Have Problem? Sleep on it
When confronting a problem, or looking for creative inspiration, people get told “to sleep on it”. This turns out to be useful advice not just because it’s based on years…
October 2018
Column: Stephen Harper thinks he can manage the likes of Donald Trump. He can’t.
Can Donald Trump be managed? Can so-called “populists” be persuaded to moderate their so-called populism? Anyone who has paid the slightest attention to politics, in the past two years, knows…
The She-Wolf of the Clueless loses again
And hallelujah. Now, when will the Toronto Police Service start investigating her for allegedly inciting that attempt to murder scores of refugees at a Toronto hotel? BREAKING: Rogers Media says…
A federal green machine?
We got a push from the left of the political spectrum the other day for a proposal unveiled in 2016 to transform and green Canada’s dying postal service. It was…
Unfazed by Donald Trump, what will Stephen Harper make of far-right revival in Bavaria?
I wonder what former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper will make of the success of the scary far-right Alternative für Deutschland party in Sunday’s elections in the South German state…
Political Discourse in Alberta: Seen through Orwell’s Lens
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”—George Orwell It was fascinating to consider Jason Kenney’s…
My Vancouver Election Endorsements
Still wondering how to vote in next weekend’s Vancouver municipal elections? Wonder no more … Mayor: SYLVESTER, Shauna City Council: BOYLE, Christine (OneCity) FRY, Pete (GREEN) ROBERTS, Anne (COPE) SWANSON,…
My Vancouver Election Endorsements
Still wondering how to vote in next weekend’s Vancouver municipal elections? Wonder no more … Mayor: SYLVESTER, Shauna City Council: BOYLE, Christine (OneCity) FRY, Pete (GREEN) ROBERTS, Anne (COPE) SWANSON,…
Point A to Point B: Did A Series of Anti-Refugee Posts on Social Media From Far-Right Figures Result in Attempted Murder?
Back on September 29, Ronny Cameron, Georges Massaad, and Leigh Stuart posted a video of themselves in the Radisson Toronto East Hotel which has been temporarily housing refugee claimants. The…
how the media (invisibly) props up capitalism and other hidden biases
I recently read these somewhat old, but still relevant, letters to the New York Times Book Review. Cost of the CrashTo the Editor: In his review of “Crashed,” by Adam…
Andrew Scheer and the Saudi Monsters
It's a grisly story. The disturbing allegations that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi murdered and dismembered. It has leaders all over the world…
We Need an Antidote to Complacency and Resentmento
When life becomes a zero sum game, when competition is seen as the sole basis for organizing society, when targeting social benefits that should be universal shows folk that some…
“An appealing concept”
Does the north of Canada need improved transportation? Yes. Is this need being exploited by those who want a pipeline to “tidewater”? Yes. Will constructing it ensure Canada exceeds our…
On Short Attention Spans And Political Expediency
The climate catastrophe bearing down on us serves to underscore the fallibility of our species and the shortcomings of our politics, as these Star letter-writers ably point out: The news…
Is Donald Trump Driving Progressives Crazy?
Like a lot of progressives, I've always clung to the happy thought that Donald Trump would go crazy before I did.It seemed like a no-brainer. No President has ever disgusted…
Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – David Wallace-Wells writes that even “genocide” may be too gentle a word for the consequences of a climate breakdown. Josh Gabbatiss discusses…
I Told the Story of Our Son’s Transition and Researchers Listened
There are some aspects about my caregiving experience that have been harder than others. Whenever I can, I like to share ideas about what would have made our family journey…
Words have power. Words can hurt. Words can kill.
If there is a causal link established between these two things, there will be holy Hell to pay. As a bare minimum, the writer must be fired.
Fordian Folly
The United Nations has told all of us that we have little time to mitigate the effects of climate change. Doug Ford, however, is on a national roadshow, railing against…
Jean Chrétien tells it like it is.
One of the advantages of being a former prime minister, Jean Chrétien can now tell people how he sees things. Or, in the case of former prime minister Stephen Harper,…