Simple pleasures

I can’t stop singing Neil Diamond songs after seeing “Song sung blue” on Wednesday night.

I’m particularly stuck on “Forever in blue jeans”.

Money talks
But it don’t sing and dance
And it don’t walk
And long as I can have you
Here with me, I’d much rather be
Forever in blue jeans

AI tells me it’s “a feel-good anthem celebrating life’s simple pleasures, authenticity, and lasting love, emphasizing that genuine happiness and connection with a loved one are more valuable than money or fame, with blue jeans symbolizing comfort, timelessness, and realness. It’s about finding contentment in everyday moments, like being with someone special in comfortable attire, rather than material wealth.”

I’m with Neil. Although he was fortunate enough to score wealth and contentment.

The world could do with a bit more contentment right now.

Did you see or read the speech that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made in Davos, Switzerland, this week?

He discussed a “rupture in the world order, the end of a nice story, and the beginning of a brutal reality where geopolitics among the great powers is not subject to any constraints”.

Unless you’ve been out of wifi range for the past 12 months, you will know exactly what he’s talking about.

And he noted that Canada aims to be “principled and pragmatic”.

“Principled in our commitment to fundamental values: sovereignty and territorial integrity, the prohibition of the use of force except when consistent with the UN Charter, respect for human rights,” he said.

He also said: “We are no longer relying on just the strength of our values, but also on the value of our strength.

“We are building that strength at home.

“Since my government took office, we have cut taxes on incomes, capital gains and business investment, we have removed all federal barriers to interprovincial trade, and we are fast-tracking a trillion dollars of investment in energy, AI, critical minerals, new trade corridors, and beyond.

“We are doubling our defence spending by 2030 and are doing so in ways that builds our domestic industries.”

He highlighted the disturbing reality “middle powers must act together because if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.

“We should not allow the rise of hard power to blind us to the fact that the power of legitimacy, integrity, and rules will remain strong — if we choose to wield it together,” he said.

And he pointed out that Canada is “a stable, reliable partner—in a world that is anything but—a partner that builds and values relationships for the long term”.

“The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy,” he said.

“But from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger, and more just.”

It was powerful stuff. Carrick Ryan said Carney “delivered what I suspect will be recorded in future history text books as an era defining speech”.

The tangerine tyrant’s response? Threats.

“Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” he said.

He added that Canada “gets a lot of freebies” from the US, and that “they should be grateful”.

Days before he also taunted Carney on social media with an AI generated image that showed the American flag over Canada and Greenland.

It’s like we’ve entered an alternate reality or bad movie plot.

But all bad movies end. And I hope this one will soon.

But in the meantime, like Carney warns, it’s time to get our heads out of the sand.

On a lighter note, Davos provided me with the giddy joy of French President Emmanuel Macron’s sexy sunnies.

A flurry of social-media memes called him “Le Maverick” and fabulous headlines followed, including the Telegraph asking “Can Macron’s sunglasses save the West?”

The sunglasses were to hide a burst blood vessel in his eye, but they sent shares of the Italian company that owns the sunglasses brand Henry Jullien soaring on the Milan stock exchange.

Even Trump noticed. “I watched him yesterday with those beautiful sunglasses,” he said. “What the hell happened?”

The company didn’t know Macron was planning to wear them and Henry Jullien’s website crashed multiple times on Wednesday as tens of thousands visitors flooded it.

Cool! Go the blue-reflective sunnies and the blue jeans!

Have a good weekend. Catch you Tuesday.

Song of the day: Neil Diamond “Forever in blue jeans”