Wednesday Night # 2267

Because so many Wednesday Nighters share the Virgo sign and we all need a little levity in our lives
A Complete Guide to the Virgo Zodiac Sign
Virgos are the ever-reliable perfectionists of the zodiac. An earth sign, Virgos are grounded and practical, with meticulous attention to detail. Ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication and analysis, Virgos possess sharp minds and a knack for problem-solving. Their symbol, the maiden, reflects their dedication to order and service. Often depicted holding a sheaf of wheat, the maiden embodies Virgos’ meticulous nature and their ability to nurture and bring things to fruition.

Trump’s week
We are growing very tired of repeating “just when we thought it could not get any worse”, so will simply accept that each week, it does get worse. We have, accordingly, started a page titled Donald Trump Wars & Peace.

Wednesday’s headlines feature the latest news about the U.S. yearning for Greenland Denmark summons top U.S. diplomat after reports of American influence operations in Greenland – Public broadcaster report indicated 3 Americans with ties to Trump administration raised suspicion. Digging deeper (without AI assistance, we have learned that there is an important backstory and that Greenland has been seen as an important strategic interest to United States defense officials and policymakers since World War II. (See Long reads below: The United States and Greenland, Part I: Episodes in Nuclear History 1947-1968) Is it possible that Trump -or one of his people- actually knew this? Still, being caught in the act of preparing to foment trouble for a Nordic ally is not good foreign policy.
As to domestic policy, take your pick. but we would put Trump v Cities, notably Chicago, at the head of our list. The National Guard is neither an appropriate, nor a welcome addition to the mix, as proven in LA and currently evident in D.C. In the latest move to exercise control over D.C. , the administration has taken management of Union Station away from Amtrak.
We would add last Thursday’s announcement that the Trump administration is reviewing all 55 million foreigners with US visas for any violations, although we seriously doubt their capability to review 55 million individuals. Nonetheless, we must be extremely careful how and what we communicate with our family and friends currently holding US visas of any type.
And don’t forget the fight with the Fed, first Jerome Powell and now Fed Governor Lisa Cook Bloomberg Opinion columnist Bill Dudley writes I Wasn’t Very Worried About the Fed. Now I Am. Markets are underestimating the threat that the president’s move to oust Lisa Cook represents. The Economist opines “One reason investors are not yet panicking is that the president underestimates how much work he still has to do” (How much danger is America’s central bank in?)
Finally, we hear critics of Trump asking why those who oppose him don’t do anything. Two good responses would be to point to John Bolton, whom we have never liked, but admire for his   courage to speak out against Trump – The raid on John Bolton’s home shows how Trump uses intimidation as politics – and why even his fiercest critics should defend Bolton’s right to speak ; and the hapless FEMA employees Who Signed a Letter Criticizing Trump – The letter, sent to Congress on Monday, said cuts made by the Trump administration had erased improvements made to disaster response since Hurricane Katrina. Whatever you do, do NOT speak Truth to Power.

Israel, Palestine, Gaza, West Bank
Israel continues to relentlessly pursue the decimation of Gaza with devastating attacks on civilians and journalists earning condemnation from even her allies (Netanyahu’s Path Is Leading Israel to Ruin). On Wednesday afternoon, the NYT announced that President Trump chaired a meeting on Wednesday focusing on plans for postwar Gaza, as the United States and Israel seek a comprehensive deal that would end the conflict and return all of the remaining Israeli hostages. What chances of success? We are not hopeful. Months of efforts to broker a truce by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt have stalled in recent weeks. Meanwhile Israel is gearing up for a full-scale offensive to take over Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering. Unless Hamas agrees to Israel’s terms, the Israeli military will launch the new military push in the coming weeks.

Canada matters
After acting to remove counter tariffs on American goods -a move generally approved by most not in the National Post/now MP Pierre Poilievre camp- PM Carney was off to Europe to strengthen economic ties, reassure NATO allies and pop up in Ukraine on the 24th to celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day. The 4-day trip included stops in Germany, Poland and Latvia. In Germany, the focus was on closer ties, submarines, critical minerals. The PM also said Ottawa plans to formally announce new investments in port infrastructure in the next two weeks, and pointed to port upgrades in Montreal and Churchill, Man. that will help exports of energy and mineral products. All in all, good news.
Water bombers and wildfires
Canada doesn’t have a national firefighting agency. This fall is decision time on whether to build one – See Long reads below
Deploy the Super Scoopers!
If Canada rerouted some fighter jet funding to churning out squadrons of water bombers, this country could contribute substantially to the global war against wildfires
Parts of Canada are burning, and wildfires are having a devastating impact on our forests and communities, causing carbon emissions to spike globally. But we’re uniquely positioned to mitigate this situation with the most powerful tool in the fire-fighting arsenal: water bombers!
Canada-U.S.
Carney ends most counter-tariffs as Trump trade talks continue
Prime minister says Canada will remove all tariffs on CUSMA-compliant U.S. goods by Sept. 1

Can Canada benefit – bring some of this priceless talent to our universities?
At Harvard, Trump administration cuts hit young scientists hard
More than 700 graduate students and nearly 800 postdoctoral researchers at Harvard get salaries, stipends or tuition support from federally funded research.
…The cuts and uncertainty could disrupt the science pipeline and threaten experiments targeting cancer, autism, quantum physics, military robotics and hundreds of other realms…

Canada’s Ron Turcotte, who rode Secretariat to the 1973 Triple Crown, dead at 84
He won over 3,000 career races, but Ron Turcotte will forever be remembered for the three he registered aboard the legendary Secretariat 52 years ago.
Turcotte guided Secretariat to an emphatic American Triple Crown sweep in 1973.

