Wednesday Night #2283

Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate.
We wish our friends love, light and laughter now and throughout the year.

Meanwhile, we try to absorb the news of violence that seems to increase in this season which should be one of joy and celebration. Is it a reaction to the world-wide media emphasis on a quasi- obligation to  be merry and kind (along with buying gifts) that prompts some sick souls to acts of violence such as those of the recent days?
The  attack on Australia’s Bondi Beach was clearly an act  of vile anti-Semitism, inspired by ISIS propaganda (Australia Shooting Is a Reminder of Islamic State’s Power to Inspire Attacks)
There are no justifications, no excuses. …
What to know about the attack on the Hanukkah festival in Australia that killed 15 people
At the same time, let us celebrate the courage of Ahmed el Ahmed, the (unarmed) bystander who disarmed one of the two gunmen. (Syrian-Born Australian Who Tackled Bondi Gunman Hailed as Hero)

Writing in The Atlantic, Yair Rosenberg argues that American anti-Semitism is not primarily a partisan phenomenon, as it is often framed in popular discourse, but a generational one. (See Long reads: ‘The More I’m Around Young People, the More Panicked I Am’)

Meanwhile in unrelated tragic events in the U.S., on Saturday, two Brown University students were killed and nine others wounded in a shooting in a classroom.
An 18-year-old man from Virginia and a 19-year-old woman from Alabama were killed in the shooting. Officers went door to door seeking footage that might help identify the attacker.
See Timothy Snyder: What a terrible thing it is – Mass shootings as regime change (Long reads, below)
And
Rob Reiner, son of a comedy giant who became one in turn, dies at 78
Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found fatally stabbed Sunday at their home. The Los Angeles Police Department on Monday arrested the Reiners’ 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, and booked him on suspicion of killing his parents.
Trump’s reaction is appalling and unforgivable: Robert Reich: Trump’s response to the deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner says it all “if anyone still harbors any doubt that Trump is losing it — that his mind is in the grip of dementia, also likely paranoia — this post should make it clear. No rational person would post this”
While on the subject of rational – the latest from the White House defies credulity:
Trump attacks Democratic foes in White House presidential portraits
New plaques on ‘Presidential Walk of Fame’ scorn ‘divisive’ Obama and ‘by far the worst’ Biden – but Reagan is praised

What is with the Susie Wiles’ interviews and lack of strong negative reaction from the White House? Is this a distraction as The Guardian suggests
Susie Wiles interview might be a useful distraction from how poorly things are going for Americans
It was pretty incendiary stuff from a woman previously known for her calmness and aversion to drama. Wiles, who appears to retain the support of Trump, has responded by calling the Vanity Fair article “a disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest president, White House staff, and cabinet in history”, without pointing to any quotes or reporting that was incorrect.
The whole thing might have served as a useful distraction for Trump though, because – whisper it – things are not actually going that well.
Trump’s Top Aide Acknowledges ‘Score Settling’ Behind Prosecutions
In interviews with Vanity Fair, Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, said President Trump “has an alcoholic’s personality,” called JD Vance a “conspiracy theorist” and concluded that Pam Bondi “completely whiffed” the early handling of the Epstein files.
Jonathan Chait of The Atlantic adds his voice Susie Wiles Gets in Trouble for Saying What Everyone Knows – The Trump administration delivers yet more shocks but no surprises.

U.S. – Russia Ukraine Peace Plan
There appears to be some hope for a  Ukraine peace plan, but we are wary of the sticking points and how much support the U.S. will really guarantee. Furthermore, the latest from AP is not reassuring: Putin warns that Russia will seek to extend its gains in Ukraine if peace talks fail
Meanwhile, Europe is stepping up to the plate EU leaders prepare to take unprecedented steps to help Ukraine at a high-stakes summit

As the Trump administration continues its relentless attacks on Venezuela, we are relieved that Congress is finally asserting its responsibility. The House was voting Wednesday on a pair of resolutions that would put a check on President Donald Trump’s power to use military force against drug cartels and the nation of Venezuela.
Democrats forced the votes using war powers resolutions as Trump has stepped up his threats against the South American nation and Congress has questioned how the U.S. military is conducting a campaign that has destroyed 25 vessels allegedly carrying drugs and killed at least 95 people. The legislation, if it becomes law, would force the Trump administration to seek authorization from Congress before continuing attacks against cartels that it deems to be terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere or launching an attack on Venezuela itself. Of course, Trump and Hegseth will probably ignore the warning.
Donald Trump Wars & Peace
It is impossible to reconcile Trump’s claims to be the Peace President, especially given the escalation of attacks on Venezuela.

