Got up to another unseasonably warm October day here: 29C, the third hot day in a row. But tomorrow it’s predicted to fall to 16! I dropped by the local bookshop today (after my session with our dental hygienist) to pick up a used copy of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. I had read the book a few years ago and even seen the superb BBC mini-series, plus I’ve read the two sequels. I had an urge to read the books again (and maybe re-watch the series), but I remembered I had lent the first in the trilogy to a friend some time ago, who, it seems, never returned it. So I finally gave in and bought another. I highly recommend these books if you have not already read them. And watching the series, too. As John Milton wrote in his Aeropagitica (Nov. 1644), “Books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them.” But I digress…
Doomscrolling: A Gallup poll in 2024 found “the largest segment of Americans, 37%, are creationist purists, saying God created humans in their present form within the past 10,000 years,” and that only 24% “of U.S. adults accept the scientific theory of evolution.” While creationism scored lower than a similar poll from 2000, the revelation that almost 40% of Americans are still creationists is both sad and frightening. And worse: roughly 10% of Americans are “young earth” creationists who believe the world and all its creatures were created about 6,000 years ago. That’s approximately 31 million Americans! And they both breed and vote! Little wonder that so many Americans have become anti-vaxxers and MAGA voters.
We’re doomed. When even basic science is both ignored and challenged by so many people, we are simply doomed as a species because we will never be able to solve our problems or advance our civilization.
Part of my online time is spent posting comments and responses on social media posts about science, especially evolution and paleontology (interest groups that appear frequently on my Facebook timeline, and in my Bluesky feeds). Mostly to mock creationists and Talibangelists on Facebook. For example, under a post by the Houston Museum of Natural Science about the female Australopithecus afarensis known as “Lucy”, where the creationists were trolling, I wrote as a general comment,
You realize, of course, that anything about anthropology or evolution will trigger the snowflake Talibangelists and creationists who will spout their Bronze-Age mythology about how their Magic Invisible Sky Man made everything a few millennia after Sumeria became a civilization.
To which Steven Johnson, who I presume is a creationist, responded, “The angst you display does not diminish the love Jesus the Creator has for you.” And, of course, I could not resist responding:
Thanks, but I don’t have any angst, and, to paraphrase Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Perhaps you mean “scorn,” of which I have plenty.
However, I do worry about your obsession with the Invisible Magic Sky Man. Have you seen a doctor about your hallucinations? There are drugs that can help.*
Monday: Began with a 20-minute pedal, followed by the rest of the exercises. Did a 15-minute pedal later in the afternoon. Some of the exercises really push the bend and cause my knee to throb and ache for a bit afterward. Then the endorphins kick in. Or so I expect them to. Sometimes they seem too lazy to come to the rescue. We went for an 800m walk with Bella, but again it was too hot for her in the afternoon. I’ve been thinking about walking outdoors without my cane, but am still not sure about how confident I am on our potholed and rough streets. I certainly want it for any time I have to walk on grass or a boulevard.
Doomscrolling: PM Mark Carney flew to Washington today to meet with the fascist dictator Trump to discuss reducing some of his tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. And the rage-farming Trump mimic, Pierre PoiLIEvre, chose to send an open letter to Carney whining, bitching, and insulting the intelligence of everyone who read it. Never one to recommend something positive, never one to miss a chance to raise grievances, gaslight, insult, and trash both the Liberals and Canada, PoiLIEvre’s letter was just as we all expected from him. What’s disappointing is that CBC decided to treat this letter as if it was the most important issue to cover, calling it a “scathing letter” rather than just another whiny ideological screed from a small, angry man.
The CBC’s story even had this slavishly sycophantic subhead: “Conservative leader says he’s willing to meet with the Americans to help move trade talks along.” As if Canada or Carney would want this petty, toxic man to interfere in important trade talks with the man PoiLIEre follows and emulates every day. “No more losing. It is time for you to deliver the promised wins,” PoiLIEvre said, which is ironic coming from the man who cost his party the election and even lost his own seat in the process. he also demanded — demanded! — Carney “get Trump to lift tariffs off softwood lumber, steel, aluminum and autos and “get rid of Buy American rules that discriminate against Canadian builders.” As if these were not the whole point of the meeting, but that only PoiLIEvre could see the whole picture. CBC, it appears from the story, was too lazy or incompetent to challenge PoiLIEvre or ask him any difficult questions about his presumptions or adequacy. But then, CBC has fallen from its role and become as flaccid and impotent as local media in holding politicians to account. There’s a good commentary on this from podcaster Bill Kelly that’s worth watching (and also here: another good point made, as are most of his podcasts).
