The liberal media tars her as a fascist but her views are actually centre-right and inherently sensible
Long before I became a columnist, I was fascinated by the study of political ideologies. The number of books and materials I’ve accumulated, have read and continue to read on this subject area is enough to make a grown man weep (and not tears of joy). Or my wife when she looks around the house!…
From the UK to Sweden to Italy, progressive parties are losing ground
Queen Elizabeth II’s death may have consumed most of the oxygen over the past couple of weeks, but other interesting things are happening. Across the Atlantic, three (non-Ukraine) developments stand out. United Kingdom U.K. political governance has four great offices of state – prime minister, chancellor of the exchequer, foreign secretary and home secretary. And…
When I was a university student, a history professor said the first kind words I’d ever heard about Benito Mussolini (1883-1945). The professor was, of course, referring to Mussolini’s early incarnation as a socialist. With this year marking the centenary of the fascist movement’s founding, it’s worth pondering the professor’s observation. In fact, one can…
In this new religion, heroes speak the truth and model the behaviours, values and norms of an increasingly diverse society
The movie Captain Marvel is a stunning box office success. Finally, it seems, an historic wrong has been arrested. Females have broken the male hegemony on physical violence and taken their rightful place in the annals of warrior gods. Females aren’t the only new members of this celebrated superhero club. There’s Black Panther, Moon Girl,…
Food fraud affects many food categories, but stakes are a little higher with olive oil due to potential allergens in substitute ingredients
Olive production in Italy was hard hit last year due to an early frost. The country’s production dropped by 57 per cent. Greece and Portugal suffered similar fates, along with pest issues, and saw their production drop by 35 and 15 per cent, respectively. Short food supplies generate economically-motivated adulteration, that is, adding a inferior…
As Europeans begin to head south for the summer, the market seems to be following them
By Kenneth Kaczkowski and Isaac Maresky Troy Media exclusive The political trouble brewing in Italy has spilled over to global markets. The consequences are serious. As Italy’s newly-elected prime minister failed to form a government, Italian short-term bond yields had their biggest spike in 26 years. And the turmoil in Italian bond markets spread into…
In Lands of Lost Borders, Kate Harris ruminates on 10 months aboard a bicycle along the Silk Road once conquered by Marco Polo
Lands of Lost Borders: Out of Bounds on the Silk Road By Kate Harris Knopf Canada, 2018 Kate Harris is a Canadian Rhodes Scholar who studied the history of science at Oxford, dropped out of her microbiology PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and instead has found her métier as a modern-day explorer. Channeling…
An IMF report uses Italy to highlight the dangers of a bloated, unproductive public sector, but it is just pertinent to Canada
The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in a study released with its latest Global Financial Stability Report, chided Italy, a perennial underperformer famous for its large, unaffordable and growth-stifling public sector. Why does this matter to anyone outside that beautiful, historic Mediterranean country? Because the follies of the modern Romans aren’t unique. They suffuse Canada and…
The next crisis will be triggered by the mounting bad debts of commercial banks
A new financial crisis is brewing in Europe, one that will prove as devastating as the last economic crisis. This one will also be centered in southern Europe, only, this time, instead of being triggered by the rising debt of the region’s governments, it will be triggered by the mounting bad debts of commercial banks.…