Today it is hot, heading for the low 30s (the mid 80s F) with humidity that makes the temperatures much more uncomfortable. Last night it was cooler and about 2 a.m. I opened several windows, tryng to fill the place with a reserve of coolness. As I w…
Continue readingAuthor: Mary Soderstrom
Recreating Eden: Even The New York Times Gets Cot–Ulp, Caught–in the Spell Check Trap
Here’s the latest from a New York Times feature on the mistakes they make:A quote about the DSK case: “While the American justice system has its origins in British common law and involves ordinary citizens at almost every level, the French judicial sys…
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Four Years of Rants and Reflections but No Eden Recreated…
…but then I didn’t expect to do that on June 5, 2007 when started this blog. It was born in a conversation at The Writers’ Union of Canada annual general meeting in Vancouver, where I found myself sitting next to Marc Côté of Cormorant Books. He …
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Saturday Photo: What a Difference a Few Months Makes..
This is what it looked like from the terrace yesterday, with Mount Royal covered in green. Below you’ll find pix taken from similar points in December and in March.
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Roadwork in the Walkable City: Necessary, and Less Trying for Pedestrians than Drivers
Traffic is mess in Montreal these days. Because not enough infrastructure maintenance was done for the last couple of decades, the city and road and bridge authorities are having to do a lot of catch up. At the same time, municipal officials in one …
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Because, Given the Weather Yesterday, We Were All Screaming for Ice Cream
So hot yesterday, so nice and cool today. But given the approach of summer, and the fact that local fruit is still several weeks away, I trotted out a delicious hot weather dessert recently that I thought I’d share, just for fun. It’s an adaptation …
Continue readingRecreating Eden: The Silver Lining to the Clouds of Disaster: Rebuilding is Like Stimulus Money
The New York Times reports on this probably up side of recent tornados and other disaster in the US this morning, “Reconstruciton Lifts Economy after Diaster.” The story says: “There is no silver lining to a funnel cloud, as anyone who survived the…
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Another Reason to Be Bilingual: Provided You Use It, You Don’t "Lose It" as Fast
It’s official: being a bilingual who uses both his or her languages regularly means you’re less likely “to lose it” mentally. Or rather, research by York University’s Ellen Bialystok and colleagues shows that Alzeheimer’s disease manifests itself far …
Continue readingRecreating Eden: More Green House Gases: What Are We Going to Do about It?
Lots of stuff this morning about the increase in carbon emissions in the last year. The International Energy Agency has just reported that Energy-related carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2010 were the highest in history.”After a dip in 2009 caused by…
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Saturday Photo: Laneway Is the Cat’s Meow
We’ve been living on the Plateau now for six months, and I don’t know how many times I’ve passed rue Demers. But it wasn’t until a week ago that I really saw it.At one point, someone built a series of small workers’ cottages–from the city’s evaluatio…
Continue readingRecreating Eden: An End of May Full of Good Things
Big times happening:Yesterday Jeanne turned nine months.Today Elin receives her doctorate in a ceremony at the Université de MontreealandTomorrow is Emmanuel’s birthday.Such fun! I’m taking the day off….
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Breathe in Today! Lilacs Are in Bloom
There are no apps for smells, I believe, but it would be nice to share with you just how lovely the air is here today. Even in this city-centre neighborhood–one of the most densely inhabited in Canada–there are lilacs in many courtyards and handker…
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Extra Billing for Eye Drops Banned in Quebec: A Victory in the Fight against Health System Erosion?
The Quebec government has just announced that it will pay for supplementary fees charged by private clinics for giving drops used to combat macular degeneration. The fees charged by Opthamologists working in private clinics have been as high as $250 a …
Continue readingRecreating Eden: La Journée des Patriotes: Even The Gazette Says It’s a Good Thing to Celebrate
Today is a holiday: in Quebec since 2002 it’s been called la Journée des Patriotes, in honour of the band of rebels who took on the British regime in 1837-38. In the rest of Canada it’s Victoria Day, since originally it was the day that the 19th cent…
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Saturday Photo: Accidental Beauty of Dandelions and Green Snow
Earlier this week the crabapples and other fruit trees were in gorgeous bloom, and i went out yesterday afternoon to take some pictures. They were still mostly lovely–although many were beginning to fade to make way for lilacs–and I took a few shots…
Continue readingRecreating Eden: A Real Green House: Jack Layton and Olivia Chow in Toronto
Rick Mercer had lunch with Jack and Olivia back in 2010 in their retro-fitted mid-town Toronto home. It’s a much better example than Drake’s Landing of how to be green.The big question now is: what’s going to happen to Stornoway, the designated reside…
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Jane Jacobs’ "Eyes on the Street": A Mount Royal Boulevard Example
The Plateau is one of the most densely populated areas in Canada, and Mount Royal Boulevard, just outside our windows, is a river of constant foot, bike, bus and car traffic. The noise from the bars at closing time can be pretty intense, but it’s quit…
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Green and Healthy Living: The Suburban Illusion
The Globe and Mail has carried two interesting, conflicting stories the last few days. One is a long article in an insert, Backbone Magazine, about Drake’s Landing, a “green” community outside Calgary. The other, ” Unhealthy neighborhoods play big r…
Continue readingRecreating Eden: Men Behaving Badly: Conquerors of the World Who’re Slaves to Libido?
The recent revelation that former California governor Arnold Schwarzanegger had a love child 10 years ago, coupled with the arrest of IMF head and French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn on sexual assault charges in New York shine spotlights on a st…
Continue readingRecreating Eden: The New Quebec Is Seen in the NDP Delegation to the House of Commmons
Just spent a day making a spread sheet of the new NDP caucus, with emphasis on the 58 (out of 75 possible) people elected from Quebec. What an interesting bunch of people! In addition to the young people elected from Quebec–of which there’s been a gr…
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