Tuesday: A morning 20-minute pedal but only 10 minutes in the afternoon, because we had been out shopping and were running late to get Bella walked. It was much colder today, too. It was 17C when I got up, but fell to 15 quickly, with cold rain. Quite a change from the heat of the previous three days, and much more like fall. We only did two 600m walks today. Since progress is now in small amounts, I can’t tell if my exercises are improving anything, although I like to tell myself they are and that the pain and strain are worth it.
I continue to be unpleasantly surprised at the cost of basic items, groceries, and toiletries these days. And trying to avoid buying American-made products or foods just increases the weekly cost. It will only get more expensive in the winter when we can’t get Ontario-grown produce. We are fortunate that we don’t eat red meat (mammals) because items like steak are at astronomical prices. And Thanksgiving turkey can cost $50-$60 or more for a large one. We also don’t eat a lot of processed food, and try to avoid items with high salt content. But now and then we like a ready meal so we can avoid cooking. But what once cost us $15-$20 for a meal that usually gave us two days’ worth of meals, now costs $30 or more. We sometimes end up having beans-on-toast instead. But not tonight: Susan made a wonderful minestrone soup that will last us three nights.
Wednesday: Today marks seven weeks since my surgery, and I am considerably more mobile than I was back then. Started with my exercises and a 20-minute pedal, and watching news and commentary on YouTube, to fuel my doomscrolling. Last night, I didn’t complete my third set of exercises. I was tired and simply ran out of oomph, although I did most of them. I’ll try to make up for it today by doing a bit more to compensate. And I have my first physio session for this week today.
At physio, I did 10 minutes on their bike and was measured for my knee bend after my session: 110° with only 111° assisted. An improvement from last week (102), but still shy of the goal of 120°. More effort is required. We did two 800m walks today and it was damned cold.
We finally brought our avocado tree indoors, too. Hope it survived the low temperatures. Winter is tough for it, because it doesn’t get the warmth and light it needs indoors. It sheds many leaves until we can get it outside again, in late spring 2026.
This week, I started again to read A Splendour of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World, by Nicholas Basbanes (Harper-Collins, 2003). I picked it up as a hardcover, remainder book some years back, and read the first 20-30 pages. I put it back on the shelf and forgot it until this week, when I came across it. I am now reading it from the start again. It has been described as,
…a comprehensive exploration of the enduring nature of books and their role in preserving knowledge and culture.
As a bibliophile, I have a soft spot for books about books. Books like this are confirmation bias for me.
Doomscrolling: The dictator Trump has threatened to use the Insurrection Act to declare martial law and launch his civil war against Americans. I went to CBC.Ca to look for the story but was again reminded of how poor CBC has become and how increasingly irrelevant they are (much like local media). At the time I looked (about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday), the front page of CBC did not even have the story — arguably the most important and most frightening news of this week, one that continues to grow — but did have stories with these headlines:
- Four little words doubled this company’s sales
- The Vancouver Easter egg in The Life of a Showgirl
- The Moment a wildlife photographer spotted a rare white beaver
- Why this self-described incel has fears of speaking to a woman
- Why victory gardens from the world wars have made a comeback in Canada
- Why this former ‘wine mom’ is calling out drinking culture
- Bra tops, high necklines and pannier skirts were among the top trends seen on Spring 2026 Fashion Week runways
- Inside a colour-drenched condo that’s the epitome of ‘restrained maximalism’
- Kyle Connor inks 8-year, $96M extension with Winnipeg Jets
- Why some women are saying ‘I don’t’ to unequal marriages
- What to cook in October: Delicious soups for sweater weather
- Truck driver sues ex-NFL QB Mark Sanchez and Fox after violent fight over parking space
- This Italian teen just became the first millennial saint
- ‘Never ask Dad what he does for work’: Uncovering my family’s decades-old secret
- This anime film has made more money than any of this year’s Marvel movies
These were all on CBC’s home page: pap and piffle, but there was nothing on the threat of the Insurrection Act, the dictator’s threat to jail Democratic mayors and governors, or the arrival of armed National Guard in Chicago as Trump tries to spark his long-desired civil war. Any wonder CBC has lost Canadians’ respect? What flaccid journalism. If you want to learn about this development, you’ll have to look at a more professional news outlet. For example, here’s CNN’s video coverage. Al Jazeera’s story is here. Reuters has a story about how the dictator has accelerated his threats against political opponents:
President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for jailing Chicago’s mayor and the governor of Illinois, both Democrats, as military officials said on Wednesday 500 National Guard troops were now in place to be deployed in the third-largest U.S. city.
Neither Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson nor Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has been accused of criminal wrongdoing, though both have emerged as prominent opponents of Trump’s immigration crackdown and deployment of National Guard troops in Democratic-leaning cities.
