When the world fell silent, by Donna Jones Alward (The Halifax Explosion December 6th, 1917)

When the world fell silent  (follow to purchase)

I just finished reading this fascinating historical novel about The Halifax Explosion by Donna Jones Alward. On 6 December 1917, the explosives-laden SS Mont-Blanc and SS Imo collided in Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, causing a massive explosion, a tidal wave, and fires. Nearly 2,000 people died and thousands more were injured in the largest man-made explosion (until the nuclear bombs). 206 people were blinded mainly from the window glass in their homes. Curious people watched the collision of two ships and the subsequent fire that set off the explosion. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind was formed on March 18th, 1918 to assist and re-train the blind survivors. 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

(The novel is also available on Kindle.)

Additional note: the Halifax explosion took place in the middle of the 1st World War when thousands of young Canadians were shipping out to Europe.

It was followed by the virulent Spanish flu, a devastating and previously unknown form of influenza, that struck Canada hard between 1918 and 1920. This international pandemic killed approximately 50,000 people in Canada, most of whom were young adults between the ages of 20 and 40. These deaths compounded the impact of the more than 60,000 Canadians killed in service during the First World War (1914-18).

Inadequate quarantine measures, powerlessness against the illness, and a lack of national coordination between military, political, and public health authorities hindered the efforts of countless doctors, nurses, volunteers, and members of charitable organizations who were risking their lives to ensure that a large number of the ill and their families survived. The Spanish flu was a significant event in the evolution of public health in Canada. It led to the creation of the federal Department of Health in 1919, which established a partnership between the various levels of government and made public health a shared responsibility.

Michael James, journalist: "Trump's dictatorship has already begun. It is HERE. It is NOW."

 Michael James

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OK, HELLO WORLD...

For most of my adult life, I worked as a journalist in this country and credibly, factually, told the public thousands of stories at the Detroit News, New York Daily News and as head writer for a TV show on ESPN. None of the stories I have ever written is more important than the one I am writing now.

If you will indulge me a lack of brevity this one time, I will explain.

It begins with the three times I realized that the safety and security we so prize here in the United States of America is an illusion. It's not and never was true. It doesn't exist. We only believed it did.

The first time I realized it was in the aftermath of 9/11. After I witnessed the World Trade Center towers crumble before my eyes little more than a mile from my New York City apartment, authorities posted police with automatic weapons and huge American flags at the entrance to every bridge and tunnel in the city.

We felt safe seeing those images, but each time I ventured through those tunnels and over those bridges, I had a question:

"What's stopping that truck in front of me from being laden down with fertilizer and explosives? Who knows what's in the trunk of every car in front and back of me?"

We weren't safe at all. Terrorists just didn't decide to blow us all to hell.

The second time I realized there is no such thing as safety and security came when Donald Trump promised building a wall at the Southern border to keep illegals out.

I thought, "Mexicans are renowned for building tunnels from Mexico directly to homes on the U.S. side in Texas and California to smuggle in people and drugs. How can a wall prevent that?"

A wall could not make us safe at all. We only believed it could.

The third time I realized safety and security is an illusion was on January 6th, 2021, when Donald Trump's MAGA supporters overran the United States Capitol - the seat of power of the US government - injuring law enforcement officers and defacing the offices of cowering, terrified duly elected lawmakers.

The ease with which they penetrated our most sacred symbols of the rule of law and order in America showed me that if this could be done by only a few thousand mostly-unarmed citizens, there really is no such thing as safety and security in this country.

We only believed there was.

The final time I realized there is no safety and security in the United States of America has come in the last three weeks, or rather, since Donald Trump returned to The White House.

Under the guise of weeding out corruption and with South African-born Elon Musk as the tip of the spear, Donald Trump and his Republican confederates have turned every facet of American government upside down, installed inexperienced and unqualified loyalists in positions of power in every sector of government and thrown thousands of hard-working Americans - many of whom voted for him - out into the streets.

While stunned, outnumbered Democrats were frozen to inaction, Trump, through executive order, made laws, changed laws and ignored orders from courts to stop in his tracks.

