Cameron’s degrading, one-dimensional take on Indigenous people a money-making machine

In James Cameron’s blockbuster film Avatar: Fire and Ash — the third entry in the director’s franchise, released this past weekend — there is a scene that attempts to represent a real-life ceremony Cameron witnessed in 2012 in Papua New Guinea.

Big, bold beverages to ward off the winter chill

Anyone who has spent the last few days shoveling snow in gale-force winds or pushing out cars or buses from snowbanks can attest to just how bone-chilling this recent polar vortex (or Alberta clipper or whatever you want to call it) has been.

Whether you’ve managed to get your neighbour unstuck, have dug out your own vehicle or have simply navigated this city in the midst of our current snowy, icy deep freeze, here are a half-dozen robust, warming drinks to reward yourself with — and to help take the edge off that wicked wintry chill. (Next week: the annual sparkling wine roundup for all your New Year’s needs.)

The Brazen Brewing Co. Jól Belgian Tripel (Winnipeg — $4.99/473ml can, brewery, beer vendors, Liquor Marts) is back again.

A “non-traditional” Belgian-style tripel featuring the addition of oranges, it’s deep copper and clear in appearance. Aromatically, that citrus comes through with deep, almost-sweet malt, dried fruit and a hint of spice.

Director Rob Reiner’s oeuvre more than mere movies

Rob Reiner made the kind of movies that became people’s favourite movies.

For all of high school, his 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap was mine. As a kid who grew up loving rock music and wanted nothing more than to be a music journalist, his comedy about an aging English heavy metal band — played by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, all in top form — going out on an American tour with a documentary crew in tow, checked a lot of boxes for me.

This Is Spinal Tap came out a year before I was born, so I discovered it via my dad, who caught it on TV while channel surfing and summoned me with a “You gotta see this, it’s a classic” even though it was late and I had school the next day.

But education comes in many forms, and This Is Spinal Tap is a masterclass in comedy.

AI policy needs: principles, boundaries, expectations grounded in respect for people

Artificial intelligence has officially left the “future of work” category and moved squarely into the “already at work” reality.

Storied value investor Larry Sarbit opens up about new podcast, basics of good investing

A lot of famed Canadian investors can arguably be dubbed “Canada’s Warren Buffett.”

When thinking of a north-of-the-border version of the legendary American investor, Prem Watsa, chief executive officer of Fairfax Financial, often comes to mind. So, too, does Stephen Jarislowsky, founder of JFL Global Investment Management.

Yet another well-known value investor — essentially bargain-hunting stock picker — is a local product: Larry Sarbit, now semi-retired.

He’s managed billions of dollars of assets over his decades-long career. And his track record during his prime speaks for itself: from 1988 to 2016, his U.S. value approach outperformed the S&P 500.

A sliver of hope amid darkening grey days

No three wise men, just three tall running men on the road, seeming all the taller because they are not bulked up in Winnipeg winterwear.

They show a distinct absence of frankincense and myrrh, instead bearing gifts of a bounty of sweat-wicking miracle fabrics and expensive sneakers. They run with the loose, limber-legged strides of bodies that know exactly what’s required of them, a pack in motion.

They don’t need to speak, and their feet share a cadence, while across the road, bundled, I shuffle slow and look for the amber-orange top-lights of the D28 bus, top-lights that, if I see them, mean the bus will pass before I get to my stop.

For nine cold, dark blocks, I see only four people — those runners, and the dog walker whose two charges include a big dog with only three legs, missing one in the front. The sidewalks are icy, the streets, more so, and the most regular colour is the tone cast by the streetlights, raising a grey-blue from whatever they touch. Christmas lights on many houses try hard, but the weight of the grey overwhelms their sparkle. And mine.

NDP wins popularity contest by default after difficult years under Tories

Premier Wab Kinew can apparently do no wrong.

More than two years into its mandate, the Manitoba NDP government remains remarkably popular, according to a Free Press–Probe Research poll that suggests voter support for the government is not just holding, but holding firm.

At 53 per cent, NDP support is unchanged since September and well above where it stood when the party took power in October 2023.

That kind of staying power halfway through a first mandate is not entirely surprising. Still, it is impressive considering the NDP’s less-than-stellar record.

Serif tiffs, type gripes and character assassination

WHAT IT IS: The U.S. State Department has spent the last several days at the centre of a font debate, after a Dec. 9 announcement that official department documents would use Times New Roman typeface, ousting the Calibri typeface instituted during the former administration.

For a department accustomed to monitoring serious global conflicts, this “fontroversy” involves considerably smaller stakes.

Still, as history has proven, typeface wars can be hard-fought and fraught, sometimes even vicious.

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: The miracle of mass-produced printed language relies on typefaces, which are standardized sets of letters, numbers and symbols. Several factors go into the design of what is estimated to be the roughly 200,000 different typefaces now in use, including shape, spacing, weight and contrast.

Hate, lies, heroes and kindness

Hate is explosive. Hope is quiet. One killer with a weapon can do damage so immense, it terrifies the world and obscures the everyday goodness of millions. But there is yet more good in us than evil. Far more who would save lives, rather than take them.

Consumers, groups outraged over proposed Hydro rate increases miss the point

There is a stubborn political fantasy in Manitoba that electricity should be cheap forever, regardless of drought, aging infrastructure or soaring debt. It’s a comforting idea. But it’s also nonsense.