Mark Hamilton
@gmarkham.bsky.social
Retired from years of journalism and teaching and living in Vancouver. Words to live by: “When we play music, immediately everything is nice.” — Evgenios Voulgaris. Current project is a blog featuring a rebetiko song of the day and more: www.tamark.ca/wp
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
Just last night I said I wouldn't get angry over the news.
but come on, we live next door to absolute madness.
but come on, we live next door to absolute madness.
January 24, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Just last night I said I wouldn't get angry over the news.
but come on, we live next door to absolute madness.
but come on, we live next door to absolute madness.
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
The Prime Minister of Canada made passing reference to me destroying the world order using words I didn’t understand so to prove how big and strong I am, I’ll threaten a 100% tariff on my largest trading partner, further weakening my own economy. Oh and call him names. That’ll show him.
Trump threatens 100% tariff on Canada if it makes deal with China
Ottawa and Beijing struck a ‘strategic partnership’ on trade this month, with agreements on electric vehicles and canola
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 24, 2026 at 4:00 PM
The Prime Minister of Canada made passing reference to me destroying the world order using words I didn’t understand so to prove how big and strong I am, I’ll threaten a 100% tariff on my largest trading partner, further weakening my own economy. Oh and call him names. That’ll show him.
Today's reading: "...the line between civilization and barbarism is never a geographical border between countries, but a moral border within every people, and beyond that, within each individual." Jaques Lacarriére. I have little doubt about on which side of that moral border the Trump-ites reside.
January 23, 2026 at 9:05 PM
Today's reading: "...the line between civilization and barbarism is never a geographical border between countries, but a moral border within every people, and beyond that, within each individual." Jaques Lacarriére. I have little doubt about on which side of that moral border the Trump-ites reside.
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
Make no mistake, America is coming for Alberta. This requires a response at the federal, provincial, and community level. Federally, the government must summon the ambassador for an explanation and, absent a complete retraction and apology, expel him.
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Bessent pans Carney, cheers on Albertan separatism amid growing US-Canada rift
“People are talking,” Bessent said. “People want sovereignty. They want what the U.S. has got.”
www.politico.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Make no mistake, America is coming for Alberta. This requires a response at the federal, provincial, and community level. Federally, the government must summon the ambassador for an explanation and, absent a complete retraction and apology, expel him.
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
Sir, you can’t break up with someone who already blocked your number
January 23, 2026 at 2:58 AM
Sir, you can’t break up with someone who already blocked your number
So Trump says only the U. S. can protect Greenland, which is probably true seeing as the only current threat to Greenland is from the U. S.
January 23, 2026 at 2:31 AM
So Trump says only the U. S. can protect Greenland, which is probably true seeing as the only current threat to Greenland is from the U. S.
There is great satisfaction, when reading a thickish book, in watching the bookmark slowly march from the first page to the last.
January 22, 2026 at 7:50 PM
There is great satisfaction, when reading a thickish book, in watching the bookmark slowly march from the first page to the last.
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
ICYMI, my Loonie Politics column: Why are we letting Carney squander our soft power? #cdnpoli
Why are we letting Carney squander our soft power? - Loonie Politics
We just wind up cynically convincing ourselves that being “pragmatic” and “realistic” means giving up on trying to improve things.
looniepolitics.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:17 PM
ICYMI, my Loonie Politics column: Why are we letting Carney squander our soft power? #cdnpoli
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
Trump demands Carney give him his standing ovation from Davos
Trump demands Carney give him his standing ovation from Davos
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND - Following his poorly-received and rambling address at the World Economic Forum, U.S. President Donald Trump angrily demanded that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney personally gi...
www.thebeaverton.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:49 PM
Trump demands Carney give him his standing ovation from Davos
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
Eby gambled billions of taxpayer dollars on foreign-built and corporate-owned LNG. The result? A failing market, mechanical issues and a rogue flare driving asthma rates.