While those of us who opposed him screamed that his actions and those of Elon Musk were tantamount to creating a fascist government and a dictatorship, we were only partially right.

See, people, Trump's dictatorship has already begun. It is HERE. It is NOW.

For those who don't believe this is true, what we all missed while focusing on the flood of executive orders and bizarre musings of taking over the Gaza Strip, annexing Canada as the 51st state against their will, purchasing Greenland to rename it Red, White and Blueland and taking over the Panama Canal is this:

Trump was merely testing the waters to see how much power and authority he truly had. The final step in his plan will be to ignore any and all court challenges aimed at stopping him.

What should be clear to you now is that there was really only one barrier to Donald Trump taking over this country and remaking it in his image:

The fact that the only thing that has kept our democracy in place since it was written in 1787 is a piece of paper called the U.S. constitution.

That constitution only works if our politicians RESPECT the power within, the rule of law.

Donald Trump clearly does not respect the constitution as have all other United States presidents before him.

Worse, without respect for the constitution and our laws, THERE IS NO AUTHORITY LEFT TO STOP HIM.

There is no police force who can reign Trump in.

There is no military to reign Trump in.

There are no lawmakers or judges to reign Trump in.

And soon, as Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayer declared recently during a speech at Miami Dade College, Donald Trump will refuse to comply with all orders of the court - and his takeover will be complete - for there is no authority remaining to police him.

Like Sotomayer, the American Bar Association just released a statement declaring that, “Trump is not following the rule of law.”

Now, the reason why the ABA sounds like a kid screaming, “Charlie hit me!” is because they’ve reached the conclusion that there is nothing they can do about Trump not following the rule of law. This has never happened before in the history of this country, but it IS happening now.

Hey, America, hey World, you can call it a monarchy, or fascism or a totalitarian government or a dictatorship, but whatever you call it, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are the law of the land now.

Don't believe me?

The 1,500 January 6th rioters who were tried and convicted in federal courts?

Trump freed them. On Day 1.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was brought up on corruption charges after a decade-long investigation?

He cozied up to Trump, who order his Department of Justice to drop the charges.

If that's not enough, I think Donald Trump has one more trick up his sleeve, as I predict he is being lobbied at this very moment to grant clemency to an old friend who has been accused of pedophilia, drugging and raping male and female victims, physically assaulting others and possibly sanctioning numerous murders over the past 30 years.

So what, pray tell, will you say when Donald Trump pardons Sean Diddy Combs?

The lyrics to that song you sang in grade school has changed, folks:

This land is NOT your land.

This land is NOT my land.

NOT from California.

NOT to the New York Islands.

NOT from the Redwood Forest

NOR to the Gulf of America waters

This land belongs to Trump and E.

In less than a month back in office, all of the checks and balances have been removed. Republicans control the house and the senate. Every cabinet pick Trump proposes will be confirmed. No decision he makes, whether it's instructing the Treasury Department to stop making the penny or bringing back the plastic straw, is being denied.

While his supporters cheer his every move, they have yet to see the cost cuts Elon Musk and his team of hackers make under cover of darkness are hurting American farmers, American workers and those in the poorest red states in the country who voted for him.

For them, and us, it's already too late to realize it's too late.

If you saw Musk recently in the oval office with his young son holding court while Trump sat idly by, you should have realized the richest man in the world controls the supposed most powerful man in the world.

Only Elon Musk is holding Elon Musk accountable and Trump - who is likely paying Musk back for whatever he did to help him take the 2024 election - is allowing it to happen.

As you read these words, it is likely that Elon Musk has already had his hackers place back doors into every major computer system across the US government, which gives him the power to shut down any program he chooses at any time on an app while sitting in the driver's seat of his Tesla.

For those in the back or in the nosebleed section or under a rock, let me say it again:

Elon Musk and Donald Trump are the law of the land. Today. Right now.

The United States of America is no longer a democracy. We are now a dictatorship.

