housing problem is much more complex. Defining Affordability […]
I love to dance. This is not something new for me. I can’t remember when I didn’t like to move to the music. My first memories of watching others dance come from my childhood in Cape Breton where I would watch the adults square dance. Then, there were the step dancers who would often accompany […]
Kings Cross, once a thriving industrial and transport centre in London, was effectively closed off to the public by the end of the 20th century. Then in 1996, the decision was made to move the British terminus for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link from Waterloo to St-Pancras. The landowner saw a re-development opportunity for […]
I have postulated that cities and towns evolve. That towns and villages first grow in areas where the basics to support life were plentiful. Typically, that means good agricultural land and good access to water. Other valuable considerations include safety, and resilience. The bonus – access to trade routes. Walt Disney and the Fully Formed […]
A Visit from Saint Nicholas A Poem by Jonathan Potter – December 2022 ‘Twas the first mask-free Christmas, when all through the stores The vaccinated children were spewing their spores;The shoppers were eagerly starting to riotAs the introverts longed for some quarantine quiet. The public healthcare workers were tracing the pathOf the flu and RSV, […]