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Articles by Don Thompson
Oranžový balonkový pejsek přehled
Ekonom a sběratel současného umění, Don Thompson, znovu poodhaluje vzrušující svět obchodování s uměleckými díly. Nahlíží na něj skrze principy behaviorální ekonomie, poukazuje na častou iracionalitu lidského rozhodování, jež vede k prodeji či koupi uměleckého artefaktu. Autor své čtenáře provádí věhlasnými aukčními síněmi, galeriemi a muzei, a svůj zasvěcený výklad prokládá mnohdy téměř neuvěřitelnými historkami pracovníků těchto institucí.
THOMPSON: Trump is turning a democracy into a dictatorship
Why aren’t the folks who voted for Donald Trump saying or doing anything as he turns the world’s greatest democracy into the world’s greatest dictatorship? That is more or less a rhetorical question…because the answer seems all-too-obvious. You’d think that anyone who would throw their shoulders back, look to the heavens and announce loudly in a public forum, “I am a proud Republican!”…might suffer from some curious mental disorder…or perhaps they are going for large-scale ironic humour.
THOMPSON: Department of War name change comes with hefty bill for American taxpayers
Last month, President Donald Trump decided he liked the sound of Department of War a lot more than Department of Defense. It was - like so many Trump impulses - a move that did little to change reality other than cost taxpayers. The price tag for that single word change will cost Americans about $1 Billion. Everything from signs on nearly 500 military installations in the U.S. and another 750 around the world to letterhead stationery for tens of thousands of senior officers has to change.
THOMPSON: Censorship, capitulation nothing new in American entertainment industry
Earlier this month, ABC - one of America’s major television networks - folded like a cheap suit when President Trump’s Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr threatened: “I mean, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Carr’s threat came after Conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was murdered, and ABC late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel said this on air four days later: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize...
THOMPSON: Don't speak ill of the dead; speak the truth
I’ve always heard folks say, “Don’t speak ill of the dead.” Presumably, the reasoning is that they’re no longer here to defend their comments or actions. Sorry, but sometimes we have enough of a record…hundreds or thousands of examples of comments and behaviour to warrant a critical enough review of someone’s life…to speak the truth about them. Don’t misinterpret my words…no one should be targeted with violence because of what they say in a democracy. That’s not how democracies work.
THOMPSON: What we can learn about America from Cracker Barrel's woke logo failure
In 1970, writer Nora Ephron cleaned up an old quote attributed to writer and social critic H.L. Mencken in 1926…writing that “no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." These words are as true as words can be. I know this after decades of keen observation of the American public…and what this all-too-ignorant and naive population accepts as truth and fact versus the fantasies foisted on it by - among others - corporations.
THOMPSON: The problem with 'influencers'
If you’re a huge fan of pop culture - something I’ve never been - it must be hard to keep up. Things change too fast today for most folks to stay abreast of what’s happening…what’s hot and what’s not. Maybe if you’re a top “influencer”…and have a team of less influential “influencers” working for you…you might stay ahead of most people. If so, I pity your life…or what passes for a life.
THOMPSON: Even Elvis was a fan of the 'King of Cool' Dean Martin
Who would have guessed in the late 1950s that the coolest guy in America for the next quarter-century would be a fella named Dino Paul Crocetti from Steubenville, Ohio? Of course, he became better known as Dean Martin to millions of fans worldwide…“The King of Cool” and a quadruple-threat star by the mid-1960s. Martin had hit songs and movies, top television programs and record-breaking nightclub appearances…making him one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th Century.
THOMPSON: Hey Trump, the good ol' days in America weren't so good
When I hear someone who remembers fondly…“the good ol’ days”…I’m certain of a couple facts. One, the person is over 50 years old. Two, no matter what decade is remembered…the good ol' days weren’t always all that good.
THOMPSON: Donald the lier and the Jeffrey Epstein files
Earlier this month, Donald Trump was asked time and time again about releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files. Epstein was a financier and child sex offender…a vocation and avocation that don’t necessarily go together. As he tried to answer the question, Trump - a well-documented liar - looked like a teenager caught by mom and dad coming home with the family car an hour after curfew.
