Elinor Benjamin
@elinorb.bsky.social
Retired Librarian, avid reader, oral storyteller, "miserable" childless cat lady, happily married, amateur curmudgeon, living in Nova Scotia, Canada
I share Tim's concerns. Just because we're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get us.
The Albertan independence referendum is the wedge for the Trump regime's desire to annex Canada - Halifax Examiner
A Trump regime bent on annexing Canada will interfere via social media campaigns and targeted messaging.
www.halifaxexaminer.ca
January 28, 2026 at 9:50 PM
I share Tim's concerns. Just because we're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get us.
Bravo Philip Glass for speaking truth to power.
Composer Philip Glass withdraws 'Lincoln' symphony from the Kennedy Center
In a statement, Glass said, "Symphony No. 15 is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, and the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony."
www.nbcnews.com
January 27, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Bravo Philip Glass for speaking truth to power.
I'm a monthly supported of The Internet Archive. This looks like an excellent perk. I have signed up.
Monthly Giving Circle Webcast: Archive 101 with Alexis Rossi
Join Director of Collections Alexis Rossi for an overview of the Archive's most popular features and tips for navigating archive.org
www.eventbrite.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:30 PM
I'm a monthly supported of The Internet Archive. This looks like an excellent perk. I have signed up.
Glad to find John Ralston Saul on Substack. His analysis of the drug issue is excellent straight shooting.
The Politics of Blame
A central part of Mr.
johnralstonsaul.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Glad to find John Ralston Saul on Substack. His analysis of the drug issue is excellent straight shooting.
Nikiforuk has described the current situation quite well in this analysis.
Venezuela and the New World Disorder | The Tyee
Forget the old rules. Even Canada faces toppling as Trump pursues imperial ambitions.
thetyee.ca
January 15, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Nikiforuk has described the current situation quite well in this analysis.
Being halfway through "The Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar's Genocide" by Azeem Ibrahim, intro by Muhammad Yunus (Nobel Peace Prize 2006), it was somewhat hopeful to see this case reach the ICJ although other decisions by its Vice-President Julia Sebutinde do not inspire confidence.
Myanmar: Top UN court begins hearings in Rohingya genocide case
The Gambia accuses Myanmar's leadership of carrying out "brutal and vicious violations" against the Muslim minority group.
www.bbc.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:15 PM
Being halfway through "The Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar's Genocide" by Azeem Ibrahim, intro by Muhammad Yunus (Nobel Peace Prize 2006), it was somewhat hopeful to see this case reach the ICJ although other decisions by its Vice-President Julia Sebutinde do not inspire confidence.
So I wrote a letter to Mr. Poilievre about his congratulatory response to Venezuela. I would really rather be enjoying a gritty Britbox thriller with my husband, but at least my cat, Winter, sat beside me.
An open letter to Pierre Poilievre - Venezuela
Venezuela, Trump, resource exploitation, CIA
selimatheshredder.blogspot.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:17 PM
So I wrote a letter to Mr. Poilievre about his congratulatory response to Venezuela. I would really rather be enjoying a gritty Britbox thriller with my husband, but at least my cat, Winter, sat beside me.
This is among the most heinous of Trump's atrocities. We must all do what we can to chip in donations to NPR and PBS
Watch all the Ken Burns documentaries while you still can.
Watch all the Ken Burns documentaries while you still can.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Votes to Shut Down
www.nytimes.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:38 PM
This is among the most heinous of Trump's atrocities. We must all do what we can to chip in donations to NPR and PBS
Watch all the Ken Burns documentaries while you still can.
Watch all the Ken Burns documentaries while you still can.
Ah yes, I remember those days well.
Daily Cartoon: Monday, January 5th
A drawing that riffs on the latest news and happenings.
www.newyorker.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Ah yes, I remember those days well.
No surprises here.
