Some years ago, after reading about overfishing and the horrendous state of our oceans, I vowed to stop eating tuna. Certain species of tuna are on the brink of extinction, thanks to soaring demand and modern fishing methods. Plus, the “eating fish is good for you” equation has changed because
Continue readingAuthor: laura k
wmtc: winter hike: beaver lake and port alice
We’ve had so many gloriously cold and sunny days! I don’t know if that’s unusual for January and February or if I was oversold on the rain, but I love it. The temperature will range from around -3C to +4C (mid-20s to about 40 F), which barely qualifies as cold,
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #30
At the Port Hardy Library, we’ve been hosting visits from the local First Nations school, from the the Gwa’sala-Nakwaxda’xw Nations. (That is pronounced GWA-sala Nak-wah-da.) The children have been absolutely lovely, and although my contact with them is brief, I’m enjoying it so much. It’s especially wonderful to have the tweens
Continue readingwmtc: making the move from plastic to glass food storage
Pyrex! I bought these! I love them! For the longest time, I’ve had a very large collection of plastic food storage containers. Allan and I have always brought most of our meals to work — for healthy eating, for convenience (I’d rather not spend any part of my meal break
Continue readingwmtc: thank you, nanaimo! the ndp government survives
Thank you, Nanaimo! With all the personal blathering I’ve been doing, I forgot to write about something very important! There was a by-election here in BC: a seat in Nanaimo would determine if the coalition government — the balance of power a mere one seat! — would survive. Translation for USians.
Continue readingwmtc: "use it in good health"
When I was growing up, my grandparents and other older relatives used an expression, “Use it in good health,” or a variant, “Wear it in good health”. This was said when you bought something that you were very excited about, or received a wonderful gift, or made a major purchase.
Continue readingwmtc: in which we find ourselves the owners of an suv
Add this to the list of things I said I’d never do, along with colour my hair and move to the west coast while my mother is alive. My hair, once a lovely honey blond, became a drab brown. My mom moved to the west coast first! And we need
Continue readingwmtc: port hardy in photos
Here are some photos of our town and the area surrounding it. Our lovely little rental house is an endangered species, a ranch, all on one floor. Excellent for my problematic knees and ankles. It would have made more sense to build the deck on this side, where there’s a
Continue readingwmtc: in which we reluctantly begin the search for a new vehicle
We were warned about this! We were half-expecting it. Our car didn’t pass the inspection for BC auto insurance. Supposedly this is what happens when you bring a car from another province. We drive an old (2006) Kia Spectra, which we bought two years ago when our even older (2005)
Continue readingwmtc: jackie robinson: "i owe more to canadians than they’ll ever know."
Let me set the scene. The year is 1946. The United States is deeply segregated. The birth of the civil rights movement that would begin as African-American soldiers returned home to Jim Crow, after fighting for democracy abroad, is still a good 10 years away. Newlyweds Jackie and Rachel Robinson
Continue readingwmtc: a reading plan for 2019: the year of the biography?
A new biography of Frederick Douglass has gotten glowing reviews, and as Douglass is one of my great heroes — one of the greatest Americans — I definitely want to read it. This made me realize how many biographies I’ve been putting on The List and not reading. The one
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: occupy nation by todd gitlin
Occupy Nation: The Roots, the Spirit, and the Promise of Occupy Wall Street is a history and ethnography of Occupy Wall Street, and the Occupy movement. Author, sociologist, and longtime leftist activist Todd Gitlin has written an account of how a social movement was born, grew, and died. After reading
Continue readingwmtc: my first island off the island: a brief stop in sointula
This week I drove down to Port McNeill — about 30 minutes away, and the home of one of my libraries — and took the ferry to Malcolm Island, to visit another of my libraries, in the town of Sointula. I traveled with a co-worker who does programming and support
Continue readingwmtc: the north island report: update on us
Things continue to fall into place here, a little at a time. I’m enjoying our quiet weekends. Allan is off every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday; I work Saturdays until 5:00, then I’m off Sunday and Monday. This is more time off together than we’ve had in a long time, and
Continue readingwmtc: harry leslie smith — rest in power, and thank you
Harry Leslie Smith, who sometimes called himself “the world’s oldest rebel,” died in late November 2018. I was unable to acknowledge his passing on wmtc at the time. Smith, a writer and an activist, was a steadfast critic of neoliberal policies, especially the austerity agenda. He spoke out constantly and
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: hunger by roxane gay
During the Ontario provincial election, after a hack from the Toronto Sun drew attention to an unpopular view that I had expressed some years earlier, I was the object of right-wing attacks by email and on social media. Many of these wingnuts referenced my weight in various disgusting ways. This shocked
Continue readingwmtc: more trip pics on flickr
More photos from our drive west are now on my Flickr page: here. I’ll also be adding to the sets vancouver island and vancouver island north as we explore.
Continue readingwmtc: the view from here
This is the view around the corner from our place, maybe 100 metres down the main road into town — when it’s not raining.
Continue readingwmtc: looking back, looking ahead: the year that was 2018
Last year at this time, the wmtc i hate christmas tradition — after being in decline for several years — roared back in full swing. This year we enjoyed the two extra days off, and I found nothing to hate, or even dislike. About half the houses in our neighbourhood
Continue readingwmtc: listening to joni: #7: the hissing of summer lawns
The Hissing of Summer Lawns, 1975 Front and back covers:The landscapes of the songs Joni’s seventh studio album (her ninth album overall) is both a continuation and a departure. The The Hissing of Summer Lawns is very rich and multi-layered, somewhat enigmatic, full of interesting images and sounds that are
Continue reading