Video: Idle No More – Scenes from a Vancouver Train Station
On January 2, 2013, hundreds of First Nations and non-indigenous people converged on Vancouver’s Waterfront Station for the latest Idle No More rally. The beating of drums and singing of…
January 2013
Blawg-Rolling In the New Year
In taking a well-deserved 2012 Clawbie victory lap, Trial Warrior Blog’s Antonin Pribetic made an good point that got me thinking: Whether you blawg for fun or profit, remember to…
Nutcracker
The choreography, sets, and costumes were new, at least to me. This was my family’s Christmas present from A’s mom: row F, seats 14 to 17. I haven’t seen The…
NHL Lockout: Canada’s CBC Prepares for Potential Labor Deal by Etan Vlessing
CBC says it can pull a team together for “Hockey Night in Canada” as owners and players seal an agreement to salvage the season.
Idle No More Will Fail Unless Votes Follow
Idle No More will fail, not because aboriginals don’t matter, but because they don’t vote. Elections Canada has tracked federal voter turnout on First Nations Reserves since the 2004 general…
And now for something completely different
The Atlantic has an article about Monty Python as The Beatles of Comedy: It’s a pity that the word irreverent has lost its weight, so that it’s come to seem…
Sen. Nancy Ruth is heard from again!
…she’s come out in support of an OLP leadership candidate. Which, now that I’m back in Ontario, got me thinking about one of her other public statements…
5483…Jimmy B 903
The number 7 Syracuse Orange crushed the Rutgers Whatevers earlier this evening in the Carrier Dome which propelled Coach Jimmy Boeheim into second place all time with 903 wins. John…
The Right Just Doesn’t Get It
Two prominent Rightwing bobble heads, PostMedia’s John Ivison and the Ottawa Citizen’s Terry Glavin have both written dismissive op-eds dismissing the Idle No More movement as frivolous, simplistic and disingenuous.…
2012 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: 4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 25,000…
Ending Climate Silence – What Obama Should Say In State of the Union Address
What should President Obama say about climate change during his upcoming State of the Union address? Check out this preview clip from Bill Moyers’ interview with scientist Anthony Leiserowitz, director…
responsibility, the ability to accept criticism and pit bulls.
I’ve written about some of the questions around bullying, and whether individuals need to grow thicker skins or be treated gentler, and about boundaries and people’s different abilities to accept…
Ubuntu Phone
Saw this today: Announcing Ubuntu For Phones. I’m a very happy iPhone user, but there’s one nugget in that article that I want really, really badly: “Ubuntu for phones is…
Bilbo tops Jean Valjean in holiday movies
Every Christmas there’s an envelope on the tree with a gift card to attend the movies from my father, this year was no different. And my children also gave my…
What do you look for (part two)?
Having expounded in my previous post what kind of person I look for, when serving on the search committee for a tenure-track hire, now it is time to list the…
Canada’s Indigenous #IdleNoMore Movement Gains Momentum (VIDEO)
First Nations groups denied their constitutionally-protected rights, targeted by the Harper Conservative government In Canada, #IdleNoMore, an indigenous rights movement that started as a small social media campaign, is gaining…
Bloggers can change the political landscape
Reader G. Barry Stewart said this today in comments on ‘A road to inevitable unrest’: “I had a thought today. (Pretty amazing, huh?) “As a New Year’s resolution, I am…
Learned Hand on Liberty
One of America’s greatest judicial philosophers was Judge Learned Hand. Among his legendary achievements he is remembered for his discussion of liberty given in Central Park, New York, on May…
De Touqueville’s Insights on War and Democracy
For your contemplation, a few observations of Alexis De Touqueville (1805-1859) on war and the democratic state. “There are two things that a democratic people will always find very difficult,…
Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Frank Graves writes about the decline of Canada’s middle class – and notes a parallel between the type of economy which tends to…