THOMPSON: America, the call is coming from inside the house
Born July 1, 1867, Canada has never really faced the possibility of being anything less than a representative democracy. So, most Canadians might only guess the despair watching my native land slip from a democratic republic to a dictatorship. It is not easy to witness the U.S. make that move…more hare-like than tortoise-like…after 250 years.
THOMPSON: Regressive Big Beautiful Bill attack on most vulnerable Americans
I have witnessed poor Americans getting clobbered by Republican politicians time after time during my life. Yet, every four years, the poor - by either voting for Republicans out of ignorance or not voting at all…also out of ignorance - hand the rich and powerful the stick with which they are beaten. Americans - rich and poor - are 17 months from a mid-term election and 41 months from a presidential election.
THOMPSON: More questions than answers following Trump's attack on Iran
Just six months ago, President Donald Trump said he would “stop the chaos in the Middle East…prevent world war three”. Last week, President Trump ordered the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites…in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan…all without the knowledge and approval of the U.S. Congress. As usual with everything Donald Trump does…there are more questions than answers…more craftily worded comments than simple truthful explanations.
THOMPSON: Trying to make sense of the senseless hate in the US
After every heinous crime in the United States - like the recent attacks on two Minnesota politicians and their spouses or Trump’s use of military force in Los Angeles to quell non-existent “riots” - folks go on television and try to make sense of hateful actions. They invariably do an awful job. We hear the familiar choruses of “This isn’t us,” and “America is better than this”…neither of which - by the way - is true. The politically motivated assassinations of Democratic state Rep.
THOMPSON: Life and times of train porters in US and Canada
Forty years ago, I moved to Washington, D.C. from Wilmington, DE, and started looking for a home. I worked in the U.S. capital the first time nearly 50 years ago, when I was 25 years old…choosing then to live in a fashionable suburb…Reston, VA. This second time, I was 35 years old…married…with no children…and chose urban rather than suburban life. I hated commuting…for me a waste of time in every sense.
THOMPSON: Why Trump's acceptance of palatial jetliner is problematic
Say you were coaching hockey - a junior A team - and a parent of one of the players offered you a brand new Mercedes for free if you played his son more…what would you do? Say “Thanks” and hope no one would be the wiser? Or tell them, “No…sorry, I’m not for sale.” That’s the stuff that defines your character…your integrity…your ethics. Fundamentally, this is the situation Donald Trump finds himself…almost daily.
THOMPSON: Hey Canada, it's time to improve the Trans-Canada Highway
Twice a year, I drive 1,881 kilometres of the Trans-Canada Highway between Vernon and Winnipeg. Groucho Marx once said, “I’ve had a great evening…but this isn’t it.” In parody, let me declare, I’ve driven a great highway…but this isn’t it. I can’t speak about the conditions of Canada’s Highway beyond Winnipeg…because I’ve never driven a kilometre beyond its eastern city limits.
THOMPSON: When will Republicans wake up and see the damage Trump is doing?
Donald Trump isn’t honest…that’s something all who know him or witness his behaviour or hear his countless lies…understand fully. Unfortunately, the only truthful part of that sentence is the fact that Donald Trump is dishonest. That’s because some people believe Trump…regardless of what he does or what he says…and despite his life-long history of, well, simply fooling and defrauding folks. The result, of course, is that Republican voters by the millions elected this scoundrel…twice.
THOMPSON: Canadians shouldn't blame all Americans for Donald Trump
I used to wonder why people would support a tyrant, someone who went against everything they were ever taught about being a good…decent…person. With age, however, sometimes comes wisdom. There is a common trait shared by Adolph Hitler, Al Capone, Vlad the Impaler, Muammar Gaddafi and Donald Trump. Each of these people cared less about fact and truth and justice…choosing instead to pursue their own perverse reality.
THOMPSON: Why women live longer than men? Scientists are working on it
Don Thompson March 17, 2025 - 12:00 PM It’s a fact…women live longer than men. In Canada, a woman can expect to live 84 years…men, just over 79 years…five fewer years. In the U.S., both men and women can expect a life four years shorter…80 and 75, respectively. This female-male longevity gap holds regardless of where folks live…or how much money they make. The differences in life expectancy for men and women are similar in Europe and Asia and Africa…even during pandemics and famines.
