Wednesday Night #2218

Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Hezbollah
News from the Middle East was dominated on Tuesday and Wednesday by accounts of exploding pagers; walkie-talkies and solar equipment in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon.
Israel is widely believed to be behind the operations – but who made the devices, and how did they explode?
Pager and walkie-talkie attacks on Hezbollah were audacious and carefully planned
We are currently immersed in Pegasus the enthralling story of the cyber warfare conducted by the invasive software created by Israeli company NSO Group and are left with no doubts that the exploding devices were set alight by some NSO product.

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) is in session (10–24 September). If all goes according to plan, world leaders will endorse a so-called “Pact for the Future” that will serve as a vehicle for enacting meaningful reforms to the United Nations. …one of the issues on the agenda is whether to reform the UN Security Council. This could include adding African countries as permanent members to the council.
UN members back resolution directing Israel to leave occupied territories
In a symbolic step exposing Israel’s continued international isolation, the UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to direct Israel to leave the occupied Palestinian territories within a year.

Russia-Ukraine
We are finding it difficult to keep track of developments in Putin’s War. One day, all is doom and gloom over Ukraine’s prospects and the strong possibility that nuclear war is imminent; the next, commentators are more optimistic as Ukraine manages to land a blow.
Wednesday is apparently one of the latter days as Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says ‘victory plan’ intended to bring peace to Ukraine while keeping the country strong and avoiding all “frozen conflicts”, was now complete after much consultation.Zelenskiy pledged last month to present his plan to U.S. President Joe Biden, presumably next week when he attends sessions of the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly.
Meanwhile, Blast from attack on Russian arms depot picked up on earthquake monitors
Ukrainian drone attack causes large explosion at arsenal in Toropets, more than 300 miles north of Ukraine.

Canada/Quebec
Trudeau set to survive confidence vote next week with opposition support
Andrew Caddell spares neither Trudeau nor Carney in this week’s column
Two scenarios leading to Liberal oblivion
“If he has the chance to run, Carney may suffer the fate of John Turner, Kim Campbell, and so many other anointed leaders who fell flat. He may not have the time to establish a political persona or policies, depending on when a leadership convention takes place, and the timing of the next election, scheduled for Oct. 20, 2025.”
The anticipation is over and the by-election results are in.
Bloc party in Montreal – Politico Ottawa Playbook
Justin Trudeau has insisted he’s staying put, no matter the result in a formerly reliable Liberal riding a few removed from his own Montreal stomping grounds. But the grumbles from within, largely unnamed, will only grow.
Paul Wells: Verdun and Transcona: the aftermath… Nobody thinks the Liberals had a good night. Nobody can really figure out what the Liberals’ comeback plan is, if any. And nobody,thinks there’s any likelihood of a quick election….
Tom Mulcair: Trudeau in free fall after Montreal byelection loss; own goal sinks NDP
The decision by New Democrats to put out a campaign pamphlet with anti-Israel rhetoric was a political blunder of epic proportions.
And, as predicted, Pablo Rodriguez  is announcing  he will seek the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party. He leaves the post of Minister of Transport but stays on as federal MP. We are not a fan. What has he ever done for the besieged Anglo community?
Should Library and Archives Canada release information to the public between Sept. 16 and Sept. 20?
Large numbers of soldiers from a Ukrainian Waffen SS division fled to Canada after the war.
Releasing names of 900 alleged Nazi war criminals who fled to Canada could embarrass federal government, bureaucrats told
Ukrainian group plans legal challenge if Ottawa decides to release names of alleged Nazi war criminals
Ukrainian community leaders are planning a legal challenge to keep secret the names of alleged Nazi war criminals who came to Canada after the Second World War.
They have started to raise funds for a Federal Court action to be triggered if Ottawa decides to release a report naming hundreds of alleged Nazi war criminals who settled in Canada, including those who fought in a Ukrainian SS division.

U.S.
More than 100 ex-Republican officials call Trump ‘unfit to serve’ and endorse Harris
More than 100 Republican former national security and foreign policy officials on Wednesday endorsed Kamala Harris for president in a joint letter, calling Donald Trump “unfit to serve” another term in the White House.
Former officials from the presidential administrations of Republicans Ronald Reagan, George H W Bush, George W Bush and Donald Trump, as well as Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama voiced their support for Harris. They were joined by some former GOP members of Congress.

Will we never see the end to threats of shutdown?
House Defeats Johnson’s Spending Plan With Shutdown Looming
Both Republicans and Democrats opposed the stopgap funding bill, which was tied to new rules requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.

