"Our analyses suggest that increased energy intake has been roughly ten times more important than declining total energy expenditure in driving the modern obesity crisis."

"[In a sub-analysis of the diets of some of the groups from both highly and less-developed nations, the scientists found a strong correlation between the percentage of daily diets that consists of] ultra-processed foods -- [which the study's authors define as] industrial formulations of five or more ingredients -- [and higher body-fat percentages]." 

Study on Obesity Factors, Duke University, North Carolina

The research, published in PNAS, suggests diet, not inactivity, is the primary driver behind increasing obesity rates in developed countries. (Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva)

 

"Despite decades of trying to understand the root causes of the obesity crisis in economically developed countries, public health guidance remains stuck with uncertainty as to the relative importance of diet and physical activity."

"This large, international, collaborative effort allows us to test these competing ideas. It’s clear that changes in diet, not reduced activity, are the main cause of obesity in the U.S. and other developed countries."

Herman Pontzer, principal investigator with the Pontzer Lab, professor, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University

 

"While we saw a marginal decrease in size-adjusted total energy expenditure with economic development, differences in total energy expenditure explained only a fraction of the increase in body fat that accompanied development."

"This suggests that other factors, such as dietary changes, are driving the increases in body fat that we see with increasing economic development."

Amanda McGrosky, Duke postdoctoral alumna, study lead investigator, assistant professor of biology, Elon University 

Professor Herman Pontzer and his co-authors, 80 in number, set out to gather data on obesity from labs globally. Data for 4,213 men and women representing 34 countries or cultural groups resulted, representing the full spectrum of socioeconomic groups. Total daily energy expenditures for everyone  was calculated, along with their basal energy expenditure (number of calories burned during basic biological operations and physical activity energy expenditure). 

 

Few large-scale studies have focused on comparing energy expenditure among populations among whom obesity appears common, as opposed to those resistant to obesity. Dr. Pontzer noted that understanding the relative contributions of diet and physical activity is vital if science aims at fully comprehending obesity's origins, in a bid to educate populations how best to avoid obesity and with it, the rise of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. 

 

People in traditional cultures among developing nations, do not tend to succumb to obesity. The recently published study out of Duke University sought to clarify what it was that exposed populations to greater incidents of obesity. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), this study, using data on metabolic rates and energy expenditure among over 4,000 individuals from dozens of countries across a broad spectrum of socioeconomic conditions quantified calories that people from various cultures burn daily.

 

Common wisdom had it that people in highly developed nations are relatively sedentary, thus burn far fewer daily calories than those living in less industrialized countries, increasing the risk of obesity, and this is the message that public-health authorities have issued, in persuasive messaging on the necessity to ensure that sedentary lifestyles not take over lives, that it is critical for optimum health at all ages, to move about, exercise the body as well as consuming a healthy diet.

 

This new study finds otherwise. Concluding that Americans, Europeans and people in other developed nations expend roughly similar total calories most days, as did hunter-gatherers, herders, subsistence farmers, foragers and all those living in pre-industrialized nations. A finding that was unexpected in its conclusion that inactivity is not, after all, the major cause of obesity that it has been taken to be. 

 

It seems intuitive that comparing the energy expenditure of hunter-gatherers and farmer-herders opposite office workers would find a huge deficit on the part of the latter as opposed to the former.  It was established however that, though the hunter-gatherers and other primitive groups moved far more frequently throughout the course of a day than would a typical individual in a post-industrial society, overall daily calorie expenditure were closely analogous. 

 

A theory first proposed by Dr. Pontzer known as the constrained total energy expenditure model, posits that our brains and bodies closely monitor our total energy expenditure, keeping it within a narrow range. Should we begin consistently burning more calories for any reason for days on end, our brains slow down or shut off some tangential biological operations that sees overall daily caloric burn remaining in a consistent band.

 

The final takeaway from the study is, quite simply, the observation that within populations too much food is being consumed, in excess of the body's actual needs. As well, consuming the wrong types of food --ultra-processed, convenience and fast-food products, perhaps lacking in nutrients but packed with flavour enhancers, leading to higher body-fat outcomes. 

 

A new study concludes diet is by far the most important driver of obesity in more economically developed countries.  thebigland88/iStock

 

More than 1 billion people worldwide live with obesity, a global epidemic that health authorities have blamed on both increased consumption of calories and decreased physical activity. But which factor contributes more? After measuring the calories burned by people from different economic backgrounds and lifestyles, research published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concludes diet plays a far bigger role than physical inactivity in driving the epidemic—though not everyone agrees with that interpretation."

"The new study found that, when adjusted for body size, people in more economically developed societies expend relatively less energy. However, the differences are too small to explain the higher rates of obesity in these societies. Worldwide weight gains instead seem to be associated mainly with how much we consume, not how much we burn off."

"The findings align with the current conventional wisdom that increased energy intake is the primary driver of obesity and highlight the need for policies to reduce that, says Vanessa Oddo, an epidemiologist at the University of Illinois Chicago who was not involved in the work. However, she and others caution the study—which relied on computer modeling, one-off observations of study participants, and indirect measures of physical activity and diet—isn’t set up to pinpoint the epidemic’s causes."

Science Adviser 

 

The Deadly Impact of Psychopaths Among Us

"This level of violence is unthinkable. Our deepest prayers are with the children, parents, families, educators, and Christians everywhere. We mourn with them, we pray for healing, and we will never forget them."

"[The suspect] clearly had a deranged obsession with previous mass shooters."

