Wednesday Night #2278

The shutdown is almost over and the debate as to whether the Magnificent -or Deplorable- Eight did the right thing or not will no doubt endure for days to come – or until the next crisis arises. Will that be over the Epstein files? We have been avoiding that topic, but feel we may have to catch up at some point.

U.S. Government shutdown
The Senate voted Monday night to end the longest government shutdown in history after eight members of the Democratic caucus crossed the aisle and joined Republicans in passing a short-term spending bill.
Heather Cox Richardson November 11, 2025
On November 10, 1923, just four years after he had established Armistice Day, former President Wilson spoke to the American people over the new medium of radio, giving the nation’s first live, nationwide broadcast.
“The anniversary of Armistice Day should stir us to a great exaltation of spirit,” he said, as Americans remembered that it was their example that had “by those early days of that never to be forgotten November, lifted the nations of the world to the lofty levels of vision and achievement upon which the great war for democracy and right was fought and won.”

Speaking of anniversaries, CBC ran a wonderful interview on Wednesday afternoon about the Château Ramezay at the heart of the events of the American Revolution that took place on Canadian soil. From November 13th, 1775, to June 15th, 1776, the Château served as the headquarters of the Continental Army during the invasion of the Province. There’s to be a reenactment of the surrender on Thursday. See THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION… IN THE PROVINCE OF QUÉBEC! No doubt some fun trivia for Chris Roper.

COP30 Belém Climate Change Conference
Fun fact:
California governor calls Trump ‘an invasive species’ at Cop30 climate talks
Gavin Newsom is most senior US politician at annual talks, heading alternate delegation in Trump’s absence –and is considered one of -if not the- hottest ticket in town.

Israel, Gaza, West Bank
Every day, we become more convinced that there will never be peace, certainly not as long as Bibi’s government and its ultra-right allies are in power
Israeli forces have killed at least three people in Gaza in the last 24 hours, according to Palestinian officials, as Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank ramped up attacks on Palestinian villages.
As Gaza’s Ministry of Health confirmed on Tuesday the killings in the last 24 hours, the enclave’s Civil Defence agency said in a statement on Telegram that it had transferred the bodies of 35 unidentified Palestinians to al-Shifa Hospital, where efforts will be made to confirm their identities.
Gaza peace plan: First step in a journey of a thousand miles
Former Israeli security service chief thinks the only path to lasting peace involves a two-state solution.
(Politico Eu) Ami Ayalon was one of Israel’s legendary gatekeepers — intelligence chiefs who’ve shouldered the daunting responsibility for the country’s security since the state’s founding, defending it against the odds from hostile Arab neighbors and militant Palestinian groups.
And he’s pessimistic about the prospects for Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
Why An “International Stabilization Force” for Gaza is Probably Doomed
Even if the UN authorizes it, no country wants to fight — or occupy — Gaza.

Canada-U.S.
Congratulations to U of T. If only we were not governed by the despicable CAQ, our excellent Quebec universities might also benefit from this brain drain.
Maybe our friends Hosein and Somayeh should look into the possibilities – Toronto is not Montreal, but it would be great to have you on this side of the border!
U of T hires three top U.S. scholars, announces $24-million recruitment plan
Mark Duggan, professor of economics at Stanford University, MIT economist Jacquelyn Pless and Canadian-born MIT astrophysicist Sara Seager.
(Globe & Mail) Three prominent U.S. scholars are moving to the University of Toronto, as the school embarks on a wave of talent attraction spurred in part by upheaval in the postsecondary sector in the United States.
The university plans to hire 100 postdoctoral fellows across a range of disciplines over two years, providing combined salary and research funding support of about $100,000 for each.
The U of T initiative announced Wednesday will be funded by the university and is separate from funding packages announced in last week’s federal budget. The Liberal government led by Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged $1.7-billion to attract top international researchers over the next decade or more, with $1-billion earmarked for recruitment of senior researchers.