While the media focuses on Donald Trump’s rants and JD’s peculiar pronouncements, why are we all not more worried about Elon Musk?
Elon Musk boosts fake Trump rally bomb threat and false claims about the election
CNN — Elon Musk is using his social media platform to promote misinformation about the presidential candidates in the lead up to the November election, amplifying false claims Wednesday about a Trump rally bomb threat and immigrants eating pets in Ohio.
While Musk’s posting of provocative, incendiary content on X is nothing new, the speed with which he has promoted false claims in recent days is striking given the breadth of Musk’s digital reach, with his posts regularly finding their way atop users’ feeds.
How Elon Musk Is Influencing Donald Trump
Their fast-evolving political friendship has become a potential minefield, as Mr. Musk’s sprawling businesses may present conflicts of interest if Mr. Trump is elected in November.
How Elon Musk amplified content from a suspected Russian election interference plot
Musk, apparently unaware of the company’s Russia funding source, engaged with content from Tenet Media and its creators at least 60 times.

Secret Service ‘aware’ of Elon Musk post about Harris, Biden

11 WTF Moments From ‘Character Limit,’ the Book About How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter
The billionaire’s takeover of the platform has been a very public disaster. The action behind the scenes was even crazier
From Forbes: Musk, who says he’s worried about population collapse, has ten children with three women, including triplets and two sets of twins.
Gary Marcus on Elon Musk, and AI
Gary Marcus How Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and the Silicon Valley elite manipulate the public (paywall)
Taming Silicon Valley: Gary Marcus on AI’s Perils and Promise
In Taming Silicon Valley, Gary Marcus, one of the most trusted voices in AI, explains how Big Tech is taking advantage of us, how AI could make things much worse, and, most importantly, what we can do to safeguard our democracy, our society, and our future.
and Yuval Noah Harari on the true threat of AI (audio)
Historian Yuval Noah Harari says AI is the first technology that is not just a tool, but “an active agent” doing things we didn’t anticipate and might lose control over. He spoke about the threat of unknown unknowns, and why he prefers the term “alien intelligence.”
A very thorough explanation by Globe & Mail business reporters Joe Castaldo, and our good friend Sean Silcoff
Revolution, interrupted
One of the promises of machine learning was better drugs, faster. A decade in, AI has failed to live up to the hype
AI was supposed to revolutionize drug discovery. It hasn’t. Not yet, anyway. Machine learning promised to speed up a lengthy and fraught process, and achieve breakthroughs beyond the capabilities of the human mind. But there are no drugs solely designed by AI in the market today, and companies that have used AI to assist with development have suffered setbacks.

The recent (foiled) Trump assassination attempt leads to the revelation that according to government records, the U.S. Secret Service is operating with about 400 fewer employees than Congress has authorized.

The Economy
As expected, The Fed Makes a Large Rate Cut and Forecasts More to Come
Fed officials kicked off rate cuts with a half-point reduction, confident that inflation is cooling and eager to keep the job market strong.
A New Trilemma Haunts the World Economy
Dani Rodrik
It may be impossible simultaneously to combat climate change, boost the middle class in advanced economies, and reduce global poverty. Under current policy trajectories, any combination of two goals appears to come at the expense of the third.
The future of European competitiveness: Report by Mario Draghi
The findings of the report will contribute to the Commission’s work on a new plan for Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness. And in particular, to the development of the new Clean Industrial Deal for competitive industries and quality jobs, which will be presented in the first 100 days of the new Commission mandate.
Draghi’s report on EU competitiveness: Five key takeaways

A favorite topic for WN.
Quebec wants to force restaurants to calculate tips before taxes
A bill introduced Thursday would also increase the compensation offered to customers when the price of a product is higher than advertised.

Climate change puts chocolate in danger
Climate change could soon cause your favourite foods to go extinct.
Chocolate
Cacao beans need a very specific environment to flourish and can only grow within an area 20 degrees north and south of the equator. They require the uniform temperatures, high humidity, abundant rain, nitrogen-rich soil, and protection from wind that is almost exclusively found in the rainforest.
Worryingly for chocolate lovers, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that cacao growing areas may face a 2.1 degree Celsius temperature increase by 2050, which would dramatically reduce the cultivation area.
wine
To maintain ideal grape-growing conditions, wine makers are already seeking higher altitudes to produce their famous varieties.
If the loss of your favourite flavours isn’t worrying enough, a 2013 study predicted viable land to grow wine grapes on could decrease by up to 73 per cent by 2050. Gulp.

Events
Monday, 23 September, 7:00pm
2024 Trottier Public Science Symposium
Baffled: Scrutinizing Trendy Science
There’s no doubt about it, the trends suck us in but are they scientifically sounds? Ozempic, supplements – what does the evidence say?
McGill Office for Science and Society
Leacock Building – Rm 132 In-person only and not live-streamed.
It will be recorded and made available for viewing afterward on our YouTube channel. Please subscribe to the channel to receive a notification.

