Wednesday Night #2304

GO HABS GO!!

Have you ever wondered where Mark Carney gets all the Habs jerseys he gives away to VIPs?
As the Canadian hockey world and its acolytes wait with bated (or as my offspring used to say ‘baited’) breath for the outcome of Wednesday night’s game, we offer something for your contemplation:
What the Montreal Canadiens’ hockey playoff run reveals about faith, belonging and the sacred
With the Montreal Canadiens now competing in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Buffalo Sabres, their fans, often described as les fidèles (the faithful), continue to show devotion for their beloved team, les Glorieux, in perhaps surprising ways.
One rabbi posted a prayer for the Canadiens on his Facebook page. A church in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., hosted watch parties for every playoff game. Some fans in Habs jerseys were even seen crawling up the steps to St. Joseph’s Oratory in the past.
The jerseys are called la sainte flanelle (the holy cloth), while some players wearing them are given otherworldly nicknames. Former NHL goaltenders Patrick Roy and Carey Price are called “St. Patrick” and “Jesus Price.” The late great Guy Lafleur was known as le démon blond.
These acts might look strange to outsiders. But as scholars of religion, we think they reveal something about why hockey matters so much to fans. People often find the religious or spiritual in everyday life, and hockey is no different.

Happy 100th Birthday, Sir David Attenborough!
‘The greatest ambassador for life on Earth’: Tributes paid to David Attenborough on his 100th birthday
Naturalist says he has been ‘overwhelmed by greetings’ as milestone is marked with event at Royal Albert Hall
Sir David Attenborough turns 100. Here are 10 facts about his life on Earth
Aside from his iconic narration and love for wildlife, there’s plenty to learn about the famed expert
Thank you, David Attenborough, for 100 incredible years of life on Earth (Jess Harwood cartoon)
As a kid I would do his voice, put on my dad’s work shirt and host my own nature documentaries in the backyard

Those of us who can walk and chew gum also await the results of the Trump-Xi meeting as everything else in the world appears to be on hold. Failing an unseemly outburst from Trump, this is an opportunity to check on other world events and crises: Putin’s War – including the dismal victory parade in Moscow; Israel v Palestine (not getting better); and/or Bibi’s chances at the polls; The heartbreaking Sudan situation; Cuba the 51st state?; Pulitzer Prizes and Amnesty International Awards; Peter Berezin’s thoughts on the economy …; and closer to home Mme Fréchette’s strange way of courting Quebec economic development, while the “Leftie leaders” cavorted in Toronto.

China-U.S – Trump-Xi Summit
Does the Trump-Xi Summit Signal a G2 World? (audio, see Long reads, etc.)
Jeremy Kinsman and Peter Donolo with Howard Balloch, Canada’s former ambassador to China, discuss the state of play heading into ​the summit and​ various scenarios that may emerge from it. Balloch’s view is that Xi arrives with a clear strategy, while Trump remains far harder to predict. The discussion turns to Taiwan, China’s long game, the risks of a new G2-style world order, and what smaller powers like Canada can do when the two most powerful countries increasingly shape the rules around trade, security​ and global stability.
Iran war could make Trump’s trip to China a bit chillier than his first-term visit
Trump lately isn’t very fond of long plane rides or extended stretches away from the White House or his properties in Florida and New Jersey. He arrives in Beijing on Wednesday night and the next morning will take part in a welcome ceremony and meet one-on-one with Xi before the two leaders tour the Temple of Heaven — a religious complex dating to the 15th century symbolizing the relationship between Earth and heaven.
Trump will attend a state banquet on Thursday evening and then have a tea and working lunch with Xi on Friday before leaving….they will discuss creating a new Board of Trade to keep their countries talking on economic issues, as well talking up key industries like energy, aerospace and agriculture.

Meanwhile, guess who came to dinner in Toronto and stayed on
Former U.S. president Barack Obama in Toronto for keynote speech
The Canada 2020 event, which is not open to media, marks his second visit to Toronto.
Canada 2020’s 20th Anniversary Gala: An Evening with President Barack Obama
Prime Minister Mark Carney laid out a broad vision for Canada’s future at the Global Progress Action Summit in Toronto, focusing on housing, trade, artificial intelligence (AI) and economic sovereignty. Carney said Canada must “build again” by investing in affordable housing, reducing reliance on the United States, and expanding strategic industries amid ongoing tariff pressures. He also defended government spending cuts and promised a forthcoming national AI strategy focused on “safe and sovereign” technology that would benefit Canadians.
Political leaders and policy experts from around the world gathered in Toronto on Saturday [9 May] for the 2026 Global Progress Action Summit.
The summit, co-hosted by Canada 2020 and the Center for American Progress Action Fund (CAPAF), is a day-long event focused on economic security, democracy and global co-operation, according to a release by the CAPAF.
Former U.S. president Barack Obama was also in attendance.
Leftie leaders sleepover in Toronto
See Long reads for Politico Canada Playbook’s irreverent, gossipy take on last week’s Canada 2020 and Global Progress Action Summit
America is cooked. Now what?
That was the general thesis and question driving conversations at the invite-only Global Progress Action Summit inside the Toronto’s Royal York hotel on Saturday, enticing senior global progressives to suit up on the weekend.
— The mood: A reunion and memorial for the U.S.-led democratic order … with high-end catering.