Big Cars Are Killing Americans
The government can no longer allow the auto industry to treat walkers and bikers like collateral damage.
www.theatlantic.com
January 3, 2026 at 9:25 PM
No surprises here.
Aid groups across the globe began receiving emails that instructed them to immediately stop working while the government conducted a 90-day review of their programs to make sure they aligned with the administration’s agenda.
For Christ's sake, literally. I am not taking his name in vain.
For Christ's sake, literally. I am not taking his name in vain.
“People Will Die”: The Trump Administration Said It Lifted Its Ban on Lifesaving Humanitarian Aid. That’s Not True.
Organizations that provide vital care for desperate and vulnerable people around the world have been forced to halt operations, turn away patients and lay off staff. “I’ve never seen anything that sca...
www.propublica.org
December 28, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Aid groups across the globe began receiving emails that instructed them to immediately stop working while the government conducted a 90-day review of their programs to make sure they aligned with the administration’s agenda.
For Christ's sake, literally. I am not taking his name in vain.
For Christ's sake, literally. I am not taking his name in vain.
Don't frack for me, Premier Houston. I am getting rid of my gas furnace and installing a heat pump.😀 It will cost as much as a cruise, but I don't do cruises. They are not environmentally friendly either. I already have solar panels.
December 23, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Don't frack for me, Premier Houston. I am getting rid of my gas furnace and installing a heat pump.😀 It will cost as much as a cruise, but I don't do cruises. They are not environmentally friendly either. I already have solar panels.
It is a little bit calming to watch a sensible American dissect the folly of the current US government.
🔴 Trump DEMANDS Canadian Ports, Carney REJECTS — U.S. Trade War COLLAPSES | George
YouTube video by Conway Perspective
www.youtube.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:48 PM
It is a little bit calming to watch a sensible American dissect the folly of the current US government.
As I read more Doug Ford's enthusiasm for the project to ship armoured vehicles to ICE I felt the urge to respond to the man himself and wrote this rant to him.
Ford's "Irony" welcomes the Support of ICE
Doug Ford, Arms Manufacture, Roshel, ICE
selimatheshredder.blogspot.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:58 PM
As I read more Doug Ford's enthusiasm for the project to ship armoured vehicles to ICE I felt the urge to respond to the man himself and wrote this rant to him.
CTV reported Roshel is shipping 20 armoured vehicles to ICE. "The procurement document declares only Roshel, Brampton, Ont., meets ICE's requirements for the vehicles needed “to support agents in the field” and can supply within 30 days. It supplies the UN and NATO. I find this disturbing.
Roshel – Smart Armored Vehicles
Roshel is one of the largest manufacturers of smart armored vehicles for commercial and government organizations in North America.
roshel.com
December 17, 2025 at 8:32 PM
CTV reported Roshel is shipping 20 armoured vehicles to ICE. "The procurement document declares only Roshel, Brampton, Ont., meets ICE's requirements for the vehicles needed “to support agents in the field” and can supply within 30 days. It supplies the UN and NATO. I find this disturbing.
What an amazing article. The Smithsonian - one of the many things that IS great in the USA.
Pompeii's Graffiti Captures Every Joke, Boast and Argument of an Ancient Roman City Frozen in Time
The roughly 11,000 inscriptions preserved by Mount Vesuvius' eruption in 79 C.E. offer a glimpse into everyday life in the Roman Empire
www.smithsonianmag.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:42 PM
What an amazing article. The Smithsonian - one of the many things that IS great in the USA.
Blundered into this while running around rabbit holes. Remember when Presidents loved poetry.
Seamus Heaney’s rich gift to VP Joe Biden | IrishCentral.com
"It’s a work he has quoted from heart throughout the course of his vice presidency, and it’s not difficult to see why."
www.irishcentral.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Blundered into this while running around rabbit holes. Remember when Presidents loved poetry.
