Weekly Report

Weekly Report: July 1st - July 7th 2024

Good Morning Magpie

07 Jul 2024 — 3 min read

The Week in Summary:

For this year's Canada Day, we relaxed at home and spent some quality time with each other. Life is busy, so it's good to slow down when you have a holiday to spare. Getting back to work on Tuesday, I've noticed how sedentary work has been lately. I am going to have to get more movement into my day (especially during work-from-home days).
Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved, our city was able to ease up on voluntary water restrictions this week, so Taylor and I have been able to finally catch on dishes and laundry these last few days.
On Wednesday evening, one of my buddies had a layover in Calgary and we went out for supper at Lava Grill Mediterranean Cuisine. Despite how pissed he might have been that his flight was delayed, I enjoyed the extra time I had with him in person, rather than over Discord.
Witnessing the electoral massacre of the United Kingdom's Tories has been a blessing this week. After 14 years of Conservative incompetence, corruption, and austerity, it appears that voters had bloodlust when they entered polling stations. And after the utter decimation, Keir Starmer's Labour Party has formed a landslide majority government with 400+ seats (something not seen in British politics since 2001). Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about Starmer as much as I'm excited about white bread, but god damn, it feels good to watch the Tories get eviscerated. If you are interested in Starmer's election night speech, you can find it here.
On Saturday, Taylor and I went to Canela Bakery & Cafe Calgary for the Vegan Pancake Breakfast down in Inglewood. It was a long line, but it was worth it in the end, especially because it was a free meal. After a bit of shopping in the neighbourhood, we walked back to the Beltline and tried a new pizza place called "Cold Beer and Pizza" (which is an unremarkable, yet also delightfully simple name). For the rest of Saturday and into Sunday, I stayed at home playing Elden Ring and listening to an audiobook. We also made a vegan hamburger helper.
As the week wrapped up, good news came in from France regarding the legislative election. The opinion polls have been indicating that the far-right nationalist National Rally was poised to make a breakthrough, but exit polls are projecting an upset with the leftist coalition, New Popular Front, gaining the most seats. This is the beauty of leftists working together for a common future.
Two more things: (1) I am grateful that Taylor started their Elden Ring playthrough this week and (2) I am grateful for the fantastic downpours we've had this week.

Recommendations:

The Flamethrowers by Justin Ling and CBC Podcasts (Podcast Series): A brief podcast series masterfully exploring right-wing talk radio from the inception of the radio itself to the January 6th Capitol Riots. It focuses on hosts like Alex Jones, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck, then puts them into the broader history of American conservatism.
Sunak axed, the cast eviscerated: at last, it’s the Tories’ season finale by Marina Hyde (Article): A scathing account of the electoral massacre of the Tories during the UK general election this week.
The Left is Not Woke by Susan Neiman (Book): Neiman explores how "wokeness" conflicts with left-wing political ideas like "a commitment to universalism, a firm distinction between justice and power, and a belief in the possibility of progress." It was refreshing to hear a leftist defense to the Enlightenment and a ardent challenge to the cultural power that Foucault has had on the academic left into the early 21st century.
'It's 50 Shades of Beige.' Meet Britain's New Prime Minister by Jonathan Pie and NYT Opinion (Video): An angry summation of the state of UK politics after the recent election.