"Ultimately this person committed this act with the intention of causing as much terror, as much trauma, as much carnage as possible for their own personal notoriety."

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara

 

"Yesterday, a coward decided to take our eight-year-old son, Fletcher, away from us. Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming." 

"While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing. I pray that the other victim’s family can find some semblance of the same."

"[I am] hopeful [that] all the wounded are able to make a full recovery and return to their families. [And that all the people], especially the children, [are] able to recover mentally."

"Over the past day, I’ve heard many stories accounting the swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike from inside the church. Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more for these people. I’m thankful."

"Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life. Give your kids an extra hug and kiss today. We love you. Fletcher, you’ll always be with us."

Jesse Merkel, father of Fletcher Merkel   

An 8-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl were shot and killed when the gunman fired through the windows of a church at the Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday morning, police said. ABC News

"We are devastated to share that our beloved daughter, Harper Moyski, was tragically killed in the recent school shooting. Harper was a bright, joyful and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness and spirit touched everyone who knew her."

"Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss."

"As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain."

"No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain. We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country."

"Change is possible, and it is necessary — so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies." 

Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin   

"[The city is] united in grief” [and] united in action."

"People who say that this is not about guns, you got to be kidding me. This is about guns. We do need to take action."

"There are other countries around the world where horrific acts have taken place like this and then they step up to make a change so that it, in fact, does not happen again."

"There is no reason that someone should be able to reel off 30 shots before they even have to reload."

"We’re not talking about your father’s hunting rifle here. We’re talking about guns that are built to pierce armor and kill people."

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey  

Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski. Photograph: GoFundMe

 

He was 23, a young man troubled among other issues, by gender dysphoria. When he was in his teens, his mother petitioned with success to change her son's name from Robert, to Robin, in 2021, to more accurately she said, reflect his self-identity as female. 'Assigning' him male at birth was evidently an error to be corrected. 'Robin' Westman's mother was an administrative assistant in the business office of the Annunciation Catholic School.

 

It was at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday that the man who for reasons known only to himself, decided to shoot through the stained-glass windows of the church that housed the school at 8:30 a.m., with students assembling for mass during what was the start of yet another school year. He opened fire with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, all legally procured. 

 

In the process, he shot two students dead, ages 8 and ten, wounding 17 others, among them another 14 students. According to Minneapolis Police chief Brian O'Hara, the assailant acted on his own, had no extensive criminal history and the guns he used in the assault that took two innocent lives and forever changed the lives of an additional 17 people, were bought in accordance with State law.

 

Coincidentally, the shooter had posted videos to YouTube which demonstrated his admiration for other mass shooters, his fascination with gun magazines -- on some of which he scrawled messages such as "Kill Donald Trump", along with racial slurs. Among those messages were some meant for his family, apologizing to them for the impact his actions would have on their lives.

 

"I don't expect forgiveness", he wrote in a journal that appeared in one of his downloaded videos. "I'm sorry to my family, but that's all I'm sorry for", he narrated, over images of guns and ammunition. Slogans were also present that revealed his anti-Black, antisemitic, anti-Hispanic and anti-God sentiments. Throughout the videos, acknowledgements were present in his fascination with past mass killings.

 

He had written the names of previous mass shooters among text scrawled in white marker across the magazines and on the firearms in his possession. He took his love of firearms and his hatred for others with him that day, as he committed  himself to the nether world. Dressed in black to suit the occasion, he made his farewell to life as he propped a wood plank barricading the church doors, behind which he turned his weapons on himself and expired.

 

In one of the videos he posted he was shown laughing, as he highlighted a note addressed to his family, apologizing to his siblings and parents, for "forever tainting the rest of [your] lives". He made references to depressive and suicidal thoughts, and clearly he was destined to leave a life of disappointment and personal suffering. Why in this state of mind he would decide to  end the lives of children before himself dying, is a conundrum the parents of the children will live with the rest of their lives. 

"[In writings left behind], the shooter expressed hate towards many groups, including the Jewish community and towards President Trump."

"I won’t dignify the attacker’s words by repeating them, they are horrific and vile."

Joseph Thompson, acting US attorney general for Minnesota 

Police and first responders work at the scene of a shooting near Annunciation Church and Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 27, 2025. Eva Claire Hambach/AFP via Getty Images

 

 

 

 

 

Australian-Iran Diplomatic Relations ... Pfft!

"Strongly consider leaving as soon as possible, if it is safe to do so."

"Foreigners in Iran, including Australians and dual Australian-Iranian nationals, are at a high risk of arbitrary detention or arrest."

"DO NOT TRAVEL TO IRAN."

Government of Australia: Alert to Australians 

 

"ASIO [Australian Security Intelligence Organization] has now gathered enough credible intelligence to reach a deeply disturbing conclusion."

"The Iranian government directed at least two of these attacks. Iran has sought to disguise its involvement but ASIO assesses it was behind the attacks."

"These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil."

"They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community. It is totally unacceptable."

"[ASIO and the federal police had been] able to trace the chain of command, if you like, right back to the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]."

"It is important that people understand where some of these attacks are coming from, and it would appear, as the AFP commissioner said yesterday, that some of these are being perpetrated by people who don’t have a particular issue, aren’t motivated by an ideology, but are paid actors." 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese 

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke in the background, announcing the expulsion of Iran’s ambassador to Australia, on Tuesday, 26 August 2025. (Photograph by Callum Flinn / ABC News)

 

The Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of organizing two attacks in Australia; represent due cause for Australia to cut off diplomatic relations with Tehran. Iran, according to the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, had directed arson attacks on the Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney and on Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue in October and December of 2024, respectively. 

