Is butter better than margarine? Derek Seguin and Matt Wright churn out jokes in a battle for the superior spread. Then, Nour Hadidi and Hisham Kelati get in the zone when they decide if Newfoundland has the best time zone.

Charlie Demers and Lisa Baker are anything but fake when they discuss if it's okay to ignore the news. Then, are windows superior to doors? Graham Clark and Charles Haycock tear a weather-strip off each other in this architectural argument.

To honour the passing of Edmonton's wonderful and hilarious Kathleen McGee, The Debaters is re-airing one of her memorable debates from 2021. Featuring Kathleen McGee, Erica Sigurdson, Peter Brown and Ryan Williams in East Vancouver.

Hey folks,

Although they still have a few more numbers to crunch... Environment Canada is already saying... this has been the Warmest and Driest Winter in Canada since record keeping began.

Environment Canada's Senior Climatologist David Phillips says on average from Coast to Coast to Coast, from December through February, average temperatures reached an record high while precipitation levels dropped to a record low. EC's weather data goes back 63 years.

Here's a look at a graphic the CBC Weather Centre in Toronto has put together this morning.

You can see where most of the above average warmth was felt from Dec-Feb, through the North and into Quebec and Labrador. It's not really surprising to any of us in this Province, given the fact we've been talking about the crazy temperatures in Labrador since November.

NO SEA ICE

As we talked about a few weeks ago, all this warm weather has had massive impacts on the sea ice. From the Gulf to the North Atlantic to the Labrador Sea, officials are saying they haven't seen conditions like this in over 70 years.

Here are the latest ice charts.

You can see the big time lack of Ice in the Gulf...

And around the Island...

Up the Coast of Labrador there is some ice along the Coast... but not much into the Labrador Sea.

This graphic may show it best... the Departure from Normal Ice Map.

It's little wonder the Seal Hunt is in jeopardy this year.

Ryan

The China file is back on the desk of Canada's foreign affairs minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne. Not that it ever wandered very far.

A senior Conservative MP is comparing a government proposal for online voting in the House of Commons to the dating app Tinder.

How Baraye became the unofficial anthem of the protests in Iran; former Trump administration staffers have created a dating site for conservatives; Talking Derry Girls podcast hosts get us ready for season three; a new documentary celebrates the founder of California's famed French Laundry restaurant; Cree writer Kenneth T. Williams spins a tale of prophecy, purity and identity in his new play, The Herd; and more.

Meet ChatGPT, the free AI chatbot that's blowing people's minds; Indigenous-led conservation efforts take centre-stage at COP 15; Marsha Lederman on Ye and the mainstreaming of antisemitism; how climate activists are capitalizing on the collapse of FTX to reign in crypto's carbon emissions; Becky Toyne's holiday guide to gifting books; and more.

Facebook faces a $2 billion lawsuit over hate speech; Expanse co-author Ty Franck on the role of nuclear fusion in sci-fi universes and the real world; making sense of the connection between respiratory virus outbreaks and invasive Strep A bacterial infections; a theatre director's bid to bring British holiday 'pantos' to Canada; Israeli documentary Tantura confronts an alleged massacre in a Palestinian village; and more.

The Day 6 music panel runs down the best pop music of 2022, Hamilton's music director Alex Lacamoire, Bruce Springsteen's original manager Mike Appel on getting the Boss signed to CBS and more.

Connor Bedard's former coach says the World Junior hockey phenom is something special; how Buffalo is rallying together after Damar Hamlin's near death on the football field; how the bid to keep Prince Harry's memoir from leaking plays into the hype; seriously though, what exactly is Ozempic?; Toronto bartender mixes alcohol-free cocktails for Dry January and beyond; why BioNTech's plan to ship prefabricated mRNA vaccine factories to Rwanda is controversial; and more.

Scientists agree that dogs evolved from wolves and were the first domesticated animals. But exactly how that happened is hotly contested. IDEAS contributor Neil Sandell examines the theories and the evolution of the relationship between dogs and humans.

