#Kottu with a view. Lovely to be back in #SriLanka

We've made it on to bluesky! Find the full articles over on lowbrow.au or on our substack!

An atmospheric Lodhi Rd, #Delhi on a hazy cool November morning. #India

Ed Luce's FT column this morning is pure brilliance.

Superb #breakfast in #Mostar #BosniaHercegovina with an iconic view to match. #SriLanka has a European rival in the breakfast league. Www.urban-Mostar.com

Summer in #Ottawa! My weekend’s work is cut out. #Raspberries are local and the #apricots from #Niagara. The preserves will be a welcome bit of summer in the basement when winter inevitably comes.

From me. The #G7 in Kananaskis was a significant opportunity to kickstart a reset the Canada-India relationship. Hazards remain, but each can be useful to the other as global turmoil shows no sign of abating. @asiapacificfdn.bsky.social

The egg did seem big. A double yolk is supposed to bring good luck. No question we could use some wherever it can be found…

Business like and diplomatic--nice change. Return of high commissioners suggests both sides want an off ramp from the mayhem of the last two years. At the same time, #G7 stmt on transnational repression (pm.gc.ca/en/news/stat...) will be noticed in Delhi. #CanadaIndia www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/read...

Took advantage of the train today to finish @vajra.me’s “The Saint of Bright Doors”. Totally unexpected, and remarkable on a number of levels. English writing coming out of #SriLanka continues to have a great run.

Only my third visit to #NiagaraFalls, and my first in summer. Notwithstanding all the endless tourist kitsch nearby, the Canadian falls did not disappoint.

With a quote from me. #CanadaIndia #G7 #Canada #India p.dw.com/p/4vrDt

New from me. Good that PM Carney let Canada’s interests guide the invitation to Indian PM Modi to attend the #G7, but the oversimplified response from much of the Canadian commentariat suggests we have a way to go before we can have a serious conversation about what we face.

Lovely recognition of the Casualty Identification Program @CanadianForces This small team of a forensic anthropologist and historians (incl. my daughter @alxmck.bsky.social !) keeps up a promise made long ago to the families of #Canada's 27,000 war missing.

📢Blog par @dbmckinnon.bsky.social - La place du Canada dans un monde désordonné : Quelle est la prochaine étape pour la diplomatie canadienne ? Une politique étrangère crédible et durable doit refléter ce que nous sommes, ce qui nous tient à cœur et ce que nous défendons...🔗https://bit.ly/4kRbWB7

📢New blog by @dbmckinnon.bsky.social - Canada’s Place in a Disordered World: What’s Next for Canadian Diplomacy? A credible and enduring foreign policy will reflect who we are, what we care about, and what we stand for... 🔗https://bit.ly/4kRbWB7

Absolutely worth reading this piece by Brahma Chellaney on Trump’s dealings with India. The extraordinary self-destruction of US power and influence in the Indo-Pacific continues unabated. Art of the deal, only the best etc etc.

Nous sommes impatients de participer à la conférence de lundi prochain ! Avec 3 panels : 🔷Dans quelle mesure pouvons-nous compter sur nos alliances ? 🔷Comment devrions-nous nous engager avec le reste du monde ? 🔷En quoi cela change-t-il notre diplomatie ? >>> bit.ly/3EXmijn

We're excited for next Monday's conference! Featuring 3 panels: 🔷How Much Can We Rely on Our Traditional Alliances? 🔷How Should We Engage the Rest of the World? 🔷How Does This Change Our Diplomacy? @jacquelinebest.bsky.social @vinanadjibulla.bsky.social @dbmckinnon.bsky.social >>> bit.ly/438FST4

As we see all too predictable breaches of electoral law, this great article explains why the ban on polling booth ballot selfies actually matters.

I am not exactly a church going guy, but I make an exception for special occasions. Please vote! #CanadaElections2025 #CanadaVotes

Shocking. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Whoever wins April 28 must make the case for #Canada to re-engage — effectively and pragmatically — with India. #India is far too important to our economic and security future to ignore. My take, via @asiapacificfdn.bsky.social #canpoli #foreignpolicy www.asiapacific.ca/publication/...

