The Rise Of Right Wing Nationalism In Canada
Interesting article by Lawrence Martin: “If someone had predicted a few years ago that Canada would fall into the embrace of right-wing nationalism, they would have been sent off to…
December 2011
David ‘Two-Speed’ Cameron and the EuroCop
Chancellor Merkel’s glacial crawl towards the creation of an all-powerful EuroCop with powers to veto the budgets of Eurozone nations is beginning to make Prime Minister Cameron a bit nervous.…
Cherry cooler
Do Canadians really love right-wing vulgarity? Apparently not. SunTV, despite Ezra Levant’s fevered cross-dressing antics, has fared dismally. Torontonians have tired of the crass Rob Ford. And now, contrary to…
The nightmare before Christmas
Another dispatch from the front of the War on Christmas: An Ontario school is replacing their Christmas concert and of course some parents are flipping out. Be careful what you…
Some Thoughts on Romanticism. . . .
I am always on the lookout for early uses of the term Romanticism in English. The term Romantic as applied to literature was commonplace even in the 18th century but…
Message from One Canadian Steve to Another: Violence Is Actually Decreasing
The New York Times on Tuesday had an interesting interview with Montreal-born psychologist Steven Pinker, whose new book The Better Angels of Our Nature argues that violence has become less…
Record-Low Manufacturing Employment
Today’s Labour Force Survey indicates that the seemingly robust economic growth reported by Statistics Canada earlier this week is not translating into improved job prospects for Canadian workers. For the…
The value of education, redux #nlpoli #cdnpoli
The most recent report from the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada shows that Grade 8 students in Newfoundland and Labrador score among the lowest in Canada for tests…
CBC is not on a level playing field by Paul Gaffney
Former CBC employee says it’s in the best interests of taxpayers to allow the CBC a greater degree of confidentiality than we might normally extend to a “public” institution.
And it’s one, two, three…
…what are we fighting for?
Video: Where marriage equality stands today in Australia
This video nicely sums up the complexity of dynamics surrounding marriage equality legislation in Australia. A petition with 140,285 signatures calling for equality has already been presented to the ruling…
Apparently They Don’t Hold With That Readin’ Thing Either
Or that might be the easy inference to draw about Mayors Rob and Doug Ford. As reported yesterday, The Toronto Star is filing a complaint with the City of Toronto’s…
Plenty Of Blame
Richard Wagamese writes that Attawapiskat is not an isolated case. There is plenty of blame to go around for the tragedy there and on other native reserves. The problem, he…
Homophobia on campus
“I come to Canada, a country that carries the name of human rights…I came here to be free…where can I go now?” These are the words of hate crime victim…
Attawapiskat
Various newspaper and media commentary have suggested the answer to the problem in Attawapiskat, and other isolated First Nations communities, is to move everyone to a southern urban setting. A…
Friday miscellany…
… snowy December day edition… Good article in the Citizen{yes, I used good and Citizen in the same phrase} yesterday about the ridiculousness of our quad education system in Ontario.…
The Pantsafire Chronicles
Gazebos and chandeliers, false rumours, now fishing trips…Tomorrow? Who knows. But Harper’s cabinet promises endless new material. Enough for an on-going series? Why, yes, I do believe so. Today Peter…
Sad Spaceman doesn’t read Nietzsche
More Sad Spaceman here. Alltop reads Nietzsche. It just doesn’t understand it.
CIJA Goes Soft On Section 13!
Asked if the Jewish community would benefit from the retention of Section 13, Fogel stated: “What was intended as a shield against hate has become a sword. Certainly in its…
Interesting Stuff In Gay History: Cinema
Gay-themed films are pretty commonplace nowadays. Nearly every major city (metropolis, if you will) has a GLBT film festival, and pictures that would previously have been restricted to exactly these…