John Degen 🍁

A Bridge Too Far? Talking bridges, taxes, and budgets with Dean Lake resident, Mary Johnson

Talking bridges, taxes, and budgets in Northern Ontario.

Shore Report, the podcast, on the isolated community of Dean Lake’s troubled bridge.

open.substack.com/pub/shorerep...

Just imagine the camera and microphone system Putin has sold Trump for the new ballroom.

Oh my.

I hate that lodged ball rule. Hate it.

You just know every other team in MLB will be having off-season meetings to figure out how they can play like the Blue Jays.

Small ball is back, baby!

a house that has been burned to the ground and the roof is covered in flames Alt: a house that has been burned to the ground and the roof is covered in flames

The remaining question… will there be enough left of the US government to rebuild in three years’ time?

I say old chap, whatever became of those Epstein files?

Jays know ball. 🪶

Bald eagle waiting for a salmon. Mississagi River, Iron Bridge, Northern Ontario.

RECAP | Ontario to pull ad that angered Trump on Monday, Ford says — after weekend's World Series games | CBC

The more you give in to the tantrums, the more tantrums there are. He proves it again and again.

Stiffen the spine, Ontario. The ad is truthful. You’ve spent the campaign budget. Let it run.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Google all on the list of White House ballroom donors.

Move fast and breaks things, I guess.

Is JD Vance back from Greenland yet?

Love Letter to Seattle Elbows down a bit, if that’s okay

This Torontonian prepares for Game Six in Toronto by wishing he was in Seattle.

open.substack.com/pub/johndege...

Manitoulin Bridge Replacement to Start in Spring... Fingers-Crossed Detail design contract awarded to multinational firm

The Little Current Swing Bridge, subject of some distasteful partisanship last year, enters a new phase in its eventual (?) replacement.

But did the North Shore region have to elect a government MPP to get their infrastructure needs addressed?

open.substack.com/pub/shorerep...

So… that gambling site commercial during the baseball games is totally AI, right? Like, zero actual humans in it?

Expensive Free Speech Inquiry After Death of Free Speech Activist Complaints to Soo integrity commissioner over comments about US assassination

Canadian city councillor investigated for expressing her opinion about assassinated US activist Charlie Kirk, at considerable expense.

open.substack.com/pub/shorerep...

a clown holding a red balloon in his hand ALT: a clown holding a red balloon in his hand

Enjoy your flight.

Starting to believe four years is way too much time.

Hard disagree. Love a bunt, even when they don’t work. Throws everyone off. Pure chaos.

Gotta love Vladdy celebrating a sacrifice fly.

Alex Cora right now.

For the first time in my sixty years on the planet, I know where the entire US armed forces command is… for some ridiculous reason.

Port of Vancouver enables record trade in first half of 2025, supporting Canada and Canadians during global uncertainty GlobeNewswire Press Release.

Is Canada successfully shifting our trade more and more away from a chaotic USA?
www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/ma...

I’m an “extra cilantro, please” person, while my brother (16 months older) would be happy to see it eradicated from the earth.

Genes are weird.

Season One… Champions!

We win the League. Bring on the Cup!

#AFCToronto #NorthernSuperLeague

Passing quickly through Substack, I literally thought this was an argument for closing the pub.

Which, for the record, would be a national tragedy.

Why is the US telling everyone in the world their military bases are going to be leaderless for awhile next week?

Happy to talk. writersunion.ca/contact-us

… But, only educational budgets for middle management benefit. Student fees and tuition rise steadily, while the suppliers to education — writers and publishers — are cut out.

I have found photographs of book pages loaded as official readings for my kids.

There is no question copied excerpts are the new reading lists.

Canadian writing and publishing has struggled with our schools, colleges, and universities turning to unlicensed copied excerpts loaded onto online course management systems in place of full texts. This is done for cost savings. tbc..