1642, a year notable for the civil war in England, which pitted the hapless Charles I against Parliament, and, as it happened, broke out on August 22nd.
It was a banner year for education in Massachusetts, where the first compulsory education law was passed and Harvard College held its first commencement.
Montreal was founded (but did it have a mayor?) and New Zealand discovered (not by the hobbits).
It’s unthinkable that civil war will break out here, but Stephen Harper does appear to be girding his loins to do battle. With his penchant for making big announcements from as far away from Ottawa as possible, it is not surprising that it was from Whitehorse that he confirmed his intention to prorogue Parliament until the Speech from the throne is delivered some time in October. As the Toronto Star points out “It [Prorogation of Parliament] used to be to be a fairly mundane procedural tool used to re-launch a tired government seeking to use a throne speech as a re-branding exercise.” However, “it gained notoriety after Harper used it in 2008 to avoid a non-confidence vote over political party subsidies, and again in 2009 to avoid scrutiny of Canada’s role in the treatment of Afghan detainees.” Thus, Canadians may be justified in thinking that this is more about avoiding uncomfortable questions in the House about wayward Senators.
As we look at the rest of the world, we can appreciate how truly blessed we are that our unease is over a ‘mundane procedural tool’.
The situation in Egypt deteriorates from hour to hour, and the news that Mubarak is likely to be freed this week is ominous. As we observe the critical comments of the media from around the world, it becomes more obvious that the U.S. and like-minded nations are caught in a bind – damned if they do and damned if they don’t. And if they don’t, the Saudis and their allies will. Saudi Arabia Blames America for the Turmoil in Egypt
One of the more cogent analyses we have read is Waller R. Newell: Coups and democracy
The author summarizes his surprisingly positive assessment: “don’t let the perfect be the enemy to the good. No one can be happy when the prospects for democracy can be secured only through a coup against a democratically elected government and by bloodshed in the streets, and negotiations are probably both necessary and inevitable. But the current Egyptian military regime, while arguably authoritarian, has no long-term totalitarian blueprint for the revolutionary transformation of Egypt, and will likely wish to withdraw from politics and restore elections as soon as it is able. If they are governing by coup, it is a coup aimed at forestalling a Muslim Brotherhood coup whose effects would be far more destructive and would last far longer. Totalitarian movements favour elections when they can hope to win — but only once.”
In China, according to the New York Times, Communist Party cadres have been hearing a “sombre, secretive warning issued by senior leaders. Power could escape their grip, they have been told, unless the party eradicates seven subversive currents coursing through Chinese society.” And these currents are? “Western constitutional democracy”; promoting “universal values” of human rights, Western-inspired notions of media independence and civic participation, ardently pro-market “neo-liberalism,” and “nihilist” criticisms of the party’s traumatic past.
It seems a pity that the CPC did not instead trumpet the historic voyage of the Yong Sheng, which sailed from Dalian on August 8th for Rotterdam to test the Northern Sea Route that global warming has freed from ice. Successful completion of the voyage will signal a huge development for China’s exports to Europe, cutting some 12 to 15 days from traditional shipping route (and conveniently avoiding the Suez Canal, as well as Indian Ocean pirates).
A less happy result of global warming is signalled by the recently published report in Nature Climate Change, on the increased dangers of flooding for coastal cities.
The uproar over Russia’s anti-gay legislation continues with calls to boycott the Sochi Olympic Games in protest. Unfortunately, with under six months to go before they open, it is too late to find a viable alternative site. Moreover, commentators point out that the host nation benefits the most from boycotts [Boycotting the 2014 Sochi Olympics Is a Really Bad Idea] and the athletes from boycotting nations are the ones who suffer. It is to be profoundly hoped that the new IOC chairman will actually find some backbone (not usually a criterion for that position) and help participating nations to develop creative ways of shaming Mr. Putin’s homophobic legislation. CBC’s wonderful Joe Schlesinger offers one idea: Don’t boycott Russia’s Olympics, raise the rainbow flag instead
Energy
In a footnote to last week’s quite depressing dismissal of the efficacy of green technology and renewables, Robert Galbraith recently returned from Gloucester, Mass with photographs documenting the horrible invasion of that historic port (oldest fishing port in North America) by wind turbines. No matter how efficient they might be, there is NO excuse for this blight on the landscape of the historic and charming town.
On the good news side of the energy ledger, Foreign Affairs recently featured Better Batteries, Better World – Why Improved Energy Storage Will Matter More than Fracking and Renewable Energy
“Thanks to breakthroughs on the horizon, batteries qualify as one of 12 disruptive technologies that the McKinsey Global Institute has identified as part of a recent report on innovations that will change the way the world works. Each game-changing technology could affect hundreds of millions of people, create hundreds of billions of dollars a year in economic value, and reconfigure large sectors of the global economy. Advanced batteries, for their part, have the potential to shape global demand for fossil fuels, increase the use of renewables in the electric grid, bring reliable electric power to businesses in developing economies, and extend electricity — and therefore access to the modern world — to millions of the world’s poorest.” Read on and cheer.
Miscellaneous:
– Congratulations to Nigel Penney on concluding another successful Westmount Science Camp – he is full of plans for next year (3 locations!) but before that, he is off on a cycling trip, headed to the Isle of Eigg which has the first completely wind, water and sun-powered electricity grid in the world. He will be studying the grid and sharing the information with McGill.
– Equally, congratulations to the Ecomaris team on the completion of a very full summer of activities, culminating in a recreation of the arrival of Les Filles du Roy at the Old Port
– When household items break, the temptation is to chuck them out, yet our throw-away society means we are filling up landfill sites and using up natural resources at an alarming rate. But in Holland, 96 so-called Repair Cafés staffed by volunteers, some of whom are unemployed, have been set up to help people mend items rather than throw them away. More
– One of the most entertaining and informative websites we have found is 40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World, which also has links to several similarly intriguing infographic and map sites. So far our favorite map is The only 22 countries that Britain has not invaded, although a close second is Map of Where 29,000 Rubber Duckies Made Landfall After Falling off a Cargo Ship in the Middle of the Pacific Ocean, but we will doubtless come across even more entertaining items as we delve deeper.
– We are sure you will be thrilled to know that there is a new dog at the White House; another Portuguese Water Dog has joined Bo and will no doubt share his official duties.