Gilbert Reid

Canadian Writer, editor, ghostwriter, broadcaster, screenplays, novels & short stories; has written on war, technology, eroticism, politics & France & Italy.

[Maria Popova @themarginalian]

The greatest commencement address of all time – Nobel-winning poet Joseph Brodsky's 6 rules for playing the game of life like a winner https://t.co/FBUkU6IZAP

[Warren Kinsella @kinsellawarren]

There is a reckless and dishonest op-ed in my newspaper by an Irwin Studin that asks a number of questions and pretends that the answers are unavailable. Let me provide them.

1. "Who approved the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for Canada?" National regulatory agencies around the world, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), approved the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. In Canada, Health Canada did so.
2. "Why were they approved without proper Canadian testing?" The vaccines were tested in clinical trials and authorized under Health Canada's Interim Order for COVID-19 related drugs. They were approved in December 2020. They had been tested for months and underwent standard, rigorous preclinical testing and three sequential phases of human clinical trials before receiving regulatory authorization.
3. "Were they approved with any knowledge of risks of injury and death?" Before emergency authorization and full regulatory approvals, clinical trials and scientific reviews identified specific short-term adverse events and theoretical risks associated with mRNA technology. These included allergic reactions and flu-like symptoms. There were no statistically significant difference in overall or all-cause mortality between the vaccinated and placebo groups. None.
4. "Why were these risks not communicated frontally [sic] to Canadians?" COVID-19 mRNA vaccine side effect risks were communicated to Canadians through official channels, repeatedly. The federal government and public health agencies used a multi-layered approach to convey side effect risks. $88 million was spent communicating with the public about Covid-19 and vaccines in just 2020. Physicians communicated risks, as did the media, including the one in which Rudin published his conspiracy theory.
5. "Why were the vaccines not removed immediately upon information about injuries and likely deaths? (This would have been done for any product on any sane Canadian day!)" This is the most reckless bit of propaganda in this screed. After attempting to build a false case there were serious risks and fatalities, the author insinuates blame for "injuries and likely deaths" that he has not shown happened. Insinuating homicide is a serious charge. He has provided no proof. Where is the proof?
6. "And why, pray tell, were we forcing perfectly healthy Canadians — including young Canadians and pregnant women — to take the vaccine simply in order to access what were once considered basic public goods in our beloved Canada?" This too is a falsehood. No one in Canada was held down to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Again, where is his proof that people were physically restrained and injected with something? He has none.

Opinions are fine. Presenting bullshit as facts is not.

[Laura Babcock 🇨🇦 @LauraBabcock]

She looks miserable.

Is it Trump being owned by Carney?

Is it Poilievre being owned by Carney?

Is it other leaders mocking her daily?

Is it her massive health care scandal?

Or all of the above?

We will discuss dismay of Danielle on tomorrow’s OShow. #Alberta #Cndpoli

[Brad Setser @Brad_Setser]

And thus the stock and flow positions both are different than they were even a few years ago

https://t.co/fwKw77JrTM

12/12

[Gilbert Reid @Gilberto42]

The destruction of women's and girls' sports continues.

[Sharron Davies HoL MBE @sharrond62]

So ridiculously unfair. A male will bowl harder, faster & hit harder! And again so many more chances to play in male teams than female teams in what is a highly male dominated sport. Mediocre males are not females! It’s cheating

[Sue Williams @GWDSueW]

University of Sheffield
#tradeunions4misogyny

[Tom Mills @ta_mills]

No one could have predicted this. Apart from everyone who did, but they're not important.

[Paul Beckwith @PaulHBeckwith]

Scientists issue dire warning after making frightening discovery in the Atlantic Ocean: 'Sudden, wide-reaching impacts' <https://t.co/cO22IW8Ulj>

[GO GREEN @ECOWARRIORSS]

Shocking news
Major disruption to AMOC ocean current may happen much sooner than expected as Beaufort Gyre, largest freshwater reservoir inArctic Ocean. could expel a massive amount of icy fresh water into the North Atlantic,suddenly fundamentally change #climate of W Europe

[Daniel Mentrard @dment37]

Integral calculus(XII)
Volume of the sphere by triple integral
Visualization|Animation | Interactive applet
@geogebra
https://t.co/23BUle1Oxk
#geogebra #math #science #iteachmath #mtbos #visualization #elearning @bancoche #physics

[GO GREEN @ECOWARRIORSS]

Only 10% of all large fish left in global ocean
90 % all large fish including tuna, marlin, swordfish, sharks, cod are gone
5 million fish killed every minute by fishing industry
If fishing rates continue, world's fisheries will collapse by 2048.https://t.co/op9MdAywHi

[Blue Georgia @BlueGeorgia]

60 Minutes dropping thermonuclear bombshells on TV.

"Trump's attacks on the law firms has been described by a federal judge as 'a personal vendetta'. None of his targets is charged with any crime. Trump, however, was indicted by federal grand juries... The first felon in the Oval Office."

[𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦 @OopsGuess]

🧵Taiwan🇹🇼: From Silicon Shield to Dollar Colony

1/
Bloomberg just reported:

“Taiwan’s Markets Shaken as Currency Surges Most Since 1980s.”
Sound familiar?
This isn’t just a market story.
It’s a geopolitical trap—one that echoes the Plaza Accord that wrecked Japan.👇

2/
Let’s break this down.

The NT dollar just surged at the fastest rate since the 1980s.
Why does this matter?

Because the last time this happened, it was engineered by the U.S.
Back then, Japan was forced to revalue the yen—and it paid the price for decades.

3/
📉 Currency surges = exports become uncompetitive
📈 Hot money floods in = asset bubbles inflate
💣 Manufacturing base weakens
🎭 All while politicians pretend it’s “market confidence”

It’s not confidence. It’s strategic financial manipulation.

4/
Now Taiwan faces the same setup.
While Lai’s administration is eager to please Trump on tariffs, Taiwan is already giving in on another front: its currency.

This is a familiar playbook:

America offers “support” in exchange for economic control.

5/
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s most valuable asset—TSMC—is being dismantled piece by piece.

🇺🇸 Relocating chip production to Arizona
💸 Burning billions on inefficient U.S. fabs
🔒 Facing export controls from its “partner”

How’s that for a “win”?

6/
Let’s be clear:

This is not partnership.
This is colonization—through capital flows, technology transfer, and political pressure.

Taiwan wanted protection.
What it got was dependency.

7/
Taiwan’s leadership thinks it’s buying protection from China.
In reality, it’s selling out its economy to Washington—just like Japan did in the 1980s.

No trade leverage.
No monetary independence.
No industrial policy of its own.

Just a new vassal state under the dollar system.

8/
History doesn’t repeat—but it rhymes.

Japan was the first victim of Plaza Accord-style containment.
Now Taiwan is next.

First they take your chips.
Then they take your currency.
Finally, they own your economy.

9/
Washington doesn’t need to sign another Plaza Accord.
It just needs:
✔️ A compliant government
✔️ Capital control via Wall Street
✔️ Narrative dominance in global media

Taiwan checked all three.

10/
Ask yourself:
Why is Taiwan’s currency surging while its manufacturing is under pressure?
Why is TSMC being gutted while Lai negotiates tariffs with Trump?

Because this is not protection—it’s strategic capture.

📉 The Silicon Shield is becoming a Dollar Cage.

—End—

[Daniel Mentrard @dment37]

Integral calculus(XI)
Mean value of a function
Visualization|Animation | Interactive applet
@geogebra
https://t.co/23BUle1Oxk
#geogebra #math #science #iteachmath #mtbos #visualization #elearning @bancoche #physics

[Peter Dynes @PGDynes]

Northern Europe’s breadbasket relies on steady rainfall, but spring rains are faltering. Latest data shows declining river flows & worsening droughts, threatening food security. 🌾

[cizikci @eylemboss0306]

electric field

[Lewis Pugh @LewisPugh]

“If we save the sea, we save our world.”

At 99, Sir David Attenborough delivers his most urgent message yet - a powerful call to protect our oceans.

His message is simple, clear, and one we can’t afford to ignore 🌊👇🎥

[Roy🇨🇦 @GrandpaRoy2]

The Russian “Black Eye” EW system that jams FPV and Mavic video is now in mass production and is appearing across the whole front.
This is a serious development for Ukraine as one system can shut down radio drone operations across an area of 2-4 km when located high enough.
1/

[Saganism @Saganismm]

I shared a clip earlier, but I couldn't help sharing the full video. Here are four and a half minutes of absolute poetry from Christopher Hitchens.

[Joel M. Curzon @JoelMCurzon]

Homo sapiens is the biggest disaster to hit the earth in the last 65 million years. Say what you will about the asteroid that took out the dinosaurs, but it didn’t leave the seas full of plastic and the land covered with non-biodegradable trash.