In praise of the Saskatchewan CCF… the roots of Medicare
On the March 21 edition of CBC radio's The House Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said, "This is a moment when all Canadians should get down on their knees and…
March 2020
In praise of the Saskatchewan CCF… the roots of Medicare
On the March 21 edition of CBC radio’s The House Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said, “This is a moment when all Canadians should get down on their knees and…
Vancouver Park Board closing all public outdoor recreation facilities in parks, beaches
by Nikitha Martins and Tarnjit Parmar Posted Mar 22, 2020 10:57 am PDT NEWS 1130 VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The Vancouver Park Board has announced it’s closing all public outdoor…
Power Games: Any Enemy Will Do – Even A Virus
From the Russian Revolution until the fall of the USSR, the Western power elite used the pretext of fighting Communism to justify, rationalize, and provide cover for imperialist wars around…
Time For A Massive Reorientation
It is perhaps to state the obvious that a crisis of the scale the world is currently experiencing is also an opportunity to reorient our perspective and our society. As…
in which i begin re-learning how to play piano — using pianote.com
I’m taking piano lessons! I’m really happy and excited about it. I’m using an amazing site called Pianote, which combines traditional lessons with seamless, user-friendly technology. * * * *…
Covid Journal, March 22, 2020
Some news recaps. I’m feeling strangely optimistic today and encourage everyone to play along with self-isolation. When we turn the corner (and we will), we ALL have to understand that…
The New Normal
For years now, the gig economy has been morphing into our new economic model. Martin Regg Cohn writes that the coronavirus has made gig workers of us all: If you…
Political-Economy 101
Governments and corporations, and the state-corporate media they control, systematically distort or conceal the truth, peddle illusions and starkly deceitful false narratives, and lie. (Does anyone remember Iraq’s WMDs?)…
Leadership is in the eyes of the followers.
Bob Hepburn of the Toronto Star wrote an opinion piece last week that commented on Doug Ford of Ontario looking “downright ‘leaderly’.” I rarely argue with Hepburn, but in this…
farmers concerned about harvest labour: improve working conditions, hire locally
I’ve read that the recent border closures, part of the effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, have raised concerns in the agricultural sector. Farmers are worried that there will…
This One Could Stretch Our Attention Span
One thing you’ll find on this blog a handful of times every year are posts that discuss some major ecological calamity that conclude that the whole business will be down…
If Health Minister Tyler Shandro were smart, he’d walk back that Babylon by Telus deal pronto
This whole Babylon smartphone app partnership between the Alberta government and Telus Corp. is starting to look like a major blunder. If he’s smart, Health Minister Tyler Shandro will recognize…
Park Board closes playgrounds, reminds community to adhere to social distancing
March 20 2020 The Vancouver Park Board is closing its playgrounds across the city and reminding Vancouverites about the importance of social distancing when visiting parks and beaches during the…
A Letter From F.Scott Fitzgerald, Quarantined In 1920 In The South Of France During the Spanish Influenza Outbreak
Dearest Rosemary, It was a limpid dreary day, hung as in a basket from a single dull star. I thank you for your letter. Outside, I perceive what may be…
On Expectation
How we see our lives and how we expect things to go for us is life or death right now, sanity or madness. This has been an emotionally exhausting week!…
The Hepa Hype
My gaze fell on my air purifier this morning, the unit I bought to keep seasonal wildfire smoke under control in my house. It’s the same model as the one…
Joe Biden’s Shoestring Budget Victory
It wasn’t money that fueled Joe Biden’s come-from-behind victory in the Democratic primaries. Of the final seven candidates, Biden’s spending was dead last. Outgunned on the airwaves and out-organized on…
Reflections
Lately I’ve been thinking about fragility. About how we are all connected by caring and how very, very lucky I am to be alive. It feels almost accidental. The images…
‘Caremongering’ groups show what social movements can accomplish in a pandemic
There’s nothing like a crisis to shine a light on the cracks in our socioeconomic systems. As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, people in Canada and around the world are being…