Canada/Quebec
Breaking news Wednesday afternoon Quebec Liberal leader steps down after weeks of turmoil
Food for thought in quieter times
Towards a theory of Carneyism In his latest post, Paul Wells discusses the Carney government’s reaction (Government rejects recommendation to release data on underperforming public servants) to the Recommendations of the Working Group on Public Service Productivity (See Overview) and the Build Canada Exchange (following the example of C.D. Howe in WW II)
Good news!
So Evan Solomon is earning his keep as Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Minister
Congratulations Ali!
If you follow LinkedIn notifications, you may have noticed a steady trickle of announcements that CEO Alireza Najafi-Yazdi (Ali)’s Anyon Systems is hiring some very senior dudes. Now you know why,  thanks to the report by former Wednesday Nighter Sean Silcoff:
Federal government funds four quantum computer developers, aiming to keep them in Canada
After watching Canada squander its early advantage in artificial intelligence, the federal government on Monday will unveil a program aimed at supporting key homegrown players in the emerging quantum computing space to ensure they stay here and become industry leaders.
Through the initial phase of its Canadian Quantum Champions Program, the government will commit up to $23-million apiece to four companies that have shown early promise in the field: Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc. of Toronto, Montreal-based Anyon Systems Inc., Photonic Inc., based in Coquitlam B.C., and Sherbrooke’s Nord Quantique.
The program is the first pillar of a $334.3-million commitment in November’s budget to support Canada’s quantum sector, and could provide hundreds of millions of dollars in further funding if the companies continue to advance toward building industrial-scale systems.
And the really important news:
Canadian Linguists Rise Up Against the Letter ‘S’
Some words spelled the British way are emerging in Canadian government documents. A group of language experts say the changes undermine Canada’s identity.
Words using British spellings have suddenly appeared in documents published by the Canadian government.
Gone was the “ize” construction standard in Canadian English in favor of the “ise” spelling used in British English. So “emphasize” became “emphasise,” and “trade liberalization” became “trade liberalisation.” …the examples continued to pile up, both in a recent news release and, perhaps more notably, the federal budget, a document that lays out Canada’s economic blueprint. It has gotten significant attention at a moment when the country is locked in a trade war with the United States.

Please join in congratulatingMarc Nicholson on his very recent appointment as executive director for Magic Bus USA,  the North American arm of Magic Bus Foundation of India He was approached by the Founder of Magic Bus and everything has happened very quickly. Marc writes  Magic Bus is an amazing charity in India started by Matthew Spacie;  he has brought millions of kids out of poverty in India, given them an education and job training and released them into the workforce. he’s been given many awards – social entrepreneur of the year, MBE, etc. And Magic Bus is a Harvard Business Case Study for its ability to scale a charity. This is a very exciting new challenge for Marc who will be moving to Houston early in January..

Andrew Caddell writes Time to look back, and ahead
It ‘remains to be seen’ what will prove relevant in 2026 from this past year, but there’s plenty to from which to choose.
In looking back, I note half my columns featured topics connected to Quebec. That’s understandable, given I live in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, and am often in Montreal. It has also been my desire to provide insight into the issues concerning rural Quebec, which may differ from your average resident of the National Capital Region.
Among those columns, I expressed concern about the rise of Quebec nationalism and the Parti Québécois under its admittedly brilliant but self-absorbed leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. Given St-Pierre Plamondon is presumed to be Quebec’s next premier, his determination to hold a referendum and possibly invoke a unilateral declaration of independence mean he bears watching.
Meanwhile, the current occupant of the premier’s office, François Legault, is going nowhere, and will more than likely lead the party he created to a crushing defeat. This despite throwing out a plethora of legislation targeting minorities, including a “constitution” to act as a bulwark against multiculturalism and bilingualism.
Yesterday, Trump—who has deemed himself the “peace president”—escalated his belligerence against Venezuela, announcing a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers and demanding that the government “return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us.” This is difficult to parse, but the Trump aide Stephen Miller suggests that it refers to past nationalization of the petroleum industry. In any case, a blockade could be an act of war under international law. …

Varia
Stephen Colbert Wonders Why ‘The Late Show’ Was Canceled if Paramount Has $108 Billion to Offer for Warner Bros.
CBS cited cost concerns in July when it announced the show would end.
What is it about Globe & Mail headlines?
Yes, really, labelled “In Depth” :
The seafood combo – Dolphins and orcas can work in surprising harmony to hunt Chinook salmon. New research from B.C. shows how it’s done
In a rare example of two marine mammal species working together, scientists have documented northern resident killer whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins co-operatively hunting chinook salmon. The sophisticated partnership was revealed through aerial drones and biologgers – specialized suction-cup cameras attached to killer whales that captured underwater video and acoustic and motion data.
WestJet pauses plan to install non-reclining seats after pushback Pushback???
What a terrible idea: The notion that passengers would have to pay for a reclining seat – or else occupy a static one with less space – generated some blowback from passengers as well as flight attendants over the past few months.
Trump administration hits back at lawsuit over White House ballroom
The Department of Justice argued the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s legal challenge impedes the president’s right to renovate the White House.
Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner: A Love Story That Changed Movie History
Mr. Reiner’s falling for his wife of 36 years inspired the director to rework the ending of “When Harry Met Sally …”

U.S. Intelligence and National Security 2025
Trump’s Dated Strategy Is Putting Us on a Path to World War III
By Greg Grandin, Professor of History, Yale
Mr. Trump, both in his first term and now during the first eleven months of his second, has made clear that the bipartisan post-Cold War consensus — by which the United States oversaw an economically integrated world order governed by common laws regulating property relations, trade and conflict — has outlived its usefulness. In its place the White House offers a vision of the world carved up into garrisoned spheres of competing influence.
This month, the White House issued its National Security Strategy report, which sought to codify this transition. The report hits all the notes associated with aggrieved America First nationalism:
The heart of the report is a pledge to “reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American pre-eminence.”
See also (long reads) The Longest Suicide Note in American History
The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy targets liberal democracy itself.
By Anne Applebaum
Last year, a team of American diplomats from the State Department’s Global Engagement Center traveled to two dozen countries and signed a series of memoranda. Along with their counterparts in places as varied as Italy, Australia, and Ivory Coast, they agreed to jointly expose malicious and deceptive online campaigns originating in Russia, China, or Iran.
This past September, the Trump administration terminated these agreements. The center’s former head, James Rubin, called this decision “a unilateral act of disarmament,” and no wonder: In effect, the United States was declaring that it would no longer oppose Russian influence campaigns, Chinese manipulation of local politics, or Iranian extremist recruitment drives. Nor would the American government use any resources to help anyone else do so either.
The recent publication of the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy showed that this decision was no accident. Unilateral disarmament is now official policy. Because—despite its name—this National Security Strategy is not really a strategy document. It is a suicide note. If the ideas within it are really used to shape policy, then U.S. influence in the world will rapidly disappear, and America’s ability to defend itself and its allies will diminish. The consequences will be economic as well as political, and they will be felt by all Americans.

Seasonal Events
Carols by Candlelight
With brass and percussion ensemble
Saturday, December 20, 2025, 4:00pm
Sunday, December 21, 2025, 4:00pm
A tradition going back more than fifty years, Carols by Candlelight at the Church of Saint Andrew and Saint Paul is a highlight of the Christmas season in Montreal. Originally based on the Anglican service of Lessons & Carols, this service balances the serenity and peace of a candlelit procession with the jubilation and exuberance of a trumpet descant. Become a part of this joyous Christmas chorus by lending your voices to sing favourite carols with the renowned A&P Choir, led by conductor Léa Moisan-Perrier, with organist-in-residence Isabelle Demers, and brass and percussion ensemble
Top of our list – if only we could watch it:
Graeme Campbell‘s Jingle All the Way to Love, a charming new Lifetime Christmas movie about a lawyer, a DJ and a lucky sleigh bell premiered on  December 5th. Graeme says ” It’s a really fun story featuring a magic sleigh bell, a hit radio show, 2 corporate takeovers, an engagement that doesn’t work out, a love story that does, and if you listen carefully you can hear cicadas in some of the snowy exterior scenes. Shooting Christmas in August is the only way to do it. “.
Hallmark holiday movie fans are flocking to Connecticut’s quaint filming locations
Connecticut — the location for at least 22 holiday films by Hallmark, Lifetime and others — is promoting tours of the quaint Christmas-card cities and towns featured in this booming movie market; places where a busy corporate lawyer can return home for the holidays and cross paths with a plaid shirt-clad former high school flame who now runs a Christmas tree farm. (Spoiler alert: they live happily ever after.)
Check out the Connecticut Christmas Movie Trail map
Book early for 2026
Wassail Weekend in Woodstock, Vermont – The horse parade
Wassail Weekend Festivities Probably best without sound.

Long reads
Re Brown University shooting
Timothy Snyder: What a terrible thing it is – Mass shootings as regime change
“What a terrible thing it is,” said Donald Trump, “And all we can do right now is pray for the victims, and for those that were very badly hurt.” … Of course there are things that the president, personally, could do. He could fire the incompetent people he appointed to run our national police service, the FBI, and replace them with competent people. He could personally stop lying, and tell his people to stop lying, about the existence of an all-powerful antifa conspiracy.

The Longest Suicide Note in American History
The Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy targets liberal democracy itself.
By Anne Applebaum
The recent publication of the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy showed that… Unilateral disarmament is now official policy

‘The More I’m Around Young People, the More Panicked I Am’
the research collectively suggests that America is becoming more anti-Semitic because its young people are becoming more anti-Semitic. This finding flies in the face of the folk wisdom that prejudice is the province of the old and will die out with them. That maxim may be true of some bigotries, but anti-Semitism is not one of them.