 

The Australian government had relayed to Iranian Ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi that the decision had been made to expel him. At the same time, Australian diplomats posted in Iran have also been withdrawn. A diplomatically hostile action that required Australia's government to also post travel warnings to its citizen passport-holders, as it raised a warning to its highest level of "Do not travel".

 

The Iranian foreign minister responded by naming Albanese as a "weak politician". The second time in a two-week period that Mr. Albanese was singled out thusly for actions taken on behalf of his government, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu branded his Australian counterpart as a "weak politician who had betrayed Israel", following the August 11 announcement of preparations to recognize a Palestinian state to be formalized at the September UNGA. 

 

 

 

At least one suspect has been arrested by Australian police, related to the Sydney cafe fire investigation; and another two suspects accused of torching the synagogue in Melbourne. A 32-year-old Sydney resident, Sayed Mohammed Mousawi, formerly president of the Nomads biker gang chapter in the city, was charged with directing the fire bombing of the cafe, along with the nearby Curly Lewis Brewery, mistakenly targeted for an antisemitic attack.

 

Another man, 22-year-old Giovanni Laulu from Melbourne, was charged as one of three masked arsonists causing extensive damage to the synagogue. An unnamed 20-year-old man, allegedly the second arsonist, is due to appear in court, according to a police statement. 

 

According to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, this is the first time since the Second World War that Australia has expelled a foreign diplomat. Even so, Canberra plans to maintain a level of diplomacy with Iran to ensure Australia's interests can be advanced. In the interim, Australia is legislating Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, even though it has hesitated to do so in the past in view of its being a government entity.  

 

Floral tributes at the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne in December 2024. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

 

While denying any involvement, the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has been accused of attacks abroad in the past. The Quds Force of the IRGC is Iran's expeditionary arm, accused by the West of using local militants and criminals in targeting dissidents and Israelis abroad. "Foremost, these were attacks that deliberately targeted Jewish Australians, destroyed a sacred house of worship, caused millions of dollars of damage, and terrified our community", read a statement from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

 

Sydney and Melbourne have seen a steep rise in antisemitic incidents since the Israel-Hamas conflict was initiated in 2023 when the Hamas terrorist group crossed from Gaza into southern Israel and thousands of terrorist operatives launched a sadistic savagery of mass rape, mutilations, kidnapping and murder of 1,200 mostly civilian Israelis, although foreign farm workers and Israeli-Palestinians were also caught up in the murder maw of the Palestinian terrorist hordes.

 

According to Australian authorities, it is suspected that foreign actors have hired local criminals-for-hire to carry out instructions of attack on Jewish businesses and houses of worship in Australia. Whatever evidence exists of Iranian involvement in these events, was not shared by either ASIO director-general Mike Burgess or P.M. Albanese, although Burgess stated there was no evidence of involvement by Iranian diplomats themselves.   

"The latest credible intelligence aside, there have been concerns for some time now about Iran working through proxy networks and engaging in forms of diaspora repression. For example, Iran’s ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, has previously posted inflammatory social-media comments — such as urging that “wiping out the Zionist plague out of the holy lands of Palestine happens no later than 2027” and praising Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah, as “a great personality ... and an unparalleled leader” — for which he was formally rebuked by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs in 2024. And there are Australians who have ties to Iran’s international propaganda network, Al Tajamu."

"The IRGC’s motivation to instigate terror attacks against Jewish targets in Australia is related to its conflict with Israel. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Israel has been regarded as the archenemy of Iran, the “little Satan” in service of the “Great Satan” — namely, the United States. Over the years, Israel has operated openly and secretly against Iran, its proxies and its nuclear weapons project, including carrying out assassinations of top Iranian officials, scientists and public figures. The recent twelve-day US-Israeli war on Iran included precision strikes that killed senior IRGC commanders and damaged key facilities linked to the IRGC’s regional networks."

"As a result, Tehran is forever looking for ways to take revenge against Israel, including by trying to recruit spies within the State of Israel to perform acts of violence and espionage. The regime has, moreover, never abandoned attempts to target Israelis and members of the Jewish community and Jewish organisations abroad." 

Australian Broadcasting Corporation 

People hold pictures of the victims of the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre during a ceremony commemorating thirty years after the attack, on 18 July 2024, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photograph by Cristina Sille / picture alliance via Getty Images)

 

 

A Malicious Male Predator Incarcerated in a Women's Prison

"Whether the change is serious is doubtful."

"Liebich has been known for years for her right-wing extremist views and has also made queerphobic statements in the past."

"[It was likely that Liebich] made the change of civil status in an abusive manner in order to provoke and embarrass the state." 

Der Spiegel

 

"The BBC calls a male neo-Nazi ‘she’, because their absolutist belief in gender identity ideology means any man – rapist, voyeur, terrorist, murderer or paedophile – must be described as a woman the moment he says he’s one." 

J.K. Rowling

 

"Liebich's case has been used to further the hateful discourse [that characterized the debate around the bill in the Bundestag]."

"The Self-Determination Act is intended to strengthen the human rights of trans and non-binary persons and protect their fundamental rights."

"Instead, this individual case ridicules gender self-determination or declares it a danger. This jeopardizes democracy."