Apart from the arrival of spring in #Ottawa, Easter heralded another big change in our house: the arrival of six month old Patty. 15 year old Ozzie, the resident miniature poodle. does not yet seem to be as charmed as we are. He is getting more sleep, though.

Once the snow recedes, it doesn’t take long for some colourful reminders of the exuberant #Ottawa spring and summer to appear. I haven’t put away the snow shovel yet, however.

A bit early to be dreaming of a white Easter? #Spring #Ottawa

The Rideau Fallsbin #Ottawa onnMatch 2 and March 17. #Spring is arriving.

A @news.dw.com piece by Murali Krishnan on the prospects for Canada India relations in this rapidly evolving world With a quote from me. p.dw.com/p/4rrc3

This is quite something. Both tragic and almost funny. Not sure the UK should get off so easily, though, given Brave Sir Robin’s recent performance.

And a good morning it is in #SriLanka. Nothing quite like the simplicity of buffalo curd and kithul treacle to help kickstart the day.

I can. In fact, the Canadian version is so great, I can't think of an American equivalent. 🧵

In these crazy days, this sober and penetrating analysis from @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social is very welcome. I hope Canadian policy makers—and the Canadian Trump acolytes—hear this. “Trump is acting like a king because he’s too weak to govern like a president.” 1/3 podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/t...

This echoes guidance given to human rights defenders working in countries defined by a significant democratic deficit, & under authoritarian regimes that murdered, abducted, & tortured with impunity. I should know. I grew up, work, & live in one. That it now applies to US is frankly beyond surreal.

US will be far more stable after it's halted the daily tsunami of fentanyl and illegal immigrants coming from Canada.

A great read from the indomitable @yuanyiz.bsky.social.

"When she released her report, she read a prepared statement, stood up, announced she’d take no questions, turned around and disappeared behind a black curtain." That says it all. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...

A #winter Sunday morning in our neighbourhood in #Ottawa.

One last espresso at the airport before our flight from #Rome. What a joy as a coffee bore to spend 10 days in a country where this is as effortless as in, say, #Melbourne or #Canberra.

On the Frecciarossa Roma/Firenze. As a Canadian, it’s good to be reminded that trains can go faster than cars.

Not too many morning runs like this. The Tiber, Circus Maximus, Colosseum, and the Forum. Picturesque decaying monuments of the most powerful empire of its time. I would never get tired of this if I lived in #Rome, although my pace would (hopefully) improve without photo stops.

"Leadership races as membership drives are a terrible idea at the best of times, but if ever there were a time to let the caucus choose who should lead them, it is now." Great perspective from @acoyne.bsky.social. But is anyone listening? www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Random things you find in #Rome: Bernini’s c1650 fountain of the four rivers, Piazza Navona. The figures represent the Ganges, the Danube, the Nile, and la Plata. The head of the Nile is covered as its source was unknown at the time. Taken this evening.

Not really the tundra. This time of year, it is not obvious that #Ottawa is effectively as close to the Equator as the North Pole. #YOW

Niall Ferguson in great form . Worth reading, including (or especially) by Canadians. — Novelists and filmmakers have long developed alternative histories of major conflicts that should serve as warnings for complacent Americans. www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

In anything other than the most highly centralized Westminster parliamentary system in the world, the Liberals would have a new leader and Canada a new prime minister before mid week. In fact, this would almost certainly have happened months ago. Democracy (and Canadians) are not well served.

No need to go to #Roswell (or New Jersey...) to look for a #UFO. This is the so-called Spaceship House in Albuquerque, #NewMexico, also known as the studio and residence of architect Bart Prince.

My kind of Christmas decoration. #NewMexico

Former Canadian high commissioner to #SriLanka @dbmckinnon.bsky.social breaks down Sri Lanka's recent #elections, arguing the time is ripe for Ottawa to 'reset relations' with the country 🇱🇰👇

The ghosts of #Ottawa’s lumber town past may have something to say about our #Christmas tree from #Australia. No problem with needles, though. And the ornaments look good.