19 November
FREE VIRTUAL EVENT
12:45 – 5:00 P.M. ET
Finding Common Ground -Addressing hate and racism in Canada
Spotlight on: Social cohesion in polarized times
Join The Globe and Mail for a discussion focused on anti-racism and anti-hate strategies in society, health care, public institutions, and online spaces to drive change for a better Canada.

Pierre Albert Sévigny RIP
With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Pierre Albert Sévigny on September 7 at Maison St. Raphaël Hospice, after a courageous battle with cancer.
A mass is to be held at the St. Léon de Westmount Church (4311 boul De Maisonneuve Ouest Westmount) at 12pm (noon) on Friday, September 27th . A good old-fashioned wake is to be held at Honey Martin’s Pub (5916 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal) following the mass from 1:30 to 4:30pm. All are welcome to attend.

Varia
Last week, we were so taken up with the death of James Earl Jones that we overlooked the good news about Montreal treasure Oliver Jones who, on his 11 September 90th birthday, reflected on his connection to Oscar Peterson In a Q interview, the Canadian jazz pianist looks back at his decades-long career
‘Brilliant’ or ‘bonkers’?: The Britishisms invading our English (audio)
(CBC Radio/Sunday Magazine) For centuries, the English spoken on this side of the Atlantic has developed into its own distinct American and Canadian versions. But Ben Yagoda says there’s been a surge of British words, phrases and pronunciations infiltrating our dialects. The author and word nerd joins Chattopadhyay to share the stories behind some of his favourite Britishisms like ‘posh,’ ‘shag’ and ‘brunch,’ break down phrases you may not realize originated as Brit-speak, and share his theory about what’s really behind this British invasion.
Discover Ben Yagoda and his forthcoming book Gobsmacked!: The British Invasion of American English
Melania Trump has a memoir coming out – and she’s acting pretty strangely
There has been surprisingly little fanfare about the book, which is being published next month [on 8 October].
So sad to see the pictures of the sad state of what was a great ocean liner on which we enjoyed several Atlantic crossings
Legal Struggle Over SS United States Drags On
A federal district judge in Philadelphia ordered the nonprofit organization that owns the SS United States and its landlord to head to mediation to resolve the long-running dispute about berthing fees.
The Fate of the ‘Most Famous Ship that Didn’t Sink’ Unclear, Plans for SS United States Stalled
The world’s fastest ocean liner’s days are numbered at the Philadelphia pier where it has been berthed for decades. Whether the nonprofit that owns SS United States can find a new location for the liner, launched with great fanfare in June 1951 into Virginia’s James River, by Sept. 12 is an open question.
Even the option of sinking the 900-foot-long liner – larger than Titanic – to turn it into the world’s largest fishing and diving reef off the Florida Gulf coast, is now in limbo.
Last Wednesday we suggested -under long reads– Domesticating horses had a huge impact on human society − new science rewrites where and when it first happened by William Taylor, Assistant Professor and Curator of Archaeology, University of Colorado Boulder. The essay summed up some of the findings that are detailed in his new book Hoof Beats: How Horses Shaped Human History, in which he draws together new archaeological evidence that is revising what scientists thought we knew about this story
Because of their tremendous impact in shaping our collective human story, figuring out when, why and how horses became domesticated is a key step toward understanding the world we live in now.
Doing so has proven to be surprisingly challenging.
Coincidentally (?), CBC Radio’s Ideas broadcast a highly entertaining, fact-filled interview with Canadian-born historian Timothy Winegard of Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, who has just published The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity – How horses shaped the modern world, from the origins of pants to life-saving vaccines. ‘We wear pants because of horses. Prior to riding horses, no one wore pants’

Long reads
Europe grapples with its decline
A report on the “future of European competitiveness” has been received as a declaration of continental intent. Whether it can be implemented is another matter.
Ten Challenges for the UN in 2024-2025
The war in Gaza has highlighted how debilitating major-power division can be for the UN. Yet the organisation is not hamstrung: in several crises around the world, diplomats can agree on modest initiatives to curb violence and shore up stability.
Ian Bremmer: How a second Trump term could reshape global politics
With less than 50 days to go until the US election and the former president now having near-even odds of taking back the White House, governments around the world are scrambling to work out what a second Trump term could mean for US foreign policy.
A New Trilemma Haunts the World Economy
Dani Rodrik
It may be impossible simultaneously to combat climate change, boost the middle class in advanced economies, and reduce global poverty. Under current policy trajectories, any combination of two goals appears to come at the expense of the third.