No tinsel for you!

Hello!

Today was a driving day, so I’m pretty zonked. It’ll be a bit of a weird Christmas, but looking forward to some lower-key weeks nonetheless. If you’re around KW and want to catch up, give me a shout!

Liiiiiinks:

• The Globe published an investigation into Canada’s food safety inspection regime, centred around the listeria outbreak declared earlier this year. It’s a good investigation, explaining the underlying system that arguably led to the outbreak (an algorithm!), and the very real human consequences of it all. What struck me, though, was how the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) actually seemed to respond to a number of detailed questions, making their positions (even if contestable!) clear. In Friday’s follow-up article, there was even a CFIA executive making a statement on the record. This shouldn’t feel so refreshing, and yet!
• A very Ottawa week led to a very Ottawa article and also political scientists gearing up with views on everybody’s favourite: the constitutionalism of prorogation.
• Good journalism requires committed owners.
• Winnie Lim on living a smaller life: starts with discussing a smaller life online, one with a website not indexed by Google, and moves to discuss a smaller life offline.
• The internet offers an embarrassment of cultural riches at our fingertips.
• I did not know about England’s historical sumptuary laws regulating who could wear which clothing. No tinsel for you, mere knight!

Finally, and worth sharing outside the link list, the always excellent yearly advent of short, thoughtful essays: I thought about that a lot. All the best for the hopefully merry week ahead!

Lucas