In 2015, the poet-musician Grzegorz Kwiatkowski made a strange discovery at the site of the former Stutthof concentration camp in Poland — something he calls 'a carpet of abandoned shoes.' But these were more than shoes: they're both artifacts and symbols of the Holocaust — as well as a flashpoint of nationalist denialism and historical amnesia.

On International Fruit Day, one of the world's largest fruit producers did something very cheeky. It published a letter to His Holiness seeking apple absolution.

It wasn't originally meant to be the TV detective duo's car, but a twist of fate led them to red and white.

Every company dreams of doubling its profit. It’s almost impossible to do. Yet, some companies do it by tweaking one tiny thing.

[Written by Stephen Wright] Some of the island’s promising boxers competed in the inaugural Bermuda Boxing Federation [BBF] Development League tournament at Whitney Institute on Saturday [March 9]. The event featured sanctioned fights, masters, corporate and charity bouts, and open sparring for elite and youth competitors. In the men’s junior contests, Qeir Ypaeraguire, of Controversy […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] Bermudian amateur boxer Adrian Roach has described his two-week training camp in Las Vegas as a valuable learning experience. Roach rubbed shoulders with some of the top names in the sport during his training stint at the DLX Boxing Gym under coach Kay Koroma, who has worked with world champions such […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] Fight Night Champion scheduled for The Shed in Dockyard on March 30 has been postponed because of “unforeseen circumstances” and rescheduled for May 25. The event was to be co-headlined by Bermudian professional boxers Andre Lambe and Nikki Bascome. Epic Entertainment, the promoter, told Bernews: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Fight Night […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] Boxer Tyler Christopher will make his long-awaited return from injury when he faces Cameroonian Serge Ambomo in Birmingham, England, on May 18. Christopher has not fought since his points victory over Connor Meanwell in Edgbaston, Birmingham, in which he fractured his left hand in October last year. The 27-year-old is scheduled […]

Some of the island’s promising boxers will compete in the second Bermuda Boxing Development League tournament at Whitney Institute today [May 4]. The event is expected to feature sanctioned fights, masters, corporate and charity bouts, and open sparring for elite and youth competitors. It runs from noon to 4 pm. The BBF hopes to hold […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] Boxer Andre Lambe has spent the past few months training in Orlando, Florida, at various professional gyms to prepare for his fight against American Kenny Paklos at The Shed in Dockyard on Saturday [May 25]. Lambe was due to face the undefeated Paklos in March; however, the fight was postponed, with […]

Boxer Andre Lambe continued his winning streak in the paid ranks after beating American Kenny Paklos via a unanimous decision at The Shed in Dockyard yesterday [May 25].’ The southpaw, who has an unblemished record of 11 wins, enjoyed a relatively comfortable night in the six-round welterweight contest, condemning Paklos [3-1-0] to the first defeat […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] Bermudian boxer Saundre “Dash” Simmons believes his stoppage victory over Nosa Divine Nehikhare represents a significant step forward in his burgeoning professional career. Simmons showcased his rising talent by defeating the Nigerian southpaw with a fourth-round stoppage in Houston, Texas, on Friday, [November 1]. He remains undefeated after five professional bouts. […]

Versatile London rave-rapper turns more misery into money.

Fiona has smashed into Atlantic Canada, washing away homes and knocking out power from intense, hurricane-strength winds and torrential rains.

Inflation and Interest rate hikes are making digital wallets a lot lighter, with personal and business bankruptcies way up.

A swell of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has Canada's hospital system overloaded with patients, specifically young people. What should be done about it?

From the war in Ukraine, to unprecedented protests in Ottawa, and record-breaking inflation — 2022 was an eventful year. As we enter the new year, we're looking back once more at the stories that hit home for Canadians.

Vandaag is de aftrap van het nieuwe Eredivisie seizoen. Afgelopen jaren hebben er een aantal drastische wijzigingen plaatsgevonden in de doorgifte van deze veelbekeken voetbalwedstrijden. Eerst diverse prijsverhogingen en later het gratis aanbieden van de belangrijkste wedstrijden. Voor de échte sportliefhebber die graag ESPN Compleet kijkt, lopen de tarieven nu verder uiteen dan ooit.

A calmer-than-usual concept set from the virtuoso saxophonist.