Theresa Richarz, legal expert, Germany's Federation for Queer Diversity (LSVD)  

Picture alliance/dpa | Sebastian Willnow

 

The not-so-subtle subterfuge by male criminals to evade prosecution, or to simply advantage themselves by posing -- however absurdly -- as female to be enabled to enter women-only public washrooms, change rooms, sport competitions, beauty pageants, and prisons, has become a fairly universal phenomenon in a 'progressive' world of minority gender dysphoric groups aggressively asserting their rights to full respect and acknowledgement in a gender of their choosing. Civil society, leery of being declared transphobic has bowed to the demands of subgroups within the wider LGBTQ-2 community.

 

In Germany, a man by the name of Sven Liebich, known for his racist beliefs was sentenced to 18 months without parole in July of 2023, in consequence of  his being found guilty of incitement to hatred, defamation and insult. This neo-Nazi committed his crimes as an identifiable male, and since his sentencing, has 'legally' altered his biological gender from male to female. And he aims now to serve that sentence in his criminal conviction, in a women's prison. 

"This is an example of the very simple abuse of the self-determination law."

"We now need a debate about how to reinstate clear rules against the abuse of changes of gender."

"The judiciary, the public, and politicians are being fooled here because the Self-Determination Act provides the opportunity for this."

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt  

Chemnitz women's prison

Germany's revised Self Determination Act, newly-enacted, was the enabling legislation for Sven Liebich to become Maria-Svenja Liebich, with full recognition under the law. Lipstick carefully applied under a handlebar moustache does not a woman make of a man. It does, however, create no end of controversy, when a law is carelessly constructed in its eagerness to please a vocal, demanding minority, delusional on biological verities to the extent they can feel confident in re-scripting nature's biological verities.

 

The law that guarantees an individual's right to alter their gender, places women's rights in jeopardy. As an active member since the 1990s of far-right extremism in Germany, this man was declared as a "right wing extremist" with statewide and national activity background, once a leading figure in the neo-Nazi "Blood & Honor" network, according to Saxony-Anhalt's intelligence agency. 

"Anyone who follows the reporting on neo-Nazi Sven Liebich can only come to one conclusion: The traffic-light coalition government has managed, by law, to force almost the entire German media landscape to tell untruths and make grotesquely false claims."

"Sven Liebich is not a woman."

Journalist Julian Reichelt

Liebich has now declared himself to be a devout Jew, and while in prison in the city of Chemnitz, starting on Friday, has demanded he be served kosher meals and rabbinical supervision in prison. His physical male visage with short dark hair and greying stubble is now enhanced with sunglasses, gold earrings, and red lipstick under his grey handlebar moustache. 

 

Of the law that came into force in November, while stating that this case "clearly demonstrates that the Self-Determination Act in its current form, contains weaknesses that could encourage targeted abuse", Family Affairs Minister Karin Prien added that safeguarding gender self-determination remains "right and important".  

 

The intention of  striking the law was so that the process for trans, intersex and nonbinary individuals could be eased in changing gender entries without having to undergo psychiatric assessment. When this man proposing himself to be a woman, arrives at the Chemnitz prison on August 29, he will be undergoing a series of questioning to determine his suitability to remain there for the duration of his sentencing. 

 

Women inmates can only hope and pray for sanity to prevail. 

 

Marla-Svenja Liebich, formerly Sven, was photographed wearing a Nazi-style uniform at rallies Credit: Sebastian Willnow

 

 

The Financial Dignity of the Canadian Judiciary

"The current salary and benefits paid to judges are inadequate. An increase to the judicial salary is required to ensure outstanding candidates continue to be attracted to the judiciary."

"The commission agrees with the Judiciary that the significant gap between judicial salaries and the private sector comparator warrants an increase to the current judicial salary; however, we do not agree with the amount of the increase proposed by the judiciary."

"Our recommendation is intended to be fair to the judiciary and to the taxpayer, to strike the right balance between the two, and to be in the public interest."

Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission

From left to right, Supreme Court of Canada Justice Andromache Karakatsanis, Chief Justice Richard Wagner, Justice Suzanne Cote and Justice Sheilah Martin attend a welcome ceremony at the Supreme Court in Ottawa on Feb. 19, 2024. (Adrian Wylde/The Canadian Press)

 

Judges' associations had argued a month earlier that magistrates required a raise of $60,000 to top up their supposedly inadequate salaries, retroactive to April 2024, for the purpose of maintaining a prestigious public position's appeal to prospective candidates for judicial appointment, a vital position in Canada's justice system that, they contend, is increasingly struggling with the need to attract "outstanding candidates".

 

In response to this contention raised by the associations, a commission was struck for the purpose of evaluating the claims, to reach a consensus that could guide the federal government in its response. That commission was comprised of three members, chaired by lawyer and businesswoman Anne Giardini. The Commission's stated concern, shared by the judges associations: that too few "highly qualified" private-sector lawyers apply to become judges.

 

Additionally, the Commission revealed that it had been impressed by comments attributed to Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz, setting out in detail his efforts to convince private sector lawyers to join the court: "An increasing number of qualified private practitioners no longer view a judicial appointment, considering its attendant responsibilities and benefits, as attractive in light of the resulting significant reduction in income", his affidavit to the commission stated.   

 

The salary of the Chief Justice Richard Wagner could reach $546,000 according to the panel's recommendations. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

 

It is the Commission's considered opinion that judicial compensation of $414,900 annually is insufficiently attractive to ensure top applicants aspire to the bench, recommending an increase by the government of $28,000 for judges' salaries, at the very least. For starters the commission report recommends increasing salaries for judges by $28,00 for provincial superior and appellate courts, along with federal courts; $30,00 for chief justices, and $36,000 for the chief justice of the Supreme Court, retroactive to April of 2024.

