On Appropriation
I'm teaching First Nations in Canada this semester, and it's a bit of a challenge for me. I spent 7 years in school studying philosophy and social sciences - all…
2016
Democracy’s Lifeblood Is Slowing Draining Away
There are a number of blogs that I read on a regular basis. There is Owen with his superb synopses and wry, informed commentary. There is The Mound of Sound,…
Mark Cook Speaks, in Buffalo & Brooklyn, Feb. 18 & 20
Mark Cook is a former Black Panther, member of the George Jackson Brigade, and political prisoner. Twenty four years in prison could not break his spirit or commitment to Black…
Prospects for America: Sanders vs Civil War
(And that is not a threat, of course, but a prediction) An analysis of the present state of future prospects of the nation ~ An open letter in response to…
But what if FPTP isn’t broke?
You almost hate to ask the question. What is wrong with the way Canadians vote? There seems to be an assumption by some people that first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting is a…
The Postmedia Cons: We Don’t Get No Respect Waaaaah !!!!
The other day I suggested that Postmedia reporters must be in some kind of contest to see who can attack Justin Trudeau the most.To please their boss Paul Godfrey, and…
Shaming Chauvinists 101
Hey, Canada. Don’t you just hate it when other countries make us look so 20th century? In the UK, they’re going to publicly shame employers who maintain gender wage disparities.…
Shaming Chauvinists 101
Hey, Canada. Don’t you just hate it when other countries make us look so 20th century? In the UK, they’re going to publicly shame employers who maintain gender wage disparities.…
Stepping on rakes: #nlpoli version
Premier Dwight Ball has changed his position. That’s the first thing.Here’s the way James McLeod described Ball’s position on cuts to the public service. It’s from the Saturday Telegram:“We’ve met…
Polar Bear Plunge in Verdun
Super cold weekend after what has so far been a very mild winter makes the participants of this year’s Polar Bear Plunge seem all the more insane, or, in some
Doff hats to Don Getty, father of Family Day – too bad about that August holiday
PHOTOS: Don Getty, premier, celebrating the first Family Day in 1990. No! wait! That’s Don Getty, quarterback, celebrating the Edmonton Eskimos’ Grey Cup victory in 1956. Same guy, though. Who…
How You Can Help Save The Lives of Those Who Would Save You
I don't usually run public service announcements on this blog. But because my heroes are healers not killers I'm going to make an exception.And ask you to please help spread…
Just How Many Wars Do We Have Going On in Syria?
Sometimes it's hard to tell how many wars are being waged in Syria. Some of them seem to blur together and then part again. Sometimes the results are counter-intuitive. Sometimes…
B.C. “attacks” Alberta. Really?
Thirty-six little words. That’s all it took for the media to whip Albertans up into a “how dare you” frenzy. It started with the BC government’s Throne Speech in which…
"Liberal" is back in the U.S.
Liberal is one of the most honourable words in politics or, indeed, in life generally. According to my ITP Nelson Canadian Dictionary, it means "open to new ideas for progress,…
432 vs 440Hz: Science or Codswallop?
Canadian band Walk Off the Earth posted excitedly on Facebook that they had just recorded a new song. Great. I like WOTE and look forward to their new song. What…
Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.- PressProgress highlights the disturbingly large number of Canadians spending more than half their income on a restrictively-defined set of basic necessities. And Elaine…
On permanent campaigns
Luke Savage is right to point out that Canada's permanent campaign has merely taken on a different dynamic under the Trudeau Libs, rather than actually coming to an end with…