I must preface this post with a statement. If you aren’t a regular wmtc reader, if you’ve stumbled on this post without knowing anything about my views: I am a fierce proponent of free speech, and I am passionately committed to intellectual freedom. Once, discussing my opposition to capital punishment,
Continue readingAuthor: laura k
wmtc: my magic number is 13
Today I begin my last term of grad school. There are thirteen weeks to a term, so as of today I am counting down weeks to the finish line. My courses may be interesting this term: graphic novels and comic books in the library, which I’m excited about, and issues
Continue readingwmtc: updates: acupuncture, slow cooker, star trek
I decided to try acupuncture again. In October, I saw my nephew and niece-in-law who practice Traditional Chinese Medicine and other holistic healing methods. They encouraged me to use our small insurance benefit on more treatment, even though I can’t afford to continue it past that. I purposely started in
Continue readingwmtc: michael moore: we do not "support the troops"
Michael Moore: These young men and women sign up to risk their very lives to protect us — and this is what they get in return: 1. They get sent off to wars that have NOTHING to do with defending America or saving our lives. They are used as pawns
Continue readingwmtc: naomi wolf: director kathryn bigelow is our generation’s leni riefenstahl
Naomi Wolf, in The Guardian: Zero Dark Thirty is a gorgeously-shot, two-hour ad for keeping intelligence agents who committed crimes against Guantánamo prisoners out of jail. It makes heroes and heroines out of people who committed violent crimes against other people based on their race – something that has historical
Continue readingwmtc: sliver of sky: barry lopez tells his story of sexual abuse and recovery
In the current issue of Harper’s, there is a long feature by author Barry Lopez about the sexual abuse he endured as a child, and his path of recovery and healing. It may be the best first-person account of such trauma you will ever see. Right now it is only
Continue readingwmtc: enbridge line 9: all pain and no gain for ontario, quebec, and new england
Have you heard about Line 9? Enbridge has begun a process that would create a third option to get their dirty tarsands oil out of Alberta to sell to the rest of the world. The Keystone XL pipeline would stretch from Alberta to Nebraska. (Gee, what could go wrong?) The
Continue readingwmtc: haliburton wolf killed, others trying to come home
This beautiful wolf, the alpha male of the pack at the Haliburton Wolf Centre, was shot and killed on New Year’s Day. The previous night, some idiot cut both the inner and outer fences on the pack’s enclosure. Four wolves escaped. Haida is now dead, and the other wolves, who
Continue readingwmtc: wmtc 2012-12-31 23:59:00
Happy New Year! Here’s to a happy, healthy, revolutionary 2013. Love to all.
Continue readingwmtc: to boldly go: in which captain james t. kirk returns to my tv
I am so enjoying re-watching the original Star Trek series, in order, from the beginning, on my US Netflix/Roku. I half-dread writing about “Star Trek TOS”, because of… well, you know. The whole Star Trek thing. The whole sci-fi thing. If you read the “what i’m watching” and “what i’m
Continue readingwmtc: andy barrie, war resister, awarded order of canada
Congratulations to Andy Barrie, former CBC broadcaster, on being awarded the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian honour. This CBC story says that Barrie “left the U.S. and moved to Canada during the Vietnam War”. But if you listen to this interview, you will hear how Barry “left” and
Continue readingwmtc: a people’s history of the war of 1812
At last, this is the fourth post of the talks I attended in November and December. Allan and I organized this in Mississauga, through the Mississauga “twig” of the IS. The talk was given by our friend and comrade John Bell. The other recent talks: noah richler, u.s. war resisters,
Continue readingwmtc: there is no justice in murder
First we read about the horrific gang rape, with spectators. Then we learn that the victim has died. Then, on top of all that, we hear authorities may seek the death penalty for the perpetrators. I was heartened by the demonstrations and the vigils. Until I read that people are
Continue readingwmtc: chief theresa spence calling for solidarity actions on sunday, december 30
Media ReleaseFor Immediate Release December 28, 2012 Attawapiskat Chief Spence heading into day 19 of hunger strike and seeking Canadians, Members of Parliament and politicians to urge Prime Minister Harper to meet and commit to Nation to Nation relations with Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples. Algonquin Territory, Ottawa, Ontario Chief Theresa Spence
Continue readingwmtc: stephen harper, meet with chief theresa spence before it is too late
When our ancestors made treaties with the British Crown to allow the Queen’s subjects to live in our territories, it was for as long as the sun shines, the waters flow and the grass grows. The Crown’s only legal access to our lands is contingent upon the fulfilment of the
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading, children’s books edition: # 2
How this series works: I write about one or two older books, offer an my opinion on whether the book will be relevant and accessible to children today, and suggest a more contemporary equivalent. I also recommend two additional children’s books. * * * * Still Classic? My Side of
Continue readingwmtc: follow-up memo to children’s aid: we told you so. happy christmas.
Back in May, I blogged about a family in my area who faced a nightmare: social services had threated to remove their child from their home. Both parents have disabilities, and although they had proved themselves completely capable of taking care of a baby, Children’s Aid said they must hire
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading, children’s books edition: # 1
This is the first post in an occasional series about children’s books. My plan is to intersperse children’s book among my usual reading, and to write short reviews of several books for young people in one post. In each, I’ll include one or two older books thought to be classics,
Continue readingwmtc: trials of a student librarian: readers’ advisory, the library thing i love best
Of all the aspects of librarianship that I know about, the piece I’m most excited about is readers’ advisory. Readers’ advisory is the library term for answering that important question… “What to read next?” Questions like, “Do you have any more books like this one?”, “I’m tired of reading mysteries,
Continue readingwmtc: tell stephen harper you support chief theresa spence and idle no more
As Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence enters her twelfth day without food, solidarity actions with the IdleNoMore aboriginal movement are growing throughout Canada and around the globe. In Winnipeg, demonstrators blocked the Trans Canada Highway. In freezing weather in Edmonton, protesters filled downtown streets. At least 1,000 people came out in
Continue reading