Author: Mary Soderstrom

Deep in rewriting my novel about a pianist, I’m seeing music everywhere. The latest is this multiple choice chart that might give you some advice. I particularly like the sequence that takes you through “Do you love money.” Should you answer “yes,” it says then “STOP THINKING ABOUT MUSIC.” Being

More about the increasingly unequal society that is the US: Today Paul Krugman rails against those who are bent on making the playing field even more bumpy. After pointing out how Mitt Romney disparages President Obama by lies and inuendo he adds: “someone who really wanted equal opportunity would be

Or there was until about an hour ago. Many years the outdoor skating rinks around here begin iln the first of second week in December. This year, not much happened until last week because of the crazy weather. Last night when I walked home, the boys of winter were playing

Just where exactly the Magi came from is uncertain, as far as I can tell. But it would seem that at least some of them were astronomers from Persia. Therefore on this feast day , it is appropriate to take a look at the Persian tradition through the lense of

For those who arn’t plugged in local controversies, the cartoon from this morning’s Montreal Gazette refers to the fact that the new head coach for the Montreal Canadien’s doesn’t speak French. Promoted to the post in a few weeks ago when nothing was working for the Habs, Ron Cunneyworth’s record

“Suburban” in North America conjures up visions of single family houses on streets lined with grass, good schools, a good life away from the struggles of the city. But that appears to be changing. Stress is higher in the suburbs north of Montreal, according to The Montreal Gazette. Taking data

“Suburban” in North America conjures up visions of single family houses on streets lined with grass, good schools, a good life away from the struggles of the city. But that appears to be changing. Stress is higher in the suburbs north of Montreal, according to The Montreal Gazette. Taking data

Many, many years ago Lee and I spent a lot of time hiking in the Sierra Nevada of California. Ever since then there is a particular kind of cold, blue sunshine that I associate with mountain mornings, and which make me want to get moving. This morning it’s considerably colder

Canada now has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the world: 15 per cent as of midnight on Sunday. But are businesses going to use that tax windfall to reinvest in Canada? Not likely, say a chorus of economists. The bottom line (and don’t all those financial types

The year that will end at midnight tonight held some excellent things, but as I noted in our holiday blog, in some cases the only appropriate reaction was “be careful what you wish for.” Let us not dwell on trouble though. Best wishes from all of us for a 2012

In this season of long nights and festivals of lights, The New York Times has a story about some municipalities which are turning off streetlights (and in some cases pulling them up) in order to save money. The reasons given are failing economy, decreasing tax bases, fund-strapped cities. In the

It finally turned cold last night, adn this morning the windows were covered with frost, even though they are double glazed. Or rather, they are double glazed since Monday. The windows in the baywindow in the living room are old fashioned wooden ones where you have to take out the

Manon Corneiller in today’s Le Devoir has a scathing evaluation of the Stephen Harper and his majority government, with a sidelong attack on our parliamentary system. In the US, she notes, the president has no guarantee of getting his program through, since the House and Senate can–and frequently do–block what

One of the gifts I look most forward to each year is the new number of The Best American Short Stories. This year the journalist-turned-fiction writer Geraldine Brooks is the editor, and, while I haven’t had a chance to really delve into the volume, I found her introductory essay most

The following Youtube clip can give you only a taste of the delightful CD the Lizieux elves gave me for Christmas: Nils Brown singing Belle Canzoni d’Italia through the headphones that were a present from Lukas and Sophie. I’ve been following his career for about 15 years, ever since he

We had a few centimeters of snow yesterday afternoon and last night, so there’s a semblance of a white Christmas here. The picture was taken from the back porch as the temperature hovered near the point where Fahrenheit and Celsius come together (0F and -18C)–it ws too cold and early

It’s well known that if you want something to pass unnoticed you announce it on a Friday afternoon, and if you really want it to disappear, you do it the Friday before Christmas. Well, December 23 would appear to be too much, but last Friday the Conservatives began announcing how

What do Nancy Reagan, the Virgin Mary, and the girl in the blue bra have in common? All of them have covered their heads out of respect for custom and/or religious beliefs.That’s why the photo taken earlier this week at the rally in Tahir Square in Cairo is so shocking.