solstice – mackaycartoons

Thursday June 20, 2024

June 20, 2024 by Graeme MacKay

Canada faces a pivotal challenge in reconciling its social priorities, such as robust healthcare and social safety nets, with its NATO defence spending commitments amidst scrutiny and the complexities of military procurement highlighted by Anita Anand.

June 20, 2024

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 20, 2024

* Turn up the volume and find an animated making-of version of this cartoon through this link!

Balancing Canada’s Social Priorities with NATO Commitments

March 1, 2024

The awkward visit of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to Ottawa underscores a pivotal moment for Canada in reconciling its domestic social priorities with its international commitments. As Stoltenberg arrives amidst heightened scrutiny over Canada’s defence spending, the nation faces a pressing dilemma that demands careful consideration and decisive action.

In recent discourse, Todd Hirsch’s commentary has resonated, highlighting Canada’s challenge in meeting NATO’s expectation of allocating 2% of its GDP towards defence. This requirement translates into a daunting $18 billion annually, sparking debates on how best to navigate fiscal responsibilities without compromising essential social programs.

Opinion: So, what expenditures should Canada cut to meet its NATO obligations?

April 10, 2024

Canada prides itself on robust healthcare, comprehensive social safety nets, and environmental stewardship—cornerstones of our national identity and values. These investments are integral to ensuring the well-being and prosperity of Canadians across the socio-economic spectrum. Any proposal to reallocate funds from these vital areas must be approached with utmost caution to mitigate potential adverse impacts on vulnerable communities.

Simultaneously, there exists a compelling argument for honouring our NATO commitments. Our credibility as a dependable ally and contributor to international security hinges on fulfilling these obligations. Failure to meet the 2% benchmark could strain diplomatic relations and diminish Canada’s influence on the global stage, jeopardizing strategic alliances and our national security interests.

The path forward necessitates a balanced approach—one that explores efficiencies within government operations, curtails unnecessary expenditures like excessive consultant fees, and considers targeted tax reforms to bolster revenue streams responsibly. Such measures could alleviate fiscal pressures while safeguarding essential social services.

News: Rising economic indicators pushing Canada further from NATO spending target, MPs hear

January 11, 2023

Moreover, strategic investments in military modernization, technological innovation, and cybersecurity can align defence spending with broader economic advancements, enhancing both national security and domestic resilience.

Anita Anand’s remarks on the complexities of military procurement underscore another layer of challenge. Procurement processes are laden with technicalities and regulatory hurdles that hinder timely and efficient spending. Addressing these bottlenecks through increased staffing and streamlined procedures is crucial to ensuring that allocated funds are effectively utilized to meet defence needs.

News: Anand defends hesitation to further invest in defence as NATO secretary general arrives in Canada

July 1, 2023

As Canada prepares for future elections and policy deliberations, we must engage in a candid and inclusive dialogue. This dialogue should not shy away from the tough questions of resource allocation and national priorities. It requires leadership that navigates the complexities of global security while upholding our commitment to equity, compassion, and fiscal prudence.

Ultimately, the choices we make today will shape the Canada of tomorrow—a Canada that balances its international responsibilities with its unwavering dedication to the well-being and prosperity of all its citizens. By embracing this challenge with foresight and integrity, we can forge a path that strengthens our nation’s position on the world stage while preserving the values that define us. (AI)

Tuesday December 20, 2022

December 20, 2022 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday December 20, 2022

Happy Winter solstice 2022 – Good riddance to a dreary past year

December 21, 2012

For most of us in the northern hemisphere, the drop in temperature over the last few weeks has become apparent; frosty mornings and cold air is the order of the day. Marking the first day of astronomical winter, the winter solstice lays claim to the shortest day of the year, but it’s also the date after which the Sun starts to make a welcome return.

The winter solstice is one of the oldest known winter celebrations. Not only does it mark the changing of the seasons, but it marks an end to the long winter nights.