We must invest in a worker-first economy with public, sustainable industry that creates thousands of good union jobs #bcpoli
We must invest in a worker-first economy with public, sustainable industry that creates thousands of good union jobs #bcpoli
January 21, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Eby gambled billions of taxpayer dollars on foreign-built and corporate-owned LNG. The result? A failing market, mechanical issues and a rogue flare driving asthma rates.
We must invest in a worker-first economy with public, sustainable industry that creates thousands of good union jobs #bcpoli
We must invest in a worker-first economy with public, sustainable industry that creates thousands of good union jobs #bcpoli
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
Today in “neither our media nor our political system is designed to deal with a far right authoritarian party”
“Yet even with all this bluster and rancor, it was the rage at a small African nation and the unabashed racism that was truly extraordinary.
After speaking for over an hour, Trump took questions from the White House press corps. None of them pressed him on the comments about Somalia or its people”
After speaking for over an hour, Trump took questions from the White House press corps. None of them pressed him on the comments about Somalia or its people”
Trump's anniversary press conference was an extraordinary display of eugenics and rage inside the White House.
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-m...
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-m...
January 21, 2026 at 6:12 AM
Today in “neither our media nor our political system is designed to deal with a far right authoritarian party”
Article is no doubt paywalled, but the message is interesting. The biggest hammer Europe (and Canada and others) holds an economic one: hit the stocks, hit the bonds, hit the purchasing.
Breaking News: The S&P 500 dropped over 2% as investors reacted to President Trump’s standoff with Europe over Greenland. It's a sign that investors were embracing a “sell America” trade and moving away from U.S. assets altogether.
Stocks Post Biggest Drop in Months as Tensions Over Greenland Mount
The S&P 500 dropped over 2 percent on Tuesday, its biggest decline since October.
nyti.ms
January 20, 2026 at 9:15 PM
Article is no doubt paywalled, but the message is interesting. The biggest hammer Europe (and Canada and others) holds an economic one: hit the stocks, hit the bonds, hit the purchasing.
Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World is a magnificent book: sprawling, ambitious, rambunctious. Irene Vallejo is a wonderful writer who tracks her story down a multitude of paths overlapping in time and idea. I can't recommend it enough.
January 20, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World is a magnificent book: sprawling, ambitious, rambunctious. Irene Vallejo is a wonderful writer who tracks her story down a multitude of paths overlapping in time and idea. I can't recommend it enough.
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
Hootsuite has been pursuing business with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the United States, more than five years after employee backlash forced the Vancouver tech company to cancel a contract to provide social-media management services to the agency.
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
Vancouver company Hootsuite seeks business with ICE amid financial pressures
Company has secured a project with ICE that involves ‘social listening’ after cancelling a contract in 2020 over employee backlash
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Hootsuite has been pursuing business with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the United States, more than five years after employee backlash forced the Vancouver tech company to cancel a contract to provide social-media management services to the agency.
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
In which the case is made that a new pipeline is unnecessary given the market. #cdnpoli
Even the Oil Industry Knows We Don't Need a New Pipeline - Macleans.ca
The private sector isn’t interested. It’s because we have more than enough capacity already.
macleans.ca
January 20, 2026 at 3:44 AM
In which the case is made that a new pipeline is unnecessary given the market. #cdnpoli
If this Seahawks game were hockey, the 49ers would start throwing punches about now.
January 18, 2026 at 3:50 AM
If this Seahawks game were hockey, the 49ers would start throwing punches about now.
Good god, this Seahawks game is something.
January 18, 2026 at 3:33 AM
Good god, this Seahawks game is something.
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
"Give us Greenland or we will increase taxes on American citizens for things that they buy" is such a masterpiece of foreign policy. (via @usapolling.bsky.social) #AmericanSucker
New tariff just dropped.
Americans set to pay an additional 10% tax on all goods from Germany, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland.
It starts in two weeks, rising to 25% by June.
(Aside: A trade war with one EU country is a trade war with the entire EU).
Americans set to pay an additional 10% tax on all goods from Germany, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland.
It starts in two weeks, rising to 25% by June.
