TORONTO – Indecisive is a rather polite way to describe the 47th President of the United States of America. If I were to use how social media describes him, I wouldn’t be a nice guy. What can I say. After living in this nice country for 51 years now, a lot of that niceness has rubbed in on me.
TORONTO – Pupi Avati one of Italy’s Horror Film masters, best known for his Giallo masterpieces The House with Laughing Windows (1976) and Zeder (1983), has proposed that Italy’s Government should create a Ministry of Cinema. The news came via Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani who first circulated the notion on his X page last month.
TORONTO – The political situation at the federal level is increasingly chaotic: with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has resigned, now in his last days of office, the Liberal Party is in full swing for the leadership and the other parties are already campaigning for the probable early elections, the polls are once again giving mixed results. →
KABUL (Afghanistan) – Its name is “BBB”, acronym for Brave Business in a Bus. It’s the first mobile incubator for female entrepreneurship in Afghanistan, and it was created by Selene Biffi, born in Monza (Italy) 42 years ago and founder of She Works for Peace (SWFP) which for over 15 years has been involved in projects related to education and the creation of employment for women and young people in Afghanistan.
TORONTO – The prelude to the “economic warfare with the USA (Trump) is not over yet. The State of the Union Address tonight and the consequent fallout may determine how serious Trump may be or how resolute his commitment to put Americans ahead of any international obligations – real, implicit or implied – that make peace and harmony viable alternatives to street-gang ethics. →
TORONTO – With the 97th Academy Awards now in the can and the perennial “shock wins” and “snubs” recorded into history, we can reflect on the Italian perspective of the momentous evening. While Italian talents certainly weren’t the Belle of the Oscar Ball, there was one Italian icon nominated for the first time in her career. Daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini, Isabella Rossellini was recognized for her supporting role as Sister Agnes in the Vatican thriller and Best Picture nominee Conclave. The statuette however, inevitably went to Zoe Saldana for her performance in the critical darling Emilia Perez.
TORONTO – Democracy: The rule by the people, for the people – a most prized structure that we maintain is a fundamental principle of our national ethic; it is who we are. The “majority rules”, we say. That principle is the panacea for all socio-political ills. Yet we struggle to give it proof with numbers.
TORONTO – Like on a seesaw, until the very end: while there are just a few hours left until the (announced and presumed) entry into force of the American tariffs, the “oscillation” continues. Today, close to the eve of the deadline set for the new tariffs (which would be the day after tomorrow, March 4), Howard Lutnick – Secretary of Commerce of the President of the United States, Donald Trump – stated that there could be changes to the original 25% plan. →
Senator Tony Loffreda was in British Columbia earlier this month to attend the Invictus Games and support our Canadian athletes and veterans. He wrote about his experience in his most recent monthly column – a moving piece in which he honours and celebrates these brave men and women in uniform who were wounded defending peace and freedom.
TORONTO – This year started rather badly for Canada. With the newly-elected US President having taken oath on January 20, 2025, he immediately looked at the tariffs on Canada and Mexico and told the Canadian government to look into its undocumented people crossing the border to the US and at the same time, curb its flow of fentanyl into the US. These, Canada worked on. And showed the US that they can be done.
TORONTO – I was already around when the Cuban Missile Crisis happened in October 1962. Both US President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev kept the world at its toes, fearing a nuclear war. This didn’t happen though. What happened was a full scale economic sanction against Cuba by the US which stands till now. So, to the question “Do Sanctions Work?”, my reply would be, not for Cuba. This small country which is a mere 90 miles from Key West, Florida, has dug in for 63 years now and has managed to survive without trading with the US.
TORONTO – The impact or significance of cultural spaces is usually only contemplated when such outlets become scarce or inaccessible. To those who work in creative industries or ply their trade in the arts, the impact is obvious. But whether or not you believe that various art houses like movie theatres, music halls or art galleries for example are vital to the socio-economic heartbeat of a city, cultural spaces have been a mainstay since complex civilization began.
TORONTO – If it weren’t for the fact that two polls “say” it, one might think that there must be a mistakes somewhere. But two research institutes have revealed that, today, with Mark Carney as leader, the Liberals would overtake the Conservatives in the federal elections. For the first time in years, therefore, the public’s approval of the two main Canadian parties changes radically. →
TORONTO – Ontarians will go to the polling stations for the provincial elections on Thursday 27 February, from 9am to 9pm. Let’s see in more detail how voting “works”. →
