self awareness, a photo by lunchbreath on Flickr. I’d have to have more brain space for “Thoughts of Tina Fey”, except they would be “Thoughts of Charlize Theron”. Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.) –Walt Whitman Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one […]
Continue readingAuthor: Mark
Slap Upside The Head: Ontario Catholic School Bans Rainbows
An unofficial Gay-Straight Alliance at St Joseph Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario has been forbidden from displaying any rainbows at their information booth. The school board had already banned official Gay-Straight Alliances—important peer support groups to help reduce incidences of bullying—in their schools (thus the “unofficial” nature of this group), but apparently that didn’t […]
Continue readingThe Future of Sharing
I loved this. So I’m sharing it.From #pdf11, Jay Rosen on “The Future of Sharing”:Watch live streaming video from pdf2011 at livestream.comA text version of his presentation is here.
Continue readingStephen Harper and the Canada Elections Act
11 years ago today, Stephen Harper filed a Statement of Claim with the Court of Queen’s Bench in Alberta, demanding that numerous provisions of the Canada Elections Act which related to spending restrictions on third party advertising be declared uncon…
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Pope Pleads For Couples To Marry (Except Gays)
Pope Benedict XVI appeared before an audience in Croatia yesterday to plead for couples to marry instead of simply living together as common-law partners. In his anticipated homily, the pope lamented a “secularized mentality which proposes living together as preparation, or even a substitute as marriage.” So, to all you young couples out there: Do not, […]
Continue reading#pdf11
Just arrived at first plenary session at this year’s Personal Democracy Forum. If you can’t be here, follow via livestream.
Continue readingThe Skwib: My heart is divided
My heart is divided, a photo by Raid71 on Flickr. I’d have to replace the original Star Wars Trilogy with friends. Star Wars can move to where Lost is now. Cars/bike can be replaced by writing. T-shirts gets replaced by wind. Snow is replaced by beach. I have no idea what Episode 3 is, but […]
Continue readingSaturday reads
Russell Wangersky in the Western Star, on Premier Dunderdale’s announcing the findings of an independent study that hasn’t even started yet.”It’s one thing to be confident — it’s another, slightly different thing to be able to pronounce what the…
Continue readingGrounds
Me on Twitter, May 28, 2011 (limited to 140 characters):It appears that smarter people than me seem to agree:Here’s University of Ottawa Professor Errol Mendes, cited in a Toronto Star article three days later about party financing (emphasis added):Yet…
Continue readingWeekend update(s)
Some different stuff, starting this weekend.(a) I just gave blog contributor status to my better half, Ruth. This could end very badly. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. A partial explanation appears in (b) below…(b) We’re off to New Yo…
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: World Becoming More Gay-Friendly
For anyone who feels like equal rights have been regressing, here’s a bit of encouraging news. According to a report from the University of Chicago, the world is steadily becoming more and more gay-friendly. Virtually every country studied has reported a greater acceptance of people with different sexual orientations over previous polling periods, with only four exceptions: […]
Continue readingOn being duly diligent
Danny Williams a couple of days ago: I demand due diligence!Danny Williams now: I demand it in a “very, very short timeframe”
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Anglican Church Finally Approves Same-Sex Blessings
The Anglican Church in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island approved a motion last week that would allow for individual churches to bless same-sex couples. The Anglican Church offers blessings for various things, including weddings, births, graduations, and even inanimate objects like boats and pets, but until now same-sex couples had been an issue of […]
Continue readingMissing the forest for the trees
Since the media began filing their weekend wrap up coverage of the Alberta Liberal Party Convention, a number of pundits have weighed in on the party’s decision to run a leadership race without membership. (Which isn’t unprecedented, by the way)Instea…
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Another Russian Gay Pride March Ends In Violence
For the sixth consecutive year, Moscow has forbidden a peaceful gay rights demonstration from happening within the city, and for the sixth consecutive year, equal rights advocates have defied the ban—with violent consequences. Sadly, this isn’t a surprise. Homophobia runs very deep in Russian culture, so the same story returns year after year. An otherwise […]
Continue readingHow stuff works
Former Premier (and wanna-be subsidized hockey team owner) Danny Williams tells the CBC why he should get favourable treatment and a wad of cash from an unspecified government kitty for his latest vanity project:”…I’ve given my heart and soul to the …
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Toronto Approves Pride Funding, With Caveats
Despite threats from Toronto’s mayor to pull its funding, a city council committee has unanimously voted to continue supporting the city’s annual Pride festival. Toronto Pride is Canada’s largest Pride celebration—a massive tourist draw, and one of the city’s largest festivals overall. Mayor Rob Ford had threatened to pull all city funding from the festival, […]
Continue readingSpeaking of disrespect
A resident of Pasadena notes in the weekend edition of the Western Star that it is “disrespectful for provincial government project signs, with the late Diane Whalen’s name on it, to be left up months after the work has been completed.”Indeed it is…
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Help Keep Alvaro Orozco In Canada
Alvaro Orozco, a gay Nicaraguan who unsuccessfully attempted a refugee claim in 2007, was arrested late last week in Toronto while waiting for a bus on his way out to dinner with a friend. He’s now being held in detention without bail, and can be deported at any moment—unless he gets some serious community help. […]
Continue reading#elxn41
Much written, but nothing posted.So here’s my (abbreviated) two cents.The story of the night – like the story of the campaign – will be the voting behavior of large swaths of soft nationalist Bloc voters in Quebec. If they have made the decision that t…
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