Oliver Jull

The final Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. The entire page is mostly white as they're in the winter snow. The pair is walking with a sledge, nicely duffled in in scarves, hats, gloves. Calvin delightedly exclaims 'wow, it really snowed las night! Isn't it wonderful?'. Hobbes follows up with 'Everything familiar has disappeared! The world looks brand-new!' -- A new year... a fresh, clean start!' adds Calvin. As they look over the landscape, Hobbes observes 'it's like having a big white sheet of paper to draw on!' -- 'A day full of possibilities!' Calvin affirms. They get ready on their sledge and Calvin tells his friend 'it's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy... let's go exploring!', and the pair sledges off into the wintery landscape.

31 December 1995. Still the perfect goodbye.

Jimmy Carter spent his childhood on a peanut farm and returned there after serving in the Navy. His political career took him to Atlanta, the White House and beyond. We pulled together a list of objects that show a snapshot of his life and legacy. nyti.ms/3ZQCWYw

Lazy journalism. There’s recent polling on this

Opinion | These 10 Charts Will Help You Understand 2024 Steven Rattner recaps a historic year in charts.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Freedom of navigation under international law is the reason why not

2024 was a ‘Year of Elections’ when democracy lost out More than half the vote-eligible population of the planet went to the polls this year. The result was terrible for democratic freedoms

I’ll be thinking about this @dougsaunders.bsky.social essay on democratic backsliding abroad for a while, including this theory:
Democracy erodes from the top.
(gift link)
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/9018739...

Opinion | Reagan Backed Off His Panama Threats. Will Trump? He may be hungry for global disorder.

Johnathan Alter discusses the Reagan precedent for backing off on the Panama Canal, with quotes from John Bolton

www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12...

a drawing of a christmas tree and menorah with the words forward together ALT: a drawing of a christmas tree and menorah with the words forward together

Happy Holidays to all. And a special thank you to the people who provide essential services on the holidays.

Can’t you turn it off for a couple of days a year lol

I heard this on the radio this evening and thought of writing the 93 year old I know and congratulating him on reaching adulthood. Young at heart!

Where are all the Bernie supporting, international scholars on this site that say “but Trump wants to end all the wars”?

Holiday cheers to comity in the Senate

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate

Trump has talked about sending special forces into Mexico, has non-stop "joked" about Canada becoming the 51st state, has threatened Panama over the Canal and has declared annexing Greenland a vital US security interest.

He's not even US President yet I very much want to get off this train thanks.

Ooh la la

From Howard Bryant’s indispensable biography, “Rickey”:

The US military is pretty good at civil military relations, having trained militaries all around the world, including on how to resist coups (it wasn’t always this way)

Uma porta aberta para o céu cheio de nuvens, do lado esquerdo uma esfera branca.

'L’embellie' ('The Improvement'), 1962, oil on canvas, by 20th century Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte (1898-1967). Nitess💤

Alberta unveils new doctor pay model rewarding physicians for bringing on patients Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says new payment deal will dramatically improve province’s ability to recruit and retain primary care physicians

Alberta unveils new doctor pay model rewarding physicians for taking on new patients, by Aaron Sousa
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber... via @theglobeandmail.com

Warm memories of visiting

Interesting comment on the weaponization of immigration by Russia, from Syria, to North Africa, to Ukraine, to destabilize and sow social discord in European democracies www.hoover.org/research/wea...

The PM of Canada has long been an “elected dictatorship.” What’s different is the erosion of the Cabinet surrounding Trudeau

Happy Birthday to Vavilov!

Five years old today, very much alive, kicking and looking forward to a long, healthy life.

www.administrativelawmatters.com/blog/2024/12...

former united states war crimes ambassador at large on mass graves uncovered in syria:
“we really haven’t seen anything quite like this since the nazis”

Leader Net Favourables:

Poilievre: Even
Singh: -8%
Trudeau: -43%

Abacus Data / Dec 17, 2024 / n=1186 / Online

Opinion | Trump says his tariffs are dressing for revenge. Don’t believe him. “Reciprocity” sounds like good policy. But the idea has a track record, and so does the president-elect.

"Trump’s premise — that we practice free trade while other countries tax our products — is false," Ramesh Ponnuru writes. wapo.st/4fvAGvK

Schoolyard bully stuff

www.theglobeandmail.com/world/us-pol...

In case it needs saying:

Trump views trade relations (and most other stuff) as a big-money business negotiation with a basically win-lose structure.

He thinks he’s really good at these negotiations b/c he’s it’s a psychological game that is won by the player who can best display dominance.