BBC News also has that story here, adding:
Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and use the military if courts stop the deployments, which he has defended as necessary to address rampant crime and defend immigration enforcers.
“If I had to enact it, I’d do it, if people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up,” Trump said on Monday.
Even Mother Jones had an article on this story, with the headline, “As Troops Invade Chicago, Trump Threatens to Jail the Mayor and Governor.” The subhead asked, rhetorically, “What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?” I suggest nothing remains: the US is already in full-blown fascism under Trump. Only MAGA cultists and sycophants — and, apparently, the CBC — cannot see that.
Thursday: A few days ago, I finished reading Michael Korda’s excellent biography, Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia (Harper Collins, 2010). Sitting beside it on my bookshelf is the original, US edition of Lawrence’s own Revolt in the Desert (George Doran, 1927). That latter book is close to a century old, now. It’s not the oldest book on my shelves, mind you: I have some late 19th-century works. But it is one of the most treasured. I am not per se a book collector, in that I don’t buy books for financial reasons, rather I buy them for their content and what I get from reading them.
Began the day with my first set of exercises and a 20-minute pedal (170 cal), then went on a 1.4km walk with Susan and Bella. A 15-minute pedal after lunch followed by an 800m walk. I also weighed myself today and am still under 155 lb (70.3kg, although our bathroom scale is still showing imperial weight). Another cold day, although a tad less windy than yesterday, so it was less frigid. It’s 8C while I write this, but it was 11C this afternoon.
I found the first part of this YT video by Tod Maffin quite entertaining:
Friday: Had an early morning blood test, but got in 20 minutes on the bike and most of my exercise set. I’ll finish when I return home. Early morning events really throw a spanner into my timing. Had another physio session, too, at 2 p.m. which completed my second exercise set. I will work on my third set closer to 5 p.m. We only had short walks with Bella today, and a little shopping for some grocery items.
This weekend, we need to get the house ready for company, so I probably won’t be writing anything again until next week. I started watching the movie Casablanca tonight, the umpteenth time I’ve seen it, but I still enjoy watching it. I suppose I am at heart a hopeless romantic.
Doomscrolling: Dictator Donald Trump, despite his continual whining and shamelessly begging for it, was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. And that made both of us very happy. Instead, it went to Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela’s “fearless pro-democracy leader for her decades of courage fighting tyranny and demanding free elections in a nation where speaking out can get you killed.”
“The contrast could not be clearer,” said Robert Reich. “One fights for freedom; the other fights his own people for fascism. Maria Corina Machado is everything Trump will never be: brave, selfless, and devoted to her people. Her victory is a torch in the darkness, and a warning to those who would snuff democracy out.”
The failure to get the prize he demanded has not stopped his cabal of opportunistic sycophants from whinging about the snub on their pet pseudo-news, propaganda outlets (i.e. Fox Newz) and lobbying for the “Peace Dictator” who has set the US military on the American people and killed Venezuelan citizens without due process or even proof of their wrongdoing, to get another chance. And lest we forget about him using the DOJ to persecute and punish his enemies and opponents through pseudo-legal means.
Popular Information has a story about lawsuits against Amazon, claiming Prime Days are a fraud, “demonstrating how the retailer deploys deceptive tactics to exaggerate its markdowns and create a false sense of urgency. The piece demonstrated how many featured products are available at similar or lower prices at other times.” Surprised? Me, either.
The fascist Trump administration is starting to fire federal workers during the MAGA shutdown of the government, helping achieve Putin’s goal to destabilize and destroy the USA from within. Inflicting pain on Americans has always been Trump’s goal. And, of course, Stephen Miller’s.
And the DUI hire, the massively incompetent Talibangelist Pete Hegseth has announced he will allow a foreign military base to be built on US soil. According to CBS News, Hegseth “announced a finalized agreement that will allow the Qatari Emiri Air Force to build a facility at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.” Qatar, you might recall, bribed the dictator Trump with a jet a few months back (one that will cost American taxpayers $1 billion to retrofit). Now they get to construct a “Qatari Emiri Air Force Facility” in the USA. See how bribes work? There’s no free lunch, or free 747s, either.
Next post I’ll try to remember to comment on Russ Roberts’ book, How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life (Penguin 2014). Roberts provides a good overview and explanation of Smith’s first book, A Theory of Moral Sentiments.
Notes:
* I should also note that the flood story that features in Genesis was lifted from the Sumerians and appears in similar form in their Gilgamesh epic. There was an even earlier flood legend in the Sumerian Epic of Atra-Hasis and in their Eridu Genesis. Whoever wrote or collated Genesis (no, it wasn’t Moses, who likely didn’t even exist) lifted the flood story from those earlier Sumerian versions. Again, I digress…
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