I have fallen behind so some of this is not from the week of April 4th. Amongst the things that I found interesting:
The Vietnam war dominated much of my youth. It was the first TV war with daily body counts and with lots of gory video. The American propaganda machine hyped the threat of a communist Southeast Asia and the villainy of the Vietcong. The US officially withdrew on March 29, 1973 after signing a peace accord two months earlier. The US government had finally understood that it could not win this domestically unpopular conflict.
Fast forward almost fifty years and VinFast is making a US$2 billion investment in a factory in North Carolina. There it will produce batteries, electric buses, and SUVs and create 7000 jobs. VinFast is the automotive arm of Vingroup, the largest conglomerate in Vietnam. I wonder how accepting this investment from a company listed on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange and a socialist entity went over with the likes of the loony Madison Cawthorne (R-N.C.) Did he make it to the announcement party?
There can be no doubt that Russia, multiple members of the Russian armed forces, and Vladimir Putin are guilty of war crimes in the Ukraine. No surprise! They committed the same atrocities in Chechnya, Syria, Afghanistan, and Georgia. Getting justice for any of these war crimes faces long odds.
I find it ironic that Joe Biden seeks criminal prosecution by the International Criminal Court (“ICC”). The 123 adherents to the ICC signed and ratified the founding treaty (the “Rome Agreement”) in July 1998. The US never ratified its adherence.
Why? Because of concerns that ICC prosecutors would have unchecked power to subject US servicemen and politicians to the judgement of the court. The US initially pushed for the creation of the ICC. However, once it realized its jurisdiction could apply to potential US war crimes, its congress refused to ratify. Clearly, a case of what is good for the goose is not good for the gander. The gander may have something(s) to hide.
Council on Foreign Relations
Did you see the photo of Ron DeSantis signing Florida’s HB1557 – a law that bans instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity until after grade 3. Suited white men and uniformed children! Scary!
So, if kindergarteners John or Mary show up at a school event with two moms or two dads, can teachers then answer Billy’s questions about different parental situations? The Evangelicals may just say John’s and Mary’s parents are sinners! That would be evil! Also, the law requires school personnel to “out” LGBTQ students to potentially unsupportive parents. Also mean-spirited!
Margaret Atwood – you got the location of Handmaid’s Tale wrong! Florida is Gilead!
We Canadians are hard on ourselves. Count me amongst the discontented because I think we can do better. The Good Country Index measures what each country on earth contributes to humanity’s common good and what it takes away. Canada ranks sixth behind three Scandinavian countries and two other European nations. Sweden topped the list. The US ranks 46th.
US News ranks Canada as the world’s best country in 2021. Monocle Magazine ranks Canada eighth on its “soft power” index.
I know – all indexes are subjective. That being said, they are indicative that the country remains respected on the world stage.
I hesitated. I don’t want to make light of the human tragedy that is the war in the Ukraine. However I did find it interesting that:
So, maybe there will be more pork scratchings served at the pub!
The fog of war, social media rat holes, political demagoguery, are all economical with the truth so I thought this was a suitable quote for the week of April 4th.
“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
George Orwell
So that is it – for the week of April 4th
I know! I am going to sound like a grumpy old man. Maybe that is because I am. I have been scratching my head in wonderment at the Taylor Swift phenomena. Is she an Incredible song writer, composer, and performer? I really don’t know! A discussion for another time? But probably not. At my age […]
Don’t build it! At least, Not In My Back Yard ! I acted as an advisor in the sale of a beautifully natural, 14-acre urban waterfront estate. Existing zoning allowed for the development of 30 to 35 single-family homes, which after road dedication would leave very little green space. I did not think that was […]
We were visiting Glasgow (literally that Dear Green Place in Gaelic) to see where my father was born, grew up, and went to University. Fortunately for me, my cousin John from Australia had just visited and had met with historians, Bruce Downie and Norry Wilson. So, we too arranged to meet them in the Govanhill […]
Vienna on top again. This week both Monocle Magazine and The Economist unveiled their quality of life / most liveable city indexes. There are differences in the way each publication sets its index. So it is even more impressive that once again, Vienna tops both lists. I am a bit lazy today so rather than […]
Many Viennese went from hot bedding to superblocks overnight. Could they even imagine an apartment complex 1000 metres long built along two streets with even more massive landscaped courtyards? Could they conceive of 1400 apartment units built to house 5000 people on 56,000 square metres or 38 acres of land. Or a vertical build-out that […]
Vienna had been a poor city even before the First World War. “Normal” housing arrangements meant six to eight people sharing one room and a kitchen. Then, in early 1919, just after the Armistice, the cost of living tripled in two months. Bed lodgers could no longer afford their 8-hours a day in a shared […]