Showing posts with label AIMCo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AIMCo. Show all posts

Thursday, November 21, 2024

News roundup, 21 Nov 2024

- The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri. Of course it's unlikely that any of them will actually be tried by the ICC unless they take an international flight that unexpectedly has to make a forced landing in a country that recognizes the court.

- Gwynne Dyer thinks that Ukraine might still have a chance even following Donald Trump's victory, suggesting that South Korea has plenty of weapons to spare and might be willing to fill the gap created if Trump, as expected, cuts off the supply. Still seems doubtful, though; even Dyer admits that they would not supply the weapons to Ukraine if they thought it would annoy Trump, nor would other NATO countries be willing to have the weapons transported through their territory (much less supply them on their own) if Trump didn't approve. Combine that with the fact that the Russian campaign has been pretty successful of late, and things aren't looking very promising for Ukraine.

- Some Arab Americans who voted for Donald Trump are experiencing buyer's remorse as they see the kind of people he's preparing to appoint to key positions. One wonders if they actually didn't realize this beforehand, or if they just figured Palestine would be screwed either way (which it would) and just voted for Trump for other reasons (most likely relating to feminism and/or LGBT* issues). Or perhaps they just figured "oh well, our people are going to suffer regardless, so we'd best make sure everyone else suffers too" (a common reason for voting for Trump in general, I think).

- Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in northern Manitoba has been under a state of emergency for more than a year as the community's leaders grapple with an outbreak of violent crime. The problems have not gone away, though, and the community is now tightening restrictions further. Whether these measures will be effective remains to be seen.

- The Smith government in Alberta has appointed former Prime Minister Stephen Harper as chair of Alberta Investment Management Corp (AIMCo), raising concerns about the corporation's independence (i.e. its willingness to invest in things other than oil).

- Several potato companies, including Canadian based McCain Foods and Cavendish Farms, are being investigated by US authorities for allegedly operating a cartel to inflate the prices of frozen potato goods like fries and hash browns.

- The village of Ollolai in Sardinia is selling houses for as little as a euro each in the hope of reversing its population decline. The village has launched a website aimed at Americans hoping to flee the mess their country has become, however as folks in the associated Reddit thread point out, Italy does not seem like the place to flee to if you want to get away from fascism.

- A priest in New York City has been stripped of his duties after several indiscretions, including permitting the use of his church for the filming of a music video by pop singer Sabrina Carpenter. The video may be seen here.

Friday, November 15, 2024

News roundup, 15 Nov 2024

- Canada Post has been shut down by a strike as 55,000 CUPW workers walked off the job this morning.

- As expected, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been selected by Donald Trump for the key cabinet position of Secretary of Health and Human Services. Critics are calling Kennedy a "clear and present danger" to public health; I don't disagree, though it's a safe bet that anyone appointed by Trump is a clear and present danger to something important.

- As with several recent elections, polls in the 2024 US election underestimated Donald Trump's support by about 3%. This was the case across all the swing states. One possible explanation, of course, is that the kind of people who vote for Trump are also the kind of people who think pollsters are part of the Deep State or similar nonsense. Based on exit polls, it is also apparent that Trump did especially well among the "late deciders". Exit polling has also revealed that white voters to represent a larger share of the vote than in recent elections. This might mean that Trump was uniquely successful in bringing out low-propensity voters, or else that nonwhite voters are becoming disillusioned and not turning out for the Democrats the way they have in the past.

- The Manitoba government has announced that the crackdown on retail theft will be made permanent by providing funding for 12 new police officers. Probably a necessary move; hopefully other equally necessary but less visible measures to address the underlying social conditions will not be forgotten, though.

- The Alberta government has purged the leadership of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo). Finance minister Nate Horner attempts to justify this based on efficiency, but this is disputed by others, and the fact that the corporation had been exploring the possibility of creating a fund focused on the transition to a carbon-neutral economy probably had something to do with the matter.

- The RCMP are investigating after hateful letters were sent to staff at an elementary school in Vanderhoof, BC. Authorities are keeping tight-lipped about the content of the letters, but I'd wager that it had something to do with sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) lessons in classes.