In closing, let me say that I don't believe in presenting problems without offering solutions. There IS something we can do to fight this takeover and resist this bloodless coup that has stripped away the sense of freedom we have known all of our lives - but it will require of us a resolve and action most of us have never known or shown.

It will require us to unite, fight, stand up, risk our lives and our liberty - because one thing dictators have never fully understood is that THE PEOPLE truly are the power.

Think of it this way: if we don't want the price of an automobile in America to be $50,000, well, if nobody buys those cars, there won't be a $50,000 car in America.

With that in mind, should Elon Musk and Donald Trump try to dump hundreds of thousands of federal employees out into the streets, simply refuse to leave. If forced from your offices, show up to work en masse the next day - and every day after - and make sure NOBODY goes into those offices.

If Trump's new Department of Defense head Pete Hegseth makes a demand of the 3.5 million workers he now oversees, what can he possibly do if they disobey in the name of American democracy?

The same goes for new national security director Tulsi Gabbard, who has never worked in security or run a department of ANY kind. The same goes for new secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, new Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. - or any other Trump appointee.

None of these figureheads - not even Trump himself - can do anything without our complicity.

Lastly, this battle is only just beginning. You must protect your physical and mental well-being.

You don't have the time or energy to fight meaningless squabbles on social media against Trump's MAGA sycophants who believe every narrative they sell.

No matter if they are friends or family or casual acquaintances on social media, SILENCE THEIR VOICES and influence. Block, snooze, delete or ignore them.

For me, the purge begins TODAY! I’d love to tell the people going away that it isn’t personal, but their blind belief system is a direct threat to me, my friends, family, neighbors, fellow Americans, Canadians, Palestinians, and, well, you get the picture.

Trust what your eyes and ears are telling you. Hope that they will catch up and join our fight against this power virus threatening our country and the world.

Lastly, remember the words of philosopher Bertrand Russell, who said roughly this of how fascism begins:

"First they fascinate the fools. Then they muzzle the intelligent."

If you've gotten this far, it's because you're not a fool.

We got here because all of our lives we believed in that concept devised by our founding fathers of "We The People."

Well, the only way out from under the megalomania of Donald Trump, Elon Musk and their collaborators is to make every day January 6th.

If you feel so moved, please share my post. If not, please act in some way. We need all hands on deck.

If we want our democracy back, starting today, starting now, we must BE THE PEOPLE.

#DonaldTrump #elonmusk #resistance #democracy

WHEN WILL DONALD TRUMP STOP THREATENING CANADA WITH FORCEFUL ANNEXATION?

WHEN WILL DONALD TRUMP STOP THREATENING CANADA WITH FORCEFUL ANNEXATION? He obviously does not understand the word "NO".

We are a proud and independent country that does not want to be invaded, overrun, or forcefully annexed as Donald Trump's friend Vladimir Putin did to Ukraine.

Article from Today in BC, by Wolf Depner.

B.C. analyst calls White House reaction to statehood pushback 'deeply uncomfortable.'

British Columbians are living in a world where U.S. officials are disputing the sovereignty of Canada, despite comments to the contrary from its premiers to White House officials.

That is the assessment of UBC political science lecturer Stewart Prest after a delegation of premiers and territorial leaders including B.C. Premier David Eby met with two White House officials Wednesday afternoon: Jim Blair, deputy chief of staff for legislative affairs, and Sergio Gor, director of the personnel office for the U.S. president.

According to Eby, premiers had "frank conversations" during which they underlined the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state was a non-starter.

"Pleasant meeting with the Premiers," Blair later wrote on social media. "To be clear, we never agreed that Canada would not be the 51st state. We only agreed to share Premier Eby’s comments.

Further, we said the best way to understand President Trump’s position is to take what he says at face value."

Prest said it is clear that premiers are trying every diplomatic means to get two messages across.

"(Not) only is a tariff war not in the interests of either country, but the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state is simply a non-starter," he said. "Canada is a proud independent country and it is not negotiable."

But by Prest's reading, Washington does not appear ready to take no for an answer.

Robert Meadows (Circuit Court Judge, Florida) One American’s take on the growing trade war with the US and Canada

By Robert Meadows (Circuit Court Judge, Florida).

