Utopia, you are standing in it!

Imagine, if you will, an Israeli mother who sent her six civilian sons into Palestine to murder Palestinians. They succeed, though one son is killed, and manage to kill at least 17 Palestinians, most of them civilians or policemen and policewomen. The Israeli mother is held up as a hero in her country, though one of her sons is killed and the other four given life sentences. Just recently, a sixth son confessed to the murder of a Palestinian activist, and is also given a life sentence in Palestine.

The Israeli government gives big bucks to the mother as a reward and as an incentive for others to murder Palestinians—whether civilian, police, or military. So far the payments to the mother, who is praised by Benjamin Netanyahu, amount to $ 1,007,611, and she continues to receive $10,000 a month. Moreover, she’s chosen to represent Israel in a campaign at the…

When it was revealed that Jeremy Corbyn participated in a Passover Seder with members of the radical left British Jewish group Jewdass, Times of London columnist Daniel Finkelstein, writing in the Jewish Chronicle, argued that it was no gaffe or political error. Rather, Finkelstein observed, Corbyn’s evening with the fringe non-Zionist group which once tweeted that Israel was “a steaming pile of garbage” which needs to be properly disposed of, and holds the mainstream British Jewish community in contempt, makes sense insofar as it’s an accurate reflection of his views.

Likewise, the Guardian’s decision to publish a recent op-ed, co-authored by Illana Hammerman, a fringe radical left Israeli who’s suggested that Israel was no longer a morally legitimate state, and has excused Palestinian terrorism as a natural reaction of Israel’s ‘state terrorism’, wasn’t merely a narrow decision to provide a ‘alternative view’. It accurately reflects the editors’ often palpable

Bill Maher, to his credit, had conservative Ben Shapiro on his show, and here’s a ten-minute discussion between them. Of course I agree with Maher far more than with Shapiro, but this does show that two political opponents can have a civil discussion. I don’t think minds were changed, but they do have points where they agree (Trump has damaged America’s social fabric, Trump should be impeached if he fires Mueller, etc. ). Of course they disagree on many other points, and there is a bit of flaring temper from time to time.

Nobody is pretending that mere civility is going to bring comity to a politically divided nation. But before we can begin to even find common ground (and I’m convinced there is some on issues like immigration), we have to be able to talk to our opponents.

Welcome to issue #12 of my occasional newsletter on climate and energy issues. As a reminder, my day-to-day research and teaching is primarily focused on sports governance and various issues of science policy. But I’ve written a fair bit on the topics of climate and energy over the past 25 years, including two recent books and a boatload of academic papers.

Now that I’m no longer being investigated by Congress, the subject of a billionaire’s delegitimization campaign or receiving threats I’ve decided to start again writing a bit more on climate issues. So caveat lector!

A few things to say up front:

• If you appreciate the perspective, consider the tip jar to your right.
• These funds continue to help me defray the costs of several trips where I have had the chance to develop and present new talks. I am otherwise unfunded on this topic.
• As such, contributions are much…

In our third annual study on the impact of phone scams and spam in the U.S. we today reveal the findings.

No, Ontario has a plan for you: it’s called ‘political history’.

One modern myth is that political annihilation awaits any government devoted to reliable and affordable power.

The meme has it that 100% of voters are 100% in favour of 100% renewable energy.

They just might be. But, when faced with load-shedding, statewide blackouts and rocketing power prices, their purported fervour for nature’s wonder fuels tends to wane.

South Australian voters relegated its wind and solar obsessed Labor government to the political dustbin, in March this year. Then Premier, Jay Weatherill went to the election promising to deliver on a ludicrous 75% RET.

Now, Ontario’s similarly embattled households and businesses have done the same.

The Progressive Conservatives have snatched power from an arrogant and out-of-touch Liberal government, headed up by the malevolent Kathleen Wynne.

The parallels with South Australia’s Labor government in its dying days are uncanny.