Music, photos, journalism (118 countries, 10 wars, 10+ World Cups). Author of Siamese Dreams, Kobe Blue, Freedom's Rainbow. 日本語 ภาษาไทย, Espanol, 普通话 Dmaj7
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Joined July 2009
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"Like Muhammad Ali, his greatness is defined by his struggle to transcend the toxic politics, discrimination and hatred of his era." My analysis of why @DjokerNole #Djokovic is the greatest champion in history (in any sport). grandslammagazine.com/2023/0…
Christopher Johnson (The Globalite) retweeted
Heartbroken and unable to believe it is true, we announce the tragic passing of Jesús de Miguel Alamada on Tuesday 3 November 2026 at 8.00 am.
There are no words of comfort. We stand with his devastated family, loved ones and the whole CD Tenerife community.
🖤 RIP
Christopher Johnson (The Globalite) retweeted
Spanish police have opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter following the death of Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel, who suffered a fatal collision with the FC Andorra goalkeeper during a match yesterday.
Bukele has inspired a crackdown spreading across Latin America teapawt.org/presidenciaperu/status…
La presidenta Keiko Fujimori anunció la creación de un Comando Unificado que integrará las capacidades de las Fuerzas Armadas y la Policía Nacional para enfrentar con mayor fuerza al crimen organizado.
Esta decisión permitirá ejecutar operaciones conjuntas, reforzar el control de los penales y fortalecer la respuesta del Estado frente a la delincuencia para proteger a los peruanos.
More on this sociedadmedia.com/peru-fujim…
Congrats to Gabby Williams and Golden State for winning @WNBA title before a delirious crowd. Gabby was also great in September at the FIBA Women's World Cup, leading France to second place. Amazing athlete and leader. globalitemagazine.com/2026/0…
Christopher Johnson (The Globalite) retweeted
The moment the Golden State Valkyries won the WNBA Championship 🔥
Christopher Johnson (The Globalite) retweeted
Customs and Immigration Canada , randomly pull over Canadian travelers coming back to Canada , ask them to open the their bags … and to show /prove that the items in their luggage were not bought outside of Canada . So , I think we can hold people with gunshot wounds to explain how they got them.
Toronto police are blocking replies. I can't recall this much anger in Canada at the police. Officers "investigated" a suspect with a gunshot wound while family of 4 were also in a hospital after a home invasion. Somehow that's not sufficient "evidence" of a violent crime.
We want to address some confusion surrounding the investigation into the home invasion in the Bridle Path neighbourhood.
Investigators immediately recognized the potential connection between the home invasion and the individual who showed up at hospital with a gunshot wound.
But recognizing a potential suspect and having enough evidence to arrest them are two different things. Suspicion alone isn’t enough. Police need reasonable grounds, supported by evidence, to make an arrest.
We will continue to gather evidence and will go where the evidence takes us. We are grateful for the professionalism, tenacity and commitment of our investigators who continue this work.
Let’s keep the focus where it belongs: finding the outstanding suspects and holding those responsible for this violent home invasion accountable.
Hospital staff contacted police after Richards came into emergency Thursday morning with a gunshot wound. Police claim they did not have reasons to detain him. He was released. Police claim they realized Friday night there could be a connection to 4 injured in home invasion.
#BREAKING: Toronto police have identified a 23-year-old Daijohn Richards wanted in connection with Thursday’s violent Bridle Path home invasion.
"Your world just got smaller. I strongly urge you to get a lawyer and turn yourself in," - Insp. Kristy Smith
Full story: cp24.com/local/toronto/2026/…
My Raptors are "championship contenders", according to Stephen A.
"This is the worst superstar in the history of sports."
@stephenasmith reacts to Kawhi Leonard's knee swelling injury 😧
This was viewed 175 million times. A month later, massive protests and riots erupted around the world. Youth are wondering if they are the last generation. Is this all random or somehow connected? teapawt.org/hilbertspaess/status/2…
The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt. If anything, many executives and senior researchers will couch their phrasing in the press to sound sensible - but I hear the same people express fear privately. No other human activity poses this level of danger.
"The Justice who made the decision was previously Lula's PERSONAL LAWYER and is a Lula appointee."
