The US Versus Canada 18

It's time for another set of articles about the continuing contretemps between Canada and the United States. Last week, the separatist movement in Alberta got thoroughly trounced though I don't think the referendum results will make that issue fade away. And the trade war is still ongoing, though there are signs the Trump regime may be coming to its senses. So dive in. (Oldest articles are first). 

Algoma Steel is under attack by the US (image by Gemini)

Canada Just Robbed Harvard, MIT and the NIH in Broad Daylight. "While Trump spent the week shit posting Canada with 25th Amendment memes, 48 of America’s best scientists packed up and moved north this week. They’re not sad about it. They’re relieved." When I was a university student, the "brain drain" flowed the other way. 

The Canadian Beaver vs the American Eagle. "Two distinct onal symbols that provide insight about the metaphorical and real differences between these neighbours."

Canada Retaliates Against Trump’s Tariffs. "This won’t be easy, but it is necessary." And it seems to be working for us, given what just happened in Maine. 

While Donald Trump insults Canadians, a Michigan town fights back with a festival celebrating them — with butter tarts and Rush (gift link). "In Kalamazoo, Mich., locals are countering Donald Trump’s insulting rhetoric with a festival celebrating Canada."

I went to the most Canadian state in America to see what’s going to happen in November... and the next 50 years (gift link). "We assume the madness lies with Trump. What if it’s just America?" This is one of the better articles I've read on the subject. 

Danielle Smith Is Making Alberta Great for Trump. "Her embrace of MAGA has given separatists powerful American allies—allies who see the province as a prize." This article was written before the referendum. 

Trump’s Steel Tariffs Are Tearing Through Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie. "What happens when cities with deep ties to the industry see hundreds of layoffs." I've lived in both cities mentioned in this article and seeing the industrial decline over the last 50 years is heartbreaking. The steel industry n both towns was just hanging on and Trump's tariffs have been disastrous. 

The Trump Regime Just Invented a Bullshit Narrative Accusing Canada of Election Interference On U.S. Letterhead From The US Embassy In Canada Because They Know They’re Going To Get Wiped Out. "The U.S. Embassy in Canada just invented a conspiracy about its host country on government stationery, 13 days before it loses the midterms."

Trump’s Administration Accuses Canada of Weaponizing Ronald Reagan. "Our northern neighbor has been caught in possession of Republican opinions with intent to distribute." It's all Doug Ford's fault.

World Fantasy Awards 2026

The winners of the World Fantasy Awards were announced last weekend at the World Fantasy Convention in Oakland, CA. These are the fiction winners.

NOVEL: Once Was Willem by M. R. Carey (Orbit/Orbit UK)

LONG FICTION: "Psychopomp & Circumstance" by Eden Royce (Tordotcom)

SHORT FICTION: “The Hungry Mouth at the Edge of Space and the Goddess Knitting at Home” by Renan Bernardo (Reactor, Aug. 27, 2025)

ANTHOLOGY: Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology edited by Julie C. Day with Carina Bissett & Craig Laurance Gidney (Essential Dreams)

COLLECTION: Uncertain Sons and Other Stories by Thomas Ha (Undertow Publications)

I am surprised that Alix E. Harrow's The Everlasting didn't win the novel award, considering that it did win the Hugo. 

Photo of the Week - October 25, 2026

This week's photo is of a late and lonely rose blooming in our front yard. Given the likelihood of frost overnight, it may be shortlived. But it's nice to have it while it lasts. Taken with my Pixel 8 Pro late in the evening using Night Mode. 

A late rose

Saturday Sounds - Buddy’s Got the Blues: A 90th Birthday Concert Celebration

This week's musical treat is a very special concert celebrating Buddy Guy's 90th birthday held on October 1, 2026 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. It features an all-star cast of musicians playing tribute to the blues legend.

From the YouTube description:

The evening will feature an all-star lineup including Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks, Aloe Blacc, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Samantha Fish, Eric Gales, Billy F Gibbons, Ivan Neville, Robert Randolph, Bobby Rush, Isaiah Sharkey, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jimmie Vaughan, Ally Venable, Willie Weeks, Kim Wilson, and of course the man himself, Buddy Guy, with more legendary artists and special guests to be announced. Steve Jordan will serve as the evening’s Music Director. Executive producers are Keith Wortman, Garry Buck, and Scooter Weintraub.