Relentlessly entertaining, life-affirming stuff, crackling with muscular energy.

Truffaz remains one of the most consistently creative trumpeters around.

Ten-year overview showcasing the talent of an electro A-lister.

Album four from the popular group packs a colourful hit of emotion and vocal exuberance.

This issue features a Special Technology Report looking in depth at the latest developments in the world of Printing and Labelling solutions.

Also included is a ‘Cover Story’: Gartner explains that by 2026, 30% of enterprises will automate more than half of their network activities, an increase from under 10% in mid-2023.

72% of FTSE 100 companies list threats to their supply chains amongst their principal risks, shows new research by supply chain management consultancy INVERTO, part of Boston Consulting Group.

Lars Pruijn, Innovation Director, and Lorenzo D'Arsie, Computer Vision Product Manager at Prime Vision, examine computer vision technology and the new opportunities it provides in the postal and parcel sectors.

A $107 million surge in contributions has made Senator John Kerry the best-financed challenger in presidential campaign history.

The advertising push behind Michael Moore's new documentary is angering some Republicans, who say it is little more than a commercial campaign devised to help Senator John Kerry.

The Political Economy of Inequality, Democracy & Oligarchy, on Friday, November 13, 2020 at 5:00 pm eastern time.

This panel discussion will focus upon the erosion of democratic institutions and the rise of oligarchy that has followed in the wake of unprecedented economic inequality. The panel will address elite efforts to entrench themselves politically as well as economically, including the consequences of such efforts in terms of human development. The panel will focus upon the specific context of election 2020 and the uncertainty it is creating. The subversion of democracy and the law governing our democracy naturally holds many costs, and each panelist will address such costs. Each panelist will also seek to articulate some mechanism for a path forward.  Register here

PANELISTS:

Emma Coleman Jordan, Georgetown Law Center

andré douglas pond cummings, Univ. of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law

Atiba Ellis, Marquette University Law School

Steven Ramirez, Loyola University of Chicago School of Law

Gerald Torres, Yale Law School

Eyewitness accounts regarding the events of January 6, 2021 give us the most reliable version of what happened that dark day. Particularly those eyewitnesses from the Republican Party who do not seek partisan advantage. For example:

"What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States."

Republican Senator & former Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney, Jan. 6, 2021. 

"Today’s violent assault on our Capitol, an effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump. His use of the presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice."

Former Trump Defense Secretary and Marine Corps General James Mattis, Jan. 6, 2021.

"The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people. And they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government which they did not like."

GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Jan. 19, 2021

"Today was a dark day in the history of the United States Capitol… We condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms… To those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win. Violence never wins. Freedom wins."

Trump Vice-President Mike Pence, January 6, 2021.

"These men and women in the uniform, they got overrun. One officer got killed…they got broken arms. You don’t understand what was transpiring at that moment and that time. . . . People brought ropes. . .[T]hey were well planned for it. They scaled walls. . . . They, they overtook the place.”

"Let me be clear: Last week’s violent attack on the Capitol was undemocratic, un-American and criminal…And make no mistake: Those who are responsible for Wednesday’s chaos will be brought to justice…The president bears responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mob rioters."

GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Jan. 13, 2021 

"Today, the people's House was attacked, which is an attack on the Republic itself. There is no excuse for it. A women died. And people need to go to jail. And the President should never have spun up certain Americans to believe something that simply cannot be."

GOP Rep. Chip Roy, Jan. 6, 2021.

WOW!  The US Capitol became a combat zone on January 6.

The legal upshot of the above is Trump and his cultists levied war against the US in violation of 18 USC section 2381! They engaged in an insurrection in violation 18 USC section 2383!

These provisions carry severe criminal sanctions and section 2383 prohibits insurrectionists from ever holding federal office again. Trump also disqualified himself from federal office under the Fourteenth Amendment, section 3. As painful as it may be, the Biden Administration has little choice but to fully investigate these potential violations of law immediately. Donald Trump in particular must face swift justice. .

In his unending fantasy and lies of victory, President Donald Trump unleashed a violent coup on our democracy, our constitutional republic and ultimately our freedom in the lawless pursuit of autocracy, dictatorship, and dimwitted megalomania. 