Here is one American’s take on the growing trade war with the US and Canada.

"Have you ever stopped to consider how lucky we Americans are to have the neighbors we have? Look around the globe at who some folks have been stuck sharing a border with over the past half-century:

North Korea / South Korea

Greece / Turkey

Iran / Iraq

Israel / Palestine

India / Pakistan

China / Russia

"We’ve got Canada! Canada. About as inoffensive a neighbor as you could ever hope for. In spite of all our boasts of “American exceptionalism” and chants of “America first,” they just smile, do their thing and go about their business. They are on average more educated, have a higher standard of living, free health care, and almost no gun problems. They treat immigrants respectfully and already took in over 35,000 Syrians in the last two years.

"They’re with us in NATO, they fought alongside us in World War I, World War II, Korea, the Gulf War, the Bosnian War, Afghanistan, the Kosovo War and came to our defense after 9/11. There was that one time when Canada took a pass on one of our wars: Vietnam. Turned out to be a good call.

"They’ve been steady consumers of American imports, reliable exporters of metals and petroleum products (they are the biggest importer of U.S. products from 37 states), and partnered with NASA in our space missions.

"During 9/11 many aircraft were diverted to Newfoundland, an island province off Canada's east coast where Americans were housed in people's homes for two weeks and treated like royalty. In return for their hospitality, this administration slapped a 20% tariff on the products of Newfoundland's only paper mill, thereby threatening its survival."

"And what do Canadians expect of us in return? To be respected for who and what they are: Canadians. That’s what I call a good neighbor.

"But the King of Chaos couldn’t leave well enough alone. Based on his delusions of perpetual victimhood, out of the clear blue, he’s declared economic war on Canada. On CANADA! And he did it based on Canada being a national security risk to the US! For no good reason, other than the voices in his head that told him it was a war he could win. So why not do it, then?

"Again, we’re talking about Canada. Our closest ally, friend and neighbor.

"On behalf of an embarrassed nation, to the people of Canada, I apologize for this idiotic and wholly unnecessary attack. Please leave the back channels open. We the People of progressive persuasion stand with you."

Canada Just Opened a Backdoor for China—Unleashes New Oil Trade Route to Bypass the U.S.

 Anthony Guiliano Frank Costanzo  February 12th 2025

Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau

Washington thought Canada would hesitate. They assumed negotiations, slow diplomacy, maybe even concessions. Instead, Canada did the unthinkable—cutting a direct path to China, bypassing the US entirely. For years, the US had a chokehold on Canada’s energy exports. Almost every drop of crude flowed south. Now? That grip is slipping.

New tariffs. Rising tensions. And a pipeline that just changed the rules forever.

This isn’t just about oil. It’s about control. And for the first time in decades, Canada is making its own rules.

The Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion now pumps 890,000 barrels per day straight to the Pacific, giving Canada access to global markets. China? The biggest winner. Canada? Finally breaking free. And the US? Losing leverage by the day. With the global energy landscape shifting, Canada is playing smart—diversifying its buyers to avoid dependence on a single market. A 10% tariff on Canadian oil was the final straw. Washington assumed Canada would absorb the costs. Instead? Canada turned east. Why beg the US to buy when China is eager to secure long-term deals? Canada saw an opportunity. And they took it. Canada had watched as other energy exporters—like Russia and Saudi Arabia—secured long-term energy partnerships with China. Now, Canada is doing the same.

-FX

While the world snickers .....

Insisting that Americans call the legally, and historically, named Gulf of Mexico, by a new name is beyond comprehension.

"The name "Gulf of Mexico" (Spanish: golfo de México; French: golphe du Mexique, later golfe du Mexique) first appeared on a world map in 1550 and a historical account in 1552."  Wikipedia

Then there is the cost to update and replace high school and university textbooks. "According to available data, the average cost of an American high school textbook ranges between $40 and $90 per book, depending on the subject and publisher."  Google search.

How is this saving money for the American taxpayer?

In 2025, the United States population is projected to be 4.22% of the world's population.  

