Fields of Lumber
In a recent interview, Trump said of Canada, "we don't need their lumber, we have massive fields of lumber".
I grew up in Northern Ontario and remember playing in our lumber fields as a kid.
As soon as the snows melted and we packed up our igloos, the tiny little lumber stacks would start poking their heads up through the soil. The spring rains would be welcome, sent by the gods in response to our dances and prayers, and the stacks would swell and grow. Summer weather was always a toss-up though. Some years would be a drought and we would watch the lumber turn grey and crack. Some years the rain seemed to never stop, so the lumber would not mature and dry properly but would stay green. Come fall, mom and dad would both be out with the big forklifts, harvesting the stacks and loading the flatbed trucks. Once the fields were clear, it was time to seed for another year. Mostly spruce and pine boards for the main field, with oak planks in a line by the fence - they took longer. Down by the creek, in a bit of prime land, we had walnut and maple - prized by cabinet makers. It was a hard life - planting, weeding out scrap lumber, spraying for termites, slogging through the mud of fall rains to harvest, but it was part of our Canadian Heritage.
Less liquor
Are you doing the Dry January thing? It’s a commitment to no booze for a month - often triggered by Christmas excesses and New Year’s resolutions. And it often only lasts a month, as it can be hard to ignore that boozy buzz and the camaraderie of friends in a bar, sharing rounds of shooters. But alcohol is expensive, clashes with any diet plans, is generally not a healthy thing and is now more specifically labelled as a carcinogen by health officials. The under 35 demographic is choosing to drink less, and looking for alternatives. Alcohol-free (AF) beers have been around for a while, and some craft ones are quite nice. There are a few AF wines too, not had tasting - the Star did a list. Bars have always offered mock-tails such as Virgin Caesars, that are just the same cocktail with no alcohol. More creative mixes are available now, with spices added for more zing. And it’s more socially acceptable to not drink alcohol, just as a personal choice. There are Sober Bars too - no alcohol at all. Prices are comparable, but tips might be down a bit for servers without drunk patrons ordering rounds of shooters. I would assume there are also fewer annoying patrons? I need to check one of these places out - none in Ottawa so far.
We don’t need no stinkin’ facts
Meta has announced that they will join X in not doing fact-checking anymore. (Apparently, they were?) In addition, users will be free to post things like “Mexicans are trash”, or “Trans people are immoral”. Not as harsh as some things people say - such as Trump in his speeches - but still disturbing. Should free speech mean the freedom to say anything? There are suggestions that Meta’s Zuckerberg is simply echoing the Republicans and cozying up to Trump. The right-wing of society has long complained about fact-checking being just more of censorship them, as opposed to those on the left. They are conveniently ignoring the fact that if they persist in making so many extreme and ridiculous statements, ignoring science, spreading rumours, and trash-talking their opponents, they are bound to get fact-checked more. If you’re upset that people are always telling you to shut up, maybe you should try it. To replace fact-checking, Meta will use user communities to police the posts, relying on user groups to do their own verifying and monitoring of speech. Unfortunately, most people lack the ability or the motivation to do that, so I think this will falter, and the lies and libel will continue to spread.
A bigger issue is how this is related to election interference. In Canada, the Liberals have a nomination race running on now for a new leader, but it’s done on a one vote per riding process. A group trying to sway the vote would need to change the majority of our 338 ridings, so is unlikely to happen. However, soon after that an election will be called, and many ridings will be holding nomination meetings. We already have seen during the last election how these can be swayed - we had a commission after to investigate that found it did happen, and we have recommendations on how to reduce the risk of interference from both the commission and from Elections Canada. No significant changes have yet been made to reduce this risk, either at the party or national level. It will be hard to sort out the facts from the fluff.
Right to roam
Landowners in the UK deal with something called the Right to Roam, a legal right for the public to access their land. Usually in the mountains and moors, as opposed to a back garden. It’s only about 8% of the countryside, but the reach is expanding to allow you to cross the land for recreational or educational purposes - such as guided hikes. Opponents complain about littering, dogs harassing livestock, and gates left open, and are posting private property signs and demanding trespassers get off their land. Supporters describe the social and health benefits of more access to nature. In fact, there is a group proposing “Get on my land,” not off - mostly farmers with smaller operations that also run a market selling their product. They figure the more customers and the more visibility, the better. We have similar land access here, with our Trans Canada Trail - part of it, the Rideau Trail, runs past here and follows the Rideau Canal to Kingston.