This directly aided and abetted the ongoing efforts of Vladimir Putin to use Russian New Generation Warfare (RNGW) to weaken, undermine, subvert, and diminish the power of the USA to defend itself and its interests and allies across the world. As Lt. General H.R. McMaster explains RNGW aims to weaken the US and other democratic societies through the sustained use of misinformation. They seek to “disrupt, divide and weaken” American democracy. Yet, again the Trumpists continue to toss the nation and its people into bloody pitched battle with each other while doing the bidding of Putin.

Addendum:

"[T]here can be no soft-pedaling what happened and no absolution for those who planned, encouraged and aided the attempt to overthrow our democracy, Love of country demands nothing less. That’s true patriotism.” 

Karl Rove, writing in the Wall Street Journal, Former Republican Political Operative, January, 6, 2022.

"The importance of January 6th as an historic event cannot be overstated. I was honored and proud to join my daughter on the House floor to recognize this anniversary, to commend the heroic actions of law enforcement that day, and to reaffirm our dedication to the Constitution.  I am deeply disappointed at the failure of many members of my party to recognize the grave nature of the January 6 attacks and the ongoing threat to our nation.”

Former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, January 6, 2022. 

January 6th, 2021 was a dark day for Congress and our country. The United States Capitol, the seat of the first branch of our federal government, was stormed by criminals who brutalized police officers and used force to try to stop Congress from doing its job. This disgraceful scene was antithetical to the rule of law. One year later, I am as grateful as ever for the brave men and women of the U.S. Capitol Police who served our institution bravely that day and every day since. I continue to support justice for those who broke the law.

GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, January 6, 2022. 

On the first anniversary of January 6, GOP Senator Ted Cruz and Trump-appointed FBI Director Christopher Wray called the violence "a violent terrorist attack on the Capitol" and "domestic terrorism," respectively.

All times are Eastern.  

To register and attend by Zoom for free, click here.

The Tulsa Law Review will host a special symposium issue of the law review as part of a commemoration of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre with a one-day live/hybrid event on May 21 and publication of the papers in September 2021.

During the Tulsa Race Massacre, which occurred May 31–June 1, 1921, a white mob attacked residents, homes and businesses in the predominantly Black Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event remains one of the worst incidents of racial violence in U.S. history and one of the least-known; news reports were largely squelched, despite the fact that hundreds of people were believed to have been killed and thousands left homeless.

May 21 @ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Virtual Event Free: Register Here

Suzette Malveaux, provost professor of civil rights law at the University of Colorado School of Law, will provide the keynote address. For six years, Malveaux served as pro bono counsel to the plaintiffs in Alexander v. State of Oklahoma, a suit filed against Tulsa by victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. As part of a team of attorneys, she represented the victims before the federal courts, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Organization of American States) and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Other featured law professors will include Keeva Terry of Howard University School of Law; andre cummings of the Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; Amos Jones, executive director of the African American Trust for Historic Preservation; Angela Addae of the University of Oregon School of Law; and many others. Confirmed participants include Dwight Eaton, a descendant and owner of Black Wall Street Liquid Lounge; TU Professor Kristen Oertel, who will present a talk titled Black Indians, Red Dirt: A Brief History of African Americans in Indian and Oklahoma Territories, 1840–1907; and Professor DeWayne Dickens, who will present a talk titled Learning from Greenwood: When Voices Are Silenced.

 The United States invented the Rule of Law through the fragmentation of sovereignty among 51 sovereign authorities each with three branches of government. It further protects individual rights from state and federal infringement. This effectively created a legal system that could all state actors to account before law. While still imperfect in many important ways, Donald Trump took a sledgehammer to the Rule of Law particularly since January 6, 2021.

Today in America the rule of law faces severe challenges and may well face a total sunset. If so, the Supreme Court of the United States played a central role as accomplice. Most notably, today granted review (certiorari) on the following question: Whether and if so to what extent does a former President enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office. That question in the abstract may hold academic interest, but the answer lies in many disputes in the future over decades or even centuries. 

Prof. Laurence Tribe, a legendary Constitutional Law scholar, explains the effect of this action: