“Canada (thanks to just one of its 10 provinces, which holds 97.5% of national oil reserves) is among the world’s top five oil producers. But residents of that far western province, Alberta, have been increasingly frustrated by decades of environmental and green energy goals and regulations that, they say, have constrained the use of and benefits from the natural resource at their disposal. Still, on Monday, Albertans declared a clear ‘no’ to the notion of seceding from Canada in a referendum (on whether to hold a future binding referendum on separation). The 3-to-1 result bolsters Prime Minister Mark Carney’s stated goal of making Canada a ‘global energy superpower’ as well as the cause of national unity – for now.” (10/21/26)
“In the wake of the Great Recession, economists faced tough questions: How could they have missed the imminent collapse of the world economy? Of what use were all their intricate models if they couldn’t predict such a huge systemic crisis? Just as economists failed to predict the Great Recession, so political scientists failed to predict a series of momentous political upsets. The most obvious is the dizzying rise of Donald Trump. But the story is bigger than that: In recent years, political scientists have overestimated the forces of stability time and again, failing to foresee Brexit, the chaos wrought in the Philippines by Rodrigo Duterte, and the serious threat posed to Polish democracy by its populist government, among other developments.” (10/22/26)
“Years ago, I called Antifa ‘the Keyser Söze of the left’ (after the character in ‘The Usual Suspects’). In the film, the character Virgil explains how Söze stayed in the shadows: he became ‘a myth, a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night.’ The strategy was too simple: ‘the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.’ Democratic leaders have long fostered the myth around Antifa, the largest and most violent group on the political left. For years, they have denied the existence of the group even as members were charged with crimes (including terrorism). Now, the French authorities have found that the nonexistent group is the largest of three ‘ideologically distinct groups’ responsible for the violence in France. It appears that either the entire French security system is delusional or the trick is up for the American left.” (10/22/26)
“When the networks suspended pool coverage, they were not conspiring to manipulate prices or exclude rival news organizations. They were conducting a boycott in solidarity with their banned colleagues.” (10/22/26)
Source: Independent Institute
by Dr. David Gortler
“There is a wide disparity across the globe when it comes to childhood vaccination policies. American kids receive up to 75 vaccines, twice as many as kids in other countries. That is why if Dr. Heidi Overton is confirmed as the next director of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), one of her top priorities should be helping to drive President Trump’s mandate to study the safety and comparative outcomes of the current vaccine schedule to that of other countries. High on her list of priorities will surely be the two executive orders President Trump signed this year to promote the health of American children, especially since there doesn’t appear to be any movement on either.” (10/22/26)
“Public executions (what comes to mind is the Reign of Terror in France) may have been the order of the day in 1789 at the time of the Constitution, but they have certainly been viewed as barbaric in contemporary times. When the Hasan execution was still a live possibility, Vice President JD Vance said he doubted the livestream would take place, adding that he wouldn’t watch it anyway, as did Speaker Mike Johnson. A poll released last Thursday showed Americans were overwhelmingly against the whacko idea. Despite the cancellation, religious scholars worry it did damage.” (10/22/26)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“The more children Israel kills, the more unpopular it becomes. The more unpopular Israel becomes, the more violently we are throat-fucked with the narrative that ‘antisemitism’ is a major problem in our society. The UK’s Department for Education has released a 107-page review which asserts that much more needs to be done to protect Jewish students in England from discrimination. In and of itself this sounds perfectly reasonable, until you look at the actual document. The review, led by Sir David Bell, mentions the word ‘political’ or ‘geopolitical’ no fewer than 125 times. It mentions the word ‘Israel’ or ‘Israeli’ 60 times and the word ‘Palestine’ or ‘Palestinian’ 35 times. So, as always, it is clear that this isn’t actually about protecting a religious minority from persecution.” (10/22/26)
“We’ve previously used a tool we call the Free Speech Map to show how tolerant different groups are of hypothetical campus speakers, often as a way to assess how certain traits cause or are linked to tolerance. In our newest College Free Speech Rankings, we asked students where they get their news, including an option for social media. So let’s put that question onto the free speech map …” (10/22/26)