 

At the present time, most federally appointed judges earn $414,900 (members of the Supreme Court are compensated with $494,100) and chief justices top up by about $40,000 more. These salaries, furthermore are indexed annually in line with the industrial aggregate, generally exceeding the Consumer Price Index. In addition, the Commission recommends an increase of associate judges' salaries from 80 to 95 percent of that of a federally appointed justice.

 

This, at a time when the federal government, mindful of its overextended financial situation as summarized by the Fraser Institute: 

• For many years the federal government’s approach to government finances has relied on spending-driven deficits and a growing debt burden, causing a deterioration in the state of federal finances.
• While deficits can sometimes be justified in certain circumstances, perpetual spending-driven deficits have become the norm rather than a temporary exception for the federal government. The $39.8 billion deficit expected in 2024/25 is the 17th consecutive annual deficit, and deficits are expected to continue into the foreseeable future.
• Deficits have helped drive federal gross debt from 53.0% of the economy ($1.1 trillion) in 2014/15 up to an expected 69.8% ($2.1 trillion) in 2024/25.
• This increase in the level of federal debt comes with costs and will result in higher taxes on Canadians.
• It may be hard to comprehend the scale of the deficits and debt, so to contextualize the current state of federal finances this bulletin provides an example of what a median family’s household budget would look like in 2024 if it managed its finances the way the federal government does.
• The median family earning $101,821 in 2024 would be spending $109,982 if it spent the way the federal government does. To cover the difference, it would put $8,161 on a credit card, despite already being $427,759 in debt.
• Of the total amount spent, $11,066 would go towards interest on the debt this year. Simply put, a Canadian family that chose to spend like the federal government would be in financial trouble.

All government departments have been tasked with cutting their budgets by 15 percent in the next few years, as a reflection of the parlous state of Canada's government spending. Canada is facing a federal deficit of $48.3 billion for 2024-25; $42.2 billion for 2025-26, down from the 2023 deficit of $73.7 billion accounting for federal, provincial, territorial and local governments. The country reached an accumulated federal debt of over $1.2 trillion.

 

The Commission's report was forwarded to Justice Minister Sean Fraser for his review and a decision on the response to the recommendations that will have an impact on over 1,200 judges in Canada for a raise that would cost the government (and taxpayers) over $34-million annually, to start with. 

 

The independent commission concluded that the current uncompetitive salary rates are detrimental to the recruitment of judges to the federal judiciary. (Chris Ryan/Getty Images)

 

"While a shortage [vacant judicial appointments] has been averted for now, the pressures of rising private sector incomes are such that the ability to maintain an adequate level of private sector appointments to fill judicial vacancies is of ongoing concern."

"We are persuaded that the effects of past shortages are continuing to rebound within the justice system."

"So while the pool of individuals in the last four-year period was more than adequate to fill all the positions, we see clear warning signs that salaries are going to be a factor leading to highly qualified private sector layers electing not to apply to the judiciary." 

Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission  

The federal government in Ottawa has opposed a salary adjustment for federal judges. (Benoit Roussel/Radio-Canada)

 

Confront A Home Intruder -- But With Restraint...?

"Officers arrived on scene and learned that the resident of the apartment had woke up [sic] to find another male [intruder] inside his apartment."

"There was an altercation inside the apartment and the intruder received serious life-threatening injuries as a result of that altercation."

Kawartha Lakes Police Service

 

"You should be able to protect your family when someone's going in there to harm your family and your kids."

"You should use all resources you possibly can to protect your family."

"So this criminal that's wanted by the police breaks into this guy's house. This guy gives him a beating, and this guy gets charged, and the other guy gets charged, but -- something is broken." 

"I know if someone breaks into my house or someone else's, you're going to fight for your life. This guy has a weapon … you're going to use any force you can to protect your family." 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Police are facing criticism for charges laid against a man in Lindsay, Ont., after an alleged home intruder was injured in an altercation in his apartment. (Mike Crawley/CBC)

 

"What would be unreasonable is as you've got them subdued on the ground, already under control, continuously hitting them, or hurting them, or stabbing them."

"It's unclear if these two individuals were known to each other, that could play into it as well."

"There's a lot that we don't know." 

Former police officer Dan Jones, currently  chair, Justice Studies program, NorQuest College, Edmonton 

On Monday, Kawartha Lakes police responded to a home invasion call in Lindsay, Ontario. A man named as Michael Kyle Breen, 41, had entered the apartment of 44-year-old Jeremy David McDonald. Mr. McDonald confronted an armed interloper in his home. He reacted as anyone in such circumstances would; arming himself to meet his obligations to protect his family from someone who entered the sanctity of the family home during the night with obviously ill intentions. 

 

The Police Service found the intruder severely injured by the homeowner who had evidently used a knife to disarm and put the intention of the intruder out of contention. On Thursday when the police publicly identified both the homeowner and the intruder, court documents reflect the homeowner as having been charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon; that he "did endanger the life" of the man identified as the armed nighttime intruder.

 

A report of an altercation between two males in the early hours of Monday morning had drawn the police response. On their arrival police quickly assessed the intruder's physical condition as medically serious leading them to have the injured man transported to a local hospital, from where he was later airlifted to a hospital in Toronto. The homeowner was charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, then released to appear on September 25 at the Ontario court of justice in Lindsay, Ontario.

