Harry Shannon
My cousin Henry told me about an online talk last week by David Rooney, a British historian. Rooney has just written a book called “About time: A history of civilization in twelve clocks.” The talk was very nicely done; I enjoyed it a lot. Rooney used each clock to illustrate a one-word theme – e.g., order, virtue, empires, …
Category: Politics
Secrecy at City Hall
My latest letter in the Hamilton Spectator
Background
There are two prominent local issues I refer to in the letter. The Red Hill Valley Parkway (controversial from its conception for its impact on the environment) was opened in 2007. A report submitted in 2014 to the City of Hamilton raised concerns about the asphalt surface, particularly i…
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is not up to the task
Harry Shannon
Background: This letter to the Toronto Star followed their editorial outlining some of the problems with how Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been handling the pandemic. I thought the analogy with sports players would resonate with Ford himself, as well as others. The letter was published in the January 22 edition of the paper.
Re…
The Invasion of Congress
In a speech to the Washington Press Club in 1969, then-Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau (father of current PM Justin Trudeau) memorably said: “Living next to you [the U.S.] is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt…
If they were really pro-life …
Harry Shannon
Many U.S. politicians, especially Republicans, like to proclaim their ‘pro-life’ stance. But while they’re keen to oppose abortions, the rest of their politics don’t match what they say.
If they were really pro-life:
They would cut military aid and weapons sales to regimes that assassinate their opponents and engage …
Dear Albertans
Harry Shannon
I sent the article below to the Calgary Herald as a possible contribution to their Opinion page. I haven’t even had an acknowledgement.
Some context: I wrote this after hearing the Alberta Premier Jason Kenney on the news. Kenney and his government have tried to keep the province’s economy open during the COVID-19 pandemic.…
Exclusive! Paula White mystery solved
Harry Shannon
You may have seen the video of Paula White, Donald Trump’s ‘spiritual advisor,’ praying for a Trump victory in the US election. If you haven’t seen the clip, it’s quite remarkable, and worth a look if only to expand your horizons to see a level of crazy that I didn’t know existed. (And check White’s Wikipedia entry t…
How big a wealth gap is too much?
Harry Shannon
I wrote this letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and several members of his cabinet:
There is a lot of talk about a wealth tax and about billionaires, but it’s hard for most people to understand just how much money the ultra-wealthy have. Even as a statistician, I have trouble getting to grips with the numbers. So I wan…
British Museum to change its name
Harry Shannon
Late in August, the British Museum moved a bust of its slave-owning founding father, Sir Hans Sloane. It was described as an attempt to confront the museum’s links to colonialism.
In a surprise follow-up, Hartwig Fischer, the museum’s director, announced that the museum will change its name. It will henceforth be known as …
Anti-maskers join forces with another new group
Harry Shannon
A rally was held today in Houston, Texas by two new groups that have agreed to work together. Don’t Use Masks or Barriers (DUMB) is teaming up with Counter Laws On Drinking (CLOD) to oppose what they call “government interference in the marketplace of behavior.”
DUMB claims that wearing masks to prevent COVID-19 is a plot…