Although Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments, remarkably little is known about these ancient standing stones. They have, however, become synonymous with the solstices, and it’s difficult to avoid news of throngs of people flocking to the monument in mid-winter and mid-summer. But they have good reason, and have done so for millennia.

October 21, 2021

Most archaeologists believe that Stonehenge was erected as a giant astronomical calendar, as the standing stones are oriented towards the rising and setting Sun at the solstices. However, there is some debate as to whether they were originally built for a specific solstice, or both.

At the winter solstice, the Sun would have set between two uprights, however the effect is somewhat lost today as one of these stones has since fallen down. Laser analysis of these stones has revealed that they were carefully shaped using hammerstones, creating vertical sides that perfectly framed the movement of the Sun.

This year, because the precise time of the solstice occurs at 9:48pm on 21 December (i.e., after the Sun has set), the winter solstice will be celebrated at sunrise on 22 December. But, if you don’t fancy heading out into the brisk winter morning, you can livestream the event over at English Heritage. (BBC)

Monday, September 1, 2014

September 1, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday, September 2, 2014

5 Effective Remedies for the Post-Summer Blues

Are you ready for the transition to a new season? A melancholy sadness can creep into our spirit as summer closes. For some, it harkens back to our childhood. The loss of freedom and joy, of carefree days playing with friends, the literal and figurative warmth of summer evenings, combined with the knowledge of imminent confinement to the four walls of a classroom, can create a lasting fear deep inside us that is still felt every year at this time. The quiet child inside our adult selves is still nervous to begin a school year with new classmates and teachers. There is also the dread as adults of vacations coming to an end. September begins a natural time of change in the rhythms of the year — a season for shifting, getting ready for harvest, and preparation for the winter season ahead. The sun is becoming noticeably lower in the sky, rising later, and setting sooner, signaling our biorhythms that there are only several weeks left until the Fall Equinox, at which time the nights become longer than days in the Northern Hemisphere. We start to feel wistful, nostalgic, and sometimes more seriously saddened and heartbroken at a sense of underlying loss.

We are born to be joyous, but sometimes we need a little nudge to get us there. I am a very sensitive person, and I often feel the weight of the collective consciousness. I feel things at a very deep level, and have found that consciously preparing myself for shifts has helped me so much with transitions. I depend on my spiritual practice to carry me. It is not enough to say, “Oh, just change your attitude.” We all have tools that can bring us out of those blues and into the natural joyfulness of our own being.

Here are five wonderful ways to transition out of the late summer blues. These tips can help you swing back to radiance: (Continued: Huffington Post)

Friday December 21, 2012

December 21, 2012 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Friday December 21, 2012

Doomsday didn’t come

Mayans squabble over post doomsday sales

It almost looks like a toy. In the darkness before dawn Friday, spiritualists prepared white clothes, drums, conch shells and incense ahead of the sunrise they believe will herald the birth of a new and better age as a vast, 5,125-year cycle in the Mayan calendar comes to an end.

No one was quite sure at what time the Mayas’ 13th Baktun would officially end on this Dec. 21. Some think it already ended at midnight Thursday. Others looked to Friday’s dawn here in the Maya heartland. Some had later times in mind.

“Wait until the dawn on the 22nd; that is when we Maya will speak,” Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchu said earlier in Guatemala, another Maya area.

Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History even suggested that historical calculations to synchronize the Mayan and Western calendars might be off a few days. It said the Mayan Long Count calendar cycle might not really end until Sunday.

Whatever the details, the chance to welcome a new time seemed to be the main concern among celebrants drawn to the Yucatan peninsula.

Many people who came to Yucatan for the occasion were already calling it “a new sun” and “a new era.”

What nobody was calling it is the end of the world, as some people in recent years have interpreted the meaning of the end of the 13th Baktun – despite the insistence of archeologists and the Maya themselves it meant no such thing. (Source: CTV News)