, 10.02.2025 07:49 AM

Start-of-October bits and pieces

In Nashua, New Hampshire; in Minneapolis; in Boulder, Colorado; in Washington, D.C. In those places, where Jews were murdered, the killers yelled: “Free Palestine.”

In Manchester, where two are known to be dead this morning, we don’t know if the killer did likewise. But he killed Jews at a synagogue, on Yom Kippur – the holiest day of the year in Judaism.

So: have any killings taken place, anywhere, where the killer yelled: “Am Yisrael Chai”?

That we know the answer to. The answer is no.

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1. Hamas won’t accept the deal. Why? Because war – and the resulting loss of innocent Palestinian lives – is their only strategy.

2. In Israel, people want the war over, hostages home, Gaza demilitarized, Hamas gone, Bibi retired.

Point two won’t happen because of point one.

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This past week saw another Truth and Reconciliation day. As a Dad to an Indigenous girl, I say to residential school deniers: stop with your sophistry about graves. Stop. Thousands of Indigenous kids were taken from their parents and terribly abused. That’s the truth. So, reconcile.

 

A wooden mask with a carved face. The face has closed eyes, a downturned mouth, and red and black painted features. White paint forms a headband-like design above the eyes, and red and black patterns extend downward from the eyes like tears.

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This was an emasculation of Israel’s Prime Minister, and I suspect everyone in Israel knows it.

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My friend Guy Goldstein, @revenuepath, has the same view as me: Trump’s new peace plan is essentially pre-Balfour British rule, with minor differences.

The bottom line is that it implicitly acknowledges Palestinians are incapable of stable governance. Also bottom line: Hamas will reject it. And the “ceasefire now” and “Free Palestine” cabal won’t say fuck all when Hamas does that.

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Nigel Wright’s sudden passing is a shock. Here is the piece I wrote about the tragic loss of a good man.

I don’t know if he had it, and I don’t know if they give it, but he deserves the Order of Canada.

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This will be news to Canadian Jews. “Poilievre claims Christians ‘may be the number one’ victims of hate-based violence.”

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Finally found it. It’s the Mats LP they never released. 49:00 by Paul Westerberg on SoundCloud.

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Iggy, 1984.

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These Project Ontario folks – some of whom are friends – need to remember Ontario is a huge province and that ideological, doctrinaire approaches simply won’t work. Doug Ford knows that.

Also: inviting Jivani is a mistake. That guy has a pathological hatred of Ford. Bad look.

**

Brad Bradford is the guy who should be mayor of Toronto. He’s confirmed his name will be on the ballot next year. Why?

• he represents change

• he’s an ethical guy and scandal-free

• he’s young and energetic

• he’s an urban planner and has a plan

• he’s a uniter – he doesn’t divide communities

• he’s got a record of success in his ward

• he’s the best communicator at City Hall

• he’s a centrist

• he wants to fix a city that has become dirty, dangerous and dysfunctional

• he started losing his hair and leaned into it and has this cool The Rock thing happening

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Watching from a distance, it seems that the only Democrat with the balls to consistently and effectively oppose Trump is Gavin Newsom. On that basis alone, he must be the nominee.

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Maybe it’s just me, but I think cheering for the side that kidnaps babies is a really bad look.

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Season ender of Star Trek Strange New Worlds: meh. Bore more than a faint resemblance to City on the Edge of Forever, but lacked any of that classic’s emotional impact or coherence. Harlan Ellison, wherever he is, is unamused.

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SWEET JESUS JOEY FARTED I THINK SINÉAD IS DEAD

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6 Comments

  1. Warren,

    Middle America won’t go for Newsom. They’ve used accounting gimmicks to balance what was a 11.8 billion dollar general fund deficit. Take away that funny accounting and the actual deficit for 2025-26 is projected to roughly be 20 billion. From Slick Willie who caught on fire to Slick Gavin, who probably won’t. Definitely not my choice for the future nominee.

  2. Martin Dixon says:

    Baby boomer Laurentian Elite types need to Laurentian Elite I guess. I used to think this guy was a serious person. Perhaps the mad cow? So much of that going around.

    “”I think the language from the current parliamentary budget officer, Mr. Jason Jacques, is just wrong and he should walk that back, quite frankly,” Page told host David Cochrane.”

    This was him 10 minutes ago:

    “Page applauded the appointment of Jacques, describing him as “very competent and experienced.”
    “Of all the people that have served as Parliamentary Budget Officer, I think it is safe to say he has the best résumé (myself included),” he said in an email.
    Page, who previously worked with Jacques, added that in “six months, it is a good bet, he will be the strongest candidate to be the PBO.””

    https://ottawacitizen.com/public-service/new-interim-pbo-jason-jacques

  3. Warren,

    He reminds me of that guy I spotted in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale around midnight last night. It took me about two minutes to size up that character. I’ll probably be for Shapiro (or Pete). An American-Jew for president. About time.

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