THOMPSON: Why you should increase your marketing budget in uncertain times
March 03, 2025 - 12:00 PM You run a small company, but you’re scared Donald Trump’s actions might tank the Canadian economy. Do you draw in your horns, cut your marketing budget and prepare for the worst? “No!” That’s a losing strategy. Now, is the time to consider increasing your marketing budget. But you have to be smart about what you do, and how you do it. All marketing is not created equally. This isn’t a shoot-from-the-hip opinion.
THOMPSON: Let's hope Americans rise up in protest against wannabe dictator Donald Trump
February 17, 2025 - 12:00 PM The 1960s and 1970s were turbulent…often crazy times. I lived it…voting for the first time, protesting for the first time…and living in another country for the first time. With assassinations of Sen. Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Vietnam, Watergate, Women’s Liberation, Civil Rights, First Man on the Moon…there was no shortage of events and causes.
THOMPSON: Is AI good or evil, or somewhere in between?
February 10, 2025 - 12:00 PM Apple started airing a television commercial called “Write Smarter” last Fall. It shows an office worker in a cubicle using Apple’s “intelligence” system on his iPhone 16 Pro. He writes an email to his boss…visible in a glassed-in office maybe 50 feet away. Once composed, his email looks like it was written by either a smart chimpanzee or someone who doesn’t speak the language very well. Most folks aren’t very good writers…with clarity of thought often in doubt.
THOMPSON: Canada don't fall for Trump's lies, bluster and nonsense
Don Thompson (DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) February 03, 2025 - 12:00 PM Every Canadian - every business owner, employer, corporate executive and consumer - needs to step back…breathe deeply…then disregard almost all of Donald Trump’s bullshit threats. Seriously, don’t fall for his lies and bluster and utter nonsense. He is playing you…or trying to…and I don’t want you to fall for his ploy. Donald Trump likes nothing more than creating chaos…making people feel uneasy…fearful.
THOMPSON: Can America live through four more years of Donald Trump, and survive?
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) January 27, 2025 - 12:00 PM The President of the United States is above the law…well, more precisely…Donald Trump is above the law. The man occupying the White House is a convicted felon…34 times. Likewise, a jury concluded that Trump sexually assaulted and defamed E. Jean Carroll, awarding her $5 million…and another $83.3 million when he defamed her again.
THOMPSON: Most harmful thing crossing border from US? Right wing extremism
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) January 20, 2025 - 12:00 PM Canada and the United States share the world’s longest international border…and the histories and cultures of the two nations are inextricably intertwined. But there has been little similarity between Canada and the U.S. in politics…until lately. I remember when then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau praised Cuba in a linguistic middle-finger salute to America’s anti-Castro policies.
THOMPSON: Reflections on friendship with the start of the new year
OPINION The recent passing of one year into the next is a natural time to remember friends…Auld Lang Syne…thoughts of days gone by. Of course, the word “friend” is open to interpretation. I don’t necessarily include all 200 folks Facebook calls my “friends” as people I’d take a bullet for…or they for me for that matter. Quite frankly, I don’t even recognize eight so-called friends of mine on Facebook…they are people I have never met.
THOMPSON: Why I have hope today's youth will do better than my generation
OPINION As I was considering what to write during the holidays, I remembered one of my columns from a few years ago. It doesn’t mention Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanza, but after I updated some statistics, I believe it’s even more relevant today. So, please, enjoy. If ever you doubt yourself - or others - especially today’s youth, take a deep breath and don’t give up. It’s easy to look about and feel discouraged, even hopeless at what we face today.
THOMPSON: Why 'Peace on Earth' doesn't stand much of a chance
OPINION It’s that time of year, once again. Every December of my 74 years, I have read banners proclaiming - or heard folks sing about - Peace on Earth. When I was young, I actually believed such a thing wasn’t just possible, it was likely. Now, after decades of being slapped in the face by reality…at best I seem to manage a wry smile at the mention of world peace.
THOMPSON: President or dictator? Time will tell as Trump picks his administration
OPINION Americans live in a democratic republic, but that could change under Donald Trump. There’s mounting evidence - six weeks before his inauguration - of Trump wanting to rule more as a dictator. What evidence? Well, a look at the folks Trump picks for top jobs in his Administration is telling. All are based on loyalty…rather than competence or expertise…something even Trump makes clear.