Out of 8.25 billion people on planet Earth, the other 95.78% refer to it by the correct name, the Gulf of Mexico. 

Out of 8.25 billion people on planet Earth, less than 1%, (0.936777188) voted for the person who insists on this name change.

Illegal access of Elon Musk to private and confidential information

This morning I realized that I too am caught in the illegal access of Elon Musk to private and confidential information.

ANY person who is a 'VENDOR' on Amazon, it doesn't matter what country you live in, is required to give Amazon your private information. For me that included my Canadian social insurance number, birthday, and home address.

I have been selling my mystery novels on Amazon for the past eleven years. I paid American and Canadian income tax on my book royalties. (Canada and the USA have a reciprocal tax agreement, that doesn't apply when living in another country. I lived full-time in Mexico for several years.)

Before you jump all over me and say that I am not important enough for Elon Musk to f*ck with ... I agree. However, if I continue to express my opinion on things that are important to me there is a tiny chance that one of his young hacker-minions might decide to make my life miserable.

I have difficulty understanding why many Americans think it's okay for a billionaire businessman to have access to their private information and to the private information of his business rivals.

US politics Unspun: The Chaos Agents, Trump's demolition team

 Anthony Zurcher

BBC North America correspondent February 5th 2025

Hello from Washington DC. I have to keep reminding myself that Donald Trump has only been back in the White House for just over two weeks. The pace of activity – as I detail below – has been astounding. The threat of a global trade war has not gone away - despite the rollercoaster ride on tariffs seemingly being overshadowed, perhaps only temporarily, by pronouncements on the Middle East.

During a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, Trump proposed taking ownership of the Gaza Strip, redeveloping it and permanently "resettling" all Palestinians - amid the ongoing, fragile ceasefire deal. Meanwhile, in Congress, two of Trump's more controversial appointments – Robert F Kennedy Jr for health secretary and Tulsi Gabbard for intelligence chief – consolidated Republican support and appear headed for confirmation.

THE TAKEAWAY

The breadth – and speed – of the disruption Trump and his new administration have brought to the federal government is only now coming into focus.

At the centre of it all, of course, is Trump himself. Recent focus had been on tariffs, but he is unpredictable – and willing to inject himself into any major issue, whether it's airline safety, politics in the Middle East or South African land ownership reforms.

Trump isn't the most disruptive person in his own administration at this point, however. He has teams of loosely coordinated operators undertaking some of the most aggressive changes to the federal government in the modern era.

Multibillionaire Elon Musk and his young government-efficiency engineers have focused their efforts on the federal payment system in the Treasury Department – the purse strings of the bureaucracy. They've accessed vast troves of information on federal employees at the Office of Personnel Management and commandeered internal communications systems, deactivating user accounts and sending out multiple messages urging government workers to quit their jobs. They've gutted the US Agency for International Development, placing thousands of employees on leave, and have the Department of Education in their sights.

Another budget-cutting push has come from the White House's Office of Management and Budget, which issued last week's since-suspended memorandum ordering an across-the-board freeze of most federal grants and loans. Those efforts are sure to increase once the Senate confirms Russell Vought to head that key White House office. He authored a chapter in the Project 2025 blueprint for conservative government on how to effectively use presidential power to slash federal spending.

Long-time Trump aide Stephen Miller is already in the White House, working along with "border tsar" Tom Homan to bring US refugee resettlement and asylum processing to a grinding halt. They are turning immigration enforcement into an expansive, militarised operation, with the planned creation of a new detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and an agreement with El Salvador to hold violent deportees in their prison system.

The takeaway: These chaos agents – operating in Trump's name, if not with his direct oversight – are tearing down federal bureaucracies and uprooting long-established programmes. The lawsuits challenging their actions are being filed, but the demolition is already taking place and with each passing day it will be harder to reverse.

 

The inexplicably destructive negotiating processes of Donald Trump by Prof. David Honig

 The best, most cogent and elegantly simple explanation into the inexplicably destructive negotiating processes of the president, by Prof. David Honig of Indiana University.

