The drive from Mississauga to Quebec was long but easy. My only concern was winter storms, and we saw nothing more than the occasional flurry. In fact, for the portion of the trip in daylight, it was bright and sunny. I love long road trips; Allan gets cranky near the
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wmtc: nous allons à québec
We are driving to Quebec City this morning. What better way to kick off an anniversary vacation than a road trip together. If the winter weather will cooperate – only for our driving days – that would be grand. Trip details are here. I will blog, of course. This is
Continue readingwmtc: happy new year: peace, love, revolution
Happy New Year to everyone in the wmtc community – friends and commenters, lurkers and loyal readers. Thank you all for being here. I wish you health, peace, and joy in the coming year. I wish the world continued revolutions.
Continue readingwmtc: we like lists: list # 13: it was the best of lists, it was the worst of lists
Few things in life are all good or all bad. Even though I dislike Christmas, I’m happy to enjoy some paid time off, and this year I reaped the benefits of holiday overtime. Sometimes, the negative so grossly outweighs the positive that there’s no point in searching for a shred
Continue readingwmtc: five items in search of a post (a list of sorts)
This has been a strange winter break. I’ve been working at the library, collaborating with Allan on some paid writing work, taking care of the massive number of appointments and personal chores that pile up while I’m in school, seeing a few friends… but also making sure I spend a
Continue readingwmtc: does rick perry know something we don’t know?
You know I never comment on US election campaigns, but this was irresistible. Every barrel of oil that comes out of those sands in Canada is a barrel of oil that we don’t have to buy from a foreign source. Rick Perry, in Iowa At the rate Stephen Harper is
Continue readingwmtc: bradley manning hearing ends, public and media denied access throughout
Bradley Manning’s pre- court martial hearing ended a few days ago, but for most media and the public, it might as well have never happened. This story in The Nation outlines how the US military denied access to one of the most important cases of our time. All recording devices
Continue readingwmtc: now blogging, david heap
My friend and comrade David Heap is now blogging. Among other things, David will be writing about his experiences on the Tahrir, the Canadian Boat to Gaza, including his arrest and imprisonment. I am very much looking forward to reading that story and whatever else David writes. You can find
Continue readingwmtc: barney frank’s radical homosexual agenda and other greatest hits
We can say two things about Congress in the wake of the news that Rep. Barney Frank is retiring after this term: It’s about to get a little dumber, and a lot duller. So here, in appreciation for his years of service and entertainment, are some of Frank’s best YouTube-accessible
Continue readingwmtc: malalai joya, noam chomsky, afghanistan, and peace
This video of Malalai Joya and Noam Chomsky speaking in Boston is from March of this year, but sadly, is every bit as relevant today. Chomsky’s analysis of the situation in south and central Asia is especially enlightening. It’s a long video, but maybe some evening you’ll want to watch
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series
The most challenging part of being a library page has been not answering people’s questions. Pages are in the stacks, shelving books, so naturally people are going to ask us questions. Plus people always ask me for directions and information, it’s a lifelong MO. (That’s a story for another post.)
Continue readingwmtc: annual i hate christmas post: top ten things i hate about christmas
It’s a wmtc tradition: my annual I Hate Christmas post. This year, it’s a continuation of what we started here. Feel free to post your list, too, of any length. Hate only, please. If you love Christmas, go off and enjoy it. 10. “Merry Christmas” 9. “It’s A Wonderful Life”
Continue readingwmtc: mayan ruins in georgia are "wild and unsubstantiated guess" that "no archaeologists will defend"
Have you heard that 1,100-year-old Maya ruins have been uncovered in the US state of Georgia? Did it seem a bit hard to believe? There’s a reason for that. If you haven’t heard this, try Googling “Mayan ruins found in Georgia”. You will find copious blogs, forums and tweets, all
Continue readingwmtc: old warriors seeing with clear eyes: bill moyers interview with andrew bacevich
I found this in a massive pile of un-read links. It’s a conversation between progressive journalist Bill Moyers and Andrew Bacevich, author of The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War, Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War and The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism.
Continue readingwmtc: memo to jason kenney: that’s not how multiculturalism works
Another take on Jason Kenney’s bigotry, by Andrew Potter of the Ottawa Citizen. It would be a lot easier to debate the tough cases of Canadian multiculturalism if people understood how the system actually works. That includes everyone from taxi drivers and barbers to those who spend their time trolling
Continue readingwmtc: "are there terrorists? i just see kids!": police vs ows continues
This is happening in my hometown. The cops chased us into City Hall Park. They followed us on their motorcycles as we ran into City Hall Park. Please keep in mind, we are a group of twenty people that were walking up the street. The only thing that separates us
Continue readingwmtc: the dirty truth we’ve been expecting: harper government takes the first step in destroying universal health care
So the Harper GovernmentTM finally uttered the words we’ve been expecting and dreading: health care. We all know what they’re up to. It’s the standard reactionary playbook on public health care. One, claim we can’t afford to maintain publicly funded health care at the present levels. Two, slash funding until
Continue readingwmtc: baseball history meets the information
The best part of James Gleick’s The Information was, for me, his history of communication and information technologies. Here’s a terrific article that applies that lens to baseball: “The History of How We Follow Baseball”, by Philip Bump, writing in The Atlantic. In 1912, the Red Sox played the New
Continue readingwmtc: final thoughts on james gleick’s "the information"
Two weeks ago, I wrote some impressions of The Information, by James Gleick. (If you read that earlier post, do also read the comments.) I was hoping that the book would not devolve (or advance, depending on your perspective) into scientific concepts that are beyond my understanding. I was confident
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