Harry Shannon
The Hamilton Spectator has a one-page section each week entitled "Wheels." Last Friday there was an over-the-top review of a Dodge muscle car. Here is my subsequent letter in the paper:
It isn't exactly what I sent to the Spec, as it's known locally. The editors removed (censored?) a sentence and reworded a sentence in the …
Canada the 51st State?
Harry Shannon
Donald Trump has caused a huge kerfuffle by wondering if Canada might become the 51st US state. Canadians have rushed to proclaim Canada's sovereignty and declare that we will never join the US.
There's a simple reason why it won't happen and it's nothing to do with whether Canadians want it or not. Here's the letter I wrote in…
Gaza war statistics
Harry Shannon
You’ll occasionally hear arguments about the accuracy of the numbers of casualties in the Gaza war. Media reports tend to refer to the “Hamas-run” Gaza Ministry of Health when quoting its statistics, as if that makes them suspect.Several central points:
Israeli military intelligence considers the numbers from the Gaz…
Repurposing golf courses
Harry Shannon
Hamilton, Ontario has three public golf courses owned by the city. One of the city’s councillors would like to convert at least one of the courses into more widely used green space – regular parkland, sports fields, etc.
The local paper, the Hamilton Spectator, ran a story about it last Friday (September 27). I sent them th…
What if food banks closed?
Harry Shannon
About 10 days ago, workers with a courier company held a food drive. They dropped off good-size bags at people's homes. Everyone was asked to put non-perishable foods in the bags, which the workers collected. (The company is called Purolator. I don't think it's a smart idea to include 'lator' in your name if you are competing to d…
“Israel has always sought a peace settlement.” Really?
Harry Shannon
I keep hearing people saying that Israel has always been ready to reach a peace settlement with Palestinians, but there’s no “Partner for Peace.” This argument is best exemplified by former Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban’s sly and often-repeated saying that the Palestinians “never miss an opportunity to miss an oppor…
Falling behind
Harry Shannon
Like everyone else, I get too many emails. You know, spam, phishing, ads, promotions, etc. – and occasionally ones I actually want to read. It’s partly my own fault; at some times that I don’t remember, I signed up to various websites.
So the other day I decided to cancel ones that I am only vaguely interested in and cert…
Responsibility for the war is not one-sided
Harry Shannon
An Opinion article I wrote, published in the Hamilton Spectator.
On October 7, I nearly lost my brother and sister.
My brother lives with his wife on Kibbutz Saad, near the Gaza border. That weekend, my sister was visiting from Jerusalem. Saad is right in the middle of some 20 or so villages and kibbutzim which were attacked…
BDS is not antisemitic
There was an OpEd in the Hamilton Spectator recently on BDS (the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel). There’s been a campaign attacking Sara Jama, an MPP (member of the Ontario legislature) who is black and wheelchair-bound. She’s a supporter of BDS (the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel), hence…
Exclusive: Courthouse mystery solved!
Slabs on side of new building are part of government’s radical new policy on crime
Harry Shannon
People passing by the new Toronto Courthouse in downtown Toronto have been puzzled by the slabs extending from the east side of the building (shown in the photo). ProbablyMaybe can now reveal their purpose. They are an integral part of …