Brazil Election Chaos Cheat Sheet:
• Brazil provides free busing to and from voting centers
• In order to be deemed neutral, those buses are not allowed to have any political signs, etc
• In several states that skew toward Lula, the buses had "PT" stars affixed to them (PT is Lula's party). The official in charge of busing said those buses could not run unless the signs were taken down, delaying the busing. Lots of finger-pointing ensued
• There is an election tribunal in Brazil that oversees election legal issues, but Lula went around it and appealed directly to the Supreme Court
• The SC assigns a single justice to review; Lula asked for an extension specifically IN THOSE STATES (which heavily skew toward Lula)
• The Justice who made the decision was previously Lula's PERSONAL LAWYER and is a Lula appointee
• Once Bolsonaro knew Lula was asking for extensions and suspected it would be granted (given which justice was reviewing), he also requested extensions so they would be nationwide, and not just in Lula territory
• A nationwide extension was granted just AFTER the polling stations were supposed to close (5:00pm). However, once a voting machine is locked for the day, it cannot be unlocked. In practice, this meant most polling stations were not able to reopen and offer extended voting because they'd closed at 5pm
• By an AMAZING coincidence, nearly all of the voting machines that hadn't yet locked were in the four states where Lula polls well over 70% popularity (northeast)
• There are supposed to be two observers (one from each side) at all polling stations. At many of the extended stations, the word is there were not two observers
• In the first round voting (three weeks ago), Bolsonaro won 47% and Lula 45% of 119mm votes, with ~8% to third-party candidates
• Of the 8%, the candidates skewed strongly to the right (Bolsonaro); everyone assumed Bolsonaro would take the large majority of that 8% and win easily in round two (yesterday)
• As it turned out, Lula "outperformed" in basically every state
• Also, apparently 5 million more people voted in round two (yesterday) than in round one
• Lula picked up 10.5mm votes, whereas Bolsonaro picked up 3.7mm, leading to tremendous suspicion, as 3.7mm isn't even the majority of the 8% right-leaning opportunity from round one, and implies Bolsonaro received 0% of the incremental 5 million votes and less than half of the jump ball votes
• Chaos ensues. The $EWZ Brazil index ETF has been down as much as 28% this morning (mix of currency and index declines)
Christopher Johnson (The Globalite) retweeted
I've lived in the same apartment building in Tokyo for 11 years.
I know zero names.
That's normal here. We nod in the elevator. We do not speak.
Then Mike moved in on the third floor.
Ohio. Six-foot-four. Laughs like a truck starting up.
Day 1: He knocked on every door with a plate of cookies.
(In Japan, when you move in, you give your neighbors a small towel. Then you leave. Mike gave cookies. Then he stayed and talked.)
Week 1: He knew everyone's name. Including the dog's.
Then there was Mrs. Sato on the first floor.
She's 84. Her husband passed away ten years ago. She lives alone.
In 11 years, I had never heard her voice.
Every Tuesday, Mike carried her groceries up the steps. She didn't speak English. He didn't speak Japanese.
They talked anyway. Mostly about the photo of her husband by the door.
Then one morning, her curtains stayed closed.
Mike noticed.
Nobody else did. I didn't.
He knocked. No answer. He called the building manager.
She had fallen the night before. She'd been on the floor all night.
She's okay now.
But the building isn't the same.
People say good morning. The elevator has conversations.
Last month, we had our first rooftop potluck. Nobody knew what a potluck was. Mike explained it twice.
Mrs. Sato brought 40 rice balls.
And then she laughed at something Mike said.
That was the first time I ever heard her voice.
Mike moved back to Ohio this week.
On his last morning, the whole building came down to the lobby. Kids. Grandparents. The dog.
Mrs. Sato handed him a box.
Inside: one thousand paper cranes.
In Japan, you fold a thousand cranes for someone you want to protect. Her hands shake. She had been folding them since the day he found her.
Then she said the English sentence she had practiced every day for a week.
"Please... come back."
Mike was crying too hard to answer in English.
So he answered in the Japanese he had been secretly practicing.
"Kanarazu kaette kimasu."
In Japanese, that doesn't mean "I'll visit."
It's what you say when you're coming home.
Christopher Johnson (The Globalite) retweeted
LESSONS FROM THE GREATEST WARS IN HISTORY
1. Trojan War - not every gift is safe
2. Sun Tzu - the best fight is the one you avoid
3. Hannibal - use surprise, not just strength
4. Sparta - discipline builds strong people
5. Great Wall - good defense is smart planning
6. Napoleon in Russia - know your limits before you march
7. World War 1 - small conflicts can grow out of control
8. World War 2 - ignoring early warnings costs millions of lives
9. Peloponnesian War - fighting each other weakens everyone
10. Punic Wars - one defeat is not the end
11. Battle of Marathon - a smaller force with a clear plan can win
12. Thermopylae - a small team with a strong position can hold the line
13. Hundred Years War - long fights drain both sides
14. Thirty Years War - war leaves everyone poorer
15. Fall of Constantinople - old walls fail against new tools
16. Battle of Waterloo - one bad decision can end a legacy
17. Stalingrad - supplies and weather matter as much as courage
18. Gallipoli - brave effort cannot fix a poor plan
19. Vietnam War - knowing the land beats having more power
20. Cold War - patience and talks can prevent disaster
21. Wars of the Roses - family fights can destroy the whole house
Natural for Vancouver journalists to move into politics. They know what's going on.
It's a rough, fickle and somewhat irrational business, this electoral politics.
Kudos to journalists and others who take the leap.
In addition to Frances Bula and Janet Brown (and Bill Tieleman earlier), these civic elections included Kirk LaPointe, who won in West Vancouver.
Actually, former photojournalist Craig Hodge also became mayor in Coquitlam. And Global TV's Steve Darling was re-elected to Port Coquitlam council.
I'm sure there are others.
Heartbreaking. In terms of art and architecture, France is perhaps the most beautiful country in the world, the jewel of western civilization.
Christopher Johnson (The Globalite) retweeted
Man convicted in CBC journalist’s 2023 death sought in break and enter investigation
cp24.com/local/toronto/2026/…