THOMPSON: Why the draconian abortion ban in Texas should worry all Americans
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) December 02, 2024 - 12:00 PM If you want to know what just one facet of America will look like under Trump, Vance and MAGA Republicans - simply look at Texas. You haven’t read - for the most part - about most of the deaths of pregnant women in Texas since abortions were banned in 2021. But it’s starting to trend in Texas, and the rest of the U.S. will likely follow during Trump’s reign.
THOMPSON: Do you know where second base goes on a baseball diamond? Most don't
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) November 25, 2024 - 12:00 PM Whether you play or only watch baseball, most people probably believe they know exactly where second base is located. The truth is, most of the people I ask cannot place second base correctly. “Are you kidding?” you ask.
THOMPSON: Get ready to pick up the pieces of another Trump mess
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) November 18, 2024 - 12:00 PM Another U.S. presidential election has come and gone. I’ve voted in every election since 1968 - 15 elections - so I have some experience, some perspective. One of the great things about that much history is that you know and understand fully what it means when your candidate wins, or loses. I’ve been lower than a snake’s belly more than a few nights as ballots were counted…Nixon in ’68 and ’72, George W.
THOMPSON: Canada year's ahead of American in its treatment of Indigenous people
Don Thompson (DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) November 11, 2024 - 12:00 PM A couple weeks before Americans elected a new president, Joe Biden left the White House and flew to Arizona. He was there for two reasons: campaign for his vice president, Kamala Harris, who hoped to become the 48th president of the U.S., but fell short; and, apologize to the Gila River Indian Community near Phoenix.
THOMPSON: How the MAGA Republican cult hopes to win the election
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) October 14, 2024 - 12:00 PM What would Trump and his minions do to win the U.S. presidential election next month? Lie? Cheat? Steal? Yes, all of that and more. And when they are caught - lying, cheating, stealing - they simply double-down…triple-down…quadruple-down. There you have it, the entire MAGA Republican 2024 political strategy. It’s not about freedom. It’s not about Democracy. It’s not about the Constitution and Bill of Rights. It’s not even about God.
THOMPSON: Why it's alright for children to be bored
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) September 23, 2024 - 12:00 PM I like to think I’m a keen observer…of people, places…my environment. For some time, I’ve noticed how some parents go about the job of…well, parenting. It is different from when my parents were doing their best to see that I became useful, productive member of society as opposed to say…a felon. They did pretty well, I guess, as I have long avoided incarceration.
THOMPSON: Trump's plan to fund child care in US make no sense
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) September 16, 2024 - 12:00 PM Just after Labor Day, Donald Trump - now the oldest man to ever run for president in the United States - addressed the Economic Club of New York. He then took four prearranged questions. Even so, all of his answers were rambling, non-answers really. The final question was whether he would make affordable child care a priority as president.
THOMPSON: The art - and cost - of keeping a pool's chemistry balanced
Don Thompson (DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) September 02, 2024 - 12:00 PM It’s great having a swimming pool. It is the focus of Summer fun…for family and friends…and thank God, it’s almost over for another year. Oh, I fully appreciate our good fortune in having such a luxury just steps outside our back door. But swimming pools - like boats and recreational vehicles - are not necessarily the gift that keeps on giving.
THOMPSON: Kamala Harris will win more votes in November than Donald Trump
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) August 26, 2024 - 12:00 PM In July, a poll of likely American voters gave a slight edge to Donald Trump over Joe Biden in the coming presidential election. That was then, this is now. On July 23, Biden withdrew, throwing his support behind his vice president, Kamala Harris. In the weeks since, Harris has overtaken Trump, there’s that much hope, that much energy and enthusiasm among Democrats.
THOMPSON: Right wing grift goes with right wing propaganda
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) August 19, 2024 - 12:00 PM It’s complicated. If you met Bill…you would probably say, “Nice guy,” and over beers discuss whether the Kansas City Chiefs might repeat as NFL champs…or the finer points of fly fishing…or whether In-N-Out Burger or Five Guys is the best burger joint. You’d both tell stories…and both laugh. But any common ground you thought you had would likely shift suddenly and the gulf between you and Bill might seem almost incomprehensible.
THOMPSON: The magic of picking the perfect watermelon
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) August 12, 2024 - 12:00 PM When I was six years old, I liked going with my father to a watermelon farm during the long growing season where I grew up in Florida. He - along with a few other local men - grew watermelons on a large farm near our home, and sold them commercially.
