We need to think about two things for this Friday’s Occupy Movement reboot in the Worldwide #WaveOfAction: When thinking about pursuing social, political and economic equality, what is the list of things we need to change, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally? Who do we need to build coalitions with to
Continue readingTag: Family
Politics, Re-Spun: Yes, Your Parents’ Standard of Living Was Better
Ugh. We’re so much poorer than our parents! Yes, your parents’ standard of living was better, so what are you going to do about it? When I was growing up in the 1970s, most [maybe 80%?] of my friends had a mom who stayed home and didn’t work. Over the
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Don’t Tolerate Ignorance About the Minimum Wage
Now, stop tolerating ignorance! And smile, TGIF. Hello. It’s Friday. For many people it’s TGIF. But for many people who aren’t even teenagers, the work week isn’t ending today. We often THINK minimum wage is for the new entries to the job market. Maybe it was one day. Maybe just
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: The Future of Feminism Is Now
The children: being the future. There seems to be a bit of an epidemic of young women and men rejecting the necessity of exploring or embracing feminism. Maybe it’s like similarly misguided ideas like how we don’t need unions anymore. But when you encounter young people who get it, really
Continue readingBlast Furnace Canada Blog: Two steps forward in America, one step back in Uganda
Another good (and bad) week for common decency. 1) Freedom of religion. That’s the excuse a lot of business owners used well into the 1970s when they refused service to Blacks, Asians and Native Americans. So it was good to hear Gov. Janice Brewer of Arizona veto the so-called “religious
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Remembering Eric Buckley
My uncle died Friday. His more formal obituaries are here and here. But here are some of my less formal memories, some of which, happily, showed up in the official ones. 🙂 My family spent many vacations with his family at their home in the 1970s. Many of my memories
Continue readingMelissa Fong: The Pity Party, that is -Dave Foley-
I used to love Dave Foley. Kids in the Hall was one of the most epic variety shows, and Canadian to boot. Then there was News Radio that had awesome […]
Continue readingBlast Furnace Canada Blog: Finally, the Confederacy gets on board — well, one state does
In a decision that surprised me, a Southern federal judge overturned Virginia’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen also ruled that the state also had to start respecting the laws of 17 other states and Washington DC that permit the practice. This marks the first time
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: This Week Will Clobber You, Politically
I apologize in advance, British Columbia. This will be the week from hell, and it started yesterday while we were all Family Day-ing. Hold your breath: Yesterday, the Conservative Soft Fascist Party of Canada rammed through the “Fair (sic) Elections Act” that will further protect us from the possibility of
Continue readingcentre of the universe: When a Body
My granddad is in this photo. He’s the kid perched on the plough. It’s his father driving the car. David Henry. My granddad ended up looking just like him. Uncle Reg is beside David Henry, and their neighbours are standing … Continue reading →
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Curing Gender Imbalance in Media? MONEY!
Movies that pass the Bechdel Test…make…more…money. The best things in life are free, but you can give them to the birds and bees. Media corporations love their money. And in a sexist society, common sense indicates that movies with lots of testosterone and no whiny women should make more money.
Continue readingBlast Furnace Canada Blog: Doing right by sex trade workers
Due to multiple technical issues I haven’t been able until now to comment on the Supreme Court’s decision in Attorney General of Canada v. Bedford on December 20th but all I can say is it was absolutely the right decision. What surprised me was that it lined up 9-0,
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Food Over 3 Decades Old
Yesterday I ate fruit cake my Mum made for her wedding, and it still tasted good. Few people get to eat food older than they are, and can say they enjoyed it. One of the greatest things to come out of the 70s was me. Another of those great things
Continue readingcentre of the universe: I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas
We have come to my childhood home for ExMass. I haven’t been “home” for Christmas since the year before Mum died. Ive been back to the house many times with the boys, but not in winter. not at Christmas. This was always her holiday. We arrived after supper and decorated
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Fried Squirrels
It’s a crisp, foggy November Saturday morning in the south side of the city. Seventeen people sit in the large open area at the back end of an organic fair trade coffee shop run by a workers’ co-op inspired by the Mondragon movement in Spain. Meet-ups like this are quite
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: The Secret Weapon: Self-Esteem
It’s Monday. Have you contributed positively to a young girl’s self esteem yet today? If not, here is some inspiration and a place to get better resourced! “As a child, I never heard one woman say to me: ‘I love my body.’ Not my mother, my elder sister, my best
Continue readingcmkl: Balance beam
Balance beam. As the family photographer it fell to me to attend Mallory’s last gymnastics class. She had an ear to ear grin on during the entire class. Except when she was really focussed. Of all the activities we put her through this is clearly her favourite.
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: How Does Violence at Home Affect Workplaces in Canada?
Worksafe BC at least isn’t keeping itself in the dark Here is yet another stigma-laden, denial-inducing taboo topic in society and workplaces: domestic violence. And when we connect violence at home to effects on people as workers in the workplace, we get lots of crickets. So I’m happy to report
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: I Believe the Children Are Our Future: Barf
Faisal and Azeem, getting it done! Platitudes and paternalism aside, the 21st century actually does belong to the young. And not that they’re OUR future, like an extension of us, but that we are stewarding the future for them. And we’re doing a pretty horrible job of it. But since
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: BC’s Child Support Clawback Hurts Kids
British Columbia’s Child Support Clawback for Children of Parents on Government Assistance Hurts Kids When I bring up the issue of the child support clawback in British Columbia affecting single parents on temporary or disability assistance through the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation, most people are completely unaware
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