May 2015
Leaving Unit 503 upright
I am surrounded by boxes, both packed and empty. This week I am changing units within my housing co-op, moving house for the first time since 1992. When I re-located…
A Precarious Existence
The Toronto Star last week concluded an excellent series on the plight of the precariously employed. If you haven’t read it, I strongly recommend it for the insights and possible…
Entrenching The Corporate Agenda
http://www.perspectives.com/ Stephen Harper is a man of inconsistencies. But, if there is one thing he’s been consistent about, it’s putting his signature to free trade deals. Each of those deals…
An e-mail on preferential voting.
To: tmcmeekin.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org Dear Minister McMeekin: You must have missed reading Babel-on-the-Bay on March 26 this year. That was when one of the postings was devoted to Toronto council’s request to…
Buying Your Vote
Rumours circulating that Harper will extend the official campaign period by calling the election early may well have some merit given that his “Fair” Election Act specifically allows more spending…
Bill C-51: Learning How to Raise Our Voices to Denounce a Dictator
They rallied all over country from St John's to Vancouver, in the sun and in the rain.In a country which is normally so quiet and complacent, they raised their voices…
Sometimes Life is Unbelievably Not Fair
On December 18, 1972, vice president Joe Biden’s son, Beau, somehow survived a massive collision between his mother’s station wagon and a tractor-trailer truck. There were two not so fortunate…
What Next! What Best Laid Plans Fall Through
Sometimes, even the best laid plans fall apart. And life feels very, very unfair. Every caregiver has a story about a high school reunion or an anniversary dinner that had…
Squelching Thought
Hedges and Chomsky both complain about the education system of the universities being neo-liberal proponents of the free market schema that tell students what to think instead of how to…
Saturday Photo: Bees
Lots of bees in the garden these days of lilacs and bird song. Do hope this means that the bees around here are surviving the plague that seems to be…
Election 2015: Why Canadians will have a new government
Yes, Prime Minister … Yesterday’s EKOS poll results released by Frank Graves have plenty of food for thought. The poll results are worth detailed study by anyone trying to get…
May 30: ?????? What is news?
Think about that word.News. It doesn’t mean sentimentality. It doesn’t mean nostalgia. It doesn’t mean reminiscence. Note the first three letters of it – NEW. It’s about something very, very…
joseph mitchell, master writer of the master city
My desire is to get the reader, well, first of all to read it. That story was hard to write because I had to wonder how long can I keep…
Podium
Admittedly a small field, but I came in second in my age group today in Lap the Gats. I am thrilled. Apparently there’s this thing on the internet called “humble…
Would You Raise Your Hand for Canada’s Oil and Gas Industry?
After a rough year of collapsing oil prices and the embarrassing dethroning of Alberta’s longtime Progressive Conservative government, the oil and gas industry could use a win. The latest campaign…
Chicago takes back their parks and fights against commercialization
An interesting article from In These Times on a neighbourhood in Chicago pushing back. Why We Organized to Kick Riot Fest Out of Humboldt Park Pushing the punk rock festival…
action bronson, hate speech, and protest: rape culture vs. freedom of speech
As part of the NXNE concert series in Toronto, rapper Action Bronson was slated to perform a free concert in Dundas Square. Bronson is apparently known for lyrics and videos…