 

As it happened, the intruder was a wanted man well before his illegal, armed entry to the homeowner's apartment. He was wanted for previously committed unrelated offences. For his latest offence, he had been charged with possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, break-and-enter and theft, as well as mischief under $5,000 and failing to comply with probation. 

 

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to the media during a funding announcement in Hamilton, Ont., Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Carlos Osorio

 

When news media picked up the story it became an instant sensation; remarks condemning the police action in charging the homeowner roundly criticized, including statements from the Ontario premier judging the situation absurd. The response from the chief of the Kawartha Lakes police was to note "the negative commentary about the officers and their actions is unjust and inaccurate". The public, however, and other authorities and journalists in reacting to the situation, were aghast at charging the homeowner, with zero sympathy for the injured -- however severely -- intruder. 

"Under Canadian law, individuals have the right to defend themselves and their property."

"However, it is important to understand that these rights are not unlimited in Canada. The law requires that any defensive action be proportionate to the threat faced."

"This means that while homeowners do have the right to protect themselves and their property, the use of force must be reasonable given the circumstances."

 Kawartha Lakes Police Chief Kirk Robertson 

A man is facing assault charges after allegedly inflicting life-threatening injuries on an intruder at his home in Lindsay, Ont. The case has triggered questions about the limits of self-defence in Canadian law. Still from video, CBC News

The Elusive Path to Peace in Ukraine

"If everything works out well today, we'll have a trilat and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that."

"Were going to work with everybody, and we're going to make sure that if there's peace, the peace is going to stay long-term." 

"I don't think you need a ceasefire. We can work a deal where we'll work on a peace deal while they're fighting."

"[Zelenskyy] can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight."

U.S. President Donald Trump 

U.S. President Donald Trump greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy upon his arrival at the White House, amid negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 18, 2025. REUTERS/Alexander Drago/

 

"Seriously discussing security guarantees without the Russian Federation is a utopia, a road to nowhere."

"[Any summit between Putin and Zelenskyy]  must be prepared in the most meticulous way [so it does not lead to a ] deterioration [of the situation surrounding the conflict]."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

Donald Trump's special envoy said Russia had agreed to allow the US and Europe to give Ukraine "robust" security guarantees as part of a potential peace deal.  Still from video

 

"We are ready for a trilateral" (three-way summit including U.S. President Trump, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy) offered the Ukrainian President. While he is indubitably open to such a face-to-face meeting with his mortal enemy, Russia's Putin appears not to want to entertain that potential, failing to commit to anything remotely resembling one, during his Alaska meeting with President Trump. There were no concessions on Moscow's part, although the American president was loathe to give even a slight impression that the high-profile meeting with the two meeting for the first time in years failed to accomplished anything.

 

Despite months of American efforts on the diplomatic front with Trump accelerating his moves to put a stop to the conflict, the possibility of success appears as distant as it did from the day he vowed to end Russia's war on Ukraine on his first day in office. Trump's blind trust in a personal relationship with the Russian president that could sway his decision-making to turn away from his territorial grab of Ukrainian sovereign land pushed up against the reality that Putin is committed to his aspirational annexation resembling the forced unity of the USSR.

 

Despite which, Trump continues to reiterate his claim of belief that Putin is reasonable, and it is Volodymyr Zelenskyy who could and should end the war that was forced on Ukraine. The takeaway from that assertion is inescapable; the President of Ukraine, according to the U.S. president's reasoning, merely has to agree to shedding Ukraine of its industrially and militarily important Donbas region comprised of Donetsk and Luhansk. Essentially, a complete surrender by Kyiv to Moscow. For starters.

 

Europe is working together with the US to provide security guarantees for Ukraine in case of a possible peace deal with Russia. Part of the plan is to send a deterrent force with international soldiers.  AP Photo  

President Trump is perfectly content with the Crimean peninsula remaining in Moscow's possession. President Zelenskyy on the other hand is clear that his Russian counterpart used Crimea and the eastern Donbas seized in 2014 "as a springboard for a new attack" and full invasion, in February 2022.  "Russia must end this war which it itself started", he insisted. A position clearly not favoured by President Trump, siding with Putin. Trump feels Putin is a strong man and thus admirable, not quite understanding that the strength demonstrated by Zelenskyy under mortal duress is much more morally admirable.

 

Trump has moved from threatening punitive measures on Moscow, to positioning himself anew with the Kremlin's insistence that negotiations with Ukraine must focus on a long-term settlement. Zelenskyy on the other hand with a view to continue defending Ukraine and denying Putin's territorial grabs, reiterated Ukraine's dependency on the U.S. and its allies to provide critical weapons and security guarantees before he feels confident enough to strike a deal, absent total capitulation to Putin's demands. Patriot air defence batteries obtained from the U.S. and paid for by Ukraine's European allies are critical to counter Russian missile and drone attacks.

 

"We are thankful for this program and this opportunity", Zelenskyy conveyed to President Trump. At the same time, Zelenskyy and his European allies - German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have been subtly trying to steer Trump from forcing territorial concessions on Kyiv. Pinning down security guarantees similar to NATO's Article 5 mutual defence clause is another vital goal. 

 

A "candid discussion" took place between defence chiefs from across the NATO alliance regarding what security guarantees could be offered to Kyiv, revealed Italian Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of NATO's Military Committee. "I thanked everyone for their always proactive participation in these meetings: we are united, and that unity was truly tangible today, as always", he stated. As well, Dan Caine, U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, held talks with European military chiefs on the "best options for a potential Ukraine peace deal".