Everybody I know should read this accurate and enlightening piece...

“I’m going to get a little wonky and write about Donald Trump and negotiations. For those who don't know, I'm an adjunct professor at Indiana University - Robert H. McKinney School of Law and I teach negotiations. Okay, here goes.

Trump, as most of us know, is the credited author of "The Art of the Deal," a book that was actually ghost-written by a man named Tony Schwartz, who was given access to Trump and wrote based upon his observations. If you've read The Art of the Deal, or if you've followed Trump lately, you'll know, even if you didn't know the label, that he sees all dealmaking as what we call "distributive bargaining."

Distributive bargaining always has a winner and a loser. It happens when there is a fixed quantity of something and two sides are fighting over how it gets distributed. Think of it as a pie and you're fighting over who gets how many pieces. In Trump's world, the bargaining was for a building, or for construction work, or subcontractors.

He perceives a successful bargain as one in which there is a winner and a loser, so if he pays less than the seller wants, he wins. The more he saves the more he wins.

The other type of bargaining is called integrative bargaining. In integrative bargaining the two sides don't have a complete conflict of interest, and it is possible to reach mutually beneficial agreements.

Think of it, not a single pie to be divided by two hungry people, but as a baker and a caterer negotiating over how many pies will be baked at what prices, and the nature of their ongoing relationship after this one gig is over.

The problem with Trump is that he sees only distributive bargaining in an international world that requires integrative bargaining. He can raise tariffs, but so can other countries. He can't demand they not respond. There is no defined end to the negotiation and there is no simple winner and loser.

There are always more pies to be baked. Further, negotiations aren't binary. China's choices aren't (a) buy soybeans from US farmers, or (b) don't buy soybeans. They can also (c) buy soybeans from Russia, or Argentina, or Brazil, or Canada, etc. That completely strips the distributive bargainer of his power to win or lose, to control the negotiation.

One of the risks of distributive bargaining is bad will. In a one-time distributive bargain, e.g. negotiating with the cabinet maker in your casino about whether you're going to pay his whole bill or demand a discount, you don't have to worry about your ongoing credibility or the next deal.

If you do that to the cabinet maker, you can bet he won't agree to do the cabinets in your next casino, and you're going to have to find another cabinet maker.

There isn't another Canada.

So when you approach international negotiation, in a world as complex as ours, with integrated economies and multiple buyers and sellers, you simply must approach them through integrative bargaining. If you attempt distributive bargaining, success is impossible. And we see that already.

Trump has raised tariffs on China. China responded, in addition to raising tariffs on US goods, by dropping all its soybean orders from the US and buying them from Russia.

The effect is not only to cause tremendous harm to US farmers, but also to increase Russian revenue, making Russia less susceptible to sanctions and boycotts, increasing its economic and political power in the world, and reducing ours.

Trump saw steel and aluminum and thought it would be an easy win, BECAUSE HE SAW ONLY STEEL AND ALUMINUM - HE SEES EVERY NEGOTIATION AS DISTRIBUTIVE. China saw it as integrative, and integrated Russia and its soybean purchase orders into a far more complex negotiation ecosystem.

Trump has the same weakness politically. For every winner, there must be a loser. And that's just not how politics works, not over the long run.

For people who study negotiations, this is incredibly basic stuff, negotiations 101, definitions you learn before you even start talking about styles and tactics.

And here's another huge problem for us.

Trump is utterly convinced that his experience in a closely held real estate company has prepared him to run a nation, and therefore he rejects the advice of people who spent entire careers studying the nuances of international negotiations and diplomacy.

But the leaders on the other side of the table have not eschewed expertise, they have embraced it. And that means they look at Trump and, given his very limited tool chest and his blindly distributive understanding of negotiation, they know exactly what he is going to do and exactly how to respond to it.

From a professional negotiation point of view, Trump isn't even bringing checkers to a chess match. He's bringing a quarter that he insists of flipping for heads or tails, while everybody else is studying the chess board to decide whether it's better to open with Najdorf or Grünfeld.”

— David HonigAll