What does his future hold?
On Wednesday, Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the United States. That means the White House’s 45th occupant, Donald Trump, has only one more day in office. What will happen during his final few hours? Several phone calls of either a personal or political nature seem likely. Brief chats with White House staff…
Things could get far more violent than what we just witnessed if Trump was actually tossed out of office
The United States Capitol was built in 1800 as the political home for members of Congress. It’s a magnificent piece of neoclassical architecture, and a popular destination for historians and tourists. The Capitol has only been attacked on two occasions. The first was during the War of 1812. British forces initiated the burning of Washington…
There's that little matter of actually rolling out the vaccines on a much wider scale in Canada
Sad to see 2020 go? You’re in the minority … of one. Everyone else was quite ecstatic to roll out the welcome mat for 2021. The biggest issue we faced in 2020 was obviously the coronavirus pandemic. More than 85 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 worldwide, leading to nearly 1.85 million deaths as…
A controversial new book maintains that the North may have won the war, but the South won the battle of ideas
This month’s holiday celebration, much like the year in general, is one that the annals of history will always remember. For my last column of 2020, let’s explore some historical analysis that few would ever recall. Who won the American Civil War? The correct response would be: the North, Union, Union Army and/or Army of…
If he can’t figure out that his family’s involvement with the WE Charity was a conflict of interest, then he really does have an ethical blind spot
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been criticized for his seemingly cavalier attitude with respect to parliamentary procedure and taking ethical stands. The running joke has been that either he doesn’t know, doesn’t care or experiences things differently than others. Here’s yet another example and it’s one of the strangest to date. Trudeau, like many of…
Audiences took a while to warm up to a black country musician. He wasn’t promoted in this fashion and photos didn’t accompany his early singles
I didn’t grow up listening to country music. Nevertheless, there were country musicians I always liked. Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, Roy Clark (who was also a bluegrass legend), Kenny Rogers, Oak Ridge Boys and Alabama come to mind. Then there was Charley Pride. He was in a class of his…
Let’s take the high road, skip the blame game, stop the juvenile finger pointing and find some solutions to Canada’s lack of vaccine production
When Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca announced successful drug trials with their respective COVID-19 vaccine candidates, many people were euphoric. It wouldn’t signal the end of the coronavirus pandemic but it would be a positive sign that we’re gradually getting to this stage. Many countries around the world pre-purchased millions of vaccine vials or doses. Some…
U.S. President Donald Trump’s legal team has launched over 40 lawsuits to contest the Nov. 3 election results. With some exceptions, most have either been withdrawn or dismissed. The exceptions include victories in the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, a filed case in Michigan’s U.S. District Court and Eastern District. Several other cases remain active. As the…
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…