If you're a blues fan, this is a must watch. Video and audio quality are first rate. Enjoy.

 

Some Short Book Reviews

It's time for more short book reviews. These cover the books that I read since the beginning of August. I'll have another post soon discussing some of the anthologies I've been reading.

Biological War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen. Her book, Nuclear War: A Scenario, was the scariest thing I've read in a long time. Her new book is just as scary, but the scenario didn't feel as well developed as the nuclear war book. 

The Cobra Event by Richard Preston: Unlike Preston's The Hot Zone, this is a novel. It posits a biological attack by a lone attacker. There's a lot of info dumping that tends to get in the way of the story, but it's still gripping and chilling. 

Station Eleven by Elizabeth St. John Mandel. I figured, as long as I was reading disaster novels about plagues, I should tackle this. I had planned to read it years ago, but then the pandemic hit, and I lost the urge. I'm glad I finally read it, as it's an excellent novel, grim yes, but also hopeful. I'm reading her new book Exit Party, now. 

Folded Sky by Elizabeth Bear: I reviewed the first two books in the White Space trilogy in August. I gave up on this one about a hundred pages in. It just didn't click with me. I liked her setting and world building but the third book didn't have enough tension in the plot to keep me engaged. 

Slow Gods by Claire North: If it had been nominated, this is the book that I would have pickeId for the Hugo Award this year. It's a space opera, with elements similar to Elizabeth Bear's White Space series, but IMHO it's much better. I thought the ending was somewhat weak, but otherwise a brilliant book. I will be looking for more by her.

Machine Vendetta by Alastair Reynolds: This is the third and possibly final book in the Prefect Dreyfuss Emergencies series. (The other two are Aurora Rising and Elysium Fire.) It's not quite as good as his Poseideon's Children Universe series, but it's still very good. I recommend the series if you like SFnal mysteries. 

Will He Learn His Lesson?

CJ is the younger of our two cats; he's ten and one year younger than McGee. He has a bit of an attitude sometimes because he figures he should be top cat. He's not, and both we and McGee have let him know that, several times.  He's also bonded to me and turned into a devoted smuggler. 

CJ

Recently, he's developed a habit of closing the bedroom door when I get up in the morning. Usually he's out in the hall the last part of the night (either because he likes the tower or we've kicked him out for jumpning on us) but slips into the bedroom when I open the door. Then he pushes the bedroom door closed, hopefully not waking Nancy. 

Last night we had come upstairs from an evening of watching TV and heard piteous mewing. Some nights he comes downstairs with us; sometimes he doesn't, so we hadn't missed him. He'd been locked in our room for four hours. There's water but no litter box; we were lucky, this time.

I wonder if he's learned his lesson and will stay away from the door in the future. My experience with McGee, our other cat, makes me doubt it. 

McGee

McGee likes to go outside, whenever we open the patio door, and whether  or not we want to let him out. The backyard is safe enough during the day (it's separated from the neighbours' yards and the park at the back by a hedge and fences.) But there have been reports of coyotes prowling the neighbourhood at night.

A couple of months ago he managed to get out around 2:00 a.m. when I let our dog out to pee. I have terrible night vision and didn't see him get out or in the yard. I closed the patio door when the dog was done and went back to bed. Sometime around 5:00 Nancy woke up and heard a cat crying outside. She checked and there was a cold, somewhat wet and very unhappy McGee sitting on the patio by the door. 

He still tries to get out into the backyard every time we open the patio door.

So will CJ keep locking himself in the bedroom? I wouldn't bet against it. 

Photo of the Week - October 18, 2026

This week's photo is off the shore at Bluffer's Park in Toronto. I used Adobe PHoto Express to remove a rather annoying sign and a couple of trash bins, then tweaked the contrast and colour in Windows 11 Photos. Taken with my Pixel 8 Pro. 

The shore at Bluffers Park