Putin’s War
On 9 May, Moscow hosted Russia’s annual military parade, a celebration linked very intimately with Vladimir Putin, who revived this Soviet-era celebration of Stalin’s victory over Nazi Germany and his conquest of Europe. We are used to seeing endless demonstrations of the most advanced military equipment along with thousands of troops. Not this year.
“Fewer foreign leaders bothered to show up this year, and no tanks, missiles, or fighting vehicles were on display. The whole show was brief, lasting only 45 minutes. Putin looked gray, anxious. Solemn North Korean soldiers, marching alongside Russians, provided the only novelty. But their presence was a reminder of the thousands of North Koreans who had died helping Russia recapture its own Kursk province, which Ukrainian forces occupied for eight months in 2024–25” — Anne Applebaum Putin’s War Comes Home to Moscow

Media
With all the to-ing and fro-ing of the news of Washington and the Middle East, there was little celebration of Press Freedom Week. One important, generally overlooked element was the award of the Pulitzer Prizes.
The 2026 Winners List (link below) is one of impressive journalism, exceptional writing, research, sensitivity on many topics and in many forms. If one read nothing else for the next month(s), the work of winners and runners-up would inform and provoke intense reflection worth far more than scrolling the news of the day. Also see UK Amnesty International Awards

The Economy
Seven Reasons Why The Hormuz Crisis Has Yet To Cause The Global Economy To Crash Peter Berezin‘s thoughts as of 6 May
The global economy has weathered the oil shock reasonably well so far. However, the risk of a recession will increase meaningfully if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed into June.
• Historically, oil shocks have had a lagged impact on economic activity, with the maximum impact on GDP growth being reached four quarters after the shock, and the maximum impact on the level of real GDP being reached six quarters after the shock.
• The impact of higher oil prices on the stock market has also tended to come with a lag, largely because stocks respond more to the economic damage from the oil shock rather than the shock itself.
• For now, the drawdown of oil inventories, fiscal support, precautionary purchases, and the AI boom are helping to buffer the global economy.
• The expectation that oil prices will fall over the coming months is also compelling households to dig into their savings and dissuading firms from cutting employment.
• We are neutral on global equities but will turn more positive if the oil shock abates.
• A reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is far from a foregone conclusion, however, as BCA’s geopolitical team thinks there is only a 30% chance that any deal between the US and Iran survives for more than 12 months.

Ottawa spends $6-billion subsidizing trades – for young men. What about young women?
The key to navigating demographic and employment shifts and supporting economic prosperity is hiding in plain sight
Ilona Dougherty and Brett House
(Globe & Mail) While Team Canada Strong addresses the challenges faced by young men, do we need an equivalent program to bolster other critical sectors of the economy – such as child care – that are predominantly staffed by women? The answer is yes. This is partly about equity, but critically, parallel investment in training and wages for early childhood educators is essential if we hope to proactively address demographic and employment shifts and support broad economic prosperity.

The Globe & Mail editorial board says The restoration of 24 Sussex is worth the price
“The options are…clear: build a residence somewhere else, upgrade Rideau Cottage or (extensively) renovate and retrofit 24 Sussex. Mr. Carney hasn’t spelled out his thinking, but his comments to the CBC heavily hint that it’s the third option that is on the table.”

Varia
Scotland’s first-ever baby sloth named in honour of David Attenborough
The baby sloth was born on May 11 at Edinburgh Zoo
Keepers have named the baby Atty in…a nod to the moment Sir David chose the sloth when asked which animal he would like to be for a day in a BBC interview in 2017.

What Happened When the Pope Had to Call Customer Service
Spoiler alert: There was no miracle.

Remarkable Texas museum declared most beautiful in the world – Who knew?
The “World’s Most Beautiful Museums List 2026” is curated by Prix Versailles, a global architecture and design award program, and recognizes only seven institutions worldwide. The National Medal of Honor Museum is the only museum in the Western Hemisphere to win this highly prestigious accolade.

Winnie the Pooh has been beloved for 100 years. But fame wasn’t so enchanting for the real Christopher Robin
Christopher Robin was ‘more famous than Harry Potter in his day’

We’re Speaking 338 Fewer Words In Our Daily Lives Each Year
The world is slowly being drained of the chatter and natter that give daily life its color. According to a new study, people are speaking 338 fewer words in their daily lives every year. The reason, researchers say, is that we’re spending far more time tethered to smartphones, self-checkouts, and social media.
Two psychologists from the University of Arizona and the University of Missouri–Kansas City set out to uncover how many words people utter each day, drawing on data from 22 studies involving over 2,200 people, primarily from the US, with a few from Europe, Australia, and Mexico.
They found that people tended to speak around 16,000 words daily in 2005, whether that was chatting with loved ones, discussing the previous night’s TV with colleagues, or exchanging small talk at the supermarket checkout. Each year after that, a small but steady decline emerged, with an average of 338 fewer words spoken per day annually. By 2019, that amounted to people speaking a mere 12,700 words each day.

Long reads, audio/video
Does the Trump-Xi Summit Signal a G2 World? (audio)
Jeremy Kinsman and Peter Donolo with Howard Balloch, Canada’s former ambassador to China

The accidental statesman: How Donald Trump saved free trade, European democracy and the free world
Andrew Coyne’s delightful tongue-in-cheek review of Trump’s contributions to righting the world.

The 2026 Pulitzer Prize Announcement
Prize Winners and Nominated Finalists in Journalism, Books, Drama and Music,see  Prize Winners section of Pulitzer.org for biographical information and read winning & nominated work in Journalism.

Politico Canada Playbook: Leftie leaders sleepover in Toronto

The weird perch of the biographer
By Lisa Napoli, author of  Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News

From The Atlantic
Stephen Miller in Retreat
The once-powerful aide’s influence has quietly diminished. Dare we hope?
and
Trump Isn’t Setting Vance or Rubio Up for the Future
The moves the president is making right now will put all possible successors in the same predicament.