Dear Prime Minister Carney
Are we aiding and abetting extrajudicial killings? It would appear that we are. It was distressing to read this report from Project Plowshares
"Targeted from above: Canadian sensors facilitating unlawful U.S. airstrikes in the Caribbean"
Are we aiding and abetting extrajudicial killings? It would appear that we are. It was distressing to read this report from Project Plowshares
"Targeted from above: Canadian sensors facilitating unlawful U.S. airstrikes in the Caribbean"
Targeted from above: Canadian sensors facilitating unlawful U.S. airstrikes in the Caribbean - Project Ploughshares
On the morning of September 2, 2025, a small speedboat skims across open water somewhere in the Caribbean Sea. Suddenly, in a flash of white, it’s destroyed in a U.S.-launched airstrike. All 11 people...
ploughshares.ca
December 8, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Dear Prime Minister Carney
Are we aiding and abetting extrajudicial killings? It would appear that we are. It was distressing to read this report from Project Plowshares
"Targeted from above: Canadian sensors facilitating unlawful U.S. airstrikes in the Caribbean"
Are we aiding and abetting extrajudicial killings? It would appear that we are. It was distressing to read this report from Project Plowshares
"Targeted from above: Canadian sensors facilitating unlawful U.S. airstrikes in the Caribbean"
And Trump did not want us to honour the day.
World AIDS Day: Timeline of the global fight against HIV and AIDS
An estimated 40.8 million people worldwide are living with HIV, and it killed about 630,000 people last year.
www.euronews.com
December 4, 2025 at 5:12 PM
And Trump did not want us to honour the day.
As always, profit before ethics. This is appalling.
ICE ordering fleet of 20 armoured vehicles from Canadian firm
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has earmarked millions of dollars for a bulk order for 20 armoured vehicles from Canadian defence manufacturer Roshel that are built to resist bullets and bomb...
www.ctvnews.ca
December 4, 2025 at 1:28 AM
As always, profit before ethics. This is appalling.
A man of no redeeming qualities.
Survivor: Hegseth
Season 50
open.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:44 PM
A man of no redeeming qualities.
It is WORLD AIDS DAY. It hasn't gone away and Trump has made. Stephen Lewis is a mensch. Listen to him.
An Urgent Message from Stephen Lewis - Stephen Lewis Foundation
“The SLF is facing the greatest crisis since the nightmare days of the spread of AIDS in the 1990s and 2000s. I refuse to dissemble or beat around the bush. With the suspension and cutbacks of foreign...
stephenlewisfoundation.org
December 1, 2025 at 5:41 PM
It is WORLD AIDS DAY. It hasn't gone away and Trump has made. Stephen Lewis is a mensch. Listen to him.
Fascinating. Guess who will try to suppress research on it?
Humanity Is Desperate for Rare Earth Elements. This Plant Is Growing Them Right Under Our Feet.
A new study analyzed the nanoscale chemistry of the Blechnum orientale fern, which can form tiny crystals of monazite within the cell walls and spaces between cells.
www.popularmechanics.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Fascinating. Guess who will try to suppress research on it?
My contribution toward Canadian Storytelling Week. Thank you Tommy Douglas.
Mouseland - a political fable
YouTube video by Elinor Benjamin
www.youtube.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:30 PM
My contribution toward Canadian Storytelling Week. Thank you Tommy Douglas.
This is one of the most frightening articles I have read in a long time. I feel like none of our own feeble efforts to reduce our footprint on the blue dot has a chance. Check the "Brave New World Department" of the Oct 27 issue New Yorker. Written by Stephen Witt. We have been warned.
Inside the Data Centers That Train A.I. and Drain the Electrical Grid
A data center, which can use as much electricity as Philadelphia, is the new American factory, creating the future and propping up the economy. How long can this last?
www.newyorker.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:26 PM
This is one of the most frightening articles I have read in a long time. I feel like none of our own feeble efforts to reduce our footprint on the blue dot has a chance. Check the "Brave New World Department" of the Oct 27 issue New Yorker. Written by Stephen Witt. We have been warned.