 

A coalition of 30 countries, including European nations, Japan and Australia, signed support for an aspirational force that could backstop any peace agreement. President Trump, critical of billions in U.S. support given Ukraine, statement that European nations were "willing to put people on the ground", in support of a settlement, while he ruled out U.S. troops being sent to Ukraine, although air support might be supplied. This, in the face of Russia's stand of non-tolerance of the presence of Western troops in Ukraine.  

"Our units are engaged in heavy defensive battles against superior Russian forces."

"I am convinced that through joint efforts, with the political and diplomatic support of Ukraine’s dedicated partners, we will be able to achieve a real peace and guarantee security for Ukraine and the whole of democratic Europe."  

Ukraine Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, centre, called Monday's summit at the White House involving several European leaders a 'major step forward,' but the path to peace remains clouded. (Italian Prime Ministry/Reuters)

 

 

A Lifetime's Adventure

 

"From his last contact point to York Factory is only 19 kilometres. But that ground is brutal — flooded creeks, muskeg, high willows. He never made it across, and we lost his trail."

"People looked out for him. They made sure he had food and gear when he passed by."

"He texted me around 1:12 p.m. Eastern, said he’d be there in six hours. He even asked if the museum group was still there. He was upbeat, he knew exactly where he was. I relayed that to York Factory."

"That was the first sign something was wrong. His dog made it, but Stefan didn’t."

"I first called RCMP in Gillam, but they didn’t understand — they kept asking if he was driving or flying. I kept saying, ‘He’s walking on the coast'. They told me it wasn’t their area."

"They didn’t even go to the exact waypoint Stefan messaged me from, which was a kilometre inland. That’s Search and Rescue 101: you start from the last known location."

"We did everything we could with what we had. We started from his last known point, we followed his tracks until they disappeared. After that, nothing. No garbage, no debris, no sign of him. Just silence." 

Angus Miles, Fort Severn resident 

 

"Due to the extreme challenges of this area, most of the searching will be done via aircraft, boats and drones. The local guides and those heading up are extremely well versed in the local terrain and the dangers that exist in this area which include polar bears and wolves."

"We went straight to the coordinates. Within 10 seconds of hovering, we found his trail — bootprints and dog tracks in the muskeg. We followed it until it disappeared into a flooded creek."

"He was directly on the east side shore of the Hayes River, located approximately 4.4 kms from York Factory."

"If you're able to walk anywhere, usually the best areas to walk is the riverbanks because that's the most stable soil. Otherwise, it's bog, [a] kind of swampy, [waist-high] marsh muskeg."

"The likelihood is he may have entered the river to try to cross and was swept up in the water."

"There aren't too many people on this planet that could make that trek. The fact that he actually almost made it, it's impressive."

RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre  

Steffen Skjottelvik is shown in a 2023 photo. (Steffan Skjottelvik/Facebook)

 

"He has dreamed about crossing Canada by foot for a number of years. By foot in summer, and with dog sled in winter."

"He has saved money for many years to be able to do this trip."

"He has prepared himself for this trip for many years. He got to know many people while walking. He also lived with them for longer periods, before moving along."

Uncle Lars Jorgen Sorensen, Norway  

A young Norwegian adventurer, seized with an experience he imagined he could pull off, the adventure of a lifetime. Perhaps in his enthusiasm it hadn't really occurred to the 29-year-old that this adventure would shorten his lifetime, but then the young don't think like that typically; they focus on the adventure, not the potential consequences. 

 

He might perhaps have done well in his preparations, to have consulted a book titled The North-West Passage by Land, authored by two men who had set out on a journey quite like the one young Steffen imagined for himself, almost two hundred years earlier. That was when adventurers from Britain, skilled with similar experiences set out to make their way from Canada's east coast to its far-flung west coast. They faced similar conditions, but had decided they would lay over the winter in Manitoba after their overland journey that got them that far to await spring before continuing their journey.

 

This young Norwegian trekker who set out with his two dogs over a wild and remote terrain that would challenge the physical and mental resources of any fit, athletic and resourceful outdoorsman whose ambition was to face an arduous journey with resolute determination, has disappeared. He managed quite a journey, facing the dangers of treacherous muskeg and swift-moving northern Manitoba rivers on his cross-continental trip across the Canadian wilderness.

 

Last month he had set out hiking from Fort Severn Ontario with his two dogs. RCMP officers in Gillam, Manitoba had been contacted Friday when Steffen Skjottelvik's expected arrival at York Factory, 850 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg failed to materialize. Alarm was initially raised when one of his dogs appeared on its own, exhausted, at York Factory, the young man nowhere in sight. The second dog might have been lost in an altercation with wolves.  

 

Searchers continue looking for Norwegian trekker Steffen Skjottelvik, 29, who went missing near York Factory, Man., after setting out from Fort Severn, Ont., on a solo hike along the Hudson Bay coast. His last message was sent Aug. 14, just 20 kilometres from his destination. Photo by Steffen Skjottelvik /Winnipeg Sun

Locals responded to the situation immediately it became clear that the young man appeared to have met with misfortune; given the circumstances of weather, terrain and adversarial wildlife, a not totally surprising situation. Searching the region by boat and plane is the preferred option, given the danger posed by the terrain for anyone attempting to canvass the area on foot, as the young Norwegian had done, to his great peril.