Quebec
Andrew Caddell devotes this week’s column to PQ Blue Book attacks Canada’s international role
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is at it again. Last week, the Parti Québécois leader and presumed next premier of Quebec rolled out his Livre Bleu (Blue Book) on an independent Quebec’s international role.
There was a certain chutzpah in the launch: it was undertaken in the same room in Quebec City’s famed hotel—the Château Frontenac—where then-United Kingdom prime minister Winston Churchill, then-American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and then-Canadian prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King met in August of 1943 and September of 1944.
We cannot imagine that any average Québécois of whatever ethnicity is concerned with this topic when the entire province is faced with the fallout from Bill 2 the legislation governing our doctors
For those who prefer to delve into the miasma of the CAQ’s constitutional proposals, Sylvia Martin-Laforge and TALQ propose a
VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSION ON BILL 1 – QUEBEC’S NEW CONSTITUTIONAL LEGISLATION
Tuesday, November 18, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm \
Please RSVP using this link to receive the Zoom details.
On October 9, 2025, the CAQ government introduced Bill 1 — far-reaching legislation that raises profound concerns about the fundamental rights of all Quebecers. Drafted and tabled without public consultation, a constituent assembly, or a referendum, the bill represents a major shift in how constitutional authority could be exercised in Quebec.
Or maybe you should simply schedule a root canal.

Varia
Multilingualism protects against accelerated aging in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of 27 European countries
A study published in the journal “Nature Aging” found that people who speak two or more languages were more likely to see delayed symptoms of dementia. The World’s Host Carolyn Beeler learned more from Lucia Amoruso, one of the main authors of the research. (See Long reads below)
How about singing in more than one language?
Whoa, Canada! Is our malleable, maligned national anthem under attack?
O Canada is a simple song on the surface, but judged by everyone can be the most treacherous 1:20 of music
This season’s unusual run by the Toronto Blue Jays, Canada’s only Major League Baseball team, meant a live performance of O Canada was staged ahead of each of seven World Series games. All seven renditions brought an artist’s style and vision and, collectively, revealed the joys and challenges of a national symbol as a performance piece.A lot of baggage was unpacked on the international stage through these performances, disclosing the complexities, traditions, frailties and fervour surrounding Canada’s national anthem. As a song, O Canada reflects the country: both are plagued by history, complicated by language, and messed with by politics.
Jack Schlossberg, Social Media Provocateur, Gives Politics a Try
As he prepares a congressional run, J.F.K.’s grandson admits, “I’m not for everybody.”
The prize Mr. Schlossberg seeks is no less than New York’s glittering 12th district — encompassing the United Nations, the Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park…
We analyzed 47,000 ChatGPT conversations. Here’s what people really use it for.
What do people ask the popular chatbot? We analyzed thousands of chats to identify common topics discussed by users and patterns in ChatGPT’s responses.
Data released by OpenAI in September from an internal study of queries sent to ChatGPT showed that most are for personal use, not work. (The Post has a content partnership with OpenAI.)

For Peter Frise comments
Toyota opens US battery plant, confirms $10bn investment plan
The carmaker first announced the plan for battery production in 2021.

China’s EV Market Is Imploding
Beijing’s grand ambitions threaten to take down the global car industry.
In China, you can buy a heavily discounted “used” electric car that has never, in fact, been used. Chinese automakers, desperate to meet their sales targets in a bitterly competitive market, sell cars to dealerships, which register them as “sold,” even though no actual customer has bought them. Dealers, stuck with officially sold cars, then offload them as “used,” often at low prices. The practice has become so prevalent that the Chinese Communist Party is trying to stop it.

Long reads
No Escape – On the front lines of climate change, conflict and forced displacement
Conclusion
The consequences of delayed action – both human and financial – are escalating.
Towards COP30 and beyond, there is a growing imperative for greater recognition, decisive action and strengthened collaboration to address both the challenges and opportunities of climate action in displacement settings. Climate change is not only amplifying existing vulnerabilities – it is also fuelling displacement trends, creating complex and compounding risks for refugees, other displaced people and their hosts, leaving many with no escape from its impacts.The way forward must be grounded in inclusive, practical solutions that reflect the realities on the ground. The significant funding setbacks facing humanitarian programmes in 2025 only increase the urgency for targeted, practical solutions that empower countries and communities on the frontlines of climate change. Delivering on these solutions will require a whole-of-society effort, with governments, humanitarian and development actors, civil society and the private sector each playing complementary roles.

Multilingualism protects against accelerated aging in cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of 27 European countries
Multilingualism emerged as a protective factor in cross-sectional (odds ratio = 0.46) and longitudinal (relative risk = 0.70) analyses, whereas monolingualism increased risk of accelerated aging (odds ratio = 2.11; relative risk = 1.43). Effects persisted after adjusting for linguistic, physical, social and sociopolitical exposomes. These results underscore the protective role of multilingualism and its broad applicability for global health initiatives.