Our illustrious Minister of Censorship and Deportation is at it again – attacking freedom of expression and those who defend the rights of Palestinians. This time his target is Palestine House, a Palestinian cultural and educational organization based in Mississauga, for its highly successful settlement program. Last week, Palestine House
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wmtc: we like lists: list # 14: three reasons you like/dislike valentine’s day
Do you like Valentine’s Day? Do you celebrate it or avoid it? Do you celebrate it and avoid it? Tell us why. Three reasons, please. I don’t do Valentine’s Day. Here’s why. 1. I don’t like being told when to be romantic. If everyone is supposed to be romantic at
Continue readingwmtc: happy birthday to charles dickens from eric blair
For reasons unnknown, Blogger will not allow me to follow my friend’s NN’s blog for more than a few hours. It insists on dropping Stacked-NYC from my reading list. Because of this, I missed Charles Dickens’ 200th birthday! NN’s post reminded me of the excellent essay by George Orwell (call
Continue readingwmtc: this week in sexism, or why feminism still matters
In celebration of African American history month, thousands of Texas schoolchildren attended a screening of the film “Red Tails,” about the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the first black aviators to serve in the US military. Well, thousands of boys did, anyway. Girls were brought to a screening of “Akeelah and the
Continue readingwmtc: (un)lawful access: watch, share, remix, and take action
Last summer I worked as a research assistant on a project about video surveillance in stores, malls and public spaces.* That project was headed by Andrew Clement, an expert in the field of identity, privacy, and surveillance. Andrew co-created this mini-documentary with Kate Milberry, about the so-called “lawful access” legislation
Continue readingwmtc: tala plays with a grizzly bear cub!
Psyche! Not that Tala! This Tala is a wolf pup, now a full-grown wolf. Watch more inter-species love. Thanks, James!
Continue readingwmtc: action alert: don’t privatize canada’s national parks, even a little
I meant to include this in my earlier post with various action alerts. It’s a bit old, but very important. Since this organizing started, Parks Canada has agreed to delay their decision to study it further. We should keep up the pressure so they know what the Canadian people want.
Continue readingwmtc: action alerts on physical environment and digital environments
My inbox is flooded with action alerts from all different groups, which I feel obligated to pass on, even though many (most?) people who read this blog probably get these petitions through multiple sources. So in the spirit of just in case… • David Suzuki asks: If a panel of
Continue readingwmtc: shadow art of a higher magnitude, by tim noble and sue webster
Isn’t this amazing? Many other wild shadow creations by Tim Noble and Sue Webster can be seen on a slideshow on Environmental Graffiti and on this Daily Mail story. BuzzFeed brings us examples of shadow art by several artists. This is by Larry Kagan. Thanks to @ImpStrump.
Continue readingwmtc: get ready to fight: fetal rights debate coming soon to canada’s parliament
In case you missed it: Tory MP Stephen Woodworth wants human rights for unborn children A Conservative MP is defying his party’s leadership with a move to rewrite Canadian laws to extend human rights to unborn children. Kitchener MP Stephen Woodworth is taking aim at a section of the Criminal
Continue readingwmtc: mcdonalds is not healthy for pit bulls and other living things
In case you missed it, the marketing geniuses at McDonald’s thought it was cute to promote their latest concoction of fat, salt, sugar, and unpronounceable ingredients as being healthier than petting a dog. But not just any dog. Trying a brand new menu item at McDonald’s isn’t risky. You know
Continue readingwmtc: follow-up: dumping zip and dumping rogers!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent “help me get rid of zip” discussion, both on wmtc and by email. And thanks to CNET, for this video! I started out asking about movies, but ended up with so much more. Goodbye, Rogers! Whoo-hoo! So many friends and readers
Continue readingwmtc: photos from quebec trip on flickr
Our photos from Quebec City, dogsledding and Montreal are on Flickr. There turned out to be more decent dogsledding photos than I thought. The city photos are just a few details here there, on our little point-and-shoot camera. Nothing spectacular, but if you’re interested: Quebec City Dogsledding Montreal
Continue readingwmtc: pupdate with good news
It’s been a long time since I’ve updated you on Tala’s condition. She’s made a lot of progress! In short: more activity + less medication = happier dog = happier mommy. You’ll recall that when Tala’s spine condition first came to light, we had to keep her on total exercise
Continue readingwmtc: current musical obsession: chimes of freedom to benefit amnesty international
If you’ve ever seen Bob Dylan in concert, or if you are a fan of his live recordings, you know he seldom sings a song the same way twice. Subtle lyrical changes shift emphasis and perspective. New arrangements funnel songs you thought you knew through unlikely channels. Dylan is not
Continue readingwmtc: help me get rid of zip
When we lived in NYC, I was hugely into Netflix. The selection and convenience were terrific, and for frequent movie watching, the flat monthly fee was a great value. After moving to Canada, we joined Zip… and thus began the saga. Zip (now owned by media giant Rogers) has a
Continue readingwmtc: pollitt: komen foundation pinkwashes anti-choicers, punks planned parenthood
The one and only Katha Pollitt: The anti-choice movement can be so clumsy, and so weird, we forget that it is also smart and strategic and busy busy busy. Because while you were shaking your head over pink Bibles and stem-cell futurology, Komen was hiring Karen Handel as senior vice
Continue readingwmtc: who is behind the susan g. komen foundation’s decision to cut ties with planned parenthood?
When a leading breast-cancer charity severs its relationship with the largest provider of reproductive health services in the US, we have to ask, who is behind this terrible decision? The Atlantic: The nation’s leading breast-cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which has spent nearly $2 billion over the
Continue readingwmtc: national day of student action
Today, February 1, Canadian post-secondary students all over the country are mobilizing in a Day of Action to demand increased education funding and a reduction in tuition fees. In Ontario, post-secondary students from all over the province will converge in Toronto for a rally and march to Queen’s Park, demanding
Continue readingwmtc: hedges: what happened to canada? (corporations have no borders)
Chris Hedges: What happened to Canada? It used to be the country we would flee to if life in the United States became unpalatable. No nuclear weapons. No huge military-industrial complex. Universal health care. Funding for the arts. A good record on the environment. But that was the old Canada.
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