From a Facebook group that developed with the distinct purpose of tracking Skjottelvik's journey, it appears he had planned to trek from James Bay, the vast distance to Alaska. Police advise that the young man would have had to cross six or seven rivers by foot, all the while alert to the need to fend off wildlife, including wolves and polar bears. Hayes River nearby his destination is one of the swiftest-moving rivers in the country. There is, furthermore, a four-metre tide from the impact of Hudson Bay.

In requesting search assistance from other agencies, the RCMP has had no luck, given the clear safety risks involved. A drone was used on Monday by one RCMP officer, hoping that a heat source could pinpoint some possible evidence of a congregating of animals. It is estimated that within the next several days, searchers will have covered most of the terrain.  

Supplied image of the terrain where Steffen Skjottelvik was hiking.

No Stone Left Unturned; No Slander Too Fantastic to Hang on Israel

"[It is] unconscionable [to allow Israeli athletes to participate in the matches in light of the Jewish state’s alleged] ongoing genocide in Palestine [during the Israel-Hamas war. The Canadian government and Tennis Canada must] forbid Canadian athletes to compete against Israeli athletes at the Davis Cup and all other international events." 

"[Canada should follow other nations who] refuse to legitimize Israel’s crimes [by pulling out of international sports competitions in which Israel is participating]."

"Sport is an important space for engendering national sentiment. For this reason, it has, both in the past and today, played an essential role in both promoting national sentiment tied to genocide and in producing national sentiment essential for dismantling apartheid states."

"As such, this is an important moment for Sport Canada and Tennis Canada to promote social justice and stand on the right side of history … sport sanctions against the nation [of Israel] are an essential tool for demonstrating Canada’s ongoing disapproval of Israel’s actions."

Open letter by over 400 signees

 

"We recognize this is a highly complex situation that goes far beyond sport. However, Israel has not been excluded from international sporting events, and it has not been suspended by the International Olympic Committee."

"Across tennis, careful consideration is given to the participation of teams and players representing every nation, and the safety of all players, tournament staff, and supporters is always paramount at every event."

"We will continue to work closely with Tennis Canada in relation to this event."

International Tennis Federation 

 

"Tennis Canada acknowledges the ongoing and deeply complex situation in the Middle East. As a national sports organization, our mission is to promote the sport of tennis and create opportunities for players and fans to engage with the game in a spirit of respect and inclusivity. Our focus remains on ensuring a safe, fair, and professional competition for all athletes, staff, volunteers, and spectators."

"[We will work closely with ITF and authorities] to ensure this event is conducted in accordance with international sporting standards and with the well-being of all participants as our top priority."

Tennis Canada response 

More than 100 protesters gathered outside Halifax City Hall to call for the cancellation of the Davis Cup tie between Canada and Israel. (Source: Carl Pomeroy/CTV News Atlantic)

 

A match-up between Israeli and Canadian tennis players is scheduled to be hosted in Halifax on September 12 and 13 as part of the Davis Cup finals. This is the leading team tennis event in the world and the result of the tie, through a series of five matches determines which country will advance to the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers.

 

An open letter, with signatures by over 400 academics, activists, athletes and writers argues that sport should no longer be seen as sport in isolation of world events without taking into account international situations of grave concern, and in this instance, Israel's military operations in Gaza. Military operations, as it happens, occasioned by Palestinian terrorist groups flooding from Gaza into southern Israel on October 7 of 2023 on a mission of mass death. 

 

Since the invasion of Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces whose purpose was to destroy the leading terrorist group Hamas, to ensure that their promise of delivering one October 7 after another, following another -- in perpetuity until Israel fails to exist -- will never come to fruition. The Israeli military has had to cope with terrorist groups that unfailingly integrate themselves within the general population so that in striking terrorist operatives, the general civilian population is placed in mortal danger.

 

Nothing stops the terrorist operatives from placing rocket launchers in crowded civilian enclaves, guaranteeing that return fire will result in collateral damage, for the heads of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine have no intention of sparing Palestinian civilians from the military responses by Israel countering the atrocities committed by them in Israel. Numbers of civilians injured or killed in the conflict simply play into the terrorist propaganda of victimhood, aiding their narrative of 'genocide'.

 

Israeli athletes competing in the Davis Cup 2025 Qualifiers Israel vs. Germany. Photo: IMAGO/Paul Zimmer via Reuters Connect

 

The open letter addressed to Sport Canada and Tennis Canada insists that "This is an important moment for Sport Canada and Tennis Canada to promote social justice and stand on the right side of history". In response the International Tennis Federation which organizes the Davis Cup, stated it had no intention of barring Israel from competing. As did Tennis Canada, stating that the match will proceed as planned, emphasizing its role is one of promotion of sport.

 

Journalists and University of British Columbia professors Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis, Alex Neve, (former secretary-general of Amnesty International Canada, now a professor at University of Ottawa), and three former United Nations special rapporteurs were among the 'social justice' luminaries whose signatures adorned the letter. Every one of whom has always been a vividly committed accuser of Israel's very existence. 

 

A "small mob of extremists" is how David Cooper, vice-president of government relations for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs characterized the letter signees, adding that their censure of Israel in accusing the Jewish state of 'apartheid' and 'genocide' place them in no position to determine which nation may or may not compete in a sport dedicated to bringing human endeavours to a high degree of performance while respecting the sportsmanship of all countries whose athletes are capable of qualifying for championship status. 

 

A sign posted on Agricola Street in Halifax calls for officials to cancel the Davis Cup match between Team Canada and Israel that's scheduled for Sept. 12 and 13 at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Credit: Rob Roberts)