Bluenose II changing course amid trade war, pulls plug on annual U.S. voyage
“A few things shaped that choice: plans involving cross-border travel come with more uncertainties this year, and at the same time, Nova Scotia is experiencing a very busy tourism season,” Ostler said.
“Staying closer to home means we can spend more time in communities across western Nova Scotia, welcoming visitors on board and sharing the Bluenose II story.”

André Pratte: How Air Canada lost the flight attendants’ strike
The airliner was already on a bad PR footing, and that was before CUPE told Canadians that flight attendants weren’t paid for ground work
… What happened is that most Canadians took the side of the striking flight attendants, and the former Crown corporation overwhelmingly lost the crucial communications fight. …
The flight attendants’ strike will have cost Air Canada tens of millions of dollars. More importantly, it will have weakened the already fragile trust between Canadians and the company. “Following this disruption, we know confidence has been shaken,” the company admitted on Tuesday. Restoring this trust will require a lot of time and hard work. Better communications with the public and its passengers should be a crucial part of that effort.
Air Canada flight attendants scored a big win. Don’t expect the same for other unions
Air Canada flight attendants were able to get a cumulative wage gain of between 16 per cent to 20 per cent over a four-year contract, and an end to unpaid work. Labour experts said there were several factors working in their favour, helping them secure a better deal than other recent bargaining agreements.
Air Canada offers to cover passengers’ added expenses racked up during strike – Air Canada says passengers can file claims for ‘reasonable’ out-of-pocket expenses

Last week we were focused on the death of our dear friend Alex Paterson and neglected to pay tribute to another Great Montrealer, Sid Stevens, co-founder of Montreal’s Sun Youth
who leaves behind a legacy of dedication to his community and  helping others

Varia
A Bear Walked Into an Ice Cream Parlor. The Strawberry Never Had a Chance.
The black bear, which the authorities named Fuzzy, caused little damage but cleaned out much of the inventory at a popular parlor on south shore of Lake Tahoe.

U.S. orange juice shipments plummet as Canadians find Florida OJ hard to swallow
Tropicana might cost $13.99 but Canada-processed brands are typically half that

We have found the perfect gift for Peter F.: When the Spirit of the Open Road Meets the Soul of Whiskey: The V-Twin Bottle That’s Revving Up Bars Across America.
It was wonderful to hear his stories of the trip to Newfoundland and see some photos. Now we offer a challenge: Next year in Tuktoyaktuk?

Why does the Maga elite love conspicuous cosmetic surgery?
…nobody is born with Mar-a-Lago face
Among women the look is characterised by huge lips that look as if they could suck up a small child whole, frozen facial expressions, and cheeks so bulbous you could hide a gerbil underneath them. Men also have the slick frozen faces, but instead of bigger lips they’re pairing them with bigger jaws. In recent years, surgeons have reported a large increase of male clients demanding stronger jawlines.

Long reads
The United States and Greenland, Part I: Episodes in Nuclear History 1947-1968
Background
Greenland has been seen as an important strategic interest to United States defense officials and policymakers since World War II.

Canada doesn’t have a national firefighting agency. This fall is decision time on whether to build one
If the record-breaking fire season of 2023 was a wake-up call for how a warming climate is turning Canada into a tinderbox, this is the year that the country has been forced to come to grips with a new, pressing question: How will we be able to continue fighting fires and protecting communities inside a patchwork system that has been pushed to its limits?

Robert Reich: Today is the anniversary of the worst memo in history
On August 23, 1971, fewer than two months before he was nominated to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Lewis F. Powell, Jr. wrote a memo to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It was titled “Attack On American Free Enterprise System” and it outlined ways in which corporate America should defend and counter attack against “disquieting voices” — environmentalists, consumer advocates, and labor unions. Powell warned that their voices were growing louder and their influence was gaining in the halls of Congress.

Carney’s 100 days
From tariffs and Trump to housing and health care, here’s what the Liberal cabinet has achieved since the spring – and what remains to be done

Students Hate Them. Universities Need Them. The Only Real Solution to the A.I. Cheating Crisis.
Blue books and viva voce testing will live side by side with modern innovations like active learning and authentic assessment. But a return to a more conversational, extemporaneous style will make higher education more interpersonal, more improvised and more idiosyncratic, restoring a sense of community to our institutions.