(Aside: A trade war with one EU country is a trade war with the entire EU).
January 17, 2026 at 7:17 PM
"Give us Greenland or we will increase taxes on American citizens for things that they buy" is such a masterpiece of foreign policy. (via @usapolling.bsky.social) #AmericanSucker
"I know people...who treasure their malevolence, and who revel in the pain they inflict on others. Whether they do this out of profound unhappiness or a profound delusion of power (or both) I do not know; what I do know is that they cannot be helped and they cannot help themselves." Yiyun Li
January 15, 2026 at 5:24 PM
"I know people...who treasure their malevolence, and who revel in the pain they inflict on others. Whether they do this out of profound unhappiness or a profound delusion of power (or both) I do not know; what I do know is that they cannot be helped and they cannot help themselves." Yiyun Li
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
"If the Government of Canada can’t be bothered to do the easy things, to preserve the most basic sense of principle and dignity in the face of glaring red line offenses, then we can’t possibly trust it with the more difficult and complex issues."
emmettmacfarlane.substack.com/p/is-canada-...
emmettmacfarlane.substack.com/p/is-canada-...
Is Canada morally leaderless?
For anyone born in the 70s or 80s, it is abundantly clear we’re living in the most perilous period of our lifetimes.
emmettmacfarlane.substack.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:56 PM
"If the Government of Canada can’t be bothered to do the easy things, to preserve the most basic sense of principle and dignity in the face of glaring red line offenses, then we can’t possibly trust it with the more difficult and complex issues."
emmettmacfarlane.substack.com/p/is-canada-...
emmettmacfarlane.substack.com/p/is-canada-...
I’m not a huge fan of System of a Down, although I appreciate what they do musically. I am also tremendously enjoying singer Serj Tankian’s memoir, Down With the System.
January 10, 2026 at 9:02 PM
I’m not a huge fan of System of a Down, although I appreciate what they do musically. I am also tremendously enjoying singer Serj Tankian’s memoir, Down With the System.
2/2 The quote is related by George Orwell, and comes through Rebecca Solnit in Orwell's Roses. Baker was talking about Stalin's Russia, where scientific autonomy was lost. He could have between talking about today's United States.
January 8, 2026 at 9:53 PM
2/2 The quote is related by George Orwell, and comes through Rebecca Solnit in Orwell's Roses. Baker was talking about Stalin's Russia, where scientific autonomy was lost. He could have between talking about today's United States.
"When scientific autonomy is lost, a fantastic situation develops; for even with the best will in the world, the political boss cannot distinguish between the genuine investigator one the one hand and the bluffer and self-advertiser on the other." Biologist John R. Baker. 1/2
January 8, 2026 at 9:51 PM
"When scientific autonomy is lost, a fantastic situation develops; for even with the best will in the world, the political boss cannot distinguish between the genuine investigator one the one hand and the bluffer and self-advertiser on the other." Biologist John R. Baker. 1/2
Reposted by Mark Hamilton
Donald Trump just drove a stake through Alberta's pipeline dreams. How long will it take for the Canadian oil and gas executives who supported him to realize they got Trumped?
#cdnpoli #abpoli
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/06/o...
#cdnpoli #abpoli
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/06/o...
Donald Trump just killed Alberta's pipeline dreams
Albertans love to accuse Justin Trudeau of trying to cripple their oil and gas industry. Now, Donald Trump might actually end up doing it — by accident.
www.nationalobserver.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Donald Trump just drove a stake through Alberta's pipeline dreams. How long will it take for the Canadian oil and gas executives who supported him to realize they got Trumped?
#cdnpoli #abpoli
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/06/o...
#cdnpoli #abpoli
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/06/o...
I’ve had the same thought every time I visit FB or Insta.
my 75yo mother told me last night that she’s planning to delete Instagram and Facebook because she’s sick of not being able to tell what’s AI and what’s not, and I genuinely don’t think tech companies have reckoned with this kind of move as an actual possibility
January 6, 2026 at 5:07 AM
I’ve had the same thought every time I visit FB or Insta.