THOMPSON: President Biden needs to step aside and not run for re-election
Don Thompson (DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) July 22, 2024 - 12:00 PM I don’t want President Joe Biden to end his political career the way Babe Ruth closed out his storied baseball career. Hollywood turned out two movies about what many fans still consider the greatest baseball player of all time, one in 1948 starring a hopelessly miscast William Bendix, and another in 1972, starring John Goodman, an actor well-suited to the role.
THOMPSON: Why barbecue isn't cooking outdoors on a grill
Don Thompson (DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) July 22, 2024 - 12:00 PM Summer is a time for cooling off by the pool or at the lake, refreshing drinks, and barbecue. I’m not talking about cooking outdoors on a grill, what most Canadians think of when you say barbecue. In the U.S., it is something you eat, a noun not a verb. In the Deep South it is almost always pork — ribs, pulled or sliced pork shoulder or butt. In Texas, it is almost always beef - ribs or brisket.
THOMPSON: Why Canadians should fear Project 2025 and what it means for democracy
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) July 15, 2024 - 12:00 PM If you haven’t read the blueprint of Right Wing Conservatives in the United States - something called Project 2025 - it is a clear, upfront confession of what might otherwise would be planned crimes against America. Make no mistake, Trump’s Make-America-Great-Again cult isn’t shy about what and how it wants to go about dismantling freedom and democracy, they boldly wrote it in this 972-page game plan in April 2023.
THOMPSON: American presidential election feels like a life-and-death situation
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) July 08, 2024 - 12:00 PM Most of us don’t face a life-and-death situation very often. Oh, some of us do, those awaiting organ transplants or treatment of serious diseases, or members of the military serving in combat, are among the most obvious. On Nov. 5, most of the 342-million Americans will know exactly what a life-and-death situation feels like. Small children won’t know, of course, at least not right away.
THOMPSON: Why it's good to be a kid growing up in Canada, and not the US
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) July 01, 2024 - 12:00 PM There’s good reason to be a child growing up in Canada, rather than the United States. For one thing, you’re six times more likely to celebrate your 20th birthday in Canada. America has a lot to offer…it still clings ferociously to freedom and democracy. There are beautiful natural wonders there. Some of the most gracious and hospitable folks you’ll ever come to know live there…and they mostly possess a positive “we can do it” attitude.
THOMPSON: Air travel isn't fun anymore but you definitely need a sense of humour
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) June 24, 2024 - 12:00 PM If you’re like me, going to the airport to fly somewhere has all the charm and excitement of showing up for a colonoscopy. It wasn’t always this way. There was a time when I relished every aspect of flying, even packing for a business trip to New York, Los Angeles or Toronto. Every flight brought smiles to my face, it was fun. Of course, if you didn’t fly 50…even 40 years ago…you have no benchmark for comparison.
THOMPSON: More money needed for DNA testing in criminal justice system
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) June 17, 2024 - 12:00 PM More than 65 years ago, nine-year-old Candice Rogers came home from school on Friday, March 6, snacked on an oatmeal cookie and played with her dog before setting out to sell Camp Fire Girls mints in her West Central Spokane neighbourhood. Just over three decades later and nearly 3,000 miles away, 32-year-old Pamela Albertson, was grooming a horse at the Pompano Beach, FL racetrack on Tuesday morning, Feb. 20.
THOMPSON: Americans won't let Trump win the election
Don Thompson (DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) June 10, 2024 - 12:00 PM Ironically, nothing has really changed about Donald Trump. Oh, yes, he’s a convicted felon now, 34 times over. But much like Al Capone, who perpetrated countless crimes before eventually being put away for tax evasion, Trump now faces sentencing for falsifying government records, not nearly as heinous a crime as the charges he faces in two remaining Federal cases and another in state court. Still, they are felonies.
THOMPSON: Red Lobster: From fine dining to bankruptcy
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca) June 03, 2024 - 12:00 PM I was in Lakeland, FL, for a baseball tournament the Summer before entering university in 1968. After the game, I took my girlfriend to the newest fancy restaurant in town. It was Red Lobster, the first of what would become an international chain of more than 700 restaurants. A couple weeks ago, Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy…closing more than 100 restaurants.
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