Tag Archives: conflict

Head down

Posted on May 15, 2026 by Robert Basil

I understand how those of us living in Canada might not be mollified by CBC’s assurance that 99.9% of Canadians won’t be affected by the USA’s proposal to require “five years worth of social media information” from “visa exempt” countries … Continue reading →

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Heavy morning rotation

Posted on April 30, 2026 by Robert Basil

It’s not true din without a diverse display, which we don’t really provide in my corner of the world. — — — — — My longtime staples: The New York Times (despite everything), The NewYorker, Atlantic (itself a din), and … Continue reading →

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Apropos

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Robert Basil

Clarissa is not alone. On X writer Tyler A. Harper darkly assesses university administrators’ embrace of AI. “A lot of the push for AI (therapists! health care professionals! tutors!) is predicated on a tacit acceptance that the broken institutions cannot … Continue reading →

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This will be worth an outing

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Robert Basil

I don’t want to miss this. Unsurprisingly, I could not find any list of distributors, tables, events, etc., anywhere. It will be a surprise! — Addendum:

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Oliver Sacks

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Robert Basil

I remember the bookstore in Buffalo where I found “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” in 1985. I finished the book before I went to bed. Starting the next day, I relied on the work of Oliver … Continue reading →

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Pope Francis

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Robert Basil

“When people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be placed as a precondition for conferring it. For those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection.” “A little bit of mercy makes the … Continue reading →

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Is Kwantlen Student Association trying to kill student newspaper?

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Robert Basil

Seems bad. I trust these machinations, no matter who is behind them, will not be successful. My life is already too full of dismay (thank you very much). The editor of The Runner, the student newspaper, is interviewed here. Many … Continue reading →

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Raw Milk

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Robert Basil

Let’s not. The marvellous Talia Lavin discusses “the collapse of consensus reality.” I love how Lavin lets loose her scorn. Increased raw milk consumption has already led to a rise in foodborne illness—including stillbirths, miscarriages and deaths, albeit in very … Continue reading →

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“If you have any tips and tricks for evading censors, please contact us.”

Posted on August 18, 2024 by Robert Basil

This sentiment, published in The Economist by Gabriel Crossley, has made my Sunday. Crossley notes that in China VPNs (“software which makes it appear as if a computer or mobile phone is located in another country”) have been “getting slower” … Continue reading →

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Counter

Posted on August 11, 2024 by Robert Basil

I have had truly unpleasant interactions with people I’ve known for years – including with those in academia – during these Olympics. Their loathsome disdain for transgenderism made them attack a non-transgendered woman, a boxer from Algeria, in giddy displays … Continue reading →

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